Did you know this festival started as a small celebration on Milwaukee’s south side in the 1970s? Today, it has grown into one of Milwaukee’s largest cultural festivals, powered by nearly 1,000 volunteers and 60 coordinators.
Dr. Antonio Guajardo Jr. has dived deep into the history of Mexican Fiesta. He wrote the book Mexican Fiesta Milwaukee: Building Community Through a Celebration of Culture.
He says a big reason for the festival’s growth was a strong community foundation, along with passionate volunteers who wanted to ensure Latinos were portrayed as a diverse group of contributors to society.
“The volunteers — why did they volunteer? They needed to tell their story, and it was important for them to tell their story of who they really are,” Guajardo explained…