Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals in the mid to the late 1960's faced discrimination in Milwaukee by the majority of the White status in state and local City government, local law enforcement (police) and the Milwaukee Public School District that represented the majority of the White population.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 21, 2023
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On August 25 - 27, the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation (WHSF), Inc., a non-profit organization that currently operates the annual 3-day Mexican Fiesta, since 1987 at the Summerfest grounds will be celebrating 50 years of Mexican cultural festive tradition in Milwaukee. The first Fiesta Mexicana celebrations began in the Southside of Milwaukee streets to coincide with the annual Mexican Independence Day, September 16.
In the mid to the late 1960's, the Milwaukee Public School District prohibited Latino/Hispanic students, especially Mexican-Americans from celebrating the September 16th Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo traditional festive days in City schools, so the the growing Mexican community population and students began to celebrate at organized block festivals in the Southside of Milwaukee.
In 1977, the Latin American Union for Civil Rights (LAUCR) headed by Salvador Sánchez, a former United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) director and Ernesto Chacon, a local Latino community Civil Rights organizer and known activist began to operated the 3-day Fiesta Mexicana at the Summerfest grounds until the organization stopped operating the event. Also, many volunteers at Fiesta Mexicana were Latino educators and administrators from the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). The 3-day festival slot in late August opened up at the Summerfest grounds, also the Henry Maier Festival Park operated by the Milwaukee World Festival (MWF), Inc., which rented the park year round from the City of Milwaukee for just $1.00, today MWF rents the grounds from the City for more than $1,000,000 annually. Then MWF rented weekend festive slots to ethnic non-profit organizations to hold their traditional cultural festivals.
In 1988, the City of Milwaukee and Elizabeth "Bo" Black, the Director from Summerfest awarded the 3-day weekend slot in late August to the non-profit LULAC Council 9900, which the elected Council President was Rodolfo Martinez and the Council was known to provide scholarships to students seeking higher education. LULAC Council 9900 began to use the name Mexican Fiesta for the 3-day festival.
When Martinez finish his term, new LULAC Council 9900 officials were elected and several new LULAC Councils were started by UMOS.
Eventually in 1987, business individuals witnessed the profit generated by Mexican Fiesta and decide to a take over Mexican Fiesta and created the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc., which continued as a non-profit organization with the LULAC Councils 333, 342 and 343.
Today, Mexican Fiesta has provided $1,850,000 of scholarships to students with U.S. Citizenship or legal permanant residency and LULAC National (education fund) matched the amount of scholarships offered by WHSF and its LULAC Councils.
In 2013, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that WHSF, Mexican Fiesta and LULAC National educational fund matching fund excluded undocumented students from applying for scholarships and exposed it.
In February 2014, the WHSF, Mexican Fiesta and the LULAC National education fund changed their discriminatory policy to exclude undocumented students from receiving scholarships and then allowed for only DACA registered students to apply for annual scholarships.
Mexican Fiesta draws more than 80,000 festivalgoers per year.
Congrats to the WHSF, Mexican Fiesta and its LULAC Councils in celebrating 50 years of Mexican cultural festive tradition in Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin.
This year's Mexican Fiesta 2023 will be held on August 25 -27, at the Summerfest grounds.
Donations accepted/ se aceptan donaciones: https://tinyurl.com/3y8ej92t
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