SMC Latinx/e Heritage Month 2024
September 15 - October 15
Join us in celebrating Latinx/e Heritage Month at Santa Monica College (SMC) with a series of engaging events that honor the rich and diverse Latinx/e culture. The lineup includes insightful talks, performances, movie screenings, cultural celebrations, music and delicious food! Come, be a part of our Latinx/e Heritage Month festivities and celebrate the vibrant tapestry of Latinx/e heritage with us at SMC.
LHM Kick-Off: Cuban Dancers and Food!
Thursday, September 19 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: North and South Quad
Description: Kick off Latinx Heritage Month with an electrifying performance by Yamila Guerra, a Cuban singer, dancer, and actress with over 25 years of experience. Enjoy a captivating journey through Latin culture and savor delicious Cuban food. Join us for an afternoon of rhythm, celebration, and cultural immersion!
Good Immigrant, Bad Immigrant: The Art of Julio Salgado
Wednesday, September 25 | 12 p.m.
Location: Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 1st floor)
Description: Julio Salgado, a visual artist of color whose work explores themes of immigration and queerness, will talk about the influences on his work over the past 15 years. Salgado is an undocumented and queer artist who uses his art to combat racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic, and transphobic narratives. He is the co-founder of DreamersAdrift and the Migrant Storytelling Manager for The Center for Cultural Power, where he co-created The Disruptors Fellowship for emerging television writers of color who identify as trans/and or non-binary, disabled, undocumented/formerly undocumented immigrants. His work has been displayed at the Oakland Museum, SFMOMA, and the Smithsonian.
Poster Making Workshop with Julio Salgado
Wednesday, September 25 | 1:30 p.m.
Location: Student Equity Center, Room 10
Description: Visual artist Julio Salgado is a visual artist of color whose work explores themes of immigration and queerness. As an undocumented and queer artist, he uses his art to combat racist, anti-immigrant, homophobic, and transphobic narratives. His poster making workshop will put attendees in the artist’s creative position and go through the process of making a poster.
Latinx/e Student, Staff, and Faculty Mixer
Thursday, September 26 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: SSC 3rd Floor Staff Lounge, Room 391
Description: Join us for the Latinx/e Mixer! Network with fellow students, staff, and faculty, share experiences, and build connections in a welcoming atmosphere. This is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our Latinx/e community and foster meaningful relationships across campus. Don’t miss out on this chance to connect and celebrate together!
Afro Peruvians: Resistance and Cultural Resilience through the Arts with Nadia Calmet
Tuesday, October 1 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: Arts Complex Building Room 214
Description: Nadia Calmet is a renowned Peruvian Folk Dance Artist with over 25 years of experience in Afro-Peruvian dance. Having represented Peru in cultural exchanges across more than thirty countries, Nadia will offer an insightful talk on Afro-Latinx/e art, heritage, and cultural resiliency. Explore the rich traditions and vibrant history of Afro-Latinx/e culture through her expert lens.
Lecture by Ronald Rael: Working with Muddy Robots
Wednesday, October 2 | 6:30 p.m.
Location: Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 1st floor)
Description: Award-winning designer, activist, architect, and author Ronald Rael will talk about his experience and design perspective, which not only challenges conventional architecture, digital fabrication, and materiality, but also integrates a cultural and political dimension unusual in the built design professions. Rael is currently the UC Berkeley Eva Li Memorial Chair in Architecture and Chair of the Department of Art Practice, and directs the printFARM Laboratory (print Facility for Architecture, Research and Materials). He is the author of Borderwall as Architecture: A Manifesto for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary (UC Press 2017) and Earth Architecture (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008).
“My Queerceañera”: Short Documentary Film Screening and Q&A with Director Marcos Nieves
Thursday, October 3 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: Stromberg Hall, HSS 165
Description: Join us for a film screening and talk with director Marcos Nieves and his film subject, Karyna Jaramillo, a Mexican transgender woman living in Arizona. My Queerceañera is a documentary exploring Jaramillo’s life and her determination to fulfill her teenage dream of celebrating her Quinceañera with a twist: when she turns 50. The film dives into Jaramillo’s life — as a construction worker, coming to terms with her identity, battling alcohol addiction, and dealing with family challenges at home — and her resilience to thrive against adversities in her fight for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Nieves, whose projects include the 2022 short documentary Zoila and 2018 short documentary series “The Right to Thrive,” is a member of the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective and co-founder of La Producción, a production company run by undocumented immigrants. An audience Q&A follows the screening.
Movie Screening, “A Million Miles Away”
Wednesday, October 9 | 1 p.m.
Location: Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 1st floor)
Description: "A Million Miles Away," a heartwarming film that tells the true story of José Hernández, a Latino man who rose from his roots as a migrant farmworker to become a NASA astronaut. The movie captures his remarkable journey of perseverance, family support, and overcoming adversity to achieve his dreams of space exploration.
Tajin Takeover
Thursday, October 10 | 10 a.m.
Location: Core Performance Center
Description: Get ready for Tajin Takeover! Explore new and tasty flavors as we show you creative ways to spice up your meals with the bold and zesty kick of Tajin.
Guelaguetza: A traditional Indigenous celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico
NEW DATE: Tuesday, November 19 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: North and South Quad
Description: Join us for a traditional celebration dating back to Indigenous times in Oaxaca, Mexico. Guelaguetza is a time for the SMC Community to come together and enjoy Oaxacan presence, culture, live music, and food.
Venimos a Triunfar (We Came to Be Triumphant) with Yosimar Reyes
Thursday, October 17 | 11:15 a.m.
Location: Student Services Center Orientation Hall (SSC 1st floor)
Description: Join us for an insightful presentation by Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes on how his poetry is inspired by his community. His goal, as the first undocumented poet to reach this position, is to help people find poetry in their everyday lives. Reyes was chosen to be a 2024 Creative Ambassador by the City of San Jose, The Advocate named him one of "13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World," and Remezcla included him in "10 Up And Coming Latinx Poets You Need To Know.” Reyes has been awarded a NALAC Catalyst for Change Grant, a Gerbode Foundation Grant, and most recently, a Walter & Elise Haas Creative Work Fund Grant. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry; Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings; and the forthcoming UndocuPoetics.
Documenting Joy: A Writing Workshop with Yosimar Reyes
Thursday, October 17 | 1 p.m.
Location: Student Equity Center, Room 10
Description: Yosimar Reyes is a writer and spoken word artist. He will be leading a dynamic writing workshops to provide a nurturing and inclusive space for participants to explore their creativity, develop their writing skills, and discover the transformative power of self-expression. Through interactive exercises and personalized guidance, Reyes encourages participants to embrace their unique perspectives and share their stories with authenticity and conviction.
Many thanks to the sponsors who contributed and supported Latinx/e Heritage Month at SMC: Art Department, Associate Students, Black Collegians, Community and Academic Relations, Counseling, Division of Equity, Pathways & Inclusion, Design Technology Department, Dream Program, Ethnic Studies Program, EOPS/CARE, IDEAS at SMC, Latino Center/Adelante Program, Latinx Collective, Pride Center, SMC Associates and Student Equity Center.