On Saturday, April 24th, Matrix Human Services put on their 4th Annual Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros—an event promoting literacy among Southwest Detroit Latino children. The event lasted from 10am-3pm. There were a number of other community partners there including:
- Mexican Consulate
- Vistas Nuevas Head Start
- SWAN (Southwest Artists’ Network)
- COMPAS (Center Of Music & Performing Arts Southwest)
- US Census
Although the day was overcast, it wasn’t enough to keep people away. There were a number of tents spread out throughout Clark Park that housed activities such as:
- Book making
- Story telling (joint reading including the Mexican Consul in Detroit, as well as the Spanish Consul)
- Book giveaways
- Playing lotería mexicana
The highlight of the event was a performance by, poet, singer and writer of children’s songs, Suni Paz, who took her name from the Quechua language. Suni comes from the Quechua word for power of the sun, and Paz is the Spanish word for peace.
Official numbers won’t be in until later this week. However, in past years, the event has averaged over 1,000 children.
Author: José A. Rodríguez
Update (5/3/2010 @7:29pm): There were additional community partners that helped with Dia de los Niños:
- WSU (Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies)
- Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
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