A cold bar filled with cucumbers, pineapple, watermelon, bottles of Tajín and chamoy, piles of crunchy duros, hot sauce and ice-cold cups of Jarritos, provided snacks before everyone tucked into lunch. Plates were piled high with tortillas, beans, rice, chicken quarters and chopped steak loaded with onions and peppers. In between bites, games of Lotería were shouted across tables. Men crowded around loved ones visiting for the afternoon, carefully eyeballing their boards for images of el gallo, la luna or la sirena.
The celebration peaked around the piñata. Only a few children made it through the gate for the celebration, but as they approached to take turns at the stick, everyone held their breath. Even after it was whacked open and rainbows of wrapped candies spilled across the floor, the men paused while the kids scrambled. They waited quietly until another announcement was made that it was safe for adults to come forth. Men cheered with grins a mile wide as they grabbed the last of candies, and for a moment everyone tapped into their inner child as they fished for treats.
Seven years into his incarceration, Alexander Lopez took in all of the celebration, tastes, and sights that flooded him with nostalgia.
“It’s little events like this that make you feel as far from prison as possible,” Lopez said. “Just being around my family and not really thinking about the environment that I have to go back to, because once that door shuts, I’m in. So just being around them and not thinking about that for that time I think kind of prepares me to go home—to be a little bit more social and just prepare myself for what I’m coming home to.”
The comfort of family is a bridge back to life on the outside, but to Lopez, the Hispanic Heritage event was important for so much more. As he sat eating his favorite childhood candies, Lopez said the celebration was important for reminding him who he is.
“I’m not the person that’s back there. This is my culture; this is my tradition.” says Lopez.
Chaplain Larry Hughes would go on to add that events celebrating culture help everyone at OCC remember why they are there.
“It's a great opportunity for the guys to get together and laugh and smile and have some cultural connection,” Hughes said. “It reduces stress, increases morale. So, I can't see doing this without the events happening, in terms of how meaningful they seem to the guys."
