9.01.2002

Hispanic Heritage Month 2002

       Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
Athens-Clarke County Public Library With the Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection and the Athens-Clarke County Library



Thursday, September 5, 7:00 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens


René Lavan & Mayte Vilán. (Image from Bitter Sugar

Azucar amarga = Bitter Sugar
Not rated.
(Azucar Films, c1996)102 mins. in black & white. Directed by Leon Ichaso. Starring: René Lavan, Mayte Vilán, Miguel Gutiérrez, Larry Villanueva, Luis Celeiro. In Spanish with English subtitles.UGA Libraries Media Dept., VHS 3224.1

Gustavo is a young Havana Communist who believes in the revolution; he hopes for a scholarship to study aeronautical engineering in Prague. But his faith in the new Cuba is tested: his father, a psychiatrist, can make four times as much playing piano at a hotel for foreigners; his sweetheart, Yolanda, wants a career as a dancer and longs for the riches of Miami; his younger brother Bobby simply wants to play rock music, and as a result is in constant trouble with the authorities.

Would you like to see more Cuban films?



Thursday, September 12, 7:00 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens


(Tita. Image from University of North Carolina, Español 50, Syllabus)

Como agua para chocolate = Like Water for Chocolate
Rated R.
(Arau Films International, c1994)105 mins. Directed by Alfonso Arau. Starring: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torne, Ada Carrosco, Mario Iván Martínez, Claudette Maille. In Spanish with English subtitles.UGA Libraries Media Dept., VHS 3548.1

Based on the novel by Laura Esquivel. Romantic fantasy set in the early 20th century about a young couple blocked from marrying by the demands of her cold and selfish mother. To be near his love the young man marries her sister, and she expresses her passion for him through her cooking.

Would you like to see more Mexican films?



Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 p.m.
UGA Main Library, Room B-2


(Jaime Escalante. Image from Santana, Alfredo. .)

Shooting for Success
Not rated.
(Originally broadcast 1988, KCBS-TV, Los Angeles, CA)30 mins. Directed by Michael Meadows.UGA Libraries Media Archives, Peabody Awards collection, 88009 PST.

This half-hour documentary is co-hosted by actor Edward James Olmos, who plays Jaime Escalante in the movie Stand and Deliver, and Mr. Jaime Escalante himself. The first segment focuses on the making of the movie primarily how several incidents caught the attention of its producers, and actors. There are interviews with the actors, many of whom are students, and wonderful success stories in themselves. The second segment focuses on the real Garfield High School and Jaime Escalante. The third segment takes a look at some Garfield alumni and how Jaime Escalante had an impact in their lives.

Discussion following the screening will be led by Dr. Louis A. Castenell, Dean of the College of Education and Acting Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity.

Would you like to know more about Jaime Escalante?Jaime Escalante.



Wednesday, September 18, 7:00 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library
2025 Baxter Street, Athens


Stand and Deliver video. (Image from Spriggs, William A. The School Voucher Systems: Territorial Considerations in the Resource Alignment Theories.)

Stand and Deliver.
Rated PG.
(1987)103 mins. Directed by Ramón Menéndez. Starring: Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips.Athens-Clarke County Library, VC STAND.

Based on the true story of Jaime Escalante, a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and kids with hope into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.

Would you like to know more about Jaime Escalante?



Tuesday, September 24, 5:30 p.m.
UGA Main Library Room B-2


Explusion & Memory. (Image from Quest. Other Products.)

Expulsion & Memory: Descendants of the Hidden Jews
Not rated.
(1996, Canadian documentary, never broadcast)57 mins. Directed by Simcha Jacobovici and Roger Pyke.UGA Libraries Media Archives, Peabody Awards collection, 96076 DCT.

In 1492, with the stroke of a pen, fifteen hundred years of Jewish life in Spain came to an abrupt end. In a Medieval example of 'ethnic cleansing', the Jews of Spain were given a choice: expulsion or conversion. Half the community left, half converted. Many of the converted, known as 'Conversos', continued to practice Judaism in secret, establishing a way of life that has, remarkably, survived to the present day. Through extensive interviews with the children of secret believers, the film captures the modern day resurrection of something ethereal - the ghost of a people. The stories of these previously silent people unfold as we watch the phenomenon of a return to Judaism among the descendants of the former Spanish Jews.

Discussion following the screening will be led by Marina Herbst, a graduate student in Romance Languages.

Would you like to know more about "conversos" and the Sephardim?



Tuesday, October 1, 5:30 p.m.
UGA Main Library, Room B-2


Edward James Olmos as El Pachuco. (Image from Hawkins, Shirley. "Entrepreneurs, Zoot Suits Stay Alive, Popular Outfit Still Manufactured by Family Shop." Hispanic Magazine.)

