and diversity issues
NOVEMBER 2012 
146th Online Issue

Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2012

Photos honoring family members who served in the U.S. Military 
displayed at a family reunion in Westminster, CA. 
Click for more.

United States

César E. Chávez  National Monument  

National Museum for Latino Community 

Witness to Heritage

Hispanic Leaders
National Issues
Action Item
Business

Health
Education
Culture
Literature

Books
Latino Patriots
Early Patriots
Surnames
Cuentos
Family History
DNA 
Orange County, CA 
Los Angeles, CA

California Northwestern US 
Southwestern US 
Middle America
Texas

Mexico
Indigenous
Archaeology 

Sephardic
African-American
East Coast
Caribbean/Cuba 
Central/South America
Philippines
Spain
International 


"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings.
The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery."
Winston Churchill

"There are two ways to conquer & enslave a nation. 
One is by the sword. The other is by debt." 

John Adams, 1826

"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely 
according to conscience, above all liberties."
John Milton

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

Submitters & Contributors 
to November issue: 
Dan Arellano
James Ayers
Anna Bálint
Francisco Barragán
José Adrián Barragán
Mercy Bautista-Olvera
Christopher Bentley
Arturo Bienedell
Eva Booher 
Tanya Bowers
Eddie AAA Calderón, Ph.D.
Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.
Rosie Carbo
Peter E. Carp
Robert Cortez
Winston De Ville
Mo Dhania
Jessica Elizondo
Dan Elliott
Carol Floyd
Jimmy Franco Sr. 
Eddie Garcia
Wanda Garcia
Ron Gonzales
Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan
Eddie Grijalva
Debbie Gurtler
Diane Haddad
Odell Harwell
Sergio Hernandez
Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D.
John Inclan
Phillip Jackson
Dr. David Jeremiah
José JiménezGalal Kernahan
Chad LeBlanc
Miguel Antonio Levario
Stephanie Loera
José Antonio López
Carolina Macias
Christine Marin, Ph.D.
Juan Marinez
Jerry P. Martinez
Frank Medina
Frank Mendoza
Sonia Meza Morales
Don Milligan
Margaret Morán
Dorinda Moreno
Michael Neale
Natalie Nelson
Joy Neugebauer
Rafael Ojeda
Michael A. Olivas
Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
Frank Orzio
Ricardo Rául Palmerín Cordero
Karren Pederson
Thomas Peipert
Devon G. Peña, Ph.D.
Jose M. Pena
Gil Perry
Jose Perez
Dr. Mark J. Perry
Richard Perry
Oscar S. Ramirez

 

Ricardo Ramirez
Angel Custodio Rebollo
Armando Rendón
Rudi R. Rodriguez
Norman Rozeff
Tom Saenz
Antonio Sanchez Ph.D,
Joe Sanchez
Tony Santiago
Mike Scarborough
Harold Schuller
Lynn Selich
Louis F. Serna
Tawn Skousen
Gil Sperry
Larry Swindell
Helen Trujillo Workman Mora
Dawn Turner Trice
Ernesto Uribe
Sal Valadez
David Valladolid
Ricardo Valverde
Albert V Vela, Ph.D.
Isabel Vela
Linda Villasenor
Victor Villasenor
Kirk Whisler
George Yepes



UNITED STATES

"Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe."
Abraham Lincoln

Vote your values
Larry, the Flag Man
The Catholic Church is the oldest Christian denomination in the world
Smithsonian features US national anthem in Spanish
Hispanics Breaking Barriers, Second Vol 2 12th Issue, by Mercy Bautista-Olvera
Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas on the Rise of Hispanic America
Racial Wealth Gap Information and Solutions from the Black Star Project
Ten Key Solutions for Black Economic Well-Being
Esai Morales"Actorvist" Hispanic 100 Lifetime Achievement Award
Marta Tienda, A Wise Latina by Mercy Bautista-Olvera
Jose Marquez: Hispanic Heritage Month Trailblazer
Callejo at 87: Heroic, Impassioned, Unstoppable by Rosie Carbo
American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper
Celebrating 30 Years of News and Entertainment at the largest gathering of
      Hispanic print media in the United States by Kirk Whisler 
     

VOTE YOUR VALUES ON NOVEMBER 6th!!

Dr. David Jeremiah urges his fellow Christians to vote their values on Nov 6. "Here is what you and I can do to make a difference," he says in the video. "First of all, we can pray! Secondly, we can register and vote. This time when you vote, vote your values. Vote your beliefs. Vote your convictions:
  • Don't vote your geographical location.
  • Don't vote your religious denomination.
  • Don't vote your political affiliation.
  • Don't vote your racial identification.
  • Don't even vote your union obligation.

Larry, the Flag Man 


Editor:  Larry, the Flag Man is a man of his beliefs. He wants to show his gratitude to soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.  Read how he does it. My words are not enough.  http://www.youtube.com/embed/TNJ9umv10EM?feature=player_detailpage 

The Catholic Church is the oldest Christian denomination in the world
The Catholic Church is the oldest Christian denomination in the world. When it was founded, there were no hospitals. Today, one out of five people in this country receives medical care at a Catholic hospital.

When the Catholic Church was founded, there were no schools open to the community. Today, the Catholic Church teaches 3 million students a day in its more than 250 Catholic Colleges and Universities; in more than 1,200 Catholic High Schools and more than 5,000 Catholic grade schools.

Every day, the Catholic Church feeds, clothes, shelters and educates more people than any other organization in the world. It also provides adoption services for orphans through "Catholic Charities."
The Church does not support abortion except in cases where the life of the mother may be in danger. 
The Church only supports marriage between a man and a woman.

There are more than 77 million Catholics in this country. It takes an estimated 50 million Catholic votes to elect a president. When you go to the polls in November vote your conscience in selecting a president who will respect your Catholic views and those of other Christians.

Sent by Oscar Ramirez osramirez@sbcglobal.net  and Carol Floyd carol.floyd35@yahoo.com 

 

Smithsonian features US national anthem in Spanish 

Clotilde Arias’ original music manuscript for “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, “El Pendón Estrellado” which was a faithful translation that could be sung as required by her contract with the U.S. Department of State. A little-known official translation of the U.S. national anthem to be sung in Spanish is now part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection. After World War II, musician and composer Clotilde Arias was commissioned by the U.S. State Department to write a translation that could be sung to the original "Star-Spangled Banner" tune. Curators say it was sent to U.S. embassies in Latin America. AP Photo/Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. 

By: Brett Zongker, Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP).- A little-known official translation of the U.S. national anthem in Spanish is now part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection. 

After World War II, musician and composer Clotilde Arias, an immigrant from Peru living in New York City, was commissioned by the U.S. State Department to write a translation that could be sung to the tune of the "Star-Spangled Banner." It was sent to U.S. embassies in Latin America and shared with Latin American embassies in Washington, according to Marvette Perez, a curator who researched the translation over the past three years. 

An exhibit opening this weekend, "Not Lost in Translation: The Life of Clotilde Arias," will be on view through April. There are no records of this translation ever being performed, but the National Museum of American History plans performances by a full choir Saturday. 

Arias, who became a U.S. citizen in 1942, wrote dozens of ad jingles for U.S. companies, including Ford Motor Co., IBM and Coca-Cola for Spanish markets. Arias died in 1959, but her family held on to her music and records. 

In 2006, a new Spanish version of the national anthem with political undertones was released, creating a stir during the immigration debate. President George W. Bush even weighed in, declaring "the national anthem ought to be sung in English." 

Arias' grandson, Roger Arias II, heard the uproar and remembered his grandmother's written translation. He found her 1945 translation in his garage in Phoenix. It was entitled "El Pendon Estrellado." 

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy" to secure allies in Latin America during World War II, the State Department initiated exchanges of artists, musicians, poets and writers. As part of that cultural diplomacy, they began a competition with the Music Educators National Conference to create an original translation of the national anthem that could be sung and shared abroad. 

"I found it fascinating that different political times demand different political things to happen," Perez said. 

Arias won the competition and a contract paying her $150. It specified the translation must be as close as possible to the English song in rhyme, verse and meter. 

"For example, the word we say is 'flag,' or 'bandera.' But she used 'pendon,' which is literally banner," Perez said. "That's the exact word in English. In that way, it's faithful." 

Arias produced a near exact translation, which is difficult because Spanish often requires more words than English phrases. 

The version released in 2006, called "Nuestro Himno," rewrites some of the English version. For instance, the second stanza says, "My people keep fighting. It's time to break the chains." 

Arias immigrated to the United States in 1923 at age 22 from the remote city of Iquitos in the Peruvian rainforest. She arrived in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, when Broadway was in bright lights. Arias worked as a translator, composer, journalist and language teacher — and stayed employed through the Great Depression, her family said. 

Arias translated other tunes, including "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." 

Her son, Roger Arias, 82, of Upper Marlboro, Md., said his mother gave him some advice before she died. 

"She said, 'Roger, Roger sonny boy, wherever you go and whatever you do, always leave the place a little better than when you found it,'" he said. "And I guess that's what she did." 

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. 
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=57993 


HISPANICS BREAKING BARRIERS

Second Volume, 12th Issue

By Mercy Bautista-Olvera

 

The 12th issue in the series “Hispanics Breaking Barriers” focuses on contributions of Hispanic leadership in  the 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.

 Grace Napolitano:  United States Representative, California, District 38th

 Colonel Abel Barrientes:  Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations (J3), Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii

 Nita Gonzales:  President/CEO of Escuela Tlatelolco Centro de Estudios  

Devin Nunes:  United States Representative for California’s 21st Congressional District, (San Joaquin Valley), including all of Tulare County, eastern Fresno County.  

Consuelo Castillo-Kickbusch:  Activist and Educator


Grace Napolitano

Grace Napolitano serves as the United States Representative for California’s 38th Congressional District. She is serving her seventh term.

Graciela (Grace) Flores-Napolitano was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas.  She is married to Frank Napolitano, retired restaurateur, and community activist. The family moved to California where they raised 5 children, the couple have fourteen grandchildren, and one great grandson.  

 

In 1986, Napolitano began her political career as a member of the Norwalk City Council. During her council tenure, she focused on providing access to constituents, redevelopment, transportation issues, and jobs. In 1989, Napolitano served as Mayor for the city of Norwalk. In 1990, Napolitano won re-election by the highest margin of votes recorded in city history.

Napolitano worked for the Ford Motor Company for 21 years. In 1992, she retired and   was elected to the California Assembly. She became a leader on international trade, environmental protection, transportation, and immigration.

In 1996 she requested and received the creation of the first new California State Assembly Standing Committee in nine years, the Committee on International Trade, which she chaired until being termed out in 1998. In her six years in the Assembly, she also served as chair of the Women's Caucus and vice-chair of the Latino caucus.

In 1999,  as a legislator she began the removal of 10.5 million tons of uranium tailings piled on the banks of the Colorado River in Moab, Utah, a health threat for more than 25 million people living downstream and the surrounding Southwestern ecosystem and tourism sites.

Since 2003, Napolitano served as United States Representative for California’s 38th Congressional District. Congresswoman Napolitano Co-chairs the Congressional Mental Health Caucus with Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA). She is an advocate on children, and veteran’s mental health needs, working on proposals to improve Veterans mental health services. A key priority is legislation to provide mental health parity in health insurance.

“Millions of children and adolescents are struggling with mental health issues all across our country,” Napolitano stated. “By making mental health resources available in more of our schools, we will be better able to prevent the depression, crime, drug use, and suicide that can occur when children are denied help. Our young people need us to stand up and demand support for mental health services,” Congresswoman Napolitano further stated.  

Congresswoman Napolitano also wants to make sure that military men and women, and their families receive access to mental health services for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other related mental health conditions as they return home from war.

She serves the Los Angeles County-based district that includes the Southeast cities and San Gabriel Valley areas including Norwalk, Pomona, Santa Fe Springs, La Puente, the

City of Industry, Montebello, and Pico Rivera, plus the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Hacienda Heights, West Puente Valley, and parts of Whittier, East Los Angeles, Rowland Heights, South San Gabriel, and Valinda.  

Congresswoman Napolitano is a long-time promoter of conservation, currently she is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Water and Power.  Also as a legislator, she has pushed for Native American rights from rivers flowing on tribal lands.

 


Colonel
Abel Barrientes


In February 2012, Colonel Abel Barrientes began serving as Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations (J3), Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.  

Colonel Abel Barrientes was born in San Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Guadalupe Barrientes and Adelina Peña. He is the oldest in the family.  

In 1982, Colonel Barrientes earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982. Barrientes earned a Bachelor of Science in United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. In 1988, he studied at Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, in Alabama. In 1966, he studied at the USAF Advanced Instrument School, Randolph AFB, Texas. 

 

In 2008 he earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Touro University International, based in Cypress, California.  

Beginning in 1982, he has moved up the ranks, serving as Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, and assistant to the Director of Operation in 2012.  

Colonel Barrientes flew the T-39, C-21 and C-5 before being released from active duty in 1989 after seven years of service. Colonel Barrientes then entered the Air Force Reserve unit program at Travis Air Force Base, flying the C-5. He has held command positions at the squadron, wing and numbered air force levels.  In 1990, Colonel Barrientes served in Operations Desert Shield/Storm and Operations Enduring/Iraqi Freedom in 2003, flying a score of combat and combat support missions.

In 2006, he was deployed as the Senior Military Advisor to the Iraqi Air Force. Colonel Barrientes is a command pilot with more than 5,700 hours of flight time.  

Colonel Abel Barrientes served as the Vice Commander, 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, California.  In his civilian capacity, he is employed as a commercial airline captain with over 9,000 hours of civilian flying time.

As Vice Commander, he assists the commander in the management and oversight of more than 24,000 Air Force Reservists at 11 flying wings, one flying group and two regional support groups. He ensures that units and people are trained, equipped and ready to support requirements in peace, contingency operations, and war.

Colonel Barrientes’ awards and decorations include: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and nine Oak Leaf Clusters and many others.

 


Nita Gonzales

Nita Gonzales is the President/CEO of Secular Tlatelolco Centro de Estudios, a nationally recognized model for Chicano/Mexicano, and indigenous education in Denver, Colorado.

Nita Gonzales was born in Colorado, she is the eldest daughter of Chicano Civil Rights leader Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, (1928 – 2005), and Geraldine Gonzales. She is married and proud mother to Estanislado A. Gonzales and Gabriela Gonzales-Lucero. Gonzales has seven siblings.

Quoted in a Denver Post article, Nita Gonzales "was raised to work for a more just and humane world, to embrace my culture, language, and historical identity, to act in a principled and honorable way."  

Gonzales stated that “As a longtime activist for Raza human rights, which included participation in Crusade for Justice, a Chicano/Mexicano civil rights organization started by my father, activist and community leader Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, I have come to

realize change comes through the power of people willing to stand for justice. Since the mid-eighties, I have been the President/CEO of Escuela Tlatelolco Centro de Estudios.” A private community school in northwest Denver, Escuela Tlatelolco caters to Chicano/Mexicano students through a foundation of cultural pride and self-esteem, so "these young people [can] obtain an education that [will] help them go on to become successful adults who would benefit the community in return," stated Gonzales.

“Each time a Latino child is undervalued educationally, we are all demeaned. Every time low-income children’s educational choices are denied, we are all short-changed. And every time a child drops out, or is pushed out, or denied educational success, we are all denied democratic leadership,” stated Gonzales.  

“Our children’s fate and ours are linked, and it is this connectivity that is one of the greatest rewards of my educational and community work in Colorado. Because any time children are encouraged, enlightened, educated, or empowered, each of us – everywhere-is enriched,” stated Gonzales.

“In the spirit of my father, in the spirit of Cesar Chavez, in the spirit of my ancestors I work and use education and community engagement as tools to end the injustice of poverty, violence, and racism. Through education and community engagement we can reclaim our humanity and say yes to the universal values of freedom, equality, and justice,” stated Gonzales.

Escuela Tlatelolco was originally founded over forty one years ago to provide culturally competent and socially conscious education to predominantly Latino youth. Nita also has a long record of supporting causes and activities that promote the economic, political, social, and educational strength of Latinos and underserved populations. She is a founder of the Chicano/Mexicano Education Coalition, the Denver Youth Employment and Education Task Force, and co-founder of the Colorado Latino Forum. She also is a board member of numerous organizations working to promote the welfare of the Latino community including Clinica Tepeyac, the Denver City and County Community Oversight Board; she is also a member of the President’s Cabinet for Metropolitan State College.

 


Devin Nunes

Devin Nunes is the United States Representative for California’s 21st Congressional District, (San Joaquin Valley), including all of Tulare County and eastern Fresno County.

Devin Nunes was born on October 1, 1973, in Tulare, California. His family has operated a farm in Tulare County for three generations. The Nunes family is of Hispanic and Portuguese descent. He and his wife Elizabeth have two daughters. The Nunes family immigrated to America from Portugal’s Azores islands. They are part of a large Portuguese community living in the San Joaquin Valley, who for generations helped cultivate the nation’s most productive farmland.  

Nunes graduated from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Business and a Master’s Degree in Agriculture. Following college, he focused his attention on educational issues, and was elected to the Board of Trustees for the College of the Sequoias (COS). During his tenure on the COS Board of Trustees, Nunes led the effort to provide smaller communities greater access to the Internet and satellite educational services. He also worked to provide more opportunities for high school students to access community college classes. 

In 1995, at the age of 22, Nunes was elected to public office. He unseated an 18-year incumbent for a seat on the Board of Trustees at the College of the Sequoias.  

In 2001, former President George W. Bush appointed Nunes to  serve as California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Development section. He left this post later in the year to run for the 21st Congressional District, a newly California district created after the 2000 Census.

During Nunes’ first term, he served on the House Resources Committee, where he served as Chairman of its National Parks Subcommittee.  He was also a member of the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committees.  

On July 22, 2008, Nunes Co-Sponsor of H.R. 6110, "A Roadmap for America's Future," sponsored by Paul Ryan (R-WI). The bill proposed major reforms of the U.S. health care system, Social Security, the federal tax code, job training, and the budget process. A key feature of the "Roadmap" is that the legislation offers permanent solutions to our nation’s budget challenges by revamping Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and providing for long-term financial solvency.

Nunes is also the author of the Hubbard Act of 2008, H.R.5825, which was named in honor of the Hubbard brothers of California; Jared, Nathan, and Jason. Jared and Nathan lost their lives serving in Iraq. Jason Hubbard was discharged as a sole survivor, but denied separation benefits on leaving the Army. The Hubbard Act provides sole survivors a number of benefits already offered to other soldiers honorably discharged. Sole survivors also do not have to repay any portion of their enlistment bonus, are also entitled to the educational benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill, and can receive separation pay and transitional healthcare coverage.

On July 28, 2010, Nunes introduced H.R. 5899, "A Roadmap for America's Energy Future." It accelerates the exploration and production of fossil fuel; supports the rapid development of market-based alternative energy supplies.

Nunes is the author of “Restoring the Republic”: A Clear, Concise, and Colorful Blueprint for America's Future, published in September 2010. Time magazine named Nunes one of the rising stars of American politics, in their list of "40 under 40”, which is the top forty civic leaders in American under 40 years of age.   

On December 2, 2010, Nunes introduced H.R. 6484 the "Public Employee Pension Transparency Act." The bill enhances transparency for state and local pensions, and would establish a clear federal prohibition on any future public pension bailouts.  

At the beginning of the 112th Congress, Nunes was named to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  As a member of this committee, Nunes has oversight over the U.S. national security apparatus, including all of the classified activities of the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, and other agencies responsible for national intelligence. 

Nunes is co-chair of the U.S-Mexico Friendship Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Brazil.

On February 17, 2011, Nunes introduced H.R. 761, the "San Joaquin Valley Transportation Enhancement Act", which would give the State of California the option to redirect federal high speed rail funds to finance improvements to Highway 99.


Consuelo Castillo-Kickbusch

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch was born in Laredo, Texas. She is married to retired Lieutenant Colonel David Allen Kickbusch and is the proud mother of five daughters.     She is all too familiar with the challenges of poverty, discrimination, and illiteracy. Although she grew up without material wealth, she was taught by her immigrant parents that she was rich in culture, tradition, values, and faith.

Castillo-Kickbusch broke barriers in the U.S. military after graduating from Hardin Simmons University when she became the highest-ranking Latina in the Combat Support Field of the United States Army. 

After her retirement from the military, she became a community leader through her company Educational Achievement Services where she advocates education. She is also a diversity and inspirational speaker who often appears at industry conferences and corporate events.

When the opportunity to assume a command post arose, Castillo Kickbusch shocked the military by deciding to retire. She chose to honor her mother's dying wish to get back to her roots and become a community leader. In 1996, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch retired from the military and dedicated her time to operating Educational Achievement Services, Inc. and fulfilling her mission of preparing tomorrow's leaders today.

Today, Consuelo tells her story to people of all ages and creeds. She is doing exactly what she preaches…living a legacy. Because of her strong dedication to saving the youth of America living under similar circumstances as she did as a child, Consuelo continues to share her message with young people across the country and their parents. In addition, she reaches audiences in the corporate, professional, and multi-cultural markets. She has also worked with many non-profit organizations, community-service oriented companies, and programs.

In addition to being an advocate for education, Consuelo serves as a featured motivational speaker with corporations and government agencies to develop the leadership and peak performance of their employees. She firmly believes that businesses and corporations need strong leaders and a talented, diverse workforce in order to compete successfully in the global marketplace.

Consuelo’s dedication to the youth of America and her amazing talent at motivational speaking has garnered her numerous awards and citations from educational institutions, government agencies, professional organizations, as well as the national media.   

She was awarded with the “Legacy Award” from Working Mother’s Magazine, the “Brillante Award” for Entrepreneur Excellence from the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, and the prestigious “Hispanic Heritage Foundation Award for Leadership”. She is also the recipient of the “National Defense Service Medal, the “National Mujer [Woman] Award from the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), the “Society of Our Wise Women Award” from Bennett College and many more.

In the national media, Consuelo Kickbusch has been profiled on the Lifetime Network, National Public Radio, O Magazine, the syndicated television program.

“Hispanics Today,” Hispanic Business magazine's “100 Most Influential Hispanics in America,” Latina Style, Vanidades, Glamour, and AARP. Features on Consuelo Kickbusch have also appeared in English and Spanish language newspapers across the country. In the book, "Mustang Sallies: Success Secrets of Women Who Refuse to Run with the Herd.” Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch is profiled among other women “who've got the brains, the guts, and the drive to change the world...”

The values she learned as a child were reinforced throughout her career in the United States Military and in civilian and private life.

 

Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas on the Rise of Hispanic America

According to the 2010 census, the number of American Hispanics grew 43% in the last decade to over 50 million. By 2050, Hispanics are projected to number 132 million and represent 30% of the population. As that population evolves, so does their political power. A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that America’s Hispanic voting population has grown 22% since 2008. But what are the cultural and political implications of these now well-understood statistics?  October 4, 2012, Go to: 

http://billmoyers.com/segment/jorge-ramos-and-maria-elena-salinas-on-the-rise-of-hispanic-america/  

Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@msu.edu 

Racial Wealth Gap Information and Solutions from the Black Star Project 

The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that Black Americans will lose a combined $194 billion in wealth from 2009 through 2012 because of the mortgage meltdown. Additionally, the Center for Economic and Policy Research estimates that Black Americans will have lost another $142 billion in potential wages and salaries from 2008 through 2012. 

This $336 billion loss is equivalent to one-third of $1 trillion of lost wealth and lost potential-earned income.

Source: U.S. Economy Forces Many Black Americans Into 
Third-World Status By Phillip Jackson June 27, 2012


Blacks overall are experiencing a 13.4 percent unemployment rate, according to figures released Friday, much higher than the national rate of 7.8 percent.  Source: Black middle class economically vulnerable by Dawn Turner Trice  October 7, 2012

Ten Key Solutions for Black Economic Well-Being



By Phillip Jackson, Founder and Executive Director
The Black Star Project
773.285.9600

1. Start your own business
. Few people acquired wealth working for someone else. By starting your own business, you can hire family, friends, and community members. Additionally, you will build the economy of your community and become a model for what's possible. Finally, you may be able to pass on a successful business as a family inheritance to your children and grandchildren.


2. Get as much education as you can.
Higher levels of academic and technical education readily translate into better employment, higher income, and more wealth. Education begins with you reading to your children as infants, teaching your children to read before they are school age, and encouraging a good deal of on-going reading. Education must become a life-long pursuit! The new hierarchy of human needs after air, water, and food is education. Without a good education, you have few viable, legal options for earning money.

3. Stop renting an apartment
. Save enough money to make a down payment on a house. Then buy a house. The largest portion of the net worth of most families is in home equity, not cash assets.

