The office of multicultural student success at DePaul hosted the Latinx Center on April 18 called "Our Roots Our Connections, Our Indigenous Wisdom" aimed to bring awareness to multicultural identities. I was lucky enough to attend the event and it was something I won't forget. There were two components to this event which started off with a peace circle followed by a traditional dance led by the Ocelotl Cihuacoatl tribe.

The peace circle was led by Beatris Burgos who is the shelter director at the Greenhouse Shelter and is a member of the Calchaquí tribe, a tribe located in the northwest region of Argentina. As an advocate for abused women and children, she provides counseling and advocacy for victims of domestic violence. During the peace circle, students and staff were welcome to reflect on what their identities are and what peace is to them. Burgos mentions how everyone has a different interpretation to peace. Also, she notes when we are connecting with everyone and talking about peace, we can create that environment of peace.

During the peace circle, participants got to answer questions on what their identities were and how they deal with transformation. Since being in America, culture and heritage can bring different meanings to different people. A way in which Burgos preserves her root's culture is when she travels to different places, she always prays to her ancestors. She would ask them to be there for her wherever she travels. One idea that Burgos reflected on was how we are always transforming, so it is very important to understand transformation.

After the peace circle, a few members of the Ocelotl Cihuacoatl tribe performed a dance in the Latinx center. Colorful costumes and a drummer tapping his drums were seen and heard. Each dancer came to the middle of the floor to dance, while other dancers were on the sides. It was an incredible experience getting to reconnect with other people and reflect on what it means to go through a transformation. Since I identify myself as a Latinx, it is part of our roots, and it is important to look at all aspects that make us people, and our Indigenous roots are one of them. People don't know about it and people don't talk about it, so it is important to gain knowledge on all aspects of life. Through attending this event I am more knowledgeable about what it means to be Indigenous.