EIU Media Relations

Banquet to Highlight Latin American Heritage Month 2009

Latin American Heritage Month activities at Eastern Illinois University will once again take place during September and October, with the major event -- the annual Latino Heritage Month Banquet -- set for Friday, Sept. 18.

Folks interested in good food and good music -- Latino-style -- have until Friday, Sept. 11, to purchase tickets for this year's banquet. Tickets, priced at $15 ($8 for EIU students), can be purchased in the Minority Affairs Office, Blair Hall 1122. Cash or check only. For ticket information, phone 217-581-6690.

The banquet, which will begin with the dinner at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, MLK Jr. Union, will also include a performance by Dois No Choro. The evening's activities will close with more music and dancing, courtesy of a disc jockey playing Latino tunes.

This year's menu consists of a variety of dishes representing five Latin American countries: Columbian chicken w/ red peppers, cheese enchiladas, Costa Rican gallo pinto (black beans/rice), Guatemalan stuffed cucumbers, Mexican potatoes and chorizo, Chilean tomato and onion salad, and triple berry cream flan.

Other Latin American Heritage Month events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks include a series of three dance lesson events. All interested individuals are invited to learn how the salsa, merengue and bachata with iSalsa2. Lessons will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, 24 and Oct. 1, in the Newman Catholic Center basement (500 Roosevelt Ave.). Lessons are free and open to the public. Beginners will be welcomed. No partner required.

Several other events are also planned. Admission to all is free and open to the public.

--"Cabrera, Ginobili and Naldandian: Changing the Dynamics of Sports in Argentina," presented by Vanessa Landrus, EIU Department of Foreign Languages, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, Charleston/Mattoon Room, MLK Jr. Union. This presentation focuses on the influence of athletes such as Angel Cabrera, Manuel Ginobili and David Naldandian in the shaping of Argentine sports.

--"Frida Kahlo: Portraits of a Mexican Artist," presented by Kristin Routt, EIU Department of Foreign Languages, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, Oakland Room, MLK Jr. Union.

--"Beyond Sports and Entertainment: The Other Latin Americans," presented by Irene Coromina, EIU Department of Foreign Languages, 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, Tuscola/Arcola Room, MLK Jr. Union.

--"Hispanic Women in Higher Education: Leadership and Career Advancement," presented by Zoraida Irizarry, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, Charleston/Mattoon Room. The focus of this presentation will be the current demographics of Hispanics in higher education and issues Hispanic women face in their pursuit to leadership positions in higher education.

--"Calavera Highway (movie)," 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, Charleston/Mattoon Room.

--"Latin American Groups on the U.S. Department of State's List of Terrorist Organizations," presented by Lilian Barria, EIU Department of Political Science, 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, Charleston/Mattoon Room. While most media attention has centered on groups in the Middle East and Asia, the U.S. Department of State also includes on its list of foreign terrorist organizations several groups in Latin America: the National Liberation Army (ELN, Colombia), the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), and the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL-Peru).

--"The Lives of Immigrants," presented by Jonathan Coit, EIU Department of History, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, Charleston/Mattoon Room. Why do immigrants come to the United States ? How do immigrants live while they are here? What is the difference between an immigrant, a refugee and a citizen, anyway? This lecture will answer these questions in two ways: First, by looking at the contemporary U.S. from the viewpoint of immigrants, refugees and temporary or seasonal U.S. residents, as well as the communities in which they live, and second, by looking at our historical experiences with immigration.

--Diversity Dialog/Discussion (Brown Bag Luncheon), 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, Charleston/Mattoon Room.

--"Chocolate in Meso-America: An Informal History," presented by Kristin Routt and Carlos Amaya, EIU Department of Foreign Languages, 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, Oakland Room. Find out where your favorite steaming cup of hot chocolate got its start and how it is enjoyed today in Latin America!

--Mexican Folk Art Exhibit Tour, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, Tarble Arts Center. This exhibition will feature ceramics, textiles and wood and papier mache sculptures by many well-known folk artists, including Josefina Aguilar, Alfonso Castillo, Demetrio Garcia and Ricardo Linares. Also on view will be Oaxacan wood carvings, Huichol beadwork, Tlaquepaque pottery and a selection of works created for The Day of the Dead.

--"Puerto Rican Reality and the Fiction of Rosario Ferre," presented by Pam Ortega, Booth Library, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, Charleston/Mattoon Room. How did Puerto Rico come to be so divided in its people's opinions regarding language, race, culture and politics? The background for Puerto Rico's current reality can be clarified in the historical fiction of one of Puerto Rico's preeminent and controversial writers, Rosario Ferre.

--Game Night (Loteria) with Amigos and Friends, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, 7th Street Underground, MLK Jr. Union (basement, east wing).

This year's Latin American Heritage Month events are co-sponsored by the Latino Heritage Committee, the Office of Minority Affairs, the Newman Catholic Center, the EIU Office of Student Life, University Board, the Tarble Arts Center and EIUnity.