March 30, 2016 — “Latin@s in Western Massachusetts: What is the Role of Education” at Holyoke Community College
Partner: Holyoke Community College
Venue: Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 11 am at the Leslie Phillips Theater

Sponsored by the NEH Bridging Cultures Grant and Herencia Latina, the Language Studies department at HCC is hosting a presentation with leading scholar Dr. Sonia Nieto. The presentation, “Latin@s in Western Massachusetts: What is the Role of Education,” will be moderated by Dr. Laura Valdiviezo. 40 minutes, with Q&A to follow. The event is open to the public.

September 22, 2015  thru March 20, 2016 — “Faces of the North End”
Partner: Springfield Museums
Venue: Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History will host a photography exhibit featuring the work of William Hughes, who documented the “Faces of the North End,” a Springfield neighborhood that is home to many Latino Americans.  The images will be selected by museum staff from a collection of photographs donated by the photographer for this purpose. Museum admission is free to Springfield residents. Come “meet and greet” photographer William Hughes on October 17th!

Thursday, December 3, 2015 — “Celebracion: Film Festival, Food, Families, and Fun”
Sponsors: Springfield City Library, S.T.C.C. & WGBY
Venue: Chestnut Middle School, Springfield, 5:30 p.m.

Jean Canosa Albano, Manager, Springfield City Library; Vanessa Pabon, Community Engagement Director, WGBY

Latino Youth Media Institute staff will work with residents to collect oral histories from 4 to 8 people from July 1 to October 1. After production, a film festival will premiere the videos as part of a family event featuring performances, demonstrations, and food ways from the varied aspects of the Springfield Latino community. Sponsor: Springfield City Library.

Thursday, November 19, 2015 — Screening and Discussion of Episode VI: Peril and Promise
Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Screening of Episode VI: Peril and Promise of the Latino Americans documentary at the Holyoke Public Library’s new state-of-the-art screening room.  Tensions between bilingualism and English-only movements form the backdrop to emergence of a new Latino American culture. This final episode raises questions about Latino assimilation and identity.  Special guest Professor Joel Blanco-Rivera (University of Puerto Rico), will introduce the film and lead a post-film discussion.  Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library.

Thursday, November 19, 2015 — “Who are Today’s Latinos?: Film & Discussion”
Sponsors: Springfield City Library, S.T.C.C. & WGBY
Venue: Building 2, Scibelli Hall, 7th Floor, Springfield Technical Community College, 1 Armory Street, Springfield, 11 a.m.

Dr. Arlene Rodriguez, Vice President, Springfield Technical Community College

Springfield’s Latino story is unfolding. Enjoy a performance before we screen “Episode VI: Peril and Promise,” followed by a discussion guided by Dr. Arlene Rodriguez. We’ll consider that Latinos may soon be the majority culture in Springfield, and which aspects of life will be affected by that shift. What role does education play in shaping Latino Americans’ lives, individually and as a culture? The public is invited to join STCC faculty and students at this teach-in. Light refreshments. Sponsor: Springfield City Library.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 — Screening of Episode V: Prejudice and Pride
Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Screening of Episode V: Prejudice and Pride of the Latino Americans documentary. The 1960s brought social activism and the building of a new Chicano identity for Mexican-Americans, driven by those seeking to end persistent discrimination and widespread poverty among Latinos in the American southwest and California. Special guest Dr. Carlos Turriago will introduce the film. Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library.

Thursday, November 12, 2015 — Screening and Discussion of Episode IV: The New Latinos
Partner: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Episode IV: The New Latinos of the Latino Americans documentary tells the story of mass post-war migration to the U.S. from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.  Ginetta Candelario, Associate Professor of Sociology and Latin American & Latina/o Studies at Smith College, will introduce the film and lead a post-film discussion.  Professor Candelario has collaborated for more than a decade with community-based organizations in Holyoke as a teacher, speaker, and board member .  Her research interests include Dominican and Latina/o communities and identity formations and Dominican feminist thought and activism.   This episode includes an examination of the impact of Dominican writer Julia Alvarez.  Sponsored by the Holyoke Public Library.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015 — Screening of Episode III: War and Peace
Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Screening of Episode III: War and Peace of the Latino Americans documentary.  In spite of dedicated and often heroic military service in World War II, Latino Americans struggled for basic civil rights in the U.S. Wilfredo Melendez, Deputy Director of the Holyoke Department of Veterans’ Services, will introduce this episode. Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library.

