‘The beauty within the struggle’: Angelenos practice mutual aid in times of uncertainty

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February 18, 2026

In the midst of ICE raids continuing to sweep LA in 2026, and stricter requirements to receive SNAP food benefits that started Feb. 1, Angelenos are coming together to help fellow community members survive through m utual aid, the voluntary exchange of resources between people for mutual benefit. Mutual aid is a more horizontally structured system than charity work, which tends to consist of people giving to causes or communities that they are not members of. With mutual aid, people who participate know that their community is stronger when more people are cared for and remember that someday they might need help too.

Los Angeles has been through tough times before, and despite its sprawling landscape, it has held together and pushed through. There is something unique about LA’s ability to coalesce and to strengthen its bonds when it matters most. While students can get involved in mutual aid on campus through the Occidental Mutual Aid Club (OMAC), branching out in local communities can help you feel grounded and connected to LA. In the spirit of uplifting the work being done by Angelenos all over the city to protect and sustain their neighbors, I’d like to give some recognition to a few community members who are going above and beyond to do their part, and who are offering a blueprint for how someone interested can become involved.

Highland Park Community Defense Corner on Avenue 55 and Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 6, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental

Helping 1 Vendor At A Time

Alex Romero started Helping 1 Vendor At A Time in July 2025 over the Fourth of July weekend. Romero, who works in the mental health sector in South Central, said that after seeing a street vendor working on the corner in an area that was a hotspot for ICE raids, she gave him all the money in her wallet so that he could go home.

Romero said this experience led her to reach out to a friend in Highland Park who knows many of the street vendors.

“I want to sell on the street corner for a vendor who can’t, who is on survival mode, who’s afraid to leave their home,” Romero said.

Romero’s friend connected her with a longtime couple from Highland Park who are both street vendors, and on that Sunday of the same weekend, Romero and her partner sold for those vendors in front of the 7-Eleven on the corner of Avenue 52 and Figueroa Street.

“My friends came out, and we made over 3,000 dollars for him,” Romero said. “I thought, ‘I need to keep doing this.’ This is where I live, this is where I grew up. I love Highland Park and I need to do it.”

Through Helping 1 Vendor at A Time, Romero now gets connected with local vendors who she sells for on street corners in Highland Park.

“I also started finding safe spaces for them to vend, that way they’re in a place for a few hours where they don’t have to have that fear of being caught,” Romero said. “I try to educate them on how to get their permits and licensing, because there’s so many more opportunities that way.”

Romero said she currently vends at least twice a month, sometimes for multiple vendors on the same day, and some of her friends volunteer with her.

“I feel like right now so many of our street vendors […] they’re really having a hard time making ends meet, even putting food on their table,” Romero said. “I wish I could do it every weekend, but I have commitments, so it’s hard.”

Romero said a lot of organizations are reaching out to Helping 1 Vendor At A Time to find ways to help show up for the community.

“The inner child in me takes me back to my grandmother, and how she was a street vendor too,” Romero said. “Having those memories of my sister and I going with her on the weekends to sell […] I think that’s why it was so important for me to do something.”

The Eagle Rock Community Fridge and goods on Yosemite Drive in Eagle Rock, CA. Feb. 4, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental

LA Community Fridges

Julie Haire is a volunteer with LA Community Fridges, as is everyone who is a part of the organization, which is not a nonprofit and has no leadership structure. LA Community fridges is a network of independent refrigerators where people can drop off and pick up food and other on-food donations like personal hygiene items and items like ice packs or takeout utensils. Haire said she has been volunteering with LA Community Fridges for four years.

“We’re all in this together,” Haire said. “Everybody identifies a problem and everybody works to solve it.”

Haire said that every single person who uses one of the fridges, whether to donate food or to pick up food, is asked to feel responsible for the upkeep of the fridge and have a more personal stake in the cause.

“People will say, ‘Why isn’t there one in my neighborhood?’ and it’s because we need someone like you to start it,” Haire said. “That’s what it’s all about, is somebody stepping up.”

Haire said social media is one of the organization’s biggest tools to publicize the locations of their fridges, how to maintain and clean them, what kind of donations to drop off and how you can stop by local businesses to pick up food to bring to the fridge.

“The purpose of the fridges is two-pronged. It’s about food rescue, saving food that might otherwise go to the landfill,” Haire said. “We have so many people who are food insecure and don’t have extra money to spend on food, especially with the high grocery store prices in LA.”

The Eagle Rock Community Fridge on Yosemite Drive in Eagle Rock, CA. Feb. 4, 2026. Marty Valdez/The Occidental

According to Haire, food donations don’t always make it into the fridge because there are often people waiting at the fridge locations to pick up food before donations arrive.

“People generally love fruit, any kind of produce,” Haire said. “Not everybody can pick up lettuce and make a salad, but everybody can grab an orange and eat it.”

For Haire, the best thing that mutual aid does for people is changing people’s mindset and reframing how they see themselves in their community.

“A lot of people might feel like ‘Oh, I hate that there’s so much trash on my street. I wish someone would do something about it.’ And then it’s like, ‘Wait, why don’t I do something about it?’” Haire said. “You don’t need to ask permission. You don’t need to go through some sort of big organization to feed people or to make change in your community. You can actually do it yourself.”

According to Haire, becoming involved in mutual aid is the most grassroots way you can help your city.

“Rather than donate money to an organization that gets filtered through many, many layers, you can actually directly impact your community.” Haire said.

LA Community Fridges has a fridge located in Eagle Rock outside ROCK Coffee House accepting donations.

NELA Food Distribution

Vanny Arias, founder of NELA Food Distribution, said she has been a community activist for about 25 years. Arias said she works at a bar in Northeast LA (NELA) and has planned fundraisers in the past to help with causes like covering neighbor’s funeral expenses and raising money for the cheer squad. Arias started NELA Food Distribution in April 2025 just by asking some of her coworkers for donations for vulnerable neighbors.

“When our neighbors became vulnerable, these are my actual neighbors, my friends, people that I grew up with, so it was a call to action,” Arias said.

According to Arias, NELA Food Distribution consistently feeds about 450 people every week through a mix of home deliveries and food drives with donations from community members. Arias said some local businesses have donated proceeds and hosted collections for NELA Food Distribution as well.

“There’s definitely been a surge lately, more people staying home, more people not wanting to go out, kids that aren’t going to school,” Arias said.

According to Arias, NELA Food Distribution has a pool of almost 200 volunteers that rotate in and out to help with food distribution.

