Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham, co-founder, and board member of Casitas Cultura Latina, explained that the organization is a cultural nonprofit that amplifies Latino culture, and said the event involved a lot of people coming together.
“It was a year’s worth of work,” she said. “We spend a lot of time thinking about how we want to decorate our beautiful offering, inviting Latino business owners, craft vendors and restauranteurs to join us, and we have a lot of heart and community.”
Citing an unseasonably warm day, Zolezzi-Wyndham said that shortly after the event started, they already had the largest attendance in three years.
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty praised Casitas for organizing the event.
“Nice job,” said Petty. “This is wonderful for the city of Worcester, and for the community to get together. It’s a great day to remember your family members, and why we’re here today is because of them.”
City Manager Eric Batista said (in both English and Spanish): “Today we celebrate a special day in the Latino community, where we celebrate those who have led the way, led the path, to lead us here, to where we are. We celebrate their life, who they were, and what they did–the commitments, advocacy and support–and everything they did for this city.”
Steve Smith can be contacted at steve@stevephotographysmith.com
