A monthlong campus celebration of Hispanic history, culture, identity and more will officially kick off Tuesday, Sept. 16 with a special flag ceremony in Peirce Hall.
As part of the annual event — signaling the start of Hispanic Heritage Month — the flags of Latin American countries will be displayed in the Peirce atrium, where they will remain for the duration of the month. The 11 a.m. event is sponsored by the student group Adelante; the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI); and the Latine Studies concentration.
Hispanic Heritage Month takes place every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
As co-president of Adelante, Gus Callejas ’26 is excited to be involved in a number of upcoming celebrations that will be open to the entire Kenyon community, including the flag ceremony. The group is working on scheduling a dance workshop — featuring salsa, bachata, and merengue — as well as a film screening. It also will participate in the ODEI block party on Sept. 22.
“These are moments for us, as an organization and the whole campus, to reflect on Hispanic Heritage Month and honor the diversity that Kenyon has on campus,” Callejas said. “It’s more important than ever to speak about identity.”
Callejas, a double major in international studies and Spanish, grew up in rural Indiana as the son of Mexican immigrants. Joining Adelante and becoming active in the campus Hispanic community has helped him feel seen and heard.
“I met some incredible people who really inspired me,” he said. “It’s really helped me feel confident in my voice and feel like my voice truly does matter.”
Other groups are working to promote Hispanic Heritage Month as well. The women’s volleyball game on Sept. 27 against the College of Wooster, for example, will call attention to the monthlong observance thanks to the efforts of the student group Minority Athletes at Kenyon.
Irene López, a professor of psychology who helped found the Latine Studies concentration at Kenyon more than a decade ago, said that its mission of speaking about the U.S. Latine experience and its diaspora remains incredibly important.
“Now, more than ever, we in the concentration feel an urgency to showcase these issues — it is not an easy time to be part of this group — and so we are grateful for all the support we receive and for Kenyon’s sustained commitment to supporting like-minded concentrations,” she said.
The origins of Hispanic Heritage Month go back decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Congress set aside a week in 1968 to celebrate the contributions of Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean. That was later expanded to a month.
The timing is significant for a number of Latin American countries that celebrate their anniversary of independence in mid-September: Sept. 15 for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Sept. 16 for Mexico and Sept. 18 for Chile.