Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.
The starting day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
EVENTS
Honoring Raza Heritage
Porvenir, Texas: A PBS Documentary Screening
sponsored by NVC Mexican American Studies
Thursday, September 19 - 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Location: Palmetto Center for the Arts (PCA)
About the Event:
There once was a village called Porvenir
Where fifteen men stood by each other in fear.
The Texas Rangers all pointed their guns
There was no place to hide and nowhere to run.
Porvenir - Where fifteen men died in cold blood
Porvenir - A village of hope turned to dust, turned to dust.
— “Village Called Porvenir,” music and lyrics by Brandi Tobar and Arlinda Valencia
Additional Resources:
To learn more about this topic, visit the Life and Death on the
Border, 1910-1920 exhibition, on display at the Northwest Vista
College library from September 16 to October 31.
For more details, contact:
Dr. Corina González-Stout:
cgonzalez-stout@xgcr.net
Honoring Raza Heritage
The Life and Legacy of Dr. Hector P. Garcia
sponsored by NVC Mexican American Studies
Tuesday, October 1 - 12:30 PM-1:45 PM
Location: Manzanillo Hall (MZH) Innovation Center (Room 203)
About the Event:
Learn about Dr. Garcia’s accomplishments and family stories with Cecilia Garcia-Akers. There will be information about the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation and time for questions and answers afterward.
Refreshments will be provided by Mexican American Studies (MAS)
Additional Resources:
To learn more about this topic, visit the Life and Death on the
Border, 1910-1920 exhibition, on display at the Northwest Vista
College library from September 16 to October 31.
For more details, contact:
Dr. Corina González-Stout:
cgonzalez-stout@xgcr.net
Honoring Raza Heritage
Tejano Trailblazers: Jovita Idar and Jose Tomas Canales
sponsored by NVC Mexican American Studies
Thursday, October 3 - 12:30 PM-1:30 PM
Location: Redbud Learning Center (RLC) Room 118
About the Event:
In conjunction with the "Life and Death on the Border" exhibit to be on display in the NVC library, experience a history presentation about a Tejano and a Tejana who courageously risked their lives during the Progressive Era to demand fair, equitable treatment for Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Texas.
Brandon Trevino, a faculty member of the NVC History program, will host this event. You are welcome to visit the exhibit before and after the presentation.
Additional Resources:
To learn more about this topic, visit the Life and Death on the
Border, 1910-1920 exhibition, on display at the Northwest Vista
College library from September 16 to October 31.
For more details, contact:
Dr. Corina González-Stout:
cgonzalez-stout@xgcr.net
Honoring Raza Heritage
Unmasking the Texas Ranger Mythos:
Kirby Warnock’s Border Bandits
(a film screening)
sponsored by NVC Mexican American Studies
Wednesday, October 9 - 12:30 PM-2:00 PM
Location: Manzanillo Hall (MZH) Innovation Center
Synopsis:
In 1915 a group of Mexican banditos raided the McAllen Ranch, one of the largest in the area. The next day a group of Texas Rangers supposedly arrived and eliminated the perpetrators. However, the real story is not as tidy as it has been portrayed. Roland Warnock, a 19-year-old cowboy working on the Guadalupe Ranch near present-day Edinburg, witnessed two of these killings when he saw Texas Rangers from Company D shoot two unarmed men in the back and leave their bodies by the side of the road. The effects of these killings by the Rangers are being felt in south Texas some 80 years later.
—Kirby Warnock
Additional Resources:
To learn more about this topic, visit the Life and Death on the
Border, 1910-1920 exhibition, on display at the Northwest Vista
College library from September 16 to October 31.
For more details, contact:
Dr. Corina González-Stout:
cgonzalez-stout@xgcr.net
Honoring Raza Heritage
Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico: Portraits of Soldaderas, Saints, and Subversives
sponsored by NVC Mexican American Studies
Thursday, October 10 - 12:30 PM-1:30 PM
Location: Manzanillo Hall (MZH) Innovation Center (Room 203)
About the Event:
A discussion with Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark about the book she edited with Kathy Sosa and Jennifer Speed.
Additional Resources:
To learn more about this topic, visit the Life and Death on the
Border, 1910-1920 exhibition, on display at the Northwest Vista
College library from September 16 to October 31.
For more details, contact:
Dr. Corina González-Stout:
cgonzalez-stout@xgcr.net