HOUSTON—An exhibit commemorating the Houston janitors’ historic 2006 strike is being added to the city’s longest-running community-based Dia de los Muertos festival, where an expected 1,500 to 2,500 visitors will view the museum-style retrospective.

The janitors exhibit “¡Huelga!:  The Houston Janitors’ 2006 Strike for a Better Future”  was scheduled to close on Friday, October 30, but will instead be relocated to MECA’s campus (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts) as part of the organization’s annual Dìa de los Muertos festival.

“The janitors are part of this community, and they have been fighting for health care since they organized,” says Diana Muñiz, Visual Arts Coordinator for MECA. “In addition to celebrating a traditional holiday, we want to make a statement about health care, because that’s an important issue in the Latino community.”

Comprised of video, photos, news clippings, personal testimonies and other artifacts from the strike—the janitors’ exhibit is both a commemoration of the historic strike and a celebration of the opportunity for a better future that comes with bargaining a new contract.  The janitors began new contract negotiations this week that will affect 3,200 janitors and their families.

"I hope everybody has a chance to see this very powerful show," says janitor Mercedes Herrera, who donated her own personal strike memorabilia to the exhibit. "The 2006 strike was a momentous event for not only Houston's Latino community, but also the entire city."

The janitors’ struggle embodies the theme of this year’s MECA festival, “Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Future.” In 2006, most of Houston’s Latino community rallied around the janitors, who were paid just $20 a day, with no benefits. The strike enabled workers to double their income through increased wages and working hours and led to the creation of their own medical clinic.

The annual MECA Dia de los Muertos event is a community celebration of the traditional Latin American holiday that honors and celebrates the lives of loved ones who have passed away.  Dìa de los Muertos: “Honoring our Past, Celebrating Our Future” is being held on MECA’s campus at 1900 Kane Street in Houston. The two-day celebration will run from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31^st, and from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 1^st. The exhibit will remain up and open to the public for the month of November.