“It doesn’t take a genius, it doesn’t take money to start something like this,” Arias said. “All you need is somebody who’s willing and very dedicated in their community to pull [it] off.”

Arias said she wants to encourage people to stand up for their neighbors as if they are family members.

“Not everybody has extra money or extra food, but you can lend your ears, you could lend your eyes,” Arias said. “I started off with just me hoping that I can help someone. Now it’s turned into this amazing organization [..] I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Arias said people can drop off bags of food at The Offbeat bar in Highland park during regular business hours as well as Everybody Gym.

Siempre Unidos LA

Elizabeth Ramirez said she originally started Siempre Unidos LA as an Instagram page to help guide community members to available city or state funded resources by posting local events and programs.

“If nobody utilizes those resources, […] they just don’t continue to fund those resources because they don’t think that there’s a need,” Ramirez said.

After the ICE raids ramped up in June 2025, Ramirez said she began posting Know Your Rights information and ICE alerts on the Instagram page. From there, Ramirez started a food and box hygiene program. Now, Siempre Unidos is a full-fledged “community-powered nonprofit organization committed to supporting immigrant families torn apart by ICE raids and deportations in Los Angeles,” according to its website.

“We’re home-based in South Central […] which is where I was born and raised,” Ramirez said. “Thanks to community support and volunteer support, we’ve been able to reach so many different communities.”

Siempre Unidos has a program that distributes food called Comida Para Todos, and raises funds to buy out street vendors in areas that are face a high risk of ICE raids, Ramirez said.

“We recently started collecting donations for pre-loved clothing,” Ramirez said. “We work very closely with vulnerable populations like our Home Depot day laborers. If they’re in need of clothing, or they maybe have children who are in need of clothing, we have a team that works with them.”

According to Ramirez, Siempre Unidos also has a rapid response team called Guerreros Communitarios (Community Warriors) who patrol around areas of LA to provide Know Your Rights information and are on alert for ICE presences.

“As a founder, I definitely keep in mind that our organization is really just adapting to whatever the community needs,” Ramirez said.

As a non-profit, Siempre Unidos is 100 percet donation based, Ramirez said.

“We rely on the community support […] local vendors, local businesses, really anybody that wants to donate, whether it’s funds or food items,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said that since June 2025, she has witnessed more community camaraderie and interpersonal relationships between neighbors that COVID-19 had disrupted.

“It’s the beauty within the struggle of LA really coming together and uniting as one, because now I feel like people [are] really checking in on each other,” Ramirez said. “We’re seeing the unfortunate reality that all of this affects us in one way or another.”

Comida Para Todos

Samantha Ruiz is the program director for Comida Para Todos, a collective program of Siempre Unidos LA that sources groceries and hygiene items for families impacted by the ICE raids and the government shutdown.

“Everything that fuels our program is out of donations,” Ruiz said. “We try to get a little bit of everything because we know that there’s a lot of need out there.”

Ruiz said in June 2025, she started making grocery bags of food to deliver to families having a hard time. After collaborating with Siempre Unidos, Comida Para Todos was born. Since June, the program has helped feed over 2,500 families, according to Ruiz.

“I’m born and raised in East LA. I’ve always known what the struggle looks like,” Ruiz said. “When I saw that families couldn’t go out, people couldn’t do their grocery shopping, the kids couldn’t go to school, it really hurt me.”

Comida Para Todos has transitioned into hosting more food drives than doing home deliveries, Ruiz said, because of how large the list of people who need food has grown. According to Ruiz, there are about ten volunteers at each event based on availability.

“It’s important to provide a safe space for the community because a lot of people in general get embarrassed to wait in line at food drives,” Ruiz said. “Anything we do for our community is out of love and the utmost respect for people that we know. We just want to be an added resource that gives them comfortability.”

Ruiz said she has built deeper connections with many of the families that benefit from Comida Para Todos.

“The appreciation the community shows back to us feels a lot greater than what it used to be before because I don’t think a lot of us have ever lived in a time like this,” Ruiz said.

Comida Para Todos is always looking for people to help hand out groceries and pack the bags, Ruiz said.

“If you have the ability, the capacity, and you want to do it, I highly recommend it,” Ruiz said, “The smallest things can contribute to your community.”

Contact Ava LaLonde at lalonde@oxy.edu

Hot Corner: The Dodgers finally ruined baseball. It’s not all their fault.

By

Ben Petteruti and Mac Ribner

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February 18, 2026

Much to the chagrin of the other 29 Major League Baseball teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers are at it again this offseason — just as we’ve predicted in past columns. With all eyes returning to MLB after the Seahawks dominated Super Bowl LX, tensions are already running high in offices throughout the league.

Among myriad smaller roster decisions, the Dodgers landed two more big fish this offseason. The team got started early, as they handed out a three-year $69 million deal to star closer Edwin Díaz in early December. Díaz opted out of his remaining two years with the New York Mets to join Los Angeles where he will earn considerably more per year. The Díaz deal set a record for highest annual value given to a reliever, as the closer will earn an average of $23 million during his time with the club.

What really sent MLB fans and owners alike into a frenzy was the signing of four-time All-Star and World Series champion Kyle Tucker, who signed the dotted line on a record-breaking 4-year $240 million deal. Tucker is now the highest-paid player in MLB, making $60 million on average per year. This beats out the previous record holder Juan Soto, who makes an average salary of $51 million. No matter the outcome of the deal, Tucker is laughing all the way to the bank.

If the Dodgers wanted, they could hand out “bad” contracts until the cows came home. They’ve essentially created their very own infinite money glitch. Despite carrying a payroll of around $400 million (around $60 million more than the second place Mets), money is simply no object.

Perhaps the biggest engine behind the Dodgers money printing machine is their cornering of nearly the entire Japanese baseball market. Shohei Ohtani is to Japan what Taylor Swift is (or was?) to the United States. Coupled with Shohei, the supporting cast of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki is enough to turn the heads and gather the spending money of an entire country. Between brand deals and sponsorships, merchandise sales, television deals and tourism the Dodgers have already made back the $700 million given to Ohtani just one year later. This machine is not expected to stop churning any time soon, allowing the Dodgers to operate with biblical greed.

When adding players, the Dodgers rarely weaken their farm or remove players from their MLB roster. The last blockbuster trade they made was for Mookie Betts, who signed a massive extension with the team during the 2020 season. Even then, the outgoing talent of Connor Wong, Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs hasn’t exactly scorned them. Their aggressive free agent spending nearly every offseason actually keeps the longevity of the franchise afloat.

