“SANTOS Skin to Skin” is a documentary about the life and music of John Santos, a seven-time Grammy-winning musician, teacher and activist. Santos specializes in jazz and traditional Afro-Latin drumming. 

The film’s director, producer and editor, Kathryn Golden, and the director of photography and producer, Ashley James, said that being from the Bay Area in California, they have also been aware of Santos’ work. 

The pair said they had never considered making a documentary on Santos until their friend suggested it. 

“It’s sort of like you’re in the forest and don’t see the trees. But here was the tree right in front of us,” James said.

The movie follows Santos’s life. He grew up in San Francisco and was exposed to music at an early age through his grandparents, who were musicians on both his mother’s and father’s sides. 

Santos in the film explains how it is important for him to educate people as well as entertain them. The film shows him teaching classes or talking between songs in concert on the history of drum rhythm. 

Santos said in the film that drumming came to America from Africa, blending with the newly emerging Latin culture.

Golden said it was Santos’ explanation of the history and migration of drumming that sparked her inspiration. 

“He was describing the migration of rhythms and how while he was talking, I started imagining like the map of the world just completely differently than any map I’d ever seen before,” Golden said

The film shows that Santos often uses his heritage and drumming to be a voice for social change.

In the film, Santos protests the removal of Latin Jazz as a category from the Grammys, getting the genre reinstated after fighting for over a year.

The film covers Santos’ development in the music world as well as his family life. A major beat of the film was spent on the premature death of Santos’ first daughter who passed a month after birth.

Golden said that Santos originally did not want to speak about the death of his daughter. However, over the film’s nine-year production, Golden said, the relationship she and Santos built allowed him to open up about his experience.

“It was that it just took time to earn trust so that John [Santos] and Aida [Santos’ wife] felt comfortable going near that subject with us on camera,” said Golden.

Reflecting on the film James said he believes he has “the greatest job in the world.” He said that in his own way, he can change people’s lives for the better and he believes this film has accomplished that.

News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at anthony.clauson994@topper.wku.edu.

“As a freshman and sophomore, I remember going and seeing the shows and thinking of these people that were pretty much just my peers as sort of celebrities,” Slayden said. “Then once I noticed that I had a decent body of work that I could show off and was proud of, I just kind of decided that I would love to do a show and sort of start getting my name out there more.”

It was this feeling that led to the creation of the “IN THE EYE OF” exhibit, which features Slayden’s art as well as the work of Ethan Justice, Lance Burdette and Kyra Embra. The walls and three podiums in the gallery are filled with Slayden’s art. Comments left on notecards by both the artists and observers also line the gallery’s walls.

The exhibit boasts a variety of types of art including a charcoal piece of a cow skull, several collages, a human figure made of tape, a head sculpt, a welded sculpture, pottery and more. 

“All the pieces vaguely revolve around identity and how your physical body and self interacts with the conceptual self that you have in your mind,” Slayden said. “ All of the people in the show have an understanding and appreciation for work that isn’t solely graceful traditional art.”

“IN THE EYE OF,” the name of the exhibit, comes from the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Slayden said.

“I just kind of cut out the parts that made it a phrase that made sense. It was interesting because not all the work is necessarily beautiful in a traditional sense,” Slayden said. “Also I draw eyes a lot, so there’s a lot of eyes in the work. It was a play on that too.”

Burdette’s piece “Abstract” features a textured and impressionistic man holding his chest that appears to be bleeding. The note next to it reads the lyrics of “Abstract (Psychopomp)” by Hozier.

“The texture is divine I can feel the heart bleeding,” reads a comment left next to the painting.

The interactive element is one many people have chosen to participate in. The notecards are scattered across the walls filled with thoughts of observers. “The Divine Transsexual” by Embry has two notes left floating adjacent to the pieces. “Beautiful,” reads one note. “Love this,” reads another.

“Mimesis” is the exhibition’s largest piece, hanging in the center of the largest wall of the gallery. It is a collage made by Slayden about the “creation and deconstruction of oneself.” Of Slayden’s work in the gallery, “Mimesis” is the most meaningful to him.

