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"I think we have more machinery of  government than is necessary, too many parasites living 
on the labor of the industrious." 

Thomas Jefferson 


Somos Primos
FEBRUARY 2011 
134th Online Issue

Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2011

Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues

Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research

Artist: Jesus Helguera
Click on name for more on the artist.

 

Society of Hispanic Historical and
Ancestral Research   

P.O. 490
Midway City, CA 
92655-0490
mimilozano@aol.com
714-894-8161

Board Members:
Bea Armenta Dever
Gloria C. Oliver
Mimi Lozano
Pat Lozano
Cathy Trejo Luijt 
Viola R. Sadler
Tom Saenz
John P. Schmal


Resources:
SHHAR
Networking
Calendar
www.SHHAR.net
www.SomosPrimos.com 


"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, 
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, 
and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,
are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

 Jay Leno

 Sent by Rosa Parachou
rparachou@gmail.com

 

Somos Primos Staff

Mimi Lozano, Editor
Mercy Bautista Olvera
Roberto Calderon, Ph,D.
Bill Carmena
Lila Guzman
John Inclan
Galal Kernahan
Juan Marinez
J.V. Martinez
Dorinda Moreno
Rafael Ojeda
Ángel Custodio Rebollo
Tony Santiago
John P. Schmal

Contributors to this issue
Rodolfo F. Acuña
Dan Arellano
David Bacon 
Jorge Barrientos
Mercy Bautista-Olvera
Maria G Benitez 
Eva Booher 

Jaime Cader
Carlos Calbillo 

Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.
Gloria Candelaria 
Laura Carlsen
Bill Carmena
Sylvia Carvajal Sutton
Henry J. Casso,Ph.D.
Yolanda Cenntenial 
Bonnie Chapa
Carlos E. Cortés, PH.D. 
Alfred Cota
Jack Cowan
Charlie Ericksen
Richard Duree
Rosa Flores Dee
George Farias
Juan Farias 
John W. Flores
Lorri Ruiz Frain
Jimmy Franco
Gerald Frost
Kathy Gallegos
Eddie Garcia
Wanda Garcia


Yvonne G.Duncan 
Adam Goodheart 
Eddie Grijalva
Diane Haddad
Sergio Hernandez 
Bernadette Inclan 
John Inclan
Dan Kaufman
Larry Kirkpatrick
Mimi Ko Cruz
Alfred Lugo
Cathy Lujit 
Pam Laurell
Jan Mallet
Christine Marin, Ph.D. 
Juan Marinez 
Eddie Martinez
Mary McCoy
Gustavo Martínez Contreras
Alex Mendoza 
Melody Mendoza
Barbara Milliken 
Dorinda Moreno
Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr

Patti Navarrette
Paul Newfield III 
Roland Nuñez Salazar
Rafael Ojeda 
Pedro Olivares
Rosa Parachou
Arturo Ramos Pinedo
Angel Custodio Rebollo
Armando Rendon
Hayley Roberts
Jose Leon Robles de la Torre
Daniel Rodriguez
Ben Romero 
Tom Saenz 
Virginia Sanchez
John P. Schmal
Darian Shaw
Robert Smith
Valerie Strauss 
Christina Swindall Martinez 
Hector Tobar
Grayson Charles Thornton
Carlos Vásquez
Doug Westfall 

a.beltran@ymail.com
rgrbob@earthlink.net

Sharing a letter to the editor, which tickled me.  Somos Primos was published as a paper quarterly between 1990-1999. 

Hi Mimi,
I would like to request to re-subscribe to Somos Primos. I used to get the publication back in 1990's, but eventually it stopped. I didn't realize it went to online only. I am excited to see how much progress has been made in Hispanic research, I am also excited about getting back into my genealogy research. It appears SHHAR has been very busy these last couple of decades and I am very impressed! Thank you for all you have done!
My email address is: danrodriquez@oigp.net 
Thank you again, Dan
Daniel Rodriguez
Grants Pass, OR.

 


UNITED STATES

The Alamo's 175th Anniversary
Hispanic Link Weekly Report list of important 2011 national events
Video of Medal of Honor Winner Roy Benavidez
Demographic shift at the University of Texas
Report: The 2010 Congressional Reapportionment and Latinos
New painting by Eddie Martinez, "America Me"
Ron DiCianni painting, 12’x 40’mural, Christ existing tomb
Latinos now majority of public school students in California
New website, Latino Point of View
Texas Connection to the American Revolution 
Fruits of Love by Wanda Garcia
UTEP cancels César Chávez holiday
Loretta Sanchez, Wise Latina by Mercy Bautista-Olvera
Hispanic Breaking Barriers, Part XXV by Mercy Bautista-Olvera
OC, California Longest-Serving Judge, Honorable Francisco P. Briseno
Lincoln's Mexican Visitor by William Moss Wilson
Latino Representation in Congress (1960-2011) by John P. Schmal
Latino Political Representation in State Legislatures (1950-2011) By John P. Schmal
Link to all the current committees in the House

The Alamo 175th Anniversary
http://www.visitsanantonio.com/alamo/
http://www.visitsanantonio.com/alamo/fun.html#mission-trail

From the online site text: "For 13 days in 1836, around 200 Texas defenders held the Alamo from over one thousand of General Santa Anna's troops. The defenders, William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett, would die fighting overwhelming odds for freedom."

Editor: When will the historic facts finally over-shadow the white-washed Hollywood perspective that the land was won, instead of the facts, that it was stolen.  It is the lack of historical facts that has created ongoing misunderstanding, social and economic disparities. Pure and simple history, the invaders and squatters wanted the Texas lands. U.S. expansion encouraged  their action.

The descendants of Travis, Bowie, and Crockett, plus others in the battle want history to reflect their ancestors as heroes, that is understandable. However, the desire to see their ancestors as heroes, make my ancestors, the villains, instead of the victims.

It may be politically correct to say that the Battle of the Alamo was a battle for freedom, but it is an injustice, based on a lie.  It was not a battle for freedom, but a land grab.

I am sadden, instead of taking the opportunity with this celebration to clarify the Battle of the Alamo history, it appears that erroneous history will still be promoted. 

Hispanic Link Weekly Report, Vol. 29, No. 1  Jan 8, 2011
Your News Source since 1983

This issues of Hispanic Link Weekly Report includes a calendar of all the major 2011 Hispanic conferences and conventions.  The information is listed on pages 4-7, alphabetical by organization, and then by the month through October. Great resource.  Surely helpful in setting up your organization's schedule for 2011.

Information sent by Charlie Ericksen 
charlie1@hispaniclink.org


Video of Medal of Honor Winner Roy Benavidez
Tango Mike Mike
http://biggeekdad.com/2010/01/tango-mike-mike/

Ronald Regan said that if they made a Hollywood movie of his story, no one would believe it.

Sent by Juan Farias jnbfarias@sbcglobal.net


Demographic shift at the University of Texas.

"White students, who accounted for 51 percent of UT’s freshman class in 2009, made up 48 percent in 2010. Black and Hispanic students represented about 5 percent and 23 percent, respectively, with Asians and other races making up the rest. The state’s flagship university passed the demographic milestone earlier than some had anticipated, reflecting a similar shift that is rapidly taking place at other top-level educational institutions around the country." 


The report, "The 2010 Congressional Reapportionment and Latinos," authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, Pew Hispanic Center, and Paul Taylor, Director, Pew Hispanic Center, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.

Civil war veteran soldier footage, captured between 1913-1938
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIJaxu3w4-U 
Very moving. . .


Just added a new painting “America Me” to my website: 
http://www.eddiemartinezart.com/gallery/amercia_me.html  

Editor:  This is great.  You'll feel good, just looking at it.


Editor:  This is another artistic experience.  A video interview with artist Ron DiCianni painting a a huge 12 foot by 40 foot mural of Christ, exiting the tomb. It is inspiring.  The painting will be on displayed in Dallas museum.
http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/MW131v2_WS

Sent by Jan Mallet

For the first time in California's history, Latinos make up a majority of public school students, state data show. About 50 percent of students in California, or 3.1 million, identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino last school year.

In Kern, nearly 22 percent of all students are English learners. Of those, 96 percent -- 36,000 students -- speak Spanish. 

New numbers show huge demographic shift in Kern schools, by Jorge Barrientos,Californian staff writer
jbarrientos@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Jan 01 2011 


New website:  LATINO POINT OF VIEW, hosted by Jimmy Franco was mounted on the web in September, 2010  http://www.latinopov.com

These were the titles posted of the comments/essays as of Jan 11, 2011 when the blog was sent to me by xicanomc@yahoo.com

From Dream Act, to a Senate Nightmare
Silent Images of Latinos in Early Hollywood
Dream Act, to a Senate Nightmare
Peace on Earth: By Any Means Necessary
The LAUSD: Cutting Out the Bad Historical Roots
Arizona, SB 1070, and the Immigration Gridlock
Chicano Art: Now and Beyond
Band-Aid Elections for a Broken State
The LAUSD: Flunking the Evaluation Test
Obledo: Presente
The Martyrs of the Chicano Moratorium

Editor: Congratulations to Jimmy and those that submitted their thoughts.  Well done!!


"Texas Connection to the American Revolution 
invites everyone to join the at the Laredo Annual George Washington Birthday Parade.
 
FEBUARY 19, 2011
RIDE THE "TCARA" FLOAT IN THE LARGEST PARADE IN TEXAS

For Reservations and Information Contact Jack Cowan at 210-651-4709
or TCARAHQ@AOL.COM   Join the group, the night before.A block of rooms have been reserved at La Quinta Inn at $69.00 (double beds) for Friday 18, February . You must call La Quinta at 956-722-0511 before 14 February to confirm your reservation. (Tell them you are with the "TCARA" party.)

 

 

FRUITS OF LOVE  
by 
Wanda Garcia

 

On January 17, we celebrate Dr. Hector P. Garcia’s birthday.  This date is also the birth date of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.  Prior to his assassination, Dr. King contacted my father by telegram.  In 1968, Dr. King wrote these words in addressing Dr. Garcia "Your leadership is known and well recognized."

After Papa’s death in 1996, I was concerned that the public would forget about his works and his legacy.  So in 2007, a group of friends began to work with me on promoting the legacy of Dr. Hector, as I lovely call my father.  The road was all uphill when I began to contact people to work with me.  Who?  Was the most frequent response when I mentioned Papa’s name.  Other activist friends called to my attention that no one knew who Dr. Hector P. Garcia was. Or there was no public interest in preserving Dr. Hector’s memory.  So, I was determined to make a change but did not know how.  If you believe in synchronicity, I believe what has happened in the past four years is confirmation that this phenomena exists.  From out of the blue, a friend Mimi Lozano the publisher of Somos Primos an online Historical Publication approached me about submitting articles for her publication.  So once a month for the past four years, I wrote an article about my father.  Whenever I encounter a road block, the right person or information appears to help me continue on the road.  

Today, I am pleased to say that things have changed with regard to Papa’s legacy. He has a library dedicated to his history in Corpus Christi and the Main United States Post Office in Corpus Christi is the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Post Office.   

In 2009, the State of Texas decreed the third Wednesday of September to be Hector P. Garcia Day. 

A book dedicated to the life of my Papa was written by Ignacio M. Garcia. Since 2000, a huge display of Dr. Garcia's contributions has been exhibited at the yearly  national conference of National Council of La Raza, and and many other events. The display was produced by Rick Leal to honor the memory of Dr. Garcia who treated him and his family when he was a child in Corpus Christi. Rick is President of the Hispanic Medal of Honor Society.  Hundreds of thousands have viewed the display and been touched to tears.

When you type in Google Search engine, Dr. Hector Perez Garcia in books, the search returns 1,190,000 hits and a Google search about Dr. Hector P. Garcia results in 160,000 hits . . . . Talk about a man's life and history being in the public domain.  

Others have contributed to the spread of Dr. Garcia’s legacy. Filmmakers Jeff Felts and John Valadez produced films that brought Papa’s story to the national front and were highly instrumental in promoting Dr. Hector’s legacy.  Jeff Felts produced “Justice for My People”.  John Valadez produced the Longoria affair.  I know that John had to endure much criticism and abuse from the Three River group who denied the Longoria Affair ever occurred.  

I am constantly learning new things about my father from these contacts which were unknown to me.  In his quest to obtain “Justice for his people”, Dr. Hector got involved in all manner of activities.  According to Sylvia Garcia, Dr. Hector held weekly meetings in his office.  The group consisted of lawyers, politicians and other interested parties. The group would discuss pressing issues affecting the local community.  I can only guess what some of the topics were, Desegregation of CCISD, and the closure of the Naval Air Station and the English only movement.  But this will be the subject of another article.

Some unfinished business remains with regard to my father’s legacy.  It was his dream to have his clinic restored and to turn it into a center for the American G.I. Forum; the clinic is in bad need of restoration and is in serious disrepair.  I have met with resistance from a family member who does not want to restore Papa’s building, but everyone else thinks restoration would preserve, with dignity, early Hispanic Civil Rights efforts.  Another dream of my father was to produce a pictorial history of the American G.I. Forum.  I am pleased that this is in the works.

Most gratifying are the people I meet every day who talk about their encounters with Dr. Hector or other members of the Garcia family. Some were former patients or worked for Dr. Hector and or members of the Garcia family.  Raquel Moreno used to work for Dr. Cleo.  When I meet Raquel, I am transported to the old days in Corpus Christi when the “Garcia clan” was active and a force to be reckoned with in Corpus Christi.  Sylvia Garcia member of the Tejano Genealogical society worked in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Lee Cantu and Rick Leal were patients of Papa’s. Lee recounts how Dr. Hector healed him from polio. Isabel Aleman a coworker tells about how Dr. Hector saved the life of a relative.  I hear this story many times from different individuals.  It seems that Dr. Hector treated many Mexican American patients who were too poor to afford medical care.  One of their brothers, sons or uncles is named “Hector” after my father.  At a Christmas party at Edna Santos’ home, a former patient of my father asked if I would please meet her mother, who was also a patient of my fathers.

Recently I was asked if I had resented the amount of money my father spent on his works in not charging patients and his political activities.  Without hesitation I replied no.  But the question left me with a sour taste in my mouth.  After this, I went to a reception.  I saw Mexican Americans healthy, holding good jobs and thriving.  A lady introduced herself to me as a former patient of Papa’s and thanked me for all the work my father did.  She wanted to make arrangements to meet her mother who loved my father. She said,  We will never forget Dr. Hector P. Garcia.  A smile came across my face.  When I realized what my father accomplished because of love for his people, all the sacrifices were worthwhile.  I leave you with love and light.

Wanda Garcia
wanda.garcia@sbcglobal.net


  UTEP cancels César Chávez holiday
By Adriana Gómez Licón \ El Paso Times


TX CAPITOL REPORT 
View from state capitol. Posted: 01/05/2011  Tx Capitol Report blog: César Chávez Day revisited César Chávez in 1975. 

The University of Texas at El Paso has revoked César Chávez Day as a holiday for the next four years, campus officials said Tuesday. The decision came after the eight-member Executive Council of the Faculty Senate approved canceling the holiday, which celebrates the Mexican-American labor activist who fought for better working conditions for migrant farmworkers. 

In November, the senate voted to remove March 31 as a holiday. On Monday, UTEP Registrar Miguel Sifuentes sent an e-mail to deans, chairs and faculty announcing the change. "Part of the problem is the state limits the number of holidays," said UTEP's vice president Richard Adauto. "We just cannot take every holiday." Although César Chávez Day is a state holiday, it is considered optional. Institutions of higher education get to choose 12 holidays per year.

Faculty Senate President Carl Lieb could not be reached to comment on the reasons behind the revocation. Previously, UTEP had observed César Chávez Day by giving a day off to students and professors and leaving a skeleton staff.  It is a strong tradition on campus where 76 percent of the students are Hispanic. UTEP is one of the country's leading sources of college education to Hispanics and has been top-ranked numerous times for offering degrees to large numbers of Hispanics. Now, the school will not cancel classes to commemorate Chávez, but will continue to have celebrations that span from February to April. "It's not that we don't recognize it. We recognize it with activities and academic programs," Adauto said. The 1960s civil rights figure is a monumental character in Southwest cities like El Paso. A school in the Ysleta Independent School District and the Border Highway are named after Chávez Chávez, of Yuma, Ariz., co-founded the United Farm Workers along with fellow activist Dolores Huerta. The labor union fought for better wages and more benefits through protests, strikes and boycotts. The popular message "Sí se puede" or "Yes, we can," is attributed to his farmworkers movement.

Dennis Bixler-Marquez, head of UTEP's Chicano Studies Program, said having classes on the day could be beneficial. "Chicano studies faculty is concerned about that (the cancellation)," he said. "On the other hand, the fact that we'll have students on campus on the 31st will allow us to have events."

Bixler-Marquez said the problem is César Chávez Day is still a new holiday. California began observing it as an official state holiday in 1995. Texas established it an optional holiday in 1999. In Colorado, it has also been optional since 2003. "This is a new kid-on-the-block holiday. It's been difficult to accommodate it ever since it was adopted," Bixler-Marquez said.

El Paso Community College will continue to observe the holiday, school officials said. The director of the Border Agricultural Workers Union in El Paso said UTEP's decision stems from racism against those of Mexican origin.  "I consider it a lack of respect to the memory of César Chávez," said Carlos Marentes, director of the union. "UTEP is giving in to right-wing, conservative anti-immigrant groups that don't like recognizing people of immigrant origins." Marentes said academic institutions should respect historical dates in both theory and practice. "UTEP is erasing an important part of history at the drop of a hat," he said.  "It would seem simple to eliminate a historical date. But in the context we are living with rising discrimination against people of Mexican origin, this has strong repercussions." 

Adriana Gómez Licón may be reached at agomez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6129.
Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.
beto@unt.edu

Editor: Please go to new Somos Primos series Erasing Historic Reality: Persistence of the Black Legend

 

 

Loretta Sanchez official photo 202x300 Loretta Sanchez cosponsors bill to reinstate Discretionary Spending Caps

     Loretta Sanchez  

Loretta Sanchez

A Wise Latina

Nominated By
 
Mimi Lozano-Holtzman

Written By
Mercy Bautista-Olvera

 

   

Loretta Sanchez is the 111th U.S. Representative for California ’s 47th Congressional District, and is the first and only Latina ever to be elected to Congress from Orange County . The District includes the cities of Anaheim , Garden Grove , Santa Ana , and Fullerton . She previously served as a U.S. Representative for California ’s 45th District.    

Loretta Sanchez was born on January 7, 1960, in Lynwood , California . Sanchez describes herself as a “shy, quiet, girl” who did not speak English. She attended and graduated from the public school system. The family later moved to El Monte, California, then settled in Anaheim, California.  

Loretta is the second eldest child of Ignacio Sanchez and Maria Macias-Sanchez.  Loretta’s father was a unionized machinist, and her mother worked as a secretary. Besides Loretta, her Mexican immigrant parents have six children; Ignacio, Martha, Mike, Frank, Linda, and Henry (killed in a boating accident in 2008). In November 2002, Sanchez's younger sister, Linda, was elected to the new 39th District.  Loretta and Linda Sanchez are the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress. Loretta, now divorced, was married to Stephen Brixey, a securities trader.

In 1978, Loretta Sanchez graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim , California . In 1982, Sanchez received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Chapman University , also in Anaheim .  In January 2002, she was selected as the University’s first Latina and Board of Trustees member. In 1984, Sanchez obtained her Master of Business Administration from the American University in Washington D.C. She is a Pell Grant recipient.  

Sanchez served a Financial Manager at the Orange County Transportation Authority, an Assistant Vice President at Fieldman, Rollap and Associates, and an associate at Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, putting financial plans together for municipalities as well as private companies. She eventually started her own consulting business in Santa Ana , assisting public agencies and private firms with financial matters.  

In 1996, Sanchez was first elected to Congress, in what was then the 46th District.      

She has served in programs such as GEAR-UP and Head Start, and wanted to make sure that disadvantaged children have as much opportunity to succeed as anyone else. Loretta is also working to make a college education a reality for any student who is qualified, advocating for increases in financial assistance through Pell Grants and other programs.  

Sanchez promotes school safety, including the well-being of children walking and bicycling to and from local schools in Orange County . She is also the author of legislation to facilitate tax-free bonds to encourage school construction across the country.  

Sanchez has been a leader in securing America 's border with Mexico .  She is a strong advocate for southwest border security. She is frequently on C-SPAN, CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC to discuss the importance of economic development, and trade along the U.S.-Mexico border and ports of entry. She has met with Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, to provide guidance on critical issues, including combating weapons and drug trafficking, and ensuring inter-agency cooperation on national security issues.   

During her tenure in Washington , Loretta has brought critical funding to local law enforcement, including funds for purchasing body armor, ballistics identification technology, and start-up grants for the Orange County Counter-Human Trafficking Task Force.  

As Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, Sanchez has supported local first responders, making sure that they receive the necessary funding to undertake federally required mandates. She recognizes that police and firefighters are the front line in the battle against terrorism.

Sanchez is also the ranking female member on the House Armed Services Committee, and is the Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities, (TUTC) Subcommittee.  Sanchez's top priority is preparing the Armed Forces for a new generation of security challenges. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Department of Defense's counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation operations, and provides all the necessary resources in order to protect our country from terrorist threats.    

On the Military Personnel Subcommittee, Sanchez has been a strong advocate for service members, fighting for pay raises, improved health care, childcare services, housing, and education benefits for military families. She has worked hard to prevent rape and sexual assault in our Armed Services, successfully revising the Uniform Code of Military Justice to create a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse.    

Sanchez was appointed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), a bi-partisan, bicameral committee that continually monitors matters relating to the US economy, including unemployment, foreclosures, and interest rates. It also holds hearings, performs research, and advises other Members of Congress.  

 

Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in CongressIn 2008, Loretta and Linda Sanchez along with Richard Buskin, co-wrote a book “Dream in Color,” (Grand Central Publishing 2008), a part memoir and part how to succeed in life and their parents struggle, despite lacking a formal education, to send their seven children to college.

Sanchez is a member of the Hispanic Caucus, the Blue Dog Democrats, the New Democratic Coalition, and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. She is also  

a member of the Women's Congressional Caucus, the Older Americans Caucus, the Law Enforcement Caucus, and the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus.

She serves on various boards. Sanchez is past president of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, a member of the Los Amigos of Orange County, the Rotary Club of Anaheim, and the Anaheim Assistance League.  

This is Loretta Sanchez’s 8th term in Congress. She is recognized as a leader on National security, intelligence, and counter-terrorism issues. She is also known for her interests in education, crime, economic development, and protections for senior citizens.

 

 

HISPANICS BREAKING BARRIERS

Part XXV  

By

Mercy Bautista-Olvera  

The 25th article in the series “Hispanics Breaking Barriers” focuses on contributions of Hispanic leadership in United States government. Their contributions have improved not only the local community but the country as well. Their struggles, stories, and accomplishments will by example; illustrate to our youth and to future generations that everything and anything is possible.  

Francisco “Quico” Canseco:  U.S. Representative, Texas , 23rd Congressional District  
Dr. Eduardo Padrón:
 Chair of White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans Marco Lopez:   Chief of Staff, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of the Commissioner in Nogales, Arizona  Maria del Carmen Alponte:  Ambassador to El Salvador  
Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil:
  Vice Chair of the National Council on Disability 

 

 Francisco “Quico” Canseco

 

Francisco "Quico" Canseco is the U.S. Representative for Texas ’s 23rd Congressional District.   

He was born on July 30, 1949. He is the eldest son of Dr. Francisco M. Canseco, (1907-1992), and Consuelo Sada-Canseco, (1926-2007). He has seven siblings. Canseco grew up in Laredo, Texas . He is married to Gloria Zuñiga-Canseco. The Canseco’s have three children: Anna, Francisco “Quico” Jr., and Carlos.  

In 1972, Canseco earned his Bachelor’s of Art Degree in History from Saint Louis University, and in 1975, he earned his Juris Degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, both in Missouri .  

In 1975, Canseco began his legal career as an Associate Attorney with Mann, Castillon, Fried and Kazan. He owned his own practice for five years. He later   joined Person, Whitworth, Ramos, Borchers, and Morales as a participating associate. In 1987, he left that firm to become General Counsel at Union National Bank of Texas where he stayed until 1992. He was later counsel to Escamilla and Ponek.  

In 1995, Canseco served as a Director of Hondo National Bank, together with a group of investors, they provided financial services to farmers and ranchers. He viewed it as his investment in the community and a way to help residents in the   area realize the hopes and dreams for their families.  

In 1997, Canseco along with his mother Consuelo, his brothers, and sisters, founded the Canseco Foundation, which was established to provide grant money to support educational, healthcare, and community needs in and around Laredo , Texas . Since that time, Canseco and his family have helped many important causes. The family has funded the Sisters of Mercy, who improve early childhood care, provide funding for Texas A & M International University ’s School of Nursing, and Scholarships to help fund the education of students attending the School. The family has also funded scholarships for students attending San Antonio ’s University of Texas Health Science Center, and University of Texas, San Antonio.  Canseco believes in working to help ensure that our students of today receive the necessary education for them to become our leaders of tomorrow.  

For more than twenty years, Francisco “Quico” Canseco has been doing the work that matters to build communities; create jobs, support students, and help those in need. From Laredo to Fort Worth , Canseco led the development of shopping centers and retail stores providing jobs to hundreds of people across Texas.  

In 2008, Canseco was asked to get involved and help provide additional leadership on the CASA board to assist on behalf of children. He has furthered his commitment to protecting and supporting children in our community through his role in Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA). As a CASA board member, he volunteers his time to ensure that the organization has the resources it needs to continue helping abused and neglected children find loving, nurturing homes so that these children can flourish in a secure and stable family.  

 

  

Dr. Eduardo Padrón  

Dr. Eduardo Padrón was appointed by President Obama to serve as Chair of a new White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.  

Eduardo Padrón arrived in the United States as a refugee at the age of 15. He lived in Santiago and Havana , in Cuba . His father worked for a British pharmaceutical company and his mother was a homemaker. In 1959, his parents send Eduardo and his 12-year-old brother to the United States along with thousands of other Cuban children. They called it Operation Pedro Pan. Eduardo and his brother lived with family friends in the United States. Before they left, Padron's mother made him make a promise that he would attend school and college.  

Padrón attended public schools in Miami, and worked as delivering the newspaper, doing inventory at a department store, and separating clothing at dry cleaners.   

After graduating from high school, Padrón enrolled in Miami Dade College, there was just one campus and about 5,000 students. Most students were from poor and working-class families who couldn't afford larger private and state universities. An economist by training, Dr. Padrón earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida .  

Dr. Padrón has received presidential appointments by three American presidents. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him as one of America’s foremost educators. During President George W. Bush Administration, Dr. Padrón served at the National Institute for Literacy Advisory.

In 1999-2000, Dr. Padrón served as President in the Florida Miami Dade College , which is now one of the nation's largest institutions of higher education for undergraduates, second only to the University of Phoenix .  

“What he's done with Miami Dade College has changed the lives of thousands of young people,” says Ralph de la Vega, president, CEO of AT&T Mobility, and Consumer Markets, alum.  

In 2009, TIME magazine included him on the list of “The 10 Best College Presidents.” Also in 2009, President Obama appointed Dr. Padrón to represent the U.S. at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Conference (UNESCO) on Higher Education.  

On October 19, 2010, President Obama signed an executive order after announcing Dr. Eduardo Padrón as the President of a new White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.   

In 2010, “Florida Trend” magazine named Dr. Padrón “Floridian of the Year.” Padrón’s leadership extends to many of the nation’s leading organizations. He is the immediate past chair of the board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and is vice chair and chair-elect of the board of the American Council on Education (ACE).

 

 

Marco Lopez  

Marco A. Lopez, Jr. was appointed to Chief of Staff , U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of the Commissioner.  

Marco Antonio Lopez was born April 7,1978 in Sonora, Mexico, and raised in Nogales, Arizona.  As a teenager, Lopez served as a Congressional Page in Washington D.C. for U.S. Representative Ed Pastor.

Lopez attended the University of Arizona in Tucson. He earned Bachelor Degrees in Liberal Studies and Political Science from the University of Arizona .  

From January 2001 to December 2003, he served as Nogales, Arizona Mayor. At the age of 22 years, Lopez became one of the youngest Mayors in the nation.   An overwhelming majority of the vote re-elected him to serve as their Mayor a year later.  

In December 2003, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano appointed Lopez as the Executive Director of the Arizona-Mexico Commission. He later was designated as State Policy Adviser for Latin America, a Cabinet level division of the Governor’s office responsible for overseeing and coordinating all international Latin American affairs for the state of Arizona. Lopez advised Governor Napolitano on the State’s political relationship with other countries and Arizona trade relationships with Mexico, Canada, Europe, and Asia-Pacific countries, and Japan.  

From November 2007 to September 2008, Lopez served as Senior Advisor to the Governor, soon after he served as Director in the Arizona Department of Commerce. 

In 2008, Governor Napolitano appointed Lopez as Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce, overseeing the state’s economic development efforts and managing Arizona ’s investment policies

Lopez is currently serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as Senior Advisor to Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano.    

Over the years, Lopez has taken on volunteer and community service roles, becoming a founding member of the Arizona Border Mayors Association, an honorary member of Lions Club International, and a board member for the Border Trade Alliance.  

During his time at the Governor’s Office, Lopez played a vital role in policy development regarding immigration, border security, and trade. As part of his key responsibilities, Lopez helped establish relationships between the State of Arizona and foreign consulates and leaders.  

 

     

 Maria del Carmen Aponte  

Maria del Carmen Aponte has been appointed by President Obama to serve as Ambassador to El Salvador. Aponte, formerly an attorney and independent consultant.  

Maria del Carmen Aponte was born in Puerto Rico.  

Aponte earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Rosemont College , and her M.A. in Theatre from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Ponte earned her Juris Degree from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . She was one of a few female law students enrolled under an affirmative action program, after serving a stint as a public school teacher.  

In 1979, Aponte served as a White House Fellow under President Jimmy Carter, Aponte was also Special Assistant to United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary Moon Landrieu.  

Maria del Carmen Aponte is a bilingual attorney and financial consultant, former executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, a former board member of the National Council of La Raza, and former president of the Hispanic National Bar Association.  

From 1998 to 2001, Aponte has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Oriental Group, a major financial and banking services enterprise in Puerto Rico .  

In 2001, the Governor of Puerto Rico Sila Calderon appointed Ponte as Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs-Administration, a post she held until 2004. She is also a member of the Board of Rosemont College.    

Aponte has also served as Vice Chair of the National Alliance for Hispanic Heath and consultant to the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN).  

Aponte has practiced law for nearly twenty years in Washington D.C.  

“Carmen will make significant contributions to U.S. foreign relations as Ambassador. She has been an invaluable advisor to HITN in furthering our mission to educate, empower and enable Latinos in this country and beyond…   her experience in urban development, leadership, and education will serve our nation and El Salvador well. I am honored to offer my congratulations and to attend the swearing-in ceremony,” stated Jose Luis Rodriguez, President and CEO of Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN).

 

Fernando Torres-Gil  

 Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil  

Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the School of Public Affairs , University of California , Los Angeles has been named Vice Chair of the National Council on Disability by President Obama.  

Fernando Torres-Gil was born and raised in Salinas, California. He is the son of migrant farm workers.  

In 1968, Fernando Torres-Gil earned his Associate of Arts in Political Science at Hartnell Community College. In 1970, a Bachelors Degree in Administration with honors in Political Science from San Jose State University, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work (1972) and Ph.D. (1976) in Social Policy, Planning and Research from the Heller Graduate School in Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.  

In 1978, former President Jimmy Carter appointed Dr. Torres-Gil to the Federal Council on Aging. In 1978-1979, he also served as White House Fellow and Special Assistant to Joseph Califano, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and from 1979-1980, he served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Health and Human Services, Patricia Roberts Harris.    

In 1985 to 1987, he has served as Staff Director of the House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging, where he administered the legislative and oversight activities of the largest committee in the U.S. Congress.  

From 1989 to 1992, he has served as President of the American Society on Aging. He is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.  

He also served with Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Donna Shalala in overseeing aging policy throughout the federal government, managing the Administration on Aging and organizing the 1995, White House Conference on Aging; in addition to serving as a member of the President’s Welfare Reform Working Group.     

Since April 2003, Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil, has been a member of the California Endowment’s Board of Directors.  

Dr. Torres-Gil holds appointments as Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy at the University of Southern California . His accomplishments parallel his extensive government and public policy experience, including being appointed by President Clinton as the first Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As the Administration’s chief advocate on aging, Dr. Torres-Gil played a key role in promoting the importance of the issues of aging, long-term care, and disability, in consolidating federal programs for the elderly, and in helping baby boomers redefine retirement in a post-pension era.  

He also served as a member of the President’s Welfare Reform Working Group, and as an advisor to President Obama’s transition team on aging and long-term care.  

At the local level, Dr. Torres-Gil has served as the Vice President of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (1989-1993) and as a member of the Harbor (1997-2001) and Taxi Commissions (1996-1997) for the city of Los Angeles .  

He is the author of six books and more than 80 articles and book chapters, including The New Aging: Politics and Change in America (1992), and Lessons from Three Nations, Volumes I and II (2007).   

He has served as a board member of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas , California and the Los Angeles Chinatown Service Center . He also served on the Board of Directors of Elderhostel, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Foundation.  

*Updates from Previous Articles*  

Judge Alberto Diaz:  U.S. Circuit Judge for the 4th Circuit in Richmond , Virginia (Confirmed December 2010) (See August 2010 issue of “Somos Primos” for complete biography)    

David Lopez:  U.S. General Counsel of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Department   Note:        (See June 2010 issue of “Somos Primos” for complete biography)

 NOTE: President Obama nominated David Lopez on Oct. 22, 2009. He was sworn in on April 8, 2010, as General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). He was given a recess appointment on March 27, 2010, Confirmation by the full Senate December 2010)

 

 

 

 

Orange County, California Longest-Serving Judge, 
Honorable Francisco P. Briseno

Sworn-in Again

http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-282479-orange-court.html 

Orange County's longest-serving judge joined 47 other judges in taking the oath of office Monday morning in the largest judicial swearing-in ceremony in Orange County history.

The Honorable Francisco P. Briseno began his sixth six-year term on the Orange County Superior Court bench when he was sworn in by Justice Kathleen O'Leary of the 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana.

The Honorable Francisco P. Briseno leads the newly elected and re-elected Orange County judges in the Pledge of Allegiance before the swearing-in ceremony at the Old Orange County Courthouse Museum. The Honorable Kathleen E. O'Leary, associate justice, California Court of Appeal, led the ceremony for the 48 judges.
Photo by Sam Gangwer, The Orange County Register, CA 

Briseno was first appointed to Superior Court in 1979 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, who ironically is returning to the governor's office Monday after a 28-year absence. Briseno earlier served two years as an Orange County municipal court judge in the 1970s. He has served longer than any judge in the county's 121-year history.

He presided over major criminal trials, including the recent headline-making case involving serial killer Rodney James Alcala, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for the sex and torture slayings of four women and a 12-year-old girl in the 1970s.

Judge Briseno has been selected to receive the Orange County Bar Association's highest honor, the Franklin G. West Award in 2011.

He joined 47 other newly and re-elected judges in the swearing-in ceremony Monday in the Orange County Courthouse Museum.

Judges Thomas J. Borris and Kim G. Dunning, the incoming and outgoing presiding judges of the Orange County Superior Court bench, also participated in the ceremony.

Contact the writer: lwelborn@ocregister.com or 714-834-3784


 

Lincoln’s Mexican Visitor

By WILLIAM MOSS WILSON

Disunion follows the Civil War as it unfolded.
Tags:abraham lincoln, Mexico, Slavery, the civil war, the Mexican War

Matias Romero arrived in Springfield, Ill. on the evening of Jan. 18, 1861. Though late in the day, he figured it would be easy to find a room in this sleepy midwestern town. But there were no rooms available at his first choice, the American Hotel, or anywhere else: all the hotels in town were full of friends, patronage seekers and the merely curious who had come to meet President-elect Lincoln. Travelers packed into guesthouses three to a room with strangers sharing beds, while others settled for sleeper cars parked in the rail yard.

Matias Romero: Fortunately, the manager of the American quickly recognized that the 23-year-old Oaxacan was no ordinary petitioner. Romero’s refined manner and dapper three-piece suit distinguished him from the homespun westerners in their hickory shirts and pantaloons tucked into boots. Romero was provided the last “very dirty bed” and the promise of his own room for the next evening. He was thankful just to get some rest; the following day Romero met with Lincoln to deliver the hearty congratulations of his president and an olive branch from the neighboring Republic of Mexico.

Despite four decades of rancorous relations with her northern neighbor, no other nation welcomed the Lincoln presidency with more hope and sincerity than Mexico. The Mexican leadership remembered the Congressman from Illinois who questioned President James Polk’s belligerency in the Mexican-American War by challenging whether the conflict’s first bloodshed took place on American soil. They noted the similarities between the Kentucky-born president-elect and their own Benito Juarez, two wise men of North America who had risen up from poverty on the force of profound intellects.

Yet the Mexican fondness for the Lincoln Republicans ran far deeper than personal narrative and goodwill. By December 1860 Mexico had emerged from its own civil war, and the liberal victors who came to power had long believed the path to modernization ran through economic integration with the United States. This dream had been impossible under the annexation-obsessed Democrats who dominated American national politics in the 1850s. With the ascendancy of the free-soil, free-labor Republicans, Mexico’s leaders believed they had a natural ally who would respect Mexico’s territorial integrity and, in future Secretary of State William Seward’s words, “value dollars more, and dominion less.”

Library of Congress Benito Juarez:

Juarez did not wait for the inauguration to open a dialogue with Lincoln. On Dec. 22, 1860, the day his forces smashed the remnant opposition in the last battle of the Reform War, Juarez dispatched instructions for Romero, his protege in Washington, to proceed to Lincoln’s home in Illinois.

Sensing Lincoln was little informed about the situation in Mexico, Romero gave the president-elect a partisan account of Mexican politics since independence from Spain. Romero explained how the “machinations of the clergy and the army” had been “entirely responsible for the constant revolutions that had devastated Mexico.” Through attempts to preserve their traditional privileges, the conservatives had “overthrown every constitution and maintained the country in constant turmoil”, but now, he assured Lincoln, “the causes of past turmoil had been radically removed.” The Reform Laws, combined with Juarez’ wartime decrees, had stripped ecclesiastic and military exemptions from civil courts, nationalized extensive church land holdings and separated and subordinated church from state. Romero stressed the common principles of the two governments, as well as the liberals’ desire “to maintain the most intimate and friendly relations with the United States…and to concede every form of facilities towards developing the commercial and other interests of both republics.”

These were dramatic offers in the wake of decades of poor relations. After all, just 13 years prior Mexico had lost half its territory after its war with the United States. The humiliation had galvanized a new Mexican nationalism based largely on anti-Yankee sentiment. In the United States, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo merely whet the appetites of the Southern expansionists, and every succeeding American ambassador to Mexico up to the Lincoln administration had proposed further annexation. Though the Gadsden Purchase for the Mesilla Strip of northern Sonora was the only deal consummated in that time, Ambassador James Gadsden had settled for a fraction of the territory originally sought by the Pierce administration: the northern frontier states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California.

Jose Maria Mata, a Mexican envoy to Washington during the Buchanan administration, summed up his country’s collective fear and frustration over its neighbor’s territorial drive. It “borders on mania,” he wrote. “I have proposed to make it clear … that if we are disposed to make fair and profitable concessions for the development and security of American interests, in no case and for no reason would we agree to alienate a single foot of territory.” And the liberals had a good idea of where the drive came from: they blamed American territorial aggressions on Southern slave interests in the Democratic Party bent on expanding the limits of the peculiar institution.

Forces outside the American government also cast manic eyes on Mexican territory. If Manifest Destiny was the mantra of expansion, its heroes were the filibusters, the private military adventurers who sought to conquer territory in Latin America for colonization, the extension of slavery and eventual annexation by the United States.

These agents of conquest provided the public face of Southern territorial aggression. William Walker, the most famous filibuster of his day, led his first disastrous campaign to Baja California and Sonora in 1853 and may have indirectly pressured Santa Anna to yield in concurrent negotiations with Gadsden. Nor did the adventurism end with secession: after a colleague of Walker’s, John Pickett, became the first Confederate ambassador to Mexico, he threatened to send “30,000 Confederate diplomats” across the Rio Grande.

Related Civil War Timeline:  An unfolding history of the Civil War with photos and articles from the Times archive and ongoing commentary from Disunion contributors. Visit the Timeline »

If the Southern filibuster came to personify the mania for annexation, the Republicans presented Mexico the face that approximated the ideals they sought to emulate. The Juarez government was steeped in 19th century liberalism, and viewed unfettered access for American manufactured goods, technology and investment capital as the fuel for economic modernization. (It didn’t seem to matter that Republican economic policy was far from the ideal of free trade.)

The Mexican liberals did not expect an equal partnership. Indeed, Romero made the liberals’ case for economic dependency: “We are willing to grant the United States every commercial facility that will not be derogatory to our independence and sovereignty. This will give the United States all possible advantages of annexation without any of its inconveniences.”

Lincoln told Romero he would treat Mexico “with sentiments of the highest consideration and of true sympathy,” and he kept his word. Lincoln made the prompt choice of Tom Corwin, the renowned orator against the Mexican War, as ambassador. Lincoln also approved the terms for a loan Corwin sent back to Washington, the first ever proposed to a foreign nation.

Sadly, the vision of United States-Mexico relations that Romero brought to Springfield was only half-realized. The United States was not ready for the scale of commercial penetration that Romero and his colleagues desired; in fact, the country would not be a net exporter of investment capital until the close of the 19th century. Mexico needed far more in 1861 than the Republicans could provide. After years of civil strife, Juarez inherited a country whose infrastructure lay in tatters. The treasury was empty, and there was no hope of keeping pace with debt service on past European loans, let alone funding the functions of state without new financing. And, time and again, fear of European reaction would mute Union wartime policy to Mexico: Congress refused Lincoln’s loan plan on the grounds that it might provoke a European reaction.

But international politics is rarely straight forward, and the next few years would see the United States and Mexico nevertheless even closer. The Juarez government had no choice but to default on its European debt in July 1861. A joint English, Spanish and French expedition arrived in November to seize of the port of Veracruz. The tripartite scheme proved to be the beachhead for the French invasion the following year, an intervention that would bind Mexico’s fate even closer to that of the Union.

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Sources: Matías Romero, “Diario Personal 1855-1865″; Thomas Schoonover, “The Mexican Lobby”; Matías Romero, “Addresses on the Causes of the Mexican Revolutions”; Thomas Schoonover, “Dollars Over Dominion”; Donathon Oliff, “Reforma Mexico and the United States”; Ralph Roeder, “Juarez and his Mexico”; Jay Monaghan, “Abraham Lincoln Deals with Foreign Affairs”; Harold Holzer, ed., “The Lincoln Anthology.”

William Moss Wilson teaches at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, Tenn.
Sent by rgrbob@earthlink.net

 


Latino Representation in Congress (1960-2011)
by John P. Schmal  

 

Hispanic Representation Up To 1960 
From 1900 to 1960, only seventeen Hispanic Americans served in Congress. However, nine of these representatives were Resident Commissioners of Puerto Rico, who did not have voting privileges. Seven more delegates represented New Mexico .  Not until 1936 did the first American-born Latino serve a full term in the U.S. Senate.  Dennis Chávez, a Democrat, represented his New Mexico constituency for 27 years until his death in 1962.

The Tide Changes in California  
By 1960, the number of Hispanics living in the United States had reached 6.9 million, which represented roughly 3.9% of the total population of the country.  Approximately 1.5 million Hispanics lived in California representing more than 9% of the California population, but 20% of these Hispanics were foreign-born, many of whom were not naturalized and, as a result, were not eligible to vote. As a result, not a single one of California ’s 38 seats in Congress was held by a Chicano representative in 1960.  

As the new decade commenced, there were still no Chicanos in the California State Senate, the Assembly or in the California Congressional delegation. There was no representation of the Mexican-American population in any part of California , primarily because of political fracturing of Chicano communities. In the early 1960s, the Chicano community of East Los Angeles was fractured into six separate Congressional districts and, before 1962 none of these districts sent a person with a Spanish surname to the House of Representatives.  

November 1962 Election
The redistricting that took place in 1961 created a Congressional district, which would pave a way for Edward Roybal to run for Congress. In the November 1962, Roybal defeated the Republican candidate for the 30th District, Gordon McDonough, to become the first Hispanic from California to be elected to Congress since the 1879 election of Romualdo Pacheco to California ’s 4th Congressional District. Edward Roybal took his seat in the House of Representatives on January 3, 1963 at the start of the 88th U.S. Congress. He would serve for thirty years from the 88th Congress to the 102nd Congress, retiring on January 3, 1993.

Texas Representation 
Up to 1960, Congressional redistricting and reapportionment in the State of Texas had been very unfavorable to Tejano and African-American representation. In 1965, a Federal Court held Texas ’ Congressional Districting act to be unconstitutional and stated that the Texas Legislature must redraw the Texas Congressional Districts in compliance with Wesberry v. Sanders. This would set the stage for a new era of Tejano representation to Congress.

Henry B. González 
In 1961, Congressman Paul Kilday, a Democrat, was appointed to the federal bench by President John F. Kennedy.  This left his congressional seat with the 20th District vacant. In a special election to fill that seat, Henry B. González (1916-2000), a native of San Antonio , was elected, winning by a margin of 10,000 votes, becoming the first Mexican-American representative to the U.S. Congress from Texas since statehood.  Senator González served as a Congressional Representative from 1961 to 1999 (the 87th to the 105th Congresses).

The Elimination of Voting Barriers
With the ratification of the 24th Amendment on January 23, 1964, the U.S. Congress helped to bring an end to the Texas poll tax, which had been adopted early in the century. Stating that the right of citizens to vote “shall not be denied or abridged… by reason of failure to pay any poll tax,” the Amendment laid the legal foundation for ending the tax and opening the voting polls to all Texas citizens, Hispanic, Black or White.   

In addition, the signing of the “Voting Rights Act of 1965” by President Johnson in 1965 took steps to eliminate any “standard, practice, or procedure,” including redistricting plans, which resulted in “denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” This act would have far-reaching consequences for the political representation of Latinos in the coming decades.

Kika de la Garza 
After serving six consecutive terms as a representative in Austin , Eligio “Kika” de la Garza (born 1927) was elected in 1964 to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Texas ’ 15th Congressional District, which primarily included the southern towns of McAllen , Edinburg and Kingsville . When the 89th Congress convened in 1965, Representative de la Garza took his seat as a Democrat, effectively ending a thirteen-year career in the Texas House of Representatives.  Kika would serve in Congress from January 3, 1965 until the January 3, 1997 (the 89th to 104th Congresses).

 A New Decade (the 1970s) 
In 1970, California had a total population of 19,971,069 persons.  Of this total, 2,369,292 were Hispanics, who made up 10.8% of the state’s total population. Of the 2.4 million Hispanics living in California , 490,892 were foreign-born, making up 22.9% of the total Hispanic population. A significant number of the foreign-born residents had never been naturalized and were therefore ineligible for American voting privileges.  This represented a significant stumbling block in electing Chicanos to Congress. As a result, Edward Roybal represented the only Chicano sitting among the 43 California Representatives in Congress after the 1971 reapportionment.  

In 1970, Texas had only two representatives:  Henry B. González represented Bexar County ’s 20th District, while Kika de la Garza represented the 15th District of the southern border area.   Puerto Rico was represented by Resident Commissioner Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz, who served during the 91st and 92nd Congresses (January 3, 1969 to January 3, 1973).  

In New Mexico , Manuel Luján, Jr. served as Representative of the First District, while Joseph Manuel Montoya served in the U.S. Senate.  Senator Montoya would continue to serve his state as Senator from the 87th to 91st Congresses (November 3, 1964 to January 3, 1977).  

Progress during the 1970s
The 1970s represented new opportunities for Chicano candidates. The beginning of true Hispanic representation would be established during this decade. In 1970, Herman Badillo (born 1929), a native of Puerto Rico, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 21st District in the South Bronx., becoming the first Congressman born in Puerto Rico to represent a district in the continental United States. Congressman Badillo would serve as Representative for his district from the 92nd to 95th Congresses (January 3, 1971 to December 31, 1977).

 The 1980s 
According to the 1980 census, Hispanic Americans increased their numbers to 14,608,673 persons at the turn of the decade and now represented 6.4% of the national population. As their numbers began to increase, the political representation of Latinos took small strides forward. In Texas , the Hispanic population had reached 2,985,824, representing 21% of the total state population of 14,225,513.  However, in spite of this impressive demographic event, only two of Texas ’ 24 Representative seats in Congress were occupied by Tejanos:  Henry B González and Kika de la Garza.  

Puerto Rico was represented in Congress by Resident Commissioner Baltasar Corrada del Río (born 1935), who would continue to serve in that capacity from the 95th through the 98th Congresses (January 3, 1977 to January 3, 1985).  In New Mexico , with the end of Senator Joseph Manuel Montoya’s Senate career, Manuel Luján, Jr. served as the sole Hispanic representative of the people of that state.  

In New York State , Representative Badillo had resigned in 1978 to become Deputy Mayor of New York City .  A special election to fill his position brought Robert Garcia (born 1933), a Bronx native, to Congress.  

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
The 1980s were notable for the election of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (born 1952) who became the first Hispanic woman and Cuban-American elected to Congress. A native of Havana , Cuba , Ileana had immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old. In 1989, Ros-Lehtinen was elected to represent Florida ’s 18th District, becoming the first Hispanic elected to represent Florida in 166 years.  

The 1990s
From the 101st Congress in 1990 to the 105th Congress in 1999, the representation of Latinos in Congress increased from 11 to 19.

The increase in political representation, which was also manifested in several state legislatures, took place as qualified Latino candidates stepped forward to run for offices in states where they had previously held little or no political power. In most cases, these candidates won elections by developing coalitions that crossed ethnic and racial lines.  

The first Latino Representative from the State of Illinois , Luis Gutiérrez, was elected as the Representative of Chicago’s Fourth District in the General Election of 1992. A native of Chicago , Representative Gutiérrez had worked as a teacher, social worker and alderman on the Chicago City Council before his election to the One Hundred and Ninth Congress.  

In New Jersey , Robert Menéndez, a native of New York City and the son of Cuban immigrants, was elected in 1992 with 64% of the vote to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Hispanic from New Jersey to serve in Congress. Representative Menéndez eventually rose to become the third-highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving on to the Senate in 2006. Today, Robert Menéndez continues to serve in the U.S. Senate.  

The New Millennium (19 Latino Congressional Representatives)
On November 7, 2000, the first General Election of the New Millennium took place. Before the election, nineteen Hispanic Congressional Representatives served from seven states: California (6 Representatives), Texas (6), New York (2), Florida (2), Arizona (1), Illinois (1) and New Jersey (1). Fifteen of the nineteen Representatives were Democrats, while four were Republicans.  

However, by the time the votes had been tallied up from the General Election, it became apparent that Latino representation in Congress would remain at 19, with no significant gains by the group over the previous election in 1998.  

The Election of 2002 (22 Latino Congressional Representatives)
After the November 5, 2002 General Election, Latino representation in Congress would increase from 19 to 22. Although Hispanic representation in Congress would remain confined to seven states, some of those states saw a modest increase in their Latino representation: California (7 representatives), Texas (6), Florida (3), Arizona (2), New York (2), Illinois (1) and New Jersey (1).  

The Election of November 2004 (25 Latino Congressional Representatives)
The Election of November 2, 2004 represented a watershed in Latino political representation, as it brought two Hispanic Senators into that house of Congress, which had not seen a Latino in its chambers since Joseph Montoya had left office in New Mexico 27 years earlier.  

A fifth-generation Coloradan, Ken Salazar had served as Colorado ’s Attorney General for six years before running for the office of Senator. In the General Election of 2004, Salazar, who came from a long line of farmers in the San Luis Valley , was elected to serve as Senator of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. At the same time, his brother John Salazar became Colorado ’s first Latino to serve in the House of Representatives.  

Also in 2004, Mel Martinez, formerly the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was elected to serve as the first Latino U.S. Senator from the State of Florida . Ironically, New Mexico , which had been represented in Congress by Latinos almost continuously between 1853 and 1997, had no Hispanic representation in either the Senate or the House. In both California and Texas , all of the incumbents had held onto their seats.  

Overall, Latino representation in the U.S. Congress reached its highest point in history, with the following numbers:  

  • Arizona (2 Representatives)

  • California (7 Representatives)

  • Colorado (1 Senator, 1 Representative)

  • Florida (1 Senator, 3 Representatives)

  • Illinois (1 Representative)

  • New Jersey (1 Representative)

  • New York (2 Representatives)

  • Texas (6 Representatives) 

The victories of the incumbents and challengers brought the representation of Latinos to 25 at the start of 2005, a significant jump from the six Congressional Representatives who were serving twenty-five years earlier (1980)

 The Election of November 2006 (26 Latino Congressional Representatives)
In November 2006, the number of Hispanic citizens eligible to vote reached 17.2 million, or 8.6% of the total electorate, a slight increase from the 2004 figure of 8.2%. In the U.S. Senate, Robert Menendez won election to serve his first full term as the nation’s first Latino U.S. Senator from New Jersey . As a result, for the first time in history, three Latinos were serving in the U.S. Senate.  

In the U.S. House, all Latino Democratic incumbents won their re-election campaigns. And they were joined by State Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ), who gained the seat formerly held by Robert Menendez before he was appointed to the U.S. Senate. All three Latino Republican incumbents in Florida were also successful in their re-election bids, meaning that the number of Latino Representatives in the House remained at 23 (20 Democrats and 3 Republicans 

The Election of November 2008 (27 Latino Congressional Representatives)
The William C. Velásquez Institute reported that, by the time of the November 2008 Presidential election, the Latino electorate had grown to an estimated 12.1 million registered voters. Ultimately, 9.7 million Latinos cast votes in the election, representing a 79.85% turnout figure. The Latinos also represented 7.43% of all votes cast in the United States during that election.  

In the November 2008 election, all Latino incumbents won their re-election campaigns. They were joined by Ben R. Lujan, a Democrat, who became the first Latino to represent New Mexico in Congress since Governor Bill Richardson’s tenure in Congress had ended a decade earlier. With Lujan’s addition to the House, there were now 24 Latinos serving as voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives.   

However, by the end of January 2009, the number of Hispanics in the U.S. Senate decreased from three to two, with the resignation of Ken Salazar ( Colorado ) to join President Obama’s cabinet as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, and Mel Martinez, R-FL, continued to occupy the Senatorial seats that they had won.  

With Salazar’s resignation, the number of Latino Congressmen dropped back to 26 representatives.

 
The Election of November 2010 (26 Latino Congressional Representatives) 
According to the national House exit poll in November 2010, Latinos represented the same share of all voters that they did in 2006 (8%). The number of eligible Latino voters had increased to 19 million, representing more than 9% of all eligible voters nationwide.  

On November 3, 2010, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) reported that when the 112th Congress convenes in January 2011, it “will have a record number of Latino Republicans in the U.S. House.” The New York Times, commenting on this trend, reported that “Latinos won an unprecedented voice in the Republican Party with the election of more Latino Republicans than ever before -- sometimes without the support of Latino voters.”  

In all, there will be five new GOP Hispanic members of the House: two from Texas (Bill Flores of Bryan and Francisco Canseco of San Antonio ); Jaime Herrera of Camas, Washington (the first Latino to represent that state); Raul Labrador from the Idaho district that includes Boise , and David Rivera of the Miami area of Florida .  

In addition, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio was also elected to the Senate and would become the one and only Hispanic Republican member of the U.S. Senate since Senator Mel Martínez had retired from the seat in August 2009.  With the election of Rubio to the Senate and the upset victory of Republican Bill Flores over Democratic Representative Chet Edwards, a 10-term incumbent in Texas , there will now be a total of eight Latino Republicans in the House and Senate.  

The eight Hispanic Republican Congressmen will join 18 Latino Democrats, three fewer than before (after the election losses of Representatives Ciro D. Rodríguez and Solomon P. Ortiz in Texas and Representative John Salazar in Colorado ). This would bring the total number of Latino Congressional Representatives in the new congress to 26.  

Some of the most impressive milestones are noted here:
In Idaho ’s First District, Republican Raúl Labrador becomes the first Latino to represent that state in the U.S. Congress. In Washington State ’s Third District, Representative Jaime Lynn Herrera, a Republican, becomes the state’s first Latina to represent the state in the U.S. Congress, defeating businessman Danny Heck. NALEO’s press release observed the same trends that the New York Times had noticed, reporting that “several of these candidates successfully ran in districts which do not have Latino majorities, demonstrating that Latinos are able to run in non-Latino districts and can have broad appeal across all ethnicities and communities.”  

