In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs and Multicultural Advisory Board are hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Program.
In the program, certain accomplishments made by Hispanic Americans will be specially recognized. The keynote speech that will be given by photographer/lecturer Jose Galvez will also include historical achievements made by the Latino culture.
“I have no doubt that Jose Galvez will be a good keynote speaker,” Assistant Dean of Students Daphne R. Carter said. “The accomplishments that he has made in his career do not only represent the Hispanic culture, but represents the work ethic of the American culture.”
Galvez’s photography career has been dedicated to creating a historical record of the Latino experience in America. After graduating from the University of Arizona, he became a photographer for the Arizona Daily Star and later on a photographer for the Los Angeles Times.
While he was the first Mexican-American photographer for The Los Angeles Times, he was part of a Pulitzer Prize winning team. The team of reporters and photographers were the first Mexican-Americans to win the Pulitzer Prize. They won the prize for their series on Latino life in Southern California.
For 40 years, Galvez has used black and white film to document the history of Latino America.
“Photographing the lives of Latinos is not a one-time project or current passion, but a lifelong commitment,” Galvez said.
As an artist, he photographs his personal history and love of family. His cultural knowledge allows him to show his work with a personal understanding of the stories behind the images.
Now, Galvez spends most of his time touring the country showing his work and sharing his inspiring life stories. His work has been displayed in many museums and galleries including the Smithsonian. He is often found toting portable exhibits to schools, libraries, fiestas, low-rider shows and rodeos.
When he makes his keynote speech in the Hispanic Heritage Month Program, he will be sharing his famous story that he shares across the country. The story is entitled “Shine,” and it includes his personal life experiences. The title comes from his humble start as a shoe shine boy in Arizona.
There will be a special presentation in the program where accomplishments made in Latin-America will be highlighted for the public to appreciate. The purpose of the presentation is to specifically educate other cultures about the historical strides that Hispanic-Americans have made.
“I think the presentation will be a good experience for different cultures to see more than one picture,” Carter said.
The Hispanic Heritage program is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Sept. 23. It will start at 4 p.m. in the Chapman Auditorium. Once the program is over, there will be a light reception. People that are interested in attending the program can contact the Multicultural Advisory Board at (843) 661-1188.