By SERIAH
SARGENTON
Distribution Manager
Saint Rose students and the general public were invited to come learn the history of Puerto Rico and the current situation many Puerto Ricans are going through since being hit by recent hurricanes. An event called Descubrimiento: The Discovery of Puerto Rico, was hosted by the Saint Rose latin dance team, Sabor Latino.
The event was hosted by Jordan Gwynn, and Sabor Latino founding member, Gladyss Cuevas. There were performances by the The Figgy Family, Swing Phi Swing, The Alana Steppers, and Sabor Latino.
The club raised about $300 and 35% of the proceeds are going to be sent to the Ricky Martin Foundation. The Foundation is partnered with Music for Relief to help reach Ricky Martin’s goal to reach $6 million dollars to help provide food, water, clothing, and electricity to millions of Puerto Ricans who are suffering from the aftermath of hurricanes.
Following a performance of Preciosa by Mark Anthony, Sabor Latino members, Darniel Figueroa and Daniel Figueroa said that the song means a lot to them because it tells Puerto Rico’s story and it means a lot to the club as to why they are there.
“It’s not only a Puerto Rican event. It’s not only a Puerto Rican theme. We’re very diverse. You can be Puerto Rican and still have so many different backgrounds,” said Daniel Figueroa. In their eyes, the song talks about the struggles the people went through to get
to where they are and why it makes Puerto Ricans who they are.
“The blood that runs through his veins is Puerto Rican and he wanted to make an impact, just like we do this performance,” said Daniel Figueroa.
The audience learned Puerto Rican history in the form of jeopardy. Hosts Cuevas and Gwynn asked several questions such as the year the island was discovered and who sings the song Agünile.
Randomly picking members of the audience, they had about 30 seconds to answer correctly or they couldn’t win gifts such as a Starbucks gift card.
This definitely helped Tyler Warren, a junior at Saint Rose gain a better understanding of Hispanic culture and learn how proud they are to represent their culture. Warren doesn’t attend many events at Saint Rose, but he simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend an event that was for a big cause. Though he has never been personally affected by a hurricane, he has many Puerto Rican friends that have family who were affected that he wants to support.
“You can see how the hurricane not only affected students and campus life, but people in the community. The people in the community wanted to come together and join Saint Rose to create an impact and support Puerto Rico during this time,” Warren said.
The night was heartfelt for many, not only for The Figgy Family, but for one of the Alana Steppers who currently is awaiting to hear from some of her family back home in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
Dana Stewart, a performer at Descubrimiento, also donated some money because she has family in Puerto Rico who were affected by hurricane damage. Stewart said she is proud that Sabor Latino asked them to be a part of this because it gave her a chance to help out in some way.
“This group is generally amazing, they’re expressing their Latino background and helping them,” said Stewart.
Stewart hopes to hear from her family that is further down in Yabucoa. For right now, she just prays that they are okay. As for the family she has heard from, she wants to do everything she can to help them, which is why she choose to be at Descubrimiento.
Descubrimiento not only worked to save lives in Puerto Rico but brought many people together right in our own community. It was an event where people could share stories, dance the night away, eat food, and watch live performances all while knowing that what they were doing was for a good cause.
“Boricua pride, that’s it,” said Daniel Figueroa.
