The SBVC Arts, Lectures, and Diversity Committee hosted several events and activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, one of which was a workshop focusing on Nahuatl, a Mesoamerican language spoken by indigenous people in North and Central America. Stephanie Lozano facilitated the unique workshop, which shed light on the language that was once believed to be extinct, but is actually still spoken by more than 1 million people living far from cities and urbanized areas in Mexico. The discussion centered around modern versus classical Nahuatl and the difference between language and dialect.

hispanic-heritage-monthThe Hispanic Heritage Film Festival was also held, screening one movie per week, including Stand and Deliver, La Bamba, Selena, and Friday. In conjunction with National Coming Out Day, a special lecture was presented by Student Regent to the University of California, Riverside, Marcela Ramirez-Stapleton.

She discussed her efforts to support diversity and equity in higher educational institutions, challenges faced by women of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, and how community members can contribute to positively changing their experiences as students and patrons of academia. Lilliam Rivera, author of “The Education of Margot Sanchez,” also spoke to students about her creative process and the themes present in her books.