Events planned to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Numerous events are planned on campus to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which will run September 16-October 13.

Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, with support from many other campus departments, Hispanic Heritage Month events are free and open to the public.

Events kick off September 16 with “Caribbean Night,” highlighted by a performance from Grupo Ayé. The band combines salsa, bachata and Latin jazz, mixed with Afro-Cuban music. The energetic group will play from 6-9 p.m. in the DeVos Center Courtyard on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Other events are detailed below:

• Latino Health Services in Grand Rapids, September 20, 1-2:30 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center. A panel of community health care experts will discuss available resources and misconceptions about health care access for area Latinos.

• Diversity Brown Bag Series, September 28, noon-1 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 1240. “Understanding Our Differences: Mexicans and Americans,” a video, will be shown and discussed. The video portrays two neighboring families as they confront misconceptions about each other.

• Tres Vidas: Three Legendary Latin American Women, October 4, 2-4:15 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center. Chamber Music Theatre will present a unique performance that will celebrate the lives of Frida Kalho, Rufina Amaya and Alfonsina Storni. The ensemble is comprised of cellist Tahirah Whittington, pianist Hugh Hinton, percussionist Michael Parola, and actress Georgina Corbo, who will portray the featured women. 

• Immigration’s True Impact on Higher Education, October 13, 2-4 p.m., Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, co-founder of the Harvard Immigration Projects, will lead discussion on whether a U.S. education should be offered to children of immigrants. Suarez-Orozco is currently professor of globalization and education at New York University.

For more information about events, visit www.gvsu.edu/oma.