Photo by Tyrone Malow Diaz (Courtesy of the San Francisco Lowrider Council)
The San Francisco Lowrider Council (SF LRC) and Cultura y Arte Nativa de Las Américas (CANA) will feature an Immigrant Emergency Relief Fund as part of the world’s first-ever televised Lowrider Parade to provide immediate financial support for immigrant families impacted by recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, a release about the September 20 parade noted.
The parade will take place in San Francisco’s Mission District as part of National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month. It will feature a hopping competition, car show, and more than 300 lowriders from across the country, including clubs from Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and California cities such as Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento.
Artist: Tyrone Malow Diaz (Courtesy of the San Francisco Lowrider Council)
Organized in partnership with the City of San Francisco, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, and the Mission Merchants Association, the event is expected to draw thousands of spectators. It will be broadcast live on KPIX CBS.
“This parade isn’t just about Lowriders — it’s about our right to exist, to resist, and to celebrate our cultura in the streets where we were once criminalized,” said Roberto Y. Hernández, founder and president of the SF LRC. “We’re still here. And now, the world will see us, live and proud, on television.”
Photo by Tyrone Malow Diaz (Courtesy of the San Francisco Lowrider Council)
Founded in 1981 to challenge police profiling and a cruising ban that began on Mission Street, the SF LRC won a federal civil rights case that restored the community’s right to cruise and forced reforms in the SFPD. In the decades since, the council has been a visible force in cultural preservation and social justice, supporting causes from farmworker rights to eviction defense and immigration reform.
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Hispanic Federation Condemns D.C. Actions: On Friday, Hispanic Federation issued a bilingual statement condemning the Trump administration’s federal takeover of the D.C. police department.
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.
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