May 21, 2026 • 11 mins
Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia Today, we’re celebrating culture, community, and the growing impact of the Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia. Joining us is Araceli Guenther, Board Chair of the organization, to reflect on the recent Friends of Mexico Awards Luncheon and discuss the vision for the future — including plans for a permanent cultural home and upcoming programs that will continue highlighting the rich contributions of Mexican and Hispanic communities throughout the region.
For more than 30 years, the Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia has preserved and shared Mexican arts, culture, and traditions across Greater Philadelphia, South Jersey, and Delaware. As Philadelphia prepares for major global events like America’s 250th anniversary and the FIFA World Cup, MCC is helping ensure Mexican and Hispanic voices, culture, and stories remain an important part of the region’s future.
Learn more:
• Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia
Follow on social media:
• Instagram: @mccphilly
For more than 30 years, the Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia has preserved and shared Mexican arts, culture, and traditions across Greater Philadelphia, South Jersey, and Delaware. As Philadelphia prepares for major global events like America’s 250th anniversary and the FIFA World Cup, MCC is helping ensure Mexican and Hispanic voices, culture, and stories remain an important part of the region’s future.
Learn more:
• Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia
Follow on social media:
• Instagram: @mccphilly
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Winsight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel. We're talking today about
food justice for the Black Farmers co Op and also
the growing infectious disease crisis tied to injection drug use.
But first today we're celebrating culture, community and the growing
impact of the Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia. Joining us
(00:21):
is Araceli Gunther, whose board chair of the Mexican's Cultural
Center in Philadelphia, to talk about the recent Friends of
Mexico Awards luncheon and to talk about the organization's vision
for the future, including plans for a permanent cultural home
and upcoming events that will continue to highlight the rich
contributions of Mexican and Hispanic communities across our region. Thank
(00:42):
you so much for joining us here today, and you
had a big event and awards luncheon that brought together
leaders from across the region. Looking back, what did the
event represent for the Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia and the
broader community.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you so much, Loin for having me. I love
that your organization does so much for us as a community,
and I can't thank you enough for that this event
that you're referring to was last week and it was
Friends of Mexico and Friends of Mexico is an event
that I started four years ago and started in a
little restaurant Condesse, which is a very nice restaurant, great menu,
(01:19):
and I managed to actually attract and convince thirty people
to join me there to talk about the Mexican Cultural
Center and our mission and what we're doing. But we
have actually been in this area for over thirty years
and literally, you know, we're going through and actually you know,
talking about the mission, you know, the of the Mexican
Cultural Center and how we celebrate and disseminate arts, culture, food, music,
(01:45):
also the lineage and the heritage and furthermore, what the standing,
the economic standing is of Mexico, not just at the
local level, the state level, but the country, you know,
the US. And what's fascinating to me is that this
event grew the Friends of Mexico and what we do
there you just mentioned learning. We do the awards, So
(02:06):
we have the Corporate Award. It recognizes a corporation that
does a lot of things specifically for our community or
they have special program for our kids, for our people,
for our youth, for everybody, So we recognize that because
they do help them in many, many ways, and they
recognize the needs of the community and they come forth
(02:27):
to help and that's always appreciated. So this year it
was Pico, but last year obviously we had Campbell's from
right across the river. We've had Goya one year, and
we also had Bimbo. So these are the companies, the
level of companies and the commitment that they show to
our people and our communities. Pico was the recipient this year,
(02:47):
so that's the Corporate Award. The other one is Education
Pathways to Success, and I'm talking about higher education. So
this year we had Community College of Philadelphia that was
the recipient of that because all they do for the
entire community and for our people is prepare them for
higher education and the possibility of actually gaining higher education
(03:11):
and finding their rightful place in the region. So that
was very important for us. We also recognize museums for
art and culture because they give our people, our communities
the opportunity to actually have a free entry and free programming,
which otherwise they wouldn't. If you have a family, you know,
four or five six people, you know, it's really difficult
(03:32):
to be able to pay price of admission to some
of these events. But through the museums that's done and
this year it was from Er Science College the Burman
Museum of Art that we did. And then we added
something called the Impact Award, And the Impact Award recognizes
an individual that has done a lot for our community.
