Community Events

Local favorites, DJ Mingo and DJ Adrian “Ace” Lopez bring the energy to the dance floor. From 10:30pm to 1:30am, both Dj’s will be taking turns bringing some of the best salsa, merengue and bachata rhythms alive. Join us at Urban Beat for a night filled with great music, dance and friends!

Dinner and drink menus are available.

Purchase Tickets: Apr 19 – Salsa Party

Tickets: $15.00.

Urban Beat Website: UrbanBeat | Lansing’s Premier Customizable Event Venue

Urban Beat Facebook Page: Facebook

Urban Beat Facebook Event Page: Salsa Party with DJ Mingo and DJ Adrian “Ace” Lopez | Facebook

Purchase Tickets: Apr 19 – Salsa Party

Salsa Verde, founded in 2008, was created for students to practice and perform Afro-Cuban music. Over the years, they’ve played concerts, festivals, cultural events, and more across Michigan. Their performances feature music by legends like Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, and Gloria Estefan, with many original arrangements by the band. Salsa Verde is made up of students and faculty from the MSU College of Music.

Purchase Tickets: May 01 – Salsa Verde

Doors open at 5:00pm with a dance lesson at 8:30pm, and the show starting at 9:00pm. Limited table reservations are available online. If purchasing a table, please plan to arrive 30 minutes before the performance to get settled. For general admission, hover over the yellow “General Admission” box on the seating chart on the website for details.

General Admission Tickets: Starting at $15.00 Student Tickets $10.00.

Urban Beat Website: UrbanBeat | Lansing’s Premier Customizable Event Venue

Urban Beat Facebook Page: Facebook

Urban Beat Facebook Event Page: UrbanBeat Presents: Salsa Verde! | Facebook

Purchase Tickets: May 01 – Salsa Verde

The 2nd Annual Legacy of Cesar Chavez Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 9, at Cristo Rey Church. Cost to attend is free but registration is required. The Keynote Speaker will be Arturo Rodriguez who is the former United Farm Workers President. Doors open at 11:00am with the program beginning at 12noon. Limited tickets are available by emailing RSVP@LansingMi.gov.

Last year, the City of Lansing brought in Andres Chavez who is the Grandson of Cesar Chavez. Arturo is the son-in-law of Cesar having married Cesar’s daughter Linda Chavez. About 125 people attended last year with an expected attendance this year of 200.

TO REGISTER TO ATTEND: RSVP to RSVP@LansingMi.gov

From the UFW Records: Arturo Rodriguez became president of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1993 upon the death of Cesar Chavez, co-founder and president of the UFW from its start and Rodriguez’s father-in-law and mentor. Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1949 and attended Catholic schools there. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1971 and a Masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1973.

Rodriguez learned of Cesar Chavez’s work for farm workers from his parish priest in 1966 and became involved in the UFW’s grape boycott while in college. Thereafter, Rodriguez worked with the UFW and, after graduating from the University of Michigan, Rodriguez went to work full time for the UFW, initially organizing boycotts. His work with the UFW has included organizing boycott efforts, organizing union representation elections, teaching classes on union organizing, negotiating and administering union contracts, working on providing union services and settling worker grievances, campaigning for ballot propositions and political candidates, and serving on the UFW’s executive board.

Upon becoming president of the UFW, Rodriguez led a significant new field organizing and contract negotiating drive, adding substantial numbers of members to the UFW. During his presidency the UFW has also campaigned for new laws and regulations protecting farm workers, including immigrant workers, and sought to provide representation to farm workers by providing them with benefits and services through the UFW.

TO REGISTER TO ATTEND: RSVP to RSVP@LansingMi.gov

The Crosstown Showdown is almost here! For the 2025 Season, we are offering 2 savings packs to bring the crew out to the ballpark!

The Packs are: 4 tickets for $40 OR 6 tickets for $48!

EVERY purchase is entered to win an AUTOGRAPHED Crosstown Showdown jersey signed by Michigan State Baseball AND the Lansing Lugnuts!

Game details:

Lansing Lugnuts vs. Michigan State Spartans

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Gates open – 5pm

First Pitch – 6:05pm

PURCHASE 4 for $40: CTSD Bundles

PURCHASE 6 for $48: CTSD Bundles

The City of Lansing will once again host the 16th Annual Memorial Celebration once again at the Tony Benavides City Council Chambers which is located on the 10th Floor of City Hall. 124 W. Michigan Ave. Lansing, Michigan 48933. A reception will follow. Sponsored by the Lansing City Council in partnership with LLEAD of Greater Lansing.

Photo is from 2024 Celebration

Are you dreaming of your next big project? Here’s your chance to showcase your work in a unique public space! The Lansing Economic Development Corporation and CATA are looking for talented artists to create artwork for bus shelters along the South MLK Corridor.

This is more than just an art installation—it’s an opportunity to bring creativity and inspiration to the community. Open to all artists with selected works being displayed at local bus shelters.

Your artwork must have a south side of Lansing and/or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. theme.
o Ideal submission could include elements including south side of Lansing
landmarks, south side of Lansing legends, diversity and inclusion, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. legacy, aspects of Dr. MLK Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, south side pride,
and/or south side culture.

• Considering that the artwork is public, must meet public safety and Americans for
  Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. These standards will be communicated through the review
  panel.
• Artwork must not be offensive in nature.