Of course, no amount of gesturing towards ethical tactics will erase the elephant-sized piggy bank in the room. Following this offseason, the Dodgers have incurred over $1 billion in deferred money. Deferrals have long been a part of MLB’s financial fabric and are historically considered to be beneficial for the sport, but the Dodgers have malformed the practice of deferring contracts to such an extent that they’re the only squad capable of carrying the financial burden. Other teams can emulate this strategy if they like, but when the chickens come home to roost, the Dodgers are the only team that could take a financial hit of that size due to their unprecedented money engine. Ohtani is the goose that laid the golden egg, even if every team had a chance to sign him.

Also responsible for LA’s financial supremacy is the team’s TV deal, an $8 billion behemoth signed in 2014. The deal bears a massively inflated value as part of a compromise between MLB and former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who was given a figure on his terms in exchange for his immediate sale of the team afterwards. For those not familiar with economic intricacies, McCourt was essentially paid untold sums of money to go away.

Thanks to McCourt running the Dodgers into bankruptcy in 2011, MLB permitted them to evade revenue sharing over the course of the 25-year long TV deal. This means that LA gets to ignore a yearly $66 million tax that every other large market team is forced to pay, placing that cash directly into their pockets.

If you’ve kept up with the column over the years, you’ll know that MLB spending is currently subject to one of the largest disparities in all of sports. For every high-rolling team like the Dodgers, another 10 teams fail to muster even a third of LA’s spending prowess, and their minuscule payrolls are often reflected in their miserable on-field performance.

The desire to curb this losing tradition may be what’s inspiring numerous owners —namely Dick Monfort of Colorado Rockies fame — to call for the league to implement a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement. And while Monfort is right that his club lacks the colossal revenue stream of a big market team, his complaints overshadow a major factor: lots of teams spend money wrong.

Take a glance at MLB’s cellar dwellers and you’re bound to see a multitude of ill-fated contracts. Two of the league’s top spenders — Atlanta and the New York Mets — didn’t even make the playoffs this past season due to a combination of injuries, underperformance and bad luck. Let us not forget the Los Angeles Angels, whose disastrous signing of Anthony Rendon might be the epitome of legalized bank robbing.

Another forgotten but equally important aspect of this recent Dodger dominance is its potential benefit to the sporting world. It’s easy to decry the Dodgers on the basis of the team sullying league parity, but this indomitability has worked wonders for MLB’s ratings. The Dodgers’ 2024 World Series run saw TV ratings surge by 6 million viewers compared to 2023, and 50 million fans worldwide watched Game 7 of this past year’s Fall Classic.

The reason for this ratings explosion is simple — sports fans love having a supervillain to root against. The dynasty-era New England Patriots set records for Super Bowl viewership in 2015, and the NBA finals ratings took a nosedive following the collapse of the Golden State Warriors empire. As it turns out, the same fans who complain of dynastic sports runs tune in with even more frequency.

Even the most ardent Dodgers defender cannot deny that there are obvious flaws with the current state of MLB. Revenue streams are lopsided, parity often feels nonexistent and the league’s top spenders are essentially set in stone on a yearly basis.

Despite these problems, it’s apparent that a salary cap won’t be an instant fix. Baseball’s richest teams will still have an edge in terms of resources and analytics, and no amount of financial guardrails can prevent clueless general managers from ruining their teams.

It might not be the news that most baseball fans want to hear, and it’s certainly not the news we — as lifelong Red Sox fans — want to deliver. Unfortunately for fans of 29 MLB franchises, the stats don’t lie, and they say that the best way to beat the Dodgers is to simply be smarter.

Contact Ben Petteruti at petteruti@oxy.edu and Mac Ribner at ribner@oxy.edu

Lacrosse leans on team objectives, seeks playoff redemption

By

Nora Youngelson

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February 18, 2026

Starting their season with the fourth-place ranking in the pre-season SCIAC poll, Occidental’s lacrosse team is optimistic about their ability to challenge assumptions and move up in the conference, according to goalie Charlotte Dreyfus (sophomore).

“We are all in a super competitive mindset and definitely want to compete in the SCIAC — not just for the fourth seed that we’re in right now,” Dreyfus said. “We can be even better than that.”

Dreyfus said in order to be competitive this spring, the team will build on their pre-season work and goals. According to Dreyfus, the team’s central objectives fall under three pillars: intensity at all times, commitment to the details and support.

“Number one is intensity at all times,” Dreyfus said. “We want to have intensity during practice, so we have game-like situations.”

Women’s Lacrosse practice at Jack Kemp Stadium at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Kadence Bernard/The Occidental

According to attacker Callie Lovekin (sophomore), practicing with purpose is what prepares the team for tough match–ups, such as their recent home opener against Redlands. Although Occidental fell 12-6 against Redlands Feb. 14, Lovekin said the Tigers put up a fight.

“It was a pretty intense game,” Lovekin said. “It was a really fast game, and we are pretty evenly matched teams. We’re gonna get them next time, that’s for sure.”

According to Dreyfus, the team played hard until the final minute of the game against Redlands.

“We never gave up,” Dreyfus said. “Morale was still definitely high at the end, and we knew we were in a good place because we were playing as a team. There are definitely things [we] have to work on, but we know what those [things] are, so [the game was] a really good starting point.”

The SCIAC landscape looks different this year, as the Whittier College lacrosse team is no longer operational, according to Lovekin. Without Whitter, the Tigers will only face five SCIAC teams this season.

“We spend a week preparing [for each game],” Lovekin said. “Our games are pretty spread out because there are only so many teams to play. I really want to win. But then again, all the other SCIAC teams are thinking the same thing. It really does come down to who wants it more.”

Lovekin said the team’s second pillar, commitment to the details, is essential to how the team will move through the first round of SCIAC play.

“[We need to] think about the bigger picture of gameplay,” Lovekin said. “When you’re playing [other] teams, catching and throwing needs to be second nature; it has to be an extension of your body at that point.”

Captain and defender Ellie Einstein (junior) said commitment to the details means going back to basics, such as ball handling and conditioning.

“After our warm-up and stretching, we [practice] five to 10 minutes of a basic skill […] which we didn’t do last year,” Einstein said. “10 minutes of power shooting for attackers, or footwork, every single day to work on those little details so it just becomes second nature.”

The third pillar — support — shows up both on and off of the field, according to Einstein. As a leader on the team, Einstein said she takes this goal very seriously.

