Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on September 29, 2014

Frozen yogurt, lawn games and a serious talk about domestic violence were among the highlights of Washington Universitys newly returned Latino Heritage Week.

Students toss water balloons in one of the Amistad series of competitions on the Swamp. The event was part of the Association of Latin American Students Latino Heritage Week.

The Association of Latin American Students sponsored the week with the goal of promoting Latino culture and educating the University community about the contributions of Latinos in America.

The month of September is widely recognized as Hispanic Heritage Month many Latin-American countries, as many countries received their freedom from colonialism on Sept. 15 and 16. ALAS had previously hosted a Latino Heritage Week, though one has not been held in recent memory.

The week consisted of numerous events such as Fotos del Mundo, where students could model cultural costume pieces, Trivia Night and Open Mic Night at Ursas Fireside.

Sophomore Itzel Lopez-Hinojosa, co-chair for the event, spoke to ALASs importance within the University community and highlighted the fact that although the Latino presence in Wash. U. is small, they aim to be a strong community with the goal of supporting one another and spreading their diverse stories.

ALAS creates a place on campus where our Latino narratives of struggle and success can be listened to and celebrated among comrades. Our sense of familia is something that we strive to create every year on campus, Lopez-Hinojosa said.

One key component of Heritage Week was Bellas pero Golpeadas, a discussion with Zoila Rendon-Ochoa from Barnes-Jewish Hospitals AWARE program. AWARE aims to give women, especially victims of domestic violence, support and advocates in the greater St. Louis community for increased awareness about the link between gender and violence, especially among minorities.

Lopez-Hinojosa elaborated on the choice of Rendon-Ochoa as a speaker, noting that her story is one that is often not spoken about in reference to Latino culture.

A lot of the time when we think of Latinas, we picture these beautiful exotic females, but what we dont see is their beauty and strength from within, and what we never discuss is the powerlessness that they may feel and experience within their own home, she said.

See the rest here:
Latino Heritage Week returns to campus

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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