Unión del Barrio: “Our Grito is one of true independence”

<figure id="attachment_28422" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28422" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/stories/union-del-barrio-our-grito-is-one-…; rel="attachment wp-att-28422"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-28422" src="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/grito2-300x224…; alt="In 2013 Chicano Park was dressed up for Unión del Barrio’s “El Grito.” Photo courtesy of Unión del Barrio." width="300" height="224"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28422" class="wp-caption-text">In 2013 Chicano Park was dressed up for Unión del Barrio’s “El Grito.” Photo courtesy of Unión del Barrio.</figcaption></figure>
While corporations and beer companies might try to turn Mexican Independence Day into the fall season’s new Cinco de Mayo, there’s a free event in San Diego where emphasis is on celebrating the true meaning behind the important holiday.
El Grito 2014, which is organized by political organization Unión del Barrio on Monday, September 15 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Chicano Park, is an event that, instead of celebrating with alcohol and narcocorridos, promotes justice and seeks answers to issues the Mexican and Chicano communities on both sides of the border.
“In the spirit of the battle cry that Padre Hidalgo gave more than 200 years ago to declare their independence from Spain, we also do our own battle cry and reaffirm our dedication to the creation of just and equal society for our community,” said Helena Rodriguez, local organizational secretary for Unión del Barrio.
Citing the 20th anniversary of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Operation Gatekeeper, Rod-riguez said that there are many issues that Mexicans and Chicanos have to be liberated from.
“The conditions of every day life that working class Mexican families have to endure are unjust, and are the cause of an inhumane capitalist economic system that is no longer sustainable,” she said.
“We demand and end to NAFTA and any other economic policy that will continue to extract resources from other countries for the benefit of a select few,” Rodriguez said. “Operation Gatekeeper increased the number of Border Patrol agents not only at the border but in our communities as well. The terror of militarism expanded into our communities to the point that entire families have been detained, deported, and as a result separated from each other.”
While there are other larger events that are supposedly celebrating Mexican Independence Day, Rodriguez said that many of the other events, which take place in large venues, often with the blessing of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, are nothing more than corporations exploiting Mexican history.
“We are critical of those events that commercialize our history, culture, and customs,” she said. “Many women and men gave their lives for the independence of a country and unfortunately the significance of these actions is lost when you commercialize events. They become a source of business profit versus upholding our history.”
During El Grito 2014 at Chicano Park, which is in its 17th year and expects between 350 and 500 people, speakers from different organizations will present their points of view, from the Association of Raza Educators to fast food workers, and Indigenous leaders.
The main event is the Grito itself, with presentation of the flag, and the singing of the Himno Mexicano.
This year, Rosie Escamilla, a member of Unión del Barrio and a professor at San Diego City College, will be doing the Grito ceremony. The cultural acts include Ballet Folklorico Libertad, Danza Capulli, and traditional music and dance from several states in Mexico.
“Our event is humble compared to the other Gritos that are financed by big business and the Mexican Consulate,” Rodriguez said. “Our Grito is one of true independence.”
Rodriguez said that if Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon or Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez were alive, they would be giving speeches at El Grito in Chicano Park –not at some corporate event drinking beer in “honor” of Independence Day.
“Our heroes and heroines that fought for independence would be right beside us at our Grito de Independencia and uphold our demands, because the conditions that Mexicans on both sides of the border have to endure on a day to day basis are as repressive as they were 200 years ago,” Rodriguez said.
To learn more about Unión del Barrio’s El Grito 2014, please visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/UniondelBarrio" target="_blank">facebook.com/UniondelBarrio</a>.

Author

Pablo Jaime Sainz