Celebrating cultures of south Texas during annual Heritage Month

Palo Alto College will celebrate its 2020 Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to honor the indigenous heritages of South Texas. The month will include a series of free virtual events including panel discussions, author readings, artist visits, and more.

A kickoff celebration will take place Tuesday, Sept. 15, with keynote speaker Cristela Alonzo, the first Latina woman to create, produce, write, and star in her own U.S. primetime comedy, “Cristela,” which aired on ABC. In 2017, Alonzo made history again when she became the first Latina lead in a Disney Pixar film when she voiced the part of Cruz Ramirez in “Cars 3.”

Hispanic icon Cheech Marin will host a second keynote address on Wednesday, Sept. 16, sharing his story of how intelligence, talent, and humor have carried him on his journey as an actor, director, comedian, writer, musician, Chicanx art collector, and humanitarian.

All of Palo Alto College’s 2020 Heritage Month virtual events are free and open to the public. The events are sponsored by several Palo Alto College programs including the Center for Mexican American Studies, Office of Student Life, and the Student Activities Fee. Additional events include:

• Sept. 22: Constitution Day/National Voter Registration Day featuring guest speaker Domingo Garcia, National President of the League of United American Citizens (LULAC)
• Sept. 30: Author Talk/Plática with Ernesto Todd Mireles, 2020 International Latino Book Award Winner for his book “Insurgent Aztlán The Liberating Power of Cultural Resistance”
• Oct. 1: National Poetry Day: Student Poetry Reading
• Oct. 5: Panel Discussion/Plática: Crisis within a Crisis: Domestic Violence Crisis During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Oct. 12: Indigenous Peoples' Day/Día de la Raza celebration featuring a decolonial/health-conscious cooking demonstration and a Panel Discussion/Plática about Indigenous/Xicanx Healing Practices
• Oct. 15: One-person performance by “The AIDS Lady,” Anna De Luna

For a full list of events including times and registration links, visit xgcr.net/pac/heritage-month.

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