La L.U.C.H.A. gala returns to celebrate 36-year anniversary of Latine support
La L.U.C.H.A.‘s anniversary gala celebrated SU’s Latine culture. This is especially important now, when Latine communities are being targeted, the club’s president said. Leah Cohn | Senior Staff Writer
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Junior Jesús Tiburcio Zane takes it upon himself to be a “loud and proud” Mexican American. He changed his outfit three times last night. He started in a formal, classic black suit, and finished off with a light blue short-sleeved shirt, lined with two parallel orange and pink stripes on either side of the center buttons.
“I wanted to showcase that you could put whatever you put your mind to, clearly,” Tiburcio Zane, president of La L.U.C.H.A. said. “I’ve always worked with textiles; my parents taught me how to sew. Sometimes I create my own clothes as well.”
On Friday night, La L.U.C.H.A. celebrated its 36th anniversary with a formal gala in South Campus’ SkyBarn. The night honored Latine history on Syracuse University’s campus and worldwide, as well as many student organizations that “represent a living expression of La L.U.C.H.A.’s values,” Tiburcio Zane said.
La L.U.C.H.A. hosted the event for the first time since 2022, Co-Event Coordinator Jasmine Padilla said. The event was first held in 1989. The executive board’s decision to host the event again was deliberate, Padilla said. They wanted to “make their presence known again,” she said.
The turnout for the celebration exceeded La L.U.C.H.A.’s expectations. Co-Event Coordinators Padilla and Verenice Martinez planned for 150 guests, but soon ran out of seats. Many students gathered at the back of the Skybarn with only standing room available.
“We always say existence is resistance, especially with the political climate right now,” Padilla said. “Especially at a PWI it’s kind of hard to make your presence known sometimes, but we are here to show that we are here, we are loud, and we are proud about our culture.”
Padilla and Martinez had been working on planning this event since September, researching the archives of past La L.U.C.H.A. galas back to 2006 for inspiration.
La L.U.C.H.A. is the largest and one of the oldest Latine student organizations on SU’s campus, Padilla said. She said just the presence of a proud Latine community on campus makes a difference. With increased national ICE raids and immigration enforcement targeting Latine communities, the event is especially important now, Tiburcio Zane said.
The night included two dance performances from SU’s Kalabash Dance Troupe and Black Reign Step Team. Leah Cohn | Senior Staff Writer
Tiburcio Zane said he feels more optimistic about the future after Democratic wins in last week’s elections. But La L.U.C.H.A. will continue to prioritize being a “kind of peace and tranquility” within the chaos targeting Latin Americans, Tiburcio Zane said. Last April, La L.U.C.H.A. co-hosted a “Hands Off!” rally on SU’s campus. The club is still committed to standing up for its community, Tiburcio Zane said.
“[We were] basically calling out the institution to make sure we are not working with them, with ICE in general and Homeland Security,” Tiburcio Zane said. “And given now as well, we make sure we’re still pushing that forward.”
La L.U.C.H.A. presented six awards throughout the event to student organizations on campus that prioritize using their voice for justice for Latine communities.
Among the organizations awarded, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers received the “Education Award,” recognized for its passion to share its wisdom with the greater community. Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority was awarded the “Involvement Award,” and the South Asian Student Association was given the “Unity Award.” The awards included no prizes but rather highly honored recognition, Padilla said.
South Campus’ Skybarn was filled to capacity on Friday night for La L.U.C.H.A.’s anniversary gala. The coordinators planned for 150 attendees, but soon ran out of seats. Leah Cohn | Senior Staff Writer
The celebration also included authentic Latin American food and dance performances from SU’s Kalabash Dance Troupe and Black Reign Step Team. Tables were decorated with La L.U.C.H.A.’s signature color of red and real bouquets of red roses as the centerpieces.
Tiburcio Zane worked with the Center for International Services to create recipes that represent home within the theme of Latin American cuisine, including tres leches cake, arepas, queso and morir soñando (a milk and orange juice drink).
“I want to make sure that people feel the love and passion in the food because that’s what I feel whenever I cook, and I know families do as well,” Tiburcio Zane said.
He sent his own recipes to the catering staff, and held several meetings to make sure “it felt like home, like the same taste, same flavors, the same aroma.”
Campus organizations like La L.U.C.H.A. allow students to create a sense of belonging when first starting their college career, Martinez said. After studying abroad in Spain her first semester at SU, she said she initially struggled to find her people before joining La L.U.C.H.A.
“Finding L.U.C.H.A. means so much to me, community wise, finding a community here, meeting with people, just being left in your dorm is not fun,” Martinez said.
Closing the event, to his surprise, Tiburcio Zane received the “Passion Award,” elected by the club’s executive board. Tiburcio Zane said he hopes the event created a safe space for SU’s Latine students.
“With all of the current events going on, we make sure this is a safe space and a safe haven for Latine and all people in general,” Tiburcio Zane said. “Because I know it can be exhausting having to deal with all this negative energy. We just want the positive energy, making sure everybody’s happy, everybody’s celebrating.”
