'We needed more than just 1 day': Holland's LAUP celebrates 60 years

Holland is kicking off a big fiesta starting this Monday. Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) is hosting its 60th annual celebration.

Organizers made a significant change this year by making it a weekend-long event. To start the week, LAUP screened a film called First Voice Generation .

"Story of three first-generation Latinx students from Holland, Michigan, who struggle with identity and belonging growing up in Holland, Michigan, and want to be the first in their family to go to college," says filmmaker Cynthia Martinez.

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The filmmaker held three screenings, where they held a panel discussion of where the students were following their journey through the pandemic.

"So you see them applying to college and working through a federally funded nonprofit program called TRIO Upward Bound Project. That program helps them with resources, access and education equity in the community to help them get those resources that they need that they wouldn't necessarily know about because their parents don't have those experiences," Martinez added.

LAUP has a week full of events for people of all ages to see and learn more about.

• LatinXperince Symposium - July 16, 4-7 pm
• Farmer's Market - July 17, 9:30-11:30 am
• Downtown Holland Street Performers - July 18, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Concert at the Park - July 19, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Fiesta - July 20, 11:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Fiesta Baile - July 20, 7pm
• Car Show - July 21, 11 am-4 pm
• Los Palominos - July 20, 7pm
• Escoltas De La Sierra Jul 20, 7 pm
• DJ Two July 3 18, 6:30-8:30 pm
• MexiCuba July 19, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Hector Estupinan July 18, 6:30-8:30 pm & July 19, 6:30-8:30 pm & July 20, 1-1:45 pm
• Salserines July 18, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Grup Viento De Los Hermanos Valdez July 20, 2-2:45 pm
• Los Parientes De Durango July 20, 2:55-3:30 pm
• Ballet Folklorico Sol Azteca July 20, 3:45-4:30 pm
• Los Estrellas De Oro July 21, 11 am-4 pm
• Los Hermanos 616 July 21, 11am-4 pm
• Grupo Fierroa July 21, 11 am-4 pm.

More on the events can be found here .

LAUP's president, Johnny Rodriguez, has been coming since he was a kid.

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"At 7 years old, I sang a song. One of our favorites in our family was "Las Llaves de Mi Alma," and so at 7 years old, I'm singing on stage in front of a bunch of people. And yeah, fond memories," Rodriguez said.

It's memories like that he wants others to create and cherish.

"I've just always wanted to make my dad and my mom proud," Rodriguez added.

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This fiesta is more than memories. This party is also about connecting people with resources.

"What we need is access to opportunities and resources, and LAUP gets to be that bridge to do that," Rodriguez said.

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