“Ain’t” and “hola” aren’t words you usually hear used together in a sentence.
Hardly ever will you find a Mariachi band headlining a show at the Sophisticated Otter. Even scarcer are fiestas in East Tennessee not associated with chips or football.
So why is ETSU having live Latin music in the Culp Atrium and offering a Latin dance class? Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Originating as a week of celebration in 1968, Congress established the month which originated as public law in 1988. Sept. 15 marks the anniversary of independence for five Hispanic countries – Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Also, Mexico gained its independence on Sept. 16 and Chile on Sept. 18.
The purpose of National Hispanic Heritage Month is to promote employee awareness and appreciation of Hispanics and their culture. Kim Delaney, program assistant in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, believes in doing just that.
“We [promote Hispanic appreciation] to the best of our ability in this office,” said Delaney. “We do all that we can.”
The past week has been filled with various events that contribute to National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic educational booths were set up Sept. 15 and 16, along with Latin dance classes that were held Sept. 17 and 18.
On Sept. 24, the Atrium hosted live Latin music, and numerous flags representing Hispanic countries were on display.
Delaney estimates that the Hispanic population at ETSU is around 2 percent. While this may be a minority, Delaney maintains that all students should be educated in Hispanic heritage.
“The more you know about a culture, she said, “the more open-minded you can be. It makes you a better person.”
According to census statistics in 2001, the Hispanic population in the United States nearly outnumbers the African-American population, with 37 million Hispanics counted. This figure has been climbing since the early ’90s.
Now more than ever, it seems that National Hispanic Heritage Month has found its place in American culture as well as its place on ETSU’s campus.
Maybe we’ll be hearing “ain’t” and “hola” together a bit more often.

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