4. Manage your health and your well-being carefully
. Watch the quality and quantity of the food you eat and the water you drink. Exercise rigorously and regularly. Choose your physician wisely-one who listens and holistically addresses your concerns, and consult your physician annually on disease prevention and longevity. Strive to develop physical, emotional and spiritual harmony.

5. Open savings accounts for your children.
Teach your children the value of money and how to earn, save, and invest it at an early age. Take personal finance classes so that you will become the best teacher for your child on the issues of money, saving, investing, and credit.

6. Invest your money and your time first in self-improvement
by building your skills and your knowledge base-not in cars, clothes, furniture, frivolous electronics, sports, games, vices, the lottery, etc. Second, learn how to let big companies work for you, through stock ownership, rather than you only working for them. And third, invest your money in the U.S. and global stock markets. The world is much bigger than the United States.

7. Manage your credit carefully and avoid unnecessary debt.
Beware of spending beyond your means and consume smartly on holidays, birthdays, graduations, vacations, weddings, and funerals. Learn to pay cash for what you need or don't buy it. And forget about things you want and don't need. Create a household budget that includes such essentials as food, safe living space, and utilities-and live by it. Save for a rainy day. It's coming! 

8. Two-person headed households are more viable economically
than one-person headed households. Marriage can be an economic advantage when both parties align on financial priorities and fiscal realities. Seventy percent of Black children are born into single-parent households and begin life ensconced in poverty. Most never make it out.

9. Tithe. Give to your church or to a social cause.

10. Create a will to pass on your accumulated wealth
to the next generation. Studies suggest as much as 70% of most households' current wealth was inherited from a previous generation.


 

Esai Morales"Actorvist" honored with Hispanic 100 Lifetime Achievement Award; 

By LYNN SELICH
 


OC Register October 8, 2012

I had the pleasure to join more than 320 guests for the Hispanic 100 Third Annual Lifetime Achievement Award Gala at the waterfront Balboa Bay Club and Resort in Newport Beach on Friday, September 21.

Former U.S. Treasurer, Rosario Marin, served as the evening's mistress of ceremonies for the event which included special guest speaker George P. Bush, son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

The event garnered an estimated $75,000 in net proceeds for Hispanic 100′s Mentor Program, which provides opportunities for Hispanic youth to successfully become future business and civic leaders.

Highlights of the evening included comments by Robbie Munoz, 25, the first graduate of the Mentor Program who is currently studying law. Munoz extolled the program and its positive impact on his life, in return, he said he hopes to help other students achieve their education and career goals.

The Hispanic 100 Lifetime Achievement Award was then bestowed upon award-winning actor and self-proclaimed "actorvist", Esai Morales, for his distinguished professional career and charitable accomplishments.

Mr. Morales has a storied three-decade career on stage, in film and on television. His roles in the Emmy Award-winning series NYPD Blue, the biopic La Bamba, the PBS drama American Family, and the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd., as well as Fox's Vanished and USA's Burn Notice are among his many achievements. Most recently, Morales can be seen on USA's Fairly Legal.

Morales is also the co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and Earth Communications Office (ECO). He gives freely of his time to assist many other charity organizations and environmental causes.

"It's exciting to see top business leaders throughout Orange County getting involved with Hispanic 100," Mario Rodriguez, Hispanic 100 Chairman told me.

He continued, "Influential business owners and civic leaders are the key to our mentoring program that we just kicked off last year, which provides a conduit for goal-driven Latinos between the ages of 18 to 24 with leadership, etiquette and business skills. Our hope is that through our program, they too will become successful community and business leaders."

Some of those leaders present included board members gala chair Don Garcia, décor chair Teresa Hernandez, and Father Matthew Munoz (grandson of John Wayne), who gave the invocation, Congressman Ed Royce and his wife Marie Therese Porter, Mindy and Glenn Stearns, John and Cheryl Fink, Denise and Al Fink, Olga and Fernando Niebla, Hispanic 100 mentor program chair Roman Reyna, Liz and Dr. Josh Valdez and Pejman Salimpour.

The evening was rounded out with entertainer Larry Braggs, lead singer of the Tower of Power, brought down the house with his rendition of the National Anthem, and kept the dance floor packed after dinner.

The Hispanic 100 Policy Committee, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)4 organization established to develop and promote leadership within and from the Hispanic community and to advance free-enterprise principles through advocacy and educational activities that impact the Hispanic population as it relates to the overall social and economic good of the United States.

Contact the writer: Lynn@OCSocialScene.com      © Copyright 2012 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.


Marta Tienda

A Wise Latina

Nominated   and written by Mercy Bautista-Olvera

 
Martha Tienda

Marta Tienda is the Director of the Princeton University Office of Population Research.  She previously served as Professor of Demographic Studies in the Department of Sociology and the Department of Public Policy at Princeton University, New Jersey.  

Tienda was born in Texas. She is the daughter of Toribio Tienda (1925-2005), a farmworker, and Azucena Hernandez-Tienda, a first-generation Mexican-American.

In 1951, the Tienda family moved to Michigan when Marta was one year-old. The family worked at a steel mill and a Ford plant. In 1957, Marta’s mother passed on. Her father was faced with losing his children since he was at work so much, he remarried. He had two more children with his second wife.

Sometimes strikes closed the plants, and the Tienda children eventually worked in the fields with their father. The oldest child, Maggie, was 12, followed by Marta, 10; Juan Luis, 9; Irene, 6, and Gloria, 5.

Her father encouraged his daughter, to get an education. Tienda’s plans were to become a teacher, but during a summer job with immigrants, she changed her mind, and decided to help farm workers with their rights instead.

In 1972, Marta Tienda received a Bachelor’s of Art Degree in Spanish Literature from Michigan State University. In 1976, Tienda earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology.

Tragedy hit home when her brother, Juan Luis, a lawyer who worked with immigrants in Michigan, died in a crash. "I didn’t want to be labeled the Mexican-American sociologist, but after my brother’s death, I felt I owed it to him to carry on his work with Hispanics. I soon realized this is where I could really make a difference, improve people’s lives," stated Tienda.

Marta was married to fellow grad student Wence Lanz, an entrepreneur; the couple have two sons, Luis, and Carlos. The couple divorced in 1994.

All the Tienda children graduated from high school, and three of the five have advanced college degrees. Eventually Marta received a Jurist Degree from the University of Texas, Austin.

From 1998 to 2002, she directed Princeton’s Office of Population Research. In 2002, she became president of the Population Association of America.

From 1998 to 2002, she directed Princeton’s Office of Population Research. In 2002, she became president of the Population Association of America.

Tienda wrote or edited 10 books, edited a major journal;  published 117 articles; obtained 16 research grants; served on 26 boards, including the Federal Reserve; chaired a major department, taught 23 different courses; and directed a major population center.  

She has traveled the world, attending conferences, testifying on behalf of immigrants’ rights.  For more than 20 years, her research has expanded to cover other minorities as well.

Her seminal work, "The Hispanic Population of the United States," was published in 1987, and is still used in college classrooms. Analyzing demographic patterns,   it was the first authoritative description of United States diverse Hispanic population. It led to a professorship for Tienda at the University of Chicago.

At the University of Chicago she helped build the population studies office into a world-renowned research center, and eventually she became a chairwoman of the Sociology Department. She collaborated with Israeli sociologist Haya Stier on another benchmark study "The Color of Opportunity”: Pathways to Family, Welfare and Work (2001).  

In 2003, she began a two-year term on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank, the National Academy of Sciences asked her to lead a two-year study on Hispanics in the United States.  Hispanic Business Magazine named her one of the “Top 100 influential Hispanics” in the country.

"What I bring to the table is proof that anybody can make it if they do the work, I   want them to know who I am and where I came from to resonate with people, particularly young Hispanic women. I want to tell anyone who might be intimidated by a place like Princeton that, if you got in, you belong here just as much as anyone,” stated Tienda.

Sociologist Ruben Rumbaut remembers first seeing Tienda at a conference in 1986. "There were top scholars there, and maybe 2 percent of the audience could follow the structural equations she was throwing at us at 100 miles per hour.” He further stated, “It was a very powerful presentation, full of very complicated numbers and very elegant. Marta can see patterns in data that other people miss. When you see what Marta has achieved, particularly in the context of the poverty in which she began, this is the stuff of movies." (Rumbaut married Tienda’s sister in 1992).Tienda’s plans were to become a teacher, but during a summer job with immigrants, Tienda changed her mind, she decided to help farm workers with their rights instead.   

In 2005, her biography was included in the Women’s Adventures in Science series underwritten by the National Academy of Sciences. She received a lifetime achievement award from the International Institute of New Jersey.

"She is a powerful role model for refugees, and besides, one of my favorite people in the world," says institute Executive Director Catherine Tansey. "She’s this little dynamo in high heels and short skirts, who lived the immigrant experience, but insists that facts, not sentiment, inform the debate, “I’ve met some amazing people in my time, but no one like Marta Tienda," Tansey added. "She is a force of nature and a national treasure."

She travels frequently, either to speak at conferences, testify at hearings, or to receive awards.

 

 

 

Hispanic Heritage Month Trailblazer: Jose Marquez

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month we are collaborating with Being Latino, Best Buy, and various brands you know and trust, to highlight a Latino Trailblazer daily for the next few weeks. Some of the names you might recognize, but others you may be hearing about for the first time, or learning more about.

Thanks to Panasonic, today we would like to honor Jose Marquez. Jose is the National President, CEO, and Founder of Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA).

 In this role he serves as lead advocate on state and federal issues related to the role of Latinos in the technology sector. He is also charged with coordinating organization-wide strategic planning for LISTA initiatives and is executive director of twelve LISTA Tech Councils nationwide.

Given his leadership in the Latino community, Jose Marquez-Leon has received several achievement awards including Hispanic Trends Magazine Technology Trendsetter 2007, CCG Hispanic Engineer Magazines 100 Most Influential Hispanics in Technology and Business 2006-2008, USHCC East Coast Chamber of the Year Award representing Region 5, NYSCHCC Chamber of the Year Award 2005, Greater NY Chamber of Commerce of the Year 2005, National Hispanic Achievers Award 2004, New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Member of the Year 2004, Greater NY Chamber of Commerce Advocate of the Year 2003, among others.

To learn more about Jose Marquez, check out the video below:
http://www.accidentalsexiness.com/2012/10/08/hispanic-heritage-month-trailblazer-jose-marquez/

 

Callejo at 87: Heroic, Impassioned, Unstoppable

by Rosie Carbo
Published in Hispanic Outlook   12/13/2010


In1961, Dallas boasted so many Mexican businesses in one area that locals dubbed it “Little Mexico” to distinguish it  demographically and highlight the city’s burgeoning Mexican-American population. But despite the proliferation of local entrepreneurs and rising stars such as pop singer Trini López and golfer Lee Trevino, both of whom called the city home, Dallas had a dearth of Hispanic professionals, including lawyers.

It was against this backdrop that Adelfa Botello Callejo achieved a milestone and made history at the age of 38. She graduated from Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) Dedman School of Law and passed the Texas Bar, becoming the city’s first Hispanic female lawyer.

“When I graduated from law school, there were only three women in my class. I was the only Hispanic woman and first to graduate from SMU Law School. There were only two Hispanic lawyers in Dallas, and they were both men,” Callejo said, looking back.

In the 10 years it took to earn a law degree and undergraduate degree in the part-time evening law program, she also became only the second Hispanic woman in Texas to earn her jurisprudence.

Now, seated behind a huge desk surrounded by dozens of photographs of presidents and politicians, the 87-year-old Callejo is as feisty and resolved as she was 50 years ago.

“I don’t give a damn if people love me or don’t love me. I want to do my best by my people,” Callejo said of her lifelong commitment to advocating for poor, undocumented Hispanic immigrants and their American-born children. “Over the years, I had an arsenal of weapons. A law degree is one of those weapons. I think it can be a powerful weapon in advocating for others,
if you know how to use it.”One case that prompted Callejo to reach into her arsenal early in her  career was the 1972 shooting death of a 12-year-old Hispanic boy while in the custody of Dallas police.

Callejo led a protest through the streets of Dallas, demanding the indictment of police officers. While she prevailed in her efforts to see the officers prosecuted, the sentence for the murder was light. Having grown up under Texas injustice, she was not surprised.

“I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. This desire was reinforced when my uncle was deported to Mexico without a hearing. His rights were violated, and I felt that if you could go into court and defend the rights of people, that’s the kind of job I wanted.”Callejo was the oldest of five children of Félix Botello and Guadalupe Guerra-Botello. She was born on June 10, 1923, in Millett. Her father had a small grocery store, and her mother took in laundry. Callejo recalled the Hispanic PTA her mother started at her elementary school. She also recalled her father’s courage in leading a local protest.

“The first time I marched, I was the only child. My father led the march against a teacher who had been discriminating against Mexican children. I was the interpreter,” she said.

“Back in those days, you could have gotten killed for protesting. But Millett is just a ghost town now; there’s nothing there anymore,” said Callejo of her hometown, 75 miles south of San Antonio.

While the town may have disappeared, memories of racial discrimination and a state requirement that Mexican children attend segregated schools remain vivid even today.

“I went to segregated schools where Mexican children had to drink water from the same trough as their horses. Down the road, White children had a nice school and a proper water fountain. Those injustices had a lot to do with my desire to be a lawyer.”

Drawing on her own personal family experiences inspired Callejo to turn obstacles into opportunities and begin her journey through the halls of education and the legal system.

“My father crossed over from Mexico legally in 1911 by paying a nickel, the required toll. I remember immigration officials were always harassing him. They tried to say he was here illegally. That’s where my anger to do something about injustice began,” said Callejo, who worked as a legal secretary to support her family while attending SMU.

In 1939, when she was 16, her family moved to Dallas. Eager to work, she did not let continued discrimination prevent her from finding a job and setting goals.

“My grandfather was buried in a segregated cemetery. During World War II, Three Rivers, Texas, refused to bury a Mexican soldier in a White cemetery. So even in death, we were discriminated against. But I’ve learned anger is a big distraction if you let it control you,” she said.

In the 1980s, she again took her rage to the streets, leading hordes of demonstrators to protest in downtown Dallas against the deportation of the undocumented parents of children born in the United States.

“In 1982, I led the first immigrant march in Dallas to protest roundup and deportation of parents whose children were born here. I put Dallas in a bad light, and they didn’t like it. But as a result of this march, we got amnesty,” she said referring to then-President Ronald Reagan’s decision to grant amnesty to thousands of illegal aliens.

Another victory came in the courtroom in the 1990s with a historic challenge to the Dallas City Council’s method of electing members. Plaintiffs charged that an “at-large” method diluted the voting strength of Hispanics and Blacks in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The U.S. District Court in Dallas agreed, handing Callejo another victory.

“I had three goals when I was young. I wanted to be a lawyer, become a millionaire and help my community. I think I’ve achieved that, with the support of my husband, Bill,” she said.

William “Bill” F. Callejo, husband and law partner at the Dallas law firm of Callejo and Callejo, still recalls how they met in California while they were business competitors.

“I met her in California when she was helping her brother recover from a mine blast that left him blind in World War II. Adelfa had started an import-export business, and I was her competitor. So that’s how we first met,” said Bill, 84.

“We didn’t like each other at first. But I saw her business sense and admired how she could hold her own,” said Bill, a Manhattan native whose parents were from Puerto Rico.
 
The couple was married in Dallas in 1946. After living in Mexico City a while, they moved to New York. Callejo worked while Bill obtained degrees in architecture and engineering. When they returned to Dallas in 1951, it was Callejo’s turn to attend college.

“Adelfa and I are like night and day. In fact, if someone had predicted our future together, they would have said we’re going to have a complete catastrophe,” said Bill, who graduated from SMU Dedman School of Law in 1966, the same year the couple started Callejo and Callejo law firm. Now, after battling colon cancer in 2007 and breast cancer in 2008, Callejo is like the mythical Phoenix, reborn and reinvigorated. Neither illness kept her from marching – via a wheelchair – in a protest rally
through downtown Dallas the spring of 2010.

“I wear a wig now because I lost my hair in chemotherapy, so some people might not have recognized me. But I was at that march, in a wheelchair, and I’m cancer free,” she said, holding out a wallet-size, black-and white herself. Callejo’s renewed determination to advocate for undocumented Hispanic immigrant families and their children does not surprise friends, business associates and colleagues.

“I think it’s a testament to her energy and her drive. She’s always worked hard for her clients and her community. So it doesn’t surprise me that she continues to work into her 80s,” said Marcos Ronquillo, a Dallas attorney and former partner in Callejo’s law firm.

Callejo’s ability to rise above poverty and institutional discrimination prepared her well for the trials and tribulations that lay ahead, long before her admission to law school. That is one reason the physical discomforts inherent in chemotherapy didn’t sideline her.

“I’m a product of the evening law program, and when I attended, it was not even air-conditioned. It was so uncomfortable, I don’t know how we even passed,” said Callejo.

Current Dedman School of Law Dean John Attanasio admires her resilience, whether marching in the streets, fighting city hall or advocating for justice in the courthouse.

“I love Adelfa; she’s an incredible role model. She attended law school at night, and that takes a tremendous dedication. She became a champion for civil rights. And Adelfa doesn’t back down when she thinks she’s right. ... I think she’s amazing,” said Attanasio.

Resilience is a virtue Callejo honed from the time she was a child. The buoyancy she cultivated is one attribute that guided her through higher education, the legal profession and community service.

“Adelfa is one of the most active leaders in the Hispanic community. The 87 is just a number. She has enormous energy and drive,” said Tom Leppert, current Dallas mayor. “She’s gone through cancer treatments and been through so much in her life, yet she continues to run her law firm, and she’s as committed to education as I am,” he added.

Not only does Callejo serve on the mayor’s education committee; she has served on many boards throughout her career. Callejo’s legal, civic and service awards include: SMU’s Dedman School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award; Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award; American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award; Dallas Bar Foundation’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award; Hispanic National Bar Association’s Lincoln-Juárez Award; the Mexican government’s Ohtli Reconocimiento Award – and many more.

Recently, Callejo founded the Adelfa Botello Callejo Institute of International & National Leadership and Latino Studies, the first of its kind in Dallas and the nation.

Law scholarships, leadership certificates and an international visiting professorship are among the institute’s goals. The Callejos have donated $1.5 million to begin the institute chair and professorship at SMU’s Dedman School of Law.

“This institute is something she said she had been thinking about for  several years. They were very generous to donate a professorship to the law school, and the Dedman family has already matched that. We are very proud of her and Bill,” Attanasio said.

Today, in a coiffed wig and pastel-colored suit, Callejo stresses the need for more Hispanic leaders. Her only regret is lack of time to keep fighting for clients.

“Gov. Perry said Arizona’s law isn’t for Texas, and I agree. Right now, nobody is representing the children of illegal immigrants who were born here. I just need about 10 more years because I want to do a lot more to help my community,” she said.

Sent by Rosie Carbo rosic@aol.com

 

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper 

This e-mail came from a friend of mine. It is an article written by a Russian. Its indictment of the American Democratic System is extremely harsh. Is this guy right? Read his thoughts carefully...is the U.S. going towards a Marxist system or some sort of dictatorial system where there is no middle class, and where only the Rich and Super Rich (and thieves, as the article calls them) can dictate and control the outcome of elections, system of taxation, and outline of the economic system?.. 
.Jose M. Pena 

From: llepovitz@stx.rr.com
To: hubbarda@ix.netcom.com
Sent: 10/5/2012 
Subject: Russian Newspaper Article - What an article!! 

The irony of this article appearing in the English edition of Pravda (Russian on-line newspaper) defies description. Why can a Russian newspaper print the following yet the American media can't/won't see it? 

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper 

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breathtaking speed, against the backdrop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people. 

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists. 

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters. 

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish. 

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America . 

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America 's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe. 

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? 

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties, and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters. 

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions. 

So it should be no surprise that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK 's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, and so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride. 

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "free man" whimper. 

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance, and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive. 

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left. 

The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest, and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker. 

Stanislav Mishin© 1999-2009... PRAVDA.Ru . When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru 's editors.

Sent by Jose M. Pena JMPENA@aol.com

 

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
OF NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT
- at the largest gathering of Hispanic print media in the United States -

SAN DIEGO, CA (17 de octubre, 2012) -Many recognized names, from industry experts to political figures and even celebrities will come together this week to celebrate 30 years of excellence in Hispanic print during the annual NAHP (National Association of Hispanic Publications) convention at the Catamaran Resort and Spa in San Diego, California on October 18th-20th, 2012.

The NAHP Annual Convention and Business Expo is the largest gathering of Hispanic print media in the US and provides industry professionals insight and tools through various keynote speakers, workshops, editorial and advertising roundtables and networking opportunities. Highlighting the presence of artists that have shaped the music industry and have formed a part of the stories many publications have printed throughout the years, the NAHP is honored to recognize two well-known figures, Ana Barbara and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

ABOUT NAHP (National Association of Hispanic Publications):

The National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP) is a non-partisan trade advocacy organization representing the leading Spanish language publications serving 41 markets in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with a combined circulation of over 23 million. NAHP was founded in 1982 to promote Spanish language publications, the most effective medium to reach the fast growing Hispanic community. Membership is open to Spanish language and Hispanic owned newspapers, magazines and related media as well as businesses that offer products and services to this market throughout the United States.

 
2 Jose Marti Press Contact: Rebecca Castrejón
(619) 778-9899 - cell  Rebecca.castrejon@ellatino.net 

Here is the list of all the winners from 2012 NAHP José Martí Awards. Click here for the press release

Sent by Kirk Whisler  
kirk@whisler.com

 

 

César E. Chávez National Monument 
is as an official park of the National Park System

César E. Chávez National Monument, official park of the National Park System
LULAC Acclaims Establishment of César E. Chávez National Monument in California
American Latino Heritage Fund Commits $150K to Establish the Home of Iconic Leader
Photo courtesy of the National Chavez Center.

Extract concerning  Oct 8th event held at the Cesar E. Chavez’ grave site and Memorial Garden at the National Chavez Center in 
California:
 

The site in Keene in Kern County served as both home and operational headquarters for Chavez and his United Farm Workers movement.  The ceremony was an emotional moment for the UFW and Chavez supporters. But it was not without some glitches.  

National Chavez Center is located at: 
29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road Keene, CA 93531
(661) 823-6271

 

(Photo courtesy of the National Chavez Center)
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/obama
-dedicates-chavez-monument.html 

More than 7,000 people had traveled long distances to witness Obama’s dedication of the three-acre monument in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and the Mojave Desert where Chavez was buried. Only a week ago, National Park Service officials estimated about 4,000 people would show up for the dedication of the first national monument to honor a contemporary Mexican American.

As of Monday, about 1,000 people who had registered for invitations saw them rescinded by the UFW and Chavez foundation. 
Among those turned down was Maricela Mares-Alatorre, a community activist from Kettleman City, an impoverished farming community north of Bakersfield.

“We were uninvited Sunday night,” said Mares-Alatorre, who had  planned to accompany 13 other Kettleman City residents including her father, a farmworker who had marched in Chavez’s funeral 
procession in 1993. “They said they were overbooked. We’re heartbroken.”

Marc Grossman, spokesman for the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which, along with the union, is headquartered at the site, said the crowd at the site was the biggest since Chavez died in 1993. “Clearly, we all underestimated the passion people have for Cesar, the farmworkers union and the opportunity to see the president,” he said. 

Roughly a third of the people in attendance were farmworkers who arrived in 32 buses chartered by the UFW. Hundreds more, including schoolchildren from across the Central Valley, came in buses chartered by the National Park Service. 

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera  
scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com
 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/obama-dedicates-chavez-monument.html   

White House Press Release, October 1st to Establish César E. Chávez National Monument

On October 8th, 2012, President Obama will travel to Keene, California to announce the establishment of the César E. Chávez National Monument. Years in the making, the monument – which will be designated under the Antiquities Act – will be established on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), or La Paz. The La Paz property is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights icon César Estrada Chávez and the farm worker movement. The site served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) as well as the home and workplace of César Chávez and his family from the early 1970’s until Chávez’ death in 1993, and includes his grave site which will also be part of the monument.

“César Chávez gave a voice to poor and disenfranchised workers everywhere,” said President Obama. “La Paz was at the center of some of the most significant civil rights moments in our nation’s history, and by designating it a national monument, Chávez’ legacy will be preserved and shared to inspire generations to come.”

From this rural headquarters in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, California, Chávez played a central role in achieving basic worker protections for hundreds of thousands of farmworkers across the country, from provisions ensuring drinking water was provided to workers in the fields, to steps that helped limit workers’ exposure to dangerous pesticides, to helping to establish basic minimum wages and health care access for farm workers.

