The Mexican Consulate Collaborates with Detroit Community Organizations to Address Low Literacy Rates Among Latino Children

WHO: Consulate of Mexico, in collaboration with Vistas Nuevas Head Start, the City of Detroit, DTE and Wayne State University’s Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies

WHAT: El Día del Niño / El Día del Libro

WHEN: April 28, 2007, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, 1721 Junction, Detroit, MI 48209

The Mexican Consulate, in conjunction with Vistas Nuevas Head Start, the City of Detroit, DTE Energy and Wayne State University’s Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies, in addition to numerous grass-roots and community organizations, is set to launch a major children’s literacy campaign, titled "Día de los Niños / Día de los Libros (The Day of the Child / The Day of the Book)," in order to help address low literacy rates in the Latino community.

With the goal of making this an annual event, the Mexican Consulate’s children’s literacy event will take place on April 28, the Day of the Child in Mexico.

This event, which will take place in the parking lot of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, in the heart of the Southwest Detroit community, will also be included on the national registry of “El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros” events sponsored by the American Library Association, as part of a larger national Latino literacy campaign.

With the support of corporate and community partners, the Mexican Consulate will be giving away free books. There will also be numerous fun activities provided for children of all ages.

The featured reader for the event is Richard Griswold del Castillo, author of the bilingual children’s book, titled César Chávez: The Struggle for Justice / César Chávez: La lucha por la justicia (Arte Publico Press, 2002).

As a kick-off to the larger community event, Griswold del Castillo, Chair of Chicano Studies at San Diego State University, will also be giving a lecture at Wayne State University\'s Walter P. Reuther Library and César Chávez/Dolores Huerta Archive, on April 27, 2007, at 2 pm. The lecture will be titled "Traveling with César Chávez: Personal Reflections and History."

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact: Ethriam Brammer at (313) 577-4378 or at ethriam@wayne.edu; Jacqueline Moran at (313) 962-4515 or at jmoran@sre.gob.mx; or, Maria Teresa Penman at (313) 962-5255; or at mariposa48048@yahoo.com. 

For sponsorship information, please contact: David Underwood at (313) 235-5280 or at underwoodd@dteenergy.com.