Fall 2022 Events
Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana
Thursday, September 1st-Thursday, September 29th |8AM-12AM Hicks Undergraduate Library
“Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana” offers a glimpse into the stories of individuals of varying cultural backgrounds who recall what it has been like to be Latino in the Hoosier State throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The stories reflect on the Latinos’ cultures as well as on their contributions to local communities or to the state of Indiana.
“Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana” is made possible by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Co-Sponsored with Hicks Undergraduate Library or Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies
Big Read Kick-Off: "5 Things to Know about Mexican Gothic"
Thursday, September 8th| 5:00PM | West Lafayette Public Library
This year, the LCC partnered with the English department for the Big Read featuring Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic. Join us for the kick-off with Dr. Jessica Mercado, Department of English, Purdue University.
Copies of Mexican Gothic available at the LCC! Check out all of the Big Read events here.
National Hispanic Heritage Month Reception
Thursday, September 15th| 5:30PM-7:00PM | HICKS Undergraduate Library
Celebrate the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month with the Latino Cultural Center and view the Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana exhibit.
Join us to hear from Nicole Martinez-LeGrand, curator at the Indiana Historical Society, and for beverages and food.
Free and open to the public.
Co-sponsored with HICKS Undergraduate Libraries and Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies
Bridges Not Borders: Belonging & Acceptance for Latinos in the Midwest with Dr. Sujey Vega
Monday, October 3rd | 6:15PM-7:15PM | Krannert Auditorium
National immigration debates have thrust both opponents of immigration and immigrant rights supporters into the news. But what happens once the rallies end and the banners come down? What is daily life like for Latinos who have been presented nationally as ‘terrorists, drug smugglers, alien gangs, and violent criminals’? Latino Heartland offers an ethnography of the Latino and non-Latino residents of a small Indiana town, showing how the national debate pitted neighbor against neighbor—and the strategies used to combat such animosity.
Sujey Vega is a daughter of immigrant parents. As the first in her family to earn a PhD, Dr. Vega's always wanted to honor the lives of immigrant Latina/o communities by exploring how they navigate living and belonging in the United States while still committed to ethnic cultural identities. As director of the Community Collaborative Initiatives (CCI) program at ASU, Dr. Vega is also committed to working with community organizations to co-construct meaningful change. Trained in applied anthropology and American Studies, Sujey has carried a strong sense of advocacy throughout her personal and professional life. She has one book published, several chapters in notable edited volumes, articles in respected academic journals, and is working on her second book on Latino Mormons.
Co-sponsored with American Studies and Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies
Chinese Mexicans and Mexicanidad with Dr. Freddy Gonzalez
Thursday, October 6th | 6PM-7:15PM | Location TBA
An Evening of Poetry and Reflection with Julian Randall
Thursday, October 13th| 6:00PM-7:00PM | Fowler Hall, Stuart Hall
Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black poet from Chicago. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Callaloo, BOAAT and the Watering Hole. Julian is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize. Julian is the winner of the 2019 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award from the Publishing Triangle.
His writing has been published in New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, and POETRY, and anthologized in Black Boy Joy (which debuted at #1 on the NYT Best Seller list), Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed and Furious Flower.
He has essays in The Atlantic, Vibe Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books, and other venues. He holds an MFA in Poetry from Ole Miss.
He is the author of Refuse (Pitt, 2018), winner of the 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and a finalist for a 2019 NAACP Image Award, as well as the middle grade novel Pilar Ramirez And The Escape from Zafa (Holt, Winter 2022), and The Dead Don’t Need Reminding: Essays (Bold Type Books, Spring 2023).
Co-sponsored with Black Cultural Center & Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Center
Dia de los muertos
Wednesday, November 2nd | 6PM-8PM | Purdue Memorial North and South Ballrooms
Día de los muertos is a time to call upon our deceased loved ones, reflect on the life they lived. At Pudue University, it is a time to learn about the Día de los muertos traditions across Latin America and in the United States. Student organizations, academic units and departments as well as community organizations are invited to create altares that honor the dead and also educate the public. The evening also features other activities such as face-painting, traditional Latin American dances and decorating sugar-skulls.
Big Read Capstone: "A (Virtual) Conversation with Silvia Moreno Garcia and Q&A
Wednesday, November 2nd | Time TBA | Hiler Theater, Wilmeth Active Learning Center
Co-sponsored with the English Department
Join us as we hear from Silvia Garcia-Moreno, author of the of Mexican Gothic. More information to come!
Comida para estudiar
Monday through Thursday, December 5th-8th| 6:00PM-8:00PM | Latino Cultulral Center
Co-sponsored with Latino Facuty and Staff Assocation
The Latino Faculty and Staff Association (LaFaSA) gathers this week to provide comfort and a well-deserved break for Purdue students. Faculty and staff graciously provide home-cooked meals to students at the LCC; thus creating energy for the week of studying ahead and building community. This event is first-come, first-serve.