Speaker 1: The "Missouri State Journal," a weekly program keeping you in touch with Missouri State University. Nicki Donnelson: Most are familiar with terms like Latino or Hispanic. But what does it mean to be Latinx? Yvania Garcia-Pusateri, executive director of multicultural programs at Missouri State University is my guest today on the Missouri State Journal. She's here to explain and to welcome everyone to celebrate September as Latinx Heritage Month. Garcia-Pusateri: Latinx is a term that's used to identify the Hispanic and Latino community. However, the adding of the X really allows folks within the community who don't identify within the traditional gender barriers of male and female, and also for folks who are trans or non-gender conforming, so that they see themselves within the community. Also, Latinx allows folks who are not part of general Latin America, really thinking about Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. Talking about Hispanic and Latino is really focused more on the language of Spanish, where it's really focused on folks who only speak Spanish. But Brazilians are part of the community even though they speak Portuguese. Nicki Donnelson: Garcia-Pusateri, who was new to her position this time last year, notes that the programming will be amplified due to more time to plan and execute. Garcia-Pusateri: What's really exciting about this month is just the range of different programs. We do start off with a kickoff. There'll be some screenings. What's really exciting is that we're gonna be part of Public Affairs Week. On September 12th, we're gonna be doing a screening of "Sustainable to Storebought," which is about a Mexican family that lives in a rural area of Missouri and then their transition into moving into a city and what that looks like for all aspects of their life. We're gonna be bringing Angel Colon, who is a Pulse Nightclub survivor. He's gonna serve as our keynote speaker. It's gonna be really interesting, not only to hear his story about that unfortunate event, but really thinking about his own identity as a Latinx man, being a queer man in the community, what that looks like for intersectionality, and I think just really being able to bring different aspects to the planning committee. It's not just my office that's planning this, but International Programs and Services was part of the team, Diversity and Inclusion, Student Activities, Student Organizations, as well as our academic [unit 00:02:19], such as the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Nicki Donnelson: While heritage months are a celebration, they also offer a time of reflection. Garcia-Pusateri explains. Garcia-Pusateri: These months are important. They're not just to celebrate and have a good time. Those are important, but it's for people to really engage in critical discourse and really understand the exploration of identity and self. When we think about this community, a lot of folks are focused on Mexican identity, given that's what is in the media, especially with our political climate. Folks don't think about other countries within Latin America or thinking about Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. This culture's just very rich, based on history and contributions to the US and just the evolution of identity, given people are beginning to understand themselves as more than these traditional barriers, but really seeing themselves whether it's race, ethnicity, gender expression, or sexuality that this community is evolving. There's so much history and so much that's already taking place that folks that attend events, I really want them just to come in with an open mind and ask questions and really understand what this community is, especially given its role in past political climate right now, which is everything that's around Latinx folks and immigration and whatnot. I just want folks to really come and enjoy this and learn about the community, learn about the culture, and really start to think about how this community has contributed to US history. Nicki Donnelson: Even though acts of hate have plagued the United States lately, it's unfortunately nothing new. She notes that opening eyes, changing minds, breaking barriers, and destroying stereotypes are key components to battling oppression and overcoming racism. Garcia-Pusateri: But I think, or I hope, that I can give is that people are starting to rally around one another and it's not just one community that's at the forefront. There's true allyship really taking place, especially with the unfortunate event of Charlottesville. Folks that are students within that age range are really coming together to ask their campuses, make them be accountable to their values and whatnot, and that they don't want no hate on their campuses. Groups are coming together and folks are really supporting one another. I think it's gonna make a difference, especially now when we talk about the political climate. When it's time to vote, people are going to remember what was said and they're gonna hold their leaders accountable and make sure that the right people are there. I think it's good that people are starting to understand that this is not new and now it's time to really take action and reclaim what our country and our community looks like. Nicki Donnelson: For full listing of events, visit MissouriState.edu/multiculturalprograms. Join the conversation this month with #LatinxMSU17. I'm Nicki Donnelson for the "Missouri State Journal." Speaker 1: For more information, contact the Office of University Communications at 417-836-6397.