Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrates the Latinx Diaspora with Art, Documentary Film and More

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Featured presenters during Hispanic Heritage Month include a documentary filmmaker, an expert on Haiti, Black legal scholars from Argentina, a jazz musician, scholars of the Latinx diaspora and more.

October 20, 2021

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) honors Hispanic Heritage with events that run now through December and are hosted by staff and faculty from the Departments of Academic Literacy and Linguistics, Ethnic and Race Studies, Modern Languages and Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, as well as the ESL Lab and the Women’s Resource Center.

The scheduled events start off with a focus on the arts, highlighting the current exhibition in the Shirley Fiterman Art Center, A Journal of the Year of the Pharmacy, a large-scale exhibition of the work of Pablo Helguera.

On November 2, documentary filmmaker and BMCC alumna Carla Franchesca Robles will screen her documentary Layers of a Baker, which follows the daily life of a pastry chef who moved to New York from the Dominican Republic and owns his own bakery in upper Manhattan.

Bringing awareness of history to the offerings, two events on November 3 include a virtual discussion with Dr. Yveline Alexis of Oberlin College, who will share insight from her newly released book, Haiti Fights Back: The Life and Legacy of Charlemagne Péralte(2021). This event will be moderated by BMCC Professor RaShelle Peck.

Also on November 3, the Department of Ethnic and Race Studies will host a group of five Argentine Black legal scholars for the discussion, “Afro-Descendants and the Law in Argentina.” This hybrid event will be delivered via Zoom as well as through an in-person, by-reservation component at 199 Chambers Street in the N451 lecture hall.

A discussion of the Latinx diaspora will take place November 4, and a conversation with Baruch College professors Rojo Robles and Rebeca Salois will highlight their new podcast, Latinx Visions.

Arte Y Cultura, an art exhibition by BMCC students, faculty and staff will be up from November 10 through December 10, and “Latinx Women Entrepreneurs: Their Journey to Success in the Human Services and Business Fields” will take place November 17.

“All About Jazz with Jennifer Jade Ledesma” is scheduled for December 3. Ms. Ledesma, an alumna of the New School Jazz Conservatory and of LaGuardia Arts, will perform a classic and contemporary repertoire and talk about the contribution of Latina performers and artists in New York City.

On December 7, “Critical Hope: Global and Local Collective Action in the Americas” will be presented, and at a date to be determined in December, “Latinx Students Navigating BMCC and Beyond during a Pandemic” will serve as the closing ceremony online.

Visit here to view the full list of Hispanic Heritage Month events.

For more information, contact Professor Rosario Torres, rtorres@bmcc.cuny.edu.

The Hispanic Heritage Month events featured in this BMCC News article relate to BMCC’s Strategic Goals, including Goal 5: Strengthen our Culture of Care for Students, Faculty and Staff.  Read the BMCC Strategic Plan 2020-2025 to learn about college-wide initiatives, priorities and goals.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • BMCC honors Hispanic Heritage with events that run now through December
  • A documentary filmmaker, an expert on Haiti, Black legal scholars from Argentina, a jazz musician and scholars of the Latinx diaspora are some of the featured guests
  • Events are hosted by staff and faculty from the Departments of Academic Literacy and Linguistics, Ethnic and Race Studies, Modern Languages and Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, as well as the ESL Lab and the Women’s Resource Center

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