August 17, 2007

Purdue's Latino Cultural Center honors Latino Heritage Month

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Purdue's events are part of the national Hispanic Heritage Month, established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and expanded in 1988 to a full month-long celebration, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

"The Latino Cultural Center is a leading force in the local celebration of national Hispanic Heritage Month," said LCC director Maricela Alvarado. "Locally, this monthlong celebration combines the efforts of the LCC, Purdue University and a number of community organizations in planning and sponsoring a variety of academic and cultural events."

This year's celebration of Latino heritage will begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 14 with an open house at 600 N. Russell St. Purdue President France A. Córdova is scheduled to attend, and there will be free cinnamon sugar-bread treats of warm churros as a celebration of Latino culture around the world.

"We are always looking for new people to get involved," Alvarado said. "As always, people of all ethnicities are encouraged to help plan and participate in these exciting activities."

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

• Sept. 18. 7 p.m. Beering Hall, Room 2290. The film "Florés de Otro Mundo" ("Flowers From Another World") will be shown followed by a discussion. Based on a true story, this award-winning drama from director Icíar Bollaín traces the relationships of three new couples, documenting their struggles with clashing cultures, sex and racism.

• Sept. 19. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stewart Center, Room 210. Latino Scholars Forum. Presented by the Latino Faculty and Staff Association, the multidisciplinary forum will give Latino faculty and graduate students an opportunity to present their diverse scholarly interests in an academic setting and discuss research with their peers for purposes of promoting Latino scholarship activity and the Latino community. A roundtable discussion on career development issues will follow and President Córdova is scheduled to make welcoming remarks.

• Sept. 22. 7 p.m. Matthews Hall, Room 210. Delta Phi Mu Cultural Show. The ninth annual cultural show by Purdue's first Latina-based sorority promotes the essence of Latinos as a culture.

• Sept. 29. 10 a.m. Latino Cultural Center. The bilingual bookclub, La Polilla Café, will discuss "Caucasia" by Danzy Senna. The novel is the story of a young, biracial girl who learns difficult lessons as she seeks to find her place in society and her own personal identity.

• Oct. 1. 7 p.m. Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. John Coatsworth, interim dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, will speak. He is a leading historian on the political economy and international relations of Latin America. His talk is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, the department of history and the Latino Cultural Center.

• Oct. 4. 4-7 p.m. Latino Cultural Center. The center will sponsor a reception for all faculty and staff to thank them for contributions to the LCC and support to the students.

• Oct. 13. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Chicago. AfriCaribe Conference. The Latino Cultural Center is sponsoring a visit to the AfriCaribe Cultural Center for its annual one-day conference. The center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, research, promotion and development of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean cultures through music, dance, theater and other artistic mediums. Register to attend by calling (765) 494-2530 or e-mail alvaradm@purdue.edu.

For more information, see the center's revamped Web site at https://www.purdue.edu/lcc

The Latino Cultural Center was established in 2003 as Purdue's first center for Hispanic and Latino culture. The organization is a gathering place where people of similar cultures and backgrounds can come together to share events in the university community.

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

Source: Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-2530, alvaradm@purdue.edu

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

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