“This is our time for Chicano/Latinos for a whole week to do different programs,” Hernandez-Morales said. “There are so many students when you go to school all the time, and you don’t see that Chicanos and Latinos together, and this is when everyone comes together — a lot of professors, staff and students.”
From April 28 to May 3, UC Davis celebrated the 45th annual La Raza Cultural Days, which showcased a variety of events hosted by the Cross Cultural Center (CCC).
A few of these events included Dreamers Workshop, in which UC Davis and high school students performed spoken-word poems and spoke about the struggles faced by undocumented immigrants, and La Gran Tardeada, an all-day event on May 3 with live music, food, activities for children and a health fair.
Another one of the events was Women of Color Poetry Night, which was held at the Student Community Center Multipurpose Room on April 29. During the event, students shared and recited a wide range of poems in both English and Spanish.
Iliana Rodriguez, a fifth-year biological sciences major with an emphasis in neurology, physiology and biology, felt that this event allowed students to break out of their comfort zone.
“My favorite part is hearing the poems,” Rodriguez said. “You just hear all these poems that are so beautiful and you get inspired. It’s really neat to see the poems that touch someone and the reasoning behind it.”
According to Rodriguez, the whole week is designed to provide underrepresented students with a voice.
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