September 21, 2021

SVSU celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Saginaw Valley State University kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with an event at the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, on SVSU’s campus, on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 1-4 p.m. The event showcases the NEA Big Read: Great Lakes Bay Region community read project and features a variety of entertainment and activities celebrating Hispanic culture. 

In celebration of the Big Read, guests will be invited to take a copy of  “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros.  

The event will also feature Mariachi band father-daughter duo, David Chantaca and Roxanne M. Chantaca, performing and sharing stories and the history of Mariachi. 

Guests will also be invited to share their own stories about good times, sad times, challenges, triumphs, friends and family at the “Mi Casa, Su Casa – Sharing Stories about Neighbors and the Places we Call Home” station.  

A free viewing of the exhibition “Time Refocused: Photographs by Luis C. Garza,” will feature 35 black-and-white prints recording the tumultuous social events of the 1960s and 1970s for “La Raza” magazine, the journalistic voice of the Chicano movement in Los Angeles.  

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15. 

The Saginaw kickoff is part of the month-long celebration, “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope,” presented by the SVSU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs with other campus partners. The celebration will include a variety of events and activities, such as game nights, an alumni meet-and-greet, arts and crafts, entertainment, and a self-care discussion. 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Additional funding for the NEA Big Read Great Lakes Bay Region comes from the Hemlock Semiconductor Community and Regional Empowerment Fund, Saginaw Community Foundation, Bay Area Community Foundation and Midland Area Community Foundation. Kickoff partners for this event are the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, the office of Multicultural Student Affairs at SVSU, and Delta College Public Media.  

For a calendar of events and to learn more, go to https://marshallfredericks.org/bigread.