By Cole Strzelecki
On September 21, United and Mutually Equal (U&ME) held their Latin Food Fest event, which celebrates Latin and Hispanic cultures. From 12:30 to 2:00, Commonwealth Lawn swarmed with campus community members who wanted to join in with the festivities. The event featured food, music, giveaways, raffles, and a piñata, ensuring a fun time for all who came.
“This was the most attended Latin Food Fest that I have been a part of,” Kolu Sharpe, United and Mutually Equal’s club advisor, stated. This year is Sharpe’s fourth year as advisor for the club, so this year’s turnout was the best it’s been in that many years. “We clicked in 307 people with the clicker counter, but we know we missed a few,” Sharpe continued.
But who could resist going to such a lively event? Every student working the event had a smile on their face and made sure everyone was having a great time. They all helped direct people through each event area while following the line that stretched to the street in front of Commonwealth Hall.
The event was headed by Victoria Rodriguez, the Vice President of U&ME and a member of Western New England University’s class of 2024, and Nganji Murenzi, U&ME’s Treasurer and a member of our University’s class of 2026. The two planned the event in the first few weeks of the semester. However, the event had its date picked out last spring. “It’s one of our annual events, so it’s been on our schedule,” Sharpe informed.
With planning the event came figuring out what to order and from where. The selection and ordering process of the giveaways and raffle prizes was simple, with these items being brought from various places. But when it came to the food, what would be offered at the event was carefully determined.
The food came from three restaurants: Puerto Rico Bakery, Mi Antojito Restaurant, & Crunchy Fried Chicken & Pupuseria. This selection of restaurants ensured the event would have food representative of many Latin and Hispanic cultures and countries. In explaining some of the countries represented by the event’s food, Sharpe explained that they “had Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadorian, and Mexican offerings.”
For their first major event of the year, Latin Food Fest was a success for U&ME. Next year, they plan to work on a way to shorten the lines, improve how they hang the pinata, and provide at least one additional vegetarian option. “There was a great response from the community,” Sharpe said, “It makes me excited to see how the community will respond to future events.
Regarding those future events, United and Mutually Equal will have a small event in the Campus Center Mall area or the Cultural Center in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day around October 12. The E-Board is also working on this year’s World Fest event, determining if they should hold it in November as they traditionally do or in the spring as they did last year. Either way, U&ME has a lot in store for the rest of the year, so if you missed Latin Food Fest or want more of what the club has to offer, be sure to be on the lookout for their next event.
