Not really, but you should know the history behind the date. Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration but a day of remembrance. Mexicans living in California commemorated the victory over France in Puebla in 1862. At that time, the United States was embroiled in a Civil War. So, is it racist to celebrate “Cinco de Mayo”?
About a century later, Chicano activists rediscovered the holiday and embraced it as a symbol of ethnic pride. But the party-filled Cinco de Mayo that Americans celebrate today didn’t become popular until U.S. beer companies began targeting the Spanish-speaking population in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. is primarily a celebration of Mexican-American culture, with the largest event in Los Angeles.
Throughout the 21st-century relationships between Mexican Americans and African Americans have been tense, as migrants from Mexico often arrive in the United States with extant anti-black racist sentiments. On various occasions, the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, made “hateful rhetoric” accusations that incited anti-Mexican sentiment and xenophobia.
Donald Trump referred to Mexican immigrants as criminals, rapists, and drug smugglers/dealers. He has also blamed Mexico for stealing American jobs and for allowing its worst elements to cross the border. And the worst of all is that during the last elections, above 45% of the USA’s population voted for Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, the USA takes the advantage of this historical happening and uses it as almost a holiday, to sell merchandise, make memes or post on TikTok, and so on without actually being aware of the meaning of a crucial battle that took place on their land. What do you think about this perspective? Are you still celebrating? Do you think it’s racist to celebrate “Cinco de Mayo” after all?
