UNIQUE puts on a celebration for Mexican Independence Day and will be celebrated here on campus from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sometimes mistaken for Cinco de Mayo, Sept. 16th, 1810, is the day that Spain relinquished control of Mexico.

“People think that day is Mexican Independence Day, but its not,” Zenia Diokno, Programs Adviser for UNIQUE Programs. “We will have emcees during the event who will give a background of the history of the date, so people in the audience will learn what the difference is between Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day.”

It was on that day almost 200 years ago that Spanish Priest Miguel Hidalgo demanded independence.

“On September 16th, he let out the el grito, or the scream or yell for Mexican Independence,” Xico Gonazalez said.

Gonzalez is a former Sacramento State student and current ethnic studies professor on campus. “He did that at 12 a.m., so we celebrate it on the 16th.”

El Grito/La Raza will be Sac State’s celebration for the day Mexico gained independence from Spain after 300 years of Spanish control, Gonzalez added.

Diokno said that the event kicks off at 11 a.m., with the Quetzacoatl Citlalli, a group of Aztec Dancers. They will be doing a traditional Aztec dance and a prayer to bless the day’s festivities.

There will be a mariachi band performing at 12:30 p.m., and then later that evening there will be an art gallery reception called XICANISMO, which features art by Gonzalez.

“It is Chicano art, mainly silk screen prints and a few interactive pieces,” Gonzalez explained. “I have a map of the U.S. And Mexico as a table, and its like a checkerboard.”

Gonzalez said that Speedy Gonzales is on the Mexico side of the checkerboard, and that Yosemite Sam is on the United States side, and country music from both the United States and Mexico will be playing next to the checkerboard. Another interactive piece that he will be showcasing will be an area of the gallery where some of Gonzalez’s poetry can be listened to, and even a book where pages of Gonzalez’s poetry can be torn out and taken with you.

At 7 p.m., acoustic reggae group, the Storytellers will be performing.

“It should be a really fun event, we’ve worked with Xico before, and they’ve always been very celebratory,” Diokno said. “I expect that it will be the same this year.”

There will be no food, but there will be a few organizations involved with tables for more information about the performers and Mexican culture.

Gonzalez approached UNIQUE about doing something for Mexican Independence Day, which was called Raza Unity Day last year, so this will be the second year in a row that this important day in Mexican history will be celebrated at Sac State.

Stephanie Dumm can be reached at [email protected]