Club Spotlight: Latinx Student Union

Kicking off fall quarter with two successful events thus far is UW Ta­coma’s Latinx Student Union. To celebrate UWT’s Hispanic Heritage week, LSU teamed up with the Stu­dent Activities Board to provide a two-day celebration of Hispanic heritage, complete with Latinidad art and a screening of “Cesar Chavez: An American Hero.” Karen Marti­nez, the club president, has a lot more in store for LSU this year. The club meets every Wednesday in the Center for Equity and Inclusion at 12:30 p.m.

Formerly known as Latinos Em­bracing Education, LSU changed their name this year to better reflect the unity they want their members to feel. Latinx is a gender neutral term used in lieu of Latina or Latino. Their main goal is to create a space where Latinx students can feel con­nected on campus.

“This year we are really focusing on community, not only on campus but outside campus as well,” Marti­nez said. “We are also focusing on the importance of self-care espe­cially because the current political climate in this country is affecting our families and our community.”

With the new name came a new logo as well — the monarch butterfly. Spending its life in both Mexico and the United States, the monarch but­terfly is a symbol for the club.

“The monarch butterfly repre­sents the patterns of migration and movement many Latinx people resonate with,” Martinez said. “As Latinx students in this country our history includes immigration, whether we ourselves migrated or our ancestors.”

Last year, the club helped facili­tate the Know Your Rights workshop, an informational session that in­vited community members to learn about immigration and their rights. This year, they have plans to do more outreach activities in the commu­nity as well as collaborate with oth­er clubs on campus.

Since they are focusing on self-care this year, the club is planning a paint and sip event. “In this event we will be painting while drinking chocolate abuelita (hot chocolate) and pan dulce (pastries)” Martinez said.

The future is looking bright for LSU and they encourage every stu­dent to join them at their meetings or events.

“We welcome all students to LSU whether they are Latinx or not,” Martinez said. “We really just want the club to be inclusive and a fun space to celebrate Latinx people.”