LYNN — The city celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on Tuesday with a flag parade that included singing, dancing, and the honoring of cultures as part of the ninth annual “Proud of my Hispanic Heritage” event.
Maria Carrasco, a former member of the Lynn School Committee, served as the Masters of Ceremony for the event.
The event celebrated Hispanic cultures and heritage, Carrasco said, translated by Tony Mendez.
Carrasco introduced Dr. Magalie Torres-Rowe, Executive Director and Founder of Latina Center Maria and a teacher at Breed Middle School, who founded the event.
“With her intelligence and with her innovation, (she) made it possible that we don’t have to go to another city to celebrate our Hispanic heritage,” Carrasco said.
Dr. Torres-Rowe said, translated by Mendez, she founded the event for students to “feel proud of their roots.”
When she first began teaching, Dr. Torres-Rowe found students were “ashamed” to speak Spanish.
The goal of the annual event is for students to “love their identity” because “loving it means having high self esteem, and then we become leaders,” Dr. Torres-Rowe said.
Lynn Tech student Crystal Fernandez sang the United States National Anthem, which was followed by recordings of the national anthems of Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. During each national anthem, members of each nationality stood to honor their heritage.
Harvard University Professor Dr. Americo Mendoza, translated by Mendez, said he was happy to hear different national anthems sung and attendees stand to honor their heritage.
“I know many of you miss your home countries, but you are also, to a good extent, imposing this culture on your children,” Dr. Mendoza said.
He add that language and culture play a major part in students’ education and journey to college. He said it is important for students to use their Hispanic heritage in their professional lives and for parents to help by teaching them their culture.
“Education starts at home,” Dr. Mendoza said.
Deputy Superintendent for Lynn Public Schools, Maricel Goris, translated by Mendez, shared her journey as the second child to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic.
“These experiences have informed my core values, integrity, racial justice and joy to live my truth, fight for liberation and celebrate every win along my journey,” Goris said. “These core values drive my passion and commitment to education as an effective driver toward individual and collective liberation.”
She discussed the importance of sharing one another’s heritage and cultures to help each other thrive.
“One of the things I love about Hispanic Heritage Month is the diversity within the Hispanic Latino community,” Mayor Jared Nicholson said. “Each of you, in your individual cultures and family stories and family histories, are a critical part of this community… a critical part of our future.”
