During this event, in Memorial Hall on November 7 at 6 p.m., we will build community, engage in dialogue, and experience artistic expression related to the celebration and appreciation of Día de los Muertos and other Latinx cultural commemorations of loved ones.

We come to this space acknowledging and celebrating that Latinx cultures are the result of the mixing of Indigenous, colonial, African, new immigrant cultures (and more), and we celebrate the many forms of commemorations that result from this mixing.

Artists, performers, cultural organizers, educators, and more will host various stations around the event space (the Forum in Memorial Hall), creating multiple opportunities for participants to view and craft ofrendas, experience cultural practices, and collaborate with our community while reflecting on their own cultural celebrations of their ancestors.

As our third annual, co-curricular event, this space is intended to bring together students, faculty, staff, and local community members from the Shenandoah Valley to learn across generations and identities as we all build a more evolved global mindset by learning together about the celebration of Día de los Muertos and other Latinx cultural commemorative traditions.

By attending this event, participants will make progress towards:

• Developing an understanding and appreciation, with a lens of cultural awareness, for how Día de los Muertos can be celebrated.
• Learning about the specific experiences of community members with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.
• Experiencing the integral component of artistic creativity in the celebration of Día de los Muertos.
• Building community around spaces for learning where participants collaborate across generations and identities to build a global mindset
• Experiencing global practices that influence pedagogy and learning at JMU

Organizers and sponsors:

Event organized by an interdisciplinary faculty working group which includes: Dr. Fawn-Amber Montoya, Dr. Kristen McCleary, Dr. Diana Meza, Dr. Verónica Dávila Ellis, Dr. Becca Howes-Mischel, and Elaine Kaye 
 
Event co-sponsored by JMU Libraries, the College of Education, the Honors College, and Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies (LAXC).

Artists & Contributors:

• Estela Diaz Knott (from the Lua Project)
• Marissa Kalo 
• Mayra Gavia Molina
• Local Educators

Location and parking information:

The event will be held in the Forum in Memorial Hall (395 South High Street, Harrisonburg). Visitors (community members) may park in any JMU Memorial Hall parking lot to attend the event; no parking permits or vouchers will be necessary. However, all regulations for JMU students, faculty and staff will remain in effect, and students attending the event are required to park in appropriate student parking lots with a JMU parking permit.

Sign up:

Please sign up by selecting "Begin Registration" below. Signing up ahead of time is so helpful for our planning! Anyone is welcome at this family-friendly community/campus event.

Questions? 

Please contact Elaine Kaye (robertef@jmu.edu) with any questions about this event.