Spanish version of this story can be found here. Translation by Moises Zahler with contributions from Beatriz Anderson
Shrieks from the gaga ball pit rang out over the infectious sounds from La Nueva Tendencia, a Hispanic fusion band. Families chatted in English and Spanish at picnic tables, eating caramel empanadas, ceviche tostadas, tacos birria and nachos piled high. The line at the raspados tent – the Mexican version of a snow cone with shaved ice, fresh fruit and fruit syrup – stretched across the walkway at the Door County fairgrounds.
The second annual Door County Hispanic Heritage Celebration took place on Sept. 27, a hot, sunny day that felt more like July than the end of September. Music, food, games and goods reflecting Hispanic and Latino culture were on display, as well as more than 30 local resource vendors providing information about everything from voting rights to healthcare.
Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 marks National Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year there were some new things to celebrate for Wisconsin’s Hispanic and Latino communities.
The Wisconsin Legislative Hispanic Caucus was formed earlier in the year, the first of its kind in Wisconsin. The group is a coalition of four Latino state lawmakers including Rep. Priscilla A. Prado (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay), Rep. Vincent Miresse (D-Stevens Point), and Rep. Angelina Cruz (D-Racine).
All four of the legislators were newly elected last November.
The goal of the caucus is “to advance policies that uplift Latino families, strengthen economic opportunity, and celebrate cultural heritage across the state,” according to their press release.
The state legislature also passed a resolution in September, officially recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month in Wisconsin. The resolution acknowledges the contributions and inclusion of the more than 450,000 Hispanic and Latino residents of the state, as well as those of Hispanic and Latino people in the past.
“I think that’s great that they’re highlighting us in a positive way,” Moi Zahler said. “There are some major contributions we make here in the community and wider regions that make Wisconsin what it is, that make Door County what it is. So I am just thrilled to hear that.”
Zahler is an organizer and volunteer for the Hispanic Heritage Celebration. He has lived in Sturgeon Bay with his family for 14 years and works at Sawyer Elementary School as English Language support staff.
Zahler has been working at Sawyer Elementary for six years, and when he began there were 16 students in the EL program, he said. Since then, the number has more than doubled in each building across the district. Students represent various backgrounds, Zahler said, but the majority of EL students are Hispanic or Latino.
For the growing community, Hispanic Heritage Celebration is more than just a festival, according to Zahler. The event reflects Hispanic and Latino people’s contributions, values and cultural pride.
Roots
Zahler was doing a lot of translation work during the Covid pandemic, he said. There were more documents and instructions coming from the school to families. They were mostly in English, and Spanish-speaking families looked to him for assistance.
Through his work with Sturgeon Bay’s EL program, Zahler said he has been able to make meaningful connections with many local Hispanic and Latino families.
“There is a huge need for support,” he said.
He got in touch with Shannon Lauder at Door County Health and Human Services a few years ago. She had been working on the celebration as “a grassroots idea” within the department’s Racial Equity and Diversity team, according to Lauder.
Imelda Delchambre is the director of the Hispanic Resource Center of Door and Kewaunee counties. She and other community leaders – Allin and Estre Walker, Father Williams Ribbon, Ernest Delchambre, Efren and Benigno Sandoval – started hosting events to celebrate Hispanic culture and raise money for the center from 2007 to 2015, she said.
These events inspired them to host a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, highlighting all the resources for Hispanic and Latino families in one place, according to Zahler. The Door County YMCA “graciously provided a space,” he said, and the small group of organizers held their first Hispanic Heritage Celebration last fall.
Billed as a family-friendly event, there were dozens of organizations at the resource fair, games and activities for children, food and music.
“We learned a lot,” Zahler said, mostly that they needed a bigger venue with more indoor accommodations in case of bad weather.
Providing resource materials from over 30 organizations, including the Door County Library, Door County Medical Center, Partnership for Children and Families, the LEAF fund, League of Women Voters, Health and Human Services, Public Health, United Way and area churches, is an important part of the event.
More than that, however, is providing a space for Hispanic and Latino residents to celebrate their heritage and values and share it with the greater community, Zahler said.
