Jose Gonzalez and Alec Cheline are two longtime amigos who are proud of their Mexican heritage. On Saturday, the compadres from Calabasas and the Inland Empire drove to the City of San Fernando to join the El Grito Latino Heritage Celebration, wearing their cherished Mexican ponchos.
They were among an estimated 1,500 people at the event, which marks the return of a tradition with decades of history in this city of nearly 25,000 people, whose majority claims Mexican ancestry, along with a diverse mix of other Latin American heritages.
El Grito is a traditional reenactment in many Mexican cities, commemorating the historic cry for freedom in 1810 that marked the beginning of Mexico’s struggle for independence from Spain. Mexico achieved independence in 1821, and this year marks 204 years of freedom from foreign rule. This autonomy has enabled Mexico to become the top commercial partner of the U.S., surpassing both China and Canada.
Mexican immigrants in the U.S. have brought their Independence Day fiestas to this side of the border.
Local History of El Grito
The City of San Fernando held an El Grito ceremony from the 1990s until 2006, when it stopped due to budgetary constraints. The celebration was jump-started again by the donation from Campana de la Libertad and a Mexican philanthropist, allowing El Grito to be reenacted again in 2023. Unfortunately, city elections in 2024 and a changing of the guard in the City Council made the event’s planning impossible, according to Javier Verdin, a former San Fernando cultural arts commissioner.
Verdin has high hopes that the city will be able to keep El Grito going for many years to come.
City and valley residents showed up to this year’s edition of the event, despite a federal immigration crackdown that has instilled fear in many Mexican undocumented immigrants. Many people have opted to sit out many September celebrations.
Nonetheless, Verdin expressed his satisfaction at this year’s attendance as he remarked, “People still came out.” Verdin himself served as the master of ceremonies for El Grito this past weekend, which was held in front of City Hall.
“I came here to support my community and local vendors,” said Gonzalez, the man from Calabasas. He said it was important to stand up and make a statement with his presence and wallet about “the recent events that have been going on lately.”
ICE in the Valley
Valley communities like North Hollywood, Pacoima, Panorama City, Sun Valley and Van Nuys have seen raids and other immigration operations in recent months that are part of an immigration crackdown. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were supposed to focus on undocumented immigrants with serious and violent crime offenses, the federal efforts have instead arrested tens of thousands of workers without police records or with minor violations.
Some cities cancelled their September events, including Long Beach and Chicago, over fears of ICE operations. The City of San Fernando did not.
Although smaller than the Mexican Independence Day celebrations in Los Angeles and other major cities in the region, the City of San Fernando outdoor event was vibrant. Local artists, including Mariachi Tesoro and the Mexican bands Las Voces de Antaño and Herencia Norteña, performed a variety of music genres. Some danced, and even some prancing horses joined in, guided by Mexican charros. Vendors included local artisans selling jewelry, textiles, ceramics and other arts and crafts. Food trucks and pop-up restaurants sold tacos, empanadas argentinas, tortas ahogadas and other specialties from Mexico and Latin America.
“I enjoyed my night with some birria tacos,” said City of San Fernando resident Danara Castañeda.
Xiomara Castellanos of Pacoima said she came at the invitation of friends who love Mexican and Latino cultures. “It was all warm with lots of beautiful families, and dances and musical performances,” Castellanos said. Her friend Sandy Martinez, also from Pacoima, echoed Castellanos’ comments, saying, “I also really enjoyed this event because it brings you a sense of community.”
A third friend, Victoria Martinez, was drawn to El Grito’s focus on her own culture. “My parents are from [the Mexican state of] Jalisco,” she said. “I find it really important to embed our culture in our daily lives and to bring our community together, especially during a time when it’s really uncertain for many families, being ripped apart from each other.”
An Ecuadorian couple spontaneously decided to stop by El Grito as they spotted the event while driving through San Fernando. “Everything is so beautiful and spirited,” said Sara Bravo in Spanish. “It’s interesting to see people’s patriotism to commemorate this holiday.”
Saira Barajas of Van Nuys learned about the event through her mother, a community organizer. Barajas brought her little daughter, Dalilah, and her husband, Charles. Asked what she liked best, the girl exclaimed, “Dancing!” And her husband? “The music and the dancing horses,” he said and laughed. Barajas hoped more residents would join events like El Grito. “The community should come out and be united in these tough times.”
Carolina Juarez of Pacoima explained she usually attended Mexican Independence Day commemorations at Olvera Street in downtown LA. This time, she decided to celebrate near home. “I had never come here,” Juarez said. “We have to commemorate this holiday especially now that our community needs to … strengthen their love for the motherland, because that’s the only thing that will keep us standing up during these hard times facing immigrants.”
Rodolfo Padilla, a representative of the Mexican Consulate in LA, carried out the reenactment of El Grito. Around 9 p.m., Padilla yelled, “Viva Mexico!” while San Fernando Mayor Mary Mendoza rang the Bell of Freedom.