Photos by John Caballero, Text by Naeisha Rose
On Wednesday, July 8, 2015, LatinTRENDS hosted its first Independence Day Party. The event, which was sponsored by Inca Kola, took place at the popular Pacha nightclub which is between the Hudson River and Hell’s Kitchen. As partygoers networked, drank Ron Barceló and danced the night away to Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton and more played by DJ Richie Rich, the 30,000-square-foot dance venue’s LED screens flashed the flags of the over 20 Latin countries represented that night.
Some of the notable guests in attendance were, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna, Chief Operating Officer Randy Berman for Inca Kola, Lino Garcia, GM of ESPN en Espanol; Craig Keeys Regional Marketing Manager for Nissan; LatinTRENDS Founder Juan Guillen; Wilton Cedeno, Con Edison; Corey Neufville, Facebook; Kelly Laureano, Morgan Stanley; Rafael Capellan; Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group; George Torres, Sofritoforyoursoul.com; Alfred Placeres NYS Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce; Jon Girodes, CEO Girodes Inc, DJ Lobo; Christian Núñez, GM Café Nunez; Roberto Perez, Office of the Mayor of NYC; Frank Sanchez, CUNY, Vice Chancellor student affairs; Matin Rahmani Corinthian Partners; Ruben Estrada, President Film Link up, Maria Luna Editor, LatinTRENDS; Edwin Mejia, partner, Vlad Company; Carlos Vasallos, President Latin Vision; Veronica Caicedo, founder Puerto Rican Film Festival; Marcelo Rodriguez, CEO Grupo Parada; Michael Knobbe, Exc. Director Bronxnet; Emilo Mohamor, President Resilient Media; emerging artist: KMC, Leticia Reyes, Dalia Davi, and fashion designers Martin Polanco & Iliana Quander. At the event, Berman raised awareness about the struggles of war vets by holding a sweepstakes for an Orange County Chopper motorcycle. The donated proceeds will go to the Veterans Count Easter Seals educational program to support military families. For more information and to donate visit: http://winthischopper.com
Three weeks after Donald Trump’s controversial speech denouncing the presence of Mexicans (and most likely all Latinos) in America, Guillen emphasized that the Independence Day is a reminder of the great country that America is:
“In America, we have the freedom to become who we want to become, be all we can be, the ability to choose how we want to live, it’s the pursuit of Happiness and it’s in the constitution as our right, no matter where you come from. Like the flags illuminated on the screens at Pacha, they have no gaps in between, they are all together..and notice in the center, the American eagle, firmly holding the American flag surrounded in harmony by the 20 flags of the Latin Hemisphere with the motto E pluribus unum. Out of Many One. This image represents the overall theme our event here tonight; to celebrate each of our rich cultures, from South & Central America, Spain, the Caribbean to Mexico and to continue contributing to American…our America, which we love and are a part of” together we can be one of many here in America and continue to add value to this great nation” Said Guillen.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”9″ gal_title=”Photos of the LatinTRENDS Independence Day Party @ Pacha NY”]
