Rider goes dancing with ‘Rhythm and Roots’

By Grace Bertrand

Students came prepared to own the dance floor the evening of Sept. 30 as live traditional Hispanic music echoed throughout the Cavalla Room, creating a festive atmosphere. 

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion hosted “Rhythm and Roots,” a night of cultural celebration where students and faculty enjoyed vibrant sounds, Hispanic cuisine and even a few dance lessons in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

“My goal was to get students engaged and active in celebrating the different heritages we have here on campus,” said CDI Director Jasmine Johnson. “I think the more hands-on students can get, the more they’re gonna want to come out and be engaged.” 

Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the influence of Hispanic culture and history in the U.S., observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. According to a diversity report from fall 2023, Hispanics hold the second largest demographic at Rider. 

A cultural celebration 

The evening of festivities began with lively performances by Rick Reyes and the Pasofino Social Club. Throughout the night the band performed iconic songs with traditional Spanish instruments like congas, maracas, bongos and ocarinas.  

“The beauty about this is that there are so many Latinos from different parts of Latin America all gathering together,” said Reyes, who is from Puerto Rico. “As much as it is a celebration of these individual cultures, it is also a celebration of Latin culture in America.”

During the breaks between live music, a professional dance instructor graced the floor to teach traditional salsa, merengue and bachata. Everyone was encouraged to join in as the dances suited individuals of all experience levels. 

When people were not dancing, they were digging into an assortment of appetizers from Hispanic cuisine. They served sides of salsa, guacamole and sour cream alongside tables of flautas de pollo, which are crispy rolled-up tortillas filled with chicken, beef empanada and cheese quesadillas. There were refreshments of water and limonada Mexicana, and a classic dessert: churros.

Importance of inclusivity 

Co-sponsoring the event with the CDI was Rider’s DominiRican club, the first Dominican and Puerto Rican club on campus, and Rider Latinas Unidas, an inclusive club for Latinx women. 

“I think the importance of having an event like this is just uniting the community,” said Liz Ortiz, sophomore human resource management major. 

Ortiz is the founder and president of the DominiRican club and serves on the executive board of Rider Latinas Unidas as the chair for public relations. 

“One of the reasons I wanted to start the DominiRican club is because Latinos are very family-oriented, and I wanted to create a community where everyone is welcome…, not only Hispanics,” Ortiz said. 

Ortiz said she hopes to see Rider host more events that celebrate different cultures on campus, aside from just Hispanic heritage. 

“I definitely encourage Rider or [the] Office of Campus Life to create more events that are Latin-based and just multicultural-based,” Ortiz said. “We have a lot more other heritage months, like Black History Month and Asian Pacific Islander Month, that just need more recognition on campus.” 

The CDI previously helped host a similar event for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this past April, “Pulse of Asia,” that highlighted different Asian cultures.

 “Rhythm and Roots” marks Johnson’s first official event as the new director of the CDI, which she considered to be successful. 

“It’s our first event taking a pivot from the usual to give the campus something new, exciting and refreshing to mix things up and get students to want to come out to learn something new,” said Johnson. 

Throughout the night, professors who taught classes that discussed heritage also brought their students out to the event, including Heather Lee, who brought her class, Anti-Racist and Just Practice in Social Work. 

With the inclusion of Lee’s class, the event garnered more than 60 attendants, said Johnson. She hopes to partner more with faculty on future events to give students a real-life example of what they’re learning in class. 

“I feel like we can learn about culture in different ways,” explained Johnson. “It doesn’t always have to be from a textbook. We can hear right from people themselves and actively embrace what we’re learning.”