EIU students, staff and community members gathered around the South Quad student flagpole and Latinx & Spanish Language Academic Hub (Rincón Latino) on Monday to celebrate the start of Latino Heritage Month.  

This year’s theme was “resistance and rhythm,” which was selected by the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and Alpha Psi Lambda to reflect both cultural pride and social commentary.  

The Latino Heritage Month flag was raised by Briana Leon, a junior finance major and treasurer of LASO, and Santiago Zenon, a junior finance major and treasurer of Alpha Psi Lambda, with support from Luis Paniagua, advisor for both LASO and Alpha Psi Lambda.  

In addition to the flag raising, the event also offered elote (street corn), raspados (shaved ice) and Mexican glass-bottle sodas for sale. Organizers also played Latino music from different countries. 

Paniagua said the theme of resistance and rhythm is important in today’s political climate as the current presidential administration has prompted the students to want to do social commentary. 

“That specifically sparked up the theme of resistance and rhythm for them,” Paniagua said. “I’m focusing how we’ve always used music to pull us together and pull us through difficult times.” 

The tradition of raising the Latino Heritage Month flag began five years ago when Paniagua designed the flag during the pandemic. The flagpole itself is also about five years old.  

“It kind of appeared right after COVID, so that means we were the first ones to really use it,” Paniagua said. “Our Latino students know that they are seen, they’re loved and they are deserving of being here on campus.” 

Students expressed pride in both the turnout and the meaning behind the event. One such student was Krystal Camas, a junior neuroscience major and president of LASO, who was surprised by the size of the crowd.  

“It basically lets people know that we are here to speak our voice, show who we are and become one,” Camas said. “As one, we show the power, pride and resilience we have.” 

Camas also spoke during a speech at the event.  

“This is a time to reflect on who we are, our traditions, to stand tall in our identities and to celebrate our heritage unapologetically,” Camas said.  

For Lizbeth Ramos, a junior exercise science major specializing in pre-physical therapy, the celebration went beyond stereotypes often tied to Latino culture.  

“Usually when we think of Latin Heritage Month, we think of sombreros, tacos [and] mariachi, but that does not include everyone’s culture,” she said. “Today we celebrate the independence of Guatemala and all the different backgrounds.” 

Following along with the event’s theme, Ramos noted that organizing the celebration itself was an act of resistance.  

“It’s honestly sad [and] kind of disappointing to see how the world is right now, but I feel like it makes us stronger as a community,” she said. “We could’ve easily chosen to not do the event because we didn’t have funding from the university. We had to rely solely on donors, but it brought us closer together, and we figured it out.” 

The flag will remain on the South Quad flagpole throughout Latino Heritage Month as a reminder of the community’s resilience and presence on campus. 

Arabella Flores can be reached at 581-2812 or alflores2@eiu.edu.