"Culture Through Arts" Kicks Off With Platanos and Collard Greens"

By KATIE B. O’CONNOR

This Friday, Latino Identities Month, in conjunction with the Latino Student Association, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the Dept. of Theater and Dance, will showcase its keynote performance, the play “Platanos and Collard Greens,” written by David Lamb.  This romantic comedy centers on the relationship between an African-American man and a Latino woman and the prejudice and stereotypes they face as a result.
Through a mix of hip-hop and satire, the play addresses stereotypes, prejudices, and urban myths surrounding and within the Latino and African-American communities; beginning with the title. (Platanos and collard greens being foods that are considered easily recognizable in the Latino and African-American cultures, respectively.) “Platanos and Collard Greens” is aimed at a college audience and has been widely received on college campuses across the country. The play uses humor to address the sensitive issues of race while “exposing myths and shooting them down as misrepresentations of reality” according to the show’s website, www.platanosandcollardgreens.com.
“This year we’re presenting culture through the arts instead of through lectures. We hope this will provide a fresh lens through which to view culture. This play strives to reach the college experience of coming into contact with new people and cultures and addresses delicate issues that are better experienced by seeing rather than hearing a lecture,” said Courtney Chapman, assistant director of the Multicultural Center.
“Platanos and Collard Greens,” performed by Between the Lines Productions, will show in Dodd Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18 for one night only.  Admission is free.