ASU Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

SAN ANGELO, TX - Angelo State University’s Office of Multicultural and Student Activities Programs, Multicultural Advisory Council and Association of Mexican-American Students (AMAS) will host a series of events to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 12-16 at various locations around the ASU campus. All the events are open free to the public, said a press release.

On Monday, Sept. 12, ASU will present a “Night of Culture: Borderland Voices” from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. in Room 004 of the Academic Building, 2502 Dena Drive. The highlight will be a panel discussion by ASU faculty on “Borderland Stories: Things Only People from the Border Know.” The panel will include Dr. John Klingemann, chair of the History Department; Dr. Flor Madero, assistant professor of communication; Dr. Joel Mejia, assistant professor or engineering; and Dr. Gabriela Serrano, associate professor of English. Light refreshments will also be served. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, AMAS will co-host an “Oral Tradition: Hispanic Legends” presentation from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the lobby of the Houston Harte University Center, 1910 Rosemont Drive. AMAS students will tell scary Hispanic stories and legends from their childhoods, and light refreshments will be served. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, ASU Residential Programs will co-host a screening of the movie “Cartoneo y Nopalitos” at 6 p.m. in the University Center’s C.J. Davidson Conference Center. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the movie’s writer and director, Pablo Veliz, and light refreshments will be served. Released in 2012, the movie tells the story of Carla, an immigrant girl from Mexico who dreams of becoming a doctor in America, despite being hampered by her undocumented status. 

On Thursday, Sept. 15, ASU will partner with the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and the Mexican Consulate in Del Rio to host a celebration of Mexico’s independence, or “El Grito,” from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the ASU Pavilion off Van Buren Street on the east side of campus. Dr. John Klingemann of the ASU history faculty will present a short history of El Grito, and a representative from the Mexican Consulate will read the proclamation of Mexican independence. Other activities will include Mariachi and Folklorico music and dancing, food and activity booths, a Mexican art display and various photo opportunities. 

Then on Friday, Sept. 16, Dr. Juan Blandon of the ASU Physics faculty will co-host a Spanish-language astronomy show in the ASU Planetarium. “Oasis en el Espacio Viernes” (“Oasis in Space”) will play at 7 p.m. The Planetarium is located in the Vincent Nursing-Physical Science Building, 2333 Vanderventer St.

In 1968, National Hispanic Heritage Week was proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was expanded to National Hispanic Heritage Month, annually covering the period of Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.