Dallas College will host a series of events to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, following this year’s theme: “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”
The signature event will be a live performance of Cara Mia Theatre’s national touring production of “Ursula,” followed by a panel discussion at Dallas College Eastfield Campus, room S100. Attendees to the Sept. 28 event should be seated by 11:50 a.m. for a performance that begins promptly at noon. The one-person show is written, directed and performed by Frida Espinosa-Müller and has been hailed by critics as an imaginative and revealing way of drawing attention to a decades-long immigration struggle at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Telling the story of 7-year-old Nadia, Espinosa-Müller takes audiences through the mind of a child crossing the border for a better life who is traumatized after being separated from her mother. The subsequent panel will be moderated by Dallas College history professor Vanessa Mercado-Taylor and include Espinosa-Müller.
At other times during the monthlong celebration, Dallas College Multicultural Affairs and Adelante Employee Resource Group will host additional live and streamed events, with streaming rooms set up for students at each campus.
“Hispanic Leaders: A Journey of Life and Leadership Through the Ages” (panel discussion)
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1-3 p.m.
Dallas College North Lake Campus (Student Life/H200)
This event will feature an engaging panel discussion and interactive community-led talk on topics such as culture, gender-based expectations, family, career and triumph. Panelists will include prominent Hispanic figures from within Dallas County and key leaders from Dallas College. Dallas College board trustee Diana Flores and Chair Monica Lira Bravo will serve as core panelists. Watch the panel discussion online.
“Afrolatinidades: A Celebration of Black Empowerment and Advocacy in Latin America”
Thursday, Sept. 27, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
This interactive conversation facilitated by Dr. Talia Weltman-Cisneros will explore creative spaces that empower and celebrate Afro-Latin American identity and culture. Discussions will include social justice projects that have championed calls for empowerment across Black communities in Latin America as well as how the creative arts celebrate and uplift Black history and identity in Mexico. You may preregister to join this event on Webex.
“Hispanic Identity in the Arts”
Monday, Oct. 3, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
This panel will comprise representatives of various artistic genres. Discussion will include the local Hispanic identity in music, dance, and visual and performing arts. You may preregister to join this event on Webex.
Hispanic Community Leaders Panel
Thursday, Oct. 13, 11:30 a.m.
To close out Hispanic Heritage Month, Dallas College board trustee Diana Flores will moderate a panel of regional leaders from government, economic and nonprofit organizations: Rebecca Acuña, director of government affairs at PepsiCo; Rep. Terry Meza, Texas District 105; Debbie Renteria, trustee, Richardson ISD; Dr. Macario Hernandez, chief of staff, UNT Dallas and lead for the National Latino Education Research and Policy Project’s Grow-Your-Own Teacher initiative; and Lorena Tule-Romain, co-founder and COO of ImmSchools. The session will highlight Hispanic community member contributions as a socioeconomic and political force in the region as well as the leadership and professional journeys of panelists. Register for this online event.
During the monthlong celebration, Dallas College Multicultural Affairs will organize additional student-focused events. Each campus will host a Hispanic Cultural Celebration with food, games and prizes, and there are Zumba dance sessions scheduled. A group of students will travel to the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas to visit the exhibit “Yanga and the AfroMexican Experience.” A Mexican national hero, Gaspar Yanga created the first free Black settlement in the Americas.
For more information, please visit the Dallas College Hispanic Heritage Month webpage. You can find directions to Dallas College campuses through our College Locations webpage.
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