September 15 marked the start of Latinx Heritage Month. Although this month has traditionally been referred to as Hispanic Heritage Month, USC opted for a more inclusive definition. Wilko Martínez-Cachero reports.
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This month recognizes the contributions and achievements of the Latinx community in the United States. For many, like USC junior Sarah Torres, this is a time to celebrate, share their cultures, and come together.
SARAH TORRES: To me, the most important thing is making sure that I am educated about different people, different topics, traditions, and stuff. I think that’s the best way to stay knowledgeable and to understand what it means.
Latinx Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15 every year. This is because the independence days of many Latin American countries fall in this time span.
A special event led by USC president Carol Folt that featured guest speakers, music, and dance highlighted how important this month — referred to as Latinx Heritage Month by USC — is to locals.
CAROL FOLT: Latinx Heritage Month has its roots right here in East Los Angeles. Congressmember George Brown introduced a week-long observance in 1968 which President Johnson later made official. It has since been expanded to a month.
But despite USC’s event, some students feel like the university could do even more. One of them is Lau Rodriguez, a junior and the executive director of USC’s Latinx Student Assembly.
LAU RODRIGUEZ: The majority of our workers at school who have been put aside because of COVID... and their safeties not being prioritized... the majority are from the surrounding community, which is primarily Latinx, Afro-Latinx... that’s something that, in my opinion, is something that the school can go above and beyond to try to acknowledge and fix the things that they’ve done.
As Latinx Heritage Month gets underway, student groups will continue to host and celebrate cultural events. But USC will have to prove whether they back up their supportive words with actions.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Wilko Martínez-Cachero.