In addition to proving that many Latino candidates have broad appeal across ethnic and social lines, the November 2010 gave Latinos Congressional representation in more states than ever before: California , Florida , Texas , Idaho , Washington , Illinois , New Mexico , New Jersey and New York .  

Primary Sources:  

Fenner, Louise, “Hispanic Voters and Candidates Influence U.S. Elections,” November 5, 2010, Online:
http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2010/November/20101105185027esiuol0.2705347.html

 Gonzalez, Antonio and Ochoa, Steven, “The Latino Vote in 2008: Trends and Characteristics” (Los Angeles, William C. Velasquez Institute, 2009).

Lacey, Marc and Preston , Julia, “Some Setbacks Aside, Latinos Reached Milestones in Midterm Races,” New York Times, Nov. 6, 2010, pg. A.15. 
Los Angeles Times Articles
 

NALEO, “Record Number of Latino Republics to Join New Congress,” Nov. 3, 2010 Press Release.  

NALEO, “Latinos Achieve New Political Milestones in Congress and State Houses, Nov. 5, 2008 Press Release.  

Recio, Maria, “Hispanic candidates win big Tuesday, most in GOP,” McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau. Washington , D.C. : Nov 3, 2010.  

Schmal, John P, “The Journey to Latino Political Representation” (Heritage Books, 2007).  

U.S. Census Bureau

 

 

 

 


Latino Political Representation in State Legislatures (1950-2011) 
By John P. Schmal



Introduction
The political representation of Latinos in American State Legislatures from 1950 to 2011 is a story of both political and demographic evolution. From a point of virtually no representation in 1950 to the most recent elections of 2010, Latinos have steadily gained representation in a wide range of states across the country. Their progress in some states has been dramatic and impressive, while in other states it has been slow, erratic and inconsistent. The more recent gains of the last three decades are clear indicators of the growth of the Latino population in many states beyond its so-called “traditional homeland” in the Southwestern United States. Some of the highlights of the Latino struggle for political representation are discussed below.

Restrictions on the Latino Vote 
In 1901, the Texas Legislature passed a poll tax, requiring voters to pay $1.75 at the voting booth. In November 1902, Texas voters ratified the poll tax by a two-to-one margin. For the next six decades, the poll tax would be very effective in keeping poor Latinos from participating in the electoral process. 

In addition to the poll tax, the primary means of limiting minority representation in Texas, California and other states was the process of gerrymandering. In many parts of the U.S., state legislatures would divide a county or city into oddly shaped representational districts to give political advantage to one group or another in elections. Gerrymandering resulted in voter dilution, in which the political representation of a unified minority was diminished or altogether obstructed. The end result was that even districts containing a majority of Latinos in some parts of the United States were unable to elect Hispanic representatives for many decades. 

A New Breed
In the devastation and uncertainty of World War II (1939-1945), a new breed of Latinos was created. Fighting alongside their Anglo brothers, hundreds of thousands of young Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans had taken part in the battle against the tyranny and oppression of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. With the end of the war, these young veterans came home to a state where their rights as citizens were not always recognized and – in some cases – blatantly violated. These proud young veterans, having fought to defend their native land, believed it was time to assert their rights as American citizens. 

But added to that pride was the reward that survivors were given for their wartime service. The G.I. Bill made it possible for thousands of Latino veterans to attend college and make a better life for themselves. The G.I. Bill Act of June 22, 1944 – or the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act – put higher education within the reach of thousands of minority veterans. The Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952 provided similar privileges to Korean War veterans. 

Over the next decade, Latino veterans attended local and nationwide colleges and universities to obtain college degrees. In many cases, these vets were the first members of their families to receive a higher education. Armed with the weapon of education, many of these veterans became the Chicano leaders of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. 


1952: 22 Hispanic State Legislators

In 1952, 22 Hispanic representatives were serving as legislators in state houses in the following four states: New Mexico (19 legislators), Arizona (one legislator), Colorado (1) and Texas (1). It is not surprising that New Mexico had a considerable number of Latino legislators at this time because a significant number of the state’s inhabitants were descended from the pre-1848 population that had lived in the area since the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. In the case of Texas, the lone Latino, Arnold J. Vale, representing the 74th District (Rio Grande, Starr County) served in the Texas Legislature from 1937 to 1947 and from 1949 to 1955. He would soon be joined by others.

Hispanic Representation in Texas (1952-1960)
In 1952, Eligio (Kika) de la Garza, a native of Hidalgo County and a World War II veteran, ran for office in the 38th District of Hidalgo County, recently created by the 1951 redistricting process. When Arnold Vale’s term expired in 1955, de la Garza would be the only Hispanic legislator in Texas. However, in 1957, Kika was joined by Oscar M. Laurel, a native of Laredo and another World War II veteran. Laurel represented Laredo’s 80th District in Webb County and, during his tenure, would also serve as the National President of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). 

In 1959, Kika de la Garza and Oscar M. Laurel were joined by a third Chicano representative in the Texas House. Mauro Rosas became El Paso’s first Tejano representative to Austin during the Twentieth Century. Representing the 105th District, Position 3, Rosas would serve in this capacity for two legislative sessions.

In 1956, Henry Barbosa Gonzalez broke down another barrier to Mexican-American political representation in Texas. Enrique Barbosa González, a native of San Antonio, took office in 1957 as the first Mexican American elected to the Texas Senate in the Twentieth Century. Senator Gonzalez would serve from 1957 to 1961, before moving on to the U.S. Congress in 1962.

The Texas Legislature in the Early 1960s
The 57th Texas Legislative Session marked a turning point for Tejano political representation. From one representative (Arnold J. Vale) in the 52nd Session (starting in January 1951) to the 57th session (starting in January 1961), Hispanic representation increased to seven legislators (one senator and six representatives). While Kika de la Garza (Hidalgo County) and Rosas (El Paso) continued to serve their respective constituencies, four new representatives took their seats in the House:

Vidal M. Trevino (80th District, Laredo) replaced Representative Oscar Laurel
John C. Alaniz (68th District, San Antonio) – the first Latino to serve Bexar County
Rudy Esquivel (68th District, Position 2, San Antonio)
Raul L. Longoria (38th District, Position 1, Pharr, Hidalgo County)

The representation of Tejanos would continue to increase in the following years. More detailed discussion of the Texas Legislature and elections in the 1960s can be accessed at the following link:  http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/tejanorepprint.html


1962: 35 Hispanic State Legislators
Between 1952 and 1962, the number of Latino representatives in the state legislatures increased from 22 to 35. During this period, the number of Hispanic legislators in New Mexico had increased from 19 to 24, but most impressive was the jump from one state representative to six representatives in the State of Texas (By this time, Henry González had left the Texas Senate for the U.S. Congress.)

Arizona in the 1960s
In Arizona, a large influx of elected Latinos would take place during the 1960s. By 1962 their representation in the Arizona Legislature had already increased to three (from one representative in 1952). During the 1960s, the following Hispanic representatives would take their seats within the Arizona Legislature:

Emilio V. Carrillo served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1959 to 1961 and 1972 to 1979.
Ramon Gallego Michelena, State Senator from Santa Cruz County (1961-1964)
Joe D. Ybarra, Democratic Representative, serving District 14 (Pima County) from 1961 to 1966
Tony S. Carrillo, Democratic Representative, serving District 2 (Tucson, Pima County) from 1963 to 1968
David M. Valenzuela, Senator from District 6 (Phoenix, Maricopa County), elected to serve from 1964 to 1966
Leonard M. Calderon, Jr., Senator from District 10 (Phoenix, Maricopa County) elected to serve in 1965
Joe Castillo, State Senator from District 7-A (Pima County) elected to serve in 1967
Tony Abril, Democratic Representative from District 8-G (Maricopa County), served from 1967 to 1970 and 1973 to 1982
Manuel “Lito” Peña, Jr., Democratic Representative from Phoenix 1967 to 1972 and State Senator from 1972 to 1996


California in the 1960s
In the June 5, 1962 California Primary Election, eleven Chicano candidates ran for office in the California Assembly. However, by the time the votes were tallied from the November 6 General Election, only two men would take their seats in the California Assembly. John Moreno and Philip Soto became the first two Latinos from Los Angeles County to be elected to the California State Legislature in the Twentieth Century. They were also the first Latinos to be elected to serve in the State Assembly since the election of Miguel Estudillo of Riverside County in 1907. The election of these two men set a precedent for a long line of Latino legislators committed to the service of their communities. But progress would be limited and sporadic over the next two decades. 

In the 1964 elections, only Philip Soto was left in office. Assemblyman Moreno had been opposed by another Chicano candidate, Dionisio Morales. This contest split the Chicano vote and led to victory in the Democratic Primary by Jack Fenton, effectively ending Moreno’s political tenure.

In the 1966 elections, fifteen Chicanos ran for positions on the Assembly and all of them lost. Even, the one Latino incumbent Philip Soto lost his bid for re-election. Another nine Latinos ran for State Senate seats, and all of them lost as well. The result was that the California Legislature – once again – did not have a single Mexican-American in the Assembly or the Senate. Only the election of Alex Garcia to the 40th Assembly District in 1968 brought Latinos back to the California Legislature.

1970: 59 Hispanic State Legislators

Between 1962 and 1970, the representation of Latinos in State Legislatures increased from 35 to 59. By this time, California had two Latino legislators and Colorado was experiencing a renewal with four legislators (up from zero in 1962). New Mexico still held the largest number of Latino representatives (36), followed by Texas, which now had an unprecedented 12 representatives in both state houses.

Hispanic Representation in Minnesota
In 1977, Conrado (“Conrad”) M. Vega, a native of South Saint Paul, became the first known Hispanic to serve in the Minnesota Legislature. Serving as the Democratic Senator for District 52 (Dakota and Washington counties), Senator Vega was of Mexican ancestry (St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 13, 2004) and had previously worked as a social studies high school teacher. Mr. Vega served Senate District 52 from 1977 to 1982 and Senate District 39 from 1983 to 1986.

Two years after Vega took office, Frank Rodriguez, Sr. became the first known Hispanic to serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives. A native of Sheridan, Wyoming and the son of Mexican immigrants (Union Advocate, July 2, 1979), Mr. Rodriguez served as the Representative for District 67A from 1979 to 1982 and District 65B from 1983 to 1984. A resident of St. Paul, Rodriguez served constituents in Dakota and Ramsey counties.

With the departure of Senator Vega after 1986, Minnesota would have no Hispanic legislators until 1991, when both Carlos Mariani and Edwina Garcia took their respective seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Representation in Kansas
Paul Feleciano, Jr., a native of New York City, was first elected as a Democrat to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1973. He served in the House from 1973 to 1976 and then moved on to the State Senate, where he represented the 28th District (Wichita, Sedgwick County) from 1977 to 2003. Feleciano served two terms as President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and in the fall of 2003 resigned his Senate seat to accept an appointment by Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

In 1983, Alfred Ramirez was elected to serve as the Republican Representative of the 40th District (Bonner Springs) in the Kansas House. In 1993, Ramirez moved from the House to the Senate, where he served until 1996. In 1989, George Gomez – an attorney – became the third Hispanic state legislator when he took office as a Democratic Representative of Topeka’s District 57 (Shawnee County). 

Chicano Representation in the California Legislature (1980-1990)
By 1980, Chicano representation in California had finally gained some traction in spite of its lethargic start in the 1960s. After the November 1980 elections had ended, there were seven Hispanic representatives in both of California’s Houses: two senators and five Assemblymen. However, progress towards true representation remained painfully slow and by 1985 there were still only seven Latinos in the state legislature, making up only 6% of the total membership. 

Essentially, the Latino community of California remained disenfranchised, when one considers that Hispanics represented 26% of the California population in the 1990 census. However, because many Latinos were foreign-born non-citizens or below the age of 18, they only made up 5% of the California electorate at this time, effectively reducing their influence in electing Latinos to political offices in the State Legislature. The Latino share of the California electorate, however, would increase dramatically to 14% by 1998.


New Jersey – Hispanic Representation in the 1980s
The first Hispanic to serve in the New Jersey Legislature was the Republican Jorge Rod, who was elected to serve the 9th District (Ocean County) in the New Jersey Assembly in 1981. Assemblyman Rod was followed in 1985 by another Latino Republican, Jose Arango, a native of Cuba who was elected to serve Hudson County in the Assembly.

Assemblymen Rod and Arango were followed in 1987 by the first Hispanic Democrat, Robert Menendez, who would serve in the General Assembly from 1987 to 1991 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1991 to 1993, before moving on to the U.S. Congress.

Assemblyman Jorge Rod, a lifelong Republican, lost his party's nomination for re-election in the June 1985 primary after the GOP withdrew its support, apparently because Rod was not voting along party lines. He subsequently made an unsuccessful bid as a Democratic candidate.


The 1984 Elections: 120 Hispanic State Legislators
Before the November 1984 elections, Hispanics held 111 elective legislative offices at the state level nationwide. After the elections, they had increased this to 120 state posts spread across 19 of the 50 states (Santa Fe New Mexican, Nov. 23, 1984, page 6). The New Mexican explained that a “29 percent increase in voter registration” had most likely contributed to this significant increase in representation.

In New Mexico, Hispanics made a net gain of five in the 112-seat state legislature and thus now comprised 35 percent of the body, approaching parity in a state that was already 37 percent Hispanic. They went from 12 to 13 in the Senate and 22 to 26 in the House. At the same time, Florida’s Hispanic representatives in the Florida Legislature increased from three to seven in a single election. The states with the largest number of Latino representatives were:


New Mexico – 39 legislators
Texas – 24 legislators
Arizona – 12 legislators
Colorado – 8 legislators
California – 7 legislators
Florida – 7 legislators
New York – 7 legislators

In Texas, the number of Hispanics remained at four in the Senate, but dropped from 22 to 20 in the House. During this election, Minnesota lost its lone Hispanic House member (Rodriguez) – who was beaten in the primary – but kept its Hispanic Senator (Vega). Kansas now had three Hispanic representatives and Montana had two. With the election of Jose Lugo as Representative to the 130th District (Bridgeport), Connecticut was now able to boast of one Latino delegate to its state house. 


Illinois
In January 1982, a three-judge federal panel in Chicago had ordered revisions in a redistricting plan to rearrange two Senate and three House districts to bring about an increase in Hispanic representation in Illinois (Chicago Daily Herald, January 13, 1982, page 74). As a result, Joseph Berrios was elected as state representative to Chicago’s 9th District in 1982 and was re-elected in 1984.

Hispanic Representation in Indiana (1984)
When 24-year-old Jesse Villalpando took office as the Indiana Legislature’s first Hispanic and youngest member, he was a third-year law student at Indiana University. Serving as a Democrat for District 12 (Griffith), Villalpando replaced Representative Peter Katie who resigned to become a city judge in January 1984(Logansport Pharos-Tribune, January 05, 1984).


1985: 114 Hispanic State Legislators
According to the NALEO Education Fund, in 1985 there were 114 Hispanic state representatives in the United States (81 representatives and 33 senators). The 114 legislators were spread across 14 states, including Connecticut (1), Hawaii (1), Illinois (2), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Minnesota (1), Montana (2), Pennsylvania (1) and Rhode Island (1). The states with the largest number of Latino legislators were:


New Mexico – 34 legislators
Texas – 23 legislators
Arizona – 12 legislators
Florida – 7 legislators
California – 7 legislators
New York – 7 legislators


Massachusetts - 1988
The 1980 United States census tallied 76,450 Puerto Ricans living in Massachusetts, with 18,899 of this group residing in the City of Boston. With the increasing leverage provided by their growing numbers, Puerto Ricans were fast becoming a respected cultural group within Boston’s diverse ethnic mix. This new status provided Nelson Merced, a Puerto Rican, with the incentive to run for elected office. In 1988, Mr. Merced became the first Puerto Rican and Latino elected to statewide office in Massachusetts, when he became the state representative for the 5th Suffolk District (Dudley Square and North Dorchester). Representative Merced served for two terms until 1992. 


1990: 128 Hispanic State Legislators
According to the NALEO Education Fund, in 1990 there were 128 Hispanic state legislators in the United States (90 representatives and 38 senators). The 128 legislators were spread across 17 states. The states with the largest number of Latino delegates were:

New Mexico – 38 legislators
Texas – 27 legislators
Arizona – 12 legislators
Colorado – 11 legislators
Florida – 11 legislators
New York – 7 legislators
California – 6 legislators

At this time, approximately four-out-of-ten Hispanics were not U.S. citizens, with 5 million Hispanics ineligible to vote due to non-citizenship. This factor was crucial in explaining why representation parity had not been achieved in most states despite the obvious progress made in the previous few years.


1995: 163 Hispanic State Legislators
According to the NALEO Education Fund, there was a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic State Legislators from 128 in 1990 to 163 in 1995 (115 representatives and 48 senators). The 163 legislators were spread across 21 states. The states with the largest number of Latino delegates were:

New Mexico – 43 legislators
Texas – 33 legislators
Florida – 14 legislators
California – 14 legislators
New York – 10 legislators
Arizona – 9 legislators
Illinois – 7 legislators
Connecticut – 7 legislators
Colorado – 6 legislators


Hispanic Representation in Nevada
Brian Edward Sandoval, a native of California, ran for office in Nevada’s Assembly in 1994. He was elected as the Representative of the 25th Legislative District and served from 1994 to 1998 as the second Hispanic member of the Assembly (after Paul Leveaga who served in 1874-1876). Sandoval would also serve as the Nevada Attorney General from 2003 and 2009 and was elected the first Hispanic Governor of Nevada in November 2010.


November 1998 Election
By 1998, the 28 million Latinos in the United States represented 11 percent of the population. However, fewer than half of these Latinos were eligible to vote. After the November 1998 elections, Latinos held seats in 15 state senates and 25 state houses or assemblies, according to the NALEO. In Massachusetts, where there had been no Latinos serving in the State House of Representatives since Nelson Merced in the 1980s, three Latinos were elected to the State Legislature.


Michigan and Wisconsin
In November 1998, Latinos broke new ground in several states that did not have large Latino populations, including Michigan and Wisconsin. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Pedro A. Colón was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly to serve the 8th Assembly District. Taking office in 1999, the Milwaukee-educated lawyer became the first Latino elected to the Wisconsin legislature and was re-elected in the next five elections.

In Michigan’s 8th District (Wayne), Belda Garza was elected as the first Hispanic Democratic State Representative to the Michigan Legislature after winning an impressive 85.13% of the vote. A native of Mexico City, Mexico, State Representative Garza had come to the U.S. at the age of 8 and grew up in Southwest Detroit. During the same election, Michigan native Valdemar “Valde” Garcia won a seat as a Republican representing central Michigan. In 2001, he moved to the Michigan State Senate, where he still serves.


November 2000 Election: 198 Hispanic State Legislators
According to the NALEO Education Fund, there was a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic State Legislators to 198 after the 2000 election. The 198 legislators were spread across 27 states and consisted of 51 State Senators and 147 representatives in the lower houses. The states with the largest number of Latino delegates immediately after the election took place were:

New Mexico – 44 legislators (15 senators and 29 representatives)
Texas – 35 legislators (7 senators and 28 representatives)
California – 27 legislators (7 senators and 20 representatives)
Florida – 15 legislators (3 senators and 12 representatives)
New York – 12 legislators (4 senators and 8 representatives)
Arizona – 13 legislators (4 senators and 9 representatives)
Colorado – 10 legislators (1 senator and 9 representatives)
Illinois – 6 legislators (2 senators and 4 representatives)
Connecticut – 5 legislators
New Jersey – 5 legislators
Washington – 3 legislators
Massachusetts – 3 legislators

Georgia
During the early part of the new millennium, Latino representation made progress in several southern states. In Georgia Sam Zamarripa became the first Latino to serve in the Georgia State Senate, representing the 36th District (Eastern Fulton County). In 2002, Pedro Marin – a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico – became the first Latino ever elected to the Georgia General Assembly, representing District 96 (Gwinnett County). He continues to serve in that capacity.


November 2002
While the general trend of the 2002 elections favored the Republicans, Latino Democrats made a number of gains in several states. For example, José Peralta – a first-generation Dominican American, won election to the New York State Assembly with 74 percent of the vote. Other breakthroughs occurred in Massachusetts where, for the first time, four Latinos were elected to serve in the legislature. 

California Representation – 2004
In the 2000 census, the number of Latinos in California reached 10,966,556, representing 32% of the state’s total population. Furthermore, the number of total Latino adults was 6,915,731, or 28%. However, the number of Latino registered voters in the State was considerably smaller: 2,471,811 people, or 16.5% of all registered voters. Although voter registration remained a stumbling block to representation in the California legislature, the total number of Latino state legislators had increased from 14 in 1996 to 27 in 2003 (NALEO, 2004 Primary Election Profile, California).


Texas Representation – 2004
The Latino representation in the State of Texas in 2003 was similar to that of California in some ways. The 6,669,666 Latinos living in Texas, representing 32% of the total state population (as with California). Like California, the number of qualified registered Latino voters in Texas was considerably smaller: 2,164,346 Latino registered voters in January 2004 represented only 17.8% of the all registered voters. In spite of this, between 1996 and 2003, the number of Latino state legislators had increased from 33 to 37 (NALEO, 2004 Primary Election Profile, Texas).


Arizona Representation – 2004
In the State of Arizona, the total Latino population in 2000 was 1,295,617, representing 25% of the total state population. There were 304,000 registered voters, or 16% of all registered voters. This population was successful in sending more representatives to the State Legislature, as the number of Arizona state legislators increased from 8 in 1996 to 15 in 2003 (NALEO, 2004 Primary Election Profile, Arizona).


Illinois Representation – 2004
Between 1990 and 2000, the number of Latinos in Illinois grew from 904,446 to 1,530,262, while their share of the population increased from 8% to 12.3% during the same period. However, in 2000, Latino voters accounted for only 4.3% of the state’s voters. From 1996 to 2002, there were six Latino state legislators, but in 2003, their numbers increased dramatically to 11.

November 2004 Elections: 231 Hispanic State Legislators
Analysis of Election 2004 conducted by NALEO Educational Fund indicated that the number of Latinos serving in lower state houses grew from 161 to 171 representatives, an increase of 6%. Latino gains were particularly noticeable in states that were not the traditional centers of Latino population. In Kansas, the number of Latinos in the state House of Representatives doubled from two to four. Latinos also won additional seats in Michigan (1), New Hampshire (1), Rhode Island (1), and Utah (2). 

In Utah, Mark Wheatley – a Democrat – won election to the Utah House of Representatives in District 35, which was 15.4% Latino at the time. Another Democrat, Ross Romero won 65% of the vote in District 25. Although District 25 included parts of Salt Lake and Summit counties, both of which had significant Latino populations, Hispanics only made up 5.2% of the district population at that time.

In 2004, the total number of Latino state senators declined from 61 to 60, but the NALEO Educational Fund attributed this to some unique political developments in this election cycle rather than a long-term erosion of Latino political progress. For example, two Latino State Senators did not run for re-election, and no Latinos ran to replace them. In Oregon, State Senator Sal Esquivel (R) decided to run for the Oregon State House of Representatives instead of the State Senate, and emerged victorious in his race. 

In state senate races, California Assemblymember Abel Maldonado made history by becoming the first Latino Republican to be elected to the California State Senate. According to Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the NALEO Educational Fund, Latino state house victories demonstrated that “Latinos are making political progress throughout the nation, particularly in regions with emerging Latino populations. They are not only representing diverse constituents in all corners of the nation, but state legislators also have the power to address the most important issues affecting Latinos, including education, good jobs, and health care.”

November 2006 Election: 238 Hispanic State Legislators
Between the 2004 and 2006 elections, the overall representation of Latinos in state legislatures in creased from 231 to 238 (58 state senators and 180 delegates to lower state houses).

In state lower houses, Latinos saw a very modest overall net gain of two seats, bringing the total number of Latinos in lower state chambers to 180. The Latino Democratic delegations in seven states each gained one additional member: Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Texas, and Wyoming. Latino Republican delegations in Idaho, New Mexico and New York also each gained one additional member, including Schoharie County Clerk and former state legislative staff member Peter D. Lopez, who became the first Latino to be elected to the State Assembly from upstate New York (District 127).

The total number of Latino state senators declined from 60 to 58. This decline was due to the fact that three Latino state senators did not run for re-election and no Latinos ran to replace them. The most notable victory was Patricia Torres Ray’s election to become the first Latina elected to the Minnesota State Senate. 

The November 2008 Election: 242 Hispanic State Legislators
In the November 2008 elections, the number of Hispanic state legislators increased from 238 (in 2006) to 242 (65 state senators and 177 representatives in lower state houses). Overall, Latinos saw a modest net gain of four State Senate seats, bringing the total number of Latinos to 65. In one of these races, Wyoming gained its first Latino State Senator, with the victory of State Representative Floyd Esquibel in District 8 (Laramie County). Previously, Esquibel – a native of New Mexico – had served as a representative in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1997 to 2008.

In Tennessee, State Representative Dolores Noguera Gresham – a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marines and the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants – moved from her seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives to become the first Latina in the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 26. The native of San Antonio, Texas was first elected as the representative of Tennessee’s 9th District in 2002.

In state lower houses, Latino representation decreased from 190 to 177, in part because of the departure of five Latino state representatives who were unsuccessful in their bids for higher office. However, new milestones were also achieved. For example, Oklahoma's House of Representatives gained its first Latino member, with the victory of Republican Charles Ortega, a third generation resident of southwest Oklahoma, who became the representative of the 52nd District. In addition, the number of Latinos in the Connecticut House of Representatives increased from six to eight. 

November 2010 Election: 246 Hispanic State Legislators

In its analysis of the most recent election results, NALEO noted a small increase in the number of Latino State Legislators from 242 to 246 (66 state senators and 180 delegates in lower state houses). In the November 2010 election, the number of Latino State Senators increased from 64 to 66 – consisting of 60 Democrats and six Republicans. 

While the number of Hispanics in lower chambers nationwide - 180 - remained unchanged, the net losses of Latino Democrats and one Independent were offset by net gains made by Latino Republicans. Texas experienced the largest gain (five). Of the 180 Latino State Representatives, 147 will now be Democrats, while 33 will be Republicans. 

New milestones were reached in this election, including the election of State Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat who became the first Dominican-American elected to the New York State Senate (and the first nationwide). In Maryland, State Delegate Victor Ramirez became the first Salvadoran-American to win a State Senate seat.

In its final analysis of the election, NALEO’s press release observed that several of the Latino candidates “successfully ran in districts which do not have Latino majorities, demonstrating that Latinos are able to run in non-Latino districts and can have broad appeal across all ethnicities and communities.”

© 2011, John P. Schmal. All rights reserved.

Primary Sources:
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Branigin, William, “Latino Voters Gaining Political Clout; Now 5 Percent of Electorate, Hispanics Help Clinch Key Races, Win More Offices, The Washington Post, Nov. 9, 1998, page A08.

Fenner, Louise, “Hispanic Voters and Candidates Influence U.S. Elections,” November 5, 2010, Online:
http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2010/November/20101105185027esiuol0.2705347.html 

“Go Slowly In Opening '84 Session, ” Logansport Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, Indiana), January 5, 1984.

Hernandez, Jr., Efrain and Ericksen, Charlie, “More Hispanics Now Hold Office,” Santa Fe New Mexican, November 23, 1984, page 6.

“Latino Candidates Achieve Political Milestones in State and Local Races,” Business Wire. New York: Nov 6, 2010.

“Latinos Achieve New Political Milestones in Congress and State Houses ; Latinos in states with emerging communities are writing the next chapter of Latino political history,” U.S. Newswire. Washington: Nov 9, 2006.

“Latinos Achieve New Political Milestones in Congress and State Houses,” La Prensa San Diego. San Diego: Nov 7, 2008. Vol. 32, Issue 45; pg. 1, 2 pgs

“Latinos transform political panorama after Tuesday's elections: Latino candidates make significant gains in statewide offices state legislatures, La Voz. Denver, Colorado: November 11, 1998. Vol. XXIV, Issue 45; pg. 8

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, “Legislators Past and Present: Self-Reported Minority Legislators,” Online: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/minority.asp 

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO), “1990 National Roster of Hispanic Elected Officials.”

NALEO, “2000 National Directory of Latino Elected Officials.”

NALEO, “Latinos Grab Seats in State Houses Nationwide,” November 9, 2000.

NALEO, “Latinos Gain New Ground in Congress and State Houses,” November 11, 2002.

NALEO, “National Roster of Hispanic Elected Officials” (Washington, D.C.: 2002).

NALEO, “Latinos in Congress and State Houses after Election 2004: A State-by-State Summary,” November 2004.

NALEO, “2004 Primary Election Profiles: California Primary: March 2, 2004.”

NALEO, “2004 Primary Election Profiles: Texas General Primary: March 9, 2004.”

NALEO, “2004 Primary Election Profiles: Arizona Primary: February 3, 2004.”

NALEO, “Latinos Achieve New Political Milestones in Congress and State Houses: Latinos in States with Emerging Communities Are Writing the Next Chapter of Latino Political History,” November 7, 2006.

NALEO, “Latinos Achieve New Political Milestones in Congress and State Houses, Nov. 5, 2008 Press Release.

NALEO, “Record Number of Latino Republics to Join New Congress,” Nov. 3, 2010 Press Release.

Navarrette, Ruben, “Hispanic Republicans also were big mid-term winners,” Beaumont Enterprise. Beaumont, Tex.: Nov 15, 2010. pg. A.6

Nelson, Debbie and Bray, Jim, “Remap biased; judges order revisions,” Chicago Daily Herald, January 13, 1982, page 74.

Notitas de Noticias, “Latino Candidates Achieve Political Milestones in State and Local Races,” November 6, 2010. Online:
http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/latino-candidates-achieve-political-milestones-in-state-and-local-races/2805 /

Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa.: Aug 28, 1985. pg. B.2

Porter, Eduardo, “Rookie Hispanic Office Holders Attend Boot Camp to Help Push Latino Agenda,” Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2000.

Recio, Maria, “Hispanic candidates win big Tuesday, most in GOP,” McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau. Washington, D.C.: Nov 3, 2010.

Schmal, John P, “The Journey to Latino Political Representation” (Heritage Books, 2007).

State of Kansas: Kansas Legislators Past & Present. Online: http://www.kslib.info/legislators/index.html#listing 

St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 13, 2004

U.S. Census Bureau. “Table 405. Hispanic Public Elected Officials, by Office, and State.” Online: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0405.xls 

Rafael Ojeda sent the link to all the current committees in the House.  Great way to keep informed because when you click on the committee you will not only get a list, but status and happenings. http://www.house.gov/house/CommitteeWWW.shtml


 


WITNESS TO HERITAGE
Efforts to save and correct History 

Texas Ranger Mascot Removed
 Gabrieleno Indians and Pobladores join forces to fight dig in Los Angeles
 
College erases history during 85th anniversary. Executive team decided to remove the Texas Ranger mascot from the gym floor, by Melody Mendoza http://www.theranger.org/mobile/college-erases-history-during-85th-anniversary-1.2437222
  Gabrieleno Indians and Pobladores joined forces to fight dig in Los Angeles of sacred cemetery
The latest report, excavation as of  Friday January 14th has been stopped indefinitely
I am sure you are all aware of the situation going on at the cemetery next to La Placita. Well we have been told that they stopped the diggings as of Friday January 14th indefinitely. We joined the Garbielano Indians in a meeting with Mr Corzo who I understand is the head of the Mexican Cultural Center. They were building a park on what used to be the cemetery of the church and have dug up 100 or more persons many of whom were our ancestors. We met to ask they rebury them with dignity but our request has gone on deaf ears. We wish to have our ancestors treated with dignity and not as something
to "study". We understand the bodies have been taken to Cal-State LA to have them studied and then what? If they want to know about our ancestors they do not need to destroy their burial sties and treat them like mummies to be delved into. All they have to do is to ask us. We know our history, we know who our ancestor were and what they did. ASK US. Treat our ancestors with honor and do the right thing rebury them correctly is what we are asking. All I can say is good thing my Mom has passed away, otherwise LA City Hall would have been pulled down brick by brick. She was an ALVARADO and proud of her heritage. I have made an arrangement for myself and Paul and Irene to go have a meeting with the Spanish Consulate. We feel that the Spanish Government and perhaps the King should be made aware of the situation and maybe they could put pressure on Washington to do something on our behalf. What we want is the dignified reburial of our ancestors. Is that asking too much I think not. I covet your prayers for us in this endeavor. I am an Alvarado, Yorba, Osuna, Lopez, Valdez, Machado, Amador, and other Early California descendant.  
Maria G Benitez m.g.benitez.ctc@gmail.com

Excavation at L.A. Museum Halted, Simple Internet Search May Be Cause
http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/places/amid-native-american-controversy-work-at-downtown-la-museum-halted.html 

Sent by Eva Booher
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:55:44 -0800
GABRIELEÑO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS Historically known as The San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians recognized by the State of California as the aboriginal tribe of the Los Angeles basin

Contact: Christina Swindall Martinez Secretary, Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians christinaswindall@yahoo.com (818)406-1392

Media Alert: Gabrieleno Indians press conference January 15 to protest the unearthing of human remains at sacred Yangna for LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes museum

What: Press conference to voice Gabrieleno Indian opposition to the destruction of historic and prehistoric burial site at sacred site of Yangna. This site is now known as Pueblo de Los Angeles. Human remains have continued to be destroyed since October without consequence. We have just become aware days ago. This event will include a traditional Gabrieleno blessing ceremony and prayers for our ancestors.

Who: The Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indiana (or Tongva) under Spiritual Leader Ernest Perez Salas are the original, true, documented Native California Indians who originally inhabited a large area of Southern California extending from past Laguna Beach in the south up through Los Angeles County, north to the San Gabriel mountains and Topanga Canyon and to the west coast including the Channel Islands. Archaeologists have dated our tribal existence back 8000 years. Guests will include internationally respected archaeologist Dr. Gary Stickel and our northern Native neighbors, the Fernardeno Band of Mission Indians among other Native brothers.

Why: This construction site is directly over our largest ancient village of Yangna. We have Mission records showing the lists of "Indios" (as we were called back then) that were buried at this site. Some of our tribal members have direct lineage to Gabrielenos who were born and lived at this village. The LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes museum is slated to open in April 2011 to celebrate the Mexican heritage of Los Angeles. This project is supported by 1st District Supervisor Gloria Molina, The Mexican Cultural Institute , the City of Los Angeles and the Archdioscese. It's time for history to stop repeating itself - California Native Americans has been disrepected for many years and are still being disrespected. It simply makes no sense to destroy one culture to celebrate another.

When: Saturday January 15, 2011 at 10am

Where: vacant lot/construction site adjacent to La Placita Church between Arcadia and Caesar Chavez. 501 N Main St Los Angeles, CA 90012

Additional info: Gabrieleno members available for interview after conference

 

Los Pobladores 200 
Descendants Of The Founders El Pueblo de Los Angeles, 1781 
Ancestral Heritage Association                            

Media Notification: Members of Los Pobladores 200 will be attending with Gabrieleno Indians press conference January 15th. To express our protest in the unearthing of human remains at sacred Yangna burial grounds and former Pueblo Los Angeles Cemetery for La Plaza de Cultura y Artes museum.     

What: Press conference to voice Los Pobladores 200 and Gabrieleno Indians opposition to the destruction of prehistoric burial site of Yangna and historic burial site area of what was the former Los Angeles Plaza Church Cemetery of El Pueblo Los Angeles.           

Human remains continue to be disturbed and destroyed since they were discovered in October without consequence, in spite the fact that it was publicly reported in November. We were just non-officially informed of the discovery less than a week ago that also affects our historic ancestors who were also buried in the same shared location. This event will include our prayers and comments to the history of El Pueblo Los Angeles and the former Plaza Church Cemetery from which many of the original founding El Pueblo Los Angeles townsfolk (also known as El Pobladores) were buried.            

Who: The Original Pobladores founders of El Pueblo Los Angeles left Mission San Gabriel on September 4th. 1781, composing of an entourage of approximately 72 citizens, soldiers, and officials of what was once Alta California of Colonial Spain and settled on the banks of what we know today as The Los Angeles River, approximately North of an established Yangna Native American Village (Where Los Angeles City Hall is today). Due to flooding of the river, the Pueblo relocated three times to its present historic location, which brought the pueblo closer to the Yangna village. It is alleged that a Yangna Native American burial site pre-existed in the present site area of The El Pueblo Plaza Church, where a shared cemetery was established. It became the main burial site for the Yangna, Pueblo Citizens, and Early American/European Pioneers up until it was closed in the mid 1840’s.            

Why: According to official cemetery records, all of the body remains of the old cemetery were removed and relocated to other cemeteries in The Los Angeles Area. With this latest discovery, it seems to be not the case. According to burial custom, we can assume from Mission records that most mission cemeteries had noted separate cemetery sections for both Anglo Citizens as well as for Native American Indians. It is with this historical fact and assumption that this also applied as well to the former cemetery  of El Pueblo Los Angeles   
   
Under the present discovery, we feel that construction in this location should be halted immediately to determine upon proper inquiry and investigation as to the identification of these body remains and from whom and where do they originate.            

When:  Saturday, January 15th, 2011 at 10am     

Where: 
Vacant lot/construction site adjacent to La Placita Church between Arcadia  and Caesar Chavez, 
501 North Main Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90012


Sent by Robert Smith

 

 
Erasing Historic Reality: 
Persistence of the Black Legend

SHAMELESSLY UT EL PASO CANCELS CHICANO ICON HOLIDAY
By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
Scholar in Residence/Chair, Department of Chicana/Chicano and Hemispheric Studies, 
Western New Mexico University 
ortegop@wnmu.edu
 
At the end of the first series of 12 articles on Somos Primos from July 2008 to August 2009 on the Black Legend / La Leyenda Negra, I wrote: "The Black Legend has endured long enough. It’s time to lay it to rest." It appears, however that like certain radioactive elements La Leyenda Negra / The Black Legend has an interminable half-life--it can't be put to rest or it won't be put to rest. Given this ghoulish existence, Somos Primos has encouraged me to continue the topic of La Leyenda Negra / The Black Legend with a new series.   Con safos, Felipe de Ortego y Gasca


Long before it became the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Western College (established in 1914 as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy) held the Mexican American community of El Paso at arm’s length despite the demographic reality that El Paso was essentially a Mexican American community. Disdainfully, Texas Western College and after it became the University of Texas at El Paso continued to preserve its educational goals of service to the Anglo community dismissing its responsibilities as a state-supported public institution of education to the Mexican American community.

That disdain is still evident today in a number of overt and covert ways despite the fact that almost 80 percent of its student body is Hispanic comparable to the demographics of the city. For example, in its 97 year history, no Hispanic (certainly no Mexican American) has served as president of the institution. For the most part, its principal administrators have been mostly Anglos.

The University has been touted as the most successful Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the graduation of Hispanic students. That’s why it came as a surprise to the Mexican American community of El Paso that the University had cancelled César Chávez Day as a holiday for the next four years. What makes that decision so galling is that César Chávez is the only Hispanic/Latino memorialized by eight states with a holiday, including Texas. Chávez has become not only a Chicano icon but a Latino icon for his advocacy of farmworkers and the impoverished.

The University’s explanation for its decision to cancel César Chávez Day as an institutional holiday is that the state limits institutional choices to only 12 holidays. As reported by Adriana Gómez Licón in the El Paso Times, Vice President Richard Adauto added “We just cannot take every holiday.”

But César Chávez Day isn’t just any holiday. It’s the only state holiday (albeit optional) that honors a Mexican American. Why not choose one of the other optional holidays like Good Friday, Rosh Hoshanah, or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Maybe the state ought to eliminate Confederate Heroes Day or make it optional. What about San Jacinto Day? 

Why not let El Pasoans decide? Or eliminate apotheosic holidays altogether? 

What is troubling about the UTEP decision is that it surfaces amid such virulent anti-Mexican sentiment and rhetoric as manifested in Arizona. Ramon Renteria has it right: cancelling César Chávez Day is a sign of disrespect, and having the university operational on that day with classes and all is really pretty “hollow.”

What this brouhaha boils down to is an institutional failure of leadership and vision. Hispanic El Pasoans need university leaders and change they can believe in.


CESAR CHAVEZ MEMORIAL IN SAN FERNANDO - THE NATION'S FIRST
http://museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/2009/11/cesar-chavez-memorial-in-san-fernando.html
Sent by Lorri Ruiz Frain

Below is a website with a collection of articles that tie in with Prof. Ortego's essay.
http://chicano-chicana-nation.org 

 

  HB 505:  César Chávez Holiday To Be Eliminated in Texas?
"I Don't Think so…" Says Rep. Alonzo

OPINION EDITORIAL by Texas State Representative Roberto R. Alonzo District 104 - Dallas, January 5, 2011

Legislation has been filed for the 82n Legislature by Texas lawmaker, State Rep. Tyron Lewis of Odessa which would eliminate "Cesar Chavez Day" as a state optional holiday in Texas. That is shameful. That is unfortunate, especially when we consider everything that the civil rights icon, human rights advocate and civil rights activist has done for the poor, the disenfranchised, and the oppressed, not only in Texas but all over the country. Rep. Lewis yesterday filed House Bill 505 which would eliminate "Cesar Chavez Day," and replace it with "Texas Hispanic Heritage Day," in Texas as an optional state holiday.

Cesar Chavez was a passionate advocate for social justice and civil rights for the poor and the disenfranchised, not only in Texas, but all over the United States. He was a role model for many hard-working average Americans, especially farm workers. He was truly an American hero and icon. Chavez rallied for and succeeded in improving the wages, schooling, housing, and other living conditions of farm workers of all ethnic backgrounds. In 1991, Chavez received one of Mexico’s premier awards, Aguila Azteca (Aztec Eagle) for contributions made outside Mexico. Additionally, in 1994, he was posthumously presented with our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As a former migrant worker myself, my family and I - like so many others across every geographic corner of the great United States - are honored and humbled indeed every year when we gather in unison to commemorate the day that honors this great man, this role model and giant, and the many accomplishments he achieved so that the rest of us could have a better quality of life and success in the future. 

I am certain Chavez's legacy will impact positively our children and our grandchildren in much the same way, even if they did not get to live during his lifetime, or ever set foot on the toiling and unpleasant soils of a hot migrant field like so many of us did while growing up with our poor families. Chavez's decades of experiences on the hot and toiling migrant fields transcended more than just farmworkers alone; those experiences live and continue to this day and impact daily the lives of so many of us in many ways. Chavez was an icon for labor and civil rights, championing the causes of minorities and the poor for many decades before he died at 66 on April 23, 1993. Whether it was rounding up everyday workers on or off the migrant fields, rallying support in our local communities, boycotting at our supermarkets, or even speaking before local, state, or federal agencies or congressional committees, Chavez consistently rallied for and succeeded in improving the wages, schooling, housing, and other living conditions of farm workers and average day workers of all ethnic backgrounds in similar fashion. It is for this very reason that session after session, I consistently filed and will continue to file and support legislation that recognizes the legacy and many achievements of Cesar Chavez. During the 81st legislative session in 2009, I authored and successfully passed two house resolutions, commemorating the birth, significant contributions, and death of Chavez. The first House Resolution, HR 300, honored the life of Cesar E. Chavez on March 31, 2009, by commemorating the 82nd anniversary of his birth. Likewise, HR 308 honored the life of Cesar Chavez and recognized the month beginning March 31, 2009, as Cesar Chavez Farmworker Appreciation Month in Texas. And in 2010, HR 324 and HR 325, respectively, paid the same tributes to Chavez in Texas in the same annual tradition. And respectfully and appropriately, I have done the same for the 82nd session which will start next week, through HR 26 and HR 27, for the years 2011 and 2012, respectively. 

And in early February 2010, I was among the first of a growing list of public officials at the local, county, state, and federal levels alike, along with a number of other civic and business leaders, in Dallas who applauded members of the Dallas City Council on the brave and historical vote they took when they renamed Cesar Street in Dallas. The council voted unanimously to rename the stretch of South Central Expressway between Pacific Avenue and Grand Avenue as Cesar Chavez Street in recognition of all the exemplary achievements by this great icon.

In short, I find the filing of HB 505 by my colleague Rep. Lewis eliminating Cesar Chavez Day in Texas as an optional holiday, as a slap in the face, not only to migrant farmworkers, but to Hispanics all over the state and nation, but most particularly in Texas where we have already become the majority population in the state, and growing. The monumental civil rights icon, labor rights activists, representative for so many average day workers deserves better. By eliminating Cesar Chavez Day as a holiday in Texas we are in essence turning back history and telling all Hispanics, particularly our children and grandchildren, that if you accomplish great things and make a positive difference in improving the quality of life for others, you will not be recognized if you are a migrant, Hispanic, or other minority. That to me, is shameful. HB 505 is nothing more than an ultra-conservative, right-wing, anti-Hispanic, and anti-immigrant measure that will only serve to continue to hold back and reverse the advancements that we as Hispanics have struggled so much and hard for to improve the lives of Hispanics all over Texas and the nation.|

 

 


HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

Frank Bonilla, Scholar of Puerto Rican Studies, Dies at 85 
Jose Rojo, Civil Rights Attorney, dies at 84


Photo Sent by Juan Marinez 

I was one of Frank Bonilla’s students in his graduate seminars at Stanford that resulted in Structures of Dependency.  El Maestro was not only brilliant in his capacity for analysis, but he was also a genuine human being who knew how to teach and how to build confidence in young, inquisitive, and rebellious minds.  Few teachers or professors had the impact on my formation that Frank had. He made us realize that elite institutions could be used for the benefit of common people, so long as those being trained there kept their priorities straight.  Professor Bonilla’s example helped us do that.  He will be missed, but he will be replaced by those he taught, inspired, and helped form.

Carlos Vásquez, Director
History and Literary Arts
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Albuquerque
, New Mexico
Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. beto@unt.edu 

For 20 years, Frank Bonilla was the director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York. 
by Dennis Hevesi, January 07, 2011 

Frank Bonilla, an academic who grew up in two of New York's poorest neighborhoods, faced segregation in the Midwest and went on to create one of the nation's first college-level Puerto Rican studies programs and its first consortium for Latino studies, died on Dec. 28 in Escondido, Calif. He was 85.

His daughter Natasha Bonilla Martinez confirmed his death.

For 20 years, starting in 1973, Dr. Bonilla was the director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York. Already a renowned Latin American studies scholar, he had joined with other professors, students and community activists in pressing the City University of New York to open the center. Under Dr. Bonilla's leadership, the program integrated various strands of Puerto Rican studies - history, politics, economics and cultural development - with the aim of exposing the forces behind ethnic and racial prejudice. The center, which studied the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the mainland and analyzed the extensive post-World War II migration from the island, houses one of the nation's largest archives on the Puerto Rican experience.

One of Dr. Bonilla's most influential projects was the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, which he co-founded in 1986. It began as a national consortium of eight university-based research centers and grew to include more than 20 universities that cooperate in interdisciplinary research. Among other studies, the program has analyzed the impact of global, national and regional economic forces on the earnings of Latinos in the United States.

"Dr. Bonilla was this high-powered intellectual taking the lead in bringing together key institutions," said Félix Matos Rodríguez, the president of Hostos Community College in the Bronx and a former director of the Puerto Rican research center. "Nobody had the combination of profound credibility and the trust of academicians, elected officials and community leaders in the trenches to research problems like persistent poverty, lack of access to education, segmented labor markets and the difficulties for immigrants facing entry into institutions in the U.S." 

Born in Manhattan on Feb. 3, 1925, Frank Bonilla was one of three children of Francisco and Maria Bonilla, who had moved from Puerto Rico. He grew up in East Harlem and the South Bronx, but for several years lived with family friends in Tennessee and Illinois, where he came face to face with segregation: he was regularly told to sit in the back of the bus.

After graduating from high school, Dr. Bonilla served in the Army during World War II. He graduated from City College in 1949 and earned a master's degree in sociology from New York University in 1954 and a doctorate in sociology from Harvard in 1959.

Dr. Bonilla began his academic career in 1960 as a member of the American Universities Field Service, doing research in South America. In a 1962 report, "Rural Reform in Brazil," he found that 75 percent of the farmland was owned by 8 percent of the farmers, and that two-thirds of the rural population was illiterate and therefore could not vote. He went on to teach political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1969, and at Stanford from 1969 to 1972. He then returned to New York to begin work on creating the Center for Puerto Rican Studies.

Besides his daughter Natasha, Dr. Bonilla is survived by another daughter, Sandra Bailey; a son, Francisco; a sister, Esther Miller; five grandchildren; and one great-grandson. 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=725213&f=22 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Bonilla   < extensive article on Wikipedia 
Sent by a.beltran@ymail.com   


Jose Rojo, Civil Rights Attorney, dies at 84
 

Jose Rojo funeral arrangements and his meaning to history; Chronicle story

Hello all...

The below are the current arrangements...The Houston Chronicle story below only touched on the meaning  -  about the life of an incredible man, a lawyer who was in the midst of the Mexican American people's struggle fotr civil and human rights in the 1950's and 1960's.  He also was present at the Rice Hotel Grand Ballroom on the night of November 21, 1963 when at a LULAC Scholarship dance, the doors to the kitchen suddenly came open and in walked President and Mrs. Kennedy. 

Everything in that ballroom came to a shocked standstill.   This unannounced appearance of course stunned the crowd, many of who had been active in the famous "Viva Kennedy" Clubs throughout Texas.

In one of the closest elections in U.S. history, the Mexican American vote was instrumental, in 1960, in putting John F. Kennedy in the White House.  The President was there to shake hands and to thank his friends.  The first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, gave a short speech in excellent Spanish, as she was fluent in that language. 

Well, the crowd went wild.  Some of the excited LULACers tried to crowd the president, just to touch him or Mrs. Kennedy.  HPD Sgt. Raul Martinez, the first Mexican American to graduate from the HPD academy, was present as presidential security and he pushed the crowd back.  He then led the President and the First Lady out of the ballroom, back through the kitchen.

The following day as legend has it, Joe Rojo was riding in the presidential motorcade in Dallas and was a witness to history, the incredibly tragic event which plunged our country, and the Latino community, into great and painful sorrow. 

Joe once told me "You should live every day as if it is your last, because, one day, you'll be right."

He has left for heaven.  Joe was a great raconteur and loved to meet new people.  He also would break into song if he met an attractive lady.  

I told him one time, jokingly, that his gift for making friends would serve him well in heaven, because there were probably not too many lawyers up there for him to talk with.

Descanse en paz, soldado razo....

Thank you... Carlos Calbillo
 
laszlomurdock@hotmail.com 

José Rojo was called one of the last remaining Mexican-American civil rights attorneys and activists who fought for the community.

José Rojo, a Mexican-American civil rights attorney and activist who would often represent clients who couldn't afford to pay, died Tuesday,  December 28, surrounded by family and friends after suffering from pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Rojo's family was looking forward to celebrating his 85th birthday next week.  

"He's the most wonderful man I've ever known," said Raquel Clendening, Rojo's daughter. "He was selfless and the most caring, loving and giving person I've ever known. He loved humanity, and he loved life. He always thought about helping the little person. He went out of his way to treat everybody special, and he would go out of his way to do anything for his clients, even if they could not afford it."
 

Clendening remembers coming home to a new couch that one of his clients had paid him with. "Some people could not pay him anything, but he would still represent them like they were a million-dollar client," she said.
 

He is described by friends as one of the last remaining Mexican-American civil rights attorneys and activists who fought for the community. The Mexican American Bar Association of Houston sponsored a "celebration of life" event for Rojo on Dec. 10.
 

"He wanted to see his friends one last time before he departed," said Lupe Salinas, professor at Texas Southern University law school and former state district judge in Houston.
 

"He looked so good and so well. I didn't think his death would come so soon. Nothing had changed except that he had obviously become weakened and was sitting in a wheelchair. His smile and humorous attitude were still there."
 

Rojo and Salinas founded the local Mexican American Bar Association in 1972 when Rojo was deputy director of the Houston Legal Foundation, and Salinas was a law student at the University of Houston.
 


JFK in 1963:
Salinas said the association works to provide a legal voice for Mexican-Americans and to improve the image and education of Mexican-American attorneys.  

Rojo was at the Rice Hotel to greet
President John F. Kennedy at a LULAC function on Nov. 21, 1963 and rode in the motorcade the following morning in Dallas.  


Hosted TV show:
He was a co-founder of Casa de Amigos, a North Main Street clinic that served the underprivileged and hosted Reflejos del Barrio, a public service show on KPRC (Channel 2) for the Hispanic community in the '70s. 

His law partner was
John J. Herrera, one of the lead attorneys of the Hernandez vs. Texas U.S. Supreme Court case in 1954, which led to Mexican-Americans being on juries in counties across Texas. "He and Herrera were like two peas in a pod," Clendening said.  

Rojo was born in Port Arthur and was a
Great Depression survivor. He joined the Navy to serve in World War II and attended the University of Texas under the G.I. Bill. He pursued theatrical acting and singing at Theater Inc. after college and decided to pursue law after facing discrimination because of his ethnicity.  

He did not finish law school but took the bar exam and became a licensed lawyer in 1956. He met his wife while acting, and they adopted triplets in 1959.
 

Rojo is survived by his children, Raquel Clendening, Ramón José Rojo and Roberto Burch Rojo. A public viewing and rosary will take place at 5 p.m. Jan. 4 at Brookside Funeral Home-Cypress Creek, 9149 Texas 6 North, in Houston.
 

The funeral Mass will take place at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 5 at
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston. Service will follow at 2 p.m. at the Houston National Cemetery.  


sarah.raslan@chron.com


Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.
beto@unt.edu

 

 

 

NATIONAL ISSUES

Anchor Baby Cartoon
Among Mormons, a deep divide on immigration
URLs of current immigration cases
Shenandoah Students Await Sentence In ‘Hate Crime’ Killing of Immigrant, 
       Luis Ramírez Zavala 
People of Watsonville  - Stopping the Death of our Children
The Murdered Women of Juarez By Laura Carlsen
Homicidios 2008-2009 La muerte tiene permiso
Mt. Soledad cross ruled unconstitutional
Andy Rooney and Prayer

Cartoonist . . .Sergio Hernandez  
Chiliverde@earthlink.net

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/contreras210111.html
Video, under Pres. Obama, deportation of Mexicans has accelerated.

 
Among Mormons, a deep divide on immigration
By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 
December 31 2010

Two leading Utah activists embody opposite views
on the immgration issue; and both cite the church's teachings as the core of their positions.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-
na-mormon-immigration-20110101,0,7276869.story
 
 


 
 

Stephen Sandstrom, left, and Tony Yapias embody the conflicting viewpoints on illegal immigration among LDS church members -- and both sides cite core church principles. "Turning a blind eye to illegal immigration jeopardizes the rule of law," says Sandstrom. (Chris Detrick / Associated Press)

At the Sandstrom family table on the edge of the Wasatch Mountains, eldest son Stephen listened carefully as his parents talked about politics, the divine nature of the nation's founding and the importance of the rule of law.

Sandstrom held fast to those tenets of his Mormon faith years later as a state representative. They led him to write a bill modeled on a controversial Arizona law that would require police to determine the immigration status of people they lawfully stop and also suspect are in the country illegally.


FOR THE RECORD:
Illegal immigration: An article in the Jan. 1 Section A about Mormon church members' differing viewpoints on illegal immigration said that Tony Yapias grew up in Evanston, Idaho. He grew up in Evanston, Wyo. Also, his father labored as a sheepherder in Wyoming, not Idaho. —


"This country is the greatest nation on Earth because God had a hand in its formation," said Sandstrom, 47. "A lot of that is because … we obey the rule of law. Turning a blind eye to illegal immigration jeopardizes the rule of law."

At the Yapias family table in Peru, eldest son Tony felt the strain of a family divided. His father labored seven years in the United States as a sheepherder in Idaho before the family won permission to join him when Tony was 14. The separation ultimately destroyed his parents' marriage.

When he became an adult, Yapias joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, drawn by the religion's emphasis on family. The intersection of the church and his childhood led the 44-year-old to a very different position on illegal immigration than Sandstrom's.

"Every immigrant understands the pain and suffering of any family that's separated," Yapias said. "When Sandstrom or anyone else starts talking, it just opens up wounds.... What I don't understand is how Sandstrom doesn't get it — how two people of the same faith can be so far apart."

Stephen Sandstrom and Tony Yapias embody the conflicting viewpoints on illegal immigration among church members — and both sides cite core LDS principles.

