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Rx for Resilience: Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a day of joy and celebration in the United States for many Latino leaders and those who cherish the Latino culture. GlobalMindED’s Emerging Professionals will be one of many organizations supporting this important day with their leaders, community by community, city by city and in ways large and small throughout the country.
The first American Cinco de Mayo celebrations took place in the 1860s, when Mexicans in California commemorated the victory over France in Puebla. Simultaneously, the United States was embattled in the Civil War. News of the outlier Mexican army beating back Napoleon III’s forces gave new strength and confidence to California’s Latinos, who were dedicated to stopping the advances of the Confederate army.
"For Mexicans in the U.S., the Civil War and the French invasion of Mexico were like one war with two fronts. They were concerned about France, which sided with the Confederacy, being on America's doorstep,” David Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the University of California Los Angeles, told NBC News with the real story behind the holiday and five facts that may surprise you.
The tradition of celebrating Cinco de Mayo has continued in Los Angeles without interruption since 1862, according to Hayes-Bautista, although the original reason and the history have gotten lost. Chicano activists raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960s and since then the tradition has spread to almost all parts of the United States. Whether you recognize the day with friends at a Cinco de Mayo festival, a night out for delicious Mexican food with a special friend, or time spent reading your favorite Mexican poets or authors, this is a day to appreciate the courageous strides leaders from Mexico made in the 1800s and draw from their ability to take on multiple oppressive forces at once—and triumph.
Join us in June to learn from some of the most accomplished Latino leaders in the nation and the world like Thomas Savino, CEO of Prospanica, Patricia Mota, CEO of HACE (Hispanic Alliance for Career Advnacement), Paulette Tate, Chair of the Colorado Hispanic Chamber Foundation and Mike Ferufino, CEO of Colorado Hispanic Chamber as well as Latino leaders across every discipline. Juana Bordas, international speaker , author and GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award Winner will be leading a session entitled, The Power of Latino Leadership !Ahora!: Inclusion, Community and Contribution. Whatever you are drinking today for Cinco de Mayo, we raise a glass to these leaders who enrich, expand and enhance the GlobalMindED Inclusive Success Network, our nation and the world. Mil Gracias por todo!
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