Kick-off Celebration
Monday, Sept. 17 | 4 p.m. | Ball Circle (Rain location: The Underground, Lee Hall)
Begin exploring Latino culture through a celebration that fuses food, live entertainment, and fun. Meet members of the Latino Student Association and discover what wonderful programs are featured through the month-long celebration.
Latino Identities Month Keynote Performer: Lorena Guillen Tango Ensemble
Monday, Sept. 24 | 5 p.m. | Pollard Hall, Room 304
With its mesmerizing style and sound, the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble has captivated audiences with soulful arrangements of Argentine tango standards and original compositions that create a dynamic tango and pan-Latin fusion. Lyricist/vocalist Lorena Guillén and composer/bassist Alejandro Rutty each have rich and extensive experience in Argentine tango, jazz, classical and contemporary music, and other world and popular music styles. All can be heard on their debut recording, The Other Side of My Heart. It is an oral-history musical piece based on interviews with six Latina immigrants to North Carolina. The women’s testimonies became the lyrics of six songs, and fragments of their recorded voices can be heard throughout the piece.
Based in North Carolina, the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble has been committed to collaborations and concerts with the Latino organizations of the region, such as Casa Azul of Greensboro and the Hispanic League of Winston Salem, and their new recording reflects that community engagement. The ensemble has presented its music nationally and internationally at Kleinhans Music Hall and the Calumet Arts Café in Buffalo, NY; at the MusicBox Theater and Folk Research Center in Saint Lucia, West Indies; and for concert series sponsored by the Amherst Saxophone Quartet (NY).
Join the Latino Student Association, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the UMW learning community in exploring, recognizing, and celebrating Hispanic and Latino identities through samples of its food, music, and art. In addition, there will be educational seminars to address and raise awareness of current issues facing many Spanish-speaking communities, and society, in general. By attending these activities, you will be able to understand and get a view of the significant roles and contributions that Latinos play in our society ¡Hasta pronto!
Upcoming Social Justice Initiatives:
The James Farmer Multicultural Center is holding an event for UMW students, area high school students, and the greater Fredericksburg community, entitled: The Importance of Political and Civic Action in the 21st Century. At this event, Ed Reed, Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, will be delivering a keynote address to the young people and community members in attendance about why it is important for them to become politically and civically engaged, how it can impact their everyday lives through public policy, and the power of being an informed citizen casting their vote each election cycle. Also, we will go over the voting laws and recent changes, so people can get properly registered on site.
This event has been rescheduled from its original date to Thursday, October 4th at 6:00 p.m. in Chandler Ballroom C, University Center. We’ve received confirmation that the Mayor of Fredericksburg, Mary Katherine Greenlaw, two voting registrars for Fredericksburg, and Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director, Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will be participants at this event.
Be on the lookout for upcoming events in the Latino Identities Month Celebration and the Gender and Sexual Minorities and Allies (GSMA) Celebration in October! For more information please visit our website!