The National Chávez Center, in consultation with the United Farm Workers of America, the César Chávez Foundation and members of César Chávez’s family, offered to donate certain properties at La Paz to the federal government for the purpose of establishing a national monument commemorating César E. Chávez and the farmworker movement. This designation will represent the culmination of a process that has been underway for several years.

The César E. Chávez National Monument will encompass property that includes a Visitors’ Center containing César Chávez’s office as well as the UFW legal aid offices, the home of César and Helen Chávez, the Chávez Memorial Garden containing Chavez’s grave site, and additional buildings and structures at the La Paz campus.

The monument, which will be managed by the National Park Service in consultation with the National Chávez Center and the César Chávez Foundation, will be the fourth National Monument designated by President Obama using the Antiquities Act. He previously designated Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, a former Army post integral to the history of slavery, the Civil War, and the U.S. military; Fort Ord National Monument in California, a former military base that is a world-class destination for outdoor recreation; and Chimney Rock, which is located in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado, and offers a spectacular landscape rich in history and Native American culture. First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients.


LULAC Acclaims the Establishment of César E. Chávez National Monument
 in California

October 2, 2012

LULAC supports the decision by the Administration to designate the California home of labor leader César E. Chávez as a national monument for the world renowned migrant leader who pioneered the struggle for labor rights in the United States. The property Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in California formerly served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America as well as the home and workplace of César Chávez and his family. LULAC has participated in marches across the country in honor of César Chávez 

“We are proud to see the nation recognize César Chávez as a great humanitarian and national American hero,” said LULAC National President Margaret Morán. “Working in the fields, he experienced firsthand the hardships that he would later crusade to abolish. His courage in the face of injustice serves as a model for future American generations to emulate.” 

At the time of Chávez’s strides for labor rights, farm workers were deeply impoverished and frequently exploited, exposed to very hazardous working conditions, and often denied clean drinking water, toilets, and other basic necessities. The union César founded with Dolores Huerta, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), still addresses these issues today. 

“The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being, but it is also the most true to our nature,” César Chávez once said. 

To this day, his rallying cry of "Si Se Puede," evokes a unity of purpose among the Hispanic labor force. His movement strengthened our country, and his vision lives on in the organizers and people who defend the cause of justice for all. On April 1, 2010, President Obama signed a proclamation declaring March 31st César Chávez Day.


THE AMERICAN LATINO HERITAGE FUND COMMITS $150K TO ESTABLISH THE HOME OF ICONIC LEADER, CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ, AS A NATIONAL MONUMENT
EL FONDO DE LA HERENCIA LATINA EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS COMPROMETE $150 MIL PARA ESTABLECER LA CASA DEL ICÓNICO LÍDER CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ COMO MONUMENTO NACIONAL

Funding Provided to the National Park Service by the
National Park Foundation's ALHF Will Support Operations of the César E. Chávez National Monument 


Washington, D.C. – As we celebrate the final week of Hispanic Heritage Month, the American Latino Heritage Fund (ALHF) of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, today proudly joined the President of the United States Barack Obama, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, in establishing the César E. Chávez National Monument as an official park of the National Park System. Located within the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de La Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace), the Monument commemorates the home and final resting place of renowned Latino civil rights activist, César E. Chávez, which also served as the former headquarters for the labor movement he helped create – the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).

The American Latino Heritage Fund of the National Park Foundation has dedicated $150,000 needed to open and
fund operations of the national monument throughout its first year. ALHF’s mission is anchored in persevering the full spectrum of American Latino history in the U.S. by identifying and celebrating historic sites and places essential to understanding the influence of Latinos’ cultural, economic and civic contributions to the American story.

“The national park system exists to tell the stories of this nation and its people, and to provide individuals with a place to visit and honor those contributions. Today’s dedication is a seminal moment as we ensure this historic chapter is noted in our American history,” said Neil Mulholland, President & CEO of the National Park Foundation. “The American Latino Heritage Fund is dedicated to ensuring that the contributions of this nation’s Latino community, like César Chávez’s legacy of equality and rights, are honored and protected forever.”

“César Chávez, and his fight for equal rights had a profound impact and lasting legacy for this nation,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar who also serves as Chairman of the National Park Foundation’s Board of Directors and Founder of the American Latino Heritage Fund. “We are proud to welcome this important site into the national park system and thank the National Park Foundation’s American Latino Heritage Fund for their support and commitment to this important cause.”

While the Latino community accounts for approximately 54 million people in the American population, Latinos represent only nine percent (9%) of national park visitors. The American Latino Heritage Fund is working to improve that statistic by focusing on three core efforts:

Preserving the Full Spectrum of American Latino History
To engage the Latino community and stakeholders involved in historic preservation in identifying historic sites and places essential to understanding the impact of Latino heritage in the United States. ALHF funding is applied to working with groups in nominating these sites to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or the National Historic Landmark program.

Catalyzing a National Dialogue that Shares a More Inclusive Story of the American Experience The
American Latino Heritage Fund has created a grant program to help the National Park Service, and other partners, raise the profile of American Latino heritage and history while increasing Latinos’ attendance at
national parks.

Opening Channels of Engagement for Participation at National Parks ALHF is partnering with recreation experts and the National Park Service to identify innovative ways to engage the Latino community in outdoor recreation opportunities that support the cultures and lifestyles of today’s diverse American public.

“By bringing the César E. Chávez National Monument into the national park system, the American Latino
Heritage Fund is fulfilling a crucial component in its national role to help preserve American Latino History,” concludes Midy Aponte, Executive Director of the American Latino Heritage Fund. “American Latino History is American History. We hope that in honoring the legacy of César Chávez, we can trumpet his story, so that school children know his name and future generations appreciate his struggle.”

The National Park Foundation invites the public to learn more, get involved and support the American Latino Heritage Fund by visiting us online at
http://www.ALHF.org  or on Facebook at 
http://www.facebook.com/AmericanLatinoHeritageFund

Los fondos proporcionados al Servicio de Parques Nacionales por el Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los EEUU de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales apoyarán las operaciones del Monumento Nacional César E. Chávez

Washington, D.C. – Al celebrar la última semana del mes de la Herencia Hispana, el Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos (ALHF, por sus siglas en inglés) de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales, la organización benéfica oficial de los parques  nacionales de los Estados Unidos parques, se unió hoy con orgullo al presidente de los Estados Unidos Barack Obama, al secretario del Interior, Ken Salazar y al director del Servicio de Parques Nacionales, Jon Jarvis, al establecer el monumento nacional de César E. Chávez como parque oficial del Sistema de Parques Nacionales. Ubicado dentro de la propiedad conocida como Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, el monumento conmemora el lugar de origen y descanso final del reconocido activista de los derechos civiles latinos, César E. Chávez, que también sirvió como la antigua sede del movimiento sindical que ayudó a crear, los Campesinos Unidos de los Estados Unidos (UFW, por sus siglas en inglés).

El Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales ha destinado $150,000 dólares necesarios para abrir el monumento nacional y financiar las operaciones a lo largo de su primer año. La misión de ALHF es preservar todo el espectro de la historia de los latinos en los EE.UU. mediante la identificación y celebración de los sitios históricos y los lugares esenciales para la
comprensión de la influencia de las contribuciones culturales,
económicas y civiles de los latinos a la historia estadounidense.

“El sistema de parques nacionales existe para contar las historias de esta nación y de su gente y para proveer a las personas un lugar para visitar y honrar esas contribuciones. La dedicatoria de hoy es un momento crucial ya que nos aseguramos de que este capítulo histórico se anota en la historia estadounidense”, dijo Neil Mulholland, presidente y CEO de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales. “El Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos se dedica a asegurar que las contribuciones de la comunidad hispana de la nación, como el legado de igualdad y de derechos de César Chávez, es honrado y protegido siempre.”

“César Chávez, y su lucha por la igualdad de derechos ha tenido un impacto profundo y un duradero legado para esta nación”, dijo el secretario del Interior, Ken Salazar, que también es presidente de la junta de directores de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales y fundador del Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos. “Estamos orgullosos de dar la bienvenida a este importante lugar al sistema de parques nacionales y damos las gracias al Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos de la Fundación de Parques Nacionales por su apoyo y compromiso con esta causa tan importante.”

Aunque los latinos son aproximadamente 54 millones de personas de la población de los Estados Unidos, representan sólo el nueve por ciento (9%) de los visitantes de los parques nacionales. El Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos está trabajando para mejorar esa estadística a través de tres iniciativas principales:

Preservar todo el espectro de la historia de los latinos en los Estados Unidos Involucrar a la comunidad latina y a las personas interesadas en la preservación histórica en la identificación de los sitios históricos y los lugares esenciales para comprender el impacto de la herencia hispana en los Estados Unidos. Los fondos de ALHF se utilizan para trabajar con grupos y designar estos sitios para ser inscritos en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos y/o en el programa de Monumentos Históricos Nacionales.

Iniciar un diálogo nacional que comparte una historia más inclusiva de la experiencia de los Estados Unidos El Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos ha creado un programa de subvenciones para ayudar al Servicio de Parques Nacionales y a otros socios a elevar el perfil de la herencia y la historia latina al tiempo que aumenta la asistencia de los latinos a los parques nacionales.

Abrir canales de participación en los parques nacionales ALHF
está colaborando con expertos en recreación y el Servicio de Parques
Nacionales identificando maneras innovadoras para que la comunidad
latina participe en las oportunidades de recreación al aire libre que
apoyan las culturas y los estilos de vida del diverso público de los
Estados Unidos de hoy.

“Al incluir al monumento nacional de César E. Chávez en el sistema de parques nacionales, el Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos está cumpliendo con un componente crucial de su papel nacional para ayudar a preservar la historia de los latinos en los Estados Unidos”, concluye Midy Aponte, directora ejecutivo del
Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos. “La historia de los latinos en los Estados Unidos es la historia de los Estados Unidos.
Esperamos que al honrar el legado de César Chávez, podamos proclamar su historia, para que los estudiantes conozcan su nombre y las futuras generaciones aprecien su lucha”.

La Fundación de Parques
Nacionales invita al público a conocer más, involucrarse y apoyar el
Fondo de la Herencia Latina en los Estados Unidos, visitando
http://www.ALHF.org or
http://www.facebook.com/AmericanLatinoHeritageFund.

The American Latino Heritage Fund of the National Park Foundation assists the National Park Service and communities across the country to ensure that our national parks and historic sites preserve the full spectrum of American Latino history in the US for future generations.

You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -
all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks. Founded by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans
to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us - This Is Your Land.

Copyright 2012 The National Park Foundation • 1201 Eye Street 550B, Washington, DC 20005

Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D.,  National/International Founder
LAS COMADRES PARA LAS AMERICAS, Connecting Latinas Everywhere!
http://www.lascomadres.orgnoracomstockphd@lascomadres.org; lascomadrescoordinator@yahoo.com
Comstock Connections, Austin, TX    512-928-8780 voice/fax; 512-751-7837c

Sent by Dorinda Moreno
pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com

SUPPORT SOUGHT TO PRESERVE THE TRUJILLO ADOBE IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

 

National Museum of the Latino Community

Proposed National Museum of the American Latino Needs Bipartisan Action by Rosie Carbo
Friends of the American Latino Museum
27 New National Landmarks Landmarks Honor Nation’s Cultural and Natural Heritage
Support Sought to Preserve the Trujillo Adobe in Riverside County, California

 

Proposed National Museum of the American Latino Needs Bipartisan Action
 by Rosie Carbo
HISPANIC  OUTLOOK,  page 22-23, 08/06/2012

The last will and testament of Englishman James Smithson  bequeathed all his property to the U.S. government. The stated intent was to establish an institution to "increase and diffuse knowledge" to mankind. In 1846, Congress honored his wishes by establishing the Smithsonian Institution.

Since then, the Smithsonian Institution has grown from one to 19 museums, nine research centers and a national zoo. In fact, it is the largest museum complex in the world. And it receives 75 percent of its more than $450 million annual budget from tax dollars.

Now, if the National Museum of the American Latino becomes a reality, it would bring to 20 the number of museums under the auspices of the Smithsonian.

The cost of the new museum is estimated at more than $400 million. Part of that cost would be covered by a decade of fundraising.

But the historic proposal faces some obstacles. First, both houses of Congress must pass the Smithsonian American Latino Act (House Bill 3459 and Senate Bill 1868) authorizing creation of the new museum. The second challenge is authorization to designate the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as the site of the new museum.

"In terms of the museum, we're all of the same opinion, and that is that we have a duty and a mission to represent our country's history," said Richard Kurin, undersecretary for history, art and culture and overseer of half a dozen of the Smithsonian's museums.

"How can you teach American history without teaching about Spanish conquistadors and the contributions of Latinos? This is part of the heritage of all of us, not only Latinos. So if Congress indeed passes a law, then the museum would be very proud and honored to have that charge," said Kurin, who also heads the Smithsonian Latino Center.

The vacant Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, a red brick structure measuring more than 300,000 square feet, would be spacious enough to house the proposed National Museum of the American Latino, which would reflect contributions by Latinos to history, art, science, music and culture, dating to the pre-founding of the United States.

"The Latino community is a patriotic community of Americans who have served this nation since its inception and is more than 50 million strong today, according to the latest 2010 Census figures. Despite this strength, the story of Latinos' contributions to the U.S. has yet to be fully told in a museum in the nation's capital," said Congressman Xavier Becerra, Democrat from California, in a statement reiterating his support.

Becerra first introduced bipartisan legislation calling for the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Commission to explore the Latino museum idea in 2003. In 2008, legislation was passed and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush.

The 23-member bipartisan NMAL commission was chaired by Henry Munoz and represented bipartisan leadership from across the nation. During a two-year period, commissioners crisscrossed the country asking Latinos what they would like to see in a museum that chronicles contributions by Latinos.

"We had the most comprehensive conversation in the history of this country with the American people. And there's a very strong feeling on the part of the people that the history of this country will never be fully told until the history and heritage of Latinos is told. So the need for the museum was validated by the commission's work," said Munoz, a San Antonio architect.

Another conclusion reached by the Munoz-led commission is that this country will experience a dramatic spike in the Latino population in the future. Therefore, a major presence in the nation's capital is not only imperative, but justified.

"The most important task the commission had was to connect with and inspire them. The future of this country is increasingly Latino. That said, there is a consensus among commissioners and Latinos that the National American Latino Museum belongs in the heart of the National Mall," said Munoz.

The NMAL commission, which submitted its official report to Congress in May 2011, is not alone in its assessment of the ethnic and racial future of the United States. According to an article in the May 2012 issue of The Wall Street Journal, "Hispanics are the second-largest population group after Whites of European descent, repre­senting the country's "first majority-minority population."

Further, the 2010 U.S. Census revealed that the Latino population had surged 43 percent since the last U.S. Census. New growth occurred in states such as Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama and Georgia, which until recently did not have significant Latino/Hispanic populations.

"In its report to Congress, the commission also recommended that the proposed Latino museum be treated in an equitable fashion, in the same manner as the American Indian and African-American museums," said Munoz.

Over two years, the commission traveled to at least 10 major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and other cities, to interact with and document responses from Latino residents. Additionally, social media played and still play an important role in disseminating news of the proposed museum.

"The push for a National Museum of the American Latino has really grown. In fact, it's taken off largely because of social media," said Estuardo V. Rodnguez, spokesman for a nonprofit support group, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.

"On Facebook, initially we got over 100,000, and now it's grown to 250,000, points of contact. So we have a huge presence online and huge support for the museum," said Rodriguez, a Washington, D.C., attorney and lobbyist who has also worked pro bono on the proposal.

Despite support for a Latino museum, news stories about a booming Latino population have not led to inclusion in mainstream America. Indeed, this diverse ethnic group that accounts for more than 16 percent of the U.S. population remains largely invisible. Latinos are virtually absent from English-language television, radio, print ads, broadcast ads, Hollywood films, corporations and nonprofit boards.

Moreover, the SmithsoniThe Smithsonian Latino Center, founded in 1997, would not have happened but for a revealing 1994 report by a 15-member task force led by Raul Yzaguirre, then president of the National Council of La Raza, a noted Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group.

The report found the Smithsonian Institution guilty of "willful neglect" in hiring Latinos. In addition, the report said, the Smithsonian Institution had willfully excluded Latinos from its museum, exhibitions and presentations.

Although the 1994 report also suggested the injustice might be remedied by creation of a Latino museum, the Smithsonian Latino Center was established instead. Undaunted, Becerra introduced legislation to establish a commission to study the creation of a Latino muse­um in 2003. In 2007, Congress enacted the National Museum of the American Latino Act.

The National Museum of the American Latino Commission, with support from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and celebrities such as actress Eva Longoria and record producer Emilio Estefan, sprang into action in September 2009.

From 2009 to 2011 the commission worked on the project, at a cost of $3.9 million. Now the fate of the museum is in the hands of Congress, awaiting approval by bipartisan legislation. House and Senate members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Marco Rubio are among the Republicans who support it.

If and when the National Museum of the American Latino becomes a reality, it would take its rightful    place    alongside Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

Like the Smithsonian Latino Center, the NMAI was created after the Smithsonian Institution was accused of neglecting artifacts of Native Americans. In the 1980s, native tribal leaders discovered the Smithsonian had warehoused nearly 20,000 American Indian remains instead of displaying them.

The embarrassing revelation resulted in passage of the National Museum of the American Indian Act in 1989, The federal government funded two-thirds of the 250,000-square-foot NMAI. But the museum did not open on Washington's National Mall until 2004, at a cost of $219 million.

Rosie Carbo is a graduate of The University of North Texas in Denton, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in Journalism. She began her newspaper career as a reporter in a Dallas suburb. She contributed features to the Dallas Morning News on a freelance basis for nearly 10 years.
Carbo has covered the gamut of issues from politics, police and the courts to education, art, music, travel and features. Her work has appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines, including People magazine, New York Daily News, the Houston Chronicle's Texas magazine, San Antonio Express-News, the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Hispanic and Hispanic Business. The Associated Press picked up several of her human interest features early in her 25-year career as a Texas print journalist. She earned feature-writing awards from AP and the now defunct UPI. She is currently a freelance journalist who has contributed higher education articles to the HOHE for more than a decade.  

 

 


Friends of the American Latino Museum

The Friends of the American Latino Museum are excited to announce our partnership with LATISM (Latinos in Technology Innovation and Social Media). The Latino community must make its presence felt on the national stage going forward, and social media is an increasingly pervasive player in deciding what is relevant in today's American society.

In addition to our fundraising and awareness reception held at 4:30pm on Friday, October 26th, the Friends of the American Latino Museum will host an exhibit booth and sit on a panel at the LATISM Conference. On Saturday, October 27th at 8:30am we are proud to be sitting on the panel entitled "Preserving Latino Culture for Future Generations" with moderator Julissa Bonfante; Midy Aponte, Executive Director of the American Latino Heritage Fund; and Fredrick Goodall, author of the celebrated blog Mocha Dad.

We encourage all of our supporters to attend the LATISM Conference, so that we can continue to connect Latinos from across the country and across all walks of life. More information can be found here.

 

Date: October 17, 2012
Contact: Blake Androff (DOI) 202-208-6416
Mike Litterst (NPS) 202-513-0354

Interior Designates 27 New National Landmarks Landmarks Honor Nation’s Cultural and Natural Heritage

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the designation of 26 national historic landmarks and one national natural landmark as places that possess exceptional value and quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Currently there are only 2,527 designated national historic landmarks and 592 national natural landmark sites across the country that bear this national distinction.

“Each of these landmarks represents a thread in the great tapestry that tells the story of our beautiful land, our diverse culture and our nation’s rich heritage,” said Salazar. “By designating these sites as national landmarks, we help meet the goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a conservation ethic for the 21st century and reconnect people, especially young people, to our nation’s historic, cultural, and natural heritage.”

The national historic landmarks announced today include:

  • Admiral David Glasgow Farragut Gravesite, New York City, N.Y. The Admiral David Glasgow Farragut Gravesite is the only known, NHL-eligible property directly associated with Farragut, the son of Jorge Antonio Farragut-Mesquida, a Spaniard from the island of Minorca. Admiral Farragut is universally recognized as one of the most accomplished officers in American naval history, as well as one of the finest naval commanders who fought for either side during the Civil War.
  • Black Jack Battlefield, Douglas County, Kan. The three-hour Battle of Black Jack, fought on June 2, 1856, marked a culmination of escalating violence in “Bleeding Kansas” and the beginning of John Brown’s war on slavery, which would culminate in his raid on Harpers Ferry three years later.
  • Camp Evans, Wall Township, N.J. This World War II-era U.S. Army Signal Corps electronics development, testing, and production facility was one of the principal U.S. sites associated with the development of radar.
  • Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers/Dayton Veterans Administration Home, Dayton, Ohio. The home represents an evolution and shift in federal care for veterans starting in World War I (1917) and continuing through the consolidation of veteran’s benefits and the establishment of the Veterans Administration in 1930.
  • Central Congregational Church, Boston, Mass. Central Congregational Church is nationally significant because it has the largest intact Tiffany-designed ecclesiastical interior in its original location in America.
  • César E. Chávez National Monument at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz in Keene, Calif. La Paz became headquarters to the United Farm Workers of America in the early 1970s when Chávez and other leaders of the UFW orchestrated unprecedented successes for hundreds of thousands of farm workers, including passage of the first U.S. law that recognized farm workers’ collective bargaining rights. On October 8, 2012, President Obama declared the site a national monument. In addition to that action, today the Secretary announced the site has also been designated a national historic landmark.
  • Davis Oriole Earthlodge Site, Mills County, Iowa. The Davis Oriole Earthlodge Site outstandingly illustrates the physical features of lodge habitations that commonly recur across the Plains and is exceptionally valuable for the study of this predominant Plains Village pattern habitation type.
  • Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad), Conejos and Archuleta Counties, CO and Rio Arriba County, N.M. In terms of length, scale of operations, completeness, extensiveness of its steam operations, and state of preservation, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension is one of the country’s best surviving examples of a narrow gauge system from the peak of American railroading, roughly 1870 to 1930.
  • Denver Civic Center, Denver, Colo. Heralded as “one of the most complete and intact City Beautiful civic centers in the country,” the Denver Civic Center represents that movement’s widespread impact on American cities through the creation of planned civic centers in the early 20th century.
  • Dr. Bob’s Home (Dr. Robert and Anne Smith House), Akron, Ohio. Dr. Bob’s Home is associated with Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith (Dr. Bob) who, along with William Griffith Wilson (Bill W.), co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, a global organization whose mission is to assist alcoholics in achieving and maintaining sobriety.
  • The Drakes Bay Historic and Archeological District, Point Reyes Station, Calif. The site is directly associated with the earliest documented cross-cultural encounter between California Indians and Europeans, leaving the most complete material record on the West Coast. In addition, the site contains the earliest recorded shipwreck on the West Coast of the United States, the Spanish San Agustín.
  • Greendale Historic District, Village of Greendale, Wis. Greendale, Wisconsin, one of three government-sponsored “greenbelt” communities built during the Great Depression, represents the federal response to the desperate unemployment of the era and the urgent need for housing reform for the urban working class.
  • The Hispanic Society of America Complex, New York City, N.Y. With the founding of the Hispanic Society of America in 1904, Archer Milton Huntington created an institution which directly encouraged the promotion of all cultures associated with the Iberian Peninsula (including those in South America). This represented a nationally significant shift in both attitudes toward Hispanic culture and understanding of Hispanic-American history in the United States. The Hispanic Society of America was at the forefront of challenging simplistic and negative perceptions of Hispanic history and societies in the New World.
  • Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District, Bethlehem, Pa. As an outstanding example of Moravian architecture and town planning, the Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District is the physical expression of a structured, 18th-century communal religious society.
  • Humpback Bridge, Alleghany County, Va. Built in 1857, the Humpback Bridge is an outstanding example of 19th-century covered bridge construction and is the best surviving example of a timber multiple-kingpost truss, used for some of the earliest covered bridges in America.
  • Knight’s Ferry Bridge, Stanislaus County, Calif. Constructed in 1862-1863, Knight’s Ferry Bridge is an exceptionally fine example of 19th-century covered bridge construction using the William Howe patented truss, one of the most successful and widely-used American timber bridge truss types.
  • McKeen Motor Car #70 (Virginia & Truckee Railway Motor Car #22), Carson City, Nev. This is the best surviving example of the first commercially viable application of internal combustion power in a self-propelled railroad car.
  • Murray Springs Clovis Site, Cochise County, Ariz. The Murray Springs Clovis Site is among the richest early Paleoindian sites in North America with a mammoth-kill site, a bison-kill site, and a Clovis camp site. Sites associated with the Clovis culture are extremely rare.
  • Poston Elementary School Unit 1, Colorado River Relocation Center, La Paz County, Ariz. The second of 10 relocation centers established for the confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II, Poston is the only relocation center that retains an above-ground complex of elementary school buildings.
  • The Republic, Columbus, Ind. The Republic is an exceptional work of modern architecture and one of the best examples of the work of Myron Goldsmith, a general partner in the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and a highly respected architect, architectural theorist, writer, and educator.
  • San José de los Jémez Mission and Gíusewa Pueblo Site, N.M. San José de los Jémez Mission and Gíusewa Pueblo Site is associated with the spread of Spanish control northward in New Spain into the present-day American Southwest from 1598 to about 1639 and is an early representation of the intersection of European and native cultures.
  • Stepping Stones (Bill and Lois Wilson House), Katonah, N.Y. Stepping Stones is the home of Bill and Lois Wilson, respective co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Al-Anon Family Groups. During the 47 years the Wilsons lived here, A.A. grew exponentially, spreading within and outside of the United States, with Bill Wilson serving as the leader of the movement.
  • United Congregational Church, Newport, R.I. The murals and opalescent and stained glass windows of United Congregational Church, executed by artist John LaFarge between 1880 and 1881, are the only comprehensive interior designed by the artist.
  • The United States Post Office and Court House (the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California), Los Angeles, Calif. Between 1945 and 1946, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California became an exceptionally important site in the annals of postwar American school desegregation efforts and the civil rights history of Mexican and Mexican-American people in the Southwest. This was the site of the 1946 Mendez v. Westminster School District lawsuit filed by five Latino families whose children were denied admission to public schools in Southern California. The decision by this federal court forbade segregation on the grounds that separate was not equal; it was the first court to declare that the doctrine of “separate but equal” ran counter to the United States Constitution.
  • The United States Post Office and Courthouse (James R. Browning U.S. Court of Appeals), San Francisco, Calif. Constructed between 1897 and 1905, the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in San Francisco is a superlative Beaux-Arts public building exhibiting a complex merger of a number of artistic disciplines: architecture, sculpture, painting, stained-glass and decorative arts.
  • University Heights Campus (Bronx Community College of The City University of New York), Bronx, N.Y. New York University’s “University Heights Campus” is a nationally significant example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States, and among the most important works by Stanford White, partner in McKim, Mead & White, the preeminent American architectural firm at the turn of the 20th century.

