ECC LatinX Heritage Month brunch features Border Angels founder
Elgin Community College's celebration of LatinX Heritage Month begins with a keynote address by Enrique Morones, Ph.D., founder and director of the nonprofit organization Border Angels, at the kickoff brunch on Friday, Sept. 14. It will be 10 a.m. to noon in the Building E Dining Room, 1700 Spartan Drive.
Morones has dedicated his life to the prevention of thousands of migrant deaths that happen on the U.S.-Mexico border. Inspired by his faith, and a chance meeting with Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert Kennedy, he has given a human face to countless migrants, offering them compassion in the form of food, water, clothing, education and advocacy.
Founded by Morones in 1986, Border Angels advocates for human rights, humane immigration reform and social justice, with a special focus on Latino issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. It provides migration education and advocacy in the form of outreach, free immigration consulting services to migrant families, and works to dispel the stigma surrounding immigration in the U.S. Visit borderangels.org
The brunch will be led by the ECC's Organization of Latin American Students, and centers on the theme "Roots Without Borders."
Seating is limited and tickets can be purchased at tickets.elgin.edu or at the box office. Cost is $12 or $20 for community members.
• LatinX Conexión: Cultivando Semillas from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, in the Jobe Lounge. Get connected with campus departments, student organizations and resources at ECC. Prominent LatinX leaders from ECC and the community at large will share their experiences.
• Evolution of LatinX from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in Room G100, Spartan Auditorium. Join ECC's LatinX Oral History Project scholars and NIU's Center for Latino and Latin American Studies in a seminar-mixer discussing the history of the term "LatinX" and how LatinX leaders have influenced the current political climate.
• Tradiciones Inspiradas by BFH … Dance, Express, Inspire! at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, in Blizzard Theatre. Enjoy a vibrant, colorful performance by Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl. Buy tickets at tickets.elgin.edu.
• Casa de Café from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Room G100, Spartan Auditorium. Enjoy coffee and conchas, LatinX literature and theatrical performances by the ECC community. To share your own piece, email Alex Dominguez at jdominguez@elgin.edu.
• Los Lonely Boys at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Blizzard Theatre. This Grammy Award-winning trio, the Garza brothers, describe their sound as "Texican rock," which draws equally from rock, blues, Tex-Mex, conjunto and Tejano music. Buy tickets at tickets.elgin.edu.
• LatinX United: A Walk for Education from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Seigle Auditorium. The LatinX educational experience is complex and challenging. It will raise awareness about barriers experienced by LatinX students along their educational pathways.
For details, call the Office of Student Life at (847) 214-7370 or visit elgin.edu/lhm.