‘Blatinx on the Block’ blends cultures, brings taste of Leimert Park, Oaxaca to campus

You could hear it from across campus before you saw it: Los Guajes Oaxacan Ensemble performing live in Wilson Plaza with bass, brass, percussion and wind instruments at the Feb. 20 “Blatinx on the Block” event.

As the group jammed in the style of Chilena, a fusion of Afro and Indigenous Mexican musical genres common in the south of Oaxaca, Matthew Morales-Boyd — as anyone who knows him would expect — was dancing. 

“We want to fill the area,” said Morales-Boyd, a fourth-year political science major and a key organizer of the event hosted by the Afro-Latinx Connection de UCLA, or ALC, and cosponsored by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. “We want to be loud as ourselves and show people that we’re here and we’re not going to be quiet.”

The event, the first of its kind at UCLA, featured an afternoon of Afro-Latino music and vendors from the greater Los Angeles area. It also gave Bruins who were passing by a chance to learn about ALC, a student-run organization that bridges the gap between the African diaspora and Latino communities. 

“I had a lot of conversations about defining Afro-Latino and my own heritage,” said ALC president Jasmine Aner, a third-year political science major who is Black and Mexican. “Growing up, it was really difficult to relate to or to choose one [identity]. Afro-Latinx Connection has shown me that both can co-exist — and both do exist!” 

Aner said she was also happy to speak with other students about the vendors, many of whom were selling textiles, soaps, clothes, handcrafted gifts and posters. She met several of the vendors three years ago, when the organization visited Leimert Park Village, a cultural hub in Los Angeles with a thriving Black art scene, weekly street markets and other cultural events.

The experience stuck with Aner, who, along with ALC Vice President Mikayla Cardona and others, planned “Blatinx on the Block” as the foundation of what they hope will become an annual Afro-Latino flea market on campus. 

“We really wanted to focus on the different vendors,” said Cardona, a third-year public affairs major and community engagement and social change minor. “These people are literally in our neighborhood, and they’ve got great products diving into our rich culture and history.”

Lion Buttaz founder Terrance Kendrick, a merchant and cultural steward of the Leimert Park Village artist community, sold his signature skin care products, as well as African-inspired clothes and other handcrafted items. An A-frame sandwich board in front of his market stall read “Welcome. Don’t be ashy.” 

Kendrick busily scooped samples of his fragrant shea butter products onto the backs of curious shoppers’ extended hands. Hundreds of jars of his “buttaz,” infused with scents such as coco mango eucalyptus and cherry blossom, formed a pyramid on a table in his stall.  

Vendors included students like Joanna Gaudet, ALC’s marketing chair. The third-year psychology major sold crochet clothing pieces and offered a free online personal styling quiz she created from her psychologically centered fashion algorithm.

For Gaudet, a member of the Afro-Latino community and an entrepreneur, the day marked an important moment in the organization’s impact at UCLA — and beyond. 

“Seeing it all come together and come to life through the vendors, it’s just really great seeing everyone get the recognition they deserve,” said Gaudet. 

ALC, founded at UCLA in 2018, is known for its Annual Culture Show in the spring, which highlights Afro-Latino culture through dance and performance. Last year, the public event had over 300 attendees. For Aner, adding “BlatinX on the Block” to the organization’s community offerings was meaningful — especially during Black History Month. 

“Creating this inaugural event means making history,” she said. “It means bringing in unity and pride within two different cultures and colliding both worlds together.”

You could hear it from across campus before you saw it: Los Guajes Oaxacan Ensemble performing live in Wilson Plaza with bass, brass, percussion and wind instruments at the Feb. 20 “Blatinx on the Block” event.

As the group jammed in the style of Chilena, a fusion of Afro and Indigenous Mexican musical genres common in the south of Oaxaca, Matthew Morales-Boyd — as anyone who knows him would expect — was dancing. 

“We want to fill the area,” said Morales-Boyd, a fourth-year political science major and a key organizer of the event hosted by the Afro-Latinx Connection de UCLA, or ALC, and cosponsored by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. “We want to be loud as ourselves and show people that we’re here and we’re not going to be quiet.”

The event, the first of its kind at UCLA, featured an afternoon of Afro-Latino music and vendors from the greater Los Angeles area. It also gave Bruins who were passing by a chance to learn about ALC, a student-run organization that bridges the gap between the African diaspora and Latino communities. 

“I had a lot of conversations about defining Afro-Latino and my own heritage,” said ALC president Jasmine Aner, a third-year political science major who is Black and Mexican. “Growing up, it was really difficult to relate to or to choose one [identity]. Afro-Latinx Connection has shown me that both can co-exist — and both do exist!” 

Aner said she was also happy to speak with other students about the vendors, many of whom were selling textiles, soaps, clothes, handcrafted gifts and posters. She met several of the vendors three years ago, when the organization visited Leimert Park Village, a cultural hub in Los Angeles with a thriving Black art scene, weekly street markets and other cultural events.

The experience stuck with Aner, who, along with ALC Vice President Mikayla Cardona and others, planned “Blatinx on the Block” as the foundation of what they hope will become an annual Afro-Latino flea market on campus. 

“We really wanted to focus on the different vendors,” said Cardona, a third-year public affairs major and community engagement and social change minor. “These people are literally in our neighborhood, and they’ve got great products diving into our rich culture and history.”

Lion Buttaz founder Terrance Kendrick, a merchant and cultural steward of the Leimert Park Village artist community, sold his signature skin care products, as well as African-inspired clothes and other handcrafted items. An A-frame sandwich board in front of his market stall read “Welcome. Don’t be ashy.” 

Kendrick busily scooped samples of his fragrant shea butter products onto the backs of curious shoppers’ extended hands. Hundreds of jars of his “buttaz,” infused with scents such as coco mango eucalyptus and cherry blossom, formed a pyramid on a table in his stall.  

Vendors included students like Joanna Gaudet, ALC’s marketing chair. The third-year psychology major sold crochet clothing pieces and offered a free online personal styling quiz she created from her psychologically centered fashion algorithm.

For Gaudet, a member of the Afro-Latino community and an entrepreneur, the day marked an important moment in the organization’s impact at UCLA — and beyond. 

“Seeing it all come together and come to life through the vendors, it’s just really great seeing everyone get the recognition they deserve,” said Gaudet. 

ALC, founded at UCLA in 2018, is known for its Annual Culture Show in the spring, which highlights Afro-Latino culture through dance and performance. Last year, the public event had over 300 attendees. For Aner, adding “BlatinX on the Block” to the organization’s community offerings was meaningful — especially during Black History Month. 

“Creating this inaugural event means making history,” she said. “It means bringing in unity and pride within two different cultures and colliding both worlds together.”