Nobel Peace Prize winner and political activist Rigoberta Menchu will be the featured guest speaker at American River College on Oct. 3. in the cafeteria at 6 p.m.
The event will be open to only Los Rios students and employees with Los Rios IDs.
Menchu is a Guatemalan indigenous k’iche’ woman who has established herself at the forefront of social and political change on an international level.
She is most known for her best selling novel, “I, Rigoberta Menchu,” an autobiography that delves into what it was like growing up a peasant in Latin America and the hardships she had to endure: military oppression, moral endurance and the fight for justice.
Menchu was born in a small town in the north-central Guatemalan province of El Quiche. She grew up impoverished, and in 1981 at age 22 Menchu was exiled and escaped to Mexico.
Having this prominent author and activist come visit ARC will bring more attention to the indigenous people around the world and on our campus.
ARC’s Native American Resource Center (NARC) was the catalyst behind coordinating with UNITE and organizing the event.
A NARC full time faculty member, Tonantzin Miranda, reached out for two years before they were able to officially book and schedule everything.
“This partnership just worked from the beginning,” said Miranda. “Like minds got together and energy was built.”
Miranda said Menchu negotiated with her agents to keep the original price offered to ARC, and because of her involvement the fee has remained the initial undisclosed amount.
“I tracked down the agent… reached out to him,” said Miranda.
Two ARC students in the NARC shared their thoughts and hopes for the event.
Nursing major Noelia Davila said, “It’s gonna bring light on the indigenous community on campus.”
“I’m really excited,” said Ketzalli Baldizan, kinesiology major.
To attend the event, students and staff can go to the Eventbrite ticketing page to reserve a seat.