“I started with an oil painting, a self-portrait,” Slayden said. “Then immediately, once it was done, I cut it into pieces. Then I put it on a new thing and took more of my old artwork combined with different magazines and comic books and destroyed them and put them into different pieces. And then, once again, put them back together to create a new piece and then added more back on top of that.”

Slayden said he hoped those who visit the gallery interact with the work he and the other artists created. 

“I just want people to interact with art,” Slayden said. “I like to think, hopefully, people come away thinking. Just thinking about whatever. Thinking about themselves, about other people, or just thinking about coming back to more shows.” 

“IN THE EYE OF” is on display in the Cube Gallery, found at FAC 436, for the remainder of the week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

News Reporter Malone Farmer can be reached at james.farmer674@topper.wku.edu.

“Hammer-In” is a free, family-friendly event full of a variety of activities including forge and basic forge skills demonstrations, tinsmithing demonstrations and an aluminum pour demonstration where attendees could pay to make their own pour.

There were also several vendors at “Hammer-In” who sold swords, knives and other hand-crafted metalwork from their organizations. Big T’s Bar-B-Cue Food Truck also had items for attendants to purchase.

Brent Bjorkman, the director of the Kentucky Museum and the Kentucky Folklife Program, began by introducing Camille Acosta, a folklife specialist, who presented the “Narrative Stage” portion of the event. Metalworking specialists and demonstrators answered several questions from Acosta in front of an audience to help others better understand their stories and experiences in metalworking.

The featured demonstrator of the event, Rob Robinson of Sand and Steel, President of the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths, specializes in 18th century and historical ironworking. Robinson said that he had been blacksmithing for over 30 years and showed the audience how to make the Kentucky Double Bit Ax during his demonstration.

Acosta asked collaborators why they believed events like “Hammer-In” are important to have in the community.

“It’s a way to share what you’ve learned and to try to inspire other people to either pick up what you do or to inspire them to go find their own means of expression, whether it’s through ironwork, or fiber arts or clay,” Robinson said. “It’s just kind of giving back some of what you’ve learned and what you’ve been taught over the years.”

Acosta asked the panel what advice they would give to those just starting metalworking.

Eleanor Davidson, a member of the Kentucky Forge Council since 2017, is an artist and fabricator based in Bowling Green. Davidson told Acosta failing is the best way to learn.

“A lot of trying involves failing, and that’s the best way to learn,” Davidson said. “Just do things over and over, and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.”

After Acosta finished asking her questions, she let the audience ask the panel any questions they had. One audience member asked what “endgame” or goal these professionals had through pursuing metalworking.

Cassie Rebman, instructor of Sculpture and a studio technician at WKU, said her goal of becoming a collegiate instructor “stems from wanting to foster the type of empowerment” that she feels when working with these processes. She also said she wanted to help others facilitate their own empowerment in those processes as well.

“Even if someone doesn’t go into the trade, the life experience that they get of being able to build something can do so much for their sense of self-actualization and the way they interact with the world because, you know, there’s a whole world around us that we should be actively engaging in.”

“Hammer-In” was presented in partnership with the Kentucky Folklife Program and WKU’s League of Sculptors, sanctioned by the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths, according to WKU News. 

Kristina Arnold, head professor of the WKU Department of Art and Design and advisor of WKU’s League of Sculptors, discussed in an interview with the Herald her involvement as a member of the Kentucky Forge Council, the area chapter of Blacksmiths founded in 2016. Arnold said her husband was one of the founders of the organization.

“They’re [The Kentucky Forge Council] really interested in making sure the next generation learns and are excited about talking with their hands and knowing how to make the things we use every day,” Arnold said.

Maria Boggess, sophomore sculpture major and League of Sculptors member, helped run a booth at the “Hammer-In” event where participants carved designs into sand blocks and took home their creations after aluminum was poured into them. Attendants had the choice of different priced molds, including two halves of a heart mold for best friends, a bowl-shaped mold and a regular rectangular mold.

“The idea is you’re scratching your design like a mirror to what your final will be into blocks of sand,” Boggess said. “We plan to be here next year and do a bunch of events throughout the year with the Kentucky College Council. We do things like this at our club meetings too, so there’s multiple opportunities throughout the year to do stuff like this.”

