The dead cannot march on the capital in D.C. or on City Hall in Los Angeles, but their voices, calling for justice, can be heard in these altars in Grand Park for the Day of the Dead, 2018.
As I write this in the Fall of 2018 children who have been ripped from their parents are still being held at our border with Mexico. This altar is to remind us of them and the little children who died in the desert crossing at the border.
Side by side were two altars: one for the 831 homeless people who have died on the street in Los Angeles in the past year and another, a coffin, for teenagers who died too early.
An altar for people of Muslim faith
The Day of the Dead goes beyond borders with this Yemeni altar. This is the first I have seen for people of Muslim faith. Los Angeles is the most multi-cultural city in the U. S. and in keeping with the Mexican/Mayan tradition, there are flowers and favorite foods–marigolds, hummus, and baklava–on this altar.
Favorite clothing, favorite foods of the Yemenis who have died in a horrible war. You can see photos of the foods in my next post.
The statement beneath this altar explains who Cesar Rodriguez was and how he died. This year was a very political year for the altars. The survivors were calling for justice for their dead. See other dia de los muertos altars here.
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