CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Thousands of people came out for a vibrant show of culture and pride on Sunday for the Mexican Independence Day Parade, which returned to 26th Street in Little Village for the 53rd time.
Mari Correa is a resident of Little Village who was born in Mexico. She said the parade has always drawn people from all over the Chicago area and beyond.
“They just come here for the parade to have fun [and] to live some of what we can’t in our country,” Correa said.
At Correa’s tent, parade goers were able to purchase Mexican flags, hats, beautiful dresses, jerseys and more. Her Roving Diamonds retail store has been a staple at the parade for the last six years.
Another attendee was 27-year-old Garrett Sander, who told WBBM he lived and taught English in Mexico for one year.
“Being able to live and make decisions on the basis of their own power and their own autonomy and being independent from, historically, from Spain, from France, from the United States,” he said. “It’s just a celebration of Mexico’s self-determination.”
Sanders said Mexico having its first woman president is historic.
“When we hear the ‘Grito,’ which is the celebration that the president of Mexico does every year, it's basically a proclamation of independence,” he said. “Claudia Scheinbaum, the first woman president of Mexico is going to deliver that address.”
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