Novelist, retired librarian, sculptor and santero Orlando Romero will help the Laboratory celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Wednesday with a lecture at 11:30 a.m., in the Physics Building Auditorium at Technical Area 3.
Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday in Mexico, celebrates the Mexican victory over the French army in the 1862 "battle at La Puebla." The talk is open to all Laboratory employees, subcontract personnel and the public.
Romero's presentation is "Multiculturalism, Colonial Style: Did your great-great-great-great grandpa really look like that?" The presentation provides a historical and genealogical look at our ancestors and goes beyond stereotypes to help individuals recognize the connections of New Mexicans to Spain, France, Ireland, Africa and Native America. The presentation discusses why New Mexicans developed many of the cultural aspects it did, said Romero. In addition to the one-hour lecture, a short video also will be shown.
Romero earned a bachelor's degree in English at the College of Santa Fe and a master's degree in library science from the University of Arizona. A National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in creative writing, Romero was named to the New Mexico Eminent Scholars Program and has lectured widely in the United States and abroad. He also is the author of numerous articles and books on New Mexico history and culture.
Romero is a descendant of the original Spanish families who came to New Mexico in 1598.
The talk is sponsored by the Hispanic Diversity Working Group, the Laboratory's Diversity/Affirmative Action Board and the Diversity (DVO) Office.
The talk can be accessed on desktop computers via the Internet using Real Media Player and IPTV technology.
--Kathryn Ostic