Review: Ernie G Comedy Night

As part of Latino Week at the University of Virginia (April 10), the Latino Student Alliance invited speaker Ernie G, a Latino empowerment comedian from Los Angeles. I have seen Ernie twice before today, and like always his shows have been filled with emotion, brilliance and empowerment.

Ernie G truly moves and inspires the audience. After all, that is what he promises to do in every show. He encourages Latino youths to chase after their dreams and love themselves, no matter how bad their situation is.

With his humorous anecdotes from his early life to his current situation, Ernie G focuses on bringing out the best part of his listeners.

Though the crowd at the University of Virginia was different than others that he has encountered in his previous shows, by the end of the night he got a laugh from everyone in the auditorium.

Near the end of his show he gives a brief anecdote of how he found his path to a better life. He said, “I got arrested for drunk driving…I lost my job and didn’t have any money …I was sitting on the floor and I was holding trash, I hit rock bottom. I called to the hospital, checking up on to my tia (aunt). I said can I come visit you? She said quédate con tu mama. (Stay with your mom) I’ll never stop regretting I never went to see my aunt. Why? The next day my cousin called. She was dead.”

It was just after her death that Ernie G decided to go back to college, finish his studies and become a “beautiful educated person” because, “after all, if it is to be” it was up to him alone to decide his fate and become a better person and change the negative connotation that sometimes comes with being a Latino.