CCNY Announces Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month Events

Whether it is called Hispanic Heritage Month or Latino Heritage Month, it is a fiesta of lectures, concerts, parties and forums celebrating the cultures and traditions of the peoples who comprise the largest segment of The City College of New York’s student population. Events run September 13 through October 17 and take place on CCNY’s main campus at 138th Street and Convent Avenue and at the Center for Worker Education, 25 Broadway, New York.

Activities range from a Latino Awareness Fair, featuring foods from different countries and Spanish music, to a forum and photo exhibit on the legacy of the Taino people, who were indigenous to Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Hispanics represent 32 percent of the City College student population, which makes them the largest ethnic group on campus. “U.S. News” ranks City College as one of the most diverse colleges where Hispanics are the largest ethnic group.

Organizations offering events include the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development’s Student Life Activities Program Committee, Latino Heritage Month Student Committee, Dominican Students Association, Sigma Lambda Beta, Lambda Pi Chi, CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies.

A list of events, including times, dates, locations and brief descriptions follows. Unless noted otherwise, all events are free and open to the public.

September 13, Latino Awareness Fair. Learn about different aspects of Latino culture and influences in dance, engineering, disability services, food and more. Enjoy free food from different Latin American countries while listening to Spanish music. 7 – 9 p.m. Thursday, September 13, North Academic Center Ballroom. Presented by Office of Student Life & Leadership Development’s Student Life Activities Program Committee.

September 19, Latino Heritage Month Wall Revealing. Posters of influential figures in diverse fields from various Latin American countries who have made immeasurable contributions to society. 5 – 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 19, North Academic Center Rotunda. Presented by Latino Heritage Month Student Committee.

September 19, Wednesday Night Live. A new monthly series of live entertainment events kicks off with El Grito de Poetas, a collective of seven diverse Latinos representing the Caribbean, Central and South America. 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 19, North Academic Center Ballroom. Presented by Office of Student Life & Leadership Development’s Student Life Activities Program Committee.

September 21, Second Annual Tipico Night. A celebration in honor of Latino Heritage Month with live bands to showcase different styles of music for the entire CCNY community to enjoy. 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. Friday, September 21, North Academic Center Ballroom. $7 in advance at http://ccnystudentlife.ticketleap.com/2ndtipiconight/; $10 at door, $12 after 10 p.m. Presented by the Office of Student Life & Leadership Development in collaboration with the CCNY Dominican Students Association, Sigma Lambda Beta and Lambda Pi Chi.

October 2, Latino Heritage Month Immigration Forum. A forum discussing this matter of great importance to The City College community featuring Q&A with a panel of knowledgeable professionals. 12 noon – 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 2, Hoffman Student Lounge, North Academic Center. Presented by the Latino Heritage Month Student Committee.

October 4, Forum and Photo Exhibit: “Discussing the Taino Legacy.”  An enriching glance at the historical origins and development of Taino society in the Caribbean, specifically on Hispaniola. Forum explores and presents latest research on the central role the Taino played in the formation of Dominican society. A photo exhibit featuring selected images from the collector’s edition of “Taino: Joyas del arte taino. Jewels of Taino Art,” follows. 10 a.m. – 12 noon Thursday, October 4, Dominican Studies Institute Archives and Library, Room 2/202, North Academic Center. Presented by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute.

October 4, CUNY DSI Meeting With American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic. A delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic will receive a first copy of a CUNY DSI monograph on Juan Rodriguez/Jan Rodrigues, the first non-Native American person on record to have resided in the Hudson Harbor area. 12:30 p.m. Thursday, October 4, CUNY DSI offices, Room 4/107, North Academic Center. By invitation only.

October 12, Latino Heritage Month Closing - Culture Show and Party. To end the month of celebrations, a cultural show and party featuring various performances with a Latino twist will commemorate Latino culture. Come dance the night away and immerse yourself in the Latin experience. All proceeds will go to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. 6 p.m. – 12 midnight, Friday, October 12, Aronow Theatre (6 – 8 p.m.) and North Academic Center Ballroom (8 p.m. – 12 midnight). Prices: Advance purchase – show and party $5 each or $7 for combo purchase; At door – show and party $7 each or $10 for combo purchase. Presented by the Latino Heritage Month Student Committee in collaboration with the Office of Student Life & Leadership Development’s Student Life Activities Program Committee.

October 17, “El Perú colonial en los dibujos de fray Diego de Ocaña” (Colonial Peru in the Drawings of Father Diego de Ocaña). Illustrated lecture by Dr. Beatriz Carolina Peña, lecturer, Queens College, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the journal “Colonial Latin American Review,” 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 17, Amsterdam Room, Faculty Dining Room, Third Floor, North Academic Center. Presented by City College Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and “Colonial Latin American Review.”

October 17 – 20, Festival latinoamericano de poesía ciudad de Nueva York 2012 (Latin American Poetry Festival, NYC 2012.) City College’s Center for Worker Education is one of several venues for this event. It features poetry readings, lectures, musical and theatrical performances, panel discussions, and round tables by 40 poets originally from Argentina, Brazil, Perú, Colombia, Uruguay, El Salvador, Chile, Honduras, Guatemala, México, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The following events are at the Center for Worker Education, 7th floor, 25 Broadway:

• 6 – 9 p.m. Wednesday, October 17, Grand Opening.
• 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday, October 18, colloquium: “Temas y problemas de la poesía latinomericana actual.”
• 5 – 3 p.m., Thursday, October 18, poetry reading.
• 2 – 5 p.m. Friday, October 19, colloquium: “Teatro y poesía.”
• 5 – 8 p.m., Friday, October 19, poetry reading.