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Latine & Caribbean Heritage Celebration

The Latine and Caribbean Heritage Celebration is a time to celebrate, recognize and acknowledge the history, culture and ongoing contributions of the students, staff and faculty that identify with the Latinx/e and Caribbean communities. This celebration provides space for cultures, histories, and people ranging from nations within North America, Central America, The Caribbean, and South America to build community, highlight their practices, and honor the past while shaping future opportunities. 

"Septubre"- National Hispanic Heritage Month

Though the celebration of Hispanic, Latino/a/x/e* and Caribbean heritage in tandem is not confined to a month, September 15th to October 15th is nationally (in the U.S.) recognized as National Hispanic Heritage Month. This period of time is referred to as "Septubre", an acknowledgment of both the ending half of September and the beginning portion of October in which there are celebrations coordinated to honor and educate communities on the importance of the rich, vibrant, and influential culture of Hispanic, Latinx, and Caribbean nations and their people. The significance of September 15th and 16th, in regard to National Hispanic Heritage Month, is to commemorate and celebrate the independence of various Latin American countries.

For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month click here: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/ 

*OPAL Note: The evolution of language helps us describe and acknowledge individual and sociocultural changes. OPAL uses the term Latinx to be inclusive of multiple identities
 

In short, the objectives of the Latine & Caribbean Heritage Celebration at Dartmouth are to:

  • Build community amongst Latine, Hispanic and Caribbean people at Dartmouth
  • Recognize and uplift Latine and Caribbean history and contemporary experiences

Latine and Caribbean Heritage Celebration (LCHC): Education, Community, and Advocacy:

Latinx History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month have been recognized on campus for over a decade, the first Latine and Caribbean Heritage Celebration (LCHC) being held in 2012, then referred to as Latin@ Heritage Month. What is now LCHC, has often been led by Latinx, Hispanic, and Caribbean staff and faculty. Over the years, more students have increased involvement in ad-hoc committees and assumed the majority of the planning and programming responsibilities. Currently, OPAL provides program management and administrative support, compensation for student leaders, and access to institutional resources while the majority of the decision-making stays within student leadership control. 

Similar to how we have shifted use of specific terms, there are also some shifts to recognizing national observances here. Hispanic Heritage Month starts at the same time as fall term for undergraduate students, which is an exceptionally busy time. By moving our recognition back to the beginning of October, we create more space for students to participate fully. We also intentionally incorporate Caribbean identities, in recognition of Afro-Latinx experiences and as Caribbean Heritage Month is in June, which is packed with commencement activities. Students officially added "Caribbean" to the title in 2022. 

Across the many facets of Dartmouth, some of the schools and departments recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, Latinx History Month, or other variations on the title.