UMOS Celebrated Their Annual September 16th Parade and Festival

By H. Nelson Goodson
September 16, 2009

Milwaukee - Hundreds of people gathered throughout the Mexican Independence Parade route last Sunday. The annual September 16th parade and festival was sponsored by the United Migrant Opportunity Services.
The parade ended at Mitchell Park where a one day festival was taking place to help commemorate the Mexican Independence Day.

The festivities for recognizing the Mexican Independence have become an annual traditional event throughout the United States of American where a large population of Mexican Americans and more than 13 million undocumented immigrants live and work.
Mexican food, cultural dancers and music can be enjoyed by the festival-goers.
A brief history for the Mexican celebrated holiday, influenced by the concepts of liberty, equality and democracy proposed by the French philosophers Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and by the war of Independence of the United States, they decided to start a revolt.

It was 1810, and their plan was to start the war on the 2nd of October. Unfortunately, their plans were discovered in early September. The movement was in trouble. They had two alternatives; either abandon their plans, or move faster and start the revolt immediately. Fortunately for Mexico they decided upon the second alternative.
In the early hours of September 16, 1810, father Miguel Hidalgo, accompanied by several conspirators, Iganacio Allende, and Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez rang the bell of his little church, calling everyone to fight for liberty in Dolores, Guanajuato, Mexico. This was the beginning of the Independence War, which lasted 10 years.

UMOS is a private, non-profit corporation established in 1965 to advocate for and provide services to Hispanic migrant and seasonal farm workers in Wisconsin.
Today, UMOS offers diverse programs and services to diverse populations.
UMOS' mission is to provide programs and services which improve the employment, education, health, and housing opportunities of under-served populations. Currently UMOS operates programs to assist low-income individuals and families as they gain economic self-sufficiency. In 2007, more than $46 million in grant funds from federal, state, and local sources supported these programs.
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