NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH)– Central Connecticut State University is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by holding a panel to discuss the mural “Roots of the Caribbean” on Thursday.

The Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Center and the Africana Center at CCSU will be hosting a discussion about CCSU alumni, professor, and artist Jorge Morales and his mural “Roots of the Caribbean.” CCSU says the panel of scholars will offer insight into the mural’s context and related history.

Morales is a Puerto Rican painter and professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. He received an MSED in Art Education from CCSU and a B.A. in Arts and Humanities from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

The panel discussion will take place in the Alumni Hall and online from 9:25 am to 4 pm on Thursday.

Morales painted the mural in 1995 for the Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Center when it was new. A graduate at the time, Morales was asked to paint a scene that celebrates the Caribbean and welcomes students and the public to the university.

In the mural, Morales incorporated images that recreate scenes of Caribbean open-air markets, celebrations such as Carnival and Three Kings Day. The mural also tells the history of sugar production, enslavement, liberation, and freedom.

Morales also pays homage to historical figures such as Samuel “Daddy” Sharpe, Jose Marti, Pedro Albizu Campos, and Eugenio Maia de Hostos.