Below are listed the upcoming events and activities for November from the Office of Multicultural Activities. Please contact Karen Roth, Director of Multicultural Activities at kroth1@cocc.edu or call 541-383-7412 for more information. You may also view this newsletter on our webpage at: www.cocc.edu/Multicultural
Upcoming Programs and Events
Student Club meetings in the Multicultural Center:
French Conversation Group, Tuesdays at 1:30 - 3:30 pm
First Nations Student Union, Wednesdays at 11 am - noon
Latino Club, Wednesdays at noon - 1 pm
Black Student Union, Fridays at noon - 1pm
Spanish Conversation Group
Every Monday, 11:30 – 12:30 pm, in 116 Campus Center
This conversation group is open to anyone willing to try and converse in Spanish.
El Dia de los Muertos Celebration - Charla and Danza Azteca
Thursday, November 1, Noon – 1 pm, Dining Room and 116 Campus Center
Join us for a pre-Hispanic celebration remembering those who have gone before us. Learn more about this day and where it comes from. There will be several Aztec dances to go along with the presentation.
Potluck and Presentation of the 500 Mile El Camino de Santiago Trek Across Spain
Monday, November 5, 12:30 – 1:30 pm, 116 Campus Center
Bring any food you would like to share and watch the slide show of El Camino.
Black Student Union Potluck
Friday, November 9, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, Multicultural Center
All are welcome! Enjoy the free food and come meet some new friends.
Safe Zone Trainings
For Students: Friday, Nov. 9, 9 am – 4 pm, 301 Health Science Building
For Faculty/Staff: Friday, Nov. 16, 9 am – 4 pm, 209 Science Building
Safe Zones are confidential and safe environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Those who go through a six hour training to learn about LGBT issues receive a Safe Zone placard to display in their office (for faculty and staff) or a button to place on a backpack (for students). If you are interested in participating in the training, please rsvp to Karen Roth at kroth1@cocc.edu. We will provide breakfast goodies and lunch for the workshop participants!
Bachata Dance Classes
Friday, November 9, 6-7:30pm, Location TBA
Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. The sensual dance from D.R. has had much success in recent years and is danced widely all over the world. Bachata is a more intimate dance but it will help you learn the body language of Latin dance. You will feel the natural motion of each other and how to properly lead and follow. No previous experience required.
Spanish Film Night: “El Mariachi”
Thursday, Nov. 15, 6 pm, 155 Boyle
In this film, a traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.
November is Native American Heritage Month!
Potluck and Necklace Making for Giveaways Workshop
Friday, November 2, 10 am – 4:30 pm, Multicultural Center
RSVP is required; contact Gina Ricketts at rricketts@cocc.edu or 541-318-3782
Nature of Words Poet: Sherwin Bitsui – “The Strategy Within”
Thursday, November 8, Noon - 2pm, Wille Hall, Campus Center
This lecture will explore examples from contemporary Navajo poetry in order to experience possible underlying strategies that occur in Navajo thought and philosophy.
Free tickets for the first 50 students – available at the Information Desk in the Campus Center. Tickets are $15 for staff and students available at the Campus Box Office in Boyle. General admission is $30 available at: www.thenatureofwords.org
“Real Injun” Film and Panel Discussion
Wednesday, November 14, 6:30 – 9 pm, Hitchcock Auditorium
Join a distinguished panel in reviewing this film that exposes the stereotypes imbedded in popular films.
Conversations on Books and Cultures: Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko,
Tuesday, November 27, 4 – 5 pm, Multicultural Center, Campus Center
This story, set on an Indian reservation just after World War II, concerns the return home of a war-weary Laguna veteran. Tayo had been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. With the support of Old Grandma, he is helped to find his place in the world again. Discussion will be facilitated by Professor Neil Browne.
“Edge of America” Film
Thursday, November 29, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Boyle 155
Inspired by a true New Mexico story, this upbeat feature follows a girls’ basketball team as they learn how to win. It tells the story about cross-cultural communication, the values of community and commitment, and the thrill of victory.
Multicultural Celebrations and Holidays
November 1 – All Saints’ Day. Many Christian churches in the United States celebrate All Saints' Day to honor all the saints.
November 2 - Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican festival honoring and celebrating a reunion with ancestors who have died.
November 2 - Karva Chauth is a festival that provides an opportunity for all married women to get close to their in-laws. All married women observe a fast that ensures the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands. This Hindu festival has a cultural and social significance and all Indians celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm.
November 3 – Bunka No Hi (Culture Day). This national holiday in Japan honors the love of freedom and the promotion of Japanese culture.
November 6 - Election Day.
November 11 – Veteran’s Day was originally proclaimed as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I.
November 12 – Birthday of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, co-organizer of the first women’s rights convention.
November 12 – Birth of Bahà’u’ll`àh, the founder of the Bahà’i faith, in 1817 in Persia.
November 13 – Supreme Court held that segregated buses are illegal, 1956.
November 13 – Diwali, the Festival of Lights celebrated by the Hindu’s and Sikhs in India as the new year. The celebration last for five days.
November 13 – International World Kindness Day.
November 15 – Shichi-Go-San, a Japanese holiday when prayers are offered for children’s growth. The ages of three and five for boys and three and seven for girls are celebrated.
November 15 – 1st Muharram marks the first day of the first month of the Islamic year. It begins at sundown the previous day.
November 16 – United Nations International Tolerance Day.
November 18 – Birthday of Sojourner Truth, African American Abolitionist, and Wilma Mankiller, Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
November 20 – American Indians took over the closed Alcatraz Island in 1969. By law, surplus land should revert back to them.
November 20 – Transgender Day of Remembrance. Vigils, services and a variety of other events are held to remember those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
November 21 – National Organization for Women founded, 1966.
November 22 – Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.
November 22 – Nation of Islam founded in the US in 1930.
November 23 – Kinro Kansha No Hi, Japanese Labor Thanksgiving when people express gratitude to each other for their labors throughout the year.
November 24 – The day that the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur is commemorated by the Sikhs.
November 24 – Ashura, for Shi’ite Muslims, mourns the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. This day is commemorated by retelling the story of the battle fought in Kerbala.
November 26 – Day of Convenant, a Bahà’i observance which was established to safeguard the unity of the community.
November 28 – Ascension of Abdu’l-Bahài - Members of the Bahà'i faith throughout the world commemorate the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahài, the eldest son and successor of Bahà'u'llàh, 83 years ago. Bahà'i’s observe the Holy Day of the Ascension of Abdu'l-Bahài at 1:00 a.m., about the time of His death. There are no prescribed ceremonies but gatherings usually involve prayers and devotional readings.
November 28 - Guru Nanak’s Birthday - Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism. Sikhism is still based on his teachings and those of the nine Sikh Gurus who followed him. Sikhs celebrate Guru Nanak's birthday by reading the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, continuously from beginning to end. This is done by a team of Sikh men and women, each reading for 2-3 hours over 48 hours, beginning two days before and ending early on the morning of the birthday.
November 28 – Lokashah Jayanti. This Jain festival commemorates the birth of a famous 15th century reformer, Lonka Saha, who opposed temple worship and the use of images.
November 29 – Thurgood Marshall, the first African American is appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967.
November 30 – Shirley Chisholm, first African American woman congressperson born in 1924.