Questions? Contact Us.

Student Life Office
Hopf Union Building (Building 9)
studentlife@yvcc.edu
509-574-4775

Office Hours
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Our Mailing Address
Yakima Valley College
Office of Student Life
P.O. Box 22520
Yakima, WA 98907-2520

Diversity Series

What is the Diversity Series?

The series benefits the college and the greater community by extending the concept of education beyond the classroom.

Since 2005 Yakima Valley College has partnered with several local area organizations to host events and lectures through the annual Diversity Series. The events provide YVC the opportunity to bring diverse perspectives to everyday topics and push the boundaries of the term beyond race, gender, social class, and sexuality.

View Past Diversity Series Events

Upcoming Events

Queer Film Series Tejano Music & Family  Altar Building Workshops


Queer Film Series 

October 3, 10 , 17, 24 and 31

Honor LGBTQ+ History Month with YVC’s Queer Film Series. Celebrate queer and transgender voices and help bring communities together. The series will feature a variety of films and discussions throughout the month in Raymond Hall Library on the Yakima Campus. Films and discussions begin at 3 p.m.

Paris is Burning Movie Poster

Paris Is Burning

October 3

Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, “Paris Is Burning” chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it.

Scoobie Zombie Movie Poster

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island

October 10

A 1998 animated mystery comedy horror film based on the “Scooby-Doo franchise. In the film, the gang reunite after a year-long hiatus from Mystery, Inc. to investigate a bayou island said to be haunted by the ghost of a pirate.

Bircage movie poster.

The Birdcage

October 17

“The Birdcage” is a 1996 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose son is set to marry the daughter of a conservative senator. 

Frankenstein Movie Poster

Frankenstein

October 24

The 1931 horror movie "Frankenstein", tells the tale of Henry Frankenstein who is a doctor, trying to discover a way to make a living human using human body parts from the recently deceased. He succeeds, but his creation is looked upon as a monster by the local inhabitants, who wish to destroy it.

Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie Poster.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

October 31

The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a musical comedy horror film that centers on a young, engaged couple whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle. The castle is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes. They soon discover the head of the house is Dr. Frank N. Furter, a mad scientist and get wrapped up in the strange household.

As a bonus to this event participants are encouraged to come in costume. Prizes will be given for the best costume.


Tejano Music & Family

October 7 & 9 

Join anti-racism strategist, Herminia Esqueda, for a presentation on Tejano music, family, and how the genre has been fused with Mexican and European influences. Performances held October 7 at 1 p.m. in the HUB (Yakima) and October 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Activity Center (Grandview).  

Esqueda is a pro-equity, anti-racism, strategic alignment administrator for the Department of Social & Health Services in Washington State. She is a speaker, facilitator, trainer, and storyteller. In addition to her work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, she is also a member and co-chair of the Latino/a Leadership Network.


Altar Building Workshops 

October 21 & 23

Join local musician and history instructor Yesenia Navarrete Hunter for an interactive workshop on the history and building of an altar for Hispanic Heritage Month and the Day of the Dead. Learn to make flowers, cut paper, and prepare an altar. Workshops held October 21 at 1 p.m. in the HUB (Yakima) and October 23 at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Activity Center (Grandview).

Hunter is an Assistant Professor of history at Heritage University, located on the traditional lands of the Yakama People. Her work centers the braided histories of immigrants and settlers and their impact on Indigenous peoples. Her work is guided by the question: How do people make place and create rhythms of belonging in fragile spaces? The aesthetics of her work are guided by elements of place, memory, embodied practices, and relationality. Along with her scholarly work, Yesenia and the Hunter Family explore questions of belonging through what they call "Hunter Gatherings,” events that invite others to participate in dialogue and making.