News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be contacted at abigail.vickers153@topper.wku.edu.

Photos: ‘Hammer-In’ metalworking celebration held at Kentucky Museum

According to the Kentucky Folklore Program website, “Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a Mexican/Mexican-American traditional holiday celebrated on the night of October 31st, and continuing through November 1st and November 2nd in which families remember their loved ones who have passed on with an altar, food, music, and togetherness.”

An ofrenda is a homemade offering or altar used to celebrate loved ones who have passed away. The folklore program’s website says, “The legend is that our loved ones who have passed return to these Ofrendas to celebrate life with the living.”

The Folklore program invites people to donate items for the ofrenda’s altar. These things, like pictures, sentimental items, fake foods and fake flowers, will be placed on the altar to display. A full list of items and how to donate them can be found on the program’s website.

The ofrenda was organized by folklore specialist Camille Acosta. Hailing from El Paso, Texas, Acosta is a WKU alumna with a master’s degree in folk studies.

She organized the ofrenda for the first time last year in the Pioneer Log Cabin. It was created out of Acosta feeling homesick.

“I was just missing home,” Acosta said.“I think you get these little moments of, ‘Man, I miss this. I miss the food, I miss the smells, I miss people.’ And I’ve always loved this tradition so deeply and there’s always been some semblance of an altar. Like in my home, or my grandparents’ home and things like that.”

Acosta’s father is an immigrant from Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, who moved to El Paso, Texas. Her father ignited her love of folklore by raising Acosta and her brother with a connection to their Mexican heritage.

“My dad has always loved a scary story. My dad loves horror. He loves monsters. When me and my brother were younger he always used to tell us really terrifying stories. Just right before bed, here’s this terrifying story,” Acosta said to the Herald. “As I grew up, I started to realize I really love different cultures’ versions of horror and the way folklore transcends borders,”

One of Acosta’s aims with the ofrenda is to bring people together despite cultural differences.

“There is that semblance of togetherness that transcends borders and hatred, or what have you. And I think that’s exactly what these cultural traditions do, right? This ofrenda specifically does. It invites people to talk about, you know, who is this picture of your grandpa?” Acosta said. “That’s what this specific ofrenda does for the college population. For Kentucky, the commonwealth, in general: just start a conversation.”

The community ofrenda will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kentucky Museum until Saturday, November 2.

News Reporter Malone Farmer can be reached at james.farmer674@topper.wku.edu. 

This is my first year in Bowling Green, which has given me an entirely new town to explore. Of course, there’s Target, TJ Maxx and Barnes and Noble, which are great, don’t get me wrong. However, on my autumnal adventures, I’m searching to shop smaller. 

Below, I’ve compiled some of my favorite underrated beauties of Bowling Green.

Hard Copies

What it sells: Vinyl Records, CDs

Hard Copies was the first place I found here in BG that gave me the cozy vibe I was searching for. Nothing screams aesthetic quite like flipping through vinyl and CDs while bundled up in a warm sweater. My love for Pinterest-perfect moments aside, Hard Copies is an all-around incredible place to visit. 

Located in Greenwood Mall, this store has a host of different vinyl and CDs spanning multiple genres. It also hosts listening parties for new albums, which is advertised on its Instagram. The people who work there are all so friendly and excited to talk about music or any of their upcoming events. 

One of the best things about the store, however? The prices. Collecting any type of physical music is an expensive hobby, and I’ve seen records marked up for prices that make me nauseous. At Hard Copies, they sell their vinyl and CDs at reasonable prices that can let you come in again and again to check out what’s new. In addition to that, WKU students get a discount on their purchases. 

From the welcoming environment, friendly employees, to the unbeatable prices, Hard Copies is a place sure to make even the newest vinyl enthusiast feel right at home.

St. Teresa Thrift Store

What they sell: Donated clothes and homeware

I love shopping, but as I get older, I’m becoming more aware of the impact the clothes I buy have on the environment. I have turned to thrifting more and more, as being able to repurpose someone’s old clothes and get more use out of them makes me feel so much better. 

When searching for great places to find some thrifting, I was introduced to St. Teresa Thrift Store, located in Fairview Plaza Shopping Center. 

