Fresno celebrates Mexican Independence Day with flag-raising at City Hall
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fresno City Hall marked Mexico's independence with a symbolic flag-raising event.
- Mexican Consul emphasized migrant rights, cultural unity and binational ties.
- Local officials hailed immigrants' impact, reaffirming commitment to inclusion.
The annual Mexican flag-raising ceremony held at Fresno City Hall to commemorate the 215th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico drew a smaller crowd than past years, though city and consulate officials said it remains an important tradition.
Irma de Los Ángeles Pimentel Portilla, Fresno’s new Mexican consul, led the Mexican flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday morning. She said this year’s ceremony was important given the deportation fears across immigrant communities.
“This year is very important, and it’s very touching because of the situation (facing our) sister and brother migrants across this beautiful country,” Pimentel Portilla said.
The consul didn’t attribute the flag-raising ceremony’s small crowd to immigration fears. Pimentel Portilla said one potential reason for the low attendance could be that many Mexican immigrants work during the week and don’t have the day off like their counterparts in Mexico — where Sept. 16 is a national holiday met with widespread public celebrations.
“Migrants are for only one thing — to be allowed to work and live in peace today,” Pimentel Portilla said.
The ceremony in front of City Hall was sponsored by Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi, Councilmember Nelson Esparza, and the Consulado de México en Fresno.
Growing up in the Valley, Esparza said he saw firsthand how the Mexican flag means different things to different people. To immigrants, the Mexican flag is a symbol of pride and perseverance, he said.
“It reminded us that our stories have value and that our heritage matters, and that we are part of something much larger than ourselves,” Esparza said.
The ceremony, Esparza said an opportunity to “remind up of the responsibility that we share to honor our heritage by working together to build an inclusive future that is just and full of opportunity.”
While Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer didn’t attend the flag-raising ceremony, City Manager Georgeanne White said the mayor “deeply” values Fresno’s strong ties to the Mexican community.
Half of Fresno’s population is Hispanic with many direct ties to Mexico, White said.
“Mexican culture isn’t just something we celebrate once a year. It’s part of who we are in Fresno. It’s woven into the everyday life of our city, and we’re better for it,” White said.
Karbassi said people who are not familiar with Fresno always compliment the city’s Mexican food.
“And that only is because of the immigrants that we’ve had come here, the generations of hard work they’ve put into this community, and how they lifted us up,” said Karbassi. “And it’s very, very important their story be told.”
“We do have generations continuing to come into this country, working hard and building a legacy for themselves and achieving the dream, the American dream,” Karbassi said.
The city presented the consulate with a proclamation declaring Sept. 16 as Mexican Independance Day in the City of Fresno.
