Ethnic events commemorate ancestors

The La Raza studies department and the Puente Project will sponsor different events celebrating Mexican culture this month through early November.

"(The events) are to cultivate the feeling of community and unity," La Raza Student Union Vice President Isis Hao said. "Many people don't see themselves being a part of a whole community. Hopefully this will change that."

At the Day of the Dead Celebration on Nov. 2, there will be an open mic for poetry and artists speaking about their work in the Recreation Room.

"We are also hoping to get Aztec dancers and live music at the celebration," La Raza studies professor Agustin Palacios said.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday that pays homage to dead loved ones. The tradition has been rooted in Mesoamerican culture before Spanish colonization.

Honoring the dead is the theme that will underline the artwork being displayed in the Three Seasons Restaurant in the Applied Arts Building and the glass cases in the Library and Learning Resource Center from Oct. 25 to Nov. 11.

Curators for the exhibit Alejandra Oseguera and Hao will be displaying their works of art along with fellow artists Alejandra Adriana Palos, Maria Sanchez and more.

Currently, Oseguera has 12 pieces of artwork and that is only half of what she wanted to display.

The exhibit does not specifically stay in the lines of Latin influences, Palacios said. He said the members want a range of artwork from people of different cultures, as long as it sticks to the theme of remembering and appreciating ancestors.

Originally, the due date for submissions to the exhibition was Sept. 30, but a lack of entries has lengthened the date to a week before the exhibit begins.

Anyone interested in having his or her work in the exhibit must email Osegura at dodartexhibitccc@yahoo.com, attaching an image of the work to be considered and contact information.

 Money for the art show and other events is due in large part to a $300,000 community service award granted to 15 leaders in the San Pablo community, including three from CCC.

Counseling department Chairperson Norma Valdez-Jimenez, one of the people responsible for the events occurring at CCC, was one of those awarded the 2011 Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Award from the San Francisco Foundation, a philanthropic organization, on June 21.

The award is a five-year initiative to enhance civic unity in the diverse community and resolve local problems. Winners of the award receive an average of $75,000 a year to give back to the community.

Valdez-Jimenez's portion of the award is given to the La Raza studies department and has allowed it to provide more events to the community. The award will not only pay for department's events, but also the submission fees to the art exhibit, Oseguera said.

Also scheduled on campus is a documentary called "Viva Mexico" on Oct. 25 and a screen-printing workshop on Oct. 28.

The LRSU will sell sugar skulls for $1 to help fund the club.