Students attended the Latinx Festival Thursday, Oct. 19 to learn about the cultures and diversity in the Latinx community.
To prepare for the festival, Leadership students communicated with the guests, student groups, and teachers involved to create an event schedule. The students also coordinated with the Wellness Center to acquire the space and rearrange it for the event. “Weeks have gone into planning this amazing cultural experience. The time and effort from everyone involved has enabled us to get in touch with people for the event,” sophomore and Leadership student Christophe Davis said. “This includes bringing in an amazing food truck and guest speaker and organizing the cultural tables in the Wellness Center.”
Student organizations and teachers created posters, bought snacks, and designed decorations for their tables. From 5:30 to 6:30, attendees walked through the Wellness Center and observed the booths, ranging from informational presentations and artistic exhibitions to snack tables. Officers of the student union Latinos Unidos, seniors Gabe Roman and Izarra Ballesteros, led booths reflecting their cultural heritage. “[Booths are] the best way to cover lots of different countries, topics, and perspectives,” Ballesteros said. “As officers, we are hosting our own booths with friends and family relating to our heritage. I made a booth about Hispanic and Latino heritage in the world of visual arts.” Roman’s booth focused on Ecuadorian culture.
At 6:30, attendees headed to the theater to hear guest speaker Juan G. Berumen, ethnic studies lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, discuss the power of education, representation, and speaking up against restrictions on education. Berumen stayed after his talk until the end of the festival at 7:30 to take questions from students who were interested in learning more about his work and message.
The event was made possible through cooperation between teachers and students. “[Leadership students] worked with Mr. Sweeney and Profe Flores to get the contact information for the various community partners participating, and also connected with teachers and staff to participate in the event,” Leadership teacher Cassi Porter said.
In particular, the Spanish department was crucial to the success of the event. “All of the Spanish teachers have been a tremendous help, especially with getting the word out,” Davis said. Spanish teacher Megan Flores ran a booth featuring Chicharrones de Harina, a wheel-shaped Mexican puffed wheat snack, with Valentina, a Mexican hot sauce.
La Roca food truck sold tacos and burritos for the duration of the festival. Spanish students provided arroz con leche, a rice pudding dish; horchata, a creamy drink made from rice, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon; churros; and an assortment of Mexican candies at their different booths. “I really liked the booths, for example, Spanish club’s booth with churros, the visual arts booth, and the booth that focused on Mexican holidays,” senior Cassidy Gustine said.
From its conception to its preparation and hosting, the Latinx Festival was an event guided by support from across the school community. “This event gives the people of Miramonte an opportunity to learn more about Latinx heritage and cultures, as well as foster a sense of community as we all come together to learn, celebrate various cultures, and enjoy the event,” Porter said.
The festival succeeded in bringing hundreds of attendees from the local community together to learn stories from a variety of Latino cultures. “It’s so important to me that we get people involved and excited to learn about this rich history, especially since Latino and Hispanic students are one of the smaller demographic groups at Miramonte,” Ballesteros said. “Overall, the festival is an opportunity to celebrate the beautiful tapestry of Hispanic and Latino heritage, and a great way to inform on how to support and uplift these communities today.”
