At Wartburg College, the Latino and Hispanic Heritage Society, or LHHS, is planning events for Hispanic Heritage Month. You might have noticed the decorations in the library, the notifications in the Juice or posters around campus. I got the chance to interview one of the student leaders, Andrea Guevara-Jaramillo, about the month and the upcoming events.
Hispanic Historic Month is an American-based celebration to recognize the presence of the Hispanic and Latino in the community and culture here. It starts on Sept. 15 and will continue until Oct. 15.
LHHS has a number of activities coming up, including serving a Salvadorian dish and hot chocolate at Homecoming. They will also be at the Renaissance Faire on Oct. 11, serving Latino food and Columbian coffee along with selling handmade jewelry and stickers. You can catch LHHS in the Homecoming parade displaying their flags alongside the International Club on campus.
At Vogel Library there will be mandalas, which will be pre-colonization art based with indigenous communities. There are also infographics at the library detailing pre-Hispanic groups and their culture.
As for the group themselves, originally LHHS was called Salsa, but the group died out. Last year students decided to revive the group and change the name to LHHS. They decided to change their name to be more inclusive to those who might be mixed Latino or who wanted to know more about the culture.
The goals of the organization are to make the Latino presence known on campus, to help those who want to reconnect with their language, and everyone is welcome to join.
Andrea says that you can support the organization by showing up to the events and asking questions. “Everyone is welcome, there’s no, really, requirement other than respect and a willingness to learn.” If you’d like to learn more about their activities or their organization, you can get more information from the Juice or by reaching out to either a student leader or one of the advisors. LHHS is planning to partner with clubs such as the International Club and Alliance.
