Latino Heritage Parade and Jamaica Festival Attract Hundreds

Hundreds of paradegoers lined the streets of Northwest Pasadena to watch and listen to 2014 Latino Heritage Parade on Saturday morning, and then trekked to La Pintoresca Park for the “jamaica” festival.

This year’s theme, “Nuetras Mismas Raices” (Our Common Roots), celebrated the diversity of cultures within the Latino community.

The Grand Marshal is former World Boxing Council champion Mia St. John, who has fought all over the world and accumulated an unprecedented record of nearly 60 professional fights. The Community Grand Marshal is longtime Pasadena resident and community advocate Herminia Ortiz.

Among this year’s parade participants were Folklorico groups, community organizations, equestrians, La Reina de Las Fiestas Patrias and Court, and Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) students, including the PUSD All-District Middle School Marching Band and students from Pasadena and Marshall high schools.

Free arts and crafts workshops were provided by the Armory Center for the Arts, Marshall High School Puente students and the City’s Human Services and Recreation Department.

The parade was produced by Latino Heritage, a local organization dedicated to promoting Latino culture in the greater Pasadena area, and sponsored by the City of Pasadena.