In honor of National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, the S.J. Quinney College of Law asked members of the SJQ community to share their thoughts and experiences.
“The best way to honor and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and any heritage month for that matter, is to open up our minds to the different cultures that can make up this mixing pot in the United States. I think that’s the best way to celebrate, to be open towards different ideas and different backgrounds. Be open to listening, be open to communicating.
In that mix of different ideas and different backgrounds, I think you can find a real strength. Those different ideas can make us a stronger society.” – Andres Cervantes, 1L
“A month like this means so much because it does two things. It lets us reflect with pride on what we have done and how far we have come, but it also allows us to look forward with determination in the work and recognition of what still needs to be done and the path that needs to still be walked.” – Associate Dean Reyes Aguilar
“My grandparents taught me a lot of great qualities, which I think came out of their Cuban background. They taught me to work really, really hard. When my grandparents came here, my grandfather went from being a highly-regarded lawyer to working in a factory. My grandmother went from being a well-known socialite to working as a maid at a hotel. They ended up living in midWestern Illinois, which was different from the beach houses of Cuba. But they never complained, they were never bitter. They were just grateful. I know they missed home and they talked about Cube with so much love and regard. But they chose to focus on being happy for what had, and extending that love to their children and grandchildren. I feel incredibly honored to be able to pursue my grandfather’s original passion for the law.” – Maria Fernandez, 1L
“Hispanic Heritage Month for me is multifaceted. It is a reminder and affirmation that Hispanic and Latino cultures are valuable and important. It is a reminder of the resiliency of the people who comprise Hispanic and Latino cultures. It means raising awareness for the diversity of cultures that exist in Mexico,
Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, and as a call for action to continue to promote the positivity of these cultures and to support each other and that future generation.
We can continue to build on the work done before us and the work we’re doing today by learning more about the breadth of Hispanics and Latinos. We can continue to build on the work of our predecessors in promoting our cultures and supporting each other so that all of us can have the opportunities our parents and grandparents worked so hard for. We have not yet achieved equal opportunities, but every year we get closer, and Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder that we are here. We’re valuable. We are fighting. We are strong and we’re always striving for a better future together.”
-Nicole Salazar-Hall, Class of 2010, shareholder of Parsons Behle & Latimer Family Law Group
Previous Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month Events:
Dean’s Book Review, September 2021, “White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race”
Dean’s Book Review, September 2020, “Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism”
Hispanic/Latinx Literature & Films:
8 Films to Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month
7 Books to Read for Latinx Heritage Month