Valley College Plans Events for Latino Heritage Month

A performance by Mariachi Mujer 2000 on Friday will mark the beginning of the Latino Heritage Month celebration at Valley College.

Along with music and theater shows, there will be a panel discussion about the role of Latino voters in the upcoming election.

“Our aim is to build community,” said Florentino Manzano, associate dean of student services at the college. “What we want to do is open the campus so people feel comfortable coming in.”

Manzano said he hopes the shows will increase enrollment at the college, where 40% of the 16,000 students are Latinos.

The 11-woman mariachi band will perform at 8 p.m. in the Little Theater on campus, in the Theater Arts Building, at Fulton Avenue and Oxnard Street. Admission is $10.

On Oct. 5, Voces Cosmicas, a three-woman theater troupe, will perform a show based on the poem “La Loca de la Raza Cosmica” by La Chrisx, illustrating the roles and struggles of Latinas. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Afterward, Anamarie Gallardo will perform Libro Abierto/Open Book, a one-woman show about family struggles, lost loves and the everyday lives of Latinas. Both performances will be at the Horseshoe Theater, also in the Theater Arts Building. Admission is free, but reservations are required.

On Oct. 13, Conjunto Hueyapan, a family ensemble specializing in Mexican Jarocho music, will play at 8 p.m. Then vocalist Ixya Herrera will take the stage. Both shows will be at the Little Theater and admission is $10.

On Oct. 25, a symposium featuring several Latino lawmakers will discuss Latino voters’ influence on the November presidential election. The free, 11 a.m. discussion will be at Monarch Hall in the Campus Center.

All events are at Valley College, 5800 Fulton Ave. For more information and to purchase tickets or make reservations, call (818) 947-2420.