Boston City Council officially proclaimed Oct. 11 as Hispanic Flag Day in the City of Boston during their weekly city council meeting, celebrating the occasion by honoring a Hispanic leader from each of the councilor’s communities.
Councilor Erin Murphy recognized Joselina Leon, a dance teacher who leads the Estrella Tropicales dance group, which was started 50 years ago by her grandmother. This group was formed to help Hispanic children learn about and embrace their culture through dance.
Councilor Liz Breadon honored Gloria Rivera, a small business owner and community leader.
“She’s an incredible connector in the neighborhood,” Breadon said when speaking about Rivera. “She connects people. She elevates the questions. She asks the questions, and she has been an incredible cultural contributor to our community over many years.”
Councilor Julia Mejia recognized Doug Chavez, founder and principal of the Chavez Group, where he manages the firm’s business development as well as government and community relations.
“My passion has been to help elect women and people of color to office to improve our situation to improve policies that affect our communities,” Chavez said to city council.
Councilor Sharon Durkan honored Sgardy Pena, an engineer for Signify and a member of the board of directors for Sociedad Latina, an organization that supports community leadership. He is known for his work as a volunteer and his passion for supporting former youth leaders in Boston.
Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune honored José Valenzuela, a teacher, wrestling coach and founder of Boston Youth Wrestling. While giving his speech, Valenzuela expressed his gratitude for being recognized and remembered how he was just a “skinny little Dominican kid” growing up in Boston.
“I always think about that skinny kid when I think about my students and who I work with,” Valenzuela said. “So, I always keep that in mind and try to create experiences that I wish I had when I was younger.”
Rivera expressed her appreciation for the recognition by city council.
“I came into this country 10 years ago, in the fall, nothing like [this] happened, and now after 30 years many Hispanic people can celebrate it together in City Hall,” Rivera said after the meeting.“I’m very happy to see how the Latin community can be together.”
