National Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of culture and history from September 15 to October 15 in honor of the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile.
The celebration began in 1968 under President Lyndon B Johnson as a week-long celebration. President Ronald Reagan expanded the celebration into a month long event In 1988.
Latinos Unidos Student Association is a club for Latino and non-Latino students to talk and learn about each other’s culture. The club provides support through communal potluck, open discussions about minority life, informing DACA recipients of their recipient.
L.U.S.A. is also one of the most consistent clubs on campus. The club has been around for over 10 years remained active.
L.U.S.A. club member Brittany Andrews said accepting and understanding her identity was a struggle for her as a biracial woman until she joined in 2011.
“It changed my life,” Andrews said. “I learned more about myself being a Puerto Rican woman, being a Latina, the different things that we face and the similar experiences we have all gone through.”
When she joined L.U.S.A., Andrews also rebuilt the Black Student Union on campus.
“L.U.S.A became a bridge for the BSU,” Andrews said. “I started attending L.U.S.A. and became more active in that club.
“It was a blessing because that club also supported the Black Student Union, which was a club we hadn’t had for years here on campus.”
Andrews spent many semesters as secretary of L.U.S.A. She now serves as an unofficial adviser to the club experience as a club leadership.
L.U.S.A. will host the Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in the Campus Center Mall in October. The event is a week long and includes different hispanic foods, music, dancing, churro eating contests and opportunities to learn about different hispanic cultures.
Club president Victor Urega said L.U.S.A. tries to incorporate ideas from all club members to plan events.
“We leave it open for the club members and club officers so we can all brainstorm,” Urega said. “Everyone has an equal opportunity to have an opinion and vote on what we want to do as a club.”
Hispanic culture embodies different cultures from several regions of the world. To understand L.U.S.A. offers a monthly potluck, Hanging Out with L.U.S.A.
L.U.S.A. also hosts political discussions.
“We do talk about politics quite a bit,” Urega said. “We want to do things the right way. If we want to advocate for ourselves, our community, our future generations, we want to do it proper. We want to follow the rules, follow the law, and if possibly changing the laws if it is fair and equal for everyone.”
Citrus student trustee Nancy Gonzalez attributes her connections to student leadership on campus to her decision to join L.U.S.A. in fall 2018.
“Through L.U.S.A. I was able to go to the (Inter Club Council) meetings on Mondays and from there I was introduced to more people in leadership,” Gonzalez said. “I would receive a lot of compliments on the fliers I would create for L.U.S.A. and as I continued to meet people, the seed to be Commissioner of Activities for ASCC was planted in my mind.”
After serving her term as activities commissioner in spring 2019, Gonzalez ran for student trustee.
Since joining the club, Gonzalez met people in campus leadership, find the encouragement to be a leader on campus and maintained a steady support system, L.U.S.A., that wanted to see her succeed.
L.U.S.A. also provides information and help to DACA recipients and undocumented students. Last year, L.U.S.A. held a DACA forum with a representative from UCI, a DACA student from Mt. SAC and a lawyer who specializes in helping undocumented families and students.
“It’s the best way to go, to be well informed about what our rights are and how to address such topics,” said Urega.
Urega said L.U.S.A. members who joined ASCC are hoping to form a Dream Center at Citrus. The Dream Center would be a place for Spanish speaking students and families to find resources about college in their native language.
