This month, we are dedicating our newsletter to National Hispanic Heritage Month, happening from September 15 to October 15. Echoing the National Archives website:

"Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period."

What follows are research guides, events, a spotlight, and resources for educating about National Hispanic Heritage Month in a vein of honor, respect, and intersectionality.

Photo credit: Detail of Hispanic Heritage Select Photos by David Valdez.

The Library of Congress has a wide variety of primary and secondary sources useful in the study of the the Latinx history and experience. Through this guide, the curators and librarians in the Library's Hispanic Division have identified the most useful resources and have recommended strategies for expanding your research on this topic. You will find links to digitized primary sources through a curated list of collections based on format, databases to locate journals or scholarly articles, and a print bibliography and additional subject searches into the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

There's a ton of information aimed at commemorating National Hispanic Heritage Month. On the link below, you can see exhibits, collections, and more from a wide variety of disciplines, including some highlights of Hispanic American researchers and scholars.

"“It didn’t start with poetry.”

Elizabeth Acevedo, an award-winning and best-selling poet and author, dreamed of becoming a rapper. Even after discovering her love of performing poetry, her work remains rooted in hip-hop.

Born and raised in New York City’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, Acevedo has been influenced by music for as long as she can remember. Every Friday night, her Afro-Dominican parents would play boleros—“old torch songs with heartbreaking melodies”—and after they went to sleep, her two brothers turned on the hip-hop.

“I think we sometimes forget that musicians are poets and should be held up just as high,” she continues.

Acevedo’s creative voice was also molded by the community she grew up in. Dominican culture and the experience of being a first-generation immigrant feature heavily in her work.

“My neighborhood, ‘Harlem Adjacent’ as I like to call it, was predominantly black and Latino. People from all over the Caribbean. I grew up in a place that was very stratified and very clear. Go one, two avenues over from our house, and its Riverside Drive and Columbia professors—a very different socioeconomic class. It’s New York City and this huge melting pot. I grew up with an understanding of difference, and the haves and have-nots.”

As with many children of immigrants, Acevedo found herself translating English for her parents. Early on, she recognized the inherent power of language. In particular, she saw poetry’s ability to speak to dark, complex themes. Through her work, she explores monsters found both in the everyday world and in mythology. At her first poetry slam when she was only fourteen, Acevedo recalls performing a poem about rape. At the time, there had been several serial rapes in her area, and she wished to address the fear that pervaded her community.

What inspires Acevedo more than anything else are uncelebrated heroes. While pursuing an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland, she realized she wished to dedicate her writing to this idea. She felt somewhat isolated, as the only student in the program of African descent, of an immigrant background, and from a large city."

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at FSU's 3rd Annual Latinx Cultural Celebration! This year's celebration will take place Friday, Oct. 8 from 6-8 p.m. on Legacy Walk from the Integration Statue to HCB. Join us in fellowship with food, music, and activities—including the HLSU Affiliate Fair—in celebration of Latinx cultures!

The Latinx Cultural Celebration is designed to pay tribute to the generations of Latinx Americans who have positively affected our historical, political, economic, and/or social context in the United States. This university celebration occurs during National Hispanic Heritage Month as one of a series of programs hosted in collaboration with campus partners from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

The celebration is brought to you by the Center for Leadership & Social Change's RISE Office, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Human Resources Office of Equity Diversity, & Inclusion, Latinx Faculty & Staff Network, Hispanic/Latinx Alumni Association, Hispanic/Latinx Student Union, Hispanic Graduate Student Association, Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, and the President's Council on Diversity and Inclusion.

Learn more about the program at thecenter.fsu.edu/latinxcelebration.

Students can submit their proposal on the symposium website: https://www.rollins.edu/las-symposium/submit.html

Applications for those grants will be due February 1, 2022. You can read more about the IDEA Grants here: https://cre.fsu.edu/undergradresearch/ideagrants

Applications are due on October 20, 2021 at 11:59 pm. Please reach out to CRE Assistant Director, David Advent, at david.advent@fsu.edu with any questions. We look forward to reading your application!

You can access the application here.

