To honor the culture, heritage and contributions of Hispanics and Latino Americans, Cal State San Bernardino will hold a number of events throughout Sept. 15-Oct. 15 to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The month-long series of events will be either live or virtual. Last year many of the events were held virtually as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced CSUSB to suspend most face-to-face classes and business operations in favor of online and virtual classes.

To launch the month-long series of celebrations, CSUSB students, faculty, staff and administrators are invited to a Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff, which will be held on Sept. 15 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the south lobby of the Santos Manuel Student Union by the university’s Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee. For more information email hsi@csusb.edu and register at the HHM registration page.

The Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff annual event is an opportunity for interested members of the campus community to participate and learn more about university initiatives that promote higher education within CSUSB.

Events at Cal State San Bernardino to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month include:

  • Sept. 15, 5-8 p.m., Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art: Festival de Calaveras. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art invites the campus and the community to sign up to decorate a calavera. Pick up of the calaveras to be decorated will held on Sept. 15 and 16. All completed calaveras will be showcased in a virtual Festival de Calaveras exhibition, Oct. 11-15. Calaveras will then be auctioned during ALFSS’ Dia de los Muertos event on Nov. 6 to raise money for ALFSS student scholarships. For more information, email Miranda.canseco@csusb.edu and visit the Festival de Calaveras webpage.
  • Sept. 15, 7-8 p.m., Via Zoom, El Grito de Independencia. The Consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino will host a virtual celebration of the CCXI (211) anniversary of the beginning of the independence movement in Mexico. For more information email emurillo@csusb.edu. Visit the Consulado de Mexico en San Bernardino Facebook page for more information.
  • Sept. 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Via Zoom, “What does it mean to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution.” A panel discussion featuring the perspectives of faculty, staff and students will be held on the topic of CSUSB’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. For more information, email vilchis@csusb.edu. 
  • Sept. 20, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., The Association of Latino Faculty, Staff and Students (ALFSS) takes over the Coyote Commons. Come join the CSUSB ALFSS for lunch at the Coyote Commons to enjoy Latinx food, music, and learn about the association and how to become a member. For more information, email bdiaz@csusb.edu and visit the Calendar of Hispanic Heritage Month Events page.
  • Sept. 20, 10-11 a.m. via Zoom, “The Importance of Graduate Education.” Join a panel of CSUSB students and alumni to learn about the importance of graduate school and the opportunities. The panel session is hosted by the Office of Graduate Studies. For more information, email megan.kinally@csusb.edu. Register at the Hispanic Heritage Month Presents: The Importance of Graduate Education page.
  • Sept. 23, 7-8:30 p.m. via Zoom, “The College of Arts & Letters and Acto Latino presents Dr. Gloria Montiel.” One of the first DACA beneficiaries to earn a Ph.D. in the United States, Montiel describes how she loves her gente, raices and identity. Montiel’s lectures are designed to help students identify and implement concrete methods to support undocumented students and mixed status families in the PK-20 pipeline. Email bdiaz@csusb.edu for more information. Register at the  HHM Gloria Itzel Montiel meeting page.
  • Sept. 28, noon-2 p.m., “LatinX Cuentos” at the Cross Cultural Center. A workshop highlighting the importance of recognizing the experiences of LatinX students in higher education will be hosted by the SMSU LatinX Center, the Undocumented Student Success Center and LatinX Residential Scholars Living Learning Community. Cuentanos tu cuento. For more information, email ccc@csusb.edu and visit the Calendar of Hispanic Heritage Month Events page.
  • Sept. 30, 6-7 p.m. via Zoom, “Acto Latino and Pfau Library Film Screening.” The film screening is hosted by the Pfau Library and Acto Latino. For more information email bdiaz@csusb.edu and rmadriga@csusb.edu. To register, visit HHM “Your vote is your voice” site.
  • Oct. 5, noon-1 p.m. via Zoom, “Financial Aid Fiesta.” The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus will host a virtual FAFSA (and DREAM) application assistance session with the university’s financial aid office. For more information, email arodriguez@csusb.edu.
  • Oct. 8, CSUSB Premier Field, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Yotes as they host San Francisco State. Women’s soccer match, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Men’s match, 3-4:30 p.m. CSUSB students get in FREE. Anyone wearing a Hispanic Heritage Month T-shirt gets in for free. CCAANetwork.com will hold the live video stream. For more information, email brian.gaul@csusb.edu.
  • Oct. 12, noon-1:30 p.m. via Zoom, “Border Bandits – A True Tale of South Texas, Retold.” The film “Border Bandits” examines the double murder of Tejano community leaders Jesús Bázan and Antonio Longoria, who, unarmed, were shot in the back by Texas Rangers on September 27, 1915. The story is told through the eyes of Roland Warnock, who witnessed the killings and later buried the slain men. The screening is hosted by the Pfau Library. For more information, email rmadriga@csusb.edu and see the film at the screening Zoom link.
  • Oct. 14, noon-2 p.m., “Dish it Out,” at the Cross Cultural Center. Join the SMSU LatinX Center, API Center, Lubos Paso and Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc. for an event celebrating and connecting people, families and communities to share the wealth of our skills, diversity of our cultures, and great foods! The event is hosted by the Cross Cultural Center. For more information, email ccc@csusb.edu.
  • Oct. 15, 2-3:30 p.m. via Zoom. Award-winning author and master storyteller Luis Alberto Urrea will talk about his experiences. The event is hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Committee and the President’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Board. To attend the talk, visit the Zoom link.
  • Oct. 16, 5-6:30 p.m., “Fiesta de Pintura,” at Santos Manuel Student Union South 217/218. Enjoy an evening of painting and refreshments. The event is open to the first 24 registrants and is hosted by the CSUSB Association of Latino Faculty, Staff and Students. For more information, email monica.baeza@csusb.edu.

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 then-U.S. 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, U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois re-submitted an amended version, 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.