History and Cultural Impacts of Cinco de Mayo

Actions Panel

History and Cultural Impacts of Cinco de Mayo

Join us for season six episode two called History and Cultural Impacts of Cinco de Mayo: How Celebration Supports Harmful Stereotypes.

By LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs

When and where

Date and time

Wednesday, April 12 · 1:30 - 3pm PDT

Location

Online

About this event

  • 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Mobile eTicket

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory over the French army during the battle of Puebla in 1862. Over time, this holiday has turned into a commercialized celebration that fails to acknowledge the history, culture, and accomplishments of Mexican people. Rather than honoring this history, Americans use it as an excuse to party and play into harmful stereotypes instead of celebrating respectfully. The Mexican-American community has since reclaimed the holiday to commemorate Mexican resilience during the Chicano movement. Our four panelists include LSU's very own Alejandro Cortazar, Ph.D., photographer and activist William Camargo, Chicano and Latino Studies experts Lorena Márquez, Ph.D. and Gabriela Spears-Rico, Ph.D. Join us as we discuss different negative stereotypes, the ties to the Chicano movement, and how to support Mexican-American/Undocumented communities this Cinco de Mayo.

About the organizer

The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented, and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.