LYNN — The city’s “Proud of my Hispanic Heritage” event is set to make its return for the ninth consecutive year on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The celebration was founded by Lynn Public Schools Spanish teacher Magalie Torres-Rowe with the goal of empowering the district’s high volume of Latino students to be proud of their heritage.
“Sometimes when we talk to them, they feel like second-class citizens,” Torres-Rowe said. “Their self-esteem is low and I think that’s not fair… Many latinos make great contributions to this country.”
The festivities will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the Flag Parade in the Lynn Common, which Torres-Rowe said is this year’s biggest addition. It will feature flags of the many Latino countries represented in the community.
“At some point, the future of Lynn is going to be on Latino shoulders and we want those generations coming in with a strong sense of self-esteem and identity,” Torres-Rowe said.
The event will shift to the Lynn Auditorium at 4 p.m. for a performance of the National Anthem of Latin American countries. The two featured speakers, Dr. Americo Mendoza and LPS Deputy Superintendent of Schools Maricel Goris, will both discuss how their hispanic heritage played a role in shaping who they are. Mayor Jared Nicholson and State Sen. Brendan Crighton and State Rep. Dan Cahill are also among those slated to give remarks. In addition, the tradition of recognizing an individual as the “Outstanding Latino of the Year” will continue.
The event is planned by a Committee of 15 people with numerous local affiliations. School Committee member and State Rep.-Elect Sean Reid is one of those individuals, and hopes this year’s event has the highest attendance yet.
“This event is about celebrating a number of the amazing cultures, stories, and accomplishments that strengthen our city,” Reid said. “The planning team, led by Magalie, has been working hard to make this a fun and informative event.”
Committee member and LPS Director of Diversity Robert Bishop noted he has placed an extra emphasis this year on community outreach ahead of the celebration.
“I’ve hand-delivered flyers to every school,” Bishop said. “Just making sure that this is an event that every school not only knows about, but is letting their students know about.”