Salazar also designated Big Spring Creek in Saguache County, Colo, as a national natural landmark. This feature is unique in the region as a spring-fed, gaining stream formed by groundwater discharging from an unconfined aquifer. Emergent wetlands along the creek support a diversity of rare species and plant communities in an otherwise arid landscape.

The National Historic Landmarks Program, established in 1935, is administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. The agency works with preservation officials and other partners interested in nominating a landmark. Completed applications are reviewed by the National Park System Advisory Board, which makes recommendations for designation to the Secretary of the Interior. If selected, property ownership remains intact but each site receives a designation letter, a plaque, and technical preservation advice.

Additional information on the designations can be found at http://www.nps.gov/nhl.
Editor: Sent by Tanya Bowers who invites everyone to sign up to be kept up to date on what is happening by the various National Trust resources.  

The updated design features interactive buttons that link you to various National Trust resources with just one click. Upcoming issues will also include information and progress reports on the many places the National Trust is taking direct action to save through its new National Treasures campaign.

We want to hear from you! Tell us about the projects you are working on and topic ideas that you would like to see in future e-newsletters. In the meantime, this edition offers a peek at what’s to come in the new and improved Connections!
TBowers@savingplaces.org  

 

SUPPORT SOUGHT TO PRESERVE THE TRUJILLO ADOBE IN 
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Dear Mimi,

This is good news! We the family of Lorenzo Trujillo have been trying to preserve the Trujillo Adobe and its valuable history. It is under Parks and Recreation of Riverside County and it has been neglected for many years. We have gone to the County and City as it is on the endangered list. We are trying to earn monies to start a foundation by planning fundraisers for the expenses.If you should have any grants or ideas to help us, it would really be appreciated. We have given the Riverside Museum three donations and I am currently working on the fourth to donate.

My Mothers sister, who is also my Godmother was Olivia Trujillo Vlahovich who helped write,"Defending Eden". When she passed away she gave me documents and pictures for the Museum. I am working on listing everything and spoke to Lynn Voorhees.
I am enclosing one of the letters that I wrote when I spoke at their meetings. .

Thanking you for all that you do, Helen Trujillo Workman Mora

 


WITNESS TO HERITAGE

Dr. Hector P. Garcia and President Bill Clinton by Wanda Garcia
Honoring and Emulating my Ancestor’s Accomplishments
by Margaret Morán, National President of LULAC
La Raza Unida Party de California: 1997-1974 by Jimmy Franco Sr.

Dr. Hector P. Garcia and President Bill Clinton by Wanda Garcia 

AUSTIN — On Sept. 5, 2012, former President Bill Clinton impressed everyone with his speech and command of facts relating to the budget and economic statistics during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Few Corpus Christians are aware that Clinton spent time in Corpus Christi as George McGovern's and later Jimmy Carter's advance man.

Clinton's base of operations was out of my father's office. I met him many times during the course of both campaigns and was privileged to have lunch and converse with the man when I would return to visit my family. Clinton and my father spent a lot of time together and thus came to be good friends.

On one occasion I had just arrived from Austin. When I walked in the office, my father greeted me with; "I would like to introduce you to Governor Clinton." Governor Clinton was usually on the phone in my father's private office and bounded forward to greet me. After Papa would treat his patients, the three of us would go to a late lunch at a Mexican food restaurant called Mi Tierra. Governor Clinton would consume about five baskets of chips. This would really frustrate the waiter who would stare at the empty basket in disbelief. In addition, he ordered two entrees. Clinton managed to scarf down both entrees and would lick the plate clean. Clinton kept remarking, "I love Mexican food."

I was very impressed by Bill Clinton and enjoyed our conversations. The man was brilliant and had total recall. He could pick up a conversation as if no time had elapsed between our visits. When I told him I worked for U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, he said he knew him well and praised the senator. I asked the governor what his plans were. Clinton replied he planned to run for president. At the time, I was certain that he would succeed. Later when Clinton became president, he appointed Bentsen to be his Secretary of the Treasury.

Through the years Papa and I marveled at Bill Clinton's rising star on the national scene. We rejoiced when he became president. We were concerned about his troubles. But never did we doubt that Clinton would be able to turn things around. Experience proved that Clinton's title of "comeback kid" was not unwarranted.

Years later, Bill Clinton would correspond with Dr. Hector and would inquire about family members and Papa's staff fondly. He would remember the minutest details about the people he interacted with. In March of 1996, my mother closed my father's office on Bright Street because Papa's health was declining. President Clinton phoned Papa several times while he was in the hospital to wish him a speedy recovery. The nurses were so excited when the call came in from the White House. When President Clinton learned my father had died; he was one of the first to call to express condolences. Although Clinton could not attend the funeral in person, he sent Gil Coronado as his representative. Clinton eulogized my father through a news release. Clinton, on his and his wife Hillary's behalf, said about my father, "We had both known him for more than 20 years and he was to us a real American hero … He was a clear voice for Hispanic civil rights, I just wanted to say to all of you we should honor him best by committing ourselves to continue the work of his life. He was a remarkable man."

When Clinton retired from the political arena, he became active in public speaking and humanitarian works. He established the William J. Clinton foundation to promote international causes. I wonder if my father's example of helping the disadvantaged may have inspired Clinton at some level to become involved with humanitarian work. President Clinton's correspondence to my father is available in the Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, upon request.

Daisy Wanda Garcia of Austin is the daughter of civil rights pioneer Dr. Hector P. Garcia. She writes monthly for the Caller-Times. Email her at wanda.garcia@sbcglobal.net.

© 2012 Corpus Christi Caller Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://analytics.apnewsregistry.com/analytics/v2/image.svc/CCCT/MAI/ccct_126274_2012-10-06T030000-0500/RWS/caller.com/PC/Basic/

 


Honoring and Emulating my Ancestor’s Accomplishments

By Margaret  Morán, National President of LULAC

 

I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, with roots in Von Ormy, a little historical municipality and Latino enclave in Bexar County. As a child, I was always reminded of my family history especially my maternal great-great-grandfather Rafael Quintana. He immigrated from Majorca Minorca, Spain, to San Antonio, Texas in the early 1800’s.
He settled and lived adjacent to the San Fernando Cathedral, which is one of the oldest cathedrals in the country. My mom always reminded me about his great leadership as a local elected official in both Von Ormy and San Antonio, Texas. Don Rafael Quintana, as he was called, was the head of the Quintana family. He came from Minorca as the Band Master of the Regimental Band of the United States Dragoons. “He was a very large, tall and powerful man. Although the leader or chief musician of this band, he frequently served as its Drum Major" He served as San Antonio City Treasurer in the closing days of the Civil War, and at Von Ormy, he was elected Justice of the Peace and later County Commissioner. What is amazing about his civic service was that while he held office during the post-Reconstruction era and during Jim Crow laws he was the only Hispanic Judge and Commissioner in Bexar County. He moved to Von Ormy, Texas, in the 1870s. My great-great-grandfather is buried in San Fernando Cemetery #1, along with other Quintana family members.

On my paternal side, my dad Alfred Casillas Guzman’s history is worth mentioning: The Casillas family arrived in this country in the 1500s from Spain and generations later, by way of Guadalajara and Puebla, Mexico during the late 1700s they moved to Texas. They originally moved to La Villita in San Antonio. But in 1792, they purchased homes at Mission Espada. In the early 1800s, Juan Casillas, a great-great-uncle, served in the Texas Revolution under the command of Juan Seguin. His son, Santiago, the youngest of his sons at the age of 19, enlisted in the Median Guards as a cavalryman and was part of the Confederate expedition into New Mexico. After the civil war, he settled in Von Ormy. He and his wife had nine children, one of them being Santiago II, who married Anastacia Garcia from Rosita Coahuila, Mexico. They had several children, including my grandmother Magdalena Garcia-Casillas. She married Cipriano Guzman (Gusman) and my dad was born in Somerset, Texas on February 22, 1916. Grandfather Cipriano is buried in Von Ormy, Texas.

These stories inspired me to become an advocate to help others through leadership, policy, and advocacy. I strive to be a pioneer like my ancestors so that I can keep the family tradition alive and ultimately uphold the rich fabric of Hispanic heritage. I would love for my grandchildren’s children to tell stories of their ancestors’ strides in equality, freedom, and justice.

 

 

La Raza Unida Party de California: 1971-1974 (part two)

 

http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/La-Raza-Unida2-Calif-Mtg-6.30-7.011972-1.jpgA Partido conference and convention are held in San Jose and Los Angeles
On April 8-9th of 1972, a statewide Partido conference was held in San Jose that had been organized by the chapters of the Northern California Steering Committee and coordinated by Vicente Gonzalez from the Newark chapter. Workshops on issues such as immigration, education, organizing methods and a clear criteria for becoming a valid LRUP chapter were discussed and voted upon at this event. Delegates at this conference also voted and reaffirmed the principle that Raza Unida members could not belong to other political parties and vice versa. 

Dr. Carlos Munoz provided leadership 
in a workshop discussion at the LRUP convention in East L.A.

This was in response to repeated instances where members from other political parties and organizations had posed as representatives of the Partido in order to use it for their own benefit. This San Jose conference was followed up by the second California La Raza Unida Convention which was held on July 1-2, 1972 at at East Los Angeles College. Close to 500 people attended as elected chapter delegates from all over the state came together to reinforce the Partido’s political and organizational unity and coordinate the work statewide. This was in preparation for the national convention that was to be held in El Paso in September of 1972. In addition, efforts were made at this convention to strengthen the Partido’s organizational structure in order to prevent other groups from continuing to disrupt the work of LRUP and using its name for their own narrow interests. The chairperson of the Organization Workshop was Antonio Abarca from the Hayward-Union City chapter. He presented a workshop resolution to the body which was voted on and adopted that reaffirmed the LRUP criteria which clearly determined the requirements for becoming a valid and active chapter. 

There was a vibrant discussion during the convention and a unamimous vote to support and maintain the Partido’s political independence from the Democrats and Republicans. Both parties in California, but especially the Democrats, had created numerous political roadblocks and pressure on the LRUP in order to prevent party candidates from being placed on the ballot. A healthy debate also took place on the issue of immigration and a draft position was eventually submitted to the elected Executive Committee of the convention for further discussion and ratification. One negative and unfortunate aspect of this convention was an unprincipled attempt by members of the then MAPA chapters from San Bernardino and Riverside counties who were affiliated with the Democratic party to fraudulently register as Partido chapters and vote as delegates. Led by a professor from that area, this small group of individuals had created a number of phony and unknown LRUP chapters in their counties just prior to the convention in an attempt to vote and take control of the state Partido. These bogus chapters didn’t meet the state Partido’s criteria of actually having real members, a chapter office and had been using non-existent mailing addresses. This was verified in a report presented by David Rivera who was the elected secretary of the Southern California Central Committee. 

After a heated discussion by the officially-elected convention delegates, the overwhelming majority of the state’s chapters voted to reject these pro-Democrat MAPA members and their non-existent chapters as voting delegates. They ultimately resorted to yelling and disrupting the proceedings and another vote was taken by the convention delegates to expel them. Adding to this divisive and shameful behavior by these Mapa members was their unprincipled red-baiting of Casa and Bert Corona. In addition, a vote was also taken to ask a Trotskyite group, the Social Workers Party to leave. They had repeatedly been notified verbally and in written form by LRUP representatives to not represent the Partido and use its name together with that of their party. These SWP members refused to accept this position of the state Partido and continued to violate the convention’s rules by insisting on selling their newspapers during the workshops which effectively disrupted the proceedings. 

The hundreds of elected LRUP delegates from chapters throughout the state had united in a unanimous and democratic vote to repel the joint efforts of these unprincipled Mapa and SWP elements to use LRUP for their own personal gain and subvert the organizing work of the convention. An even more united state Partido emerged from this convention as it had fought off the wrecking activities of these outside provocateurs and strengthened its political and organizational unity. In an interview with the L.A. Times at the close of the convention, Partido representative Reggie Ruiz from the East L.A. Chapter stated that, “the final LRUP platform had been formulated by close to 500 delegates who participated in the convention”, and “its (the platform) final form was hammered out by 32 elected delegates in an executive session on Sunday”. L.A. Times, July, 1972). As the members of the state’s chapters departed for home, this strengthened sense of unity would motivate them to continue their community organizing in preparation for the much anticipated national convention that was to be held in El Paso. Gilberto Blanco of the East L.A. chapter stated in an interview held with La Raza Magazine shortly after the convention that, “There was an opportunity for everyone to participate. People bent over backwards to be fair. We realized the importance of state unity.”

http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/LaRazaUnidaParty-1972-1.jpgA strong political momentum leads to the first national LRUP convention
The Partido’s national convention drew members and other interested individuals from numerous states and those in attendance totaled close to 3000 persons. This convention was held within the historical context of President Richard Nixon waging his Counter Intelligence Programs to undermine minority organizations while unleashing a violent carpet bombing of Vietnam as the death toll from the war rose even higher. An unfortunate and tragic loss occurred before the convention as Colorado LRUP organizer Ricardo Falcon was killed on the way to to El Paso by a racist gas station owner. As the convention convened, the expectations of those in attendance were high and people were in an enthusiastic mood as they sensed that politically our time had finally arrived. The political momentum for the Chicano Movement was cresting with the possibility of a united national movement and political consensus under the leadership of an independent Chicano party. Leaders such as Reies Tjerina, Jose Angel Gutierrez and Rodolpho Corky Gonzalez appeared together at the podium and embraced in a show of unity. However, this was a fragile unity and existed merely on the surface as competing strategies would soon divide them and those in attendance. 

It soon became apparent that two opposing political tendencies were emerging at the convention that posed two different directions for the Raza Unida party. Jose Angel Gutierrez and Corky Gonzalez were candidates for the post of National Chairperson of the Partido and each presented a different strategic position as to the type of party LRUP would become and in which direction it would proceed. Corky presented his position on the two-party system by using the analogy about “the two-headed monster that eats out of the same trough” and reaffirmed that the stance of the Partido should be that of mass Chicano Party that does not collaborate nor endorse any of the two major parties. This position was principally supported by the Colorado delegation led by the Crusade for Justice and supported by other states such as California. 

The counter position was presented by Jose Angel Gutierrez who was the head of the Texas Partido. He stated that, “We will be the balance of power in the 1972 presidential elections” and he proposed that the national Raza Unida Party “endorse the presidential candidate that endorses our people and our program for action”. In essence, to leverage the best and people were in an enthusiastic mood as they sensed that politically our time had finally arrived. The political momentum for the Chicano Movement was cresting with the possibility of a united national movement and political consensus under the leadership of an independent Chicano party. Leaders such as Reies Tjerina, Jose Angel Gutierrez and Rodolpho Corky Gonzalez appeared together at the podium and embraced in a show of unity. However, this was a fragile unity and existed merely on the surface as competing strategies would soon divide them and those in attendance. It soon became apparent that two opposing political tendencies were emerging at the convention that posed two different directions for the Raza Unida party. Jose Angel Gutierrez and Corky Gonzalez were candidates for the post of National Chairperson of the Partido and each presented a different strategic position as to the type of party LRUP would become and in which direction it would proceed. Corky presented his position on the two-party system by using the analogy about “the two-headed monster that eats out of the same trough” and reaffirmed that the stance of the Partido http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/la-raza-unida-1972-1.jpg should be that of mass Chicano Party that does not collaborate nor endorse any of the two major parties. This position was principally supported by the Colorado delegation led by the Crusade for Justice and supported by other states such as California. The counter position was presented by Jose Angel Gutierrez who was the head of the Texas Partido. He stated that, “We will be the balance of power in the 1972 presidential elections” and he proposed that the national Raza Unida Party “endorse the presidential candidate that endorses our people and our program for action”. 

J. A. Gutierrez, Reis Tijerina and R. Corky Gonzalez in a display of unity: two opposing strategies for the LRUP soon divided the convention, photo: Oscar Castillo

In essence, to leverage the best deal from either the Republicans or Democratic party and its candidate in return for the political support of the national Partido. This election for chairperson and the two distinct positions that were presented to the delegates quickly split the convention in half. Many attendees refused to again support the Republicans or Democrats and allow the Partido to be used as a pressure group to endorse the best offer dangled before us. Meanwhile, those who supported Jose Angel Gutierrez and his position felt that LRUP members had to be realistic and get the best deal and financial benefits that we could for raza by supporting and endorsing one of the two presidential candidates. The Republican presidential incumbent and candidate in 1972 would again be Richard Nixon but he would soon be removed from office the following year for civil rights violations and criminal activities. This election for National Chairperson between the two opposing candidates and their respective positions created a heated debate that forced the convention’s delegates to take sides. The California delegation met to discuss the pending election and voted to support Corky Gonzalez for chairperson primarily based upon his position of not endorsing another political party and maintaining the Partido’s independence. Raul Ruiz, who was a member of the City Terrace chapter in East L.A. and a Chicano Studies professor at CSU Northridge, was elected by the California delegation to present it’s position. A vote was also taken by state delegates that the same divisive pro-Democrat Mapa elements from Riverside who had shown up at the convention did not represent the California LRUP. The final convention vote was tallied and Jose Angel Gutierrez emerged as the winner and new National Chairperson. This also meant that his position to endorse other political parties was victorious as many state delegates from the Mid-West and East voted in favor of this strategy. One controversial issue that was raised during the debate was a criticism of Jose Gutierrez by certain delegates for having accepted funding from Mexican President Luis Echeverria who had played a crucial role in the massacre of over 500 students in 1968 at Tlatelolco in Mexico City. 

Another issue that was brought up was the Farah strike that was occurring in El Paso where over 4,000 mostly female garment workers had walked out to protest their substandard working conditions. There was an active national boycott of Farah garments in effect and the California Partido had been active in boycotting Farah and supporting the fight for union recognition by these workers. Unfortunately, the new Chairperson declared the strike to be “an outside activity” and not pertinent to the proceedings. By the end of the convention, delegates had been polarized as strong feelings filled the air with some people jubilant at having their candidate triumph while others departed for home in anger and frustration. The discouraged California delegation departed with a unified determination to preserve the state Partido’s political independence from the two dominant political parties. Soon after, a National Congreso de Aztlan was created along with newly-elected officers and was directed by the National Chairperson Jose Angel Gutierrez. However, the Congreso was supposed to meet twice a year in Albuquerque but only met once in November of 1972 as conflicts quickly arose between Gutierrez and the positions taken by the other Congreso officers. The following summer, La Raza Unida Party of Colorado held a Congreso de Aztlan Junta on August 16-19 of 1973 in Denver. The resolutions adopted at this conference declared the Partido to be a revolutionary Chicano Party which was quite different from the LRUP that emerged out of the El Paso convention. The California Partido which did not attend this Denver Junta, sent a letter to the Colorado Partido which stated that, “The announced meeting in Denver, August 17,18,19, cannot be recognized within the existing established procedure for La Raza Unida National Congreso meetings” and “we ask other states to join us in instructing La Raza Unida National Congreso to meet no later than Thanksgiving weekend in Albuquerque”. No other National Congreso meetings were ever held and the majority of the state Partido organizations continued to carry out their work independently without any national direction or cohesion. The momentum and prospect of a unified Chicano National Movement and mass political party at its head had been left in shatters.

A wounded Partido continued organizing and paved the way for progress

La Raza Unida members in Oakland organize a demonstration in the community
The numerous state meetings, conferences and conventions that were held from 1971-1972 had allowed the members of the California Partido to develop and strengthen their organization and state platform which upheld the principles of organizing to achieve community control, to maintain the independence of LRUP from the Democrats and Republicans, and the long-range objective of self-determination. These principles and ideological stance were still firmly defended by the California state LRUP after the 1972 national convention that left the national Partido wounded, deeply divided and leaderless over which political direction to proceed in. The organizational structure of the California Partido during 1972-73 continued to function efficiently and democratically with an elected Northern Califonia Steering Committee and a Southern California Central Committee. State representatives from these regional groups met regularly and made decisions pertaining to the state Partido in a democratic and collective manner. The continuing political work that was carried out by LRUP members in many cities and small towns dealt with local issues such as inferior education, discrimination, a lack of jobs and political representation. Other issues that were taken up by the Partido were the campaigns to elect to political office community leader and activist Dr Jose Hernandez of the San Fernando chapter and Tito Lucero in Union City, to free Ricardo Chavez Ortiz, the statewide boycott committees in support of the Farah workers in Texas, and the strike by the furniture workers of Local 500 in Los Angeles. This strike was organized and led by the Congreso Obrero which was affiliated with the Partido and given strong leadership by former Brown Beret and LRUP member Cruz Olmeda. Female leadership in the Partido was key as individuals such as Patricia Borjon, Jennie Estrada and Margie Sanchez played a pivotal role in the organizing efforts as did the predominantly female leadership in the San Jose chapter. Many of these statewide organizing efforts were carried out in an organized and newly assertive manner that were to pave the way for future progress. On the negative side, the Partido consistently tried to get involved in electoral politics and carried out numerous campaigns to register voters. However, the LRUP was never able to get on the official state ballot in order to run candidates statewide due to the large amount of signatures required by regulations. Even if the Partido had been able to get on the state ballot, there were never enough LRUP candidates to run for office and all of this unfortunately ended up becoming a discouraging catch-22 situation for the membership. In addition, Hispanic members of the Democratic Party continued their campaign to subvert the Partido’s organizing efforts. During these years, two distinct and simultaneous tactics for organizing were utilized and eventually became contradictory to one another. One consisted of organizing around grassroots issues to build a community base, while the other focused on continually registering voters and attempting to participate in electoral politics. One of these had to become the dominant form of organizing, otherwise, the hard work and energy of Partido members became splintered with neither tactic carried out successfully. Unfortunately, there were not enough LRUP members in the state chapters to simultaneously engage in both of these types of political activities in a qualitative and effective way. Some chapters proposed that the work involving electoral politics be dropped and that the organizing should primarily focus on community issues and the building of a political base. Meanwhile, others disagreed and continued the huge task of attempting to register voters for the Partido. With the passage of 1973-74, the earlier enthusiasm possessed by members began to decline due to fatigue and a lack of any concrete electoral victories. The expected support and endorsements from the United Farm Workers under Cesar Chavez and mainstream Latino civil rights organizations never materialized as all of these groups were pressured to stay loyal to the Democrats due to political and financial ties that existed between them. With the passage of time, many students who had been working with LRUP began to leave and move on which resulted in the growth of an unstable base of membership. In addition, many people who had registered to vote as Partido members eventually had their registrations eliminated as they had no candidates to vote for. A period of growing pessimism and disaffection among many members began to set in and a further decline http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/images-9.jpg in activist momentum continued into the mid-1970′s. BY 1975, the number of chapters in Southern California had decreased from about fifteen to four. Some chapters left in order to focus only on community work while others slowly dissipated as people went in different directions. Eventually, a second Raza Unida convention was held in 1980 and a new and reconstituted party became the Partido Nacional La Raza Unida. This present Partido carries out community work in New Mexico, Arizona, California and other states, but does not focus on electoral politics. It is based upon the ideology of revolutionary nationalism and upholding the principle of self-determination.

