Latinx Heritage month continues to be celebrated as another event, Just Like Us: “What Makes Us American?”  was well attended in the Spartan Auditorium on Sept. 27. This event was inspired by the showcasing of the play “Just Like Us” that will premiere early November at Elgin Community College.

In this event, ECC students and staff shared personal stories about how immigration has played a role in their lives. Some shared their own stories, while others shared the stories of fellow unnamed ECC students. Some students read stories published on either Humans of New York from Facebook or stories collected by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to celebrate the 5th anniversary of  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The event was hosted and organized by Gaea Atta, Student Life Coordinator, and Susan Robinson, Theatre Professor.

“I did not expect this many people so that was really gratifying to have,” Robinson said.

To the people who participated and took part in organizing this event, it meant more than reading a story. For Yvette Argueta, the Administrative Assistant for Student Life, sharing her own story meant she was being part of a movement.

“To share the negativity that happens to us in hopes that something positive grows from that. Just like when you plant a flower. You plant the seed in hopes that something beautiful comes from that. What goes into it is dirt, mud, water, and lack of sun sometimes, but at the end, something beautiful comes out. I think that’s what everyone is doing here,” Argueta said.

Robinson hopes that the effect on the audience is positive.

“The same effect that I always want when we do theater, which is to make people think a little differently. To see things from a different perspective and to just really listen,” Robinson said.

Robinson respects the decision of those who chose to stay anonymous and is just glad they were able to share their story. “There is fear, there’s a lot of fear and so I respect that they didn’t want to come out and say “I’m undocumented”,” Robinson said.

“So go ahead, look at me. Go ahead judge me, but don’t decide what my future holds because that power lies in me.”

This was the conclusion of Argueta’s personal story. With having the opportunity to have participated in Just Like Us: “What Makes Us American?”, she believes it was more than an event to celebrate her heritage. “That (event) is exactly us planting a flower and making the world pretty again hopefully,” Argueta said.