Building Bridges with Beats, Musical Group Las Cafeteras Set to Launch Presidential Diversity ...

Using music to tell people's stories and as a powerful tool for advocacy are at the core of Hector Flores' heart and soul.

"Artists like Nina Simone said it best: An artist's duty is to reflect the times," said Flores, a vocalist and musician with Las Cafeteras, a Los Angeles-based group that blends traditional son jarocho music with hip-hop, punk and Afro-Mexican rhythms. "We try to reflect the experiences of people of color, immigrants and those living through today's struggles.

"As storytellers, we build solidarity between cultures and communities, because if we can tell our stories, we'll see that we're not so different. Music can break down barriers and give us a way to dream together."

Flores is an East L.A. native of Mexican descent who describes himself as an organizer, activist and artist. Along with his bandmates, he will bring their messages of joy, unity and respect to Stanislaus State on Oct. 2, as the inaugural event of a new University initiative - the Presidential Diversity Celebration Series.

The series will align with national observance months and feature performers, speakers and guests from across the country. Through these events, the University aims to provide campus and community members with the opportunity to connect with national leaders and diverse role models.

The goal is to shine a spotlight on the resilience, navigational, linguistic and aspirational capital that diverse populations contribute to both Stan State and the Central Valley.

"Our new Presidential Diversity Celebration Series is all about honoring Stanislaus State's greatest asset - our diversity and cultural capital," said President Britt Rios-Ellis. "We're excited to kick off the series during National Hispanic Heritage Month with Las Cafeteras, an incredible group whose music and message embody the spirit of resilience and unity.

"By aligning this series with national heritage celebration months, we're bringing in renowned speakers, performers and thought leaders from across the country to engage with our students, faculty, staff and community. It's an opportunity to shine a light on the cultural and aspirational strengths our diverse communities bring to both the University and the Central Valley. This series of special events is about building bridges, fostering dialogue and working together to ensure equity and inclusion are at the heart of all we do, because the Central Valley thrives when Stan State thrives."

In addition to the free concert that will take place at the Turlock Campus from 6 to 8 p.m. in front of the University Student Center, Las Cafeteras members will also conduct several workshops and performance lectures earlier in the day. The evening concert is open to the public. Space is limited for the workshops and performance lectures and priority will be given to students, faculty and staff.

Flores said he and the group are excited to be a part of the initiative's launch, especially as it occurs during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

"We've been fans of each other for years," Flores said of President Rios-Ellis and Enrique Rios-Ellis. "Now we get to bring what we do to Stan State. It's a cultural exchange of values and work. We're cultural musicians, building bridges when others are building walls. Stanislaus State is our next stop, and we're very excited to be part of it."

In addition to the musical performance, Las Cafeteras will host several workshops and performance lectures during the day leading up to the evening show. The concert is open to the public. The workshops and lectures have limited space with priority given to students, faculty and staff.

Mocse Federal Credit Union has partnered with the University to serve as the series' presenting sponsor.

The October event marks a return to the Central Valley for Las Cafeteras, who performed previously at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The Stan State gig is special to Flores because of his connection to the Rios-Ellis family. Flores said Enrique Rios-Ellis is the reason he got into music.

"I attended Cal State Long Beach and Enrique was my music professor, even before I was a musician," Flores said. "I didn't start playing music until I was 22, but I took his music history class when I was about 20 years old. It was an anthology of Latin American music, and it was amazing because he shared the spectrum of identities of people in Latin America through music, sounds and traditions. It inspired me and made me think, 'Can I be a part of this? Can I play music too?'

"Because of his class, I found this folk style of music, son jarocho, and I said, "I want to play music and tell my story.'"

Son jarocho is an Afro-Mexican style of music from Veracruz, Mexico, that is a mix of African, Indigenous, Spanish and Arabic influences.

"It's a powerful mix of history and culture, and we learned it in a communal setting at the Eastside Café in East L.A.," Flores said. "The song 'La Bamba,' which everyone knows, is a 400-year-old Afro-Mexican song from this tradition."

The music is played with traditional instruments such as the jarana, an eight-string rhythm guitar, and the requinto jarocho, a four-string melody guitar. There's also zapateado, which is a percussive dance.

"We're from L.A., so we love hip-hop, cumbia, electronic beats - we mix it all. We started as a folk band, but now we do this electronic folk fusion. I like to think of it as 'brown futurism,' taking the past and creating a sonic future where we exist and thrive."

Referring to themselves as modern day troubadours, the group is also combating the myth that a single narrative represents America's story.

"People think there's only one narrative, but we believe there are millions of stories," Flores said. "Our job as cultural workers is not only to tell our own stories but to encourage others to tell theirs. The more we begin to share our stories-whether it's as Americans, as immigrants, as Native folks, as queer folks, as people of color-across the spectrum, we'll find that we have more in common than we realize. The dance floor is an equalizer.

"We live in a land that is so multicultural, so diverse and so beautiful. Let's uplift that," Flores continued. "And I think President Rios-Ellis understands that. She's trying to create something special at Stan State, starting right in Turlock. She knows that you change the world by starting in your own neighborhood. She's doing that, planting seeds. That's all any of us can do. Start with your block, your school, your family and let that ripple outward. That's how change happens."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.