MSA hosts Latinx heritage month kickoff

Multicultural Student Affairs held their annual Latinx Heritage Month kickoff on Sept. 15 in Talley Student Union. The event aims to highlight various Latinx communities on campus with different activities, music and organizations.

Gavin Bell, assistant director in multicultural student affairs, said the kickoff is used to promote Latinx cultures, get students involved and educate others about the history of these cultures.

“One of the big things that we’ve tried to do … is create exposure and awareness for all the different organizations on campus,” Bell said. “One of the big pieces, especially for this kickoff, is that, because it’s in September, a lot of the traffic that we receive at this kickoff is underclassmen, and folks that just got here, so either transfers or first years.”

Bell said the kickoff is a catalyst for not only promoting Latinx Heritage Month, but also different organizations that promote similar awareness.

“It’s an initiator, it’s just a kick start. Because you’re not going to know all the details about the whole Latinx community just on this kick-off. But once again, you’re putting faces and names with it, which I think is a big pivotal piece,” Bell said. “Especially on a large campus in any capacity, not just with this, but being able to create relationships around some of these things helps to bring more organic knowledge and organic awareness.”

Latinx Heritage Month is not only about celebrating the differences and what makes every culture unique and special, but also the resemblances. Bell said the kickoff is a way to bring Latinx communities together and celebrate what makes them similar.

“One of the things that we enjoy is every kickoff, there’s always students that are often frequenters in our center. Maybe they’re native, maybe they’re in state, out of state, of a different cultural identity. They’re able to come down and learn about this community, and then at other points in the year, this community is able to then learn about them,” Bell said. “So that’s our goal. To show how beautiful all these different communities are, but ultimately, through all this relational engagement, also show there’s commonalities across all of our different communities as well.”

Allyson Rodriguez, a second-year studying biological sciences and liaison of Mi Familia, said her organization celebrates diversity and is open to people of all identities.

“We welcome anyone. We like to educate anyone, even though we aren’t necessarily an educational resource,” Rodriguez said. “It provides a way for anyone from the NC State community to come together and learn more about Latinx heritage.”

Mi Familia is an organization on campus that focuses on connecting Latinx students through cultural, political and social outlets. Rodriguez said this organization is a great way for students to learn and connect with other Latinx cultures or find community.

“[Mi Familia] was set up in the 2000s, and it was a way for a lot of us students to get together regardless of major, nationality,” Rodriguez said. “It’s very much an inclusive club where we’re able to talk about social, political, economic, cultural, values we all have.”

Rodriguez said Mi Familia is a place where students can come together in a safe space and focus on something other than academics.

“It provides a fun and safe space for everyone in the club. And to me, my first year, I wanted to get more involved in my heritage and have more Latino friends,” Rodriguez said. “And this club provides a really great space, especially being here at NC State to have a distraction from a major, so it means a lot to me to have a club that is fun, social and it has a lot of interactiveness that doesn’t include academics.” 

Bell said the Kickoff can be helpful to students who may be hesitant or afraid to reach out.

“I think a lot of times, getting connected with all these organizations can get very overwhelming, and so this heritage month one, it helps to educate folks on the vast variety of the different organizations,” Bell said. “But it also lets, especially incoming students, get connected in a more relational way versus me just telling them to show up to a random classroom where a general body might be happening.”

Bell said the whole point of the Kickoff is to let the students define the term Latinx themselves and share their stories and identities on their own terms.

“That’s the reason for this kickoff we’ve continued to grow with. I want the students to be able to come out here and tell their story. I want them to be able to come out here and give context, because they might be able to give context in a way that I can’t, or I wouldn’t be qualified to do.” Bell said. “Job title aside, it doesn’t matter. I think that’s one of the big things. Is giving them the ability to communicate and talk… the tabling kickoff allows that to be like a pretty organic way to go.”

Bell said the kickoff is also a way for people to become educated and aware of Latinx cultures.

“We’re all growing in knowledge, and that’s including us as staff too, because we work in multicultural affairs, I don’t know every single thing about every single culture,” Bell said. “[Kickoffs for different heritage months] also helps us to be able to grow in our awareness, especially recognizing the needs and what these students now actually need and what’s actually going to be beneficial versus what we think is going to be beneficial.”

Rodriguez said pride in her culture and identity is most important to her and her community.

“We come from hard-working families that have brought us here, and we’re able to broadcast that by showing out in our club, and being able to provide a safe space for other people and just be proud of our identity,” Rodriguez said. “That’s really important, and that’s what Latinx Heritage Month is for. And also broadcasting who we are.”

Bell echoed Rodriguez’s sentiment and said without the students advocating for themselves and their culture, the kickoff would not be possible.

“MSA, we facilitate the event, but it does not work without these student awards. And so I’m very thankful that the leadership in these different organizations is so strong, and that desire to be a part of them has continued to grow … they’re out here, and I really value that, and I appreciate that,” Bell said.