Our Annual Public Events
May
Ethnic Studies Summit
October
Día de los Muertos
November
Fall Harvest Food Drive & Giveaway
December
Kwanzaa
Día de los Muertos
Annually every 4th Thursday in October
Campus Quad from 6-9 PM
Originating from a mix of Mesoamerican religious and Spanish Catholic traditions, Day of the Dead is a celebration to remember and honor the lives of departed loved ones. The event features live music, dance performances, food, artisan vendors and most importantly, elaborate ofrendas, or altars. The Ethnic Studies Department has been hosting this event consecutively since 1993.
Fall Harvest Food Drive
Donations Collected November 1st to the Monday before Thanksgiving
The Giveaway Takes Place on the Tuesday Before Thanksgiving
Since 1969 MEChA de FC, in collaboration with the Ethnic Studies Department, have organized a fall food drive to support students and their families. Non-perishable holiday food items and grocery gift cards can be dropped off at the Chris Lamm & Toni DuBois Memorial Food Bank in Room 1955 from November 1 to the Monday before Thanksgiving. Other drop-off locations TBA. For more information about donating, volunteering, or if you’re a student interested in receiving a holiday meal package, visit The Food Bank website.
All Donations are Tax-Deductible
(North OC Community College District Tax-ID # 95-2394131).
Click here
Learn more about Native perspectives on Thanksgiving
Kwanzaa
First Thursday in December
A celebration of African heritage, Black culture, family and community, Kwanzaa is held on the 1st Thursday in December. Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba) and was created by Maulana Karenga in 1966–67.
Ethnic Studies Summit
First Week of May Dates Vary
This Event has Been Postponed Due to COVID-19. Stay Tuned for the New Date.
Beginning in 2014 as a public conference, The Ethnic Studies Summit has transformed into an on-campus student leadership retreat, empowerment seminar, and celebration of BIPOC creativity. Held annually in the spring semester, The Summit showcases renowned speakers and performers, interactive workshops and presentations, film screenings, and a resources fair and artisan marketplace. The event brings together students, scholar-activists, organizers, artists, and the local community to explore a different theme each year. The intentions of The Summit are to share and generate knowledges and inspire action by theorizing, strategizing, skill-sharing, and discussing practices for responding to and ending all systems of oppression, to engage in communal healing, and to create a more just society.