Sunday night marked the beginning of Latino Awareness Month 2004, the focus of which will be Latinos and the Arts. Held at Russell House, the opening convocation united three speakers who discussed their experiences as Latinos studying at Wesleyan and how the arts have affected their lives.

Sandra Manzanares ’08 shared her background as a first-generation American raised in a predominantly white suburb in Massachusetts. She said that Wesleyan has provided her with a rich heritage and students with whom she identifies.

“Every day in discussions I have with students of color, particularly Latinas, I feel enlightened,” Manzanares said.

The arts have been a significant pastime for Manzanares, who is actively involved with the Wesleyan orchestra.

“I think a big thing about the Latino community as a whole is our love of the arts, something that is a major part of our culture,” Manzanares said. “I feel that you can understand much about a culture when you connect with them through artistic expression. Growing up in an American setting, it was important to keep [the arts] vibrant in the household as a connection to what was my parents’ past and my culture.”

Senior speaker Natalia Ortiz ’05 reflected on her participation in the theater program at Wesleyan, and the opportunities she was presented with as a student. Ortiz has acted in several productions, notably as Clarinha in “Lady of the Drowned”.

“Theater is definitely something that is not an ego boost,” she said. “The process itself is very challenging. What helped me keep going was my Latin American Theater Class.”

Ortiz described her struggle of deciding whether or not to pursue a major in theater. Over the past four years, she developed her passion for urban education and now plans to become a teacher. She would like to promote the arts within inner-city classrooms.

“The arts is something you can do for the rest of your life,” she said.

Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 returned to campus to speak about his background in the arts and how Wesleyan provided him with a sense of community. He spoke about the difficulties of growing up with a home life that was very culturally different from his social life at school.

“I grew up with a sense of otherness,” Miranda said. “Wesleyan was the first place where I realized that there were people like me.”

While at Wesleyan, Miranda wrote “In the Heights,” a hip-hop salsa musical that will be debuting on Broadway in 2005. He was able to involve an extremely diverse cast and attract audiences not only interested in theater, but interested in culture. In the play Miranda explores the idea of home and how people define it.

“For me a career in the arts was not a choice,” Miranda said. “I wrote my first song when I was four years old and recorded it into my Fisher Price tape recorder. I wrote my own ticket, and I was very lucky to do so.”

Latino/a Awareness Month is sponsored by Ajùa Campos, a Wesleyan student group that promotes Latino/a culture at Wesleyan. Throughout November, there will be a series of programs, including movie nights put on by Nosotras, a Wesleyan Latina group; the Poetry Slam; and community service sponsored by Ajúa Campos, WesWell and Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority. Other featured events include Expresiones de Latinos, Café Frida at La Casa, and keynote speaker Guillermo Gomez-Peña.

Planning for this event began last semester and followed through the summer. The Latino/a community at Wesleyan unanimously decided to focus on Latino/as and the Arts.

“In creating this theme, we wanted to make certain that we were not exotifying our culture and traditions,” said Ajua Campos Director Delilah Lora ’05. “While we recognize that Latinos have traditionally been portrayed as a somehow ‘naturally’ performative people, and have typically been misrepresented by simplified images of ourselves, we would like to take the month to recognize the political, academic and intellectual contributions that Latinos are making through the arts. The arts is just one way that Latinos are making their voices heard.”

“Latino Awareness Month is great because it shines light on the accomplishments of Latinos worldwide who have or have not necessarily received much recognition for their unique talents,” said Caroline White ’08, who attended the convocation. “This month is meant to inform everyone regardless of their ethnicity about the amazing Latinos out there who have not been afraid to express themselves through their talents.”