To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, Cal State San Bernardino will hold a number of events on campus and at its Palm Desert Campus from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 to recognize the contributions, heritage and culture of Hispanics and Latino Americans.
 
To kick off CSUSB’s celebrations, an observance of Mexican Independence Day with the traditional ringing of a bell and “El Grito,” the cry for patriotism will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15, in the patio area of the university’s Meeting Center (formerly known as the commons). CSUSB is partnering with the university’s Latino Education & Advocacy Days project, Associated Students, Inc. and the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino.
 
The free event, which is open to the public and CSUSB students, faculty and staff, is the consulate’s official celebration of Mexican Independence Day for the Inland area.
 
Events at CSUSB commemorating National Hispanic Heritage Month include:

  • Sept. 15-Oct. 15, Coyote Commons – Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month One Menu at a time. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, Coyote Dining will incorporate a variety of flavors in the dining hall menu from colorful Mexican fajitas to savory Cuban pork and plantain dishes. There will be an opportunity to be the lucky winner of a giveaway! It will start on Sept. 15 and the winner will be announced on Oct. 15.
  • Sept. 20-Oct. 31 – The John M. Pfau Library will have on display “The Life and Times of Dolores Huerta: An Exhibit.” The display will be on the first floor of the library.
  • Sept. 24-Oct. 9 – Student Financial Services will be displaying within the lobby of University Hall at UH-034 a tribute to Hispanic/ Latino artists and painters including images, bios and samples of their work.
  • Sept. 26, 6 p.m. – The John M. Pfau Library will host a concert by the Sinfonia Mexicana, Mariachi Youth Academy (Mariachi Juvenil) at the south deck entrance of the Pfau Library.
  • Sept. 30, noon-2 p.m. – The university’s LatinX Center will host “El Poder de Saber/The Power of Knowledge,” a workshop highlighting the importance of recognizing Hispanic Serving Initiations and why it is important that the Hispanic and LatinX community are achieving higher education. Discussions will include common challenges that LatinX students face while attending a university and tips on how to overcome them. The workshop will be held at the LatinX Center in the Santos Manuel Student Union.
  • Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-noon – Academic Affairs will host “Now to Career – See Success,” an event geared to giving all students the opportunity to work on their career plan, network with peers in similar majors and learn about resources to help them succeed. The event will be held at Jack Brown Hall, Room 280.
  • Oct. 3, noon – 2 p.m. – The Pfau Library will host “The History and Current Struggles of Los Braceros Mexicanos,” a presentation by Rosa Martha Zarate. The event will be held at PL 5005.
  • Oct. 7, 9-11 a.m. – The Palm Desert Campus will host “Significance with Taste,” a workshop highlighting the significance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and how the LatinX community really feels about it. Paletas/popsicles will be served. The event will held at the PDC’s Rancho Mirage Student Center.
  • Oct. 8-11 – CSUSB’s Information Technology Services will hold a Faculty Cultural Showcase and the Hispanic Technology Consortium Workshop about its services to students and professional development resources for university staff at the Pfau Library Wedge.
  • Oct. 10, all day – Associated Students, Inc. will screen “Dolores,” a film documentary of the life of farm labor activist Dolores Huerta. The event will be held at the Santos Manuel Student Union Theater.
  • Oct. 10, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – The Hispanic Technology Consortium will hold a workshop on HETS Services to students and professional development resources for staff at the Pfau Library, Room 5005.
  • Oct. 10, noon-4 p.m. – The Palm Desert Campus and Academic Affairs will hold “Festival Hispano” highlighting the work and accomplishments of local Hispanic artists for their important contributions to the community through showcasing their work. There will be presentations by local artists, and interactions with students, artists and university faculty and staff while sharing local food, festivities, and fun! Art displays in various forms, including film and live music will also be exhibited/displayed. The event will be held at the Palm Desert Campus.
  • Oct. 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales and the Dr. Carreon Foundation Board of Directors will hold a reception to welcome Jake Zhu, dean of the Palm Desert Campus at the PDC Indian Wells Theater.
  • Oct. 15, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. – “Guelaguetza.” The Guelaguetza is a multi-cultural festival and resource fair for students, staff and faculty. Activities include cultural performances, cultural food truck and opportunity drawings. The event will be held at the Meeting Center Patio.
  • Oct. 15, 6-9 p.m. – The Division of University Advancement will hold a screening of “Singing our Way to Freedom,” an award-winning documentary based on the life of musician and social justice activist Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez. Producer and director Paul Espinoza, will hold a post-screening discussion. The event will be held at the Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center.
  • Oct. 16, noon-2 p.m. – The Pfau Library will hold a film screening and discussion of “Stolen Education,” which documents the untold story of Mexican-American school children who challenged discrimination in Texas schools in the 1950s and changed the face of education in the Southwest. The screening will be at the Pfau Library, Room 5005.
  • Oct. 16, 3 p.m. – “The Project of a People: José Vasconcelos on Race and Nationalism,” presented by Manuel Vargas, professor of philosophy at UC San Diego, and hosted by the CSUSB Department of Philosophy. One of the central challenges for modern nation states is how to enable large scale social cooperation in a way that avoids the dangers of nationalism but that is more broadly motivating than cosmopolitan neutrality about cultural differences. In the early 20th century, the Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos offered an intriguing answer to this dilemma. His approach was rooted in ideals of race mixing and a kind of aesthetic utopianism. This talk outlines some underappreciated features of Vasconcelos’ account, and some of the ways in which his project has resources for addressing recently resurgent forms of nationalism. The talk is free and open to the public and will take place in the College of Education building, room CE-114.

Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. The commemorative week was expanded by legislation sponsored by Rep. Esteban Edward Torres (D-Pico Rivera) and implemented by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15). The bill died in committee, but in 1988, Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois re-submitted an amended version of the bill, which was enacted into law on Aug. 17, 1988.
 
Sept. 15 of every year was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, who all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16, Sept. 18 and Sept. 21, respectively.
 
For more information, visit the Hispanic Heritage Month website or the CSUSB HSI Events web page.

CSUSB Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15