The inside of the store is clean and all the clothes are organized in neat rows. Every time I have gone in, I’ve found at least one thing I couldn’t leave without. I’ve gotten a chic leopard print bodysuit and an adorable pair of Mary Janes for a Halloween costume. In addition to clothes, they offer a variety of housewares.

If you’re searching for a new place to thrift with some of the cutest items, St. Teresa is the place for you. 

Just Love Coffee Cafe

What they sell: Artisanal coffee, breakfast and lunch

A long day of shopping is not complete without stopping for coffee and food.

Just Love is located on Scottsville Road. When I stepped inside the building, my eyes were immediately drawn to the art lining the walls. That, and that the line to order was out the door. I knew immediately whatever I was waiting for was going to be good.

The menu was expansive, with all sorts of different meals and types of coffee. I got a chocolate chip waffle and a latte, and both were heavenly. My waffle was stuffed with chocolate chips and came drizzled in sticky sweet syrup. My latte was delicious and gave me all the energy I needed to complete my day of shopping. The line to the door had been telling the truth– my meal was wonderful.

If you’re searching for a delicious bite to eat on a cool Sunday morning, I would point you immediately in the direction of this joyful cafe.

Replay Toys

What they sell: Collectible figurines, vintage toys, action figures

Deep in my heart, I am a nerd. One of the hardest parts about leaving my hometown was realizing that I’d also have to be leaving my local “nerd store” behind. When I moved to Bowling Green and found Replay Toys, all that sadness was gone. 

Replay Toys recently opened their new location in Greenwood Mall. It offers such a wide variety of things to browse and has sections full of items related to Star Wars, Power Rangers, and Star Trek. When I went in, they had an entire horror section dedicated to the upcoming spooky holiday. 

Browsing the anime figures was another favorite of mine; I was practically planning my upcoming purchases as I looked. Yet another area of the store was dedicated to vintage toys. I saw some things I’d longed to play with when I was a child. 

If you’re ever wanting to see some of the coolest nerd-related things, wander over to Replay Toys.

Vette City Vintage

What they sell: Vintage clothes

Vette City Vintage is located in Downtown Bowling Green and let me just say, the vibes of this place are immaculate. The minute I walked in and took in the racks of clothes set against the brick wall, next to the TV playing old music videos, I had only one thought:

“Dang, this place is cool.”

Cool is the best word to describe Vette City Vintage. This store has a supply of mainly mens clothes, but when I visited, the owner shared with me that he hopes to expand the women’s collection. The owner is such a friendly and personable character, chatting with every customer that enters the store as if they were an old friend. 

Vette City Vintage frequently restocks, posted on its Instagram stories almost every day.

Even if I weren’t to be shopping, I could see myself sitting at the sofa in the window, hanging with friends and soaking in the good energy. 

Commentary Writer Emma Hardesty can be reached at emma.hardesty162@topper.wku.edu.

For some, Halloween, or, Halloweekend, if you will, just means throwing on something from your closet and hoping people don’t ask what your costume is. For others, it means a chance to put together an elaborate costume you’ve been planning all year, maybe even multiple.

But never fear – if you’ve started wrestling with ideas of what to dress as this year but can’t seem to find the right one, I’m here to give you some options. Based on your academic college at WKU, of course.

Gordon Ford College of Business

To start off, I’m going to say one thing to the business majors: please don’t go as Patrick Bateman again this year. I understand you already have the suit, but I promise there are some other options.

Of course, if you haven’t starred in “American Psycho” for Halloween yet, feel free. It seems like a rite of passage for GFCB students.

On the topic of costumes that involve a suit, you could still do something from a movie. Men in Black, Pulp Fiction, Clark Kent, and with a little makeup, Jigsaw. If you’re wanting something more generic, that’s even easier. Go as a business person on Wall Street, a 1920s gangster or talk show host. If you’re into the music scene, I’d love to see someone as The Dare, just grab your suit and some sunglasses.

Economics and accounting majors, I’m asking you to step away from the Excel sheet. And then become the Excel sheet. Wear green and white, hold a floating formula box and call it night. Or grab three other friends and go as the whole Microsoft Office suite.

