Photo Credit: Submitted
When living in America, sometimes mixing into the melting pot can lead to people forgetting where they come from and how they got to where they are today. Nuestras Raíces, which translates to “Our Roots” in Spanish, is a reminder for us. A reminder of our past, our culture and its beauty, and a calling to never forget where you come from. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Latinx Student Organization, Student Activities Board, and ATU’s chapter of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. hosted the event “Nuestras Raíces.”
“I didn’t want this to be another event that was ‘that one thing that happened that one time,’ I wanted it to be something more than that,” said Anthony Rivas, senior and LSO Vice President.
This event showed ATU the beautiful culture that is Latin America. LSO President, junior Oscar Perez, said “We wanted to share our roots. We wanted to share Nuestras Raíces.”
It does not matter what background you come from; all our cultures are meant to be shared. Senior Mea Adkins said “I wanted to learn more about the culture… I was so engaged. I wish they could keep going. I wish I could just watch it all night. It was amazing, all the colors, the music, everything was perfect.”
One way that Hispanic culture is expressed is through the art of dance. Numerous groups of performers came to dance various traditional dances. Juan Carlos Sanchez and Miriam Oliva, two of the dancers, discussed their thoughts on sharing the Latino culture through dance.
“I like to dance because even though I was raised in Mexico, we don’t want to lose our culture in this country that we love. I also want to show my kids that we have a very rich culture, not only in Mexico but in other countries. So, I want them to grow up learning where we came from,” Mariam Oliva stated.
Juan Carlos added, “It’s a great opportunity for us, like Miriam said. Showing our culture is something that most people, in the time I have been dancing, are left in awe from all that is Mexico.”
Our cultures are something that need to be shared and appreciated. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and everyone should take the opportunity to share their history, their story, and their roots. We should all share Nuestras Raíces.
