To join this ZOOM PRESENTATION, go to https://spscc.zoom.us/j/84707321630
It’s May 5 — Cinco de Mayo — when Americans drink Margaritas, eat chilaquiles, tacos and fajitas, listen to corridos and wear the Mexican sombrero. Every restaurant is decorated with colorful paper flowers, maracas and papel picado. However, most of us know only a little about what really happened on May 5. In this talk, Wagner College Professor Margarita Sánchez will clarify several historical misconceptions about Cinco de Mayo, discuss the complex relationship between the United States and Mexico, and share some of the greatest Mexican cultural contributions that continue to enrich its northern neighbor.
Margarita M. Sánchez holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Spanish and Latin American Literature from Rutgers University. She has been dedicated to the study of contemporary Latin American literature, with an emphasis on gender and cultural studies. She is the co-editor of a special edition of Letras Femeninas devoted to the works of contemporary Hispanic women writers. She is the co-author of the textbook, “Retratos: Arte y sociedad en América Latina y España” (Hackett, 2015) and “On The Move: Spanish Grammar for Everyday Situations” (Hackett, 2019). At Wagner College, she teaches all levels of Spanish-language instruction as well as classes on literary theory, short films and 20th century Latin American literature. She is actively involved in the Port Richmond community on Staten Island, where she works with immigrants from Central and South America. Sánchez has written about displaced populations in Colombia with a focus on the female experience. She is working on the manuscript of “Xayacatlán: People of the Rain,” a book that focuses on the stories of four indigenous families separated by forced migration.
The program is presented by the South Puget Sound Community College’s Diversity Leadership Institute in Olympia, Washington.