DALLAS — The State Fair of Texas is back, and it’s not only about food. It’s an opportunity to learn about cultures.
 
For 26 years, Mundo Latino put together an exhibit to provide education about traditions and culture. This year’s theme, Dia De Los Muertos, and the Monarch butterfly, is also a call to action. More than 20 students from the North Texas LULAC Youth Council came together to remember the 21 lives taken on May 24 at Robb Elementary.
 
“This was something that was life changing, and it hit even harder for us because we have younger siblings,” said Bryan Cruzsosa.
 
Cruzsosa and fellow members went to Uvalde just after the tragedy. They went to pay their respects and help in any way they could. It’s been four months since the shooting at Robb Elementary, but it’s never far from their mind.
 
“It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have a way to remember these kids or to put them up there and represent them, especially after it just happened,” said Brianna Garcia.
 
The State Fair of Texas draws people from across the state and country. The students hope attendees see the ofrenda [altar] dedicated to the two teachers and 19 students killed and the call to action next to their photos.
 
“Not only did we want to memorize the kids that had passed, but it was also to speak up and stand up,” Garcia said. “We need change.”
 
The call to action ranges from giving a compliment to an educator to urging legislators to work on gun reform.
 
“We don’t want to forget what happened; we don’t want to move on. We want to make sure this is on everybody’s mind,” said Rafael Luna, producer and co-founder of Mundo Latino. “We need to use whatever platform we can to go ahead and protect our children.”
 
Mundo Latino began with Rafael’s late wife, Cindy Benavides Luna. Cindy began her own marketing company in 2001, CR Strategic Events.
 
The goal of the exhibit each year is to educate the public about Latino traditions and customs.
 
“We want to go ahead and show the world, especially Texas, that we [Latinos] are here,” Rafael said. “With all our customs, all of our traditions.”
 
Organizers invited the community to take part in the exhibit. Bertha Albert Treviño took photos of her father, mother and daughter in-laws’ parents. She decorated the third floor of the exhibit, which has been turned into a cemetery.
 
It is tradition to visit those who passed on Nov. 1, which is known as Día de los Inocentes [the day of the children] and Nov. 2 known as Dia De Los Muertos [All Souls Day].
 
It has long been a tradition of Treviño. She placed photos of her family in the Mundo Latino created cemetery. Tombstones are decorated with photos, momentous of those who have passed.
 
“They’re not gone, they’re in our hearts,” Treviño said.
 
The exhibit will be open to the public throughout the State Fair of Texas.