A flag walk, a painting workshop, and a guided discussion led by WSU alumni are among the events the Washington State University Pullman community is invited to attend in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Awareness Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
The free events are organized by the Chicanx Latinx Student Center (CLSC) and are designed to involve faculty, staff, and students. The monthlong celebration is referred to as Latinx Heritage Month by the CLSC.
“My goal is to let everyone know the center is here to make a positive impact in the Chicanx Latinx community, as well as the entire university,” said Elvia Diaz, a retention specialist. “Everyone is encouraged to come to these events to learn more about our students and the many ways they are contributing to WSU.”
Flag walk
Thursday, Sept. 28, 4 p.m., Todd Hall Steps
The CLSC is partnering with the International Student Center to host a flag walk to the WSU soccer game against the University of Southern California. Each participant will receive a flag representing a Latin American country to carry to the Lower Soccer Field.
For Carlos Motta, a student mentor in the CLSC and event organizer, the flag walk is an opportunity to showcase the international student community at WSU.
“I plan to carry a flag from Guatemala, which is where I’m from,” said Motta. “There are not many people from Guatemala here, so being able to carry that flag will give me a lot of pride.”
Murals speak up: A Conversation with muralist Jose “Nuke” Montalvo
Friday, Sept. 29, 1 p.m., Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
When Lucila Loera, executive director for the WSU Office for Access & Opportunity, arrived on the Pullman campus over 27 years ago as a graduate student, she felt that the CLSC, and the campus in general, lacked art that reflected her culture.
After becoming president of CAMARADAS, the Chicanx Latinx association for graduate and professional students, she helped the group raise money to commission Joseph “Nuke” Montalvo and Carlos Lobo to paint a mural for the center. Montalvo returned to campus in 2009 to paint a second mural.
Montalvo will join in conversation with Loera and two others involved in the creation of the murals: Raymond Herrera, associate vice provost of WSU’s Graduate School and director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, and Rafael Pruneda, Bridges transfer advisor at WSU Tri-Cities. All four panelists will share stories about how the mural came to be.
“Twenty years later, every time I go into the center, I’m still drawn to the mural,” Loera said. “I see something different in it or see it through a different lens. I think that’s what art does.”
The untold stories: Using art as a tool for revolution and healing
Friday, Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m., Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center
Montalvo will lead a presentation and workshop demonstrating the ways art is used as a tool for social revolution, change, and healing. The event, co-sponsored by WSU Global Campus, includes food and music.
Following the presentation, faculty, staff, and students will be invited to paint their own murals, and 15 students in attendance will be chosen to paint a new mural with Montalvo. Paint kits will be provided. Registration is required.
Voices that echo
Thursday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m., Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center
WSU graduates Enrique Cerna (WSU Board of Regents member), Juan Garcia (entrepreneur), and Celestina Barbosa-Leiker (vice chancellor for research at WSU Health Sciences) will talk about their journeys at WSU and how their experiences helped set them up for success as professionals. Food will be provided, and faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
