Dia De Los Muertos- Raza United

Gallery • 7 Photos

Leo Herrera

When entering East High, you were greeted by a welcoming sign and warm, vibrant colors that said “Hey! Welcome to our Dia de los Muertos event!” It was very ‘in your face’ which was effective on hooking people. If you had made it to the event after the first show, you were one of the lucky few to see the performers taking pictures near Door 2. And if you were VERY lucky, you got to take pictures with them! Pictured: : Singers Carlos Soriano Leal (Black) & Miguel Soza (White), Ballet Folklórico de María Díaz dancers

By Leo Herrera

After almost three years without a ‘Dia de los Muertos’ celebration at East, Raza United and Re-Generacion held a fundraising event on Nov. 5, 2022. In past years, sponsor Silvia Gomez worked tirelessly to host the event, but COVID restrictions dashed her hopes for 2020 and 2021. With the help of several student volunteers, however, Gomez was able to create, host and participate in the fundraiser. 

The all-day event included raffles, face painting stations, cultural food sales, many cultural artifacts on sale from local businesses, and to top it all off, a two-hour folk dance performance full of lively colors, beautiful outfits and professional singers from the Madison area, including Gomez’s husband Carlos. Even if people missed the first show, the in-between event with food sales and raffles helped keep the energy alive until the second show began. 

With the help from East students and their families, this event raised $1888 that would go directly to scholarships, to those who helped like the dances, and the rest would go to the school.