Día de La Raza celebrated with art, poetry, in Calexico

CALEXICO – Even though Calexico-based author, Charlie M. Zamarripa is not sure if he fits under the label of what some people might think is “raza,” he believes indigenous people, Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and other people of Hispanic descent should have their voices heard.

This was the premise behind the Día de La Raza Exhibit 2022 & Book Presentation “Lost in Thought” event, held at Calexico’s Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center (CDCAC) on Oct. 11, where a mix of a book-excerpt sharing by Zamarripa and an art exhibition were held in honor of the holiday.

“Dia de La Raza,” also known as Columbus Day and is held on Oct. 12, is celebrated “as Día de La Raza (‘Race Day’) in recognition of the mixed indigenous and European heritage of Mexico–the mestizo character of its population,” according to Britannica.com.

Dia de La Raza is celebrated by all Spanish-speaking communities and countries such as México, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Uruguay, among others, according to nationaltoday.com.

Zamarripa’s book – “Lost in Thought,” published by England-based publisher Impspired, available on Amazon.com since March 2021 – is a collection of poetry written which covers topics such as loss, sadness, and stories of growing up in the Imperial Valley.

In conjunction with the CDCAC, about 45 artists from around the Imperial Valley, Mexicali and other areas used Zamarripa’s book and its themes as inspiration to create about 60 paintings for the Dia de La Raza event, the author said.

The colorful and varied artistic interpretations on canvas run the gamut from nature, motherhood, being lost, and the divine. The artists’ creations are on display at the Carmen Durazo center in Calexico until Thursday, Oct. 20, according to the event flyer.

“I really liked the art, it was really interesting,” Zamarripa said of the book-inspired art done. “I’m always looking for art for covers for my books and I like having it be from local artists.”

In addition to the art exhibition and the public reading of excerpts from his book, Zamarripa said there was also a question and answer session between the event attendees and the author.

“I answered a lot of cool questions, like where I thought the Latino voice is here locally, and nationally,” the author said. “I’m happy they didn’t ask me what Dia de La Raza meant,” he laughed.

“What I think I would have said is I’m a part of this little culture that lives on the here on the borderland, and I’m hoping that that means that I’m part of La Raza, which is part of a family,” Zamarripa said.

“I think if you compare other borderland towns in Texas and Arizona, I think they’re going to be fairly the same,” Charlie Z said.

“We have a voice, we just keep apoyando (supporting) each other,” Zamarripa said. “Everyone has to support each other.”

“We can make our voice louder so that everybody can know who we are,” he said.

The Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center is located at 421 Heffernan Avenue in Calexico.