For Cafe Con Leche, coffee and pastries were laid out. The chairs and couches in Talley’s One Earth Lounge were pulled closer to a small stage by the fireplace and all the lights were dimmed. With the stage set, student performers stepped up to the microphone one by one.

This event was hosted by the Multicultural Student Affairs office in partnership with Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad or Lambda Pi Chi sorority and the Women’s Center. Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is Latinx Heritage Month, and Latina students took advantage of this open mic night to speak out on important issues facing the Hispanic community.

Lily Rivas, a first-year studying business management, shared her poem first. Titled “7.8,” it described the devastation of a recent earthquake in Ecuador and the strange duality of being Ecuadorian-American while a tragedy rocks her family’s home.

“Just being Ecuadorian-American, it was rough seeing it,” Rivas said. “We got a call from relatives there. At first we were like, ‘Oh an earthquake, we have those all the time,’ then we went online and saw how bad it was.”

In her poem, Rivas describes how strange it felt to see the effects of the earthquake through a television screen, and she was not the only performer to speak out about recent natural disasters.

Denice Frohman, an award-winning poet and educator, was invited to share her work as well. She spoke about another recent earthquake in Mexico and the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Frohman urged the audience to aid in the relief of all the people that have been displaced as a result.

Frohman’s work also covers a broad range of topics including the intersectionality of her race, sexuality and gender. The poems she shared in One Earth covered everything from her mother’s accent to her first kiss. Her words energized those in attendance, largely because her stories were so relatable.

Sidney Uriarte, a third-year studying civil engineering and the secretary for Lambda Pi Chi, said that this diversity and inclusion was a large part of what made the event successful.

“It wasn’t just one type of person here,” Uriarte said. “It was so many different backgrounds in a small corner of Talley. But Denice and her connection with us — we could all relate to her on some level. I think that was the main success of the night was that everyone got something out of it.”

Even though Rivas was the only student signed up to perform, others began to take the stage after Frohman’s performance. Some shared poems and others sang songs. Stacey Protasowicki, a first-year studying chemical engineering, played her guitar.

“When I picked up guitar, I really liked it so I took guitar classes for four years,” Protasowicki said. “The music brings people together.”

This was the sentiment that many student performers had; they believed that sharing their art was important for enlightenment. People can learn so much through other cultures simply by enjoying the works that the other cultures have to offer.

“I think events like this are important,” Uriarte said. “It offers a very open space to learn about experiences that aren’t similar to ours.”

Rivas said that being open was an important step in creating channels of inclusivity and education.

“We should all just be open to other cultures,” Rivas said. “We need to immerse ourselves in them so we can better understand them so we can better understand ourselves that way.”

There will be more opportunities to learn about other cultures through events hosted during the rest of Latinx Heritage Month. October will see Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a Taste of Latin America, and Salsabor Quinceañera. More information about these events can be found at https://oied.ncsu.edu/divweb/msa/latinx-heritage-month/.