Raiders celebrate Mexican Independence Day
By Stephanie Meza
On September 15, Raiders had the opportunity to celebrate Mexico's Independence (which is on September 16) during the annual 16 de Septiembre assembly hosted by M.E.Ch.A. Given that about 90% of the Raider population are Hispanic, this is a very popular assembly on campus. But besides all the "fiesta" that goes on on September 16, what is the historical meaning behind it? Since 1521, Hernan Cortez and other Spanish conquistadors had been invading the western hemisphere and taking advantage indigenous peoples by getting rich off of them. During the years 1521-1810 Mexico was known as "new Spain." September 16, 1810 was when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gave the call to action for people to revolutionize against the Spanish crown. This year in particular, Mexico's independence is special because it's celebrating 200 years (bicentennial).
This year's assembly's theme was the bicentennial and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Raiders enjoyed answering trivia questions about Mexico's history and the world cup. They enjoyed the activities such as "futbolito" that took place in the middle of the gym where a mini-soccer court was built. Two memorable performances also took place that day during the assembly. The first one was the "waka-waka" dance that was performed by many lady-raiders in M.E.Ch.A. Then, SOH'S new band "3-Volve" gave an unforgettable performance as the crowd sang along "pero recuerda, nadie es perfecto y tú lo verás♪." Among all these performances, there was one moment during the assembly that grabbed the audience's attention. This was Mr.Rodriguez's speech, in which he spoke about the situation in Mexico, how it's widely known as being the country with the highest murder rate, and its drugs and violence rather than its culture and beauty. He gave the low statistics on education among Latinos, how they're seen as a minority by these numbers. During his speech, he gave additional meaning to the historical one of 16 de Septiembre.
Mexicans take pride in their culture and where they come from. However, there are so many more ways to show this pride. They can wave their flag, and cheer for their team as much as they want, but is this going to change the situation in Mexico? As an active M.E.Ch.A member and a proud Latina, I believe that it's time for things to change. Just like Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gave a call to action for revolution, Mr. Rodriguez gave his own call to action, to change the low statistics. The best way to show we're proud of where we come from is giving our people something to be proud of, through education. We have the ability to change these statistics, and make those numbers higher.
Let's prove the current statistics wrong.