And you also you should I think you know this individual,
(03:52):
doctor Steve Larson. He was one of the founders of
Puenttes salou So in English obviously it's Bridges to health.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yes, wonderful organization.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So that's that's what that was about.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Well, you had a lot of wonderful people that you
acknowledge and institutions. But MCC has spent, as you mentioned,
more than thirty years preserving and sharing the Mexican arts,
culture and traditions. Why is this work so especially important
right now as Philadelphia prepares for major global events like
America to fifty and also of course the World Cup.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well just think about the significance of that. We've been
here for more than two hundred and fifty years. Number One, soccer,
I mean, think about the soccer and the impact of soccer,
you know, or any sport, but in this case, specifically soccer,
you know, to Mexico and to other you know, Latin countries,
to the world. Actually, this is a world thing. The
significance this year for us is precisely that and what
(04:49):
it represents, you know, for us as an organization and
for people, for our community, and it's something really to
cherish and joy and be proud of, particularly as you indicated,
because of the current climate, in the current situation, you
know that we are going through as a country, not
just our community, Lorraine. As you will know, I think
(05:10):
it's uh, it's everybody at this point in time, we're here,
it's everybody. But the other thing that the Mexican Cultural
Center just tried to bring across and I and I
say this, you know, with a lot of frequency, is
unity through culture. We have to find common ground, Lorraine,
in order to continue moving forward as a society in
this great United States of America. And we do it.
(05:33):
We're doing our part to make sure that that becomes
a reality, you know, through throughout the region. Because we
don't just serve obviously Philadelphia, we serve South Jersey and Delaware,
so we're at a regional type of capacity that we're
really trying to and you're saying, you know, what is
the significance, Well, we're also trying to influence in a
positive manner what we represent here as as a people
(05:56):
and as a culture.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yes, absolutely, the Mexican Cultural Center has a vision for
a permanent cultural home by twenty twenty eight. What would
that space mean for the Mexican and Latino communities in
the greater Philadelphia area.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'm going to tell you exactly what it'll mean. It'll
mean that finally we have a place of our own,
that finally we have a place to go home, that
finally a lot of our young artists have a safe
place to come and practice their dances, their music, everything
that they do. Because wherever event that we have, we
always have artists that come, you know, and actually participate
(06:33):
with us. So at least now they have a safe place.
The other issue is the we're going to have a
place to host events, for example, art exhibits, We're going
to have poetry readings. We're going to highlight our education
program that we have with several school districts. We have
with the School District of Philadelphia and the School District
of Downingtown because we want second and third generation to
(06:55):
really understand and be proud of their heritage, but more important,
be proud of what Mexic, what Mexico represents, like I said,
you know, to not just to the city, but to
the state, federal, you know, and beyond that. And I
just want to make sure that they understand what everything
that we represent, so being having our own building and
(07:16):
we're going right now, we're actually looking for the physical location.
We're just starting that process, but we're confident that we
will be successful having a launching a capital campaign to
name the building. And the capital campaign is going to
cover all of the region and it's going to welcome
everybody from the region that they can come and have
(07:37):
a space that they can be absolutely proud of. And
it's the home La. We still have to name it,
so somebody's going to pay for naming rights, all right,
I mean this is this is now. It's not for profit,
but we got to take it as if it's a
business and make sure that we're successful.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
During absolutely well. Looking ahead, there are so many great
events that the Mexican Cultural Center sponsors, including the big
celebration in September and that is the Independence Day celebration.
So tell us about events that are coming up that
we should know about.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, well that's the next one, which is right around
the corner, because there's a lot of planning that goes
into that. So this year the Mexican Independence Day Festival
is going to be held. It's on a Sunday, September thirteenth,
and it's from two to seven in the afternoon. It's
free to the public, and it's going to be at
the same place it's been for several years, which is
(08:32):
the Independence Blue Cross Rink and it's a summer first
drink and right there by Penns Landing and that's where
it'll be hosted again. Literally, this this has we've had
as many as thirteen thousand people in attendance. And it's
not just Mexicans. Literally, you see one hundred nationalities present
at this event. Music, food, I mean, you name it.
(08:53):
It's there, and it's family, you know, it's kids, you know,
it's a Sunday really too. But the magnificance of it
is very symbolic because towards the end of the event,
we do have the consol General of Mexico in his
official capacity, give the Grito the Independencia, which is the
symbolic portion of the of the program in terms of
(09:14):
the independence when Mexico gained its independence, So that's really emotional.
But throughout the day there's so much to do. It's
for everybody. The kids are loving that, the parents are love.
Everybody has a wonderful time. It's well letant.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It's a beautiful event, and as you mentioned, it's it's
a big event, and it's full of joy, and it's
full of all the things you mentioned, music, opportunities to
eat the most delicious food, and it is. It is
a wonderful event and I so enjoy participating in it,
and I'm so glad that we're involved with supporting it.
(09:49):
If people want more information about everything related to the
Mexican Cultural Center, including of course the Independence Day celebration,
but everything else that you do, how do they find
out more?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
They can find out of us by going to our website,
which is Mexicanculturalcenter dot org. We're also on Facebook, We're
also on Instagram, and we are also expanding into LinkedIn,
you know, to include other professionals, young professionals that use
that platform as well. So there's a lot of ways
to find us, a lot of.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Ways wonderful well we look forward to the Mexican Independence
Day Festival and all the different events that the Mexican
Cultural Center provides, and of course in the future twenty
twenty eight, we'll have a cultural center to check out.
