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Date: 10/5/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Hispanic Heritage Month, which occurs annually between Sep. 15 and Oct. 15, recognizes the achievements of Hispanic American champions “who have inspired others to achieve success.”
In light of this month, Easthampton High School is in the midst of celebrating its growing Hispanic population with a group of events and activities to unite students and families across the month. According to Sindy Mojica, the diversity inclusion liaison for Easthampton High School (EHS), the school wanted to make this year’s celebration of the month more significant than previous years.
Mojica, as well as members of the Diversity Inclusion Center – an EHS organization dedicated to bringing support, healing and hope to young adults facing significant life challenges through life experiences and growing community awareness – are spending 30 minutes in each classroom this month sharing facts about Hispanic history and their contributions to the U.S. An overarching goal from these visits is to inspire students to develop their own voice as they approach adulthood.
“That actually encouraged other kids to see themselves because they don’t have a lot of staff here they can look up to,” said Mojica, when speaking on these visits. “Motivation is part of it, and that’s why we decided to do it that way.”
So far throughout the month, EHS has participated in a Latin Dance Class in mid-September as well as a movie night for “In the Heights,” a recently released film that exemplifies the theme of Hispanics coming to America to chase and achieve their dreams. The next event, Oct. 12’s Local Hero’s Panel, will occur from 5 to 7 p.m. in the EHS auditorium.
According to Mojica, who is Puerto Rican herself, a lot of people in the community do not realize that there are many Hispanic “local heroes” present throughout Easthampton and the state of Mass. The city currently has two Hispanic business owners, as well as two Puerto Rican police officers. Mojica added that there are a handful of state senators who are Hispanic or Latinx and seven who are a part of the state’s House of Representatives. Three of them from the House will be speaking at the Local Hero’s Panel on that day.
EHS has a diversity inclusion club, and students from that club are going to create questions that people on the panel will answer. “It’s just to let people know that we are more than just restaurant owners…we have positions, and the kids can actually see us as professionals more than just a baseball player or a basketball player,” said Mojica, when speaking about the panel event.
The final event of the month will be the Fiesta & Art Show which will feature areas at the school dedicated to providing mental health tips, table for colleges, as well as some non-profit organizations. There will be music played between 6 and 7 p.m. that night to close out the month. Due to COVID-19, they could not allow hot food to be served, but there will be Dominican Republic, Mexican, and Puerto Rican candies available for everyone. Students will also be asked to create art projects about what they have learned over the course of the month, and the people who come to the final celebration will be able to vote for the three best projects.
The celebrations tie into the school’s We Are One organization, which is something Mojica personally created to accommodate the growing diversity at the school. For example, the city’s Hispanic population has increased from 3.7 percent in 2010 to 6.8 percent in 2020, according to the census data provided by the University of Massachusetts’ Donahue Institute.
“What we want to teach everyone is we’re here to learn and we’re trying to be part of the community,” said Mojica. “We want our Hispanic students, Black students and Asian-American students to feel that they are a part of the school and part of the town of Easthampton.”
According to Mojica, the best way the city of Easthampton could support these populations beyond this month is to learn more about them and recognize that they are business owners, students, and sports players throughout the city. She also believes that hiring a more diverse population in the school system so students can see someone that looks and speaks like them is an important goal. “I think those are big things we can do for our community and our kids,” she said.
The Diversity Inclusion Center at EHS is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The support center is 24 hours. For more information, visit https://mojicasindyr.wixsite.com/waoweareone.