Illegal immigration has been a combustible issue across the country this year, but in normally tranquil Utah it has roiled the state's politics and highlighted a deep divide among Mormons.

Sandstrom's news conference announcing his bill was disrupted by angry immigrants' rights activists. Both sides have staged protests. This summer a list of purportedly illegal immigrants was anonymously circulated — complete with birth dates and, in some cases, noting pregnancies. Two state workers were blamed and fired.

Finally, in November, the Mormon Church stepped into the fray, carefully lending its weight to Yapias' position. It endorsed a set of principles issued by Utah business leaders who oppose Sandstrom's legislation, and issued a statement calling for immigration policy to be made not just with an eye toward the rule of law, but also compassion and family unity.

Church officials said they spoke out because they saw the two wings hardening their positions. "We wanted to moderate the debate," church spokesman Mike Purdy said.

That wasn't enough for some Latino leaders, who complain that the church, unlike many Catholic, Jewish, Islamic and evangelical groups, has been too timid in defending illegal immigrants even as Latinos join the faith in increasing numbers.

Meanwhile, some immigration hard-liners sympathetic to Sandstrom have talked about cutting their donations to the church, charging that religious leaders are pandering to Latinos.

"The church's biggest problem is that it's trying to straddle the fence," said Archie Archuleta, a veteran Latino activist here who is not an LDS member. "They've expended so much energy proselytizing in Latin America. But we live in a red state that is tremendously conservative.... The principles of politics and morality and religion are really in conflict here."

Tall, lean and serious-looking in his dark suit, Sandstrom fits many people's stereotype of a dutiful Mormon. The oldest of five, he grew up in hyperconservative Provo, home to Brigham Young University, and became an avid hunter and mountaineer. His mother served two terms on the City Council and his father, an architect, was active in Republican politics.

After he earned his degree in political science, the church sent him on a mission to Venezuela, where proselytizing took him from the highest reaches of Caracas society to impoverished villages on the Caribbean coast. It was in those small towns that Sandstrom's worldview changed.

"I had always thought that everyone who lives in one of those countries must be miserable," he said. Instead, Sandstrom said he found the people in those towns — living in tin-roof shacks and laboring for a few dollars a day — "were very hardworking and very happy with their lives."

Sandstrom became fluent in Spanish and sponsored one family that wanted to immigrate to the United States. He was shocked at the hurdles they had to surmount. They had to sign a form pledging to refuse all U.S. government benefits for five years. Sandstrom thought of the people here illegally who accessed those benefits. It didn't sit right with him.

He later took over the family architectural business and found many contractors complaining that illegal immigrants were driving down wages.

Sandstrom entered politics as a city councilman in the Provo suburb of Orem. In his second term, the tidy suburb had an unheard-of four homicides — three committed by illegal immigrants. In 2007 he decided to run for the statehouse, and made illegal immigration his signature issue.

The day after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the immigration law SB 1070 this spring, Sandstrom announced he would introduce a version here.

One of his chief complaints is that predominantly Mexican illegal immigrants crowd out other, legal immigrants — people like the Venezuelans, Peruvians and other Latin Americans whom he meets on regular return trips to South America and whom he believes are not allowed to legally immigrate because there are too many illegal immigrants here already. "This is not anti-Hispanic in any form," Sandstrom said.

But unlike in Arizona, where a united Republican Party easily carried SB 1070 through the Legislature, there has been stiff resistance in Utah.

Although extremely conservative, Utah boasts some of the most illegal-immigrant-friendly laws in the nation, a condition long attributed to the Mormon Church's calming influence. In addition to charging illegal immigrant students in-state tuition at state universities, Utah gives them "driving privilege cards" which function like driver's licenses.

"They feel safe here because we let them operate with impunity," Sandstrom said of illegal immigrants.

Last month, a coalition of prominent business leaders and conservative intellectuals released the Utah Compact, which maps out principles for immigration reform that are in stark opposition to Sandstrom's bill.

After the compact was unveiled, the church endorsed, but did not sign, the document and issued a separate statement on immigration that echoed its principles.

Many Sandstrom supporters were outraged. One of the church's 13 articles of faith is "obeying, honoring and sustaining the law." It is why, despite the church's strong opposition to abortion, LDS members do not engage in civil disobedience at abortion clinics. The principle is so strong that church leaders have advised members in communist countries to obey the law, even if it is anathema to their other beliefs.

"There's a lot of people out there, the older generation of Mormons, who are scratching their heads about what's going on now," said Ronald Mortensen, a retired diplomat active in the campaign against illegal immigration in Utah. "From the time we're kids, you memorize the articles of faith. You tend to see the law and the rule of law as something you don't play with."

The church statement cited the rule of law but also, significantly, emphasized compassion and the value of keeping families united.

However, the language in the statement was deliberately general because, officials said, they did not want to dictate the specifics of public policy. "It's not our job to say how high or thick a fence should be, or how many people should be let in," spokesman Michael Otterson said.

For Yapias, the Mormon Church has often been about family. When he and his brothers, sisters and mother immigrated to the United States in 1980, they joined his father in the heavily Mormon town of Evanston, Idaho.

Yapias, who was raised Catholic, did not speak English when he arrived but found a welcoming atmosphere in Evanston. By his sophomore year in high school, he decided to run for student government. He lost, but won the presidency of the student body the following year.

After graduation, he went to Washington as an intern for Wyoming's then-Sen. Alan Simpson, a Republican who cosponsored the 1986 law that legalized 2 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

After returning, Yapias enrolled in BYU and joined the church. By that time, his mother had returned to Peru, and Yapias was eager to embrace a faith that put a premium on building families. Friends also assured him that he was part of God's plan — a reference to a Mormon belief that some Latinos and Native Americans may be descendants of an ancient prophet, destined to be welcomed into the church.

Yapias married and helped raise five children. He worked as a probation officer. In 2003, he was appointed director of the Office of Hispanic Affairs for the state. Two years later, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

"It gave me a different outlook on life," Yapias said. "You start thinking you might not be here that long." He became a full-time activist, working odd hours as a translator to pay the bills.

Yapias spends much of his day fielding calls from desperate illegal immigrants. "Tony," they tell him, "my mother in Mexico is sick. What can I do?" Current immigration law, he says, creates millions of tragedies.

Yapias put his head in his hands. "What it does to our families is just devastating," he said.

Yapias has debated Sandstrom in public forums several times, and said he personally liked the politician. But he said that Sandstrom was on the wrong side of history.

"I believe that Sandstrom's children and grandchildren will apologize to us someday," Yapias said.

nicholas.riccardi@latimes.com  

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

 Sent by Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan
yvduncan@yahoo.com

 

For many examples of current immigration cases and the legal perspective on them, go to the Law Professor Blogs Network. 
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration 

Migration Information Source: Fresh Thought, Authoritative Data, Global Reach
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USFocus/display.cfm?ID=818



Extract from article in Hispanic Links Weekly Report, serving the community since 1983
Vol. 29, No. 2, January 18, 2011
 
Shenandoah Students Await Sentence
In ‘Hate Crime’ Killing of Immigrant,  Luis Ramírez Zavala 
By Gustavo Martínez Contreras
Shenandoah, Pa.
SHENANDOAH, Pa. — The scheduled Jan. 24 sentencing of two local high school football stars following their federal
convictions relating to the beating death of a 25-year-old immigrant worker from Mexico, runs a baffling path through the U.S. jurisprudence system and its application of “hate crime” law.

First tried in state court by an all-white Schuykill County jury in 2008, Brandon J. Piekarsky and Derrick M. Donchak were acquitted of racial intimidation charges. Now both men face up to life in prison for violating the rights of Luis Ramírez Zavala following a different set of charges brought on by the U.S. Justice Department.

Two years after the attack, a federal jury in Scranton, Pa., convicted these young men of  the Ramírez Zavala’s brutal beating. They were accused of violating the criminal component of the federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it a crime to use a person’s race, national origin or ethnicity as a basis to interfere, with violence or threats of violence, with a person’s right to live where he or she chooses. The jury also found that Donchak conspired to, and did in fact, obstruct justice.

Former Shenandoah policemen Matthew Nestor, William Moyer and Jason Hayes face charges of conspiring to obstruct justice during investigating the crime. The three of them, along with the Shenandoah Police Department are standing trial this week.  A federal indictment charges them with conspiring to obstruct justice during the investigation into the fatal beating.  The federal investigation shed light also into the wrong-doings of the Shenandoah Police Department.

Editor:  For more information on this very tragic, but important historical case of anti-Hispanic, racial hatred, go to previous issues of Somos Primos:
Aug '08, Dec '08,
Feb 09, Jun '09, Aug '09, Nov '09,
Jan '10, Feb '10, Aug '10, Nov '10

 

People of Watsonville 

Stopping the Death of our Children

Photos by photojournalist  David Bacon
Watsonville, CA  11/7/10

 

The 17th annual memorial and march for young people in Watsonville, who have died as a result of violence in the Latino community. Domiciano Ramirez, who lost his son, sits next to his wife Teresa, and his granddaughter Brenda. Brenda Ramirez lost her uncle, Greg, when he was 26. Margarita Renteria lost her son Servando when he was 16. Carolina Cervantes' son Ray was shot and killed when he was 21. The memorial was organized by members of the Watsonville Brown Berets.

Aztec dancers led a march after of the ceremony, while political and labor activist Robert Chacanaca looked on. Brenda Ramirez, Margarita Renteria and Carolina Cervantes all held photographs of the young men in their families who have been killed, as they walked in the rain around the central plaza downtown. Later Watsonville Mayor Luis Alejo comforted the mother of one of the murdered young people. Alejo, who was just elected to the California State Assembly, was one of the original organizers of the community marches against violence, and was the Watsonville attorney for many years for California Rural Legal Assistance. "Stopping the death of our children is the best way we have to remember those who've already died," said Carolina Cervantes.

 

For more articles and images, see http://dbacon.igc.org 

See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press, 2008)
Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008
http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002

See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the US
Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575

See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html

Sent by Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr.

The Murdered Women of Juarez By Laura Carlsen

Read more   http://www.cipamericas.org/archives/3895 
Laura Carlsen is a FPIF Columnist and director of the CIP Americas Program
lecarlsen@gmail.com
 
Marisela Escobedo's life changed forever in August 2008 when her 16-year-old daughter Rubi failed to come home. What was left of Rubi's body was found months later in a dump - 39 pieces of charred bone.

As authorities showed no interest in investigating the case, Marisela began a one-woman crusade across two states to bring the murderer to justice. Her odyssey tracks a murderer, but it also tracks a system of sexism, corruption, and impunity.

And it ends with Marisela-the mother-assassinated on December 16, 2010 in front of the state Capitol, as she continued to protest the lack of justice in her daughter's murder two years earlier.

  Homicidios 2008-2009 La muerte tiene permiso

Editor: This is the introduction to a report on the horrible violence and death in which Mexico is immersed. It was forwarded by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.. The Source was Molly Molloy who writes: "I'm still reading thru some of this stuff, but as far as I can tell, the range of the numbers for how many people have been killing in 2010 goes from 11,000 to 19,000. And I've seen one figure of more than 47,000 killed just in 2008 and 2009."  The study separates the data by state and age.  It is quite detailed.  

http://www.nexos.com.mx/?P=leerarticulo&Article=1943189  03/01/2011
Fernando Escalante Gonzalbo ( Ver todos sus artículos )

En 2008-2009 el homicidio en México se disparó por encima de toda lógica social y toda tendencia estadística previa. Fernando Escalante Gonzalbo comprueba con rigor que las muertes crecieron especialmente en los lugares en donde hubo grandes operativos militares y policiacos. La muerte tiene permiso es el título de un libro de cuentos de Edmundo Valadés. Lo repetimos aquí en su memoria y homenaje

Hace algo más de un año publiqué aquí mismo un análisis estadístico del homicidio en México entre 1990 y 2007. La historia que contaban aquellos números era un poco desconcertante de entrada, porque nos habíamos hecho a la idea de que la violencia venía aumentando en el país desde hacía tiempo, que era incluso mayor a la que había padecido Colombia a fines de los años ochenta. Y no era así. No había datos que justificasen la sensación de inseguridad de la segunda mitad de los noventa y, extrañamente, nadie los había buscado. Por eso los números resultaban desconcertantes. Entre 1990 y 2007 la tasa nacional de homicidios había disminuido sistemáticamente, año tras año; alcanzó un máximo de 19 homicidios por cada 100 mil habitantes en 1992, y a partir de entonces comenzó a bajar hasta llegar a un mínimo de ocho homicidios por cada 100 mil habitantes en 2007.

Por supuesto, esa evolución lenta y sistemática de la tasa nacional ocultaba historias muy contrastantes de diferentes regiones del país. La disminución era particularmente pronunciada en los municipios de menos de 10 mil habitantes en el centro y sur del país, en Oaxaca, Morelos, Estado de México, Hidalgo, Puebla, Campeche, también Guerrero y Michoacán. No pasaba lo mismo en las grandes ciudades, en los municipios que habían recibido importantes flujos migratorios, en las ciudades de frontera. En particular, había tasas altas e inestables en todas las ciudades de más de 50 mil habitantes con paso de frontera en el norte del país, y había tasas mucho más altas que las del resto del territorio en la cuenca occidental del río Balsas, entre Guerrero y Michoacán, y en la parte más alta de la Sierra Madre Occidental, en los límites de Sinaloa, Chihuahua y Durango.

Me encuentro ahora con nuevos números, los que corresponden a 2008 y 2009, de la misma fuente, las actas de defunción capturadas por el INEGI. Y me siento obligado a completar aquel panorama con este otro, aunque el análisis sea todavía tentativo y en algunos extremos difícil de argumentar.

Aquella historia, la de las dos décadas mal contadas del cambio de siglo, podía explicarse en buena medida a partir de factores estructurales: el ritmo de crecimiento de la población, la estructura productiva, el sistema de comunicaciones, la configuración del tráfico fronterizo. No sucede lo mismo con estos dos últimos años: el movimiento es demasiado brusco y muy general, y por eso parece pedir una explicación coyuntural. Pero vayamos por partes. Y comencemos por el perfil de la tasa nacional de homicidios (véase gráfica 1).

 

 
Mt. Soledad cross ruled unconstitutional 
Though the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled as unconstitutional the Mt. Soledad cross that has been on display in San Diego since 1913 to honor slain soldiers, one Christian attorney says this latest decision doesn't bring the case to a close.

Following two decades and multiple lawsuits aimed at tearing down the 29-foot cross, Brad Dacus, founder of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), tells OneNewsNow three presiding justices from the court have ruled unanimously against the constitutionality of the cross.

"This is a clear slap in the face for the many people who wish to solemnize and recognize the value of those who gave their lives for our country," Dacus laments.

He considers the ruling to be a great setback for those who value religious freedom, but he assures it will not be the end of the case.

"The case will now go before the United States Supreme Court, and they will have the final say on whether or not it's constitutional to have a war memorial that has some religious, or just a religious symbol," the PJI founder reports.

He notes that one judge had previously ordered that a plywood box be constructed to cover the cross so no one could see it. But when the Supreme Court ruled favorably on some aspects of the case and sent it back to the lower court, vandals used heavy equipment to dismantle, destroy, and abscond with the memorial.



Andy Rooney and Prayer

Andy Rooney says:
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of America and Canada , countries founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?
If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome .....
But what about the atheists? Is another argument.
What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humour us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.
God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority rules! It's time we tell them, "You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honour Him. That is your right, and we will honour your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!"

God bless us one and all...Especially those who denounce Him, God bless America and Canada , despite all our faults, We are still the greatest nations of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

Let's make 2011 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions. And our military forces come home from all the wars. Keep looking up.

Sent by Gerald Frost  Telger6@aol.com

 

BUSINESS

19 facts about the deindustrialization of America
Javier Palomarez Named one of the Top 75 Most Influential Hispanics by Poder Magazine
  19 facts about the de-industrialization of America

#1 The United States has lost approximately 42,400 factories since 2001. About 75 percent of those factories employed over 500 people when they were still in operation.

#2 Dell Inc., one of America ’s largest manufacturers of computers, has announced plans to dramatically expand its operations in China with an investment of over $100 billion over the next decade.

#3 Dell has announced that it will be closing its last large U.S. manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem , North Carolina in November. Approximately 900 jobs will be lost.

#4 In 2008, 1.2 billion cell phones were sold worldwide. So how many of them were manufactured inside the United States ? Zero.

#5 According to a new study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, if the U.S. trade deficit with China continues to increase at its current rate, the U.S. economy will lose over half a million jobs this year alone.

#6 As of the end of July, the U.S. trade deficit with China had risen 18 percent compared to the same time period a year ago.

#7 The United States has lost a total of about 5.5 million manufacturing jobs since October 2000.

#8 According to Tax Notes, between 1999 and 2008 employment at the foreign affiliates of U.S. parent companies increased an astounding 30 percent to 10.1 million. During that exact same time period, U.S. employment at American multinational corporations declined 8 percent to 21.1 million.

#9 In 1959, manufacturing represented 28 percent of U.S. economic output. In 2008, it represented 11.5 percent.

#10 Ford Motor Company recently announced the closure of a factory that produces the Ford Ranger in St. Paul , Minnesota . Approximately 750 good paying middle class jobs are going to be lost because making Ford Rangers in Minnesota does not fit in with Ford's new "global" manufacturing strategy.

#11 As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in manufacturing. The last time less than 12 million Americans were employed in manufacturing was in 1941.

#12 In the United States today, consumption accounts for 70 percent of GDP. Of this 70 percent, over half is spent on services.

#13 The United States has lost a whopping 32 percent of its manufacturing jobs since the year 2000.

#14 In 2001, the United States ranked fourth in the world in per capita broadband Internet use. Today it ranks 15th.

#15 Manufacturing employment in the U.S. computer industry is actually lower in 2010 than it was in 1975.

#16 Printed circuit boards are used in tens of thousands of different products. Asia now produces 84 percent of them worldwide.

#17 The United States spends approximately $3.90 on Chinese goods for every $1 that the Chinese spend on goods from the United States .

#18 One prominent economist is projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than the U.S. economy by the year 2040.

#19 The U.S. Census Bureau says that 43.6 million Americans are now living in poverty; and according to them, that is the highest number of poor Americans in the 51 years that records have been kept.

Sent by Karren Pederson
karrenpederson@yahoo.com


JAVIER PALOMAREZ NAMED ONE OF THE 
“TOP 75 MOST INFLUENTIAL HISPANICS” BY PODER MAGAZINE


UNITED STATES HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT JAVIER PALOMAREZ NAMED ONE OF THE “TOP 75 MOST INFLUENTIAL HISPANICS” BY PODER MAGAZINE

Washington, DC (January 4, 2011) United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) President and CEO Javier Palomarez has been recognized by PODER Magazine as a Business Leader in the publication’s annual “Top 75 Most Influential Hispanics” list. The list includes the most notable figures from the political, business, science, education and entertainment arenas. In his role at the USHCC, Palomarez serves as a national advocate, representing the interests of over 200 local Hispanic chambers of commerce and nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses across the country.

The January 2011 issue of PODER declares that “Palomarez has become a key player and cheerleader for Latinos in the business arena” and that he “is focused on promoting government lending for Latino-owned small businesses. He knows better than most the role Latino businesses can play in lifting the U.S. out of the recession.” Other Hispanic leaders selected for this year’s “Top 75 Most Influential” list include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, Burger King CEO Bernardo Hees, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and actress Salma Hayek. 

“To be recognized by PODER Magazine is an honor, but moreover it is a tribute to those on behalf of whom I serve – the millions of Hispanic entrepreneurs in America who are transforming our economy,” says Palomarez. “I am grateful and proud to represent the interests of the growing Hispanic business community, in Washington and around the nation.” 

USHCC Chairman Nina Vaca-Humrichouse added: “To have the president of our organization named to this distinguished list after little more than a year in the position is a testament to the leadership he has shown and the results which the USHCC has been able to deliver to its constituents under his guidance. We look forward to further great strides in 2011.” To view the full feature article, click on the following link for PODER Magazine’s digital edition: http://www.nxtbook.com 

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and represents the interests of nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that generate nearly $400 billion annually. It also serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local Hispanic chambers in the United States and Puerto Rico.

This email was sent by: US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
1424 K Street NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20005



 


EDUCATION

Data comparing 2009 to 2007
Hispanics are as engaged in social media as non-Hispanics
Federal Court Unanimously Upholds U of Texas’ Equal Opportunity Admissions Policy
Latino studies program in Tucson declared illegal by Valerie Strauss
Cal State Northridge professor caught in Arizona controversy by Hector Tobar
Tiger Mothers Teach Chinese Children to Dominate!
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/history/latino-studies-program-in-tucs.html

2009, compared to 60.6 percent in 2007.

• Hispanics represented 12 percent of the nation’s college and graduate students in 2008.

• 3.7 million Hispanics aged 18 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2009.

• Seventy-nine thousand four hundred forty Hispanics serve as chief executives.

There are 50,866 physicians and surgeons; 48,720 postsecondary teachers; 38,532 lawyers; and 2,726 news analysts, reporters and correspondents who were Hispanic in 2010.      
Source: Hispanic Outlook 1/3/2011


Hispanics are as engaged in social media as non-Hispanics; however they are more receptive to receiving updates for offline activities through mobile text alerts, Twitter feeds and Facebook. These include shopping for large retail items, and looking for entertainment information such as movies, concerts, events and places to eat. They are also more likely to visit a brand's fan page and to follow Twitter updates from artists. Hispanics also show a higher rate of participation than non-Hispanics in numerous social media activities.

For the complete report, go to: 
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/New-
Terra-comScore-Research-Digital-Marketing-Is-
Essential-Building-Brands-With-Hispanic-1374873.htm
 

Sent by rgrbob@earthlink.net


Federal Court Unanimously Upholds University of Texas’ Equal Opportunity Admissions Policy

In a significant victory for advancing equal opportunity in higher education, on January 18, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the constitutionality of University of Texas at Austin's (UT Austin) current admissions policy, which considers race as one of several factors.

The case, Fisher v. Texas, is the first federal appellate challenge to the Supreme Court's 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, which upheld that diversity is a compelling state interest. The 5th Circuit’s decision affirms that UT Austin's policy is consistent with Grutter as it gives colleges and universities latitude to use race, as one of many factors in admissions, to promote diversity within their student bodies.

http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2011/01/1126-texas-eo.html 
Sent by Rafael Ojeda 
Tacoma, Washington

The Answer Sheet posted by the Washington Post
In depth coverage, Education Page Hosted by Valerie Strauss, January 11th focused on the Arizona law 

Latino studies program in Tucson declared illegal

By Valerie Strauss

An Arizona state official has declared that an ethnic studies program on Latino culture is illegal under a new law that went effect on Jan. 1.

The official is Tom Horne, the newly elected state attorney general who wrote the law last year when he was Arizona’s education superintendent.

District officials say they aren’t breaking the law, and a group of teachers has filed suit challenging the law, which prohibits any classes that:

* Promote the overthrow of the United States government, including any suggestion that any U.S. lands once part of Mexico be returned.
* Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
* Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
* Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.

Horne insists that the program violates all four tenets of the law; the district says that’s nonsense.

For the complete article, go to: 
 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/history/latino-
studies-program-in-tucs.html


 

Editor:  It seems clear to me that the problem is not whether to allow ethnic studies, but rather what is being taught as ethnic studies.  Personal identity needs a foundation of  historic facts.  

Senator Daniel Partrick stated it clearly,  "People have a right to their own opinions, but they do not have a right to their own facts."  By excluding the Hispanic presence in the development of the United States confusion and  distortion of  history results.    

 

Cal State Northridge professor caught in Arizona controversy by Hector Tobar, 
Los Angeles, January 14, 2011
URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0114-tobar-20110114,0,6611957.column 

Rodolfo Acuña's Mexican American history book, first published four decades ago, has become fuel for Arizona politicians targeting ethnic studies programs.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Acuña is an amiable, white-haired professor from Los Angeles who's having his named dragged through the mud by certain Arizona politicians.

He grew up in South L.A. and East Hollywood in the 1940s and '50s, and has fond memories of learning Latin at Loyola High School. He went on to make a career of teaching generations of young people from the Southwest some of the salient episodes of their history.

His most famous work is a Mexican American history textbook on which hundreds of future politicos, writers and PhDs cut their intellectual teeth. It's now in its seventh printing.

But to Arizona's new attorney general, Tom Horne, who's accused him of fostering "ethnic chauvinism," Acuña is a separatist and a danger to the republic.

When he was the state's top education official, Horne used Acuña's book, "Occupied America, A History of Chicanos," as Exhibit A in a successful campaign to have certain Latino studies classes shut down in Arizona schools.

"These people think you're a separatist if you want to teach and include people," Acuña told me as we sat this week in his Cal State Northridge office. "I don't want to be part of Mexico.... That's a stupid thing to argue."

Acuña is 78 now and his voice often quavers when he speaks. He seems genuinely confused and offended by his appearance in the Arizona controversy. I think he has every right to be upset — because the ban on Latino studies in Arizona is really just a crude attempt to scapegoat books, ideas and teachers in a state up in arms over illegal immigration.

"All we're trying to do is teach people that they have a history they should be proud of," Acuña said. "Everyone has a right to feel good about themselves."

"Occupied America" was one of several books used in Mexican American studies classes in Tucson high schools. Horne argued in an open letter published in a Tucson newspaper in 2007 that the classes were fostering ethnic antagonism as part of "an officially recognized, resentment-based program."

He backed a law, passed last year, that all but equated ethnic studies with treason by making it illegal for any school program to advocate the overthrow of the government, "promote resentment" toward a group of people or "advocate ethnic solidarity." It went into effect Jan. 1, and last week Horne declared that the Tucson school district's Mexican American studies classes violated its provisions.

The Tucson schools are fighting to keep the classes going. They are open to students of all ethnicities. Besides Acuña's work, the course reading list includes William Shakespeare, Sandra Cisneros (who is American, born in Chicago), and Junot Díaz, the Dominican American winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Students also read plays by the critically acclaimed and often irreverent L.A.-based theater group Culture Clash.

"In one sense, it's a badge of honor" to be on the reading list of a banned class, said Richard Montoya, a playwright and Culture Clash member. But the ban "is really quite shameful for the state of Arizona."

I'd like to ask Mr. Horne how he would teach American history without "promoting resentment" and thus breaking his new law. Is it possible to learn about the slave trade or Japanese American internment, for example, without feeling at least a fleeting sense of outrage?

"Occupied America," first published in 1972, is the defiant product of a moment of conflict in L.A. history. Students were on the streets protesting the Vietnam War and demanding better schools. Acuña had just gotten his doctorate in history. The rebellious spirit of the times filtered into his prose and the provocative title of his book.

"I have seen that people of Mexican extraction in the United States are … captives of a system that renders them second-class citizens," Acuña wrote in the first edition. He said he wanted to give those young Chicanos a history primer that would serve as a tool for their "liberation."

In a 1975 review, the American Historical Review praised the first edition of "Occupied America" as "an excellent introductory survey of the history of a particular minority group that conveys not only scholarship and information, but sincerity, concern and commitment as well."

Like "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," "Occupied America" is an artifact from another era and is very often read as such. Part narrative, part polemic, it's a work that's meant to stir a love of history in people who grew up thinking they didn't have a past worth reading about.

"The idea is to use these issues of cultural identity as a way to motivate students," Acuña said.

In the pages of "Occupied America," there are lynchings, mass deportations and labor strikes that are brutally suppressed. It's often grim. A cynical reader can certainly pick out passages — as Horne did — that sound offensive when stripped of their original context.

In his 2007 open letter, Horne singled out the phrase "kill the gringo" made by a 1960s youth leader whom Acuña writes about. "If you quote something I say," Acuña told me, "does that mean you believe it?"

No, it doesn't. It's as unfair as making a Civil War historian responsible for the speeches of John Brown or Jefferson Davis.

History is a messy and often violent thing. And it may not be possible to make students care about America's past without being blunt about some of the suffering and exploitation that helped create it.

But mentioning that ugly past doesn't mean you're fomenting division, said Montoya of Culture Clash. In Culture Clash's work, various characters with Spanish surnames confront racism but emerge stronger and even more certain of their American identities.

"I hate to sound corny, but most of our work is built around themes of hope," Montoya said. "But to get to those themes, you need to go to some dark places first. And do it unflinchingly."

I had never read "Occupied America" before this week. But I recognized in its pages the kind of books I read in my youth: stories about injustices that made me angry. They awakened in me a lifelong love of history as well as gratitude that I live in a country where people have the right to fight for change.

hector.tobar@latimes.com 
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times
Sent By Roberto Caldceron  beto@unt.edu


 
 
Tiger Mothers Teach Chinese Children to Dominate!

Tiger Mothers: Raising Children The Chinese Way
by Maureen Corrigan
January 11, 2011

Amy Chua may well be nuts. What kind of a mother hauls her then-7-year-old daughter's dollhouse out to the car and tells the kid that the dollhouse is going to be donated to the Salvation Army piece by piece if the daughter doesn't master a difficult piano composition by the next day? What kind of a mother informs her daughter that she's "garbage"? And what kind of mother believes, as Chua tells readers she does, that: "an A- is a bad grade; ... the only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal; and ... that medal must be gold"?

Amy Chua

What kind of a mother? Why, a mother who's raising her kids the Chinese, rather than the Western, way. In her new memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua recounts her adventures in Chinese parenting, and - nuts though she may be - she's also mesmerizing. Chua's voice is that of a jovial, erudite serial killer - think Hannibal Lecter - who's explaining how he's going to fillet his next victim, as though it's the most self-evidently normal behavior.

That's the other gripping aspect of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother: There's method to Chua's madness - enough method to stir up self-doubt in readers who subscribe to more nurturing parenting styles. Trust me, Battle Hymn is going to be a book club and parenting blog phenomenon; there will be fevered debate over Chua's tough love strategies, which include ironclad bans on such Western indulgences as sleepovers, play dates, and any extracurricular activities except practicing musical instruments ... which must be the violin or piano.

The back story to Chua's memoir is this: She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and is now a professor at Yale Law School and the author of two best-selling "big-think" books on free-market democracy and the fall of empires. When Chua married her husband, fellow Yale law professor and novelist Jed Rubenfeld, they agreed that their children would be raised Jewish and reared "the Chinese way," in which punishingly hard work - enforced by parents - yields excellence; excellence, in turn, yields satisfaction in what Chua calls a "virtuous circle."


The success of this strategy is hard to dispute. Older daughter Sophia is a piano prodigy who played Carnegie Hall when she was 14 or so. The second, more rebellious daughter, Lulu, is a gifted violinist. Chua rode the girls hard, making sure they practiced at least three hours a day even on vacations, when she would call ahead to arrange access to pianos for Sophia in hotel lobby bars and basement storage rooms. Chua also rarely refrained from criticizing her daughters, and in one of the many provocative passages that fill her book, she explains: Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable - even legally actionable - to Westerners.

Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty - lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. ... Western parents are concerned about their children's psyches. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently.

As Chua admits, though, the Chinese model doesn't dwell on happiness, nor does it deal well with failure. (Some of the most hilarious parts of her memoir deal with her attempts to apply Chinese parenting methods to the family's two dopey Samoyed puppies.)

I was on my living room couch, reading the end of Chua's memoir, when my 12-year-old daughter came downstairs and announced that she had "done enough reading" for one day and that since she had also practiced flute (for 15 minutes) she was going to kick back and watch TV - in this case, a made-for-TV Disney movie. Chua tartly sums up the stereotypically "Western" Disney plot this way:

"In Disney movies," she says, the [studious kid] always has to have a breakdown and realize that life is not all about following rules and winning prizes, and then take off her clothes and run into the ocean or something like that. But that's just Disney's way of appealing to all the people who never win any prizes. Winning prizes gives you opportunities, and that's freedom - not running into the ocean."

I looked over at my daughter and had mixed feelings about her just chillin' in front of the TV, rather than plugging away in that virtuous circle of enforced practice. I guess we won't be sending out the invitations for Carnegie Hall anytime soon.

 

 


CULTURE

Jesus Helguera, Mexico's Norman Rockwell
Artist Eddie Martinez expands his website
Latinos in the Media
Celebrate People's History
Latin Music Legends
Olga Loya, Story Teller and Living History Re-enactor
Open Letter: Latinos and the Kennedy Center Honors
Silent Images of Latinos in Early Hollywood
Jesus Helguera (May 28, 1910 – December 5, 1971) was a Mexican painter. 

Among his most famous works are La Leyenda de los Volcanes, La Leyenda, Popocapetl & Ixtaccihuatl, Hidalgo, "Rompiendo las Cadenas", El Aguila y la Serpiente, and Juan Diego y la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Information below from Wikipedia


Early life:
Jesús Enrique Emilio de la Helguera Espinoza was born to Spanish economist Alvaro Garcia Helguera and Maria Espinoza Escarzarga on May 28, 1910 in Chihuahua, Mexico. He lived his childhood in Mexico City and later moved to Córdoba in the state of Veracruz. His family fled from the Mexican Revolution to Ciudad Real, Castilla la Nueva, Spain and thereafter moved to Madrid. Jesús first gained interest in the arts during primary school and would often be found wandering the halls of the Del Prado Museum. At the age of 14, he was admitted to the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes and later studied at the Academia de San Fernando. Helguera later married Julia Gonzalez Llanos, a native of Madrid, who modeled for many of his later paintings and with whom he raised two children.

Career: Jesús first worked as an illustrator at the Editorial Araluce working on books, magazines and comics with many of his published works done in gouache. He became a professor of visual arts at a Bilboa Art Institute at the age of 18 and worked for magazines such as Estampa. Helguera was forced to move back to the Mexican state of Veracruz due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War and following economic crisis. Upon his arrival, mural making was en vogue and he was hired by Cigarrera la Moderna, a tobacco company, to produce calendar artwork printed by Imprenta Galas de Mexico. Much of his work reflected his own fascination with Aztec Mythology, Catholicism, and the diverse Mexican landscape. His paintings showed an idealized Mexico and it was his romantic approach that gave his paintings the heroic impact that eventually made him famous. In 1940, he created what is arguably the most famous amongst his paintings, La Leyenda de los Volcanes, which was inspired by the legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. It was later purchased by Ensenanza Objectiva, a producer of didactic images for schools. Many of his paintings would later be reproduced in a variety of different calendars and cigar boxes reaching households and businesses throughout Mexico.

[edit] Death and legacyHelguera continued to paint privately and illustrate for various clients until his death on December 5, 1971. Jesus Helguera continues to be celebrated in Mexico, Spain and the United States.[1]
[edit] References

Jesus Helguera can be considered Mexico's Norman Rockwell. I remember as a boy seeing some of the art represented in this presentation on calendars and advertising posters both in Nuevo Laredo stores and mercado stalls. 
 http://www.sullivangoss.com/jesus_Helguera/  Eddie Garcia fs1830garcia@yahoo.com


 
Hi Mimi:

I have just posted the “Artist Gallery” on my website. I will be adding drawings and painting to it as I develop new works of art:
http://www.eddiemartinezart.com/artgallery/artgallery.html

I have moved “America Me” to Posters & Murals section as well. This painting could possibly used as a poster or a mural for schools, museums and for Hispanic/Latino organizations.

Great news, Director Rael-Gálvez responded and asked for a jpg copy of America Me, which I sent him (attachment-email). What a compliment.

Also, on my Artist Gallery, you’ll notice that my heart is still in Southern California by my drawings at the Villa Rockledge in Laguna Beach and my painting of Cabrillo’s ship, the San Salvador sailing to Catalina Island. ... Right now, I couldn’t be happier.

Warm regards, Eddie

Editor:  DO go to Eddie's site.  Eddie is a very talented artist who lucky for us, also happens to love history.


Editor: Pedro Olivares reminds us not to forget to check out Latinos In The Industry on a regular basis. The Latinos in the Industry e-Newsletter is a free service provided by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) with the generous assistance of Alex Mendoza & Associates (AMA).  I particularly enjoy the synopsis of movies and information about projects underway.

list-LITI-subscribe@nalip.info  
pedro.olivares5@sbcglobal.net  


In the Theater. Jan. 5 - Feb. 27: Celebrate People's History: Poster Exhibition & Book Release. Initiated by Josh MacPhee, this far-reaching project uses poster art created by over ninety artists to document the hidden history of social justice movements. More than 50 posters will be on display. Reception and book release party: Saturday, Jan. 15, 3:30-5pm.  La Pena
3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705 USA http://www.lapena.org/index.php?s=116 

 

 

Latin Music Legends stamp
Latin Music Legends

Five legendary musicians and performers of the Latin sound whose contributions have had a lasting impact on American music —Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente, and Celia Cruz – will be honored on stamps. Among the distinctive musical genres and styles represented are Tejano, tango, samba, Latin jazz, and salsa. The stamps go on sale in March.

For these stamps, artist Rafael Lopez, of San Diego, CA, painted semi-realistic portraits of each musical artist designed to evoke their personality, vitality, and even their sound. He used a warm palette of colors—from brilliant yellows, pinks, and lime green to rich shades of purple and blue—to suggest the flavor and energy these artists brought to their work. Each musician is depicted in mid-performance. One can almost hear Celia Cruz shout her trademark rallying cry ¡Azucar! (Sugar!) or sense Tito Puente's rhythmic intensity as he performed one of his progressive arrangements on the timbales. Art director Ethel Kessler, of Bethesda, Maryland, says, “My goal was that when you see the stamp, you hear the music.”

Lopez's first project for the U.S. Postal Service was the Merengue design for the 2005 Let's Dance/Bailemos stamp pane, followed in 2007 with the Mendez v. Westminster stamp.

Texas-born Selena Quintanilla-Perez (1971-1995)—known to fans simply as Selena—helped transform and popularize Tejano music by integrating techno-hip-hop beats and disco-influenced dance movements with a captivating stage presence. A Grammy recipient, the “Queen of Tejano” broke gender barriers with record sales and awards. Even after her tragic death, Selena remains an important representative of Latino culture.

A superb and evocative singer, Carlos Gardel (1890?-1935) was one of the most celebrated tango artists of all time. Raised in Argentina, Gardel helped popularize the tango in the United States, Europe, and throughout Latin America through his performances and recordings. “The man with the tear in his voice” also achieved fame as one of the stars of the Spanish-language cinema.

Born in Portugal and raised in Brazil, Carmen Miranda (1909-1955) achieved fame as a samba singer before moving to New York City, where she gained instant celebrity in theater, film, and radio. The “Brazilian Bombshell” appeared in 14 Hollywood musicals and recorded more than 300 songs. Her exotic signature outfit and persona are an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Tito Puente (1923-2000) was a musical virtuoso popularly known as El Rey, “The King”. With dynamic solos on the timbales and orchestral arrangements that have become classics in Latin music, Puente helped bring Afro-Cuban and Caribbean sounds to mainstream audiences. He performed for more than 60 years, and his legacy includes more than 140 albums.

A dazzling performer of many genres of Afro-Caribbean music, Celia Cruz (1925-2003) had a powerful contralto voice and a joyful, charismatic personality that endeared her to fans from different nationalities and across generations. Settling in the United States following the Cuban revolution, the “Queen of Salsa” performed for more than five decades and recorded more than 50 albums.

WASHINGTON — From a former U.S. president to legends of Latin music to the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500-mile auto race to the garden of love, the 2011 commemorative stamp program has something for everyone.

The U.S. Postal Service today officially unveiled the images of its commemorative stamp program. Among this year’s honorees are former President Ronald Reagan, legendary author Mark Twain, award-winning actor and actress Gregory Peck and Helen Hayes, and Latin music giants Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.

In addition, former U.S. Congresswoman from Texas Barbara Jordan is the 2011 Black Heritage stamp honoree. Stamps will be issued to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned spaceflight and a celebration of Disney Pixar movie characters: Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars; Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille; Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story; Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up; and the robot WALL*E from Wall*E on Send a Hello stamps.

The Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit stamp, to be issued Jan. 22, will be a Forever Stamp for use in mailing a 1-ounce letter. Regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used in the new year, no matter how prices may change in the future, these stamps will always be equal to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Since the first Forever Stamp, featuring the Liberty Bell, was issued in April 2007, 28 billion Forever Stamps have been sold, resulting in $12.1 billion in total revenue. Now that the Postal Service offers coils, booklets and Holiday Forever Stamps, almost 85 percent of its stamp program is Forever.

In addition, new designs will be issued for Purple Heart, Wedding and Holidays stamps in 2011. Stamps may be purchased at local Post Offices, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For more information and low-resolution images of the stamps in the 2011 series, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

Sent by Rafael Ojeda

 

 
Olga Loya, Story Teller and Living History Re-enactor
http://www.olgaloya.com/performances.html


Sent by Lorri Frain who writes: 

In case you have missed meeting Olga Loya, here she is as Juana Briones. A few years ago, I had the honor and priviledge of meeting Olga at the Juana Briones School in Palo Alto where she did her impersonation of the great Juana Briones--Olga did a magnificant job. By the way, here is a woman who "made it" and hails from Whittier, CA, now residing in San Jose--click on the video with Olga Loya, below--especially "Dancing Through La Vida (excerpt).
As ever, Lorri
http://www.olgaloya.com/

 

Dear Olga,
So good to hear from you! Congrats on your many successful performances throughout the world!  We are very proud of you, and all that you portray to the world--including our Latino roots and culture, and music. You may or may not know, it was Cindy Lo Buglio (a fine woman with Los Californianos) who first informed me about you. I still reside in Mountain View and there has been "a lot of water under the bridge" since I last saw you in person, but I have remained a faithful fan of yours. To make a long story short, I discovered that you were from Whittier, CA. In searching my Mother's paternal family roots, we found out that my Grandfather Ben Romero Camacho Gutierrez was born in the Los Nietos, Whittier area. Many of my cousins still live in East Los Angeles and we are still searching our family history. Let us know if you plan on a booking in this area, as I would like to see you again.  Your stories on the Internet are awesome and thank you for sharing everything with us. You possess such great talent and a voice that is captivating and just wonderful. 
With all best wishes and continued good health and success--you deserve the best, Olga.

Lorri Ruiz Frain

 

 
Open Letter: Latinos and the Kennedy Center Honors

The following is an open letter to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts submitted by the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) & Being Latino, Inc. NALIP joins the following groups in support of this letter and the Latino artists listed in the letter below: Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Federation, Hispanic War Veterans of America, Labor, Council for Latin American Advancement, League of United Latin American Citizens, MANA-A National Latina Organization, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Association of Hispanic Federal Employees, National Council of La Raza, National Hispana Leadership Institute, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Institute for Latino Policy, SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc., U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.

National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) & Being Latino, Inc.
www.Hispanicarts.Org

December 29, 2010

Mr. David M. Rubenstein, Chairman, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Mr. Leslie Moonves, President & CEO CBS Corporation
Ms. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Trustee, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

RE: Kennedy Center Honors

Dear Messr. Rubenstein, Moonves and Ms. Kennedy Scholossberg:

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) was founded in 1997, by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia, and Washington, D.C. attorney Felix Sanchez to provide both outreach and graduate scholarships to Latinos interested in careers in the entertainment and telecommunications industry. NHFA in partnership with Being Latino - founded by Lance Rios - the largest online Latino community on face book, have embarked on an impact project to address the glaring absence of Latinos on television and in film.

Since 1978, when the Kennedy Center Honors began, only 2 Latinos have received your prestigious honor: Placido Domingo in 2000; and Chita Rivera in 2002. After 32 years, 160 artists have received the Kennedy Center's lifetime achievement award. Gone are some of the true virtuosos of our community: Rita Hayworth; Fernando Llamas; Ricardo Montalban; Celia Cruz; Anthony Quinn; Raul Julia; Fernando Bujones; Kathy Jurado; Lalo Guerrero, Jose Ferrer; Luis Buñuel; and Jose Limon, who while they lived could have been honored with your award.

It is with great disappointment that we note how few U.S. and International Latinos have been singled out for your award. We note the following artists have made an enormous artistic contribution both within the U.S. and International stage. They are but a few who are more than worthy of your award.

Literature: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sandra Cisneros, Nilo Cruz, Isabel Allende, Victor Villasenor, Oscar Hijuelos, Junot Diaz

Music: Julio Iglesias, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades

Dance: Kenny Ortega, Amalia Hernandez, Rita Moreno, Priscilla Lopez, Jose Manuel Carreno

Actors/Film/TV: Cristina Saralegui, Sonia Braga, Rita Moreno, Raquel Welch, Edward James Olmos, Antonio Banderas, Hector Elizondo, Luis Valdez, David Valdes, Gregory Nava, Pedro Almodovar

We hope that this will be the last year Latinos are absent as honorees on your show.

http://www.nalip.org/LITI/2011/11_0104.html#1

Latinos in the Industry Newsletter

 
Editor
Alex Mendoza
Alex Mendoza & Associates
AMARTE Design & Digital Printing
9513 Longden Avenue
Temple City, CA 91780
alexmend@aol.com


Co-Editor
NALIP
1323 Lincoln Blvd., #220
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-395-8880
membership@nalip.info

 

Silent Images of Latinos in Early Hollywood

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Jimmy Franco     ← Older posts

An interview with Stephen Sariñana-Lampson, a Los Angeles-based photographer and documentary filmmaker.

Why were these negative images of Latinos so prevalent during this period?
To provide a bit of historical perspective, Los Angeles – as well as the rest of the country – was strictly segregated at the time.   Racial restrictions and stereotypes were a dominant feature in American social and cultural life and this of course found its way into the early films created by Hollywood.

What was the role of Latinos in the film industry during the Silent Film era?
During the Silent Film era in Hollywood – from about 1912 to the late 1920′s – Latinos were involved in filmmaking as actors, directors, cinematographers and behind the scenes artists and workers.

Latino film actors in early Hollywood were seen in front of the camera in a variety of movie genres and were notable contributors to the birth of this industry and art form.  Many of these actors who became major stars of their time would typically be cast in what can be considered “non-Latino” roles – a testament to their acting mastery within this new medium.  The box office appeal of these pioneering Latino film actors and the fan base they generated allowed them to appear on the cover of many contemporary movie magazines alongside names like Chaplin, Arbuckle, Fairbanks, Pickford and Bow.  Some later transitioned into the “talkies” when synchronized sound became common in film, while others saw their careers abruptly end because of heavy accents and what was considered awkward vocal expressions.

Besides well-known Latino actors and extras of the era, there were also Latinos who made their mark in a variety of production roles.  Anthony Quinn’s father Francisco began his career in Hollywood in lighting, then became a cinematographer – which probably influenced Quinn’s later entry into acting.  Eustasio Montoya was a major film producer during the Silent Era after early work behind the camera for years.  Frank Padilla and Harry Vallejo were two of the earliest cinematographers working regularly in Hollywood.  Allan Garcia served as a casting director for Charlie Chaplin’s production company and later appeared with him in three silent films.  Julian Rivero directed comedies and westerns and often found himself in front of the camera as well.

Who were some of the significant Latino stars during the Silent Era?
The film careers of Ramon Novarro, Gilbert Roland, Antonio Moreno, Beatriz and Vera Michelena, and the earliest Latino star Myrtle Gonzalez were quite distinguished during the Silent Era.  Their collective economic importance to the industry was unquestionable.  In one noted instance at a time when MGM teetered on bankruptcy in the mid-20′s, the financial success of Ramon Novarro’s performance as the lead in the original silent version of Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) saved the company from going under.  Towards the end of the Silent Era, Dolores del Rio and Lupe Velez both became profitable superstars for Hollywood with established careers that took them successfully into the era of the talkies.

And there were also other lesser known Latino actors who contributed to the rise of early Hollywood like character actors George Hernandez, Joe Dominguez & Pedro de Cordoba, who collectively appeared in over 150 silent films.  Julian Rivero began his 50+ year career in Hollywood during the Silent Era – a career that included everything from bit parts to key roles in major motion pictures.

What were some examples of stereotypes of Latinos seen during the era?
Generally, the most common stereotypical portrayals of Latinos during the American silent film era tended to fall into 3 main character types… The “Greaser”, the “Latin Lover” and for women, the “Dark Lady” or “Seductress”.

The Greaser character rose from early Hollywood’s westerns genre and the development of simplistic good guy vs. bad guy story formulas.  From 1908 to about 1918, the profitability of westerns and their relative ease of production lead to a slew of films produced quickly and efficiently – some filmed in one day.  These films included titles such as: The Greaser’s Gauntlet (1908 & directed by D.W. Griffith), Ah Sing and the Greasers (1910), Tony the Greaser (1911 & 1914!), The Greaser and the Weakling (1912), The Girl and the Greaser (1913), The Greaser’s Revenge (1914), The Greaser (1915), Licking the Greasers (1915), Broncho Billy’s Greaser Deputy (1915), and Guns and Greasers (1918).  The Greaser role was typically portrayed as a dirty and grubby gunslinger with low morals, a conniving and shiftless soul with a tendency towards violence and of course, a taste for white women.  This racially-tinged character proved to be the perfect evil foil for the virtuous and clean-cut cowboy heroes seen in these films.  Always, the white cowboy saved the day and in the end the Greaser always got his.

Another profitable and recurrent genre for early Hollywood was the Latin Lover themed movie that began with Italian-American Rudolph Valentino’s performance in the The Sheik (1921).  The persona of the Latin Lover was that of a dark, mysterious, passionate and highly charged sexual protagonist.  The Latin Lover character became a virtual gold mine for early Hollywood and efforts to produce films that centered on the mythology of this suave, sensual icon flourished.  While Valentino established the character archetype, subsequent performances by Latino stars Ramon Novarro, Gilbert Roland and Antonio Moreno contributed greatly to developing the mystique of the role in later films.  As was consistent with Hollywood’s use of mainstream white actors in ethnic roles, the Latin Lover was also played by other Hollywood leading men of the time like Douglas Fairbanks in the Mark of Zorro (1920).

Finally, the characterization of Latinas varied tremendously during the Silent Era where early important stars like the Michelena sisters (Beatriz and Vera) and Myrtle Gonzalez were featured in prominent headlining non-Latina roles, while in the typical Greaser film, Latinas were depicted as the heathen seductress with little morals, physically aggressive and with an insatiable sexual appetite.  The image of loose senoritas and easy cantina girls became forbidden objects of desire for the male movie going public.  From the Broncho Billy western film series are two prototypical examples of the bad girl Latina:  Broncho Billy’s Mexican Wife (1912) and Broncho Billy and the Greaser (1914), a movie where Billy’s insatiable wife Lolita tries to run off with her Mexican lover.

Was there any public reaction or backlash to these negative images of Latinos being created by Hollywood?
Actually there was.  Opinion pieces were written in the Mexican press protesting these clearly racist and offensive images on screen and there were instances where audiences actually walked out of theaters in disgust.  This backlash reached a crescendo in 1922 when the Mexican government banned the showing of any offensive movie created by any film company.  A similar ban was put into effect that same year in Panama.  With this threat of a ban on the moneymaking Latin American export market and its potential negative economic impact, the film industry slowly began to distance itself from some of its more offensive character models.  One method of deflecting a country’s charges of promoting negative stereotypes in westerns by Hollywood was to provide the greaser-like villain with an origin from a fictionalized unknown country.

During the Silent Era were most Latino roles in American films played by Mexicanos, Chicanos or whites?
It is probably safe to say that generally most “Latino” roles were played by non-Latino actors during the era.

Latino stars like the Michelena sisters, Myrtle Gonzales, Ramon Novarro, Gilbert Roland, Antonio Moreno and later Dolores del Rio created the majority of their extensive body of work in film by typically portraying non-Latino characters.  Second tier Latino actors of the era could be found playing everything from passive tropical island natives to blood-thirsty Indians of the Old West.  It was a rare occasion when Latinos had the opportunity to play Latinos on film.

A routine example of the casting absurdities of early Hollywood was with the lead “Greaser” role in westerns featuring an actor in “brownface” with Latinos typically as supporting extras in the background.  One case in point was an early silent film actor named Lee Willard from Peoria, Illinois who appeared as the antagonist in an untold number of early westerns with credits listing him as “Mexican Pete”, “The Half-Breed”, “The Greaser”, “The Red Man”, and sometimes simply as “The Mexican”.  This practice by Hollywood of using white actors in “Latino” roles has continued throughout the history of American films.

Later in the era, with the public’s fascination with the “Latin Lover” craze in silent films of the late 20′s, came a frenzy on the part of Hollywood to find the next “hot-blooded” leading man primarily because of the immense profitability in the genre.  Which leads to the peculiar case of Ricardo Cortez who was a leading actor in Latin Lover themed films in the late 1920′s.  Cortez was a contemporary and competitor of other Latin Lovers actors of the era like Novarro, Moreno and Valentino.  But in fact, Cortez was actually Jacob Krantz, an Austrian Jew raised in New York’s Lower East Side.  After his concocted background was apparently unveiled by his estranged wife during their divorce proceedings (she thought she was marrying a “gallant Spanish caballero”), Hollywood publicists tried to promote the notion that Krantz was “almost” Latin through various anecdotes and schemes strategically leaked to the public.

Were there some in the industry who tried to minimize or hide their Latino heritage?
Dating back to earliest Hollywood are examples of Latino actors who chose to anglicize their stage name for a variety of reasons.  Actor Barry Norton was born Alfredo Biraben in Argentina.  Actress Anita Page was born Anita Palomares in New York with her paternal roots going back to El Salvador.  Lita Grey – a popular actress and one-time wife to Charlie Chaplin – was born Lillita Louise MacMurray to a Mexican mother (who called her Lolita) and an Irish-American father.  Donald Reed was in fact Ernesto Avila Guillen, a native of Mexico City, Mexico.  And the popular Gilbert Roland was born Luis Antonio Damaso de Alonso in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.

Conversely others also chose to make changes to create more Latino-sounding names.  Raquel Torres was half-German and half-Mexican and born in Hermosillo, Mexico with the name Wilhelmina Osterman and Joe Page was born into a multi-generational Latino family from New Mexico and once in Hollywood became Don Alvarado.

Why the fascination with Silent Film and the role of Latinos in Early Hollywood?
It’s clear that Latinos – both in front of and behind the camera – contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Hollywood film industry in it’s earliest days.  It was during this amazing period of discovery, invention, and innovation, that movies became an aperture of the American experience for the movie going public.

Yet for all of the epic images of Ramon Novarro commandeering a chariot, the swashbuckling charm of Gilbert Roland and the elegant beauty of Dolores Del Rio, unfortunately there were countless more less-than-flattering images of Latinos produced and seen in nickelodeons and theaters every week.

With the exponential growth of movie audiences during the Silent Era, these stereotypical characterizations of Latinos by Hollywood were an inaccurate and unflattering introductory portrait of Latinos for many.  To that end it is fascinating to ponder what immediate and long-lasting effects these projected grainy images had on the general public’s perception and understanding of our culture almost 100 years ago.

(This is the first in a series on the role and portrayal of Latinos in Hollywood film.)

Stephen Sariñana-Lampson is Los Angeles-based designer, photographer, documentary filmmaker and recovering architect.  His love of film began with Saturday afternoon matinees at the Starland Theater in the Lincoln Heights district of L.A.  At every opportunity, he continues to add to his extensive personal collection of silent films.  (He’s also the designer of LatinoPOVs masthead graphic.)

 

 

 

 


LITERATURE

We are Not Alone, A Musical Tribute to Tomás Rivera (Part 1 of 3) By Carlos E. Cortés 
Updates of Somos en escrito, the online Latino literary magazine
Para Leer Libros en español
The Indo-Chicano Experience: Degrees of Assimilation, Adaptation and Acculturation
       By Darian Shaw

WE ARE NOT ALONE

A Musical Tribute to Tomás Rivera  
(Part 1 of 3)
 
By Carlos E. Cortés 
 
Professor Emeritus of History,
 
University of California, Riverside  

     We Are Not Alone: Tomás Rivera -- A Musical Narrative will be performed for the first time on Friday, April 22, 2011, at the University of California, Riverside.  With book and lyrics by Carlos E. Cortés and Juan Felipe Rivera and music by Bruno Louchouarn, the musical tells the story of Rivera’s life from his origins as the child of poor Texas migrant workers through his becoming an internationally renowned poet-novelist and a national leader in higher education.

     The author of such works as . . . and the Earth Did Not Swallow Him, and the epic poem, The Searchers, Rivera became Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, in 1979, the first minority chancellor in the UC system.  Since his death in 1984, UCR has held an annual conference in his honor. 

Over the years Rivera conferences have varied. Sometimes they have been traditional academic gatherings with formal papers. Some years have included banquets featuring nationally-known speakers like Henry Cisneros, Dolores Huerta, Luis Valdez, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Edward James Olmos.  Occasionally, conferences have consisted of original performance pieces, such as “We Are Not Alone,” the iconic line from Rivera’s “The Searchers.” 

