Hispanic Heritage Month

The Hispanic Heritage observance began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988. This celebration begins in the middle rather than the start of the month because it coincides with the national independence days of several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica celebrate on Sept. 15, Mexico on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21. This year’s theme is “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope.”

Hispanic, Latino/a/x, Chicano/a – The Definition and History Behind the Terms:
Terminology matters, and people often cannot agree about which term should be used. It is an emotionally charged topic. Follow the links to the definitions and history behind the terms. You will learn about the important usage variations depending on the region, generation and political inclination. definitions and history behind the terms. You will learn about the important usage variations depending on the region, generation and political inclination.

Civil Rights Movement: Remembering the Little Rock Nine

In September 1957, a group of nine African American students stepped forward and started a moment that eventually led to the full racial integration of public schools in the United States. They become known as the Little Rock Nine.

The nine teenagers attempted to enter Central High School in Little Rock. Members of the Arkansas National Guard blocked their entry, despite the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, that ruled segregation of America’s public schools to be unconstitutional. It took almost a month, and intervention by the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, before they attended their first full day of classes. The military remained for the duration of the school year but that did not stop the verbal harassment or violent attacks, which included being shoved down a flight of stairs and having acid thrown in their faces.

Wiley Austin Branton, a man of mixed-race and a native of Pine Bluff, worked alongside future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, served as chief legal counsel for the nine students and their families. Daisy Bates, a native Arkansan who assisted other members of the Arkansas NAACP in selecting the students, wrote The Long Shadow of Little Rock: A Memoir, which outlines the events that occurred.

The Little Rock Nine are widely recognized for their significant role in the civil rights movement. They enjoyed illustrious careers in military service, commerce, education, journalism and government, and they received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. The Little Rock Central High School grounds and surrounding area became part of the National Park Service in 1998 and is listed as a National Historical Site.

Four-day Event Honors Historic Civil Rights Moment in Arkansas

A series of live events will culminate with a performance of “No Tears Suite,” a musical tribute to the event surrounding the Little Rock Nine’s struggles in 1957. A comprehensive schedule and ticket schedule of the four-day event, occurring Sept. 23-26, can be found at fayettevilleroots.org.

Come As You Arkansas Celebrates University’s 150th Anniversary

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the University of Arkansas, the campus and greater community are invited to participate in Come as You Arkansas, an all-day progressive style event to highlight the university’s mission, vision, history and future.

Colleges and units across the campus will offer events. The Global Campus will host a Virtual Museum of Distance and Workforce Education in the Arkansas Union, location yet to be decided. Alicia Estes and Lesley Speller are leading GC efforts to build the virtual museum, which will explain distance learning and workforce education today and remember what educational options were offered in the early 1900s. Many GC staff have contributed to this effort.

If you have questions about GC’s event or you would like to volunteer to be a museum docents, also known as guides or helpers, please contact Kay Murphy at ksmurphy@uark.edu.

Be Involved.

Get Involved with GC DEI!

Would you like to join the Global Campus DEI committee? Please seek approval from your supervisor, and then contact Kay Murphy at ksmurphy@uark.edu.

Contribute to the Newsletter

Send events, information and suggestions for the October GC DEI newsletter to any of the committee members.

DEI BOOK CLUB

Book Club: Did you Vote? Vote Here

Help us pick the next book for the GC DEI Book Club by clicking the link below to a survey and selecting your top three titles. Please cast your votes by Sept. 8. If you have a title you would like the book club to consider, please email the title and a description to YaYa Jenkins (yjenkins@uark.edu). The committee will announce the next title and the date of the book club discussion by email in mid-September.

Events & Things To Do

DEI Conference Coming in Fall 2021

Registration is open for the Oct. 7 Arkansas Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Conference hosted by the U of A Ideals Institute and the Global Campus. The topic of this year’s interactive, online/live stream conference is “DEI 2021: Moving Beyond Statements Toward Action.”