ROSEMARIE RAPISARDA
Special to The Leader
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), student-run organization Latinos Unidos hosted Latin Night.
This year, HHM takes place between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, with the theme of driving prosperity, power and progress in America.
The goal is to celebrate the American-Latino community’s many contributions, diverse cultures and achievements.
Latinos Unidos also aims to increase knowledge of Hispanic culture, improve social development and promote unity and pride amongst the campus community. In doing so, Latinos Unidos holds Hispanic cultural events to help bring the feeling of familiarity to Latino students who are away from home.
At Latin Night, students participated in karaoke and canvas bag painting. Foods such as nachos and churros were also available for everyone.
Julissa Santos, a senior psychology major, was one of the many students who participated in Latin Night.
She explained the importance of celebrating HHM. “Any culture should be celebrated; they’re all unique in their own ways… it can make anyone from a Hispanic background feel included…[It is important to be] able to share that with everyone who isn’t a part of the culture [and who] can learn from it and celebrate it with us too.”
Santos said, “I think Latinos Unidos did an amazing job with having this event; the food was really good, the music, the karaoke and all of that was genuinely fun.”
All events hosted by the group are open to all students.
You don’t have to be Hispanic or speak Spanish; you just have to be open to having a great time and learning new things.
As Latinos Unidos says, “!Bienvenidos a todas! (“All are welcome”).
Jhalen Justin, a senior theater arts major participating in Latin Night, shared his thoughts about supporting the Hispanic community and making all feel seen and heard. “I feel like we’re one family who all support each other. That’s what we want, and that’s what needs to happen on our college campus,” he said.
Sonia Sandoval, president of Latinos Unidos, said, “We love when people come and reach out just to have a good time with us. It’s really nice to see that others are willingly interested in our culture,”
She also said students interested in joining should contact the Intercultural Center in Thompson Hall, room E125. “We should try to spread the message that we are here as a community… to other Latino students that are out there who don’t know we exist.” Sandoval said.
After speaking with many students in attendance, many agreed that Latin Night provides a valuable source of connection, as unity and pride are essential in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. It is also important for many students to spread awareness for all, regardless of ethnicity.
To get in touch with Latinos Unidos or receive updates on upcoming events, the club’s Instagram is @latinosunidosfsu.