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For Immediate Release
October 28, 2015


Celebrating Latino History and Pride: Free Public Events Through May 2016

A series of free public events from October 2015 through May 2016 will be held on the Suffolk County Community College Michael J. Grant Campus, Brentwood to commemorate a competitive, nationally recognized grant from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Public events include lectures, scholar-led roundtables, professional and student performances, and public screenings of the PBS documentary series Latino Americans: 500 Years of History.

The College sponsored events include:  

  •          a panel discussion focusing on Latino Empowerment and Community Outreach through Higher Education
  •          a discussion with Marta del Busto of Operation Pedro Pan
  •          a roundtable featuring prominent Latina/o theatre practitioners and artists,
  •          a staged student and faculty reading of Hold: Requiem for a Bride with award-winning playwright Carlos   Serrano, and
  •          an afternoon performance and discussion with popular Latina LGBTQ performer Janis Astor del Valle.

The college will also conduct screenings of three episodes of the documentary series moderated by Dr. Justin Turner, Professor of History at Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus, and prominent Latino American scholars Dr. Kimberly Ramírez, Professor of English at the City University of New York, and Distinguished Professor of Latin American Studies, Dr. Aviva Chomsky of Salem State University.

As part of the award, Suffolk County Community College will receive the six-part, NEH-supported documentary Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, created for PBS in 2013. The award-winning series chronicles the history of Latinos in North America from the 16th century to present day. For more on the series, visit http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/enLatino Americans: 500 Years of History is part of the NEH initiative The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square. The initiative awarded grants to more than 200 libraries, museums and other nonprofit organizations to highlight Latino American history.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency that supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected proposals from around the nation. 


The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The association supports the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship.
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Here is the schedule of remaining events (all events are on the Michael J. Grant Campus, Brentwood of Suffolk County Community College):

  •  Latino Empowerment and Community Outreach through Higher Education – Panel Discussion
    November 24, 6 p.m. in Lecture Hall MD105 of Health, Sports and Education Center
  • Screening of PBS Series Latino Americans 500 Years of History Episode IV: The New Latinos (1946 –1965) Dr. Kimberly Ramirez, Professor of English, City University of New York
    December 10, 6 p.m. in Van Nostrand Theater of Sagtikos Arts and Sciences Center
  •  The Latino Theatre: Past, Present and Future – Panel Discussion
    February 24, 6 p.m. in Van Nostrand Theater of Sagtikos Arts and Sciences Center
  • An Afternoon Performance and Discussion with Janis Astor del Valle
    March 16 11 a.m. in Van Nostrand Theater of Sagtikos Arts and Sciences Center
  • Staged Reading of Hold: Requiem for a Bride with playwright Carlos Serrano
    April 13, 6 p.m. in Van Nostrand Theater of Sagtikos Arts and Sciences Center
  • Screening of PBS Series Latino Americans 500 Years of History Episode VI: Peril and Promise (1980 – 2000) Dr. Aviva Chomsky, Professor of Latin American Studies, Salem State University
    May 5, 6 p.m. in Lecture Hall MD105 of Health, Sports and Education Center.
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Last revised: 12/10/2020.  For comments on this webpage, contact: The Director of Communications.