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National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place every year from September 15 – October 15. Across the United States, museums, libraries, non-profits, and the national park service, to name a few, pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. In this Higher Ed Careers interview, Kelly Cherwin asks Dr. Gina Ann Garcia how higher education can pay tribute to National Hispanic Heritage Month now and going forward.
Kelly Cherwin, HigherEdJobs: National Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15. Can you share how and why this month is important for HSIs and Hispanic Americans?
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, University of Pittsburgh: Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it gives us the opportunity to both celebrate and talk about the complexities within a pan-ethnic identity that encompasses 60 million people in the United States. That’s a lot of people! But we are not a monolith. We are Black, and white, and Indigenous; we are immigrants, undocumented, and long-time United States residents for multiple generations; we are part of the diaspora from Latin America and the Caribbean; we speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indigenous languages, and sometimes multiple languages at the same time. The Month allows us to highlight some of the joys and beauties of our many unique cultures and traditions. It’s also an opportunity to talk about Latinxs as an underserved community and about inequities we face in health care, education, politics, and more. I love September 15-October 15 because there are so many important events and activities to participate in to learn, and appreciate, the Hispanic and Latinx community in the United States.
Cherwin: What are some ways higher education institutions can honor and celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month? What are some of the most creative and fun events you have seen transpire over the years?
Garcia: All colleges and universities should honor and recognize Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month. Predominantly white institutions should plan events for Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month because Latinx students want and need to see themselves represented in the programming and services within the institution. Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) should also recognize and celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month because they enroll a significant number of Hispanic and Latinx students and it’s an important way to acknowledge their HSI status and lean into “servingness.” Cultural, social, and educational programs with the Latinx community can help Latinx students feel engaged and empowered, which could ultimately enhance their persistence and retention. The best event I’ve seen so far is the Latinx Connect Conference that we organized at the University of Pittsburgh this year (maybe I’m biased).
Cherwin: Can you provide a definition of what a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) is? What are some HSIs that we may already be familiar with across the nation?
Garcia: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are not-for-profit, degree-granting colleges and universities that enroll at least 25 percent Latinx and 50 percent low-income students. In 2019-2020, HSIs represented 18 percent of all postsecondary institutions in the United States and enrolled 67 percent of all Latinx college students. Despite them becoming more abundant within the U.S. postsecondary landscape, there is still a lack of understanding of what it means to effectively serve Latinx and low-income students, as well as other minoritized students (e.g., students of color, first-generation college students, and undocumented students). Most of my own research addressing the question, “what does it mean to be Hispanic-serving?” including the book “Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and the edited book “Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Practice: Defining ‘Servingness’ at HSIs,” published by Information Age Publishing. There are 569 HSIs in the United States in 30 states and Puerto Rico. There are too many to name!
Cherwin: Your website mentions “…there is uncertainty about what it means to serve Latinx students, particularly as HSIs are enrollment driven institutions that lack a historical mission to serve Latinxs. While some argue that equitable graduation rates are evidence of effectively serving Latinxs, others say that HSIs must provide a culturally enhancing educational experience.” Can you share your perspective on what it means to serve Latinxs in higher education?
Garcia: I conceptualize “servingness” as a multidimensional concept that requires institutions to transform their structures for serving students, including their curriculum, co-curricular opportunities, student services, hiring practices, faculty and staff and administration composition, decision-making practices, community engagement, and overall approach to education. Importantly, I call on HSIs to center Latinxs and other students of color in their efforts to transform the structures to better serve them. That includes asking students what they need to succeed, feel empowered, and thrive.
Cherwin: What can and do HSIs learn from HBCUs? And vice versus, what can and do HBCUs learn from HSIs?
Garcia: I don’t really like to compare HSIs to HBCUs and vice versa as they are distinctly different, particularly as we consider the history of HBCUs, created during the Civil War and reconstruction era as “separate but equal” institutions yet they were never that. HSIs came about as the population of Hispanics and Latinxs in college increased in the 1980s and early 1990s and have increased dramatically since. Both can and should be spaces of empowerment and liberation for the students they serve.
Cherwin: Beyond increasing personal awareness of HSIs missions and values, what can higher education scholars, practitioners, administrators, leaders, and even students do to increase equity and help HSIs?
Garcia: There are still funding inequities to HSIs, so that is an important conversation. We need to continue to urge the federal government to financially support HSIs. As under-resourced institutions serving low-income, first-generation, students of color who may have high needs to succeed in higher education, the need is even greater to support HSIs.
Cherwin: You serve academia in many roles as an associate professor, a speaker, a scholar, and a consultant to higher education institutions. What makes you passionate about your role(s) in higher education?
Garcia: My mother would tell you that I have always been passionate about justice. And it’s probably true. I care about my community and want to support the development of a better educational future for students who have been underserved by the educational system. Educational spaces have never been equitable, which means those of us who have the power to create real change, should. I advocate for all minoritized students; students of color, low-income students, queer and Trans and gender nonbinary students, students with dis/abilities, students impacted by the carceral system, and all students who are highly capable of succeeding but are within systems that were not designed for them. I believe that colleges and universities can do better, and I am fighting to make that a reality.
