Every year, Cinco de Mayo is filled with color, sombreros, music and traditional dishes that cross borders. And while for many it’s just an excuse to celebrate, for those of us who carry Latin roots in our blood, that day can mean much more.
Because behind the noise, there is ritual. And behind the party, there is memory.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates an unlikely victory: the Battle of Puebla, when a small and poorly equipped Mexican army managed to resist the French invasion in 1862.
It’s not Independence Day. It’s not the end of a war. It’s something more symbolic: the affirmation that it is possible to resist, even when all seems lost.
And maybe that’s why it still resonates with us. Because our family histories are full of uneven battles, too. Because many of us had to start from scratch, with little more than hope and determination.
Because we know what it’s like to be far from home, to be few and yet still stand tall.
Every May 5, when we gather in plazas, schools, or community centers, we’re not just celebrating a historic event. We’re remembering that we are still here. That our language hasn’t been erased. That our rhythms haven’t faded. That we have not stopped being who we are.
Here in Cumberland County, where, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 13% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, Cinco de Mayo is lived with heart.
It’s not just a date on the calendar — it’s an opportunity to reconnect, share our stories and feel proud of all we’ve built, even through adversity.
This year, local organizations are preparing festivals, folkloric dances, community fairs and gatherings where the most important thing is not the decoration, but the connection. For example, Gaston Brewing Taproom hosted a Cinco De Mayo Craft Fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at 421 Chicago Drive in Fayetteville, featuring 25 vendors, food trucks, music and more.
Children dance to rhythms their grandparents may have once danced to. Mothers cook the same dishes they made back home. Young people wear the colors they were once told to hide.
And that is what truly matters: not the commercial aspect, but what is shared. Not the stereotype, but the symbol. Not the caricature, but the connection.
Because every time we gather to celebrate, we are resisting erasure. And we are planting something different: a living memory, a proud community, a bridge between generations.
So this Cinco de Mayo, let’s celebrate.
But let’s do it with awareness. With gratitude. And with the certainty that every dish, every dance step, every Spanish word is a way of saying: “We’re still here. And we’re still together.”
Claudia Zamora is an Argentinian author, mental health and wellness coach and the manager of the Si! Spanish Immersion Institute of El Centro Hispano. Zamora has lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina, since 2011.
