Photo Credit: Martínez-Abeijón
Before becoming an associate professor of Spanish and Latin American studies at CSU, Matias Martínez-Abeijón, Ph.D. began as a first-generation college student of history and art at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. During his undergraduate education, he studied piano and viola, though came to notice that what he was learning wasn’t widespread throughout his community.
“Some friends and I created a nonprofit organization for all things, the delegation of cultural aspects and musical aspects associated with medieval music. So we created an organization, which used to be called ‘Vestiary of Musical,’ and we decided that the things we were learning in college were not heard by everyday people on the street,” Martínez-Abeijón shared in an interview with The Cauldron.
The non-profit group hosted various exhibitions, concerts and conferences for everyday people to get a glimpse into the current research field. Guided by an interest in teaching, Martínez-Abeijón traveled to the United States to pursue a graduate degree.
“And at the time, I was told that there are certain programs in the United States. Where you could become a teaching assistant, and they train you in teaching while you are also going to graduate school,” Martínez-Abeijón said. “[I was] the first generation in my family [to attend] college. So, this seemed like a great opportunity for somebody in my situation.”
Taking full advantage of said opportunity, he went on to finish graduate school at The Ohio State University in five years, took home his master of arts in 2001 and later accepted a job as an assistant professor of Spanish at Southern Utah University.
Today, he is one of a few Spanish professors in the World Languages, Literatures, and Culture department at CSU, teaching students all about Hispanic language, culture, history and everything in between.
Martínez-Abeijón with his students. Photo Credit: Martínez-Abeijón
And to Martínez-Abeijón, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to showcase, celebrate and share all these different aspects of Hispanic heritage–not just inside the classroom, but beyond.
Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated nationally every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, began as a week-long event in 1968. Twenty years later, it has been expanded to be a month long. This time frame was established to include several Central American countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Chile, all of which celebrate their independence days during this time.
Cleveland State University offers many ways to celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month.
“And in general,” adds Martínez-Abeijón, “I like all events that celebrate. Sometimes, events have a more ceremonial nature and sometimes, [they] are little things. For example, this year, the Latino Network Organization decided that one of the events to celebrate was a Latino Zumba class.”
Latinos Unidos is a student-based organization on CSU’s campus that “aims to create a sense of community, acceptance and empowerment on campus to further enhance the college experience for Latino and Hispanic students,” according to its description on VikeConnect.
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“I like, how with the passage of time, instead of just celebrating, like, historical figures associated with lots of events of cruelty and like the evisceration of cultures, etc, we look at it as more of a celebration of contributions, an opportunity to showcase the good things that are indications of different communities and opportunities to live together better.”
When asked how he defines the term “Hispanic,” Martínez-Abeijón offered a deeper meaning:
“[For] people in the United States, it’s associated with one of the categories in the census. For example, it is associated, for some people, with Hispanic America, or Spanish America. Some of the people in Latin America, with the passage of time, have preferred to highlight other aspects of their heritage.”
Martínez-Abeijón comes from an area of Spain that speaks different languages besides Spanish. Growing up, he also spoke Galician Gallego. In general, Spanish is a widely used language that varies regionally. And for him, it’s important to note that there is no lesser or superior dialect of Spanish, that anything that highlights diversity of cultures or languages is important knowledge:
“The Hispanic culture and Latino culture in the United States, it’s an essential part of the country, and it should be celebrated as such. It should be promoted as such, and it should be supported with resources as such.”
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