Lea este artículo en español: El Grito de Portland continúa hoy con un espíritu de resistencia alegre
The sounds of mariachi trumpets and “gritos,” spirited shouts that are a hallmark of Mexican celebrations, echoed across the Rose Quarter Commons on Sunday afternoon as Portland’s largest Hispanic Heritage Month celebration returned for its first of two days.
El Grito Portland is billed as “the largest, fully Latinx-owned, organized and executed event in the Northwest.” The event brought together hundreds of Latino vendors, performers and community members Sunday for the kickoff celebration to Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
El Grito Portland continues Monday with a vendor market, community resource booths, music and dance performances and the ceremonial reenactment of El Grito de Dolores, the historic call that sparked Mexico’s independence movement, at 8 p.m.
“It captures our essence as Latinos,” said Victoria Lara, CEO and founder of Lara Media Services, which has organized the festival for nearly two decades. “This is a labor of love and giving and sharing. We are not divided. We are all together”
This year’s El Grito comes at a time when some Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations around Oregon have been scaled back or canceled altogether. Centro Cultural in Hillsboro transitioned its annual El Grito celebration to a virtual format, citing concerns about immigration enforcement. In central Oregon, Latino Fest was called off for similar reasons, and Salem canceled ¡Viva Salem! due to budget shortfalls.
Lara acknowledged worries about anti-immigrant sentiment and safety concerns but said it was important to go on with the Portland festival as planned.
“Yes, we are scared,” Lara said. “I wasn’t documented for more than 20 years. I know there are a lot of people scared. I cannot cancel, because I know our community also needs hope. And I always say my dreams are bigger than my fears.”
Even with a smaller crowd than usual, the celebration remained lively, with people gathering to honor those who couldn’t be there. Isabel Lemus Kristensen and their mother, Rosa Lemus, were among those attending for the first time.
“With all the history that there is in our country, it’s very important that people have that freedom,” Rosa said, referencing Mexico’s historic struggle for independence. “We have the freedom to be here. I know that is right now, like really hard times for a lot of us, but I just feel that we have to be here for the ones that cannot be here.”
Joyful resistance was a theme for the celebration with many attendees echoing Rosa’s sentiment.
“If you’re celebrating your culture, that’s resisting,” Isabel said. “Regardless of what’s going on, it feels good to just be with people who get your culture and your background, your language. It feels good to have that celebrated.”
For others, the event was a chance to reconnect with their identity and feel a sense of belonging.
“I’m away at college right now, so it’s bringing back a little piece of home,” said Estrella Zamora, a student at the University of Portland. “And being where my culture is, that’s where home is.”
Zamora’s friend Jackie Espina agreed, adding that events like this help her stay connected to her roots.
“It feels like being back in Guatemala,” said Espina, who moved to the U.S. at 8 years old. “Seeing people like me, seeing our food, seeing everything, it’s so fun.”
For vendors, El Grito is a chance to share culture, craft and community. Carmen Rodriguez and Daniela Lopez, from Oaxaca, said their booth represents both heritage and commitment to local youth. At the festival, they offered embroidered bags, pillowcases and other assorted decorative items for sale.
“My mom and my grandma used to make all these things,” Rodriguez said. “The idea is to connect our roots, but at the same time, help our community here.”
Monday’s program runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offers another full day of music, dancing and food. The schedule also includes the Futures for Latinx Youth program, which invites high school students to connect with Latino professionals, business owners and public officials. Younger students can participate in activities at seven learning centers, each designed to teach different aspects of Latino culture through hands-on exercises.
“Last year we had around 200 students,” Lara said. “This year, 750 registered. That tells you the need for connection, the need to hear something that lifts their experience.”
Lara said the jump in participation reflects a growing demand for cultural understanding and community engagement within the Latino community.
“This celebration isn’t ignoring what our community is living,” Lara said in Spanish. “This celebration is sending a message of hope, that we are here and we understand. … I don’t want fear to disable me from facing challenges. I will not let anything take away from the beauty of life, because life is more beautiful than fear.”
If you go: El Grito continues 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15; Rose Quarter Commons, 1 North Center Court St.; free to attend; elgritoportland.com
— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiaraprofenna.
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