I asked several students from different backgrounds, some of them from Latino heritage, if they knew what Cinco de Mayo stood for, and all of them said the holiday was related to either “Mexican Independence”, “the Mexican-American war” or “the Alamo.” In fact, Cinco de Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with the Mexican revolution and even less with the Mexican-American war or the Alamo. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at Puebla on May 5, 1862, and is only celebrated in Puebla, Mexico.

Now that ASCOCC has cut club budgets by 23%, it would be more sensible if the Latino Club used their remaining funding for events with more cultural significance. As a Latino in this community, I think that if we were to teach about how the actual Cinco de Mayo came to be or any of the many factual Mexican holidays, for that matter, it would be more logical and a better use of club and school funds. Let’s be conscientious about what we celebrate and let’s get the facts of our traditions right.

Brayan Gonzalez | The Broadside
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