A Latina slam-poet who was featured in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" and appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam will share several of her famous works Tuesday as part of Ball State's Latino Awareness Month.
Caridad De La Luz, better known as La Bruja, will perform at 7 p.m. today in the Student Center Ballroom.
La Bruja, born and reared in the Bronx, N.Y., has performed on stages in Europe, the Caribbean and the United States, according to her Web site. She has also written and recorded commercial raps for McDonald's in both English and Spanish, the site said.
La Bruja will perform several poetry readings and will entertain the audience with her storytelling, Joe Flores, president of LSU, said.
He said La Bruja's performance will help students to develop a greater appreciation for fine arts in the Latino culture.
"She comes from a totally different environment than Muncie," Flores said. "She'll just bring a different cultural perspective."
According to her site, La Bruja has spoken at numerous schools, universities, jails, health centers and community organizations throughout the country to shed light on the benefits of art and self-expression.
Cat Zakrajsek, LSU vice president, said LSU invited La Bruja to campus after seeing her perform at the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute Conference the organization attended in September.
She said to conclude this month's Latino Awareness celebration, LSU has also decided to invite a key figure in American government to speak Wednesday to the Ball State and Muncie communities.
Ingrid Duran, the president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, will speak at 8 p.m. in Cardinal Hall B. The event is being co-sponsored by the Campus Activity Fund Board and Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority Inc.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, based in Washington, D.C., consists of 21 Hispanic members of Congress, Fortune 500 executives and non-profit sector leaders. Throughout Duran's career in American government, she has received numerous commendations from several organizations including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Labor Relations Board and the Latin Chamber of Commerce.
Zakrajsek said Duran's speech Wednesday will benefit students by increasing awareness of the achievements of Latinos in the United States.
"Historically, Hispanic women have had to face many stereotypes in this country," Zakrajsek said. "This is an opportunity to show what Hispanic women are capable of."
Zakrajsek said she is looking forward to both La Bruja's and Duran's presentations this week and said she encourages everyone in the Ball State and Muncie communities to attend.
"(Ball State) isn't one of the most diverse campuses, and this is just a way for the campus to come in contact with prominent figures in our culture," she said.
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