Long Beach City College hosted a cultural event that consisted of dance groups, outside organizations, informational academic booths, and free tacos to commemorate Latinx Heritage month on Sept. 18 in the E-Quad at LAC.
Heritage month officially kicked off when Guadalupe Pasillas, Student Success & Support Program Supervisor, introduced a group of Zumba students and their instructor from LBCC.
The students performed as the instructor encouraged spectators to join.
Traditional Mexican folklore dance performers from the outside organization Latinas Art Foundation were present as well.
Among the performers were Lourdes Perez, Noemi Brito, and Patricia Martinez who described their pride for their Latinx heritage.
“For me being Latina means having honor, being a hardworking woman that nothing is impossible for,” Perez said in spanish.
The Latinas Art Foundation performed a folklore dance in honor of Purépecha, an indigenous group from Michoacan, Mexico.
Students from the LBCC Dance Department performed zamba, a traditional Argentinian dance.
Second year LBCC student and zamba dancer Daisy Rosales said she is glad LBCC is acknowledging Latinx heritage and the importance of acknowledging different groups of people.
“It’s amazing to learn about different cultures, not just to learn about where I come from-where my family comes from,” said Rosales.
Several people took to the stage to welcome everyone and to the kick off event including Superintendent-President Dr. Reagan Romali and Board of Trustees member Vivian Malauulu.
Malauulu shared a little bit about her culturally diverse family and jokingly compared her family parties to United Nations summits.
Academic and student life booths like Honors, DSPS, Transfer Center, and CalWorks were present.
General counselor and PUENTE Program coordinator Vidal Vargas said the future of Latinx people not only at LBCC but in the world is bright and powerful.
“At the end always come back to your community as leaders and as mentors- to give back,” said Vidal.