The Student Empowerment series hosted a Latinx dialogue on Tuesday, May 8 as a part of the “Celebration of Chicano Culture.” The dialogue was created to talk about the Latinx experience.

According to The Huffington Post, Latinx is a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina.

“It’s a word that I feel people should get use to,” Nancy Rameriz, 24, political science major said. “I know people can’t get used to or think it doesn’t apply to them but it does, and it helps bring us closer together.”

This is not the first time discussions similar to this have been talked about at El Camino College.

“This would be our 10th or 11th dialogue,” Andrew Leon-Bercovich, 23, political science major said. “We started dialogues last year and we usually have three or four per semester.”

The topics vary from the Muslim experience on campus to discussions regarding the struggles women of color face today.

“We talk about topics or identities that we feel are unrepresented,” Leon-Bercovich said. “We try to see which students we have on campus to help represent them and help educate students and staff.”

The discussions feature a panelist section where the audience gets to hear their thoughts and struggles.

“It helped hearing they went through the same things,” Leo Vargas, 25, undecided major said. “It’s relaxing to know I’m not the only one suffering through things that are considered the norm among Latinos.”

The talks have been a good outlet for students like Sofia Reyes who said it was a positive experience.

“It’s easy to feel like you are the only one that struggles with things that are considered part of your culture,” Sofia Reyes, 19, education major said. “But here I felt like I wasn’t the only one and it was nice to hear.”