UIS Speaker Series celebrates Latino contributions with "The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series and Organization of Latin American Students kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by examining “The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America”. The featured speaker will be nationally-known multicultural motivational speaker Bobby Gonzalez.

WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library

DETAILS: Many of society’s incredible contributions in the fields of agriculture, linguistics, art, religion and medicine were made by the Inca, Maya, Aztec, Taino and other First Peoples of Central and South America and the Caribbean. With his unique storytelling ability, Gonzalez will explain how present-day Mexico City was a marvel of advanced architecture and engineering and how the brilliant mathematicians from Latin America developed the concept of zero centuries before the Europeans. Come learn more about why Latinos should be proud of their indigenous ancestry.

González seeks to empower his audiences by encouraging them to embrace their heritage and use this knowledge to create a dynamic future. He draws on his Native American (Taino) and Latino (Puerto Rican) roots to offer a unique repertoire of discourses, readings and performances that celebrates his indigenous heritage. He has published two books, Song of the American Holocaust, and The Last Puerto Rican Indian, and the soon to be released Taino Zen. He is also the event coordinator & master of ceremonies for the annual Bronx Native American Festival.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.