August 31, 2005

Purdue celebrates Latino heritage with Culture, Liberty and Passion

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's Latino Cultural Center will celebrate Latino Heritage Month with a series of events called Culture, Liberty and Passion from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 featuring artwork from the winner of the center's first art contest.

Latino Heritage Month
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"Our goal is to highlight the wide range of cultures among the Latino people," said LCC director Maricela Alvarado. "Among the events on schedule this year will be a focus on Jewish-Latino culture, which we hope will show just how diverse we are while at the same time point out the similarities."

Jhose Melin Maxson, a student from Harrison High School who was the winner of the Day of the Family art contest, designed the logo for this year's celebration. His work will be on display at the Latino Cultural Center, at 503 Harrison St., South Campus Courts B, and is on the LCC Web site.

The opening ceremony, called "Viva el Churro," will take place from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 15 in the Latino Cultural Center. Latino-based student organizations will perform and present information about opportunities to students and the community. Warm churros, a crispy cinnamon sugar-bread treat, will be available along with horchata, a sweet rice drink typically served in Mexico.

Other events scheduled include:

• Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse. Latino Social Dance Workshop, cosponsored with Purdue Convocations, will teach novice and intermediate dancers Latin-style dancing, such as salsa and meringue.

• Sept. 23, 8 p.m. Purdue Memorial Ballrooms. Puerto Rican dance group Plena Libre will perform a Latin dance party. The group, established 10 years ago, turns traditional folk melodies from folklore into musical movements. Tickets are $15 for students, $22 for non-students.

• Sept. 25-Oct. 1. Delta Phi Mu Week. Latina-based sorority presents a week of activities, including a Hispanic Heritage Show at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 in Room 21l0 of Matthews Hall.

• Sept. 27, 6 p.m. Latino Cultural Center, 503 Harrison St., South Campus Courts B. The Don Quixote Carnival will recognize faculty, staff and friends of the Latino community in honor of the 400th anniversary of the publication of Cervantes' "Don Quixote." Guests are invited, though not required, to dress up as their favorite character from the novel that many consider one of the finest books in the Spanish language.

• Sept. 29, 7 p.m. Room 2280 of Beering Hall. There will be a showing of the film, "Amnesia," a movie set in Chile about a former guard in a South American detention camp who exacts revenge on his cruel sergeant.

• Oct. 1, 10 a.m. Latino Cultural Center. The Polilla Café, a poetry café series, will feature "A Star and a Cross" by Marjorie Agosin, a Jewish-Chilean author who recounts her past and highlights her cultural identity development. An open-microphone format will follow, and the community is invited to participate.

• Oct. 6, 3 p.m. Purdue Memorial Union's Terrace Room. Antonio Tillis, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures and African and American Studies, will read from his book titled "Manuel Zapata Olivella and the 'Darkening' of Latin American Literature."

• Oct. 6, 7 p.m. Purdue Memorial Union's Terrace Room. Kibbutz Café with author Marjorie Agosin, a professor at Wellesley College, who will present her own poetry. The focus is on Jewish-Latino culture. The open-microphone format will follow her talk.

• Oct. 7, 11 a.m. Krannert Auditorium. Marjorie Agosin will talk about Chile and Jewish-Latino culture.

• Oct. 14, 3 p.m. Room 239, Stanley Coulter Hall. American Studies Lecture Series presents Sonia Saldivar-Hull, professor and director of women's studies at the University of Texas. She will discuss her book "Feminism on the Border."

• Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Stewart Center's Room 306. Latino Heritage Month closing ceremony will focus on events, organizations and all contributors to the month-long celebration.

Sponsors include Purdue Agriculture Extension, Jewish Studies Program, Purdue Hillel, College of Engineering, Convocations, College of Liberal Arts, American Studies, Foreign Languages and Literatures, African American Studies and Consumer and Family Sciences.

Information on any of the events is available at the Latino Cultural Center at (765) 494-2530, latinocc@purdue.edu. The Latino Cultural Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Latino Cultural Center is Purdue's first center for Hispanic and Latin culture. The center strives to provide a venue where people of similar cultures, values, customs and language can unite to share ideas and events with the university and the community.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Source: Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-25301, alvaradm@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Jhose Melin Maxson, a student from Harrison High School, designed this artwork to represent this year's Latino Heritage Month, a series of events from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 sponsored by the Latino Cultural Center. Maxson won the Day of the Family art contest this spring and will have his work on display at the Latino Cultural Center, 503 Harrison St., South Campus Courts B. An opening ceremony will take place there 4-6 p.m. Sept. 15 with entertainment, food and information about the center. (Purdue Marketing Communications photo/Mark Simons)