MALTA — Kishwaukee College’s Diversity Committee is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with events scheduled throughout the month on campus. As a way to recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in North America, National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The College’s Diversity Committee has planned a month of free events open to the public.
The American Library Association Racial Healing Book Club will meet on Sept. 25 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Lounge (C1130) to discuss Luis J. Rodriguez’s Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. The award-winning and bestselling memoir tells the true story of Rodriguez’s involvement in a Chicano gang and his struggle to break free of gang life.
The Dialogues is a series designed to facilitate thoughtful, civic discourse on topics relevant to the current events and issues facing the United States. On October 2, “The Iceman Cometh: Immigration and the Rise of Sanctuary Cities” will be a conversation exploring the current state of illegal immigration with emphasis on the U.S./Mexico border and the sociopolitical effects of sanctuary cities.

The conversation will take place in the Quiet Dining Room (C1134) from 11 a.m. to 12 pm.  
International radio broadcaster, bilingual cultural journalist and music curator Catalina Maria Johnson will be in campus Oct. 8 delivering her talk “Latin Hip Hop as the New Poetry.” Johnson will explore the musical works of Latino hip-hop artists and the influence classic poets have had on their work. The presentation will take place in the Student Lounge (C1130) from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The final event of the month is the brown bag lecture and discussion “Race and Ethnic Relations in Latin America.” Facilitated by Kish faculty, the conversation will take place Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Student Lounge (C1130).
For more information on National Hispanic Heritage Month at Kish, contact Assistant Professor of Sociology Pernevlon Ellis at pellis1@kish.edu or 815-825-9540.