On the first day of Latino Heritage Month, a time when several Latin American countries celebrate their independence days, more than a hundred people came to Plaza Del Valle, a community plaza in Panorama City, for a day filled with live music and pride in their cultural identity.
“Ritmo y Celebración” was held on Sunday, Sept. 15, in a collaboration between Plaza Del Valle, Plaza Comunitaria Sinaloa, Labor Community Services, the offices of Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and Congressman Tony Cárdenas.
Horvath, Cárdenas and LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla were there for the festivities, each taking turns to address the crowd.
Padilla said the celebration including live musical performances showcased the “immense talent and local vibrancy” of local artists and captured the essence of Latino heritage and pride.
Mariachi Canciones de mi Tierra, the Inca Peruvian Ensemble and the Pacoima Charter Student Violin Ensemble performed. Some in the crowd sang along to the familiar songs that the groups played, while a few others danced.
“Latino Heritage Month is about taking pride in seeing these communities thrive,” Padilla said.
Representatives from Haven Hills, Chrysalis, Clinica Romero, Discovery Cube, Somos Familia Valle and New Economics for Women were among those representing nonprofit and community organizations, who set up booths offering information to those attending the event. They offered resources for health care, voter registration, employment and small businesses.
Horvath told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol that Latino Heritage Month, on top of celebrating culture, is about supporting the community in a variety of ways.
“This region has been underserved for quite some time, and we need to make sure that we are appropriately investing in the community and creating access to resources,” Horvath said.
“We need to make sure that people actually know what services are available to them.”
That includes ensuring people have access to mental health services, for instance, the 988 Suicide & Crises Lifeline, and connecting job and education centers between the communities of Van Nuys and Pacoima through the East San Fernando Valley with the planned construction of the Light Rail Transit Project.
Cárdenas was recognized for his many years championing the effort to bring services to the community during his tenure, and he was honored by Horvath and Plaza Comunitaria Sinaloa ahead of his upcoming retirement.
“Congressman Cárdenas has been a tremendous leader for this region for so many years, and … you have seen how he’s invested in the community, in education, in health services,” Horvath said. “At every stage of his career, Congressman Cárdenas has been very proud to speak of his heritage and where he comes from and to bring the community with him [to Congress].”
Cárdenas gave recognition to the colleagues he’s worked with over the years on the local, state and federal levels – including Horvath, Padilla, Assemblymember Luz Rivas and Sen. Alex Padilla – and for the values instilled in him by his parents, who are immigrants.
“‘When you say something, you do it, and don’t ever complain about working hard.’ Those are the values of Andrés and María Cárdenas that were passed down to me and my 10 brothers and sisters,” Cárdenas said. “It’s because of them that I was able to be welcomed and recognized by the community for 28 years to be an assemblymember, City Council member and now United States congressman.”
He also thanked the community for supporting the local businesses, saying, “This is what makes our community vibrant, beautiful and wonderful. … This is our community and this is our space.”
Spreading the Word for Latino Heritage Month
Jackie Paniagua – COO for Plaza Comunitaria Sinaloa, a nonprofit that offers educational programs including ESL classes, computer literacy and financial literacy – said the event was the first time they’ve hosted an event for Latino Heritage Month. Based on the positive reception they received, they hope to make this event an annual celebration.
“We’ve had other events … but there really isn’t enough going on here,” explained Paniagua. “We’re really trying to work with Plaza Del Valle and other collaborators and community partners to bring [more of] these types of community events because it’s been really nice to get the community out and celebrating. We need to continue this momentum and do some more.”
Not enough people are aware of Latino Heritage Month, Paniagua said, which ends on Oct. 15. She explained that hosting events like this – especially in the San Fernando Valley, where 42% are Latino or Hispanic, according to 2020 Census data – helps to spread the word of what is now a celebration nationwide.
“It’s a beautiful thing to really be in the community and take the moment to acknowledge and celebrate our heritage,” she said. “It’s not something we do every day, and that’s why we have these holidays, to take the time and be proud of where you come from, your roots, your heritage and your ancestry.”
And speaking of spreading the word, Paniagua said the community event was the perfect opportunity to inform the local community about the resources available to them. The Latino community works by word of mouth, she explained, noting that her nonprofit doesn’t have a marketing strategy. Instead, all their participants come through referrals.
In future events, Paniagua hopes to expand their reach and get more people involved. She’s open to the idea of the event taking place in different parts of the valley but said it will continue to stay in Panorama City for now.
“This is a cultural gem here at Plaza Del Valle,” Paniagua said. “It’s a special place, so I think for the scale that we took it at, it was perfect.”
“Through events like today’s celebration, we are able to shine a light on the incredible contributions that our community makes each day,” Padilla said. “We’ll also inspire the next generation to carry our traditions forward.”