SU’s Latino Heritage Month celebration to feature Sept. 27 address by top journalist on ‘Looking Beyond J-Lo’

SU’s Latino Heritage Month celebration to feature Sept. 27 address by top journalist on ‘Looking Beyond J-Lo’September 26, 2006Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, the national recognition of Latino culture and its meaning, the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) at Syracuse University has announced a series of events to explore Latino contributions to life on campus, in the community and in the nation. Through Oct. 15, OMA and its partner organizations are hosting a variety of lectures, performances, festivities and other special events to celebrate and educate. All events are open to the public.

The keynote event of Latino Heritage Month at SU takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 27, as journalist Sandra Guzman gives the Latino Heritage Commemorative Lecture, “Looking Beyond J-Lo: The 10 Myths of Latino Culture,” at 7 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, with parking available in the University’s paid visitor lots.

Guzman is the award-winning editor in chief of Latina Magazine, the first bilingual lifestyle magazine for Hispanic women in the United States. Guzman is also experienced as a writer and television producer in the New York City media market, where she won an Emmy Award for news coverage. Her address, which is sponsored by OMA, will focus on the challenges facing Latino Americans and dispel misunderstandings about Latino heritage.

In October, SU’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month will continue with several events, including an Oct. 10 performance by Ballet Hispanico, co-sponsored by Pulse and OMA. More information on this performance is available at http://pulse.syr.edu.

For more information on Latino Heritage Month, including a complete schedule of events, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (315) 443-9676.