November 14, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pat Harris
(805) 542-0455
pat@pharris.org
‘Mexifornia’ Author, Columnist Victor Davis
Hanson
Brings Social Commentary to Cal Poly Dec. 1
SAN LUIS OBISPO––Victor Davis Hanson, author of “Mexifornia: A State of Becoming,” will speak Thursday, Dec. 1, as part of Cal Poly’s Provocative Perspectives series.
The event will take place in the Vista Grande Café on the Cal Poly campus, starting with a free breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by the speech at 8 a.m.
Noted for his military histories, and especially for his social commentary of post-9/11 American life, Hanson is a fifth-generation Californian and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative public policy think-tank. He taught the classics at Fresno State, and currently runs his family’s farm.
His book, “Mexifornia,” has been described as “part history, part analysis and part memoir.” In it, he shares his personal views about what has changed in California over the last quarter-century and what he feels is necessary to solve the perceived problems of immigration.
Hanson has written articles, editorials and reviews for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, American Heritage, City Journal, American Spectator, Policy Review, The Wilson Quarterly, The Weekly Standard and Washington Times. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio and appeared with David Gergen on the PBS Newshour. His bi-weekly syndicated column appears in the San Luis Obispo County Tribune.
“Victor Davis Hanson will definitely have something to say that people will find controversial,” said Cornel Morton, vice president for student affairs. “But that’s the point of Provocative Perspectives – to jumpstart conversations about important issues.”
The conversation will continue that same day at 6:30 p.m. when local immigration attorney Michael Blank gives “Another View of Immigration” in San Luis Lounge, University Union, Room 221. Blank, who worked as a farm worker, has been a lawyer for immigrants for 25 years. A former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, Blank was also an organizer for United Farm Workers.
Both speeches are free and open to the public, but reservations are required for the breakfast event. To make a reservation, call Liz Cofer at 756-0327 or send e-mail to lcofer@calpoly.edu.
Additional speakers in the Provocative Perspective series include Professor John Dovidio of the University of Connecticut, speaking Jan. 12, 2006, on “Understanding Contemporary Racism”; Anuradha Mittal, March 9, 2006, “Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come”; Helen Zia, April 13, 2006, “Crossing Boundaries: Social Change in the New Millennium”; and John Gray, May 18, 2006, “The Myth of Race and the Impact of Color.” All speakers will appear in the Vista Grande Café for a breakfast presentation and all events are open to the public.
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