News

UCSF to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 16, 2008

The campus community is invited to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 25 to Oct. 15 with a series of events taking place around campus.

The events are sponsored by the UCSF Latin American Campus Association (LACA), UCSF Latino Medical Student Association, the UCSF Student Enrichment Series and the Chancellor’s Cultural Enrichment Fund.

“The Hispanic population in the US is diverse, dynamic and relatively young,” said Joseph Castro, PhD, associate vice chancellor, Student Academic Affairs. “Hispanic Heritage Month provides an excellent opportunity for the campus community to learn more about and to celebrate Hispanic culture.”

The idea behind Hispanic Heritage Month is to recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture. The celebration was initially established by President Lyndon Johnson as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. The month coincides with the day of independence for many Latin American countries.

Having emigrated from Nicaragua to San Francisco nearly 30 years ago, one of the attractions of the Bay Area and UCSF for Odilie Orantes, a grant analyst III in the UCSF Department of Radiation Ocology, was diversity.

She has been working at UCSF for 18 years and has been a member of LACA since 1990. Last year, she was elected as chair of the organization.

“I hope that this year’s celebration educates our campus community about our Hispanic heritage and the reasons why we honor our independence from Spanish colonization,” said Orantes.

Here’s the schedule of Hispanic Heritage Month celebration events, all happening at the UCSF Parnassus campus:

  • Thursday, Sept. 25: Enjoy a lunchtime cultural celebration from noon to 1 p.m. in Saunders Court on the Parnassus campus.
  • Tuesday, Sept. 30: Hear David Hayes-Bautista, PhD, professor and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA, who will address the topic of “Latino Health in California: The First 240 Years.” The event takes place from noon to 1 p.m. in UCSF School of Nursing, room N 225. Lunch will be provided.
  • Thursday, Oct. 2: View a screening of America’s Mexican, a solo comedy performance by George Lopez, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in UCSF School of Nursing, room N 217. This movie is an HBO Comedy special. Free gift bags will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, contact Odilie Orantes at 415/476-3512.