When Ottawa’s Latin American community came together in Centretown for an annual night of charity and fun, there was an undertone of concern. For most Latinos, the Nov. 8 election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president was a disappointment and a shock.
“The result of the election was blindsiding and pretty devastating for a lot of us,” said Ilse Mendoza, an El Salvador-born organizer of the event held at the Canadian War Museum.
Mendoza, vice-president of the student group behind the event, said the gala was timely, especially for those concerned about the implications of Trump’s victory for Latinos inside the U.S. and throughout the hemisphere.
Lucas Garcia, who was born in Mexico and attended the event, echoed Mendoza’s reaction as he looked to the future.
“The future is very uncertain, and that’s what scares me the most,” he said. “In the election, we saw that anti-immigrant campaigning can work and now who says that can’t come to Canada?”
Trump has caused anxiety within the Latin American community due to his anti-immigrant policies, including the proposed mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, most of them from Latin America, and building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
On Nov. 18, just 10 days after Trump’s election, more than 900 people came together at the museum for Locura Latina, the community’s yearly fundraiser and celebration of culture.
The gala, which features dance, music and fashion, is organized by Carleton University-based HOLAS, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students. Proceeds went to Corazones Para Peru, an NGO that supports Peru’s indigenous population.
Walter Vakalarz, born in Peru, described his joy at seeing Ottawa’s Latin American community unite for charity.
“Charity has always been very important to me and I feel blessed to be able to see people from all countries in Central and South America donate to help out the people of my country,” he said.
Vakalarz was relatively optimistic about Trump’s presidency.
“The truth is he’s probably going to move to the centre with most of his crazy plans and not get them done,” Vakalarz said. “Even if he does manage, the Latin American community is going to be just fine because the two things that keep us together is our grit and our determination.”
Vakalarz joined hundreds of other people of all ages dancing the night away in the midst of the museum’s displays of tanks and weaponry. Following various introductory speeches from the HOLAS executives, Rocio Menendez, a representative from Peru’s embassy, took to the stage to praise the group for their efforts.
“It’s a great honour to be representing my country and it’s an even bigger honour to see the youth of this country bringing our cultures together in such a deeply important time,” Menendez said.