Afro-Mexican Conference in Texas

A group of distinguished scholars and activists from both Mexico and from various institutions in the United States will meet at Texas A&M University (College Station), October 22 & 23, 2008, for a symposium of unprecedented importance, “The African Presence in Mexico.”
“The African Presence in Mexico” will begin Wednesday night, October 22, with the keynote address by Fr. Glyn Jemmott, a Roman Catholic priest currently serving the Parish of St. John of the Cross in El Cirelo, Pinotepa Nacional, Mexico. This address will be held in the MSC’s Stark Gallery beginning at 6:00PM
The morning and afternoon schedule for Thursday, October 23, features brief presentations by Herman L. Bennett, Juan Manuel de la Serna, Maria Elisa Velázquez and Arturo Motta on “Slavery and Freedom in Colonial Mexico” and “’Where Did the Blacks Go?’ Post-Slavery Mexico.” Respondents to these scholarly lectures will include Joan Bristol, Patrick J. Carroll, Nicole von Germeten, Frank “Trey” Proctor III, and Marisela Ramos. These two lectures will be held in Rudder Tower, Room 302 at 10:00AM and 1:00PM.
The symposium will close Thursday night, October 23, with “Contemporary Afro-Mexicans,” a group conversation, led by Ben Vinson III, in exchange with Naya Jones, Laura Lewis, Jean-Philibert Mobwa Mobwa N’Djoli, Fr. Glyn Jemmott, Bobby Vaughn, Anita Gonzalez and Maria Elisa Velázquez. The last conversation will be held in the MSC’s Stark Gallery beginning at 6:00PM.
During these two days of national and international intellectual and political exchange, “Afro-Mexican Faces from the State of Veracruz, Mexico,” an exhibition of photographs by Marcus D. Jones, will be mounted in The Flag Room of the MSC at Texas A&M University Monday through Thursday, October 20 – 23, 2008.
The symposium and exhibition are co-sponsored by Texas A&M University’s Callaloo and by the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Callaloo, the premier literary and cultural journal of the African Diaspora, is sponsored by Texas A&M University and published quarterly by Johns Hopkins University Press in Baltimore.
For additional information the symposium, see http://callaloo. tamu.edu/ events.htm

Houston TX Afro-Latin Fundraiser

Latin Jazz Brunch
HOSTED BY WHEN AND WHERE I ENTER, INC.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
McNair Hall, Rice University 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005
Please join When and Where I Enter, Inc. for our first fundraising event of the year - a Latin Jazz Brunch. A minimum donation of $30 includes an exquisite brunch and live Latin jazz performance by Latin Soul. Your contributions will help us reach our goal to provide $10,000 for grants to benefit Afro-Latinas in Latin America. So, come out and enjoy an afternoon of fabulous food and live Latin Jazz, while helping to make a difference in the lives of Afro-Latina women and girls. Felix and Melinda Chevalier, co-anchor of Fox 26 News, are the honorary chairpersons of the event with Yvette Modestin, prominent Afro-Panamanian civil rights advocate, as the keynote speaker. When and Where I Enter, Inc. is a foundation whose mission is to empower Afro-Latina women and girls to improve the quality of their lives and to become self-sufficient, contributing members of their communities. We execute our mission by providing grants to charitable organizations in Latin America that implement programs to improve the socio-economic status of Afro-Latina women and girls. If you are unable to attend the event but would still like to donate, you may send a check payable to When and Where I Enter, Inc. to: When and Where I Enter, Inc., PO Box 841268, Pearland, TX 77584. When and Where I Enter, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permissible by law. For more information and to RSVP, please visit: http://preview.evite.com/event/latinjazzbrunch or call (832) 721-5642