Are you Latino, Hispanic or Latinx? Well, there is a club at Madison College you may be interested in joining this year called, La Raza Unida.  

La Raza Unida is a Latino community here at Madison College. Their goal is to have a place for all Latino students to feel welcome, connected and supported in our college.  

“We go into these classes and sometimes we are the only Latino students in there. So, here you can come into the club and network,” said Pedro Zepeda Samano, club president, “Everyone in the club has different subjects and different fields. People might be in there for nursing or business and you never know what door you’re opening to yourself when you meet new people.”  

Samano graduated West High School in 2019, already heavily involved in the Latino community. He came to Madison College hoping to start a new club for Latinos. He started La Raza in 2019 with 20 to 30 people involved and was doing well until the pandemic hit.  

Because of this, the club was put on hold. Now that the pandemic is ending and students are coming back to school, Samano along with Vice President Marco Quechol, Secretary Lili Romero and Marketer Julio Mora hope to get the club back up and running again.  

Although the club is for Latinos, Samano said that anyone is welcome to join the club regardless of their ethnic background. The club meets every other Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Truax Room C1430.  

During the meetings, La Raza informs each other about what is going on in the community and plan events. There are a couple things in the works right now with Halloween being right around the corner. Activities may include bringing awareness to Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) where students can color sugar skulls,  hangout and meet people.  

Also, the club is planning to host a fundraiser in the near future where they will be selling tamales and other tradition foods. They hope to raise enough money to go towards future field trips that will help students learn and connect more with the Latin culture. They are also hoping to raise enough money to bring in Edin Alex Enamorado, who is an advocator in Los Angeles, advocating for county and state changes that will make legal food vending possible.  

For more information about La Raza United, stop by the Intercultural Exchange in Truax Room C1430.