East L.A. musicians to perform, discuss racism at CLC

Las Cafeteras, a group of musicians from East Los Angeles, will perform and then conduct an interactive workshop on racism at the College of Lake County Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The musical performance from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room C005 (C Wing Auditorium) is free and open to the public. From 1:30–3 p.m., Las Cafeteras will conduct a racism workshop called “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!” in Room C003. The events are sponsored by the CLC Diversity Commission, the Multicultural Student Center and Social Sciences division.

The group’s music fuses traditional and modern beats with timely stories from East LA’s streets. Known for its energetic bilingual performances, the group combines Afro-Mexican (son jarocho), hip-hop, folk, Native American sounds and other styles with a community-focused message.

The workshop helps break down stereotypes by using “conscious comedy” to engage students and staff in new conversations about race, identity and privilege.

Through videos, break out discussions and honest conversations, students will be given social tools to deconstruct interpersonal, as well as institutional, patterns of oppression so as to heal and address concerns as young agents of change.

LA Weekly recently named Las Cafeteras “Best Latin Alternative Band 2013” and wrote, “It’s rare for a group to mix the traditional with the modern with such aplomb, but thankfully Las Cafeteras remain strongly committed to their unique style.”

The group has opened for Grammy Award winners Lila Downs and Ozomatli. Their first studio album, “It’s Time,” was featured on NPR, KCRW and the Los Angeles Times. Las Cafeteras’ name comes from the Eastside Cafe, a community center that the group’s members help run and where they also first learned to play Son Jarocho music. To learn more about them and watch performance videos, visit lascafeteras.com.

For information, contact Jorge Nieto at (847) 543-2595 or jnieto1@clcillinois.edu.