Día de los Muertos Event - GRASP

"On November 1st, GRASP (Graduate Association for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese) supported this year’s Day of the Dead or “Día de los Muertos” by attending an event that paid respects to those who have passed away while experiencing homelessness in Lawrence. The tribute was organized by the DARE Center and Somos Lawrence, and as part of GRASP, I am proud that we could be part of the volunteers who helped to set the altars for the unhoused people who are frequently overlooked by society. At the end, we also collaborated to clean up the community gardens at John Taylor Park.

I was surprised to see the gorgeous altars and all the artwork by children and Lawrence school students that dedicated their creativity and time to do beautiful pieces, all for the memories of our homeless. At the same time, as a Latin graduate student that also commemorates November 1st as All Saint´s Day to honor the people who have died in our family or community, I was grateful I could be a part of this Mexican celebration for the memory of the people that are more marginalized or have less in life."

- Claudia Salas-Forero

Graduate student and Treasurer of GRASP