Hundreds of Oaxaqueños of all ages and Indigenous backgrounds, along with their allies, gathered yesterday to celebrate the designation of L.A.’s official “Oaxacan Corridor” on Pico Boulevard. The 1.6-mile thoroughfare from Westmoreland to Arlington Avenues and the official designation from the City of Los Angeles is considered a big win for L.A.’s Oaxacan Indigenous community.
“It was an amazing experience to hear so many Indigenous languages spoken at once and see so many taqueros take the day off to dance in their respective traditional dance and regalia,” says Odilia Romero, the executive director and co-founder of CIELO, a human rights organization dedicated to substantive solutions to the social, economic and cultural challenges faced by the Indigenous community. “It’s something we didn’t have 40 years ago when I first moved to Los Angeles,” says Romero. “It’s a big accomplishment for us.”
The vision for L.A.’s Oaxaca Corridor was first pitched to former council member Gil Cedillo by Mauro Hernandez of Organización Regional de Oaxaca, the city’s longest-standing community-sustained organization whose mission is to promote and preserve indigenous Oaxacan culture in California. However, Romero tells L.A. TACO that the proposal didn’t catch any traction until late 2022 as an attempt to make reparations after audio of a closed-door meeting between several council members, including Cedillo, was leaked. The audio captured the council members making racist remarks toward L.A.’s Oaxacan community.
Los Angeles is home to the second-largest group of Oaxaqueños outside Oaxaca, Mexico.
Council members Heather Hutt and Eunisses Hernandez introduced the motion in September 2023, which passed 14-0.
“L.A.’s backbone is largely Indigenous,” Romero tells L.A. TACO. “They hold the economy and culture, yet according to CIELO's research, the marginalized community faces dire food and housing insecurity in Los Angeles.”
Besides new signage across this part of Pico Boulevard, the new designation aims to bring more business and visibility to the dozens of Oaxacan-owned businesses. “As part of the enhancements, the project will aim to create facade improvements along the corridor, to work on cultural preservation, and bring the vibrant colors of Oaxaca to the corridor,” the motion states. This celebration is also seen as a victory for celebrating the cultural and financial contributions immigrants like Oaxaqueños make to Los Angeles and stands in contrast to a city in the county of Los Angeles like Artesia, where the city councils there have continuously voted not to put a “Little India” sign to celebrate the beloved stretch of Artesia Boulevard that is home to dozens of Indian-owned restaurants and shops.
Los Angeles is home to the second-largest group of Oaxaqueños outside Oaxaca, Mexico.
