Celebrations of Cinco de Mayo to Accent Cultural Awareness

At UC Irvine, members of a Latino student group will celebrate Cinco de Mayo today by wearing brown armbands.

The armbands are somber symbols for a commemoration normally associated with vibrant colors and lively festivities. But the students of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or MEChA, want their message to come across loud and clear.

Against a backdrop of national controversy surrounding immigration issues and affirmative action, and political and economic turmoil in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become a uniting factor for a community that has been pummeled in the past year.

“We (unite) today by celebrating Cinco de Mayo and tomorrow by continuing the battle against discrimination,” said 20-year-old Joel Ruiz, who co-chairs the UC Irvine chapter of MEChA.

Across Orange County, the Mexican American community is observing the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, when a ragtag Mexican army of 2,000 troops soundly defeated a 6,000-strong French military force in 1862.

In California, Cinco de Mayo appears to have become the year’s most celebrated date for Latinos, overshadowing even Mexican Independence Day, which falls on Sept. 16.

“Everything has been so negative for us lately, so it’s about time people have something positive we can use to announce that we are proud of our culture,” Ruiz said.

Long-simmering resentment of illegal immigrants took on new force last November with the passage of Proposition 187 in the statewide election. The ballot measure, which originated in Orange County, would deny government-funded social services and non-emergency health care to immigrants who are in this country illegally. Enforcement of the controversial initiative has been halted, pending decisions on federal and state lawsuits challenging its constitutionality.

Latinos and other minorities now face an initiative expected to be on the November, 1996, ballot that would prohibit preferential treatment based on race or sex in public hiring, contracting and student admissions.

“First 187, and now this movement against affirmative action,” said Arturo D. Montez, president of the Santa Ana League of United Latin American Citizens. “It’s no wonder that we turn to a historical event like Cinco de Mayo to reaffirm our beliefs in ourselves, to unite with each other and take comfort in the strength derived from all of us coming together during this celebration.”

Some people also voiced concerns about the political and economic upheaval in Mexico. They noted the assassinations last year of Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio and former Deputy Atty. Gen. Mario Ruiz Massieu, as well as the rapid devaluation of the peso, which has caused economic hardship across the border.

“Some of us feel as if there is nothing to celebrate because (Mexico) is being torn apart,” said Angie Camacho-Soto, 51, a community activist in Santa Ana.

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In past years, Cinco de Mayo has been a time of revelry. For this year’s celebration, booming mariachi bands and flashy dance troupes are still around, organizers of a wide array of events said.

But the entertainment also will be accompanied, more than ever before, by educational messages and calls for Latinos to embrace their cultural heritage and ethnic identity, according to some activists.

“This holiday now has more meaning than merely to go to happy hours to get a drink,” said Enrique Zuniga, a community activist and counselor at Fullerton College.

At UC Irvine, where there are various cultural activities planned for the month of May, speakers will start the celebration of Cinco de Mayo today by telling students to “always be aware of the struggle around us, even as we celebrate, and always be proud of our culture,” Ruiz said.

At Cal State Fullerton, guest speakers have been lined up for symposiums throughout the month. “Even though we lost the battle (of Proposition 187),” said Robert Griego, 25, a member of the campus MEChA chapter, “we can still win the war against all those who want to take our rights away from us.”

At Irvine Valley College, Francisco Marmolejo and his students organized a performance last Tuesday that featured Aztec ritual dances.

“We wanted the theme of the dances to underscore and rekindle the sense of community,” said Marmolejo, a professor of history.

“We’re using this occasion of Cinco de Mayo to express our cultural distinction, yet at the same time, identify ourselves as residents of this nation,” Marmolejo said.

“What we’re doing . . . is making the statement that we recognize that we have patterns that are distinct, but they should not make us distant from the rest of the nation,” he added. “And as Cinco de Mayo has gone beyond just being a holiday for Latinos, we hope others will recognize this as well.”