How important is culture? The loss of cultural identity is often described as “Cultural Genocide.” It seems as though assimilation into mainstream American culture has become a trend. Youth of non-American descend find it harder to hold on to their roots. Thus, celebrating different cultures in schools has become more important than ever.
Fresno City College is no stranger to celebrating culture. Every year FCC commemorates Black History Month, Asian-American Month, and Native American Heritage.
Currently, the college activities office, Associated Student Government, and Latino faculty and staff are sponsoring different events, which commemorate Cinco de Mayo.
According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Cinco de Mayo is the commemoration of the victory of Mexican forces, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is primarily a regional federal holiday in Mexico.
Gurdeep Sihota, director of FCC college activities said that the activities planned for Cinco de Mayo provide the opportunity to educate FCC students.
She said, “These events help us look forward towards the future to see what types of issues we need to address.”
Cinco de Mayo activities at FCC started on April 28 and will last until May 9. Today at 2 p.m., there will be a local gang panel discussion in the student lounge. On April 28, 2008 authors Mario Rocha and Solomon Zavala held a discussion in the student lounge at 12 p.m. A screening of “Mario’s Story,” a film about Mario Rocha’s experience of being falsely incarcerated for murder, was shown at 2 p.m.
There will be a speaker’s forum featuring Dolores Huerta, “The Time is Now,” on May 1 at 11 a.m. at the FCC gym. Dolores Huerta is the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, which she co-founded with Cesar Chavez in 1960.
On May 3, Groupo Folklorico De Fresno City College will present, “Noche De Danza Mexicana Gala.” The performance will take place in the FCC theatre at 7:30 p.m. and general admission will cost $5.00.
FCC has many great events planned for the fifth of May, or “Cinco de Mayo.” At 10 a.m., there will be a piñata for the FCC Child Development Center. There will also be food booths and music in the free speech area.
At 11 a.m., a mariachi band called, “Mariachi De La Tierra,” will start their performance at the main fountain area and will walk all the way towards the free speech area.
At 12 p.m., FCC will crown the Cinco De Mayo queen and there will be a performance by the FCC Groupo Folklorico. There will also be a Cinco de Mayo sidewalk sale.
Although the Cinco De Mayo events end this week, the Latino graduation celebration will be held on May 9 at 5:30 p.m., in the free speech area.
-Whether you are of Mexican descend or not, come out and enjoy the festivities and take the opportunity to learn about a different culture.