 

Learn from the experiences of the past to assist the present struggle
During the period of 1968 to 1972, Chicano activists in California had utilized different and creative tactics in order to make needed changes in their communities. School boycotts and walkouts were organized to improve the level of education and this was met by the use of criminal indictments in Los Angeles. Supposedly legal Chicano Moratorium marches against the war and for social justice were attempted in a peaceful manner and were met with police violence and the killing of innocent people. Finally, the strategy of independently participating in electoral politics was tried, but was obstructed by rigid voter and party registration rules that had been created by the two dominant parties whose verbal attacks against the Partido also obstructed the work and progress of this fledgling organization. In the six short years from 1968 to 1974, Chicano movement activists had utilized various types of tactics to fight for their rights and achieve social justice, and all were rebuffed by the Democratic and Republican http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/hb809nb846-FID3.jpg political establishment and the thuggery of their police. Yet, people did not give up and courageously kept on organizing and struggling for change. Presently, most of the people who were once Partido members in California have now moved on into the middle class and in most likelihood have gravitated back to the Democratic party and the once reviled system of the two-headed monster. Despite this, many remain active and still try and make a difference within their professions and communities. The previous organizing efforts by these Partido members combined with their strong belief in social justice for Chicanos have given the younger generation a strong example to build upon. All of these numerous organizing tactics that were developed and used from 1968 to 1972 are theoretical lessons from the Chicano Movement that need to be applied in a 
creative way to today’s conditions and struggles.   Northern Calif., LRUP chapters organized events. Poster by Rich Favela.

One step back, two steps forward: we need to forge ahead in a new direction
Viewing the present situation in California, there are now many elected Mexican-American politicians in Sacramento who participate in the same compromised system that was never fundamentally changed and which has even more lobbyists and corporate control than ever. Some of these Mexican-American politicians speak up and take a principled stand on issues pertinent http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/203531_109141212485581_422160385_n.jpg to Chicanos while the majority listen primarily to the lobbyists and campaign donors who swarm around Sacramento and local government offices. Many raza-majority towns in Southern California such as Cudahy, Bell, South Gate and others have been governed recently by “Hispanic” politicians whose corrupt behavior and theft from their own communities has been worse than that of their white predecessors. Simply exchanging brown wolves for white ones without fundamentally changing the corrupted structure of the hen house does not solve the problem. Meanwhile, in the growing working-class barrios throughout the state, the problems of inferior education, serious unemployment, gangs, police abuse and immigration issues continue to worsen for raza. Despite these problems, and the lack of success in achieving the objectives of the original California La Raza Unida

Party that were embodied in its platform with the intention improving the lives of Chicanos, there has been some quantitative progress made. Many of the original Partido objectives such as the right to self-determination are still valid today especially with the change in demographics and the growth of a large and young Latino population. Looking over the present national political landscape, there is still a need for a viable third political force to counter the two dominant political parties. These are parties that are increasingly controlled by monopoly-sized banks and corporations whose economic interests and promotion of militarism are detrimental to the majority of Raza and other working people. This third force and political counter-weight need to be comprised of alliances between all civil rights and progressive organizations who organize behind a platform for fundamental change and peace. Separate fingers become much stronger and possess more force and direction when formed into a united fist. Tactically, there are certain election issues that can particularly benefit or harm our communities and we should become involved in these campaigns. The extreme right-wing agenda across the country has as its objective not only the take-over of the federal government, but also the domination of every state government in order to impose their backward views and reactionary policies upon national minorities and the rest of the working majority. We have learned much from our past experience, we now need to apply these theoretical lessons to our present conditions and push back these regressive forces who want to turn back the clock and erode our gains and progress. We must stand firm. No pasaron!


http://www.latinopov.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Ricardo_Falcon-1.jpg

An in-depth work on the politics of the California LRUP titled: “Chicano Politics: La Raza Unida” and other works were written by Richard Santillan: Chicano Studies professor and former member of the Partido’s East L.A. chapter

Colorado organizer and activist Ricardo Falcon: presente!

 

In memory of ex-Mechistas and Labor Committee organizers from the Partido: Danny Estrada, Rolando Menjivar, David Rivera and “El Poeta” Moreti.  

Jimmy Franco Sr. : moderator and writer of the blog site: "A Latino Point of View in Today's World" latinopov.com 
Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com   jimmyfone@gmail.com


HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

OBITUARIO

Friedrich Katz , 1927-2010

Por Javier Garciadiego Dantan

El Colegio de México  

 

El historiador Friedrich Katz falleció el pasado 16 de octubre del 2010. Al momento de su muerte era reconocido como uno de los principales mexicanistas del mundo, en tanto que autor de dos auténticos “clásicos” de la historiografía de la revolución mexicana: The Secret War in Mexico, de 1981, publicada en español en 1982 como La guerra secreta en México, por Ediciones Era, y The Life and Times of Pancho Villa, de 1998, traducida también por Ediciones Era ese mismo año, con el breve pero atinado título de Pancho Villa. Una prueba del reconocimiento de que gozaba en el ámbito académico es que Katz había sido nombrado president honorario de la XIII Reunión de Historiadores de México, Estados Unidos y Canadá, a celebrarse en la ciudad de Querétaro los días del 26 a 30 de octubre de 2010. Recibió la distinción con honor y humildad, pero lo grave de su salud le impidió asistir a dicha reunión; de hecho, falleció tan sólo 10 días antes.

La vida de Friedrich Katz fue tan cosmopolita como su visión diplomática de la revolución mexicana, y su infancia y primera adolescencia fueron tan turbulentas como la vida de Villa, su admirado biografiado. En efecto, nació en 1927 en Viena, Austria, de padres de ascendencia judía y de abierta militancia comunista. De hecho, Leo Katz, su padre, se distinguió como crítico de Hitler y el nazismo, al grado de que la familia tuvo que refugiarse en Francia en 1933 cuando Hitler ascendió al poder en Alemania. Desgraciadamente, debido a la instalación de un gobierno “colaboracionista” luego de la ocupación alemana en Francia al inicio de la segunda guerra mundial, los Katz fueron expulsados del país, por lo que atravesaron el Atlántico para radicarse en Nueva York. Dado que sólo contaban con una visa de turistas —hasta por un año—, previsiblemente improrrogable, la familia tuvo que buscar un nuevo destino, pues el regreso a Europa hubiera sido suicida. Fue así como llegaron a México a mediados de 1940, en las postrimerías de la presidencia de Lázaro Cárdenas, quien se distinguía por haber concedido asilo a los exiliados políticos centroeuropeos y españoles.

Friedrich Katz llegó a México, a los 13 años de edad, victim de persecuciones y rechazos que apenas comprendía, con una intensa aunque breve experiencia biográfica, la que lo había obligado a manejar dos idiomas además del suyo. Aquí hizo sus estudios secundarios y preparatorianos en el Liceo Franco-Mexicano, y aprendió otro idioma, su cuarto, el castellano. También aprendió, más en su casa que en la escuela, sus primeras nociones de historia mexicana, tema del que se enamoró “a primera vista”. Posteriormente, desde el año 1945 estudió en el Wagner College, de Staten Island, en Nueva York, y regresó a México hacia 1948 para realizar un curso de posgrado en la Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, donde tuvo como profesores a Alfonso Caso, Paul Kirchhoff y Pablo Martínez del Río, entre otros. Al mediar el siglo regresó a Austria, su añorado país que difícilmente recordaba, para estudiar su doctorado en la Universidad de Viena, graduándose en 1954.

La publicación de su tesis, dos años después, puede ser considerada el inicio de su larga y exitosa carrera académica. El trabajo se conoció en México en 1966 con el título Situación social y económica de los aztecas durante los siglos xv y xvi. Su interés por la historia prehispánica se hizo evidente cuando en 1970 publicó una monumental historia comparativa de aztecas, mayas e incas, titulada The Ancient American Civilizations, publicada un año antes en Alemania con el título de Vorkolumbische Kulturen.

En términos laborales, en 1956 dejó Viena para aceptar una plaza en el Departamento de Historia de la Universidad Humboldt, en Berlín Oriental. Allí permanecería doce años; sobre todo, allí diversificaría sus intereses, pues en la “disertación” que se requería para alcanzar el nivel de catedrático Katz empezó a investigar sobre historia moderna de México, en particular sobre las relaciones con Alemania durante el porfiriato y la Revolución, la que se publicó en 1964 con el título de Mexiko, Diaz und die Mexikanishe Revolution. Sin embargo, su destino era volver a los cambios de residencia, motivados en buena medida por razones políticas. En efecto, Katz fue invitado como profesor visitante en la unam para el año académico de 1968-1969, lo que le permitió ser testigo del movimiento estudiantil mexicano. De otra parte, era muy crítico de la represión contra las demandas democráticas en Checoslovaquia, por lo que en 1970 decidió renunciar a su plaza en la Universidad Humboldt de Berlín Oriental. Fue entonces cuando se radicó en Estados Unidos, primero un año en Austin, Texas, donde estuvo como profesor visitante, y luego en Chicago a partir de 1971, en cuya universidad pasaría el resto de su vida académica, obteniendo la chair Morton Hull y jubilándose hacia el final del siglo xx.

Radicarse en Estados Unidos no sólo implicó grandes cambios en su vida cotidiana. También en la esfera académica el traslado fue decisivo: Katz abandonó sus trabajos sobre el periodo prehispánico, concentrándose desde entonces en la época revolucionaria. Fue así como publicó su primera gran obra, La guerra secreta en México, en la que superó la historia diplomática que hasta entonces prevalecía en la historiografía mexicana. En efecto, la suya no era una historia dual, de país versus país, ni se limitaba a las acciones y posturas de las cancillerías. En La guerra secreta en México Katz adoptó una perspectiva múltiple, única posible para entender las complejidades de las políticas de Estados Unidos y Europa —básicamente Alemania e Inglaterra aunque también Francia— respecto a la revolución mexicana y a sus impactos en ésta, pero también analiza las posturas y acciones de los diversos gobiernos y facciones revolucionarios en materia internacional. Por si esto fuera poco, estudia también los intereses y las presiones de los respectivos empresarios e inversionistas, ya fueran las compañías petroleras, los banqueros internacionales o los tenedores de bonos de la deuda externa mexicana. Obviamente, los aspectos militares y municionísticos fueron debidamente tratados. En síntesis, Katz analizó la revolución mexicana en su debido contexto mundial, y muy particularmente la mutual incidencia de esa gran coyuntura histórica que fue la primera guerra mundial, logrando con todo esto que la revolución mexicana fuera vista como parte esencial de la historia mundial de su época.

En realidad, La guerra secreta se ocupa también de las relaciones diplomáticas de México durante el porfiriato, periodo al que le dedicó gran atención, como lo prueba su colaboración en la multivoluminosa The Cambridge History of Latin America, publicada en 1986 en el tomo v y traducida pronto al castellano en 1992 por la editorial Crítica, apareciendo el capítulo de Katz en el tomo ix. Asimismo, buena parte de sus ensayos dispersos fueron publicados en dos colecciones: Ensayos mexicanos (Alianza Editorial, 1994) y Nuevos ensayos mexicanos (Ediciones Era, 2006).

Su otra obra “clásica” la publicó en 1998, casi 20 años después de La Guerra secreta: la biografía de Pancho Villa, personaje al que investigaba desde que inició sus estudios sobre el México moderno. Acaso los mayores logros historiográficos de esta gran obra puedan sintetizarse en tres: con creces rebasa los límites de una biografía, pues además de reconstruir de manera puntual la vida de Villa, Katz logra hacer, paralela pero inexplicablemente ligada, la historia social del movimiento villista en su conjunto; además, “desbroza” todos los mitos y leyendas, ditirambos e insultos, falsedades y medias verdades que Villa había generado; por último, su biografía es más bien una historia completa de la revolución mexicana con Villa como personaje principal.

Obviamente, la obra de Katz no se redujo a estos dos grandes libros, aunque ello hubiera sido más que suficiente para merecer la posteridad historiográfica. El tercer tema de su interés fue el de los conflictos agrarios en la historia de México, sobre el que hizo dos valiosas aportaciones. La primera fue un artículo, pionero y seminal, publicado en 1974 en la revista Hispanic American Historical Review con el título de Labor Conditions on Haciendas in Porfirian Mexico: Some Trends and Tendencies. Enriquecido con valiosos apéndices documentales, fue publicado como libro por Ediciones Era en 1980 con el título de La servidumbre agrarian en México en la época porfiriana, aunque antes, en 1976, había circulado en la benemérita colección sep-Setentas.

A diferencia de La guerra secreta en México y de su biografía de Villa, este trabajo es de dimensión reducida. Sin embargo, su valor historiográfico es enorme: en él Katz hace una geografía histórica de la estructura de la propiedad agraria del país y de las diferentes relaciones laborales que cada región y tipo de propiedad generaban. Dividido en tres grandes zonas –norte, centro y sur–, sus conclusions nos permiten entender las diferentes movilizaciones sociales que hubo en estas tres zonas del país durante el decenio revolucionario. La segunda aportación de Katz en este campo fue el libro Riot, Rebellion and Revolution: rural social conflict in Mexico, de 1988, traducida en 1990 por Ediciones Era como Revuelta, rebelión y revolución: la lucha rural en México del siglo xvi al siglo xx. Compilador de este libro y autor de la introducción y de dos capítulos panorámicos, Katz demuestra que uno de los problemas más longevos y decisivos en la historia del país ha sido el de la estructura de la propiedad rural, generadora de constante violencia social.

Acaso tres sean las principales características de la obra en conjunto de Katz. La primera, la dimensión internacional: recuérdese que hizo de la revolución mexicana un tema con grandes implicaciones mundiales, y que analizó a Villa desde una perspectiva cuádruple: local, regional, nacional e internacional. La segunda es su afán comparatista, ya sea contrastando a la revolución mexicana con otros movimientos revolucionarios mundiales, o con otros movimientos sociales de la historia de México, como la guerra de Independencia; ya sea comparando a Villa con otros líderes revolucionarios mexicanos, como Emiliano Zapata, o con otros rebeldes de la historia mundial, como el cosaco ruso del siglo xviii, Yemelián Ivanovich Pugachov. La tercera es su compromiso ideológico y vital con México, lo que explica que para Katz la historia de nuestro país fuera mucho más que un simple interés académico: era un compromise con el país que había dado cobijo a su familia cuando él era un adolescente: desde entonces nació su amor por México, por su gente y por su historia.

Al momento en que su salud decayó fatalmente Katz se encontraba trabajando en varios temas: el grupo porfirista de los “científicos”, la familia Madero y el cuartelazo de febrero de 1913. Además soñaba con otro tema de gran envergadura, que combinaba memoria con historia: una especie de segunda guerra Secreta. Esto es, las complejidades internacionales del México que conoció su familia en el decenio de los años cuarenta: el México que asiló a Trotsky, a numerosos judíos centroeuropeos anti nazis y a los españoles vencidos en la guerra civil. Desgraciadamente no dispuso del tiempo suficiente para trabajar estos temas con la amplitude documental y el rigor analítico que él acostumbraba.

Friedrich Katz obtuvo muchos reconocimientos y distinciones: en México se le otorgó en 1988 la Orden del Águila Azteca, máxima condecoración que entrega el gobierno mexicano a los extranjeros que hayan hecho grandes contribuciones en beneficio del país. Asimismo, el Centro de Estudios Mexicanos de la Universidad de Chicago lleva su nombre desde el año 2004. Obviamente obtuvo varios doctorados honoris causa, como los de las universidades de Berlín y Viena. Sin embargo, el propio Katz apreciaba más otro tipo de reconocimientos: su amistad con muchos mexicanos, el respeto y admiración de sus colegas, el cariño de sus discípulos y el aprecio de sus numerosísimos lectores. Su amor por México fue indeclinable, como lo prueba el que haya obsequiado su propia biblioteca al país, por medio de El Colegio de México.

 

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.  beto@unt.edu
http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/src/inicio/ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=60022589022.  

 


NATIONAL ISSUES

Comparison of gasoline prices, 2008 and 2012
Bakken Company Boom: North Dakota Breaks Its Oil Production Record, 
Capacity of the United States to Produce Oil
They left out the ocean as a source of energy
Federal Energy Failure
The Impact of Federal Regulations on U.S. Manufacturing
Proposed Budget Cuts
Anaheim doctor arrested in U.S. fraud sweep
Have a crackpot idea? Get government funding
Baptist Colleges Sue Federal Government Over HHS-Abortion Mandate
Medicare Fraud Strike Force has brought charges against 91 people in 7 cities


FALL 2008

 


FALL 2012

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_17475708
    
San Gabriel Valley, CA

Bakken Company Boom: North Dakota Breaks Its Oil Production Record, 
Dr. Mark J. Perry, January 10, 2012  

The "Economic Miracle State" of North Dakota pumped another record amount of oil during the month of November at a daily rate of 509,754 barrels, which was 43% above last year's output, and the first time that the state's daily production exceeded 500,000 barrels (see chart above, data here). Oil production in the Peace Garden State has more than doubled from 246,000 barrels per day two years ago, and North Dakota is now producing enough oil to completely displace the imports of crude oil from Colombia (364,000 bpd) or Iraq (422,000 bpd).

Other highlights of the November production report:

1. The number of wells producing oil in the state increased to 6,060, which sets a new record, and exceeds 6,000 wells for the first time ever.

2. The amount of oil produced per well also reached a record high of 84 barrels per day in November, which is 50% higher than the 55 barrels per day two years ago, and probably reflects both increasing productivity from fracking technology and drilling in more productive areas.

3. The combination of a record number of wells producing oil at record-setting productivity levels has put North Dakota on a trajectory to surpass both California (539,000 barrels per day) and Alaska (555,000 bpd) this year to become the No. 2 oil-producing state in the U.S. At the current pace of record-setting monthly gains, North Dakota's oil production is currently on track to break the 600,000 barrels per day level by next March, break the 700,000 level by next August, and exceed 800,000 barrels per day by the end of this year. At that point, North Dakota oil could be enough to displace either Venezuela's or Nigeria's imports.

4. North Dakota's oil production has now surpassed OPEC-member Ecuador's daily production of 485,000 barrels.

As a result of the ongoing oil boom in the Bakken area, North Dakota continues to lead the nation with the lowest state unemployment rate at 3.4% for November, more than 5 full percentage points below the nation's average 8.7% rate for November. There are nine North Dakota counties with jobless rates at or below 2% for November, and Williams County, which is at the center of the Bakken oil boom, boasts the lowest county jobless rate in the country at 0.9%.

Bottom Line: The ongoing record-setting oil production in North Dakota continues to make it the most economically successful state in the country, with record levels of employment and income growth, increasing tax revenues, the lowest foreclosure rate in the country, a strong real estate market, and jaw-dropping jobless rates in many counties of the Bakken region below 2%.

Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management (http://www.umflint.edu/departments/som/) at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan (http://www.umflint.edu/). Perry holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University (http://www.gmu.edu/) in Washington, D.C. In addition, he holds an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management (http://www.csom.umn.edu/) at the University of Minnesota (http://www.umn.edu/). Visit Dr. Perry's Carpe Diem Blog (http://mjperry.blogspot.com/) for economics and finance.
http://seekingalpha.com/author/mark-j-perry

 

Capacity of the United States to Produce Oil

Check THIS out: http://bakkenshale.net/bakkenshalemap.html 

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion
barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable, at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

"When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea," says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

"This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years," reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the "Bakken." It stretches from northern Montana , through North Dakotaand into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the "Big Oil" companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves ... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2,041 years straight. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from 2006!

U. S. Oil Discovery - Largest Reserve in the World Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006  

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005, President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this mother-load of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia

- 18-times as much oil as Iraq

- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait

- 22-times as much oil as Iran

- 500-times as much oil as Yemen 

  
Check it out at the link below!  http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911 

How dependent is the United States on foreign oil?

In 2011, about 45% of the petroleum consumed by the United States was imported from foreign countries.1 This was the lowest level since 1995. Petroleum includes crude oil and petroleum products. Petroleum products include gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, chemical feedstocks, asphalt, biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), and other products. In 2011, about 60% of the crude oil processed in U.S. refineries was imported.  http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=32&t=6 


Sent by Jose M. Pena  JMPENA@aol.com who writes in a letter to the friend who sent the above report:

Thanks for the information on the oil reserves of the U.S. It is interesting. However, I hope that you saw the CNN TV article on "The Lessons of Power Sources." The bottom lines were that there are 6 different types of sources of power: oil, solar, wind, atomic reaction, Shale (clean gas, drawn through fracking), and efficient recycling of common goods. 

Countries like Denmark, Germany, France, and other countries are -- just like the U.S. -- trying to minimize and reduce the use of oil and coal. Denmark uses Wind Power. Germany makes use of Solar Power. France gets 75% from (nuclear) reactors. 

In sum, we should not be too critical on the fact that we have so much oil. Maybe the alternative types of Powers are more efficient and economical. Let's keep an open mind."


Editor:  They left out the ocean as a source of energy.  I particularly like it.  The ocean is one energy source that the environmentalist would find difficult to oppose.  There is no pollution. The source of power is based  on the natural movement of the ocean.  The ocean and life forms are not disturbed.  It is available to every country with a coastline, and it totally renewable.  

"Generating technologies for deriving electrical power from the ocean include tidal power, wave power, ocean thermal energy conversion, ocean currents, ocean winds and salinity gradients. Of these, the three most well-developed technologies are tidal power, wave power and ocean thermal energy conversion. Tidal power requires large tidal differences which, in the U.S., occur only in Maine and Alaska. Ocean thermal energy conversion is limited to tropical regions, such as Hawaii, and to a portion of the Atlantic coast. Wave energy has a more general application, with potential along the California coast. The western coastline has the highest wave potential in the U.S.; in California, the greatest potential is along the northern coast.  http://www.energy.ca.gov/oceanenergy/index.html 


Extracts from Lies, Damned Lies, And Energy Statistics
Posted October by Andrew Malcom

Fact: Energy companies (not the federal government) have built some 55,000 miles of pipeline, including one from Canada, mostly requiring only state and local permits, and they have operated with an admirable safety record.


Keystone XL would be just as safe, creating 20,000 jobs up front. But federal blockage has been about catering to his environmentalist base, not reducing gas prices or creating jobs.

As the Institute for Energy Research points out, Energy Information Administration (EIA) figures released last week reveal that the U.S. buys an average of 869,000 barrels a day of oil from the Venezuela of  President Hugo Chavez.

The Keystone XL Pipeline, if approved, would bring almost that same amount of oil every day from our closest trade partner, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries — the exact destination of Venezuelan crude.

Domestic oil and gas production is up only because of technology the EPA has fought to extract oil and natural gas from shale formations like the Bakken in North Dakota and the Marcellus centered in Pennsylvania.

North Dakota pumped another record amount of crude oil during the month of August, topping 700,000 barrels per day for the first time ever.

As the American Enterprise Institute's blog points out, the state's oil boom has resulted in the nation's lowest state unemployment rate at 3% in August. There were nine North Dakota counties with jobless rates below 2% in July, and Williams County, which is at the center of the Bakken oil boom, continues to boast the lowest county jobless rate in the country at just 0.8%.

According to the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, in 2008 under President Bush a total of 55,085 oil and gas leases were in effect on federal land. In 2011 under present administration, there were just 49,174, a decrease of 11%.

Federal acreage under lease shrank from 47.2 million in 2008 to just 38.5 million, a drop of 19%. And 6,617 oil and gas permits were approved in 2008 vs. 4,244 permits in 2011, a decrease of 36%.

The Heritage Foundation's Nicolas Loras points out that a recent report from the EIA documents the fact that energy production fell 13% on federal lands in fiscal 2011 compared with fiscal 2010.

A snail-like permitting process has reduced planned capital and operating investments by $18.3 billion and cost the Gulf more than 162,000 jobs in just the past two years.

Loris notes that in Utah and Wyoming, for instance, projects held up by the National Environmental Policy Act process are preventing the creation of 64,805 jobs, $4.3 billion in wages and $14.9 billion in economic impact every year.

