HCC events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

HOLYOKE – Holyoke Community College is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of events celebrating Latinx history and culture, including a film festival, a fiesta, and a panel of local “artivists” talking about art and activism.

HCC’s “Latinx Heritage Month” celebration begins Sunday, Sept. 14, when a large contingent of students, faculty, and staff will march in the Springfield Puerto Rican Day Parade alongside President George Timmons and HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles, the parade’s 2025 Civil Service Ambassador.

Campus events kick off Wednesday, Sept. 14, as Chief Robles and other guests take turns reading Harold and the Purple Crayon in Spanish, English and American Sign Language during Family Story Night in HCC’s Parent Learning Center, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

New this year, El Centro, HCC’s bilingual student support program, is sponsoring a “Pop-Up Cinema: Latinx Film Festival” on Thursdays throughout the month, featuring documentaries and feature films from Latin America and the United States.   

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally each year from September 15 through October 15 to recognize the cultural and historical influences of Hispanic/Latinx Americans. On the HCC campus, it is called “Latinx Heritage Month.”

"This year's Latinx Heritage Month events at HCC are a testament to the resilience, strength, and hope of our community,” said Julissa Colón, director of El Centro. “We are sharing the breadth of our cultures, our heroes, our art, and our history. We invite everyone to participate in the wonderful shared events to learn and be inspired.”  

Latinx Heritage Month events at HCC:

Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m., “Family Story Time,” a multilingual event featuring HCC Police Chief Jacqueline Robles and others reading Harold and the Purple Crayon. There will be arts and crafts, raffle prizes, giveaways, and pizza. (Parent Learning Center, Frost 269)

Sept. 18, 11 a.m.: Latinx Film Festival: “Ixcanul” (Volcano), a drama about a Mayan girl who lives on the slopes of a volcano and hopes to escape an arranged marriage. (Campus Center,  cafeteria)

Sept 25, 11 a.m.: Latinx Film Festival: “El abrazo de la serpiente” (Embrace the Serpent), an  adventure story that follows two separate journeys 30 years apart, one by an indigenous shaman, the other by an American botanist as they search the Amazon jungle for yakruna, a rare plant. (Campus Center, cafeteria)

Oct. 2, 1:30 p.m., “Froteria.” Enjoy fried treats and play the lottery with members of El Centro and HCC’s ALANA Men in Motion programs. (Campus Center 224).

Oct. 1, 11 a.m., Latinx Fiesta, a celebration of Latinx heritage with food, music, and crafts. (Campus Center, second floor).

Oct. 2, 11 a.m.: Latinx Film Festival: “Todavia Estamos Aqui” (We Are Still Here), a student-made documentary about the lives and experiences of the residents of Barrio Rucio in Puerto Rico and their historic resistance to government intrusion. (Campus Center, cafeteria)

Oct. 9, 11 a.m.: Latinx Film Festival: “Dolores,” a documentary about American activist, feminist, and labor leader Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union with Cesar Chavez. (Campus Center, cafeteria)

Oct. 14, 11 a.m., “Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Lens,” a conversation with local Latinx “artivists,” talking about how art contributes to the preservation and celebration of history and culture. (Campus Center, second floor, outside El Centro).

Continuously, throughout the month: “Our Heroes, Our History.” View the mural painted last year by artist Betsy Casañas featuring activists, artists, athletes, musicians, and educators who have made a deep impact on Latinx history and culture. (Campus Center, second floor outside El Centro)