WSU Hosts Hispanic Awareness Month Events
OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University and its partners is hosting a series of free events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15, including an art exhibit featuring work from the late José María Velasco, and a presentation by Pedro Rojas, a national news correspondent for Univision.
Enrique Romo, Student Affairs assistant vice president praised Hispanic Heritage month as an important and meaningful celebration of the contributions of the Hispanic community that help make America a thriving, vibrant and culturally diverse country.
“It is a great opportunity to educate people about different cultures and traditions, and it reminds us that even though we may have had different upbringings, we are bound together by our love for this country,” Romo said. “It gives the community another reason to feel proud and to tell everyone that we, too, are an integral part of our shared history.”
WSU’s Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME) in the Office of Access & Diversity and their partners have curated a calendar of events that highlight the art, culture and stories of the Hispanic community on campus and in the surrounding area.
“Each year the Center for Multicultural Excellence has taken the lead to celebrate and honor the diverse students, staff and faculty at WSU,” said Mónica Rodríguez Mesa, CME counselor. “Hispanic Heritage Month is an important event that celebrates and honors the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.”
The public can view an art exhibit showcasing the work of the late José María Velasco Oct. 1-31. in the Shepherd Union Sky Bridge. Two other art exhibits from local Utah artists and organizations will be displayed in the Stewart Library and Shepherd Union Building throughout the month.
Velasco was a Mexican painter best known for his world-renowned paintings of Mexican landscapes. His paintings have been showcased around the world and have become a vital source for environmental historians studying the Mexican landscape before it was transformed by urban sprawl.
The community is also invited to hear Hispanic Heritage keynote speaker Pedro Rojas give a presentation about the current situation at the border. Rojas is a two-time Emmy nominee and national news correspondent for Univision. His journalism career has given him a broad range of experience around the country, as well as with immigration near the border.
Rojas will speak twice on Oct. 10, once in English at 12:30 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater and once in Spanish at 6 p.m. at the Community Education Center (2605 Monroe Blvd., Ogden).
WSU’s Hispanic Heritage Month events are held in partnership with the WSU’s Office of Access & Diversity, Ballet Folklórico, Center for Multicultural Excellence, Hispanic Area Council, Latinos in Action, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán; Department of History; International Amnesty Club, Sigma Delta Pi; Spanish program; Stewart Library. Community partners include Consulate of Colombia in Los Angeles for Festikids of Utah, Utah Humanities and Artes de México in Utah, Utah Arts & Museums.
Calendar of Events
· “José María Velasco” art exhibit, Oct. 1-31, Shepherd Union Sky Bridge.
· Pedro Rojas: The State of the Border, Oct. 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater in English; 6 p.m. at WSU’s Community Education Center (2605 Monroe Blvd., Ogden, Utah) in Spanish.
· WSU Ballet Folklórico presents “Las Historias No Contadas del Folklore II,” (The Untold Folk Stories II). Oct. 11, 6-8 p.m., Shepherd Union Wildcat Theater.
· José María Velasco and his contributions to the history of art from Mexico discussion with Jeffrey Richey, WSU assistant professor of history, Oct. 15, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room.
For more information call 801-626-7330 or 801-626-7006.
For photos, visit the following links.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Shaylee Stevens, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7948 • shayleestevens@weber.edu- Contact:
Mónica Rodríguez Mesa, Center for Multicultural Excellence Counselor
801-626-7330 • monicarodriguez@weber.edu