Wednesday kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month and Hispanic Heritage of Odessa marked the occasion with its MCHS Vaquero Breakfast.
The event at Dos Amigos was the first of three Wednesday events and the start of a month long celebration.
Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month is observed in the United States from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico’s Independence Day follows on Sept. 16.
This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in Odessa has a theme surrounding education and the future of children.
“Nuestro future … punto” which translates to “Our future … period” is the slogan for this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month in Odessa.
Ector County ISD Superintendent Scott Muri was the keynote speaker at this year’s kickoff event.
“I want to remind everyone that the future is now,” Muri said. “We make investments in people every day. They may not always be children. They may be colleagues or family members. Those are the investments that we make in people that affect their future. Our board of trustees, before I arrived, created a mission statement: Our children, the future, because these trustees and this school district recognized that the children we serve every day, some day, they may be sitting in your seats. And they may be celebrating this very event. I wonder if we are prepared for them to carry on the customs and traditions of our community. I wonder if we’re preparing them to be successful. At ECISD, we’re making some investments today. Seventy-seven percent of the students that we serve in our community come from Hispanic communities. The vast majority of our children are Hispanic. And we are making investments in those children today.”
Muri continued to share with the audience the investments that ECISD has been making.
“We have a teaching plan that focuses very specifically on those 32,000,” Muri said. “We’re ensuring that our three-year-olds and four-year-olds can now be in school. We’re investing early in children at Ector County.”
Muri also talked about how the school district has tackled issues related to digital divides. Those issues have been present across the country over the past year as school districts have had to switch to online learning because of the pandemic.
“We ensure that every student that we serve has a device,” Muri said. “We understand that technology is important. Every child has their own device, and to take that further, we’re ensuring that every family has access to high-quality broadband in their homes. We’re working on that today.”
He also talked about how ECISD has reduced teacher vacancies in the last couple of years.
“Two years ago, Ector County ISD had 356 teacher vacancies on the first day of school,” Muri said. “Fast forward to today and we only have 55 teacher vacancies. We’re working to increase the number of teachers that serve our children.”
The list went on, but Muri says that ECISD knows “that the future is now.”
“It lives with the children that we serve and the families and friends that surround us,” Muri said.
Hispanic Heritage of Odessa President Lilliana Marquez gave opening remarks at the breakfast.
“The mission statement for the organization is: we strive to highlight, encourage and acknowledge the contribution of Hispanic families and individuals in the great city of Odessa by celebrating the history, culture sand contributions of Hispanic American citizens,” Marquez told the audience.
The prayer was delivered by Jeannette Fierro and Claudia Ortega.
After a moment of silence, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Odessa Chief of Police Mike Gerke then gave a brief reflection.
“Let’s remember why we are celebrating today,” Gerke said. “We’re celebrating Hispanic heritage. All of us that were born and raised in West Texas will understand what this is. This is a celebration for the entire community.”
Odessa Mayor Javier Joven delivered the City of Odessa proclamation and Judge Sara Billingsley gave the Ector County proclamation.
MCHS CEO Russell Tippin gave a quick welcome before Muri got up to speak.
This year’s Hispanic Heritage billboard will feature youngsters dressed for different professions (including president, veterinarian, United States Marine, a chemist, culture, doctor, jeweler, explorer and fashion designer). Beneath that will be the slogan “Nuestro Futuro … Punto.”
The billboard is on display at 2760 Andrews Highway.
“Education is the theme of the 2021 billboard,” Marquez said. “It is dedicated to the future holders of the destiny of the country.”
Lydia Madrigal and former Odessa Mayor Lorraine Perryman also spoke of the Richard C. Abalos UTPB Mariachi Scholarship and Mariachi Foundation project.
The foundation is named for the longtime Odessa attorney who passed away last year.
“The scholarship is set up in his name because he supported mariachi music,” Perryman said. “… It took $10,000 to establish the scholarship, so I challenge everyone here today to go home to your friends and everyone who loved Richard to open up your hearts and your checkbooks to fund this foundation so that they can continue to affect children’s lives through music.”
Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, was also honored for his work on the Leilah Hernandez Act.
Hernandez was among the seven people killed in the Odessa mass shooting Aug. 31, 2019.
Landgraf filed a bill to create the Texas Active Shooter Alert System, known as the Leilah Hernandez Act.
The act passed with unanimous support at every stage of the legislative process and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year.
Landgraf credited Leilah’s mother Joanna Leyva for the bill.
“While I’m humble to be here for this honor, please note that this is a community effort and I want to make sure that credit goes to Joanna Leyva,” Landgraf said.
The morning’s event concluded with Ben Quiroz delivering the “machete corte de lasso.”
If you go
- What: Hispanic Chamber Banquet.
- When: 6 p.m. Sept. 16.
- Where: Odessa Marriott.
- What: Serenata en al Pueblo, Mariachi Serenade.
- When: Sept. 17, throughout the day.
- Where: Various places.
- What: Don Quixote Educator.
- When: 6 p.m. Sept. 29.
- Where: ECISD Administration Building.
- What: Linda Abila Professionals Awards.
- When: 11:30 a.m. Sept. 30.
- Where: MCM Elegante.
- What: Business Excellence Awards.
- When: 6 p.m. Oct. 7.
- Where: Business Professionals Premier Ballroom 6482 W. University.
- What: Tamaleras Play.
- When: 6 p.m., Oct. 9.
- Where: Ector Theatre.
- What: AHORA Reading Program, Mentor’s Lunch.
- When: 11:30 a.m. Oct. 12.
- Where: Holy Redeemer (2633 Conover).
- What: Latina Charlas Outstanding Hispanic Women.
- When: 6 p.m. Oct. 14.
- Where: Premier Ballroom (6482 W. University).
- What: Dia de la Raza Fiesta Finale.
- When: 7 p.m. Oct. 15.
- Where: Ajuuas (2100 Andrews Highway).
