Baruch College hosted its second annual “Háblame Dulce” on Oct. 1, bringing everyone together for a spoken word and art showcase celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through culture, creativity and community.
“Háblame Dulce,” which translates to “talk to me sweetly” in Spanish, focuses on artistic expression and student voices.
The event was organized by the Black and Latino Studies Department, Black Male Initiative, Office of Student Life, the Percy E. Sutton SEEK program, Undergraduate Student Government and the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advisement.
“Háblame Dulce” brought together members of the Baruch community, from faculty to students, who were eager to celebrate and connect through art.
“What I am looking forward to tonight is the community: bringing together everyone from different clubs and departments on campus and hearing students uplift their voices through poetry,” Director of Success Amplified and Black Male Initiative David Stephens told The Ticker.
Freshman Kelsey Vergara Pacheco said, “I took Professor Reynozo’s class over the summer, where I read a lot of great poems with my classmates. Some of the poems they wrote in the summer are being presented today, so I know it’s going to be really good.”
Bernice Pierre from the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advisement emphasized the importance of creating an environment where students can share their experiences.
“It’s good that we have this safe space to talk about things that are happening in the world and to create a safe space for students to express themselves and their culture,” Pierre told The Ticker.
USG Vice President of Student Affairs Amelia Carbajal said, “Programming like this gives Baruch students the opportunity to celebrate and learn from different cultures while connecting with one another beyond the classroom. As a proud first-generation Latina, creating and supporting spaces where students feel represented and celebrated is especially meaningful to me.”
WBMB’s Marcos Sanchez, known as DJ Marcos, set the tone for the evening before Professor Shirley Reynozo of the Black and Latino Studies Department opened the program alongside the event’s master of ceremonies, senior Samantha Quervalu.
Quervalu translated Reynozo’s Spanish remarks into English for the audience.
Reynozo described the event as “a phenomenal way to close out Baruch’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations” and thanked attendees for coming together to celebrate through music, poetry and shared roots.
“Háblame Dulce was inspired out of the wish to bridge the gaps between academia, advocacy, artistic expression and elevating student voices and experiences,” Reynozo told The Ticker in an interview.
Reynozo teaches courses including “The Evolution and Expressions of Racism” in the Black and Latino Studies Department, “The Arts in New York” through the Macaulay Honors Program and a “Poetry as Protest” workshop with SEEK.
“I wanted to expand this practice beyond the classroom to have a larger impact across our Baruch community,” she said. “Being in the classroom showed me the rich stories our students share, their vulnerability and creativity.”
The event developed into a biannual series that includes “Talk To Me Nice” for Black History Month and “Háblame Dulce” for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Reynozo said the events are intended to “foster solidarity, build community and give students a space for authentic, uncensored expression.”
She tied the evening to the department’s mission of centering “the knowledge, creativity and contributions of Black and Latinx communities and their diasporas.”
“Our department has always emphasized that our stories, our scholarship, our music, our art and our lived experiences are vital to the world of ideas and to the fight for justice,” Reynozo said.
Following Reynozo’s welcoming remarks, WBMB’s Rommel Vasquez delivered a heartfelt acoustic original song, describing music as his “escape.”
The heart of the evening was the lineup of Baruch student poets, who used their performances to explore many different ideas to convey experiences with heritage, identity and family.
Their pieces moved between grief and hope, which gave the audience a window into personal stories behind each performance.
Senior Dainma Martinez, who is a biological sciences student, leader and advocate, performed “My Troubles Have Just Begun.”
She used poetry to transform lived experiences into messages of healing and empowerment.
Martinez dedicated her performance to her father, who passed away four years ago.
In an interview with The Ticker, Martinez said, “I came here to spread community. I am all about community, and this is a great event to be a part of especially during Hispanic Heritage Month. I want to be involved as much as possible, and this gives all of us the opportunity to do that. It only happens once a semester, so it’s one of the big events I look forward to.”
Freshman accounting student Angel Gutierrez performed “Háblame, Yancuic Ehecati.”
His poem’s message was carried by the image of wind and blends three languages together: English, Spanish and Nahuatl, which is a major indigenous language from central Mexico.
