The Otter Cross Cultural Center (OC3) hosted its first of three events centered around Filipino American Heritage Month this past Friday.
Hosting 35 attendees, the open mic night lauded the opportunity for new writers to share their poetry, short and long. The 5 p.m. section started with Lilyann Aguilar and Alysse Reyes establishing the theme of the “Bahay Kubo,” or a stilted home traditional to the Philippines.
Followed by the opening act of Julianne Sabale, an alumni who previously worked with the OC3, her poem “Apples and Oranges,” which discussed themes of intergenerational friction. “Apples and Oranges” began the conversation on the ‘Filipino diaspora,’ as Sabale states, that continued throughout the event.
After Sabale, a woman took the stage under the pseudonym “Acari” and performed two singles, “No Rules” and “Soft Trailz.” Acari finished her set covering popular Filipino band Eraserheads. The choice was met with much fanfare.
Acari’s cover preceded an intermission, where the Rookery was decorated, serving traditional Filipino foods such as lumpia.
Followed by former host and now reader, Aguilar, as well as poems from Dhriti Narayan, Arshpreet Kaur and Charisse Cailles. Narayan and Kaur read their poems “The Fall that taught me to Fly” and “Looking out the Cruel Window” respectively, Cailles reading an untitled poem as the final reading of the night.
Cailles is expected to host another Filipino American Heritage Month event Oct. 29, covering the first Filipino settlers in the United States.
Prior to that informational session, the OC3 will be hosting another event on Thursday where attendees will have the opportunity to learn Tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance.
The series of events is meant to flank a recently rejuvenated Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center, where both the students and space are equipped with new resources.
“We want this month to be good for our Filipino students,” said Reyes. “Our events are for you guys to shine. We want you to come out and have a great time.”
An earlier version of this article included misreported information, misspelled names and misquoting of a source. The Lutrinae apologizes for our errors, and we remain true to our mission of providing accurate, honest reporting of campus news.