Read More At IBD: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/101712-629775-public-lands-oil-gas-leases-production
-down.htm#ixzz29c6tNDQ3
 

Sent by Odell Harwell 
hirider@clear.net


"The Impact of Federal Regulations on U.S. Manufacturing"

The current administration invested public funds in the following companies, all went bankrupt:
Solyndra. . . Ener1. . .  Beacon Power. . . Abound Solar. . . Amonix Solar. . . Spectra Watt. . . . Eastern Energy

Thomas Hemphill, a professor at the University of Michigan-Flint's School of Management, says writing on "The Impact of Federal Regulations on U.S. Manufacturing in the American Action Forum, Hemphill presented a discouraging rundown of the impact of major regulations based on a study done by the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation:

By the end of this year, the bureaucratic machine will have produced 3,868 new regulations spread out over 78,783 pages of the federal register.

In 2012, "the cumulative burden of federal regulations ranges from $240 billion to $630 billion." "Cumulative burden" translates into
loss of purchasing power for the average U.S. household ranging from $1,800 to $5,000.


PROPOSED ANNUAL BUDGET CUTS: 
Notice Social Security and the U.S. Military are NOT on this list.

* Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy -- $445 million annual savings.
* Save America 's Treasures Program -- $25 million annual savings.
* International Fund for Ireland -- $17 million annual savings.
* Legal Services Corporation -- $420 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Arts -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Humanities -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* Hope VI Program -- $250 million annual savings.
* Amtrak Subsidies -- $1.565 billion annual savings.
* Eliminate duplicating education programs -- H.R. 2274,  eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
* U.S. Trade Development Agency -- $55 million annual savings.
* Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy -- $20 million annual savings.
* Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding -- $47 million annual savings.
* John C. Stennis Center Subsidy -- $430,000 annual savings.
* Community Development Fund -- $4.5 billion annual savings.
* Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid -- $24 million annual savings.
* Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half -- $7.5 billion annual savings
* Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20% -- $600 million annual savings.
* Essential Air Service -- $150 million annual savings.
* Technology Innovation Program -- $70 million annual savings.
* Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program -- $125 million annual savings..
* Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization -- $530 million annual savings.
* Beach Replenishment -- $95 million annual savings.
* New Starts Transit -- $2 billion annual savings.
* Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Trading Partners in Massachusetts -- $9 million annual savings
* Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants -- $2.5 billion annual savings.
* Title X Family Planning -- $318 million annual savings.
* Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76 million annual savings.
* Economic Development Administration -- $293 million annual savings.
* Programs under the National and Community Services Act -- $1.15 billion annual savings.
* Applied Research at Department of Energy -- $1.27 billion annual savings.
* Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership -- $200 million annual savings..
* Energy Star Program -- $52 million annual savings.
*Economic Assistance to Egypt -- $250 million annually.
* U.S.Agency for International Development -- $1.39 billion annual savings.
* General Assistance to District of Columbia -- $210 million annual savings.
* Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority -- $150 million annual savings.
*Presidential Campaign Fund -- $775 million savings over ten years.
* No funding for federal office space acquisition -- $864 million annual savings.
* End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
* Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act -- More than $1 billion annually.
* IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers)
   to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget -- $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
* Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees -- $1 billion total savings.
* Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees -- $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
* Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of -- $15 billion total savings.
*Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress. WHAT???
* Eliminate Mohair Subsidies -- $1 million annual savings.
*Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- $12.5 million annual savings 
* Eliminate Market Access Program -- $200 million annual savings.
* USDA Sugar Program -- $14 million annual savings.
* Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -- $93 million annual savings.
* Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program -- $56.2 million annual savings.
*Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs-- $900 million savings.
* Ready to Learn TV Program -- $27 million savings..
* HUD Ph.D. Program.
* Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.

*TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

Paul Ryan's suggestions . . .  Forwarded by Jose M. Pena JMPENA@aol.com
More ideas for cuts:  U S Foreign Aid to those that have voted against the United States in the United Nations.

Egypt,  after voting 79% of the time against the United States, receives $2,000,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Jordan votes 71% against the United States And receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Pakistan votes 75% against the United States Receives $6,721,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

India votes 81% against the United States Receives $143,699,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.

Sent by Sal Del Valle 

The New York Times reported on Friday (September 28) that an additional $450 million was promised by the government to "help Egypt bolster its transition to democracy." Since 1947 foreign aid to Egypt has totaled $57 billion, and has historically been viewed as a lynchpin to peace in the Middle East. However, with the election of president Mohamed Morsi, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential islamic organizations in the world, and a group that embraces Sharia law, Granger added that the relationship between the U.S. and Egypt "has never been under more scrutiny."

 

Federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force has brought charges against 91 people in seven cities 

An Anaheim, CA doctor accused of committing health care fraud in exchange for kickbacks was arrested Thursday as part of a national sweep, federal officials said.

Dr. Sri J. Wijegunaratne is among 18 Southern California residents facing prosecution in connection with six cases of Medicare fraud, totaling $65 million. The amount of the fraud is believed the largest for Los Angeles since the creation of a multi-agency fraud taskforce in 2007, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Nationally, 91 people were arrested in seven cities over nearly $430 million in fraudulent medicare claims, officials said.

Wijegunaratne, 57, is accused of conspiring with the owners of a San Bernardino medical supply company to defraud Medicare of $1.5 million. According to the indictment, he allegedly wrote prescriptions for unneeded power wheelchairs in exchange for cash from Fendih Medical Supply. The owners, Godwin and Victoria Onyeabor, of Ontario were also charged.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Williams said at least some patients received wheelchairs, although they did not need them.

According to the indictment, the company billed Medicare for $1.5 million and was paid $979,000. The alleged fraud took place from 2007 to early 2012. To learn more or report Medicare fraud, visit stopmedicarefraud.gov or call a tip line at 800-447-8477.

Contact the writer: COURTNEY PERKES, OC Register october 12  714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

 

A federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force has brought charges against 91 people in seven cities — including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals — in suspected Medicare fraud schemes that bilked the government of more than $429 million in false billings.

The indictments, they said, charge more than $230 million in home health care fraud; more than $100 million in mental health care fraud; more than $49 million in ambulance transportation fraud; and $50 million in other frauds.

"Today's enforcement actions reveal an alarming and unacceptable trend of individuals attempting to exploit federal health care programs to steal billions in taxpayer dollars for personal gain," said Mr. Holder. "Such activities not only siphon precious taxpayer resources, drive up health care costs and jeopardize the strength of the Medicare program — they also disproportionately victimize the most vulnerable members of society, including elderly, disabled and impoverished Americans."

Ms. Sebelius said the arrests had "put criminals on notice that we are cracking down hard on people who want to steal from Medicare."  The charges targeted 33 in Miami; 16 in Los Angeles; 14 in Dallas; seven in Houston; 15 in Brooklyn; four in Baton Rouge, La.; and two in Chicago.

The joint Justice Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) Medicare strike force is a multiagency team of federal, state and local investigators and prosecutors aimed at combating Medicare fraud through the use of data analysis techniques. More than 500 law enforcement agents from the FBI, HHS, multiple Medicaid fraud control units, and other state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the latest arrests.

Those named in the indictments are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, violations of anti-kickback statutes and money laundering. They are accused of participating in schemes to submit claims to Medicare for treatments that were medically unnecessary and often never provided.

Since its inception in March 2007, strike force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,480 defendants who are accused of collectively billing Medicare falsely for more than $4.8 billion.

© Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Read more: 91 charged in Medicare fraud scheme - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/4/91-charged-in-medicare-fraud-scheme/print/#ixzz296oymoeM
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

 

Have a crackpot idea? Get government funding!

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Worth Every Penny: (1) In April, police chief John Crane of Gadsden, Ala., learned that his department has owned, for two years, two unmanned aerial drones. He said he has no idea why they were purchased (at about $150,000), but that local taxpayers need not worry since they came with a federal law enforcement grant.

(2) NBC Bay Area reports periodically on uses of 2009 federal stimulus money distributed in the San Francisco area, and in May revealed that the University of California, San Francisco, had received $1.2 million to interview 200 men on what effect being overweight has on their sex lives. A government budget activist decried funding a "sex study over fixing bridges and roads that are crumbling every day." [Associated Press via Huffington Post, 5-1-2012] [KNTV (San Francisco), 5-16-2012]

The Indispensability of Arts and Crafts: (1) There are not enough video games, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, which in April awarded a $40,000 grant to the University of Southern California to help produce another, based on Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." (2) Australia's Council for the Arts announced in May that it would give A$20,000 (U.S. equivalent, $20,380) to the "death-metal" band Ouroboros, citing the band's distinct genre and its need for a symphony orchestra for its next album. Said the drummer, "We wouldn't consider hiring an orchestra to do this without (the grant)." [Time, 4-30-2012] [The Australian, 5-21-2012]

 
Baptist Colleges Sue Federal Government Over HHS-Abortion Mandate
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com

HHS mandate is not limited to Catholic groups, two Baptist-affiliated colleges filed their own lawsuit today (October 9) against the HHS mandate that promotes abortion. 

Today, East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) and Houston Baptist University (HBU) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, asking the court for relief from the Department of Health and Human Services’ “preventative services” mandate, which forces the Christian Universities to violate their deeply held religious beliefs or pay severe fines.

East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University’s religious convictions prevent them from providing their employees with access to abortion-causing drugs. The Universities’ lawsuit aims to preserve their religious liberty and the right to carry out their missions free from government coercion.

“Baptists have always advocated religious liberty, and religious liberty is what is at stake in this situation,” says Dr. Samuel Oliver, President, East Texas Baptist University. “As the famous Baptist preacher, George W. Truett once remarked, ‘A Baptist would rise at midnight to plead for absolute religious liberty for his Catholic neighbor, and for his Jewish neighbor, and for everybody else.’ We are rising today to ensure that religious liberty, the first freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, is protected and preserved.”



ACTION ITEM


Dreamer, A True American Story
Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Filing Period Now Open
Comments sought: Argentinian Constitution of 1853 based on the California Constitution of 1849

 
Claims Period: September 24, 2012 - March 25, 2013. 
Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Filing Period Now Open
USDA Farm Service Agency usdafsa@service.govdelivery.com 

The Department will continue reaching out to potential Hispanic and female claimants, around the country to get the word out to individuals who may be eligible for this program so they have the opportunity to participate.  Call center representatives can be reached at 1-888-508-4429. Claimants must register for a claims package (by calling the number or visiting the website) and the claims package will be mailed to claimants. All those interested in learning more or receiving information about the claims process and claims packages are encouraged to attend meetings in your communities about the claims process and contact the website or claims telephone number. 


DREAMER, A TRUE AMERICAN STORY

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/undocumented/dreamer-finishing-funds 

Feature narrative drama about an undocumented young man whose life falls apart after his employer discovers his immigration status.  Dreamer is a narrative feature film about Jose “Joe” Rodriguez, an American success story in the making: college grad, good job, good looks . . . but he is undocumented. Over the course of a long weekend, Joe’s world implodes, threatening his carefully constructed life, his livelihood, and his very identity.

Where we are now.

Last year, you contributed over $50,000 to launch "Dreamer" into production. We took this seed money along with additional funding from investors--stretched every dollar--and produced a great film.

Regardless of our limited budget, we assembled a top-notch cast of experienced and up-and-coming talent. Just take a glance at our imdb page, and you will see the caliber of talent that came together for this project. All aspects of the film, from the script, to the performances, to the cinematography were rendered with painstaking care. We wanted to make you proud.

For the first time, we brought the struggle of a "DREAMer" to the screen.

And we did so in an engaging, honest, and entertaining way. Jeremy Ray Valdez, the star of our film, was well aware of the responsibility of the role and puts forth an incredibly nuanced performance. In addition, the talented supporting cast further elevates each scene.

But we need your help. Our funds have nearly run out with the finish line in sight.

All we need is the the remaining $20,000 to finish post-production -- the sound, color, and score – and then we'll be ready for our film festival run. We were extremely careful to stretch every dollar for this production and will continue to do so going forward with the money you pledge.

Our film will make a difference. You will make a difference.

Please follow our journey on our FACEBOOK page.

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

We have produced a great film. There is very low risk at this point. We are toward the end of post-production and have already started submitting the rough cut to film festivals. We only need the funds to put the finishing touches on the film and begin our festival run.

Jesse Salmeron
undocumented productions
www.undocumentedproductions.com

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

 


Comments sought: Argentinian Constitution of 1853 based on the California Constitution of 1849
Click to: #Argentinian constitution of 1853

BUSINESS

Mobile farmers markets seek to ameliorate hunger 
in urban food deserts

FOOD JUSTICE ON FOUR WHEELS  
by Devon G. Peña
 

Ending Food Deserts?  

It is far too easy to forget the history of the food truck trend and misconstrue the emerging history of the mobile farmers market. The so-called food truck actually started as one variant: The taco truck. The taco truck started because Mexican entrepreneurs – many of them immigrants with a depth of food and cuisine knowledge but a dearth of credit or capital – could not afford the high rents and overhead that come with operating conventional building-based restaurant businesses. They were also serving an unmet need and taking freshly prepared and culturally appropriate food to places where Mexican workers’ jobs were located, usually in areas that did not have affordable or appealing cuisine. It was a revolutionary adaptation, in the U.S. context, with very deep roots in the Mexican tradition of the street vendors.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ds4_TeGcb5w/UEObh2o1KJI/AAAAAAAAGDE/pDSx3WZuqfw/s1600/mobile-view1-1024x682.jpg

Real Food Farm Mobile Farmers Market, Baltimore

(SEATTLE, WA) The food justice movement has long recognized the centrality of the food desert as a threat to the health and well being of inner city communities. Eradicating food deserts has preoccupied movement activists for more than a decade. Even recent USDA initiatives focus on the challenge of inner city neighborhoods that lack grocery stores, farmers’ markets, or other outlets that can provide access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.

We have previously reported on the advent of the “Grocer in a Box” initiative, but not all residents in larger urban neighborhoods will be served by such worthy endeavors. Many elderly and low-income persons, who lack personal transportation and may not have access to public transit, are not mobile enough to go shopping anywhere, even a local Grocer in a Box. So, what do we do when the people who most need access to fresh produce are not able to travel to the farmers’ market or grocery store? One effective approach is emerging out of grassroots initiatives in communities from Baltimore to Oakland: You bring the market to their doorstep or street corner.  

Farmer’s market on wheels: Neoliberal conspiracy or local institution for collective action?

There are a number of models out there for the use of mobile farmers markets but most of these revolve around the simple idea of using trucks – actually panel vans seem to be the preferred vehicles – to bring fresh, local, organic produce to inner city populations lacking mobility. In some cases, the model is designed to help people who may not have time to do their own shopping. For example, in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University provides a mobile farmers market as a service for employees and staff who do not have time to shop for fresh produce. The idea is to liberate people from the extra time they have to dedicate to shopping when they already lead busy lives with their jobs and families.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5J0mC6tXidY/UEOgUrq4kiI/AAAAAAAAGD8/QweVLjRlhsU/s1600/202.jpg

This mobile farmers market serves residents in Worcester, Mass. and includes bilingual staff


It is easy to criticize these initiatives as just another example of neoliberal privatization of the social safety net, since the USDA should be providing the support needed to keep people from going hungry or suffering malnutrition. However, these programs are not so much about private initiatives seeking to replace the commitment of a democracy to meeting social needs through the vitality of the public sector, as much as they represent local grassroots forms of collective action by farmers, activists, neighborhood organizers, and their public and private sector partners.

The goals of local autonomy for food justice and the defense and rebuilding of a strong progressive public sector are not mutually exclusive goals. I do not believe anyone committed to these creative local programs to end food deserts are ready to abandon sound investments in the social sector and most progressives embrace both local action and national and even international programs to end hunger and malnutrition.

My research suggests that the mobile farmers market concept has become a nearly universal component of urban regional food policy. Every major city in the U.S. now has mobile farmers markets, but not all of these are designed to address needs in the food desert neighborhoods and indeed some are just an amenity, like gourmet food trucks, enjoyed by middle class and more wealthy patrons.

Some of the mobile farmers markets appear to simply be reiterations of the commercialized dot-com grocery delivery services pioneered by corporations like the now defunct Webvan, which went bankrupt in 2001. However, most of these efforts are not basing their strategies on an Internet-based model and are instead an on-the-ground force with ties to local farmers and local food enthusiasts. Since the effort is thoroughly decentralized and no one really keeps track of these initiatives, there is currently no hard data to evaluate how effective this type of strategy is going to be as a longer-term solution to the injustice of food deserts. We do know that too many of these efforts are just another trendy way to serve privileged locavores.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4ohm7WIWg0/UEOtOfdXPbI/AAAAAAAAGE0/VCYb6_433iA/s1600/food-desert-shopping-cart.jpg

Food deserts: Empty shopping carts amid abandoned grocery stores.

The dangers of cooptation always loom when we are dealing with the innovative organizational forms of a bonafide social movement like food justice. Indeed, there are already signs that corporate interests are trying to cash in on the trend by making it a high-end commercial product. One reporter compares the mobile farmers market to the food truck phenomenon, describing both in language that reduces these movement innovations to so fads and trendy possibilities:

2010 was the Year of the Food Truck, with cities from Seattle and San Francisco to D.C. taking it to the streets, literally. While street food and taco trucks have long been a part of U.S. culture in places like New York, Los Angeles, and Oakland, health regulations have historically made it considerably more difficult in other parts of the country. Eatocracy reports that Atlanta--despite its tight mobile cooking laws--now has a "hybrid" approach that enables food trucks to exist, albeit in a different form. Could 2011 become the Year of the Mobile Farmers Market?...For the uninitiated, street food technically refers to food that is prepared (cooked, if applicable) and sold from a street cart, stall, or permanent stand. Food trucks are essentially mobile street food, and can change location from day-to-day, or remain parked in a stationary spot. These are not your "lunch" trucks of old, selling flabby sandwiches and processed, grab-and-go items. Today's food truck offers food prepared from seasonal produce and other ingredients likely sourced from local family farms.


For people living in food deserts, they need this idea to be something much more durable and reliable than the certain-to-fade result of some trendy “Year of the Mobile Farmers Market.” Indeed, as the mainstream appropriates this model, it is possible that resources will go to service the privileged foodistas when these limited assets should be going to those most in need – the elderly and low-income single parents with multiple jobs and little time or mobility to shop.

It is far too easy to forget the history of the food truck trend and misconstrue the emerging history of the mobile farmers market. The so-called food truck actually started as one variant: The taco truck. The taco truck started because Mexican entrepreneurs – many of them immigrants with a depth of food and cuisine knowledge but a dearth of credit or capital – could not afford the high rents and overhead that come with operating conventional building-based restaurant businesses. They were also serving an unmet need and taking freshly prepared and culturally appropriate food to places where Mexican workers’ jobs were located, usually in areas that did not have affordable or appealing cuisine. It was a revolutionary adaptation, in the U.S. context, with very deep roots in the Mexican tradition of the street vendors.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H1EV-mqNzyY/UEOtr0WuhhI/AAAAAAAAGE8/eFG9nuHJmX0/s1600/food-desert-1-small.jpg

Food desert in Detroit. Photo by Neil E. Das


Now, the food truck has become all the rage and every conceivable cuisine that you could once buy in a restaurant you can now purchase from these mobile food services. Ironically, the early success stories and humble origins have now become a super-sized trend characterized as an overly competitive and cutthroat business sector. What was once the laid-back province of the street vendor taco truck is now becoming just another out-of-control food fashion. It is now becoming as difficult to succeed at the food truck business, as it once was to survive the restaurant wars.

The origin of the mobile farmers market derived from local grassroots food justice movement activism, which focused on efforts to address the serious problems posed by the existence of urban food deserts. Now, everyone wants access to this innovation, not so much out of a social need as from antojo – a Spanish term that can refer to an appetizer round or, more derisively, a spoiled want; a petulant or capricious desire. This is the nature of our capitalist system: As soon as an effective and subversive idea is created by a social movement to address some inequity or injustice, the market moves in to co-opt and often destroy that innovation by encouraging an over-the-top super-sized approach akin to saturation marketing. This is Social Darwinism applied to street vending. It will shake out the industry and there will be a few survivors and hopefully we will not end up with near monopolies.

Regardless of what happens to the privatization and marketeering of a good idea, I suspect that the old taco trucks will continue to thrive because they were never a trend; they are based on knowing and respecting a cultural and class-based need. You can forget about Asian fusion tapas for working-class laborers; they’ll go for the tacos al carbon every time. The same will be true of the mobile farmers markets, as long as they keep their eye on the prize: The struggle against urban and rural food deserts.

Medical Issues 

Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis by Starner Jones, M.D.
Heart Rescue Now
Dear Mr. President: 

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ring tone. While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. 

And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based on the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me." 

Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear. 

Respectfully, 
STARNER JONES, MD 


Sent by Oscar Ramirez  osramirez@sbcglobal.net 


HEART RESCUE NOW
We have all walked by the Red Cross sign in airports indicating where a heart machine is located. Do you know what is in them and how to use it? I did not. Try this video and see what you think.

If you pick the wrong choice----the man dies----choose wisely You may save a life. I Just watched this video and was impressed, so I'm sending it to those on my mailing list with the hope that it'll save lives (maybe mine, yours or someone you l).

http://www.heartrescuenow.com/       Sent by Robert Cortez, elvatobob@yahoo.com 


EDUCATION

From the Perspective of Time by Daisy Wanda Garcia
Parent Institute for Quality Education
National Hispanic Business Woman Association, Adopt-a-Scholar
Enrollment Drops Again in Graduate Programs by Catherine Rampell
Matt Garcia Named Director of School of Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies Nahuatl, the Aztec language that once graced Canutillo Elementary
was displaced by pragmatism By Meili Robles
Arizona is not Alone in Having Banned the Study of Cultural Diversity and Ethnicity
       in its Public Schools - New Mexico
 

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TIME

By Daisy Wanda Garcia


Dr. Garcia being escorted to a school board meeting. 

In 1971, Judge Woodrow Seals issued an order to desegregate Corpus Christi ISD. This order resulted in the delay of the opening of school because of the need to reassign 14,000 students, teachers and materials. The busing of students was one tool used to achieve integrated schools. My father, Dr. Hector P. Garcia supported the busing effort as a way to improve educational opportunities for all children.

The reaction to busing by Corpus Christians, Blacks and Mexican American minority patents and the Anglo majority was mixed. Various coalitions formed to protect their interests. The Concerned Neighbors composed of the Anglo majority parents urged a boycott of the schools. On the Westside, Students for Positive Action, a youth group, called for peaceful compliance. The Association for Educational Understanding called for peaceful compliance with the court order. 

There were many reasons in the public mind why students should not be bused. Most minority groups welcomed the court-ordered desegregation but were concerned about how they would transport their children to schools across town. Some African Americans felt that the black citizens were forced initially to bear the burden of segregated schools. With busing, bear the burden of desegregation. Some parents feared traffic jams. Some parents resorted to having relatives living in a neighborhood not affected by the transfer plan to apply for guardianship of minors to circumvent busing. Most parents were upset because they would have to transport their children to other schools outside of their neighborhood. Clearly no one on either side liked busing. Public sentiment was based on fear of change. During this period our family received many threats on our lives by phone. Some included kidnapping my little sister.

Grace Charles of the University of Texas A&M Bell Library provided me with newspaper clippings and letters to the editor during this time period to help me gage public reaction to busing. Below are some of the comments sent by parents to the Corpus Christi Caller Times “Letters to the Editor”:

LN: Now, you (Judge Seal) have come along with your vindictive edict…I would have to send my daughter to a school where knifing is a way of life. .. 

Mrs. JT: Regardless of the Supreme Court and Judge Seals, forced busing is just another step in stripping the citizens of the country of their civil liberties and urged the public to withhold their children from school.

DR: I am leaving this fair city and all its busing nonsense in a couple of weeks. 

AE: First by integrating schools through busing the law of discrimination is being violated…Next, busing will be against the “Fairness Doctrine,” If one student is transferred, all the others in that schools should be transferred also...

MC: People have chosen the districts they live in. In choosing they have considered their children will attend. ..We are being forced to accept what the minority wants rather than the majority.

PJ: The millions that will have to be spent on buses and other related expenses could go a long way in upgrading the school buildings, upgrading the teaching aids, upgrading the caliber of teachers, building new schools…

DD: It’s not the busing that is so objectionable: it is the freedoms that continue to be taken away. Many people are going to leave our city to settle where people in our land still have a choice.

MP: How can we claim to have a majority rule behind the whole idea of a democratic government over a great portion of our great country school children are being forced to go to schools not of their own neighborhoods to please again the minority of the town?

KB: Children must be bused to schools outside their neighborhood, or the neighborhoods themselves must be integrated.

