In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Temple s schools and colleges are hosting an array of in-person events.
Photo by Graphic courtesy of Santiago Savi
From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Temple will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the contributions of Latinx/Hispanic communities throughout United States history.
This year, the College of Liberal Arts will collaborate with other schools and colleges as well as other campus partners and community organizations to host a series of in-person and virtual events, including panel discussions, author readings, film screenings, Latin dance lessons and more.
This year s celebration will not only honor the history and contributions of the Latinx/Hispanic communities but also recognize its diverse range of cultures. That s why this year s title is Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month: La Diversidad Nos Define (diversity defines us). Although the College of Liberal Arts is the principal organizer of this year s events, this is a universitywide celebration, said Hiram Aldarondo, the senior associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). We invited all schools and colleges, along with Temple Libraries, to get involved. Twenty-three events are planned, with contributions also from local community partners.
Visit Hispanic Heritage Month for a complete list of events. Here are a few highlights.
Opening event: Race, Identity and History of Latinos in the United States
The opening event for Hispanic Heritage Month at Temple will include a talk from keynote speaker Milagros Denis-Rosario and a panel discussion with Johnny Irizarry, C sar Cabezas, Emma Restrepo and Harvey Neptune addressing race and identity of Latinos in the United States. This event is hosted by the Center for the Humanities at Temple and the Latin American Studies Program. Co-sponsored by: College of Education and Human Development, Department of History, Department of Philosophy, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and Lew Klein College of Media and Communication s Latino Initiative.
Thursday, Sept. 15
2 p.m.
Mazur Hall
Panel discussion: Upward Mobility in Latinx Communities
Join Jennifer Morton and Jody Agius Vallejo for a discussion about upward mobility in Latinx communities and a panel discussion with professors and students.
Friday, Sept. 16
12:30 p.m.
Gladfelter Hall
Attend a talk with author Ana Mu iz about her book Borderland Circuitry: Immigration Surveillance in the United States and Beyond. A Zoom webinar will be available for this event.
Monday, Sept. 19
4:30 p.m.
Gladfelter Hall
Panel discussion: Latin America in Global Studies
Join a panel of Temple s global studies program alumni for a discussion on their research on Latin America and some of its critical issues.
Tuesday, Sept. 20
3:30 p.m.
Gladfelter Hall
Author talk: Jos Ram n Velasco and Taty Hern ndez
This event, hosted in conjunction with IV Latin American Book Fair, will offer attendees coffee and the chance to listen in on a talk with authors Jos Ram n Velasco and Taty Hern ndez.
Thursday, Sept. 22
5 p.m.
Mazur Hall
Film screening: The Book of Life
Join the College of Liberal Arts for an outdoor silent film screening of the movie The Book of Life, co-written and directed by Mexican director Jorge R. Gutierrez. As part of a fundraiser for Esperanza Healthcare, the Spanish Club will be selling quesadillas.
Thursday, Sept. 22
8 p.m.
Mazur Hall Terrace
Diversity Dialogues aims to promote discourse, critical thinking, and transformative action around matters of diversity, inclusion, and social justice in the medical and health sciences community. This month will be elevating voices from Temple's Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) and the Latinx community discussion in honor of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month.
Monday, Sept. 26
Noon
Medical Education and Research Building
Attend an outdoor performance of the Afro-Brazilian dance-based martial art Capoeira, a Brazilian art form that is a hybrid of martial arts, dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality.
Monday, Sept. 26
4 p.m.
Mazur Hall Terrace
A conversation: Documenting Daily Life With Latin American Workers
Claudia Zamora-Valencia, a PhD student in anthropology, will present this talk on her work with immigration narratives as a filmmaker, community organizer and researcher.
Thursday, Sept. 29
Noon
Klein Law Building
Panel discussion: Latinx in the Law
A panel of five graduates of Temple s Beasley School of Law will come together to discuss their careers as Latinx lawyers and serving Latinx populations.