As a musical portrait, “We Are Not Alone” integrates multiple musical genres.  In the next issue of Somos Primos, I will describe how we developed the concept for this musical and discuss how we draw upon a range of musical styles to reflect the intercultural significance of Tomás’ life and to explore the universality of his literary contributions.

For more information on the project, please contact:
Dr. Carlos E. Cortes
Professor Emeritus
Department of History
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521-0204
Phone: (951) 827-1487
Fax: (951) 827-5299
E-mail: carlos.cortes@ucr.edu

Updates of Somos en escrito,
the online Latino literary magazine,

for November-December 2010

The most recent manuscripts published in Somos en escrito
(www.somosenescrito.blogspot.com), feature:

Recommended by Armando Rendon . .Revista Sinalefa   
Revista Internacional de Arte y Literatura, Director Rafael Bordao
http://revistasinalefa.org

New website:  LATINO POINT OF VIEW, hosted by Jimmy Franco was mounted on the web in September, 2010  http://www.latinopov.com
Congratulations to Jimmy and his blog submitters. Great job!!

These were the titles posted of the comments/essays as of Jan 11, 2011 when the blog was sent to me by Jimmy Franco xicanomc@yahoo.com

Silent Images of Latinos in Early Hollywood  by Jimmy Franco < Click to read, included with permission. 
Dream Act, to a Senate Nightmare
Peace on Earth: By Any Means Necessary
The LAUSD: Cutting Out the Bad Historical Roots
Arizona, SB 1070, and the Immigration Gridlock
Chicano Art: Now and Beyond
Band-Aid Elections for a Broken State
The LAUSD: Flunking the Evaluation Test
Obledo: Presente
The Martyrs of the Chicano Moratorium

The writer and editor of Latino Point of View is Jimmy Franco Sr. He is a long-time educator and community activist who was born in Texas and grew up in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles. He attended Murchison Elementary school in Ramona Gardens and graduated from Lincoln High School. Jimmy also attended Cal-State L.A. where he was an active member of M.E.Ch.A. and did his graduate work in education and history, and wrote a thesis titled “Chicano Trade Union History of the Southwest: 1919 to 1929.” He also completed further graduate work and earned administrative, secondary and adult teaching credentials. Jimmy has taught at grade levels elementary through twelfth grade, adult school, and at the university level. He also voluntarily taught classes at Chino Prison in California. Other courses that Jimmy has taught were U.S. and Latin-American history, E.S.L., Citizenship, Chicano Studies, and bilingual, bi-cultural classes for new teachers.

Jimmy began writing in 1967 for the community newspaper “Inside EastSide”which at that time was geared toward high school students and assisted in preparing the groundwork for the 1968 East L.A. high school walkouts or “Blow Outs”. During this time, Jimmy was active in the Chicano Moratoriums of 1970-1971 against the Vietnam war. He has also been involved in various community organizations and written for other community-based newspapers such as “El Machete” and “El Pueblo Obrero”. In addition, he has spoken at numerous conferences in regard to educational reform, bilingual education, labor, gang prevention and other issues pertaining to the Chicano/Latino community.

Jimmy became a member of the Retail Clerks Union at the age of sixteen and has been a member of three locals of the United Steel Workers of America Union. He was also a member of the United Teachers, Los Angeles, where he was chairperson of the Chicano-Latino Education committee, a member of the Bi-lingual Committee, and received a N.E.A. award for his civil rights contributions. He also worked as a field representative for the School Board for three years. Previously, Jimmy was the California State Civil Rights Chairperson for the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC), and the past president of its NorthEast L.A. Council. Community issues that he has been involved in are bilingual education, drop-out prevention, affirmative action, educational reform, labor and anti-war work.

His latest activities consist of helping to organize for the commemoration of the 2010 Chicano Moratorium, anti-war efforts and promoting systematic reform of the L.A. School District. These efforts also include writing and speaking on current issues.

In conclusion, the purpose of this blog is to encourage and promote dialogue and discussion on topical issues pertinent to the Latino community. The articles are written from a progressive and Chicano/Latino perspective that is independent of any organization or political party. The analyses and positions put forth in this blog are guided by the principle of: from facts and practice, we derive the truth. Hopefully, this blog will serve to facilitate the clarification of numerous political, educational and cultural issues for all Raza and therefore lead us to a higher level of unity. In this way, we can resolve many of the urgent problems facing us, and in doing so, improve the well-being of our community and thus assist us to move forward together.

 

  Para Leer Libros en español
Querida Mimi, 
Te envio un link de una pagina para leer libros en español. Hasta ahora es gratuita.  Hay libros muy interesantes de diferentes autores y paises- Espero sea de interés para ti o para nuestros amigos. Un abrazo,   Angel Custodio Rebollo

Este es el link: www.ellibrototal.com 

 

  The Indo-Chicano Experience:
Degrees of Assimilation, Adaptation
and Acculturation
By Darian Shaw

Can there be an emergence of a different adaptation?

This study of Chicano history and culture has been pertinent to understanding more acutely how assimilation, adaptation and acculturation occur over centuries. The readings have provided a deeper understanding of the "ontology of domination" (Ortego, p. 1) and the philosophy of liberation that emerged as a critical response. This historical perspective is invaluable in trying to understand the significant socio-political and ethno-cultural forces that continue to have a great impact in contemporary American society and our future.
The historical perspective offered by James Diego Vigil has deconstructed oppression and how it takes root in a civilization and becomes rooted differently over the centuries according to social structure. The stages of adaptation are clearly defined of the Indo-Mexicano, as social beings, deeply affected by their social environment, subjected to violence, trauma and annihilation, and thus vulnerable to acculturation. Within a reality of such physical, emotional and spiritual conflict the power and presence of culture and ethnic identity cannot endure. And it will never return to what it was. But can there be an emergence of a different adaptation in the future? Does a way of being exist that counters the destruction of the past and constructs a different social structure? Perhaps the history of the Indo-Mexicano can demonstrate a theory of the future development of human consciousness emergent from the ashes of destruction.

The forces of dominance and subjugation have plagued the Indo-Mexicano since first European contact; enslavement, forced religious conversion, and the symbolic birth of the mestizo "of forgetting one's origin and the meaning of one's existence" (Dussel, p. 268). This invasion required adaptation to such a degree that it destroyed much of the Aztec culture. Throughout the Spanish colonial period of Repartimiento, the shifting economic systems, Hispanicization, and the emergence of Criollo hegemony introduced further acculturization. By the time of Mexican Independence there was a clear distinction between the Indian and the Hispanicized Mexican, the peasant and ruling class. An identity of the cholos had emerged, that of "Indians in transition from one culture to another and somewhat marginal to both" (Vigil, p. 133). This identity would be passed down from generation to generation creating a people whose blood and soul carried the historical trauma of being severed from their essence, their nature, their space of place and power. This is the ultimate cost of assimilation.

During the second colonial period with Anglo-American dominance, further acculturation, degradation, and economic oppression occurred. The Indo-Mexicano had to adapt to additional differences of religion, economy, labor, forced assimilation, and land-loss. It was a period where the generationally traumatized were confronted with additional dimensions of social change and emotional trauma as a result of the Mexican-American war, annexation, and the Anglo initiated ostracism.

The Anglo-American period of colonialism continues today immersed in the oppression of assimilation or annihilation. Each is occurring throughout North America, on both sides of the border. Contemporary colonialism maintains the same agenda of oppression as it did in past centuries, assuring a lack of access and opportunity to the sustenance of economic, social, cultural and spiritual expression, a denial of autonomy that is very real. It is a reality, but the veil of Anglo privilege continues to conceal this reality. The expectations of assimilation, adaptation, and acculturation have become more subtle in some social arenas, such as public education, voting rights, access to citizenship, and public services; however there remains an outspoken rhetoric that underscores any genesis of liberation. People with brown skin, whether they self-identity as Indo-Chicano, Native American, Mexican, Hispanic, Mexican-American, or Latino, all experience some degree of life on the periphery of the center, dominated by the Anglo-American and their degrees of blatant or aversive racism
.
In contemporary New Mexico the Indo-Mexicano has adapted, assimilated, and become acculturized in varying degrees. Within this variance most live on the periphery, experiencing the ideological conflicts that exist as a result of "the Anglo-Saxon tradition [that] the center is; the periphery is not" (Ortego, p. 1). On the periphery there exists a traumatic outcome of the dual colonial experience; "a continuation of the Chicano marginal syndrome that dated from colonial times… especially hard hit were the cultural moorings of the people" (Vigil, p. 208). The disorientation of acculturization is exhibited today in the poverty, schools, neighborhoods, and institutions of New Mexico society. The people of Indo-Mexicano origin are disenfranchised as they struggle to survive on the periphery. They exist within a colonial framework of separateness and inferiority that maintains "(1) isolation in separate ethnic communities…(2) poor educational preparation; (3) lack of political power; and (4) as a function of the first three, inability to improve their social and economic conditions" (Vigil, p. 191, 194). The ideological contradictions they are caught in are these external barriers that both prevent integration and/or assimilation and offer only life-threatening compromise on the periphery. For those, typically with lighter skin, who have adapted to an assimilated life style, often remain somewhat disoriented in their identity, because even with their cultural and linguistic sacrifices, they exist in limbo; "they had changed, but no one cared to find a place for them in middle-class white society" (Vigil, p. 207). Thus, another example of how this "ontology of domination devours everything it pulls from its periphery" (Ortego, p. 1). It is also in the variance that lies between the center and the margins of the periphery that the oppressed take on the role of the oppressor.
Within the multiple identities that exist in the Latino community many are attracted to the center, seeking to become an extension of the center. One major contributor to this belief in acculturization is the public education system. Anglo values are promoted in the schools through regular contact with the dominant culture and other Latinos already acculturated. Education becomes a hollow seduction to flee from the periphery and join the center. This creates an illusion that acculturization and "linguistification" assures "they are part of the system, part of the center - though locatively they are in the same place" (Ortego, p. 2). What really occurs in this dynamic is "their relation to the center as one of dependency, ergo domination by the center" and the adaptation of a perspective of the Chicano narrative "from the point of view of the center", i.e. "the center validates the cultural production of the periphery" (Ortego, p. 2).

A descriptive example of this seduction of the center is in the novel Pocho, by Jose Antonio Villarreal. The protagonist is a young man, Richard, caught between the worlds of his immigrant parents and the Anglo dominant society that seduced him into assimilation, adaptation and acculturization. He exemplifies the conflict between the two worlds; the compromise of resistance, the cost of assimilation, the inevitability of adaptation, and the futility of acculturization. Richard innocently becomes acculturized yet grows to understand that "there are psychological hazards for anyone who functions in both worlds" (Vigil, p. 208). Richard also witnessed the moral contradictions of resistance and defeat, when he observed the pachucos as a "portion of a confused humanity, employing their self-segregation as a means of expression" (Villarreal, p. 150). Because Richard could function on some level in both the Anglo and Latino worlds it provided him with an ability to observe both worlds as an insider as well as outsider. He understood the pachucos and sympathized with their way of life, but also realized it was not entirely justified, because he also concluded they were rejecting life because it was the easiest thing to do. Richard observed that the pachucos, "like his father, were defeated - only more so, because they really never started to live. They, too, were but making a show of resistance" (Villareal, p. 151). The compromise of resisting assimilation and acculturization have pushed the Indo-Mexicano closer to the margins of the periphery and denied them access to a life outside of poverty and disenfranchisement. Richard, as a young boy developing within a dual existence, struggled as many others, to find a stable bilingual and bicultural existence because his parents did not understand their own internal conflicts with assimilation and their illusions of acculturization. Stability does not exist on the periphery without the secure roots of ethno-cultural identity. Richard was trapped in a dual process, between two worlds, belonging to neither, and choosing a dangerous escape as his only solution.

What can, and does, exist on the periphery are the remnants of the Mexican way of life where a home lifestyle is secured in an Indo-Mexicano ethnic identity, language, customs, and cultural norms. A bicultural existence is the adaptation that occurs between the private and the public worlds of the Latino. It requires the strong intervention of those secure in their private identities, and capable in their public identity, able to protect and nurture, aware and active in their resistance to the pull of the center. The boundaries of the home and ethnic community are protected. The compromise exists within the public realm of school, employment and public activities in contact with the Anglo society where accommodation is necessary for survival. The Indo-Mexicano acquires an "English-speaking, Anglo-acting posture… living within their boundaries… belong[ing] to both civilizations culturally… as border crossers… living one's private life one way and public life another… or… mixing them up with almost equal dexterity" (Vigil, 208). It is within the private boundaries on the periphery that cultural strength and resilience "takes into account the history, biography, and ideology of the periphery and its context, transcending the forces seeking to draw those from the periphery into the vortex of the center, the tautological womb of itself" (Ortego, p. 3). This space of the periphery is where the essence of identity emerges and develops a philosophy of liberation.

It is essential to counter the illusion of the center by strengthening the point of view that originates at the periphery; the place and space of Indo-Chicano genesis. As a result of the Chicano movement of the 1960s there is a desire to reconnect with native roots, language, and cultural custom. There is no return to a pre-Columbian cultural purity, but there is a reinvention through a social movement referred to as "nativist acculturation, or additive rather than subtractive acculturation: learning a new culture but not discarding the old one" (Vigil, p. 208). From these socio-cultural discoveries are born "unique, defensive, and creative reaction[s] to marginality" (Vigil, p. 211) that cease the cultural disorientation and confusion of previous generations. A new voice emerges creating a "separate sphere of discourse, another point of departure, reaching distinctive conclusions about it, independent of the center" (Ortego, p. 3). It is a voice of emancipation and autonomy.

I used to hold the view that the center should open up and embrace the diversity of voices and histories that are represented within the borders of North America. Instead, I am beginning to reflect on the importance that those living on the periphery be strengthened through their own devices and definitions. Instead of the center widening in its influence and out-reaching point of view, the peripheries can transform the power and meaning of being on the periphery. A new social matrix can emerge where the power is not contained in the center but reverberates throughout the circle of humanity, integrated by the acceptance and inter-dependence of multiple voices representing a myriad of perspectives, cultures, ethnicities, spiritual interpretations, languages, and customs that honor the space of a balanced co-existence and autonomy. There would be an end to assimilation and acculturization, and a beginning of a new definition of adaptation that embraces acceptance, respect, and shared power. My evolving perspective is examining where, how, and with whom I need to participate in this process, this new world-view.

I believe there is a link to what José Vasconcelos wrote about nearly 100 years ago in la raza cósmica. He envisioned a fusion of races that would create a "universal race" (Vasconcelos, p. 9). Vasconcelos incorporated his intellectualism with mysticism and interpreted the human existence as inclusive of the rhythms of nature and the depths of the soul. He predicted that the future of mankind will be "the mixture of the races [and] but one aspect in which this tendency to an integration of rhythms guided by the aesthetic experience is manifested" (Vasconcelos, p. xxix). Vasconcelos envisions a new world order that seems to reflect some of the qualities of the ancient past, yet through the new vibrations of multi-ethnic blood. He seems to signify the mixture of blood, i.e. the fusion of races that originated in the Americas with the first mestizo, in an aesthetic context of seeing the world differently. It is through this mixture of blood that we as a human race will relate to our world differently. Vasconcelos stated that:
So the spirit, left to itself in the world, perceives the internal rhythms that regulate the objects and reaches a sympathetic vibration that attunes it to the universe…a new manner of existence… this new mode of perception separates itself from both hypotheses of the real and the ideal, and it goes, so to speak, as if in-between the objects through the interstices left open by the conventional fixity of ideas, pursuing a reality whose mysterious flow is the true river of life, while the objects, and ideas, and everything else that operates on both of these is like the foam sprayed by the water of the river when it hits against the pebbles and rocks that divert its course.
(Vasconcelos, p. xxvii)

Does this mean we can rise above the ego, pride and greed so responsible for the colonial philosophy of racial and spiritual superiority? Could it in fact be interpreted that the very nature of racial and spiritual superiority is really the most inferior demonstration of human existence? Colonialism and its imperialist sister could be an example of how the Spanish and English empires have diverted the human course and severed the rhythms of the soul and nature, moving away from synchronization with the universe.

Vasconcelos was accused of developing an ill-conceived theory of racism and was vastly misunderstood in his time. He was not referring to a narrow interpretation of racism, but in fact eliminating the argument of superiority or inferiority. Instead, he introduced a fusion of the races as an aesthetic mode of existence "akin to a universal state of mystical union" (Vasconcelos, p. xxix). Vasconcelos believed that there could be a new reality that "eventually will give rise to a new human type" (Vasconcelos, p. 3). I think his writings are worth examination today in an attempt to imagine a new social structure that places humanity in a synchronistic pattern with nature and the soul of our existence.

Though Vasconcelos remains a controversial philosopher I think he was able to see the futility of the power dynamics between the center and the periphery that colonialism created. He honored the indigenous blood and the essence of its mystic traditions. He envisioned the fusion metaphysically between the black and white ethnicities that could create a greater human consciousness. Today our society continues to generate the superiority/inferiority framework and deny the power of the center without subjugation to the center's worldview. It is within the context of the bi-racial and multi-cultural existence that throws the center off guard, blurring the boundaries and challenging the power structure. Vasconcelos said that the domination of the whites would be temporary but their role was that of being a bridge. The white race "has brought the world to a state in which all human types and cultures will be able to fuse with each other… the whites ha[ve] set the moral and material basis for the union of all men into a fifth universal race" (Vasconcelos, p. 9). I believe it is the bi-racial person and the increasing existence of a multi-cultural society that is bringing forth the shift that Vasconcelos predicted. The center is losing its domain of power, the periphery is strengthening, and the fusion of the in-between existence is forming a higher consciousness, a universal framework to capture the "the human psyche or soul, characterized by creativity" (Vasconcelos, p. xxv) and the aesthetic vision of mysticism as part of our existence. The Old World endangered by the New World is returning in a new adaptation.

References

Dussel, E. (2009). Being-in-the-World-Hispanically: A World on the Border of Many Worlds. Comparative Literature, Vol. 61, Issue 3, p. 256-273. Translated by Alexander Stehn. Duke University Press, Durham, NC. Retrieved 8/29/10 at http://libproxy.wnmu.edu:2121/ehost/.

Ortego y Gasca, F. (2009). Chicano Literature and Critical Theory: Forging a Literature of Opposition. Somos en Escrito: The Latino Literary Online  Magazine, February 11, 2010. Course material.

Vasconcelos, J. (1925). The Cosmic Race/La Raza Cósmica. Translated by Didier T. Jaén, bilingual edition. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.

Vigil, J.D. (1998). From Indians to Chicanos: The Dynamics of Mexican-American Culture. Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL.

Villarreal, J.A. (1959). Pocho. Anchor Books, Random House, Inc., New York.



 


BOOKS

Familias Antiguas de Tlaltenango by Arturo Ramos Pinedo
La Familia ramos Gutierrez y su Herencia Jalisciense y Zacatecana by Arturo Ramos Pinedo
When The River Dreams: The Life of Marine Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez by John W. Flores
Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley by Virginia Sanchez
The Making of Chicana/o Studies: In the Trenches of Academe by Rodolfo F. Acuña
Progreso, Texas by Rosa Flores Dee
Spanish Records: Louisiana Legajos

Mimi:

I was just speaking to Mickey Garcia and she mentioned a conversation she had with you regarding my books. I recently published a new book called Familias Antiguas de Tlaltenango. The book is available for sale through the printer, lulu.com and will be available through George Farias' Borlerlands Books as well in a few days.
http://www.lulu.com/ramosfamily

I am enclosing the text of part of the book for publishing in Somos Primos, along with a genealogical chart of the descendancy of Pedro Lopez Talamantes, including a number of branches that migrated to Chihuahua and later Texas as well as an image of a previously unpublished map which appears in the book. It is a map of the jurisdiction of Jerez, dating from 1773 that is archived at the Archive of the Indies in Seville.

Please let me know if there is anything further I can provide.
Sincerely, Arturo Ramos Pinedo 

Toward the end of the 17th century, two brothers appear in Tlaltenango, Jacinto and Pedro López de Talamantes, who had innumerable descendants and who made their surnames endemic in the region. We know that Jacinto was a soldier since he often appears with the title of captain, but we do not know from where nor precisely when the pair of brothers arrived in the Tlaltenango Valley.

Jacinto was married to Isabel de Covarrubias, with whom he had at least five children, who tended to use a combination of their parents' names: Pedro de Covarrubias Talamantes, Lucas de Covarrubias Talamantes, Antonio de Covarrubias Talamantes and Isabel de Talamantes. We have reasons to speculate that the wife of Jacinto was the same person as Isabel de Rodas, who is mentioned as a daughter of Francisco Escobedo in his will in 1647. The theory is based on the fact that the lands held by the descendants of Jacinto and Isabel at the beginning of the 18th century appear to have been properties of Francisco Escobedo at the beginning of the 17th century. Furthermore, there are no royal land grant documents to be found for these lands at the end of the 17th century or beginning of the 18th century, when the majority of grants were made in the vicinity of Totatiche, where the properties are located.

Pedro de Covarrubias Talamantes was married to Gertrudis de la O and the couple had at least six children. The family held title to the Hacienda de San Antonio de la O in Cartagenas and from this branch of the Talamantes descendancy stems a great part of the population in the Tlaltenango region with the surname Covarrubias. Among those descendants is Juan de Covarrubias Talamantes, the genearch of the families descrived in Estéban Valdés Salazar's book El sacerdocio ministerial, singular don de la parroquia de Totatiche, Jalisco.

According to Jaime Holcombe, Isabel de Talamantes emigrated from the Tlaltenango region to El Parral, Chihuahua after marrying José Haro, and although we are are unable to locate a precise source for this claim, we are certain that there were several families from the Tlaltenango region among the colonizers of Chihuahua.

Through documents found in El Parral, we know that a number of children and grandchildren of Pedro López de Talamantes migrated from Tlaltenango to Chihuahua. Among the marriage registries, we find the registry of the union between María de Talamantes and Domingo Carrasco. The document indicates that María was born in Tlaltenango and was the daughter of Agustín de Talamantes and Juana de Haro, making her the granddaughter of Pedro López de Talamantes. We can also note that another María Talamantes appears to be one of Pedro López de Talamantes’ daughters. She was a native of Tlaltenango, a widow of Pedro de Robles and the mother of María Robles, who was married to Francisco García in 1707. 

Another interesting fact, which does not appear to be coincidental, is that among the soldiers commandeered by General Alonso de León from the fort at El Parral to Texas in 1689, there was a man named Jacinto de Talamantes.


Famlias Antiguas de Tlaltenango by Arturo Ramos Pinedo


Editor: Sorry, the best I could do with the tree.  

 
 
"Albuquerque journalist and author John Flores wrote "When The River Dreams: The Life of Marine Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez" over a period of about 10 years while working as a newspaper reporter. The biography was released in fall 2006, with book signings at the Echo Hotel, the Museum of South Texas History, both in Freddy's hometown of Edinburg, also at Marine Corps Base, Camp LeJeune, and Marine Base Hawaii, among other locations. Flores signed a contract to have the book expanded and re-published in 2011 by Texas Tech University Press for national distribution. 


Flores has written articles about the Gonzalez story for the Los Angeles Times, Hispanic Magazine, several Texas newspapers, and a few military publications as well. A book signing will be held at Texas Tech University in the coming months, and on board the USS Missouri, at World War II battleship at Pearl Harbor. The U.S .Navy top command at Norfolk plans to assist Flores in selling the book at bases globally, according to a recent letter he received from the Navy Department."

John has written several short essays, included under CUENTOS in this issue:
A Naive Kid From the Texas Prairie and Sgt. Louis B. Flores, My Uncle, My Hero


 
“A book about Hispanic southern Colorado is long overdue,” states Virginia Sanchez, a Denver author. “Very few books have been written about Hispanics in southern Colorado and especially about Hispanos in Huerfano County, Colorado.”  In her recently released book, Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley, Sanchez presents new historical information about the first Hispano settlers of Cucharas; and introduces topics that up to now received little attention, including Indian captivity in Hispano households and women as contributors to Colorado’s water history.  

“A book about Hispanic southern Colorado is long overdue,” states Virginia Sanchez, a Denver author. “Very few books have been written about Hispanics in southern Colorado and especially about Hispanos in Huerfano County, Colorado.”  In her recently released book, Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley, Sanchez presents new historical information about the first Hispano settlers of Cucharas; and introduces topics that up to now received little attention, including Indian captivity in Hispano households and women as contributors to Colorado’s water history.  

 

In Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley, Sanchez introduces the Hispano settlers who first came into in the Lower Cuchara Valley as early as 1862 and discusses the impact of culture and conflict brought about by change. “The Cuchareños, the people of Cucharas, says Sanchez, “were strongly influenced by their relationship with neighboring Indians and later with Anglo-Americans and European immigrants.” A lot of changes occurred when an influx of Anglos moved into the Lower Cuchara Valley of Huerfano County. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, editors of local and regional English-language newspapers from Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Walsenburg and Trinidad worked with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to promote land in southern Colorado and attract Anglo businessmen and farmers. “These newspapers advertised that land was under ditch and cultivated predominantly by Mexicans willing to sell.” In her book, Sanchez tells about the various ways Hispano culture, tradition and norms came in conflict with newcomers’ views about religion, water use, class, and ethnicity.

 

Research for this book began when her mother-in-law gave her an acequia ditch ledger that dated back to 1884. Sanchez spent several years researching land records, oral histories, irrigation ditch records, newspapers, maps, census records, and civil and church records. “I learned that this Cucharas was not the same Cucharas on today’s Interstate 25 sign near Walsenburg that directs travelers west. It is not the Cucharas Camp (est. 1906) located southeast of La Veta. In fact, this Cucharas no longer exists. The ledger started me on a wonderful historical journey to Cucharas.”

 

According to Sanchez, the Cuchara Valley is divided into the upper valley and the lower valley. The Upper Cuchara Valley is the area close to and south of the Town of La Veta, which is higher in elevation. The Lower Cuchara Valley is that area near and east of present-day Walsenburg. Within this area once laid the Cucharas plaza, a stage station, four schools, seven acequias, a chapel and a penitente (religious fraternal) meeting house, the railroad town of Cucharas City and the D&RG railyard. Although Cucharas no longer exists, the descriptions in this book provide a historic context of all that once appeared on its landscape.

 

“Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley is a fascinating account of Native, Hispano, and Anglo cultures in a southern Colorado community,” states Katie Parry of The History Press. “The research truly brings this history alive.” Sanchez adds, “Each chapter introduces events that ultimately changed the social and political status of the people. It is these events that record an important part of Colorado’s forgotten history. Hispanic communities such as Cucharas need to be documented and must be remembered in history.”

 

“I have always been fascinated by the history of the Southwest, specifically the history of New Mexico and southern Colorado. The chapter on postal and transportation history introduces Cucharas as a vital stagecoach relay station. “Interestingly, the Cucharas station does not appear any early Colorado maps,” states Sanchez. “Historians, educators, and students who have a special interest in southwestern history; water history and acequia systems; and Chicano, Native American, and women’s studies will want to read this book.  It contains new historical information about a southern Colorado community that played an important part of the State’s history.” 

 

Forgotten Cuchareños of the Lower Valley was recently published and released by The History Press. The book is also available through Amazon.com, History Press, or your local bookstore.

 

History of the Southern Colorado:

The United States created the Territory of New Mexico in 1850. At the time, the southern half of present-day Colorado, extending as far north as the Arkansas River, laid within New Mexico Territory. In 1861, the United States created the Territory of Colorado from land that lay within parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico Territories. Of the seventeen counties established by the Colorado Territorial Legislature that same year, five retained the Spanish names commonly used by the early settlers. The three large counties located in southern Colorado, whose populations were predominantly Spanish speaking, were named Huérfano, Guadalupe (later Conejos) and Costilla. Huerfano County was named for the orphan butte that stands today on the east side of Interstate 25, north of the Town of Walsenburg. The other two counties located in central Colorado were named El Paso (the Pass) and Pueblo (town). Several counties established after 1861 also retained their Spanish names.

  

About the Author:

Virginia Sanchez is an independent historian who enjoys research. Her articles have appeared in the New Mexico Magazine; La Herencia; and in historical, cultural, and genealogical journals, such as Colorado History, the New Mexico Genealogist, and the Colorado Hispanic Genealogist. A scholarly article she wrote about the history of acequia governance and culture in Cucharas, Colorado is scheduled for publication in a 2011 issue of the New Mexico Historical Review. Virginia has presented her research to historical and genealogical societies in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. In 2008, she was recognized in Denver by the Hispanic Annual Salute for her contributions to the Hispanic community in the area of history. Her ancestors were among the first soldiers/colonists to settle the Spanish Province of New Mexico in 1598. Virginia is a member of the Colorado Historical Society, the New Mexico Historical Society, the Huerfano County Historical Society, and several Hispanic genealogical societies. 

For more information and to view photos in the book, contact Virginia Sanchez at 303-730-6464 or Virginia.Sanchez@comcast.net;  or Katie Parry at The History Press, 843-457-5971 x113 or Katie.Parry@historypress.net .  

 

THE MAKING OF CHICANA/O STUDIES

In the Trenches of Academe

RODOLFO F. ACUÑA

 


The Making of Chicana/o Studies traces the philosophy and historical development of the field of Chicana/o studies from precursor movements to the Civil Rights era to today, focusing its lens on the political machinations in higher education that sought to destroy the discipline. As a renowned leader, activist, scholar, and founding member of the movement to establish this curriculum in the California State University system, which serves as a model for the rest of the country, Rodolfo F. Acuña has, for more than forty years, battled the trend in academia to deprive this group of its academic presence.

The book assesses the development of Chicana/o studies (an area of studies that has even more value today than at its inception)—myths about its epistemological foundations have remained uncontested. Acuña sets the record straight, challenging those in the academy who would fold the discipline into Latino studies, shadow it under the dubious umbrella of ethnic studies, or eliminate it altogether.

Building the largest Chicana/o studies program in the nation was no easy feat, especially in an atmosphere of academic contention. In this remarkable account, Acuña reveals how California State University, Northridge, was instrumental in developing an area of study that off ers more than 166 sections per semester, taught by 26 tenured and 45 part-time instructors. He provides vignettes of successful programs across the country and off ers contemporary educators and students a game plan—the mechanics for creating a successful Chicana/o studies discipline—and a comprehensive index of current Chicana/o studies programs nationwide.

Latinas/os, of which Mexican Americans are nearly seventy percent, comprise a complex sector of society projected to be just shy of thirty percent of the nation’s population by 2050. The Making of Chicana/o Studies identifies what went wrong in the history of Chicana/o studies and offers tangible solutions for the future.

RODOLFO F. ACUÑA is a professor of Chicana/o studies at California State University, Northridge.

As an activist, scholar, and founder of the largest Chicana/o studies department in the nation, he has been a contributor to the Mexican American community for decades. He has been honored with numerous awards, among them three Gustavus Myers awards for outstanding books on race relations in North America and is the winner of a Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award. Among his best known books are Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, which is now in its 7th edition; Anything but Mexican: Chicanos in Contemporary Los Angeles; and most recently, Corridors of Migration.

A volume in the Latinidad: Transnational Cultures in the United States series, edited by Marta E. Sánchez, Daniel Bernardi, Carlos Velez-Ibañez, Lisa Magaña, Paul Espinosa, and Edward Escobar

Rutgers University Press 
• P (800) 848 6224 • RutgersPress.Rutgers.edu
384 pages • 6 ? x 9 ¼978-0-8135-5002-2 • Paper • $26.95s
978-0-8135-5001-5 • Cloth • $75.00ss
978-0-8135-5070-1 • eBook

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. 
beto@unt.edu


 


PROGRESO, TEXAS 

by Rosa Flores Dee

Book chronicles Progreso's rich history

January 02, 2011 By FERNANDO DEL VALLE Valley Morning Star
  http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/progreso-121145-rich-book.html

PROGRESO — From the colonists who settled Toluca Ranch and legends of Al Capone to the development of a bridge that sparked a Winter Texan mecca across the Rio Grande, the little town of Progreso boasts a rich history.

With the help of family and friends, Rosa Flores Dee has published what’s likely the sole history of the town where she was valedictorian of her high school class.

The book “Progreso,” published by Arcadia Publishing, showcases about 200 photographs that chronicle the town’s history along the banks of the Rio Grande.  “For me, it’s extremely special,” said Flores Dee, Progreso High School’s 1997 valedictorian who works as a news reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans.

“I feel it’s a way to reinstate some pride in a lot of youth in town,” she said. “Later generations can pick up the book and learn where they’re from.” Flores Dee said she worked with her parents to gather the photos that tell the story of the town.

“I started interviewing some of the people my parents knew,” she said. “We sat in their living room and they pulled out boxes and photos and albums to share with me.”

The book opens with photos that help tell the story of Toluca Ranch, which stands as a monument to the colonists who settled the area. In 1903, Florencio Saenz built the hacienda that stands on land that the King of Spain granted to ancestor Juan Jose Hinojosa in 1776, Flores Dee writes.

The book recounts the story behind the construction of the chapel whose towering spire juts from the brushland.

“As Florencio Saenz developed Toluca Ranch, he determined that he needed a freshwater well,” a photo caption reads. “As his efforts to find water went sour, he promised to build a chapel if he found freshwater at Toluca Ranch. His prayers were answered in 1899 and Saenz erected St. Joseph’s Church that same year.”

As farming sparked a boom in the 1920s, investors courted northerners at nearby Rio Rico, the tiny Mexican town haunted by Al Capone’s legend, Flores Dee writes.

“Locals say that the Progreso Development Co. entertained buyers from as far north as Chicago by taking them to Rio Rico, Mexico, just five miles downriver,” she writes. “The small Mexican village offered dog races, dance halls, cantinas and entertainment not available in Texas during Prohibition. The rumor is that infamous gangster Al Capone had an interest in Rio Rico.”

Then in 1941, a flood washed out the suspension bridge that linked Thayer, near Mercedes, to Rio Rico, she writes.

Soon, investors turned to Progreso as their future link to Mexico, she writes. So group of businessmen “convinced Weslaco citizens to invest their money in a bridge that went nowhere,” a photo caption reads. “It was said there was nothing on the Mexican side of the border but an open field.”

In 1953, businessmen raised about $300,000 to build the Progreso International Bridge on land leased for 99 years from owners of Toluca Ranch, Flores Dee writes. Developers convinced Arturo Arredondo, a former Rio Rico store owner, to open the first restaurant on the south side of the bridge, she writes.  Soon, Arturo’s Restaurant sparked a business boom in the town that became Nuevo Progreso, she writes.

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. 
beto@unt.edu
 

 

 
SPANISH RECORDS: Louisiana Legajos

SPANISH RECORDS: Louisiana Legajos, A Catalogue of Records in Spain for Research in the Colonial Mississippi Valley and on the Gulf Coast is the monumental work of Roscoe P. Hill.  The present edition, a reprint of Hill’s original edition, encompass correspondence and reports to and from the commandants and others at the various posts and settlements.  Census reports, militia rosters, tax lists, and many other genealogical papers are included. 
Before the publication of this book, researchers had to travel to Spain to check out these Papeles Procedentes de Cuba.  The expense to do this was too much for most researchers.  Things did improve with microfilm records, but even then only the major libraries in larger cities provided this method of research.   Even though the records would seem to relate to Cuba, this is a misnomer, and the legajos have little to do with the island  in the Caribbean.  Many of these records were generated in the Province of Louisiana, and they relate to the entire Mississippi Valley and the Gulf Coast.  Dates of genealogical interest cover the years from 1763 to 1803 and later.  They were deposited in Cuba in route to Spain, and the reference to Cuba somehow remained associated with the records,
 
Anyone with ancestral ties to this period will find these records invaluable.  Now available in  a huge soft-cover edition, this reprint is  available through Claitor’s Publishing.  Price is $87.50 
Sent by Bill Carmena  JCarm1724@aol.com



 


LATINO PATRIOTS

The Los Angeles Chapter of the 11th Airborne Association Requests Support
Helpful military serving websites
Honra a Nuestros Caidos, 2010 Honoring our 56 Fallen Heroes

, 

THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER 
OF THE 11TH AIRBORNE ASSC.


WRITE LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT  

Whittier, Ca  

Mr. Jake Alarid, El Camino Real Chapter, American GI Forum and Mr. Rudy Garcia, President for the Los Angeles Chapter, 11th Airborne Division Association wrote to President Obama in support of the American GI Forum’s Escuadron 201 Resolution authored by El Camino Real Chapter member, Alfred Lugo.

The resolution, passed by the American GI Forum National Board and members, is requesting that President Obama present to the pilots and crew members of Escuadron 201 the Congressional Gold Medal for their participation and contribution in WW II in the Philippines.

Many other veteran organizations have been awarded this prestigious medal. The Tuskegee Airmen, the WASP WII, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, the Native American Code Talkers to name a few of the many.

On November 3, 1989, in recognition of the important role the Choctaw Code Talkers played during World War I, the French government presented the Chevalier de L'Ordre National du Mérite (the Knight of the National Order of Merit) to the Choctaws Code Talkers.

If the French can award foreign defenders recognition and an award then the United States would be looked upon with admiration for their awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Escuadron 201.

El Camino Real Chapter and the 11th Airborne are anticipating this prestigious event.  

 

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington D.C. 20500

 January 5, 2011

 

Dear President Obama. 

First let me introduce myself, My name is Jake Alarid, I am a Past National Commander for the American GI Forum of the United States, a National Hispanic veterans organization. I also served on the Board of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.  I am currently Commander of the El Camino Real Chapter of the American GI Forum, in Whittier California and also a member of the Board of Directors for the Veterans Outreach Program located in San Antonio, Texas which you visited during your campaign for President of the United States. 

The American GI Forum, El Camino Real Chapter will be honoring a Mexican Air Force Squadron, “Escuadron 201”, by erecting a mural painted on ceramic tile, for their heroic actions in battle during World War II where they fought side by side with American Forces.  The mural is currently scheduled to be unveiled in May 2011 at the El Mercado de Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California.

 During World War II two oil tankers, Potrero del Llano and Faja de Oro were attacked by German submarines while delivering oil to the United States. These actions prompted Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho to declare War against Germany.   In 1942 President Camacho and United States President Roosevelt met to discuss Mexico’s participation with the United States in the war against Germany.  

The result of the meeting was that Mexico would send a fighter squadron to fight side by side with American Forces which prompted the formation of Mexico’s Escuadron 201.

In June 1945, the squadron was deployed and initially flew missions with the 58th FG’s 310 Fighter Squadron.  Escuadron 201 flew more than 90 combat missions, totaling more than 1,900 hours of flight time. They participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa pushing the Japanese out of those islands. During their fighting in the Philippines, 5 pilots died  

The American GI Forum, El Camino Real Chapter is requesting that the Congress of the United States honor Mexico’s Escuadron 201 by awarding the fighter group the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by the Congress of the United States. The Congressional Gold Medal, equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is awarded to individuals or groups for singular acts of exceptional service and lifetime achievements. Escuadron 201 (also known as the “The Aztec Eagles”) was a Mexican Fighter Squadron, part of the Fuerza Aerea Expedicionaria Mexicana (FAEM-Mexican Expeditionary Air Force”) that aided the Allied war effort during WW II 

As a Past National Commander and Chapter Commander and in behalf of our members I am requesting that the President of the United States and the Congress United States support and act upon our member, Alfred Lugo’s idea, to have Escuadron 201 awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.  

Mr. President, the American GI Forum is looking forward to a favorable decision. Thank you for your anticipated response.

Mr. Jake Alarid

 
Sent by Alfred Lugo
Public Relations Officer
Producer/Founder
Squadron 201 Mural Monument Project
alfredo.lugo@verizon.net

El Camino Real Chapter Newsletter
Issue #3 GI Forum,
January 5, 2011

The websites below have some great helpful information for those caring for their spouses, parents or grandparent who have served in any war:
http://www.archives.gov/research/order/vets-records.html
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/veterans-pensions
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ 
http://helpparentsagewell.com/2010/06/01/962/
http://www.smartconsumergroup.com/vapension.htm
http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/engforum/index       php?showtopic=6417
http://www.checksforvets.com/files/History_of_VA_pensions_       and_eligibility.pdf

Attention Military retirees, expect your Tricare fees to go up.
http://www.military.com/news/article/pentagon-pushes-for-tricare-fee-increases.html?ESRC=airforce-a.nl

 

 
   

HONRA  A NUESTRO CAIDOS 2010 Honoring our 56 Fallen Heroes.


Please see Somos Primos Archives for Feb 2009, and Feb 2010 for the other 611 names.

(List compiled by Rafael Ojeda Tacoma,WA rsnojeda@aol.com)

 

 

01/19/2010  Army CAPT. Paul Pena, 27   San Antonio TX  Helman Prov. Afgahnistan (AFG)

 

02/10/2010 Army PFC Ardriana Alvaez, 20 San Benito TX Arghandad River Valley, AFG.

 

02/20/2010 Army SSGT Michael David P. Cardenas, 29 Corona CA   Kennar, AFG

 

02/22/2010 Army SGT Marcos Gorra, 22  North Bergen Mt (Cuban) Kardarhar, AFG

 

03/01/2010 Marine LCPL Carlos A Aragon, 19 Orem UT (Born in Chihuahua MX) Helman Prov AFG

 

03/22/2010 Army SFC Carlos M Santos-Silva, 32 Clarkville TN Kandarhar AFG

                                                                                                            

04/08/2010 Army SGT Robert E Diaz-Boria, 47 San Juan PR Mombassa Kenya

 

05/03/2010 Army SSGT Esau S.A. Gonazalez, 30 White Deer TX  Mosul Iraq

 

05/17/2010 Marine CPL Nicholas D Parada-Rodriguez, 29 Stafford VA ( Born in   El Salvador ) Helmand Prov AFG

 

05/21/2010 Army SSGT Amilcar H Gonzalez, 26 Miami FL (Born in Managua Nicaragua )  Ash Shura Iraq

 

05/25/2010 Army SGT Edwin Rivera, 28 Waterford CT Outpost Xohag AFG

 

05/30/2010 Army PFC Alaro R Regalado-Sessarego, 37 Virginia Beach VA (Born in Peru )  Dahur Iraq

 

06/02/2010 Army PVT Francisco J Guardado-Ramirez, 21 Sunland PK NM Baghdad Iraq

 

06/06/2010 Marine LCPL Derek Hernandez, 20 Edinburg TX Helman Prov AFG

 

06/09/2010 Air Force TSGT Michael P Flores, 31 San Antonio TX F/O/B Jackson  AFG

 

 06/11/2010 Army SGT ;Mario Rodriguez, 24  Smithville TX   Powrak AFG

 

06/18/2010 Marine Seaman William Ortega, 22 Miami FL Helman Prov AFG

 

06/22/2010 Marine CPL Clavio Patino IV, 22 Yorba CA Helman Prov AFG

 

06/24/2010 Army SSGT Edwardo Loredo, 34 Houston TX Jelewar AFG  

                                                           

07/05/2010 Army Spec Louis R Fastuca, 24  West Chester PA Abdulhamid Kalay AFG

 

07/06/2010 Army SSGT Marc A Arizmendez, 30  Anaheim CA Qualat AFG

 

07/10/2010 Army Spec Carlos J Negron, 40 Fort Meyer FL Asadabad AFG

 

07/18/2010 Army SGT Anibal Santiago, 37 Belvidere IL Bagram AFG

 

07/20/2010 Marine CPL Julio Vagas, 23  Sylmar CA Helman Prov AFG

 

07/24/2010 Marine CPL Fredrik E Vasquez, 20 Melrose IL Helman Prov AFG 

 

08/07/2010  Army PFC John E Andrade, 19 San Antonio TX  De Khak Chupan Turah  Kandarhar AFG

 

08/09/2010 Marine SGT Jose L Saenz III, 30 Pleasanton TX Helman Prov  AFG

 

08/19/2010 Army SGT Martin A Lugo, 24 Tucson AZ Puli Alam AFG

 

08/21/2010 Army PFC Alexis V Maldonado, 20 Wichita Falls TX Kandahar Prov AFG

 

08/23/2010 Marine SGT Ronald A Rodriguez, 26 Falls Church VI Helman Prov AFG

 

08/30/2010 Army SSGT Jesse Infante, 30 Cypress TX Aarghandab River Valley AFG

 

08/31/2010 Army SGT Raymond C Alcaraz, 20 Redlands CA  Logar Prov AFG

 

09/02/2010 Army PFC Diego M Montoya, 20 San Antonio TX  Laghman Prov AFG

 

09/16/2010 USAF Senior Airman Daniel R Sanchez, 23 El Paso TX Oruzgan Prov AFG

 

09/24/2010 Army SPC John Carrillo Jr, 20 Stockton CA Fullujah AFG

 

10/08/2010 Navy Hosp Corpman Edwin Gonzalez, 22 N. Miami Beach FL Helman Prov AFG                                                                                                                                            

10/14/2010 Marine LCPL Irvin M Ceniceros, 21 Clarkville AR Helman Prov AFG

 

10/14/2010 Army SPC Rafael Martinez Jr, 36 Spring Valley CA Moqur/Darreh-ye-Bum AFG  

                                          

10/14/2010 Marine LCPL Joseph C Lopez, 26 Rosamond CA Moqur/Darreh-ye-Bum AFG                                              

 

10/15/2010 Army  SGT Carlos A Benitez, 24  Carrollton TX Moque/Darreh-ye-Bum AFG    

10/17/2010 Marine CPL Jorge Villarreal Jr, 22 San Antonio TX Helman Prov AFG

 

10/22/2010 Army SSGT Aracely Gonzalez-O’Malley, 22 Brawley CA Mazar-e-Sharif  AFG  

 

10/23/2010 Army SPC Ronnie J Pallares, 19 Rancho Cucamonga CA Andar Ghazni Prov AFG                                                                                                                     

10/29/2010 Army SPC Pedro A Maldonado, 20 Houston TX  Kandaly AFG

 

10/29/2010 Army SPC Diego A Solorzano-Valdovinos, 24 Huntington PK CA Yahyr Khel AFG

                                                                                                                                    

11/13/2010 Army SSGT Juan I Rivadeneira, 27 Davie FL  (Venezuela) Kandahar AFG

 

11/16/2010 Marines SSGT Javier O Ortiz-Rivera, 26 Rochester NY Helmand Prov AFG

 

12/05/2010 Marines SGT Nicholas J Aleman, 24 Brooklyn NY Paktia Prov. AFG

 

12/12/2010 Army SPC Jorge E Villas, 24  Sunrise FL Kandahar Prov. AFG

 

12/15/2010 Marines LCP Jose A Hernandez, 19 West Palm Beach FL Helmand Prov. AFG

 

12/17/2010 Marines LCP Jose L Maldonado, 21 Mathis TX Helmand Prov. AFG

 

12/19/2010 Army PFC Conrado D Javier, Jr, 19 Marina CA Kandahar Prov. AFG

 

Thanks to the web sites below for the names photos and obituaries of our Fallen Heroes:


http://www.defense.gov/releases
  (Most current official DOD Casualty list).

 

http://projects.washingtonpost/fallen  (photos and obituaries)

 

http://militarytimes.com/valor

 

http://ourfallensoldeier.com/weeklyDODannouncements.html

 

http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-death-total.pdf

 

http://www.defendamerica.mil/fallen.html
For those that want to follow up on our recent Fallen Heroes, 2010 list of Casualites, This one has the two Fallen Heroes from Puerto Rico.  http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/category/recent-casualties/

God Bless. Rafael Ojeda
Tacoma,WA


 

 

 

PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

JUDGE ROBERT HENRY THONOFF 

 

JUDGE ROBERT HENRY THONOFF 
RECIPIENT HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEDAL  

NATIONAL SOCIETY 
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 
SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER 

COMMITTEE
Mary Eck, Regent
Sylvia Carvajal Sutton, Chair
Corrinne C. Staacke
Valorie U. Guenther
Juanita V. Mora

 

 
 

Robert Henry Thonhoff  Biography

Robert Henry Thonhoff was born on December 12,1929 in Salida, Colorado to his parents, Harold and Lula Mae (Graham) Thonhoff. At the age of 18 he enlisted in the United States Air Force serving until 1950. He enrolled in St. Mary's University located in San Antonio, Texas/ and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 from that University. In 1963 he earned his Master's Degree from Southwest Texas State Teachers College. He married on June 1,1951 Victoria Marie Balser of Coy City, Texas. The children from this union were Margaret/ Robert Henry/ Susan, and five grandchildren. He taught History at Jourdanton High School and served as the coach for Jourdanton/ Texas High School athletics from 1953 to 1956. He served as Principal of the Fashing, Texas Elementary School from 1956 retiring from this position in 1988. In 1964 he authored The First Ranch in Texas and Son Antonio Stage Lines 1847- 188L While teaching and serving as Principal in Fashing, Texas he began working toward Historic Preservation, receiving a Fellowship from the University of Idaho in 1966, After retiring, the family moved to Karnes City, where he was appointed Judge and during that time he contributed in the placement of a Texas State Marker on the grounds of the Karnes City Courthouse as a land mark.

He served as member of Texas Folklore Society receiving the leadership Award in 1977. He became a Mason- He joined the West Texas History Association; Texas Catholic Karnes County Historical Association; Texas Old Missions and Forts Restoration Association; Methodist Club and contributed essays to Southwestern Historical Quarterly. He is listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest 1980-1981.

Judge Thonhoff contributed to preserving and marking the Panna Maria Historic District, the first Polish settlement in the United States founded in 1854. Thonhoff won the title of "Grand Champion Rural Community" in competition with over one thousand other Texas rural communities. He erected a sign and a Texas State Marker for Fashing, Texas.

His interest in preservation of artifacts is depicted in his book El Fuerte Del Cibolo Sentinel of the Bexar-La Bahia Ranches on pages 96-101. "Annie Krawietz and her son Emil, both now deceased, graciously entrusted to the writer many of these artifacts, which continue to be exhibited at various places on special occasions as the Annie and Emil Krawietz Collection," Photographs are shown on pages 100-101, which states "Selected artifacts on the Ed Krawietz farm during controlled surface examination conducted by Author Robert H. Thonhoff during the winter and spring of 1969-1970." In the same book pages 107-111 is preservation of data he collected by publishing "Roster of the Company of San Antonio de Bexar July 14,1776 [copies of these original documents were provided by the Archives of Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center, the University of Texas at Austin.]" Thonhoff is well aware of collecting and preserving artifacts. The unknown data he has researched is preserved by publishing copies of the original in his books.

He was responsible for erecting markers for the Battle of Medina, and Karnes County Courthouse. He served in the Texas State Historic Commission holding the office of President 1994 -1995 and was the previous Vice President, leading to his contribution of many other State Markers and Historic Districts.

His contribution to the ranching culture of Texas is evident in Books he authored: The Texas Connection with the American Revolution; El Fuerte Del Cibolo: Sentinel of the Bexar-La Bahia Ranches; Forgotten Battlefield of the First Texas Revolution; The Battle of Medina, August 18, 1813; Camp Kenedy, Texas; Drama & Conflict the Texas Saga of 1776 which he co-authored with Robert S. Weddfe. Judge Thornhoff not only authored the essay booklet. The Vital Contribution of Texas in the Winning of the American Revolution, but had the booklet translated into Spanish for distribution not only in the United States, but also in Mexico and Spain.

Enclosed is a list of his speaking engagements from 1965 to 2010 obtained from his daughter Margaret Thonhoff Hensley, which included titles such as "The San Patricio Trail"; "Panna Maria, the Oldest Polish Settlement in America"; "Ox Cart Days"; "Fashing, Texas"; Sociedad Genealogica de Texas"; 'The Kenedy Alien Detention Camp"; "Granaderos and Damas de Galvez";" Bernardo de Galvez: Spanish Hero of the American Revolution"; "Battle of Medina' "Our Spanish Legacy of Private Ranching in Texas"; "Captain Bias Maria de la Garza Falcon"; "Canary Islander"; "Old Three Hundred Descendants"; "Texas and the American Revolution"; "Texas Governor Domingo Cabello (1777-1787)"; "Pony Express"; "German Heritage"; "Francisco Hernandez: Original Settler of San Antonio de Bexar"; " Long Horn Cattle"; and ma others.

His many speaking engagements range from Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons oft American Revolution, United Daughters of 1812/ Texas State Historical Association, Colonial Dames of America, Colonial Dames of XVII Century, Granaderos and Damas de Galvez, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Sons of the Republic of Texas, Spanish American Genealogical Association, Canary Island Descents Association, Our Lady of the Lake University Institute of Texan Cultures, Los Bexarenos Genealogy Society, Texas Longhorn Breeders Association, Tejano Genealogical Society, Student Body of Karnes City, High School, The Old Three Hundred Descendants, Panna Maria Historical Society, among many others.

His interest in educating the youth of Texas is well served by not only coaching and teaching History in High School but by being a Principal at Fashing Elementary School and continuing after his retirement acting as Professor Katzenjammer at the Folk Life Festival sponsored by the Institute of Texan Cultures representing the German-Texas heritage.

Thonhoffs many published works range from the San Francisco Indians, to the Boerne Village Band, to Stagecoach Lines, to the Kenedy Alien Detention Camp during World War II.

Awards presented to Judge Thonhoff are the following: The Texas Historical Commission Awai for the best work of Regional History; the History Award Medal of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution; The San Antonio Sons of the American Revolution Medal; The Texas State History Leadership Award; Regional Citizen's Award; Federal Republic Germany Friendship Award; three time winner of the prestigious La Bahia Award. He has been honored as A Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association; Ambassador of the institute ofTexan Cultures; Honorary Member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas; Honorary Member of the Order of Granaderos de Galvez; Honorary Member of the Canary Islands Descendants Association; Honorary Member of the Texas Connection to the American Revolution and was invested as a Knight of San Jacinto by the Sons of the Republic of Texas.

Thonhoff has served as Historical Consultant for the Tri-Centennial Commemoration of the Camino Real in Texas; Historical Advisor for the Camino Real de los Tejas National Historical Trail; Historical Advisor for the San Antonio Founders Day Association; Historical Advisor the Texas Connection to the American Revolution Association; Executive Committee from 1984-1988, Vice President and President from 1994 -1995 of Texas State Historical Association; Chairman of the Alamo Area Regent Council of Governments and Judge of Karnes County, Texas.

The Texas Connection to the American Revolution Association, a non-profit organization was founded July 23, 2004 based on his book The Texas Connection with the American Revolution and Thonhoff's other writings.

The Texas Connection to the American Revolution erected a marker at the Karnes County Courthouse which states: "Judge Robert H. Thonhoff, savior of Texan and American History. Author of the Texas Connection with the American Revolution and numerous books on Texas history. Educator, Judge and Veteran of the U. S. Army Air Corps. A true Texan and American Patriot, July 2008." An oak tree was also planted as a living tribute to Judge Thonhoff with a celebration of his many years in research, education, history, preservation, and written Texas History Books on July 30,2008. Those who spoke commending his high achievements were: Jack Vance Cowan, Founder and Executive Director of the Texas Connection to the American Revolution Association; Nancy Tiner, Past Vice President General NSDAR and Honorary Texas Regent NSDAR; Lynn Young, Texas State Regent NSDAR; Connie Surrency, State President of Daughters of United States of 1812; Virginia Van Cleave, Past State President Daughters of the Republic of Texas; Madge Roberts, State President of Daughters of the Republic of Texas; Sylvia Sutton, 3rd Hispanic to become DAR member, San Antonio de Bexar Chapter; Peggy Jared, State Regent, Texas Division Magna Charta Dames & Barons; Judge Ed Butler, Secretary General, National Association Sons of the American Revolution; Tom Green, Past State President, Sons of the American Revolution; Rudy "Tejano" Pena, Tejano Historian, Tejano Pride USA; Bea McKinney, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association; Gloria Arriaga, Executive Director Alamo Area Council of Governments; Dr, Andres Tijerina, Professor of History Austin Community College; Joel Escamilla, Governor of Los Granaderos y Damas de Galvez; Dr. Frank De La Teja, Official State Texas Historian and others.

San Antonio de Bexar Chapter NSDAR takes great pleasure in nominating Judge Robert Henry Thonhoff for the National Society Daughter of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Medal for his long and continued service in volunteering the enlightenment through his diligent researching and preserving of unknown facts of the participation of Texas in the American Revolution. His efforts have opened a path for new members in the Daughters of the American Revolution, as well as Sons of the American Revolution. His works have given an education on the early culture in the ranching of the long horn cattle and the part they played feeding the army raised by Bernardo de Galvez.

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

• The First Ranch of Texas [Reprinted from West Texas Historical Association YearYearbook, 1965].

• Taylor's Trail in Texas [Reprinted from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, July 1966].

• Ox Cart Days in Old Helena [Old Helena Foundation, Helena, Texas, 1968].

