Organizations unite Latinos during event

Wednesday, February 24, 1999

Organizations unite Latinos during event

CELEBRATION: MEChA co-sponsors educational activities, cultural
forum

By Cathy Collins

Daily Bruin Contributor

Through a variety of activities, Latino students are gathering
this week to celebrate Semana de la Raza.

The purpose of the week is to create unity among Latino students
on campus.

"It’s important because Latino organizations are very separated.
We wanted to get together and find out what every group is doing,"
said Cynthia Almazan, a fourth-year psychology student and member
of Lambda Theta Nu, a Latina sorority.

The result of the efforts of 15 student groups is a week packed
with a variety of cultural activities.

The theme of the week, "Celebrando nuestras culturas y educando
sin fronteras," means celebrating our cultures and educating
without borders.

"Everything that we’re doing is about education as well as
celebration," said Lina Velasco, a fourth-year history and Chicano
studies student and officer of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana y
Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). "I think that’s what the theme of Semana
de La Raza is about."

Students gathered in Ackerman Grand Ballroom Monday night for
"Noche de Cultura," which featured poetry and dance, including
dancers in 1940s dress performing "Zoot Suit Pachanga."

"(Monday) night provided an opportunity for students to see and
observe the rich and diverse culture of the Chicano-Latino
culture," said Henry Perez, chairman of MEChA.

Other events planned for the week include workshops on the
future of Latinos in health care, education, border control and
immigration. Film screenings and poetry readings are also
planned.

At an event on Tuesday titled "Espiritu de la Communidad,"
community labor organizations, including the United Farm Workers
and the Bus Riders Union, met with students in Westwood Plaza.

"They seek to draw students who are interested in participating
in their organizations. They deal with so many issues we don’t
learn about, and they can teach us a lot," said Perez of the
unions.

Throughout the week, students will be giving tours to
elementary, junior high and high school students from the Los
Angeles area.

"It’s an alternative type of tour," Perez said. "We concentrate
on some of the historic sites of Chicano and Latino student
struggle on campus."

"It’s our responsibility to educate younger students of color,
letting them know that they do belong in these institutions because
a lot of their ancestors have struggled to open those doors for
them," he continued.

Perez added that the tours educate the younger Latino students
about the under-representation of their ethnic group at UC
schools.

"Chicanos make up 12 to 14 percent of UCLA, but we make up close
to 50 percent of L.A. County and of California. This is not
reflected in our presence in institutes of higher learning," he
said.

On Tuesday night, in the Melnitz Theater, students showed "Brown
Images: A Series of Short Films" about the Latino and Chicano
experience.

Cherrie Moraga, a poet, essayist, playwright and political
activist, will give a performance on Friday.

On Saturday, about 500 Latino students and their parents will
gather for a day of celebration at the "Dia de la Familia" in
Perloff Quad. Parents will go on tours of the campus and there will
be a barbeque and folk dancing.

Although the events of Semana de la Raza focus on a Latino
audience, organizers say that students of all ethnicities are
welcome.

"These events are for everybody. Our target population is
definitely the Latino/Chicano community both on and off campus,"
Perez said. "But we are very inviting to different ethnic
communities to come participate in events. It’s an opportunity for
other communities to come and learn about our culture."NICOLE
MILLER

Alicia Sandoval, of the United Farm Workers, participates in a
MEChA-sponsored youth conference.

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