Buffalo State Presents Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

Buffalo State’s third annual celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month will feature a series of events designed to raise awareness of Hispanic heritage. This year’s theme focuses on the Puerto Rican experience, with events designed to pay homage to the entire Hispanic community.

Marko Miletich, assistant professor of Spanish and translation, is instrumental in planning and implementing these events. “The goal of these series of events,” he said, “is to raise knowledge and awareness among students about the Hispanic influence and contribution to the United States, the diversity within Hispanics, and the number of Hispanic students we have at Buffalo State University.”

National Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as a weeklong commemoration of the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Since 1988, it has been celebrated annually between September 15 and October 15. During this month, Americans recognize the immeasurable contributions of the ancestors of American citizens who came from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and South and Central America.

Buffalo State’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month came together through collaboration between the Modern and Classical Languages, English, and Music departments; the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium; and the Equity and Campus Diversity Office. The full schedule of events is as follows: 

• Latin Poetry Reading, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 17, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall
• Film Screening, Boricua Soy Yo, 6:00–8:00 p.m. Friday, September 20, in the LoRusso Alumni and Visitor Center
• Noche Borinqueña: An Evening of Puerto Rican Song, 6:00–8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 10, in Ciminelli Recital Hall
• Modern and Classical Languages Mixer, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Thursday, September 26, in Buckham Hall B234
• Mayan Astronomy, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 1, in the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium
• Latin Dance Demonstration, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 3, in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall
• Mayan Astronomy, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 8, in the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium

All events are free and open to the public.

The Faculty-Student Association and the Equity and Campus Diversity Office provided funding for the celebration.

Photo credit: Mural on Niagara Street by Buffalo, New York, artist and educator Betsy Casañas (2017). Photograph courtesy of Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.