SU celebrates Latino Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15

SU celebrates Latino Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15September 14, 2005Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) at Syracuse University has announced a series of events to explore Latino culture and its meaning on campus, in the community and in our country. From Sept. 15-Oct. 15, SU has scheduled a wide variety of panel discussions, performances, festivities and other special events to celebrate and educate participants on the contributions of Latin Americans. All events are open to the public, and OMA is inviting members of the campus community to add new events throughout the month.

“It’s important for our Latino students to be able to celebrate their cultural heritage and to share it with the broader University community,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “Latino contributions to this country and the world stand as a notable example for all of us.”

Latino Heritage Month kicks off with a town hall meeting and reception, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m., in Grant Auditorium. Titled “The State of the Latino Community (El Estado de la Comunidad Latina),” the discussion will be comprised of SU faculty, staff and students as well as members of the Syracuse community to speak about the condition of Latinos in the United States, the City of Syracuse and the SU campus. Fernando Ortiz, Commissioner of Community Development will represent the Mayor’s Office, and will read a proclamation to mark the start of Latino Heritage Month. County Executive Nick Pirro will also attend. Graduate student Adam Carpinelli will perform African and Latin percussion on conga drums to welcome guests. Carpinelli is a student in the new master’s program in Pan African Studies in the department of African American Studies.

The panelists include: Linda Alcoff, director of the Women’s Studies program; Jacirys Dominguez, president of the Latino Greek Council; Cynda Lamb, youthcoordinator for Vincent House; Zulay Olivo, president of La L.U.C.H.A.; Anthony Otero, assistant director of Student Centers and Programming Services; Max Patino, director of recruitment and diversity, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; Rita Paniagua of the Spanish Action League; and Juanita Perez Williams, director of the Office of Judicial Affairs. The discussion will be moderated by Silvio Torres-Saillant, director of the Latino-Latin American Studies Program.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, OMA hosts Fiesta Latina, a semiformal party at Goldstein Auditorium in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. The evening will include dinner, dancing and a special performance by !Salsation! Theatre Company, a Latino sketch comedy troupe from Chicago. Admission is $5 for students, $8 for faculty and staff and $10 for the general public. Fiesta Latina begins at 7 p.m. This event is co-sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Student Centers and Programming Services and U Encounter.

SU will celebrate Latino Pride Day Oct. 9, with a performance by RAICES Dance Troupe. Founded in 1998, RAICES is the only Latino dance troupe on campus. It aims to educate the SU community about the richness and diversity of the Latino culture through music and dance. The word “raices” means “roots” in Spanish. Student groups La L.U.C.H.A. and RAICES helped establish the first Latino Pride Day in 1992. The performance begins at 2 p.m. in Room 304 of the Schine Student Center.

On Oct. 13, the OMA and Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Inc., present “Platanos and Collard Greens”, a play by David Lamb. “Platanos and Collard Greens” is a thought-provoking romantic comedy about the stereotypes, prejudices and urban myths that exist between African American and Latino people, all within the context of hip hop, humor and satire. The play is based on Lamb’s popular book “Do Platanos Go Wit’ Collard Greens?” Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium. Tickets are $3 and are available at the Schine Center Box Office.

“The celebration of Latino Heritage Month signifies a recognition and celebration of the rich and varied cultures of the people of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela,” says James Duah-Agyeman, director of Student Support and Diversity Education and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “It is my hope that our Latino students will continue to feel proud of their contributions to the rich tapestry of cultures that enhances the diversity of our University.”

For more information on Latino Heritage Month, or to add an event to OMA’s Latino Heritage Month events calendar, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (315) 443-9676.