October: Latino Heritage Month

October is Cal Poly’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month and an unprecedented amount of are activities scheduled.

The Multicultural Center started the planning process last spring with students doing most of the organizing. Students are encouraged to come to the events, because “it actually is good to see other world views and how other people live,” said psychology senior Antonio Ramirez. “I think it makes you humble and you learn to appreciate a lot and other peoples culture as well. You get to meet a lot of different people from other places.”

The following is a line-up of events for Latino Heritage Month:

Another Type of Groove: Spoken Word Poetry
Wednesday, October 1, 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Chumash Auditorium: This slam poetry event will feature Cyn Da’ Poet, a Los Angeles poet, originally from El Salvador.

“Di Perejil” – Film
Tuesday, October 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
University Union, Room 216: The film “Di Perejil” attempts to bring awareness to the immense poverty of Batey Mao, an area near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Tamales Y Tele – Movie Night “Chicano”
Tuesday, October 8, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
University Union, Room 221: The Multicultural Center is spicing things up for the Tuesday night viewing of “Chicano.” “Our movie night is called ‘Tamales Y Tele’ and the fun thing about that is…this year we are actually serving tamales,” said Renoda Campbell, coordinator for the Multicultural Center. The movie will feature the Raza Unida Party and the political election of 1972, and will be followed by a “facilitated discussion…so everyone gets the true meaning behind it,” Ramirez said.

Loteria
Tuesday, October 14, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
University Union, Room 208: Students will have an opportunity to win big during Loteria, a game similar to Mexican Bingo. “It’s a really fun one and there is a lot of history behind it too and students will be able to win prizes,” Ramirez said. The event will take place in the UU’s Bishop’s Lounge.

RAZA Speaks
Saturday, October 18, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Steynberg Gallery: Spanish professor Gloria Velasquez is co-hosting ‘Raza Speaks’ with the Multicultural Center on Saturday, October 18. “It is an open mic that I have held in Guadalupe but my students wanted me to bring it here because they enjoyed it so much. We are having indigenous drumming; we are really going to celebrate the rich cultural history that we have as indigenous people,” Velasquez said.

Pin the Name on the Country
Tuesday, October 28, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m
University Union, Room 217: Latino Heritage Month will conclude on Tuesday, October 28, with one final activity called “Pin the Name on the Country” in the Multicultural Center. “This will be a fun little game to play with and get to know the geographic area of Latin countries,” Ramirez said.

Ongoing: Question of the Day
Thursdays (all month), UU Hour 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Every Monday in October, a question will be posted outside the door of the Multicultural Center regarding a Latin American issue. Each Thursday, students are invited to attend a discussion at the center, focusing on that specific topic.