Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Dr. Pablo Pastrana-Pérez

Dr. Pablo Pastrana-Pérez, chair and associate professor for the Department of Spanish, has dedicated his life to public education. With a focus on Spanish medieval literature and historical linguistics, and faculty director of undergraduate study abroad program in Santander, Spain, Pastrana-Pérez hopes to provide Western Michigan University students with an immersive experience. We recently sat down with him to discuss what it means to be Latin/Latinx at WMU and in the community.

Why did you choose to teach at WMU and what does it mean to be a Latin/Latinx on campus and in the Kalamazoo community?

I chose to come to WMU because I decided when I was working on my B.A. that I would dedicate my life to public education. Teaching and a special love for languages are my passions. I firmly believe that through the learning of languages the right way, not necessarily the superficial and disconnected way of commercial products, but as part of a profound immersion experience, tied to cultural understanding and acceptance of mindsets different than one’s own, this world becomes a better world. WMU serves a highly diverse student population, which is a fairly good representation of a multicultural world, where people of different backgrounds, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, etc. share the same space. It is a good place where a young person can have eye-opening experiences and learn to maneuver our complex world with confidence and high levels of understanding.

As a Hispanic, I was raised to rely on our elders, on family ties, on tight friendships and on healthy relationships overall. In the end, compassion, trust and personal bonds are extremely powerful and they help to keep personal ambition and individualism in check. I have worked closely with our local Latino community, managed to secure grants from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and the Fetzer Foundation to help integrate our Latino families and children into mainstream events and activities. I value my relationship with Hispanic families in the greater Kalamazoo area because we have much to learn from them, as they have much to learn from us.

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

This is the time of the year when I sympathize with my fellow Hispanics and Latinos in our community. It was during the Hispanic Heritage Month that I began working with the Hispanic and Latino communities in our area. And it is during the HHM that I feel more connected with the Hispanic cultures, and more proud of the Spanish language that we use to bridge worlds on a daily basis. 

How can others celebrate if they’re unsure how to participate?

Here are a few ideas:

1. Learn about this country’s Hispanic heritage at https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/. 
2. Discover how our federal government recently declared Hispanic Heritage Month as a national celebration at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/09/14/a-proclamation-on-national-hispanic-heritage-month-2021/.
3. Learn the reasons why, in addition to the Sep 15 to Oct 15 timeframe for HHM, Governor Whitmer declared the month of September as Hispanic Heritage month in Michigan:https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90639-566765--,00.html
4. Regionally, check the many festivals and activities, such as Las Posadas, organized by the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan: https://hispanic-center.org/
5. Discover the many events at the Kalamazoo Public Librarydesigned to honor Hispanic Heritage:https://www.kpl.gov/collection/ya-reads-to-celebrate-national-hispanic-heritage-month/
6. Remember that WMU has a Latino Student Alliance, which, in pre-Covid times, was very active on campus: https://wmich.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/latino-student-alliance.
7. Educate yourself on the seminal role that colossal figuressuch as César Chávez and Dolores Huerta have played on behalf of migrant and farm workers in this country. And while you are at it, learn about the courageous paths that led Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court or the decisions that helped Alexandria Ocasio Cortez or AOC become a U.S. congresswoman.
8. Make an effort to listen to the many musical forms that originated in the Hispanic world: rumba, cumbia, salsa, reggaeton, merengue, son, flamenco, seguidilla, sevillana,… even the classical zarzuela. As you listen to J.Lo, Shakira or Daddy Yankee, also become familiar with Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Pablo Milanés, and so many groundbreaking musical Hispanic artists. A quick search on YouTube, Pandora or Spotify under Hispanic or Latino beats will overwhelm you with choices.
9. Delve into the world of Hispanic food and open your palate to new flavors: ceviche, rocoto relleno, paella, churrasco,... Try horchata or yerba mate. And since you are in Southwest Michigan, take a taste of Founders Brewery special HHM seltzer “Más Agave””: https://foundersbrewing.com/latest-news/2021/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month/