One WSU club promotes awareness about Chicano/a and Latino/a culture through social work and community involvement.

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A), a national student-run organization has branches at college campuses across the U.S. Chapters from across the Pacific Northwest meet monthly at regional meetings, and the organization meets at the national level once per year.

 “Being located in the beautiful but rural Palouse, it gives me a place to spend time with others who come from similar backgrounds,” said Erim Gomez, the club’s graduate student adviser. “It gives me a home and people to connect with.”

The club accepts students from all cultures who would like to participate in its meetings and events. Throughout the year it hosts public events such as a Dia de los Muertos celebration, to teach the community about Chicano/a and Latino/a traditions and history.

Social Chair Ivon Garcia said the club is a “way to give students the ability to grow as leaders” and become more involved in social and school activities.

One of the biggest events M.E.Ch.A. sponsors at WSU is Children of Aztlán Sharing Higher Education (CASHE). The event is a way for the club to extend its reach beyond WSU.

“(CASHE) is when we bring local high school students to WSU and teach them about college and education,” Gomez said. “It is a great leadership experience, and we are always looking for volunteers to help out.”

The club also hosts a bilingual banquet during Mom’s Weekend.

Co-Chair Jennyfer Berrueta-Trejo said the banquet is important to Latino families because “it breaches the gap so they also feel included in the WSU family.”

The club also deals with issues of political and social justice. Berrueta-Trejo noted one situation in which M.E.Ch.A. convinced Pullman’s restaurants not to serve grapes picked by non-unionized workers, who the group said were exploited for their work.

 “I don’t feel like a leader. It feels like a big family,” Berrueta-Trejo said. “It definitely gave me a place to call home. I would have had a harder time getting involved otherwise.”

M.E.Ch.A. is part of the umbrella organization WSU ChiLaStAl, which includes many of the multicultural sororities, fraternities and Chicano/a Latino/a clubs. The club meets every Monday in room 518 of the CUE. More information can be found about the club and other multicultural groups on the fourth floor of the CUB.