TEMPLE, Texas (FOX 44) – The Cultural Activities Center in Temple is holding a Latin heritage celebration this Saturday.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will transform the Cultural Activities Center into a space for Latin people to connect with their heritage, and for non-Latin people to learn and join in on the fun.
Kandice Harris, the Director of Visual Arts at the Cultural Activities Center, says that the celebration will be packed full of Latin activities.
“It’s just a day to celebrate the Latin roots in our community,” said Kandice. “We will have dance performances. We will have a music performance.”
One of the performers on Saturday will be the Tierra Mestiza Ballet Folklorico group. Anna Pineda is the director of this group, who spoke about the importance of dance in Latin culture.
“Dance is kind of inherent since childhood,” said Pineda. “Kids as young as, like, pre-K and kindergarten as part of, like, end of the semester, end of the year, they learn traditional dance from their teacher and perform for their family.”
Pineda also spoke about how the traditional dresses they wear are tied to the dance and have meaningful cultural significance.
“Mexico has 32 states, and often each state has its own representative dress,” said Pineda. “Also, within each state, you’ll have subsections, or towns even, that have their own attire.”
Another event that will happen at the celebration is a scholarship handout from the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC. Judy Morales is the President of LULAC Council 4971, and says that handing out these scholarships is an amazing feeling.
“It’s such an investment, and so, we really feel excited about being able to be part of their lives,” said Morales. “They come back, they’re nurses, they’re bankers, they’re scientists. One of them already has a Ph.D.”
The event is free to attend, and the Cultural Activities Center hopes to make the celebration a yearly staple during Latin Heritage Month.
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