Fresno State will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15) with a variety of events this month and next.  La Bienvenida, held last week in Fresno State’s Peace Garden, opened the annual celebration. The Bienvenida welcomes the 3,571 incoming undergraduates who are Latinos. Fresno State is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. Fresno State’s enrollment is 49.3 percent Hispanic, as of fall 2017.

Other on-campus events include:

  • The Henry Madden Library presents the artwork of Chicano muralist Daniel “Chano” Gonzalez in an exhibition that will run through Nov. 1. The “Murales De Mi Tio” exhibition is on display and open to the public in the Pete P. Peters Ellipse Balcony Gallery during regular library hours. Learn more at fresnostate.edu.
  • California Native American Day from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 28 begins in the Henry Madden Library’s Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room and includes a tour of the native garden with Dr. Lee-Oliver, and a pine needle basket weaving class taught by Brandy Jaramillo. More information is available by contacting Matthew or Daisy in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at 559.278.4435.
  • The documentary “Cesar’s Last Fast” will be shown with special guest speaker Oscar De Leon from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Alice Peters Auditorium (PB 191) of the University Business Center. De Leon will discuss his experiences with Cesar Chavez’s work in the Central Valley. More information is available by contacting Matthew or Daisy in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at 559.278.4435.
  • Alejandro de Amor will lead a craft workshop called “Ojo De Dios,” which will demonstrate Mexican indigenous weaving techniques from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 9 and from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Thomas Building Room 110A. “Ojo de Dios” (God’s Eye) is a spiritual object made by weaving a design out of many colors of yarn upon a wooden cross. It orig­inated from the Huichol and Tepehuan indigenous people of the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. This is a family friendly event open to the pub­lic. More information is available by contacting Matthew or Daisy in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at 559.278.4435.
  • The American Indian Studies Department and Lati­no/a Programs and Services will present language and culture workshops on “Introduction to Mixtec Languages” from noon to 1:30 p.m. the third and fourth Wednesdays of each month this semester at Thomas Building Room 105.  This is an ongoing series of classes with cultural themes intro­duced in every session. Course taught by instructor Miguel Villegas Ventura. More information is available by contacting Matthew or Daisy in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at 559.278.4435.
  • International Student Services and Programs presents International Coffee Hour from 2 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday this semester in the Henry Madden Library Room 2206. The program brings people from different cultural backgrounds in the world to share the history, customs, economy, culture and current situations of their countries. More information is available by contacting Jamie Jones at 559.278.2782 or email intlstudentsevices@csufresno.edu.
  • Poetry Jam from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Vintage Room will feature Hispanic/Latinx artists performing stories, poetry, spoken word, songs and raps. Come watch or present your own pieces. All cultures welcome. More information is available by contacting Matthew or Daisy in the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at 559.278.4435.
  • The 2018 Chicano Alumni Legacy Award Banquet will honor Fresno State alumnus Tom Uribes, former public information officer for Fresno State, for his significant contributions to the Chicano experience at Fresno State and in the community at large. Uribes retired in December after a 30-year career with the University. The banquet will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight Oct. 12 at the University Square Hotel (4961 N. Cedar Ave., Fresno). Tickets are $40 per per­son, tables of 8 are $320 and sponsor levels are available. More information is available by contacting Frances Pena-Olguin at 559.908.9816 or frances.olgin@gmail.com.
  • A group of experts will come together from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Kremen School education building (ED) 54 to educate the campus and beyond on “Humanizing Border Policy: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on Family Separations on the Border.” The discussion will include political and legal context and the impact these practices have on families. This event is presented by the College of Social Sciences, Kremen School of Education and Human Development and the California Faculty Association. RSVP to Dr. Amber Crowell at acrowell@csufresno.edu.
  • La Feria de Educación, one of three California State University education fairs held throughout the state and conducted mostly in Spanish, will be hosted by Fresno State for the fourth year from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Maple Mall on campus. Co-sponsored by the CSU Chancellor’s Office, Univision Fresno and the Mexican Consulate Office in Fresno, the past two Fresno State Feria events each drew more than 10,000 participants – Spanish-speaking families and their children – from Central Valley schools with the help of county migrant education offices.
  • Artists Carissa Garcia and Carribean Fragoza will present “Chicanas in Local History: Recovering Lost Murals” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Henry Madden Library, second floor south wing. As cultural workers and artists, Carissa and Carribean will discuss their relationship to lost murals in their communities (Fresno and El Monte/South El Monte, respectively) and their efforts to document, recover and engage the past. They’ll examine the challenge of writing histories without archives and uncovering art that has been whitewashed. More information is available by contacting Fresno State history professor Dr. Romeo Guzman at romeog@mail.fresnostate.edu.

For the fifth consecutive year, Fresno State received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The HEED Award is a national honor that recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Fresno State is one of six California State University campuses to be recognized: others are East Bay, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Northridge and San Marcos.