Published:
Hispanic Heritage Month is underway at Central Connecticut State University with several cultural, musical, and theatrical events coming up over the next month on campus and within its home community of New Britain.
This weekend, the New Britain Museum of Modern American Art, Central’s longtime community partner, will host Access for All Community Day on Saturday, Sept. 21, with free admission to all visitors in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The museum will host drop-in activities and musical performances starting at 10 a.m. Music by Carlos Boltes’ Family and Friends will begin at 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Central will host Salsa Fest from noon to 3 p.m. outside of the campus Student Center. The event will feature a performance by the Hartt School Salsa All-Stars and a salsa workshop led by Central alumna Xiomara Colon. The event is sponsored by Central’s Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Center (LALCC); Student Activities and Leadership Development; and the Latin American Students Organization.
Grants support Latino Poetry events in October
LALCC will host two Hispanic Heritage Month Community Reads events in October that will be funded in part by grants from CTHumanities and Library of America. (Details below.)
The Library of America selected Central in June as one of 75 partner programs across the country for its national public humanities initiative titled, “Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home.” Partner programs receive $1,200 grants to host community events that explore the works featured LOA’s recently published anthology, “Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology.” The initiative is directed by Library of America and funded with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective.
A second grant of $4,999 from CTHumanities will enable LALCC to purchase 100 copies of the anthology to distribute to reading groups and students at Central and from local school districts.
Founded in 1974, Connecticut Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs.
Community Reads events
On Monday, Oct. 21, Central will host a poetry reading and discussion with Mexican American poet Deborah Paredez at the New Britain Public Library (NBPL) in the Periodical Room at 5:30 p.m. Paradez will discuss her poetry and process and read selected poems from “Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology,” edited by Rigoberto Gonzáles. Copies of the books will be available at the NBPL Circulation Desk, participants are encouraged to read the poems in advance to discuss and share their thoughts and reflections. The event will be moderated by Natalie Catasús and Julien Strong from Central’s English Department.
The next day, Tuesday, Oct. 22, Dr. Paradez will be a guest speaker at Dr. Natalie Catasús’s Introduction to Latinx Literature class at 10:50 a.m. at Memorial Hall on the Central campus. Two groups of high school students from Platt Technical High School and Maloney High School in Meriden also will attend the class. The reading and discussion will draw on selections from “Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology.”
Presenting ‘The Other Side Story’
To round out Central’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations for this year, actor Angel Vazquez will bring his one-man comedy, “The Other Side Story,” to campus on Thursday, Oct. 24. Featuring live music, “The Other Side Story” illustrates the struggles and triumphs of the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York. This free performance will take place at Torp Theater in Davidson Hall.