Students and faculty gathered at the Dimond Family Residential Village greens this past Thursday, Oct. 26 to celebrate the Cultural Center’s annual Multicultural Homecoming Block Party. The event was one of many Homecoming festivities. 

Despite the gloomy weather, the DU Community gathered to celebrate Homecoming and the diverse backgrounds that make up DU’s student body. Barbecue, desserts, refreshments and lawn games awaited students and faculty who mingled with one another while reggaeton and hip-hop music played on shuffle. 

Racheal Aragon, the director of the Cultural Center for BIPOC Student Success, spearheaded the event and welcomed all those who attended. 

“We wanted to be able to support our students of color or students with intersecting identities to celebrate homecoming. It’s incredibly important for our students of color on a predominantly white campus to be able to come together, find community and be able to celebrate,” Aragon said.

In addition to promoting diversity and underrepresented identities, the block party served as a space to support students in any capacity. Small business owner, Marissa Martinez Suarez, a fourth-year student majoring in history and political science and a master’s in education, was able to promote her small business. Suarez had a table near the front of the event where her business, Mimi’s Designs, was front and center. 

Through her small business, Suarez is able to harness her creative abilities and intertwine her passions: her culture and education. Her pieces called the “Homies” tell the history of her culture. The homie figurines that are incorporated into jewelry pieces have gained traction as they not only are cultural icons but also a symbol of pride and identity for many Latines. 

Historically, homies are seen as “gang bangers” or have a ghetto connotation. Recently, the Latine community has chosen to embrace and celebrate the term that has continuously been the victim of systemic oppression. 

“Mimi’s Designs is a form of representation that celebrates diversity, empowers the community and carries a purpose behind every piece. Through my work, I combine history with jewelry to create storytelling. It’s a platform that intertwines culture and creativity and a platform to tell our [latine] stories as well,” Suarez said. 

For the students, the block party served as a safe space to celebrate the diverse backgrounds that they all share. 

First-year student Ramon Tavares majoring in psychology is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico and attended his first Cultural Center event on Thursday.  

“These events provide a sense of community and make me feel more comfortable and accepted at a PWI. It’s nice to know I have a space to be with my community,” Tavares said. 

Promoting inclusivity, celebrating diversity, embracing identities and honoring history were the takeaways from this year’s Homecoming Block Party. Empowering students of color at DU is part of the Cultural Center’s mission on campus. Providing students with the space to be authentically themselves and feel at home is always the goal, and the Block Party did just that.

To keep up with Mimi’s Designs, check out their Instagram. To stay up to date with the Cultural Center’s upcoming events, check out their Crimson Connect and follow them on Instagram.