Omega Phi Beta Hosts Platanos Y Collard Greens

Dandre Chery, Featured Writer

Omega Phi Beta (OPB) sorority hosted the off-Broadway, romantic comedy production Platanos y Collard Greens in the Briarcliff Dining Hall on Wed., Nov. 12.

According to its official website, the play “asks if love between Blacks and Latinos can survive.”

The play began with spoken word poetry, as character OK set the tone with an offbeat sense of humor he continued to push throughout the play. Main character Freeman then recited a poem that questioned current interracial relations through a comparison to chicken wings and macaroni.

Detailed in the play is Freeman, an African-American and his love at first sight relationship with Angelita, a Puerto Rican.

As they embark on their interracial relationship, hilarity ensues, especially from Freeman’s best friend OK and his wacky antics used in pursuit of characters Nilsa and Malady.

Ultimately, Platanos y Collard Greens sought to show how Freeman and Angelita’s love was tested and how they confronted the prejudices held by others.

Nothing was held back as issues surrounding race and relationships were boldly stated, mixed in with humor to ease any tension.

According to Ariana Abramson, Vice President of OPB, such issues are a regular part of her organization’s mission on campus.

“We brought Platanos y Collard Greens here because it is really indicative of the things that we talk about in our community such as racial and cultural diversity,” Abramson said. “We hope that this play really sheds light to the different cultural issues that we may face as a general population and that the Pace community really enjoys it.”

OPB sister Kellyanne Perez-Vera agreed.

“We decided to do this event last semester and bring it to Pace because we value cultural diversity so much, and [the concept of] interracial couples is something that has come a long way, but still has its struggles,” she said. “When we do events, we want [them to] correlate with our core values and what we embody and believe.”

Despite the production’s strong story, the event was not well-attended, a fact that Perez-Vera deems a missed opportunity.

“This is something that a lot of people would’ve enjoyed,” Perez-Vera said. “An amazing play happened that a lot of people didn’t know about.”