• The Life and Times of Thomas Ruckman Old Helena Foundation, Helena, Texas, l968],

• San Antonio Stage Lines, 1847-1881 [Southwestern Studies, Monograph Number 29, Texas Western Press, The University of Texas at El Paso, 1971],

• "Eine Eisenbahnfahrt fn Texas (A Railroad Trip in Texas)," East Texas Historical Journal, 1981,

• The Texas Connection -with the American Revolution [Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1981].

• Forgotten Battlefield of the First Texas Revolution: The Battle of Medina, August 18, 1813 [Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1985)

• "History o fFashing-Peggy" [Atascosa County History, 1836-1986, Atascosa History Committee, Pleasanton, Texas, 1986].

• El Puerto del Cibolo: Sentinel of the Bexar-La Bahia Ranches [Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1992).

• "Our Spanish Legacy of Ranching in Texas," South Texas Studies, The Victoria College Press, Victoria, Texas, 1993J.

• "Texas and the American Revolution [Presidential Address by Robert H. Thonhoff imprinted from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, April 19953.

• The Ranches of the San Antonio Missions," Transformations on the Mission Frontier: Texas & Northern Mexico [Selected Papeers of the 1997 Symposium sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and Our Lady of Lake University, San Antonio, Texas 1997],

• "The Bexar-La Bahia Ranches and Their Interesting Role in the Winning of American Independence," The Journal of South Texas, 1999.

• "Spain and the American Revolution: Spain's Vital Role in the Fight for Independence," American Spirit, Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, March-ApriI 2002 Issue.

• Camp Kenedy, Texas (Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 2003].

• A Sesquicentnnial History of Karnes County, Texas [Kames County Sesquicentennial Association, Kames City, Texas, 2004].

• Growing Up Together: Kames County and Panna Maria (Panna Maria Sesquicentennial Association, 2004].

• A Quadrilogy of Essays (Privately published by Robert H. Thonhoff, Kames City, Texas, 2006].

• Buffalo for the King: A True, Documented Story of Spanish Colonial Texas during the Period of the American Revolution [Privately published by Robert H. Thonhoff, Kames City, Texas, 20063.

• Alex Loya's book on History of the Cajuns

• Ancestral Voices of the Past by Rueben M. Perez and Robert H. Thonhoff (Editor and Annotator)
 [ Privately Published by Rueben M. Percz, San Antonio, Texas, 2008].

• How THE ALAMO Helped Wm the American Revolution [Privately Published Speech by Robert H. Thonhoff in Front of THE ALAMO, Fourth of July, 2009].

• Bicentennial of the Battle of Medina, August 18, 1813 - August 18, 2013 [Privately Published by Robert H. Thonhoff, 2010].

 

 
 
 

 

 

Postscript from the Chair, Sylvia Carvajal Sutton

I would like to thank all the members of the Historic Preservation Committee who truly found this work to be a labor of love.  Corrinne Staacke who physically put this work together, Valorie Guenther who did some of the research, Juanita Mora who assisted in whatever she was called to do, and last, but not least, our Regent Mrs. Mary Eck, who was supportive all the way to the finish line.

I would like to thank the Sons of the American Revolution, Mr. Peter Baron, their president, who so willingly submitted a letter in support of our nomination. They also gave Judge Thonhoff an Honorarium to honor this recipient.

A big "Thank You" goes to Mr. Jack Cowan, President THE TEXAS CONNECTION TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. He also wrote a letter in support of our nominee. A Letter was also submitted from Robert Norquest Hancock Chairman of the Medina County Historical Commission. We thank you Bob from the bottom of our hearts.

It is almost impossible to mention the number of people who contributed so willingly to this project. If I missed anyone please forgive me at this time. Last but certainly not least I want to send our love and thank you to Mrs. Victoria Thonhoff wife of Judge Thonhoff, and to Mrs. Margaret Hensley, Judge Thonhoff's daughter who worked diligently in providing us with information.

Since the nomination Manuscript is so large it is impossible for me submit all of the documents which were sent to National accompanying this nomination I hope that in the next few issues I will be sending parts that have not been included in this article.


2nd Vice regent
Historic Preservation Chair 
San Antonio de Bexar Chapter NSDAR

 

 


SURNAMES

mtDNA descendants of Beatriz Quintanilla
Correspondence on the Farias surname

  mtDNA descendants of Beatriz Quintanilla

I have posted a report on the female mtDNA haplotype (individuals with identical mtDNA) descendants of Beatriz Quintanilla. She is the ancestor of over one third of all 200,000 people in my records.

I hope to find someone with this haplotype who has been mtDNA tested or someone with this haplotype that is willing to be tested. If your mother’s ancestors have roots in the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon or Coahuila, please take a moment to check the online report. There is a list of some 200 surnames found in the report on page 3. Look for your end of the line mtDNA brick wall ancestor’s surname there and if you find it then go to the index on page 195 to see if she appears in this report.  

Please share: http://home.earthlink.net/~crisrendon/mtbeatrizquintanilla.pdf

 
Correspondence on the Farias surname
 
In a message dated 12/7/2010 4:51:50 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, thornton603@gmail.com writes:

Dear Mimi,
 
My name is Grayson Thornton.  I am of mostly English descent, but my great grandmother was from Uruapan Michoacan Mexico.  Her name was Leonor Farias de Cano.  She married my great grandfather, George Kershaw, in Mexico.  He was there working as a civil engineer, building railroads, contracted by the U.S. government.  My grandmother, Adele Consuelo (Kershaw), was born in 1909, and during the revolution, they had to desert their home and possessions, as their home was broken into, and they narrowly escaped out the back, apparently because they were perceived as being on the opposing side of Pancho Villa.  They eventually went to North Carolina, and then to Huntington WV, where I still live.  I don't know much about the politics that were involved during their escape from Mexico, but I just wanted to find out more about my Mexican family roots.  All I know about my Farias Roots is the following:
 
Ramon Farias de Trevino (b. ~1835) married  Rita Bravo
Ramon Farias de Bravo                  married Rita Cano de Yzazaga
Leonor Farias de Cano                   married George Trenholm Kershaw Jr.
 
I don't know if there is a connection to Valentin Gomez Farias, or not, but I've been doing some searches on Farias, and I saw your letter concerning "Californios" and "Somos Primos" (from Feb, 2006), in which it said you had a connection to the Farias family, and I thought I'd see if you could help me out.
 
Thank you in advance for any information.
 
Grayson Charles Thornton
 
 
==============

 
On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 8:50 PM, <MIMILOZANO@aol.com> wrote:             

 
Dear Grayson . . .  . .  I am forwarding your email to historian, book dealer, George Farias.  George has been greatly involved in Farias family research, even completed and published a family history book on Farias. 
Hopefully you will find a connection, unfortunately I did not.  .

You may be able to find some clues through the sites gathered by a google search.
Click here: Farias Family History - Google Search
 
Best wishes . .   Mimi Lozano
www.SomosPrimos.com
714-894-8161
================================
 
Dear Grayson:
 
I received a copy of the E-mail from Mimi Lozano Holtzman on December 10th in regards to your inquiry about the Farias genealogy. I apologize for not responding until today, but this Christmas season was a busy one and I got behind in my responses.
 
My website is www.borderlandsbooks.com  In the " Hispanic Genealogy " section is a summary of my family history book, The Farias Chronicles, under the Letter F for Farias and my book is Number 1147. You will see that my line comes from Laredo, Texas and before that from San Juan Bautista Presidio and Mission which is now Guerrero, Coahuila. I am stuck there since I have not been able to find the marriage of Jose Antonio Farias and Catalina Rodriguez, the parents of my ancestor Jose Andres Farias, who came to Laredo. There is another Farias line locally  from ancestors who came to the Lower Rio Grande Valley about the same time that Jose Andres Came to Laredo but I have not been able to connect the two lines.
 
Some years back a copy of my book was bought by a Farias customer who lives in Chicago who told me about the large Farias contingent in MIchoacan. He told me they have a big annual celebration with a charreada and that they party into the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, I did not keep his name and I know nothing about that line and that is apparently where your line originates. Due to many constraints and because of my age now I have not been able to contact anyone in Michoacan to try and get more information and possibly a connection with our line. I will look in files, though, because  I may have some contact information for you in my files.
 
You will see my belief that all the Farias families are descended form Captain Juan de Faria(s) who was mayor of Monterrey, Mexico in 1612. After he died his children sold his property there and moved to Saltillo. I am curious to know where the Michoacan line started..
 
I also do not know where Valentin Gomez Farias picked up the Farias name because that was not his mother's surname, as I remember, and I know nothing about his genealogy either. I do collect whatever Farias information I can and I appreciate the details you provided MImi about your family. I hope we can make a connection in the future.
 
Besides myself I am not aware that anyone has done a genealogy study of the Farias family. In the second half of my book I detail my line back to San Juan Bautista but the first part of the book conatins a lot of history of the original branches from Portugal and some famous members of our lineage.
 
There is also a large Farias group on the U.S.East Coast.particularly Massachusetts but those folk come from the Azores Islands and apparently descend from fishermen and whalers who settled there.
 
I will stay in touch in case I find anything relative to your line. If you need any additional information I have please let me know.
 
Regards,
 
 
George Farias
Borderlands Book Store
San Antonio, TX
 
 
 
 

 

 


CUENTOS

Mariposas by Ben Romero
A Naive Kid From the Texas Prairie by Juan Flores
Sgt. Louis B. Flores, My Uncle, My Hero, by John Flores



MARIPOSAS 

Driving north from Fresno to Los Baños on our way to San Jose in the Autumn, we see millions of butterflies. Our car's windshield becomes a mess of yellow gummy splotches. Using windshield wipers only makes it worse. I can't help but feel sorry for the bugs who lose their short lives on our vehicle. Tiny legs continue to kick for several minutes after making contact. Battered wings flap in desperation. I once tried to make a mathematical calculation to estimate how many butterflies die in a week's time due to vehicular traffic, but the numbers were so staggering that it boggled my mind. In spite of enormous unnatural losses, we never seem to have a shortage of butterflies. They come back year after year, strong as ever. 

My three year old granddaughter, Dahia and I play a butterfly game at the dinner table. It’s a simple game: she brings me a colorful empty eyeglass case and tells me to release the butterflies. 

With a huge smile on her face she watches wide-eyed as I reach my fingers into the case and carefully remove fragile make-believe butterflies and release them into the air. We both watch them fly away, one by one and comment on where they are going. 

“Poppa, I see one on the chandelier!” A big word for a three-year-old.

“Look at that one flying in circles. Oh, wow, it’s doing butterfly tricks,” I say.

Dahlia squeals with delight. “Suelta más. Let out more of them!”

I search the eyeglass case with my fingers, then turn it upside down and tap the bottom. No more imaginary butterflies come out. I raise my shoulders in a shrug.

“ Se acabaron. They’re all gone,” I say.

She runs to the next room and returns with another empty case.

“Look in here,” she says, scampering onto my lap.

I find and release many more butterflies. I place a few in her hand and a few on my own. In unison we blow on our palms and look up to the ceiling, then wave goodbye to dozens of our little imaginary winged friends.

Dahlia looks at the two empty eyeglass cases and claps them together. “All gone,” she says sadly.

“Mañana habrá más mariposas. There will be more butterflies tomorrow,” I reassure her. 

A smile returns to her face. “I love you, Poppa.”

“You’re my butterfly,” I tell her, standing up and holding her in my arms. I place the colorful eyeglass cases against the middle of her back.

Between giggles she says, “Ayúdame a volar, Poppa. Más alto. Más rápido! Estoy libre! Help me fly, Poppa. Higher, faster! I‘m free!”


Months ago, we participated in the release of butterflies at a yearly fundraising event called Butterfly Celebration. It is a gathering of people who purchase live butterflies in the name and honor of deceased loved ones. The event is held at Wolf Lakes in Sanger. The tranquil setting helps to set the mood. I suppose the symbolism allows some people to find comfort in finally letting go. 

After a presentation, song performances by local youth groups, and speeches by spiritual leaders, the cue was given and hundreds of butterflies were set free. A feeling of hope and peacefulness descended on me. 

Many of the newly-freed insects managed to find a willing partner and mated almost immediately, ensuring that the cycle of life will continue. The crowd cheered. My body quivered. I guess you can say I felt butterflies in my stomach.




Ben Romero
Author of Chicken Beaks Book Series
www.benromero.com
559-301-1545

 
A Naive Kid From the Texas Prairie
by Juan Flores
December 31, 2010
 
Some years ago, never mind how many, I was literally a farm boy just a year out of school, high on the dreams of youth -- adventures drawn out like road maps leading to a golden world of action, mysteries, and manhood glories.

Never a studious type, and rather skinny, my high school days were mostly spent daydreaming -- going out with girls I secretly liked, or imagining beating-up bullies that I avoided in real life, or sometimes I would manage to skip out and go fishing on a clear, sunny spring day.

So when that first semester of college as a pre-med student took me down rather suddenly and mercilessly, I was just as rapidly out-of-favor at home. The Vietnam War had only been over a couple of years, so the Marines and Army for me were out of the question.

A naive kid from the Texas prairie, I thought the U.S. Coast Guard would be just the place for me -- though I couldn't swim and was afraid of deep water (but that would change quickly, painfully). The recruiter showed me pictures of Coast Guard sailors on the beach helping attractive, bikini-clad young women with various minor emergencies. Those guys in the pictures wore T-shirts, bell-bottom blue jeans, smiled broadly, wore fairly long hair, and had great tans. That was the perfect job for me.

I couldn't wait, and signed up for four years active duty just as quick as the recruiter could get the pen out of his pocket. And I went through eight weeks of
boot camp at the old Training Center on Government Island in San Francisco Bay across from Alameda, California.

The days started before dawn, the running never ended, and we dropped like sacks of sand on our racks when the time came for lights out. And I managed to graduate at the top of my class of about 100 young men, so I got to choose between going to the National Honor Guard training in Washington, D.C., serving as a seaman apprentice at a radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, or being assigned to a Coast Guard Base in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Because my uncle was a prominent doctor in New Orleans, and had been for 30-odd years at that time -- and was a bachelor who loved to party -- the choice was easy to make. Hey, I was 19 years old and ready for action at all times. Especially booze and parties and good looking women. I would find out that a young, poor sailor in the midst of my uncle's high class crowd had almost no chance of even being noticed by the debutante set of rich, beautiful,captivating, young women. The good old standard alternative would prove to always be a six pack of Dixie beer on a Saturday night, and watching a movie.

After graduating from boot camp, I flew directly to New Orleans from San Francisco, and reported for duty with high hopes of beaches, women, blue jeans and sun tans -- fun-filled days of high adventure and nights of drunken laughter and dancing in the old French Quarter.

The first thing the officer-in-charge did was hand me a mop and a bucket and said: "Flores, follow me ... you scum-bag." He gave me a grand tour of all the toilets (they're called "heads" in the military) in the large brick barracks building.

For the next several months I was part of a group called "transient company". This was made up of misfits and medical cases (most were waiting for discharge, or psychiatric evaluation). Why I got that duty was a question that I couldn't find an answer for -- and I tried everything to get transferred to someplacewith action. Nevermind the babes -- too much to ask for.
 
Why didn't I go to the Honor Guard training? I kicked myself for months while scrubbing the showers, toilets and sinks in those lonely barracks.

Finally, I was granted my wish. After almost six months swabbing decks with the bad boys of the Coast Guard, I finally got off that miserable base and went to U.S. Coast Guard Station New Canal, a three-boat lighthouse functioning primarily as a search-and-rescue unit on the massive Lake Pontchartrain, and surrounding rivers and swamps -- thousands of square miles in an area lousy with alligators, boats and heavy drinkers. I soon found out that Station New Canal as the busiest SAR station in the entire country.

Several of the guys in upper-echelon positions at the small station were ex-Marine Corps, Army and Navy -- and had served a tour or two in Vietnam. They were happy in the Coast Guard, certain to never see the kind of crazy violence they'd been in during Vietnam. But Station New Canal sometimes made them wish they'd stayed out of the military entirely. My world was defined by that station for four years, and I learned a lot about life and the big city in that time. Not just any city, but the Crescent City -- named that because from the air the Mississippi River turns around New Orleans in the shape of a big capital "C." 

Or so goes one story. There was both drama and humor -- sometimes at the same time. Like when a pilot crashed his twin-engine turboprop into the lake on approach to the municipal airport runway and several people were killed. Nothing funny about that, but a couple of days later we found out why the pilot crashed -- he and his wife were
arguing and that made him lose control of the plane. Dark SAR station humor, to be sure. Nobody won that argument. And there was the local corruption -- the
mobster element that was always mixed with Louisiana law enforcement to make for some colorful situations.

Like the time I paid a fellow sailor to borrow his classic Mercedes for the weekend so I could drive down to Grand Isle, about 100 miles south on the coast, to spend the weekend at the Tarpon Rodeo. On that bright summer morning, taking the helm of a fast and very cool car, I had a six pack of beer in the passenger seat and a foot made of lead. This was a bad combination, and about halfway down to Grand Isle, in the middle of the vast marshland, I was stopped in a little speed trap town of Golden Meadow.

The cop asked for a license, or a form of photo I.D., and I didn't have any. Since I knew my own identity, it seemed redundant to carry a driver's license or my military ID. The open beer in the seat next to me didn't help my case. He threw me in the slammer and said: "I never saw a sailor with enough money to get a car like that!" The sheriff there at the small jail wore diamond rings on his fingers, the first tip-off that he might be involved in some type of shady behavior. As it turned out, my uncle was the doctor for a mafia figure who spent a lot of time on Grand Isle and that person also knew the sheriff of Golden Meadow.

When I called the motel at Grand Isle to say I'd been arrested for stealing a car and wouldn't be there to meet my uncle, Dr. Flores, the girl who answered the phone hung up with me and immediately called her daddy -- the big mafia guy -- who called the sheriff. Within a few minutes, I was on the road again. I found out how South Louisiana worked -- the hard way. There are too many stories to tell in the space of a small column, but it is good to remember those days even for a little while.

The Station New Canal was created in the early 19th Century, and withstood many hurricanes over the decades, and finally in the late 1990s, it was boarded up and the light turned off -- for the first time. The U.S. government sold it, and built a much larger station a couple of miles to the west -- still the busiest SAR station in the country.

I drove to the old station a few years ago before Katrina totally destroyed it, just to stop by and see it, surprised that it had been closed, and sitting there I could almost hear my old chief cursing at me -- as he always did. I looked around and it was only the lake's endless wind, roaring in anger that time had stolen the last light of New Canal.

© 2010 John Flores. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com. 

John Flores joined the U.S. Coast Guard after graduating from high school in a small North Texas farm town. He served four years active duty as a boat crewman
on board Station New Canal -- a lighthouse and search-and-rescue station near New Orleans, LA.

Since his college days at U.T. Austin, where he majored in Communications,Flores has worked as a staff writer for the Albuquerque Journal and The Dallas
Morning News.

He has written two books: Gentleman of The Road, a story about legendary South Texas oilman Lucien Flournoy; and When The River Dreams, a biography of Marine
Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez, a Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. Flores lives in Albuquerque, NM. 

 


Sgt. Louis B. Flores, My Uncle, My Hero, 
by John Flores

Mimi: How are you today? I just wrote this story yesterday and thought you might be interested. I have included a photo with this. It is of my uncle, from 1944.He was Sgt. Louis B. Flores, and served under Lt. Dick Winters, in the 101st Airborne Division during WW II. Dick Winters was portrayed in the HBO series "Band of Brothers." He remembered my uncle in an interview a few years ago. He died recently and news of his death, at age 92, was widely released yesterday. My uncle lived in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, for many, many years and worked all over South Louisiana and Texas as a pipeline welder and inspector. He died in 2002.  
Sincerely, John Flores 

 
Sixty-six years ago my uncle, Louis B. Flores, was a paratrooper serving with Easy Company (alternately with HQ Company) in the 101st Airborne Division during the D-Day invasion at Normandy--later at the Battle of the Bulge and he had more than 50 jumps in combat conditions. He was with the same group depicted in the Hollywood version "Saving Private Ryan" starring Tom Hanks. His former commanding officer was Lt. Dick Winters, an inspiration for the Stephen Spielberg hit HBO series "Band of Brothers." Winters died a few days ago, and the news of his death was just widely released today. And a few years ago, he spoke about my uncle during an interview. They were together in some of the most intense fighting of the war. 
My uncle was a sergeant under him. My uncle died from cancer at age 77 nine years ago, but the war was always with him and he often attended 101st Airborne reunions over the years. 

All his life, he'd been a rough-and-tumble daredevil, legendary at an early age for his luck and composure in dire straits. He was unlike the other children in his family of seven--four boys and three girls--all born and reared in the hills of North Louisiana during the Great Depression. Hard times, certainly. 

He was among hundreds of thousands of young Americans during that time called upon to defend America at a moment of maximum danger. He enlisted in the Army at age 19, in 1944, and volunteered for the paratroopers for the extra pay and because he wanted to be the best, he 
once told me. 

At an early age he had the reputation of wanting to do things his way, at the risk of a whipping. Like the time, at about age nine or 10, when he decided he did not want the family housekeeper to give him a bath. So he grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and ran the woman out of the house. The surviving three kids still laugh about that when they get together. 

I first became aware of my uncle's exploits in World War II as a young boy. My father, his younger brother by several years, was always in awe of him especially after he returned from the war with only a few shrapnel wounds to show for his trouble. 
One of the highlights of my childhood was when my uncle took my brother and I out to a sand pit near his home in the bayou country of Grand Coteau, Louisiana. He brought along his 9 mm P-38, a German officer's pistol taken from a dead Nazi in the field. It was in the original leather holster. He opened it and handed the pistol to me after careful instructions. I aimed at a nearby empty can, and fired. To me it was like a battleship's gun, recoiling amid smoke and thunder and glory. At that moment I felt like a member of an elite group. 

That was many years ago but it seems like only a short time back. He worked many years after the war as a welder, mostly for Exxon, and later on his own as a contractor. But to my brother and I, he was a star. And thank God for him, and his old commanding officer, Dick Winters, and so many other young men like them who were not afraid to rumble with the vaunted "Supermen" of the Third Reich--the Hitler-dazed Nazis bent on dominating much of the world. 

At the Battle of the Bulge, my uncle's unit of "Screaming Eagles" were totally surrounded by the Germans at Bastogne. Uncle Louis rarely talked about the war, but he told me a few things over the years. Like the times he had to cover himself, in the terrible cold, with the bodies of dead American soldiers, in foxholes, as German troops raked the area with random shots and bayonets--to make sure everyone was dead. He told about the long, freezing hours confined to a foxhole or trench, under enemy fire, unable to move even for a bowel movement or to urinate. So they all had to just do it in their fatigues. 

"One time me and anothe man were on a recon mission with a bazooka, and we happened upon a German Panzer tank. I held the bazooka, and my buddy loaded it, I aimed and fired, but the shell just bounced off that tank's armor like it was from a pellet gun. So we just looked at each other as the tank's turret started around toward us, and we headed for the hills," he said. 

Finally, those paratroopers were rescued by unexpected sunny weather, allowing much needed supplies to be parachuted from cargo planes. And General George Patton rolled in about the same time with his division of tanks. And Patton with the paratroopers turned the tables on the Germans, rapidly. 

Later, the role of the 101st seemed endless as they prepared--after Germany surrendered--for a jump into mainland Japan. But the atomic bombs were dropped in August 1945 and Japan finally gave up too. The film "Saving Private Ryan" was, by all expert accounts--including Dick Winters--a highly accurate portrayal of the horrendous brutality of their war experience. After I saw the film, it hit me that no wonder he never spoke much about the war. 

My brother and I practically idolized our uncle, and we thought of him as invulnerable--the original iron man. A true survivor of the worst combat imaginable. Even though he died, it did not diminish at all the way he always thought of him. 

As long as America has people like him around--young men and women of today's generation--there will always be hope for the freedom that America fights to achieve for our country, and for others. 

God bless Dick Winters, my uncle, and the Screaming Eagles of the 101st 
Airborne, of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 
 
John W. Flores 
2901 Christine St. NE 
Albuquerque, NM 87112 
505-296-0428 


     

 


FAMILY HISTORY
RESEARCH

Facebook is a blessing 
A creative way to display family history and heirlooms
Life Magazine helps you to build your own Photo Timeline
Using your digital camera for Genealogy by Diane Haddad

I must say that Facebook has been a blessing. Since I joined, I have now connected with at least 200 more family members! My family tree data base continues to grow!

Patti Navarrette
West Allis, WI


What a way to display family history and heirlooms.  Recreating the 1890s in a basement.   What dedication, what  creativeness.  Do see this . . . charming  . . 
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=DmrCuaZRO7A


Sent by Bonnie Chapa  
thechapas@yahoo.com
 

 

LIFE magazine helps you to build your own Photo Timeline. Archives of photos which can be accessed and then shared online. PLEASE check this out. You can access the site with any server, but to access to retrieve information, you will need to have/use Facebook, Twitter, Google, or Yahoo

http://www.life.com/timeline?xid=bannerad

Sent by Bill Carmena

 

 


 

Got the Picture? Using Your Digital Camera for Genealogy
Posted by Diane  Diane Haddad

The March 2011 Family Tree Magazine (now on newsstands) has a guide to using your digital camera for genealogical purposes—such as capturing images of gravestones, ancestral homes, family heirlooms and your ancestors’ records. It’s not as simple as taking a quick snapshot, though. Before you start a genealogical photography session, create a shot list of the pictures you want. Here’s what we recommend:

Gravestones Shot List

  • cemetery entrance
  • whole cemetery
  • stones of interest, with nearby stones
  • the whole gravestone, showing the inscription and carving
  • close-ups of the inscription and carvings
  • any creative shots you want of the beautiful artwork and scenes in graveyards

Ancestral Homes Shot List

  • the entrance to the street (a view your ancestor may have seen every day)
  • the house with neighboring buildings
  • the whole house (we suggest first knocking on the door to let the current resident know why you're taking a picture of his house)
  • as many sides of the house as you can capture without trespassing
  • interesting architectural details
  • the yard
  • any features mentioned in family stories (such as the tree Grandpa fell out of as a boy)

Heirlooms Shot List

  • full view of heirloom
  • heirloom with a ruler to show size
  • all sides of heirloom item
  • close-ups of interesting details, such as carving or painting
  • close-ups of manufacturer’s marks
  • close-ups of damage or other features affecting value

Records And Documents Shot List

  • title page of film roll or book
  • full record (be sure to get each page)
  • close-ups of hard-to-read areas
What pictures would you add to our lists? Any tips for others photographing these ancestral items? Click Comments to share!


  DNA
Celts descended from Spanish fishermen, study finds By Guy Adams
Mysterious X Woman finds place on humans' family tree

Celts descended from Spanish fishermen, study finds By Guy Adams

Don't tell the locals, but the hordes of British holidaymakers who visited Spain this summer were, in fact, returning to their ancestral home.

A team from Oxford University has discovered that the Celts, Britain's indigenous people, are descended from a tribe of Iberian fishermen who crossed the Bay of Biscay 6,000 years ago. DNA analysis reveals they have an almost identical genetic "fingerprint" to the inhabitants of coastal regions of Spain, whose own ancestors migrated north between 4,000 and 5,000BC.

The discovery, by Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at Oxford University, will herald a change in scientific understanding of Britishness.

People of Celtic ancestry were thought to have descended from tribes of central Europe. Professor Sykes, who is soon to publish the first DNA map of the British Isles, said: "About 6,000 years ago Iberians developed ocean-going boats that enabled them to push up the Channel. Before they arrived, there were some human inhabitants of Britain but only a few thousand in number. These people were later subsumed into a larger Celtic tribe... The majority of people in the British Isles are actually descended from the Spanish."

Professor Sykes spent five years taking DNA samples from 10,000 volunteers in Britain and Ireland, in an effort to produce a map of our genetic roots.

Research on their "Y" chromosome, which subjects inherit from their fathers, revealed that all but a tiny percentage of the volunteers were originally descended from one of six clans who arrived in the UK in several waves of immigration prior to the Norman conquest.

The most common genetic fingerprint belongs to the Celtic clan, which Professor Sykes has called "Oisin". After that, the next most widespread originally belonged to tribes of Danish and Norse Vikings. Small numbers of today's Britons are also descended from north African, Middle Eastern and Roman clans.

These DNA "fingerprints" have enabled Professor Sykes to create the first genetic maps of the British Isles, which are analysed in Blood of the Isles, a book published this week. The maps show that Celts are most dominant in areas of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. But, contrary to popular myth, the Celtic clan is also strongly represented elsewhere in the British Isles.

"Although Celtic countries have previously thought of themselves as being genetically different from the English, this is emphatically not the case," Professor Sykes said.

"This is significant, because the idea of a separate Celtic race is deeply ingrained in our political structure, and has historically been very divisive. Culturally, the view of a separate race holds water. But from a genetic point of view, Britain is emphatically not a divided nation."

Origins of Britons

Oisin: Descended from Iberian fishermen who migrated to Britain between 4,000 and 5,000BC and now considered the UK's indigenous inhabitants.

Wodan: Second most common clan arrived from Denmark during Viking invasions in the 9th century.

Sigurd: Descended from Viking invaders who settled in the British Isles from AD 793. One of the most common clans in the Shetland Isles, and areas of north and west Scotland.

Eshu: The wave of Oisin immigration was joined by the Eshu clan, which has roots in Africa. Eshu descendants are primarily found in coastal areas.

Re: A second wave of arrivals which came from the Middle East. The Re were farmers who spread westwards across Europe.

Roman: Although the Romans ruled from AD 43 until 410, they left a tiny genetic footprint. For the first 200 years occupying forces were forbidden from marrying locally.

Sent by Juan Farias jnbfarias@sbcglobal.net

 

Mysterious X Woman finds place on humans' family tree
Genetic research shows her branch contributed to gene pool of today's Melanesians, who live on a broad arc of Pacific islands. X Woman is helping researchers grasp ancient migration patterns.

A molar from an early human species called Denisova is shown in this image released on Dec. 22. David Reich et al./Nature/Reuters
By Pete Spotts, Staff writer / December 23, 2010

Modern humans appear to have a new, distant relative on the ancient family tree. Only seven months ago, scientists caller her X Woman. Now, after more-detailed study, they've tagged her and her kin with a new identity: She's counted among the Denisovan, a new group of hominin that researchers estimate split from a common ancestor with Neanderthals some 640,000 years ago, after Neanderthals and modern humans diverged from their common ancestor.

The analysis, published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, is based on genetic material extracted from a finger bone and a tooth found in 2008 in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The researchers were able to reconstruct the individual's genome, then compare it with those of Neanderthals and modern humans.

Among other stories the genetic information revealed: Denisovans appear to have contributed between 4 and 6 percent of the genes carried by today's Melanesians, who live on a broad arc of Pacific islands that stretches southeast from New Guinea.

Based on the new results, "we now know that this population existed," notes David Reich, a geneticist at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.

That information should encourage archaeologists to hunt for sites the Denisovans would have occupied, he says. Uncovering sites will be crucial to reconstructing what the Denisovans looked like and teasing out information about their culture, he explains.

Discovery of the fossil remains and some initial results from genetic studies of the remains were announced in March by an international research team. At the time, all the team could say was that the finger belonged to a female whose mitochondrial DNA – genetic material found in cells outside the cell nucleus and inherited from the maternal side of the lineage – indicated that her line had split from Neanderthals some 500,000 years ago and from modern humans roughly 1 million years ago.

This time around, however, the team was able to isolate DNA from the nucleus of cells, allowing for a more robust analysis.

The researchers now estimate that the female, between five and 10 years old, represented a new line of hominin that split some 804,000 years ago from the line that would give rise to modern humans, and split 640,000 years ago from the line that yielded Neanderthals.

With the appearance of some of the Denisovan genes in Melanesians, the team posits that these hominins could have appeared throughout Asia during the Late Pleistocene, a 116,000-year period that began roughly 126,000 years ago.

The results also reinforce the notion that as hominins moved out of Africa and into Europe and Asia, the interbreeding between successive waves of early emigrants and the populations they encountered occurred more frequently than previously thought.

Earlier this year, team member Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leizig, Germany, who pioneered techniques for analyzing DNA extracted from fossils of early humans, and colleagues finished sequencing the entire Neanderthal genome. They found that from 1 to 4 percent of the genes in people around the world today – including islands in the southwest Pacific – are inherited from Neanderthals. The exception: No genomes from people in sub-Saharan Africa were found to have Neanderthal genes.

Now, with Denisovan genes cropping up in modern Melanesians, "we have found evidence for a second gene flow event," although it's from a different source and moved into a smaller set of modern genomes, Dr. Reich explains.

Related stories
 
X Woman: Not human, not Neanderthal, what is she?
 
Cavemen among us: Some humans are 4 percent Neanderthal 
Fossil DNA tells tales of red-haired Neanderthals

Sent by John Inclan
fromGalveston@yahoo.com


 


ORANGE COUNTY, CA

Teatro Actores de Santa Ana Present 4 performances of … Dia de los Muertos
Feb 12:
Exploring the "RootsMagic" Genealogy Software by Tom Saenz, SHHAR Meeting
Feb 18: 65th Anniversary Commemoration of Mendez, et al vs. Westminster School District, et al
Campus Veteran Silas H. Abrego  Named to Acting VP for Student Affairs
Pascual Rivas Jr., A local link to Mexico's history passes on by Erika Chavez
Grijalva Park officially opened Saturday, January 8th
Building Would House Community Law Clinic
 
TEATRO ACTORES DE SANTA ANA Present a bilingual play…DIA DE LOS MUERTOS…
FOUR months later…y que! Written and directed by louie olivos, jr
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD, 10TH
   and FRIDAY, FEB 4TH, 11TH, 2011 
8 pm Box office opens 7:30 pm   Santa Ana Transportation Center
1000 E. SANTA ANA BLVD, SANTA ANA
TICKETS $15.00 - MINIMUM SEATING
SENIORS AND STUDENTS $10.00
INFO: (714) 801-9577

See the spirits of Cantinflas, Zapata, Villa, Selena, La Llorona, Padre Hidalgo, La Corregidora, Ritchie Valens, Cesar Chavez…

OUR SPONSORS…LOS AMIGOS OF ORANGE COUNTY, ALFREDO AMEZCUA, DR. LOMELI, NUNO BROTHERS, MIKE GONZALEZ, ROBERT LOPEZ, JUAN MALDONADO, EL TORO, TERESA’S JEWELERS, JESS ARAUJO, and FRANCISCO "Paco" BARRAGÁN…

Sent by Francisco Barragan  barraganfj@gmail.com and
Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan  yvduncan@yahoo.com 

  

EXPLORING ROOTSMAGIC
 GENEALOGY SOFTWARE


What: Exploring the "RootsMagic" Genealogy Software.

When: Saturday, February 12, 2011 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Where: Orange Family History Center, 674 S. Yorba Street, Orange, CA.

Details: A free presentation...Everyone welcome...No cost.

 The presentation by Tom Saenz, SHHAR Secretary is sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR). The presentation will include a discussion of the "RootsMagic" Genealogy software that helps enable individuals in researching, organizing, and sharing of their family tree records. Other programs used to produce records and charts such as the Personal Ancestral File software (PAF) will also be discussed.  Tom is a retired teacher, principal, and past member of the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees.  If you want help to get your family records organized.  This is it.

One-to-one research assistance is provided from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. 
Presentation begins at 10:15 a.m.
For more information on this event, call Mimi Lozano at 714-894-8161.


 
                                 © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

65th Anniversary Commemoration

MENDEZ, et al vs. WESTMINSTER SCHOOL DISTRICT, 
et al
Friday, February 18, 2011
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

*Issued on February 18, 1946, Mendez ended the practice of segregated schools for Mexican American students and led to the repeal of the California statutes that mandated separate schools for Native American and Asian American children, thus setting the stage for Brown, et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al in 1954.

 

United States District Court Judges Terry J. Hatter, Jr, Alicemarie H. Stotler, David O. Carter, James V. Selna, Cormac J. Carney, Andrew J. Guilford & Josephine Staton Tucker Invite you to the 65th Anniversary Commemoration Session of The Landmark Orange County Civil Rights Case* MENDEZ, et al vs. WESTMINSTER SCHOOL DISTRICT, et al

Courtroom 10-A
United States Courthouse & Ronald Reagan Federal Building
411 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701

Featuring: Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, UCI School of Law, Hon. Loren Miller, Jr., Los Angeles County Superior Court (Ret.), Hon. Frederick P. Aguirre, Orange County Superior Court

Reception to Follow RSVP by February 15th: info@ochba.org 
Sponsored by:
Carlos X. Colorado, Esq. JONES DAY, Joseph Chairez, Esq. BAKER HOSTETLER, Paul Evan Greenwald, Esq., GREENWALD & HOFFMAN

Information sent by Mimi Ko Cruz   mkocruz@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU


Silas Abrego Campus Veteran Silas H. Abrego 
Named to Acting VP for Student Affairs

Jan. 10, 2011 

Silas H. Abrego
, associate vice president for student affairs and a member of the campus community since 1985, is the newly named acting vice president for student affairs. He fills the position vacated by Robert L. Palmer, who retired in December.  The appointments was  made by Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon.

“Dr. Abrego brings more than 40 years of successful experience as both an instructor and administrator in both public and private institutions of higher education, as well as having a highly successful tenure as an administrator in the Division of Student Affairs at Cal State Fullerton for the past 26 years,” noted President Milton A. Gordon in making the announcement.

“The acting vice president for student affairs advances diversity, implements and assesses student affairs planning strategies, allocates resources, and administrates and coordinates a variety of comprehensive student programs and services related to student growth and development to create a learning environment where all students have the opportunity to succeed.”

“Because of Dr. McMahan’s excellent leadership as chair of the Department of Health Science since 2005, I am confident in her ability to effectively guide our College of Health and Human Development at this time,” said Gordon. "Dr. McMahan has established herself as a successful faculty member and administrator through her commitment to shared governance, collegiality and academic excellence."

In her new role, McMahan oversees the departments of child and adolescent studies, counseling, health science, human services, kinesiology and social work, as well as the college’s new School of Nursing and its Military Science Program. The college has 135 full-time faculty members and serves more than 5,000 students majoring in 24 degree programs. 

Silas Abrego

In his previous role as associate vice president for student affairs, Abrego oversaw the offices of Student Academic Services, International Education and Exchange, WoMen’s Center/Adult Re-entry/Veterans Student Services, University Learning Center and the Career Center. Additionally, he oversees a number of federally funded programs, including the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, Upward Bound, Talent Search and GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program). He joined the campus in 1985 as director of student academic services and university outreach and was appointed associate vice president for student affairs in 1998.

As acting vice president, he now manages all units within the Division of Student Affairs, including intercollegiate athletics, student housing, the Student Health and Counseling Center and Career Center, Office of Disabled Student Services and the University Learning Center. He oversees a staff of more than 325, including the dean of students and college-based assistant deans for student affairs. 

In 2008, Abrego was honored by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education with its Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education Award. He also has been recognized by the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Orange County United Way, Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County and the Hispanic Outreach Task Force.

Prior to joining the university, Abrego served as state coordinator of the National Education Policy Fellowship Program at Claremont University’s Tomas Rivera Center. He earned his master’s degree and educational doctorate at USC.

# # #

Thank you to Mimi Ko Cruz for keeping us informed
mimi ko cruz | cal state fullerton public affairs
p.o. box 6826 | cp-830 | fullerton | calif. | 92834
o:657.278.7586 | f:657.278.5226 | c:714.932.8589 www.fullerton.edu

http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/2011sp/Abrego-McMahan-Named-Acting-VP-and-Acting-Dean.asp 
http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/2008/175_abrego_perez.html


 

 

A local link to Mexico's history passes on
by Erika Chavez, The Orange County Register, Jan. 6, 2011 
Photo by Ana Venegas, 

Pascual Rivas Jr. was as American as apple pie. Known as "Pat" to friends and family, he grew up in Tustin, was captain of the football team and student body president at Tustin High, and didn't speak much Spanish at all.  

Pat Rivas was 40 years old when he discovered that his grandfather was Calixto Contreras, a general who served under Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution.   But a business trip to Mexico City at age 40 and a chance meeting with some cousins opened his eyes to his family's rich history, and gave birth to an appreciation for his heritage.

The Register profiled Rivas, an Irvine resident, in a 2008 article published in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. In it, Rivas' own words described his feelings upon discovering that his grandfather was Calixto Contreras, a general under Pancho Villa who died while fighting in the Mexican Revolution.

His parents fled to the United States, where they met, married, had a sprawling family and built several thriving businesses, the embodiment of the American Dream.

"My dad taught me the value of hard work, and my mom taught me the meaning of family," Rivas said. "I believe the most important Mexican value is family, family, family. Every Sunday my mom cooked menudo for whoever showed up – kids, grandkids, neighbors, you name it. The neighbors weren't even Mexican, but they loved my mom's menudo. Now that she's gone, my sisters carry on the tradition of making menudo for the family on Sundays. We cherish that, and we'll continue doing it until there's nobody left."

Rivas passed away on Dec. 26th at age 76.


ORANGE – The $13.3 million Sports Center at Grijalva Park officially opened Saturday, January 8th.The project, which began in 2008, was delayed by several factors, including bad weather. The center features a basketball court, classrooms, and dance/aerobics and arts-and-crafts rooms.

The opening was highlighted by free activities, tours of the facility and a special interactive basketball demonstration by former Harlem Globetrotter Kevin "Special K" Daley.

Eddie, a former Orange resident, is sixth generation Grijalva. The park is named after his family.

Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Orange County Register.  MORE PHOTOS »

Contact the writer: 714-900-2048 or efields@ocregister.com

 

 
Building Would House Community Law Clinic
Plans for a law clinic building that both honors Orange's past and looks to the future needs of its residents are expected to go to the Orange Planning Commission for consideration in January.

A request for conditional use permit for the Chapman University Law Clinics proposed at 544 N. Cypress St. received unanimous approval from the city's Design Review Committee on Nov
the Planning Commission's January 17 agenda.

If approved, the conditional use permit would allow the university to proceed with plans to house law clinics in the historic Cypress Street School building, significant for being the last-standing Mexican-American segregated school in the county.  The school was desegregated following the landmark Mendez, et. al v. Westminster case, the archives for which are housed at Chapman's Leatherby Libraries.

The idea for placing public law clinics in the historic building was originally envisioned by John Eastman, Ph.D. professor of law at Chapman University, while he was dean of the School of Law.

"It's a significant reminder of the importance of Law in advancing justice.  It's fitting that we would use that facility to provide important legal services to the people in our community," Dr. Eastman said.

By careful use of paint, window design and other design elements, the building will more closely resemble it's original look when it was built in 1931, said Kris Olsen, vice president of campus planning and operations at Chapman.  The university has also worked with the Orange Barrio Historical Society to create wording for an historical ember 17.  The university is seeking the conditional use permit to allow office uses in an industrial zone.  The item is expected to be on marker to be included on the building.

The law school operates a variety of legal clinics that serve a variety of community needs, from those of military veterans to elders with legal issues.

Source: Chapman University, NEIGHBORTONEIGHBOR, Winter 2010
Sent by Doug Westfall, Paragon Books


 


LOS ANGELES, CA

Feb 5: Research Your Mexican Roots: A Free Presentation by John P. Schmal 
Los Angeles Central Library expands technical services
Feb 5: Stories from the Mexican Revolution:  Community Members are Journalists, Too
           by Ron Gonzales, reporter with the Orange County Register
Feb 12:  RootsMagic presentation by Tom Saenz, how to organize family data  
Sacred Indian Burial Site Believed Under Construction Site

Research Your Mexican Roots: A Free Presentation by John P. Schmal 

Saturday, February 5, 2011 1:00PM to 3:00PM
Where  Los Angeles Family History Library
http://www.larfhc.org
10741 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Los Angeles, CA 90025

John's is an editor's pick on Latino LA:    http://latinola.com/event.php?event=17169 
    
On Saturday, February 5, 2011, John P. Schmal will provide a lecture and presentation entitled "Research Your Mexican Roots." The presentation is for beginners and mid-level researchers. The presentation is free and handouts will include baptisms and marriages from colonial Jalisco and Aguascalientes.

A powerpoint presentation will provide attendees with ideas on how to begin their research and to locate research tools for locating documents relating to their Mexican ancestors.

Most people do not realize the extraordinary resources available for tracing Mexican family trees. In fact, John will show the attendees a free website which has a large collection of scanned Mexican church records that can be viewed from home computers.

The old family story that "The records were destroyed in the Revolution," is - for the most part - a myth and we will illustrate the great resources available to beginning and advanced researchers. John Schmal is the coauthor of "Mexican-American Genealogical Research: Following the Paper Trail to Mexico" and has extensive experience (5 to 20 years) in researching records from the following cities: Moyahua, Sain Alto and Nochistlan (Zacatecas); Jalostotitlan, La Barca, Hostotipaquillo, Villa Hidalgo and Teocaltiche (Jalisco); Valle de Santiago, Guarapo and Dolores Hidalgo (Guanajuato); and Calvillo and Aguascalientes (in the State of Aguascalientes).

Questions are encouraged. Don't leave your family information at home; bring it with you. Consultations will be provided after the meeting. Reference Weblink: http://www.somosprimos.com/schmal/schmal.htm 
Contact  (310)-474-9990
Los Angeles Central Library expands technical services.

Thanks to a federal Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant, the Central Library's data cabling is being replaced and upgraded to the latest standards.  The project will begin on January 24, and will take several months to complete.  Each subject department at the Central Library will be closed for four weekdays while the cabling project is completed.  This will not impact Saturdays.

The History and Genealogy Department will be closed to the public during the week of Tuesday, February 15 - Friday, February 18, 2011.  While genealogists will not have access to the book collection, access to Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, American Ancestors and other databases will continue to be available in any of the other subject departments.

A full schedule of closures for all Central Library departments is available at: http://www.lapl.org/central/btop.html

The History and Genealogy Department thanks you in advance for your patience and understanding during the week of February 15-18, 2011.

Mary McCoy
Librarian - History & Genealogy Department
Los Angeles Public Library
630 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA  90071
(213) 228-7412
mmccoy@lapl.org
Lots more happening in February.... 

February 5, 2011: Ron Gonzales at the Southern California Genealogical Society Library from 10 a.m. to  4 p.m. Presentation:  "Stories from the Mexican Revolution:  Community Members are Journalists, Too"
  417 Irving Dr., Burbank, California.  Contact Paul Gomez at 909-238-6444.

February 12, 2011: Tom Saenz as posted on Latino LA:     http://latinola.com/event.php?event=17173   
  Exploring "RootsMagic" at the Orange Family History Center.  Contact Mimi Lozano at 714-894-8161

* * Call To Artists * * Exhibition: Love Vibes
Dates: February 12 through March 6, 2011

The Avenue 50 Studio invites artists who are single to submit works for our Annex Gallery. Our theme is love. All works in all media are welcomed, with a maximum size of 18” x 24”.  Please send jpgs of your work to: ave50studio@sbcglobal.net. We have limited space, so please send in your images as soon as possible. There is no fee for submission. The Avenue 50 Studio will take a 40% commission on all works sold.

Kathy Gallegos
Avenue 50 Studio, Inc.
131 North Avenue 50
Highland Park, CA 90042
323-258-1435 http://www.avenue50studio.com



Sacred Indian Burial Site Believed Under Construction Site

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Crews working on a Mexican-American cultural center near the site of downtown Los Angeles's earliest settlement have unearthed human bone fragments thought to be more than 160 years old. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes president Miguel Angel Corzo said Tuesday that the pieces of skull, jaw and other bones were found over the past two weeks by workers completing excavations for the center's garden. Corzo said the area in downtown's El Pueblo historical area was the site of a cemetery that had been exhumed in 1848 and that coroner's officials determined the remains date from that time. He said the excavations are being supervised by an archaeologist and that the remains will be re-interred in the garden when project is complete. The Associated Press  

Sent by Robert Smith pleiku196970@yahoo.com and Alfred Cota aedwardmoch@yahoo.com 
Comments by Robert Smith, a descendant of the founding families of Los Angeles.

This article was/is about the cemetery at Olvera Street, the Plaza Church which used to be a parking lot.  Now the mayor LA, the Mexican Cultural Affairs, Olvera Street administration want to dig up all the bones found in the grave site and do away with them, all without the Tongva/Gabrieleno and the Los Pobladores 200's permission, no formal contact has been given by the mayof of LA to date.  This may need to a possible lawsuit against LA, the Mexican Cultural Affairs and Olvera street to stop their building on that site.  Something needs to be done and now.  What do you think?  Bob Smith
In the site, a few of the families include the Lugo's, Dominguez, Valdez (Corporal Eugene), Rosas, Sepulveda's, and many others.  The church was established by colonial Spain in 1820.  So, this should also be brought up to the Spanish Consul General.  Any suggestions? Bob
 

From: Christina Swindall <christinaswindall@yahoo.com>
Subject: Placita Grave Site questions
To: pleiku196970@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, January 10, 2011, 10:56 PM

Dear Mr. Smith,
My tribal Chairman has passed your questions onto me to answer best I can.

We will be using legal steps to help us.  I'll list them for you:
1)  President Barack Obama recently signed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  See link:
        http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/drip.html
    We understand that this declaration is very new policy (less than 1 month old), but it clearly states  in the articles that we have the
    right to protect our sacred sites.  We are siting this source in our correspondence.

2)  It is against NAGPRA federal law to continue construction after human remains have been found.  This is federal law that is very
    black and white.  We have documents from the Native American Heritage Commission dating back to 11/4/10 where they notified
    the coroner's office to respond.  Despite this communication, construction has continued.  Andy is working hard to get the NAHC to
    make an offical "cease and assist" recommendation.

3)  We have proof that persons with prior knowledge (back in November) who attempted to contact the City regarding remains found were fired from the job

4)  We will be holding a press conference this next Saturday to bring the issue out more into the public.  We would like to extend an invitation to you to join us.  Please see the attached press release.

5)  We are in contact with the LA Board of Supervisors, US Department of Justice and the CA Attorney General.  We are attempting contact with the Governor.

We have many more ideas that we cannot quite disclose yet, but here's our current plan of attack.

Christina Swindall Martinez, secretary
Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians

 Editor: VIDEO on the subject: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video-news-on-demand/?clipId=5445251&flvUri=&partnerclipid=&topVideoCatNo=
0&c=&autoStart=true&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv

 As of January 26th, the dig has been indefinitely suspended. For more on this effort, please go to Witness to Heritage Column.

 

 


CALIFORNIA
 

Feb 5: Raza Press & Media Association Meeting
Feb 24-26th: Conference of California Historical Societies,
The Old Spanish Trail Association 2011 Conference, June 2-5th
Sid Espinosa, fourth youngest mayor in Palo Alto
Escondido To Evict Charros: Another Attempt at Mexican Removal?
How the P'urhépechas Came to the Coachuella Valley by photo journalist, David Bacon
 

RAZA PRESS & MEDIA ASSOCIATION MEETING   Saturday February 5, 2011, the Raza Press and Media Association (RPMA) will hold its next “General Membership Meeting”. The meeting will be held at the Dr. Rodolfo Acuña Gallery and Cultural Center / Cafeon "A" , 438 South "A" Street in Oxnard, Ca. The time of the meeting will from 1pm to 3pm. 

After the meeting, members will be able to attend the filmscreening and discussion of "Yo Soy El Army-America's New Military Caste" with guest presentation by the film's director Marco Amador (at the same location as meeting). 

Re-established in 1990, for two decades the RPMA has been in the forefront in the struggle to create a progressive and revolutionary media that will represent the interests of the Mexicano-Raza community

Sent by El Chavo todopoderalpueblo@yahoo.com


Feb 24-26th: Conference of California Historical Societies, February Symposium, Riverside County, 909-480-3964 info@californiahistorian.com 

Riverside County was formed in 1893 by carving out a small portion of San Bernardino County and a larger part of San Diego County.  Long before the arrival of the white man in what is now Riverside County, the area was inhabited by a number of Native American people, including the Serranos, the Luisenos, the Cupenos, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuillas.

 

The Old Spanish Trail Association warmly invites members of the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research to attend our 2011 conference on “The Old Spanish Trail in California.”  The conference will take place June 2-5, at the Kellogg West Hotel, in Pomona, CA, and will feature noted experts on the trail and on southern California history during the Mexican period.  More detailed information is available at www.oldspanishtrail.org/conference.  

The program is far from complete, but we expect to have at least 24 sessions, and perhaps more. The program will be divided into two or more “tracks” allowing a choice of topics or speakers at any given time and affording attendees time for mingling and discussion.

The 2011 OSTA conference promises to be great, and we hope you’ll join us as part of it. We’ll send out more bulletins as the program continues to take shape. For more information, please contact me at jackprichett@ca.rr.com.

Barbara Milliken
millikenlaw@gmail.com

 

Sid Espinosa, a soft-spoken high-tech executive whose career included stints at the U.S. Justice Department and Hewlett-Packard,  became the fourth youngest mayor in Palo Alto's history January 4, 2011. .
Full Biography for Sid Espinosa 
Candidate for Council Member; City of Palo Alto 

This information is provided by the candidate 
My family's story, like so many others, is rooted in the American dream. Dad immigrated to the United States from Mexico so that his family would have a better life. He taught my siblings and me to work tirelessly and love this country for all of its rights and privileges--as well as its corresponding responsibilities. Twenty-eight years after arriving penniless and not speaking English, Dad sat in Harvard Yard as I received a graduate degree. From the fields of Mexico to Harvard Yard in one generation. Only in America. 

My mom, who taught us that a valuable life is one dedicated to service, is currently serving in the Peace Corps. She is a retired teacher and has always been an active community leader. Of Scottish and Norwegian heritage, with an adventurer's spirit, she instilled in us an appreciation of different cultures and a love of travel. She has dedicated her life to helping others and standing up for what is right. As a passionate teacher, non-profit executive director, church mission-trip leader, theater board president, organic farmer, and community activist, she taught us to seek justice and always give more than we receive. 

I grew up in rural Gilroy, surrounded by orchards, animals, and rolling hills, which has led to my passionate work with numerous environmental and animal-protection organizations. In those early years, Mom also taught us to appreciate the arts and their impact on creativity and innovation. We grew up at a piano, on a stage, behind a camera--and we are better for it. Those experiences have led to a life championing arts education. Today, I serve as the board vice president for the Palo Alto Arts Center Foundation and as the cabinet chair for the Center's capital campaign, which is developing an innovative public-private partnership with the City. Growing up, my Presbyterian Church also provided a fundamental grounding in others-before-self beliefs, and I developed my faith by leading Bible studies, teaching Sunday School and taping church services for convalescents. 

Early on, I wasn't much of an academic. I was overlooked by teachers. Through creative maneuvering, Mom placed me in the "gifted and talented" magnet program. I was suddenly expected to be--and repeatedly told that I was--one of the brightest kids in the district. Teachers worked one-on-one to get me up to speed, and soon I was ranked at the top of the honors classes. I mention this because these experiences taught me, early on, that every kid, if given the right opportunities and support, can succeed. Any kid. By high school, I was in numerous leadership positions. From senior class president to yearbook editor to honor society president, the farm boy was suddenly being elected Homecoming Prince and Most Likely to Succeed. 

Wesleyan University sparked my passion for public policy, government and community organizing. Wesleyan is a wonderful institution dedicated to critical thinking, liberal arts and activism. As I worked my way through college, in the classroom I explored several fields before deciding that public service and professions that addressed social needs would ensure a meaningful life. I fortified this resolve with a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard. 

My work experiences have reflected my dedication to public policy, community service and philanthropy. From the White House during the Clinton Administration to my current position at Hewlett-Packard Company, I have worked to address community needs and fought against injustice. For three years in the mid-1990s, I served as an aide to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who further cemented in me a fighter's spirit and a clear understanding of the importance of social justice and integrity. 
Today, as the director of philanthropy programs for Hewlett-Packard, I oversee the company's strategic philanthropic investments in non-profits and schools across the globe. My work currently focuses on initiatives in education, economic development and the environment. Every day I witness the positive differences we make in the lives of people around the world, whether it's an investment in an African school system or our recently launched multi-million dollar partnership to support innovative climate change research. My years at HP have helped me become more adept at identifying and developing creative, efficient, and effective solutions to community problems. 
As much as my work is global, my own community engagement has been overwhelmingly local. As a board member of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, I have worked hard to develop and support the city's business community and economic vitality, which is, of course, a vital component to any community's social fabric. As a member of the working councils of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the Bay Area Council, I successfully advocated at local, state and national levels for effective policy changes on everything from affordable housing and transportation to economic development, open space and R&D investments. As a strong advocate of local community involvement, last year I co-chaired a successful fundraising campaign for Youth Community Services, a Palo Alto-based non-profit dedicated to engaging youth in service projects. As an education advocate, I participate in numerous volunteer activities inside the classroom. And last year, I joined an amazing team of volunteers to lead the corporate fundraising campaign for Partners in Education and the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation through the Black & White Ball. As a history nut, I am a proud member of the Palo Alto Historical Association's advisory board. The list goes on. 

