A trio of local musicians stepped in and performed a mix of Chicano protest songs to honor Latino Heritage Month in the Free Speech Area of Fresno City College on Friday.

The musicians, Robert Sandoval, Guadalupe Gutierrez and Robert Vasquez, took turns singing and playing guitar and various percussion instruments.

The featured musicians, Mujeres Valientes, a pair of singing sisters from Fresno, were unable to perform because one member of the duo failed to appear.

The musicians performed in front of a traditional religious poster and a United Farm Workers flag which fit with the style of music that they performed.

This was the first of three events that have been organized by FCC Chicano-Latino studies instructor Matt Espinoza-Watson who is looking to increase awareness of local Latino artists on campus.

“I was just trying to set up a concert series for Latino History Month so we’re going to be doing two more [events] the next two Fridays,” Espinoza-Watson said.

FCC hosted a mariachi group in honor of Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, but this was designed for separate reasons.

“My idea was to change things up. We always have mariachis for Mexican Independence and that’s cool, that’s great,” said Espinoza-Watson, “but to showcase some other local musicians who are doing different kind[s] of things. So this is more of a historical thing in the sense that it’s songs from the ’60s and ’70s and the movement.”

Delia Vasquez, who is a member of Mujeres Valientes, ran through the group of students and sang in front of them to try to get the crowd involved throughout the 50-minute show.

“Our music has a message, we’re giving a little variety, doing a little blues, a little nuevo canto just to have fun,” Vasquez said. “A lot of the songs we do are farm working and movement songs.”

The performances will continue for the next two Fridays and will feature the Fresno group D.B. and the Struggle on Oct. 4 and Lance Canales and the Flood the following week.