East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania\u2019s (ESU) Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and Latin American Association (LAA) will co-sponsor a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Saturday, September 15 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Keystone Room, located in the center of campus.\u00a0 The celebration, which is open to the public at no cost, will feature ethnic inspired food, music, and a performance by Pura Essencia, ESU\u2019s Latin dance group.<\/p>\n
The national observation of Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, 2012.\u00a0 The observation celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.<\/p>\n
The celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month will continue on October 9 when OMA will sponsor a screening of the documentary, \u201cLatina Confessions\u201d (\u201cWhat does it mean to be Latina in the U.S.?\u201d) at 7:30 p.m. in Lower Dansbury.\u00a0 This film highlights the struggles that Latina women face living in America.\u00a0 It also deals with issues and concerns such as homosexuality and sexism.\u00a0 The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with Louis E. Perego Moreno (a\/k\/a Tio Louie), the documentary\u2019s filmmaker. The event is open to the general public at no cost.<\/p>\n
On October 10, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., OMA will sponsor a Zumba for Life aerobics class in the Mattioli Recreation Center Arena at ESU.\u00a0 This event is open to current ESU students.\u00a0 Zumba was founded by Alberto Perez in the 90’s. It stems from Colombian dance, which incorporates styles of music such as salsa, bachata, and merengue. The purpose of the program is to bring awareness to diseases\/illnesses that historically affect many minority groups such as Latinos and to illustrate how activities, such as Zumba, may help to fight these health issues.<\/p>\n