My dad came to this country for its unparalleled opportunities. I learned the American way--work hard and give back. If we want a vibrant community, we must follow in the footsteps of previous generations by identifying our community's problems and needs, and then rolling up our sleeves to address them. That's the opportunity and the obligation that I feel to our country and our community. And that's why I do what I do. 

Sent by Lorri Frain 
lorrilocks@sbcglobal.net
  


 

Escondido To Evict Charros: Another Attempt at Mexican Removal?

Friends, Here is a note from Carmen Miranda of Escondido. The City of Escondido wants to evict the Charros Ass'n from its Charro Lienzo just east of the city. Come and support the Charros at the Escondido City Council Meeting, Wednesday, Jan. 12 a 4 p.m. City Council chambers: 201 N. Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025

Hola amigos y amigas, As many of you know Escondido Charros have been in Escondido for more than 30 years. This Mexican traditional rodeo has been passed down for many generations and it's an important part of our culture. I need your help this Wednesday. The Escondido Charros Association will be asking the city council for permission to stay at the current location. They are located right behind the Humane Society on E. Valley Pkwy on city owned land. The Charros have been having Charreadas there for over 30 years, it's a place where families meet and enjoy the horses. They have food and music and most important the Charreadas. Anyways, the city has evicted the Charros from their location. At first the city told them that they would find another open area for the Charreadas, now the city told them that they don't have any other location in the city. The reason that I got from city personnel was that the city needed to move public works to another location due to the ballpark plans and they made the decision to move some of the equipment there. There is a long history of the city staff harassing the Charros for years, and now they have really no good reason to move them, but are using the public works as an excuse. I spoke to Sally from the Humane Society and she is sad about it. She thinks that the public works will be a sore-eye to the Humane Society and the residents that use the Daly Ranch trails.

So what I need is if you can speak or just show your support for the Escondido Charros. They will be all dressed in their Charro outfits and will speak to the city council members. I will be there too, and I hope that all of you can support them also. They are a great group of gentlemen and their children.

Thank you and see you on Wednesday at 4:pm.
Respectfully Yours,
Carmen Miranda
760-877-7316

Sent by Dorinda Moreno
fuerzamundial@gmail.com


 
HOW THE P'URHÉPECHAS CAME TO THE COACHELLA VALLEY
By David Bacon
New America Media, 1/11/11
http://newamericamedia.org/2011/01/coachella-labor-camp.php 
How the P'urhépechas Came to the Coachuella Valley

    THERMAL, CA -- Pierce Street sounds like an avenue in any city old enough to name a street after a nineteenth century president.  In the Coachella Valley, though, Pierce Street is a narrow blacktop running through sagebrush and desiccated palms, across alkali-crusted sand.

Heading toward the Salton Sea a dozen miles south of Coachella, the nearest incorporated town, Pierce Street passes the Duros trailer camp.  The desert here belongs to the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, a Native American tribe whose name for themselves is Mau-Wal-Mah Su-Kutt Menyil, or Deer Moon Among the Palms.  In 1876, when the U.S. government recognized the tribe, Toro was the name of the local town here, and the Martinez Indian Agency administered the reservation.  Hence the  combined name of Torres Martinez.

    The Duros trailer camp sits on reservation land, along with a sister trailer park, Chicanitas, on nearby Avenue Seventy.
Together they create a unique situation.  This small reservation is home to a few hundred Native Americans, that is, indigenous people whose land lies within the present borders of the United States.  The reservation is now home also to a far larger number of indigenous Mexican migrants, P'urhépecha people from the Mexican state of Michoacan.  Over 2000 P'urhépechas live in the
two camps, and the number of migrants here rises to over 5000 during peak harvest in the surrounding fields.

     P'urhépechas now make up a significant part of the workforce in the Coachella Valley, one of the oldest agricultural areas in
California.  It was in the valley's grape fields in 1965 that Filipino farm workers walked out on strike, leading eventually to the formation of the United Farm Workers.  Today hardly any Filipinos are left in Coachella fields.  The work they did half a century ago - picking grapes and lemons, and cutting lettuce - today is performed by indigenous Mexican migrants.

    The trailers at Duros aren't in great shape.  People came here looking for living space after Riverside County began requiring the demolition of tumbledown trailers in other, smaller settlements outside the reservation. Harvey Duro, for whom Duros is named, had a lease for land from the tribe, and the camp quickly grew as people were forced out elsewhere. Chicanitas expanded for the same reason. 

    Eventually Duros too was threatened with demolition, since its trailers were often in worse condition than those the County had
condemned.  In 2008 U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson ordered improvements to the trailers and the camp's infrastructure.  California Rural Legal Assistance went to bat for the residents,  advocating better conditions, but also opposing any demolition.  In April 2009, Judge Larson agreed with them.  Tearing down the trailers and relocating residents yet again  "would create one of the largest forced migrations in the history of this state," he said, comparable in size to the internment of Japanese-Americans at Manzanar. A caretaker was appointed for the Duros camp, and today conditions are much better, according to
Meregildo Ortiz, president of the P'urhépecha community of Coachella Valley. 

    In Duros and Chicanitas most residents don't speak English or Spanish, but a language that was centuries old when Columbus arrived in the Americas.  Every December,  P'urhépechas begin practicing the Danza de los Ancianos, the Dance of the Old People.  It too is a central part of their cultural identity.  Late at night at Chicanitas, long lines of young people shuffle around the trailers to the music of guitars and horns, in a stylized imitation of the halting gait of the very old.  They're getting ready for  the procession they'll eventually make to the church in Mecca, a few miles away.  But the practice also introduces children to the culture in which they've been born.  And as the lines snake and shuffle, wood smoke rises into the dark sky from a fire warming a galvanized tub of cinnamon-flavored coffee, which everyone shares when the practice ends.

    People don't make much money picking lemons or grapes.  Jobs only last a harvesting season, and many have to leave the valley for at least part of the year as they follow the crops elsewhere.  But dancing together in the desert is part of the glue that holds the P'urhépecha community together in these two trailer camps -- something to come back for.
    
   Pedro Gonzalez was one of the first P'urhépechas to leave his home state to travel to the U.S., looking for work.  Over the three
decades that followed, he was joined by thousands of others.  He was the community's first president, before Ortiz.  Today he's 60 years old, and lives in a trailer at Duros with his wife Dorotea Gonzalez Fosar. In an interview with David Bacon, he recounted the history of the P'urhépecha migration that created the Duros and Chicanitas camps.

    I grew up in Ocomichu, Michoacán, which  is a P'urhépecha town.  When I was growing up, nobody knew how to speak Spanish.  When you asked them something in Spanish while they were working in the fields they would run, because they didn't
understand what you were saying.  You suffer when you don't know the language.  My father wasn't P'urhépecha, though, just my mother, so he taught us Spanish when we were young.

    I first came to the U.S. in 1979.  When I first arrived in Riverside I didn't get a paycheck for two weeks.  We survived off
tortillas and oranges.  We were working in the orange fields, and ate them for every meal. Someone lent us a couple of dollars and we would buy a package of tortillas.  We need to help each other, even when someone just needs a dollar.  I just felt like crying back then, not knowing what to do.

    Today in Duros or Mecca you can practically go anywhere and speak P'urhépecha with anyone.  It wasn't like that when I got
here.  I didn't have anyone to talk to.  I lived with an African American man in Palm Springs for two months, and felt very lonely.  Nowadays the younger generation says our memories of what we suffered are not real and exaggerated.  That makes me feel bad.

    We walked two nights and two days crossing the border back then.  Now it costs about $1,500, even as much as $3,000 to cross the line.   You have to work for more than two or three months to earn that much.  It used to be that you didn't have to pay another person to help you cross.  Now it's much harder, though, and the coyotes charge so much.  I used to help people cross for $300, and it was no big deal. I've helped others cross and they've never paid me.  They forget.

    I would say we have about 3,000  P'urhépecha people in this area now.  There are a lot of us.   In Riverside alone I think there
must be 1,500 people.  Our hometown in Michoacan has also grown a lot.  It used to be a small town, but it's now a lot bigger.  A few years back they conducted  a census in Mexico and determined there were about 8,000 indigenous people living in the hills of that area of Michoacán.  I would say most are still there, but there are many of us now all over the U.S.  We're spread out in Palm Springs, Coachella, Indio, and Riverside.

    Here in the Duros trailer park there were only four trailers when I came in 1999.  Slowly people started arriving and everything started growing.  Now I think there must be hundreds of people in these two parks, Duros and Chicanitas.

    Most of us here work picking lemons and grapes, depending on the time of year.  I like working the lemon harvest the most, because it pays piece rate and not by the hour .  If you work by the hour, it's just over $7.   On piece rate you can make about $1,550 every two weeks. If you do odd jobs here and there it's enough for us to live on.  But piece rate makes you work fast, and some people don't like it because they don't like to work hard.  For example today I finished nine rows while some others only did
five. 

    The owner of the park here is a good man, a Native American.   He even helped me fill out the immigration paperwork for my family, and only charged $500 when others would have charged me $2,000.

    But we used to have a lot of problems [before the state took control of the park].  A big one was the lack of security.  Once my wife heard a knocking right after we'd left for work. She thought we'd come back, so she opened the door.  It was an intruder.  She yelled and he ran off, but the security guards wouldn't do anything to protect us.

    Rent on the trailer here costs us about $250, and with garbage, water and security it goes up to $300 a month.  If you're getting paid $7 or $8 an hour, that's hard.  Gas prices keep going up and our wages don't.  Food prices are high.  I spend more than $300 every time I go buy food.  If people got together and decided not to work for one day it would have a tremendous impact on the economy, but people don't do that because they are in need of money.  We participated in a strike once.  But there were
other people who really needed work.  They went into the fields to work even though we told them not to.

    My kids are here legally now and I'm in the process of obtaining legal residency for my last child. They all speak P'urhépecha, which is what we speak in the house.  My wife doesn't speak Spanish too well.  She refused to learn it in the beginning because she said she wouldn't need it.  But now look at how necessary it is to speak English in this country.

    When my kids were young we had such a humble life in Mexico.  They used to run around with holes all over their clothes.  But our life has changed.  Now if they have a little tear they want to throw the clothes away.  They even waste a lot of food.  They don't know how to value things.

    My family still has land in the ejido. My brother sold his plot when the land reform law changed, but I still have mine.  My father died  but my mother is still alive, and my wife's mother as well.  We never forget about them and send them money continuously. I don't think my kids will return to Michoacán to live, though.  Even though some were born over there, when we go to visit they always want to come back.

    But I don't think they will lose their language and culture living here.  We hold onto the P'urhépecha traditions, with dances,
weddings, baptisms, and quinceañeras.  We all help each other out.  There are many P'urhépechas here so everyone feels at home.

    I might go back to Mexico to live someday, but I don't know when.   I haven't been over there in years.  I don't even have my voter card.  I've never voted in my life.

Chicanitas, a farm labor camp of trailers in the desert in Coachella Valley.
Many Purepechas live in trailers like this in the Duros camp 
on the Torres Martinez Reservation, and work as farm workers in the fields of the Coachella Valley.
Amelia Gonzalez in the kitchen/family room of her trailer 
in Duros.  Amelia is the daughter of Pedro Gonzales, a 
leader of the Purepecha community in the Coachella Valley.
Demetrio Rafael has been picking grapes for
fifteen years, and lives in the Chicanitas
trailer camp in the desert, on Avenue 70.

Maria del Carmen Tello lives in Mecca and works a crew of farm workers picking lemons.  Most workers in this crew belong to the Purepecha community in the Coachella Valley
Pedro Gonzales and his family live in a trailer in Duros.  Gonzales is the former president of the Purepecha community
in the Coachella Valley.
 Meregildo Ortiz (l) is the president of the Purepecha community in the Coachella Valley. Seated with him 
are Max Ortiz and Julian Benito.
Armando Vicente lives in the Chicanitas camp and works in a crew of limoneros.  He is the mayordomo, or leader, of the fiesta and celebration of the Virgin de Guadalupe, in which
the whole Purepecha community participates through dance, music, food and other customs.

A boy is the youngest member of the group of musicians 
who play for the community as it practices the Danza de 
Los Ancianos (the Dance of the Old People),
Members of the Purepecha community in the Coachella Valley gather at the Chicanitas trailer camp at night to rehearse the Danza de Los Ancianos (the Dance of the Old People), preparing to perform it during a procession celebrating the
Virgin de Guadalupe.
For more articles and images, see  http://dbacon.igc.org 

See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press, 2008)
Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008 http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002 

See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the US Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006) http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575 

See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html 
--
__________________________________

Sent by David Bacon, Photographs and Stories
http://dbacon.igc.org 
 


NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Welcome to Mi Pueblito, Washington

The small-town, family-farm lifestyle that we love to celebrate is being preserved—thanks to Mexican immigrants.
By Nina Shapiro, published: July 14, 2010  
Photos by Peter Mumford
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-07-14/news/welcome-to-mi-pueblito-washington/  
Source: Devon G. Peña  dpena@u.washington.edu

 

 

Manuel Herrera, who arrived illegally 30 years ago, now has seven kids and owns a 15-acre plot.

 

Rosalio Moreno (far right) came to the valley three years ago with his family, and now owns a cherry farm.

 

Bob West, leader of Grassroots of Yakima Valley, wants to see E-Verify used.

 

At age 17, Sergio Marquez left his hometown in the Mexican state of Michoacán and traveled to the small U.S. town of Wapato, located amid the fertile farmlands of Washington's Yakima Valley. Even in Mexico, he had heard about the valley's famed apple trees—and the work that could be found picking, pruning, and thinning them.

It took him a week, several bus rides, and one coyote-led walk across the border to reach Wapato. Just two months later, he was deported, after a traffic stop brought his illegal status to light.

So he made the illicit journey again. Soon enough, he found himself living in a trailer with 19 other guys from Michoacán and taking up the farm-working life common to so many of his compatriots. His first paycheck, for three days of pruning in the hot sun, came to $80. It wasn't quite the easy life he expected in America.

But 33 years later, his life looks very different. He still puts in long hours on the farm—but it's a farm he owns, all 106 acres of it, neatly planted with rows of Fujis, Cameos, Honeycrisps, Galas, and other varieties. Last year, he says, he made about $100,000 in profit. This year he's leased another 85 acres, and expects to nearly double his apple harvest to more than six million pounds. During his busy seasons, he employs about 50 workers, nearly all Mexican immigrants like him. Marquez himself became a citizen, thanks to his marriage to a native-born American in 1981. (She later left him, he says).

Gregarious and mustachioed, Marquez (pronounced mar-KEZ) surveyed his orchard on a recent day and reminisced about the path that led him to become his own boss. When he first arrived at this farm as a laborer some 15 years ago, "trees were dying and there were a lot of empty spots," he says. The owner, John Hunter, had other businesses in town, and, as Marquez tells it, the foreman at the time had neglected the land. Marquez essentially took over, planting many more trees per row to increase the harvest. Impressed, Hunter made Marquez foreman.

Later, when the aging farm owner decided he was too occupied with other affairs to keep up the place—and his children were disinclined, or unprepared, to take it over—he turned to the one man he knew he could rely on: Marquez.

In 2004, Hunter sold his foreman the farm (including all equipment and a modest ranch house on the property) for $400,000, a bargain price. It was still a considerable sum for Marquez, which he raised with help from a low-interest loan program run by the federal Farm Service Agency. When Hunter died a few years later, Marquez, his second wife Lilia (also from Michoacán), and their four children started spending even more time at the Hunter homestead, located a quarter-mile down the road and occupied by 66-year-old widow Judy, a grown daughter, and a 10-year-old granddaughter.

To this day, Marquez cleans the Hunters' pool, sends his workers over to mow the lawn, and has his daughter babysit Judy's granddaughter. "He's family," Judy says of the man she calls "Sarge" and whom she describes as a "real, honest Christian." Indeed, Marquez attends Catholic services two nights a week, plus Sundays, in Wapato. On a breezy June evening, he traded his chinos and blue button-down for a black dress shirt and pants, and sat in the parish's second-from-the-front pew with his wife. They have two sons in college, and their 17-year-old daughter was recently crowned beauty queen in the neighboring town of Harrah.

In other words, you could hardly find someone who better embodies the small-town values of farm, family, and faith than Sergio Marquez. And he's far from alone. These days, in the Yakima Valley—acclaimed not only for its apples but its cherries, peaches, asparagus, and hops—nearly 20 percent of farmers are Hispanic.

Latino immigrants, of course, have long supplied the grueling, low-paying work that a lot of agriculture requires, and that native-born Americans seemingly find beneath them. Now these immigrants are managing to buy farms and put down roots, just as the American ethos says they should be able to do.

"Latino farmers are taking over agriculture in the state of Washington," says Malaquías Flores, who runs a program at Washington State University that helps Latinos access farm loans and manage their businesses.

He says WSU started the program nine years ago because it was looking to foster growth in small-scale farming, and found that Latinos were mostly the ones wanting to get into the business. (The program only assists immigrants who are here legally.)

Nationwide, according to the latest figures, the number of Hispanic farmers increased 14 percent between 2002 and 2007—twice the rate of growth among farmers overall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The West Coast, New Mexico, and Texas saw the biggest increases in Latino farmers, who also have become a presence in Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Hawaii.

"It's well-recognized by many of us that the future of the industry is with Hispanic—mostly Mexican—immigrants," says Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League, a Yakima-based organization representing farmers around the state. "They know the business. They love it. And that's who it's being passed on to in many respects."

Hispanic immigrants are propping up small-town real-estate markets too, even if they have to dig into what Nestor Hernandez, a realtor and president of Yakima County's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, calls their "mattress money." Indeed, Hispanics are virtually the only people buying property in a whole series of farming towns east of the Cascade mountains.

Meanwhile, many of the politicians who like to celebrate small towns and family farms in their political rhetoric are also the ones calling for a crackdown on illegals. Speaking at the GOP convention in 2008, for instance, Sarah Palin famously declared: "We grow good people in our small towns...They're the ones who do some of the hardest work in America, who grow our food and run our factories and fight our wars." (She was, in part, quoting the journalist Westbrook Pegler.) But this May, she stood with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer at a press conference and declared her support for the new state law requiring local law enforcement to question suspected illegal immigrants.

Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, who's running for re-election this year and whose bios highlight his status as a "sixth-generation, full-time family farmer" from the tiny town of Tarkio, has proposed shutting down even legal immigration until the borders are secure, according to The Washington Post Company website Who Runs Gov.

Here in Washington state, U.S. Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite Clint Didier is playing up his roots as a "Home Town Farm Boy"—indeed, those are the first words to load on his home page. His posted bio lauds him for returning with his family, after a professional football career, to the farming life in eastern Washington that he knew as a child. Yet he suggested last month at the Republican state convention in Vancouver that the U.S. stop granting citizenship to the children of illegals—a position arguably more radical than Arizona's governor's. Didier, whose Pasco farm is located roughly 75 miles from Marquez's orchard, grows grains such as wheat and barley—crops whose harvest is heavily mechanized, with considerably less need for cheap labor.

When the Washington Farm Bureau's political action committee met last week, neither Didier nor presumed GOP front-runner Dino Rossi managed to get the two-thirds majority vote necessary for a primary endorsement. And Didier's immigration views might well have worked against him. Steve Appel, a Palouse farmer who heads the Bureau, tells Seattle Weekly that Latino immigrants "are vital to the economies of entire communities" in eastern Washington. "If agriculture dries up and goes away," he says, "those communities go away. It's just that simple."

Bordering the Yakama Indian Reservation, Wapato has for decades drawn Native Americans, as well as Filipinos, Japanese, and Hispanics, many of whom went to work on the surrounding farms. Whites once made up roughly half Wapato's population, says Mike Gilmore, 59, who grew up in the town and now is the head of the Yakima Valley Savings & Loan.

The demographics of Wapato have changed gradually, Gilmore says, as older whites passed away or moved to nursing homes in bigger cities, while younger ones left for school and never came back.

But the promise of farm work and small-town life never got old for Hispanic immigrants, who kept arriving. WSU's Flores explains that most of the newcomers hail from rural towns in Mexico. He says everyone there had a plot of land to produce food for the family—"corn, beans, tomatoes, jalapeños, squash"—and make a little money if they had produce left over. So it's only natural that they should turn to farming here.

In fact, you only have to cross the road from Sergio Marquez's orchard to find another Mexican-born farmer—and another example of a formerly illegal immigrant turned small-businessman: Manuel Herrera. Speaking through a translator, Herrera says he always wanted to work in the fields—that's how he grew up, on farms owned by both his parents and his grandparents. The 46-year-old father of seven says he crossed into the U.S. illegally in 1980, but later became a permanent resident through a federal amnesty bill signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1986. He recently bought a 15-acre plot and leases another 47. [This story has been corrected since it was first posted. It originally gave a wrong year for when the amnesty bill was signed.]

But it's not just agriculture—the whole town's economy is built on Hispanic commerce. The signs on the establishments lining Wapato's handful of commercial blocks tell the story: Jose Hardware, Alfonso's Sports Bar, Martinez Body Shop & Auto Sales. The town also boasts Mexican-owned bakeries, laundromats, a butcher shop, and a construction company.

The local Catholic church—officially called St. Peter Claver Parish, but known as "San Pedro" to much of the congregation—is also presided over by a Mexican immigrant, who delivers services in both Spanish and English. One Wednesday evening, a Spanish-language mass draws some 50 people, many of whom rise to the pulpit to deliver impromptu words of praise for the Lord—like the woman who repeats "Gracias, Señor" over and over again until her emotion reaches a fever pitch.

Hispanic immigrants do not exactly run the town—but the children and grandchildren of immigrants do. Wapato currently has its first Latino mayor, police chief, and fire chief.

Antonio Delgado Sr. is typical of the town's small-business owners. Speaking one evening in his grown daughter's house—located in the nearby town of Moxee and painted in electric shades of red and green seldom seen in the muted Northwest—the 53-year-old Delgado says he too was once illegal and received amnesty in the '80s. For eight years, he worked as a farm worker, and he put in another 10 years at an apple-packing company. Then a friend and fellow Mexican who owned two laundromats in Wapato offered to sell him one.

To buy it, Delgado got a loan from a Yakima nonprofit called Rural Community Development Resources. Founded in 1991, the organization uses federal grants to help an array of budding Latino entrepreneurs—but only ones who provide identification indicating they are legal residents or citizens, according to RCDR founder Luz Gutierrez.

In time, Gutierrez's organization dispensed a second loan to Delgado to start a bakery next door to the laundromat, which led him to start two more bakeries in Harrah (not so profitable and eventually closed) and Moxee.

Delgado's bakeries offer the oversized pastries favored by Mexicans: fruitcakes, cream-filled "tacos" (resembling rolled crepes), fruit turnovers that in Mexico would never hold apples but which in Washington make use of the local bounty.

Delgado's 20-year-old son, also named Antonio, works full time at the laundromat in Wapato. And though he plans to re-enter school soon, he declares—even out of earshot of his parents—his intention to come right back to Wapato when he's done. "Everyone's family," he says of the town.

And often that's just about literally true. Mayor Jesse Farias, 65, is surrounded in Wapato by nine of his 11 siblings. The grandchild of Mexican immigrants who grew up in a section of town then called "Tortilla Flats," he signed up for the military during the Vietnam War. "I thought there had to be a better life," he explains in Wapato's one-story, brick city hall.

There was—at least for a while, he says, but he eventually lost both legs in the war. Out of the military and consigned to a wheelchair, he moved to Olympia. He worked for many years at the state's Employment Security department, then received two gubernatorial appointments, one of which made him the state director of the Department of Veteran Affairs.

In 1999 he returned to Wapato, where he became mayor in 2004.

Why did he trade the state capital for a town one-tenth its size? "This is my home," he says. "I'll always come back."

Similarly, Lorenzo Alvarado, son of a Mexican farm worker and a school principal in nearby Yakima, counts five of his seven siblings as neighbors in Wapato. His wife, a Mexican native, has family in town too.

Every weekend, Alvarado says, there's some kind of family event: "a barbecue, a birthday party, a quinceañera."

"All the culture I need is here," he says.

Flores, of WSU, says he believes immigrants' ongoing love affair with the valley has kept its housing market afloat. As real-estate values in the rest of the country tanked, the valley's stayed relatively stable. Local home prices even rose during one of the worst points of the recession last summer. At the time, ABC's Good Morning America (citing figures from Seattle's Zillow.com) referred to Yakima County as one of the best places in the nation to sell a home.

And to buy one, too. The median price for houses (excluding new construction) is $147,000, according to WSU's Washington Center for Real Estate Research. Those prices have been accessible to many of the region's immigrants, says realtor Hernandez, who estimates that his clientele is 90 percent Hispanic.

Paul Regimbal, president of the Catholic Credit Union in Yakima, says that his business is targeting Latino customers as part of its strategic plan for growth. He notes that many Catholic Hispanics naturally gravitate toward his company, which was originally set up as a cooperative for Catholics in the valley but now serves all faiths. The credit union builds on that affinity by advertising in Spanish-language newspapers and TV and radio stations.

"Any business that is not wrapping their arms around the facts in this valley is missing the boat," Regimbal says. By "facts," he means Hispanic immigrants. "These folks are here. They pay their bills. They're not going away."

In the years since 9/11, and even more so following the mortgage crash, many financial institutions have effectively made it harder for illegal immigrants to get loans and accounts by requiring a valid Social Security number. The USA Patriot Act required banks to more stringently verify a customer's identity in order to prevent money-laundering by potential terrorists.

The Patriot Act, though, doesn't specifically require customers to prove their legal status, allowing them to authenticate their identity with what the Internal Revenue Service calls an "individual taxpayer identification number," which one can obtain without a Social Security number. That suffices for the Catholic Credit Union. Regimbal says it's simply not his company's job to delve into immigration matters.

Hernandez says that's another reason the credit union is popular among the Hispanic community. Even so, he says, the rule-tightening in the industry overall is partly to blame for the significant drop-off in business he has seen over the past couple of years. Whereas he once handled approximately 10 transactions a month, he now does about half that.

One of his clients, Jesse Anguiano, just bought a $275,000, 3,500-square-foot house on a 1.7-acre plot on the outskirts of Wapato. Anguiano's father was a Mexican farm worker who brought him here illegally as a child. Later, Anguiano says, the family received amnesty. Now a citizen, he works as the operations manager of a logging company on the Yakama Reservation.

He bought his first house in the city of Yakima nine years ago, but longed for the country. Gesturing on a recent day to the orchards and open fields that surround his new house, he says he loves the place for "the view and the space," and the chance to get his kids (three of them, with one more on the way) away from the TV. He's built a chicken coop behind the house, is thinking about buying horses, and is scoping out the best place to build a fire pit for making s'mores.

Only a few miles away from this bucolic scene, in Anguiano's former home of Yakima, the debate over illegal immigration is still roiling the citizenry. With a population of 84,000—67 percent white, 37 percent Latino, according to the latest census estimate—Yakima is the region's major metropolis, and there's widespread resentment between the two communities. Just as in Arizona, whites blame Hispanics for a crime problem: Gang violence claimed 25 lives in the valley during just the first half of this year. And Hispanics accuse whites of bigotry.

Gutierrez, of Rural Community Development Resources, says she originally called her Yakima-based organization the Washington Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, but changed that about five years later to the more innocuous name.

On May 1, a day when pro-immigrant marches took place across the country, 3,000 people gathered in Yakima, galvanized by anger over Arizona's new immigration law. Gempler of the Growers League marched with them. Like many in the farm lobby nationally, he has long supported so-called "comprehensive" immigration reform, including the "path to citizenship" proposed by Obama.

Yakima police chief Samuel Granato, the grandchild of Mexican immigrants, spoke to the crowd—in Spanish. The chief, who described himself to Seattle Weekly as "just to the left of Attila the Hun" on most issues, announced to those assembled that he didn't support the Arizona law, in part because he needs the help of all immigrants, legal or illegal, to fight crime. "I don't need you to be afraid that local police are going to arrest you," is how he put it.

Granato's remarks weren't well received by some in town. The Yakima Herald-Republic editorialized that they were inappropriate for a city official, and Granato came to a Yakima City Council meeting to defend them and assure critics he was speaking only for himself, not describing an official department position.

The council, meanwhile, has been busy recently debating a proposal to require the city and its contractors to vet new hires through the government-run E-Verify system. Designed to ensure that potential employees are legal residents or citizens, it uses federal databases to check Social Security numbers. A growing number of states—including Arizona, California, and Georgia—require contractors, or in some cases all private employers, to use the system.

In Washington state, Lewis, Clark, Pierce, and Whatcom counties have adopted E-Verify, and an all-volunteer group called Respect Washington! tried to get an initiative on the ballot this year that would have required statewide use of the system. (The measure, which also called for local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws, as in Arizona, failed to get enough signatures.) With Yakima's council scheduled to vote on the issue on May 25, Respect Washington! took out a full-page newspaper ad encouraging its supporters to attend the hearing. Many came, but so did Gutierrez and several other Latino leaders. They cautioned the council that the system was plagued with errors, and warned that imposing the system would further polarize the city. Some council members were concerned about losing Latino cooperation with a major new anti-gang initiative. In a tight vote, the council rejected E-Verify.

But the controversy was still troubling the council a couple of weeks later at an evening "listening session" held at a senior center.

"Please don't be intimated by the Hispanic community," said Bob West, leader of a group that agitates against illegal immigration, called Grassroots of Yakima Valley. He was one of several people in the mostly-white crowd that encouraged the council to reconsider E-Verify. And some council members seem inclined to do so.

When another man suggested that the council pass a resolution supporting Arizona's new law, Councilmember Bill Lover said he'd like to explore the notion, adding "I'm proud of what [Arizona] is doing." (Last week, the Obama administration filed suit to block the law. The ACLU, in a lawsuit underwritten by Seattle Weekly's owner, Village Voice Media, is also seeking an injunction against the statute.)

Another speaker, a retired nurse named Robbie Byrne, bemoaned what she called Yakima's growing "reputation as a sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants. Chatting with the Weekly after the meeting, she said immigrants "bring crimes, drugs, diseases. The people who are illegal who come here really are a detriment, not only to society but to the economy."

When asked about all the neighboring towns with economies dependent on immigrants who once came here illegally, Byrne replied that legal immigrants could fill the same role.

Of course, many of today's legal residents were yesterday's illegals, as Marquez, the farmer, knows firsthand. He says the crusaders against illegal immigrants don't see Mexicans as humans, nor understand how crackdowns tear families apart. About three years ago, he says, a friend of his was deported. The friend, a farm worker in Wapato, left behind a wife who was an American citizen as well as three children all born in the U.S. (Changes to the law in 1996 made it harder to get legal status, as Marquez did, through marriage.)

Marquez says that, like all farmers, he worries about potential raids by immigration authorities, which were stepped up by President Bush and have continued under Obama. This past December, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted an audit of employee documentation at a huge apple and cherry orchard named Gebbers Farm, located about 170 miles north of Wapatointhe town of Brewster. Due to improper paperwork turned up by the agency, Gebbers subsequently laid off numerous workers—exactly how many, the farm refuses to say, but local reporters have estimated hundreds, which is a lot considering the town of Brewster has only about 2,000 people. (The farm thengot guest-worker permits that allowed it to fly in replacements fromJamaica.)

Marquez says he requires his employees to provide a Social Security number, but that it's not his responsibility to make sure those numbers are authentic. He acknowledges that E-Verify could be an effective way of doing so—thereby stemming the tide of illegal immigration in a way that periodic raids have not accomplished. People will stop coming if they can't find work here, he reasons.

But he calls that prospect "pretty scary. Who is going to help us on the farm?" Even with all the illegal immigration taking place, he says that some years he had problems finding enough labor.

Not in the past two years, though. Where he used to get maybe 10 people showing up at his orchard every day seeking work, he now gets 50.

He attributes this not only to the recession but to an influx of Hispanics from Arizona, scared away from the state by the backlash. The labor surplus allowed him to thin all his apple trees by late June, a time of year when workers typically depart for higher-paying cherry-picking jobs.

You might say that as far as Marquez is concerned, Arizona's loss is Washington's gain.

nshapiro@seattleweekly.com  



 


SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES
   

2012 Call for Papers
The Vaquero Bota by Richard Duree
The Bear Wars by Adam Goodheart
Life during the oil boom and Mexican revolution
Cal State Northridge professor caught in Arizona controversy
UNM Libraries to digitize newspapers, late 19th-early 20th century
Susanne Martinez, first Hispanic Female elected Governor of New Mexico

The Spanish-Americans of New Mexico: A Heritage of Pride. by Nancie L. Gonzalez

2012 Call for Papers
Must be received by September 2011

52nd Annual Conference of the Western History Association Denver, Colorado, October 4-7, 2012 Boundary Markers and Border Crossers: Finding the West and Westerners. : www.westernhistoryassociation.org
The Vaquero Bota by Richard Duree
President of the Living History Society of Mission San Juan Capistrano

Two items of vaqueros clothing that have endured over time are the cowboy hat cowboy boots. The botas (boots) first arrived as high bucket leather boots secured above the knee with leather thongs or tassels. Like the noble and proud Spaniards of yesteryear, to this day we make fashion statements about our station in life by donning exquisitely made boots of the most expensive and exotic leather. Because it is so functional, comfortable and stylish, it is still virtually the same boot that arrived with the Spanish settlers and was adapted and perfected by the Mexicans.


 According to Jerry Padilla in the Spring issue of La Herencia magazine, "...Designed for use by those spending large amounts of time mounted, and for working cattle, the style continued to be perfected in the Hispanic Southwest."

The New York Times
The Opinion Pages, January 14, 2011

The Bear Wars by Adam Goodheart
Stockton, California, January 16, 1861

Three thousand miles distant from the palmetto secession flags of Charleston and the “Don’t Tread on Me” banners of Savannah, another ensign of disunion flew – briefly – over American soil. This one appeared on an ordinary Wednesday above the town of Stockton, Calif., in the gold-mining district east of San Francisco.

Historical accounts are strangely silent about who raised it. But at some point during that day – Jan. 16, 1861 – citizens looked up to see it waving from the masthead of a surveying schooner moored in the Mormon Slough, a small body of water in the heart of the town. According to the next morning’s edition of the Stockton Argus, the silk banner depicted a “huge grizzly bear” standing amid a “wild mountain scene.” In one corner was a single white star on a blue background – similar to many of the secession flags back east. And across the top were the words “PACIFIC REPUBLIC.”

Full article at:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/the-bear-wars/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1 

Adam Goodheart is the author of the forthcoming book “1861: The Civil War Awakening.” He lives in Washington, D.C., and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he is the Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.


Life during the oil boom and Mexican revolution
I continue reading books about Panuco and Tampico Veracruz. I'm getting a clearer picture of how life might have been for my grandma during the oil boom and Mexican revolution. It's looking more as if the oil boom was to blame for the separation of her family. That area seemed to be protected by gunman hired by the oil companies, land owners and the very rich. I'm still reading though. The Degolyto er Library, Southern Methodist University, has the most amazing pictures taken during 1900-1920 era in Mexico. I couldn't stop crying from the emotion I felt after looking at the pictures of the Mexican women. My grandma looked just like them. In my opinion, some of the pictures are evident why the white man regarded the Mexican as lazy, uneducated, ignorant and "push overs". I was offended by two pictures of children checking their hair for lice. They were "staged" to sit on the floor, one in front of the other, going through their hair like monkeys do. I guess that was the prejudiced thinking back then. The people were so poor yet seemed happy even though they didn't have much. The pictures tell such a revealing story of how life was for the rich and the poor, Amazing!!

Yolanda Cenntenial
yoliekline631@gmail.com 

Women of the Mexican Oil Fields
Class, Nationality, Economy, Culture, 1900–1938

Myrna Santiago
Extracted from pages 102-103, © 2009 Journal of Women’s History, Vol. 21 No. 1, 87–110.

The Mexican oil industry during the period of foreign ownership, 1900–1938, has inspired scholarship covering a myriad of actors, but not women. This article proposes to fill in that gap, documenting the experiences of foreign and Mexican women in the cradle of the industry, northern Veracruz and Tampico, Tamaulipas. This article argues that women were not only present in the oil fields, but that they were also indispensable for the economic success of the oil enterprise as a whole.  Nevertheless, the experiences of women were quite diverse, depending on such factors as class and nationality. For Mexican women in particular, life in oil country meant revolutionary changes, even if capitalist structures and patriarchal culture remained intact.

Nevertheless, the women of the oil fields changed their lives. The journey of Josefina Padrón illustrates the transformations possible. She migrated as a child to Tampico with her single mother. She sold homemade candy in the streets and remained in the informal economic sector until she married an oil worker named Felix Chávez. Adhering to patriarchal norms, she asked Felix for permission to enroll in state-sponsored first-aid classes in the late 1920s, then to return to school since she had dropped out after third grade. In 1933, the state offered her a scholarship to study nursing in Mexico City. Felix could not deny her what the revolutionary state recognized she deserved: Josefina went to the capital with her daughter Martha.

In 1936, Josefina got a job as a nurse at El Aguila’s hospital, which became the union’s hospital upon nationalization in 1938. In the early 1940s, Josefina revealed how much she had changed. She defied Felix when he told Martha at her high school graduation that her education was over. Josefina refuted him, paying for Martha’s university herself. The modicum of financial independence the revolutionary state had made possible for Josefina thus served two generations of women. Martha Chávez Padrón became a lawyer in the nationalized oil industry. Another daughter became a nurse and joined her mother at the hospital. The Chávez Padrón women finally became oil women in their own right.85

At the end of the period of foreign oil, then, some women had gained access to education, explored their talents, and broadened their life choices. The majority had made the great transition from rural life to a deeply politicized urban working-class existence, even if they were still ideologically tied to the domestic sphere. Capitalism, industrialization, and revolution had produced revolutionary changes in the lives of women, but as scholar Jocelyn Olcott has argued, even full political enfranchisement did not guarantee structural change in Mexico’s capitalist economy or in its patriarchal culture.86 Women’s work was not nearly done.

 

 

Cal State Northridge professor caught in Arizona controversy  
Hector Tobar , Los Angeles Times January 14, 2011  

 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0114-tobar-20110114,0,6611957.column

Rodolfo Acuña's Mexican American history book, first published four decades ago, has become fuel for Arizona politicians targeting ethnic studies programs.  

Rodolfo "Rudy" Acuña is an amiable, white-haired professor from Los Angeles who's having his named dragged through the mud by certain Arizona politicians.

He grew up in South L.A. and East Hollywood in the 1940s and '50s, and has fond memories of learning Latin at Loyola High School. He went on to make a career of teaching generations of young people from the Southwest some of the salient episodes of their history.

His most famous work is a Mexican American history textbook on which hundreds of future politicos, writers and PhDs cut their intellectual teeth. It's now in its seventh printing.

But to Arizona's new attorney general, Tom Horne, who's accused him of fostering "ethnic chauvinism," Acuña is a separatist and a danger to the republic.

When he was the state's top education official, Horne used Acuña's book, "Occupied America, A History of Chicanos," as Exhibit A in a successful campaign to have certain Latino studies classes shut down in Arizona schools.

"These people think you're a separatist if you want to teach and include people," Acuña told me as we sat this week in his Cal State Northridge office. "I don't want to be part of Mexico.... That's a stupid thing to argue."

Acuña is 78 now and his voice often quavers when he speaks. He seems genuinely confused and offended by his appearance in the Arizona controversy. I think he has every right to be upset — because the ban on Latino studies in Arizona is really just a crude attempt to scapegoat books, ideas and teachers in a state up in arms over illegal immigration.

"All we're trying to do is teach people that they have a history they should be proud of," Acuña said. "Everyone has a right to feel good about themselves."

"Occupied America" was one of several books used in Mexican American studies classes in Tucson high schools. Horne argued in an open letter published in a Tucson newspaper in 2007 that the classes were fostering ethnic antagonism as part of "an officially recognized, resentment-based program."

He backed a law, passed last year, that all but equated ethnic studies with treason by making it illegal for any school program to advocate the overthrow of the government, "promote resentment" toward a group of people or "advocate ethnic solidarity." It went into effect Jan. 1, and last week Horne declared that the Tucson school district's Mexican American studies classes violated its provisions.

The Tucson schools are fighting to keep the classes going. They are open to students of all ethnicities. Besides Acuña's work, the course reading list includes William Shakespeare, Sandra Cisneros (who is American, born in Chicago), and Junot Díaz, the Dominican American winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Students also read plays by the critically acclaimed and often irreverent L.A.-based theater group Culture Clash.

"In one sense, it's a badge of honor" to be on the reading list of a banned class, said Richard Montoya, a playwright and Culture Clash member. But the ban "is really quite shameful for the state of Arizona."

I'd like to ask Mr. Horne how he would teach American history without "promoting resentment" and thus breaking his new law. Is it possible to learn about the slave trade or Japanese American internment, for example, without feeling at least a fleeting sense of outrage?

"Occupied America," first published in 1972, is the defiant product of a moment of conflict in L.A. history. Students were on the streets protesting the Vietnam War and demanding better schools.  Acuña had just gotten his doctorate in history. The rebellious spirit of the times filtered into his prose and the provocative title of his book.

"I have seen that people of Mexican extraction in the United States are … captives of a system that renders them second-class citizens," Acuña wrote in the first edition. He said he wanted to give those young Chicanos a history primer that would serve as a tool for their "liberation."

In a 1975 review, the American Historical Review praised the first edition of "Occupied America" as "an excellent introductory survey of the history of a particular minority group that conveys not only scholarship and information, but sincerity, concern and commitment as well."

Like "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," "Occupied America" is an artifact from another era and is very often read as such. Part narrative, part polemic, it's a work that's meant to stir a love of history in people who grew up thinking they didn't have a past worth reading about.

"The idea is to use these issues of cultural identity as a way to motivate students," Acuña said.

In the pages of "Occupied America," there are lynchings, mass labor strikes that are brutally suppressed. It's often grim. A cynical reader can certainly pick out passages — as Horne did — that sound offensive when stripped of their original context.

In his 2007 open letter, Horne singled out the phrase "kill the gringo" made by a 1960s youth leader whom Acuña writes about. "If you quote something I say," Acuña told me, "does that mean you believe it?"

No, it doesn't. It's as unfair as making a Civil War historian responsible for the speeches of John Brown or Jefferson Davis.

History is a messy and often violent thing. And it may not be possible to make students care about America's past without being blunt about some of the suffering and exploitation that helped create it.

But mentioning that ugly past doesn't mean you're fomenting division, said Montoya of Culture Clash. In Culture Clash's work, various characters with Spanish surnames confront racism but emerge stronger and even more certain of their American identities.

"I hate to sound corny, but most of our work is built around themes of hope," Montoya said. "But to get to those themes, you need to go to some dark places first. And do it unflinchingly."

I had never read "Occupied America" before this week. But I recognized in its pages the kind of books I read in my youth: stories about injustices that made me angry. They awakened in me a lifelong love of history as well as gratitude that I live in a country where people have the right to fight for change.

hector.tobar@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. beto@unt.edu

 


UNM Libraries to digitize newspapers, late 19th-early 20th century


Source: “Southwestern Archivist” newsletter. November, 2010. 

“ University Libraries UNM will use grant funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize from microfilm at least 100,000 pages of newspapers printed in New Mexico during the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Newspapers published between 1860 and 1922 will be digitized and will be ready for scholars’ use in 2012. You should know that only English newspapers will be included in the project. Currently, the NEW does not fund digitization of Spanish-language newspapers due to the difficulty of character recognition software to read foreign languages. However, by 2012, software improvements will be made to accommodate the digitization of Spanish-language newspapers and could be included in subsequent grant requests. An advisory board comprised of New Mexicans from across the state will make the decisions about which newspapers are digitized. As digitization progresses, the newspapers will join more than 70,000 photographs, documents, films & music currently in the University Libraries’ “New Mexico’s Digital Collections” and will be available from the Library of Congress’ “Chronicling America.” “ 

Dr. Christine Marin, Archivist Professor Emerita
Chicana/o Research Collection & Archives
University Libraries. 
Arizona State University. 
PO Box 871006.
Tempe, AZ. 85287-1006. 
Christine.Marin@asu.edu

http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. 
beto@unt.edu

  

 
Susanne Martinez, first Hispanic Female elected Governor of New Mexico
It was announced recently that the first Hispanic Female elected Governor of New Mexico would have the unprecedented saying of the National Anthem in Spanish at her inaugural ceremonies. It was to be said by a young girl also with her same name, Susanne Martinez.

Earlier in the week two letters to the Albuquerque Journal, in the state's Metropolitan Community. It had two letters to the editor by two Anglos who objected to the National Anthem being said in Spanish.

Retired General Mel Montano, former Adjutant General of the New Mexico National Guard, a Land Grant heir, native New Mexican, President of the New Mexico Hispanic Culture Preservation League wrote the Albuquerque Journal an Op-Ed which sets forth the rationale for the National Antham being said in Spanish, which you will find attached.As of this missive it has not appeared yet.

I send this to you as a Texan who chooses to stay in New Mexico since we all forget, certainly the recent new comers to New Mexico that here is the Gateway to Western Civilization, Culture, Laws and Christianity, years before Jamestown and the British on the Eastern SeaBoard. New Mexico was the Gateway to Western Civilization and Christianity.

An importance of this historic first and the standing up of General Montano is a reminder to ourselves and the generation of young people who come after us, that our rich culture, religion and language was being cultivated before those who claim superiority were here. 

One day our nation will wake up and take note we are spending so many young lives. time, sacrifices and national treasure on Iraq, Afghanistan while taking our neighbors to the south for granted the neighbors to he South whos history, language, culture and religion is aired by 300 million people, the same amount of people as in the United States.

General Mel Montano's action is a reminder to all of us, wherever we are and what position we may hold that we all need to stand, be heard and be proud of who we are for the sake of our young minds, such as the Dreamers.

Dr. Henry J. Casso 505 294m4157 - Project Uplift02@MSN.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2011 04:00:38 +0000
From: mmontano3@comcast.net
To: projectuplift02@msn.com
Subject: op-ed on those opposing the Pledge of Allegiance being recited in Spanish at Governor-elect Susana Martinez's Inauguration

We, the members of the New Mexican Hispanic Culture Preservation League, oppose the three letters to the editor opposing the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish at the inauguration of Governor-Elect Susana Martinez for the following reasons: 1) no one objects when the Native Americans recite the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem in their native languages, 2) the Spanish were the first Europeans to colonize what is present day United States thus making Spanish and the Native American languages the prevelant languages, 3) the entire southern part of the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans was under Spanish rule twenty three years before any other Europeans settled in Jamestown Virginia, 4) On January 12, 1911, New Mexico had ratified a constitution and forwarded itto President Taft who approved it on February 24, 1911. The Senate, however, did not approve the constitution because of the provision which made amendments far to difficult. A resolution was adopted by Congress requiring New Mexico to resubmit to the electors a less restrictive provision for constitutional amendments. This resolution also deleted the provision of the enabling act which required state officers and legislators of New Mexico to have a comprehensive knowledge of the English language. On November 7, 1911, the electors of New Mexico approved a substitute provision on the amendment process. On January 6, 1912, President Taft signed the Statehood Proclamation.

The Mexican Americans of New Mexico succeeded in protecting their heritage by inserting provisions in their constitution which made Spanish an offical language, equal to the English language. We are all Americans and are proud of our nationality but equally proud of our culture. Many of us served in the military to protect our constitutional rights. For those of you, non Native New Mexicans, the Pledge of Allegiance is to be recited both in English and Spanish at the inauguration of Governor-Elect Susana Martinez.

Melvyn Montano, President, New Mexican Hispanic Culture Preservation League 

 

 

 

 

The Spanish-Americans of New Mexico:
 A Heritage of Pride. by Nancie L. Gonzalez


Abstract: 
A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource:
The primary purpose of this book is to present a synthetic account of the sociocultural system of the Spanish Americans in New Mexico. Historical as well as contemporary materials have been used to describe previously existing structures and to illustrate the processes of change. The background study consisted primarily of a systematic review of the literature dealing especially with the social, economic, and cultural characteristics of this population. Some original research of an exploratory nature was conducted concerning topics which seemed to be lacking or under-represented in the available resources. In the document, an attempt is made to describe this culture both as a functioning subsystem and in relation to the broader society of which it is an integral part. Related document  015 815. (BO)  Sent by Jaime Cader  jmcader@yahoo.com


 


INDIGENOUS

Three Nations Indian Circle
Noche de Cultura: Hispanics’ Indigenous Identity Series
 

Three Nations Indian Circle 
The 3-day event was held January 14-16
Information and Photos sent by Jaime Cader
Dedicated to Helping Native Peoples of the AmericasThree Nations Indian CircleThree Nations Indian Circle (TNIC) is a non-profit organization that assists in the preservation of the cultures, Indigenous sciences, and identities of Indigenous nations of the Americas. Since 1999, our primary focus has been to work directly with Indigenous organizations and communities in El Salvador. We dedicate ourselves to fostering education and exchange programs to expand cultural information and awareness of the Nahuat, Lenca and Maya nations of El Salvador. We collaborate with communities in El Salvador to regain land, build healthy and sustainable communities, and to promote human rights.

 

Member of the board of directors of the Three Nations Indian Circle.  -ttendees of the ceremony to commemorate "La Matanza" of 1932 in El Salvador. Just prior to that massacre, my relative Arturo Araujo was deposed of the presidency in a coup. The young lady on the left wearing a white sweater is half Lakota Indian and half Salvadoran. The woman in the brown jacket is Robin DeLugan, anthropologist and professor at the University of California-Merced. 

Mission of Three Nations Indian Circle:  dedicated to helping native peoples of the Americas.  Three Nations Indian Circle (TNIC) is a non-profit organization that assists in the preservation of the cultures, Indigenous sciences, and identities of Indigenous nations of the Americas. Organized in 1999, the primary focus has been to work directly with Indigenous organizations and communities in El Salvador.  The group is dedicated to fostering education and exchange programs to expand cultural information and awareness of the Nahuat, Lenca and Maya nations of El Salvador. We collaborate with communities in El Salvador to regain land, build healthy and sustainable communities, and to promote human rights. 



Some of the hip hop artists were of Mexican and other Latin American backgrounds. Rappers waiting for their turn to perform on the first day of the program (January 14, 2011), # 020A

A Mayan Indian from Sololá, Guatemala by the name of Don Pascual lead the Cachikel Maya offering ceremony on the third day. Page 104 of the following link has photographs of offerings. The ones that have a flower border are similar to the one made on the Sunday morning of January 16, 2011:
http://www.oztotl.com/maya/ann-scott-dissertation.pdf 

Me (Jaime Cader) with singer "Amazon Blew" from Los Angeles.  Tony Gonzalez, AIM (American Indian Movement) West Coast Director.
Atzintli Mazatl, a board member of the Three Nations Indian Circle in San Francisco, California.  He is Salvadoran, a Middle School teacher and an Aztec dancer.
Feeding the ducks after the Mayan ceremony, two brothers of Salvadoran and Mexican descent.
“Noche de Cultura: Hispanics’ Indigenous Identity Series”
January 28th, the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos 
featured Mark Standing Eagle Baez,
Accompanying himself with the heartbeat rhythm of his hand drum and singing traditional Native songs during his performance, Mark Standing Eagle Baez presents the deeply spiritual traditions of several Native American cultures, this month at the new Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos. Coming from the Navajo Reservation where he has lived for the past several years, Baez will perform on January 28th at 211 Lee Street, San Marcos, Texas, from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. 

This presentation on Plains Indians culture is part of “Noche de Cultura: Hispanics’ Indigenous Identity Series”, developed by local nonprofit Indigenous Cultures Institute as a complement to its Powwow in the Schools program. Once each month, the Institute brings a presentation to San Marcos that demonstrates the rich and vibrant Native heritage of the Hispanic community. This series is supported by the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, San Marcos Arts Commission, Hays County, CenturyLink, the San Marcos Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Tomblin Family Foundation. An ancient symbols art workshop for students is sponsored by Texas Commission on the Arts.

“As indigenous people we are all related,” says Dr. Mario Garza, board chair of the Institute. “We want to share the culture of the northern U.S. Native Americans with the people in Texas and northern Mexico, to explore our differences and our commonalities.” 

As an apprentice in the Native American Church, Baez has worked and studied with healers from Texas, Oklahoma, and the Navajo Nation. He believes in the importance of keeping a balance in your life and living in harmony. Part of his presentation on January 28th will include the making of prayer ties and his explanation of the significance of this tradition for Native Americans.

“Mark is a respected figure in our Native community,” says Maria Rocha, Institute board member. “And he has one of the most beautiful singing voices we’ve ever heard.”

On February 25 the series will feature the amazing and popular Mayan dance company Grupo Pakal, bringing their premier performance to the Centro Cultural. On March 26, El Paso’s renowned artist Gabriel S. Gaytán will present an all day, ancient symbols workshop for high school students. Closing the series on April 16 will be educator Carlos Aceves, M.Ed. who will present an all day workshop on Xinachtli Project ancient teachings based on the Aztec calendar.

Indigenous Cultures Institute organized the local Native community to provide education and information about Native Americans, particularly from this area, southern Texas, and northern Mexico. Their first major event in San Marcos, “Songs of the Seven Directions” music festival, was held at the Aquarena Center’s Earth Day Celebration in 2009. They have since produced several Native functions including “Eagle and Condor” dance exhibition, “Hispanic’s Indigenous Identity” lecture series, “Tracing Indigenous Ancestry” genealogy workshop, “Seven Directions Art Exhibit, and the May 2010 Sacred Springs Powwow. For more information visit www.IndigenousCultures.org 

Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@anr.msu.edu 

 

 


SEPHARDIC

The Jewish Calendar Demystified by Steve Morse
Spain, Jews and Israel: 25 years after formal relations 
 
The Jewish Calendar Demystified by Steve Morse
San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society             

Lecture and Meeting held January 23, 2011
Congregation Beth Israel Judea, 


The Jewish calendar is important to genealogists because Jewish vital records use Jewish dates. This includes not only birth, marriage, and death certificates, but tombstone inscriptions as well. The Jewish calendar is both a solar and lunar calendar, with the months being synchronized to the moon and years to the sun. As such, the rules governing the calendar can be a bit daunting. This talk presents the calendar in an easy-to-understand—and sometimes tongue-in-cheek—fashion. The aim is not to make you an expert in computing Jewish dates (we have programs that do that) but rather to give you an appreciation for what's involved in such calculations. Topics covered include the 19-year calendar cycle, the origin of time, errors in the Jewish and secular calendars, and the use of Hebrew letters to represent dates on tombstones.

Stephen Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website, for which he has received both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from IAJGS, the Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, the first ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies. In his other life Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate degree in electrical
engineering. He has held various research, development, and teaching positions, authored numerous technical papers, and written four textbooks, and holds four patents.

Meetings are free to attend and everyone is welcome.
Janice M. Sellers, Publicity Director
San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society
http://www.sfbajgs.org/

Sent by Cathy Lujit 
itsallrelative@charter.net
 


Spain, Jews and Israel: 25 years after formal relations 
By DANIEL S. MARIASCHIN 

01/16/2011 22:41 


The 25th anniversary of formalization of Spanish-Israel relations marks great opportunity to renew, review, remember sometimes glorious and sometimes tragic history. 

The history of the Jews and Spain was rocky for centuries, with Spain giving Jews a “choice” of expulsion, forced conversion or death in 1492. But a new chapter opened 25 years ago when Spain and Israel established diplomatic relations on January 17, 1986. It was the first time that Spain recognized the State of Israel, and it was a watershed moment for both nations.

What has happened since? The relationship between Spain and Israel, and Spain and Jews has hit a rocky, but hopefully not irreversible, patch.

In what could be a more than problematic development, Spain upgraded its diplomatic relationship with the Palestinian Authority this last fall, perhaps foreshadowing its recognition of a Palestinian state. That possibility, outside of bilateral negotiations, would undermine and jeopardize an already precarious peace process by removing Israel from the equation.

Another disturbing sign of trouble: the Pew Research Center’s 2008 Global Attitudes Project found 46 percent of Spanish residents held an unfavorable view of Jews. Just three years earlier, 21% held an unfavorable view of Jews in a similar survey. These shocking numbers propelled Spain to the top of the list of European nations with a poor view of Jews.

To be sure, this is a distressing development. But the poll cannot be used only to define the relationship between Spain and Jews and Spain and Israel. These broadly held attitudes must also be viewed as a teachable moment.

