Night in Oaxaca 

By: Miguel Hernandez

(Listen to the audio in Spanish and Mixteco, variant from Guadalupe Nundaca, 6 min)

Traditional dance, mezcal, and a mini-concert by María Reyna, the world’s first “Soprano Mixe,” were just some of the attractions that the non-profit organization Mixteco Indígenous Community Organizing Project (MICOP) brought to Olivas Adobe Park for its annual fundraising event, “Night in Oaxaca: Our Voice, Our Power.”

Night in Oaxaca is the largest fundraising event for this organization that focuses on organizing and empowering migrant indigenous communities on the central coast of California, and they have been doing so for over 20 years. 

This year, with the support of sponsors such as Mechanics Bank, Edison International, Ventura County Community Foundation, Visión y Compromiso, and many more, the organization raised around $60,000. These funds also allow MICOP to continue community services, such as the monthly food drives which distribute more than 600 bags of food per month in the cities of Santa María and Oxnard.

Around 100 community leaders attended Night in Oaxaca to celebrate and honor their important contributions to MICOP and all of its programs. The event also had guests of honor such as the Consulate of Mexico who attended in solidarity as a gesture of their alliance to support the organization to help the Oxnard migrant community. 

Night in Oaxaca is an event that has been held every year for more than 12 years. Since then, the event has grown quite a bit and is now one of the most anticipated events of the organization and the county.

During the night, people enjoyed traditional drinks such as mezcal, café de Olla, Oaxacan chocolate, and much more. The atmosphere caused a lot of excitement, mainly with many people attending the event for the first time. The event was also a beautiful opportunity for people of Indigenous origin and from Oaxaca to feel proud of their Indigenous culture. 

One of the artists who made an appearance was María Reyna, “Soprano Mixe”, who sings in the indigenous language of Nahuatl, Mixe, and Mixteco among many others, and recalled the importance of preserving Indigenous culture. All in all, MICOP mentioned how they hope these funds can be used in programs that help the community. At the end of the night, everyone came together to close the event with the traditional “Danza de los diablos”.