The 58th Annual Pacoima Holiday Parade came with its usual festivities this year, filled with lowriders decorated with seasonal ornaments, marching bands and cheer teams from Northeast San Fernando Valley schools and charros to delight the crowd outside Pacoima City Hall.
But as some officials made apparent in their opening remarks before the parade started, this year’s event was also meant to highlight the community’s strength in the face of raids by federal immigration authorities.
“I look forward to this event each and every year, and I wasn’t going to let some … president stop us from having joy in our community this year,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, the parade’s grand marshal, said in reference to Donald Trump.
“It still brings me great joy … to see how many families were getting ready to come out [and] line up Van Nuys Boulevard. It’s just a reminder of how strong and resilient our community is, that no one is ever going to stop us from the best of what we can become.”
Rodriguez was followed by other local and state officials, including LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla, Congresswoman Luz Rivas, Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar and City of San Fernando Councilmembers Mary Mendoza and Mary Solorio.
Aside from politicians, the parade had its own special guest – singer and actress Apollonia, best known for her role in “Purple Rain” alongside the famous artist Prince. The famed performer is no stranger to the neighborhood, however, as she used to live in Pacoima on Laurel Canyon Boulevard.
“Everybody stay together, be aware, be careful, but stop being afraid,” Apollonia said. “Live your lives and fight for freedom.”
Something that has made the parade special to the Pacoima community is how it has spanned generations – adults who used to watch it with their parents now do so with their children. Even officials like Rivas recounted how she used to participate in the parade when she was younger as a member of the Telfair Avenue Elementary School drill team.
“It’s still so exciting that it’s still going on today,” Rivas said. “But today is about being here in community, despite what’s happening in Washington, [D.C.], … but I come home to be inspired by all of you, to keep fighting for our community, to make sure that everyone is treated humanely, that immigrants will have a pathway to citizenship one day.”
And the fight for the community certainly has continued – particularly against the federal immigration raids. Menjivar mentioned 18-year-old Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, who just days earlier was reunited with his family after being taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than four months ago. The teen was detained while walking his dog on Aug. 8, less than a week before he was to start his senior year at Reseda Charter High School.
“He’s going to be able to celebrate Christmas with his family,” Menjivar said. “So for whatever wish [you have], … I hope that Santa grants all of them because we, in the San Fernando Valley, … do not deserve bread crumbs.”
Some participants echoed these sentiments, including students and faculty from Maclay Middle School who carried signs that said “No a la separación de familias,” or “No to the separation of families,” while shouting “Viva la raza” – a Spanish slogan meaning “long live the people.”
A Classic Parade
After the opening remarks, the parade was underway with the San Fernando High School drill team leading the event, followed by Monica Rodriguez and Apollonia each in their own classic cars.
Not to be outdone, other schools in the valley also made an appearance with their own marching band and cheer teams, including Pacoima Charter School, Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) and Guardian Angel Catholic School.
Of course, being a holiday parade, there were plenty of people dressed up in Santa outfits and as classic movie and TV characters – most notably, the Grinch. He showed up a few times throughout the event, from driving a United States Postal Service (USPS) truck to riding atop the passenger door of a lowrider.
Speaking of which, there were plenty of car clubs that showed off their rides to the crowd, ranging from classic Volkswagen trucks to tricked-out lowriders. Drivers weren’t shy about showing off the modifications and hydraulics of their cars, as they either lowered the frame as close to the ground as possible or raised it high into the sky.
But a fan favorite of the parade has always been the charros and the prancing horses. The leading group carried the flags of the U.S. and Mexico, while another group performed tricks with their lassos. Some horses “danced” to the beat of live music, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
And as usual, Santa Claus himself rounded out the parade. Although he switched out his red sleigh for a red convertible, there was no less amount of joy to be had for all the families watching and cheering as he drove on by.