Okay, I understand that may be connecting your major to a costume a little too literally, so here are some other ideas. Get away from work and go as a cheesy tourist on vacation – a floral button up, a swimsuit, a big hat, a fanny pack, go the extra mile with a fake sunburn. Go as Barbara, Adam or Lydia from “Beetlejuice,” with a suited-up GFCB friend going as Beetlejuice himself.

Ogden College of Science and Engineering

Costumes for this college can be super easy or kind of complicated, and I’ll give you some choices for both.

On one hand, you’ve got pre-professional students who are probably too stressed to put together a costume that’s more than what they already have in their closet. I get it — but these costumes can be creative, too!

Put together the best decades-themed outfit you can come up with. 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and Y2K are all easily attainable by looking at some references and seeing if they match what you have. If you have time to get more specific, go as a character from “The Outsiders” for the 50s, a “Stranger Things” kid for the 80s or someone from “Mean Girls” for the 2000s.

Thinking about what you have on hand, STEM majors could break out the required lab coat and goggles this Halloween. Go with the classic mad scientist costume or even Frankenstein himself (the doctor, not the monster). Grab some yellow gloves and go as Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” even pair up with an 80s-themed pre-professional friend.

If you want to be something strictly science-y, I’d love to see a group of four as the DNA base pairs – wear a specific color with a letter on your shirt (A, T, C, G), hold hands with the right person and you’re all set. Get a group of five together, some white t-shirts, pipe cleaners, hot glue and determination, and you could be the five stages of mitosis.

For engineering and applied sciences majors, I know you’re itching to build something for your costume. Get an astronaut costume and grab a rocket you made yourself. Get together with some friends and use cardboard boxes to become Tetris blocks. If you’re feeling especially creative, add a light up or moving part to any outfit.

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

The soon-to-be teachers in this college need to prepare for a future of Homecoming spirit days and other dress-up events, especially elementary ed. Halloween is a perfect time for this.

My immediate thought for the education majors were costumes based on the children’s book characters we grew up loving. With a yellow shirt, blue pants and some cat ears, you could be Pete the Cat. Change that to a blue shirt or rain coat, yellow pants and add a red hat, and you’re Paddington. Put on a couple chunky necklaces, a dress and tease your hair, and you’re Fancy Nancy.

Of course, there’s always everyone’s favorite fictional teachers to dress as, too. Miss Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus,” Miss Honey from “Matilda” or any of the “Harry Potter” professors are some of your options.

For psychology majors, I sense some opportunities for horror or thriller movie costumes that are sure to leave people thinking. There’s the classics: Jason from “Friday the 13th,” Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or Hannibal Lector from “Silence of the Lambs.”  For a more modern take, go as Florence Pugh’s character in “Midsommar,” Amy Dunne from “Gone Girl” or, what I’m sure will be a popular one, Nicholas Cage’s villain in “Longlegs.”

If you’re in military science or the ROTC and you can fit a Halloween party into your schedule, some great options for you are Captain America, in his military or superhero uniform, Uncle Sam himself, Lara Croft from “Tomb Raider” or a funny group costume with your cohort, such as everyone as a Gatorade bottle.

College of Health and Human Services

For the college with a lot of different majors, it’s only right that they get a variety of costumes.

As a nursing or dental hygiene student, you do already have a built-in costume with your scrubs, where you could dress as your favorite fictional doctor in “Grey’s Anatomy.” If you’re tired of your daily work outfit, however, I can see you going with a simple but effective group costume: Crayola crayons, M&Ms or the Spice Girls.

The fashion merchandising majors probably already have their sewing machine ready to make their own custom costume. From this group, I’d love to see something niche or elaborate. Look camp right in the eye and pull out a Met Gala outfit, create your own Disney princess dress or grab a sword and fit into the “Lord of the Rings” universe.

If you’re in exercise science or sports management, go ahead and pull out your favorite athlete’s jersey, I know you have it. Paired with any piece of sporting equipment, this makes for a super easy costume. If you want to go to the next level, honor this year’s Olympics and go as an famous Olympian – the cool Turkish air pistol shooter, the Australian breakdancer Raygun or Stephen Nederoscik, America’s pommelhorse sweetheart.

