This speaker series was developed by Professor Caballero as part of her class,  Introduction to Latinx Studies. It is designed to share the diversity and contributions of the local New Orleans Latinx community. Each speaker shares their perspective on a wide array of important topics relating to community and the city. In order to attend these online events, please "REGISTER HERE":https://forms.gle/z2M1LSsGyqGtRVvBA

Thursday, September 17th - Rafael Delgadillo, PhD Candidate at UC-Santa Cruz in Latin American and Latino Studies

Thursday, October 1st - Leticia Casilda, _Familia Unidas en Acción_ "Familias Unidas en Acción":https://familiasunidasla.org/ was founded in 2018 with the vision of providing immigrant families in the greater New Orleans area and Louisiana with the resources needed to thrive in a new community without forgetting their own culture and history. We are the only community organization in New Orleans and Louisiana primarily focused on providing shelter and transitional support to recently arrived immigrant families. Our membership is made up of impacted immigrant families who believe that our families and children deserve equal opportunities, respect as human beings, access to their histories and culture, and to be acknowledged as productive members of society. 

Thursday October 15 - Fermín Ceballos, musician and writer - Fermín Ceballos is a tri-lingual Afro-Dominican songwriter, musician, bandleader, composer, actor, and poet living and creating art in New Orleans, Louisiana. He studied art & music at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) and was a professor of music for the Dominican Republic Secretary of State for Culture National School System. His primary musical instruments are the accordion, guitar, piano, and voice. Fermín continually works on several musical projects in the Gulf South and the US; such as Merengue4-FOUR, a musical project focused on Dominican Music (Bachata & Merengue Típico), Fermín’s Latin Fusion Orchestra performing original salsa inspired compositions, and Fermín Acústico a musical concept based on guitar and voice. With all his projects, he performs original compositions based on his fusion of different sounds and musical rhythms. In 2019, he released his first book of poems in Spanish and English entitled _Pisando Mi Sombra_ (Walking My Shadow). 

Thursday, October 29th - Christopher Louis Romaguera. Romaguera is Cuban-American writer who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born in Hialeah, Florida and graduated from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Romaguera has been published in _The Daily Beast,_ _Curbed National,_ _Peauxdunque Review,_ _New Orleans Review,_ _PANK Magazine_ and other publications. He is a monthly columnist at _The Ploughshares Blog_. He has an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of New Orleans. 

Thursday, November 19th @ 5 PM - Brenda Melara. Melara is editor in chief of "Que Pasa New Orleans,":https://hispanicflavorproductions.com/que-pasa-newspaper a local bilingual newspaper. Brenda Melara has worked in the Latino media field for over 30 years in the Greater New Orleans area. She is currently Editor-in-Chief of Que Pasa, a bilingual cultural newspaper and Senior Producer for Hispanic Flavor Productions. Her work experience includes journalism, television, radio, artist promotion and bilingual education. Brenda was born and raised in New Orleans to parents of Guatemalan heritage. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and is an active member of Cervantes Fundación Hispanoamericana de Arte, a non-profit foundation that promotes the Latino arts and culture. She graduated from the University of New Orleans with a BA in Drama & Communications. 

For more information, please contact 504.865.5164.