Today, October 3, the Pima County Board of Supervisors proclaimed the month of October Chinese Chorizo Month! The proclamation calls upon everyone in Pima County to celebrate the Chinese chorizo, a lost Tucson food, and the community solidarity that it originates from.
The proclamation read as such:
WHEREAS, Chinese and Mexican immigrants in Tucson during the 1880s through the 1960s faced harsh racism and xenophobia under American legislation; and
WHEREAS, by 1950, an estimated 114 Chinese grocery stores existed in Tucson; and
WHEREAS, Tucson’s Chinese grocery stores became centers for community, in part, because Chinese and Mexican immigrants in Tucson historically helped each other thrive economically and culturally within Tucson’s downtown barrios; and
WHEREAS, the mutual aid practices of Chinese and Mexican immigrants helped carry these communities through difficult times, including the Great Depression; and
WHEREAS, the Chinese chorizo was born in Tucson’s Chinese grocery stores as a result of Chinese and Mexican solidarity; and
WHEREAS, over time, the Chinese chorizo became a lost food of the Tucson community; and
WHEREAS, the Chinese chorizo has been revived by the Chinese Chorizo Project that brings to Tucson the Tucson Chinese Chorizo Festival during the month of October on an annual basis.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Pima County Board of Supervisors hereby proclaim the month of October 2023 to be:
“CHINESE CHORIZO MONTH”
and calls upon everyone in Pima County to celebrate the Chinese chorizo and the community solidarity that it symbolizes.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 3rd day of October, 2023.
The month-long celebration is running now until Sunday, October 29 in Tucson and has even expanded to Phoenix with additional special cultural events.
There is a Tucson Foodie guide listing each of the participating restaurants, and head over to chinesechorizoproject.com to learn about building a stronger community through delicious bites at the 35+ food vendors, restaurants, and locations hosting the Tucson Chinese Chorizo Festival.
