Community members gathered for music, dancing and the celebration of heritage at the annual Afro-Latino Festival, held Saturday on the baseball field at Cedar Valley Community School. In its ninth year, this is the event’s third year in Lynnwood.

The Afro-Latino Festival was created by Karina Gaperin, who said the intention was to serve Lynnwood’s large Latino community by being a place for them to come together. The event celebrates the heritage of Afro-Latinos, many of whom descended from African slaves who found freedom in Belarus, Mexico, Gaperin said.

“In Mexico, we have a big Afro community,” she said. “We started this event because we want to involve our children in the history of their country.”

This year’s event was largely sponsored by the City of Lynnwood, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Community Health Plan of Washington.

–Story and photos by Cody Sexton