Tarleton Festivities Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 

Violet Colourful Hispanic Heritage Month Instagram Post (Instagram Post (Square)) 1

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — With the launch of Tarleton State’s Nuestro Destino: Reaching 25 by 25 last week, the university kicked off a series of events aligning with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

The festivities continue into October with a Ballet Folklorico performance, an Afro-Latinx Celebration, a Hispanic Heritage Celebration in the Dining Hall, and Café y Comunidad Fireside Chat at Tarleton-Fort Worth.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for all to engage with, learn from and celebrate the rich tradition, culture and language of this community that is part of our collective U.S. history,” said Dr. Florencio Aranda III, Director of the Office of Student Global and Community Connections. 

“Tarleton is a beautiful campus that celebrates, recognizes and honors people from Texas, the United States and around the world. It is home to many dedicated, hard-working students, faculty, staff and administrators who take pride in uplifting and highlighting the contributions, lived experiences and talents of members of the Texan family who identify as Hispanic/Latino American.”

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, and how those communities have influenced American society.

President Lyndon Johnson first proclaimed Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, and Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan subsequently recognized it annually from 1969 to 1988. In 1988 Reagan expanded the observance to the current 31 days, and in 1989 President George H.W. Bush became the first president to declare a National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Tarleton events marking Hispanic Heritage Month:

  • Ballet Folklorico, 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Fine Arts Auditorium
  • Afro-Latinx Celebration, 6-7 p.m. Sept. 25, TSC Ballrooms
  • Tarleton Activities Board Hispanic Heritage Celebration, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 3, Dining Hall Patio
  • Café y Comunidad Fireside Chat, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Oct. 10, Tarleton-Fort Worth

Erath County events:

  • Spanish Speaking Parenting Class, 11 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Choices Clinic, Stephenville
  • Chicken House Flea Market 2023, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dublin
  • Fall Paint & Sip, 6 p.m. Sept. 28, Hearsay Wine Bar, Stephenville
  • Nature Fest, 6 p.m. Oct. 7, Bosque Nature Center, Stephenville

Area events:

  • Mega Mixer de Sabor, Culture, Community, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dallas
  • Hispanic Heritage Month at Antojitos Centroamericanos, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Waco
  • Celebra Grapevine 2023, 2-6 p.m. Oct. 7, Grapevine
  • 2nd Saturdays @ The Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 14, Irving

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Tarleton students declaring themselves Hispanic more than tripled from 972, or 10 percent of the student body, to 3,037, or 22 percent. Today 23 percent of Tarleton students identify as Hispanic, positioning the university to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025.According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Texas has 102 HSI colleges and universities. Seven are Texas A&M System schools. 

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
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