For the first time in Reading’s history, the Mexican-American community raised the Mexican flag at City Hall on Friday.
The event came the day before Mexican Independence Day and was a display of pride and appreciation for the more than 13,000 people in the Reading area who have Mexican lineage.
The flag raising is a prelude to a Mexican Independence Day celebration that will take place Saturday, Sept. 16th, at Oakbrook Brewing Company, 628 Park Ave, Reading, PA 19611, from 1 to 7pm. The public is invited to come and enjoy vendors, fashion and fiesta.
Jonathan Tinoco, a director of the Reading School Board and a committee member for the flag raising event, said the ceremony is a way to honor the longtime contributions of the Mexican community here.
“Mexicans are dated to have arrived in Berks County as far back as the 1800s due to the workers recruitment partnership of the Reading Railroad,” Tinoco said. “We have never left, we have always been here.”
