Providence, RI - Providence College's Balfour Center for Multicultural Affairs will celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with a panel presentation on "Culture and the Arts: Heartbeat of the Hispanic Community," on Friday, October 10, 2003 at 5 p.m. in Slavin Center '64 Hall on the College campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Panelists will include Mary O. Gallegos, president and founder of the Hispanic Cultural Society of Rhode Island; and local artists Ana Flores and John Kotula. Through slides, music and discussion, the speakers will focus on the vital role of culture and the arts among members of the Hispanic community. The event will feature the ceremony known as "Day of the Dead," an annual event observed in the Hispanic community to honor deceased family members and celebrate the continuity of life.

The celebration also will include a special tribute to the "Queen of Salsa" Celia Cruz - also known to fans worldwide as "Azucar."  The Cuban-born Cruz was one of Latin music's most respected vocalists, recording more than 70 albums before her death in July 2003. She received 12 Grammy nominations, winning her first in 1989. Cruz, who sang only in her native Spanish language, received a Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement award, a National Medal of the Arts and honorary doctorates from Yale University and the University of Miami.

The event is being sponsored in cooperation with the Hispanic Cultural Society of Rhode Island, a member of the Heritage Harbor Museum. The mission of the society is to promote, document and exhibit the twenty-one Hispanic cultures that make their presence in Rhode Island.

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