Cinco de Mayo: A Flavor-filled Collaboration
In the Bay Area, Cinco de Mayo hits different. It’s celebrated hard, bigger than the Fourth of July in some neighborhoods. Margarita and michelada specials take over the city. Lowriders line the streets. Everyone’s invited to the cookouts and block parties. And for a lot of us, Black folks included, it feels like a toast to our own freedom.
(image description: two cold micheladas with lime and ice)
But just like Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo isn’t exactly “freedom day.”
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862; a win against colonial occupation, but not the end of the war, and definitely not Mexican independence (which happened more than 50 years earlier, in 1810).
Still, it became a powerful symbol of resistance, pride, and anti-imperialist struggle.
In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo grew in popularity as a celebration of Mexican heritage and cultural pride, especially in places like California and Texas where Mexican communities were reclaiming space and identity in the face of discrimination and erasure. In the Bay, that spirit resonates. And it’s not just about the drinks, it’s about joy in the face of struggle, celebration as a form of resistance.
Juneteenth & Cinco: Two Stories, One Spirit
Juneteenth and Cinco de Mayo come from different histories, but they carry a shared spirit. Both emerged from moments of resistance, from people reclaiming what was theirs against the odds. Juneteenth marks the delayed announcement of emancipation in Galveston, Texas in 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And Galveston, interestingly enough, is also one of the origin stories for the margarita. Coincidence? Maybe. But in this collaboration, we’re letting that synchronicity speak for itself.
Members of the community attend a Cinco de Mayo festival in Texas City. Black and Hispanic residents account for roughly 60% of the population. Credit: Annie Mulligan for Texas Tribune
These are not neat stories of freedom fully realized. They are reminders that, for us, liberation has been coming in pieces, in delays, and often through struggle. They’re also reminders that celebration itself is radical, especially when it honors the roots of the people who made it possible.
(Image description: Juneteenth Jawn sample packs)
We can't forget that our histories are linked just as much as our futures are.
Because Black and Mexican stories in the Gulf, in the Bay, and beyond are part of the same fight.
If you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year - especially in the Bay - we invite you to let Juneteenth Jawn and Additions Mixers be a part of your festivities & get a free Juneteenth Jawn sample with every Additions mixer order. And feel free to learn more about Cinco de Mayo below.
Black & Mexican Co-Conspirators: A Shared History of Resistance
The connections between Black and Mexican communities are rooted in shared struggle and revolutionary solidarity. Throughout history, our people have shown up for each other, fought beside each other, and built together. Here are just a few moments that tell that story:
The Underground Railroad South – Enslaved Black people in the U.S. didn’t only escape north—many fled south to Mexico, which abolished slavery in 1829. Mexican officials often refused to return escapees, even when pressured by the U.S. government, making Mexico a critical, often overlooked path to freedom.
The Mexican-American War (1846–1848) – Though the war was fought over land, it was also about race and slavery. Many Black soldiers conscripted by the U.S. Army resisted serving. Some even deserted and joined Mexican forces. Black and Mexican fighters saw the war for what it was: imperialism and expansion of slavery under a different name.
The Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo) – The victory over French forces in 1862 wasn’t just about Mexican sovereignty—it helped prevent Napoleon III from supporting the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War. Mexican resistance indirectly helped keep slavery from expanding even further.
Civil Rights & Chicano Movements – In the 1960s and ’70s, the Black Panther Party and the Brown Berets organized side by side in the Bay and beyond. They shared tactics, supported each other’s community programs, and faced down police violence together. Their solidarity modeled what Black and Brown power could look like.
The Struggle for Ethnic Studies – At San Francisco State in 1968, Black and Brown students led a strike that birthed the first College of Ethnic Studies in the country. It was a coalition across race, demanding that schools teach our real histories.
Anti-Gentrification Battles in the Bay – From East Oakland to the Mission, Black and Mexican communities have fought displacement side-by-side. Whether it’s organizing against unjust evictions, defending schools, or pushing for housing justice, we’ve had each other’s backs in the fight to stay rooted.
We Raise Our Glasses in Solidarity!
These moments remind us: we’ve always been linked; not just by proximity, but by politics, survival, and joy. That’s why this collaboration exists. That’s why we raise a glass to the future we’re still building together.
Through all the shared history of struggle, flavor, and culture, Juneteenth Jawn and Cinco de Mayo come together in the same spirit of liberation. Whether you're sipping on this drink at a family BBQ, a Juneteenth gathering, or a Cinco de Mayo fiesta you’re honoring the long-standing connection between Black and Mexican communities in the Bay and beyond.
