Festejando Nuestra Comunidad: A celebration and resource fair

Festejando Nuestra Comunidad kicked off Latinx Heritage Month with a cultural celebration to unite the community and engage with various local resources.

“We know that when people have different challenges, whether that be immigration status, education, language barriers, whatever that may be, it impedes their quality of life,” said Fernando Paz, a community organizer. “But we also know that when we come together and we share resources, knowledge and strategies— it can provide pathways to opportunities. They can absolutely, positively impact their quality of life in a positive direction.”

This year’s celebration is the return of Festejando Nuestra Comunidad since the COVID-19 pandemic paused the organization. Organizers will continue to work to create this event next year. At the event, people enjoyed live performances, delicious food and local organizations and businesses sharing their knowledge. A keynote speaker even traveled from New York to be at this event.

“The opportunity presented itself to talk about community and how build with the individuals that are here,” said Juan-Carlos Piñeiro, one of the keynote speakers. “And that’s something I’m really excited about, really excited about connecting people to something that they already have already. That’s what I do with students, but I love it when I get to bring communities together.”

The event took place at the College of the Redwoods. People are encouraged to follow Festejando Nuestra Comunidad on social media to stay updated with future events.

“I’m really happy to be here because as someone that wasn’t born here, I think getting together with food that I’ve grown up with, seeing people like brown people, [and] seeing people that speak Spanish,” said Kathy Zamora, a volunteer. I’m happy we’re out here because there’s a lot of resources out here that is needed to be known to the public. It’s also an event just to have fun and see what’s going down in the community.”