By: Carlos Matutes
If you mention Cinco de Mayo, most people will think it’s “Mexican Independence Day.” This holiday is normally recognized with margarita specials at a bar, imported beer ads, or possibly costumes made of cheap serapes, sombreros, and fake moustaches. That is a major problem.
Cinco de Mayo is certainly not Mexico’s Independence Day. Instead, it honors the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. On this day, Mexican freedom fighters defied the odds and won the fight for their land.
The U.S. Chicano movement of the 1970s brought Cinco de Mayo to American consciousness. But corporate interests that cared nothing for Latino/a/e culture appropriated it. Insulting Mexican and Chicano culture was rampant during this time, along with a growing vilification of Latino immigrants. We can no longer allow our culture and community to be minimized through caricaturization by business interests.
Instead, Cinco de Mayo should be celebrated by and for our communities. With the example of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service or even the reframing of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on what was once known as Columbus Day, elected officials at the local, state, and national level should declare Cinco de Mayo a national, state, and local day of action. Inspired by the brave people of Puebla, we can create a day that uplifts our families, neighbors, water, air, and soil.
Enemies, foreign and domestic, have been emboldened to destroy community wellbeing in the service of their profits and extreme ideologies. Creating a Cinco de Mayo Day of Action on May 5th creates an opportunity for communities to come together, celebrate our cultures, our neighbors, and our families by taking action for our freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, eat healthy food, work in safe environments, and recreate in safe places.
A Cinco de Mayo Day of Action isn’t just for Latino communities. Anyone can take inspiration from La Batalla de Puebla to defend our homes from powerful invaders who want to destroy our way of life. We’re not up against an invading French army, but rather the greed, selfishness, and corruption of billionaires who would profit from the destruction of our long-term well-being. We should also remember that May 5th is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Day of Remembrance. It’s no coincidence that rates of homicide, abduction, and sexual violence against Indigenous women and girls are significantly higher in areas where extractive industries are prevalent.
This Cinco de Mayo, let’s do something that benefits all of us. We’re not suggesting that you don’t have a good time. We encourage celebration! Celebrate in a way that makes real change in your backyard.
