Tu lucha es mi lucha.
On Friday, October 27 at Planned Parenthood South Austin, we’re joining the YWCA and Austin-based artist Candy Kuo to unveil a community mural, in honor of Dia De Los Muertos.
And you’re invited to come through.
A third of Austinites are Hispanic or Latinx—almost twice the United States average. Through this mural, we celebrate our ancestors and honor them by continuing to fight for the rights of Women of Color in Central Texas.
Family-friendly. Rain or shine (all activities are indoors). Free and open to the public. Scroll for more details.
Meet This Year’s Mural Artist, Candy Kuo (@itscandykuo):
HOW TO ATTEND
This event is free and open to the public. For all details regarding access, location, parking and more, please click here. Take a peek at the schedule:
3 to 5 PM — Family-friendly after-school activities in the courtyard, with crafts, snacks and drinks from Austin Creative Reuse and Trader Joe’s!
5 to 8 PM — Join us for a resource fair area, celebrating the community with music, comída, a costume contest (come dressed!), raffle prizes and the official mural unveiling!
BEHIND DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. “In Mexico, death rites date from pre-Hispanic rituals represented in murals, painted pottery, monuments, and artifacts, which shows how the Day of the Dead has its origins in the rituals practiced by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Its precedents date to more than 3000 years ago when the Olmecs and subsequent Toltecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Maya, and Aztecs honored death.
Those who passed are alive in our memories. A continuous echo that at certain occasions becomes louder. As the only answer to many of our questions, death is an integral part of life, and the living and the dead meet on this day to emphasize the importance of death in the cycle of life.
Día de los Muertos acknowledges the symbiotic relationship between life and death. El día de Los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd, in which the spirits of the dead are believed to return home and spend time with their relatives on these two days. To welcome them, the family build altars in their honor. These altars have a series of different components that vary from one culture to another that mostly include yellow marigolds, candles, photos of the deceased ones, papel picado or cut tissue-paper designs, as well as food and beverages offerings for the dead.
ABOUT THE YWCA
The YWCA Greater Austin is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities. Learn more at ywcaaustin.org.