“We are here, we are a growing community, we are in various places, we’re everywhere.”
There are a handful of core members on the event planning committee. Zahler and Pastor James Gomez at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church are some of the leading Hispanic voices on the committee, according to Zahler, and the offer to help is open to all community members.
Community, connection, resilience
As a result of recent federal immigration policies and methods of enforcement, there is some uncertainty and fear within local Hispanic and Latino communities, Zahler said. The committee did some reflection after the first year of the event, he said, and even asked themselves whether they should do it again this year.
“We came back to the feeling that ‘we are going to celebrate’ and focus on the celebration part of it,” Zahler said. “That shouldn’t be taken away.”
“If I can be celebrated just for being Hispanic, in a time where things are a little bit rough, you know, I’ll take it,” he added.
There are 1,138 residents of Door County that identify as Hispanic, according to 2020 census data. At 3.8 percent of the population, that number has grown by 70 percent since 2010.
That number is an undercount, according to Delchambre, and the real number is probably close to double. There are people here to work, who are undocumented and afraid of being reported to immigration, she said. Many of them work on dairy farms in both Door and Kewaunee counties, she added.
Hispanic and Latino people are represented in every industry in Door County. They are business owners, artists, bartenders, hospitality workers, welders, teachers, government employees, farm workers, roofers and more.
“Door County gets a lot of help and thrives because of the Hispanic community,” Zahler said. “And I’m proud to see that.”
There was a strong turnout at the event, Health and Human Services’ Lauder said. While organizers did not get hard numbers about attendance, last year’s inaugural event had an estimated 150 participants, she said. This year vendors reported improved sales and the team estimated about 300 people visited the celebration over the course of the day, Lauder added.
Besides sponsors, vendors and resource agencies, organizers invited members of local law enforcement to the event as well, Zahler said, to offer positive interactions with those agencies.
Police officers and sheriff’s deputies want to “have a meal and hang out too,” he added. “Things like that build bridges of trust.”
Organizers welcome feedback and suggestions from attendees and community members about what they can do next year to have an even bigger and more successful event. Zahler said he would like to see more headlining musical acts, more food and more regional Hispanic culture highlighted.
“We hope that next year we can get people to recognize that this is not an event designed for the Hispanic community but an event WITH the Hispanic community and one that we can all participate in,” Lauder said in an email. “All are welcome.”
Beyond Saturday’s celebration, the public library offered crafts, programs and highlighted books to celebrate during Hispanic Heritage Month. Some schools took part by reading books about Hispanic culture and highlighting famous Hispanic people.
It is especially nice to see people year round recognizing and connecting with Hispanic and Latino residents, Zahler said. In his work with English Language support, he often helps people make things more accessible to Spanish-speaking families.
“When you send me emails of information to translate for people, you’re doing it, you’re being an ally,” he said. “It’s nice to see that.”
Delchambre’s work with the Hispanic Resource Center is not isolated to one month a year either. The mission of the center, which is headquartered in Delchambre’s home, is to help Hispanic and Latino people, especially those new to the area, navigate housing, utilities, medical care and other things.
The center also provides a voice for people when they need one.
“If someone is being discriminated against, I’ll fight for them,” Delchambre said.
Delchambre also works with HOPE Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay. The Latinos Emergency Assistance Fund, or LEAF, through the church has an “Imelda’s Hope” ministry fund. Money is raised to help families afford furniture and household goods, transportation and financial emergencies.
LEAF was one of the many resource organizations in attendance at the Hispanic Heritage Celebration.
Organizers want to extend a “huge, heartfelt thanks” to everyone who participated and worked to make the event successful, Zahler said. Most of all, he said he hopes everyone who attended the celebration felt the “the joy, the community.” He likens it to Belgian Days in Brussels, another celebration attached to a group’s heritage.
“We want to belong. We want to be part of this Door County,” he said. “We do enjoy the same things that you guys are enjoying, and we want you to take joy in the things that we enjoy too. This is how we grow and learn from each other.”
Editor’s Note: Knock worked with Moisés Zahler to translate this story to Spanish. Zahler was also interviewed for this story. Quotes were not changed during translation.