Schools

Author Victor Villaseñor To Speak on 'One Race: The Human Race'

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from Hennepin County Libraries.

Victor Villaseñor, a bestselling, award-winning author and a dynamic speaker who overcame language barriers, discrimination, and disabilities in his journey to success, will speak on the topic, “One Race: The Human Race,” at a free program for adults 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11 at Hennepin County Library – Southdale, 7001 York Ave. S., Edina. 

Villasenor will speak in Spanish. Simultaneous English interpretation will be available through headphones.

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With pride in his cultural heritage, Villaseñor will talk about his struggles en route to personal achievement, the importance of education, the role of family, the power of the written word, and his commitment to world harmony and peace. He brings a fresh perspective to universal themes.

Villaseñor, whose parents were natives of Mexico, was born and raised in California but spoke only Spanish when he began school—a school in which English, only, was spoken. After years of struggling with discrimination and a reading problem later diagnosed as dyslexia, he dropped out of high school and moved to Mexico, where he became proud of his Mexican heritage. That experience, and reading James Joyce’s “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” changed his life.

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Villaseñor, still a resident of California, is author of several critically-acclaimed nonfiction books used in schools throughout the country. Many of his books discuss the difficulties of immigration and offer hope for anyone facing similar obstacles. His books include two family trilogies, national bestsellers, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and a collection of award-winning children’s books.

The program is funded by Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and co-sponsored by the Friends of the Southdale Library; A-GRAD, a Hennepin County initiative to improve graduation rates; Intermediate School District 287; Bloomington Public Schools; El Colegio High School; and University Language Center.

For more information: Marcela Sanchez at 612-543-5648.


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