Latino Heritage events set for fall

3:25 p.m., Sept. 1, 2005--Lectures, food, music and dance events will help mark “Latino Heritage Month and Beyond: Latinos, Blacks and Afro Latinos,” from Sept. 12 to Nov. 9, at UD.

Latino Heritage Month and Beyond events include:

New Student Orientation, at 4 p.m., Monday, Sept. 12, in the Visitors Center Annex Room, 196 South College Ave. This informal event offers newcomers an opportunity to meet returning students, faculty and staff who may prove to be an invaluable source of information and support to new arrivals as they begin their academic careers at UD.

Opening Ceremony, 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept 15, featuring a lecture by Juan Pedro Tomas, also known as Piri Thomas, in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center. Drawing from his life experiences, Tomas, the author of Down These Mean Streets, will talk about what it was like growing up black and Latino in America.

Comida Latina-Latin Food Festival, all day, Thursday, Sept. 22, in all campus dining halls. The festival features foods from several countries, including Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Ecuador.

Salsa Magic Dance Party/Fiesta, 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14, in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center. DJ Gringito will be spinning the best in salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton and hip-hop for the hottest interactive Latin dance party and lighting show to visit college campuses. It’s a chance to enjoy three hours of nonstop entertainment, learn the hottest new salsa moves, play games and win prizes.

Professional Etiquette, time to be announced, Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the Vita Nova Restaurant. During the event, which is open to UD students only, participants will join members of the National Society of Hispanic Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers for a comprehensive program covering proper dining, fashion and social etiquette. R.s.v.p. required.

Neither Friends Nor Enemies: Afro Latino Connections, 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9, Memorial Hall. Suzanne Oboler, associate professor of Latin American and Latino studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Anani Dzidzienyo, associate professor of Africana, Portuguese and Brazilian studies at Brown University, will discuss their recent anthology, Neither Enemies Nor Friends. The talk will explore comparative forms of radicalization in the Americas and present the implications for both Latin-American societies and for Latinos’ relations with African Americans in the United States. Prospects and obstacles for rethinking alliances and coalition-building between and among minorities and other groups in contemporary American society will be analyzed.

The programming is made possible by UD's Office of Multicultural Programs; the Activities and Programs Office, UD Student Centers; Center for Black Culture; HOLA, La Raza and Lambda Pi Chi. Other sponsors include the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Engineers and the Department of Sociology.

For more information, contact Kasandra Moye, director of multicultural programs, at (302) 831-2991.

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