La Cocina de Frida, 5403 N. Clark, was all aglow on Aug. 30 when the restaurant was transformed into a dance club for Amigas Latinas’ 13th-anniversary dance. Latin beats and laughter poured out into the otherwise quiet street causing more than one passerby to stop in their tracks and peer into the window. If they looked long and carefully enough, they realized what they were seeing was a dance floor filled with women whirling, twirling, and laughing.
Started as a social and support group, Amigas Latinas has grown into an organization with a full board and the short-term plan to hire its first full-time staff. However, while staying true to its roots, Amigas also offers an annual scholarship to young Latinas either entering or currently enrolled in college. This year there were two recipients: Janeida Rivera and NME, the latter who identifies herself as a queer Latina Jew. Both women have quite impressive portfolios.
As a high-school student at Pedro Albizu Campos H.S., Rivera confronted the collective at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) bringing to light that LGBTQ issues were not being addressed directly. In addition, Rivera founded Ambiente del Paseo a group that is part of the PRCC. NME is a pre-med student at the University of Chicago and is active with Queer & Associates, the student organization sponsored by the Office of Multi-Cultural Student Affairs. Photo by Mel Ferrand.