DannyBoyinExile

Cinco de Mayo may commemorate a Mexican military victory over the French, where they won their independence – but in TDCJ it’s much more than that. On that day, ALL Spanish speaking inmates can rejoice in being Hispanic, regardless of which country they originally hail from. Even people from countries such as Puerto Rico, Honduras, or the Dominican Republic (who have no particular affinity for Mexico on any other day) share a kinship, and consider it “their” day.
The administrations on the various TDCJ units generally go out of their way to make it a special day. We always eat a really good Mexican meal then, so even the non-Hispanics always look forward to Cinco de Mayo. Here on the Wynne Unit, we had Taco Deluxe, which is basically enchiladas in casserole form – and is also basically delicious! We also had refried beans, Spanish rice, jalapeño cornbread, and corn – and nobody was disappointed. (Well, except for the guys who tried to eat twice and got caught…)
The Wynne Unit administration even had banners painted and hung in the halls, depicting various Hispanic figures such as Selena and Cesar Chavez. We were short of staff, like we are on most weekends, but it was as good a day as could be expected. In fact, the meal was better than the one we get on July 4th, when we celebrate American independence! But I’m not complaining.
I even picked up the slack in the hallway, and allowed my Hispanic coworkers to take the day off and relax – because clearly they’d have done it, regardless… haha
Not EVERYONE was feeling the spirit of the holiday, as there was a brief fight, which disrupted chow for a few minutes. But they were quickly handcuffed and taken to lockup, where they could celebrate in a cell by themselves, and everyone else went back to normal activities.
TDCJ doesn’t HAVE to commemorate Cinco de Mayo, but it has become a tradition just as much as any of the others that we have, and that’s not a bad thing. If you’re a multicultural society (which TDCJ certainly is), you have to consider the feelings and customs of each and every one of your members, so they all feel included and respected. That may not be a rule or a law – but it’s just good common sense. So says DannyBoy.