May has come and gone, this time without a Cinco de Mayo event that’s been held in Everett for years. That’s because Familias Unidas, a family support center serving the local Latino community, will launch a new celebration Saturday with a wider focus.
Rather than being centered only around those of Mexican heritage, “Celebrating Our People” has been planned to reach all Latin American communities in Snohomish County. The cultural, wellness and resource event is scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. It’s free, but meals will be sold.
Sandra Solano-Huber is program supervisor with Familias Unidas. For the past 13 years, she said, the support center has held a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Everett High School’s cafeteria.
“Thirteen years ago, there weren’t a lot of events that addressed our Mexican families,” Solano-Huber said Tuesday. “Today, Latino communities are much more diverse.”
Cinco de Mayo — it’s not Mexican Indpendence Day — is a May 5 observance marking an 1862 Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. “From Cinco de Mayo, we have moved to a Latin American celebration inviting the entire community,” Solano-Huber said.
In Snohomish County, “we have seen an increase in families from Colombia, quite a few people from Peru, and many more from our Central American countries,” particularly Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, she said.
“The majority are Mexican, but Latino means much more than that. We want them to feel welcome and appreciated,” she said.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 population estimate showed that 9.5 percent of Snohomish County’s 746,446 people classified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Statewide in the 2013 estimate, 11.9 percent of 6,973,742 people in Washington classified themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
Saturday’s event will be a celebration of many cultures. Visitors will see performances by Bailadores de Bronce, a group started by University of Washington students in 1972 to show pride in their Mexican heritage through music and dance.
There will be health screenings, library card sign-ups, yoga and Zumba, activities for people with disabilities, resource information and prize drawings.
Solano-Huber said as many as 700 people attended the Cinco de Mayo events at Everett High. She hopes the Lynnwood church location will be accessible to even more. “The church has been very welcoming,” she said.
Familias Unidas is a program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest. It’s housed in Everett, in a building behind Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on Mukilteo Boulevard. Lutheran Community Services also runs several other family support centers in Snohomish County.
Growing from a support group in the late 1990s, Familias Unidas has a bilingual staff and provides English and citizenship classes, parenting help, youth activities, resource referral and more.
Sponsors for Saturday’s event are Verdant Health Commission, Molina Healthcare, Everett Community College, Edmonds Community College and partnerships with Sea Mar Community Health Centers, United Health Care, WithinReach, Latino Community Fund of Washington, and Community Health Center of Snohomish County.
Lots of free services and information will be available, but it’s also a time to celebrate. And everyone — Latino or not — is welcome.
“Get to know your neighbors,” Solano-Huber said. “Get to know the people who are part of your community.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Latino cultural
event Saturday
“Celebrating Our People,” a cultural and wellness event to celebrate and connect people from Latin America, will be held 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. Sponsored by Familias Unidas, a family support center serving the local Latino community, it will include music, dance, food, health screenings, library card sign-ups, yoga, community resources and more. Admission free; Mexican meals available for purchase. Familias Unidas information: http://familysupport.lcsnw.org/familias-unidas
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