Hispanic Heritage Month (or Latinx/e Heritage Month as we refer to it) is a month-long celebration of Latinx/e history and culture. While we celebrate Latinx/e communities beyond this month, from September 15 to October 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more (National Museum of American Latino).
Latinx/e Heritage Month does not cover one single month but instead begins in the middle of September and ends in the middle of October. The timeframe of this month is significant because many Central American countries celebrate their independence days within these dates, beginning on September 15 with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. By aligning with these independence dates, Latinx/e Heritage Month honors the resilience and determination of the Latine community. Key Independence Days celebrated include:
- September 15 - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
- September 16 – Mexico
- September 18 – Chile
- September 21 - Belize
Learn more about the unique Latin Independence Days traditions and celebrations and about Hispanic Heritage Month | National Museum of the American Latino.
Join our events!
Mesa de Cultura
September 18, 2025
Time: 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: SMC Quad
*Student-led event
*Candy available
Culture, Identity, and Resilience: Taking a look at the migrant experience in L.A.
Presentation by Author and Award-Winning Journalist, Soudi Jiménez
September 25, 2025
Time: 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: HSS 104
Description: Soudi Jiménez will talk about L.A.’s many Latinx communities — a variety that includes Salvadoran,
Guatemalan, Oaxacan, and Peruvian populations — their resilience, and their fight
for cultural recognition of their ethnic identity, as well as recognition of their
contributions to the United States and its society.
*In Spanish with English Interpretation
Film Screening: "Unseen"
September 30, 2025
Time: 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Location: Library 192
Description: Most people dream of a better future. Pedro, an aspiring social worker, is no different.
But as a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces political restrictions to obtain
his college degree, secure a job in his field, and support his family. As he finally
graduates, uncertainty looms over Pedro. What starts as a journey to provide mental
health care for his community ultimately transforms into Pedro’s path towards his
own healing. Through experimental cinematography and sound, UNSEEN reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration,
disability, and mental health
*Coffee and pastries available
Focus Group: Understanding Mental Health and Support for Latine Students
October 9, 2025
Time: 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Student Services Center, Room 390
Description: Join us for the Latinx/e Mixer! Network with fellow students, staff, and faculty, share experiences, and
build connections in a welcoming atmosphere. This is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen
our Latinx/e community and foster meaningful relationships across campus. Don’t miss out on
this chance to connect and celebrate together!
*Lunch Provided
Performance by Camila Fernandez
Granddaughter of the legendary Vicente Fernández and daughter of international star Alejandro Fernández
October 10, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Broadstage
Description: Camila Fernández, seamlessly blends tradition and innovation, featuring both heartfelt originals and
reimagined classics. With a sound that merges the nostalgia of mariachi with the vibrancy
of modern influences, she reinvents the past while embracing the future, solidifying
her reputation as a versatile performer deeply connected to her
*Purchase Tickets: Camila Fernández | BroadStage
Wellness: Body Movement & Salsa Dancing
October 14, 2025
Time: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: SMC Quad
Description: Body Movement will combine gentle movement with flowing vinyasas, thoughtfully tailoring
each session to meet the needs of beginners. Teaching will focus on helping students
cultivate a deep connection to their bodies and breath, creating a mindful and accessible
practice for all. Salsa Dancing will focus on inspiring students of all levels to connect with rhythm, technique, and the
joy of movement.
Concrete Hope Exhibition
Curator, Art Professor, Erika Hirugami, MA. MAAB. MPhil
October 14, 2025
Description: Keynote address by curator and Professor of History of Photography in the Art department, Erika Hirugami, MA. MAAB. MPhil
Dash Harris: Black Latin American Contemporary Topics Talk
October 15, 2025
Time: 11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Virtual Workshop
Description: Black Latin American History and Contemporary Topics, explores how race, power, and
identity have been constructed and contested across the region. Beginning with the
myths of mestizaje, it examines the casta system and the legal privileging of whiteness
from its colonial foundation’s embedded through slaveocracies, how difference was
instrumentalized to uphold white elite dominance and its crystallization into modern
day racial-social pigmentocracy. The course then turns to the invention of “Latin”
and “Latinidad” as cultural and political identities, manufactured historically and
reasserted in response to Anglo power. From there, attention is given to the racial
projects of Mexico and their entanglements with U.S. goals, revealing cross-border
collaborations in the pursuit of whiteness. Finally, it traces the trajectory from
the 1800s to the present, interrogating policies of blanqueamiento, eugenics, and
even Nazi influence, while also highlighting the paradox of Afrodescendants who fought
to liberate the region yet were denied the very freedoms they helped secure to the
day.
Dash Harris is a Peabody-award winning multi-media journalist and entrepreneur, producer, doula and Temple alum. She is the co-founder of AfroLatinx Travel a travel and community-building resource for the African Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean, facilitating transformative connections among Afrodescendants through travel and meaningful, intentional, sustainable tourism and business led by Black Latin American locals.
Dash has been named one of Latina mag’s change makers, and featured and written for
various publications such as "50 Shades of Black," USA Today, Huffington Post, Latina
magazine, Remezcla, Vibe, CNN, People Chica, Hip Latina, For Harriet, Essence, and
moderated The Root's first live-web panel on Black Latinxs and has been a yearly organizer
for the AfroLatino Fest of NYC and its Liberacion Film Fest
Registration Required: Register for October 15, 2025 Workshop
Alkaid Ramirez & Felix Quintana Artist Talk
October 15, 2025
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery
Many thanks to the sponsors who contributed and supported Latinx/e Heritage Month at SMC: Adelante Club, Art Department, Basic Needs, Black Collegians, BroadStage, Center for Wellness and Wellbeing, Community and Academic Relations, Counseling, Division of Equity, Pathways, & Inclusion, Ethnic Studies Program, EOPS/CARE, Events Department, Latino Center/Adelante Program, Latinx Collective, Modern Language and Cultures Department, SMC Associates, SMC Marketing, Student Equity Center, and Veterans Success Center.