Empowerment. Diversity. Unity. These are the three words posted on a large basketball court on West Campus, and they serve as the perfect way to describe last Friday’s LASO Block Party event.
On Sept. 19, the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and Black Student Union (BSU) collaborated as part of this year’s annual LASO Block Party. The event proved to be an exciting festivity where people of different identities came together as one, socializing over sports, sandwiches and soda. The Native Indigenous Students Association (NISA), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Association of Latino Professionals (ALFPA) also joined in on the event.
“The hope that we have from this event was to show students we can successfully collaborate to create something beneficial for the community,” BSU President Sidney Mbah said. “Also that it’s much more fun to gather together and celebrate our different cultures in a beautiful way.”
At 5 p.m., students came in droves to West Campus. Cheers roared throughout the space as basketball players held a tournament on the larger court, while soccer players participated in their own tournament on the grass.
“I’m very pleased with the turnout,” senior Johnny Cedillos said. “There’s a lot of people and I’m very glad it was combined. We felt like both organizations were intertwined.”
An annual attendee of the block party, senior Matthew Worrell agreed.
“This was my fourth time,” Worrell said. “It became my own Villanova tradition. It was great to meet with people of color on campus.”
Participants were treated to some tasty foods to complement the occasion. Appetizers consisted of empanadas and tortilla chips, as well as chicken nuggets and French fries provided by Chick-Fil-A catering.
The main dishes were a delectable mix of various cultural foods: fried plantains, pupusas, chicken and beef with peppers and onions, yellow rice, macaroni and cheese, jollof rice, yams, hamburgers and more.
Attendees were also entertained with performances from four different dance groups set to hip hop and Latin pop songs. The Superlatives put on a fierce showstopper befitting their title, and BLAZE set the floor alight with its fiery movements. The respective performances of the Upsilons and the Latin Theta Alpha Latin Sorority were full of spunk and spirit.
“It’s always great to see the community together, especially with how small it is at Villanova,” senior Simbo Etefa said. “It’s always great seeing people dancing and enjoying themselves.”
Students got to show off their pride front, center and back with miniature flags posted around various Latin American countries. Some students were even wearing flags as capes.
“Having all the cultural flags displayed on one table really highlighted the diversity and inclusivity of the event,” LASO’s Vice President Yasira Pineda said. “What stood out to me even more was seeing people wear their flags as capes the entire time. It created this beautiful atmosphere of cultural pride, unity and mutual respect, which was exactly what we hoped to foster with this event.”
LASO president Rosalia Machado echoed this sentiment of both the event and the role of these organizations at Villanova.
“Celebrating culture in itself is beautiful because it’s part of our identity,” Machado said. “I think it’s especially important to have a safe space for BIPOC students to come together on campus considering that Villanova is primarily a white institution. A lot of BIPOC freshmen come to Villanova looking for a community that welcomes them and by holding our events at the start of the semester, we hope to gain more attention from first-year students.”
Students who are interested in any of the organizations listed (LASO, BSU, NISA, NSBE or ALFPA) can learn more at https://vugroups.campuslabs.com/engage/organizations?categories=1293 or by visiting the groups’ respective social media accounts.