While I know my hospitality management and nutrition and dietetics majors will most likely host the Halloweekend events, that doesn’t mean you get out of wearing a costume. But, I know it’ll need to be something you can move in, so grab the apron you already have, a white shirt and a pink bandana, and you’re from my favorite Nintendo DS game “Cooking Mama.” If you’re feeling more hardcore, switch to a blue apron, draw on some tattoos and yell in a Chicago accent – you’re Carmy from “The Bear.”

Students in public health, you might have some scrubs too, so you could join in as the rest of the “Grey’s Anatomy” cast. But, you all might have heard of the CHHS “10 dimensions of wellness” initiative. You know where this is going – get 10 of your friends and each go as a section of the wheel. I think it would be really funny.

Potter College of Arts and Letters

I saved PCAL for last, because if you’re in this college, you probably already know what your costume will be, or you’ve been planning it for months. If you haven’t, don’t worry, I’ve listed some options below.

I’d love to see English majors dressed as their favorite book characters or authors. I know this sounds cliche, but after reading so much all semester, you know these characters better than anyone. Match the WKU homecoming theme and go as someone from “The Great Gatsby” or get more modern and dress as Marianne or Connell from Sally Rooney’s “Normal People.” 

Or, on the funnier side, take some pieces of poetry really literally. Be the tiger in William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Be the raven from Poe’s “The Raven.” Be the walrus or the carpenter from Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” You get the point.

Keeping with the literal theme, an easy costume for history majors is to just go as your favorite historical figure. Whether you’re into cultural, military or classical history, there’s a recognizable figure you could go as, plus, you get to show off your knowledge when people ask about your costume. 

Like the business majors, I know political science students probably already have a suit ready to go. You could go as just a regular politician, or you could go as a fictional one – someone from “The West Wing” or Leslie from “Parks and Rec.” Or, get a little morbid – my friend went as RFK with the gunshot wound last year. I painted it on him.

The theatre and dance majors definitely already have their costumes, whether it’s something they borrowed from last year’s show or made themselves, and I’m very excited to see it. Personally, with the “Wicked” movie coming out soon, I’m hoping to see a lot of Elphabas and Glindas this Halloween.

Last but not least, for my social sciences majors, I think costumes that really embrace the current cultural scene would work for you. Get a trio and some tennis rackets together for a “Challengers” group costume, keep it simple with a Charli XCX “brat” green outfit or go all out as one of Chappell Roan’s iconic outfits this year.

News Reporter Alexandria Anderson can be reached at alexandria.anderson337@topper.wku.edu.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which occurs annually from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, is a way for many Americans with Central American roots to celebrate their home nations’ independence days.

Multiple HOLAS members told the Herald that Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates many diverse cultures, reiterating the idea that Latin American students can embrace multiple Hispanic cultural identities. 

Valery Garcia, senior president of HOLAS and social work and Spanish double-major, said Hispanic Heritage Month is a good way for people in the Hispanic community to connect back to the country their family was from and celebrate their heritage. 

Garcia is from the Dominican Republic and said the month was a good way to “celebrate her roots” since she is away from home.

As for those outside the Hispanic community, Garcia believes this month gives them the opportunity to learn something new and expand their knowledge.

“It’s a good way for them to learn about the Hispanic community because most of the people think that just because you know Spanish that you’re Mexican, but it’s good for them to know there’s more than just Mexico,” Garcia said. “There’s a whole bunch of different countries.”

Garcia said her favorite events during the month are the “All Around the World” event  and “Lotería Night.” When asked how Hispanic Heritage Month made her feel, Garcia had only positive things to say.

“It makes me feel happy, because I really enjoy seeing everyone celebrating, and I also enjoy celebrating my own heritage,” Garcia said.

Athziry Zetina, senior vice president of HOLAS and criminology and psychology double-major, said that Hispanic Heritage Month means “happiness and memories” to her. Zetina said she is “proudly” from Mexico.

“I think it is important for people to learn about other cultures in general and be able to educate themselves about other cultures that exist in the world,” Zetina said. “I think it made us more mindful, and it made us see more of what’s outside the box.”

