CORRE LA VOZ
The Weekly Bulletin of the Latin American Studies Program
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio --- October 21, 2005
To contact Corre la Voz write to:
Yady King at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask] or to
Dan LaBotz at <mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
In this issue:
*Miami University and Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas join forces *
Global Rhythms “train” to arrive this weekend
* “We are Building Peace…” talk to target “Plan Colombia”
* New and exciting LAS Courses for Spring 2006
* María Martínez: Reactions from the public
*Racial Legacies Series in Hamilton: Hip, Hop, Politics, and Gender *
Upcoming events from the Center for American and World Cultures
highlighted
MIAMI UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE TAMAULIPAS JOIN FORCES
Professors Alfredo J. Huerta, Botany Department,
and Mark Boardman, Director of the Institute of
Environmental Sciences will present a joint
seminar on Miami University’s collaboration with
the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas today
(Friday, October 21, 2005) at 3:00 p.m. in 218 Pearson Hall.
The seminar “Miami University and the Universidad
Autónoma de Tamaulipas in Mexico: New
collaborations and the new International
Institute of Applied Environmental Science” is
open to the public and everyone is encouraged to
attend. This is a great opportunity to learn all
about what has been in the works for a long time and is finally coming to
life!
There will be a reception following the seminar
from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in 212 MacMillan Hall
“the Great Room” (about one block east of the
Shriver Center on Spring St.) Please join us to
share in some food and exchange of ideas, along
with beautiful music provided by the Graduate
Student String Quartet and the Student Wind Quintet.
GLOBAL RHYTHMS “TRAIN” TO ARRIVE THIS WEEKEND
Global Rhythms will present the “Hands Full of
Beauty” concert on Sunday, October 23, 2005 at
3:00 p.m. in Hall Auditorium on the Oxford
Campus. A feature of the concert will be a 20 member Brazilian Samba
ensemble.
This amazing production brings together around 80
performers from different genres and places.
Accompanying the Brazilian Samba ensemble will
be, among others, a 13-year old prodigy from
Afghanistan, a 12 member team from Iran,
Palestine, and Turkey, a six member team from
India, and more! This is one event you do not want to miss!
All seats are reserved. Admission is $8.00 (public) and $4.00 students.
Tickets are available at the Miami University Box Office.
“WE ARE BUILDING PEACE…” TALK TO TARGET “PLAN COLOMBIA”
“Since 2000, the US has sent over 4 billion
dollars to Colombia, 80% of that military aid.
During that same time period, more than 70
pastors and church leaders have been killed in Colombia…”
Join Colombian Leader Jenny Neme for a talk on US
policy, the Colombian Conflict and the Faith
Based Peace Initiatives that are challenging US-backed “Plan Colombia”
Ms. Nemes will recount her story as a leader of
Justapaz’s (the Center for Peace, Justice and
Non-Violence) visionary Peace Sanctuary Church
project. This very informative event will take
place Tuesday, October 25, 2005, in 361 Upham Hall at 7:00 pm.
For more information, contact Janna Bowman at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask] or (202)
547-6112.
NEW AND EXCITING LAS COURSES FOR SPRING 2006
From the desk of our Director on Leave, Susan Paulson:
Dear friends of Latin America,
Check out the attached flyer that lists the
courses that you can take spring term to
contribute to an LAS minor, together with their
times and teachers. Consider the exciting new
capstone course on Border Studies (LAS 410) that
includes a trip to the Mexican Border over spring
break. Also note the rich variety of LAS 208 sections to choose from.
Look forward to seeing many of you in LAS courses next spring.
Susan Paulson
LAS 208 – Lat. Am
Civ. Fernando Rios –Andean Region Focus, Emphasis
on music and identity MWF 1:00 – 1:50
LAS 208 - Lat. Am
Civ. Thomas Garcia – Brazilian Culture
Focus, Music and
culture TR 11:00 – 12:15
LAS 208 – Lat. Am
Civ. Jacqueline Rioja – Geography,
Environmental Focus
MARIA MARTINEZ: REACTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC
The evening of Wednesday was filled with emotion
as Maria Martinez recounted her life story and
the struggles she encountered as a Latina trying
to forge a future for herself. Mrs. Martinez was
invited to speak on her struggle to gain
recognition in the 70s, a time when
discrimination was a daily, almost normal, occurrence for students of color.
