Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Heritage Month is a month-long celebration honoring the profound and positive influence and contributions of Raíces (rah-EE-ses) folks in the United States over many generations. This time is an opportunity to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of people in America whose ancestors came from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. As Soraira Urquiza, Chair of the Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Caucus, states:
While we celebrate all year long, Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Heritage Month is a time to put a little extra sazón on our voices, history, and cultures.
As educators, we understand the importance of this month’s significance and how it intentionally interconnects our worlds—weaving community narratives, histories, peoples, cultures, and knowledge through the themes and events around language, storytelling and literature, visual arts, and music. Together, we share a story and history of both resistance and resilience. Because of sharing these stories, we can achieve more social justice and education in our communities.
This month’s goal is to assist our members in becoming more aware, compassionate, constructive, and engaged in the quest for equity and, specifically, to learn more about the many Raíces (rah-EE-ses) communities. As an organization, we have developed and supported initiatives and research to best serve, promote civic responsibility/participation and address the Raíces (rah-EE-ses) community's critical challenges. As higher ed professionals, we must also acknowledge that there is still more work ahead in addressing access, retention, and completion practices to ensure our Raíces (rah-EE-ses) students successfully reach their goals.
The Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Caucus is proud to bring you a variety of programming throughout this month including recipes, music,films, and book recommendations. Some other resources include:
AACRAO urges all of you to take time during this year's Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Heritage Month to learn more about Raíces (rah-EE-ses) champions’ contributions and honor those who paved the way. Additionally, the Raíces (rah-EE-ses) Caucus welcomes Theresa Rodriguez, Registrar at Carleton University, as Vice Chair of the caucus. We are excited to have her leadership within this peer network.