It is a fresh semester with some new faces. Read the latest connection made between the new Director and Professor for the School of Information and REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni Group.
It is sobering to realize we have entered a fourth semester under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic but, despite the challenges, there have been many positive beginnings. The REFORMA SJSU iSchool Student and Alumni Group formed during a time when the world was sheltering in place and it has hit the ground running. We have close to 100 members and continue to grow. New officers have joined the executive board and roles have been expanded. Now the iSchool is welcoming a new leader for the School of Information. All of these new developments are worth celebrating. On September 15, 2021, Dr. Anthony S. Chow, Director and Professor for the School of Information, sent out an email to students, faculty and staff about another commemoration: Hispanic Heritage Month. His email was incredibly informative and included many resources worth sharing. Dr. Chow connected directly with our very own REFORMA iSchool President Rosa Rodriguez for a statement. Read his message to the iSchool community below:
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I just wanted to ask all of you to join me in recognizing and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from 9/15-10/15 every year, and starts today.
A few facts about why this is important to all of us:
- A celebration of contributions, history, culture, and independence: National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15 to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America (Hispanic Heritage Month, 2021). President Lyndon Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage week in 1968 under Public Law 90-48 (PDF) (History.com, 2021)
- National independence days for eight Latin America countries: “Started in 1968 by Congress as Hispanic Heritage Week, it was expanded to a month in 1988. The celebration begins in the middle rather than the start of September because it coincides with national independence days in several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate theirs on Sept. 15, followed by Mexico on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21” (Pew, 2021).
- A timeline of the Latin American independence Days (Latinostories.com, 2021)
- A 16-minute video that explains in detail the decolonization of the Americas which is linked to the United States’ independence from Great Britain and their conflicts with other European nations (Geo History YouTube Channel, 2021).
- San José State University is designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI; over 25% of students are of Hispanic/Latino origin) with Hispanic students representing 27.2% of our total enrollment as of Fall 2020 (San Jose State Institutional Research, 2021); as of Spring 2021, students who self identified as Hispanic represent approximately 25% of iSchool enrollment. We are also proud supporters of the community through REFORMA SJSU, Chicanx Center, Latino Faculty & Staff, and the Dreamers office.
- Hispanics are the largest racial/ethnic group in California: In 2020, there were 15.6 million Hispanics (up from 14 million in 2010) which represents 39% of the state’s population and the second largest group is the non-Hispanic White population at 13.7 million (down from 15 million in 2010) (pewresearch.com, 2021). This growth is largely due to newborns born in the U.S. (9.3 million babies vs 3.5 million immigrants since 2010).
- Ways to celebrate or recognize Hispanic Heritage Month:
- Do you have these resources in your library collection?
- https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2021/09/hispanic-heritage-month-2021/
- https://libguides.com.edu/c.php?g=649578&p=4555187
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/best-latino-books-n1250818
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/books/review/understanding-hispanic-heritage-month-latinos.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/style/new-latinx-literature.html
- https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/latino-books-2020/
Let me share a note and touching story from our iSchool MLIS student and REFORMA SJSU President Rosa Rodriguez:
“Even though we have different stories and diverse backgrounds, we all honor our heritage by acknowledging those that have paved the way for us during this month-long celebration. My parents came to the United States for the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. They did their best to encourage us to further our education, but learning how to navigate academia as a first-generation college student was challenging. It took me over 20 years to come back and earn a college degree. Now my journey continues toward a second Master’s in Library and Information Science.
I chose to earn an MLIS because I want to support underserved populations, first-generation college students, and students from Spanish-speaking and Latinx communities. REFORMA SJSU Student and Alumni Group began as an idea and has grown into a community that focuses on learning how best to serve Spanish-speaking and Latinx populations. We support iSchool students and alumni to become culturally competent professionals in the communities they serve. We also invite library professionals to share their journeys and the work they do with the Spanish-speaking and Latinx communities. Hispanic Heritage Month is a way for our community to acknowledge the work of all Latinx people. We all make a difference. Next month, we will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos with our Cafecito con Your Ancestors virtual event and we invite you to join us in honoring and remembering your loved ones.”
As the new Director of our iSchool and the son of immigrants from China, I graduated from San Francisco State (a CSU school) while working two jobs to pay for my education. I too recognize the courage and sacrifices of my own parents and how important celebrating our diversity is to the uniqueness of me, you, us, and the people we serve. In the end, all of our separate stories form a holistic picture of who we are as a people and nation; when you take a closer look, we really have many more similarities than we have differences.
Warm regards,
Anthony
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Anthony S. Chow, PhD
Director and Professor, School of Information
San José State University
Pronouns: he, him, his.
