Hiram Aldarondo is passionate about fostering a sense of belonging for Hispanic students and faculty at Temple because it’s important for everyone to feel welcomed. His dedication to providing students with meaningful pathways to explore different cultures was paramount in establishing this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations on campus.
“If these students feel like they’re welcome and can celebrate their heritage, I think this is important to them,” said Aldorando, senior associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and a main event organizer during the month. “That’s why celebrating this helps serve as a bridge between the university and the students, so that they feel connected here. And I have heard that from many students throughout all of the events we have put together.”
Aldarondo worked with CLA to plan 21 events throughout the 31 days of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. From a Latin American book fair to an international coffee hour, students enjoyed a variety of activities and forged friendships within Temple’s vibrant community.
Latinx and Hispanic student organizations on campus, like the Afro-Latinx Student Association and Asociacion de Estudiantes Latinos, are responsible for much of the celebration’s success, Aldarondo said. These clubs promoted the events and made considerable efforts to ensure students were aware of activities on campus.
The opening event, which took place on Sept. 16, engaged students in conversation with interdisciplinary artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz. She was able to connect deeply with students, discussing the importance of the combination of heritage and art.
The international coffee hour on Sept. 24 celebrated Peruvian culture with culinary delights, traditional dancing and a brief language workshop. The event was one of the most successful of the month, Aldarondo said.
“I don’t know how many students, but there were close to 100. They had some tables there for Latinx student organizations, and it was really well attended,” Aldarondo said. “And these students, like the president of this club, talked about Peru and their heritage. It was very nice.”
The events across the entire month featured a range of discussions, including the global history of Latin America, the political landscape in the region and the experiences of queer and transgender individuals in the Latinx community. Participants engaged in activities like movie screenings and a workshop where students wove plastic bags into sleeping mats, which were donated to a Latin women’s shelter.
Temple’s Hispanic Heritage Month activities also extended to the larger North Philadelphia community with a Latin American book fair at Taller Puertorriqueño, a Puerto Rican community center in West Kensington, on Oct. 12. Through CLA’s Spanish and Portuguese department, Temple has provided financial support for a series of “Café con Autores” sessions — conversations with Hispanic authors who are either launching or promoting their books.
Ana Omana has helped host the event since 2019 in different locations around the city, like Love Park, City Hall and now Taller Puertorriqueño.
“I’m a children’s author, but I didn’t have a place to publish,” said Omana, co-founder and creative director of the book fair. “There are many firsts in Philadelphia, but there was no Latin American book fair. That’s what I wanted – to attract Latin American readers.”
Omana’s organization has grown in the past five years, spotlighting Latin American authors and giving them a place to share their work with people in the community.
Yesenia Escobar attended several events on campus throughout Hispanic Heritage Month and stressed the importance of celebrating Hispanic culture at Temple. She believes sharing traditions, food and language helps break down cultural barriers and create a more inclusive environment on campus.
“In the United States, there are many cultures living together and we have the Hispanic community closer than we think, so it’s a very good opportunity to share it with other people — to share the same food, the same culture, language, to talk about the things that matter to us,” said Escobar, a graduate student in CLA.
This year’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month offered students of all backgrounds the chance to participate in discussions, learn about various cultures and broaden their understanding of different perspectives.
“I can tell you that all of them have been really well attended,” Aldarondo said. “In some cases, we didn’t have enough seats and space for all the students, so I was really surprised.”
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