IN THE NEWS

The following article was printed in the Brown Daily Herald on Friday, April 3, 1998.
This article covers the 1998 Latino History Month Convocation, in which Hermano Piri Thomas was the keynote speaker. The article discusses the success of Hermano Piri Thomas' address and the sucess of the convocation in general. Also mentioned in this article is Hermano Steven Colon, who amidst Law School applications still played an integral part in the planning of this convocation.

Latino History Month kicked off last night with a convocation highlighted by keynote speaker Piri Thomas's fervent address in Salomon 101. The event brought together a diverse crowd of students in a celebration of Latino culture and the various life experiences of Latino students at Brown.

The opening convocation emphasized both this year's theme -- "Despierta Latino!" or "Wake up Latino!" -- and the importance of moving beyond perceived divisions within Brown's Latino community .

The convocation began with reflections offered by Alberto Morales '01, the convocation's first-year speaker. He described the difficulty he has had in understanding what the broad term "Latino" means. "`Latino' doesn't mean the same thing for all of us," he said, "so the best we can do is join our stories together."

His speech was marked alternately with memories of personal experiences of racial intolerance and humorous observations on life as a Brown Latino student, such as his desire "to send a task force bearing spices rushing into the kitchen whenever the Ratty cooks `Latino' food." Morales stressed the importance of getting to know each individual's cultural story, rather than buying into generalizations of a Latino lifestyle.

"Let us stop pretending there is a single definition of what `Latino' is," he said. "There is an unbreakable bond between we Latinos. What our similarities are, I still do not know, but I want to learn from all of you."

A series of presentations made by seniors in the Latino community followed Morales. Jessica Pe–a '98 spoke of her father's recent death, and urged the audience to remember that they "only have one shot at life...I urge you to be grateful for the opportunities, resources and most importantly, life that you were given," she said. "We must be thankful for the opportunities we as a community have."

Acclaimed poet and writer Piri Thomas, whose autobiography Down These Mean Streets, , who has become a classic of Latino literature in America delivered the keynote address. Thomas spoke spontaneously with a lyricism that captivated the audience.

"I believe that no child was born to be a minority, which means `less than,'" Thomas repeated several times. "We are all a majority of one. I am a conglomeration of the manifestations of the majority of myself. I believe that every color of skin was meant to be a beautiful decoration, like the flower gardens of the earth. I believe with all my heart that color is no more a sign of intelligence than it is a sign of stupidity."

Thomas, who will turn 70 this year, described his experiences growing up in Spanish Harlem, which included encounters with drugs, gangs and crime. This childhood has influenced his writing and his speaking style, which had a familiarity and easiness that went over well with the audience.

"I felt that the spirituality, strength and pride that he conveyed to the audience was much-needed," said Ariana Mangual '01. "These are things which I hope to duplicate."

Thomas read some of his poetry and pieces composed by other Latino poets of his choosing. He spoke with animation, his arms often outstretched and his eyes closed, with an emphatic "Punto!" ending each poem or meaningful thought.

In her closing remarks, Latino History Month programmer Xochitl Gonzalez '99 called this convocation "the best yet" -- a sentiment reiterated by senior presenter Steven Col—n.

"This was the best convocation I've attended in my four years here," he said. "It was inspirational. We didn't get as much support from the University as we have in the past, but the support and dedication of the students in the Latino community here was fantastic."

Latino History Month continues today with two lectures by Miguel D’az-Barriga, an associate anthropology professor at Swarthmore.