Ivy Tech plans nights of heritage, culture awareness

Sep. 7—Bringing a community together and forming bonds is a mission of Ivy Tech Community College.

And in honor of that, the institution will host a cultural celebration to recognize Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month at 7 p.m. Friday at the Logansport campus, 1 Ivy Tech Way.

"We want to meet people where they're at," said Ethan Heicher, vice chancellor of academic affairs. So, this free event will encourage people to come out and learn about traditions and culture while celebrating a growing population.

"It is a beautiful culture with delicious food, colors, art and history," said Jovita Flores, Hispanic enrollment specialist with Ivy Tech. "We would like to help celebrate our students and community by providing a fun, educational event for all of our local family to enjoy."

The gathering will take place outside with a game or two of Loteria, which is Mexican bingo. Free popcorn will be served, and Samano's Food Truck will provide free tacos to the first 100 visitors. Food also will be available from La Fiesta and Country Bakery.

Flores said a traveling art show will make its first stop on a statewide path at the college.

Focus of the show will be on Hispanic heritage and customs. Sponsored by the Logansport Art Association, there will be several submissions, but an exact number of participants is not known at this time, said Flores.

At 8 p.m., participants will be able to take part in a conversation about the Hispanic culture. Local stories will be shared, and people will have a chance to talk about issues, advancements and trends.

"The panel that we have at the end of the night will consist of local community members so we can learn their stories and how they are a part of the community," said Flores.

"A quarter of Logansport's residents are Hispanic or Latino people, bringing a richness of history and cultural experiences," Heicher said in a news release. "We are excited more and more members of this community are taking the next steps into their future at Ivy Tech. This evening is designed to celebrate that and to offer opportunities for other residents to see all that Ivy Tech has to offer."

To continue the celebration, Ivy Tech will host a movie night at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27. "The Infiltrators" will be shown in the Community Room of the Logansport campus followed by a virtual visit from the movie's directors at 7:15 p.m. There will be time for questions and answers from the audience.

The movie won two awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It depicts the true story of young immigrants who were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol, and it also follows members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance on their mission to stop deportations from inside the detention center.

"By sharing this movie with students and interested members of the community, Ivy Tech hopes to play a part in encouraging consideration of these issues, expanding understanding, and creating an atmosphere for ongoing dialogue," Heicher said in a news release.

The program is sponsored by Ivy Tech, Ivy Tech Foundation and the City of Logansport, with support through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Reach Kristi Hileman at kristi.hileman@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5150