On Wednesday, students in Sarah Calle’s Spanish 1B class shared a presentation on Hispanic Heritage Month at Upper School Morning Meeting. First, students recounted the history of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began as a commemorative week in 1968. They explained why September 15 marks the start of this 30-day period and the significance of many of the dates to different Hispanic cultures. Then, they shared some the important moments from Hispanic and Latin American history, such as the granting of U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, the extension of the Voting Right Act in 1975, mandating bilingual ballots in certain parts of the U.S., and the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Students gathered on stage to share the work of two Latinx poets. The first was a poem called “Natural Born Criminal” by Francisco X. Alarcón. Alarcón believed that poetry was best when read aloud. So, students took turns reading a line as they moved around the stage to reflect the nomadic experience expressed in the poem and the immigrant experience in the United States. Then, students performed “I am Joaquin” by "Corky" Gonzales, a famous poem associated with the Chicano movement of the 1960s. Encompassing two thousand years of history, the epic poem explores the struggles of the Chicano people in trying to assimilate while also keeping their heritage alive for future generations. Accompanied by Music Teacher Lloyd Dugger on piano and students Madi M. ’23 on trumpet and Julie Y. ’23 on cello students, students recited the poem, speaking the final lines together, “I shall endure! I will endure!”