Writer, producer to speak during Anti-Hate Week

An award-winning writer, producer and director will serve as keynote speaker for Anti-Hate Week activities at North Central College in Naperville.

Barbara Martinez Jitner will speak on "Femicide at Our U.S. Border: To Be a Woman in Juarez is a Death Sentence" at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at the White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave. The presentation is free.

Martinez Jitner is an Emmy and Golden Globe winning producer who has done extensive research along the U.S.-Mexico border.

She also posed as a factory worker to create a documentary, "La Frontera," about the exploitation and murder of more than 400 women in that area. Her research inspired the film "Bordertown," starring Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen.

"La Frontera" will be shown at noon Oct. 25 in Koten Chapel at Kiekhofer Hall, 329 E. School St.

Martinez Jitner is also executive producer for "American Family," the first Latino drama on broadcast television. She is slated to produce and write the new HBO series "Rain of Gold," and is working on a script for "A Day Without an Immigrant," a film about an immigration march, also starring Antonio Banderas.

In the past, she has had roles in "Selena" and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."

The theme for this year's Anti-Hate Week is "Everyone should only wear one label … Human." These are other free public events during Anti-Hate Week:

• 7 p.m. Oct. 22: "Love Gone Bad" forum at the White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave. The departments of English and Gender and Women's Studies and the Dyson Wellness Center sponsor a panel discussion about different representations of love and how to know when love has gone bad.

• 7 p.m. Oct. 24: "Race and Politics: Sound Information on a Mute Subject" discussion at the White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave. Stephen Maynard Caliendo, associate professor of political science, will lead a discussion on Sen. Barack Obama's run for the presidency, racial messages in political campaigns, and the changing nature of black and Latino voters.

For details, visit northcentralcollege.edu or call (630) 637-5156.

If you go

What: Producer/director Barbara Martinez Jitner speaks on "Femicide at Our U.S. Border"

When: 7 p.m. Oct. 25

Where: North Central College's White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave., Naperville

Cost: Free

Info: (630) 637-5156 or northcentralcollege.edu