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Leader applications for the 2022-2023 school year are open! This is a great opportunity if you are interested in gaining teaching experience while positively impacting UROP students’ research journeys at FSU. UROP Leaders are responsible for teaching the new UROP students about the process of research, preparing them for their research assistantship and poster presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. We are particularly looking for UROP Leaders who have had experience conducting research in the engineering, nursing, humanities, and creative arts.

Tuesday, October 12 from 12-1 pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93720165713

Thursday, October 14 from 3-4 pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95259142092

Apply here: https://fsu-cre.smapply.us/. Applications to apply to be a UROP Leader are due October 18, 2021 at 11:59pm. If you have any questions. Please email Senior Associate Director, Alicia Batailles (alicia.batailles@fsu.edu).

Deadline to apply for Global Scholars is November 7; apply here (application will be available soon): https://fsu-cre.smapply.us

Are you interested in product development, business consulting or the entrepreneurship process? If yes, consider applying to the FSU TechFellows program. As a fellow you will spend a dynamic summer embedded with a business incubator and work alongside startup companies, along with receiving a $3,000 grant for living expenses. The summer internship (average 25 hours per week) is face-to-face with business incubators like Tampa Bay WaVe, Orlando’s StarterStudio or Tallahassee’s Domi Station. The program is currently limited to only CARE affiliated students. For more information about the program and the application process visit https://cre.fsu.edu/innovation/fsu-tech-fellows. For any questions, feel free to email Dave Montez at dmontez@fsu.edu.

Students may apply for up to $750 to cover costs for conferences in their discipline (or a related discipline). Both virtual and in-person conferences are eligible for funding. Rolling deadline, though you must submit this application at least 6 weeks prior to the conference at which you will be presenting (though, you may need to submit this earlier to ensure registration by conference deadline). You will need to upload an itemized list of expenses as part of this application. Read more and apply here: https://buff.ly/35WFYQj

Monday 11:00PM - 1:00 PM: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkcOmoqT4sGtc-BoqcsiNpQ6jE5Az5DbyZ

Tuesday 1:00PM - 3:00PM: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrcOmvrT8oGtCqbecRz-oA1dTGMLUWdCuf

Wednesday 10:30AM - 12:30PM: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkc-6qrj4jG917gf9dviv51jenmbm0kRxJ

Thursday 1:30PM - 3:00PM: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcldO2orDwrE9VvbNdjK9X7CW5eFIM7cZaT

Friday 9:30AM - 11:30AM: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpceyoqTouHtEPw3dyt_GxiQ2s-kas5pF

Please contact David Advent at david.advent@fsu.edu with any questions. You can also email David to schedule a general advising appointment.

What is a research grant? How could a research grant provide you support to complete an original project that you have in mind? How do you put a competitive funding application together? Where do you find funding opportunities to apply to? Join Dr. Rachel Goff-Albritton from the Office of Research Development for answers to all of these questions! Topics to be covered include what research grants are, the important role they play in research and the arts, and grant writing tips and best practices. Possible funding opportunities that you can apply to while an undergraduate student at FSU, like the IDEA Grant or the Bess H. Ward Thesis Award, will also be covered.

We are currently accepting applications from students from all majors and disciplines who have undergraduate research projects they would like to present. Preference will be given to Honors in the Major students or students completing similar culminating/independent research projects. If selected to present, you will be one of four students that will be representing FSU at this event. You will also be required to attend a dinner and advocacy training session in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 and to be available at the Florida Capitol from 9am to 4pm on Thursday, January 20th, 2022. Read more about Florida Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol here: https://www.floridaundergradresearch.org/posters-at-the-capitol

Submit your application here by November 18th to be considered! Email David Advent with any questions.

When: October 12^th @ 2:00pm EST on Zoom

Registration Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0of-6urDIuG919lEuiKo5Lbaw6KeMtpYXt

Submit a question to Karla here: https://bit.ly/3CJPljT

In our next Alumni Speaker Series Virtual Q&A on October 12^th at 2:00pm, we are featuring Karla Jennings! Karla currently teaches public speaking and communication at the College of Coastal Georgia and Georgia Southern University. She will be discussing and taking your questions on how to take your public speaking and presentation skills to the next level.