September: Celebrating Latine Heritage Month

latine heritage month

From September 15 – October 15, Yale celebrates Latine Heritage Month, in honor of community members with ancestry from Latin America, inclusive of all races and genders. Explore the many groups, events, media, and other opportunities that celebrate our colleagues and classmates. 

Community members may celebrate other cultural and religious observances in September-October. Have we missed something?  Please let us know.

Engagement Opportunities:

Books and Library Resources 

Yale University Library 
Yale University Library has an extensive collection of Latinx resources, including: 

  • Books – Access books on a range of Latinx subjects, such as Performing Queer Latinidad, highlighting the critical role that performance played in the development of Latina/o queer public culture in the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s, a period when the size and influence of the Latina/o population was increasing alongside growing scrutiny of the public spaces where latinidad could circulate. 
  • Digital Collections – A digital collection of photographs by Jon Lewis, including images such as 1960s II, features scenes from the farm worker movement, the work and activities of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, and the United Farm Workers of America’s California Grape Strike in the 1960s. In addition, the collection has begun to experiment with archiving the websites of several Latinx social justice organizations, to preserve evidence not only of the organizations but of their use of new technology to foster community development. 

Yale Library’s Spanish Civil War Collection includes magazines and comic books, handbills, broadsides, manuscripts, and toys (view examples of these objects on the Library’s website) documenting society and events during the Spanish Civil War. 

Yale Library’s Latin American collections are particularly notable for historical, political and economic materials   relating to México and Perú. One notable example in the Beinecke Library is the Codex Reese, a 16th-century map that records agricultural holdings within a colonial jurisdiction of Mexico City. The map contains a wealth of information about the region’s indigenous people and charts political authority, time, and the condition of sixteenth century New Spain. 

The Yale Collection of Western Americana is acclaimed for its coverage of early Hispanic exploration and settlement in the West. The collection includes copies of nearly all the works described in Henry Wagner’s monumental bibliography, The Spanish Southwest: 1542–1795; many of the titles are represented by multiple editions that permit scholars to trace their social and cultural impact over time. The collection also contains hundreds of Mexican imprints that document the end of the colonial era and the efforts of the Mexican republic to develop its northern provinces, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. 

Included among a vast collection of paintings, prints, and slides in the Beinecke’s collection are Richard Erdoes’ (1912-2008) depictions of 17th- century Hispanic southwest. Search the Library’s digital collections for additional objects created by, or depicting, the Latinx community. 

Courses and Resources 

Undergraduate Students

Review Latin American Studies (LAST) offerings within the 2024-2025 Yale College Program of Study. 

Graduate Students

  • Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies (CLAIS), Graduate Program 
    Although there is no advanced degree in Latin American Studies at Yale, graduate and professional students may draw upon the resources of many departments to make Latin America their field of concentration while working toward their respective degrees in conventional disciplines. 
  • Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) 
    Yale Divinity School is proud to support the cultivation of Latinx theological leaders as a sponsor of the Hispanic Summer Program (HSP). Since 1989, the HSP has offered accredited, graduate-level courses to master’s level students on topics ranging from theology, history, liturgy, and pastoral care, all from a Latinx perspective. 
  • Latinx and Latin American Christianity 
    The Latinx and Latin American Christianity concentration is an interdisciplinary program for students who wish to study Latinx and Latin American religious culture, theology, and history. 

The Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration 
The Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M) enables students to engage in interdisciplinary and comparative study of forces that have created a multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial world. 

Yale and the World - Latin America 
Review data and information on the Yale and the World (YATW) website representing the myriad of internationally oriented programs at Yale, including those related to Latin America. These programs are housed in virtually every school, department, and center across Yale.  

Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration (RITM) 
The Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (RITM) is a university-wide, interdisciplinary academic research center with the mission of advancing rigorous, innovative research and teaching on key topics of historical and contemporary importance. Building upon Yale’s longstanding strengths, RITM fosters intellectual exchanges that cross-institutional, disciplinary, and geographic borders; enrich and challenge academic fields; and foreground perspectives often underrepresented in university and policy circles. Through research, teaching, and programming, the Center deepens and transforms scholarship, supports undergraduate and graduate education, and engages local and global audiences. 

