ECC Latino Heritage Month starts Friday
Elgin Community College's annual celebration of Hispanic culture and beliefs begins Friday with the Latino Heritage Month Kick-off Breakfast.
The breakfast will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Fox Valley University and Business Center on the main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
To reserve a seat by purchasing a ticket, call Elena Gardea at (847) 214-7698 or Marlen Perez at (847) 214-7222.
Speaking at the breakfast, which has a theme of "Latinos in the Media," is Leda Santodomingo, a journalist for Telemundo Chicago.
A Venezuela native with 25 years of journalism experience, Santodomingo is currently part of a select team of journalists at Telemundo Chicago. She has received several awards and honors for her work as a reporter and has been nominated for three Emmys.
Other events during Latino Heritage Month include:
• Wednesdays, Sept. 19 through Oct. 16: "Sabor Latino" features a meal and musical entertainment from a different Spanish-speaking country each Wednesday in the ECC cafeteria. The price of the meal varies.
• Fridays, Sept. 21, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19: The "Latino Film Festival" will feature the showing of three Spanish-language films -- "Quinceanera," "The Walkout" and "Pan's Labyrinth" -- at 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center Auditorium. Admission is free.
• Sept. 25: "Skilled Careers Presentation" focuses on the advantages of entering into a skilled/technical career from a Hispanic perspective. Speaking at the event, held at 6:30 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center Auditorium, are Jose Vital, a coordinator and instructor of refrigeration/air conditioning technology at Harper College; and Joaquin Camacho, a facility manager at Jones Lang LaSalle in Lincolnshire. Admission is free.
• Sept. 26: "Aztec Stories" features a presentation by artist Michael Heralda that involves a mix of ancient poetry, narratives, oral tradition stories and ballads. Heralda also brings and utilizes many handheld indigenous-style instruments and encourages the audience to participate through music and song. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Visual and Performing Arts Center's Blizzard Theatre. Admission is free.
• Sept. 27: ECC's library will host a "Latino Literature Read-In," a reading celebration of Hispanic art and literature where students, staff and the community read the works of prominent Latino authors. The event is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Renner Learning Resources Center. Admission is free.
• Sept. 28-29: "Salsation! HisPanic Attack!" features a medley of the best comedic sketches from Chicago's first all-Hispanic improvisational and sketch comedy ensemble. Salsation! offers a sharp-witted and hilarious Hispanic-style twist on images of Latinos in the media, education and coping with life's irritations, traditions and celebrations.
The ensemble will perform on both days at 8 p.m. in the Visual and Performing Arts Center's SecondSpace Theatre. Admission is $17 performance and an additional $17 for an optional dinner.
• Oct. 5: Experience the intensity and excitement of stepping, a venue for expressing identity through a complex performance that involves synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting and drama, during the "Latino Step Show." Hispanic fraternities and sororities will perform during this competition, held at 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center Auditorium. Admission is free.
• Oct. 26: Los Utrera is a family of musicians and dancers who take their inspiration from the fiestas of Mexico and is one of the best Mexican "son Jarocho," or Jarocho sound, groups in today's traditional music scene. Led by 83-year-old Don Esteban Utrera, they offer a vibrant update on the music of several generations, including an uplifting West African influence. Performing with a zapateado dancer, this performance promises to be a visual as well as musical feast. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Visual and Performing Arts Center's Blizzard Theatre. Admission is $15.
Latino Heritage Month is sponsored by ECC in collaboration with the Office of Student Life, Reflejos, ECC's Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee, ECC's Organization of Latin American Students, Columbia College of Missouri and Roosevelt University.
For information about Latino Heritage Month and other events and news at ECC, visit www.elgin.edu.