“I’m trying to focus on energy and positivity […] because our team is very vibe and energy-centered,” Einstein said. “If we have high energy and good vibes, we usually play well.”

According to Dreyfus, one of the ways the team supports each other is through coming up with creative cheers before each game. Dreyfus said these small but consistent manifestations of support are essential to the team’s energy and success.

“[At practice and games] we started high-fiving each other and saying ‘Support, support’ because it is one of [the] things that we are trying to focus on,” Dreyfus said.

According to Lovekin, the team is also supported by their coaching staff and head coach Sierra Slack ‘18. Lovekin said Slack and the other coaches have helped create and solidify the team’s pillars going into this season.

“It is really nice to see [Slack] bring forth the traditions of Occidental lacrosse,” Lovekin said. “She understands the heart and soul of it. We take a lot of pride in our team, in our heart, the way we play, our spirit [and] our culture.”

While the team is focused on supporting each other, Einstein said they also appreciate it when their fans come out to watch their games.

“Come watch,” Einstein said. “We love when people are at our games […] We’re [contenders for] the SCIAC playoffs […] just like these other teams — we are lit, and we are in it.”

Occidental faces Pomona-Pitzer Feb. 18. The Tigers hope to break Pomona-Pitzer’s five-year SCIAC winning streak, and according to Dreyfus, the team is hungry for a win.

“We really can [face off with] high-level teams like [Pomona],” Dreyfus said. “We play good games at Pomona because we’re playing intense lacrosse, and we’re matching that fire. We [lost] to Redlands, but our spirits [were] not crushed. We’re still ready to try to beat the best team.”

Contact Nora Youngelson at youngelson@oxy.edu.

Athletes of the week Lo and Sahara battle back with statement victories

By

Angus Kapstein Parkhill

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February 18, 2026

Florence Lo

Florence Lo (senior) secured a first-place finish in the women’s 200-yard medley relay against Whittier, the last regular season meet of the season Feb. 7. Lo also placed second in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:09.75 and second in the women’s 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:20.71.

Lo said she was not at her peak performance physically, and competed despite being sick.

“I had to tell my coach my chest was hurting,” Lo said. “It turned out the next day I had pneumonia. I was grateful that I was able to still swim and that my body knew the training that I’ve put in all season and in previous years. I trusted myself.”

Lo said she loves working hard to get her best results, and that her motivation comes from her desire to win.

“I’ve always loved swimming and everything that comes with it,” Lo said. “Being with my teammates and coming to practice every single day […] and then seeing that reflected in results and competition […] it’s such a great time.”

Florence Lo (senior) in front of the Marketplace at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 11, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental

Lo said being a senior changed her outlook on this season.

“I’m really grateful that I’m able to still compete at this level and that I’m able to share this experience with my teammates, coaches and everyone that’s supported me on this journey,” Lo said.

Lo said there are challenging aspects of being a competitive swimmer, but that having a strong community helps alleviate those issues.

“A lot of people both hate and love the sport because it’s so mentally and physically taxing,” Lo said. “But the culture is just so amazing, especially if you find a good team. All four years of being on the Oxy swim team, my teammates have been so supportive […] they’ll always be at the end of your lane to cheer you on and to get you through your race.”

Swim and dive head coach Haley Meryl said Lo’s work ethic is impressive.

“[Lo] is super steadfast and incredibly committed,” Meryl said. “She doesn’t let [anything] slow her down, quite literally.”

Meryl said Lo is the ideal coachable athlete.

“[Lo] never wants to be out of the water,” Meryl said. “That’s every coach’s dream […] She wants to win races and swim fast.”

Konan Sahara

Men’s tennis player Konan Sahara picked up two wins in singles play against Arizona Christian and Riverside City Feb. 7. Sahara had 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 scores in his first match, and won his second match 6–1, 6–4.

Sahara said his performance was a nice way to rejoin the team’s lineup.

“Unfortunately, last semester I was out with an injury,” Sahara said. “The beginning of this season was me getting back, so for me to get those two wins was big. It was the first match I’ve played in a little over half a year… individually, it was a good way to start.”

Sahara said he enjoys being at tournaments with his teammates.

“I really enjoy [tennis], and the team itself is a very great environment,” Sahara said. “They push me to be better, and I do the same for them […] it’s fun to be able to compete with such a tight-knit group.”

Sahara said he was battling more than just his opponent during his matches.

“My first game was a little closer than I would have wanted,” Sahara said. “It started off very well, and then I started losing focus midway through. I think that was just me still getting back into the game, [tennis] is a very mental sport.”

Konan Sahara (sophomore) in front of Gilman Fountain at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 13, 2026. Jane Hutton/The Occidental

Sahara said having his teammates cheer him on is what pushed him to win both games.

“[My teammates] helped me pull off the win in the first match, and then in the second match I was playing a little more exhausted than I wanted to,” Sahara said. “But I was playing on a court where basically everyone that came to watch could see [me], and that really helped me play well.”

According to associate head coach Jackson Frons, Sahara’s past performances bode well for the team’s future.

“[Sahara] won a ton of important matches for us last year, so knowing he’s 100% again is really big for the rest of our season,” Frons said.

Frons said Sahara plays his best when the pressure is on.

“[Sahara] is especially gifted in high pressure situations, taking cuts and playing really loose,” Frons said.

Frons said he has high hopes for Sahara’s future on the team.

“What I want for all our guys is [to bring] up the floor as well as [raise] the ceiling,” Frons said. “[Sahara] has really made some leaps in doubles. [I’m] excited to see where Konan’s game is heading.”

Contact Angus Kapstein Parkhill at parkhill@oxy.edu

Erica Garcia’s unique eyeshadow lights up the Marketplace

By

Lucinda Toft

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February 18, 2026

On the righthand side of the Marketplace checkout counters is Erica Garcia, wearing vibrant eyeshadow every weekday morning. Garcia said she started working at Occidental Spring 2024 and takes pride in bringing joy to the dining hall, students and her coworkers.

Marketplace Supervisor Sandra Saavedra, who has been working across departments at Occidental for over 13 years, said Garcia’s makeup and kind demeanor initiates a positive atmosphere.

“She’s a very sweet, hardworking co-worker,” Saavedra said. “She helps wherever we need her to help […] she brings joy to a lot of people I’ve seen because of her makeup.”

Garcia said she did not start trying out eyeshadow until she was old enough to buy her own makeup at 18.