Still interested? Project Guidelines: S. MLK Art Competition Clean – Adobe cloud storage

Anxious to start? Apply Here: S. MLK Jr. Blvd. Bus Shelter Art Competition

The Poetry Room and the Capital Area District Library have combined to create the Latino Project. The theme will be “Places we call home”. Hosted by Tari Muniz, the event will feature local poets Cruz Villarreal and Guillermo Delgado. Featured guest will be Karla Cordero (Her Bio is at end of the article). The 90 minute program will be held at the CADL Downtown Branch located at 419 S. Capitol Ave. Lansing, Michigan 48933.

• English: “This program is presented as part of Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home, a major public humanities initiative taking place across the nation in 2024 and 2025, directed by Library of America and funded with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective.”
• Español: “Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home (Lugares que llamamos hogar) es una gran iniciativa pública en el campo de las humanidades, que se proyecta para el 2024 – 2025. Es dirigida por Library of América con el generoso apoyo del Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades y Emerson Collective.”
‍For nearly five centuries, the rich tapestry of Latino poetry has been woven from a wealth of languages and cultures. With distinctive rhythms, lyricism, and candor, and nuanced understandings of place, history, and origin, Latino poets have brought dazzling insight to what it means to make a home in America.

Recognition of the beauty and power of this tradition has grown in recent years, with Latino poets receiving two national and twelve state Poet Laureateships, two Pulitzer Prizes, and three National Book Awards. At the same time, the perennial questions confronted by Latino poets—of exile and belonging, language and identity, struggle and solidarity, and labor and landscape—have become ever more urgent.

What does Latino poetry reveal about America? How might it help us imagine a more just, joyful, and capacious future? Places We Call Home seeks to foster nationwide conversation on this vital literature through a groundbreaking new anthology edited by Rigoberto González, events around the country, an online media archive, and a wealth of library resources meant to spur in-depth reflection and discussion on key figures and themes.
Funded with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective, Places We Call Home is directed by Library of America and presented in partnership with the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures; the Academy of American Poets; Cave Canem; Poetry Society of America; and the National Book Foundation, among others.

Desde hace cinco siglos, una gran variedad de lenguas y culturas se vienen entretejiendo para formar ese colorido tapiz que es la poesía latina en Estados Unidos. Los poetas latinos nos han permitido ver a Estados Unidos como un hogar a través de originales ritmos, gran lirismo y candor; nos han brindado sugerentes visiones de lo que llamamos “lugar,” “historia” y “origen.”

En años recientes, la poesía latina viene adquiriendo el reconocimiento que se merece por su belleza y su añeja tradición. Evidencia de ello es el hecho de que varios poetas latinos han sido merecedores de dos galardones a nivel nacional y doce a nivel estatal, dos premios Pulitzer y tres Premios Nacionales del Libro. Asimismo, las preguntas existenciales y los retos sociales que enfrentan estos poetas— el exilio y la pertenencia, el lenguaje y la identidad, la lucha y la solidaridad, la labor y la tierra—se vuelven cada vez más urgentes.
¿Qué nos revela la poesía latina sobre los Estados Unidos ? ¿De qué manera nos ayuda a imaginar un futuro más justo, jubiloso, y esperanzador ? Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home (Lugares que llamamos hogar) busca fomentar una conversación de impacto nacional sobre la poesía latina a través de una nueva antología sin precedentes, eventos por todo el país, un archivo multimedia, y una gran cantidad de recursos bibliotecarios destinados a inspirar discusiones e interpretaciones de fondo sobre figuras y temas imprescindibles.
Places We Call Home es un proyecto financiado por el Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades y Emerson Collective, dirigido por Library of America. Es presentado en colaboración con the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures; the Academy of American Poets; Cave Canem; Poetry Society of America; y the National Book Foundation entre otras organizaciones

About Library of America
‍
• English: Library of America is a nonprofit organization that champions our nation’s cultural heritage by publishing America’s greatest writing in authoritative new editions and providing resources for readers to explore this rich, living legacy.
• Español: Library of America es una organización no lucrativa que se dedica a enaltecer el legado cultural norteamericano a través de la publicación de obras imprescindibles en ediciones autorizadas. También procura apoyo y recursos al público lector con el fin de mantener y enriquecer la vida de esta gran herencia.

Karla Cordero is a descendant of the Chichimeca peoples of northern Mexico, a Chicana poet, educator and author of the poetry collection, How To Pull Apart The Earth (Not A Cult.) a 2019 San Diego Book Award winner and awarding-winning finalist for the International Latino Book Award and the International Book Award. Her work has appeared on NPR, Academy of American Poets, O-Oprah Magazine, Split This Rock, PANK, The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4 LatiNext Anthology, among other publications. Karla is a recipient of the 2021 California Arts Fellowship, in addition, she is a Macondo, VONA, CantoMundo, Tin House, Pink Door Writing Retreat, Community of Writers Fellow. Karla is the Executive Director for the non-program Glassless Minds and a professor in composition and creative writing at MiraCosta College and San Diego City College. Follow her @karlaflaka13

The Poetry Room website: The Poetry Room – Lansing, Michigan’s Premier Poetry Open Mic

Karla Cordero website: Karla Cordero – Poet. Artist. Educator

Funding provided from:
Library of America, Latino Poetry Fund, City of Lansing, Arts Council of Greater Lansing