Cinco de Mayo is a popularly celebrated holiday in the U.S., but its roots have a deeper meaning than just tequila and taco parties.
Christina Vazquez, advising specialist for the College Assistance Migrant Program, and Vivi Gonzalez, program coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, hosted the workshop “More than Tequila and Tacos: Reframing Cinco de Mayo” Monday in a small room of the Bruce M. Pitman Center. UI students, staff and faculty gathered together to learn more about the upcoming holiday through a concise 40-minute presentation.
The terms stereotyping, cultural appropriation, cultural appreciation and micro-aggressions were defined and exemplified to the audience, providing a clearer understanding of how Mexican Americans are treated in the U.S. today.
The celebration of Cinco de Mayo stems from the Battle of Puebla that took place May 5, 1982 between French and Mexican armies for the second French intervention in Mexico. The resulting Mexican army victory gave the country their official freedom that is still celebrated today.
Gonzalez said while the holiday is widely celebrated across the U.S. often as “Cinco de Drinko,” there are traditional military parades that honor the event more seriously and realistically.
The holiday has been extremely commercialized in the American culture as an excuse to get drunk and wear sombreros or fake mustaches, all of which are offensive, she said.
She proceeded to read a quote by Kim Silva, a Mexican early childhood educator, that read “It is important for the Mexican community to no longer be treated as a caricature. If the ways that the Mexican community is impacted regarding education, immigration, and employment had the same amount of spotlight as ‘Cinco de Drinko,’ it could truly make a difference.”
Both Vazquez and Gonzalez reiterated the importance of celebrating responsibly and authentically for the right reasons this upcoming weekend. They said the best thing to do is eat delicious Mexican food and enjoy the music of the culture all year round, instead of dressing up in costumes with fake accents for one day out of the year. They also encouraged attendees to call out peers to do the right thing, whether that be coworkers, fraternity and sorority brothers and sisters or just people on campus.
Gonzalez said it’s important for everyone to educate themselves on what is being celebrated, because Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants have had a long history of oppression and attacks. Students, faculty and staff at UI suffer from racist micro-aggressions that really do affect their daily lives and emotions, she said.
Amira Payen, a freshman student at UI, grew up in a Hispanic household and said she thinks the majority of people who participate and celebrate the day in inappropriate ways are unware of the meaning behind it.
She said it is important to spread awareness of what Cinco de Mayo means, not only for the sake of the Mexican community, but also for those who celebrate it in ridiculing ways.
“I found the workshop encouraging to open the eyes of many, as well as affecting the relationship between Mexicans and Americans for the better,” Payen said.
To most people of Mexican heritage, Cinco de Mayo is just another day of the year that isn’t celebrated as much as Americans make it out to be, Payen said.
“One of the most important things is simply awareness,” she said.
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]