Participants dance at the Fall 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Summit Kick-Off.(Photo by Alexandra Llorca/CU Independent)
On Sept. 29, community members celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at the University of Colorado Boulder with an event at the Center for Community’s Dirks Patio. The Diversity and Inclusion Summit Kick-Off was open to all students, staff and faculty.
Throughout the event, the students, staff and faculty enjoyed traditional Hispanic food, music and a dance show in which the performers danced Flamenco, Salsa and other traditional dances of Hispanic or Latin cultural backgrounds.
This event was organized by the Center for Inclusion and Social Change from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement, with the intention of achieving inclusivity in CU Boulder.
Fabiola Longoria, a student from the University of Colorado-Boulder attended the event to meet new people and talk to the organizers and better understand who they are and why they decided to become members of the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.
“It’s community engagement…talking to people in-person is far more significant than over Zoom or over the phone,” said Longoria, referring to the impacts the pandemic had throughout the previous school year.
Another student from the University of Colorado-Boulder, Chacmool Gomez believes that representing other cultures on campus is crucial and that events like these can bring people together.
“I think it’s important to hold events like these so people can be exposed to more culture, so they can see what (life is like in other countries),” he explained. “I feel like you could also help someone get more connected with their culture…and to make new friends.”
Performers from ArtistiCo Dance Company were invited to the event to show the audience several traditional dances, including typical dances from Spain and countries from Central and South America, such as Mexico and Colombia.
One of the performers, Marissa Morales, said that she believes students should be exposed to different cultures.
“A lot of times, especially on college campuses, students come to be exposed to all kinds of different things that they’re typically not exposed to and holding events like this gives students and faculty the opportunity to learn about different cultures,” Morales said.
The organization will hold a virtual diversity and inclusion summit on Nov. 2 with the goal of building community resilience and achieving a more equitable environment.
