In July and August, the Church of Scientology Los Angeles hosted cultural festivals, one for the Honduran community and the other honoring the indigenous culture of Michoacán, Mexico.
The Church of Scientology Los Angeles hosted a two-day Honduras Expo and another the next weekend for the L. A. Michoacán diaspora. The festivals celebrated the unique, vibrant cultures of these two Latinx communities.
Honduras Expo 2023 filled L. Ron Hubbard Way in East Hollywood with the piquant scents and tastes of Honduran cuisine. A Honduran chef presented cooking classes for those wishing to replicate favorite recipes at home. And all against a background of Honduran music, with singers, bands and traditional dancers performing on the stage and along the street throughout the weekend.
The following weekend was “Sabor de Michoacán,” a festival honoring the culture of the Mexican state of Michoacán de Ocampo and the Los Angeles Michoacán diaspora. Once again the neighborhood was transformed. Booths offered homemade tamales, tortillas, and moles prepared in traditional ceramic pots. Vendors and performers flew in from Michoacán and Veracruz for the weekend, including the famous traditional flying dancers called Los Voladores.
An estimated 48 percent of Los Angeles is Latinx or Hispanic, and some 33 percent of L.A. residents are foreign-born. The challenges migrant families face can be daunting. Language barriers, discrimination, and lack of resources make it hard to find work. Cultural differences make assimilation more difficult, especially for the children, who are also more likely than other youths to face discrimination, prejudice and bullying.
These communities place great importance on preserving the culture of home. Community leaders want to ensure children growing up in America do not lose touch with their heritage. The Church of Scientology Los Angeles partners with Latin American cultural initiatives in the belief that the preservation of native cultures is an essential human right—vital for the health of the individual and the community.
Event organizers of both festivals honored Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology, which continues Mr. Hubbard’s support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and indigenous culture. Article 27 of the UDHR includes: “Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.”
The Church of Scientology Los Angeles sponsors a chapter of United for Human Rights, an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and making youth-friendly human rights educational materials available free of charge to anyone wishing to educate others on these fundamental rights.
An Ideal Scientology Organization, the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles was designed to provide ideal facilities for Scientologists on their ascent to higher states of spiritual freedom and to serve as a home for the entire community—a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all denominations. It was dedicated by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige in 2010.
The Church of Scientology Los Angeles is featured in an episode of Inside Scientology on the Scientology Network, available on DIRECTV channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse, and streaming at Scientology.tv, through mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.
For more information, visit the website of the Church of Scientology Los Angeles.
