On October 21, 2023, 516 ARTS presented guest speakers Alexis Salas, PhD, Endowed Professor of Arts of the Americas, Art History, University of Arkansas; Estevan Rael-Gálvez, PhD, Executive Director, Bound Unbound and Fluid Gaze artist Lehuauakea (māhū mixed-Native Hawaiian). This discussion explored assimilation into American society as a form of self-preservation. People of Color, queer people, and other minorities often code-switch (the practice of alternating between two or more languages) to combat cultural erasure and discrimination. Moderated by JC González, 516 ARTS Program & Marketing Manager.