MSU recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month yearly in celebration of the accomplishments of the MSU Hispanic and Latine community. Students, staff and faculty can find support and resources through various channels at MSU, including Chicano/Latino Faculty, Staff, Specialist and Graduate Student Association; Chicano/Latino Studies program; Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU; affiliate organizations; and the Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Advocacy.
This story will be updated throughout September and October.
Michigan State University recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month, or NHHM, each year to celebrate the achievements of Hispanic and Latine champions who have inspired others to achieve success. It is also a time to recognize the incredible accomplishments of the MSU Hispanic and Latine community on campus and beyond. MSU students, staff and affiliated groups have organized events across campus that exhibit cultural pride and promote Hispanic/Latine voices and experiences. Make sure you do not miss any of the wonderful events going on this month!
A centerpiece of this month’s celebrations is the Latine Voices Uncensored symposium. This event will feature Hunter College Professor Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, an award-winning Afro Puerto Rican author, teacher and scholar, and University of Wisconsin–Madison Assistant Professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, a critically acclaimed author and history scholar who recently worked with international superstar Bad Bunny. There will be panel discussions, a Q&A session, book signing and a tour of the MSU Libraries’ newly renovated Murray and Hong Special Collections. The all-day event will commence with coffee and sweet breads. For more information and to register, refer to the event list below.
Beyond the symposium, key events during this year’s NHHM celebration include a film screening of the 2025 Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” the “Disrupted Pipelines” presentation by Adrian H. Huerta, associate professor at the University of Southern California, and a hands-on oral history workshop with Frederick Luis Aldama, faculty at the University of Texas.
Close out NHHM with community at CRU’s Brown Pride cultural showcase! This wonderful event will feature student performances, giveaways, an essay completion award ceremony and more.
All events are listed in Eastern time. To add an event, email sileriog@msu.edu.
This fiesta, happening in MSU’s Multicultural Center, will feature information about IEM’s education abroad opportunities along with food, games, crafts, resources and workshops for its spring break and summer programs. Learn more on Instagram
This all-day event, located at the MSU Multicultural Center, centers Latine voices and lived experiences while also discussing the implications of censorship with an exclusive Puerto Rican perspective from Yomaira Figueroa-Vasquez and Jorell Meléndez-Badillo. There will be pan y cafecito — or bread and coffee — a graduate student panel, a book signing with the speakers and a tour of the MSU Libraries’ Murray and Hong Special Collections. Get tickets here
Join Culturas de las Razas Unidas for a Latin America trivia night. The event is taking place in the Multicultural Center Living Room with prizes and food from La Cocina Cubana!
Join Aldama for a storytelling experience, exploring talks on Latinx/e representation in pop culture and comics. This event, brought to us by the MSU Museum and Multicultural Center, will take place in the Communications Arts and Science building, Room 145. Register on msueum.msu.edu
This film screening of the 2025 Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” located in MSU Main Library Green Room (4 West), will feature a discussion panel engaging students on topics of censorship, political oppression and advocacy. This film tells the story of the Paiva family and their struggle under Brazil’s military dictatorship during the 1960s and a painful disappearance that devastates their family unit. This event is free and open to the public.
Join Culturas de las Razas Unidas at Wilson Hall’s El Centro, Room G43-B, to learn about the history marked on the walls of El Centro de las Razas, which dates to the Chicano movement and early student activism on MSU’s campus.
This event, brought to you by the College of Education’s Office of Access and Community Engagement, explores the systemic impact on higher education access for male students of color from gang-involved populations, featuring speaker Adrian H. Huerta from the University of Southern California. Learn more and RSVP
To close out NHHM, join Culturas de las Razas Unidas in the Kellogg Auditorium for a cultural showcase and celebration full of student performances, giveaways and an essay completion award! Learn more
In recognition of NHHM, the MSU community is coming together to strengthen resources, programs, research centers and scholarships serving Hispanic and Latine students at MSU. Learn more