The Latino Heritage Month Kickoff occurred Wednesday at the Library Quad from noon to 1:30 p.m, where members of the Eastern community ate tacos that were served at the event.

The slogan of the month is “Juntos todo es posible,” which translates to “Together anything is possible.” The events throughout the month are about inspiring learning about the experiences of those in the community.

At the Latino Heritage Month kickoff event, there were various speakers, including President David Glassman, Provost Jay Gatrell and Spanish professor Elizabeth Lemus.

President Glassman spoke about the campus’ beliefs in diversity, equity, and inclusion. He added that Latino heritage should be an entire lifetime celebration while mentioning that the Latino Heritage Month flag is presently flying on the “We Are EIU” flagpole in South Quad.

Lemus is one of the members of the Latino Heritage Month committee who helped organize the event.

She said she hopes that students can learn about the culture of Latin America through the events. She also said that students should speak to each other to learn about culture, while also enjoying learning about the culture at the same time. Lemus said that she hopes the events spread awareness about Latino culture and Latino work across the country.

Diana Rogel, a senior Spanish student, is a member of Eastern’s chapter of Alpha Psi Lambda Fraternity and a Latino Heritage Month committee member.

She said that she hopes students connect with each other and Latino culture during the events around campus. She also spoke about how LASO, the Latin American Student Organization, gives a voice and identity to the Latin American students across the Eastern community.

Lemus said that one of the goals of the events is to bring the university together and that allowing these discussions allows for connections to be made while also learning to accept different cultures.

There will be events hosted throughout the entire month, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, in various locations across campus.

The next event is a field day, which will occur from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday at the campus pond. The field day will be an event that includes various games for members of the Eastern community to play together.

All of the events for Latino Heritage Month are co-sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Academic Engagement, LASO, Alpha Psi Lambda, the Newman Center, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, the Admissions office, Sigma Delta Pi, University Board, Housing and Dining, Booth Library, Latin American and Latinx Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics and Student Affairs.

The Booth Library has an exhibit on “Latinos and Social Change,” which will be up for the entire month. Also, the housing and dining menu has “El Sabor Latino,” where the dining halls will be serving Latino cuisine. There is a Residence Hall Bulletin Board Contest, in which different residence halls will decorate their bulletin boards to represent Latin American culture.

Katja Benz can be reached at 581-2812 or kkbenz@eiu.edu.