Join CSM’s Latino Festival and Enjoy Great Food, Music and Stories April 25

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Global Initiatives Committee invites the community to join in a celebration of Latino culture with an afternoon of free entertainment and storytelling Thursday, April 25 at 2 p.m. at the college’s La Plata Campus.

The Latino Educational Panel and Festival will kick off with a performance by CSM’s Latino Ensemble. Under the direction of Assistant Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Chair of Visual and Performing Arts Dr. Stephen Johnson, the ensemble features styles such as salsa, bolero, cha-cha-chá, and modern renditions of Latin pop and jazz. A panel discussion on undocumented immigrants and their struggles and triumphs will follow.

Special guests for the event include Dr. Yolanda Valencia, a feminist Latinx scholar, writer, and assistant professor of Geography and Environmental Systems at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Also joining the event will be Dr. Ximena Postigo, professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Postigo’s research focuses on Bolivian and Andean studies, particularly women's poetry and indigenous literatures and philosophies from the colonial times to the present.

The afternoon will conclude with a taste of Mexican culture and food provided by local restaurant Taqueria Los Compadres.

According to CSM Professor of Geography Dr. David Walker, the mission of the Global Initiatives Committee is to educate our community about international issues, and the Latino perspective is especially vital as Southern Maryland’s Latino population continues to grow.

The event will take place in the La Plata Campus Community Education (CE) Building, Room 101 and online via Zoom. For more information or to register to attend via Zoom, visit https://www.csmd.edu/calendar/2024/04/latinx-panel-festival-apr25.html