In honor of Latin Heritage Month, which started on Friday, multiple registered student organizations and departments around campus are coming together for a variety of events.

These are all events that give the Eastern community the chance to learn more about Latin culture, all while supporting the efforts of students in these RSOs.

Yes, several of these events involve food- including an elote stand, where LASO will sell corn in a cup with butter, mayonnaise, cheese and chili powder- and a corn tortilla making workshop, where attendees will learn how to make tortillas and learn about their cultural significance.

Though there is a running joke on college campuses that students only go to these kind of activities for a free snack, if they are willing to open their mind a little, students will find there is more to these events that just food.

There is a history and cultural significance behind all of these programs being put on, and we strongly encourage students to ask as many questions and find out as much as they can about Latin Heritage and culture, not only this month but even beyond.

We at The Daily Eastern News commend those behind the planning and execution of these events for creating a month full of programs that will benefit students by being both educational and fun.

There are many chances to learn about many aspects of Latin culture that should not be taken for granted.

The opportunity to learn about other cultures is becoming a necessity in a globalized world. It is also becoming more and more important as we see some of the negative rhetoric going around these days about people from different countries, and those who speak different languages.

As the public relations person for LASO said in The News’ article about these events, at the end of the day, we are not all that different. No matter your culture, humans need and want the same basic things- food, water, etc., of course, but also companionship and compassion from others.

At the same time, we all have attributes that make us unique that should be celebrated and shared with others. The world would not be as interesting of a place to live if we did not all have the variety of different languages, music, foods, etc. that it has. The events planned for Latin Heritage Month are a great way to experience all of these without even having to leave campus.

This is why we advise you to not only go to these events, but really immerse yourselves into what they have to offer as well.