“Háblame Dulce,” which translates to “talk to me sweetly” in Spanish, was a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Baruch College in September.
The Black and Latino Studies Department, alongside the SEEK Program, Black Male Initiative, Office of Student Life and the Academic Advisement Department, once again concluded the month with another Baruch poetry slam. Preserving the event’s central theme of honoring the past and inspiring the future, this event not only amplified the influence of the Latinx culture but also acknowledged the challenges it faced in society.
Professor Shirley Reynozo, an adjunct lecturer in the Black and Latino Studies Department, organized the event with the help of her students and colleagues, providing a safe space for her community.
“Everything happened off of the testament of community,” Reynozo told The Ticker as she explained how the event came about. The planning process started around July.
Reynozo was teaching a summer poetry workshop called “Poetry as Protest” at the time and had the keen idea, inspired by her students enrolled in SEEK, to curate an event that included their powerful poetry. In collaboration with Reynozo’s colleagues, “Háblame Dulce” was born.
Early event planning helped tremendously with the turnout, as Baruch’s Multi-Purpose Rooms were fully booked, with 175 people attending.
Reynozo presented the event in Spanish as her co-host and longtime SEEK counselor Marcus Clindinin translated in English. The event consisted of speeches by five student poets, two musical performances by artists Leaf and Lui Nai and a spoken word performance from Reynozo’s New York University peer Sejahari Saulter-Villegas.
The end of the event featured a community poem that attendees contributed to and a dance workshop from Sanctuario Musica.
The African Student Association, Dominican Student Association, Latin American Student Organization, Urban Male Leadership Academy and WBMB Radio also occupied the space, presenting their festive tables and showcasing what their associations are about.
With food served by Hidden City Catering, sweet flan — a traditional Hispanic dessert — catered from Franco Bakery Corp. and homemade rice pudding brought by Reynozo’s mother Yarina Moya, attendees, performers and staff were all well-fed.
Amid all the festivities was music by none other than Reynozo and visual art by her fellow department member Miguel Trelles, Reynozo’s younger sister Kailey Mendoza and peer Leslie Fortuna.
“I’m always surprised by how much talent people have,” a SEEK student who attended Reynozo’s summer workshop said. “To witness it firsthand is amazing, and hearing everyone’s voices really makes you feel empowered and heard.”
Events like these aim to uplift students, remind them that there are people who understand them and show them that they are not alone and that someone is always there caring for them. This was the message that Reynozo sent out to the people who attended and participated in “Háblame Dulce.”
For her, “it’s all about community building,” and this event showed the results of coming together with your fellow neighbors.
