Villanova University Celebrates Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month
VILLANOVA, Pa. (September 12, 2023) — Villanova University will celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month with a collection of educational events and community-based social activities. From September 15 to October 15, campus-wide initiatives will celebrate the vast contributions of the Hispanic/Latine community through a wide range of programming, which includes lectures, panel discussions, screenings, dance workshops, social and religious gatherings and more.
Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month Program Highlights
The Latin American Student Organization Block Party will kick off celebrations on Friday, September 15, from 5-9 p.m. at The Oreo/Riley Ellipse and Café Nova. The event will feature cultural food, music, dance performances and a volleyball tournament.
Throughout the month, Hispanic/Latine Ministry will offer Misa en Español (Spanish language Mass) at the Corr Hall Chapel. Mass will start at 3 p.m. on three different Sundays: September 17, September 24 and October 1
Villanova School of Business, the Office of Residence Life, First Year-Experience and Villanova Athletics announced a special Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month event featuring renowned speaker Saul Flores on Thursday, September 21. The program, titled "The Walk of the Immigrants," offers students, faculty, staff and the wider community an enriching experience to celebrate Hispanic communities' cultural diversity and contributions. It will begin at 6 p.m. in Bartley Hall, Room 1011.
On Monday, September 25, the Office of Intercultural Affairs will host “What Does it Mean to be Hispanic/Latinx,” a discussion space for students to share their experiences living with this identity on campus and in society. The program will start at 6 p.m. at Dougherty Hall’s West Lounge.
Hispanic/Latine Ministry is hosting a four-part program called “History of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia” on Tuesday, October 3, from 5-9 p.m. The event will begin with Los Bomberos De La Calle and Plena Comparsa Group leading a percussion and dance procession from the Riley Ellipse to the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. At 6 p.m., Dr. Vázquez-Hernández, author of “Before the Wave: Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia, 1910-1945,” will give a lecture, which will be followed by a panel discussion with Johnny Irizarry and Carmen Febo-San Miguel, former executive directors of Taller Puertorriqueño. The panel will be moderated by current director Nasheli Ortiz González. The lecture and panel discussion will both take place in the Topper Theatre. The event will conclude at 7:30 p.m. with a reception and art exhibit in the lobby of the Mullen Center, featuring Irizarry’s work. Ticket information can be found here.
The Department of Theology and Religious Studies, along with the Department of Spanish, presents a screening of the documentary “Serán Dueñas de la Tierra” on Thursday, October 19, at 6 p.m. at the Connelly Center. The screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session with the director and one of the protagonists.
The Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month programming ends on Thursday, November 2, with a Día de los Muertos celebration hosted by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. The event will feature food, music, stories and camaraderie around a communal, colorful ofrenda (offering altar) decorated with papel picado, flowers, photos and other familial and religious mementos.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit our website.