Call it Sink-o de Mayo at Gonzaga University.
The private Roman Catholic school in Spokane, Washington, says students this year should avoid the vulgar stereotypes and boorish behavior that goes along with the annual celebration of Cinco de Mayo on May 5th.
In a no-nonsense email to the student body, obtained by the Campus Reform news website, the school warns:
- Don't you dare put on that sombrero
- No serapes. No fake mustache
- Avoid every party store. No "Cinco de Drinko"
- No disrespectful use of Spanish. No homogenizing Latinx communities
- Hold your friends accountable when they do any (or all) of these
The letter also advises students to "support AUTHENTIC Mexican businesses" run by "actual Mexican people." And it emphasizes that "CHIPOTLE DOESN'T COUNT."
"Unfortunately, the celebrations have become less about the appreciation of Mexican heritage, and ... more about drinking and partying especially by non-Mexican individuals," said Judi Biggs Garbuio, the vice president of student development, in a statement posted on Facebook.
"Because of this, there are many instances when Cinco de Mayo becomes a holiday that is full of cultural appropriation. At some college campuses, including our own, students create 'theme' parties or dress in costumes that are insensitive and offensive to the Mexican-American …"
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza.
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