“What is love?” This was the question Dr. Eddy Alvarez asked us at our dinner conversation. After a couple of minutes, we compiled a list of words and phrases that could serve as the definition of such an abstract yet powerful word. Among several other definitions, love is selflessness, warmth, attachment, and God. This dinner conversation, however, gave me a unique perspective on what love was. Dr. Alvarez was passionate about defining love through the eyes and experiences of the Latino and LGBTQ communities. Poetry was one of his mediums.

Dr. Alvarez read us three poems, one of which was his. They were all powerful pieces that displayed the struggles of being gay and a person of color. How does one live in a world with so much pain and suffering? The answer, which was beautifully relayed in the poems, is through love. Society has given us the notion that talking about love can sometimes make one appear weak and fragile. According to Dr. Alvarez, we actually need to talk more about love because it serves as the foundation/base for so much of what we believe and do. As a fellow Hispanic, I felt like I could relate to Dr. Alvarez. I am proud to be Latino! Soy orgulloso de ser Latino!