Last Thursday, about 70 students, alumni, and faculty kicked off Latino Awareness Month by throwing a well-attended convocation ceremony at La Casa, the Latino program house. The University’s Latino community, represented by several student and alum speakers, presented a message geared toward social consciousness and action.
“We’re trying to bring back the idea of activism, of speaking out,” said Luz Burgos ’09 and Jessica Rosario ’09, the unofficial leaders of Ajua Campos, a student-run Latino unity group. “Sometimes people try to be so P.C. that others don’t speak out about things that need to be said.”
The medium-sized room, adorned with Central and South American flags to represent the ethnicity of each La Casa resident, could barely contain the crowd’s size.
Alumna Louisa Rivera ’98 spoke about her occasionally unpleasant experience as a Latina at Wesleyan.
“One of my earliest memories of being a Latina at the University was being rejected by Latinos here,” she said. “I went to a couple of meetings of Latino groups and was basically completely ignored.”
Rivera attributed her initial difficulties in part to her lower middle-class upbringing in an East Hartford neighborhood with a heavily Latino population. As making friends became less of an issue, financial problems arose.
“Ethnicity became a second issue because class was the real issue,” Rivera said. “People asked me, ‘Why don’t you decorate?’ I had to tell them that I didn’t have money to decorate, that I needed it for groceries.”
Genesis Grullon ’10 and Amy Ruiz ’09 also spoke about their difficult transitions to college life. Afterwards, Ruiz lauded the turnout and discussed the implications of a reenergized Latino community at Wesleyan.
“I haven’t seen this many people at La Casa in a while,” she said. “This month is going to be an important catalyst for the Latino community. There’s been a feeling of general apathy lately.”
In years past, Convocation for Latino Awareness Month has been held in the more formal Russell House. To Burgos and Rosario, bringing the ceremony back to La Casa is an important step in revitalizing their community.
The official theme of the month is “Social Activism in Latin America and the Diaspora: Culture, Representation, Struggle and Power.” While the title may have a broad scope, for the time being the two sophomores will focus on issues closer to home.
“Students of color come here with the mentality that they need to get ahead given how the cards are stacked against them,” Burgos and Rosario said. “Ajua Campos has become more of just an event group because of that.”
Today, at 8:30 p.m. in Shanklin 107, there will be a showing of “Palante Siempre Palante,” a movie about the Young Lords, a Chicago-based activist organization in the 60s and 70s. Tomorrow at 7 p.m., Ajua Campos and La Unidad Latina will sponsor a lecture by Panama Alba, a lifelong social activist and Young Lord.