SAN MARCOS- Palomar College invited Mariachi Arcoiris to perform for students and staff. Club and organization booths decorated the Student Union in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month and National Coming Out Day.
“I coordinated today’s event. It’s the intersections of Latinx, Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBTQ History Month, and National Coming Out Day and I thought what better way to celebrate than to have the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi band play live,” said Ben Mudgett, Palomar’s Pride Center coordinator.
The day was warm and sunny as students went about their school day and stopped to listen
to the wonderful music made by the mariachi. In addition to
this event, coordinators were handing out popsicles to students and staff on the hot day, which many students seemed to enjoy.
Overall during the event, students seemed to be enjoying the music and the community that came together to witness it.
“It’s cool to see people like coming together at the school… despite being a community college it’s nice to see that people have similar interests and that… there are certain programs in place to include everyone in on it,” said student Tristan Bonilla while waiting in line for a paleta.
Even though this event was new for most, many students seemed to have shared similar sentiments about the celebration. This was a good day for the community all around and a positive representation of Latinx people.
“I’m super emotional y’know because being Mexican myself and having come out only a few years ago, this is such a big thing for me especially because it’s not very common in our community to be out and proud,” said Clementine Chavez, a student and booth participant.
Many students like Clementine felt represented by the combination of celebrations that are rarely celebrated. Students seemed to be pleasantly surprised by this event and pleased with the shared appreciation for this history and culture.
Towards the end of their performance, Mariachi Arcoiris played their song that represented all the different countries in South America. The performance helped bring out the true spirit of community and togetherness for students and staff alike.
“Events like this… are what Mariachi Arcoiris is all about,” said founder and director of Mariachi Arcoiris Carlos Samannigo. “It’s wonderful to be able to be a part of these types of events in which we get to really… talk about who we really are and make that connection with our audiences.”
Students seemed to have learned from the event and got to witness what Latinx culture looks like in a general sense. The day, although hot, seemed enjoyable for students, staff and members of the community.
The one thing Mudgett said he would have done differently when asked about the event was “ordering more popsicles.”
CORRECTIONS – (Oct. 28, 2024 @ 8:29 p.m.) A previous version of this story incorrectly named a source as “Ben Midget,” it has been corrected “Ben Mudgett.”
