Carla Gonzalez is the publications chair for the Latin American Student Union (LASU) and a junior majoring in economics.

Pipe Dream interviewed Gonzalez about LASU’s values, initiatives, activism and her experience being involved in LASU.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Can you give me an overview of LASU, and what your core values are?

A:. LASU stands for Latin American Student Union. Our organization promotes a sense of community for the Latinx community on campus. LASU teaches students about problems faced in Latin America and the culture in general. We organize cultural, political, social and educational events every Thursday.

Q: What drew you to join LASU?

A: My freshman year I was really feeling lonely because I was always surrounded by my Hispanic community back home. Coming to Binghamton was a culture shock. So during [Binghamton University] Fest, I found out about LASU, and they were really welcoming and friendly. They told me about what they do as an organization on campus and that drew me, and I started going to the general body meetings (GBs) and events. I really liked it because I felt closer to home, closer to my culture and met new people. After that I did the internship over the spring semester to see how the organization works behind the scenes. I really loved it and then decided to run for E-Board because I wanted to create that safe space for students too.

Q: How do LASU’s values translate to the events and activities you host?

A: In our GBs you can see the values translated. For example, last week LASU hosted a GB called “Corruption in Latin America” where we addressed the political situations in different countries in Latin America such as Ecuador and Haiti since a lot of people are not aware of what is going on there. We provided the historical background and a deeper discussion so people have a better understanding of what is happening in those countries. We also host “Palabras” which is our biannual event inspired by the Nuyorican Cafe with an open-mic format. We strive to provide an open space for students of color to showcase their art in whatever form it may come. We also hoped to highlight the immeasurable talent that exists within our community and strengthen our bond through the beautifulness of art. There is also a chance to win a scholarship, and it’s really fun, so I highly recommend participating.

Q: What is an initiative or event that you host that you think deserves to be highlighted or recognized more?

A: Our Nuestra Belleza y Nuestro Galán Pageant, which is happening this semester so I highly recommend everyone to go — it’s free. Basically, each contestant is assigned a Latin American country to represent. They learn about the cultural aspects of that country, and there will be performances you see from that. It’s an educational and fun way for the contestants and the public to learn about the countries, costumes and culture of Latin America. I highly recommend going to Pageant.

Q: Is Pageant part of Latin Weekend and do you want to speak more about that?

A: Yes, it is part of Latin Weekend. First we start with Pageant, then Quimbamba has El Polvorín, which is a dance competition and then on Sunday the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) hosts a showcase. So that is the breakdown of the three-day weekend.

Q: Can you speak about LASU’s political activism on campus and online?

A: LASU always tries to be on top of political issues that come about because they were created by students inspired by the activist group the Young Lords. In the past, LASU has been at the center of protests here on campus — specifically, for Professor Candela and, a while back, for [the] Turning Point USA tabling. It is important that as an organization we show up for the students and faculty here that face these hardships. It is also important to educate because it all starts by educating your audience. Our political coordinator has weekly posts centered around Latin Politics and the Latine community. In order to serve all students it is crucial that we stand up for all colonized and marginalized voices, not just in Latin America.

Q: In what ways are alumni involved in LASU?

A: LASU has a strong connection with alumni. We value their input to the organization. Every time that we have an event, they are always invited. They always come to Binghamton to support us. Over the summer and winter we have alumni reunions where we hang out with them, and it’s a great time to bond and reconnect with them.

Q: What was your favorite event that you planned and what did the planning process look like?

A: Last semester, we had our 54th-annual banquet that was themed “Planeta de Amor,” which translates to “Planet of Love.” It involves a lot of planning. We started planning over the summer and worked on it until the end of October and the day of the event. We brainstormed how we would decorate the venue according to the theme, which artist would perform and the food. We assigned different tasks to E-Board members to make things run more smoothly, and it was really successful.

Q: Can you tell me about your position as publications chair and what that entails?

A: Publications is in charge of making a magazine per semester. I also do biweekly posts called Sabado de Sabiduria where we highlight artists or people in the Latine culture or give fun facts about the community. Last semester for the magazine, I did Cuisine around the world. We invited some orgs like the African Student Organization (ASO) and the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) to collaborate in our publication and share the history of their cuisine. The theme for this semester is how people start losing and not embracing their native language due to trying to fit in the American society. I feel that it’s very important that we embrace that part of ourselves so that is why I wanted to do this topic. I would like to invite organizations on campus and the public to submit articles so it can be featured in the magazine. If people have any questions they can email or DM us on Instagram (@lasu_1969).

To learn more about LASU, email them at lasu@binghamtonsa.org or check out their instagram, @lasu_1969.