In an assignment to address gun control, sociology Lecturer Jose Villarreal and his Introduction to Sociology students organized a Día de los Muertos altar in honor of school shooting victims.
As an educator and an activist, Villarreal said he wanted to honor the children and teachers killed during the shootings that took place in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and in Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He discussed the idea with his students, who voluntarily contributed to the project by bringing in candles and decorations and organizing the altar.
Besides candles, the altar held photos of the victims, toys, statues and flowers.
Villarreal said this is the first time he organizes an altarfor school shooting victims and that this is UTRGV’s small contribution to ease the pain of those parents who lost their children. He said the project allows students to learn through visual sociology and critical thinking.
“This is one way of stopping and just thinking about what’s really going on in our country, so we can … become more involved and become better citizens,” Villarreal said.
Arath Herrera, an integrated health science sophomore, is a student in one of Villarreal’s classes. Herrera talked about how the altar ties in with sociology by addressing this event through activities that have an impact on society, such as voting and activism.
Besides making the altar, Villarreal’s students held group discussions on topics regarding gun control and the failure of law enforcement to intervene on behalf of the children and teachers in Uvalde. He said his students also came up with solutions to attack the problem, such as better police officer training, raising the minimum age for buying an assault rifle and survival training for children.
Noah Al-Hassan, a psychology sophomore, helped organize the altar. Al-Hassan said that although he has no Mexican heritage, he finds the idea of an altar a way to prevent people from being desensitized with the concept of death because these types of events are becoming normalized.
“When I heard there was an ofrenda for the Uvalde school shooting victims, I thought this was the perfect way to kind of revitalize the topic because this shouldn’t just be glossed over,” Al-Hassan said.
Sabine Gonzalez, a criminal justice sophomore, volunteered to help decorate the altar and said she felt emotional about putting up the pictures of the children.
“It’s kind of, like, sad seeing that [the victims] were taken so fast,” Gonzalez said. “They didn’t have a chance to enjoy life, the rest of their lives. When we finished it, I actually cried when I got home because it’s kind of, like, ‘Why them?’”
Villarreal said he uses his knowledge as an activist involved in community action programs to enhance the students’ learning experience in the sociology class.
“The real influence that I can make is in the classroom because … you know, that most of them are freshmen,” he said. “We have nursing students. We have future social workers. We have future criminal justice majors. And, so I try to conduct my classes in a way where it’s vivid. It’s not just a textbook. … We go beyond. The real issues are what lies behind the theories and the concepts.”
Villarreal expressed his gratitude to all those who helped set up the altar, including students, custodians, Sociology Department Chair William Donner, and Jesus “Jesse” Medina, sociology department administrative assistant.
The altaris located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts Building North on the Edinburg campus and, according to Villarreal, it will remain there for at least a week.
