Munday Library and Latinx on the Hilltop hosted a Latinx voices read-in for students and faculty. The event, held in light of Hispanic Heritage Month, showcased Hispanic and Latinx voices through various works of literature. In addition to the read-in, snacks such as tostones and tequeños were provided, as well as a painting station for attendees to create artwork while listening to the readers.

Junior Jenna Diaz was one of the students coordinating the event. Diaz was in charge of creating visual displays including the descriptions of selected works of literature, creating the event poster and tabling to get the word out to students. She expressed that her involvement in the event came from interest within her community and in using literature as a way to connect with one another.

“I’m Latina, obviously, and I think it’s very important because there’s a lot of Latinos and Latinas on campus,” Diaz said. “So I feel it’s important for us to have a sense of community that has been ingrained in us for our whole lives.”

A total of nine readers attended the event, each of them reading a different piece of literature. Some delivered poems and short stories that highlighted themes of Latinx resilience and joy, while others captured the struggles and hardships that those in the community have endured in both the past and the present.

Faculty member Melissa Esqueda, associate vice president of the equity office and employee relations, read the poem titled “This is a migrant poem,” which gives an insight into the many different stories of migrant farm workers. Having family members with a migrant worker background, she chose this poem specifically to illustrate the experience of her family and countless others.

“I would just love our students to know that there’s a lot of us here who have been through difficult situations,” Esqueda said. “Or whose parents or grandparents had to go through a lot of hurt, hardship in order for us to have the opportunity to be educated.”

Another reader, senior Jackeline Guajardo, took the same route and selected an excerpt from the book “The Undocumented Americans” by author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. She stated that the passage highlighted the troubling experiences that undocumented women working as housekeepers can face. Guajardo expressed that although topics like these are difficult, they should be addressed more so that those going through the same experiences can be seen.

“I think it is important to not just dance or walk on eggshells with topics like this,” Guajardo said. “Especially with our community; we’re beautiful, we’re resilient, but we have to be.”

The read-in served as a reminder to students that Latinx stories, albeit diverse and different, are meant to create visibility of anyone part of the Latinx community – and Guajardo hopes that participants will take something away from the event.

“There’s so many of us from so many backgrounds, different cultures. We’re not all the same — we have different ways of viewing the world, but we do share struggles,” Guajardo said. “I think it’s just very important to highlight that we’re all individuals, and coming together in moments like these highlights that though you can see those differences, you can also see common themes about resilience, hope and our struggle.”