Ithacans enjoyed a lively celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture with diverse cuisines, live performances and artisan booths at the Third Annual Heritage Fiesta at Press Bay Alley on Saturday.
Organized by the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, the festival also featured booths run by nonprofit organizations supporting immigrant communities in Ithaca and the larger Tompkins County.
Maia Consolo, a volunteer for LCAT, highlighted the organization’s efforts to strengthen connections between immigrants with various community events.
“[The LCAT] does a lot of annual events like this one to build community,” Consolo said. “[For immigrants,] finding community is so important.”
One of the booths at the festival was No Mas Lagrimas/No More Tears, a nonprofit organization that supports individuals from all backgrounds and identities affected by socioeconomic barriers. Ana Ortiz explained that the organization distributes food every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Henry St. John Building to anyone in need.
Ortiz attributed the increase in immigration that she sees in Ithaca to the diverse and welcoming nature of the city.
“I see more Latino and people from different countries than ever before, because Ithaca is a place [where] people don't even care where you're coming from,” Ortiz said. “Cornell and Ithaca College have people from everywhere in the world, so I think [immigrants] feel comfortable.”
Gudelia Nava, who works at the Midstate Council for Occupational Safety and Health, explained how her organization supports essential workers in New York Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions.
“We help the people and farm workers in Tompkins County and [other counties],” Nava said. “[We] give information for sexual harassment, and do the training for health and safety and if they have [any] problems we try [to] help.”
MCOSH also engages in advocacy work by organizing essential migrant farm and restaurant workers and providing services to immigrant populations.
Nava discussed challenges immigrants face when settling in that can hinder their ability to integrate into a new environment.
“Sometimes [they] speak [little] English. This is a problem for them. And sometimes there isn't a good salary. This [can be] scary for the immigrant,” Nava said.
Ortiz hopes to engage with the city and Tompkins County to remove the language barrier for immigrants in Ithaca.
“Right now, I am trying to [talk to] the city and the hospitals and start bringing information in different languages, starting [with] Spanish,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz, who is from Puerto Rico, reflected on how her drive to inspire and empower others was recently recognized through the Tompkins Weekly Hometown Hero distinction.
“That has never happened before in the history of Ithaca — a Latina, a woman [becoming the] Hometown Hero in Tompkins County,” Ortiz said. “So I want to use my award to [raise] awareness, to say, ‘If I can do it, anybody can do it.’”
Taehee Oh is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at toh@cornellsun.com.
