March 12, 1998 and the Latino parade & jamaica is conceived

James and I love things Irish. There may be some Irish on his father's side: I know that there is none in my family. Don't laugh, the San Patricio's are a fascinating part of the the Mexican/U.S. War. Whatever the reason, who can clearly define why certain cultures resonate strongly within each of us. De sangre or de corazon - by blood or by the heart...

When we heard of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Green Street we made our business to go the parade with Kate and Matthew. It was a small parade; very small in comparison to the Rose or Doo Dah parades. It was very community sized.

It was while I was watching the parade that I thought that there were probably as many folks in Pasadena who were connected with Latino culture as Irish culture. That was it. The seed for the Latino Heritage parade & jamaica were planted.

In 1998 I was Co-director with Sandi Romero of Latino Cultural Academy. I shared the idea with her, and she in turn connected with Council member Bill Crowfoot and Victor Gordo, then his field rep, now Vice Mayor. Working together we began work on a Latino parade.

We will have our 13th parade on October 15th this year; a while in the future.

Tonight I'll refocus on things Irish. Perhaps I'll have a Murphy's and sodabread. Whatever I'll do I know that I'll think of the time James and I spent in Ireland. I'll listen to Uileann pipes, bodhran, and smile.