On Thursday, Sept. 10, for the first time in its 39-year history, the Hispanic Heritage Awards took place outside of Washington D.C. The awards, which were established at the White House in 1988 to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, took place at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Organizers decided to host the ceremony in Minneapolis because of an important honoree: the People of Minnesota were being presented with the Humanitarian Award to honor the community’s resilience during the federal immigration surge last winter.

A crowd of about 3,000 well-dressed attendees filled Orchestra Hall during the reception and ceremony, with individuals proudly wearing outfits and garments that reflected their culture and heritage. The program included both solemn, inspiring and powerful speeches by the organizers, special guests, and current and previous honorees. The audience filled Orchestra Hall to the brim and cheered with fervor that would give the Minnesota Orchestra’s usual audience a run for their money.

Honorees included big names in the Latin American music world including Ximena Sariñana. The Mexican singer-songwriter and actress received the Music Award for her “embodiment of the leadership our community and the world needs.” Also honored were Chilean-Mexican singer-songwriter Mon Laferte, who received the Social Justice Award for “using her music and artistic expression to inspire social change,” and Eladio Carrión, who received the Inspira Award for his “commitment to inspiring the next generation.” In addition, Venezuelan salsa legend Oscar D’Leon was honored with the Legend Award, recognizing “more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to Afro-Caribbean music and a lasting cultural influence spanning generations and continents.”

Regional Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte headlined the awards with performances of two of the group’s hit songs: ‘La Jaula de Oro’ (‘The Cage of Gold’) and ‘Somos Más Americanos’ (‘We Are More American’). The group also presented the Humanitarian Award to the People of Minnesota.

“Each time that we play a song, that we talk about what’s happening, (the community) is happy to listen to our songs,” says bassist Hernan Hernandez. “And tonight we’re going to play two songs that really represent our community.”

“(These songs) talk about the reality of our people, the reality of our community,” says guitarist Luis Hernández. “I think those songs relate to our community very much, not only in Mexico (…) but all over Latin America. I think these types of songs are the ones that send a big message. We have to keep on going, we don’t have to give up, especially in these moments.”