October 9 thru November 8, 2015 — “A Commitment of a Lifetime: the Instruments of Will Cumpiano”
Partner: Springfield Museums
Venue: Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History

.The Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History will present a special exhibit featuring the stringed instruments made by local luthier Will Cumpiano. Cumpiano is especially known for the cuatro — a Puerto Rican-style guitar. Museum admission is free to Springfield residents. Come “meet and greet” master luthier Will Cumpiano on October 17th!

Thursday, November 5, 2015 — Screening of Episode II: Empire of Dreams
Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Screening of Episode II: Empire of Dreams of the Latino Americans documentary. The compelling stories of migrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico, many of whom faced deportation when the United States sank into economic depression in the 1930s. Special guest Councilor Jossie Valentin will introduce the film.  Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 — Screening of Episode I: Foreigners in Their Own Land
Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library
Venue: Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., Holyoke, 6 p.m.

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Screening of Episode I: Foreigners in Their Own Land of the Latino Americans documentary. An illuminating introduction to the first Hispanic-Americans and scholars’ attempts to recover their lost history.  Introduced by Manuel Frau-Ramos and Terry Plum.  Sponsor: Holyoke Public Library.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 — Ibero-American Film Festival
Sponsor: Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) & Language Studies Dept.
Venue: Leslie Philips Theater, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 7 p.m.

MR. KAPLAN
Director: Álvaro Brechner / 98 min / Release Year: 2014 / Production Year: 2014 / Drama, Comedy
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Nationality: Uruguay, Spain, Germany

SYNOPSIS
Uruguay’s official selection for Best Foreign Academy Award, Mr. Kaplan follows Jacob Kaplan’s ordinary life in Uruguay. Like many of his other Jewish friends, Jacob fled Europe for South America because of World War II. But now, turning 76, he’s become rather grumpy, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in their own heritage. One beach bar may, however, provide him with an unexpected opportunity to achieve greatness and recover his family’s respect in the community: its owner, a quiet, elderly German, raises Mr. Kaplan’s suspicion of being a runaway Nazi. Ignoring his family’s concerns about his health, Jacob secretly recruits Contreras, a former police officer whose loyalty far exceeds his honesty, to help him investigate. Together, they will try to repeat the historic capture of Adolf Eichmann: by unmasking and kidnapping the German and secretly taking him to Israel. Rising filmmaker Álvaro Brechner’s quixotic quest strikes plenty of comedic spark from its bone-dry humor, taking great delight in the reinvigorated ingenuity and pride of its aging protagonist. Even more potently, the film never loses sight of the existential demons that haunt those on the run from their unresolved past and, ultimately, themselves. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRZcXd4cSl8

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN arts & culture.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 — Ibero-American Film Festival
Sponsor: Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) & Language Studies Dept.
Venue: Leslie Philips Theater, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT (ZONA SUR)
Director: Juan Carlos Valdivia / 109 min / Release Year: 2011 / Production Year: 2009 / Drama
Language: Spanish and Aymara with English subtitles
Nationality: Bolivia

SYNOPSIS
The neighborhood Zona Sur in La Paz is Bolivia’s most exclusive enclave, home to the country’s affluent elite for generations. Here, in an adobe-tile-roofed castle, a statuesque matriarch reigns over her spoiled offspring and indigenous servants. Social change, however unwelcome, is on its way. As the mother squabbles with her self-indulgent, oversexed teenage son and clashes with her petulant daughter, her 6-year-old boy wanders the rooftops unsupervised. The scent of impending decline permeates the air, and the threat of aristocratic privileges quickly changing hands heralds a new era in a seemingly interminable class war. Bolivia’s official entry for the Academy® Awards foreign-language film, this searing portrait of a patrician family in flux eloquently chronicles their final days during a time of intense social change and effectively exposes the bubble of decadence in which they exist. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyua1fBm08k

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN arts & culture.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015 — Ibero-American Film Festival, Screening of Episode III: War and Peace
Partner/Sponsor: Holyoke Community College/Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) & Language Studies Dept.
Venue: Kittredge Center, Room 301, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 7 p.m.

