EL PASO – Armed with music and culture, not guns, thousands converged on this border community last weekend to raise their collective voice against violence, immigration laws and white supremacy at El Paso Firme, a culturally-enhanced concert.
A day-long event culminated at El Paso’s Ascarate Park, just yards away from the border wall, to voice their concerns and initiate change sparked by the Aug. 3 domestic terrorist attack at Walmart that left 22 Mexicans and Latinos shot dead and their families, loved ones and community reeling.
“Before what happened here in El Paso with the attack at Walmart, we [Border Network of Human Rights and RAICES] were already talking and coming together to figure out how we could use culture and music to call on our communities to start pushing back against the policies that they have enacted against migrants and immigrants, Latinos, communities of color,” Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer of Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), said. “Then this tragedy happened, so we got back together and said, ‘Now more than ever we have to be able to use culture and music to heal our communities, to ask everybody to come together, follow El Paso’s lead and help strengthen our communities here and across the country. To say enough is enough, ya basta.’”
The concert featured several artists and guest speakers, all joining the movement to put an end to white supremacy, encourage gun control and fight immigration laws steeped in racism. The performers echoed these feelings from the stage, and the crowd was moved to tears as each song translated to a powerful message.
“There has been a fight, and when we arrive to another city we are going to put music in our fight, we will put music in our lives, we will put music to our resistance because there is no frontier or cage that can detain the message of song. Hatred is not answered with more hatred. We don’t hate them, but there’s no space for white supremacy because this is our country and it is an honor to be here. United we are free,” Pablo Alvarado, co-director of National Day Laborer Network (NDLON), said in Spanish.
Sisters, Emily and Sheyla Rosas, better known as Dueto Dos Rosas, traveled from San Diego, Calif., to showcase their support for the El Paso community and its movement, highlighting one specific issue that stuck out to them in the wake of last month’s El Paso shooting.
Edna Delgado gets emotional during the El Paso Firme concert.
“We heard about the shooting and felt powerless. We wanted to come and show our support in El Paso. Gun control is something that we struggle with. I felt powerless and that shouldn’t be happening,” Emily said.
The tone of this event was peaceful; everyone stood together in support of change desperately needed in El Paso and across the country, they said.
It’s a change fueled by the need for acceptance and peace and not ignorance and hatred.
“It is important to exalt our voices. For example, the people who lost their loved ones at Walmart they experienced loss, but overall we have been victims because perhaps a son or grandson could have been there, it could have been my loss that day. It’s important to use our voices to eradicate this business of racism and hate. It is important for people to become aware, that there has been great confusion in our legislation,” Rosa Mejia, immigrant guest speaker, said in Spanish.