TO SOME extent, the Spanish government has acknowledged the problem of anti-Jewish sentiment. In February 2007, Spain launched Casa Sefarad-Israel in Madrid to teach the public about Judaism and Jewish culture. The center also studies the Sephardi culture as “integral” to Spanish culture, and aims to “promote the development of the ties of friendship and cooperation between Spanish and Israeli societies.”

Upon its launch, Casa Sefarad-Israel was described by Spain’s foreign minister as “an instrument of public diplomacy.”

Such a program is vital in a nation with only 40,000 Jews out of a population of nearly 46 million.

It is important to review history in considering the Spanish-Jewish-Israel connection. At the time of the Inquisition, Spain was home to one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, and Jews had a deep impact on all aspects of society. Even now, more than 500 years later, the imprint left behind by Spain’s Jews is vital to understanding the country.

With so few Jews in the country, it is highly likely that most Spanish citizens never encounter them, and that could account for some of the negative views. Personal contact could help change hearts and minds. That’s where nongovernmental organizations, civil society and Jewish groups come in. These groups must work to bridge the knowledge gap through community outreach and educational endeavors.

It is incumbent on the whole of Spanish society to partner with these groups to teach tolerance and understanding. The media can also be helpful in that process.

While many leaders may appreciate Jewish contributions to Spain, an understanding of the larger Middle East picture is less apparent. Given the choice, Spanish governments have too often chosen to view the Israel-Palestinian issue through a narrow lens, which more often than not does not appear to be objective. The continuing impression is that too often the relationship is with the Arab world to the exclusion of Israel.

This narrative presents a misguided path that government leaders must be careful to avoid.

Former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar’s defense of Israel, and his understanding of its predicament as part of the broader Middle East, embodies the best of what future relations could be. Last June, he wrote a powerful defense of Israel’s predicament for The Times of London.

At the same time, he launched the “Friends of Israel” group to offer a strong counterpoint to what often seems like an international campaign to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

A friend like this emerging from Spain is perhaps the best chance for an attitude adjustment within Spain. Even out of office, such leading by example can help reset the tone for his country.

The 25th anniversary of the formalization of Spanish-Israel relations marks a great opportunity to renew and review and remember a sometimes glorious and sometimes tragic history in Spanish-Jewish relations, while looking ahead to future collaboration.

The writer is executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=203879 

Editor:  Please go to the SPAIN and INTERNATIONAL columns in this issue for more on this topic. 


AFRICAN-AMERICAN

 History and Genealogy of the Slaves from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 
Editor: Sharing for general information:

In a message dated 1/5/2011 7:07:17 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, PamL@thebookhouse.com writes:

Hello, I am writing on behalf of a library customer who has requested that we obtain one copy of the title Dahlia Rose Guajardo “ History and Genealogy of the Slaves from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico”. 
 
Is this book available for purchase from you?  If not, would you happen to know how we can reach the author to inquire about purchasing?  We appreciate any information you can provide.
 
Thank you, Pam Laurell
Order Unit Supervisor
 the Book House, Inc.
208 W. Chicago St.
Jonesville,  MI   49250
ph: (517) 849-2117, ext 341
fx:  (517) 849-4060 
paml@thebookhouse.com
 
 
On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 7:24 AM, <MIMILOZANO@aol.com> wrote:
Dear Pam, I am forwarding your request to Dahlia and a co-author, Crispin Rendon.
dahlpalaci@sbcglobal.net, crispin.rendon@gmail.com
Best wishes . .   Mimi
www.SomosPrimos.com
 
In a message dated 1/5/2011 9:33:01 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, crispin.rendon@gmail.com writes:
 Hello Pam,
The book is available online for free at; home.earthlink.net/~shharmembers/monterreyslaves.pdf 
If you prefer a hard copy they are sold by Los Bexarenos. Details at http://www.losbexarenos.org/publications.htm
Best Regards,
Crispin Rendon

 

 

EAST COAST 

Black Star Held workshop: The Power of Mentoring Drives Change
Feb 4th: FLORICANTO IN WASHINGTON, DC:  Multicultural reading in response to 1070
Editor: I received this too late to include in the January issues, but the Black Star efforts are to be commended.  The Black Star projects are a model for all communities, minority or non-minorities, putting the responsibility back into the hands of the parents and local communities to educated and guide our youth for positive inclusion in the fabric of the United States, good citizens.

In New York City, The Power of Mentoring Drives Change
Location: OSI-New York, 400 West 59th Street 
New York, NY 10019
Event Date: Monday, January 31, 2010 
Event Time: 5:30-8:00pm
RSVP to: Hayley Roberts, 
hroberts@sorosny.org
 

Come join us as we put a celebratory cap on the 10th annual National Mentoring Month with an evening of profiling the power of mentoring as an effective youth development and community-building strategy. Hosted by Mentoring USA, Children's Defense Fund Black Community Crusade for Children and the Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement, the evening will feature a panel discussion about how the expansion of faith, community and workplace mentoring strategies can effectively respond to the crises facing young people in black communities across America.

Black people across America must take control of the education, minds and spirits of their children with Saturday learning. Committees have met and will present their work at this meeting. We expect to open the first four Saturday Universities in February 2011.

Can Black children in America compete with the best and brightest children from all over the world? If not, it is our fault. Join The Black Star Project to help guarantee that Black children will thrive academically and that the Black community will prosper economically. Join us to plan the Saturday University and to view "Two Million Minutes" and find out what Black students will have to compete against in the future. 

We will control the teachers.
We will control the curriculum.
We will control the spirits of the children.
We will control the rigor of study.

This email was sent to mimilozano@aol.com by blackstar1000@ameritech.net | 
The Black Star Project | 3473 South King Drive, Box 464 | Chicago | IL | 60616 

  Twenty poets lend energy & language in response to Arizona Senate Bill 1070 

 Friday, February 4, 2011 · 6:00 - 9:00 pm at True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW, Washington, DC. 

Join us as over twenty poets lend their energy and language to a group reading in response to Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and in resistance to the atmosphere of national xenophobia under which the bill (and its emerging counterparts) were created. Confirmed readers include: Francisco X. Alarcón, Tara Betts, Sarah Browning, Regie Cabico, Carmen Calatayud, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Susan Deer Cloud, Martín Espada, Odilia Galvan Rodriguez, Carmen Gimenez Smith, Aracelis Girmay, Randall Horton, Juan Felipe Herrera, Dorianne Laux, Marilyn Nelson, Mark Nowak, Barbara Jane Reyes, Abel Salas, Sonia Sanchez, Craig Santos Perez, Hedy Trevino, Pam Uschuk, Dan Vera, Rich Villar, and Andre Yang. Co-sponsored and presented by the Acentos Foundation, Split This Rock, and the Poets Responding to SB 1070 Facebook group. Hosted by Oscar Bermeo. http://llerrah.com/newyearwishes.htm 

Francisco Alarcon
fjalarcon@ucdavis.edu

Source: Dorinda Moreno 
fuerzamundial@gmail.com
 

 


EAST OF MISSISSIPPI

Happy Birthday to Atholyn Ligon Virgets,  Born 9 Jan 1909
Louisiana State Lands Office
Louisiana Maps
Happy Birthday to Atholyn Ligon Virgets
Born 9 Jan 1909


Aunt Atholyn  and Billy on the Eve of her 102nd Birthday (08 Jan 2011)
Photo sent by iphone

A remarkable woman at 102 . Must be from her Canary Island's roots. (Her ancestor was Pedro Sanchez from Aguimes, Gran Canaria who died in 1793 in Louisiana). She is the last of her generation and was also the youngest. I believe she is also the oldest living graduate of Baton Rouge High School ( an honor previously held by her older sister Loda Mae Ligon Wilson) She is sharp and alert for 102 . Happy Birthday Aunt Atholyn. Billy 

Sent by our Bill Carmena
JCarm1724@aol.com


 


LOUISIANA STATE LAND OFFICE                                           
by Bobby M. Freyou, Public Land Records Manager
  
Notes from a meeting of the Canary Islanders Heritage Society held Jan 8th
"Historical Land Title Records Program - General Info"

 *  The Louisiana State Land Office has an extensive collection of historical land title records from the United States General Land Office, the U.S. Surveyor General's Office, and the Louisiana State Land Office:  - We have an estimated three million scanned documents comprising:
U.S. & State Tract Books (an index to all of the records)  
U.S. Surveyor General Official Township Survey Plats  
Field Notes for said survey plats  
Claim Papers - French/Spanish/British Land Grants  
Exhibit of Private Land Claims Reports  
American
State Papers  ( U.S. Acts of Congress )  
Selections & Approvals of land per Seminary of Learning Act  
Selections & Approvals of land per Internal Improvements Act |
Selections & Approvals of land per Swamp Lands Act  
U.S. and State Homesteads  
U.S.
and State Military Warrants  
State Certificates - Orders - Receipts  
State Patents  
Levee Board Transfers  
Section 16 School Lands & Indemnity Lands records  
Railroad Land Grants from U.S.  

Misc Letters between Federal officials in LA & Washington  
- Most records are filed by Land District, Township, Range, and Section.  
- Certificates, Receipts, and Patents are filed by their file number.  
- Letters are usually filed by date, and grouped by "from - to".  
- We have names of the first property owner only (public to private).
- We have an index by name for the US and State Tract Books.  

*  Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  

*  In 1805, the Federal Government began requiring landowners to present their land "claim" to a Board in New Orleans .  The Board reviewed the claims, assigned them a Claim Number, and ranked them ( A, B, C ).  The U.S. Register & Receiver prepared a report (the Exhibit of Private Land Claims), detailing the claim information, and forwarded it to the U.S. General Land Office in Washington, D. C.  

*  Washington reviewed the R & R report, and if agreeable, passed a U. S. Act of Congress, in which the Federal Government recognized or "confirmed" the claim - thereby transferring title from the Federal Government to the private owner.  These acts were compiled and are known today as the American State Papers.  

*  Also in 1805, the U.S. Surveyor General's Office came into Louisiana to begin laying out the two meridians, the six land districts, and the township, range, and section lines.  Within each township/range, the navigable water bottoms (lakes, rivers, bayous, etc) were meandered and the Approved Land Claims (listed as Private Claimants), the River Lots or radiating lots fronting along waterways, and the "Rectangular" sections (listed as Public Lands) were surveyed and section numbers assigned to them.  

* Federal land offices, called General Land Office District offices, were set up in New Orleans , Greensburg , Opelousas , Natchitoches , Monroe , and later Baton Rouge to handle the records of these U.S. land transactions.  Over the years these offices were shut down and consolidated, with their records being packed up and moved.  Many records may have been lost during this time - also, there was a fire in the New Orleans office in the 1860's.  This may explain some of the missing records.  

*  Most U.S. Official Township survey plats and their field notes were completed between 1820's and 1850's.  Many more supplemental surveys were performed in 1870's and 1880's.  

*  Federal Government sold, homesteaded, or transferred the remaining "public lands" based upon these official township survey plats.  

*  Federal officials (Surveyor General, Register & Receiver of district offices, Commissioner of the General Land Office, the Sec of Interior) wrote letters back and forth to each other concerning the processing of the land sales and transfers.  Therefore we have a large collection of letters - some of which may discuss problems or conflicts that arose with the surveys, sales, or transfers.  

*  Federal Government transferred "public lands" to Louisiana :

- 1827 U.S. Seminary of Learning Act = 46,000 acres.

- 1841 U.S. Internal Improvement Act = 500,000 acres.

- 1849 U.S. Swamp Lands Act = over 10 million acres ( 1/3 of State).

*  State Land Office was created in 1844 to process and sell these lands.  

*  We have the Federal selection and approval lists, detailing what lands were transferred from the Federal government to the State.  

*  The State Land Office then sold or homesteaded these lands to private owners or transferred them to Levee Boards.  Some of these lands are still owned by the State today.  

*  We have state certificates (orders), receipts, patents, transfers, etc. documenting these State sales, homesteads, and transfers.  

*  In theory, every parcel of land should have an official "paper trail" documenting the land's severance (transferring title from the public domain to the private domain) - all sources of land title must begin with the Federal Government and then go to private owners or from the Federal Government to the State and then to private owners.  Sales or transfers thereafter from private owner to private owner should be recorded in the Parish Clerk of Court's office in the parish where the property is located.  

*  The exceptions are navigable water bottoms and Section 16 School Lands.  Navigable water bottoms became state-owned in 1812 by virtue of the inherent sovereignty of statehood.  Section 16 School Lands became state-owned, under the provisions of a U.S. Act in 1806, upon official approval of the official township survey plat for the township.  There is no written documentation transferring these waters & lands from the Federal government to the State.  

*  All of our U.S. records, documents, & maps came to us from the U.S. Surveyor General's Office when it was abolished in 1910 and from the U.S. General Land Office District Offices, which were consolidated over the years into one office in Baton Rouge , which was then closed in 1927.  Louisiana is unique in possessing these U.S. land records in a state land office collection.  Almost all, if not all, of the other states in the eastern portion of the country had their U.S. land records sent back to Washington , D.C.

*  Today, all of these records are researched daily by surveyors, title attorneys, land title abstractors, oil & gas landmen, genealogists, and historians.

*  New directions and technology for the future: |
          - Most of our records have been microfilmed and laminated years ago.

- We have recently scanned and placed upon our web page approximately 3.5 million documents in our Historical Land Title Records program and Tax Adjudicated Land Records programs.  The Louisiana State Land Office Home Page web address is www.doa.louisiana.gov/slo      

*  You may also wish to contact: U.S. Dept of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States Office, 7450 Boston Blvd, Springfield, Virginia 22153.  Phone 703-440-1700   www.glorecords.blm.gov


Louisiana Maps
Editor:  Really interesting site.  The Louisiana maps are quite diverse. 
Do explore, and bookmark because the webmaster indicates that information will be added periodically. 
Historic Maps, Special Interest Maps, State Maps, Parish Maps

http://map.louisiana.gov/download_maps.aspx
Sent by Bill Carmena

 

 


TEXAS

Tejano Genealogy Society Activities
Feb 4th:  Rolando Hinojosa / Miguel Méndez Symposium: “Vida y Honor / Life & Honor”
Bexar Archives Online
32nd Annual Texas State Hispanic Genealogical & Historical Conference,  29 Sep- 02 Oct  
I Remember. . . Memories from the past. . . . Maria de la Luz Lopez

The Tejano Genealogy Society had a very busy year full of activities,
including participating in conferences and the book signings and lectures presented by Dr Frank de la Teja and Dr Andres Tijerina.  


 
Tejano Genealogy Society participating at a conference of the Church of latter Day Saints. Members are l to r Minnie Wilson, Rosalinda Salinas and Rosemary Martinez.



















Dr Frank de la Teja and Dr Andres Tijerina, seated l to r. Minnie Wilson, Rosemary Salinas, Geneva Sanchez, Rosemary Martinez, 
Dan Arellano and Dr Sylvia Garcia.

Sitting l to r Dr J Fank de la Teja, Dr Andres Tijerina and Dan Arellano Book signing and lecture at Austin Community College
Information sent by Dan Arellano, President Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin
darellano@austin.r.com
 


Feb 4th: The Wittliff Collections and Texas State host the
Rolando Hinojosa / Miguel Méndez Literary Symposium: “Vida y Honor / Life & Honor”

THREE SCHOLARLY SESSIONS + READINGS BY HINOJOSA & MÉNDEZ
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011  8:15 AM – 5:30 PM

The Cortez Family at the Capitol: Texas Farm Workers’ Muleshoe to Austin march for farm worker rights, March 10, 1979 by Alan Pogue

SAN MARCOS, TX — On Friday, February 4, 2011, the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University-San Marcos will host the Rolando Hinojosa / Miguel Méndez Literary Symposium:
Vida y Honor / Life and Honor. Admission is free and open to the public. The Wittliff Collections are located on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Directions are online: http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/about/visit/directions.html
The schedule for the symposium, which will run from 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., is at:
http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/exhibitions-events/events.html .

This day-long symposium will feature two of the most influential, pioneering Mexican American authors of the 20th and 21st centuries: Rolando Hinojosa from the University of Texas at Austin and Miguel Méndez from the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Hinojosa and Méndez together are authors of dozens of novels, short stories, poems, and essays, and between them they have received some of the most prestigious national and international literary awards ever given to Mexican American authors. Their works have been published abroad and translated into English and Spanish, as well as other European languages.

The day’s events include three sessions, during which nearly a dozen scholars from around the United States as well as from Barcelona, Spain, will present papers on and will pay homage to the literary works and influence that Hinojosa and Mendéz have had on Chicana/o literature as well as on the literatures of the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Latin America.

The symposium begins at 8:15 a.m. with coffee and pan dulce. At 8:45, Daniel Guerrero, mayor of San Marcos, and Dr. Michael Hennessy, chair of Texas State’s Department of English, will welcome speakers and participants, then Texas State professors Dr. Sergio Martínez and Dr. Jaime Armin Mejía will offer opening remarks.

The three sessions will be held at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. Presenting scholars are: Dr. Javier Villarreal, A&M University, Corpus Christi; Dr. Manuel Martín Rodríguez, University of California, Merced; Dr. Klaus Zilles, Ramón Llull University, Barcelona, Spain; Dr. Antonio Arreguín-Bermúdez, California State University, Chico; Dr. Juan Armando Rojas Joo, Ohio Wesleyan University; Roberto Mendoza, University of Arizona; Dr. María Herrera-Sobek and Dr. Francisco Lomelí, University of California, Santa Barbara; Yazmín Lazcano-Pry, Arizona State University, Tempe; and Chad Hammett, Texas State University, San Marcos.

At 3:15 p.m., Dr. Arturo Madrid of Trinity University will introduce Hinojosa and Méndez who will read from their work then take questions from the audience. A reception and book signing with the two authors will follow, accompanied by the multi award-winning Texas State Mariachi ensemble. Select books by the authors will be for sale by the University Bookstore.

Texas State co-sponsors of the symposium are the Wittliff Collections, the Office of Equity and Access, the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Applied Arts, and Education, the Departments of English and Modern Languages, the School of Music, the Rho Chapter of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Hispanic Policy Network.

For further information, contact Wittliff Collections Curator Steve Davis at sdavis@txstate.edu  or 512.245.2313.
The Wittliff Collections are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewittliffcollections
Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@anr.msu.edu



Briscoe Center for American History
University of Texas at Austin

Bexar Archives Online
http://www.cah.utexas.edu/projects/bexar/index.php 


Bexar Archives
is "one of the great historical treasures of the American continent," according to Historian Lester Gladstone Bugbee. The Bexar Archives preserve the military, civil, and political life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila y Texas, and constitute the principle resource for the Spanish and Mexican history of Texas from 1717–1836.



Detail from document which concerns the foundation of settlements in Béxar and La Bahía, circa 1717. e_bx_0002

Given the magnitude and importance of the Bexar Archives and the need for greater availability, the Briscoe Center has created the Bexar Archives Online, a web-based resource that joins digital images of the original Spanish documents with the corresponding English-language translations. The project received a 2009 TexTreasures grant, with funding from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Within the Briscoe Center’s sizeable and significant Texas History collection, the Bexar Archives stands out as one of the most important. Particularly rich in administrative, social, and ethno-history, and because of their volume and breadth of subject matter, the documents are an essential source for any scholar interested in the history of the borderlands.

During the period covered by the Bexar Archives, Texas, originally populated by a variety of Indian tribes, became a major arena of conflict, as a host of invaders gradually penetrated the area. Indian nations fought one another. The Spanish fought the Indians. The French fought the Spanish. Soldiers, civilians, and missionaries fought amongst themselves. The Mexicans fought the Spanish for their independence. Finally the Anglo-American colonists fought the Mexicans for their own independence, and then returned to fighting the Indians. Thus modern Texas emerged from a long and complex struggle between competing interests. The story of that struggle—with all its heroism and depravity, daily routines and hair-raising adventures, and suffering and triumph—is recorded in the pages of the Bexar Archives.




Watermark detail from page 3 of a letter from Cruillas to Martos y Navarette. e_bx_0216_03


Bexar Archives Online
features over 1,900 original documents (14,000 pages) that have been digitized from microfilm. Researchers may browse by year, the originals, translations, or compare an original and its translation side-by-side. Full-text searching of the translations will soon be supported.

At present, Bexar Archives Online presents the military, civil, and political life of the Spanish province of Texas from 1717 to 1784. The area covered by the documents in this portion of the collection is wide indeed, and future digitization projects will broaden the Bexar Archives' online scope even further.

In the immediate future, from September 2010 to August 2011, the Briscoe Center will embark on another TexTreasures-supported project, which will add to Bexar Archives Online documents and translations spanning the years 1784 to 1792.

Sent by Larry Kirkpatrick elindio2@hotmail.com 

 

 


32nd Annual Texas State Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference on 29 Sep 2011 through 02 Oct 2011 

 


Los Bexareños is hosting the 32nd Annual Texas State Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference on 29 Sep 2011 through 02 Oct 2011 at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio downtown. We are asking every member of Los Bexareños to help make this the best Conference to date (even if you are unable to attend, we still ask for your assistance).

There are several ways members can help:  Please pay your annual dues as early as possible.
We encourage every member to sign up at least one new family member or friend to Los Bexareños Genealogical and Historical Society. You may want to give them a one year membership as a Christmas gift, and start them on their genealogical journey.

Encourage family and friends to attend the Conference.
Serve on one of the Committees for the Conference. Just contact me at (210) 494-7932 or email me at lousyl@att.net , and I will direct you to the respective Committee Chair.

Submit names of potential SPONSORS for the Conference. Everyone knows someone who can give a little (or much more) either for the Conference or for a Silent Auction. We are prepared to do the requesting; and, submit our 501(c)(3) information and our mission statement. We’ll give the names of your potential SPONSORS to Olga Hickey and/or Yolanda Kirkpatrick.

And finally, please reply to this email as soon as possible (right now — it’ll only take a few minutes to answer the following questions). We were scheduled to host the 2012 Conference, but because of unforeseen reasons we were moved up to 2011. We are crunched for time! We’re taking a quick survey in order to plan and prepare for the Conference. Your answers are urgently needed.

1. Are you planning to attend the Conference? How many people?
2. Are you planning to stay at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio (Conference Hotel)? How many nights?
3. Do you need a vendors table? How many?
4. Do you have suggestions for vendors you would like to see at the Conference?
5. Do you have suggestions for “Session” Speakers for the Conference? For Keynote Speakers? 
6. What topics would you like to be covered at the Conference?
7. Would you participate in a Historical Bus Tour of San Antonio (for an added cost)?
8. Would you participate in a Historical Bus Tour of the Missions (for an added cost)?
9. Would you participate in a Riverbarge Dinner (for an added cost)?
10. Would you attend a Mass on Sunday morning?
11. Would you prefer a Tour during the Friday or Saturday Sessions  OR would you prefer a Tour on Sunday afternoon or Thursday afternoon?

This is YOUR Conference, and your comments and/or suggestions are critical. We will make the final decisions based on feasibility and cost effectiveness, but ALL your comments and/or suggestions will be considered.

We will keep you informed of the about the Conference throughout this coming New Year. We are working on a website with Conference updates. We will notify you when it is online.


Booksale: Friends of Texana annual book sale
Saturday, February 12, 2011 from 10am to 2pm
first floor auditorium of the San Antonio Central Library. Donated and new books.
Sent by Larry Kirkpatrick elindio2@hotmail.com

 

 

I Remember. . . Memories from the past. . . . Maria de la Luz Lopez

By: Gloria Candelaria, January 20, 2011, Victoria, Texas
candelglo@sbcglobal.net

 


I remember my maternal grandmother, Maria de la Luz Lopez (25 Nov 1898 --11 Nov.1977) This is what she told me about when and why she came to the United States: She says she was about 15 years old, and had only one sister, Juanita, two years older. Because her parents, Cosme Lopez and Dolores Coronado-Cuellar were deceased, Juanita told Maria they were going to leave bullet-ridden and violent Saltillo, their hometown, and travel north to the United States to be out of harm’s way. Pancho Villa and many of his comrades were creating havoc in Northern Mexico. Therefore, Juanita and her husband, Antonio Valerio, and their 6-month old baby boy, Antonio Valerio, Jr., all left Saltillo in the middle of the night to avoid being caught and hurt. Mama Mere (as I grew up calling her) remembered “crawling on their hands and knees in front of the Catholic Cathedral’s plaza in Saltillo to avoid the bullets flying over their heads.” Finally, she said, they made it to “the border” and although she did not remember exactly where they crossed into the United States, she believed it was at Laredo, Texas.

About a year or so later the Valerio family and Mama Mere were all living in San Antonio, Texas. It was here that she met and fell in love with a handsome, strong man named Julio Ruiz. He worked for the railroad company as so many Mexican men did, and it was on one of those occasions that he told Maria that he was leaving San Antonio to go with the railroad company to go work “out of town.” She insisted on leaving with him, and they eloped. No, she did not tell her sister because she knew Juanita would try and stop her. Unfortunately, it was also the very last time she ever saw her sister Juanita, her brother-in-law, Antonio Valerio, and her nephew, Antonio, Jr.

Maria traveled with Julio and together they went, first, to Ganado, Jackson County, Texas, where Julio’s family was living. He introduced Maria to his aunt, Guadalupe Galver, wife of Frutoso “Tio Toto” Lopez. Julio decided to leave and go to the railroad site to work, but his aunt, Tia Lupe, told him he was not leaving without his “girlfriend” and that was final! Julio and Maria left the comforts of the Lopez home in Ganado, Texas, and went to the railroad campsite. Here, they met about forty or fifty other Mexican laborers living with their wives (or girlfriends) and children. Maria vowed that before long she and Julio would get married – a promise she had made to Tia Lupe.

The Railroad Camp traveled from community to community laying tracks for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and it was in one of these communities, called Sublime, Texas, in Lavaca County, that the Camp received a visiting Pastor who called on “his flock” to gather and hear the Word of God, to be baptized, be married, or otherwise counsel with him on their problems (for example, his writing letters for them, etc.). [Note: a couple of years ago I visited Sublime, Texas, and there were only a few buildings on site, one of them being a church. Because the pastor was not present, I communicated with him via correspondence and he answered my questions about how the former pastor officiated at my grandparent’s matrimony.]

I had promised my grandmother I would do everything I could to find her sister and to obtain a copy of that marriage record. I looked through my genealogy records [back in the 1960s computers were not yet available to us] and the most logical thing I did was write to the church in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, asking them to research their records for the baptism records of Maria and her sister, Juanita. Lo and behold! I received a response from them. They sent me a copy of Juanita’s baptism record, where it lists her parents, Cosme Lopez and Dolores Cuellar! It also lists, according to Mexican custom, the grandparents! However, only the maternal grandparents were listed as living when Juanita was born: Paulino Cuellar and Paula Coronado. It also stated that Juanita’s paternal grandparents, Gabriel and Martina Lopez were deceased. The church registrar mentioned they did not find a baptism record for Juanita’s sister, Maria de la Luz Lopez – how sad for me. I immediately went to see my grandmother, Mama Mere, to show her the certificate, and No! She did not know who her maternal grandparents had been because they had died before she was born, so this was good news for her – and sad news too because her own baptism record was not found. But I promised I would continue looking for it.

In the meantime, I traveled to Rosenberg, Texas, and surrounding area to look for her marriage record, and I did not find it in the archives of Fort Bend County! The only information I had was that they had married in “Lissie, Texas” and had married on May 17, 1917. I looked for this record for several years and visited the courthouses nearby but never found the record. Time went by and one day, only a couple of years ago, I found the marriage record! Yes, they had lived in a railroad camp in Lissie, Wharton County, Texas, but the marriage record was filed across the county line in Columbus, Colorado County, Texas! As I searched, I could not find anything under “Julio Lopez” but I remembered that my grandfather had actually been born under a different name. Perhaps I should look under his birth name, “Julio Ruiz.” I looked and there was one entry I found: Mexican man named Ruiz married Mexican woman named Maria on May 17, 1917! I knew I had finally found their marriage record because it had the identical date my grandmother had given me years before. [I have a certified copy in my files to prove it!] It may have taken me a quarter of a century to find the record, to prove it existed, and after much time and patience and travel – I am glad I pursued the matter and found it. [For more history on Papa Julio, and the half-dozen names and surnames he used, read his family history which I will soon write!]

Immediately after they married, Maria became pregnant. She traveled with Julio wherever the railroad company took them, and they made their home in a Railroad Car! Several months later, Maria and Julio were ready to receive they first child. In those days most deliveries were made by mid-wives, and this was one of those times. Maria gave birth to her first child, whom they named “Dolores” in honor of Maria’s mother. They called her “Lolita,” and she was born August 14, 1918. When her birth record was registered, they listed her birth in a little town called Sublime in Lavaca County, Texas. My grandfather Papa Julio said the birth was registered by his Patron’s wife -- an Anglo lady. The boss-man’s wife could not speak Spanish and my grandmother could not speak English, so they had to wait until my grandfather was able to give her the baby’s name. My grandmother said she was ordered to lie still, on her back, for a couple of weeks, and she should not move. She also said the Patron’s wife had tied a large wrap around her stomach and body to help her with her recovery. Also, the Patron’s wife would leave a bowl of hot cereal by her side, along with some bread, and a large cup of coffee. After all these years, my grandmother remembered so well those days, giving me precise descriptions of what she had experienced. [When I had my first child, my grandmother also wrapped me in identical form!]

Mama Mere died before I was able to find her sister, so she never – ever! found a living soul related to her. She was so desperate to know someone existed from her family that after she and Papa Julio obtained their United States Citizenship, they traveled with her daughter, Mary, and her husband, Herbert Hernandez, to Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, to look for any remaining members of her family. Although they did not find anyone living that was kin to her, she was happy to have visited her birthplace once again. I remember sitting at my mother’s kitchen table helping my grandmother with her application questions for citizenship (more than my grandfather who already knew and understood English well). The Citizenship booklet was small; the questions were simple; and she managed to answer all the questions slowly and correctly. I remember she and my grandfather had to go to the local federal building in the post office in Victoria to receive their citizenship papers. What a proud moment that was for her and my grandfather! It was later they traveled to Saltillo, Mexico.

I am happy to say that after my mother was born in 1918, several more children were born to Mama Mere and Papa Julio: after my mother, Dolores Lopez, was born, Mama Mere had another daughter, Juanita Lopez, who was named after her sister. She was born October 4, 1919, also in Sublime, Lavaca County, Texas. The family was still living in the railroad boxcar. Other children born to the couple were Jose (the first), a son, born March 1, 1921, and was registered in Ganado, Jackson County, Texas; he died three months later and was buried in Jackson County. It was not until August 8, 1922 that another daughter, Maria, was born, and registered in Ganado, Jackson County, Texas, where the Lopez family had moved. Two more daughters were born: Linda, in January 1929, and Teresa, in 1934, both born in Victoria County, Texas, but both died young. However, two sons, Gilberto Lopez, born September 1, 1934, and Jose Gerardo Lopez, born September 19, 1936, were also born in Victoria County, Texas, and that completed the Lopez family.

I mentioned their trip to Mexico at this time because Mama Mere never met her grandparents, but after having received the baptism record, I was able to place the names of her maternal ancestors on my pedigree sheet. I began her pedigree back in the 1960s and continued to work on it occasionally, but it was difficult then, without a computer, to obtain information. Recently I checked to see if anything new had come up, and I got the infamous “leaf” on my Ancestry.com program attached to her maternal Cuellar line that made me curious, so I clicked on it. Today is January 20, 2011, and I am happy to say that Mama Mere’s ancestors go back – back – back to the 1600s (maybe further!) and I am not finished yet documenting all her ancestors! If a family member wants a copy of this lineage – it will be over 100 pages of family history!

I leave you now with a little bit of information on my beloved maternal grandmother, Mama Mere, and her life when I knew her. I admit I consider myself very fortunate to have known her so well, as did my children. We celebrated her 60th wedding anniversary with my grandparents in 1977, and a few years later, she died. There is so much more to tell, however, that I will tell you those stories at a later time.

[In my personal files: 

(1) Mexican baptism records from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico;

(2) Marriage Certificate from Colorado County, Texas

(3) Marriage Record of Julio and Maria de la Luz Lopez 

(4) Letter from Pastor of Church in Lissie, Texas

(5) Marriage Photo of Frutoso Lopez and Guadalupe Galver

(6) Photos of Julio Lopez and Maria de la Luz Lopez, circa 1918

(7) Family photo of Julio & Maria Lopez with Dolores and Juanita Lopez, 1921

(6) Numerous photos of Lopez Family

** Missing from my records (but kept by Mary Lopez Hernandez in Houston, Texas): (a) Citizenship Papers; (b) Photos of trip to Mexico; (c) Railroad retirement records

 

 

 

The Lopez family, left to right: Dolores (Mrs. Selestino Candelaria), Gilbert, Mary (Mrs. Herbert Hernandez), Jose, Juanita (Mrs. Manuel Torres); seated: Julio and Maria de la Luz Lopez. 60th Wedding Anniversary, May, 1977, Victoria, Texas.
 

 

 


MEXICO

A Secret Archive: On the Mexican Suitcase, Part 1, Part 2 under Spain 
Personajes en la Historia de México por José León Robles de la Torre
    José Ignacio Pavón
  
Juan Nepomuceno Almonte

A Secret Archive: On the Mexican Suitcase Dan Kaufman
January 5, 2011   |    This article appeared in the January 24, 2011 edition of The Nation.

In the spring of 1942, Gen. Francisco Aguilar González, the Mexican ambassador to the Vichy government, left France to return to Mexico with his wife, Maria. The couple traveled through newly Fascist Spain to Lisbon, where she boarded a steamer bound for New York, with twenty trunks of their belongings, while the general made his way back across Spain, through France and then to London, eventually flying to New York for their rendezvous. In New York they boarded a passenger train with their belongings and traveled across the United States and Mexico before finally arriving at their home in Mexico City. Tucked away in one of the trunks and kept hidden for nearly seventy years were three small cardboard boxes given to Aguilar for safekeeping. They contained an archive of 4,500 negatives of photographs of the Spanish Civil War taken by three extraordinary photojournalists: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour (known as Chim).

Though Capa's negatives had been missing for decades, rumors that a cache of them had been secreted away persisted. In 1979 Capa's brother, Cornell, the founder of the International Center of Photography (ICP), in New York City, began a search for the lost images. He published an appeal in a well-known photography journal, and over time he managed to recover a number of lost works by Capa, Chim and Taro—but not the fabled negatives. They remained in Mexico, passing from Aguilar to his daughter, who gave them to her cousin, a filmmaker named Benjamin Tarver. In 1995, at an exhibition of Spanish Civil War photography in Mexico City, Tarver told the curator, a Queens College professor named Jerald Green, that he possessed images of similar scenes, which he believed were taken by Capa. Green relayed the information to curators at the ICP, but letters to the mysterious Tarver went unanswered, and the tantalizing lead vanished. In 2007, on behalf of the ICP, Trisha Ziff, a Mexico City–based documentary filmmaker, established contact with Tarver, and he agreed to meet her at a coffee shop. At a subsequent meeting he showed her three contact sheets with stunning images of Republican soldiers in battle and a woman dressed in black walking alongside a tank on a snowy battlefield. Ziff soon realized that these were the long lost negatives that Cornell Capa, who would die less than a year later, had been trying to locate. What had come to be called the Mexican Suitcase had finally been found.

The negatives in the Suitcase span the duration of the war, beginning with Chim's foreboding photographs of marching Republican dignitaries in April 1936, three months before the conflict broke out, and ending with Capa's stark portraits of Republican refugees in concentration camps in Southern France in March 1939. The distribution of the negatives among the photographers divides the war roughly into thirds, with Chim's coverage heaviest at the beginning, Taro's in the middle and Capa's toward the end. A small number of the negatives correspond to previously published works—the Suitcase contains a famous 1936 photograph by Chim of a woman breastfeeding a baby at a rally for land reform—but the vast majority have never been seen by the public. A selection of the negatives is on display at the ICP through May 8. All 4,500 images, including a few touching shots of Capa and Taro in a Parisian cafe by a fourth photographer, the German-Jewish exile Fred Stein, are reproduced in an exemplary two-volume exhibition catalog published by the museum.

In an introductory essay to the catalog, the ICP's chief curator, Brian Wallis, writes, "With their dramatic coverage of the Spanish Civil War, Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and Chim invented modern war photography." Remarkable as that achievement is, the newly discovered negatives do more than deepen our understanding of the origins of photojournalism or flesh out the biographies of three photographers, all of whom were killed on assignment. (Taro was crushed by a tank in Spain in 1937, Capa stepped on a land mine in Indochina in 1954 and Chim was shot by an Egyptian sniper days after the end of the Suez War in 1956.) The images convey the war's complexities and offer a visual counter-narrative to the revisionist view that the Republic was a monolithic Soviet satellite. Some photographs feature female soldiers and pro-Republican clergy. Others depict fleeing refugees, Communist generals, volunteers from the International Brigades, portraits of Federico García Lorca and La Pasionaria, and Republican guards protecting artistic treasures that belonged to the Francoist duke of Alba. Taken together, the images in the Mexican Suitcase portray a besieged country's fight for its survival and its soul amid a Nazi-backed Fascist revolt. "The culture of the Spanish Republic," Ziff said recently from her home in Mexico City, "was preserved in the Suitcase."

For more first-hand accounts, click to the Spain column in Somos Primos and also go to THE NATION website: Click for More

Sent by Paul Newfield III skip@thebrasscannon.com



José Ignacio Pavón

PERSONAJES EN LA HISTORIA DE MÉXICO

Por: JOSÉ LEÓN ROBLES DE LA TORRE

AÑO DEL BICENTENARIO DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DE MÉXICO, 1810-2010 Y DE LA REVOLUCIÓN MEXICANA, 1910-2010

 

Datos del Tomo V de XIII, Libro 36, de mi obra inédita: La Independencia y los Presidentes de México, relacionados con el Lic. don José Ignacio Pavón, 31 Presidente de México los días 11, 12 y 13 de agosto de 1855, miembro de la Junta Superior de Gobierno del 16 al 20 de junio de 1863 y miembro de la Regencia del Imperio Mexicano del 11 de julio de 1863 al 20 de mayo de 1864, dando un total de 11 meses y siete días.

Lic. don José Ignacio Pavón, trigésimo primer Presidente de México y miembro de la Junta Suprema de Gobierno en 1863 y de la Regencia en 1864.

Nació, según unos historiadores en la Ciudad de México en 1791 y según otros, en la ciudad de Veracruz, el mismo año de 1791. Yo me inclino a creer que nació en la Ciudad de México, sin que haya podido encontrar su acta de nacimiento ni documentos que lo acrediten, pero realizó sus estudios primarios en la Ciudad de México y luego ingresó al prestigiado Colegio de San Ildefonso donde estudió Filosofía y Letras y Cánones hasta recibir su título de Licenciado en Derecho, siendo muy brillante y cuando todavía era estudiante de Jurisprudencia en 1818, figuró como miembro del Cabildo de la Ciudad de México y como asesor de alcaldes y corregidores.

Por el año de 1820, ocupaba el cargo de asesor de la Superintendencia General de Hacienda.

El año de 1822 el Emperador don Agustín de Iturbide Juez de Facto del Ayuntamiento de la capital del Imperio. En 1823, fue nombrado Jefe Político Interino de Tabasco. Él pertenecía al Partido Escocés que por esos años estaba en pugna con el Yorkino que tenían divididos a los importantes héroes de la Independencia, como Guerrero, Victoria y otros, división propiciada por Joel R. Poinset que implantó en México el Partido Yorkino, con el objetivo principal de anexar tierras a los Estados Unidos.

En 1825, el Presidente don Guadalupe Victoria lo nombró como Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores por ser un gran intelectual y Jurisconsulto prominente que buscaba soluciones a los problemas.

Recibió la Presidencia interinamente por tres días, como Presidente que era de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, los días 11, 12 y 13 de agosto de 1855 por ausencia del General Santa Anna. Terminados estos días, se dirigió a Veracruz para embarcarse rumbo a La Habana.

De regreso en el país, el 13 de agosto, a las tres de la tarde, de 1860, recibió la Presidencia de la República.

Encabezó la Junta Superior de Gobierno del 16 al 20 de junio de 1863. Luego se estableció el Supremo Poder Ejecutivo y lo encabezó del 21 de junio al diez de julio de 1863. Finalmente, se formó la Regencia del Imperio Mexicano y la encabezó del 11 de junio al 20 de mayo de 1864 y cuya actividad principal fue la de enviar una Comisión de Personas Ilustres del Partido Conservador, para que viajaran a Europa para invitar a Maximiliano de Hapsburgo para que aceptara la corona como Segundo Emperador de México y quien aceptó y ya establecido su Gobierno en México, Pavón fue de los altos funcionarios mexicanos que servían al Imperio.

En 1866, el Lic. José Ignacio Pavón se retiró del Servicio Público para dedicarse al ejercicio de su profesión de abogado, lo que ya no pudo realizar porque lo sorprendió la muerte el 24 de mayo de 1866 a la edad de 75 años.

Yo busqué en 1958, en la Ciudad de México, en varios panteones, como el de San Fernando, sus restos, sin lograrlo.
Sent by Mercy Bautista-Olvera 

 


Juan Nepomuceno Almonte

PERSONAJES EN LA HISTORIA DE MÉXICO

Por: JOSÉ LEÓN ROBLES DE LA TORRE

 

AÑO DEL BICENTENARIO DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DE MÉXICO, 1810-2010, Y CENTENARIO DE LA REVOLUCIÓN MEXICANA, 1910-2010

 

 

   

Datos del Tomo V de XIII, Libro 37 de mi obra inédita: "La Independencia y los Presidentes de México", relacionados con el General de División don Juan Nepomuceno Almonte, trigésimo segundo Presidente de México del 19 de abril al 24 de septiembre de 1862, y presidente de la Regencia del Imperio Mexicano del 11 de julio de 1863 al 20 de mayo de 1864 juntamente con el Obispo de Puebla Dr. don Antonio de la Bastida y Dávalos y el Obispo de Tulancingo Dr. Juan Bautista Ormachea y Arnaiz. El General Almonte, cuyo nombre completo es Juan Nepomuceno Morelos y Almonte, nació el día 15 de mayo de 1803 en el pueblo de Necupetaro, Mich., siendo hijo del Pbro. y Generalísimo don José María Morelos y Pavón y de doña Brígida Almonte.

Estuvo al lado de su padre, quien le enseñó a leer y escribir y luego con maestros particulares.

Fue Almonte el militar más joven del Ejército de aquella época, pues a los siete años y cinco meses, ya era Capitán y acompañó a Morelos en varios combates como el del veladero y fue ascendido a Coronel el año de 1813 y a finales del mismo año fue ascendido a Brigadier de las fuerzas insurgentes...

En 1823 fue agregado de la Legión de Honor en los Estados Unidos y en 1824 pasó a la Legación de Londres.

En 1825 fue nombrado Representante de México en la Gran Bretaña para Tratados de Comercio y en julio del mismo año fue nombrado auxiliar del Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores.

En 1827 contrajo matrimonio con doña Dolores Quezada y procrearon tres hijos: José Joaquín, que llegó a ser Coronel del Ejército, Francisco y Guadalupe.

En 1828, fue Diputado al Congreso de la Unión. En 1831 fue secretario de la Delegación ante Perú, Bolivia, Chile, Buenos Aires y Brasil. Y ese mismo año, desempeñó el cargo de secretario particular del Presidente de la República. En 1835, fue miembro del Instituto de Geografía y Estadística. Dominaba varios idiomas, entre ellos, perfectamente el francés, el inglés y era un experto en matemáticas. Era un verdadero genio.

En 1842, fue nombrado Ministro Plenipotenciario ante Washington, USA. En 1846 fue nombrado Ministro de la Guerra.

Ya vimos al principio de ese artículo que desempeñó el cargo de la Presidencia de la República en 1862 y de la Regencia del Imperio 1863-64.

En abril de 1866 fue a París, Francia para hablar con Napoleón Bonaparte y tratarle el asunto del ejército francés en México, pero estando en París se enteró, en 1867 del fusilamiento del Emperador Maximiliano, de los Generales Miramón y Mejía, por lo que decidió quedarse en dicha ciudad, donde era muy apreciado por gente importante y estando en aquel lugar lo sorprendió la muerte el 21 de marzo de 1869 y varios de sus familiares y amigos lo anunciaron en una nota que resaltaba los méritos del fallecido. Se decían las condecoraciones recibidas como la gran cruz de Guadalupe de México, el Águila Azteca, la condecoración de Leopoldo de Bélgica, orden del país de Austria, Isabel la Católica de España, etc.

Se le rindieron grandes honores y sus restos fueron colocados en una iglesia, luego en otro lugar y finalmente los llevaron al cementerio "Pere Lechaise" de París, cuya fotografía de la tumba me la envió don Jaime Torres Bodet, cuando era Embajador de Francia en los años cincuentas y sólo tiene una sencilla leyenda en una placa que dice: "FAMILLE ALMONTE".

Source: El Siglo de Torreon www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx

Sent by Mercy Bautista-Olvera

 

 


CARIBBEAN/CUBA

Papeles Procedentes de Cuba
The Puerto Rican Population of New York,  on Verge of Being Eclipsed by Dominicans
Catalogue of the Documents in the History of the United States in the Papeles Procedentes de Cuba,  deposited in the Archivo General de Indias at Seville by Roscoe R. Hill, Professor of History at the University of New Mexico, 1902

Published by the Carnegie Institute of Washington, 

http://books.google.com/books?id=sSoOutbxa5UC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q&f=false

 Sent by Bill Carmena  JCarm1724@aol.com

 

The Puerto Rican Population of New York is on the Verge of Being Eclipsed by Dominicans

By Wil Cruz
wil.cruz@foxnewslatino.com
 

Published January 18, 2011
2009 Getty Images

Men stand in front of a barbershop in Spanish Harlem in 2009.

Back in the day, the street corners of Latino New York City moved to the sounds of salsa and bomba y plena, restaurants featured arroz con gandules and sofrito, and everyone and their uncle owned a Roberto Clemente card.

That was then. This is now. Salsa has been replaced by bachata and grupero, sancocho and mole poblano feed the streets, and sports heroes like Big Papi and Chicharito rule.

Move over, Boricuas. Here come the Dominicans and Mexicans. 

The Big Apple is home to some 800,000 Puerto Ricans, according to the American Community Survey, still the plurality of Latinos there. But the community – a staple among all ethnic groups in the city for decades who embraced the role of trailblazer for subsequent Latino arrivals – has seemingly withered away. 

Latinos in the so-called Puerto Rican quarter in 1953.

The group, in fact, could be in an unfamiliar position when the Census begins releasing its numbers in the next couple of months – eclipsed in population for the first time by Dominicans.

"The Puerto Rican community at one time made up 80 percent of all Latinos in the city," said Angelo Falcón, president and co-founder of the National Institute of Latino Policy, a think tank on Latino issues. "Now it's about a third." 

The downward trend has been playing out for at least two decades. In 1990, there were 896,763 Puerto Ricans in New York City, according to the Census. By 2000, there were 107,591 fewer Boricuas in the city, a 12 percent dip.

The slowdown eased a bit in the last decade. There were 782,222 Puerto Ricans in New York in 2009, according to the American Community Survey, down about 1 percent from the 2000 Census population figure.

"Their numbers have stayed the same or waned a bit," said Joseph Salvo, Ph.D., director of the population division with the New York City Department of City Planning.

Puerto Ricans leave the city as they age, become more affluent and consider other places to raise their children, studies have shown. They have resettled in New York suburbs, Florida and New England, and, in a return home of sorts, Puerto Rico, according to a 2008 study by the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Salvo called the out migration a "natural progression." "I wouldn't call it an exodus," he said. "Puerto Ricans have been here for a long time, and it's very common for groups to leave." The void created by the Puerto Rican departure has been readily filled by Dominicans, Mexicans and Ecuadorians, among other Latino groups.

The Dominican population, for one, has exploded since 1990. Back then, there were 332,713 Quisqueyanos in New York City, according to the Census; today, the American Community Survey puts that number at 592,456.

Mexicans, too, have grown in presence in former Puerto Rican strongholds like Spanish Harlem in Manhattan and Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn. There are about 305,000 Mexicans in the city – that American Community Survey number is up from Census' 2000 figure of 186,872 – and those numbers, most experts agree, don't accurately reflect the number of undocumented immigrants.

Census data are expected to trickle out over the next few months. By law, apportionment counts had to be delivered to the President by Dec. 31. The counts determined redistricting and the number of seats in the House of Representatives.

By most accounts, overall Latino population numbers should increase. And with that growth, experts say, could come more political influence.

"It's an opportunity for the Latino community to take advantage," said Cesar Perales, president and general counsel of Latino Justice PRLDEF, which is planning to go to court over redistricting.

But for all the growth and opportunity for political influence, particularly in New York City, the Latino population explosion could actually lead to less.

The influx of new communities, such as Mexicans and Ecuadorians, mixed with the decline of established ones, like Puerto Ricans, could lead to the overall Latino voice becoming more "diluted," experts believe.

"In New York City, as the Latino community becomes larger, there's this feeling that we are more marginalized, politically and culturally, " Falcón, who co-authored "Boricuas in Gotham: Puerto Ricans In The Making Of New York City," said.  

Falcón added that the disparate communities, among whom he sees a tension and resentment in some quarters, have not mobilized or built coalitions, and thus have unable to harness the surging population numbers into political power.

"We have the numbers to be a major political force, but we have lousy leadership," he said, citing Puerto Ricans Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, former politicians whose careers were dogged by scandals and alleged crimes. "We have the potential for tremendous economic, political opportunities...and somehow we haven't been able to take those numbers and mobilize.

"The resources are there," he said, "but yet we haven't done it." 

You can reach Wil Cruz at: wil.cruz@foxnewslatino.com

Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at
facebook.com/foxnewslatino

 

Sent by Juan Marinez  


 


SPAIN

Video, Ship building
Pedro de Lepe
Accessing the Biblioteca Nacional
The House of the Marquis of Falces
A Secret Archive: On the Mexican Suitcase
Archbishop of Toledo, Alonso Carrillo-de-Acuna
Spain Goes on Mosque-building Spree: Churches Forced to Close
Alice in Seville, 1952

Video showing a ship building project.  "This is how a historic Spanish can be replicated. Just like how they are replicating the Bernardo de Galvez barco en Malaga."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hehEOGGviXE

Roland Nuñez Salazar
sala.roland@yahoo.com
Deputy State Governor/Texas State Treasurer - Houston 
Order of Granaderos y Damas de Gálvez
www.granaderos.org  
(Cell) 281 220-7153

CREO QUE ES LO MEJOR QUE ME HAN MANDADO. RECOMIENDO ABRAIS TODOS LOS ICONOS,NO TIENE DESPERDICIO  Y SI NO CONTROLAS EL CASTELLANO ANTIGUO SOLO TIENES QUE PINCHAR EN EL ICONO "T" Y TE LO TRADUCE. UNA PASADA...

Es increíble cómo puede presentarse la Joya de la Literatura Española. Es para felicitar a la Biblioteca Nacional.  
 http://quijote.bne.es/libro.html 

Sent by Angel Custodio Rebollo
acustodiorebollo@gmail.com

Question:  Does anyone know if this "Pedro de Lepe"  is the  husband of Constanza de la Garza II, who in 1524, died during house arrest,  Palma, Canary Island, Spain?

Answer by John Inclan: Constanza de la Garza II was the daughter of Marcos Alonso de Arcon and  Constanza de la Garza. I found Constanza's fate in the book "Catalogue of a Collection of Original  Manuscripts formerly belonging to the Holy Office of the Inquisition in the  Canary Islands V1: 1499-1693 by W. De Gray Birch".

If this is the same person, Pedro is one of the sailors on the Santa Maria.
 

The House of the Marquis of Falces

by John Inclan 
and edited 
by Bernadette Inclan  





In 1516, while in her castle at Marcilla, Doña Velasco received a visit by Hernando del Villar, bearing a order of arrest by the Regent of Spain, the Catholic Church Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, O.F.M. (in his lifetime, known as Ximénes de Cisneros), (1436 - November 8, 1517) to demolish the Navarrese castles resisting the Artillery of the time. (In 1512, the Upper portion of Navarre had been incorporated to what is now Spain by Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, Sicily, Catalunya and Navarre). After a copious dinner, she was ransomed by her soldiers,  and ordered to leave, immediately, her town and her castle. In 1534, the Marquis died and was buried  at Marcilla, Navarre.  

4th Generation - Don Antonio Carrillo de Peralta y de Velasco, II Marquis of Falces, who died in 1545. He was the Grandnephew to Don Pedro III Fernandez de Velasco y Manrique de Lara, the 6th Constable de Castile, circa 1472, 2nd Count of Haro, (born circa 1425 - Conquest of Granada, 1492). Don Antonio married Ana del Bosquete, from Lower Navarre, (now in France), being parents to Ana, Pedro, Juan, Gabriel, Antonio, Leonor, and of the Viceroy of Mexico, 1566 - 1568, Gaston de Peralta, III Marquis de Falces. (1510 - 1595).  

5th Generation - Viceroy Gaston Carrillo de Peralta III Marquis de Falces, married Dona Ana Fernandez de Velasco, daughter of Dona Juliana-Angela de Velasco-y-Aragon and Don Pedro Fernandez-de-Velasco III Duke of  Frias.

Fernando II, King of Aragon & Dona Aldonza Ruiz-de-Iborre-y-Alemany

Their daughter,

Juana-Maria-Angela de Aragon m. I Duke of  Farias Bernardino Fernandez-de-Velasco

Their daughter,

Juliana-Angela de Velasco-y-Aragon m. Pedro Fernandez-de-Velasco III Duke of  Frias

Their daughter,

Ana Fernandez-de-Velasco m. Gaston Carrillo-de-Peralta III Marquis de Falces, Viceroy of New Spain, (Mexico). - Compiled by John Inclan January 2011.

1st Generation – Don Alonso Carrillo de Acuna was the powerful and political Archbishop of Toledo and of Portuguese and Castilian ancestry. He was the grandfather of the I Marquis of Falces. In his youth, he fathered an illegitimate son, named Troylos Carrillo de Acuna.  

2nd Generation - The Count of Agosta, (in Sicily), Don Troylos Carrillo de Acuña. His father influenced his 22 November 1467,  marriage to Lady Juana de Peralta y de Brabante, a native of Navarre, and the daughter of the 1st Count of Santisteban de Lerin, the influential Mossen Pierres de Peralta II, who had married, 27 November 1440, in the Navarrese Royal Palace of Olite, the Flemish Princess, Dona Anne de Brabante, daughter of  Phillip III, the Duke of Borgana (Burgundy). Don Troylos Carrillo mother’s name is unknown.  

3rd Generation - Constable of the kingdom of Navarre, Don Alonso Carrillo de Acuna y de Peralta, 1st Marquis of Falces, 2nd Count Consort of Santisteban de Lerin, Sieur Consort of  Peralta, Falces, Carcer, and other Navarrese places. He married Doña Ana de Velasco y Padilla, the daughter of Don Luis Fernandez de Velasco, and the granddaughter to Don  Pedro Fernandez de Velasco, the 1st Count of Haro and his wife, Doña Beatriz Manrique de Lara y Castilla.

 

 

A Secret Archive: On the Mexican Suitcase

Dan Kaufman
January 5, 2011  

Part 2, Part 1 under Mexico

 

Chim, a Polish Jew whose given name was Dawid Szymin, was the most established of the three photographers. In 1932 he relocated to Paris from Leipzig, where he had been studying graphic arts, to pursue a degree in chemistry and physics at the Sorbonne. Amid rising anti-Semitism in Poland his father's Yiddish publishing business struggled, and Chim was forced to work in order to continue his studies. He picked up a camera and began shooting street photography, focusing on portraits of the working class and unemployed of Paris. Within a year he was selling photos to Regards, which billed itself as "the illustrated newspaper of the Popular Front," and later to Ce Soir, a Communist evening paper edited by the poet Louis Aragon. By all accounts Chim was a gentle, quiet man. Henri Cartier-Bresson, who later founded the Magnum photo agency with Chim and Capa, described him as "a philosopher, a chess player." Perhaps it was this equipoise that enabled Chim to photograph unexpected moments of tranquillity amid chaos. A 1937 series of two boys playing in the ruins of Gijón after its destruction by Fascist bombers and naval artillery is one of the many revelations of the lost negatives.