Journalism and creative writing freshman Ethan Cavedo performed “A Floating Island,” dedicating the poem to his mother, grandmother and Puerto Rican heritage.
“Where we are all high above on a floating island and the only thing we can drown in is love,” he said.
His poem portrayed Puerto Rico as both a physical home and a source of identity, emphasizing pride in where he comes from.
Freshman finance student Joshua Desiuza performed “The Protest at Albany,” based on his experience at a student protest in the Capitol building in New York back in March.
“They can’t ignore the staircase when it’s packed with our sound. We came to the Capitol and we held our ground,” he said.
Political science freshman Jayrie Sanchez performed her poem “The World Cup.”
She conveyed her issues with the world as it is today, drawing attention to the different realities experienced by young boys and girls and hoping to make it a better place tomorrow.
She compared the early careers of male soccer stars with violence against the girls of the same age.
“So no, there isn’t a Messi in women’s soccer. Maybe that’s because girls are too busy choosing between fight and flight,” Sanchez said.
Accounting freshman Bella Perez Rodriguez performed “Because I’m a Woman.”
Her poem examined the barriers women face in male-dominated environments and lost opportunities because of gender inequality.
Baruch alum and graduate student Bruce Oscar, who is known as Sav-B, performed a piece about leaving an unfulfilling job to pursue music, using the studio as refuge.
The crowd was overjoyed when he was asked to perform his piece again and called it a way to “get the reps in.”
During the brief intermission, Pierre read the community poem, formed line by line from those in the audience. The community poem was initially SEEK counselor Marcus Clindinin’s idea.
Pierre said, “He is one of the masterminds behind this whole thing, and he loves poetry. Last year, he said he wanted everyone to come together freely and contribute their thoughts. I feel like this year is even better than last year. Maybe it’s the continuation of it, so I am looking forward to seeing what happens next year.”
The community poem extended the event’s focus beyond the performers, allowing the audience to contribute as well rather than only watching from the crowd.
The event continued with a musical performance from memebers Johan Toledo Mazamba and Daniel Aguilar of the Ecuadorian Club.
“It was a great experience,” Toledo Mazamba said. “You get a lot nervous when you get up there, but sometimes you have got to step out of your comfort zone. Be brave, do what you want to do and enjoy it.”
The evening also featured performances by guest singers Leaf and Maiya the Don.
Leaf, who is known for her magnetic presence, stands out not just for her music but her influence within the beauty and fashion industries as well, collaborating with icons like Pat McGrath and starring in major campaigns such as Calvin Klein and Good American.
Her work emphasizes authentic self-expression across music, beauty and that fashion is crucial, aiming to empower women to take up space and be unapologetically seen and heard.
She took to the stage to sing her original songs “In Your Dreams” and “Forgiveness.”
Maiya the Don set the tone with an energetic performance and had everyone dancing with her songs “Dusties,” “Let’s Be Clear” and “TEN.”
She was named a 2024 XXL Freshman and is one of rap’s most exciting, emerging voices, who first broke through with her viral hit “Telfy” and has since collaborated with artists including Flo Milli and Ty Dolla $ign.
DJ Marcos, an operations management and analytics major who DJ’d the entire event, also helped plan it and connect the station with Reynozo.
“Planning the event felt natural, as I have worked on big concert productions all around the country,” Sanchez told The Ticker. “Having the opportunity to collaborate with huge artists like Maiya the Don and Leaf was amazing.”
Towards the end of the event, Sanctuario Musica, an Afro-Latin music and dance ensemble, held a dance workshop by Monica Ortiz Rossi and Okai Musik.
Their work blurs the lines between the stage and audience, inviting everyone to experience the healing power of movement and community.
While the performances were at the center of the event, clubs including ASEDOM, Central Americans for Empowerment, Latin American Student Organization, Urban Male Leadership Academy, African Students Association and Initiative for the Study of Latin America were tabling, bringing together different parts of Baruch beyond the classroom.
Reynozo closed by describing the night as a celebration of history “as a living force,” alive in the community’s music, art, words and joy.
“This is the night of passion, power and purpose, a reminder that when we come together in a community, we rise stronger, brighter and unstoppable,” she said.
