Close Menu

Hip-hop artist Olmeca to present a Latino Heritage Month lecture and performance at Whitworth University Oct. 13

October 7, 2016
Whitworth University is honored to host bilingual hip-hop artist and producer Olmeca for a Latino Heritage Month lecture, “Forced Migration and Cycles of Oppression.” The lecture will be held at 6 p.m. in the Hixson Union Building’s Multipurpose Room; at 8 p.m. Olmeca will give a performance in the same location. Admission to both events is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (509) 777-4721.

While immigration reform continues to be debated, many people are beginning to look at the root causes of migration over the last 20 years, specifically U.S. foreign policy and globalization. Olmeca looks at how addressing the issue at the root level can create a more viable solution, not only to forced migration to the U.S., but also for creating sustainable living conditions in affected countries to stop migration altogether.

A veteran of the L.A. hip-hop scene, Olmeca helped spawn a new trend of bilingual music that celebrates the Latin American diaspora in the United States. While listeners appreciate Olmeca’s lyrical content, activists are drawn by his analytical intensity, hip-hop heads appreciate his delivery, music connoisseurs value the production, and educators use Olmeca’s music in their classrooms to provide a counter-narrative.

His work has been featured on CNN Latino, “Democracy Now,” ABC, FOX, NPR, in URB magazine and on the TV series “Sons of Anarchy.” He teaches Latino studies at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He was appointed artist-teacher at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, one of the most renowned cultural centers in the United States, and he has spoken alongside Dolores Huerta, Zack de la Rocha, Rosa Clemente and others.

Olmeca’s campus events are sponsored by ASWU Cultural Events, Speakers & Artists, Whitworth’s office of student diversity, equity and Inclusion, and the U.S. Cultural Studies program.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

David Garcia, assistant dean of student diversity, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4721 or sdei@whitworth.edu.

Lauren Clark, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or lclark@whitworth.edu.