Megan Sears
Staff Writer
Shades of Essence and the Black Student Union teamed up to support Hispanic Heritage Month with a “Si Se Puede” themed event Wednesday in the University Quad.
“Personally for me the event is good, it shows there is more to the Hispanic culture and gives people the opportunity to understand and learn the culture,” said Yvonne Quach, junior biology major.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15.
The month celebrates the histories, contributions and cultures of American citizens whose ancestors come from Hispanic heritage.
“With our school being a Hispanic-serving institute and Hispanics being a minority group it’s important that our school is informed on their culture and aware of what it truly means to be Hispanic,” Ebony Fredieu, president of Shades of Essence and senior criminology major, said.
Shades of Essence and the Black Student Union made the event both educational and fun. There were pamphlets on Hispanic heritage, music, piñatas and free food.
“The University of La Verne is primary Hispanic and it’s important to honor the culture,”said Michael Hill, president of the Black Student Union and junior psychology major.
There were three tables set up at the event all with red and green themed colors, each table had its own purpose.
One was an informational table, another set up with information about the two clubs and another with food.
“The turnout was great, towards the end we had a swarm of people come in that were actually more concerned with the fun facts,” Fredieu said.
The free food, music and piñatas caught the attention of ULV students. There were chicken and carne asada tacos, tortilla chips, salsa, watermelon and more.
“I’m here for the free tacos and to support my friend in Shades of Essence,”said Genesis Hampton, sophomore biology major.
Shades of Essence is a multiculture diversity club on campus that participates in community service and mentoring.
According to the Black Student Union mission, the club brings students of all ethnicities together to learn about the African American culture through diversity, academics and social service.
“Our purpose is to build a sisterhood with women of different cultures,” Fredieu said.
Si Se Puede was Shades of Essence’s first event of the year and they hoped to gain new members from the event said Fredieu.
“The club offers a lot of opportunities,”said Evelyn Calzada, secretary of Shades of Essence and sophomore kinesiology major.
“If you’re willing to put the effort in, you’ll get a lot out of it.”
Shades of Essence has seven events to look out for in October, including breast cancer awareness events and a Halloween event.
The Black Student Union also has over five events for the semester, including a poetry slam and a Black Lives Matter rally.
Megan Sears can be reached at megan.sears@laverne.edu.
Megan Sears