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Phillips House Museum hosts first-ever event celebrating Latino culture
The Rockville Centre Museum at Phillips House honored Hispanic Heritage month with a Sunday afternoon reception, as many Rockville Centre dignitaries and residents stopped by the museum and recognized the historical influence of local and global Latino communities.
Sponsored by the Astoria Federal Savings Bank, The Phillips House event paid tribute to Latin culture from around the world. The museum featured a grand display of Hispanic artifacts, many of which come from Mexico. The Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre provided the artwork, and the small items from Mexico, Spain and other Latin American nations were perched on shelves and placed inside glass cases for visitors to survey.
Mary Jane Regan, one of 15 trustees on the Museum of Rockville Centre’s board, said that members had long considered celebrating Hispanic Heritage at the museum. “We always wanted to do this,” Regan said. “We were so thrilled to get the support and [the] chance this year.”
When asked how Hispanic culture has shaped Rockville Centre, Regan cited Spanish masses at St. Agnes and restaurants as evidence of its influence within the village. Christopher Lopez, a founding member of the Hispanic Brotherhood, said that Latinos from the Dominican Republic and Cuba are among the most dominant Hispanic groups within the Rockville Centre community.
“Hispanic heritage makes our community fuller and richer,” Mayor Mary Bossart said when speaking to attendees. “It’s a very intricate part of our town.”
Hispanic Heritage month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. The start date was chosen because it marks the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. First recognized as a weeklong celebration by President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, Hispanic Heritage became a month-long observance in 1988 when President Ronald Reagan expanded it.
Frank Seipp, president of the Rockville Centre Museum at Phillips House, and Margarita Grasing, executive director of the Hispanic Brotherhood, received certificates of recognition from the Town of Hempstead for their work in commemorating Hispanic Heritage month.
Former Rockville Centre Mayor Eugene Murray, Deputy Mayor Charles Joyce and village trustees David Krasula and Edward Oppenheimer also participated in the Phillips House reception.
