Absolutes have never existed in our border region. We are a colonized mass of desert that exists with an aching heart most of the time. We sooth that heart in many different ways, and yes, I’d count the All Souls Procession as one of those ways.
But remember, being that we are not in the land of absolutes, the Procession (or mostly many of the thousands and thousands of people who participate in it each year) faces its share of criticism every year from our Chican@ community and others charging cultural misappropriation. Dressing up as a calavera, the decorative skulls that are part of Dias de Los Muertos tradition, is not about protestant All Souls or even Halloween. As a writing mentor of mine reminded folks on Facebook recently, that Dia de Los Muertos is a religious holiday and dressing up in calvera make-up should be done out of respect—respect of the holiday and the culture. I know many people who don’t participate in the All Souls Procession because they feel that any form of cultural misappropriation is wrong and takes place during the procession. I understand where they are coming from. I also know many people who participate in the Procession—some in calavera make-up and others just wearing their normal clothes. What’s at heart this weekend is loss and how our community comes together to recognize the heartache that comes with loss. Sure, we should ask everyone who lives here whose family is not fifth generation or who hasn’t studied Chican@ or border history to understand the implications of cultural misappropriation.
However, because we are a border region—a mixed up cultural petri dish—what we can do is ask for respect and at the same time step back and recognize the All Souls Procession for what its current organizers and volunteers believe: an event for everyone and for every culture, created to help us express loss and grief. Next time someone talks to you about cultural misappropriation, don’t dismiss it. Understand that where we live, we happen to be a bit more sensitive on these subjects than most.
But I also don’t advocate boycotting All Souls for those same reasons. We’re a community and we come together in many different ways and in Tucson sometimes we get caught up in the blender of those differences. It isn’t always a smooth ride, but it’s our city. Obviously, there’s cultural work that remains to be done, but all around us, no matter what culture, we are hurting and grieving and All Souls has created a place for everyone to express that hurt and grief. I’d say we’re lucky.
— Mari Herreras, mherreras@tucsonweekly.com
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2015.
This community is absolutely and positively unique.
Respect is what it is about.
As a gringo living here for close to a decade, it took me until 2 years ago to realize that All Souls Procession was not universally loved, and it can be awkward and outright offensive. But last year was also the first year I attended with a very fresh and very hard loss. I was really moved by the entire event, and thankful to be able to be out with others with similar or much more difficult losses right next to me.
All this is to basically agree with Mari Herreras.
I’m personally much more offended by the absurdity of Cinco de Mayo celebrations across the country.
You may be right as this is from Info please:
Just Another Gringo Holiday . . .
Not to put a damper on the festivities, but Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is in fact more beloved by Americans than Mexicans. “I couldn’t get over how it was a big holiday on one side of the border, the American side,” commented a mystified Mexican student studying in El Paso.
One American traveler, after spending a lackluster Cinco de Mayo in central Mexico, learned from a shopkeeper that it was just “a gringo holiday made to sell Mexican beer to Americans.”
Add Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day and (your choice) to the list of holidays that have morphed into iconic celebrations of snoozing, shopping and getting plastered. And don’t get me started on the big one – Election Day.
Columbus Day has been almost eliminated as the left pronounced him to be racist…400 years after his death. They are so smart!
Drinking should be reserved until you see final election day results.
I will not be supporting or attending the All Souls Procession. My boycott is because $1000 gets you two VIP Front-Row Passes for Finale Ceremony. This event should belong to the people and not favor those with deep pockets. We attended the Finale the first year they had the VIP section. It was underutilized and blocked off a significant portion of the front-line space. Never again!
They charged you admission to the finals for a “day of grief?”
Looks like there really are some absolutes that do exist.
There is no cost to participate in the deepest level of the All Souls Procession..Yes true–if you are a $500 donor($1000 for local businesses)–OR a Volunteer–there is a space for you. The VIP area is very small in comparison–as well it also feeds the volunteers that make it happen.
There are many hundreds of feet of front row seating and areas with as good a view as any