Judith García, the first Latina Massachusetts state representative, headlined the Hispanic Heritage Assembly on Friday, Nov. 1 in the Roberts/Dubbs Auditorium. Coordinated by the Latinx Club, the assembly showcased Latino pride and culture through song, dance, speeches, poetry and celebration.
The assembly commenced during G-block with a speech and subsequent Q&A from García, who was introduced by State Representative Tommy Vitolo of Brookline. Then, performances from students and teachers took place during F-block.
García is a Democrat representing the 11th Suffolk district, including her hometown of Chelsea. Her speech described her story as a rising politician, recounted the challenges she faced and urged all students to get involved and make a difference.
“Our city [Chelsea] had reached a high amount of bankruptcy; a lot of corruption was taking place. It was growing up in that environment that played a huge role in my quality of life,” García said. “But instead of complaining, instead of saying, ‘I can’t wait to leave Chelsea,’ I said, ‘I can’t wait to grow up, become a professional and do something to make Chelsea a better place.’”
Drawing on her own experiences, García encouraged the audience to find their purpose in life, no matter how difficult it might be.
“It will be a road of trial and error. But when you do find it, do it well and know that you can be a future agent of change,” García said.
During F-block, various performances showcased Latino culture, including singing from senior Micaela Phelan, junior Ingrid Aumiller and senior Michelle Ruget; guitar from Spanish teacher Kevin Whitehead and senior Julian Steinbergh; a speech by senior Calla Paragiri; poetry by Alberto Ríos, read by junior Pablo Nahra Garcia; original poetry by Phelan; Flamenco dance performed by senior Aitana Pedrero-Puertas; and a group dance performance by the African, Latin American and Hip-Hop Dance class.
Spanish teacher Pedro Mendez, who has served as an adviser to the Latinx Club for the past 17 years, said the assembly’s success was the result of extensive behind-the-scenes support from the whole club since June. He said the event—with the assembly so close to the early college application deadline—required extra hard work from club members. Paragiri, a co-president of the club, said the performances made the hard work worth it.
“Just seeing that there was such a vibrant and beautiful community of Latin American people and Hispanic people coming together and celebrating what I love about my culture, what I love about my people—it was just a really wonderful experience,” Paragiri said.
Junior, Latinx Club member and event emcee Adriana Oviedo said the assembly’s outcome was a testament to the amount of effort the club dedicated to it. She said that, in the end, the event shined a light on Hispanic and Latino heritage, which was very important to her and the whole club.
“It’s about bringing everybody together and it’s about celebrating everyone’s experiences and the diverseness of our country,” Oviedo said. “I think it just means so much to all of us in different ways, truly.”