Zetina said her favorite event during Hispanic Heritage Month is “Lotería Night.”

“My favorite event of Hispanic Heritage Month is ‘Lotería Night’ from HOLAS because it reminds me of my childhood when I would sit at a big table with all my aunts and cousins playing Lotería together having fun and laughing,” Zetina said. “Being able to share those memories with other people holding this event makes me very happy.”

Zetina said she loves to show off her culture all the time by speaking her language, wearing Mexico’s soccer jersey, wearing Mexican earrings and more.

“I enjoy every single thing about this month,” Zetina said. “I am a person who is very proud of her heritage, and I love to show my culture to other people, but I personally show my culture any time, any minute outside of Hispanic Heritage Month.”

Michelle Ramos, junior secretary of HOLAS and nursing major, said she has participated in the organization’s Hispanic Heritage Month activities since her freshman year when she joined the organization. Ramos’ family is from Mexico, but she is a natural-born citizen of the United States.

“Since I’ve been here, every year they [HOLAS] either added onto the events they already had from past years or created new ones,” Ramos said. “Last year we did a cookout collab with FIJI [Phi Gamma Delta], and this year we started off with the ‘All Around the World’ event. It’s one of my favorites.”

Ramos said the “All Around the World” event was something that many people went to and one of her favorite things during the event was the line dancing.

“To me, it’s just a way to express our culture,” Ramos said. She said that each Latinx country has its own individual culture with different traditional dances, foods and activities they like to do.

“With HOLAS it’s a way to have it [Hispanic culture] exposed to the students, and to also the Bowling Green community,” Ramos said. “I want people to know that everyone is different, and just because one comes from a certain place doesn’t just mean they’re just from there. Yeah, some people, they can be from multiple countries from their parents’ sides, and there’s various cultures and languages that are involved with who they are.”

Ramos said Hispanic Heritage Month is a very “joyous” and “colorful” event that is “festive, bright and cheery” and inclusive to anyone who wants to come to celebrate and support.

Anastacia Álvarez, sophomore outreach coordinator of HOLAS and family consumer sciences and education double-major, said that Hispanic Heritage Month was important in preserving cultural identity. 

“I think it’s important just because I feel like sometimes with certain cultures, they get kind of erased, or like left behind or forgotten,” Álvarez said. “And so, I think having a whole month dedicated to the culture is a good way to kind of remind people and be like hey we’re here.”

Álvarez’s father, Fabián Álvarez, is the current advisor of HOLAS and helped start the organization a little over a decade ago. Álvarez said the organization used to go under a different name but had died out, and so her father brought it back with HOLAS.

When asked about what Hispanic Heritage Month meant to her, Álvarez said she was proud to get to show off her heritage, especially since she is multiracial.

“To me, it’s just being proud of who I am, and my culture and getting to show off because I don’t always get to display that part of me, especially since I’m very white-passing,” Álvarez said.

Calee Carroll, junior member of HOLAS and political science and legal studies major, said that having a community to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with has been a great part of her college experience. Carroll is Guatemalan and said before coming to Western, while she knew about Hispanic Heritage Month, she did not celebrate it on such a wide scale as she does now.

“I think over the past two years, it’s been really great to be a part of HOLAS and have it [Hispanic Heritage Month] just so widely celebrated, and especially because the university is generous enough to give us funding and to help us put on these celebrations,” Carroll said. “And I think as well, it just means a lot more now because where I’m from, I was one of the only Hispanic people in my graduating class in high school, and so now I have a community and have all these new people to celebrate with and kind of get to it on a more cultural level instead of just observation level.”

Carroll said she believed it was important for people to learn and participate in HOLAS’ Hispanic Heritage Month activities because a big part of Hispanic culture is emphasized in sharing.

“I think that we see that [sharing] through the languages, the food, letters of writing and of Scripture and all these different things,” Carroll said. “So, I mean, sharing our culture and sharing our community is something that I mean a lot of us really, really value, especially in a place like a college campus when there’s just so many more opportunities to let people get involved.”

