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Maricela Sandoval of San Jose paints the face of fellow dancer, Estrella Zamudio, also of San Jose. Sara Hossaini/KQED
Maricela Sandoval of San Jose paints the face of fellow dancer, Estrella Zamudio, also of San Jose. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)

Oakland's Día de Los Muertos Honors Dreamers

Oakland's Día de Los Muertos Honors Dreamers

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Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood is hosting its 23rd annual Día de los Muertos event on Sunday, Nov. 4. It's one of the Bay Area's largest Day of the Dead celebrations. Organizers say this year's event honors the day's ancestral roots while highlighting the current plight of Dreamers and immigrants.

Chilean American Gonzalo Hidalgo is laying the 'tapete de arena', the ground cover of sand and seeds for his Dia de los Muertos altar honoring Dreamers and other immigrants, all of whom, he says, come with a dream and leave so much behind. He invites people in the crowd to help create the display; the central figure is a monarch butterfly. "They take four or five generations to make it back to Mexico, and they just know where to go because it's encoded in their DNA. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Maricela Sandoval of San Jose puts marigolds on the altar made by the dance group she participates in, called Calpulli Coatlicue. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Frank Cortes, also known as Chicome Malinalli, of Oakland stands next to the photo of his deceased grandfather Mauro Cortes Rosas, whom he visited in Puebla, Mexico. "He taught me about his native language and so many traditions." Cortes started a traditional dance group when he was 9 years old, called Calpulli Coatlicue to keep in touch with friends who were moving away from his neighborhood, which they considered too dangerous. He says of embracing his culture and building community, "it changed everything". (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Maricela Sandoval of San Jose paints the face of fellow dancer, Estrella Zamudio, also of San Jose. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018 (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Lisette (L, 13) and sister Stephanie (R, 3) of Alameda help decorate butterflies with beans. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018 (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
A doll sits imprisoned in a cage at Fruitvale's iconic Dia of the Dead celebration. This year's "A Dream for All" theme honors dreamers. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Dancers during the Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018 (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018. This display features a butterfly, the symbol of migration.
Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018 (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
A memorial to a teen victim of bullying. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Day of the Dead celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, 2018 (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Ria Lemena, 3, holds onto her marigold necklace. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Not quite living or dead, this dressed up auto is part of the car show at Fruitvale's Dia de los Muertos festival. (Sara Hossaini/KQED)
Alejandra Perez and 7 year old daughter Diana Orozco share makeup and a history of attending Fruitvale's celebration. Perez says Dia de los Muertos is an important observation. "Son mis tradiciones; They're my traditions," she says. (Sara Hoissaini/KQED)

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