All Events
Cup of Culture
Hidden Figures
MCC Theater
The incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big. (English, 2016, 127 min)
Watch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8xHq6dfAo
SyrianamericanA: Damascus to Harlem (Presented by Hip-Hop Artist Omar Offendum)
MCC Theater
From the jasmine tree-lined courtyards of Nizar Qabbani’s Damascene homes, to the flooded riverbanks of Langston Hughes’ poems, this event is a performance, presentation, and conversation. With an artistic journey that has paralleled the rise of social media and borne witness to major socio-political shifts in his ancestral home, Omar Offendum,a Syrian hip-hop artist, poet, and peace activist, discusses how he has been able to develop a special blend of Hip-Hop & Arabic poetry to bridge cultural divides.
An Evening of Latin Music: Los Pinguos
MCC Theater
They came to the US from Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a mixture of rhythms, performed with Spanish guitars, Latin drums, and harmonizing vocals. Vivacious and infectious, the sound of Los Pinguos has claimed fans worldwide. Join the four-man group - Adrián Buono, José Agote, Santiago Lee, and Pablo Medina - for a blend of groove and Latin rhythms.
*Purchase tickets online: $5 for UCSB students and youth under 12; $15 for general admission.
Race Matters Series
Democracy, Racial Regimes and Inequality: Ancient Athens to the Contemporary World (Michael Hanchard)
MCC Lounge
Is racial exclusion antithetical to democracy? Dr. Michael Hanchard, Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, explores how regimes of racial and ethno-national hierarchy have functioned as modalities for political membership and exclusion in societies ranging from the city-state of ancient Athens to the modern and contemporary nation-states in our world. Rather than treating racial and ethno-national regimes as anomalous to democratic practice, Dr. Hanchard’s research suggests that racial and ethno-national regimes have been constituted in and by the very practice of democracy. In so doing, he exposes the limits of democratic theory to address issues of racial inequality.
