For Immediate Release
Delta College and CAP Present:
Venezuela, a Peaceful and Democratic Revolution
(Stockton, CA) – The Cultural Awareness Programs at San Joaquin College invites the public to this captivating presentation on the recent changes in Venezuela. Esther Diaz Martin, a first generation farm worker immigrant, brings a vibrant discussion of the newly formed Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela led by the controversial President Hugo Chavez.
The presentation is an overview of the political situation in Venezuela, where a socialist program is being implemented democratically but challenged by a stubborn and wealthy minority with ties to the US Government. The overview includes a chronology of the “Bolivarian Revolution” followed by a 20 minute video entitled “Chavez”. Finally, the program will close with narratives of the speaker’s experience and observations during the 16th World Youth Festival of Youth and Students, which she attended last August. The final ten minutes will be devoted to a question and answer forum.
Ms. Diaz has lived most of her life in Merced and Stanislaus counties in the heart of the Central Valley. She graduated Livingston High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University Stanislaus. Her interest in Latin American politics led her to study abroad in Santiago, Chile. There she completed and independent study on the legacy of a democratic path to socialism led by Salvador Allende with the coalition named Unidad Popular.
Recently, she participated in the 16th Annual World Festival of Youth and Students held in Caracas. She is a regular writer for the periodical People’s Weekly World and a magazine for which she is editor named "Los Olvidados." Ms. Diaz currently resides in Oakland, where she works as a community organizer in Latino neighborhoods with ACORN, a grassroots organization ACORN.
The presentation will be Thursday, February 2. It begins at 11:30 a.m. in San Joaquin Delta College’s Tillie Lewis Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in Horton Gallery. For more information about this presentation, contact Steve Schermerhorn: (209)954-5152.
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