Showcasing Latino Pride Throughout Campus
Georgia Southern's Association of Latin American Students held its 5th Annual Flag Parade in Honor of Latino Heritage Month
Sept. 29, 2018
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Association of Latin American Students paraded through the Pedestrium, carrying flags to the Russell Union Rotunda where they met with students and faculty to celebrate Latin Heritage Month, Sept. 18.
The event served for the Latin American population on campus to showcase their pride while representing their culture, according to Judith Reyes, the president of ALAS.
The flag parade ended with a lap around the rotunda where tables and the Latin American food truck Chazito’s waited. The flags were hung with labels representing their country for festival goers to observe for the remainder of the event .
“Even though there’s a lot off stuff going on in the news that makes it seem like it’s bad to be Hispanic,” Reyes said, “We know what really are, who we really are and we’re proud to be of our Hispanic heritage.”
With prejudice surrounding the Latino and Hispanic community in the United States centered around border control and negative stereotypes, the celebration served to educate students on campus about the culture .
“Not everyone’s going to be exactly the same; there's always going to be different, unique things about one person or a different person from like different countries,” said Ivan Malagon, the vice president of ALAS.
The event speaks to developing self-awareness in navigating different cultural groups , according to Maurice Nelson, coordinator of diversity education and program outreach for the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
“We hope that other students that aren’t apart of this particular identity at least see that it’s okay to be who you are,” said Nelson.
“And that it’s okay to do that without feeling something else is inferior or some other nationality or ethnic group is inferior just because you’re proud of who you are.”
Latin dance music played as students and faculty ate food and observed the flags. The Rotunda stage was transformed into a dance floor where students showcased salsa dancing and others ate and watched.
Throughout the evening the Office of Multicultural Affairs handed out 100 free meal vouchers to students for Chazito’s under the rotunda.
Papi Ortiz, 51, Chazito’s manager, said that the food truck is a combination of several generational recipes with a modern twist.
“This is unique Latin food. You’re not gonna get this just anywhere so we like to bring the flavor to the campus and to the students,” said Ortiz.
The menu for the evening featured meals with Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican Influences. Celebration goers could be seen enjoying empanadas, fried plantains and Cuban sandwiches.
ALAS members headed a drink table where students purchased Jarritos for 25 cents in flavors of tamarin, fruit punch and mandarin.
Latino Heritage Month takes place from September 15th to October 15th in the United States. It is a period of celebration of Latino and Hispanic Americans contributions to the populations culture and Heritage.
This is the fifth year the Latino Heritage Flag Parade has happened on the Statesboro Campus, according to Reyes. ALAS encourages students to stop by their weekly meetings to learn more about the culture.
ALAS meets at 6 p.m. in Russell Union room 2047. Meeting dates are to be determined.