by Al Greenwood
Senior Staff Writer
While Frontier Fiesta participants ate barbecue and drank beer Friday, some University of Houston students held a candlelight vigil to honor those slain during the frontier expansion.
The vigil included an Aztec dance dedicated to the serpent and Mother Earth. The participants joined hands, laughed, yelled and danced together. Red candles were lit at Lynn Eusan Park, where the audience listened to student leaders discuss genocide of Native Americans and Hispanics in the past and exploitation today.
"There are a lot of people across the street celebrating genocide, but we, on the other hand, are here to give our respects to those who have died," said Annica Gorham, a freshman English major. "Remembering the mass murder and rape and colonization of my people is not my idea of a good time."
She quoted sources saying "the committee of Frontier Fiesta pulled nearly $200,000 to party, drink beer and grab asses for three days."
The vigil followed weeks of protest of Frontier Fiesta by some student organizations.
"Of course, everyone was included in the frontier celebration and the frontier," said Hector A. Chavana Jr., a sophomore political science major and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (MEChA) president. "But how were they included? That's what we're here to remember."
Junior RTV major Amaumeru Ezell added, "Frontier Fiesta is a celebration of the spirit of manifest destiny. This is a spirit that ravaged several people."
The event could remove those connotations by changing its name, said Angela Sanchez, a junior RTV major. "You can drink beer at any festival."
Chavana also cited past problems with Frontier Fiesta. "They invited Raul Salinas and Vangy Piñon. Apparently, a vendor turned up some music, and it drowned out our speaker."
Gorham added, "In the past, Confederate flags were flown, prompting some African groups to boycott."
Despite free entry, several participants did not visit Frontier Fiesta. "I'm not going to go over there, pay for it and be sorry for it," Sanchez said.
Approximately 30 people participated in the vigil, which included several speakers from the Pan Afrikan People for Progressive Action (PAPPA), Latina Coalition, the National Organization for Women and MEChA.
"Some so-called Hispanics have obeyed the colonizer and are over there now," Chavana said. "The Texas Rangers, seen as a great hero by those people across the street, came into our villages and killed our people. They tried to tame us. But I'm hear today to tell that we haven't been tame. We're here to say we remember what happened."
Staff writer Stephen Stelmak contributed to this story.