Elon’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month will conclude on Friday with the ninth annual Gala Latina, an event featuring Hispanic food, music, and a celebration of Latinx achievement.
When Sylvia Muñoz, current director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education (CREDE), first arrived at Elon from Costa Rica in spring of 1998, she may have been considered “the one percent” of university staff that were Latinx. The Multicultural Center (now CREDE) was still four years away from its inception, there was no Core Curriculum language requirement, and there were no formal celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM).
It was the idea of then-university President Fred J. Young to create a place for students to immerse themselves in Hispanic culture and language. He recruited Muñoz to lead it, and El Centro was created. What started out of a small office in Moseley Center, organizing programming such as conversation classes and supported by Muñoz cooking for students in her home has since grown into an expansive student center that is headquartered on the first floor of the Carlton building with its own living space and kitchen.
El Centro continues to provide space for the Elon community to learn about Latinx cultures and the opportunity to practice Spanish at conversation classes. While it offers programming throughout the year, there is a particular emphasis on recognizing HHM, which Elon celebrates from Sept. 15 through Oct. 24. Some events this year were the HHM Kick-Off Festival, Noche Latina and Café con Leche with Friends.
Though HHM has been recognized in the US since 1988, it was not celebrated at Elon until the early 2000s, in the early days of El Centro. According to Muñoz, the HHM Kick-Off, a vibrant start to the month with foods and music from various Hispanic cultures, and the Perspectivas panel, a deliberate dialogue on Latinx identity in collaboration with the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, are two of the longest-running events.
Elon’s celebration of HHM will conclude on Friday with the ninth annual Gala Latina, an event featuring Hispanic food, music, and a celebration of Latinx achievement. On the origin of Gala Latina, Muñoz said she wanted to create a space to “celebrate not just the people who identify as Latinx-Hispanic but also … those folks that research, that uplift, that celebrate the identity as well.”
Each year awards are given at the gala celebrating the academic excellence, leadership, service, and art of students, as well as staff who promote the visibility of and support the Latinx community.
“One of the nice aspects about Gala Latina is that yes, it centers the Latinx-Hispanic identity and culture, but it’s open to anybody,” said Muñoz. “All of our programs are open to anybody who wants to attend and anybody who wants to learn about these identities.”
In terms of expanding HHM programming, Muñoz said, “I always believe that it’s not about quantity. It’s about going deeper into the programs that we have.” She emphasized the importance of ensuring that each program, even if it is a “fun cultural celebration,” is educational.
“It’s the one community that keeps on growing,” Muñoz said of the Latinx community at Elon, which at 7.2% of the undergraduate population is the largest minority group at the school. “As they continue to grow, they continue to bring a different type of diversity that we all need to learn about. I learn from students all the time. I think that’s the beauty of any identity.”
Gala Latina will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 on the second floor of LaRose Commons. Attire is semi-formal.