Students to lead first discussion at Spanish celebration
Holocaust refugees who fled to Latin America will be among the topics discussed at the 9th Annual Spanish Language Celebration at Palm Beach State College’s Palm Beach Gardens campus March 21.
The celebration takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the BioScience Technology Complex, Room SC 127. The events, which are free and open to the public, include two panel discussions, a film presentation and more.
“The Ninth Annual Spanish Celebration promises to offer insights into historical and current events,” said Dr. Emmanuel Alvarado, who has been organizing the celebration since 2013. “Unique to this year’s celebration is the first panel discussion, where some of our students who visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. last year will discuss the lives of Jewish refugees in Latin America during the Holocaust.”
The discussion, titled “Survival and Exile: The Story of Jewish Holocaust Refugees in Latin America,” will be held from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. and led by the following PBSC students: Lindsey Lovan, Cat Boddie, Rafael Hierro and Allen Eney.
“Immigration in the Trump Era: Dreamers and the Future of Legal Migration to the United States” talk will be the second panel discussion from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. The panel consists of three local immigration attorneys: Aileen Josephs, Isabel Castillo and Dr. Barbara Scheffer. Also on the panel is Dr. Jeannett Manzanero, director of Palm Beach State’s Global Education Center.
Other events during the celebration are:
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
The Influence of Islamic Art and Architecture in Spanish Culture
Dr. Nazare Feliciano, PBSC professor of art
2 – 3:45 p.m.
Film: Butterfly
Maria Garcia-Landry, PBSC professor of English
According to Alvarado, the day benefits students and the local community by widening and promoting intercultural understanding. The celebration was launched in 2010 by former PBSC professor Patricia Betancourt.
