Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day
This week, May 5 will be “Cinco de Mayo,” a day many white people in this country use as an excuse to bring out sombreros and margaritas to binge on — all while being culturally ignorant towards its meaning and the people they’re stereotypically insulting by such attire and representation.
Therefore, for this week, I want to send a message to the entire campus community.
- Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. That day is Sept. 16.
- Not every Latino is of Mexican origin. In addition to students of Mexican descent, Elmhurst’s Hispanic population also includes students of South American and Central American descent, who have different independence days and narratives. Latinos are not one monolith to cramp everyone in.
- Don’t even think about wearing a sombrero and sarape to celebrate it. No matter how “inclusive” you want to be about this, there are better ways of doing it. I don’t care if you went to Mexico with it, and nobody cared if it was “offensive or not.” It’s a stereotype, and you can’t perpetuate it with such justifications.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, the one moment in history where Mexico, back then a nation in its early stages of national identity, defeated France in an invasion known as the French Intervention, which occured from 1861-1867.
France wanted to colonize and control the nation under a puppet monarchy, only to be fended off by a small army consisting of civilian volunteers and brave soldiers. That’s what happened in Puebla of 1861, a small army of Mexicans defeated a large foreign legion made up of French invaders.
That day is observed as a holiday only in Puebla, Mexico. Not every Mexican commemorates this but here in the U.S., it’s mixed. To some, it’s just commercial business to profit, while to others it’s demonstrating solidarity against foreign aggressors.
People shouldn’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to drink Margaritas and eat tacos with an ignorant mentality, it should be celebrated as the one time a “third world country” beat up a first world nation proudly. It should be a commemoration of Latin American solidarity.
Should we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? It depends on who you ask, but there should be a proper and more cultural form of recognizing it and celebrating this for all to enjoy — without the sombrero, margaritas, and sarapes.
Try supporting local Mexican businesses in the area, visit the National Museum of Mexican Arts in Chicago, and do things that help the community in the area rather than harming them with stereotypes and ignorance of their identity.
As a community, we need to do better on Cinco de Mayo.