Thanks to the outreach work of our Immigration Justice Task Force (Jean Nuttall, Ann Morrill, Rosy Jacobson and Bob Norris) and our Social Justice Council (Chris Itano, Meri Gibb and Kelye Lotz) and thanks to the organization by Oscar Flores, BVUUF was the host of a very successful Las Posadas Celebration on Friday, December 15.
Las Posadas (translated in English as “the inns”) is a 9-day Mexican Christmas tradition based on the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph and their search of a safe place, or “inn,” to stay before the birth of Jesus.
According to Chris Itano, who was a major contributor in providing food and supervising the kitchen, there were about 350 Latinos attending this event, including Mayor Pro Tem Gustavo Renya from the Lafayette City Council. Their children enjoyed a jumping castle, a piñata and cotton candy (which our children loved to make) and there was a six person Mexican Band and Folklorico traditional dancing.
I had the privilege to be a part of the welcoming team who greeted the guests at the beginning of the celebrations and I deeply enjoyed the heartwarming kind of atmosphere that our Latino friends emanate. Exciting things are now developing thanks to this new connection:
Our Christmas Service on December 24th at 4pm will be translated into Spanish and there is now an effort underway to translate parts of our website into the Spanish language.
It is my sincere hope that this was just the beginning of a relationship we can build on. There is so much we can learn from each other. It is a chance for us to immerse into a WE culture and make new friendships. And it is a chance for us to fight for equal rights for our Latino neighbors, some of whom arrived decades ago to work in the coal mines of Lafayette, Erie, Louisville and south Boulder and who made big contributions to our community.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays,
Elisabeth Kern, Board President