Hola, ¡Feliz jueves to everyone!

The winners of the second annual HONOR (Honrando Nuestras Obras y Raíces) Latino Awards were announced on Tuesday. The awards recognize the achievements of trailblazers and community leaders who were nominated by their peers and made significant contributions to the Las Vegas community. The award recipients—among them were William and Eugenia Tejeda, owners of the popular Crepe Station—shared their passion, determination, hard work, and resiliency with the audience, inspiring attendees and future generations to help others so we can leave the world a little better than we found it. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also shared this vision and the following sentiment in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize he received in Oslo, Norway in 1964: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” 

King’s life and legacy and the events that honor him remind us not to take our freedoms and rights for granted. The 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade in the city of Las Vegas on Monday had over 140 entries and this year’s theme was “Living the dream: Together we make the dream work.”

The parade’s founder and former Nevada Assemblyman Wendell Williams told KTNV that he saw more interest in the event—the largest parade in Nevada—this year than in any year before.

In the parade’s first year, 1982, there were only 13 entries. We’ve come a long way.

What are you doing for others in our community? Let us know by replying back to this email or leaving a comment on Facebook.

When Teresa Gutiérrez, 62, started working at the family company in 1979, “I pretty much had no choice in the matter.” She showed up at Los Arcos Tortillas (now TI Foods) and did her part, along with her parents José Luis and Felicitas (RIP), brother Gustavo “Gus” (RIP), and uncle Rosendo Jr. Though they struggled at first to keep the operation afloat, the immigrants from  Guadalajara, México, never gave up, even selling tortillas door-to-door.

• The Boulevard is the oldest shopping mall in Las Vegas, but it has reinvented itself in recent years by adding a variety of family attractions, restaurants, entertainment, and stores that showcase Hispanic culture. A highlight of the mall’s unique evolution is a vibrant mall within the mall, called El Mercado (Spanish for the marketplace). Located in a large space that once housed a JC Penney department store, El Mercado is a diverse treasure trove of Latin American culture with nearly 200 stores, a food court, and live entertainment. (Read more here)

• Sunrise Hospital workers vote to unionize. Professional healthcare workers at the largest hospital in Las Vegas voted last week to unionize, the latest in a surge of labor organizing across the valley in recent months. Workers at Sunrise Hospital–including pharmacists, laboratory medical technologists, social workers, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists–voted 78% in favor of unionizing. The 275 healthcare professionals will now be represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1107, the state’s largest healthcare and public service union. (Read more here)

• La alcaldesa de Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, pronunció su último discurso sobre el Estado de la Ciudad, marcando el inicio del fin de una dinastía política de 25 años de alcaldes Goodman. La funcionaria terminará su mandato como alcaldesa este año después de cumplir el máximo de tres términos permitidos, tal como lo hizo su esposo Óscar antes que ella. En el discurso, Goodman describió las prioridades para el resto de su mandato y destacó algunos hitos del presente inmediato y para el futuro. Prometió continuar centrándose en la seguridad, la atención sanitaria, reducir la problemática de las personas en situación de calle y la diversificación económica. (Lea más aquí)

Soy residente de Las Vegas desde hace más de 30 años, me siento orgulloso de ser parte de esta vibrante comunidad que enriquece con su aporte el fortalecimiento de esta ciudad. La “raza” es parte esencial del mosaico cultural de Las Vegas.

Frank Alejandre, Community Editor of The Nevadan / El Nevadense.

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