“I was probably 23 when I started saying, ‘I’m gonna go full force, let’s see if I could get away with it at my [old] job,’” Garcia said. “Little by little, I added on, they never said anything […] I challenged myself to not repeat one design.”

Garcia said that since working at Occidental, she has received enthusiasm and excitement from students and staff for her makeup.

“There was a group of three boys [who] started having a bet when it came to Halloween [and] what my next character was going to be,” Garcia said. “They know Halloween’s my favorite.”

Garcia said she starts and completes her makeup at night before she goes to bed, which surprises everyone she has told. Garcia said as a working mom, this night routine works better as she is busy getting her daughter ready for school in the morning, and designs take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to complete.

“I tried [doing makeup] in the morning and it does not work,” Garcia said. “I have prints on my sleep shirt of the design that I did, a heart shape on my shoulder.”

According to Garcia, the ritual of doing her makeup each night has become a meditative space where she can unwind.

“My mind goes 100 miles a minute […] ‘What am I gonna do for dinner the next day? I need to do the laundry, I need to pay this bill,’” Garcia said. “I feel as though if I’m sitting down, I need to do something […] I just started justifying that this is [my] relaxing time.”

Garcia said this time has also allowed her to spend time with her husband, providing a place where they can coexist after a long day apart.

“My husband and I will just sit there, even if he’s not playing his video game,” Garcia said. “We’ve been together for 12 years. So, we do our separate things, but together.”

Erica Garcia’s eye makeup in the Marketplace at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 11, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidenta

According to Garcia, most of her makeup ideas come from conversations with her husband or daughter, who suggest certain designs and characters based on the current holiday or season.

“It’s either my husband giving me ideas, or my daughter choosing colors,” Garcia said. “I use very cheap things. I don’t buy $60 makeup kits. I bought a $5 eyeliner palette off of Temu, and then the $3 concealer from Elf as a primer. Everything else, I’ve just gotten from Dollar Trees.”

Garcia said she did face painting at her daughter’s school, where the kids identify her by her makeup, and even parents were excited to get their faces painted.

“All of the kids loved it […] some of them were getting their face painted for the first time,” Garcia said. “The Dia de los Muertos [design] was very popular for parents and staff.”

Garcia said having an outlet for creativity in a non-structured way has been monumental in her self-confidence. According to Garcia, in high school, she completed a six-foot chalk painting of her best friend, but was momentarily discouraged by her art teacher.

“Even that didn’t get an A, because I didn’t do it the way [my teacher] wanted,” Garcia said. “That’s when I told myself, art is [subjective]. […] What does it matter what anybody else says?”

Erica Garcia working in the Marketplace at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 11, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidental

Saavedra said she encouraged Garcia to post videos online and document her looks.

“I’ve told her that she should go professional […] but she has also said that it’s just a hobby,” Saavedra said. “She really enjoys it, and she doesn’t want to lose that.”

Garcia said she has received judgmental looks in public, on the bus and in the grocery store for her wearing colorful makeup looks as a mother — but she tries to approach it with her levelheaded mindset. Garcia said she has observed the exhausting environment of coming of age as a girl at this time, and hopes to instill this self-confidence in her daughter.

“We are very open with her about the negativity, and she’s starting to see it, unfortunately,” Garcia said. “I want her to have that independence and that confidence in herself, rather than going and looking for it as approval from others.”

Jenny Mendoza, a cashier who has been working at Campus Dining since 2004, said Garcia has a commitment to joy throughout her day.

“She rushes here because she takes her daughter to school, she gets here, she still comes happy, [has a] positive attitude and she’s great to work with,” Mendoza said.

According to Garcia, she hopes that people she interacts with or the students she sees at the Marketplace embrace their unique ways of expressing themselves.

“Everybody would be boring if we all thought the same,” Garcia said. “As far as I go, I’m just someone who loves art, loves to see the smiles on people’s faces, [and] start conversations.”

Contact Lucinda Toft at ltoft@oxy.edu

HIST 346 includes three-week trip to China

By

Arlo Gallati

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February 18, 2026

Professor and department chair of Asian Studies and Faculty Council President Alexander Day is teaching HIST 346: The Transformation of Rural and Urban China this semester for the second time. According to the course description, after a short semester on campus, students will accompany Day on a three week trip to China, expanding on classroom instruction through in-country experience.

According to Associate Director of the International Programs Office Julie Santos, HIST 346 was in high demand during the registration period.

“[Day’s] course had more applicants than we had spots, so we had a waitlist,” Santos said. “It was something that students really want.”

According to Day, major changes to have occurred in China since the course was last taught in 2018. Day said China’s political state continues to affect how much of migrant life students can experience.

“One of the key themes of the class is rural to urban migration, and rural to urban migrants are crucial to how cities operate […] and how work gets done in China, but [migrants are] often treated in a discriminatory way,” Day said.

Day said he used contacts in the Institute of International Educational of Students to provide his class access to the Museum of Working People’s Culture and Art, which had been closed by the Chinese Government.

“Migrants themselves had made their own migrant museum in Beijing; it was around for several years,” Day said. “[But] It was shut down by the government; they didn’t like it because it was an unofficial museum of migrant laborers, and obviously, it has a political connotation.”

According to Professor of U.S. History, Jane Hong, many of the students’ experiences in China are made possible by Day’s research connections.

“Some of the students who went [in 2018] just told me how transformative it was being able to live in a rural part of China, to experience things they probably never experienced before,” said Hong.

Associate Director of International Programs Julie Kimiko Santos in Johnson Hall at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 10, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidental

According to Santos, Occidental’s ability to provide financial support for faculty led courses makes HIST 346 a great alternative to studying abroad for an entire semester. Santos said that while there is an additional fee to the program, financial aid packages are adjusted to make the course more affordable.

“We always have a pot of money set aside for scholarships for faculty-led courses, but we also set aside money so that all students get their flights covered,” Santos said.

According to Day, he originally intended the course to be exclusively offered to upper-class students with moderate levels of Chinese language proficiency. Day said the class has been adjusted to include a more diverse range of students so all can contribute and take away different learning experiences.

“The idea was that this would be [available to] students that were juniors or maybe even seniors, not first years,” Day said. “But I shifted it the first time, and I actually have decided to take students from the whole range, first years to seniors. I like to take students from all sorts of majors, so I definitely have some Asian studies majors and Chinese studies majors, history majors, but I also have biochem and CTSJ majors as well.”

According to Day, the diverse range of students fosters communication, which is important as students will be traveling together for three weeks.

