St. Clair County Community College (SC4) and the Hispanic Alliance of Southeast Michigan will host a Hispanic American Heritage Celebration to celebrate Hispanic and Latino cultures from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, in SC4’s Fine Arts Theatre.
The event is titled “Introducing the Hispanic Alliance of Southeast Michigan: Our past, presence and future!” From 5 to 6:30 p.m., it will feature a panel discussion moderated by Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Thelma Castillo, and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. attendees can enjoy live music by Detroit’s PanaMO, a renowned Latin Jazz ensemble.
The event also will feature sample food from Doña Marina’s LLC.
Hispanic Alliance of Southeast Michigan (HASM) panelists and community volunteers include:
- Jessica Totty – HASM president, Mexican and Indigenous descent, SC4 alumna, nurse and pastor
- Jesus Castillo – HASM member, Veteran and U.S. Army Commendation Medal recipient, Consumer’s Energy retiree, former Hispanic Council of St. Clair County chairperson
- Eunice Castillo – HASM member, Retired Port Huron Area School District teacher in charge of the English as a Second Language Program, former Hispanic Council of St. Clair County chairperson
- Heather Fagan – HASM member, Doña Marina’s LLC, Seed & Soul Society president and co-founder, Nicaraguan-American
- Iris Santillano – HASM member, event planner and SC4 alumna born in Puerto Rico
- Irma (López) Santillano – HASM member, marketing and fundraising expert who is Mexican and Puerto Rican and speaks fluent Spanish
“We invite our community to come out and learn more about our Hispanic heritage through discussion and music,” said SC4 Chief Diversity Officer Jessica Brown.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information on other SC4 upcoming events, visit sc4.edu/events/.