Because as we know each other's cultures, it allows us
to connect with each other. And now connection is more
(10:42):
important than ever before. And we thank you for all
the work that you're doing at the Mexican Cultural Center.
Araceli Gunthar, who is board chair the Mexican Cultural Center
in Philadelphia, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Now, thank you for all of your support learning We
truly appreciate your organization. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
We'll have more insight after these messages
Good morning, and welcome to Winsight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrel. We're talking today about
food justice for the Black Farmers co Op and also
the growing infectious disease crisis tied to injection drug use.
But first today we're celebrating culture, community and the growing
impact of the Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia. Joining us
(00:21):
is Araceli Gunther, whose board chair of the Mexican's Cultural
Center in Philadelphia, to talk about the recent Friends of
Mexico Awards luncheon and to talk about the organization's vision
for the future, including plans for a permanent cultural home
and upcoming events that will continue to highlight the rich
contributions of Mexican and Hispanic communities across our region. Thank
(00:42):
you so much for joining us here today, and you
had a big event and awards luncheon that brought together
leaders from across the region. Looking back, what did the
event represent for the Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia and the
broader community.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you so much, Loin for having me. I love
that your organization does so much for us as a community,
and I can't thank you enough for that this event
that you're referring to was last week and it was
Friends of Mexico and Friends of Mexico is an event
that I started four years ago and started in a
little restaurant Condesse, which is a very nice restaurant, great menu,
(01:19):
and I managed to actually attract and convince thirty people
to join me there to talk about the Mexican Cultural
Center and our mission and what we're doing. But we
have actually been in this area for over thirty years
and literally, you know, we're going through and actually you know,
talking about the mission, you know, the of the Mexican
Cultural Center and how we celebrate and disseminate arts, culture, food, music,
(01:45):
also the lineage and the heritage and furthermore, what the standing,
the economic standing is of Mexico, not just at the
local level, the state level, but the country, you know,
the US. And what's fascinating to me is that this
event grew the Friends of Mexico and what we do
there you just mentioned learning. We do the awards, So
(02:06):
we have the Corporate Award. It recognizes a corporation that
does a lot of things specifically for our community or
they have special program for our kids, for our people,
for our youth, for everybody, So we recognize that because
they do help them in many, many ways, and they
recognize the needs of the community and they come forth
(02:27):
to help and that's always appreciated. So this year it
was Pico, but last year obviously we had Campbell's from
right across the river. We've had Goya one year, and
we also had Bimbo. So these are the companies, the
level of companies and the commitment that they show to
our people and our communities. Pico was the recipient this year,
(02:47):
so that's the Corporate Award. The other one is Education
Pathways to Success, and I'm talking about higher education. So
this year we had Community College of Philadelphia that was
the recipient of that because all they do for the
entire community and for our people is prepare them for
higher education and the possibility of actually gaining higher education
(03:11):
and finding their rightful place in the region. So that
was very important for us. We also recognize museums for
art and culture because they give our people, our communities
the opportunity to actually have a free entry and free programming,
which otherwise they wouldn't. If you have a family, you know,
four or five six people, you know, it's really difficult
(03:32):
to be able to pay price of admission to some
of these events. But through the museums that's done and
this year it was from Er Science College the Burman
Museum of Art that we did. And then we added
something called the Impact Award, And the Impact Award recognizes
an individual that has done a lot for our community.
And you also you should I think you know this individual,
(03:52):
doctor Steve Larson. He was one of the founders of
Puenttes salou So in English obviously it's Bridges to health.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yes, wonderful organization.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
So that's that's what that was about.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Well, you had a lot of wonderful people that you
acknowledge and institutions. But MCC has spent, as you mentioned,
more than thirty years preserving and sharing the Mexican arts,
culture and traditions. Why is this work so especially important
right now as Philadelphia prepares for major global events like
America to fifty and also of course the World Cup.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well just think about the significance of that. We've been
here for more than two hundred and fifty years. Number One, soccer,
I mean, think about the soccer and the impact of soccer,
you know, or any sport, but in this case, specifically soccer,
you know, to Mexico and to other you know, Latin countries,
to the world. Actually, this is a world thing. The
significance this year for us is precisely that and what
(04:49):
it represents, you know, for us as an organization and
for people, for our community, and it's something really to
cherish and joy and be proud of, particularly as you indicated,
because of the current climate, in the current situation, you
know that we are going through as a country, not
just our community, Lorraine. As you will know, I think
(05:10):
it's uh, it's everybody at this point in time, we're here,
it's everybody. But the other thing that the Mexican Cultural
Center just tried to bring across and I and I
say this, you know, with a lot of frequency, is
unity through culture. We have to find common ground, Lorraine,
in order to continue moving forward as a society in
this great United States of America. And we do it.
