Celebrating and Elevating the Latino Community | Arts & Entertainment

The Spanish word “raizado” means “deeply rooted,” and when Monica Ramirez was looking for a name for her festival that reflected all things Latino culture, she felt it was the perfect name to reflect the community’s deep roots in the United States and beyond.

On Thursday, the third annual Raizado Festival returns to Aspen with a packed schedule that aims to highlight the truth, strength and culture of the Latino community. Attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a diverse program that celebrates the excellence and strength of this community.

The festival aims to unite and uplift Latinos and their allies by providing artists, content creators, grassroots organizers, thought leaders, and others with an opportunity to address issues that impact their community and showcase creative narratives that transform their culture and empower them.

“This year, the overarching theme of Raizado is unity,” said Ramírez, the festival’s founder and president of Justice for Migrant Women. “Unity and celebrating culture in all its forms, that’s music, dance, culinary arts. I think food, music and dance, all of these arts naturally bring people together, and we’re really using art as a tool to promote understanding, belonging and inclusivity.”

Ramirez said that focusing on arts, culture and the profound contributions Latinos have made to the cultural fabric of the United States can set the stage to address the larger issues they face — including systemic racism.

“I believe that if we want to change systemic issues, we have to start changing the way people look at and think about our community,” Ramirez said. “So by focusing on our culture, our music, our song, our dance and all the beautiful things that we bring to the world, we’re going to create an opening for people in the Latinx community and people in allied communities to have a space where we can all come together and really start to address some of the tough issues that we’re addressing as a community.”

This weekend, attendees will be able to enjoy master classes, panels, live music, Indigenous teachings, and a free Community Day on Saturday that is open to the public.

Masterclasses will be led by visionaries who are shaping the future of the beauty, culinary, cultural and technology sectors. Some of these courses include “Indigenous Food Ways” led by Chef Pyet DeSpain; “Glam for Professionals” led by Alejandra Barraza, celebrity makeup artist and founder of TNT Agency; “Organizing for Lasting Change” led by Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Executive Director of Unemployed Workers United; and “Grow Your Business with AI” led by Roberto Martinez, Grow with Google Digital Coach.

Panels and talks this weekend include: “Understanding Waterways” with Marce Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director of Azul; “Art as a Tool for Early Childhood Education” with speakers Susie Jaramillo of Canticos and Maria Garza of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project; and “Latinos Powering the U.S. Economy” with speaker Ana Valdez of Latino Donor Collaborative Inc.

There will be screenings at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre and a Q&A with director, producer and actor Diego Luna and “State of Silence,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and follows four journalists in Mexico who brave repressive tactics and violence that put them in harm’s way to shed light on the injustices faced by their communities.

Additional screenings include the short film “El Tesoro,” “Los Frikis,” and the documentary series “De la Calle.” Book readings and discussions include: Daisy Auger-Dominguez, author of “Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace”; Susie Jaramillo, author of “Little Chickies/Los Pollitos”; and Maria Elena Salinas and John Quiñones, authors of “A Year in Uvalde.

Saturday is Raizado Community Day at Aspen Meadows starting at 10 a.m. The festival offers a full day of community-focused programming that is free and open to the public as well as festival attendees. The celebration will include three boutique experiences centered on performances, panels and discussions, as well as a culinary experience that will showcase the history and culture behind emerging Latino food and beverage companies.

Live performances Saturday include Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico and DJ Jadaboo. Also on tap: Grammy-nominated GUSI, a Colombian-Venezuelan singer-songwriter known for fusing Colombian music like vallenato and cumbia with Latin pop. From 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., the Resnick-Malek Health Center will host the Kids Corner, featuring a reading center with Cánticos and Susie Jaramillo, a children’s movement with Cali Gonzales, and art with Favianna Rodriguez.

To make it easier for the community to access Community Day Saturday, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority is waiving bus fares so people can attend the festival. Riders must show the driver a QR code. The Q code is available on Raizado’s Instagram page, “raizadofestival.” Riders can print, screenshot, or cut out the coupon and show it to the bus operator.

RFTA will provide commuter bus service from Rifle to Aspen on Saturday between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. To get to the festivities at Aspen Meadows, service will be available at the Hallam and 8th bus stop in Aspen. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the festival grounds. Free rides are valid on all RFTA regional routes, including Hogback, BRT and Roaring Fork Valley Local. Buses will also pick up people in the city of Aspen.

“We’re really trying to make it as accessible as possible and remove as many barriers as possible,” Ramirez said. “We know it’s not always easy for people to come up and down the valley, especially with the cost involved. So we’re hoping this bus partnership will help with that. I want the locals who work in hotels, restaurants and some of the other places to understand that this festival is about them and for them. I hope the people who do the hard work feel seen, appreciated.”

Asked what she expects from the Raizado festival participants, Ramirez said, “…new relationships, the possibility of new partnerships, creating a bigger network. I hope that people can come together afterwards and create magic together.

“I think for the people who are local, I hope they feel like they’ve been able to deepen their own community ties on Sunday, and also that there’s a respect for the community members who really support Aspen and the surrounding area. We hope people understand that it’s not just a Latin festival, it’s for everyone. Really, anyone who appreciates our community and wants to celebrate it.”

For more information, visit raizadofest.org.