Chicano culture celebrated at recent event
When Damien Palacios took a break after his science lab on April 11, he was surprised by the sounds coming from the Campus Mall.
"This is great," the pre-engineering major said after investigating the festive noise. "I have lecture in a few minutes, so it's nice to admire the cars and enjoy the music while I wait."
Damien and more than 300 members of the Citrus College community attended the Lowrider Culture and Community event recently organized by the automotive technology and student life and leadership programs.
"This was an idea I had during a DEIA+ committee meeting where we discussed events we could host in order to bring specific cultural awareness," explained Priscilla Englert, automotive technology instructor. "Lowrider owners and enthusiasts are a historically marginalized subculture, so activities like this one are great because they celebrate culture, community and show allyship. We should always embrace the opportunity to celebrate culture in any way possible and to encourage representation."
"The response was positive," added Rosario Garcia, student life supervisor. "Many employees shared with me that they enjoyed the event and thanked us for hosting it."
A celebration of Chicano culture, the Lowrider Culture and Community event featured brightly colored lowriders, upbeat music performed by Night Shift and free tacos for 325 people.
"I heard about this event through an email and decided to stop by because it seemed really cool," said Alexa Tapia, a journalism major. "The musicians were really talented and the cars were cool. Events like this are important because they bring the community together and take the stress out of everyday student life."
This article originally appeared in the May 2024 edition of the Citrus View.