“I lived in Mexico City almost all my life. I identify as ‘Chilango,’ that’s what we call people from Mexico City in Mexico. I’m very tied to this megalopolis of 20 million people, and love the urban environment, the experience of having so many cultures in one place. When you’re away and start to feel nostalgic for that, food is social and ties you to your friends and family. In Mexico, I didn’t learn to make traditional food because it’s so easily accessible, but I spent time during the pandemic learning to cook traditional household tacos, Mexican rice, things that bring you back home.

Sanford Latin American and Caribbean Students (SLAC) brings together students coming from these regions to focus on creating a community that hopes to do policy work in these countries. In the Latin American and Caribbean region it’s hard to talk about a generalizable homogenous population, that denies the diversity. It is hard not to talk about the colonization process and how it rejects the story of indigenous identities that were here long before, too. But it’s interesting to see how we can move from there, with respect to diversity, without losing the political advantages that come from a unified collaborative front. What we’re trying to do in SLAC is find topics that are common to these groups and talk about it. We talk about migration, because immigration policy in the US touches the lives of so many families from LAC. How can the government help to build safer communities and address problems tied to colonization? These are the bridges that we are trying to build here, and Sanford is a great place to do so.”
– Jorge Morales Alfaro, SLAC Co-President and MPP ’22 #HumansofDukeSanford #hispanicheritagemonth #mexico #mexicocity #mpp