With music, giant puppets, and a message to “Vote Against Hate,” a caravan of cars took the streets of New Haven to celebrate the culture and political power of immigrants and Latinos.

The 10th annual Day of the Dead Parade in New Haven was dedicated to the 228,000 people who have died from COVID in the United States. Because of systemic racism, Blacks and Latinos are more than three times as likely as Whites to die of the disease.

“Honor the dead, fight for the living, vote against hate” was the message of this year’s festival, which was created by the city’s Mexican and Latin American immigrants ten years ago to celebrate their ancestors, loved ones, and community heroes.