A Day of Pride, Prey to an Ad Blitz

Soon we will again be bombarded with Cinco de Mayo theme events and advertisements at restaurants, malls, on radio and television and at community centers. These events are supposed to commemorate a special day for Latinos (the 1862 victory of Mexican forces against the invading French army), but many Latinos and others have no idea what this day symbolizes. Over the years, it has become a week of events to publicize and promote alcohol and beer in Latino communities, particularly to the growing Latino youth market.

For several years, I have stayed home on Cinco de Mayo weekend. I don’t enjoy the big party atmosphere associated with the events, and I especially don’t like what the “free” concerts and happy hours represent to our Latino youth.

Each year, the alcohol industry goes all-out to promote its products through splashy restaurant promotions, contests and parties. Alcohol marketers see Cinco de Mayo as one of the top sales periods of the year and a great kick-off to summer. In fact, in 1997 the nation’s top domestic brewers spent a combined $31 million on Spanish-language advertising alone, including significant funds devoted to Cinco de Mayo alcohol promotions. The alcohol industry has managed to erase all reference to this day as a historical event, one that Latino youth and their families should take pride in, and transformed it into a major marketing time of year.

Many of the expensive marketing strategies use ads that exploit, distort and commercialize Latino cultural symbols and feature ethnic celebrities. To a young and at times alienated population, it seems that the alcohol industry understands them and is reaching out to them when other groups do not seem to care.

Certainly, the public health community is not reaching out to this group as aggressively as the alcohol industry. National and regional data are showing a negative trend in alcohol and drug use patterns among Latino youth, yet the public health response has been minimal.

Several governmental and regional studies report that the health of Latino immigrant youth declines the longer they have lived in the U.S. Experts attribute this to difficulties adapting to a new language and culture, to a disconnection with extended family and other protective social support networks, and to residential environments that are poor and unsafe. Research such as William Vega’s 1999 study of 3,012 Mexican families in Fresno tells us that as time goes by, Latino youth become disconnected from their ethnic identity, heritage and culture. These and other studies indicate that this alienation contributes to alcohol and drug abuse as well as other mental health disorders.

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National surveys indicate that Latino youth are catching up to white youth in their alcohol and drug abuse patterns. In the more risky forms of abuse--heavy alcohol use and binge drinking--Latino youth surpass the rates for white youth. In 1985, the percentage of white, non-Hispanic youth reporting past-month heavy alcohol use was 9.1%, and the Latino youth rate was 7.1%. Thirteen years later, the percentage of white, non-Hispanic youth reporting past-month heavy alcohol use was 6% and the Latino youth rate was 6.5%. Although we can take comfort in the overall decline in the percentage of heavy alcohol users, for Latino youth this is clearly not an improvement.

Even more disturbing, is that Latina girls are catching up to their male counterparts and now use alcohol and drugs nearly at the same rate as young boys.

These studies are alarming to me as a public health researcher and as someone who works with young people. The trends underlying the national studies and the aggressive targeting by alcohol companies leaves me deeply concerned about the prospects of Latino youth. It seems that the promotions and ads aimed at them and their families only exacerbate an already difficult transition process that most Latino immigrant youth must navigate as they adjust to a new cultural environment.

Although Cinco de Mayo is supposed to give young Latinos a sense of ethnic identity and cultural pride to assist them in the cultural transition, it only serves to further victimize a population that experts fear already is at the margins.

This year, however, Latino youth are talking back. The 5 de Mayo Con Orgullo (Cinco de Mayo with Pride) campaign, a statewide event in its third year, aims to protest offensive celebrations and advertisements that target Latino youth and to promote alcohol-free and safe celebrations.

My hope is that this annual campaign will gain momentum and that in the future, we will celebrate this historic event with our children and help them be proud of their heritage. I hope that we can stand up to the powerful alcohol industry and help our Latino youth gain strength in their cultural history.

Let’s take back Cinco de Mayo, reclaim its true meaning and celebrate in pride.