HISTORY AND PAST FESTIVALS
FOUNDING STORY
The Story Behind Raizado
Raizado Festival was born out of urgency and grief, and conceived by Justice for Migrant Women under the leadership of Mónica Ramírez as a cultural intervention to prevent further harm. In Fall 2020, a report revealed that more than 10,000 farmworkers in California died within just three months due to COVID-19, and excess mortality was highest in food/agriculture workers, a 39% increase.
This moment exposed profound systemic failure and underscored the need for urgent action to change the way that Latine people are viewed and treated so a tragedy like this does not occur again. Justice for Migrant Women recognized that addressing this harm required a bold cultural response, one capable of shifting narratives so communities would not be rendered invisible or left unprotected in times of crisis.
Changing the Narrative
It was also necessary to challenge that Latine people divert jobs, opportunities, and resources by affirming the truth: Latine communities enrich society by sustaining essential industries, creating jobs, generating cultural wealth, and contributing in countless ways to the social and economic fabric of the United States.
Responding with action
Serving as a powerful response to the need for cultural change, Raizado Festival was designed to be a “record-scratching moment.” To ensure its message was heard, the festival was intentionally established in a place of significance—one closely associated with influence, power, and visibility.
By the Numbers
Impact & Influence
Over five years in Aspen, the Raizado Festival has built a legacy of celebrating Latine excellence and driving national conversation.
ICON
Awardees
Years in
Aspen
Overall Attendance
billion media impressions
journalists
on-site
Festival
sponsors
Previous Festival Seasons
Built on a growing legacy of convening, celebrating and communal care, each festival season deepens our commitment to honoring our roots, uplifting the voices of the communities we represent and imagining a more just future together.
Playlist
2:23
2:57
3:00
2:45
Deeply Rooted. Nationally Celebrated.
Five Years of Latine Excellence
Raizado Festival was born from a commitment to shift the national narrative by centering the truth, power, and culture of the Latine community in one of the most storied places in America. Five years later, the roots have never run deeper.
