Posted by William Nunnelley on 2015-09-14

Author Lila Quintero Weaver will discuss and read excerpts from her novel, Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White, at Samford University’s Lunch and Learn program Monday, Sept. 28. 

The program, part of Samford’s Hispanic Heritage Month observance, will be at 11:30 a.m. in the Howard Room of Samford’s Beeson University Center. It is free and open to the public, but those wishing to attend should respond to  DarkRoomSU.Eventbrite.com.

Weaver was five years old when her family emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Marion, Alabama, in 1961. As educated middle-class Latino immigrants, the Quinteros found themselves in a position to view the racially charged culture of segregation in Alabama’s Black Belt region. They were first-hand witnesses to some key moments in the civil rights movement.  

Weaver’s memoir tells the story of what it was like being a Latina girl in the Jim Crow South, struggling to understand both a foreign country and the horrors of American race relations. Weaver, who was neither black nor white, observed very early the inequalities in American culture. Throughout her life, she has struggled to find her place and has fought against the discrimination around her. 

 The program is sponsored by Samford’s Office of Diversity and Intercultural Initiatives directed by Denise Gregory. 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.