LinkedIn Learning 
Explore free courses on LinkedIn Learning, including courses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Events 

Latine Heritage Month, La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos: Latino Cultural Center 
September 15 – October 15, 2024
In the United States, National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15. During those weeks, La Casa hosts a series of collaborative efforts, such as retreats and keynote speakers, in honor of Latine Heritage Month (LHM) to celebrate our diverse cultural heritage. A list of upcoming events is forthcoming—follow La Casa on social media (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter) for updates. 

Featured Events through the Council on Latin American & Iberian Studies (CLAIS)

Through events programming, CLAIS seeks to create a space for Latin American art, literature, and history, for Yale, the New Haven community and broader audiences. Visit the upcoming events webpage to explore several events during Latine Heritage Month.

¡Fiesta Latina!, Yale Peabody Museum 
2024 event updates forthcomingDate/time forthcoming 

¡Fiesta Latina! is the Yale Peabody Museum’s long-standing community celebration of traditional and contemporary Latin American cultures. Co-founded and co-hosted with Junta for Progressive Action, this annual festival brings together artists, scholars, musicians, scientists, and community leaders from across Yale and New Haven. Visitors enjoy music and dance performances while learning from and honoring the perspectives and accomplishments of the Latin American diaspora. 

¡Fiesta Latina! centers on the work of the many local organizations in New Haven and across Connecticut addressing issues ranging from environmental justice to community economic development. 

Visit the Yale Events Calendar, as well as the La Casa Cultural: Latino Cultural Center, and Yale’s Latino Networking Group for additional DEI and Belonging events and resources.

Films 

Yale University Library 
Yale University Library offers a wealth of images, sounds, and films related to Latinx Studies. Included among them are two documentaries: 

Graphics

Share your pride and promote Latine Heritage Month in multiple ways:

Organizations, Offices, and Centers of Engagement 

ARTE INC. 
ARTE is dedicated to promoting Latino, Art, Culture, & Education and has served thousands of urban youths since 2004 with programs that provide social-emotional development, team building, language, creative thinking, and healthy minds. ARTE’s activities deliver purposeful, supportive, and meaningful learning experiences. ARTE coordinates annual celebrations for Hispanic Heritage, including a variety of free events and exhibits. 

La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos: Latino Cultural Center

La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos, affectionately known as La Casa, is the Latino Cultural Center at Yale. Established at its current location in 1977, La Casa provides a home away from home for Latinx students at Yale. Within the three-story, 19th-century red brick house, students socialize, plan activities, cook together in a fully equipped kitchen, discuss Latinx and Latin American issues at events featuring visiting scholars and practitioners, and in general come together to create a warm and robust community. Students who visit the center a greeted by two building murals; enjoy an ever-expanding library of books and resource materials on Latinx and Latin American topics, including access to computers; access a kitchen to cook meals and enjoy snacks; use a large multipurpose room and study spaces; enjoy a variety of art displays and student exhibits. The center is also open to New Haven community members, like the Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven, and their community-based ESL programs for non-English speakers. 

La Casa Cultural also offers lists of affiliate Latinx groups including: 

Movimiento Cultural 
Join Movimiento Cultural for free Bomba community workshops, featuring drumming and dancing, on recurring Sundays.  

Yale Latino Networking Group 
The Yale Latino Networking Group (YLNG) seeks to promote a community of interest among Latino staff members and to promote an inclusive and empowering work environment for all Yale employees. 

Office of Diversity and Inclusion 
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) collaborates with departments and individuals across the Yale campus to promote a respectful, accessible, and inclusive community for all Yale employees. 

Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility 
The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) is responsible for ensuring Yale’s commitment to equitable and inclusive working and learning environments. This includes administering Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment.

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