National Latino Heritage Month continues at Colorado State University with a variety of on-campus and community-wide events.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, A.B. Quintanilla will speak as part of Noche Latina, a celebration of the diversity within the Latino culture through music, dancing and performances. The free event takes place in the Grand Ballroom of the Lory Student Center, 6-8 p.m.
Quintanilla, record producer, musician and the older brother of Selena, will speak about being a second-generation Hispanic, belonging to the Latino community and the loss of a loved one.
The Latino and Hispanic population is the largest minority at CSU, with 2,340 students enrolled during the 2014-2015 academic year, according to Institutional Research — more than 50 percent of the minority student population.
“This month is a reminder that we need to acknowledge the contributions of Latinos every day, to celebrate the lives and generations before us,” said Guadalupe Salazar, director of El Centro. El Centro is the on-campus department that advocates and supports the Hispanic and Latino students at CSU and in the Poudre School District.
Upcoming events
On Oct. 13, 5:30-7 p.m., Creating Latino Leaders in the 21st Century will showcase the Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session. CSU is the only Colorado university that collaborates with the National Hispanic Institute on this annual week-long session for 10th and 11th grade high school students. The NHI named CSU the University of the Year in 2015 for its work on this important program. The presentation takes place at CSU’s Diversity House, 645 S. Shields St.
On Oct. 15, the month-long commemoration wraps up with a special noon-time celebration at El Centro, Room 225 in the Lory Student Center.
But the events keep going, with a showing of the film, Fort Collins, the Choice City for Whom: Racism, at 6:30 p.m. in the community meeting room of the Fort Collins Coloradoan, 1300 Riverside Drive.
And weekly Spanish conversation sessions continue every Friday, noon-12;50 p.m. at El Centro through Oct. 30.
All events are free for students, faculty, staff and community members.
Collaborators on the month-long commemoration are El Centro, Campus Activities, CSU Libraries, CSU Ethnic Studies Department, CSU Access Center, CSU Spanish Club, CSUHN, Hillel, Center for Women’s Studies, Unified Identities, CASA, Front Range Community College, Ram Events, Museo de las Tres Colonias, Lory Student Center, Poudre School District, Women and Gender Advocacy Center, Poudre River Public Library District, Vice President for Diversity, Colorado State University Health Network, Multicultural Greek Council.
For a complete schedule of events, go to elcentro.colostate.edu/nlhm.
