The month-long hispanic culture celebration “Compartamos Nuestras Cultura” kicks off today in the Martin Luther King Commons.

“Sharing Our Culture,” the theme for this year’s Hispanic Month, is part of NIU’s year of Unity in Diversity.

“Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in America,” said Yolanda Trevino, student programming coordinator of Resources for Latinos. “They will surpass the African-American culture as the leading minority within the next few years.”

The cultural celebration will begin at noon outside the Holmes Student Center in the commons with the 2nd-annual kick-off rally where the group Danca Quente will perform along with dancers from OLAS.

The celebration will continue through the week with several events. NIU Latino students will open an art exhibit of their work in the student center’s browsing room also on April 1.

OLAS will hold a Guatemalan imports sale in Cole Hall April 1-3 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, visiting Professor Gustavo Saenz in NIU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will speak in the HSC Regency Room at 7:30 p.m. Saenz is one of Mexico’s most distinguished novelists.

Discussion will continue on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in HSC 506 with a panel being held on the issue of bilingual education. The group, sponsored by the College of Education, will discuss the importance of cultural pluralism in our school system.

Anne Benevides, director of Bilingual Services for Aurora and Stella Gonzalez, bilingual assessment specialist for Kane County, will be the key speakers of the panel.

The week’s programming will conclude Friday with the “Eterna Primavera Dance” sponsored by Alpha Psi Lambda in the HSC Regency Room at 8 p.m.

Trevino said everyone is welcome to all the events, but a small admission charge is required for some of the programming being sponsored by organizations. Those events are designated on the advertisement, Trevino said.