Professor Alexander Day in his office in Swan Hall at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 11, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidental

“I take […] students that don’t have any Chinese as well, and they have to rely on each other. A big part of the course is the cohort building,” Day said.

Graham Tapp (sophomore) said via email that the class encourages a certain level of community between students as they all share a high level of interest in the class’s topics.

“I like that collaborative environment. I think it makes us all feel open to asking questions, learning, and struggling together,” Tapp said. “It doesn’t feel awkward waiting on people to answer questions in class and have collaborative conversations; it’s very comfortable. People are very passionate.”

According to Evan Lieber (senior), taking past classes with Day influenced him to take the course, which has deepened his interest and understanding of China as a topic of study.

“I took ‘East Asian Survey‘ with Professor Day last spring, and I really enjoyed that class,” Lieber said. “I really enjoyed his teaching style. I enjoyed just learning about East Asia, and this class combined the in-country experience; it seemed like a total package and something that I’d really enjoy for my final semester of college.”

Day said the diverse array of students creates learning opportunities, allowing students to come into and leave the course with different perspectives.

“These students are gonna learn different things, they’re gonna get different things out of it,” Day said. “That’s a strength, that people are coming from very different experiences and levels of knowledge about the topic.”

Contact Mars Gallati at gallati@oxy.edu

No-Sap Valentines put the power of the press in students’ hands

By

Amelia Darling

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February 18, 2026

Hidden in the old wing of Occidental’s Mary Norton Clapp Library lies Occidental’s Letterpress, The Lowercase Printshop, a studio decorated floor to ceiling with creative and colorful prints. The Lowercase is home to two 150-year-old Vandercook printing presses, affectionately named “Larry” and “Fay,” after Lawrence Clark Powell ’28 and Fay Shoemaker Powell ’32, who left an endowment to promote the book arts at the college. Buttressed by the Letterpress and Book Arts Club, The Lowercase hosts a yearly “No-Sap Valentines” event where students print their very own valentines by hand. This year, the event took place Feb. 12.

Shop technician Lou Alpert (senior) said the No-Sap Valentine event was inspired by a postcard set that Coordinator of Book Arts Program Jocelyn Pedersen created in the past called “Prints Charming.” In the digital age, Alpert said it feels different to receive something handmade.

“It’s nice to know that […] you’ve come in and you’ve made something analog that took you time to do,” Alpert said. “If you don’t have a honey, maybe you’re a secret admirer […] now’s the time to shoot your shot.”

Alpert said Pedersen teaches Introduction to Letterpress Printing, a two-credit printing class in the core department. Alpert said Pedersen’s skill in the book arts is impressive, and that she has a wonderful and creative personality.

“I think [Pedersen] might be a fairy or a mermaid, perhaps,” Alpert said. “Letterpress professor by day, mermaid or fairy by night.”

Professor Jocelyn Webb Pedersen leading the No Sap Valentine workshop in the Lowercase Printshop at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidental

After the event, Pedersen said the No-Sap Valentines went smoothly and had a good turnout, thanks to organization and support from the recently founded Letterpress and Book Arts Club.

“The word got out more than usual, and now that we have a letterpress and book arts student club, I think the word’s getting out even more,” Pedersen said. “I’d call it a great success.”

Pedersen said the haptic experience that printing allows is particularly important for students now, who spend so much time online.

“[Students] resonate with coming here and handling 150-year-old wooden type, old engravings, and learning to set type by hand,” Pedersen said. “We’re doing it no differently than they were doing [it] 450 years ago when the Gutenberg Bible was printed.”

Pedersen said students feel a sense of belonging at the Letterpress, something she has striven to foster. Pedersen said that these values are exemplified by the pledge of the Lowercase: a paper housed among shuffled papers beneath a desk in the studio.

“The Lowercase Print Shop, a place to engage our students’ heads, hands and hearts, to amplify their voices and deepen their sense of belonging,” Pedersen said. “Where words matter, creativity flourishes, and community is built.”

Pedersen said The Lowercase is a place where things come together, where ink and text meet on the page; material and place join through the inks that students learn to make with acorns from the quad and insects from cacti on Mount Fiji.

“[It’s] a magic alchemy,” Pedersen said.

Maya Watanabe (senior) participating in the No Sap Valentine workshop in the Lowercase Printshop at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Amy Wong/The Occidental

Letterpress Club co-leader Amare Askerneese (senior) said the club, a new organization, runs most of the events and organizational logistics for The Lowercase.

“[We started the] club so that we can get more people into the space,” Askerneese said.

Askerneese said the creativity offered by his Media Arts and Culture (MAC) major is juxtaposed by the creativity found in The Lowercase.

“It’s the difference between spending a lot of time in front of a computer editing […] and smelling […] and feeling the ink on my hands,” Askerneese said.

Askerneese said the Letterpress Club fosters a space that he is passionate about and is excited to share with others. Askerneese said the best part of a niche interest like printing is being able to introduce it to others who might like it as much as he does.

“[Being a club leader] is being able to unapologetically share what you’re interested about,” said Askerneese.

Askerneese said art can be a counter to fascism, and he’s grateful to have letterpress as a way to express himself.

“Having Letterpress now is so much more important than it has ever been,” Askerneese said.

Pedersen said belonging and self-expression exemplify the importance of letterpress, and making The Lowercase accessible to students is a priority for her. Pedersen said through ink-making workshops, the semesterly course and events like the No-Sap Valentines, The Lowercase Printshop is welcoming as many students as they can.

“I’m always trying to figure out ways to allow more students to experience this, like today’s event,” Pedersen said.

Contact Amelia Darling at adarling@oxy.edu

Campus caretakers: Grounds crew reflects on responsibilities

By

Angus Kapstein Parkhill

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February 18, 2026

As grounds supervisor Sam Ludwig made his routine stops around campus in his golf cart Feb. 6, he pointed out the small station the grounds crew operates from tucked underneath the tennis courts. Ludwig said the crew’s day-to-day responsibilities are essential to Occidental’s maintenance.

“We’re the nuts and bolts of making this place work,” Ludwig said.

According to Ludwig, the grounds crew covers many different tasks.

“We have the refuse that’s on campus, so that’s the first thing in the morning I have to be concerned about,” Ludwig said. “Then we work on everything green. Tuesdays and Fridays are the days we mow all the sports fields, so those days are taken up by a lot of work. On Wednesdays we do the quad and everything as far as mowing grass goes. All the other time that we have, we try to spend on beautification of the campus.”

