Music moves through the hyped crowd as families and friends roam between local vendors, authentic food stands and community organizations. Conversations switch between English to Spanish as pieces of Latino culture fill the space at Cecil D Andrus Park in Boise.
For members of Boise’s Latino community, Latino Fest represents more than just a day of fun music and food. As the event continues to grow every year, it has become a deeper reflection of a community that has worked endlessly to create a space for themselves and a reminder to the entire Treasure Valley that they are here to stay.
“I’m just glad that spaces like this are still being made for us, because regardless of what is happening right now to our people, it still means a lot to me that we still matter,” attendee Amirra Sandoval said. “It’s not like we have to do anything in order to matter here. We just exist and we matter. That’s it.”
Across Boise, Latino-led organizations and community members work to create spaces people can be proud of and celebrate their heritage while giving them the platform to discuss the realities of being a Latino and/or immigrant in Idaho.
Somos Idaho is a working project with the American Civil Liberties Union in Boise, and the organization emphasizes storytelling as a way to create safe spaces for the Latino community.
“All of us are either immigrants [or] children of immigrants, and we really want to do this work […] centering our heritage, our culture and working to educate and advocate on behalf of our families and ourselves,” Melanie Figueroa with Somos Idaho said.
That work extends to public education and even monthly Somos Chismosos events, which utilize the known Latin concept of chisme, or gossip, as a doorway to open conversations about politics, stereotypes and the experiences from different immigrant generations in Idaho.
“We have political discussions, break down what’s happening at the State House, but also leave time for just talking to each other,” Figueroa explains, “Breaking down stereotypes that happen in the immigrant community and just getting into sharing our stories with each other.”
These conversations are part of an ongoing effort to shift narratives surrounding immigrant communities, specifically during the tense political climate, by putting individual’s experiences at the center. Providing a name to a face works to humanize a community that has been degraded for years, Figueroa said.
“We’re here because our families brought us here, and they had every human reason to bring us here,” Figueroa said.
Those stories are expressed in a variety of ways through the small local businesses that work to sell their products, the Latin artists and performers sharing their work and even the families who gather together to celebrate their culture with other members of the community.
As more people begin to attend events like Latino Fest, the continued growth of these events may create opportunities for local Latino-owned businesses and vendors to reach wider audiences who may have otherwise never encountered their work or cuisine. Community support becomes something far more than just attendance numbers, it fosters connections through those small interactions that take place when you buy tacos from your local vendor.
“I think this is great because it really shows that we have a lot of support within each other,” Officer Liz Guzman said. “We’re out here supporting our vendors, coming out and just celebrating our culture.”
With Hispanic Heritage Month on the horizon, Latino Fest arrives slightly ahead of the national celebration beginning on September 15 and running through October. However, the community represented at the event extends beyond a single month.
“It shows that we can show up, support each other and have a good time,” Guzman said. “I think that’s what is amazing about this community and this event.”
As Latino Fest, and many events like it, begin to grow, so does the space that Boise’s Latino community occupies – and not just through festivals. Latinos occupy space within local businesses, organizations, advocacy groups, and every day life here in the Treasure Valley – a space that is rightfully theirs.
