By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
First they filled up on Chilean noodles, arroz con gandules, refried beans, Mexican rice, mole sauce, tortillas, tamales, and fajitas. Then they took to the dance floor to work on their salsa, merengue and bachata skills.
It was a night of celebrating Hispanic heritage and of reaffirming the fact that those of Hispanic origins belong in this country.
An estimated 450 people packed into the Junior Fair Building on the Wood County Fairgrounds last weekend to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month.
They brushed up on dance skills, ate good food, and listened to speakers offering support.
“We always try to highlight issues that are relevant to the Hispanic community,” said Beatriz Maya, executive director of LaConexion of Wood County.
This year those messages included emphasis on how much local growers and other employers need workers.
“We are in dire need of workers,” Maya said.
But the annual event is also intended to celebrate Hispanic cultures.
“I think it’s good to celebrate the Latinx community at least once a year,” Maya said, noting that Latinx people are encouraged to invite others to attend. “It’s good for other people to learn our culture.”
For those not familiar with Latinx dance moves, a class was offered.
“People loved that,” Maya said.
The breadth of the Latinx representation at the event could be seen when people paraded with the flags of their native nations. The flags represented Columbia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and El Salvador.
“There’s a very large Latinx community in Northwest Ohio,” said Eulalio Mata-Velasco, president of the Wood County LaConexion Board of Directors. “This unites the community.”
“It sends an important message that we’re here, and we’re here to stay,” Mata-Velasco said. “We work hard. We provide the necessities that everyone needs in life.”
A first generation Mexican-American, Mata-Velasco said far more resources are available now to Latinx families coming to this region.
“Back then, people weren’t as open with their race. They were outcast,” he said.
But some of those feelings still linger, he said.
“We’re here to make a change. It’s 2022 – time to change,” Mata-Velasco said.
A newcomer to the U.S., Yaneigi Santana who just arrived from Cuba 15 days ago, said she felt welcomed by the Hispanic Heritage Celebration.
“It’s good to see a person who also speaks my language,” she said, as her two children played with others who also shared their language.
“I’m not alone. There are more people like me,” Santana said.
La Conexion and the Bowling Green City Schools system have been helpful in getting adjusted here, she said.
Speakers during the evening included:
- BG City Council member Nick Rubando on behalf of the City of Bowling Green. Also present were council members Bill Herald and Jeff Dennis.
- Carl Bergquist, general counsel for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) in Los Angeles.
- Brother Washington Muhammad, from the Multifaith Council of Northwest Ohio
- Janet Parks, president of the League of Women Voters in Bowling Green.
- A representative of U.S. Rep. Bob Latta’s office.
- A proclamation was received from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.
