Hundreds of DePaul students and community members patiently waited in line for their free sopes, esquites, aguas frescas and other Mexican delights at DePaul University’s Latinx Cultural Center’s third “Feria” celebration.
A mechanical bull along with rows of merchant vendors, student groups, and even “Los Plebes del K,”—a Mexican band from Wisconsin, were all gathered on the breezy Thursday night.
Several students sported western-inspired clothing, wearing boots, sombreros and paisley bandanas on par with this year’s “Jaripeo,” or rodeo theme.
Flor Reza, the program manager at the Latinx Cultural Center, remembers the feeling of being alienated in a predominantly white institution when she was pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“I remember finding community in U of I’s La Casa Cultural Latina– which is the equivalent to DePaul’s Latinx Cultural Center and feeling at home with people who look and talk like me,” Reza said.
She said she sees a lot of herself in the other student assistants in the program at DePaul, and feels pride in supporting other Latine students.
This year, Reza and her student assistants at the Latinx Cultural Center showed their support for immigrant communities in Chicago by encouraging Feria attendees to clean out their closets and participate in a winter clothing drive.
“Culture and home life can affect us all in different ways when you’re the only Latino or Latina in college, and we aim to make everyone feel seen,” Reza said.
Samantha Ortiz, a sophomore at DePaul, is one of Reza’s program assistants. At Feria, she was one of the many students serving food to the event attendees.
When Ortiz walked into DePaul, she didn’t see people who looked like her, which inspired her to join the Latinx Cultural Center.
“We need to embrace ourselves amongst one another as Latinos and celebrate that we’re all doing really big things,” she said.
Feria is inclusive to people of all ethnicities, creating a unified space for dancing and singing.
Jabari Williams, a sophomore pursuing game design at DePaul, nestled closely in a circle, dancing with his friends while the sonorous band roared in the parking lot.
“As far as me being in the Black culture, I’m not used to a lot of this, but last year I was introduced to the Latine culture here at DePaul and I enjoy it, which is why I love coming to these events,” Williams said.
Arelys Estrada, vice president of DePaul’s Fuerza Latina dance group, made an appearance at Feria to recruit other students to join the group.
Estrada has a passion for Latin dancing and wanted to bring that to DePaul. She and Camila Guadalupe, the president of Fuerza Latina, created the group in Spring of this year. Their dance group has both professional and beginner teams that encourage those who are unfamiliar with dances such as Bachata, Salsa and Cumbia to join.
The Feria event gave Estrada the opportunity to celebrate her heritage, while simultaneously sharing her passion for dance with other students at DePaul, she said.
“It makes me feel like I have a safe space here at DePaul, knowing that I’m accepted for who I am here in the community,” Estrada said.
