After a struggle to recognize the work and importance of the Latino community, especially the Mexican community that lives and/or works in East Palo Alto, its mayor, Rubén Abrica, recalled that the city of East Palo Alto celebrates Mexican identity by celebrating for the 37th consecutive time the commemoration of the Battle of Puebla, which is remembered every May 5.
Abrica, who is of Mexican nationality and managed to become mayor of East Palo Alto, recalled that May 5 has become a community holiday in the area "and this makes me very proud."
In an interview conducted by Marcos Gutiérrez and Manuel Ortiz during the program Península 360 Radio, on KIQI, through the 1010 AM frequency from San Francisco, California, in collaboration with the program Hecho en California, he congratulated the members of the organizing committee for maintaining the tradition for almost four decades.
And, he said, in the 80s, East Palo Alto was a smaller community and there weren't as many facilities as there are now, so people were even embarrassed to speak Spanish or listen to their own music, "sometimes the authorities looked at you like, what's going on here?"
"So we decided that we would always hold a public event to affirm our existence and also have a government that could advocate for all members of the community."
The event, he said, in addition to celebrating Mexican culture, serves to "stay abreast of social issues, which we should all keep in mind to continue improving our community."
"We're going to do much more than just gather together, not just listen to music to celebrate May 5th, but also recognize the past, our ancestors and those who have fought for many of the rights we have here."
This year's celebration will be virtual, like the last edition, and will be broadcast through Peninsula 360 Press on May 5th starting at 7:00 p.m., where attendees will be able to enjoy various activities.
«We hope to be able to do it again next year in the park so that all the families can come and enjoy the culture; to recognize each other, support each other and celebrate our culture, history and to be aware of current issues such as housing, economy, education and health.»
The official added that the committee has encouraged the Latino community to "defend their rights as human beings and to work in solidarity with other communities to rebuild a post-pandemic society that seriously addresses economic, health, education, housing, jobs and other areas of daily life inequalities, maintaining the historical meaning of May 5."
Challenges to overcome in East Palo Alto
The situation for low-income people in various parts of the Bay Area is not easy, as gentrification and rising property prices mean that many people, mostly essential workers who rent, are forced to relocate to places like the Central Valley, a situation to which East Palo Alto is no exception.
This was stated by the mayor of the city, who calls for wise selection of representatives in the upcoming elections.
Ruben Abrica is an outspoken supporter of Democrat David Canepa in his campaign for Congress, just as he did when he ran for councilman and later as supervisor in San Mateo County.
"I hope I can win and bring community issues of economic inequality and immigration to Washington DC. We need more people who are active in these issues."
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