Club Feature: La Alianza Latina

A group of people slouch back on couches surrounding a wooden table, black domino tiles scattered across. Besides the ongoing game of Dominos are bowls of platano chips and ice cold Piña Coladas. The classic songs of Frankie Ruiz playing in the background mix with the laughter of the group as they celebrate their shared Latino heritage. La Alianza Latina, often referred to as LAL, meets every Monday from seven to eight on the second floor of the Academy Center to help Latino members of the Exeter community connect to the each other and their roots.LAL provides a cultural foundation for Latino Exonians on campus who can sometimes feel separated from their heritage because of Exeter's workload and large diversity of students. For many, the affinity group has become a place to share ideas and converse with people of the same cultural identity. The group’s meeting are also open to students who do not identify themselves as Latino, but are still interested in learning about the culture.According to Rosanna Salcedo, associate dean of faculty and one of the co-advisors of the affinity group, the members of LAL are currently focusing on getting to know each other, sharing their struggles and celebrating their accomplishments together. She went on to explain why it was important for these students to come together every week and connect together through their background.“La Alianza Latina is not a club, it is an affinity group for students who identify as Latino/Latina,” she said. “It is a safe and comfortable space for students who want to meet other students who share the identity of having Latin American heritage, and talk about what it's like to be Latino/Latina at Exeter, among other things. An affinity group is supposed to meet the needs of the group which can change from year to year.”Indeed, LAL  hosts many events along with their weekly meetings to fit the needs of the group members, helping them celebrate through fun events. An LAL dinner at Elm Street Dining Hall, regional dance, Domino night, and two dissertation talks are some of the events that have already taken place this year.The group also celebrates many holidays throughout the year. This Saturday, November 1st, it will be recognizing the traditional Mexican celebration “Dia De Los Muertos” (also known as the Day of the Dead), where people honor the dead through altars decorated with food, pictures, letters, jewelry, and other objects that embody that person. They will be setting up an altar in Agora, free for anyone to stop by and place memories on.Co-advisor William Perdomo commented on these holidays and how they have helped him connect to his own roots.“LAL was something I needed to be apart of,” he said. “I didn't want to forget my heritage, my roots. We celebrate holidays sometimes and we're even planning a potential trip to a Colombian restaurant. Beyond that, we're going to celebrate the Day of the Dead soon.”Not only have these events helped the group connect with each other, they also help spread information about their culture and heritage throughout the Exeter community in an attempt to try to educate Exonians on what it means to be Latino.Lower Alejandro Arango, the club secretary explained the importance in this message.“I want La Alianza Latina to become more than just a warm place for Latinos and Hispanics to enjoy in our culture,” he said. “I want us to help educate Exeter about what being Latino means. I believe people should know there is a difference between being Latino and being Mexican and that there's more to our culture than what most people assume.”Despite the group’s efforts to spread awareness of the Latino heritage through large events, many members, such as Salcedo, still agree that the best part of the club is just hanging out at club meetings and learning about eachothers lives.“My favorite aspect of working with this group is hearing students talk about what they love about being Latino/a, hearing them talk affectionately about their families and relatives, and remembering all of the sights, tastes, sounds, smells that bring us back to our childhood, our homes, and communities,” Salcedo said.President Luis Verdi agreed with Salcedo. “Another aspect I really love about LAL is the sense of family that all our club members bring,” he said. “The Latino culture is based very heavily on family and bonds between members, and I love how we can all share this at our meetings.”With the high success of their group so far, Salcedo believes they will continue to comfort one another and gain a better understanding of their culture as the year goes on.“My expectation is that the board will use its leadership to galvanize Latino students, and that this group will to continue to be a vibrant sub-group of Exonians, who are proud of their heritage, and who understand that being Latino/a also means being American,” she said.