September 11, 2019
SVSU kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with celebration of lowrider culture
Committed to honoring Hispanic heritage, Saginaw Valley State University will host an event Sunday, Sept. 15, celebrating lowrider vehicles and the culture surrounding them.
SVSU’s kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month — which spans Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 — will involve an outdoor event featuring lowrider vehicles on display, guest speakers including a state representative and a lowriding icon, as well as food and music. The event is free and open to the public.
Lowrider vehicles will be on display in the G3 parking lot at SVSU, outside of Gilbertson Hall in the northwest corner of campus, from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
A 1 p.m. public presentation will kick off near the outdoor display with remarks from Vanessa Guerra, the 95th District state House representative. Then both Roberto Garcia, SVSU’s director of Multicultural Student Affairs, and Debbie Sanchez, who appears as the subject of the documentary "Queen of the Lowriders," will talk about lowrider vehicles and their significance historically.
"Unfortunately, the lowriding community is plagued with negative stereotypes," Garcia said. "The general population is not aware of the history of lowriding and how it developed during the Chicano Civil Rights movement."
The goal of the Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff is to honor the contributions Hispanic-Americans have made to society while celebrating it through food, music, dance and education, he said.
The event will include singing and a DJ. A food truck will be parked on site, selling tacos, elephant ears and other goods.
In the event of poor weather, the presentation instead will be indoors in the Thompson Student Activities Room, located in SVSU's Student Center.