Hispanic Celebration Planned

HISPANIC CELEBRATION INCLUDES LOOK AT HEALTH ISSUES

     COLUMBUS --  The 17th annual Hispanic Awareness Celebration
at Ohio State University April 16-May 5 will include the Hispanic
Health Conference '95 and screenings for diabetes, a condition
that is especially troubling for Hispanics.

     The celebration also includes dozens of presentations,
lectures, films, and social events.  Ohio State's Office of
Hispanic Student Services coordinates the annual event.  Most
activities are free and take place on Ohio State's Columbus
campus.

     The Hispanic Health Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m.-7
p.m. Monday, April 24, in the Main Lounge of the Ohio Union, 1739
N. High St.  It will be the first statewide meeting to discuss
Hispanic health issues, said Nohema Garcia, program specialist
for the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

     "The Hispanic population is prone to all six of the
conditions that the commission targets: diabetes; cancer;
cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension; infant
mortality; substance abuse; and violence," she said.  "However,
diabetes is the biggest health problem."

     Diabetes is a disease in which sugar and carbohydrates are
not properly absorbed by the body.  Obesity caused by starchy
diets and poor eating habits is a factor in diabetes among
Hispanics, Garcia said.

     At 2 p.m. Monday, April 17, Ottrus Lane and Janet Gorman of
the Central Ohio Diabetes Association will discuss the prevalence
of diabetes in the Hispanic population.  Diabetes screenings will
be conducted at 3 p.m.  Both events will be in the Ohio Union
Memorial Room.

     At the April 24 conference, speakers from throughout the
United States will discuss how to build coalitions, providing
services in the context of Hispanic culture, the impact of
substance abuse and domestic violence on families, and how to
shape health policy.

     The Commission on Minority Health and the Ohio Commission on
Spanish Speaking Affairs are co-sponsors with Hispanic Student
Affairs.

     The conference is free, but registration is required.  To
register, call the Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs at
(614) 466-8333.

     On a lighter note, participants of Fiesta '95 will celebrate
with Latin music from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, April 16, in the Whetstone
Park of Roses, 3923 N. High St.  There also will be food, games
and cultural activities for all ages.

     And a Cinco de Mayo Celebration Extravaganza, with strolling
musicians, traditional Mexican ballads and videos, will be held
from noon-5 p.m. Thursday, May 4, in the Ohio Union Food Court.

     Other activities include:

     --  "The Road to Challenge: A Never Ending Struggle," a
lecture by Ohio Rep. John Garc=A1a, during the formal opening of
the celebration, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the Main
Lounge of the Faculty Club, 181 S. Oval Mall.  Garc=A1a, R-Lucas
County, is the first Hispanic elected to the Ohio House.

     --  "Second Skin: Creativity, Identity and the Latino
Imagination," a multi-media presentation by David Carrasco of
Princeton University, at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 19 in the
Wexner Center Film and Video Theater, 1891 N. High St.  Carrasco
was a member of the Lord Gang of Chicago.

     --  A poetry reading in Spanish by internationally renowned
Mexican poet David Huerta at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in Room
122 Main Library, 1858 Neil Ave.  Maureen Ahern, professor of
Spanish and Portuguese, and John Bennett, bibliographic
assistant, will translate.

     --  "Barrio Gangs: Break Down of Social Control in Los
Angeles" by James Diego Vigil of the University of Southern
California, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20 in the Faculty Club Main
Lounge, 181 S. Oval Mall.  Vigil, professor of anthropology, also
will present "Ethnic Identity, Cultural Change and Academic
Achievement Among Mexican-American Youth" at 1 p.m. Friday, April
21, in the Ohio Union Conference Theater.

     --  "Spain's Multicultural Heritage," a two-part
presentation by Vicente Cantarino, professor of Spanish and
Portuguese at Ohio State, 300 Cunz Hall, 1841 Millikin Rd.  "Part
I: The Arabs" will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 18.  "Part II: The
Jews" will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 25.

     --  "Race, Civil Rights and the New Immigrants: Nativism and
the New World Order," by Evelyn Hu-DeHart, professor of history
and director of the Center for Studies of Ethnicity and Race in
America at the University of Colorado, at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday,
May 3, in the Wexner Center Film and Video Theater.

     For a complete calendar of events, call the Office of
Hispanic Student Affairs, (614) 292-2917.

                                #
Contact:  Carmen Alverez-Breckenridge, (614) 292-2917.
Written by Gemma McLuckie


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Fri, 7 Apr 1995 10:49:44 -0400]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.