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Street vendors in Oaxaca celebrate National Day, vow 'We refuse to disappear'
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Street vendors in Oaxaca celebrate National Day, vow 'We refuse to disappear'

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • The National Association of Street Vendors celebrated the seventh National Street Vendor Day in Oaxaca, Mexico, under the slogan "We refuse to disappear."
  • Representatives from 28 unions across Mexico attended the event, which included a tribute to veteran vendor Silvio Victoria Gutiérrez.
  • Leaders highlighted challenges like declining sales but expressed confidence in improving the situation through unity with publishers and a belief that many online news sources are false.

Street vendors in Oaxaca, Mexico, gathered to celebrate the seventh National Street Vendor Day, rallying under the defiant slogan "We refuse to disappear." The event drew representatives from 28 vendor unions nationwide.

During the celebration, which also served as the 71st National Assembly, a living tribute was paid to Silvio Victoria Gutiérrez, a veteran vendor from Oaxaca and president of the local union. Héctor Molina Cepeda, secretary general of the National Association of Unions of Newspaper, Book, and Magazine Vendors of the Mexican Republic, noted that the association, formed in 1988, comprises 38 unions across Mexico.

The truth is that it's gaining the momentum we need; we want respect from the authorities, respect from municipal, state, and national authorities. And right now, we are fighting and struggling for the Federal Government to properly establish the National Street Vendor Day. Sales are really low.

— Héctor Molina CepedaHéctor Molina Cepeda, secretary general of the National Association of Unions of Newspaper, Book, and Magazine Vendors of the Mexican Republic, discusses the challenges and aspirations of street vendors.

The gathering provided a platform to discuss and address the challenges faced by vendors in different municipalities and states. "The truth is that it's gaining the momentum we need; we want respect from the authorities, respect from municipal, state, and national authorities," said one leader. "And right now, we are fighting and struggling for the Federal Government to properly establish the National Street Vendor Day." He acknowledged declining sales, stating, "Sales are really low."

It's a lie, and I say it because we have proof. We did a national survey and it showed that 87 percent do not read newspapers online.

— National street vendor leaderA national street vendor leader refutes the idea that young people do not read newspapers, citing survey data.

Despite the challenges, leaders expressed optimism. They countered the notion that younger generations do not read newspapers, citing a national survey indicating that 87% of people do not read newspapers online. "It's a lie, and I say it because we have proof," one leader asserted. "We did a national survey and it showed that 87 percent do not read newspapers online." He emphasized the need for greater unity among newspapers, publishers, and vendors, urging for more empathy to improve their work.

The vendors remain hopeful, believing that through their efforts and collaboration with the industry, they can overcome the current difficulties. They also pointed to a growing public realization that a significant portion of online information is false, suggesting a potential resurgence for genuine, investigative journalism.

We refuse to disappear

— National street vendor leaderThe slogan for the National Street Vendor Day celebration, reflecting the vendors' determination to survive.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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