Every year, the Latin American Student Organization tries to create more and more events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, senior LASO member Charlotte Ridgeway said.

Various Hispanic heritage events around campus have allowed students to have a taste of Hispanic heritage, she said.

The CSD hosted its first event of the season, “Las Krudas,” Sept. 12, which featured lesbian, feminist Cuban hip-hop artists Odaymara Cuesta and Olivia Prendes.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is observed nationally by celebrating the histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of U.S. citizens and residents who trace their roots to Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America,” Santiago Solis, senior director for the center for student diversity, said.

Five more events are planned for the upcoming weeks, “Actualizing the Dream,” “The Global Struggle Against Displacement,” “Beyond Black and White,” “The Alphabet in my Hands,” and “Noche Latina.”

Each will create a balance between serious and fun for all Towson students looking to learn something new, Solis said.

“Of the upcoming events, I am most excited about Noche Latina,” Solis said. “This year marks the 15-year anniversary of LASO, so we have invited previous executive board members and advisers to join us that evening.”

LASO presidents from the last nine years will join in the celebration of the growth of Latino students on campus Oct. 26.

The event will also feature the Bolivian dance troupe, Fraternidad Cultural Pachamama.

Throughout the month, the Hispanic Heritage Awareness Month Film series will be presenting a film each week at 6:30 p.m. in the College of Liberal Arts Building. The theme of the series is the celebration of gender, sexuality and desire in films from Spain and Latin America.

Ridgeway said LASO is even trying to incorporate the upcoming election into their events this month.

“A lot of what we do is promoting the CSD’s events,” Ridgeway said. “But with the upcoming election and the work we’re doing with the Dream Act this is a really great time for us.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson created the first National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. Today a month is dedicated to the celebration of Hispanic Heritage in America, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

“Towson’s Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity for all students to better understand the lives and stories of Latinos,” Solis said. “It also helps them to better appreciate the multilayered, complex, and dynamic world in which they live.”