Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to Speak at Latino Heritage Month Kickoff
The event will serve as the start of a monthlong celebration.
Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, will be the keynote speaker at the Latino Heritage Month Opening Dinner on Monday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. in Smith Auditorium. This is a free event and open to the public.
Diaz first entered into public office in 1997 as a member of the New York State Assembly, and is currently serving his second term as Bronx borough president, having been reelected in November 2013. He has implemented healthy changes on economic, housing, health, wellness, education, and public safety in every part of the borough. Since Diaz has taken office in 2009, the Bronx has seen more than $12.7 billion in all kinds of new developments, which includes more than 29,000 new units of housing and thousands of new jobs.
A lifelong resident of the Bronx, Diaz lives in the Southeast Bronx with his wife, Hilda Gerena Diaz, and their two sons, Ruben Diaz III and Ryan Isaiah Diaz. Diaz graduated from Lehman College, City University of New York, with a bachelor’s degree in political theory. He is also the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees in civil law from Berkeley College and Mercy College with a doctoral degree in humane letters from the Metropolitan College of New York, and the President’s Medal from Hostos Community College.
National Latino Heritage Month spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 across the United States. The Manhattan College Multicultural Center will host a Latino-themed trivia night on Sept. 26 and a similarly themed poetry night on Sept. 28. On Oct. 4, the Center will host a discussion on the legacy of Christopher Columbus and the colonization in the Americas.
For more information about the Latino Heritage Month Opening Dinner, contact Hayden Greene, director of multicultural affairs, at MCC@manhattan.edu or (718) 862-8112.