Courtesy of IME
From September through mid-October, Lewis & Clark recognized Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month with a full lineup of cultural events organized by both the Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement (IME) and student groups across campus. The programming began on Sept. 8 and extends beyond the national end date to Oct. 19, when IME will host a large closing celebration.
The events of Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month required much planning across many months with different groups including students, professors and clubs. In order to make the month as special as possible they cultivated a list of events that included both on-campus and off-campus activities. They emphasized community outreach and involvement to expand beyond the LC bubble.
“We reach out to our L&C community to join our Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month Planning Committee in April so that we have a list of interested folx to help us plan over the summer. We meet virtually in July about once every other week until the Fall semester, when we start meeting once a week. There are lots of planning and discussions that occur for each event in order to make each month special! Gente Latina Unida (GLU), Cecilia Benenati from World Languages, Hugo Moreno from Hispanic Studies and Norma Velazquez-Ulloa from Biology, and Jorge Orozco-Roller from the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement for helping us make this month happen!” said IME Director Joann Zhang in a statement to The Mossy Log.
Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month is observed nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. At LC, it began as a week-long event but was expanded to a month and IME hopes to further increase the length of observance.
“We believe that honoring the heritage and/or history month needs to go beyond the designated month…” Zhang said.
The month is meant to honor the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestry traces to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The September start date aligns with the independence anniversaries to honor the resilience and determination of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala.
According to the National Museum of the American Latino, the Latino presence in America spans centuries — predating Spanish colonization of what is now part of the United States — and Latinos have been an integral part of shaping U.S. history since the Revolutionary War.
Liana Vargas ’26, head of the Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month Committee discussed her goals with organizing the event series.
“Beyond just celebration, I want to highlight the resilience, diversity, and richness of our Latino cultures. We’re not a monolith. We come from different countries, speak different dialects, and have unique traditions, yet we share common experiences and values that unite us. I also want to highlight the contributions our community makes to this campus and beyond, whether that’s through academic excellence, leadership, advocacy, or simply showing up for one another,” Vargas said in a statement to The Mossy Log. “This month is about visibility, making sure our stories are told by us, our struggles are acknowledged, and our joy is celebrated unapologetically. It’s a reminder that we belong here, and our presence makes this institution better.”
Today, census data indicates that Latinos make up more than 60 million people in the United States, accounting for about 20% of the total population, making them the country’s largest racial or ethnic minority group. In Portland, Latinos make up approximately 11% of the city’s total population, or around 60,000 people. At LC, 12% of students self-identify as Hispanic, Latino or Chicano, according to the College’s most recent publically available demographic data from 2023.
Being Latino at a predominantly white institution can create a loss of connection to students’ backgrounds. However, IME aims to prevent this issue and give community members a sense of belonging and community on campus connecting students to each other, to their history and to the broader Portland community.
“I hope our community, especially freshman students coming from diverse backgrounds, can find a piece of themselves on campus through our events. Having this intentional space feels important to me. Committing this month to uplifting and hearing from our fellow community members is what matters most. When we show each and every community member that they deserve to be here, we bridge the gap between feeling like an outsider and feeling confident as a top student. That transformation is what makes this work so meaningful,” Vargas stated.
Despite this significant demographic, Latino history is often left out or underrepresented in comparison to other ethnicities. A recent study found that Latino history is often not included in high school textbooks used across the United States, despite the increasing number of Latino students in schools nationwide.
The study added “Researchers with Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and UnidosUS, a national Latino advocacy and research organization, developed a list of 222 important Latino history topics, but found only 12% of those were covered well.”
The community came together to create a lineup of events that many students have been eager about as a way to bond and learn more from each other about the histories and cultures that are often undervalued.
“The absolute best part of Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month is truly coming together for our events. Most of our community is so busy and involved that seeing one another on campus is harder than we’d like. So being able to dedicate time for us to come together, eat, talk, and be with one another really brings me home. After all the planning that goes into each event, seeing them come to life and watching everyone enjoy themselves brings me so much fulfillment,” explained Vargas.
The month’s programming began on Sept. 8 with a Chisme Night organized by Gente Latina Unida (GLU), a student group focused on community building and celebration of Latino culture. “Chisme” translates to “gossip” or “chat,” and the event was a casual and welcoming space for students to gather, share experiences and connect culturally with others. It kicked off the event-filled month in a more relaxed way, allowing students to get to know each other outside of the classroom setting.
“We hope to not only bring awareness to the community on campus, but also to showcase the strength of the community. Whether it’s coming together to volunteer for higher education or coming together to home-cook the entirety of our community dinner, we’ve continuously grown stronger. Throughout my four years, I’ve seen us become more united, and even with the current political state regarding ICE, our Hispanic-Latine community on campus will never back down from being together,” Vargas noted.
She emphasized that the group is also able to make a substantial impact to the LC campus.
“We want people to understand that our community is more than diversity — we’re leaders, students, and advocates who support one another. By sharing our traditions, stories, and struggles openly, we hope to foster greater understanding and empathy across campus. We want to create a space where Latine students feel seen, valued, and empowered, and where the broader community recognizes the contributions and challenges we face. Ultimately, we’re building a culture of inclusion where all students understand that when one community is threatened, it affects us all, and standing together makes us all stronger,” she said.
On Sept. 15, GLU members attended El Grito PDX, an annual community celebration of Mexican Independence Day held at the Moda Center. El Grito PDX featured music, dancing, food and performances, and allowed students to engage with the broader Latino community in Portland rather than just on campus. Students had the opportunity to embrace cultural traditions from many different countries all in one wonderfully packed night.
On Oct. 5, Professor Hugo Moreno of the Hispanic Studies Department participated in an off-campus book discussion event where he discussed his novel “Donde se Acaba el Norte.” The event was held at a local Portland library and also featured authors Ariadna Garcia-Bryce and David Garrett from Reed College. The gathering offered an opportunity for community outreach during the month.
As the celebration continued, the Student Athletes of Color Association hosted a Lotería Night on Oct. 8. Lotería, a traditional Mexican game similar to bingo, provided students with a fun and interactive way to engage with cultural traditions.
The final event of LC’s Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month celebration is taking place on Oct. 19 in Holmes Hall, where IME will host a Community Cookout. The menu features a diverse range of Latin American dishes, including pan con pollo, mole, flautas with chicken and potatoes, tres leches cake, horchata, hibiscus juice, ceviche, Brazilian cheese bread and rice and beans. The event is designed as a celebration of culture through food — bringing together students, staff and faculty to enjoy traditional dishes from across Latin America. It also serves as an ending of over a month of scheduled events that emphasizes education, appreciation and community building. RSVPs to attend this event were due on Oct. 13.
“Whether it’s coming together to volunteer for higher education or coming together to home-cook the entirety of our community dinner, we’ve continuously grown stronger,” Vargas said.
At a predominantly white institution like LC, Hispanic-Latine Heritage Month offers an opportunity to spotlight the voices, experiences and contributions of Latino students, faculty and communities — both on and off campus. Through cultural programming, community outreach and celebration, IME and student organizations provided spaces to honor diversity and foster connection across the community.
“This month is about visibility, making sure our stories are told by us, our struggles are acknowledged, and our joy is celebrated unapologetically … We believe in the power of our community and in empowering the voices of our students. So if you have ideas on how we celebrate, learn, and honor a heritage or culture, we welcome you to connect with an IME staff member! Please check out our Google Form or stop by the IME Suite (3rd Floor of Fowler, above the Beth Miller Lounge)” said Vargas and Zhang in a joint statement to The Mossy Log.
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