Wright State University

Hispanic Heritage Month 2007

Picture Gallery

ˇLa Fiesta! Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-off Celebration

Hispanic culture was celebrated with Latino music by DJ Danny Diaz, foods, Salsa & Merengue lessons, limbo contest, games, information booths, vendors

and arts & crafts at the ˇLa Fiesta! to kick-off Wright State University's Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.

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"Love, Loss, and Longing: The Impact of U.S. Travel Policy on Cuban-American Families"

Hispanic Heritage Month Art Exhibit

Wright State University presented "Love, Loss, and Longing: The Impact of U.S. Travel Policy on Cuban-American Families".  A photography exhibit of Cuban-Americans affected by the current travel ban that was unveiled in May 2006.  The travel ban allows Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba just once every three years to visit only immediate family members (no uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, etc.). There are no exceptions for family emergencies, which means that many people are unable to visit for care for their relatives.  The reception featured talks by Juan-Sí González and writer Dr. Jeanne Lemkau, both of whom worked on this project.

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Latino Two One-Act Plays

by Tere Martínez

Wright State University presented two Latino one-act plays, My Last Night with Rubén Blades and For Mi Chichí, by Tere Martínez. Tere is a Puerto Rican playwright and actress.  She lives in New York City, where she has been working with the Latino theatre community for the past fifteen years.  The two one-acts plays were part of the 2000 Latina Playwrights Festival at WOW Café in lower Manhattan. The two pieces have toured theatres in New York, Pennsylvania,

Ohio and Puerto Rico.

"Mi Ultima Noche Con Rubén Blades"

Yanira (Tere Martínez) cleans floors in the World Trade Center.  Her life is less than perfect, so she creates a world of fantasy and romance with salsa singer, Rubén Blades.  Yanira is the victim of domestic violence.  Since her childhood, she has had a string of abusive stepfathers and ends up marrying an abusive husband.  In Yanira’s fantasy, Rubén Blades becomes the only positive male figure in Yanira’s life.  One day at work, Yanira’s dream comes true:  she meets Rubén Blades in person.  The encounter causes Yanira to look closely at the realities of her life and decide whether or not to stop the abusive pattern that has always defined her existence.

"For Mi Chichí"

Dylcia, a Dominican immigrant to New York, juggles her time between her child, work, and the classroom where she struggles to learn English.  She develops a peculiar and dynamic relationship with her Puerto Rican ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher.  The drama centers around Dylcia’s ESL class and her struggles in the United States.  Featuring Venessa Díaz and starring Rosie Berrido in the role that won her the 2000 HOLA Award for Best Actress in a                 Dramatic Role.

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The Many Flavors of Salsa: Deconstructing the Term "Latino"

 Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture

by Dr. Jose Gonzalez

Dr. Jose Gonzalez, Professor of English, United States Coast Guard Academy, and recipient of the 2006 Poet of the Year Award from the New England Association of Teachers of English, presented the many faces of Latinos and significant differences among Latino groups.

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 Hispanic Heritage Month Latin Night

with the Salsa Caliente Band!

Diversity of Latino music and super hot dances were experienced at the annual Hispanic Heritage Month Latin Night.  The night featured the 12-piece Cincinnati Latin band, Salsa Caliente.  The musicians are from Cincinnati, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Columbia and Peru.

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