. .  All we want is an equal chance at getting an education for our children. However, the majority of us prefer busing to no action at all…

The Parents who wrote against busing were upset because their children would be attending the substandard schools which had been previously assigned to minority children. Their rationale was if minority parents wanted better schools, then they should move out of the Westside neighborhood; however, no consideration was given whether this option was financially feasible. The advantages to all children in an improved educational system were never a consideration. Judge Seals in his desegregation judgment wrote, “It’s not really busing which Americans find objectionable, but what is at the end of the bus line.”

Forty years later, we can examine the Corpus Christi ISD school system and conclude busing did have the desired outcome of ending the dual school system. On 1997, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack dismissed Cisneros ET. Al. vs. CCISD, saying, the desegregation case had forever-improved Corpus Christi education.

 


Parent Institute for Quality Education

PIQE's Mission: We are committed to connect families, schools and community as partners to advance the education of every child through parent engagement!

PIQE creates partnerships between parents, students and educators to further students’ academic success. As a result of our work in parent engagement, more than 1.5 million under-served student's educations have been enhanced since our inception in 1987. Public schools value us, parents need us, and students use us as a springboard to their own personal and career success. http://www.piqe.org/ 

PIQE was one of two organizations profiled at the September 15th dinner at Eva Longoria's BESO Restaurant in Hollywood.  The Foundation invited the daughter of Parent graduate from the PIQE El Monte office by the name of Erica Chacon to share with the audience the impact that PIQE had on her mother and her education. Erica was able to graduate from high school after a very poor start and went on to a Community College. She then transferred on to Cal Poly Pomona and got her Bachelor Degree and is
currently working in a Marketing job. She plans to return to the University to get her Masters and Doctorate Degrees. She got a round of applause from all in attendance. 

Eva Longoria announced that her foundation will sponsor PIQE in two K-12 Schools in Los Angeles. 

PIQE_Signature
David Valladolid
National President & CEO
22 West 35th Street, Suite 201

 

National City, CA 91950
San Diego County
Phone: 619.420.4499
Fax: 619.420.4501
Mobile: 619.884.2218
www.piqe.org


National Hispanic Business Woman Association

 

National Hispanic Business Woman Association

ADOPT-A-SCHOLAR

 

 

2012 Scholarship Recipients

CAROLANNE BARBOSA

Mrs. Barbosa is a Costa Mesa resident who is transferring in Fall 2012 to California State University, Fullerton to
pursue a degree in International Business with a minor in Marketing. She will be graduating in May 2012 from Santa
Ana College with an Associate of Arts degree. As a full-time student, she has also worked full-time, and volunteered as an intern at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Mrs. Barbosa’s ultimate goal is to obtain a Master’s degree in Business.

ERENDIRA CALDERON


Miss Calderon is an East Palo Alto resident and will be attending the University of California, Berkeley in the Fall 2012 where she will major in Nutritional Science. She is supporting herself through college since her mother is the solesupporter for their household due to illness of her father. Her ultimate goal is to become a Physician’s Assistant and be an advocate for patients in the health care system.



ELENA CHAVEZ

Miss Chavez is a resident of Santa Ana, a Santa Ana College graduate, and is currently in the Master’s program at
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Microbiology and her ultimate goal is to obtain a PhD in Immunology with an emphasis in Virology. Miss Chavez comes from a family of six and manages to balance work, care for her nephew, and do her undergraduate research in the lab. As a result of her condition having Spina Bifida since birth, she became intrigued with Biology.



ANA CORIA


Miss Coria is a resident of Fullerton, and is currently attending the University of California, Riverside. Her major is in Political Science and she is also pursuing a minor in both Sociology and Women’s Studies. She comes from a household of five and is the first to graduate from high school and attend college. Her ultimate goal is to attend graduate school and obtain her teaching credentials. She hopes to be a positive role model to her younger siblings and extended family members by becoming living proof that education provides opportunities to those who are committed to work hard for their dreams.

 

STEPHANIE CUELLAR
M
Miss Cuellar, a resident of Placentia, obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a
concentration in Finance, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree also from California State University, Fullerton.
Her goal is to work as a university administrator to partner with the educational mission of the university to develop
programs and provide academic support to those who face obstacles when pursuing a higher education.




NANETTE DUARTE

Miss Duarte is a Barstow resident and a graduate of Barstow Community College and California State University, San Bernardino with degrees in Mathematics. Miss Duarte who easily holds a GPA of 4.0 is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Math Education at the California State University, San Bernardino. Her ultimate goal is to become a community college math instructor and be a positive and successful mentor just as she was mentored by some of her Hispanic instructors. Miss Duarte has been helping her family with finances after her mother passed away, and her father has been raising her and her younger sibling.


PERLA RUTH REYES-GODINA

Miss Reyes-Godina is an Irvine resident who is obtaining her Associate degree in Social and Behavioral Science from Irvine Valley College in May 2012. She will be transferring to California State University, Fullerton in Fall 2012 to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Her ultimate goal is to become a probation officer where she can mentor at-risk teens that are going through traumatic situations and to encourage them to obtain a higher education.  Miss Reyes-Godina became a single parent at a young age and despite being abandoned by both the father of her son, her parents, and living in foster care for most of her life, she has persevered and is determined to finish her education.

LILIAN SALDANA
M
Miss Saldana is a resident of Covina and is currently a student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her ultimate goal is to continue on to graduate school and
earn a doctorate degree. She hopes to obtain a PhD in cognitive neuropsychology to study patients suffering from
amnesia. Miss Saldana is known in her community as one of the most active students in volunteer work that they have worked with.


NALLELI SANDOVAL

Miss Sandoval is a resident of San Jose, and a graduate of San Jose State University with a Bachelor’s degree in
Behavioral Science. She will be attending the University of California, Berkeley in Fall 2012 in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Social Welfare. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a Doctorate degree in Community Psychology to help address issues in society and in her community, like poverty and access to higher education; areas that she personally feels a close connection to those struggles. Miss Sandoval is passionate in creating social change and to help oppressed communities attain self-sufficiency.



LUCERO SILVA
P
Physician Assistant program. Her career goal is to work in the medical assistance field as she works towards obtaining a Master’s degree to become a Physician’s Assistant. Although her mother is a single parent trying to raise a family of five, Miss Silva is also a single parent trying to raise her young daughter while she continues her education, and help her mother in her housekeeping business.


LISA STANLEY
M
Ms. Stanley is a resident of Sacramento, CA and is a current student at Folsom Lake College pursuing a Business degree.  She is a single mom raising her five children, working part-time, and attending school full-time. She is studying to be an accountant and to transfer to California State University, Sacramento in 2013. Her ultimate goal is obtain her Certified Public Accountant certification. Ms. Stanley is very involved with her college activities as well as in many community fundraising events. Despite her busy schedule, she manages to put her family first and maintain her GPA at 3.76.

JEANNETTE VASQUEZ

Miss Vasquez is a resident of Santa Ana and will be graduating from Orange Coast College in May 2012 with an
Associate’s degree in Biology. She will be transferring to University of California, Irvine in Fall 2012 to major in
Biological Sciences. Her ultimate goal is to attend medical school and become a physician. Ms. Vasquez comes from a household of six where her mother is the sole provider and as the eldest, she tries to help out financially with part-time work.


CLAUDIA VENTURA

Miss Ventura is a resident of Santa Ana and a graduate from Santa Ana College with an Associate of Arts degree in
Business. She is attending California State University, Fullerton in pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Her goal is to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration and become a Certified Public Accountant. Her hope is to help her community by providing tax preparation services to low income residents by providing affordable and accurate financial services, and free workshops to promote an understanding of how to manage household finances. She believes that by conducting workshops she can help families develop a plan on how to provide for their children’s educational expenses.

National Hispanic Business Women Association
2024 N. Broadway, Suite 100, Santa Ana, CA 92706 - (714) 836-4042
info@nationalbhwa.com 
www.nationalhbwa.com


    


Enrollment Drops Again in Graduate Programs
By Catherine Rampell 

Enrollment in college is still climbing, but students are increasingly saying no to graduate school in the United States.   New enrollment in graduate schools fell last year for the second consecutive year, according to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools. 

The declines followed surges in enrollment in 2008 and 2009 as many unemployed workers sought a haven during the recession. Financial considerations probably played a role in the shift. Students may be dissuaded from continuing their education in part because of the increasing debt burden from their undergraduate years. 

Additionally, state budget cuts are forcing public institutions to reduce aid for graduate students, who in some disciplines have traditionally been paid to attend postgraduate programs. 

The number of students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs (excluding law and certain other first professional degrees like M.D.’s) declined by 1.7 percent from the fall of 2010 to fall 2011. 

Among American citizens and permanent residents, matriculation fell by 2.3 percent. In contrast, temporary residents increased their enrollment by 7.8 percent. 

Temporary residents made up 16.9 percent of all students in American graduate schools, and that figure has been growing as foreign governments pay for more of their citizens to obtain education in the United States, particularly in technical areas. Temporary residents represented 45.5 percent of all students enrolled in engineering graduate programs in the United States, and 42.4 percent of those in American mathematics and computer science graduate programs. 

The changes in 2011 varied by discipline, with education having the biggest drop-off in new graduate enrollment at 8.8 percent. 

“The states are in financial stress,” said Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “The school systems especially are in financial stress. Teachers are no longer being provided time off to get graduate degrees, and schools are no longer funding principals to go back and get principal certificates.” 

The next sharpest decline was in programs for arts and humanities, where new graduate enrollment fell by 5.4 percent, perhaps reflecting that career prospects for such graduates are becoming more limited as colleges lay off even tenured faculty members in these areas. 

Health sciences, on the other hand, experienced a big increase in enrollment. The health care industry has been hiring consistently and robustly during the recession and the weak recovery. 

The number of new graduate students studying health care rose by 6.4 percent, which was slightly slower growth than the average in the last decade. The average annual change in new graduate enrollment in health sciences from 2001 to 2011 was 9.8 percent. 

Enrollment showed more tepid growth in business, which was up by 2.6 percent, and in mathematics and computer sciences, up by 1.6 percent. While overall enrollment for graduate school declined, the number of applications rose by 4.3 percent. It was the sixth consecutive increase in application volume. 

The Council of Graduate Schools did not have data on how many schools the typical applicant applies to, so it was unclear if there were more people applying in 2011 than in the previous year. But there was an increase in the number of people taking the Graduate Record Examinations (G.R.E.), a test that many graduate schools require as part of student applications. 

As the number of grad school applications has risen, the share of those applications leading to offers of admission has been falling. In 2007, the acceptance rate across all master’s and doctoral programs was 44.6 percent, whereas in 2011 it was 40.8 percent. 

Women continued to outnumber men in the nation’s postgraduate programs, 58 percent to 42 percent, in the 2011 report. 

The Council of Graduate Schools, a membership organization for institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada, based its findings on an annual survey of American graduate schools. The latest report reflected the responses from 655 institutions, which collectively award 81 percent of the master’s degrees and 92 percent of the doctorates each year. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/business/new-enrollment-drops-again-in-us-graduate-schools.html 
Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.   beto@unt.edu

 


Garcia Named Director of School of Historical,
 Philosophical and Religious Studies
 

Food justice scholar and author Matt Garcia, the new director of ASU's School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, wants to restore understanding of the important roles that the humanities play in today’s society. Photo by: Matt Garcia/ASU  

Arizona State University offers the intellectual community, teaching and cutting-edge research to create “the perfect fit,” says Matt Garcia, a food justice scholar who has just been appointed the director of the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

“If you studied the civil rights movement, wouldn’t you want to be at the heart of where it’s happening?” says Garcia. “It’s in Arizona where policies, such as SB 1070, the elimination of Latino Studies, and decision-making are being formulated, discussed and tested. It is the natural place for me to be.”

Recruited from Brown University, Matt Garcia joined the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2011, with a shared position in the School of Transborder Studies. Here he helped to build ASU’s Comparative Border Studies program, an initiative that examines the U.S.-Mexico border and other border regions around the world. However, his primary focus as director will center on restoring understanding of the important roles that the humanities play in today’s society.  

“Humanities is all around us,” says Garcia, quickly referencing the influence of agriculture and food, the roles of women, marriage and religion on politics and society. “Philosophers and historians can shed light on these topics and more. Marriage, for example, has been an evolving conversation in society, never the set situation that it is often presently perceived to be.”

“Too often we as scholars forget how we can contribute to discussions about public issues of great importance,” he adds.

Garcia is particularly interested in how the culture of food and agricultural production in the United States provides pivotal insights for our future. He has penned book chapters and numerous journal articles, and, most recently, the book: “From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement.”

Published by University of California Press in 2012, Garcia says that his book offers the most comprehensive history ever written on the accomplishments and shortcomings of the United Farm Workers (UFW), the most successful farm labor union in U.S. history. He originally started by looking at the parallel efforts of Filipino American and Mexican agricultural workers, whose united efforts around the grape boycott allowed the UFW to gain traction in the 1960s.

But during his exploration of the archive at the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit, Garcia unearthed a treasure trove of taped recordings that the Arizona-born Chavez had made of all his meetings. The tapes included Chavez’s fights with the UFW executive board, purges of boycott volunteers and the UFW legal department. Ultimately, the archive revealed Chavez’s instability, and how it contributed to the dissolution of the executive board.

“I was hearing Chavez’ own words. It was gripping,” says Garcia. “Knowing this history informs our future choices.”

“Our agricultural workers are working in conditions similar to those 40 years ago. Awareness of how food is produced should create in the public a consciousness about social justice, as well as the importance of ‘eating locally’ or ‘eating healthy,’” adds Garcia.

Garcia hopes that the schools’ students will make connections between the ideas that they explore in their classes and the process of moving forward as a society: “Learning history is not simply about studying the past, but understanding how past events guide us to a better, more sustainable and socially aware future.”

“ASU is an incredible place to work and learn and do what I do best,” says Garcia. “I can’t think of another place to do it.”

Peggy Coulombe, Margaret.Coulombe@asu.edu 
(480) 727-8934  College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 
https://asunews.asu.edu/20120705_Foodjustice

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


Nahuatl, the Aztec language that once graced Canutillo Elementary was displaced by pragmatism By Meili Robles on September 27, 2012 

CANUTILLO, Tx. – While many schools are integrating bilingual studies into their programs, one teacher went beyond the two-language system at Canutillo Elementary to include Nahuatl, the Aztec language.

Carlos Aceves, a fifth grade teacher at the school, began teaching Nahuatl and the Aztec calendar to his students in 1995.  But the need to prepare students to take the state mandated achievement tests purged the Native American language from the curriculum.
Carlos Aceves began teaching Nahuatl to his students in 1995. (Meili Robles/Borderzine.com)

http://borderzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/carlos-aceves-copy.jpg“The first year I did it without telling anybody,” recalls Aceves. “The second year the administration found out because I asked permission to do a school wide event.”

Luckily for Aceves, former principal Hector Girón was completely aboard and from then on Aceves and the children looked into the Aztec Calendar for cultural enrichment and insight into the traditions of many El Pasoans.

“The kids recognized the symbol of the calendar, but they never really knew what it was. The one’s that were more fascinated were the parents, because they had grown up their whole lives with the Aztec calendar but never really knew what it meant,” explained Aceves.

“Learning about the languages of our forefathers is very important, it’s something I think would be very beneficial to me,” stated current C.E.S Principal, Consuelo Parker. “For the past two years he’s taught Nahuatl to our children, but in reality when we’d really see him (teaching the Calendar and Nahuatl) was in the Christmas and Mother’s Day programs.”

According to Aceves, the Aztec Calendar enriches the understanding of literature and the sciences. “It’s a model for education,” he said.  Uhttp://borderzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/5th-grade-classroom-aztec-calendar.jpgnfortunately this model is not necessarily understood by all administration and since Aceves’ move to teaching fifth grade rather than second grade the pressure of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) has forced this cultural learning experience back into the history books.

“Since he is a fifth-grade teacher, the curriculum is more emphasized especially because our children are transitioning to the middle school. More emphasis has to be given to core curriculum,” explained Parker.

Aceves, who also does workshops in the community as well as nationwide, highlighted how what he teaches can actually benefit the students rather than take them away from academic focus.

“I would teach them how the calendar was constructed using the human body. By doing that they would also understand high levels of geometry and other forms of mathematics. In reality, what I do could actually enhance the preparation for the test, but the pressure has become so great that the test is stifling innovation in education.”

                          The calendar lies forgotten in a corner of the classroom. (Meili Robles/Borderzine.com

http://borderzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/aztec-calendar-garden2.jpg
A garden that former Canutillo students planted as prescribed by the Aztec calendar. (Meili Robles/Borderzine.com)


Whether or not Aceves can reintegrate the Aztec calendar into his curriculum, students who have heard of the course or had him in the past remain very much interested in what he teaches.

“I know Mr. Aceves because one of my friends use to be in his class. He taught the Aztec calendar and taught them how to do Tai-Chi,” remembers Alderete Middle School student Vivyka Grier. “ I’d like to learn Nahuatl and more of the Aztec calendar. If he taught it outside of the school, I would like to go.”

“I remember he used to trace me to make the calendar. It was a long time ago but I know it had to do with your body and lots of math,” commented 19 year-old Canutillo Alumni, Jose Robles.

“I’ve done workshops all over, Community College, libraries…. I’m doing one in Austin soon, and at the University of Arizona in Tucson,” said Aceves.

While students like Grier may not be able to attend all out of state workshops, they know they don’t need to go that far to immerse themselves in a world of culture. In fact, C.E.S has a biologically diverse garden that former students planted as prescribed by the Aztec calendar.

“What the calendar prescribes is that you plant with diversity. That when you have diversity in your agriculture it is more productive, it is more sustainable. That garden is probably the most diverse garden in the region,” said Aceves with pride.

Article Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sent by Dorinda Moreno  pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com



ARIZONA IS NOT ALONE IN HAVING BANNED THE STUDY OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND ETHNICITY IN ITS PUBLIC SCHOOLS--NEW MEXICO BANNED IT IN GRADES 9-12 TWENTY YEARS AGO

In 1990 New Mexico's Board of Education changed its educational standards from what had previously been entitled: "Educational Standards for New Mexico Schools" to "Standards for Excellence.

The new Content Standard for social studies, grades 9-12 thereafter was changed from the way it had read in 1976 and 1982: 
"Social Studies. All programs should emphasize the value of cultural diversity and recognize the intrinsic worth of each culture in itself"

TO: "Content Standard 1: Students are able to identify important people and events in order to analyze significant patterns, relationships, themes, ideas, beliefs and turning points in New Mexico [since statehood], United States, and world history in order to understand the complexity of the human experience. Students will:
"9-12 Benchmark 1-A. New Mexico: analyze how people and events of New Mexico have influenced United States and world history since statehood."
The significance of this change was that textbooks used in grades 9-12 after 1992 could no longer address pre-statehood history: No longer could the thousands of years of New Mexico's Indian history nor the hundreds of years of Spanish and Mexican history be included in textbooks used by grades 9 thru 12.
Ironically, the standards for grades 5-8 were not limited in 1992 as they were for grades 9-12. Upon inquiry I was advised that once students in grade 7 had studied pre-statehood history there was no longer a need to teach the subject in highschool. My question regarding this response is: then why teach post-statehood history again in highschool as it had also been taught in the seventh grade?
I must qualify what I have said about the 1992 limitations New Mexico placed upon grades 9-12 in regard to the textbook presently used for those grades. The authors of A History of New Mexico Since Statehood, the book currently used in grades 9-12, (which was published by UNM Press) namely, Richard Melzer, Robert Torrez and Sandra K. Mathews are to be commended for their efforts in stretching the limits of the regulation as they did. At the very least, their Introduction and chapters allow inquisitive students to realize that New Mexico's history began centuries before January 6, 1912.

Feel free to use this in any manner you desire under the fair use provision of the copyright laws.

Mike Scarborough Justice1O1@aol.com 

 

CULTURE

Dia de los Muertos on Facebook, cartoon by Sergio Hernandez
Latinopio.Com
McArthur Fellowships
Hatajo de negritos and the Son de los Diablos: Two Fascinating
     Afro-Peruvian celebration
Bless Me, Ultima, movie review by Felipe de Ortego y Gasca 
The Pence Gallery's Mission
Oral history interview with Judithe Hernandez, 1998


Thank you Sergio Hernandez



LATINOPIO.COM
For Hispanic cultural activities across the United States, go to:  http://latinopia.com/  or write to bburri@latinopia.com 
View new monthly videos . . such as:  Posting for October included a videos of a visit with renowned Puerto Rican actor Henry Darrow. He’s a real pioneer for Latinos in television and he recently come out with a biography and
Latinopia spoke with him about his celebrated career.  We’ll have another Latino Event the 1969 El Rio Park victory in
Tucson, Arizona. And of course, we’ll be celebrating Dia de
los Muertos at the end of the month!

MacArthur fellowships

Among the 23 recipients of this year’s prestigious MacArthur fellowships are Natalia Almada, 37, a documentary filmmaker, who resides in Mexico City.   Almada, a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, is known for her insightful, innovative and imaginative work on Mexican history, politics and culture.



Junot Díaz, 43, another recipient is a writer of fiction who was born in the Dominican Republic. Díaz’s book, The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2008. Each will receive $500,000 from the MacArthur Foundation paid quarterly over five years.

 

Hispanic Link, Vol. 30, No. 19, Oct. 4, 2012
Publisher: Carlos Ericksen-Mendoza
1420 N St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 234-0280

 

The Hatajo de negritos and the Son de los Diablos: 
Two Fascinating Afro-Peruvian celebrations: 

Afro-Peruvians, or Peruvians of African descent, like indigenous Peruvians, have their own culture and traditions in addition to the national traditions that they share with all Peruvians. Among these Afro-Peruvian traditions are two fascinating celebrations, one usually referred to as the Hatajo de Negritos and the other, the Son de los Diablos.

Both of these originated in the days of slavery. Both include music and dance. In both, as part of the dance, the participants execute the fancy footwork known as zapateo (also called Peruvian zapateo, or Afro-Peruvian zapateo). And both celebrations stem from the process by which Spanish slave holders and others converted Africans to the Catholic Christian religion.

The Hatajo de Negritos is not really a celebration, but is the name given to dance groups from the Afro-Peruvian community that participate in the Catholic celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. In addition, in the coastal town of el Carmen, the Christmas celebration is immediately followed by one honoring the Virgin of Carmen in which the Hatajos de Negritos also participate.

The Son de los Diablos also refers to groups of dancers, in this case, masked dancers dressed as devils who in the old days paraded through the streets on Corpus Cristi day.

You find the Hatajos de Negritos primarily in predominantly Afro-Peruvian towns in Chincha and neighboring provinces in coastal Peru. The town of el Carmen is especially famous for this celebration, in part because, as we’ve already seen, they celebrate the Virgin of Carmen immediately after Christmas so that it all seems like one very long celebration. In the town of el Carmen, these two celebrations taken together begin on Dec. 24 and run until mid-morning on Dec. 28. Quite a celebration!

Watercolor by Pancho Fierro, 19th century painter

Although the origins of the Son de los Diablos lie in the Afro-Peruvian community, African descendants in countries such as Bolivia and Mexico have similar celebrations. It is currently more often seen as a cultural presentation on a stage, instead of being part of a Catholic procession as it was originally. In the past, and even today as a cultural show, it includes a head devil and several less important devils. The devils are accompanied by musicians and in the modern era, by singers (or a boom box).

Originally, the head devil carried a very large book through the streets on which he had supposedly written down the names of all the people he would be taking down to hell in the coming year. He often carried a long whip, and was a fearsome being.

Now, all of the devils including the head devil are playful. There is even a modern song often sung as an accompaniment to the performance which says, in Spanish, that you needn’t be afraid of the devils because they are simply here to dance. I think it’s fair to say the tradition has suffered considerable watering down. 

The Hatajo de Negritos and the Christmas time celebrations where they appear have retained much more of their original form. This is partly due to the efforts of people such as the recently deceased Amador Ballumbrosio, his family, the family of Margarita Córdoba of el Carmen, and the organization Centro afroperuano San Juan de Carboni de el Carmen, Peru. 

What happens in this celebration? Well, after months of preparations in which the people in the Hatajos learn and perfect dance steps and songs, the actual celebration begins in the evening of Dec. 24.

It usually starts with a Catholic mass which in el Carmen is scheduled for 10pm. Following the mass, the Hatajos perform briefly in front of the church, then the dancers and other townspeople rush home to be with their families at the hour of midnight, the hour that Jesus is traditionally said to have been born.

On Christmas day, the Hatajos are invited to visit private homes in the neighboring towns. There, they perform in front of an image of baby Jesus both as a group and as individuals. These performances include some spectacular demonstrations of the zapateo footwork – all done in honor of the Christ child.

