Wright State University

Hispanic Heritage Month 2008 s Mes De La Herencia Hispana 2008

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

¡La Fiesta! (Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-off Celebration)

Experience Latino music, food, Salsa & Merengue lessons, hot pepper eating contest, games, cultural booths, vendors, arts, crafts and much more...

Time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Location: The Quad

THURSDAY, SPETEMBER 25 (2 LECTURES)

Lecture #1:  The Discovery of Self, Purpose, and Place Through Writing

Dr. Francisco Jimenez, Fay Boyle Professor in the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, Santa Clara University, California, will discuss the process he uses in his creative writing and explain why he writes.

Time: 12:20 p.m.

Location: Millett Hall Atrium

Lecture #2:  The Immigrant Experience: A Personal Story

In this presentation, Dr. Francisco Jimenez will talk about his personal experiences growing up in a family of migrant workers and relate how these experiences inform and inspire his writing.

Time: 2:15 p.m.

Location: Millett Hall Atrium

About Dr. Francisco Jimenez:

Nationally renowned author and educator, Francisco Jiménez emigrated with his family from Tlaquepaque, Mexico to California and as a child worked alongside his parents in the fields of California. He received his BA from Santa Clara University and an MA and Ph.D. in Latin American literature from Columbia University under a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. He has served on various professional boards and commissions, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (10 years, two as chair), California Council for the Humanities, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC), Santa Clara University Board of Trustees and the Far West Lab for Educational Research and Development. Dr. Jiménez’s autobiographical books The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Cajas de cartón), Breaking Through (Senderos fronterizos), La Mariposa, and The Christmas Gift/El regalo de Navidad have won several national literary awards, including the Américas Book Award, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Award, the Tomás Rivera Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. His books have been published in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Spanish. His forthcoming book Reaching Out, the sequel to Breaking Through, will be published by Houghton Mifflin in August of 2008. In addition, he has published and edited several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature, and his stories have been reprinted in over 100 textbooks and anthologies of literature. He was selected the 2002 U.S. Professor of the Year by CASE and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He is currently the Fay Boyle Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.

For more information, visit Professor Francisco Jimenez at: www.scu.edu/fjimenez.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 THROUGH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17

Hispanic Art Exhibition:  My Mexican Homeland

Painter Gabriela Pickett depicts the sad realities of the fading Mexican indigenous culture and the beauty of the Mexican landscape.  Born in Mexico, Pickett uses her heart-felt oil paintings and lithographs to illustrate the harsh realities faced by the Mexican people, contrasted with the incredible beauty of her homeland. The artist will be present and will speak about her work.

Location:  Student Union Art Gallery

Gallery Hours:  Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

                                                            Opening Reception:  Tuesday, October 7

                                                            12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

                                                                                                     Pathfinder Lounge (adjacent to the gallery)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Film:  The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper writer/director/producer John Carlos Frey was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and grew up in San Diego within eyeshot of the border fence.  In this, his first film, Frey uses fact-based drama to depicts the current unrest at the U.S./Mexican border, exploring the complex issues of immigration from a very personal point of view and, in the process, creating a rich story of universal truths. Quoting film publicity, “there are two sides to every story…one man stands in the middle.”

Time:  5:15 p.m.

Location:  Multicultural Lounge (161 Millett Hall)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2

Film:  The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo

The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo is an intimate biography of a woman who gracefully balanced a private life of illness and pain against a public persona that was flamboyant, irreverent and world-renowned. Kahlo was an eyewitness to a unique pairing of revolution and renaissance that defined the times in which she lived. Through the prism of her life and art, the film explores the ancient culture of Mexico; the Mexican Revolution; the wildfire of communism that burned through Latin America in the 1920s and '30s; the innovators in painting, photography, filmmaking, writing and poetry that congregated in Mexico City; and the revival of interest in popular culture for which Kahlo has become a symbol.  Kahlo is best known for dozens of self-portraits through which she tells the story of her dramatic life. Kahlo's work also reflects her passionate love affairs (including a brief one with Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky), and her turbulent marriage to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.

Time:  Noon

Location:  Multicultural Lounge (161 Millett Hall)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8

Film:  ¡Salud!

A timely examination of human values and the health issues that affect us all, ¡Salud! looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls ‘one of the world’s best health systems.’  From the shores of Africa to the Americas, ¡Salud!  hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA.  Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health—and the complex realities confronting the movement to make healthcare everyone’s birth right.  Facilitator: Mark Ryan is in his final year of the MD/MBA Program at Wright State.  For the past two and a half years he has worked in and researched Venezuela's public health care system, Barrio Adentro, which uses the Cuban health care system as its model.

Facilitator:  Mark Ryan, Wright State University Medical Student

                                     Time:  Noon

                                     Location:  Multicultural Lounge (161 Millett Hall)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9

Film:  Made in L.A.

Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer Forever 21. In intimate observational style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous and deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.

Time:  Noon

Location:  Multicultural Lounge (161 Millett Hall)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14

Latin Night featuring Son del Caribe Band

Experience the diversity of Latino music and super hot music with a special appearance by the Son del Caribe band.   Food provided by El Meson Restaurant.  Registration deadline is October 3rd.  You must register in order to attend this event.  Call the Asian/Hispanic/Native American Center at (937) 775-2798 to register. 

Time:  6:00

Location:  Apollo Room, Student Union

Admission:  Free with valid WSU-ID; $15.00 General Public (all ages). 

All events are free and open to the public unless stated otherwise. 

For more information, please call the Asian/Hispanic/Native American Center at (937) 775-2798.