When Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) Director Dr. Jamie Riley began looking at ways to help students become more at ease with cultural differences, he realized he wanted to see an organization educate students about Hispanic heritage and give both Hispanic and non-Hispanic students an outlet to appreciate and celebrate the culture. So in fall 2011, Riley helped students set the creation of the Hispanic Heritage Club in motion. Riley said a common issue is that, because the Hispanic population at Longwood University is so small (under 10 percent), many students are unaware there is even a Hispanic population present at the university.
He hopes the Hispanic Heritage Club can raise awareness of the rising number of Hispanic students at Longwood. According to Riley, some students may have grown up in a homogenous setting and have not had the chance to learn about other cultures. He said the Hispanic Heritage Club has already started to help students "learn more about what it means to be a part of the Hispanic culture and what that looks like." Riley also said the Hispanic Heritage Club can contribute to dispelling misleading stereotypes about Hispanics.
Some people may assume people of Hispanic heritage are Spanish or can speak Spanish, but this is not always the case. He said, while some Hispanic students have family members who are from a Hispanic country, many of these students were born in the United States. While Riley said part of the Hispanic Heritage Club's mission is to educate students who are unfamiliar with Hispanic culture, another central purpose is for people of Hispanic descent to "celebrate their culture" and "come together and to socialize, engage and interact with each other based on a common idea."
Riley said that in the two semesters the club has been on campus, several notable members have worked to tell the campus about the club and bring more people to the organization. He shared how he initially knew he sought an active, involved leader to guide the club, and he found these qualities in now President Nancy Ventura. Ventura saw leading the Hispanic Heritage Club, which now has about 10 regular members, as an opportunity to teach others about common stereotypes. While she is Guatemalan, she said people often ask questions such as, "Are you Mexican?" or "Do you speak Mexican?"
Initially, Ventura was upset when people assumed there was no Hispanic heritage outside of Mexico, but after serving as the club's president, she has seen these instances as a positive learning experience. She said, "Now I take it at, 'No, I'm not, but I want to teach you.'" Ventura said she has also become more educated as she continues to discover more about different Hispanic cultures from the diverse club members. "I'm learning myself as I meet more people," she said. The Hispanic Heritage Club has also helped Ventura feel closer to her culture. Members of Hispanic descent speak of where their families are from and teach each other family customs.
"You do the same traditions at home with your family," Ventura said. One example of how the club has immersed members in Hispanic culture is the club's recent game night, one of the games being "Jeopardy!" style and focusing on Hispanic history. On April 16 at 7 p.m., the club will also host a potluck with traditional Hispanic food in the Cox Glass Lounge. Vice President Ashley Powell, whose family is from Mexico, also feels the club has helped her learn more about her background.
"It means that I get to be more in touch with a part of me that I fully embrace and get to know more about my culture," she said. Additionally, Powell said the club has aided members in connecting with more organizations on campus. The club co-sponsored the Lancer Poetry Slam on Feb. 23 with Lancer Productions, Black Student Association, Student Diversity and Inclusion Council and B.A.S.I.C. Gospel Choir. She said this was one of the club's first efforts to make a name for itself on campus.
Powell also expressed the club's interest in going outside of campus and working with the Farmville community. "We plan - once we get more members - to impact the community somehow by working with schools as mentors or going to FACES," she said. Senior Admissions Counselor for Emerging Populations Olander Fleming, who serves as the club's adviser, hopes the club will continue to plan various programs to get students interested. He said more programs for this semester and the fall semester, in addition to an official club logo, are in the works. Fleming said the club's executive board has stressed that students do not have to be Hispanic to join.
"You just have to have a love for the culture," he said. Fleming, himself, is Spanish speaking, but he is not of Hispanic descent, nor are a few of the club's members. He added, "One meeting, we decided to say where our families were from ... and one young lady said she's not Hispanic at all; she just loves the culture." This student's name is Camille Giles. "I like their food, I like their clothing, I love how they have a good time and fellowship; everyone seems nice and cordial with each other," she said.
Giles said she hopes members collectively continue to promote the organization and remind students you do not have to be Hispanic to participate. Giles personally feels at home when she attends the meetings in Hiner 210 every other Monday at 7 p.m. She said, "I feel so Hispanic at heart."
