OLE ends heritage month with festival
A play performed by children from Mi Espacio followed, an interesting effort and novel approach to spreading awareness on both the negative and positive aspects of what it means to be Latino.
The children (between 8 and 16 years old) mentioned the high rate of Latino alcohol and drug use, teen pregnancy statistics and the importance of passing the Dream Act, a piece of pending Congressional legislation that would allow immigrant students an opportunity to continue their education and attain U.S citizenship.
"Some of the statistics they presented were things I didn't know and were quite startling," said OLÉ Executive Board Member Ray Delgado.
General OLÉ Body Member Christine Carballo expressed her belief that "Latinofest and this play are a great opportunity for Latino children to interact with Hopkins students. It's often difficult for these children who have immigrated here or are the children of immigrants to get actively interested in education."
A dance performance of salsa, merengue and samba by the OLÉ dance group was well-received by both audience members and children dancing.
By the end of the evening all were eager to partake in the festivities. Finally a variety of Latin cuisine was provided, such as Peruvian rotisserie chicken, tortillas, tamales, three milk cake and Inca Kola, a sweetened beverage.
"This event is a stepping stone for these Latino children to later take on bigger projects. It allows them to affirm themselves. The parents in the audience were proud of their children for participating," Topacio Cruz said.
The OLÉ student group works to foster an inclusive environment that recognizes the history and culture of the Latino community. It strives to promote awareness of local and national issues affecting Latinos.
"My view is that such an event is only possible through the combined efforts of all of the Latino organizations, and our collective purpose is why we even have it, which is a celebration of the contributions of those that came before us, while looking at what we represent and realizing we have the same responsibility to make a difference for those to come after us," Louie said.
The children (between 8 and 16 years old) mentioned the high rate of Latino alcohol and drug use, teen pregnancy statistics and the importance of passing the Dream Act, a piece of pending Congressional legislation that would allow immigrant students an opportunity to continue their education and attain U.S citizenship.
"Some of the statistics they presented were things I didn't know and were quite startling," said OLÉ Executive Board Member Ray Delgado.
General OLÉ Body Member Christine Carballo expressed her belief that "Latinofest and this play are a great opportunity for Latino children to interact with Hopkins students. It's often difficult for these children who have immigrated here or are the children of immigrants to get actively interested in education."
A dance performance of salsa, merengue and samba by the OLÉ dance group was well-received by both audience members and children dancing.
By the end of the evening all were eager to partake in the festivities. Finally a variety of Latin cuisine was provided, such as Peruvian rotisserie chicken, tortillas, tamales, three milk cake and Inca Kola, a sweetened beverage.
"This event is a stepping stone for these Latino children to later take on bigger projects. It allows them to affirm themselves. The parents in the audience were proud of their children for participating," Topacio Cruz said.
The OLÉ student group works to foster an inclusive environment that recognizes the history and culture of the Latino community. It strives to promote awareness of local and national issues affecting Latinos.
"My view is that such an event is only possible through the combined efforts of all of the Latino organizations, and our collective purpose is why we even have it, which is a celebration of the contributions of those that came before us, while looking at what we represent and realizing we have the same responsibility to make a difference for those to come after us," Louie said.
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