Events honor Hispanic heritage: arts, food, fun
Scott Kettner and his band Nation Beat perform in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 29, 2017
AACC observed Hispanic Heritage Month in September with music, food and art.
The month kicked off on Sept. 15 with the Latino Club handing out “tres leches” cake, a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk.
“Most people don’t know about the Hispanic culture,” said Latino Club President Diana Perez. “They don’t know about the traditions … so it is really nice to make them aware of those.”
For Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, AACC focused on Arabic influences within Hispanic culture, designing events to show the roots of Hispanic history and to celebrate similarities between the two cultures.
“Awareness is key,” said Samuel Cordero-Puchales, AACC Hispanic Heritage Month coordinator.
On Sept. 16, Scott Kettner and his Brazilian-Southern U.S. fusion band Nation Beat held a Brazilian Maracatu drumming workshop and a concert.
Transfer studies student Ava Eder, who attended the workshop, said it’s important for AACC to hold events like this because they “show how unique and interesting other cultures are.”
On Sept. 20, a family event that included music, guest speakers and food attracted many people from the AACC community.
A game show took place in the SUN building Sept. 21, challenging students to test their knowledge of
Hispanic countries and pop culture to win cash prizes.
An exhibit by Ramon Menocal called “Perspectivas Latinas” is in the Pascal Art Gallery until Oct. 15. It is based on the African and Spanish influences on Cuban culture.
The Truxal Library also has Hispanic books and artifacts on display and held a veterans’ event on Sept. 28.
Finally, AACC’s Child Development Center will host an arts-and-crafts event in Humanities 015 on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.
“Participate in all the cultural experiences that we offer here at AACC,” said Cordero-Puchales.
“[Learning about other cultures] creates awareness and might eliminate potential stereotypes that we might have.”
Students agreed that holding events for different cultures is important to promote diversity on campus.
“I think it can raise people’s awareness, give them a chance to try something new and experience new cultures,” said continuing education student Mary Smith.
