Cool Celebration: Las Posadas

DID YOU KNOW about Las Posadas?

It's a nine-day celebration, beginning December 16 and ending December 24. It symbolizes the troubles Mary and Joseph endured trying to find a place to stay when traveling to Bethlehem. I believe its origins are in Puerto Rico, but you can correct me if it's practiced elsewhere.

During this event, children and adults (the pilgrims) go from house to house singing a traditional song and requesting lodging (posada). In each house, the owner responds with refusal (also in song), until they reach the designated site for the party, where the owner welcomes them.

Pilgrims carry small lit candles, the head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade, or farolito. Pilgrims pray and sing traditional Christmas songs, a party for adults and children follows, including the traditional piñata.

Well, our local El Rey radio station is celebration Las Posadas this year--a first, this Sunday! If you want info on the event, please email me at lauri@conexion-marketing.com.

Our friends from Seattle Central Community College are helping sponsor the event. If anyone else is involved, feel free to comment here or shoot me an email--I'd love to hear all about it!

This Sunday: Another Big Celebration

SPREAD THE WORD: Our Lady of Guadalupe will be celebrated in style at St. Mark's Cathedral this Sunday, starting at 3:30pm. For information please contact Alfredo Feregrino at aferegrino@aol.com.

Gates Foundation gives $70M to Hispanic education effort

Just sharing this terrific news from the Puget Sound Business Journal today:

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it will give nearly $70 million in grants to aid Hispanic education efforts concentrating in New York City, New Mexico and California.

The Seattle-based foundation said the goal is to double the number of low-income students who earn a degree by age 26, or an increase of about 250,000 graduates each year.

“Hispanics continue to grow as a proportion of the labor force, and yet they are not getting the postsecondary degrees that will prepare them to excel in the modern economy. With these new grants, organizations will be able to help more young people get through college,” said Gil Conchas, senior program officer with the Gates Foundation, in a statement.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Seattle University is holding the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this Wednesday, December 10th at 12:05 pm in the Chapel of St. Ignatius. If you haven't yet visited this amazing chapel on the SU campus, just off Madison and 12th, take the opportunity to celebrate this occasion while surrounded by natural elements and award-winning architecture.

In the Roman Catholic Church calendar, December 12th is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is also celebrated as a major religious holiday in Mexico. This date is the anniversary of the Mexican Indian Juan Diego's second encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City in 1531. Resident Minister Maria Ochoa will share reflections on the readings for the feast in Spanish.

For details, please contact Campus Ministry: agila@seattleu.edu

Need to Relax? Need to Network, Too? CHECK THIS OUT!

Join Professional Women of Color Network for a Joint Women's Business Networking Spa Event! Not only will you hear from speakers and mentors, but a spa service is included in your registration! How's that for an excuse to get pampered?

Several organizations are getting together with Professional Women of Color Network to put this event on, including my personal fave, Women Business Owners.

> Where? Vida Spa Seattle
> When? This Wednesday, December 10, 6 pm - 9 pm
> How much? $75.00 includes 1 hr. Spa Treatment & Appetizers (Space Limited Per Group)

See http://www.pwocn.org/ for more info and to register!

THIS SUNDAY: Unique Concert!

This should be a great way to spend your Sunday evening -- a Seattle Pro Musica concert featuring Christmas music in Spanish as well as indigenous languages from Latin America.

Town Hall, Seattle

3pm Family Concert

7:30 Concert

More info: http://www.seattlepromusica.org/

If you're like me and enjoy cultural events, please join me in making this one a success!

Girl Scouts RULE

So yesterday was the Leadership Luncheon for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. It was a terrific event and very well-attended. I loved talking to the girls about their roles in the event: some sang, some spoke. They wore their sashes with pride!

The organization is clearly reaching out to a multicultural population of girls, as was illustrated by the video shown at the event as well as the scouts in attendance.

I was impressed by the Hispanic initiatives that this organization is committed to. María Alejandra Gómez is the Latina Program Coordinator, and she showed me all the stuff Girl Scouts are doing to meet the needs of Latino families in Western WA. Yes, they've got practically everything translated into Spanish, but it goes beyond that.

It's not just about recruiting Latina girls; it's a program that supports their success as Girl Scouts! María Alejandra has been actively seeking opportunities in the community to share the story--on local Univision 51, at the Latino Youth Summit in Olympia, at Mariners games.

In fact, they've increased Hispanic participation in troops in East King County by 26% this year!

If you would like to volunteer to help change the life of a girl, a troop, a community--call María Alejandra Gómez at 425-614-1126.


As an aside: Turns out, María Alejandra and I are both attending graduate programs at Seattle University, so perhaps I'll see her on campus one of these days! (Just 5 more days of school 'til end of quarter...)