Mrs. Martinez shared that she felt a sense of
ambiguity and loss of identity as she moved from
one culture to the next, “At school in Texas, I
was a 'pocho,' a Mexican born in the U.S. I was
criticized for speaking English with a Spanish
accent. In Mexico, I was criticized for speaking
Spanish with an English accent."” This sense of
not knowing who you are was made particularly
harder by the idea that her name had become
“Americanized” as she was not know as Maria Elena but Mary Ellen.
Jamie Byrd, a junior here at Miami University had
this to say about Ms. Martinez’s story: “It is
refreshing to hear about the changes that have
been made over the past 20-30 years. As a Latina
student on Miami's campus, I can relate, but am
fortunate enough to benefit from (Martínez's)
experiences. The future is looking brighter.”
Currently, Mrs. Martinez teaches Spanish at the
elementary level and is partly responsible for
creating a top leading program for elementary
school aged children to learn other languages.
This program has been hailed to be highly
effective and has received many awards.
Thank you to the following for sponsoring this
event: the Latin American Studies Program, Women
Studies Program, the Center for American and
World Cultures, the Bishop Debate Society, ALAS, and Sigma Lambda Beta.
RACIAL LEGACIES SERIES IN HAMILTON: HIP, HOP, POLITICS, AND GENDER
Yvonne Bynoe, author and political activist,
visited the Miami University Hamilton campus on
Thursday, October 20, 2005 to speak on “How to
Talk about Race” to a filled Harry T. Wilks Conference Center.
Ms. Bynoe shared some of the history behind the
hip hop culture and discussed the progression of
rap through the years. Her concern at this point
is that the big record companies present to the
public only what they believe sells, which then
limits the scope and the artistry behind today's
rap music. Ms. Bynoe also discussed the
importance of political leadership and activism
and stresses that rap artists alone do not affect
change in the community; there has to be a
grassroots effort behind them to make things
happen. In fact, political activism should begin
at the community to really effect change.
Ms. Bynoe, a co-founder and former president of
the Urban Think Tank Institute, seeks to educate
and engage young adults in relevant policy issues
and to develop new political leadership.
UPCOMING EVENTS FROM THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN AND WORLD CULTURES HIGHLIGHTED
The following are events sponsored by the Center
for American and World Cultures of interest:
* “Rodolfo Usigli Centennial: An
Interdisciplinary Commemoration” The guest
residency of distinguished Mexican director José
Luis Ibáñez will commence on Monday, October 24,
2005. For more information, please contact Dr. Ramón Layera.
*Professor Molefi Asante, Department of African
American Studies at Temple University, will be
speaking on “The Power of Language: An Afro-centric Perspective”.
The event will take place on Thursday, October
27, 2005 in Hall Auditorium at 4:00 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public.
*”The Cultural Economy of Tourism in Rural Costa
Rica”, a talk by Ed Jackiewicz, Assistant
Professor and Graduate Coordinator, Department of
Geography, California Sate University-Northridge.
6:00 p.m., 212 MacMillan Hall
*Weekend of Music and Theater:
Miami University Steel Band will
perform on Thursday, October 27, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. in Hall Auditorium. All
seats are reserved. Admission $7.00 (public); $5.00 (students) Tickets
sold at the Miami University Box Office
For more information on these and any other
events, please visit the Center for American and
World Cultures’ website at
<http://www.cawc.muohio.edu/>www.cawc.muohio.edu or call (513) 529-8309
END OF CORRE LA VOZ- October 21, 2005
~Leo D Martinez, Jr
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For upcomming events please visit www.muohio.edu/alas
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