RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
About 100 people were in attendance as Randolph's monthlong celebration of Hispanic culture began this week with a kickoff event featuring Mexican folkloric dancers and a salsa contest.
Hispanic Heritage Observance Month activities continue today with a 5K run at 6:45 a.m. at Heritage Park. A piñata party for children at the Randolph Child Development Center is planned for Thursday.
"The observance celebrates and recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans in our community and presents an opportunity to educate and share the culture with those who are unfamiliar with it," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Coleman-Escobar, event advertising chair.
This year's theme is "Embracing the Fierce Urgency of Now."
President Lyndon B. Johnson first proclaimed the national observance, which started as a weeklong event, in 1968. Congress expanded the observance to cover a 30-day period starting Sept. 15 in 1988, when Ronald Reagan was president. Its focus is American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Sergeant Coleman-Escobar said the Randolph observance is a joint effort of the Randolph Hispanic Heritage Council and the Hispanic Heritage Observance Month Committee. The council meets monthly and sponsors fund-raising activities that benefit HHOM as well as local nonprofit organizations and scholarships for active-duty dependents.
The Hispanic Heritage Observance Month Youth Art Contest for ages 6-12, which is open to the dependents of all active-duty and civilian personnel at Randolph, is under way and continues through Oct. 1, with all entries due by noon at the drop-off point, Building 224, Room 41.
Contestants are asked to use coloring pencils or crayons to create an original piece of artwork consistent with the Hispanic Heritage Observance Month theme.
Other activities planned during Hispanic Heritage Observance Month are:
· A Latin food sampling Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the chapel annex.
· A Latin social Oct. 2 from 3-6 p.m. at the Kendrick Club that will feature free Latin dance lessons.
· A luncheon Oct. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kendrick Club that will feature guest speakers Fernando Rey, president and chief executive officer of Heroes and Heritage, and Sarah Lucero, KENS-TV co-anchor. RSVP by Oct. 5 to Lou Saunders, 565-5640; cost is $16.
· A golf tournament Oct. 16 at noon at the Randolph Golf Course. Call Master Sgt. Al Longoria, 652-5360, for more information.
For more information on Hispanic Heritage Observance Month activities, call Sergeant Coleman-Escobar at 565-3298.