Purdue's Latino Cultural Center plans events for Semana de la Raza

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's Latino Cultural Center has several activities scheduled from Monday (Feb. 25) to March 1 for Semana de la Raza, or Week of the People.

The events are designed to raise awareness of issues and cultural nuances, said Omar Diaz, program coordinator for LCC.

The Purdue Latino Experience will be one of the highlights. Set for 5 p.m. Feb. 26 at Stewart Center, Room 202, it is a student-led panel discussion of Latino students from various backgrounds and countries. They will speak about their educational experiences that led them to Purdue and their experiences at the university. The Embajadores, the LCC's service-learning organization, will lead the discussion.

Other scheduled events, which are free and open to the public, are:

* Feb. 25. 7 p.m. Carole and Gordon Mallett Theatre, Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts. "Two Sisters and a Piano" play reading. Set in Havana in 1991, the play explores the lives of two sisters under house arrest for writing a manifesto on the liberalization of Cuba.

* Feb. 27. 6 p.m. Lawson Computer Science Building, Room 1142. Author Fred Arroyo will read from his book "Western Avenue and Other Fictions." Arroyo also will discuss his experiences at Purdue, where he earned his master's degree in creative writing.

* Feb. 28 6 p.m. Lawson Computer Science Building, Room B155. Screening and discussion of the film "Black Orpheus." The film is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Joseph Dorsey, associate professor of history and African American Studies, will facilitate the event, which is part of the Latin American Film Festival.

For more information about the events, visit http://www.purdue.edu/LCC

In addition to the LCC, sponsors of Semana de la Raza are the Latino Student Council, the undergraduate theatre studies program and the LCC Embajadores.

Writer: Greg McClure, 765-496-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu