WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 38
$2
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in style Advocates hail
gas company’s withdrawal of tank expansion BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Before the parade, many sing the national anthem in their homes or outside and television and radio stations broadcast the national anthem. In Mexico’s Independence Day Eve tradition, “El Grito,” a ceremony is led by the president of Mexico and the bells of the National Palace are rung as they recreate one of Mexico’s most important historical moments, according to the official government website of Mexico. “El Grito de Dolores” was when Father Hidalgo urged the people of Dolores to rise up against Spanish rule and gave reasons as to why they could not stay passive during a time of struggle. The Mexican flag is waved and honors the country’s heroes. As the president lists their names, the Mexicans who are all at the main square of Mexico City, called El Zocalo, shout “Viva! Viva!” It’s an expression that represents the respect and admiration from the nation toward those heroic figures.
A press conference was held on Friday at Dupont Elementary School to celebrate major gasoline distributor Magellan Pipeline Company’s decision to withdraw a widely criticized proposal that would add five more gasoline tanks across the street from the elementary school. The withdrawal follows a wave of community opposition, with environmental advocates vocalizing concerns about potentially worsening existing health problems that are caused by high levels of pollution in Commerce City. Despite the good news, environmental and community activists aren’t quite ready to pop the champagne. Representatives from the environmental advocacy nonprofitCultivando, local healthcare providers, educators, and Adams 14 officials joined activists and community members to discuss their thoughts on the withdrawal, with many emphasizing that the fight was far from over. “The poisonous air that already exists in Commerce City disproportionately impacts our most marginalized community members,” said local environmental activist Rana AlHarbi. “Although we celebrate today, we cannot rest on this achievement. This is only the beginning, and there will be more businesses who will try to pollute our air in the interest of making money,” she said. Noting Commerce City’s status as a “historically exploited community” during a press conference on Friday, AlHarbi also directly called on the state health department’s Air Pollution Control Division director to take further action.
SEE HERITAGE, P10
SEE WITHDRAWAL, P10
A dancer at the Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference on the Metropolitan State University Auraria Campus in April 2024. FILE PHOTO
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ JRAMIREZ@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Celebrations in other countries
• Page 9
• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
celebrations of Hispanic and Latino contributions to society begin in Colorado and beyond. This year for many Mexicans, Las Vegas is the place to be: icon Luis Miguel is scheduled to perform the day before Mexico’s Independence Day at Caesar’s Palace.
BUSINESS
Here’s why September is the time to celebrate Latin American culture and traditions
• Page 3
•27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
3 5 8 11
LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
LOCAL
Hispanic Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15 and celebrates the histories and cultures of Hispanic and Latino communities. The celebration goes hand in hand with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, highlighting their historic struggles and achievements toward independence. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate their independence on Sept. 15; Mexico is the next day, Chile celebrates Sept. 18 and Belize celebrates Sept. 21. As the month progresses, many
Some Latin American countries honor their independence movements around mid-September, which according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, “occurred in the Age of Revolutions, a period from the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, when several countries fought for and gained their independence.” By 1836, most Latin American countries, except Puerto Rico and Cuba, had gained independence. In one of Costa Rica’s oldest traditions known as the Lantern Parade, children bring light to the streets on the eve of its Independence Day, according to the Tico Times, an English-language newspaper there.
OBITUARIES: PAGE 5 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 11
COMMERCECITYSENTINEL.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
MONACO PARK MAKEOVER
City unveils improvements P6