Today is Cinco de Mayo, an occasion to primarily celebrate Mexican heritage though some take advantage of the day for less historical means. Nonetheless, it's vital to note that today is not Mexican Independence Day but is instead the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The following video from Rocketboom explains why the battle was such an important military victory not only for Mexicans but for their neighbors north of the border:
As we mentioned last year, the Battle of Puebla was one of Latin America's most important military confrontations.
Online Sources - YouTube, Time, The Latin Americanist
Care2.com : Basketball : The Phoenix Suns won to the San Antonio Spurs, wearing uniforms with the words "Los Suns" to honor Latinos during "Cinco de Mayo". NBA Players Association against Arizona's Racist Law :
ReplyDeleteThe "Los Suns" jerseys were worn twice in the regular season, both Phoenix victories. These jerseys bring Good Luck to the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Care2.com :
Sport politics
Cinco de Los Suns: The Team Stands Up to the Arizona Immigration Law
by Peaco Todd
May 6, 2010
http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/cinco-de-los-suns-the-team-stands-up-to-the-arizona-immigration-law/
Some excerpts :
In 1936, Jesse Owens won four gold medals in “Hitler’s Olympics,” thus refuting the Führer’s claim of Aryan superiority and spoiling his intended display of “Master Race” dominance. On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped out upon the field as a Brooklyn Dodger and the first African American to play in the majors, and I like to think that, despite the taunts and threats he received, his spectacular performance and personal grace caused a million cracks to appear in a million stony racist hearts, proving once and for all that racism has no chance against team spirit. Professional sports is full of such stories and many professional athletes, by first breaking the race/color barrier, have been seminal in transforming racist attitudes and judgments.
The Suns’ decision – based on a unanimous vote and full support of management – to wear their “Los Suns” uniforms as a Cinco de Mayo tribute “to honor [the] Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation” is, as Yahoo!Sports-writer Trey Kirby says, “awesome.” He notes that while sports franchises frequently consider making political statements to be bad business – “as Michael Jordan put it, ‘Republicans buy shoes too’” – sometimes they have the cojones to take a stand. Owner Robert Sarver said when he suggested that the team wear their Noche Latina jerseys, “However intended, the result of passing the law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them.”
The Suns’ rivals in Wednesday night’s game 2, the San Antonio Spurs, attempted to demonstrate their solidarity by wearing their own “Los Spurs” jerseys but simply didn’t have the time to make that happen. But, hey, the thought counts and it’s clear that the NBA, as an organization, is fully supportive of these acts of protest. In a press release issued by NBA Players Association, Executive Director Billy Hunter declared:
“The recent passage of the new immigration law in Arizona is disappointing and disturbing. The National Basketball Players Association strongly supports the repeal or immediate modification of this legislation. Any attempt to encourage, tolerate or legalize racial profiling is offensive and incompatible with basic notions of fairness and equal protection. A law that unfairly targets one group is ultimately a threat to all.
Raciality.com
Vicente Duque