A long-standing tradition of Stony Brook University, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates its 32nd year on campus, focusing on stories and experiences that reflect this year’s theme: “Dos Mundos / Two Worlds”.
Throughout the celebration, Stony Brook will honor Hispanic and Latin Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the United States in all major fields. This will also introduce community leaders, faculty, staff and students, encouraging the community not only to look back and celebrate the past, but to ‘honor the journey ahead with all of its painful identities, surprises and resilience that now opens the way or connects two worlds.
The Hispanic Heritage Month committee is collaborating with the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery on this year’s event. The gallery – located on the first floor of the Staller Center for the Arts – currently hosts a much-loved photographic exhibition titled, Dos Mundos: (Re) constructing stories which has many THEatinx artists. It was organized by En Foco, a nonprofit organization that supports American photographers of African, Asian, Latin, Native American and Pacific Islander descent.

“The Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee is truly excited to partner with the Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University for our 32nd annual celebration,” said Dorothy Corbett, Senior Academic Advisor / Advisor, EOP / AIM and Chair of the Month of Hispanic heritage. “Using the theme ‘Dos Mundos’ for this year’s celebration is ideal as the gallery’s presentation explores the Latinx experience through art and conveys a timeless reality for Latinos in America and around the world. We all look forward to hearing the artist’s take on “Dos Mundos” and sharing the discussion. “
Hispanic Heritage Month
Guests must register to attend as seats are limited to 100 guests at the gallery. At the end of the opening ceremony, registered guests will enjoy a preview of the new Latin concept “La Olla”, sponsored by the Faculty Students Association (FSA) and coming to SAC Food Court.
FSA also welcomes two guest chefs who will offer authentic cuisine to students, faculty and staff. Chef Julieta Ballesteros, owner and executive chef of La Loteria in New York City, will cook modern Mexican cuisine on Tuesday, October 5 at the East Side Dine-In from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the West Side Dine-in from 4 a.m. 7 p.m. Its menu includes guacamole, salsa and fries, Brussels sprout tacos, salmon sikil-p’ak, elote and butternut squash.

CulinArt Chef Evelyn Reyes will cook Dominican and Puerto Rican cuisine on Tuesday, October 12 at the East Side Dine-in from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Its menu includes pollo horneado, garbanzo guisadas, arroz amarillo, fried plantanos and ensalada de aguacate y tomato. Learn more about Campus Dining.
The event program also includes an evening of salsa dancing in the SAC Ballroom at 7 p.m. on September 18, an Art Crawl with free tours of the campus art galleries from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on October 23, and a Zoom chat with artist Antonio Pulgarin at 4 p.m. on October 28. Check out the full schedule of events on the HHM website.
The Hispanic Heritage Month closing ceremony and annual awards will take place on Monday, November 1 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in SAC Ballroom A.
Each year, Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the stories, cultures and contributions of citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America and the United States. South. The sighting began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was extended by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period from September 15 to October 15. September 15 is important because it is the anniversary of the independence of the countries of Latin America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and 18, respectively, and Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this period.
Hispanic Heritage Month, one of many events supporting Stony Brook University’s equity, inclusion and diversity initiative, is co-hosted by: The Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee – LatinX 365 (faculty, staff and students); Faculty Student Association (FSA); Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives (DI3); Multicultural Affairs Office; Latin American and Caribbean studies; and the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery.