By Joleigh Cole, Editor
Illustration by Jackie Hernandez, La Raza
On Thursday, March 21, La Raza Student Association will be hosting its fourth annual Panza Monologues. The Panza Monologues will feature various women of color, both students and non-students, performing and speaking on a variety of themes that influence their personal experiences within their lives and communities. The Panza Monologues are based on an original production from 2004, created by Chicanx feminists Virginia Grise and Irma Mayorga; La Raza’s adaptation will feature contemporary issues women of color are confronting, including fatphobia, abortion and practicing non-Western medicine (in the case, brujeria). La Raza’s treasurer officer and sociology major, Jennifer Benitez shared, “We hope that all folks feel welcomed and inspired by the performances to join the cast next spring — we are open to all folks, not just limited to solely Latinx actors or folks with these experiences.”
For those unfamiliar with the term “panza”, it’s a slang term in Spanish referencing one’s stomach. Jamilet Ochoa, an English literature and women’s, gender and sexuality studies major stated, “The piece I’m performing is about a woman who is no longer as thin as she used to be when she was younger, and I can relate to her dwelling on that. In the end, her character begins to question why her body isn’t viewed as powerful as before. Performances like this allow us students to be able to express and reach a creative side that we sometimes forget about when we are drowning in school work.”
The Panza Monologues will be held at the Beach Auditorium on Thursday, March 21, 2019, beginning at 5:00 p.m. For more information on the event, visit the La Raza Student Association’s Instagram, @larazacsulb68.
