As a tribute to Hispanic Heritage Month, the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) with the sponsorship of The Student Organization of Kean University welcomed Bobby Gonzalez to the University Center Little Theater on Wednesday, September 25, 2013. Gonzalez is nationally known as a multicultural motivational speaker, poet, and storyteller. Born and raised in South Bronx, New York City, Gonzalez grew up in a "bicultural environment." His blood flows of Latino (Puerto Rican) and Native American (Taino) heritage. Although both cultures are his roots, he connects more with his Taino roots.
Although the lecture was from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Gonzalez was already on the audience floor, interacting with all who entered. After being introduced by ALAS's executive board, Gonzalez reminded the audience "I'm not an actual speaker, I has to work on it... As long as you have the security of your identity, the possibilities are endless."
Gonzalez began to put the spotlight on some important Latino actors, television personalities, and entertainers. Caren Olivo not only won a Tony award for a featured role in 2009 but also played Anita in West Side Story in the Broadway revival. "Olivo is Dominican and Chinese because of her mother and Puerto Rican and native American from her dad's side," explained Gonzalez.
Another Latino who has demonstrated that dreams do become reality is Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld, better known as Don Francisco (Mr. Francisco). Blumenfeld is known for hosting shows on the Spanish-speaking channel Univision such as Don Francisco Presenta (Mr. Francisco Presents) and Sabado Gigante (Huge Saturday). "Don Francisco was born in Chile but he is from German-Jewish decent" stated Gonzalez, "His parents fled from World War II and landed in Chile."
After moving away from famous Latinos, Gonzalez acknowledged the issues of homophobia in Latin America. He recognized that gays and lesbians existed since before the 20th century; however, those who were homosexual kept their preferences obscure. With the freedom that many have, some agree and disagree about certain topics surrounding homosexuality. "Homosexuality is prevalent in Latin America," Gonzalez explained, "but I hope we get past it."
Today, Gonzalez travels to different universities to educate young adults of Latino history and culture. He has lectured in several institutions such as the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the University of Alabama-Huntsville, and Yale University. Gonzalez also has had the opportunity of storytelling at Carnegie Hall, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Museum of Television and Radio. Gonzalez is constantly striving to inspire his audiences, encouraging them to grasp not only one's race but others as well. He finished with the sentiment, "We have to accept others and embrace our differences, if we are going to survive in this world."
If students have any questions regarding the lecture, please feel free to visit their CougarLink page at https://kean.collegiatelink.net/organization/alas.