(05:33):
We're doing our part to make sure that that becomes
a reality, you know, through throughout the region. Because we
don't just serve obviously Philadelphia, we serve South Jersey and Delaware,
so we're at a regional type of capacity that we're
really trying to and you're saying, you know, what is
the significance, Well, we're also trying to influence in a
positive manner what we represent here as as a people
(05:56):
and as a culture.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yes, absolutely, the Mexican Cultural Center has a vision for
a permanent cultural home by twenty twenty eight. What would
that space mean for the Mexican and Latino communities in
the greater Philadelphia area.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'm going to tell you exactly what it'll mean. It'll
mean that finally we have a place of our own,
that finally we have a place to go home, that
finally a lot of our young artists have a safe
place to come and practice their dances, their music, everything
that they do. Because wherever event that we have, we
always have artists that come, you know, and actually participate
(06:33):
with us. So at least now they have a safe place.
The other issue is the we're going to have a
place to host events, for example, art exhibits, We're going
to have poetry readings. We're going to highlight our education
program that we have with several school districts. We have
with the School District of Philadelphia and the School District
of Downingtown because we want second and third generation to
(06:55):
really understand and be proud of their heritage, but more important,
be proud of what Mexic, what Mexico represents, like I said,
you know, to not just to the city, but to
the state, federal, you know, and beyond that. And I
just want to make sure that they understand what everything
that we represent, so being having our own building and
(07:16):
we're going right now, we're actually looking for the physical location.
We're just starting that process, but we're confident that we
will be successful having a launching a capital campaign to
name the building. And the capital campaign is going to
cover all of the region and it's going to welcome
everybody from the region that they can come and have
(07:37):
a space that they can be absolutely proud of. And
it's the home La. We still have to name it,
so somebody's going to pay for naming rights, all right,
I mean this is this is now. It's not for profit,
but we got to take it as if it's a
business and make sure that we're successful.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
During absolutely well. Looking ahead, there are so many great
events that the Mexican Cultural Center sponsors, including the big
celebration in September and that is the Independence Day celebration.
So tell us about events that are coming up that
we should know about.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, well that's the next one, which is right around
the corner, because there's a lot of planning that goes
into that. So this year the Mexican Independence Day Festival
is going to be held. It's on a Sunday, September thirteenth,
and it's from two to seven in the afternoon. It's
free to the public, and it's going to be at
the same place it's been for several years, which is
(08:32):
the Independence Blue Cross Rink and it's a summer first
drink and right there by Penns Landing and that's where
it'll be hosted again. Literally, this this has we've had
as many as thirteen thousand people in attendance. And it's
not just Mexicans. Literally, you see one hundred nationalities present
at this event. Music, food, I mean, you name it.
(08:53):
It's there, and it's family, you know, it's kids, you know,
it's a Sunday really too. But the magnificance of it
is very symbolic because towards the end of the event,
we do have the consol General of Mexico in his
official capacity, give the Grito the Independencia, which is the
symbolic portion of the of the program in terms of
(09:14):
the independence when Mexico gained its independence, So that's really emotional.
But throughout the day there's so much to do. It's
for everybody. The kids are loving that, the parents are love.
Everybody has a wonderful time. It's well letant.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It's a beautiful event, and as you mentioned, it's it's
a big event, and it's full of joy, and it's
full of all the things you mentioned, music, opportunities to
eat the most delicious food, and it is. It is
a wonderful event and I so enjoy participating in it,
and I'm so glad that we're involved with supporting it.
(09:49):
If people want more information about everything related to the
Mexican Cultural Center, including of course the Independence Day celebration,
but everything else that you do, how do they find
out more?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
They can find out of us by going to our website,
which is Mexicanculturalcenter dot org. We're also on Facebook, We're
also on Instagram, and we are also expanding into LinkedIn,
you know, to include other professionals, young professionals that use
that platform as well. So there's a lot of ways
to find us, a lot of.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Ways wonderful well we look forward to the Mexican Independence
Day Festival and all the different events that the Mexican
Cultural Center provides, and of course in the future twenty
twenty eight, we'll have a cultural center to check out.
Because as we know each other's cultures, it allows us
to connect with each other. And now connection is more
(10:42):
important than ever before. And we thank you for all
the work that you're doing at the Mexican Cultural Center.
Araceli Gunthar, who is board chair the Mexican Cultural Center
in Philadelphia, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Now, thank you for all of your support learning We
truly appreciate your organization. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
We'll have more insight after these messages
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.