Friday, October 16, 2026
The Village of Freeport came together at the Freeport Recreation Center to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Under the theme “Collective Heritage: Together, We Are More,” or “Unidos, Somos Más,” the village celebrated five Hispanic honorees.
Freeport’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration occurred on Oct. 7 in the Freeport Recreation Center’s program room. Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized nationally and celebrates the Hispanic icons and families from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year.
The honorees for the event were Lieutenant Boris Herrera-Barillas of the Freeport Police Department, Sylvia Moreira, an Archer Street School teacher, Second Assistant Chief Julio Rodriguez of the Freeport Fire Department, Jennifer Lascala-Gomez, president of the Freeport Little League, and Jared Bermudez, the president of the Youth Council of the Freeport-Roosevelt NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, branch.
In addition to the special awards and recognition given to the five honorees, groups from Freeport Public Schools gave performances during the event. The Giblyn Hot Steppers from the Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School and the Dodd Mariachi Club, representing John W. Dodd Middle School, provided musical entertainment harkening to some of the student’s own Hispanic heritage.
Both of Bermudez’s parents are immigrants from El Salvador, and he says he proudly wears that heritage.
“Hispanics are not just a side note to Freeport,” he told the Herald. “We are plenty with not only our numbers, but our contribution to this village.”
Bermudez said that he believes Hispanic Heritage Month is important to not only recognize notable heroes, but also appreciate the community of locals who “work themselves to the bone to better their village.”
“Being honored by the village of Freeport is, to me, a dream come true so quickly,” he said, being the youngest honoree this year. “I’ve always loved Freeport and have always found myself back in Freeport one way or another. I do my best to be connected with the community and to help out wherever I can, so this is just, to me, a reason to keep going.”
Moreira, who works as a certified bilingual teacher that co-teaches a second-grade dual language class at Archer, similarly said that her Cuban-American heritage is an essential part of her identity and her values. She was grateful to be selected out of the “many extraordinary educators” within the Freeport school district and relished the opportunity to celebrate Hispanic heritage with her community.
“It is important to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month because it recognizes the contributions, culture and achievements of the Hispanic community, which has been such an integral part of Freeport for many years,” she said, having taught in Freeport for 26 years. “It reminds us to appreciate diversity, respect one another and take pride in our heritage. Celebrating our differences helps bring our community together.”
In addition to the hundreds of supporters who attended the celebration, local officials showed their support, including, but not limited to, Freeport Mayor Robert T. Kennedy, Deputy Mayor Jorge Martinez, Village Trustees Evette Sanchez and Jacques Butler, and Town of Hempstead Councilman Chris Schneider.
