Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary general, is known for his varied and passionate pursuit of justice. He famously drafted the Plan of Ayala (1911), which declared President Francisco I. Madero incapable of fulfilling the goals of the revolution and outlined agrarian reforms to distribute land in a fair and ethical manner. This lecture will address the political and cultural heritage, symbolic representation, and contemporary presence of Zapata throughout his life and up to the present day.
About the Speaker
Obed Arango, Founder and Executive Director of the Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE), is a Mexican journalist, anthropologist, visual artist, filmmaker, and lecturer in the School of Social Policy & Practice at UPenn. Former faculty of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and professor at Montgomery County Community College, in 2006 he created the radio program, Villa Inmigrante, which was broadcast on Mexico’s Radio Universidad de Guadalajara. From 1994-2001, he conducted an ethnography of Mexico City’s Central Square, with a particular focus on the Zapatista movement. In 2015, Obed was the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Orlando Costas Service Award from Eastern University. He was also Education Champion of the Year at the 2016 Hispanic Choice Awards. His current research focuses on the Villa Inmigrante in Norristown, PA.