Before the discovery of the Mexican Suitcase, Chim's work in Spain was little known. He began covering the Republic in the spring of 1936, when Regards sent him to photograph the aftermath of the electoral victory by the center-left Popular Front coalition. Even then, with little experience as a photographer, Chim quickly mastered the captioned photographic essay, a narrative format favored by immensely popular new photo journals like Regards, Life and the British Picture Post. These essays typically featured some half-dozen photographs in an artful layout and told a story mainly with images. Often, Chim appeared to shoot with this format in mind: narrative sequences are found throughout his rolls. Besides their formal achievement, several of Chim's essays open a pictorial window onto still-contentious aspects of the war.

In October 1936 Chim shot four rolls of film of Moroccan prisoners held by Republicans in a Madrid barracks. The pictures (none of which were published) show the prisoners eating, smoking cigarettes offered by Republican guards and smiling and laughing with their captors. Though the images showcase the Republic's humane treatment of its captives, Chim's extremely sympathetic portrayal of the Moroccans, especially a series of tender close-ups of three men in the final roll, is still surprising, given the reputation they earned for brutality. To augment the nearly 100,000 professional soldiers sent by Hitler and Mussolini to aid his revolt, Franco relied heavily on the Moroccans. They were his shock troops, dying at a rate of 1,000 a month in the long siege of Madrid. As the military historian Antony Beevor noted, they were also called on to inflict terror on the population. In Seville, in July 1936, Antonio Bahamonde, the press officer for the Fascist Gen. Queipo de Llano, an architect of the revolt, described watching the Moroccans throwing grenades into the windows of small houses in working-class neighborhoods, indiscriminately killing women and children. "The Moors took the opportunity to loot and rape at will," he added. "Queipo de Llano, in his night-time talks...urged on his troops to rape women."

Though the Moroccans, or Regulares Indigenas, held no particular allegiance to Fascism, they were desperately poor and easily recruited; the promise of a regular salary and food was especially enticing because the conflict in Spain followed a severe famine and drought in Morocco. "They took us as if we were cows. We knew nothing," one veteran recalled in The Moroccan Labyrinth, a recent Spanish documentary about the Regulares. Another characterized his enlistment this way: "When you are hungry, you can't see." The Fascists further induced them by presenting their cause in religious terms, as a jihad against a godless enemy.

While most of the clergy in Catholic Spain also cast the war in religious terms, and overwhelmingly sided with the Fascists (the Primate of Spain, Cardinal Isidro Gomá, claimed the Republic was "controlled by the Semite International"), the Basque clerics, who shared their compatriots' desire for greater autonomy, were a notable exception. In January 1937, in the Amorebieta Cloister, southeast of Bilbao, Chim shot a remarkable series showing Basque monks opening their refuge to Republican soldiers. The series includes several images of daily life inside the cloister: a monk conferring pleasantly with four Republican militiamen in the courtyard, soldiers setting up a radio transmitter and practicing formations and, most beautiful, a solitary monk studying a book in a small room with sunlight flooding through the window.

Chim's work photographing the Basque clergy's peaceful existence within the Republic was meant to counter the widespread belief that the government was inherently anticlerical. In the early months of the war, irregular militias killed several thousand clergy in the Republican zone (though few of these killings occurred in the Basque region). The Republican executions were a brutal and indiscriminate response to the church's centuries-long alliance with the monarchy, its close fraternity with the estate owners in Spain's semifeudal agricultural system and its fierce opposition to constitutional efforts to limit its power and role in civil society. These extrajudicial killings, however, contravened the government's policy and were publicly condemned by the Socialist leader Indalecio Prieto. Republican President Manuel Azaña and Prime Minister José Giral reorganized the judicial system, establishing popular tribunals in an effort to stop the killings. By October 1936, they had subsided.

The church hierarchy's unequivocal support for the Fascist rebellion was articulated in a pastoral letter written by the Bishop of Salamanca and published in September 1936. The letter described Franco's adversaries as "sons of Cain" and the civil war as a "crusade in defense of religion, the Fatherland, and Christian civilization." A year later, in response to the Nazi bombing of Guernica, which killed and wounded thousands of civilians and shocked many Catholics, Cardinal Gomá released an open letter to bishops around the world intended to shore up any wavering of Catholic support for Franco. The letter, signed by two cardinals, six archbishops and thirty-five bishops, characterized the Fascist revolt as the only recourse for "maintaining order and peace."

Soon after Chim photographed the Amorebieta Cloister, he traveled to a remote mountainous area near the Basque village of Lekeitio and shot an even more confounding scene: a Basque priest saying an elaborate Mass to several dozen Republican soldiers before they went off to fight. Chim photographed the scene from four different angles, but the most arresting image, published prominently in Regards, is photographed from above. The camera looks down on a priest behind a makeshift altar leading Republican Catholic soldiers though the sacrament with a pastoral setting as his backdrop.

Despite mitigating factors like Azaña and Giral's efforts and the loyalty of the Basque Catholics to the Republic, let alone the question of whether the destruction of cities like Guernica by aerial bombardment was justifiable to "maintain peace" in Catholic theology, the Vatican staunchly supported the Fascist insurgency. In August 1937 Rome accepted Franco's diplomatic emissary, granting the insurgency de facto recognition. Following the Republic's defeat, Pope Pius XII, who was later accused of remaining silent while millions of European Jews were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps, gave a radio address describing his "immense joy" with the Fascist triumph.

While the Pope's radio address emphasized the Republican killing of Catholic clergy, he failed to note a different crime against the church. In October 1936 Fascist forces executed by firing squad sixteen Basque priests. The Pope's address also made no mention of the 500 Basque clergy driven into exile by Franco and his accomplices. For them, the loyalty of the Basque Catholics was an international embarrassment that needed to be punished severely. Neither the Vatican nor the Spanish clerical establishment publicly condemned the murder of the Basque priests.

Remarkably, that silence continues today. Three years ago, Pope Benedict beatified 498 priests, nuns and other religious Catholics killed during the civil war, but none of the Basque priests were among them. As El País and the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, a Spanish human rights group, have documented, the list included clergy who were openly supportive of the Fascist uprising and in some cases aided it.
* * *

The photos by Gerda Taro in the Suitcase reveal a passionate, fearless photographer whose wide-ranging coverage—trench warfare, peasants harvesting wheat, an international writers conference in Valencia—gives a sweeping picture of life inside the Republic. Taro, whose given name was Gerta Pohorylle, and was the daughter of Polish Jews, fled her native Germany in 1933, after being arrested during a Nazi raid. She moved to Paris, a refuge for many Eastern European émigrés; she met Capa in the fall of the following year, and the two fell in love. During a summer holiday in the South of France, with Capa's encouragement and tutelage, she began shooting photographs. When the pair returned to Paris they shared an apartment and formed a loose-knit creative partnership. Taro, who also worked as an editor at a photo agency, acted as Capa's manager, and the two developed various projects for collaboration.

Their most ambitious, and last, would be covering the civil war. Capa and Taro first traveled to Spain in August 1936, as freelancers without an assignment (Taro had yet to be published). Their appearance in the Suitcase begins picking up in February 1937, with a detailed look at the Republican defense of Madrid. Taro focused on the neighborhood around the university, and her attention to granular details—sandbag barricades, men positioning themselves in makeshift trenches—conveys both the anxiousness of the moment and the city's bleak ambience. (She also captured a surreal image of a large brown bear sitting above a trench as two Republican soldiers talk obliviously.) At the beginning of her brief professional career her work was often uncredited. Later, she and Capa shared a credit, and three months before she died Taro began using only her name for some assignments. Mainly for this reason it has been difficult to determine the authorship of some of her works, but by piecing together her travel itinerary, among other clues, Taro scholars and ICP curators have done a painstaking job of establishing her contribution.

Shortly after photographing the university district, Capa and Taro photographed a nearby area newly decimated by German and Italian bombers. Taro's images of what had been a densely populated neighborhood include a young woman collecting firewood among the rubble and two horses grazing in a street of ruins. Mainly her photos show the effects of the bombings on the faltering buildings. Three months later, in Valencia, Taro photographed the human casualties of Fascist air raids. She begins with a small crowd of desperate faces pressed up against the metal gate of the city morgue. She then moves inside the morgue and, in images that evoke Goya, lays bare the human face of saturation bombing: a middle-aged man, his head and face bleeding, lies unattended on a marble slab; a child lies on the floor, her summer dress splattered with blood; and most haunting, a man lies on the floor, partly covered in a blood-soaked white sheet, with a yearning expression frozen on his face.

The war's fateful role as a precursor to World War II is vividly captured in Taro's account of the Valencia morgue. It was confirmed during the Nuremberg trials when Hermann Göring, the Reich commissioner for aviation, testified that he urged Hitler to give Franco military support partly "to test my young Luftwaffe at this opportunity in this or that technical respect." Göring's "technical" experiments would take the form of the first use of carpet-bombing on civilian populations. The Fascists targeted dense cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia in order to inflict the maximum amount of terror and civilian casualties. That the Nazis were simply preparing themselves for the next war was something lost on few. The headline in Regards over Taro's Valencia pictures read "Dress Rehearsal for Total War."

Two months later, covering the Battle of Brunete, outside Madrid, Taro was run over by an out-of-control Republican tank in a chaotic retreat. She died hours later. Her spare, elegant tombstone, designed by Alberto Giacometti, read "Gerda Taro, 1911 [sic]–1937, photojournalist for Ce Soir, killed July 25, 1937 on the Brunete front, Spain, in the line of duty." In 1942, during the Nazi occupation, the inscription was replaced with a concrete block noting only her name and date of birth and death. She was the first female photojournalist to die on assignment.

In the exhibition catalog, Brian Wallis describes the controversy over Robert Capa's most iconic photograph of the Spanish Civil War, Falling Soldier, as the primary motive behind the search for the lost negatives. The picture shows a solitary Republican soldier at the moment of getting shot and falling to his death on a hillside. Since the 1970s a fierce debate has raged as to whether the picture was staged. "It was in an effort to answer such charges—or at least understand that photograph more fully—that Capa scholar Richard Whelan and I set out in 2006 to try to find the picture's missing negative," Wallis writes. The curators did not find the lost negative to Falling Soldier in the Suitcase, but breathtaking images of Catalan orphans, the battles of Teruel and Ebro and especially of the Spanish exiles in concentration camps in France suggest that the emphasis placed by Capa's defenders and accusers alike on a single image's provenance has overshadowed the groundbreaking and courageous aspects of his work.

Capa left Spain in July 1937, shortly before Taro's death. Heartbroken by the loss, he returned in late December, covering the battle of Teruel, a last-ditch Republican counteroffensive that briefly recaptured this provincial capital from Franco. The many rolls of film devoted to the battle show Ernest Hemingway smoking with Republican officers, a group of soldiers on a stairwell of a bombed-out building and two old women, one with a cane, dressed in black and walking arm in arm along a mountain pass. There is a photo of a dead Republican watchman in a tree, apparently electrocuted and caught among wires and branches fifteen feet in the air. Capa took the picture from a low angle, a favorite position of his, against an open expanse of sky. His compassion is most palpable in his widely published portrait of a man with an extinguished cigarette in his mouth, carrying his son, whose leg is wrapped in a bloodstained white cloth, to safety.

Among the images in the Teruel rolls are many pictures of Republican refugees, who app  ear frequently in all three photographers' work, from the beginning of the war until the end. All three seemed to have a special feeling for them, but Capa's pictures of the refugees are more frequent and profound. When he was 17, Capa was briefly arrested and beaten by the Hungarian secret police for his leftist activities. Two months later he fled Hungary and settled for a short time in Berlin. While there, he took to photography as a way to try to make a living. After the Reichstag fire he fled again, eventually settling in Paris. Like Chim and Taro, Capa changed his name (he was born Endre Friedmann) partly to conceal his émigré past.

In the beginning of 1939, with the Republic's defeat inevitable, thousands of Republican exiles, fearing Franco's retribution, began fleeing the country. Most of them traveled to France, where they were interned in concentration camps near the Spanish border. Remedios Oliva Berenguer, now 92, was 20 when she left her home outside Barcelona with her family. "We left at 11 pm and got to Figueres at 6 pm," she said recently from her home in France.

There were bombers overhead and the road was full, full, full with people, with cars, with animals. We didn't want to leave because the bomber planes were overhead. There was also a castle in Figueres, and it was being bombed nonstop.... We didn't want to go to France. We wanted to go to the countryside, to stay with farmers in the Spanish countryside.... Trucks came for the women and children, but the trucks would arrive already full. People were so afraid they would jump on the trucks anyway and just hang from the sides. We crossed into France on February 7. It was about 6 pm that day. We all slept in the truck. We woke up the following day. We were about twenty-five kilometers from the border. It was sunny. The road was filled with people, filled with police, and they stopped us. We couldn't go through. There was nothing there for us at the Argelès camp. No bathrooms, nothing. They did not expect us. Nothing was prepared, no planning. We then saw a truck arrive with bread. People just flocked to it. There was no organization. So they just tossed the bread out like we were dogs. They threw it on the ground and we picked it up. Then other trucks came with rolls of barbed wire, and we didn't know why. We were thousands standing about, thousands. In the beginning, at the Argelès camp, there were about 75,000 of us. It was just the sand and sea. We were at the edge of the sea. So they constructed a barbed-wire fence along the side of the road to pen us in. The fences were at least two meters high. We knew we were among the first to arrive, but by the end we knew we numbered at least half a million people.

In March 1939 Capa journeyed to Argelès-sur-Mer, the camp where Oliva Berenguer and her family were interned, to document the fate of the exiles. His negatives show refugees living in threadbare tents under the open sky and men crouched on the ground eating meager rations. At the nearby camp at Le Barcarès, Capa photographed several men trapped behind a barbed-wire fence speaking to a passer-by on the other side. Later, he shifts his attention to a dozen men lying on the ground, huddled together for warmth near the camp's outer fence.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II the male prisoners were allowed to leave the camps to join the Foreign Legion or enlist in work brigades. Still others escaped. During the war, thousands of Republican exiles continued their fight, with the French Resistance and the Free French Forces. In all, an estimated 15,000 Spanish exiles died at the camps in France and 10,000 more died after they were deported from France to Mauthausen and other Nazi camps. As the civil war scholar Paul Preston notes, Franco encouraged Hitler to deport the Republican refugees to the German camps.

A significant percentage of the refugees emigrated to Mexico, the only country besides the Soviet Union to aid the Republic. During the war the Mexican government, though poor, sent arms to Spain as well as food and other humanitarian aid. "It's not for no reason that the Suitcase was in Mexico," Ziff told me. After Franco's victory, Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas agreed to accept an unlimited number of refugees provided their transport and accommodation were paid for. Republican relief organizations worked together with Mexican officials to bring them. Some 25,000 Spanish exiles eventually resettled in Mexico, their presence, like the negatives, preserving a fragment of the Spanish Republic.

After describing her journey, Oliva Berenguer recalled some of those who weren't fortunate enough to make it to Mexico or survive the French camps. "There were mass graves filled with people who disappeared from the countryside," she told me. "We had a neighbor who stayed behind in Spain. We later learned what happened to this man. He was about 58 years old and was a poet and a worker. He had a poet's soul. Of course he was a Republican. His sons had left to fight. I think he lost two or three sons. And he was executed in the Montjuïc castle in Barcelona. He was killed simply because he was a Republican. He was against Franco and wrote poetry favoring the Republicans. He was just a man, who was 58 years old, and was executed." Dan Kaufman
January 5, 2011   | 

 


 
Archbishop of Toledo, Alonso Carrillo-de-Acuna

1st Generation

His illegitimate son,

2nd Generation - The Count of Agosta, Sicily, Don Troylos Carrillo de Acuña, through the influences of his father, the powerful and political Archbishop of Toledo, married on  22 November 1467, to the Navarrese lady Dona Juana de Peralta y de Brabante, the daughter of the 1st Count of Santisteban de Lerin, the influential Mossen Pierres de Peralta II, who had married, 27 November 1440, in the Navarrese Royal Palace of Olite, the Flemish Princess, Anne de Brabante, daughter of the Duke of Borgana. The Ambitious Troylos Carrillo was the "son of the sin", who’s mother name is unknown. Archbishop Alfonso Carrillo de Acuna, was of Portuguese and Castilian ancestry, and the grandfather of this I Marquis of Falces.

3rd Generation - Navarrese Conetable of the kingdom of Navarre, Alonso Carrillo de Acuna y de Peralta, 1st Marquis of Falces, 2nd Count Consort of Santisteban de Lerin, Sieur Consort of  Peralta, Falces, Carcer, and other Navarrese places, deceased and buried at Marcilla, Navarre, in 1534.He married Dona Ana de Velasco-y-Padilla, the daughter of Don Luis Fernandez de Velasco, the son of Pedro Fernandez de Velasco, the 1st Count of Haro and his wife, Dona Beatriz Manrique de Lara y Castilla.

 

4th Generation - Don Antonio Carrillo de Peralta y de Velasco, II Marquis of Falces, died in 1545. His mother was the famous Dona Ana de Velasco y de Padilla, who after receiving in 1516, while alone in her castle of Marcilla, the visit of Hernando del Villar, in charge by Regent of Spain, the Catholic Church Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, O.F.M. (in his lifetime, known as Ximénes de Cisneros), (1436 - November 8, 1517) of demolishing the Navarrese castles resisting the Artillery of the time, 1512, when Upper Navarre was "incorporated" to what is now Spain by King of Aragon, Sicily, Cataunya and Navarre, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, was ransomed by her hidden soldiers after a copious dinner and told to leave, immediately, in a haughty and clear manner, her town and her castle. She was a niece of Pedro Fernandez de Velasco y Manrique de Lara, 6th Conetable de Castile, circa 1472, 2nd Count of Haro, (born circa 1425 - Conquest of  Granada, 1492). Don Antonio Carrillo de Peralta y de Velasco, (+1545), married Ana del Bosquete, from Lower Navarre, now in France, being father and mother, between others, named Ana, Pedro, Juan, Gabriel, Antonio Leonor, and of  the Viceroy of Mexico, 1566 - 1568, Gaston de Peralta, III Marquis de Falces. (1510 - 1595).


5th Generation - Viceroy Gaston Carrillo-de-Peralta III Marquis de Falces, married Dona Ana Fernandez de Velasco.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fernando II, King of Aragon & Dona Aldonza Ruiz-de-Iborre-y-Alemany

Their daughter,

Juana-Maria-Angela de Aragon m. I Duke of  Farias Bernardino Fernandez-de-Velasco

Their daughter,

Juliana-Angela de Velasco-y-Aragon m. Pedro Fernandez-de-Velasco III Duke of  Frias

Their daughter,

Ana Fernandez-de-Velasco m. Gaston Carrillo-de-Peralta III Marquis de Falces, Viceroy of New Spain, (Mexico).

Compiled by John Inclan January 2011.

 

 



Spain Goes on Mosque-Building Spree
Churches Forced to Close
by Soeren Kern, December 30, 2010

http://www.hudson-ny.org/1760/spain-mosque-building

 

 
The city of Barcelona, widely known as a European Mecca of anti-clerical postmodernism, has agreed to build an official mega-mosque with a capacity for thousands of Muslim worshipers. The new structure would rival the massive Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, currently the biggest mosque in Spain. An official in the office of the Mayor of Barcelona says the objective is to increase the visibility of Muslims in Spain, as well as to promote the "common values between Islam and Europe."

The Barcelona mosque project is just one of dozens of new mosques that are in various stages of construction across Spain. Overall, there are now thirteen mega-mosques in Spain, and more than 1000 smaller mosques and prayer centers scattered across the country, the majority of which are located in Catalonia in northeastern Spain.

The Muslim building spree reflects the rising influence of Islam in Spain, where the Muslim population has jumped to an estimated 1.5 million in 2010, up from just 100,000 in 1990, thanks to massive immigration. The construction of new mosques comes at a time when municipalities linked to the Socialist Party have closed dozens of Christian churches across Spain by way of new zoning laws that several courts have now ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional. It also comes at a time of growing anti-Semitism in Spain.

The Barcelona mosque project was announced during a weeklong seminar titled "Muslims and European Values," jointly sponsored by the European Council of Moroccan Ulemas [Muslim religious scholars], based in Brussels, and the Union of Islamic Cultural Centers in Catalonia, based in Barcelona. A representative of the Barcelona mayor's office who attended the conference told the Madrid-based El País newspaper that the municipality would get involved in the mosque project because "although religion pertains to the private realm, this does not mean it does not have a public role."

The idea to build a mega-mosque funded by Spanish taxpayers comes after Noureddine Ziani, a Barcelona-based Moroccan imam, said the construction of big mosques would be the best way to fight Islamic fundamentalism in Spain. "It is easier to disseminate fundamentalist ideas in small mosques set up in garages where only the members of the congregation attend, than in large mosques that are open to everyone, with prayer rooms, cafes and meeting areas," Ziani told the Spanish news agency EFE. He also said European governments should pay for the training of imams, which would be "a useful formula to avoid radical positions."

The Barcelona mosque would be that city's answer to the six-story, 12,000 square meter (130,000 square feet) Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, which opened in 1992 and is one of the biggest mosques in Europe. It was paid for by the government of Saudi Arabia, as was the €22 million ($30 million) Islamic Cultural Center in Málaga, a small city in southern Spain that is home to almost 100,000 Muslims. (The center's website includes politically correct "news," with headlines such as "Christian Palestine under Zionist Occupation" and "Julian Assange Victim of the Empire of Evil.")

Saudi Arabia, which also built the "great mosques" in the Spanish cities of Marbella and Fuengirola, has been accused of using the mosques and Islamic cultural centers in Spain to promote the Wahhabi sect of Islam dominant in Saudi Arabia. Wahhabism rejects all non-Wahhabi Islam, any dialogue with other religions and any opening up to other cultures. By definition, it also rejects the integration of Muslim immigrants into Spanish society.

Not surprisingly, the Saudi government officially supports the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative sponsored by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which borrows heavily from the Dialogue of Civilizations concept promoted by Islamic radicals in Iran in the 1990s -- an the initiative calls for the West to negotiate a truce with Islamic terrorists on terms set by the terrorists.

In December 2000, the Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid was expelled from the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI) to "frustrate the attempts of Saudi Arabia to control Islam in Spain." Most Muslim immigrants in Spain are from the Maghreb (especially Morocco and Algeria) or Pakistan; analysts say their low standards of living and low levels of education make them particularly susceptible to the Islamist propaganda promoted by Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere in Spain, residents of the Basque city of Bilbao were recently surprised to find their mailboxes stuffed with flyers in Spanish and Arabic from the Islamic Community of Bilbao asking them for money to build a 650 square meter mosque costing €550,000 ($725,000). Their website says: "We were expelled [from Spain] as Moriscos in 1609, really not that long ago. … The echo of Al-Andalus still resonates in all the valley of the Ebro [ie Spain]. We are back to stay, Insha'Allah [if Allah wills it]."

Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of Spain ruled by Muslim conquerors from 711 and 1492. Many Muslims believe that the territories they lost during the Spanish Reconquista still belong to them, and that they have a right to return and establish their rule there – a belief based on the Islamic precept that territories once occupied by Muslims must forever remain under Muslim domination.

The Moriscos, descendants of the Muslim population that converted to Christianity under threat of exile in 1502, were ultimately expelled from Spain by King Philip III in 1609. Muslim leaders say Spain could right the wrong by offering Spanish citizenship to the Muslim descendants of the Moriscos as an "apology and acknowledgement of mistakes" made during the Spanish Inquisition.

In Córdoba, Muslims are demanding that the Spanish government allow them to worship in the main cathedral, which had been a mosque during the medieval Islamic kingdom of Al-Andalus and is now a World Heritage Site. Muslims hope to recreate the ancient city of Córdoba as a pilgrimage site for Muslims throughout Europe. Funds for the project to turn "Córdoba into the Mecca of the West" are being sought from the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and Muslim organizations in Morocco and Egypt.

In Granada, a city in southern Spain that was the last Muslim stronghold of Al-Andalus to capitulate to the Roman Catholic kings in 1492, a muezzin now calls Muslims to prayer at the first mosque to be opened in the city since the Spanish Reconquista. The Great Mosque of Granada "is a symbol of a return to Islam among the Spanish people and among indigenous Europeans," says Abdel Haqq Salaberria, a spokesman for the mosque. "It will act as a focal point for the Islamic revival in Europe," he says. It was paid for by Libya, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

In Lleida, a town in northeastern Spain where 29,000 Muslims make up 20% of the population, the local Islamic association Watani recently asked Moroccan King Mohammad VI for money to build a mosque in the center of town. Local Muslims are incensed that the municipality gave them land to build a mosque on the outskirts of town and not in the city center. Although the municipality gave the land more than three years ago, the local Muslim community has refused to apply for a formal license: it is demanding a more "dignified location for the Muslim community to worship."

In Zaragoza, the fifth-largest city in Spain, the 22,000-strong Islamic community has been negotiating the purchase of an abandoned Roman Catholic grade school for €3 million. In September, however, a group of 200 teenage anarchist squatters took over the property (a seemingly normal occurrence in Spain), but a local judge has refused to remove them for "security" reasons. The local imam is now demanding a "big and visible location" for a mosque: many Muslims view the city as "theirs" and they want a way to show it.

Meanwhile, the Madrid-based ABC newspaper reports that more than 100 mosques in Spain have radical imams preaching to the faithful each Friday. The newspaper says some imams have established religious police that harass and attack those who do not comply with Islamic law. ABC also reports that during 2010, more than 10 Salafist conferences were held in Spain, compared to only one in 2008.

Salafism is a branch of revivalist Islam that calls for restoring past Muslim glory by re-establishing an Islamic empire across the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe. Salafists view Spain as a Muslim state that must be reconquered for Islam.

At the same time, Noureddine Ziani, the Moroccan imam, says it is absolutely necessary to accept Islamic values as European values. He also says that from now on, Europeans should replace the term "Judeo-Christian" with term "Islamo-Christian" when describing Western Civilization.



Alice in Seville


Time Magazine Article
Monday, Jul. 07, 1952
Education: Alice in Seville
Sent by John Inclan

All the Boston schoolmarm wanted, as she entered Seville's great General Archives of the Indies during her vacation trip through Spain, was to look up some facts for an article on Barbados. But that day in 1911, Alice Bache Gould found herself so fascinated that she could not bear to leave. "Day after day," says she, "I went back to the archives and postponed my trip home." Last week, after 41 years, she was still postponing it.

In those 41 years, Alice Gould has made quite a name for herself in her special wonderland, for the Archives contain the world's richest collection of documents about the Spanish exploration of the New World. Ever since 1778, when Charles 
III ordered that all letters, papers and maps concerned with the colonies be assembled in one place, scholars have been flocking to Seville. But the most tireless researcher of them all—from Washington Irving and Martin Fernández de 
Navarrete to Harvard's Samuel Eliot Morison—has been Alice Bache Gould.

Logs & Diaries. Today, at 84, she knows as much about the Archives as anyone alive. Week after week, supported by her ebony cane, she still makes her way from the Hotel Cristina to the hushed chambers of the Casa de la Lonja. There, head bent low, she still pores over the endless viceroys' reports, ships' logs and diaries. But in all the decades she has been in Seville, her chief target has never changed: today, she is the world's leading expert on Columbus' crew.

She set her sights on the target almost the first day she entered the Archives. It was then that she happened to discover a document concerning a man named Pedro de Lepe, one of the most controversial figures aboard the Santa Maria. A 
longtime Columbus enthusiast, Alice Gould knew that most historians doubted De Lepe ever existed. The document, she felt, furnished absolute proof that he did.

Researcher Gould decided that she would track down every last one of Columbus' followers. Some historians had thought that there were 60 men on the expedition; others said 71; still others said 108. By combing through Columbus' letters, 
hunting down birth certificates, digging up royal payrolls, Alice Gould finally set the figure at 89. Then she turned to the larger task of writing a monumental book which would contain a biography of each one.     

Jewels & Spices. Like any good housekeeper, she managed to tidy up a number of  historical mysteries. For one thing, she unearthed copies of the much-debated Columbus "Entail of Property," in which Ferdinand and Isabella gave their Admiral the right to one tenth of all the spices and jewels he might discover.

For another, she also did away with an age-old libel on Columbus' men, whom historians had long assumed to be no more than a gang of ex-convicts. Actually, only four were ever near a jail. "Aside from these four," says Alice Gould proudly, "none of my men was ever convicted."

Over the years, Researcher Gould has never wearied of her search. But by last week she had finally reached the last chapter of her big book and was contemplating a special honor that had just been bestowed on her. In a ceremony at the Casa de la Lonja, Minister of Education Ruiz Jimenez pinned the Cross of Isabella the Catholic on her black silk dress. "It was," says Unitarian Gould, cocking her head to one side, "a very nice ceremony. And such a beautiful decoration. But there is only one thing I really want—a little more time to complete my job."


 


INTERNATIONAL

Muslim Christmas in Europe
Europe Goes Halal
Europe's Muslim Lobby

"People have a right to their own opinions, but they do not have a right to their own facts."  
Senator Daniel Petrick Moynihan
 
Muslim Christmas in Europe
"Another Offense Is 'Claiming God Has a Son.'"
by Soeren Kern
January 6, 2011 
http://www.hudson-ny.org/1777/muslim-christmas-europe

Europe's 2010 Christmas and New Year holidays this year were overshadowed by widespread Islam-related controversies in nearly every European country -- conflicts that reflected the growing influence of Islam thanks to mass immigration from Muslim countries, and an ominous sign of things to come, considering that Europe's Muslim population is expected to double by the end of the decade that began this week.

Some of the most heated multicultural dust-ups during the December 2010 holidays took place in Britain, where a Muslim group launched a nationwide poster campaign denouncing Christmas as evil. Organizers posted across Britain thousands of placards claiming the season of goodwill is responsible for rape, teenage pregnancies, abortion, promiscuity, crime and paedophilia. They said they hoped that the campaign would help to "destroy Christmas" in Britain, and instead lead to Britons converting to Islam.

The placards featured a festive scene with an image of the Star of Bethlehem over a Christmas tree. But under a banner announcing "the evils of Christmas," the posters mocked the traditional English Christmas carol, The 12 Days of Christmas. The posters read: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me an STD [sexually transmitted disease]. On the second day, debt; on the third, rape; the fourth, teenage pregnancies, and then there was abortion." According to the posters, Christmas is also responsible for paganism, domestic violence, homelessness, vandalism, alcohol and drugs. Another offense of Christmas is "claiming God has a son."

The bottom of the poster declares: "In Islam we are protected from all of these evils. We have marriage, family, honour, dignity, security, rights for man, woman and child." The campaign's organizer, 27-year-old Abu Rumaysah, wants Islamic Sharia Law imposed in Britain and says he is not concerned about offending Christians. He says "Christmas is a lie, and as Muslims it is our duty to attack it."

The British Red Cross seems to agree. For nearly a decade, it has banned Christmas from its more than 400 fund-raising shops; British newspapers reported that workers were ordered to take down Christmas trees and nativity scenes and to remove any other signs of the Christian festival because they could offend Muslims.

The Red Cross dismissed the accusations as old news, but in an official statement essentially confirmed its veracity. "It's true that you won't find explicitly religious items or displays, relating to any faith, in any of our shops, at Christmas or any other time. … The point is that the Red Cross is not a political or religious organisation. … We can't let people in need down by compromising our neutrality. … A nativity scene in a shop in Kent might seem like it has nothing to do with our sensitive, precarious work in a war zone in Africa or the Middle East. But in a world where information travels quickly and pervasively … we have to make sure we act consistently across the board with regard to our neutrality."

Also in Britain, anti-terror police on December 20 arrested nine Islamists, aged between 19 and 28, during a series of dawn raids in London, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent. The suspects are accused of planning a Christmas terror blitz on London's busiest landmarks, including the mayor's office and the American embassy.

Elsewhere in Britain, a Roman Catholic grade school faces being taken over by a mosque after it was revealed, on December 28, that 95% of its pupils are Muslim. Church leaders say it is no longer "appropriate" for them to run Sacred Heart Primary School, which has only six Christian pupils. Just 10 years ago more than 90% of their pupils were Roman Catholic, but now most are of Asian origin, do not speak English as their first language, and follow Islam.

The school in Blackburn, Lancashire, could be handed to the nearby Masjid-e-Tauheedul mosque, inaugurated in July 2010 by Sheik Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, an imam employed by the Saudi government and head cleric of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Sheik Al-Sudais has been banned from entering the United States. In a 2002 sermon he called Jews "the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, the killers of prophets and the grandsons of monkeys and pigs." He has also called on Muslims to "kill Jews and American worshippers of the cross."

In Cyprus, meanwhile, the interior ministry began issuing new biometric passports that contain a watermark sketch of a naked Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of Love. The image is modelled on a famous statue in the Cyprus Museum in the capital, Nicosia. The ancient goddess is widely accepted as the symbol of the eastern Mediterranean holiday island, and is used by its tourism organization on its "Love Cyprus" advertising campaign abroad. Local legend says that Aphrodite (also known as Venus to the ancient Romans) emerged from the sea on a crest of foam just off the coast of Cyprus.

But some politically correct Cypriot diplomats say the depiction of a nude Aphrodite might offend Muslims. "They are worried that civilians and diplomats could get into trouble, especially when travelling to very conservative Islamic countries," according to local newspapers (here in English), where the issue was a major topic of discussion over the Christmas holidays. So far, Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis has stood firm, saying he has no plans to cover Aphrodite with an Islamic-style burqa.

In Denmark, police thwarted an Islamist terrorist attack in Copenhagen just hours before it was to take place on December 29. Authorities arrested five Muslims who were planning to shoot as many people as possible in a Copenhagen office building that houses the newsroom of Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that published controversial cartoons of Mohammed in 2005.

Four suspects were arrested in the suburbs of Copenhagen, including a 44-year-old Tunisian, a 29-year-old man from Lebanon and a 26-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker. A fifth suspect, a 37-year-old Swedish citizen of Tunisian origin, was arrested in Sweden. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service said it seized a submachine gun, a silencer and ammunition.

In Finland, the 60,000-strong Muslim community chose the Christmas holidays to complain that there are not enough mosques in the country. Muslim activists say the existing premises of the Islamic Society of Finland in downtown Helsinki are too small for the country's rapidly expanding Muslim population.

In France, police announced an innovative new approach to dealing with the annual ritual of car torchings by Muslim youths on New Year's Eve. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said that this year his agency would not immediately publish the number of cars torched overnight, but rather will release the data "later in the month" in a bid to stop the "unhealthy competition" that encourages Muslim youths to raise the number of torchings year after year.

Car torchings have become somewhat of a tradition in multicultural France. Every New Year's Eve, hundreds of cars are set alight by Muslim revellers, and the announcement of the tally of destruction has become a media obsession.

Also in France, in the Paris suburb of Grigny, Christian Le Bras, a municipal councillor with the Green Party, caused a stir after posting posters wishing a Happy New Year to the residents on behalf of his party: "Europe Ecologie Grigny's best wishes for this new year 1432-2011." The Muslim Year 1432 began on December 6. According to local media reports, some members of the party want to sue Le Bras for fraudulent use of the party name. The posters have since been removed.

Elsewhere in France, Jean-Pierre Cattenoz, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Avignon, said in an interview with Famille Chrétienne, a Christian magazine: "We are at a turning point in the religious history of our country. Gallic families, traditionally Christian, have on average two children. Muslims families living in France, have most often four, five six children. From this we can see that France will have a Muslim majority in twenty, thirty years."

In Germany, the incoming head of the main airport lobby group, ADV, caused a stir on December 27 by demanding that the country's transit authorities use racial profiling to weed out terrorists at security checks. Christophe Blume, currently the head of Düsseldorf Airport, told the daily newspaper Rheinische Post that passengers should be divided into different risk categories, meaning subject to varying degrees of scrutiny by airport security.

"That way, the security system could become more effective to everyone's benefit," said Blume, who will take the helm of ADV later this month. He said that profiling passengers according to characteristics such as race, religion and country of origin would allow German airports to avert a further tightening of security. Not surprisingly, the leftwing guardians of German political correctness are fuming.

Over at the European Commission in Brussels, unelected bureaucrats have decided to abolish Christmas altogether. The European Commission, which is the executive body of the 27-member state European Union, produced more than three million copies of a 2011 daily planner for secondary schools that contains no reference to Christmas, but does mention Hindu, Sikh and Muslim holidays. The calendar also notes "Europe Day" and other key dates of the European Union.

The calendar page for December 25 is empty and at the bottom is the following message: "A true friend is someone who shares your worries and your joy." A spokesperson for the European Commission said the omission of Christmas was a "blunder," but then went on to confirm that it really was not one when he said and that Christmas would not appear in future editions of this planner, either, "to avoid any controversy."

In Holland, police on December 24 arrested 12 Somalis in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack during Christmas.

Also in Holland, Radio Netherlands reported on December 22 that a Muslim fundamentalist group calling itself Sharia4Holland (not to be confused with Sharia4Belgium) has started operating openly in the country. The group wants Muslims to fight for the establishment of a Dutch Islamic state, so that the "flag of Sharia will blow over the Dutch Royal Palace in The Hague."

In Spain, the city of Barcelona decided that Christmas would be a good time to announce the construction of an official mega-mosque with a capacity for thousands of Muslim worshipers. The new structure would rival the massive Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, one of the biggest mosques in Europe. An official in the office of the Mayor of Barcelona said the objective is to "increase the visibility of Muslims in Spain," as well as to promote the "common values between Islam and Europe."

In Sweden, a botched terrorist attack in central Stockholm on December 11 highlighted signs of growing Islamic extremism across Scandinavia. In the first-ever suicide bombing in Sweden, a 29-year-old Iraqi-born sports therapist named Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, intent on mass murder just before Christmas, blew up both his car and himself on a busy shopping street.. Abdulwahab's widow said her husband appeared to be a "normal Muslim."

Also in Sweden, a Coptic Christian church in the town of Agnesberg near Gothenburg was forced to close down on December 24 after receiving threats from Islamic extremists. The church will remain closed for up to two weeks; it remains unclear whether worshipers will be able to use the building on January 6, the day Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas. (Coptic Christians in Germany have also received threats of attack by radical Muslims and have asked for police protection, according to the German tabloid Bild.)

Back in Spain, Noureddine Ziani, a Barcelona-based Moroccan imam, who recently organized a week-long conference titled "Muslims and European Values," said it is absolutely necessary to accept Islamic values as European values. He also said that from now on, Europeans should replace the term "Judeo-Christian" with term "Islamo-Christian" when describing Western Civilization. If Christmas in 2010 is any guide, Europe is already far along the path in that direction.

   

Europe Goes Halal

by Soeren Kern
January 13, 2011 at 5:00 am

 

http://www.hudson-ny.org/1799/europe-goes-halal

The European Union, bowing to pressure from Muslim lobby groups, has quietly abandoned a new measure that would have required halal [religiously approved for Muslims] meat products to carry a label alerting consumers that the animals were not stunned, and therefore conscious, just before slaughter. With the exponential growth of Europe's Muslim population in recent years, thousands of tons of religiously slaughtered halal meat is now entering the general food chain, where it is being unwittingly consumed by the non-Muslim population.

Muslims have the right to choose halal foods, but non-Muslims do not have the right to choose not to eat the ritually slaughtered meat.

Halal, which in Arabic means lawful or legal, is a term designating any object or action that is permissible according to Islamic Sharia Law. In the context of food, halal meat is derived from animals slaughtered by hand according to methods stipulated in Islamic religious texts. One such method, called dhabihah, consists of making a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck that cuts the jugular vein, leaving the animal to bleed to death without stunning. Of vital importance, according to the Koran, is that the animal's blood flows from its body by "natural convulsion."

Many non-Muslim veterinary experts say the method is cruel and should be outlawed. In Britain, for example, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an advisory body to the British Government, says in a report that cutting an animal's throat without stunning induces "significant pain and distress." The FAWC also says: "Slaughter without pre-stunning is unacceptable and the Government should repeal the current exemption."

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) says: "The BVA believes that all animals should be effectively stunned before slaughter to improve the welfare of these animals at slaughter. However, as long as slaughter without stunning is permitted, the BVA has argued for any meat from this source to be clearly labelled to enable all consumers to fully understand the choice they are making."

Animal-welfare legislation in Europe requires that abattoirs stun all animals prior to slaughter unless they are being ritually killed according to the practices of a non-Christian religion. But critics say the religious slaughter exemptions are being abused and millions of cows, goats, turkeys and chickens are being slaughtered according to halal standards and then sold to unwitting, non-Muslim customers, providing producers with a large and profitable market.

In Britain alone, it is estimated that more than 150 million halal animals are killed each year. Critics say this number is far more than is needed by the Muslim community, and that the growing success of halal products in Europe is being driven by the fact that the non-Muslim public is unaware of the halal origins of the meat. They say the ability to sell halal meat products by stealth has opened up vast new markets across Europe, which, by extension, is leading to a huge increase in the number of animals slaughtered using halal methods. The European halal food market is currently valued at €50 billion ($67 billion), and is expected to grow by at least 25% by 2020.

Critics of halal say that by dropping the halal labelling requirement, the EU effectively is institutionalizing a discriminatory two-tier approach to identifying the origins of meats. This controversy, as with so many others, highlights the growing assertiveness of Europe's Muslim community, and demonstrates once again how the rise of Islam is stealthily overwhelming the daily lives of hundreds of millions of non-Muslim Europeans.

Amendment 205 to the EU food information regulations, passed by members of the European Parliament in June 2010 by a vote of 559 to 54, would have required all meat or meat products from animals slaughtered without stunning to be labelled as follows: "Derived from animals that have not been stunned prior to slaughter." Although halal meat is well labelled in specialist butcher shops and food outlets, the EU regulation would have alerted non-Muslim consumers to supplies entering the mainstream food system.

Not surprisingly, the move to require halal meat producers to provide consumers with more information on the packaging of their products has enraged Muslims, who claim that the move has little to do with animal welfare, and reflects a bias against Islam. In any event, halal slaughter is permitted in all but four European countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) and halal-related controversies are becoming increasingly commonplace.

In Britain, for example, a London Daily Mail investigation has found that the country's major supermarket chains, fast-food restaurants, even some hospitals and schools are serving halal food without telling those who are eating it. Cheltenham College, which boasts of its strong Christian ethos, is one of several top British schools serving halal chicken to pupils without informing them. Even Britain's biggest hotel and restaurant group Whitbread, which owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre chains, admits that more than three-quarters of its poultry is halal.

In London, the Harrow Council has provoked a storm of protest after announcing plans to offer Islamic halal-only menus in the borough's 52 state primary schools. Parents are outraged that meat prepared according to Sharia law is being pushed on non-Muslim children. In Derby, the Dale Primary School has only halal meat on the school menu for certain days of the week to avoid cross contamination with non-halal meat. In Blackburn, the Daisyfield Primary School has become the first non-Muslim school to become certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee.

In Birmingham, the Domino's pizza chain has opened a halal-only outlet that does not offer its customers ham or bacon. Critics say the new policy discriminates against non-Muslims. Domino's says it has "thought long and hard" about not offering pork products at the store, which serves an area with a large Muslim population. The company says there are "alternatives, such as turkey ham." Meanwhile, most of the in-flight meals on British Airways could soon be halal.

Also in Britain, the 2nd World Halal Forum Europe 2010 recently was held in London. The theme of the World Halal Forum Europe was: "Halal Products & Services -- Going Mainstream."

In Spain, Muslims have rejected efforts by the Spanish rail company RENFE to offer halal menus on its high-speed trains. The Muslim Council of Spain says it is not enough for RENFE to simply remove alcohol and pork from its menu. The company must also take into consideration how the animals are slaughtered, what type of oil is used in cooking, as well as comply with a list of other demands.

In Spain as a whole, the Muslim population has undergone an almost twenty-fold increase in just two decades and the internal market for halal products is now estimated to exceed 2 million consumers, in addition to the estimated 7 million Muslims who pass through Spain each year as they cross the Strait of Gibraltar to and from North Africa.

In Belgium, the Justice Ministry recently launched a pilot project to train prison guards, as well as doctors and nurses, about practical problems related to halal. Muslim inmates in Belgian prisons often refuse medication because it contains animal fat, and Muslim patients in Belgian hospitals sometimes refuse medical care during Ramadan. As part of its halal training efforts, the Justice Ministry commissioned a practical guide titled "Comprendre le halal" (Understanding halal).

Also in Belgium, the parents of children attending the De Kleine Kunstenaar kindergarten in the town of Houthalen recently signed a petition objecting to their children being forced to eat halal meat on a school trip. "Due to their religious beliefs, Muslims can only consume halal meat, but that does not mean our children must eat it," the petition says. The parents are asking for an alternative burger for their children, but the school says that request is "practically impossible."

In Denmark, an investigation found that thousands of tons of beef in Danish supermarkets are halal slaughtered. In Finland, a separate investigation found that McDonald's secretly served its Finnish customers chicken meat that was slaughtered according to Sharia Law.

In France, the Franco-Belgian fast-food chain, Quick, has removed bacon burgers from its menu and replaced them with a version using halal beef and a slice of smoked turkey. René Vandierendonck, the socialist mayor of the northern French city of Roubaix, says the move amounts to discrimination against non-Muslim customers. He has filed charges with justice authorities against Quick for what he says is prejudicial religious catering. He has also lodged a complaint with France's main anti-discrimination authority on the matter. Marine Le Pen, vice president of the National Front Party, says Quick's halal option is "an Islamic tax" on diners. Xavier Bertrand, secretary general of the ruling conservative Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) says Quick's menu change is undermining France's secular, integrationist social model.

Elsewhere in France, where the halal food sector has doubled in five years and is now valued at €5.5 billion ($7 billion), animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot says that 80% of French slaughterhouses are now halal because the method is cheaper and faster, and thus more profitable.

In Italy, the government in July 2010 signed an agreement with the Italian Islamic Community to establish a halal certifying organization. The Halal Italia certification scheme will guarantee compliance with Islamic laws for Italian food products such as tortellini and lasagne. The Italian market for halal is valued at €5 billion ($6.5 billion). Foreign Minister Franco Frattini says the Islamically-correct "Made in Italy" certification is designed to facilitate "the progressive integration of Muslim communities resident in Italy into the social fabric."

In Sweden, which has banned the religious slaughtering of animals since 1937, the Muslim Association of Sweden (SMF) is demanding that halal slaughter practices be legalized. SMF chairperson Mahmoud Aldebe says the Swedish government should respect the democratic rights of Sweden's Muslims to exercise their "religious freedoms" and help find a way to permit the practice.

In Holland, an elementary Catholic school in Weert decided to serve only halal food for its Christmas meal. The school has about 400 students, only ten of whom are Muslim. Margo Janssen, the school principal, says that serving only halal food for Christmas is a Christian thing to do because it puts others -- Muslims -- first.

Also in Holland, several Dutch prisons are now serving only halal food. The Dutch Justice Department says it is too expensive to offer prisoners both halal and non-halal menus, so it has decided to offer only halal food. The prison in the Dutch town of Sittard is now being sued by a prisoner; he says that by being forced to eat halal food, he is receiving extra punishment.

 
Europe's Muslim Lobby


by Soeren Kern
January 20, 2011 at 4:45 am

http://www.hudson-ny.org/1817/europe-muslim-lobby
Europeans often fantasize about America's so-called Jewish lobby, which they claim has a chokehold over American finance, media and politics and is responsible for all manner of conspiratorial evil. But few Europeans like to talk about the growing influence of Europe's Muslim lobby, a conglomeration of hundreds of Muslim political and religious organizations -- many of which are media-savvy mouthpieces for militant Islam that openly pursue anti-European, anti-Western and anti-Semitic agendas and often receive financial support from Islamic fundamentalist countries like Saudi Arabia.

In a Europe where Islam is the fastest-growing religion, and where the number of Muslims has tripled over the past 30 years, Europe's Muslim lobby is becoming increasingly assertive and skilled at pressuring European policy-makers into implementing countless pro-Islamic policies, especially ones that institutionalize Islamic Sharia law. Muslim lobby groups are, in fact, transforming European society in ways unimaginable only a few years ago; critics say their ultimate goal is nothing less than the Islamification of Europe.

Some of the most effective Muslim lobby groups are located in Britain, home to one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe, and include organizations such as the Muslim Council of Britain [MCB], Britain's largest Muslim umbrella body with around 500 affiliated national, regional and local organizations, mosques, charities and schools. It recently pressured the British government into adopting Islamic law and giving Sharia courts full powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

The British government has quietly sanctioned the powers for Sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. Whereas previously, the rulings of Sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims, rulings issued by a network of five Sharia courts are now enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Sharia courts with these powers have been set up in Birmingham, Bradford, London and Manchester and the network's headquarters are located in Nuneaton, Warwickshire; and two more courts are being planned for Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Overall, at least 85 Islamic Sharia courts are now operating in Britain, almost 20 times as many as previously believed. A study by the Civitas think tank found that scores of unofficial tribunals and councils regularly apply Islamic law to resolve domestic, marital and business disputes, many operating in mosques. The study warns of a "creeping" acceptance of Sharia principles in British law.)

Although the MCB, which represents half of the country's 3 million Muslims, presents itself as the moderate face of Islam in Britain, the group has its origins in the extreme orthodox politics of Pakistan. The MCB and some of its affiliates sympathize with, and have links to, conservative Islamist movements in the Muslim world, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood and Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical party committed to the establishment of an Islamic state in Pakistan ruled by Sharia law.

Far from promoting moderate Islam, the MCB's real objective, critics say, is to help Muslims in Britain become more radical in their beliefs.

Among other positions, the MCB believes death is the appropriate penalty for apostasy and homosexuality. The group recently endorsed a pro-Hamas declaration that calls for Jihad against Jews and Israel, and condones attacks on British troops. The MCB also regularly makes headlines for boycotting Holocaust Memorial Day ceremonies in Britain; it is also campaigning for the establishment of an alternative Genocide Memorial Day that will "incorporate similar tragedies."

Another Muslim group, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom (MPACUK), has the outspoken aim of mobilizing Muslim voters to affect the outcome of British elections. During the general elections in 2010, MPACUK was pivotal in de-seating six members of parliament (MPs) who were perceived as being not sufficiently pro-Muslim.

During the 2005 general elections, MPACUK launched a smear campaign against Labour Party MP Lorna Fitzsimons. MPACUK distributed a leaflet claiming that Fitzsimons had done nothing to help the Palestinians because she was Jewish. Another leaflet said: "Lorna Fitzsimons is an ardent Zionist and a member of the most powerful anti-Muslim lobby in the world, the Israel lobby."

Fitzsimons is not in fact Jewish, and MPACUK later withdrew the leaflet. But MPACUK did succeed in unseating Fitzsimons; ever since then, many British MPs have been bending over backwards to appease Muslim voters.

MPACUK recently worked with Britain's Channel 4 television to produce a documentary titled "Operation Muslim Vote." With the aim of pressing for a larger participation of Muslims in British politics, the documentary tells the story of two MPACUK activists who head to northern England to take on the safe seats of several "pro-Zionist war mongering MPs."

MPACUK's website says its work is defined by the core principle of anti-Zionism: "MPACUK opposes the racist political ideology of Zionism and aims to counter the influence of the Zionist lobby. Openly available evidence demonstrates a Zionist agenda to dominate the Middle East and push a 'clash of civilisations' between Islam and 'The West'. We therefore believe that anti-Zionism is a strategic priority to counter the greatest and most urgent threat facing the Ummah [the Muslim Diaspora]."

Its website also says Muslims in Britain should be pro-actively engaged in mainstream media and politics as the most effective way to "reviving the fard (obligation) of Jihad."

Muslim lobby groups have also pressed the British government to enact the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, which creates a new crime: intentionally stirring up religious hatred against people on religious grounds. Predictably, the new law has established new limits on free speech in a country where the politically correct elite routinely seek to silence public discussion about the escalating problem of Muslim immigration.

The growing power of Europe's Muslim lobby was most recently demonstrated by the European Union's decision in mid-December to quietly abandon a new measure that would have required halal (religiously approved for Muslims) meat products to carry a label to help non-Muslim consumers identify their origins. With the exponential growth of Europe's Muslim population, thousands of tons of religiously slaughtered halal meat is now entering the general food chain, where it is being unwittingly consumed by the non-Muslim population.

By bowing to Muslim pressure groups -- such as the World Halal Forum Europe and the Halal Monitoring Committee -- and dropping the halal labelling requirement, the EU is effectively establishing Sharia law as normative for Europe's meat industry. The halal controversy, in which Muslim lobby groups are seeking to impose the requirements of Islam, not just on their own people, but also on the rest of society, illustrates how the rise of Islam is influencing the daily lives of hundreds of millions of non-Muslim Europeans.

In France, which has the second-largest Muslim population on the continent after Germany, several Muslim lobby groups are vying to represent the country's estimated 4.1 million Muslims. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) serves as the official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities, and as such it is the de facto representative of all French Muslims before the national government. The other main Muslim lobby groups are the Rally for French Muslims (RMF),backed by Morocco, and the Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF), close to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In Germany, home to Europe's largest Muslim population in absolute terms, the powerful Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), itself a branch of the Turkish government's religious affairs authority, has succeeded in persuading the city of Cologne to approve the construction of a new mega mosque. The futuristic mosque will hold up to 4,000 worshippers, and will have a large dome and two 55-meter (180 feet) minarets, each as tall as 18-story office towers. The 4,500-square-meter (48,000-square-foot) mosque, which has a price tag of €20 million ($26 million), is being financed by donations from more than 800 Muslim groups inside and outside Germany. Critics of the project say the mosque is a deliberate effort to spoil Cologne's skyline by taking attention away from the city's Gothic cathedral, a globally famous Christian landmark.

In recent months, Muslim lobby groups have also persuaded the German government to adapt Germany's secular education system so that it caters to Islamic preferences. The German Education Ministry has, for example, agreed to fund Islamic studies at several state universities to train Muslim prayer leaders and religion teachers. Germany's Education Minister, Annette Schavan, says: "We want as many imams as possible to be educated in Germany. Imams are bridge builders between their congregations and the communities in which their mosques stand." She states further that Germany would need 2,000 imams and teachers if all 16 states offered Islam courses.

Elsewhere in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Muslim lobby groups are working with the Culture Ministry to design Islam-friendly classes for public schools. The new guidelines recommend cancelling all school trips during the month of Ramadan; taking into account the sensitivities of Muslims when planning internships and school events; and assigning less schoolwork during Ramadan because fasting could lead to loss of performance and concentration among Muslim students.

In the German state of Lower Saxony, the German Muslim Central Council is urging the Education Ministry to include Islam in its schools' core curriculum as part of a politically correct initiative to counter growing anti-Islam sentiments in the country. In Berlin, the Ministry for Education, Science and Research recently published a guide called "Islam and School," which gives teachers practical advice on how to avoid offending Muslim students.

In Scandinavia, the Muslim Council of Sweden, an umbrella organization of Islamic groups in the country, is pressuring the Swedish government to implement special legislation for Muslims in Sweden. The demands include: the right to specific Islamic holidays; special public financing for the building of mosques; a demand that all divorces between Muslim couples be approved by an Imam; and that Imams should be allowed to teach Islam in public schools.

As Europe's Muslim population grows, Muslim lobby groups are also exerting significant influence on European policy in the Middle East, resulting in a notable hardening of official European attitudes toward Israel. Several European countries, for instance, eager to maintain good relations with local Muslim communities, are laying the political groundwork for the EU to recognize a Palestinian state, possibly as early as October 2011,even if negotiations for a permanent settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are not concluded -- a total abrogation of the UN's signed Oslo accords.

In December 2009, the EU adopted a resolution that for the first time explicitly calls for Jerusalem to become the future capital of a Palestinian state. The move not only reflects the EU's efforts to prejudge the outcome of issues reserved for permanent status negotiations, but in December 2010, an influential group of former EU leaders and officials published a letter urging the EU to implement sanctions against Israel.

Europe has also been "ground zero" for a series of anti-Israel lawsuits which exploit the legal principle of universal jurisdiction in order to harass current and former Israeli political and military leaders, with the twin aims of tying Israel's hands against Palestinian terror and delegitimizing the Jewish state. Such "lawfare" is often aided and abetted by Muslim lobby groups in Europe by means of financial and logistical support.

The steady demonization of Israel by European officialdom is also affecting the European street, where the line between valid criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism is becoming dangerously blurred. A survey conducted by the University of Bielefeld, for example, shows that more than 50% of Germans equate Israel's policies toward the Palestinians with Nazi treatment of the Jews, and that 68% of Germans say that Israel is waging a "war of extermination" against the Palestinian people. In terms of Europe as a whole, an official EU poll shows that the majority of Europeans regard Israel as the greatest threat to world peace.

Another report commissioned by the EU's Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia (now called the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights) found that Muslim immigrants are largely responsible for the sharp increase in anti-Semitic violence in Europe. Predictably, Muslim lobby groups pressured the EU into preventing that report from being released to the general public.

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  01/31/2011 08:04 AM