Somos Obama

By Marcos Gonzalez (Junior)

Continuing a pattern of founding clubs after the pandemic, students at Obama recently started a Latino student club. Latinos Unidos, which means United Latinos in Spanish, will be “run by the members,” said Club Advisor Señor Roa. “They determine the direction for the future of the club.”

Latinos Unidos is meant to create a safe space where, “Even though we are the minority we can still have a voice in this school,” said Roa. 

There were similar efforts to start a Latino student union last year but it  was eventually shut down because of the lack of Latinos in the school. However, this year Roa is very optimistic about the future of the club. “We have had an increase of Latinos here at Obama since last year,” he said. Last year there were less than 11 Hispanic students at Obama, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools. This year there are 18.

One of the missions of IB is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Latinos Unidos wants to echo this mission. “We are Internationally minded. By having a variety of different Latin cultures and creating this safe space they can all learn but also be themselves. Anyone is welcome, and we also make bomb food,” said Roa. 

During a bake sale two weeks ago, students experienced the club in full effect with its vibrant, colorful pictures, music, dances, and flags of different Latin American cultures. The bake sale included desserts and foods from different Latin American countries, but the main selling were the empanadas. Members of the club, with the help of Seńor Roa, stayed after school to make over 200 empanadas for the bake sale. “It was hard work but it was fun,” said Sophomore Maria Nopaltecatl. The club made over $600, which Roa says “is just the beginning.”