An upbeat mix of mariachi and cumbé music will emanate throughout the room, and meringue dancers in traditional Mexican costume will grace the floor at the Mexican Revolution dance concert this Friday, Nov. 20. Traditional corridos, songs telling the story of the Mexican Revolution, will fill the air. A table full of traditional Mexican food, including some chips and zesty salsa, completes the scene.
Mariachi band member Neri Rodriquez recalled his experience celebrating Mexican Revolution Day in a small town on the coast of Mexico, where a rifle would be fired among cries of “tierra y libertad,” or land and freedom, to announce the celebration of the Mexican Revolution. Rodriguez and his band, Los Cumbiamberos, will be playing for the Mexican Revolution dance concert Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room.
For Rodriguez, who has lived in Eugene for eight years, Mexican Revolution Day symbolizes independence and freedom and celebrates having a better life.
“The whole family celebrates the day; it’s a very important day of the year because it’s a commemoration of the Mexican Revolution and was a big change for Mexico as a whole for the better. It’s something we don’t forget,” he said.
Rodriguez said the Mexican Revolution dance concert gives those interested in Mexican culture a chance to learn more about the revolution. For Latino students who may normally celebrate the holiday at home with family, the event also provides a place to celebrate the day at school.
Rodriguez believes Latinos in the Eugene community appreciate the attention that the Mexican Revolution dance concert will bring to their culture and national holiday.
“The event is really good for everybody, especially for the Latin American population of students. I think that it’s important because it makes us feel welcome and good to be able to show the American people a part of our culture with open doors,” Rodriguez said.
Alyssa Fisher, a first-year graduate student and coordinator at the Cultural Forum, emphasized the importance of the event to many groups in the area.
“I think definitely if you come from a family that celebrates the Mexican Revolution you would feel left out when you’re not at home, so it’s a place for them to celebrate together,” Fisher said.
Multiple groups have collaborated to put on the event, such as the Latin American Solidarity Committee, Romance Languages department, Latin American Studies department and the Multicultural Center.
“We are trying to get a lot of the surrounding community in Eugene involved as well as students interested in the Mexican Revolution or Romance Languages; it’s an informational event as well as celebratory,” Fisher said.
Bryan Moore, a senior Spanish instructor at the University, emphasized the importance of Emiliano Zapata’s mission for land and freedom and how it still relates to modern issues.
“We are doing this event to dedicate it to the hero, father and king of the Mexican
Revolution — Zapata, and his aspirations and dreams are still true and growing in Mexico today. Many people say “Zapata vive, la lucha sigue,” which means “Zapata lives, the struggle continues,” Moore said. “Here in Oregon, we stand in solidarity with peoples in Mexico, whether it’s maquiladoras in Mexican factories or people in the cities struggling for better working conditions — Zapata and his revolution for freedom lives on.”
This year, Nov. 20 will mark the 99th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. The Cultural Forum hopes to organize a bigger celebration next year for the 100th anniversary of the revolution.
The Mexican Revolution Day event will also feature poetry and testimony from other participants, as well as various tables from organizations addressing immigration rights, Latinos in the Eugene community and study abroad opportunities.
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