Equipment used by groundskeepers in Facilities Management below the McKinnon Family Tennis Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Kadence Bernard/The Occidental

Ludwig stopped the cart and gestured toward the small space that the grounds crew shares with the other facilities departments. Ludwig said the number of workers has decreased dramatically in recent years.

“I have a staff of seven guys, which used to be 22 guys at the height of this campus,” Ludwig said. “We’re at our lowest possible number […] over the years [Occidental] has minimized all of the departments. Our [department is] hurt, specifically because this used to be the number seven campus in the nation as far as beauty, and it’s dwindled.”

Ludwig said the lack of support has taken its toll on how Occidental looks and operates.

“We take care of all the dorms […] they aren’t always the best looking because we have to focus on things like the quad and public areas,” Ludwig said. “I get orders from other departments as well [about] things that they want… there’s a long laundry list of things that we have to do.”

Ludwig drove down the hill from upper campus. As he passed by Stewart-Cleland Hall he said he designed the new “Stewie Beach,” drawing from familial inspirations.

“My uncle went to [Occidental] in the 60s… I was like, ‘Why’s it called Stewie Beach?’ and he was like, ‘Because that’s just what we call it,’” Ludwig said. “I brought that up with my boss and we talked about it, and we wanted to get more of a beach vibe for it. If it’s going to be a beach, let’s make it a beach. I think it turned out pretty good.”

Ludwig said he’s glad his personal vision can be reflected in the campus’s design.

“There’s been 20 or 30 people in my position since this place opened — maybe more,” Ludwig said. “Each of them put their own mark on the place, whether it’s with plant selection [or] that type of thing. Somebody put [the] tennis courts in at one point […] everybody has their own thing, right? I’m looking to make [my] mark.”

Plants in the greenhouse in Facilities Management below the McKinnon Family Tennis Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Kadence Bernard/The Occidental

Ludwig circled the cart back around from the facilities station after finishing a complete trip around campus. He stopped to look at the cacti growing outside of the Marketplace, and said he has perfectionist tendencies and always wants to improve his work.

“Looking at the little details, it drives me crazy sometimes because I want [them] to be perfect,” Ludwig said. “Hopefully down the road [while] I’m working with executive management […] we can make this place better every day. That’s my goal.”

Grounds crew foreman and irrigation specialist Miguel Aguilar said there are always things to attend to and fix.

“I just drive around looking for things that I can repair,” Aguilar said. “Right now, I have three broken main lines that I have to work on. It could be one sprinkler, [or] a line that squirrels like to chew. A lot is broken right now […] every day it’s something.”

Aguilar said he’s enjoyed his long tenure at Occidental.

“I love my job,” Aguilar said. “I’ve been here for 27 years. I love my coworkers, even though they stress me out a lot.”

Aguilar said he enjoys when students talk to him and offer help.

“I’m too shy to talk to the students, but there’s a lot of students [who are] really nice who stop and say, ‘You’re working hard, do you want me to get some water for you?’ and I say, ‘No, thank you,’ but I’m excited to talk,” Aguilar said.

Grounds crew landscape technician Arturo Aguayo said his daily routine is a busy one.

“On Monday, the first thing I do is come in [and] pick up all the trash cans,” Aguayo said. “It usually takes me three quarters of my day on a Monday. [I leaf blow] the whole area of Mullin Grove. After that, I start doing a little bit of gardening work […] weed whacking, trimming, blowing or watering down some areas. That’s not even counting times when there’s events.”

Grass at Bell Field at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2026. Kadence Bernard/The Occidental

Aguayo said he appreciates getting recognition for his efforts.

“The best part is hearing students, staff, and faculty coming here, seeing me work and saying, ‘It looks good, you’re doing a great job,’” Aguayo said. “That right there makes my day because I feel like my work is getting noticed […] then you feel good coming to work on a daily basis.”

According to Aguayo, Occidental fosters a hospitable environment.

“The community here is awesome,” Aguayo said. “The best part about coming here was the benefits and the perks that they have […] the people here are so welcoming. Can’t beat that, you know?”

Contact Angus Kapstein Parkhill at parkhill@oxy.edu

Opinion: ‘Hamnet’ answers Shakespeare’s most famous question

By

Ava LaLonde

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February 18, 2026

“He lives not.”

Before seeing Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” one of the top contenders to win this year’s Academy Award for Best Picture, I had never sat in a theater full of people audibly weeping. Hands digging through purses for tissues, gasps as people tried to catch their breath, trying not to let out too loud a sob: I could hear it all. But I had also never seen a death on screen that felt so jolting and true to the fragile and transient nature of life.

We see death on screen all the time — gore and horror are some of the biggest box-office draws these days, as violence is increasingly glamorized, and we all become more and more desensitized to blood and guts. Why, then, does the death that plays a central role in “Hamnet” disturb us so deeply? Why did I feel my stomach drop in a movie I thought was going to be more “Shakespeare in Love” than “Romeo & Juliet”?

No matter how much visceral violence we witness in media, there’s something about the actual moment of death that usually escapes artistic representation. In “Hamnet,” Zhao presented us with a startlingly embodied moment of life ending in a way I’ve never before seen in a film. Most on-screen deaths feel distant and removed, but in “Hamnet,” death is put back into our lives as an intimate reality.

In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Hamlet famously poses the question “To be or not to be” in one of his soliloquies. Our obsession with how “to be” and how to continue being often shrouds the fact that one day, we will all have to face what “not to be” means. The portrayal of death in “Hamnet” shows us that these two options are not mutually exclusive; one cannot choose “to be” permanently, and expect the transition into “not to be” to be on our own terms. Accepting that “not to be” is inevitable also means accepting the pain that comes with it.

The story of “Hamnet” is told largely from the perspective of Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, as she meets and marries Will (as the movie calls him), and they eventually have three children. The heart of the film lies in the performance of Agnes and Will’s son, Hamnet, who, quite tragically, dies rather suddenly from the plague around the middle of the movie. “Hamnet” is based on the historical lore that one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet, was named after his deceased son.

In the film, we literally see the color leave Hamnet’s skin and we hear his death rattle as well as his shaking hand reach out to his mom. A lot of illness-related child deaths in film are peaceful and fairly slow. There’s a catharsis in watching someone talk about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and telling their family not to worry about them, that they’re going to a better place. We’re conditioned to see death as a smooth transition from one realm to the next, with the sickly child acting as an all-knowing angel who has more wisdom about the afterlife than the rest of us.