Zoot Suit: The Play and the Promise
Not rated.
(Originally broadcast, 1978, KNXT, Los Angeles, CA)1 hour. Directed by Vincent Di Bona.UGA Libraries Media Archives, Peabody Awards collection, 78024 PST.

Discussion following the screening will be led by Dra. Roberta Fernández, Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Women’s Studies.

Zoot Suit: The Play and The Promise revolves around the play Zoot Suit, which was a huge success in Los Angeles. The play is the story of the mass trial of twenty-two Mexican American youths, nicknamed "zoot suiters" for their style of dress, for the murder of another young man in 1942. The documentary mixes scenes from the play, interviews with the playwright, actors, and real life participants in the events of the Forties. Old newsreel footage, headlines, and photographs help give a vivid feel for the wartime years, the trial, the zoot suit riots, and the racism of the period.

Would you like to know more about zootsuiters or Luis Valdez' works?



Thursday, October 3, 7:00 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens


Zoot Suit. (Image from The Zoot.net Store.)

Zoot Suit
Rated R.
(1981)104 mins. Written and directed by Luis Valdez. Starring: Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Tyne Daly.UGA Libraries Media Dept., Received in processing.

The screen adaptation of Luis Valdez' musical play that gained acclaim on both the west coast and on Broadway. It is the story of the early 1940's and the conflicts between the dominant culture in Los Angeles and the young Hispanic males moving into the area. Self expression through the "zoot suit" (a man's suit of long jacket and pegged pants, always worn with a long keychain that looped almost to the ankle .... the rebellious fashion of young men) became a particular flash point.

Would you like to know more about zootsuiters or Luis Valdez' works?



Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 p.m.
UGA Main Library, Room B-2

Thursday, October 10, 6:30 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens


César Chávez and farmworkers march in Delano, California, 1965. Photo: George Ballis/Take Stock. (Image from The Fight in the Fields, the Film and Its Creators.)


The Fight in the Fields: César Chávez and the Farmworkers' Struggle
Not rated.
(1997, originally broadcast: PBS, Berkeley, CA)2 hours. Directed by Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles.UGA Libraries Media Archives, Peabody Awards collection, 97165 DCT.

Dr. Lesley Feracho, Romance Languages and Institute for African American Studies, will lead the discussion following the screening.

The documentary tells the story of the United Farm Workers Union and its charismatic leader César Chávez. Cháves and his organization used the consumer boycott to win the support of millions of Americans for the farmworkers' fight for social justice, and the first farm labor contracts in American history. The farmworkers drew the support of Robert Kennedy, and were attacked by Ronald Reagan. When growers signed secret deals with the Teamsters Union, the UFW responded with massive strikes and civil disobedience. Finally, the farmworkers engineered the nation's first agricultural labor relations law. Their efforts inspired the Chicano activism of the 60's and 70's, and profoundly changed American society.

Would you like to know more about César Chávez and the farmworkers movement?

Tuesday, October 15, 5:30 p.m.
UGA Main Library, Room B-2


Graphic created by Mary Miller, c2002.

Revolutions on the Radio: People and Issues Related to Revolutionary Movements in Latin America, Audio Gleanings from the Peabody Awards Collection.
30 mins.
Presentation by Laura D. Shedenhelm, Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection, UGA Libraries.
Co-sponsored by the UGA Libraries Faculty Committee on Professional Development and Research.

Laura Shedenhelm describes the materials held in the Peabody Awards Collection of the UGA Libraries' Walter J. Brown Media Archives that relate to revolutionary movements in Latin America. Representative clips from various radio programs are included.



Thursday, October 17, 7:30 p.m.
Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens


(Bride and groom. Image from Food for the Ancestors.)

Food for the Ancestors.
Not rated.
(1999, originally broadcast, PBS, Chicago, IL)1 hour. Produced and directed by Jan Thompson.UGA Libraries Media Archives, Peabody Awards collection, 99030 EDT.

This program explores the festival known as Days of the Dead (Días de los muertos), highlighting Mexican traditions and ancient ways that still exist. Each year during the last week of October, Mexican communities begin preparations for an age-old festival. For each family, it is a remembrance of a departed loved one. On a larger scale, it also memorializes all ancestral Mexicans and the gifts they passed on to their descendants, especially food and culture. The program focuses on the special foods that are made for this time of year: Sugar Skull candies; pulque; Bread of the Dead; and Mole Poblano. The holiday climaxes on the night of November 1st when family members decorate the grave sites and spend the entire night sitting at the grave site waiting for the 'Ancestors' to return.

Would you like to know more about Days of the Dead celebrations?

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