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Noon
Klein Law Building
Expert talk: Unpacking Identity Categories
During this talk, Salvador Vidal-Ortiz will address the term Hispanic and other identity categories found across various Latin American communities.
Wednesday, Oct. 5
1 p.m.
Howard Gittis Student Center
Expert talk: Representation in Latinx Art
Sponsored by Tyler School of Art and Architecture, this talk will feature Marcela Guerrero (Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City), discussing representation of Latinx art in various leading art institutions.
Thursday, Oct. 6
6 p.m.
Temple Contemporary (Tyler School of Art)
Conference: Politics of Authenticity
This two-day conference hosted by graduate students in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese will explore how art and culture influence conceptions of authenticity and resilience.
Friday, Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m.; Saturday, Oct. 8, 5 p.m.
1 p.m.
Mazur Hall
Expert talk: Perceptions of Democracy in Latin America
Join a talk with Jared Abbott in which he will address whether increasing citizen voice in government decision-making will affect the perception of democracy in Latin America.
Monday, Oct. 10
Noon
Gladfelter Hall
Hit the dance floor and take Latin dance lessons with Esencia Latina, a student organization that provides education on the Latinx experience through the art form of dance. This event also includes a performance by Esencia Latina.
Tuesday, Oct. 11
6 p.m.
Howard Gittis Student Center
A conversation: How to Study the Conquest in the 21st Century
During this discussion, historians Laura Matthew and Camilla Townsend will address their approaches and methodologies while studying conquest in the 21st century.
Wednesday, Oct. 12
12:30 p.m.
Gladfelter Hall
Author talk: Carmen Maria Machado and Liz Moore
This event, co-sponsored by Temple Libraries; CLA; the Intellectual Heritage Program; and the gender, sexuality and women s studies program, will feature Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House and Her Body and Other Parties, in conversation with Liz Moore, Temple professor and New York Times bestselling author.
Thursday, Oct. 13
12:30 p.m.
Charles Library
Author reading: Mayra Santos-Febres
Author Mayra Santos-Febres will share her perspectives on her new book, Quererse Negra, and how it is dedicated to the construction of Afro women in America.
Thursday, Oct. 13
2 p.m.
Mazur Hall
Film screening: Fenomenal! Rompeforma
Attend a screening for a preview of the documentary that celebrates the Latinx dance and performance festival in Puerto Rico, including performances from the 80s and 90s. After the viewing, there will be a roundtable discussion that will include directors Meri n Soto and Viveca V zquez, author Mayra Santos Febres, and video artist Laura Sof a P rez.
Thursday, Oct. 13
5 p.m.
Conwell Dance Theater
Honoring the Legacy of Jesu s Marti n-Barbero
Join an event celebrating the life and legacy of Jesu s Marti n-Barbero, a Spanish-Colombian communication scholar known as one of the world s leading thinkers on media, globalization and culture. This event will feature speakers Nick Couldry, Marwan Kraidy, Amparo Marroqu n Parducci and Omar Rinc n to talk about Marti n-Barbero s work.
Friday, Oct. 14
5:30 p.m.
Charles Library
For the complete list of 23 events, visit Temple s Hispanic Heritage Month website.
The correct usage of the terms Hispanic, Latino/a, Latinx and Latine can be a complicated topic. So much so that professor of sociology from American University Salvador Vidal-Ortiz will give a speech on the topic as part of Hispanic Heritage Month programming. While the terms people use to identify themselves are constantly evolving, and each person should choose the words that feel most appropriate and authentic to them, there are some general uses and meanings associated with them. Hispanic: This term is generally used to refer to a person from a Spanish-speaking country, including Spain. The term originated in the 1970s for Census purposes as a way to distinguish Spanish-speaking Americans from Anglo-Americans. Latino/Latina: These terms refer to a diverse group of people who have roots in Latin America. The endings of o and a correspond, respectively, to masculine and feminine gendering of the word, as is common in the Spanish language. Latinx: This term is growing increasingly […]
