The free 4 to 6 p.m. event featured light refreshments and the Latin jazz sounds of Los Viejos Blanquitos Trio, a local band mostly comprising Ohio University School of Music professors. The Office of Multicultural Programs and the Multicultural Center sponsored the reception.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is held each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, a period that includes the independence days of numerous Latin American countries. Nationally recognized since 1988, the observance is intended to draw attention to the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans.

Other scheduled events include:

• "Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery in the United States" will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Baker University Center Ballroom.
  
  Guest speakers will include Nadia Lucchin, director of Ohio's Not for Sale Campaign and Theresa Flores, author and sex slave survivor. Ever since she became aware of human sex trafficking, Lucchin has spoken publicly against it and has worked hard to bring awareness to the illegal practice. She also has assisted in the opening of a shelter for female victims. Flores' 2007 book, "The Sacred Bath: An American Teen's Story of Modern Day Slavery," chronicles her story as a former sex slave as a teenager living in Detroit. Now as a licensed social worker, Flores travels the country sharing her story about how she survived and healed after breaking free from being a sex slave. This free event is sponsored by Sigma Lambda Gamma and the Women's Center.
  
  
  
  



• Gustavo Perez Firmat, a poet, fiction writer and scholar, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Baker University Center Theatre.
  
  He is the David Feinson Professor of Humanities at Columbia University and teaches modern Spanish, Spanish-American and Latino literature. He has authored several books of literary and cultural criticism, four collections of poetry a novel and a memoir. His visit is sponsored by University Program Council.
  
  
  
  



• "A Slice of Rice, Frijoles & Greens: Beyond Cultural Borders" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in the Baker University Center Theatre.
  
  The play is a humorous mix of stories about the Asian, Latino and African-American experiences. It features music, theater and dance and attempts to break stereotypes about these races of people. The play is sponsored by the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, Student Activities Commission, Office of Multicultural Programs and the Multicultural Center.
  
  
  
  



• The "ASARO of Mexico: Impressions of Radical Printmakers" art exhibit is on display until Friday, Oct. 9 in the Multicultural Center art gallery located on the second floor of the Baker University Center. The exhibit, which is sponsored by the Multicultural Center, features a selection of woodblock prints created by the young Mexican artists who make up the Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca (ASARO). A closing reception for the exhibit that began on Sept. 8 will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the gallery. Read more about the exhibit. 

For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month, call the Office of Multicultural Programs at 740-593-4027.