MOUNT VERNON — Larry Hufford, a veteran observer of community organizing efforts in Latin America, will speak at Cornell College on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. in Hedges Conference Room of The Commons.
Hufford’s lecture, “Social Justice and Sustainable Development in Latin America,” is the third offering in a four-part Cornell series, “Community, Agency and Action: Social Change in the New Century.” The series examines social activism and provides practical lessons about dedicating a life to social change. The final lecture, April 29, features Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America. All lectures are free and open to the public.
Hufford, political science professor and director of the graduate program in international relations at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, has worked with communities in Latin America for 16 years. In 1995 he was invited by United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations to be an official observer of the Guatemalan national elections. He has served on several boards and commissions from the local to international level, including the San Antonio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the International Board of Christians for Peace in El Salvador and the Center for Social and Economic Justice, based in Washington, D.C.
In conjunction with Hufford’s visit, Cornell is hosting a photo exhibit through Jan. 31 in Hedges Conference Room. “Spiritual Connections” features 20 images from Hufford’s trips to Guatemala; El Salvador; Nicaragua; Honduras; Chiapas, Mexico; Cuba; Bangladesh; and India.
The lecture series is sponsored by the Cornell President’s Office, Academic Affairs and the department of sociology and anthropology.