How many of us have not witnessed stereotypes about Asians, Mexicans and other ethnic groups formed by immigrants and their subsequent generations, all of whom are part of the melting pot that makes up the patchwork of this nation? 
In addition to the usual bigotry, much of this branding stems from cartoons back from the 1940s all the way to the pre-PC 80s, when cartoons intended to entertain children poked fun at distinct groups – a good example being the now-infamous Speedy Gonzales (a character that is ironically highly popular in Mexico despite the objections of Latinos on this side of the border), which depicted lazy, heavy drinking mice who forever depended on Speedy to get them out of Sylvester's hands. That image of Mexicans (whose nationals play an important role on this country's economy) has unfortunately stuck in the minds of many Americans, who still see the people from that country as uneducated and problematic despite the triumphs of personalities like artists  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, actors Anthony Quinn and Salma Hayek and singer Lila Downs.

As an effort to change the image of Mexico abroad, the Celebrate Mexico Now Festival, which began last Monday and goes through next Monday, September 15 in various venues across town, including concerts, special events in restaurants and much more. The goal of the festival is to showcase a different side of our southern neighbor, going beyond discussions on fences across the border. "A new wave of Mexican culture has flooded the United States in recent years, spanning a wide cultural and artistic spectrum, and offering a fresh, young and innovative face of Mexican art,"  said Ruben Beltran, Consul General of Mexico in New York in a statement. "I am sure that Celebrate México Now will have a substantial and lasting impact on all the multi-ethnic and multicultural communities of New York, helping to strengthen the image of Mexico and to foster a better understanding of our country."

The entire event is too broad to describe in a single article, but one of the highlights is a concert with Lila Downs at Town Hall on Sept. 15.

The Mexican-American singer who came into national prominence via her participation in Juile Taymor's 2002 feature film Frida (the title song, “Burn It Blue,” was nominated for an Oscar that year). The current tour promotes her CD, Shake It Away (Manhattan/EMI) in which she looks into different issues, including the plight of the illegal immigrants in the US (“Minimum Wage”). The disc also includes the participation of various guests, including legendary Argentinean singer Mercedes Soza, who duets on the beautiful ballad “Tierra de Luz.” Another highlight of the disc is  Down's take on “Black Magic Woman,” in which the singer calls herself said woman.

Downs is an incredibly gifted vocalist – not only does she have have great vocal range, she also  has incredible lungs – she is able to hold a note for a very long period of time, as she shows in many of the songs on the set, including the uptempo “La Cumbia del Mole,” from 2006's La Cantina. She also has a very tight, well-rehearsed band that often expands the tunes into free improvisation, which only makes for a more enjoyable concert.

by Ernest Barteldes