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September 13, 2021

Longtime civil rights activist Dolores Huerta will share her experiences and insights with University of North Georgia (ºìÁ«ÉçÇø) students, faculty, staff and the community as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Huerta will speak on a Zoom call scheduled for noon Oct. 13, and watch parties will be held in Cumming (Room 208), Dahlonega (Hoag Auditorium), Gainesville (Robinson Ballroom) and Oconee (Room 581). Sign-ups are available through .

"This event and our other Hispanic Heritage Month events can continue the overall conversation about the importance of the Latinx community," Wade Manora Jr., director of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), said. "Students will be inspired to learn more about the Latinx community and their experiences."

In 1962, Huerta and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. She served as vice president and played a major role in many of the union's accomplishments for four decades. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship, which she used to establish the .

Huerta has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, from President Barack Obama in 2012 and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Bill Clinton in 1998.

ºìÁ«ÉçÇø will also hold a at noon Sept. 22 on Zoom, featuring:

• Noemi Nolasco, president of Latin American Student Organization (LASO)
• Nathalia Ingles, president of Latino Student Association (LSA)
• Thalia Escobedo, College Assistance Migrant Program retention coordinator
• Alvaro Torres-Calderon, associate professor of Spanish
• Genesis Castro, network and program manager for Latino Community Fund
• Andre Gonzales, bilingual mortgage loan originator at Homestar Financial Corporation

LASO and the LSA are working along with MSA to host events for Hispanic Heritage Month. Nolasco, who is pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Spanish language and literature, is eager to gain new perspective from Huerta.

"She's somebody that my parents look up to for everything that she's done. Now we're going to hear from her," the junior from Atlanta, Georgia, said. "She will speak her mind. She speaks for what she believes in."

Ingles, a junior from Buford, Georgia, is pursuing a degree in communication with a concentration in public relations. She is eager to share her culture.

"We're open to anyone and everyone who wants to join these events," Ingles said. "That's one of the things I love about Latino culture. We're so welcoming, and I want to showcase that to ºìÁ«ÉçÇø."

Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15 to mark the anniversary of the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexican Independence Day follows on Sept. 16 and Chile's is Sept. 18.