LATINO AMERICANS EPISODE III: WAR AND PEACE
Language: Spanish with English subtitles.

This Herencia Latina screening, in Spanish with English subtitles, is part of the Ibero-American Film Festival, hosted by the Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) at Holyoke Community College. Vice President for Academic Affairs Monica Perez will lead the discussion.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 — Family Fiesta Day, Screening and Discussion of Episode V: Prejudice and Pride
Partner: Springfield Museums
Venue: Springfield Museums, Springfield, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Springfield Museums will present “Family Fiesta Day”, which will include:

* “The Tale of Juan Bobo,” a Puerto Rican folktale, by CactusHead Puppets to be staged in the Springfield City Library;
* a performance by the Caribbean band MarKamusic in Davis Auditorium in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts;
* a presentation on the cuatro by luthier Will Cumpiano in Tolman Auditorium in the Springfield Science Museum;
* a scholar-led screening of Episode V: Prejudice and Pride, of the Latino Americans documentary at Tolman Auditorium at 3:15 p.m.. Professor Luis Marentes teaches at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. His research interests include Chicano literature and theory; borders, diaspora and migration, and culture and revolution. He will facilitate discussion of Episode V, which portrays the formation of a politicized “Chicano” identity in the 1960s and 1970s.

Will Cumpiano’s presentation and the documentary screening are free of charge and open to the public. The other events are included with Museum admission. As always, Museum admission is free to Springfield residents.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 — “Telling Our Stories: Film & Discussion”
Sponsors: Springfield City Library, S.T.C.C. & WGBY
Venue: WGBY Television Studios, 44 Hampden Street, Springfield, 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Arlene Rodriguez, Vice President, Springfield Technical Community College

The American story is a story of migrants and immigrants, including Latino Americans. Everyone‘s story is different. Come share yours. We’ll begin with a performance by Heshima Moja of music representing the Afro-Latin diaspora followed by a screening of “Episode IV: The New Latinos.” Dr. Arlene Rodriguez will facilitate the discussion. Light refreshments. Sponsor: Springfield City Library.

Free, but pre-registration is requested at the link on this page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1680075195554972/

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 — Ibero-American Film Festival
Sponsor: Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) & Language Studies Dept.
Venue: Leslie Philips Theater, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 7 p.m.

339 AMÍN ABEL HASBÚN. MEMORY OF A CRIME (339 AMÍN ABEL HASBÚN. MEMORIA DE UN CRIMEN)
Director: Etzel Báez / 97 min / Release Year: 2014 / Production Year: 2014 / Thriller, Drama
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Nationality: Dominican Republic

SYNOPSIS
Based on a real story, 339 Amín Abel Hasbún. Memory of a Crime is an intriguing account of the murder of Amín Abel Hasbún, a brilliant student leader in the Dominican Republic accused of kidnapping U.S. Embassy official J. Crowley. Hasbún was one of many young leftists fighting against the government of Dr. Joaquín Balaguer, who favored a repressive regime. Hasbun’s death shook the sensibility of the Dominican people to the point that Balaguer had to orchestrate an investigation despite the fact that his government had been responsible for the cold-blooded murder. With a plot that involved the CIA and the Dominican Republic Police Force, the film does an excellent job at deconstructing the events that took place the morning of September 24, 1970, when Amín, his wife and 2-year-old son received the fatal visit of the police and country’s District Attorney. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/130212674

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN arts & culture.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 — Ibero-American Film Festival
Sponsor: Latino & International Student Association (L.I.S.A.) & Language Studies Dept.
Venue: Leslie Philips Theater, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, 11 a.m.

