Mother’s Day at the Capitol: Las Mañanitas and a Good, Mexican 'Grito' for Culture, Presence, and Power

Dear Friends,

I couldn’t let the weekend pass without sharing this.

Like many of you, I felt a wave of anger when I first learned that the Texas Legislature would be in session over Mother’s Day weekend—a decision that carries a double sting for our Mexican-origin legislators.

To understand why, it’s important to recognize how we celebrate Mother’s Day in our culture. In the U.S., it falls on the second Sunday of May. But for Mexicans, it’s always observed on el diez de mayo—May 10—regardless of the day of the week. 

That means this year, our community marked two consecutive days of honoring mothers, with all the love, phone calls, and rituals that it entails. And yet, instead of reverence, the legislature moved forward with business as usual. This blog is from Mexican Mother's Day on Saturday, May 10, 2025. It brought tears to my eyes.

Rep. Christina Morales with Rep. Ramón Romero & colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives.

Frankly, I believe there should be a law—no legislative hearings on Mother's Day. Period. The decision to proceed was not just tone-deaf; it was culturally disrespectful.

And yet, even in the midst of this erasure, we witnessed something beautiful—an act of cultural affirmation, of joyful resistance.

Enter the mariachis.

In what I can only imagine was the inspired leadership of Rep. Christina Morales—who’s already brought Aztec danzantes and lowriders to the Capitol in celebration of her birthday—we were treated to a historic first: mariachis gracing Speaker Burris’ dais, serenading the chamber with Las Mañanitas, the beloved song traditionally sung to honor mothers and mark birthdays.

This was not mere pageantry. This was power. This was presence in the fullness of who we are as people of this land and of this hemisphere.

In a legislature still dominated by white, male voices, these cultural acts are not just symbolic—they are necessary. They affirm our identities, uplift our histories, and remind us that la cultura cura—our culture heals. It also resists. And it does so with grace, joy, and unapologetic pride.

To Rep. Morales: thank you for reminding the chamber—and the state—of who we are. Thank you for centering our culture, our mothers, and our traditions in a place where they’ve long been marginalized.

And yes, I absolutely loved Rep. Ramón Romero’s grito—a declaration of soul, roots, and defiance.

¡Así se hace! That's how it's done!

In solidarity,

-Angela Valenzuela