Mayor Michelle Wu Kicks Off Latinx Heritage Month

BOSTON -  Friday, September 15, 2023 - Today, Mayor Michelle Wu and the City of Boston celebrate the start of National Latinx Heritage Month, which runs today through October 15. The City will be providing a variety of programming and events in honor of Latinx cultures and communities that contribute to the vibrancy of Boston.

“Our Latinx residents are an essential part of Boston’s cultural fabric, and we honor their contributions during Latinx Heritage Month and beyond,” Mayor Michelle Wu said. “I’m thrilled to announce our Latinx Heritage Month programming, where Boston residents can celebrate and learn about the diversity of Latin American culture and communities all month long.”

Ahead of the official start of Latinx Heritage Month, the City’s Equity and Inclusion Cabinet and Latinx Employee Resource Group (ERG) co-hosted their annual Mexican Independence Day Celebration on September 14 at 12 p.m. They will also host a Central American Celebration event on September 17 at 11 a.m. to recognize the independence day of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Both events will take place at City Hall Plaza.

On September 19, the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet and Latinx ERG will co-host a Latinx Heritage Month celebration party. The celebration will take place on City Hall Plaza from 4 p.m. through 7 p.m. and feature food, music, dance, and other resources.

“The City of Boston’s Latinx Employee Resource Group believes in the power of our unity across our various Latin American identities and honors our cultural similarities as well as differences,” said Luz Johanna Pérez, Chair of the Latinx ERG. “Our annual Latinx Heritage Month celebration will showcase the cultural diversity within our city’s Latinx diaspora. We hope you will join us and experience this culturally vibrant event.” 

“Latinx Heritage Month is our moment to be loud and proud of our culture and communities,” said Gladys Oliveros, Latinx Cultural Liaison, Equity and Inclusion Cabinet. “I look forward to celebrating with the Latinx community in City Hall and throughout Boston neighborhoods all month.”  

The Boston Public Library will also be hosting resources and programming throughout Latinx Heritage Month to expand opportunities for residents to celebrate and learn about Latin American culture. A full list of events and resources is available on the BPL website.

Throughout Latinx Heritage Month, the City will also launch Fiesta en la Plaza, a series of Latinx-centered cultural activities that will take place over four weekends on City Hall Plaza. The series is produced by Ágora Cultural Architects, a production and consulting firm founded and directed by Latin American women, with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. 

• Welcome Fiesta - September 17, 2023 at 12 p.m.
  
  This event will celebrate the start of Latinx Heritage Month and feature a comparsa and performances from various Latin American artists residing in Boston, including Jorge Arce, Agua, Sol y Sereno, Eguie Castrillo, Veronica Robles, and Claudio Ragazzi.
  
   
• Cuatro & Poetry - September 22, 2023 at 7 p.m.
  
  Artists such as Yara Liceaga and Fabiola Méndez will perform during this celebration of Afro-Antillean rhythms and Latin women's voices.
  
   
• Salsa Night - September 23, 2023 at 5 p.m.
  
  Residents can learn Salsa through dance classes on City Hall Plaza and enjoy performances by Clave & Blues and guests.
  
   
• CineFest Latino Boston - October 5, 2023 at 3 p.m.
  
  This event will feature two Latin films for a movie night celebrating Latinx culture.
  
   
• Closing Fiesta - October 14, 2023 2 p.m.
  
  The final event of the series will include a discussion on Afro-Latin arts and cultures, a performance from the Hyde Square Task Force youth dance group, and a musical closing with Venezuelan harpist Eduardo Betancourt and Newman Fellow Cristela Guerra.

“Boston is home to so many incredible Latinx artists, and we look forward to highlighting their cultural legacies through song, dance, film, spoken word, and more during Fiesta en la Plaza,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts & Culture. “Fiesta en la Plaza will be a celebration of art, joy, and community para todos!”

“Fiesta en la Plaza invites us to meet friends and families to celebrate everything that unites us,” said Principal and Co-Founder of Ágora Elsa Mosquera-Sterenberg. “With Fiesta en la Plaza, we evoke that traditional community meeting space that our parents and grandparents had in their towns of origin.”