Dozens of community members, leaders, city officials, and representatives from the Boston Mexican Consulate and other Mexican organizations in Boston gathered at City Hall on Monday afternoon for the raising of the Mexican flag to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
Mexican Independence Day, celebrated on Sept. 16, commemorates a battle cry given by Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo in 1810, which called Mexicans to rebel against the Spanish army and gain independence. Over 200 years later, the Mayor’s Office for the city of Boston celebrated the occasion by codifying an official holiday to honor the day and the city’s Mexican communities.
The ceremony included various speeches delivered by members of the Mayor’s Office and several Mexican organizations around the city. Then, the national flag of Mexico was raised next to the American flag and the Massachusetts state flag in City Hall Plaza.
James Colimon, the deputy director of global affairs & protocol for the city of Boston, addressed the crowd, sharing a greeting from Mayor Michelle Wu, who was not in attendance at Monday’s event.
“We raise the Mexican flag in recognition of the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Mexican community here in Boston and beyond,” Colimon said.
“For over 200 years, Mexico has stood as a symbol of resilience, strength, and independence. These values resonate deeply with Boston, a city that embraces its diverse and vibrant contributions of its immigrant communities,” he continued.
Colimon said that the flag raising represented a reaffirmation of the city’s commitment to building a “more inclusive and welcoming city for all,” before ending his speech by yelling “Viva Mexico!” which the crowd echoed back.
Following his speech, Alexandra Valdez, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, gave remarks to the crowd about the community liaison programs presented through the Mayor’s Office.
Valdez then introduced Mariangely Solis Cervera, chief of equity and inclusion for the city, who read out a proclamation on behalf of the mayor in both Spanish and English, calling her bilingualism a “superpower.”
“I Mariangely, on behalf of Michelle Wu, the mayor of the city of Boston, do hereby proclaim Sept. 16, 2024, to be the Mexican Independence Day Celebration,” Cervera said.
Following the proclamation, the flag was raised as Verónica Robles, a mariachi singer and director of the Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC), sang both the American and Mexican national anthems.
“We’re going to sing the U.S. National Anthem with all my love in my Mexican heart,” Robles said.
“My home is here and I feel it,” she added, before breaking into song.
Following the flag-raising, Felipe Cuéllar, the deputy consul of Mexico in Boston, gave a speech in Spanish to the crowd.
“The greatness of the city of Boston is undoubtedly due precisely to the immigrants and particularly to the immigrants [in its] enormous Mexican Hispanic community,” Cuéllar said. “[They] grant to this city its greatness, its economic potential, but above all its great cultural pride.”
As the formal proceedings for the ceremony concluded, dancers dressed in colorful Jalisco ribbon dresses, a traditional Mexican costume, performed in front of the flag posts.
The event was followed by a lunch of traditional Mexican food served to attendees.
Nick Peace contributed to this report
