Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations are gaining traction in Mississippi, where a growing number of residents identify as Latino. Each year between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, thousands of Mississippians attend festivals from Jackson to the Gulf Coast to enjoy food, music and other cultural staples from Latin America.
Illan Ireland
Environmental Reporter Illan Ireland is Mississippi Free Press’s bilingual environmental reporter in partnership with Report for America. Prior to joining the Mississippi Free Press, he completed a fellowship with The Futuro Media Group in New York City, taking on projects related to public health, climate change and housing insecurity. His freelance work has appeared in City Limits and various Futuro Media properties. Illan holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.S. from the Columbia Journalism School, where he spent a year covering the drug overdose crisis unfolding in New York City. He’s a Chicago native, a proud Mexican American and a lover of movies, soccer and unreasonably spicy foods. You can reach him at illan@mississippifreepress.org.
