A California-based journalist and author who’s compiling stories of Mexican restaurateurs in Kentucky will speak Oct. 14 at UofL about how Latinos have changed the South during the past two decades.
Gustavo Arellano, a newspaper editor and nationally syndicated columnist, will give the free, public talk “El Sur Shall Rise Again: How Latino Immigrants Are Saving the South.” The 14th annual Latin American and Latino Studies Heritage Lecture will be 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.
Arellano is highlighting the Kentucky restaurateurs’ stories in oral histories for the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit institute based at University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
Arellano is editor of the alternative newspaper OC Weekly in Orange County, California, and has written several books, including “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” He also is the author of the award-winning syndicated “Ask a Mexican!” column that uses humor to explore issues such as immigration, labor and Mexican culture in the United States.
He will talk about the history of his column in “Ask a Mexican about ‘Ask a Mexican!’” 2-3 p.m. Oct. 14 in Room 139, Shumaker Research Building.
Besides his writing, Arellano also is a consulting producer for the upcoming Fox animated adult comedy series “Bordertown,” with “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane as executive producer. Arellano will lead an advance screening of the show from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 14, also in Room 139, Shumaker Research Building. The series is scheduled to air starting in January 2016.
Sponsors of the three UofL events are the College of Arts and Sciences’ Latin American and Latino studies program and Liberal Studies Project, as well as the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality and the Cultural Center.
For more information, contact Rhonda Buchanan at 502-852-2034 or rhondabuchanan@louisville.edu
