The Latine Heritage Month planning committee, Latine Cultural Center and the Program in Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies hosted their annual March Up Bascom event on Friday. Over 100 students came together to celebrate Latine heritage — walking up Bascom Hill and partaking in Mercadito festivities afterward. 

The event began at the bottom of Bascom Hill. Participants began marching up to Bascom Hall shortly after 3 p.m. Once marchers reached Bascom Hall, all gathered for a group photo with flags representing Latine cultures from around the globe.

March Up Bascom began eight years ago by honoring Latin heritage and culture by marching up Bascom Hill with flags and music representing Latine cultures, according to co-Chair of CHICLA Sam Lopez.

“We are gathered here to embrace our cultures and be proud of the many countries that make up Latin Heritage Month,” Lopez said in an announcement to the crowd. 

Flags representing students’ countries of heritage were provided by the LCC, as well as stickers reading “March up Bascom.”

The event also allows students to meet others from the Latine community and form connections, according to Latine Heritage planning committee member Julia Llarraza.

“It’s [March Up Bascom] a great community builder,” Llarraza said. “It’s a great way to, first of all, meet new people — especially if you’re a freshman — and connect with the greater Latino community at UW-Madison.”

Following crowd announcements, students took turns hitting a piñata. The event concluded with a Mercadito where students and campus vendors sold items ranging from jewelry and clothes to huichol art. 

March Up Bascom is a good opportunity for students to bond with and meet new people who are similar to them, according to Latine Heritage Month social media marketing lead Esmeralda Albino.

“I feel like when you come to these events you get to meet your own familia, and that’s why I came,” Albino said. 

With the increase in detentions and deportations of Latine individuals, University of Wisconsin senior Andi Orellana said she is glad students are coming together as a community, especially for Latine Heritage month.

The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a restriction on Los Angeles immigration agents Sept. 8 that prevented them from stopping people solely based on race, language, job or location, according to the Associated Press. Now, immigration agents in Los Angeles can make arrests based on race, speaking Spanish, or working a low-income job, according to the American Immigration Council.

“Ever since what’s happened in the Supreme Court — that we can just be arrested because of our skin color, of who we are — if you speak Spanish, it’s hard,” Orellana said. 

With the current threats to the Latine community, it is important to find community, show up and remain united and educated, according to Llarraza. 

This sense of solidarity is not only about cultural pride but also about resilience in the face of systemic challenges, Llarraza said.

“Being here just shows that we’re not leaving,” Orellana said. “We’re gonna be here.”