Sept. 15- Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.
To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month the La Raza Employees Association of Delta College encouraged everyone on campus to wear a sports jersey or traditional attire from any Latin American country on Sept. 15.
The date marks Independence Day for five Latin American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The week of sept. 15th Mexico and Chile celebrate Independence Day.
“I learned quite a bit. Teaching what it means to be Mexican,” said Claudia Navarro, a Delta employee for eight years and a member of the LREA for one year.
Hispanic Heritage Month has “had a big impact on my life. It is a reconnection with my background and my ancestors,” said Navarro, who added that the experience has been fun.
The purpose of encouraging everyone to wear a sports jersey was “to represent their country, knowledge of who they are and where they come from,” said Navarro.
“Hispanic Heritage Month this year was about awareness and solidarity. We decided to wear jerseys to show solidarity and commemorate the day. It was beautiful because it showed the diversity,” said Adriana Brogger, a professor at Delta College since 2011 and a new member of the LREA echoed the sentiment.
There were jerseys from different sports and different countries being worn around campus but the LREA wants more students to get involved.
The LREA is constantly encouraging students to get involved and support various events.
”Get involved by learning the history. And there are so many events in Sacramento and San Francisco. As Latin Americans we cover so many countries,” said Brogger.
Organizations such as the LREA are helping the increasing Latino population receive scholarships for college and also auctioning off art to raise money for students.
“Today, 55 million people or 17 percent of the American population are of Hispanic or Latino origin,” according to hispanicheritagemonth.org. “This represents a significant increase from 2000, which registered the Hispanic population at 35.3 million or 13 percent of the total U.S. population.”
“I felt happy to be a part of it (LREA). I instantly felt connected to the students,” said Brogger.
For more information on the LREA and upcoming events visit their webpage on the San Joaquin Delta College home page and follow the group’s Facebook: SJDC La Raza Employees Association.