Cultural Wealth Wednesday: Reflecting on Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 through October 15 marked the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2020. While Covid-19 altered the opportunity to have as many in-person events as in past years, it did not stop the celebration of the Hispanic Community!
The Department of External Affairs was excited to partner with the Department of Student Activities to show two incredible documentaries for Movie Mondays, where we tapped local leader Jessica Juarez to identify two films that could help us show the impact of the Hispanic Community, Stand and Deliver and Dolores.
When asking Jessica why we shared these two films, she quickly stated that they are still relevant many years later.
Stand and Deliver highlights students' lives after school--some have to work to help their families; some are caretakers for their siblings. There is also the lesser topic of machismo demonstrated in one of the characters, Angel. He feels pressured to continue associating with his gang and disregard his schooling. Latinos care about education, but sometimes survival takes over. This film is helpful for educators and social workers interested in learning more about these cultural differences.
Dolores highlights Dolores Huerta, who is still leading the good fight at 90 years young. We still have migrant farmworkers who work in dire conditions for very little pay. Dolores may not be involved directly with the union she co-founded alongside Caesar Chavez, but she fights for them in other ways. She encourages voting, equal pay for women, and immigration reform. She's an inspiration for so many!
We were so very thankful for the support of Jessica in helping us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! It is thanks we also want to extend to Baylor Senior Leo Robles. We were able to partner with Leo and the Latinx Student Coalition housed within our Department of Multicultural Affairs to host a Young Hispanic Leaders Panel. During this time, a panel of Waco's Young Hispanic Leaders fielded questions by students on topics such as battling imposter syndrome and making your degree profitable. Included in the forum were Councilman Hector Sabido, Catelia Vazquez, Benjamin Gomez, Amanda Nowlin, and Josh Rizzo. Each of these persons shared their various perspectives, helping them build a stronger connection with our Hispanic students on campus. View a recording of the event at baylor.edu/waco/youngleaders.
Through the film showings and Young Leaders Panel, were we able to celebrate the Cultural Wealth of our Hispanic Community. We plan to continue and build on these efforts next year, hopefully in person, for Hispanic Heritage Month 2021.