Renowned Rapper Ruby Ibarra Performs Free Concert for APIDA Heritage Month
By: Nicole Troy
Ruby Ibarra performing at the University Union
Stage on May 12.
On May 12, renowned rapper, producer and spoken word artist Ruby Ibarra took the Cal Poly University Union Stage in an open-air concert that was attended by the campus and local community.
Ibarra was invited to come to Cal Poly in celebration of Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month.
"I invited Ruby to come to our campus to celebrate [APIDA Heritage Month] with us, especially since she is an important voice in the Filipinx community,” Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Ryan Buyco said. “I also invited her because I am Filipino American, and — as I have been told — am one of the first Filipino American tenure track faculty at Cal Poly. I invited Ruby Ibarra not only for APIDA Heritage Month, but also to acknowledge and celebrate the Filipinx community here on this campus."
Before Ibarra performed, she guest spoke at a meeting with members of the Pilipino Cultural Exchange (PCE) club. According to PCE President Halle Gotico, Ibarra shared a presentation with the group where she connected with students.
"Both Ruby Ibarra's closed talk and concert at the University Union allowed me to feel more connected to my Filipina heritage, as her music unpacks experiences that I had similarly gone through,” Gotico said. “Representation really does matter. To have Ruby, a strong, talented Pinay visit Cal Poly was important and needed as she helped provide a space for students to process their identities and gain a better understanding of themselves and their culture."
See photos below of Ibarra performing for an audience of both campus and community attendees on the University Union Stage.
Photo Credit: Izzy Pascua (PCE club member and CLA Student Photographer)