EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The Mexican government is working on a digital portal to promote its culture and the Spanish language in North America.
In a videoconference on Monday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the new Cesar Chavez Digital Institute would also encourage research and be a sounding board against racial discrimination and hate crimes.
“Culture has been a Mexican tradition and part of its foreign policy,” Ebrard said. “All great human battles begin as cultural battles.”
The announcement coincided with the anniversary of the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at an El Paso (Texas) Walmart. The attack allegedly carried out by a man upset with the “Hispanic invasion” of Texas led to the death of 23 people, including nine Mexican citizens.
During a Monday morning memorial at the Mexican consulate, an El Paso official postulated that the gunman may not have even ventured to El Paso if he had gotten to know Mexican culture and people better. The portal, as well as all Mexican consulates in the United States, are tasked with giving people abroad a taste of that culture.
“The Mexican government reaffirms its commitment and will to denounce and push back against supremacists, racial discrimination and hate crimes. Likewise, it reaffirms its intention of protecting and guard the human rights of our Mexican brothers abroad,” the minister said.
There was no immediate word of when the portal would be up.
