As we make our way towards the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, lets reflect back on how Student Life brought together this growing community at Bucks. On Thursday Oct. 3, Student Life hosted a successful Hispanic Heritage Month event with food, drinks and a live Mariachi band in the Gallagher Room.

The featured band, Mariachi Citlalli, had the audience singing their hearts out as they played their instruments to the tunes of songs requested by students and faculty. During their hour-and-a-half set, Mariachi Citlalli covered songs ranging from “Amor Eterno” by Rocio Durcal to “Como La Flor” by Selena Quintanilla. They had students on their feet dancing to the beat of their Mexican guitarrón and trumpets.

The Gallagher room was filled with a diverse group of individuals that came together to celebrate all things Hispanic culture. After all, Hispanic Heritage Month was created to commemorate the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the country’s achievements, culture and history. These contributions range from traditional Hispanic food to artwork and literature created by Hispanic Americans.

According to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau, there is an estimate of 65.2 million Hispanic people in the United States, making it the second-largest group of people in the country. This means Hispanic people are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, making up 18.9 percent of the total population.

For those who may not know the difference between Hispanics, Latinos or “Spanish People,” let’s do a quick break down as the three are often used interchangeably. In reality, though, these words do not mean the same thing. To put it into simple terms:

Hispanics: refers to people with ancestry from Spanish-speaking countries.

Latinos: refers to people with ancestry from Latin American countries.

“Spanish People”: refers only to people actually from Spain. In The States, the term is often incorrectly used to refer to all people who speak Spanish.

For example, a person from Spain can be called Spanish and Hispanic but they would not qualify as Latino since Spain is in Europe. A person from Brazil would be considered Latino as Brazil is in South America, but they would not qualify as Hispanic since their native language is Portuguese. Of course, as with most things, there are exceptions to these terms depending on an individual’s personal experience. People of certain Caribbean or Indigenous backgrounds tend to identify with their own terms, but the definitions above are the general basis of the three terminologies.

The observation of Spanish Heritage Month started under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson back in 1968. And here we are, over 50 years later, at Bucks County Community College continuing the tradition. Bucks students were excited to see their culture showcased, like 17-year-old nursing student, Arismell Hererra, who stated that “It was amazing to see so many people from different cultures here watching them (the mariachi band) play, and I felt super happy being there to sing songs that I love, that I’ve listened to since I was a kid.”

Toward the end of the performance, Student Life announced to all attendees that there are plans for a Hispanic Student Union at Bucks. They encouraged any student interested to sign the sign-up sheet. The sign-up sheet would soon rack up over 30 signatures.

When asked how they felt about the possibility of a Hispanic Student Union forming at the college, 19-year-old Liberal Arts student, Abi Palestino, said, “I love it. I was looking for something like that in the beginning, but I couldn’t find anything Hispanic related, so I was kind of bummed about that but when I found out things were in the works for it, I am definitely signing up.”

Students who have any interest in a Hispanic Student Union should contact Chris Seifert at Student Life. Building a foundation where Hispanics and Latinos can come together would be the perfect community-builder for the growing group here at Bucks.