LORAIN, Ohio — As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, it's important to recognize community contributions year-round. It's a time to honor the heritage and history of a vibrant and diverse people.
For many in Northeast Ohio, this type of celebration extends far beyond 30 days.
I traveled to the city with the largest Hispanic population in Ohio to gain insight into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
A new mural in the City of Lorain is telling an important story through vibrant colors and shapes.
It's one that Reinaldo Contreras II is proud to share on a one-of-a-kind canvas.
"I grew up coming down this alley way a lot and seeing that old mural, I always pictured something being here on these walls," Contreras said.
With each stroke, over the course of several weeks, he and others helped to bring new life to this building on Lorain's southside.
" I have history of my people being in this club when it first started and it's really cool to see the club still alive, it’s one of the last remaining cultural clubs in Lorain so I feel like only the strongest survive and we’re still here," Contreras said.
It’s home to the Mexican Mutual Society, near the old steel plant. It was once a thriving neighborhood with jobs that brought immigrants to the city.
"People like my parents, my grandparents who came to Lorain to work across the street at the steel plant wanted to have a place they could communicate," said Joel Arredondo, president of the Mexican Mutual Society.
According to Arredondo, this is the oldest chartered Mexican organization in the State of Ohio, with a 97-year legacy that's impacted generations.
“We’ve been in this location since 1940 but the Mexican Mutual Society was chartered by the state of Ohio in 1928,” said Arredondo. "They wanted to be good citizens, there were some leaders like my grandfather who was bilingual, so he was able to help them out with the language."
According to Arredondo, it's one of the few remaining ethnic clubs in the city.
"It was kind of a place you could come and call home," he said.
As times evolve and communities change, the work here focuses on art, education and scholarship, bringing in new generations and a new outlook.
"When you put art on the wall it changes the perspective in the whole community and it has like a lot of power behind it," Contreras said.
The muralist, who is Mexican, Puerto Rican and Italian, said he feels strongly about representing his culture beyond just one month.
"You should be able to rep your pride and rep your set every single month so I feel like we've got to do a better job of making every month our month," Contreras said.
Arredondo, who served as Lorain City Council president for 18 years, noted that Lorain is known as the international city with 55 ethnic nationalities on record. In the 1960s, every ethnic group had a club where people could gather and speak their language.
"Unfortunately fast forward now, we only have four clubs that still exist, Mexican Mutual Society, the Croatian Club, the Italian American Post #1 and we also have the Slovak Club, that's all we have left," Arredondo said.
According to Arredondo, the steel plant closure around 2016 had a significant financial and economic impact on Lorain, affecting employment and related businesses, but the community has adapted.
"Hispanic Heritage Month brings out the pride, the recognition that we are Latino," Arredondo said.
He emphasized that Hispanic people have deep roots in America.
Saturday, October 18, the mural will be dedicated as Mexican Mutual celebrates its 97th anniversary.
There's a community celebration planned, too.
For more information, email mexicanmutual95@gmail.com.
