Buffalo State College will kick off its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, on Tuesday Sept 17 at 6 p.m., in the Student Union Assembly Hall, with an opening reception, "Bienvenidos a nuestra casa!"

The reception, co-sponsored by Buffalo State College Adelante Estudiantes Latino (AEL), celebrates Hispanic culture including traditional Hispanic foods; the music of Buffalo's own Ache, a salsa-jazz band; and keynote speaker Michael Rivera, co-founder of the Western New York official Hispanic Heritage festival and president of the Father Belle Community Center.

The college continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with a variety of events.

Palabras: Hispanic literature and videos donation: Cecilia Bard Multicultural Library for Peace, Oct 3, 12:30 p.m., Butler Library room 210.

The Latino Visual Fine Art Exhibit opening reception: presented by Allentown's El Museo and Minority Student Services. Oct 4, 3 p.m., Butler Library.

Antillean Dreams and Realities: A look at the present state of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico: Guest lecturer Jose Buscaglia, Ph.D., author of Undoing Empire: Race and Nation in the Mulatto Caribbean, Oct 15, 12:30 p.m., Student Union Assembly Hall.

Santeria: Uncovering the myths of the Afro-Cuban religion: Guest lecturer Craig Centrie, Ph.D., assistant professor, University at Buffalo Latino Studies and Medaille College, Oct 18, 3 p.m., Student Union Assembly Hall.

Marianismo y Machismo: Rethinking the Latino home: Guest lecturer Carrie T. Bramen, Ph.D., author of The Uses of Variety, Modern Americanism and the Quest for National Distinctiveness, Oct 22, 12:30 p.m., Student Union Assembly Hall.

Funding for all Hispanic Heritage Month programs at Buffalo State College is provided by a grant received by the Buffalo State College Bookstore Resource Allocation Committee.

All events are free and open to the public.