HOLAS will conclude their Hispanic Heritage Month festivities with a celebration during the MSTU volleyball game against WKU. Hilltoppers can stay up-to-date on HOLAS events through the organization’s Instagram account.

News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be contacted at abigail.vickers153@topper.wku.edu.

Markham has published two books with her third to be published in February 2025. Her most recent book, “A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belongings,” was published in February and explores issues surrounding migration, borders and social justice. 

Markham’s work most often concerns issues related to youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California, according to Markham’s website. She has reported from places all around the world including Latin American countries, states in the U.S. and other countries like Greece and Thailand.

Markham said in her conversation with Andrews that there were two main narrative threads of the book. 

“One is the story of the largest refugee camp in Europe, which burned down,” said Markham. “It was built to house 2500 people, and at its height, had over 20,000 people living in it. It was on the Greek island of Lesbos, and it burned down in 2020, in September of 2020, and within a few days, six young Afghans or Afgan refugees who’d been living there were figured for the crime. In spite of almost no evidence, no evidence against them, no credible evidence against them, they were locked up and tried in a kangaroo court and were put into prison.”

The second thread concerned Markham personally and her story as a journalist.

“And then there’s another main narrative thread, which is sort of me as a reporter, reckoning with what it means to tell these stories about migration and how to report on these stories,” Markham said. “And I’m also thinking of my own heritage, my own Greek American heritage, and sort of how my own family narrates this sense of belonging to this place that, until 2019, I’d never been to.”

In discussion with Markam, Andrews asked the author how she got to a place where she could be vulnerable enough to write about her family and heritage in a way that is “honest and theorized, but still with so much love.”

“I think that part of one of the mythologies of many that this book is probing is this kind of linear ascension narrative, kind of like the American Dream narrative,” Markham said. 

“There’s also an interesting dynamic here within my own family’s stories … But I have tenderness toward this desire to believe in the simple story, the desire for my family to believe that there is this far away place, Greece. That even though we don’t speak the language and even though we’ve never been there, we somehow are afforded something long and fair, and we get to claim that as an origin story. I have tenderness toward that, because I believe there is a human desire to belong somewhere and let go of their past.”

An audience member asked Markham if she believed there was a lesson to take from Bowling Green’s success in being a resettlement center for refugees for several decades. Markham said she believed there was.

“This is all getting to the point of this notion of newcomers as drains isn’t just a morally problematic idea. It’s just false. It’s just wrong,” Markham said. “It’s not empirically true because places like Bowling Green could demonstrate this was a place that was doing fine, and then new people came and we’re also still doing fine.”

“This is a book that’s really trying to expose, on a granular level, the injustice and violence of borders and also their absurdity,” Markham continued.

Markham said in an interview with the Herald that she got a lot of feedback from people of European ancestry after her book was published.

“I’ve had a lot of people contact me about the ways this book helped them reflect on their desire to be from another place, and just seemingly being excited by the kind of ideas that this book is lifting up,” Markham said. 

Markham said that one of the things this book challenges is the impact and purpose of journalism, and if it affects change. She concluded that journalism could make a direct change, but that change is typically “incremental,” and that journalism usually is only a small part of a bigger cause.

Understanding and interpreting dialect was also an “interesting challenge” for Markham while writing her book. She said she came to understand her thinking patterns better and how she approached certain situations in different countries.

“There have been many, a number of moments in reporting and writing this book where I find that the very systems that I am sort of critiquing and holding accountable have also kind of infected my brain, and thinking and default thinking,” Markham said. 

It is her love of learning and the joy she finds in telling the stories of others that drives Markham in her work.

“I feel like that is such a thrilling feeling to be like I have a profession where I’m constantly learning things, and then my job is to take what I’ve learned and try to narrate it to others so that other people can learn it,” Markham said. “The best stories we write are the stories we really care about.”

Destiny Cater, a sophomore journalism major and attendee, asked Markham during the event about how she navigated her career as a journalist after deciding it as a career later in life. Cater chose journalism as a major this semester.

“Though she didn’t say it, she was basically implying when writing or trying to write a book to stay at your own pace,” Cater said. “That really kind of affected me for someone that, again, kind of chose journalism later.”

News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be contacted at abigail.vickers153@topper.wku.edu.