Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated for the first time

The Latin Student Alliance Club and Folklórico Club collaborated to host their first Hispanic Heritage Month event, commemorating and sharing Latino culture on Thursday, Sept. 29. 

During lunch, three Folklórico club members performed two traditional dances, and the Latin Student Alliance Club organized a grito contest, where participants shout to convey national pride. The purpose of this event was to both showcase the diversity within Hispanic heritage and raise awareness about the month-long holiday.

“We thought that [the event] was an important way for us to bring light to Hispanic Heritage Month,” Folklórico and Latin Student Alliance adviser Diana De La Cruz said. “I think a lot of times, people are under the impression that Cinco de Mayo is a popular Hispanic celebration, but it’s not.” 

Cinco de Mayo often overshadows Hispanic Heritage Month, despite being less celebrated by Latin Americans. Hispanic Heritage Month honors the heritage, histories and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans. The Folklórico and Latin Student Alliance clubs, along with the Latinx Parent Alliance, are finding ways to inform others about Hispanic heritage and events, especially with the increase of Latinx students in WHS from 24 to 32 percent over the past six years. 

“[The event] was a really good way to celebrate our culture,” Folklórico vice president junior Esmeralda Ruvalcaba said. “It was a great way to demonstrate how even in diverse cultures of the Spanish-speaking community, you can still gather and have fun.”

The Folklórico Club plans to continue hosting cultural events throughout the year, including an upcoming performance for Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. They hope that the new members will be able to participate in the next dance and are holding fundraisers for their skirts and blouses. 

“This year, we really want to expand our club and make it have a really strong standing here at Walnut High School,” Ruvalcaba said. “We feel it’s really important to celebrate that part of our culture.”