FALL 2024 SCHEDULE
Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15–October 15, 2024 and Native American Heritage Month is November 1–30, 2024. The UMass community is invited to strengthen inclusive communities by celebrating heritage and culture together. Below is a schedule of events:
Yanira Castro
Thursday, September 12 | 6pm
Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby
During this election season, participate in a public art project which will challenge the UMass campus and broader regional community to contemplate and confront questions related to decolonization, natural and political history, and community. Led by Bromery Center for the Arts.
Victory Players & Bomba de Aqui
Saturday, September 14 | 3pm
Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby
Consider the commonalities of European and Afro-Caribbean music and culture while confronting the divisive legacy of colonialism in this performance “El Puerto Rico.” Led by Bromery Center for the Arts
Puerto Rican Day Parade
Sunday, September 15 | 10:30am - 3:30pm
3300 Main Street, Springfield, MA
Join the UMass contingency in the parade to celebrate cultural and neighborly ties with citizens of Springfield. Round transportation from UMass/Springfield and parade float provided. Led by UMass Springfield Center
This year Springfield is celebrating Magia Boricua or Boricua Magic to showcase Puerto Rican culture. We would love for you to attend and march on September 15th, 2024. Free transportation to and from the parade, t-shirts, and food will be provided for our contingency participants! Don't miss out on the festivities and showing your support to Latinx campus community. Please register and reserve your spot, deadline Sept. 7th noon.
Transportation details:
9:15am (SHARP) - Bus will depart from Haigis Mall to Springfield (parade start location)
11:00am - Parade starts - Estimated time of parade walk is 2hrs (1.8mi)
2:00pm - UMass afterparty in Tower Square Park (nearby finish line of parade). Free food, drinks and music by DJ Rec!
3:15pm - Bus will depart from Springfield corner of East Columbus and Bridge St (down the block from afterparty).
4:15pm - Estimated time of arrival back to campus
September 15-October 15, Books on Display by Latino/x/e Authors
Review a collection of literature displayed at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library throughout the month highlighting scholars in an array of disciplines across Spanish speaking countries. Led by W.E.B. Du Bois Library.
Monday, September 16, Independence Day Party
Latinx American Cultural Center | 2-3 Hampden Hall | 6-8pm
Make a flag in celebration and acknowledgement of those that paved the way for self-governance. Led by the Latinx American Cultural Center
Thursday, September 19, Flag Party
TBD | 9-12pm
Celebrate unity at Berkshire Dining hall with music, food and bonding across cultures. Led by Latinos Unidos.
Friday, September 20, Dance Workshop
Outside W.E. B. Du Bois Library | TBD
Learn to dance salsa and bachata on the Library Promenade from UMass undergraduate students of Latinos Unidos and Contagio. They will lead solo and pair workshops. Led by UMass Libraries.
Mapping your Roots
Monday, September 23 | 6:30-8:30pm
Latinx American Cultural Center
Hampden Hall, Rm 203
Join us in celebrating Latinx Heritage month! Get to know your history by tracing back your roots to where your abuelos and abuela's came from. We'll explore traditions, culture, and hear about our stories, while making visual maps with the help of our book and artifact display. Bringing heirlooms or cultural artifacts to share is encouraged! Traditional Latin appetizers will be served!
POSTPONED Fall reception featuring Pavel Payano, State Senator
10th Floor, Campus Center | 6pm
Networking night with alum Pavel Payano to foster connections across disciplines and support for student. Led by the Center for Latin American Caribbean Latino Studies.
Friday, September 27, Heritage Month Dance Party
Outside Commonwealth Honors College | 3-5pm
The Honors College transforms into an outdoor festival for all to enjoy. Music, food, sweets and crafts available. Led by the Commonwealth Honors College.
Guest Chef Iliana de la Vega
Thursday, October 3 | 5-8pm
Berkshire DC
Chef Iliana de la Vega is a Mexican-born chef who has dedicated her professional life to the study and dissemination of the Mexican gastronomy. Chef de la Vega won worldwide acclaim for her restaurant and cooking school in Oaxaca, El Naranjo, which was featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times and Bon Appetit. She is also a 2019 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest, a 2020 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas and a 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Texas. Led by UMass Dining
Friday, October 4, Science Cafe
Rm. 168C - UMass Campus Center | 6-7pm
Dr. Mercado’s research explores the experiences of families from ethnic and immigrant backgrounds, with a focus on how interpersonal emotional dynamics—such as shared physiology and affect—impact psychological adjustment. Lead by Science Stories in collaboration with SACNAS, available in person & virtual!
Friday, October 4, Reggaeton party
Hadley and Amherst Rooms in Campus Center | 7-11pm
This popular style of music originated in Panama and traveled the western part of the world igniting cultural pride in the youth of the Latinx Diaspora. Led by Latinx American Cultural Center.
