As part of the celebrations for the Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month, Erika Almenara, associate professor of Spanish and program director of comparative literature and cultural studies, participated in two events as an invited panelist. The first event was organized by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs on Oct. 3 and was titled "Hispanic Heritage Leadership."

Almenara shared her views about the growing community of Latine/Hispanic students at the U of A and the importance of programs such as the Spanish and Latin American and Latino/a studies ones.

The second event was a panel titled "Democracy in the Unnatural State," which explored the intersection of democracy and LGBTQ+ rights in government, local communities and families. The panel was part of the Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas annual conference in which Chancellor Charles Robinson participated as the keynote speaker.

In a letter sent to Almenara by Margarita Solorzano, executive director of the Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas, she mentioned that Almenara "inspired participants to be better informed as democracy requires education for critical thinking and use of their knowledge to act consciously and strive towards a more perfect union."

The Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month is nationally celebrated each year from Sept.15 to Oct. 15, by honoring the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. In celebration of Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month, the U of A organized a variety of events, workshops and social gatherings that offer the university community and the community at large opportunities to engage with Latina/o and Latin American cultures during National Hispanic Heritage Month.