Who We Are - Overview

4 May 2000
Cinco de Mayo Declaration
Community Advocates Take Back the Holiday

SAN DIEGO, CA – The East County Latino Association and Communities Against Substance Abuse are calling upon San Diegans to restore dignity, respect and safety to Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday that commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla.

"Cinco de Mayo symbolizes sovereignty, self-determination and commitment to fight even when the odds seem insurmountable," says Victor Garcia, President of the East County Latino Association. "This family holiday of remembrance has been under assault in recent years by drinking parties with inebriated participants–often underage–increased DUI citations, crime and other problems caused by heavy alcohol consumption," says Garcia, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of Communities Against Substance Abuse, a nonprofit, prevention organization.

Communities Against Substance Abuse and The East County Latino Association encourage the community to take back the holiday:

	Support positive celebrations with monitoring and enforcement of responsible beverage service.
	Eliminate promotions that encourage heavy alcohol consumption and underage drinking–along with advertisements that demean Mexican culture and use Latinas as sex objects.
	Create a greater awareness of the negative impacts of alcohol upon California's Latino population.
	Promote the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo as an important family holiday rather than a time to "get wasted."

In the 1980's, the beer industry began to use Cinco de Mayo to promote sales of their products. In one recent year, the nation's top domestic brewers spent $31 million on Spanish language advertising, including significant funds devoted to promoting Cinco de Mayo as a drinking holiday–drowning the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo in suds. "Families can no longer attend these unsafe events, and the rich tradition of Cinco de Mayo is facing a fight for independence from exploitation," says Garcia.

"Holidays, graduations, prom time, whatever the milestone in life, should not be a reason to get drunk," says Mary Harrison, Executive Director of Communities Against Substance Abuse. "Why does society feel it needs to get wasted to have a good time? Alcohol related problems just ruin a good time and destroy lives," Harrison says.

Community advocate Sunshine Horton agrees. "I'm Hispanic and proud of it, but I'm not proud that Cinco de Mayo has become tequila time or a time to run for the bottle," says Horton. She adds there are other ways to solve problems or to celebrate. "Give me music and people and we can have a party."

The research is clear–alcohol produces disproportionately more negative affects on California Latinos than people of other cultures:

	The California Department of Justice says the rates of alcohol-related homicides and injuries are higher for Latinos than non-Latinos.
	Nearly a quarter of Mexican American men are considered heavy, problem drinkers, while almost 1 in 10 Hispanic youth (ages 12-17) report recent "binge" alcohol use, according to the American Public Health Association.
	Research by the University of Houston Medical Center reveals that Mexican American men are nearly twice as likely to be arrested for drunk driving as whites or African Americans, and of all individuals arrested for impaired driving, one in five were Hispanic/Latino.
	Cirrhosis of the liver, an effect of excessive alcohol use, kills Mexican American males at nearly twice the rate of white and African American men, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Martin Jaquez, Principal of Cajon Valley Middle School is concerned the depiction of Cinco de Mayo as a drinking holiday sets a bad example for young people. "It's sending the wrong message about our heritage, at a time and place that we need all the positive messages we can give to youth."

As Garcia puts it, "it's important to remember the reason we are able to celebrate is because of this significant day in history, the Cinco de Mayo."