Jackson Free Press

The best, most exciting thing about being queen of Jackson's annual Latino Festival is the free food. At least that's what outgoing 2001 Queen Nicole Marquez, 19, says. Kind of Sandra Bullock meets Daisy Fuentes, Marquez has the low-pitched, likable voice of a television reporter; in fact, she joined WLBT Teen News when she was 16. She is easy to spot at this year's festival, held Sept. 14 at LeFleur State Park. She's the one with the crown — but not for much longer.

Marquez's father is from Caracas, Venezuela, and her mother is a native Mississippian. They met at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Marquez is now a sophomore studying theater, and later moved to Jackson. Their daughter is confident and ambitious. "I want to be famous, so I want to do something in film, MTV or VH1, or oh my God, Entertainment Television's 'Wild On.' That would be my dream come true." More than anything, she says, she wants to "build my craft."

The four contestants vying for the title of La Reina Latina 2002 are brushing their hair, adjusting straps and powdering their noses. This isn't exactly the Miss America pageant, but there are a few semi-nervous moments before the competition begins. Soon they will march with the parade of flag bearers onto the festival grounds with its colorful booths representing Chile, Cuba, Honduras, Spain and other Hispanic nations.

The 2000 Census reports 1,451 Hispanics living in Jackson and 39,569 state-wide. This is Jackson's eighth Latino Festival. "It's cool when people come out to this [festival] because it gives them the taste and feel of what we're about and how we've been brought up, " Marquez says.

Miss Colombia, Dayana Bass, says Latinos can find others who speak the same language there – as well as their native flavors. "The food is good, too," Marquez back chimes in. "There is this Spanish market that sells empanadas, chimichangas … like what's the name of that cornmeal?" A determined older woman interrupts her food exegesis and herds the girls toward the stage.

The contestants, all chic in black and red strappy dresses, approach the microphone in turn and announce in both English and Spanish the country of their heritage: Venezuela, Venezuela, Colombia. Mexico. Miss Venezuela I, Maya Garcia, goes further and charmingly welcomes everybody to the festival. "How should we pick the winner?" an emcee asks the crowd of several hundred. One of the three judges, who looks like a model in his tight T-shirt, asks the contestants to walk around the stage again, and then he proclaims Garcia the new Reina Latina.

Garcia rushes into the open arms of what looks like a United Nations pep squad, a group of people she studies English with at Jackson State. A tall man from Angola introduces the group: "We are from Angola, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan; the two ladies there are from Mauritania." (The women are dressed in traditional Muslim attire.) After more hugs from her classmates, Garcia rushes off to change into her costume for an upcoming folk-dance performance. The new queen doesn't even glance at the tamale stand.