COWS WEARING GLASSES (LAS VACAS CON GAFAS)
Director: Alex Santiago Pérez / 90 min / Release Year: 2014 / Production Year: 2014 / Drama
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Nationality: Puerto Rico

SYNOPSIS
Cows Wearing Glasses uses a subtle sense of humor to touch upon issues of aging. Marso, a lonely, eccentric painter and art professor, is losing his sight. As the world as he knows it comes to an end, he is now forced to re-examine an existence filled with professional successes, but unsatisfying personal relationships. He tries to reestablish a relationship with his only daughter while his thoughts are filled with longing for simpler times. The fear and uncertainty of what lies ahead have left an imprint on his psyche, and maybe even on his morals. With an impeccable performance by Daniel Lugo as Marso, Cows Wearing Glasses is a reflexive tale of a man facing the inevitable. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/103199965

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, and SPAIN arts & culture.

Thursday, September 24, 2015 — “What Does It Mean to Be a Latino American?: Film & Discussion”
Sponsors: Springfield City Library, S.T.C.C. & WGBY
Venue: Springfield Central Library, 220 State Street, 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Arlene Rodriguez, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Springfield Technical Community College

We all have an American journey. Everyone‘s is different. Come share yours while you explore one of the untold chapters of the American story: Latino Americans. Springfield’s Poet Laureate Maria Luisa Arroyo will share a poem or two followed by a screening of “Empire of Dreams.” Dr. Arlene Rodriguez will facilitate the discussion. Light refreshments. Sponsor: Springfield City Library.  https://www.facebook.com/events/1480939762199861/

Thursday, September 24, 2015 — “Latino Migrants and Agriculture in Franklin County”
Sponsor: Turners Falls RiverCulture
Venue: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, 7 p.m.

Event Canceled

This lecture will explore some of the links between land and agricultural policies in Latin America and the U.S. through an examination of Latin American migration. Extensive interviews with farmers and workers in Franklin County were conducted as source material for this talk. Manuel Matos is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Sociology Department at UMass/Amherst. His work focuses on political sociology of land disputes between black communities and the states in Latin America. Free. Refreshments served.

Thursday, September 17, 2015 — Latino History Day, Screening and Discussion of Episode VI: Peril and Promise
Partner: Turners Falls RiverCulture
Venue: Shea Theater and Venues on Avenue A, Turners Falls, 5-10 p.m.

NOTE: Read reflections on the event written afterwards by Professor Mari Castañeda and why she concludes, “These types of initiatives are meaningful and should be supported well into the future.” http://masshumanities.org/latinaos-in-turners-falls/

Turners Falls RiverCulture will present a program honoring the contributions of Latino Americans in Franklin County. Unlike urban Latino populations in western Massachusetts, immigrants to Franklin County are mainly drawn here from Central and South America as field laborers. Latino History Day will feature:

* an art exhibition;
* Mexican and/or Central American food;
* live music by Lorena Garay & Eugenio Huanca;
* traditional crafts for kids;
* a scholar-led screening of Episode VI: Peril and Promise, of the Latino Americans documentary at the Shea Theater at 7 p.m. Professor Mari Castañeda of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has a lengthy publication record in Latina/ethnic media studies and global communications, and an abiding interest in the ways in which “engaged scholarship” can address inequality by incorporating community voices.

For details about Latino History day or Turners Falls History Month, please visit: http://www.turnersfallsriverculture.org.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015 — Kick-off to the Project, Screening and Discussion of Episode I: Foreigners in Their Own Land
Partner: Casa Latina
Venue: Forbes Library, Northampton, 7 p.m.

Kick-off to the project begins at the Forbes Library with a screening of Latino Americans Episode I: Foreigners in Their Own Land with scholar Raul Gutierrez. Our partner for this event is Casa Latina. Refreshments will be served.