September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month and throughout the country communities host events highlighting Latino history and contributions in the U.S.
Sara Franco, Chihuahua, Mexico native, and Sandwich local is gearing up to perform in celebrations launching the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month.
These festivities also that coincide with Mexican independence and other independence commemorations for several Central American countries including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
Franco said taking part in these festivities fills her with joy and pride.
“It just brings up a lovely feeling and a reminder that while I may be afar from my country, I remember her with a lot of love,” Franco said. “We continue on with the traditions.”
Franco said she’s instilled that pride in her children and grandchildren.
They have a feel for the culture, for what I’ve taught them,” Franco said.
One of her grandkids participates in folkloric dance, another she’s teaching to sing classic songs from Mexico.
Franco came from a musical household. Her father played the guitar and sang, as did her siblings and cousins. She won several singing contests in her earlier years, but instead of pursuing a singing career she focused on working to support her family.
She considers singing a hobby and a part of her every day, especially when she’s tidying up her house.
“I remember my husband saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to leave, since you’ll soon start to sing man-hating songs,’” Franco said.
Franco began singing in public again in Sandwich as part of Cinco De Mayo festivities once hosted by the local school district. Also, she sang occasionaly at Cielito Restaurant in Plano, until the pandemic. In these events, she's known as "La Flor de Chihuahua," (The Flower of Chihuahua).
Franco said singing helps connect to her roots, but it also provides an outlet for relief from the pain of the death of her husband, Jose Franco. He died several years ago of leukemia.
“There’s a saying that goes 'Of our pain we also sing when crying is not possible,'” she said.
In addition, Franco lends her voice as part of the choir at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Sandwich.
“The ability to sing is a gift that God gave me," she said. "So, first I serve God, then everything else.”
At St. Paul she also helps lead the Hispanic ministry. She and her late husband assisted in establishing Spanish masses at the church over 20 years ago. She said it was initiated with a Franciscan nun named Francisca Hicks. The nun lead rosary prayers to the Virgin of Guadelupe with Latino families that resided in an apartment complex in town.
Since then, she said the growth in Latino families attending church and settling in Sandwich has been significant.
“Many of us that once lived in apartments now have our own homes,” she said. "And new people continue to arrive. When we see newcomers, we always give them a warm welcome. We invite them to church, and answer any of their questions,” she said.
According to the U.S. Census, in 1990 there were 201 Latinos in Sandwich. Since the last count, there are over 1,000 Latinos. That’s nearly 15 percent of the population.
She said Latinos don’t immigrate to the U.S. as some say to “steal American jobs.”
“Sometimes, we do the work that some don’t want to do,” she said. “The work considered most dirty and less paid.”
She recalled her father immigrating to the U.S. for several spans of time so that he can work and send enough earnings back home.
“One doesn’t leave one's country because you don’t love it, but because you want to obtain a better life,” Franco said.
What the statistics say
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported that in 2022 alone the amount of money sent from the U.S. to Mexico set a new record of $55.9 billion dollars.
About one-third of Latinos in the U.S. are foreign born, according to the Pew Research Center.
Latinos contribute nearly $2.7 trillion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product each year, according to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Franco works at a distribution center in DeKalb. Her late husband owned a landscaping business.
“He wanted to grow the business so that he can create more jobs and help more people,” she said. “He liked to help people.”
Franco met her late husband in Chicago and settled in Sandwich as a newly married couple. It’s in Sandwich where they raised their three boys and it’s where she welcomes her grandchildren.
“I travel to Chicago to visit my sister, but I love my town because it’s quiet and I’m happy here,” she said.
She said she’s looking forward to singing this weekend so that folks can celebrate their heritage nearby.
Franco aka La Flor de Chihuahua will be performing at Plano on Saturday during Hispanic Heritage Street Market and on Sunday at St. Mary’s Church in DeKalb during it’s fundraising event, scheduled from 11- 6PM.
Hispanic Herigate Street Market
The Hispanic Heritage Street Market is being organized by the the Plano Area Chamber of Commerce. Tiffany Forristall, the executive director of the Plano Area Chamber of Commerce, said folks may be familiar with the Mexican restaurants in town, but hopes to showcase other Latino-owned business in the area.
“We wanted to really let other people know that there are smaller, mom and pops, home based businesses that have so much to offer the community as well that they can just look within their community and find what they're looking for,” Forristall said.
She said the fair will also feature community resources such as the public health department. The market will feature over 30 vendors, food trucks and entertainment and will run from 12-7PM at the parking lot of Cielito Mexican Restaurant located 11 W. John St, Plano, IL.
