In an eruption of music, color, and dance, Ecuadorians paraded through downtown, celebrating the 200th anniversary of their country’s call for independence from Spain and the vibrant community growing here.
Hundreds of Ecuadorians from all over Connecticut and as far away as Massachusetts and New York walked and danced through the streets on Saturday.
The event was intended as a celebration of the history and culture of Ecuador and a recognition of the emerging Ecuadorian community in Connecticut.
The parade was organized by the Ecuadorian Consulate, which opened last year in New Haven as a result of the efforts of local groups. The parade is the first of what organizers plan to make an annual event.
The event began shortly after noon at City Hall, where the streets were lined with people waving the red, blue, and gold flag of Ecuador. Rafael Crespo (at right in photo), who works for the city as the head custodian at Edgewood School, proudly pointed to his 15-month-old son, Eduardo, whom he called a first generation Ecuadorian-American. Crespo is from Puerto Rico; his wife Grace is from Ecuador.
In a brief ceremony before the start of the parade, the flag of Ecuador was raised with the American flag on the pole on the green. The mayor, the general consul (pictured), and other dignitaries, including downtown Alderwoman Bitsie Clark, were on hand to march at the head of the parade.
As the parade proceeded north on Church Street, beginning its slow loop through town, Ecuadorian music blared from pickup trucks decorated with flags and banners. Several groups of Ecuadorian dancers wearing colorful traditional dress spun and bobbed their way along the parade route.
Some dancers wore colorful and exotic masks.
Ecuadorian organizations from throughout Connecticut — including Danbury, Bridgeport, Bristol, Stratford, and Trumbull — were represented by vehicles and groups of marchers in the parade. Ecuadorian paraders also organized themselves by the part of the country that they came from, demonstrating their pride for their particular region of Ecuador.
The parade route terminated at 1 Church St., the location of the Ecuadorian Consulate. Hundreds of people filled the parking lot to feast on Ecuadorian food.
Remarks were made by the Consul General Raul Velarde, who said that the parade demonstrates that Ecuadorians are organized, hard-working, and good citizens. “This event gives the message that we are part of the community,” he said later.
Mayor John DeStefano, with translation assistance from publisher Norma Rodriguez-Reyes of La Voz Hispana, spoke to frequent applause. “New Haven has always been made strong by those who come from other places,” he said.
Their remarks were followed by dance and music performances.
Later, standing near the entrance to the parking lot, Ecuadorian Consul Patricio Suarez, expressed the meaning of the parade. “We want to be part of this community,” he said. “You can feel the happiness.”
2 Views On East Haven
Saturday’s parade came just one week before a very different march planned for the nearby town of East Haven. New Haven activists are organizing a march on East Haven’s City Hall on Saturday Aug. 15, to protest alleged calls to immigration and racial profiling by the East Haven police against the local Ecuadorian and Latino community. The juxtaposition of the New Haven parade and the East Haven protest on consecutive Saturdays provides another point of contrast between these neighboring communities.
John Lugo, one of the organizers of the East Haven march, passed out flyers on Saturday, inviting people to attend his event. Norman Clement, another organizer, said that parade-goers had been receptive to the nearly 500 flyers that had been passed out.
Consul Suarez later expressed the consulate’s distance from the East Haven protest. “We do not have anything to do with the other march,” he said. “We respect the [East Haven] mayor and the local authorities … We respect the protest organizers.” Suarez indicated that the consulate is not taking a position on the allegations of police misconduct in East Haven.