The MEChA Club (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán) of California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) had an early celebration of El grito, which is the nickname to Mexico’s Independence Day, which is officially celebrated on Sep. 16, and literally means “the scream” or “the cry,” this past Wednesday in the quad.
Sep. 16, 1810 is when Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest of Dolores, Guanajuato, México uttered “the cry of independence” which then marked the end of Mexico’s war for independence from the Spaniards.
In Mexico, every year as a form of celebration for their independence day, the people color the streets of their country’s flag: green, white and red. They do so by proudly waving their Mexican flag, painting their faces with such colors and even coordinating all three colors with flowers.
Also, as a big tradition, thousands of people tend to gather outside the National Palace, a governmental building, to enjoy the night with food, music, fireworks and with the Mexican government yelling out of the Palace’s balcony “¡Viva México!” After the shouting, the Mexican government rings a bell and then waves the Mexican flag, all while the whole crowd of thousands of people are cheering and applauding.
To start off the celebration, talented singer and Stan State student Liliana Hernandez (Junior, Kinesiology) belted out several songs while strutting around the quad and interacting with the crowd of students who were intrigued by her performance. She finished up by shouting “Viva México!” which received an echo of proud cheers and applause.
After a while of the talented singing, MEChA presented a colorful group of folclórico dancers. The baile folclórico, consisted of several female students twirling the skirts of their multicolored dresses while rhythmically stomping on the wood placed on the ground beneath them.
During the interludes between the dances, a mariachi band played, and Mr. Garcia, the father of Stan State student Alejandro Garcia (Senior, Business), sang a few inspiring songs that he had written in Spanish dedicated to the recently deceased Juan Gabriel.
Garcia, who is also the vice president of MEChA, explained the history and purpose behind the club: “We’ve been here for 30 years. This organization provides Latino youth conferences, fundraising that goes to scholarships for students in our local high schools, and we want to continue and show support to our own. We want to make sure we give a name to our people and have a stance in our political and economic system.”
Yajaira Gutierrez Aguayo (junior, Liberal Studies), the co-chair for MEChA said that she joined in 2014 because she received a scholarship from MEChA while she was in high school and decided to help others receive the same opportunity that she was given.
Gabriela Aguayo-Martinez (senior, business), the secretary, treasurer, and student event coordinator for MEChA joined the organization because she “really liked the atmosphere of it; it was very family-based.” Aguayo-Martínez recommends others to join because it will open up opportunities for networking and socializing.
Vanessa Uribe (Senior, Criminal Justice) stresses the significance of the day’s event because it is the day that Mexico gained its independence from the Spaniards. She also explains the confusion that most people have with Mexico’s real day of independence: “A lot of people think Cinco de Mayo is Independence Day, but really it’s in September.”
MEChA’s celebration of Mexico’s independence day brought Stan State’s Mexican and Chicanx community together. Dozens of people gathered around the MEChA table that was decorated with colorful papel picado (perforated paper, literally pickered paper used as designs) strung from the awning and the MEChA flag that has been with the organization for 20 years. Passersby got to listen to the traditional mariachi music and talented Hernandez sing as a reminder of this significant day for many Stan State students.
If you would like to find out more about MEChA, there is a Facebook page and an Instagram account. You can also join on Stan Sync, the school’s new student portal for clubs and organizations. MEChA also has meetings every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Bizzini Hall in room 117.