A&E
Annual BLSU and La Vanguardia event applauds Latinx heritage and culture
By Edgar Otero ’20
October 6, 2016
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The Black and Latino Student Union, in conjunction with La Vanguardia, hosted its annual student-led performance event, Café con Leche, on the evening of Friday, Sept. 30 at Cafe Opus. The BLSU is a cultural organization geared towards the empowerment of its members and seeking to spread awareness of cultural and ethnic diversity on campus. La Vanguardia forges an avenue in which to celebrate Hispanic heritage and facilitate positive cultural interactions between its members and the greater Hamilton community.
The spectacle saw students from all walks of life gather to enjoy a cultural experience in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. Just walking in, I could feel the immense sense of pride and appreciation for Hispanic culture that was shared among everyone in the audience, and not just because the mood was set with hip, rhythmic Spanish music playing in the background. It was evident from the outset that students were ready to express some of their most personal confessions and works of art in a space where they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to do so.
The acts on display were as diverse as the crowd in attendance, ranging from poetry to singing and everything in between. The first performance was by a group of four in which a monologue was presented about the experience of making the move from an ethnically and culturally diverse city to a small college town in a rural environment. It expressed the difficulties that come along with that drastic transition, and ended with a powerful message on the issue of racial profiling. A common denominator I noticed throughout the event was the fact that each performance represented pride and gratitude for one’s roots, even if it took awhile for each individual to reach that point of appreciation for who they are and where they come from.
Many acts included revealing testimonies about personal struggle to find the love that had either been stripped from them by society or buried deep within, waiting for a breakthrough. An example of this is a poem centered around the pride the speaker felt towards her Mexican heritage and tradition that had always been kept under wraps because of the societal oppression of her family’s culture. Another performance featured a student who testified to her experience growing up and never knowing how to accept her Hispanic background in the face of an environment that denied her of who she was. She put on a passionate rendition of Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida,” in an expression of her newfound gratitude for her Dominican culture, and like with every act, she was supported along the way by an audience who believed in each and every individual who had the courage to be vulnerable in front of a crowd of new and familiar faces. Adrian Somers ’19 of BLSU, the host of the event, livened up the scene between acts, helping to establish the familial bond that comes along with opening up to people who may be able to empathize one way or another.
The spirit of poetry continued to be a presence with the performance of a collaborative effort between two students titled “Those Hips,” which included a historical account of racial injustice and inequality in America. It was also full of anecdotes that displayed the appreciation of Latin culture that had always been oppressed throughout time. The stage was not solely for experienced performers, though. Many students felt inspired by the testimonies shared throughout the event and decided to share some of their deepest thoughts in admiration for their fellow peers in impromptu fashion. Tales of regained confidence in one’s history and background were intertwined with confessions of hope for a brighter future where such human evils as oppression, racism and discrimination are eliminated so as to allow all peoples, regardless of ethnicity or race, to bask in the freedom and equality that is promised to every American citizen.
And what better way to top off Café con Leche than with fantastic café con leche to indulge in, which was another plus to an already entertaining show.