Hispanic Heritage month starts on September 15th and ends on October 15th. The month is to celebrate the contributions and influence of Hispanic citizens. It is important that we as a school recognize the impact that hispanics have had in the community, for this reason, the celebration of this unique and colorful culture is pertinent. Latinx Club, headed by Inés Carrillo and Carolina Carrara, and Student Inclusion Club (SIC), represented by Dennise Legare, Grace Albertson,  Dakota Hasty, and Jasmina Rahimberganova are both helping to lead Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.

Although Hispanic Heritage Month is an important celebration for those of Hispanic descent or origin, it is not the only date that Hispanic and Latinx culture should be celebrated. Each distinct country has its own traditions and holidays. There are many more celebrations to take into account other than just Hispanic Heritage Month and Cinco de Mayo. This includes the various independence days, religious holidays (as religion plays a large role in Latin culture), and Carnaval.

It is important that people realize the difference between the celebration of a holiday for its culture and importance and the “celebration” of a holiday as an excuse to party. One big example is the Cinco de Mayo. Although many claim this holiday to be a celebration of Mexican culture and independence, in reality it has become an Americanized and corporate holiday. This holiday is celebrated more in the U.S than Mexico, as Mexico’s real independence day is actually September 16, not May 5. Thus, Cinco de Mayo is really just  an excuse to drink discounted margaritas and swing at a piñata, rather than an actual representation of Mexican culture.

On another note, it should be understood that there is in fact a difference between being Latinx and/or Hispanic. Being Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish or are descended from Spanish-speaking populations. Those who are Latinx refers to people who are from or descended from Latin American countries. People can be both Hispanic and Latinx, or merely just one, it depends on the person and their family history. Although it must be said that the term “Latinx” comes with a lot of controversy, with newer options like Latine coming to the table as well, but that’s a story for another time. (Stay tuned, I’ll probably write an article on it soon!)

Magnet’s Plans for this Month (as put together with the help of Latinx and Student Inclusion clubs)

If you haven’t noticed, a lot of decorations and effort has been put into this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month at Magnet, which is a nice development compared to years past. SIC helped Latinx Club gather supplies and set up around school, with decorations like papel picado and tissue paper flowers in the colors of Latin American countries’ flags. Ms. Callicott helped us to put art in the guitar hallway of major Hispanic/Latinx artists, such as Frida Kahlo, Jean Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Rudy Fernandez. If you are interested in learning more about these artists, check out Gracie Mochizuki’s article 🙂

Mr. Grimshaw will be playing music of Latinx artists during lunch, courtesy of Latinx club’s phenomenal music taste. This playlist features artists like Shakira, Ximena Sariñana, Bad Bunny, Julieta Venegas, and more. For more suggestions, go to Inés’s article on the Talon for the word on some of the best Latinx artists in modern music.

Another exciting development is that we will be having a guest speaker at Magnet, courtesy of Carolina Carrara. The guest speaker will be Javier Meza, an Ecuadorian that is the chief marketing officer (CMO) of Coca-Cola Sparkling. The date is TBD, but we’ll let you know through the school announcements, so stay tuned.

There is also a bulletin board by Ms. Orr’s room featuring both Hispanic and LGBTQ+ figures with small bios on their lives. SIC will also be providing Latinx Club with another bulletin board to showcase our favorite Latinx/Hispanic figures and a map detailing where our members are from.

All in all, this year’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Magnet has actually been noticeable and hopefully points to how our school will actually become a place of real inclusivity in the future.

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