Ask a Mexicans' Gustavo Arrellano Comes to Town

Writer Gustavo Arellano, better known for his OC Weekly magazine column “Ask  Mexican” will speak at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) on March 26 for a conversation on topics ranging from education to immigration reform to food, organizers said.

The discussion, titled "Living the Legacy of Cesar Chavez: A conversation on the topics facing Latinos today," is sponsored by the college’s Latino Graduate Student Association and the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management.

Arellano is the editor of OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County and  author of “Orange County: A Personal History” and “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” He is also a lecturer with the Chicana and Chicano Studies department at California State University, Fullerton, organizers said.

His “¡Ask a Mexican!” is a nationally syndicated column in which he answers any and all questions about America’s largest minority. The column has a weekly circulation of over 2 million in 39 newspapers across the United States, won the 2006 and 2008 Association of Alternative Weeklies award for Best Column, and was published in book form by Scribner Press in May 2007, according to information provided by the university.

Arellano is a lifelong resident of Orange County and is the proud son of two Mexican immigrants, one whom was undocumented, school officials said.

Arellano is to be joined by Jason Barquero, director of career development for the Drucker School.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Administrative Campus Center, 101 S. Mills Ave. A cocktail hour is scheduled from 6 - 7:15 p.m. It's expected to be busy so organizers ask attendees to preregister through their website.