Rollins Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15 through October 15 every year, the country observes Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. To honor this important month, Rollins is hosting a series of events on campus that offer a host of ways to honor and celebrate Hispanic heritage with thought-provoking conversations, themed celebrations, coursework integration, and more. ¡Vámonos!

Latin Fest

• Where: Mills Lawn
• When: September 15 | 2–4 p.m.

Join the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) for an afternoon Latin Fest out on Mills Lawn, complete with Latin delicacies like empanadas, T-shirt giveaways, and yard games like kickball.

Campus Center Cuisine

• Where: The Marketplace
• When: Starting September 19 | 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Starting September 19, Dining Services celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a culinary takeover featuring the flavors and aromas of Latin America. Taste the top dishes selected by your LASA peers in the Marketplace over lunch. Try the ropa vieja flatbread, arepas, pernil, and arroz con gandules, before diving into desserts like pastelitos, flan, tembleque, and more. Come hungry and ready for a fiesta.

Let’s Get LITerary | Podcast

• Where: WPRK 91.5 FM
• When: September 20

Rollins’ DEI podcast and virtual book club is back this month with a discussion on We Chat: For Brown Girls with Tender Hearts and Sharp Edges, a novel by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez. In her book, Rodríguez, founder of the wildly popular Instagram group Latina Rebels, guides women of color toward a sense of pride and sisterhood and offers powerful ways to address the challenges Brown girls face, from imposter syndrome to colorism.

Cafecito Hour

• Where: Lucy Cross Center
• When: September 29 | Noon

Join the Student Center for Inclusion & Belonging for Cafecito Hour, where you’ll sip Cuban coffee as you discuss what is happening in the Latin American and Hispanic community and learn about resources and ways to support.

Critical Coursework

In Foundations of Latin American and Caribbean Culture and Society, Spanish professor Patricia Tomé and postdoctoral fellow Eldad Levy Guerrero lead students on an examination of the historical forces that have shaped Latin American and Caribbean culture and look at key challenges facing the region. Tomé also teaches Spanish Through Literature and Film. In this course, taught in Spanish, students gain an introduction to textual analysis and close reading necessary for understanding and writing about literature and visual texts before applying those tools through reading, writing, and discussion of Hispanic texts and films.

Joshua Savala, history professor and director of the Latin American and Caribbean studies program, conducts two courses entwined with the mission of Hispanic Heritage Month, teaching a Haitian Revolution interdisciplinary course and the Rollins College Conference (RCC) course Latin American History: Readings and Film, which addresses topics such as colonialism, the struggle for independence, post-colonialism, social movements, dictatorships responsible for human rights abuses, and more.

Olin Library

• When: September 1–October 15

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at Olin Library by exploring a collection of books written exclusively by Hispanic authors from over 20 countries. Featuring both Spanish and translated books, the main lobby will display a range of books, from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and El Corazón de Venezuela: Suma Poética by Alí Lameda to Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez.

Trivia Night

• Where: Dave’s Boathouse
• When: October 3 | 7–8 p.m.

Brought to you by the Center for Campus Involvement, Curtis Earth will be hosting Tuesday Trivia in Dave’s Boathouse: Hispanic Heritage Month edition! Grab a friend and test your knowledge to win a prize.