For local residents of Mexican descent, Friday was doubly special.
The day marked the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day and the official start of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“It’s a double whammy here in the city,” Mayor Eddie Moran said as he and a group of city residents prepared to hoist the Mexican flag outside City Hall in honor of the occasion.
The event was a display of pride and appreciation for the more than 13,000 people in the Reading area who have Mexican lineage.
“I am deeply honored to stand before you as your mayor and share the celebration of your rich history and heritage and valuable contributions,” Moran said.
The first Mexicans to settle in the Reading community were skilled laborers and their families, who were recruited by the predecessor of the Reading Railroad and arrived in the mid-19th century, said Jonathan Tinoco, an organizer of the event and Reading School Board member.
“We have never left,” Tinoco said.
They, like many of the newer Mexican immigrants to the city, worked hard create a better life for themselves and their children, said Alexis Frutos, who grew up seeing their hard work and sacrifice firsthand..
A graduate of Gov. Mifflin High School, he was born in Berks County to Mexican immigrant parents and entrepreneurs Antonio and Angelica Munoz Frutos.
His parents own El Gallito Mexican Bakery, Grocery and Restaurant, 350 N. 10th St.
“Since the age of 4, I spent countless hours at the business, witnessing them give their all to create a better life,” he said.
Watching his parents’ dedication and business savvy was an education, Frutos said, crediting the lessons they taught for molding him to become a successful real estate agent with Coldwell Banker of Wyomissing and founder and owner of Latin AF Dance Company, which teaches Salsa and Bachata to students of all ages.
Success can mean many different things, he said.
“It can mean growth,” he said. “It could be a first-generation college graduate. It could be raising the Mexican flag today.”
It might also mean buying a home and putting down roots in the community.
But Frutos said Mexican-Americans sometimes face discrimination and judgment, which he sometimes encountered while growing up.
“Many were shocked when I told them my parents were entrepreneurs, as if they were not worthy,” Frutos said. “Little did they know the tears it took to establish our business.”
The sacrifices his parents and other local Mexican families made for a better life is admirable, he said.
“My parents have given me the greatest gift of all,” Frutos said. “It’s showing me that with faith, anything is possible.”
Mexican-Americans have made valuable contributions to Reading’s history, economy, art and neighborhoods, Moran said.
Mexican Independence Day and Hispanic Heritage Month provide an opportunity to recognize the mark Mexican immigrants made on the city and nation, the mayor said, and to look toward their continued contributions to society.
“As we raise the Mexican flag for the first time here above City Hall, we do more than just acknowledge a remarkable struggle for Mexican independence,” Moran said. “We also recognize and appreciate the profound impact that our Mexican brothers and sisters have had in our community since the 1800s.”
People of Mexican heritage all over the world commemorate Sept. 16, the date in 1810 that Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest in the village of Dolores, rang the church bell and delivered a speech calling for the end of Spanish colonial rule. That ignited Mexico’s War of Independence.
The fiesta Friday included poetry by Berks County’s first Mexican-American poet laureate, Anthony Orozco; a performance by Barrio Alegria’s Mexican dance troupe, Grupo Uarhani; Mexican music and traditional food samplings.
Source: Berkshire mont