The annual Latin Night celebration took place Oct. 3 at the McKenny Ballroom. Latin Night was put on by the Latinx Student Association (LSA) and sponsored by the Center of Race & Ethnicity.
Latin Night had lively music, tasty food, dancing, a photo booth and a mix of Latinx culture.
The week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 was this year’s LSA Week, a week-long celebration put on by the LSA to engage EMU’s students and to hopefully recruit new members along the way.
While last year’s event was a hit, some argued that this one was even better.
“I definitely think [this year’s Latin Night] is better,“ Allanah Morales, president of the Latinx Student Association, said. “We had a lot more to bring to the table. Our dances were different. The dances were more interactive and easier to engage with. Last year, it was kind of the basic things that people already knew, like salsa. People don’t always know [dances like] merengue.”
The purpose of the event was to further educate students on the Latinx community. Two LSA students delivered a presentation to the audience to offer students key takeaways from the event other than the infectious music and dancing.
Christopher Casillas delivers a presentation during Latin Night. Photo courtesy: Heather Moody
“We wanted everyone ... to know the history behind the importance of Latin History and Latin culture,” presenter Christopher Casillas said. “Teaching them the dances as well so they can be like ‘this is what I learned.’”
Participants were energized by the atmosphere of the event. Sr. Lorian Tompkins said: “When I first walked in, it was a lot, and I was like, ‘ooh what to do.’ But then we sat down and ate and danced, and then somebody came and danced with us. It was a lot of fun. It was really lively. The energy was good. The food was good, and it was just a good place to be.”
LSA members pose for the photo booth.
Morales planned for this event as early as July of this year. She recognized the need for continuing Latinx representation on EMU’s campus.
“I think that this event is really crucial to Eastern Michigan’s community and its campus,” Morales said. “Because not only is it teaching other people about other people’s cultures, but it’s also allowing them to interact and have fun through music and dancing and all different types of activities.”
To learn more about LSA’s upcoming events, follow @emu_lsa on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
