I believe there is a strong power in the energy you can feel at a new space, when you have just stepped in. And if there is something I will never stop been amazed by, is the human capacity of building parallel universes within four walls. Our capacity of imagining and using all art forms to welcome different intersecting identities through our creativity truly is magic, and looking at how the conference unfolded, I can say that at least for me and team number 3, Saturday was a day where we were transported to the shores of Puerto Rico, or the lands of Veracruz, taken by the hand of rhythms that healed and awoke us. “Without romanticizing though!”, as Iris Viveros commented several times during the Q&A, I will start describing that day with the physical space, moving on to the invisible power of music.

Embedded at the belly of Beacon Hill, the smell of Pan Dulce accompanied those curious visitors of the different art vendor stands. You could find natural products for your hair, printing and paintings, as well as cool cards and necklaces. Coming from a culture where it is more common to gather as a community and learn traditional dance and songs with the little ones, this space made me feel at home with Afro-Latinx sounds that I had heard growing up in the metropolis of Barcelona, but I never knew how to name or where to trace its origins.