Ursinus students, you may want to prepare yourself for a slew of new emails. And maybe brush up on your high school Spanish.
The Institute for Inclusion and Equity is hosting its annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Several events will be held throughout the month to expose the Ursinus community to Hispanic traditions and initiate conversations about the Hispanic community. The celebration has been ongoing since mid-September and will continue until early November.
The Institute for Inclusion and Equity, colloquially known as the IIE, works year-round to promote diversity and inclusion at Ursinus. However, its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is one of its flagship event series. Thus far, the event series has included Spanish Bingo, a free Tres-Leches Pop-Up stand, a Latin Jazz Social, and more. Some upcoming events include a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the ever-popular ALMA Latin Night, and a Dia de Muertos Celebration.
Since the Institute for Inclusion and Equity succeeded the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2017, particularly since hiring current director Ashley Henderson, staff and professors have poured countless hours of in-front and behind-the-scenes work to make event series such as its Hispanic Heritage Month happen. Two such staff members who have been working to make this year another success are Saher Khan and Annie Bryant. Khan, the LGBTQ+ Coordinator, was not coy when discussing personnel’s efforts. “It’s ongoing work,” Khan stated. “The leads [for the IIE’s Hispanic Heritage Month] are Dr. Xochitl Shuru and Annie Bryant. The rest of us have supported from behind. That includes contacting vendors like the Tres Leches Pop-Up, which was extremely good! We also have daily conversations about how to move forward. We are always working.”Though their work can sometimes be difficult, the staff finds joy and purpose in their assignments. Annie Bryant, the Assistant Director of the IIE in charge of Intercultural and Community Engagement, smiled and said that these events were “a celebration of Hispanic and Latinx cultures while creating a sense of belonging among students, staff, and faculty.After Hispanic Heritage Month ends, the IIE will focus on planning and developing its next flagship series: a celebration of Black History Month, which is slated to begin in January. For the remainder of Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond, however, Ms. Bryant has a straightforward message. “Check out our events and celebrate with us!”