On September 13, students met in the Global Studies House for the first event of Hispanic Heritage Month. Assistant Professor of Spanish Kenya Dworkin spoke about the stereotypes and challenges that face the Hispanic community. 

"Nomenclature is difficult," noted Dworkin. "It's hard to pick one word to describe a people with so many countries, ethnic groups, religious and historical experiences." Dworkin examined stereotypes that are perpetuated about Latino-Americans, acknowledging that even that title is controversial. According to Dworkin, "Latino," "Chicano," and "Hispanic" are all clouded by the confounding problems of class, origins, and political ideas. 

To loosen the atmosphere, Dworkin had students compile lists of stereotypes, confronting the origins and factuality of stereotypes and what it means to belong to a group. Some of the humorous stereotypical statements used in the exercise included:

You might be Latino if....

You have ever been spanked with chanclas.
You not only know who Don Francisco from Sabado Gigante is, but you tell people he is your tio.
You go to a wedding or quinceanera, gossip about how bad the comida is, but be the first to take a plate to go.
You have at least thirty cousins.

While this exercise perhaps lingered a little longer than it should have, the overall impact of the activity, in conjunction with Dworkin's thoughts on culture, was largely positive and eye opening.

"There's one thing that's unique [to U.S. Latinos]... They all speak English," said Dworkin. "We have more things that connect us than divide us."

About 50 students attended the event, along with a few non-student members of the campus community. The audience was mainly Latino, supplemented by a variety of students from other ethnicities adding to the conversation. 

This event was part of the "Speak Your Mind" lecture and discussion series, which is now in its sixth year. The goal of the series is to promote open discussion of issues of race and ethnicity between students.

For a full list of Hispanic Heritage Month events, visit http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/multicultural/hispanic.cfm.

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