“Hamnet” allows us none of these comforts. Hamnet himself seems terrified. At one point, he even looks at the camera as if the viewer is Thanatos, the Greek god who comes to escort souls to the underworld. It is as if by witnessing his last few excruciating moments of life, we are playing a role in hastening it; Hamnet cannot go gently into that good night, as the poem goes, because we (as well as Agnes) will not let him.

By not glossing over the details of death, “Hamnet” returns death to our mental conceptions of what it means to be alive. Too often, death is relegated to something completely exterior to our experience of the world. Sick people reside in hospitals and the elderly in convalescent homes. Unlike in Shakespeare’s day, a lot of us have never even witnessed the actual moment of death.

Witnessing that limit, that exact moment of finitude that we all will have to face eventually, does shocking things to how we move in the world. Leaving the theater, I felt the importance of the movie’s portrayal of pain as something we cannot ultimately overcome. Agnes’ scream when her son dies also reminds us that we cannot stop pain from being part of our family members’ lives, either. But this leaves us with an opening, a window for possibility: how will we “be” when we stop treating “not being” as irrelevant to our lives? How can we bring back pain and death into our everyday lives as something to acknowledge rather than hide from? “Hamnet” does not necessarily answer these questions, but it does turn our heads away from the glossy image of a Hollywood death, tearing our eyes towards the end of all ends — the agonizing “not to be,” that, without which, there would be no “to be.”

Contact Ava LaLonde at lalonde@oxy.edu

Opinion: ‘Together We Are America’: A halftime show that we couldn’t ignore

By

Martina Long

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February 18, 2026

Seconds after Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime performance ended, my phone lit up with messages from family and friends; some expressed pride, while others were moved to tears. My Ecuadorian mother wrote, “Estoy llorando. Qué hermoso ser latina.” (I am crying. How lovely is it to be Latina). Watching the performance unfold alongside those reactions made it clear that this was more than entertainment to me, and to many others across the nation. It felt like one of the most culturally significant halftime shows in recent memory, and one that carried an unexpected sense of hope.

For viewers who had never heard of Bad Bunny (or Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio), despite his roughly 92 million monthly listeners on Spotify and massive global following, the performance may have been unexpected. He spoke almost entirely in Spanish, offering only one line in English, “God bless America.” Bad Bunny did not attempt to translate his words for mainstream comfort, although without understanding every lyric of his discography, you could still sense the passion and pride that defined his performance. No matter what you were doing, he made you pause for a second. Maybe it made you emotional, like my mom and me — or at least made you question why this moment mattered for so many.

Bad Bunny made history just the week prior by being the first Latin artist to win album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards. His acceptance speech, in which he said “ICE out,” and “we are humans and we are Americans,” seemed to resonate and complement his performance on the biggest entertainment stage last Sunday.

The power of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance came from its meticulous attention to detail, weaving together homages to Puerto Rico and broader Latin culture with a clear message of unity. The stage transformed into a Puerto Rican block party filled with everyday symbols of community life. There were piragua stands selling shaved ice, nail salons, barber shops, domino tables and even our local VILLAS tacos stand, located in Highland Park, all set against a backdrop of sugarcane fields. We see Bad Bunny waking a child asleep in a chair, a familiar scene for many of us Latinos who have experienced celebrations meant to last a couple of hours stretching late into the night.

These scenes paid tribute to essential workers and to the kind of labor that scholar Ava Gotby describes as “emotional reproduction,” the caregiving and service work that often goes unnoticed yet sustains neighborhoods and families. Immigrants and minority communities carry so much of this labor, whose contributions help shape American life. The playful line spoken by Bad Bunny, “Ahora todos quieren ser latinos” (Now everyone wants to be Latino), carried a deeper implication that Latino culture has long influenced American identity, widely acknowledged or not.

At one point, Bad Bunny handed his Grammy to a younger version of himself while saying “Cree siempre en ti” (Always believe in yourself), a gesture that felt like an invitation to future generations to believe in their own possibilities, despite all the efforts made by the current administration to keep them from doing so.

During the song “El Apagón,” power line poles stood prominently on stage, referencing Puerto Rico’s ongoing electricity crisis. Performers dressed as jíbaros climbed the poles as they exploded, showcasing the island’s repeated blackouts and infrastructure failures, further turning the show into a protest against government neglect, colonial history and gentrification.

The core theme of the performance was love and unity, shaping a narrative that felt intentionally hopeful in a deeply divided political climate. Throughout the set, Bad Bunny repeated phrases such as “Están escuchando música de Puerto Rico” (You are listening to the music of Puerto Rico) and “Baila sin miedo, ama sin miedo” (Dance without fear, love without fear), framing music as an act of connection rather than confrontation.

The message reached its peak during the closing moments. After performing his final songs, Bad Bunny named almost all countries from the American continent, ending with “USA,” “Canada” and finally “Puerto Rico.” He lifted a football toward the camera, revealing the words “Together We Are America,” next to the billboard in the background that read: “The only thing stronger than hate is love.”

That emphasis on love as a form of resistance stood in stark contrast to Turning Point USA’s competing event, labeled the “All-American Halftime Show,” which featured controversial performers such as Kid Rock. Even the phrase “All American” clashed with Bad Bunny’s broader message that multicultural identity is part of being American. As someone who navigates acculturation daily, I found that contrast personal. It can feel isolating not knowing which cultural side to align with, yet Bad Bunny’s performance reframed that tension as a source of strength rather than something to overcome. The difference in viewership was striking: roughly 6.1 million viewers tuned in to the alternative broadcast compared with an estimated 125 million watching Bad Bunny’s performance.

President Donald Trump criticized the halftime show, calling it “absolutely terrible” and arguing that it did not reflect American values of “success, creativity or excellence.” His reaction underscored a broader cultural debate about who gets to define patriotism, even though few halftime performances have been as creative in their use of symbolism and in their display of cultural strength as this one.

In a time when shared cultural moments are increasingly rare, Bad Bunny created one that sparked conversation across generations and borders. Whether people loved it or criticized it, they were talking about it. The halftime show did not solve the divisions it exposed, but it gave many a sense of hope that showed love and pride can still bring people together, even if only for 13 minutes. In a moment when political conversations often feel dominated by outrage, this type of exhibition of solidarity may be the only way forward in changing our country’s views on immigrants.

In the end, crying felt like the most honest reaction to a moment that carried so much meaning. Like my mom, I found myself feeling deeply proud to be Latina.

Contact Martina Long at mlong2@oxy.edu.

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