Friday-Monday, October 4-7, La Trenza with Ivan Monalisa Ojeda
Workshops: October 4 from 4-7pm in Herter Hall 301 and Oct. 5-6 from 11am-3pm
Performance: October 7 at 12:30pm - Noon | East Pond Lawn
"La Trenza" serves as both a political statement and a celebration of indigenous identity. Participants will delve into the symbolism of braids in various indigenous cultures using intuition, body movement, historical research, and artistic expression. Ivan Monalisa Ojeda is a New York-based queer Latinx artist, performer, and writer , author of the book Las Biuty Queens.
Tuesday, October 8, Mariza, Portuguese Fado Singer
Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby | 8pm
https://fac.umass.edu/Online/default.asp
Her gorgeous soprano voice brings in elements of samba, morna, and soul while remaining true to fado tradition. Led by Bromery Center for the Arts
Bia Ferreira, Brazilian Singer and Songwriter
Wednesday, October 9 | 9:00pm
The Drake Amherst
Singer, songwriter, anti-racist activist and fierce defendant of the LGBTI+ community worldwide, Bia Ferreira defines her music as MMP: Música de Mulher Preta (Black Woman Music). She broke into public consciousness in 2017 with the track, Cota Não é Esmola, about the importance of the quota system for the access of the black population to the university.
BUY TICKETS $25 advance, $30 at the door (General Admission)Youth 17 and under / 5 College Students $12.50 advance, $15 at the door
Presented in collaboration with UMass Fine Arts Center - the first installment of a 3 part artist-activist series. Her lyrics and stage commentary address LGBTQ+ activism, anticolonialism, anti-racism, feminism, and a host of other topics. Her powerful, captivating, danceable concoction is known as Música de Mulher Preta (Black Woman Music). Led by Bromery Center for the Arts.
Thursday, October 10, Caribbean Beats Trivia
Latinx American Cultural Center | 2-3 Hampden Hall | 6:30-8:30pm
Try your knowledge of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata y Reggaeton by guessing the artist and year. Snacks, giveaways and fun led by Latinx American Cultural Center.
Guest Chef Sherry Pocknett
Wednesday, October 16 | 5-8pm
Hampshire DC
Sherry Pocknett is a Mashpee Wampanoag chef and caterer. She is the owner of the Sly Fox Den Too restaurant in Charlestown, Rhode Island. In 2023, Pocknett received the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. She is the first Indigenous woman to be honored by the James Beard Foundation.
Tuesday, October 15, Academia de Bachata
RECESS Room | W. E. B. Du Bois Library | 4-6pm
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, this youth group spreads knowledge of traditional bachata music to sustain it across generations. Morning performance at the Fort River Elementary School and evening performance in UMass. Led by Heritage Month Planning Committee
INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL
October 14-November 15
Featuring films from the Americas to contextualize the survival of Native and Indigenous cultures, traditions, teachings and populations in the face of violence. Led by Center for Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies & Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center.
Monday, November 18- Lakota Nation VS. United States
6:00-9:00pm
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center
Chadbourne Hall B-3
Central Residential Area - Call 413-545-4932 More films here
This documentary that follows the history of the Lakota people and their displacement from their ancestorial homeland. They fight to reclaim their sacred land and protech it from government and corporate interests which would only destroy the land.
Tuesday, November 5 and 19, Beading Nights
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center | 6-9pm
Alumna Angie LaRotonda returns to lead glass beading workshops. Supplies and samples provided. Led by the Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center.
Thursday, November 7, Oral Performance
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center | 5-7pm
Professor Abigail Chabitnoy, Koniag descendant and member of the Tangirnaq Native Village in Kodiak has been published in Hayden’s Ferry Review, Boston Review, Tin House, Gulf Coast, LitHub, and Red Ink, among others. Led by the Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center.
Tuesday, November 12, Corn Husk Doll Making
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center | TBD
Make a corn husk doll and learn its folklore and history behind it. Led by Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center.
Thursday, November 21, Native Heritage Gathering: "Shared Knowledges"
W. E. B. Du Bois Library | 4-6pm
Invitation to connection and sharing among on campus and off campus resources in support of Native and Indigenous communities.
Planning committee includes representatives from:
- Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success
- Commonwealth Honors College
- UMass Libraries
- College of Social and Behavioral Scieneces-Remedying Inequities through Student Engagement
- Center for Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies
- Latinos Unidos
- Contagio
- El Barrio
- Student Association for Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM
- Isenberg School of Management Diversity Equity Inclusion Belonging
Financial sponsors:
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- College of Natural Sciences
- Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences
- Isenberg School of Management
- College of Engineering
- Graduate School
- Humanities and Fine Arts
- Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success
