‘We celebrate all’: America’s diversity and concern on display at San Jose Fourth of July parade

SAN JOSE Chosen came a few gaudily dressed on Friday others barely so Certain carried signs others held flags And a decent-sized contingent showing their style on their classic cars Majority along The Alameda glittered in an assortment of red white and blue but they weren t alone Others sported the green white and red of Mexico s flag specific were displaying all the colors of the rainbow One group Miss Teen Saigon and her court shined in the colors of both the American and Vietnamese flags riding in a Tesla At a moment when America s national identity is in question a stark division between the mass deportations sought by President Trump and those who seek to protect immigrants in their Bay Area communities San Jose exhibited its diversity with pride and patriotism The annual Rose White and Blue Fourth of July Parade and Festival which organizers held for the th time Friday in the historic district west of downtown entertained thousands of revelers spread out over a half a mile The political backdrop this year may have led observers to wonder if the parade felt a bit different The collective answer Yes to a degree but not enough to wipe away its meaning When we started doing this the squad and I became united in wanting to create something that would be hella San Jose and hella Bay Area parade organizer Sharon Benitez noted I feel like we ve done that We celebrate all and all are welcome to celebrate That message seemed to reverberate as much as ever as the United States marked the year before its th birthday even amid an undercurrent of uncertainty Several at the parade talked about their mixed feelings about celebrating America even as Bruce Springsteen s Born in the USA blared on the speakers We re in a period of dilemma mentioned David Zbin of San Jose who rode in a Kawanee and Elkpoint green Model-A Ford owned by his wife To be honest we were struggling with the whole wave-the-flag thing because we we didn t want it to be taken as we blindly aid everything that s happening We don t But also we know that there is so much that is so amazing about our country and we love it And like you love anything you really care about you have to love it in the bad times too The parade started near the Lincoln High School campus and moved along the Alameda and manifested off an array of worldwide cultures At the center of it was Miss Sweet Nothing an Emeryville-based drag queen who acted as the emcee It s wonderful she announced of the parade It s a tradition that perpetually brings together a fabulous public to celebrate locally and also to bring national attention to what s great about diversity It s unfailingly been in the back of my mind to stay vigilant and stay engaged in the fight for those who are oppressed and nothing has changed about that So this helps us stay engaged with the people in the communities who want to embrace diversity rather than fight against it Sandra Cano director of Salseros Parceros a dance-and-fusion group that that celebrates Colombia s custom noted the parade reinforced what is practicable for all who come to America even if this year s event comes with a tinge of sadness She noted she became a U S citizen in after her parents immigrated from Colombia The first thing I felt was that I was thankful she reported I m thankful that I m in a country where I can share my happiness for dancing and that I live in a place where we are allowed to have diversity and celebrate it At the same time it s mixed emotions even for me Even though I m proud to be part of this country and love it with all my heart I can t deny that a part of me is very sad over what is happening and very concerned over the direction we might be heading she explained But I never lose hope Ultimately several parade observers and participants announced that it s the idea of hope for everyone that gets renewed each year that American celebrates its birthday Are there things that are not great and that should cause alarm and be addressed Yes of syllabus noted David Harrington who was at the parade with his -year-old father a military veteran also named David But in the end I think everybody here knows that we all could be in a place that s a lot worse than this A lot of the spirit that we celebrate is still present We can see it and feel it here at this parade As long as we have that we will invariably have hope