Events celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

A variety of events are planned to celebrate Hispanic heritage at Grand Valley.

Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and supported by many other campus departments, Hispanic Heritage Month will run September 15-October 24. All events are free and open to the public. 

The celebration will kick off Monday, September 15 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with the showings of episode one and two of  “Latino Americans,” a three-part documentary series that chronicles the rich, varied experiences of Latinos, the largest minority group in the U.S. The series will be shown in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 1240 Kirkhof Center, and will continue September 22-26 and October 6-10. 

Other events include: 

The Power of The Latino Vote with Milinda Ysasi-Castañon, ‘03: September 26, noon-1:30 p.m, Kirkhof Center, room 2266. Sigma Lambda Gamma will co-host this event to discuss the importance of Latino youth civic engagement. Alumna Milinda Ysasi-Castanon will share her personal story about why she got involved politically. 

Professionals of Color Lecture Series featuring Rosa Clemente: October 2, 6-7:30 p.m., Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center. Community organizer, journalist and political activist Rosa Clemente was nominated by the Green Party as a vice presidential candidate in 2008. She founded Know Thy Self Productions, which has produced four major community activism tours. 

Unaccompanied Children: October 14, noon-1 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center. With the growing number of unaccompanied children entering the U.S., this program will discuss some of the systemic problems that have created these conditions. Bethany Christian Services will discuss how this impacts the local refuge foster care system.  

Latino Student Union Dinner & Dance: October 24, 7:30 p.m.-midnight, Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center. 

All programs are approved for LIB 100 and 201 classes. Call (616) 331-2177 for more information.