Then, from Dec. 26-28, the town of el Carmen celebrates the presumed appearance in the area of the Virgin of Carmen (the Virgin Mary in one of her several forms). First, on Dec. 26 there is another special mass, followed by a cultural performance.

                                                                   Jesús López dressed for the hatajo de negritos
                                                                                                            (photo by Lilia López)


Then, starting at 7pm on Dec. 27 and continuing until 11am on Dec. 28, an image of the Virgin is paraded through the streets, with the Hatajos de Negritos making up part of the procession. Naturally enough, the Hatajos accompany the Virgin with dance and song as they make their way through the community.

There is a great deal more that can be said about both the Hatajos de Negritos and the Son de los Diablos, but we´ll leave that for another day. In the meantime, if you want to see the author doing some zapateo, go to this LINK http://palominoprodvd-cd.com/ any time between Nov. 2 and Nov. 30. If you want to see videotapes from Peru of either one of these celebrations, look on you can always check out YouTube, where there are plenty. Type in the words “hatajo de negritos” or “son de los diablos.”

In addition, our documentary  A Zest for Life: Afro-Peruvian Rhythms, a Source of Latin Jazz http://azestforlifedvd.com/  has some footage showing the Hatajos de Negritos in el Carmen. You see it on the DVD along with an explanation by our Afro-Peruvian star, Lalo Izquierdo. (although it’s not on the trailer on the web site).

Clearly, both the Hatajos de Negritos and the Son de los Diablos, as well as the celebrations of which they are a part, are culturally rich and beautiful. In addition, the great importance of music and especially of dance – including the zapateo footwork used as a form of religious communication – is as striking as it is compelling. 
To see dancers, go to:   http://afro-peruvian.blogspot.com/ 

Eve A. Ma (Eva Ma; Dr. L. Eve Armentrout Ma, Esq.), 
Producer-Director, PALOMINO Productions
www.PalominoPro.com    
www.PalominoProDVD-CD.com
and others... PALOMINO Productions, P.O. Box 8565, Berkeley, CA., 94707, USA


-

 


LUNA Y MAREZ:  
TIME, TIDES, AND THE HUMAN COMEDY 
IN BLESS ME, ULTIMA

A review of the film
 

By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca

Philip.Ortego@wnmu.edu

 

Dolores Heredia, who plays Maria in the film adaptation of "Bless Me, Ultima," walks the red carpet Monday during the world premiere of the movie at the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)

T

here we were sitting in the semi-darkened theater waiting for the Coming Attractions to end and the main feature to begin—the main feature being Bless Me, Ultima based on the 1972 novel by Rudolfo Anaya—finally made into a film forty years after its publication. In 1972, the novel won the Premio Quinto Sol for Literature, a prize likened by Chicano writers to the Nobel Prize for Literature. Anaya was the second Chicano writer to win that coveted prize—Premio Quinto Sol; the first was Tomas Rivera for Y no se lo trago la tierra in 1971.

There we were, my wife Gilda and her parents, waiting to see how the film would compare to the novel we had all read. I confess I had some misgivings about the film based on the character of Ultima played by Miriam Colón, the Puerto Rican actress. “Otra vez,” I thought. The film was about a New Mexican curanderas, couldn’t “they” find a Mexican American actress to play Ultima? Just as: Couldn’t they find a Mexican American actress to play Selena in the film about Selena, the Mexican American chanteuse from Corpus Christi, Texas. Or just as they couldn’t find Mexican American actors to play the mejicanos in The Milagro Beanfield War directed by Robert Redford. By the end of the film, however, my estimation of Miriam Colón had grown to mega proportions. She was superb as Ultima. The casting was perfect—in fact, the movie was superbly cast.

No name in Chicano literature is as well known as Rudol­fo Anays’s, earning him the sobriquet of “God­father of Chicano Litera­ture.” It’s not an undeserved recognition, for indeed Anaya has ad­vanced awareness of Chicano literature as no other wri­ter has. This is not to diminish the literary contribu­tions of other Chicana/o writers.

When I received the Patricia and Rudolfo Anaya Critica Nueva Award from the University of New Mexico in 2005 for my contributions to Chicano literature, Rudy commented at dinner that night that I did not men­tion him in my study of Backgrounds of Mexi­can American Literature. To which I reminded him that he was not yet published when I was completing Backgrounds of Mexican American Literature (Uni­versity of New Mexico, 1971), though he had been writing throughout the 60's. He came into his literary maturity towards the end of the Chicano Renaissance (1966-1975) and quick­ly dominated the field with a string of literary works.

I first met Rudolfo Anaya when he was working on his Master’s in English at the University of New Mexico in 1968. I was then completing the Ph.D. in English there. The encounter was fleeting. The next time we met was in Sacramento, California, at a con­ference where Rudolfo Anaya was reading from Bless Me, Ultima, which had been published by Quin­to Sol Publications in 1972 and was chosen to receive the Premio Quinto Sol for Literature—then the most presti­gious award for Chicano literature. Octavio Romano, Editor of Quinto Sol Publications had sent me a review copy of the manuscript.

Bless Me, Ultima would not have appeared in print when it did had it not been for the Chicano pub­lishing house of Quinto Sol Publications. Ana­ya’s efforts to place the novel with a mainstream publishing house were fruitless. Though some Chi­cano writers like John Rechy and Floyd Salas had novels published by mainstream presses in the 60's. In the early 70's, main­stream publishing houses were wary about publishing Chicanos–about whom they knew little. Surprisingly, Bless Me, Ultima quick­ly gained a coterie of fans instrumental in promoting the success of the novel by word of mouth. Today it is a runaway best-seller, one of Laura Bush’s 25 novels to read.

In a piece discussing the novel prior to release of the movie (El Paso Times, 9/6/12) I wrote:

Why would anyone want to burn a book about a seven year-old boy growing up in the llanos of New Mexico whose father wants him to be a rancher and whose mother wants him to be a priest? More distressingly, however, is that those who want to burn the book are Americans. Despite the barrage of adverse criticism, Bless Me, Ultima has become an American classic.

The novel has been banned and burned on various grounds, condemned as promoting “witchcraft. The novel is about Antonio Marez a young boy of 7 befriended by the Curandera Ultima when she comes to live with his family in rural New Mexico at the end of Worle War II. It is in every sense of the word “a coming of age” novel much like Catcher in the Rye, another “coming of age” novel beset by similar problems.

I

wondered about the film adaptation of Bless Me, Ultima. The novel is dense with cultural symbolism, especially about curanderismo—Hispanic folk-healing. Any novel perforce has its own lexicon—the language of the genre and the language of the author. I wondered about the fealty of the text in its transformation to film. I wondered about the sequence of the story in terms of the particular strictures of film. Not only do I teach a course on film and theater but I’ve worked in film and theater. I’m still a member of the Screen Actors Guild. On stage I’ve earned credit for more than 100 roles. I’ve also directed and written considerable pieces for the stage.

So there we were waiting for the film to start. The opening shot of the terrain was spectacular. Though I didn’t know it at first, Alfredo Molina was credited as the narrator. I was reminded of my role as Narrator of North From Mexico, the documentary version of Carey McWilliams’ history by the same name. Why wasn’t I asked to narrate the film? Ah, well!

T

he cast of Bless Me, Ultima is large and versatile. I was particularly struck by Castulo Guerra who plays Tenorio in the film, the villainous father of three daughters drawn to witchcraft. Curanderismo is not about witchcraft but about the healing power of nature, contemplation, and prayer. But the theme of the novel—good versus evil—as Anaya wrote it threads its way through the lives of the townsfolk of Guadalupe, New Mexico, based on Santa Rosa and Pasturas, New Mexico.

Surprisingly, the weight of the film is carried by 9 year old Luke Ganalon who plays Antonio. It’s not an easy role for the 9 year old, but Luke Ganalon plays it like a pro. The supporting cast does just that—it supports the story and the principal cast. Benito Martinez and Dolores Heredia are the father and mother.

Adaptation from one medium to another is not easy; I’ve done it twice: the first time was with Elsinore, a musical adaptation of Hamlet with Mark Medoff, Tony Award playwright of Children of a Lesser God. The last time was adapting the Brazilin writer Jorge Amado’s novel Quinqas: King of the Vagabonds to the stage. Thanks to Ozzie Rodriguez from the La Mama Experimental Theater in New York City the adaptation was successful.

Missing from the story in the film of Bless Me, Ultima was the episode of the Golden Carp, perhaps because it adds little to the plot of the story in the film other than to reinforce Antonio’s personal struggle in coming to terms with good and evil. There could have been more Mexican music in the film. The musical score of the film was deft and pronounced. I felt that even a passing scene of some gaiety with Mexican ranchera music would have added to the verisimilitude of the story. The screenplay was by Carl Franklin who also directed the film. Franklin has directed films with Denzel Washington and Jennifer Aniston.

What most impressed me about the film was how artistically the plot of the novel was carried over into the film with bursts of Anaya’s lyrical prose about the land and the llano of New Mexico. The ending of the film was as poignant as is the ending of the novel.

Bless Me, Ultima, the film, is a testament not only to the creativity and power of Rudolfo Anaya as a novelist but the creativity and power of Chicano literature and to the revelation of a people who have been part of the American mosaic for more than 164 years but of longer duration in generations on the soil that is the Hispanic Southwest. The roots of Chicanos and their antecedents have lain deep for more than 450 years in what is now American soil by conquest. A branch of my mother’s family settled in San Antonio, Texas, in 1731 as members of the 16 families from the Canary Islands to whom the King of Spain issued a grant of land to found La Villita, today’s San Antonio. Often I have to remind others that 1731 was a few years before 1776.

Ultima’s blessing which Antonio seeks is the blessing all women globally give to their children or children in their care. I’m remembering my mother’s blessing when I ventured into the world.

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

 

 

The Pence Gallery's Mission



"The Pence Gallery's mission is to educate and inspire the community through offering high caliber art exhibits, supporting the development of local artists, and providing education programs for all ages."

Please pass along this amazing opportunity to see an exhibit focused on Malaquias Montoya's images of women, selected from 40 years of paintings, prints, and drawings.

Natalie Nelson
Director/Curator
Pence Gallery, 212 D Street
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 758-3370 ph (voicemail 2)

The Smithsonian –
Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Judithe Hernandez, 1998 Mar. 28

Hernandez, Judithe, b. 1948
Painter, Educator
Chicago, Ill.; Los Angeles, Calif.
The Smithsonian –Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Judithe Hernandez, 1998 Mar. 28

Hernandez, Judithe, b. 1948
Painter, Educator
Chicago, Ill.; Los Angeles, Calif.

http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-judithe-hernandez-6345

Judithe Hernandez, artist and muralist once part of the Los Four collective during the Chicano Arts Movement

Collection Summary: An interview of Judithe Hernandez conducted in Chicago, Ill., 1998 Mar. 28, by Jeffrey Rangel. Hernandez discusses her family background and encouragement to become professional; training at Otis Art Institute and admiration there for African-American teacher Charles White; the intellectual influence of Carlos Almarazs father on her as well as him, artists in L.A. such as Magu and Patssi Valdez; working with Judy Baca on the Great Wall of Los Angeles project; description and characterization of members of Los Four and sexism in the work of some Chicano male artists; her disillusionment over the reception of Chicano art and her own work in particular, the fact that she was not included in the big Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters and Sculptors exhibition and catalogue; becoming an educator; and the debate with Shifra Goldman.

Biographical/Historical Note: Judithe Hernandez (1948- ) is a painter and educator from Los Angeles, Calif. and Chicago, Ill. Hernández was a leading Latina artist in Los Angeles during the 1970s, an important decade in the development of the Chicano mural movement and Latino art in general. Hernández now teaches in Chicago, but during her time in Southern California she came to represent both Chicana and feminist viewpoints, and was an articulate spokesperson for those interests and the rights of individual artists to transcend political identity in their careers.

Donated 2001 by Jeffrey Rangel. From 1996-2000, Jeffrey Rangel was contracted by the AAA to conduct oral histories of Latino and Latina artists who worked in Los Angeles and were part Chicano art groups such as Los Four and Asco. This interview was conducted by Rangel independently for his own research. The interview was transcribed with funding from the Smithsonian Latino Initiative funds.

How to Use this Interview A transcript of this interview appears below.
Transcript; Use requires an appointment and is limited to AAA's Washington, DC office.

For more information on using the Archives’ resources, see the FAQ or Ask Us.Interview Transcript

Interview with Judithe Hernandez
Conducted by Jeffrey Rangel
In Chicago, Illinois

March 29, 1998

Preface: The following oral history transcript is the result of a tape-recorded interview with Judithe Hernandez on March 29, 1998. The interview took place in Chicago, Illinois, and was conducted by Jeffrey Rangel. It was donated in 2001 by Jeffrey Rangel. From 1996-2000, Jeffrey Rangel was contracted by the AAA to conduct oral histories of Latino and Latina artists who worked in Los Angeles and were part Chicano art groups such as Los Four and Asco. This interview was onducted by Rangel independently for his own research. The interview was transcribed with funding from the Smithsonian Latino Initiative funds.

Interview

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: JUDITHE HERNANDEZ

JEFFREY RANGEL: JEFFREY J. RANGEL

Tape 1, Side A (45-minute tape sides)
[Note: This portion of the interview was recorded in a restaurant, so some of the words are obscured—Trans.]

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: That was in the White Gallery, no?

JEFFREY RANGEL: Yeah.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Yeah. Some low-level [munchkin], who had been, I guess, had been assigned to find me and call me, wanting to know if they could use some of my slides in, I guess, a perpetual slide show that would just be part of the exhibit, and I said to myself, “That’s interesting, but. . . .” You know, I thought, “I spent twenty years doing this stuff, and now you’re asking me if you can use a couple of my slides in a slide show that’s going to be off in a corner? You’re not calling me to see if you can use some of my work for the show?”

JEFFREY RANGEL: Right.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I said no. [laughs]

JEFFREY RANGEL: Right.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I was like. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: I think that’s. . . .

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I maybe was being egotistical, but I thought, you know, come on! It’s like not that I’m some big mover and shaker, but I think I have a little more space in the movement than some of the people I think they gave a lot of room to and I thought no.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Did that have to do with some of the people who were on the juritorial board?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I don’t know. I never did. . . . I never pursued it, but I was just offended at the request, so I said no. And they kept bugging me about it. I said, “No, no, no.” [laughter] “Okay? Is that clear? No.”

JEFFREY RANGEL: It’s like a lot people had problems, a lot of the artists had problems with the show. You know, people who I’ve spoken to just felt like there was, in the same way with other shows around Hispanic art or Chicano art, that there’s more attention paid to the curatorial aspects of it than to the actual artwork itself.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Right.

JEFFREY RANGEL: And some of the artists feel like, “Well, forget it. I’m going to go show at the National Gallery or something, or whatever.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I think as a movement I think maybe what we’re seeing here, you know, folks like you who are writing. . . . This younger generation is beginning to write about this particular time in history. I think people are finally recognizing the fact that this is a legitimate American art movement, and the way some people have treated it in the past—and still treat it, treat the artists associated with it—is so disrespectful that. . . . And they forget that this is a group of people who were working as much politically as they were artistically, and you can’t approach them. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: Simultaneously.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: . . . right, on the same egotistical, lofty, aesthetic trip that they used to approach artists on. Maybe you can with certain majority artists out there, who aren’t political at all, who never were political, but not with this group.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Right.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: You do that, and you’ve made the first big mistake.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Right.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: You know, you just turned them off completely. At least they did me. I don’t know who else didn’t participate, but that was one of the reasons I didn’t. It just seemed like I was some footnote in the show, and I thought, “Hell no!” [laughs]

JEFFREY RANGEL: You have more to offer than that.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Yeah. I think.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Yeah, certainly. So what was it like, balancing the politics and the creative side, the production side? How did you. . . .

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: You know, it wasn’t separated in those days. What you did on one side was totally reflected on the other side. I mean, it seems kind of. . . . I don’t know. It’s even hard for me to believe at the time, but that’s what we did. A lot of what we did wasn’t even personal stuff. It was political stuff, stuff that was needed by [M Corps, Encor, Encore], whatever our agenda was in that particular time—whether it was Los Tres [Committee to Free Los Tres—Ed.], or whether we were doing something for Cesar Chávez, or whether we were doing something for the moratorium on the war. It was like the two were very integrated, amazingly integrated. Street murals addressing all the social ills of the time.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Right. When you were. . . . You went through Otis [Art Institute—Ed.], right?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Yeah.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Was there kind of a spirit in Otis that recognized that as something important to address?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: No. [laughs]

JEFFREY RANGEL: So where did that come from, for you?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: From other Chicano friends. When I was at Otis as an undergraduate. . . . I went there the last two years. Otis in those days was the last two years of undergraduate and then two years of graduate school. So you went to somewhere you know for the gen eds [general education courses—Ed.] and stuff and then transferred. And when I went there the junior and senior year, I was the only female Hispanic, and I think there were only other two or three other guys who were Chicano or some sort of Hispanic. And then Carlos came in graduate school, and I think tops, at any particular time, when I was there from about ‘69 to ‘74, there were only ever about five or six of us Hispanos who were in the. . . . Three or four of which were political; the other one or two were not. I was the only woman, and we were completely by ourselves with a bunch of other nice folks who were basically interested in making art. They were nice middle-class white kids, a couple of Asian kids, a few international kids, and all they wanted to do was be artists. You know, they had no other life. They had no. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: Even despite all the anti-war activism going on?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: That was about the only political thing that they did get involved with or had opinions about, but our stuff wasn’t even about the war in Vietnam at that point. It was more about the social war that was going on at home. And the only ones you really discussed it with were your own—you know, in your studios after other people had gone home, or at Frank’s [Frank Romero—Ed.] house. [laughs] It was relatively underground.

JEFFREY RANGEL: So you didn’t get the sense that you were on the one hand being professionally trained as an artist to kind of go this more mainstream or traditional route and then have this competing sense of responsibility with the movement and politics and how as an artist you were going to make your contribution to that?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I think. . . . And I think Carlos [Almaraz—Ed.] probably felt the same way because, I don’t know, we were kind of oddballs anyway. Did Elsa [Flores—Ed.] talk about her father-in-law?

JEFFREY RANGEL: Her father-in-law? No.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Carlos’ father [________—Ed.]?

JEFFREY RANGEL: Not really. A little bit. I’ve heard a little bit about him.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: He was an unusual man. He was born in Mexico, but he had. . . . I only met him a few times, and I was always impressed with the fact that he was this. . . . He longed to understand and to be a part of, it seemed to me, to any. . . . And he delighted in things that were, for a Mexican-American man of his generation, very unusual. He loved Broadway. [laughs]

JEFFREY RANGEL: I heard he was a movie buff.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: He adored movies—and, I mean, American films and American Broadway and he could sing any song that had ever been in a Broadway hit.

JEFFREY RANGEL: [laughs]

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: He loved literature and in some ways he was a very sophisticated, very interesting, complex guy, because on the other—and talk about, I don’t know, schizophrenic—on the other side, he worked at Ford or U.S. Steel or something. And yet he harbored the soul of someone who was very. . . . You know, he was very theatrical as well in his persona. And in my house, my mother, strangely enough for her generation, was college educated. She was from Texas, had a father who was very unusual. At the turn of the century, he was. . . . See, my grandparents married in 1907, so he. . . . Did he become a citizen? I guess he became a citizen at some point early on. She never did, but he did. And he was an interpreter in World War I. He spoke like several different languages. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: . . . six or seven he had picked up totally by himself. He just had a knack for languages. But he was very liberated, thought women should do whatever the heck they liked, have any vice—any vice they wanted if they could pay for it. [laughter] You want to smoke, you pay for your cigarettes. You want to drink, as long as you pay for your booze that’s fine. You know, as long as you understand the consequences of doing such things and were ready to pay the consequences.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: And he actively campaigned for women’s suffrage.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: All of which scandalized my grandmother, because she thought that was terrible. And my mother had some of those things going on in her personality. She was probably a little more conservative than my grandfather, but she still, she always engendered in my brother and I these aspirations, which I think, you know, if you would ask somebody else, were kind of like, “Well, isn’t that a little out of reach?” [laughs] You know, what? Going to college, being professionals, you know, not working in the railroad.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wanting to be an artist.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Right. Even though she didn’t completely understand or maybe approve of artists, they were always supportive. My parents never discouraged us. Even as hard as it was for them to understand what I did, they never said it was a bad thing to do or the wrong thing to do or something you ought not to be doing. Just do it as well as you can.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: I don’t think they could ever really. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: That’s so wonderful.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: They were, they were. And my dad’s a pretty simple soul. He worked, you know, the railroad his entire life, and he comes from a huge family in Arizona. He left school when he was just a kid to support. . . . He has twelve brothers and sisters.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: He didn’t finish high school until he was in the Army in World War II.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Very bright man, but he was a product of the limitations set in his generation. But I think, seeing the way my mother led in terms of raising the children, he simply went along. “Well, okay, she must be right.” [laughs] And he never said, “Oh, women shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t go to meetings, you shouldn’t go to college, you shouldn’t do that kind of stuff.” And so we never felt like we had any limitations other than those realistic ones that my mother also pointed out to us. She said, “Look, in your brother’s case, at least he’s a man, but both of you have the fact that you are Mexican-Americans. People already think that we aren’t good enough to do certain things, and you are also a woman. So you have two things do deal with, and just be prepared.”

JEFFREY RANGEL: She told you this straight out.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Yeah. And just be prepared that someday someone will say something to you and you’ll have to decide how you’re going to answer and they are not always going to. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: What was your response to that?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Nothing. I was just kind of dumbfounded. [laughs] Just, “Okay. . . .” I mean, it’s kind of the thing that you can’t even respond to. You just sort of as a kid you think about it, you know, because she always told us from the time we were small kids that, “You know, there are certain people in the world who don’t think that you’re as good as everybody else, but you are.” But her thing was also personal responsibility: “Be sure you earn a reputation for being as good as . . . you know, for excellence, and then no one can dispute it. It doesn’t matter what color you are. It doesn’t matter whether you have an accent or not. You know, if you were good at what you are, no one can deny you what you are.” Maybe that was naïve, but you know be believed it. So. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: And so you and Carlos having [had] that kind of. . . .

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: So we had this. . . . Yeah, we had this kindred. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: Liberty or whatever.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Right, we looked at Otis as an opportunity to be trained. The best possible training one could get in those days was either there or Chouinard in a classical sense. We were journeymen artists. Not journeymen. We were. . . .

JEFFREY RANGEL: Work under all different mediums, media?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: No, no, what am I looking for? We were apprentices.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Ah.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: There were these great European-trained guys—[Renzo, Rinzo] [Fenchy, Finchey], Joe Mugnuni, Joe Martinek—who were all tremendous artists trained in Europe, very classically trained, who were passing on their training to us.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: And it was our opportunity. . . . Umm, what’s his name? Bill Ames, who had been I think a partner of Ian’s [Ian ________—Ed.] in designing stuff. They were all there to impart what they knew, in this great classical sense, to train, to give us a foundation in art through drawing and design and painting and culture, and then. . . . Well, like Joe used to say, “You’re not here to make masterpieces, okay? So if anybody thinks that, there’s the door. You’re here to learn a craft. Charlie White was one of our professors.

JEFFREY RANGEL: Wow.

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Tremendous guy. Boy, talk about an influence.

JEFFREY RANGEL: What was he like?

JUDITHE HERNANDEZ: Ah! He was a real firebrand. He was this tiny man, this little wiry guy who smoked a million cigarettes.

For the rest of interview, please go to:
http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-judithe-hernandez-6345

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

 

 

LIVING PORTRAITS OF PROMINENT LATINOS 

Georgia Latino Film Festival Schedule of Events Posted and Latino List V2 documentaries 
 
http://t.ymlp237.net/ujywaoabwqsanahuavaujmbju/click.phpHBO Latino offers a unique glimpse into the vibrant and flourishing culture of Hispanic America this September in THE LATINO LIST: VOLUME TWO. From renowned photographer and director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, the film features video portraits of a cross-section of Latino notables who have richly contributed to the fabric of contemporary society, including Christy Turlington Burns, Victor Cruz, George Lopez, Soledad O’Brien and Raul Yzaguirre, among many others. This all-new sequel to the acclaimed 2011 HBO documentary “The Latino List” debuts on HBO and HBO Latino in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (“About Face: Supermodels Then and Now,” “The Latino List” and “The Black List”), and featuring intimate interviews conducted by NPR correspondent Maria Hinojosa, with additional interviews by Sandra Guzman, THE LATINO LIST: VOLUME TWO spotlights a diverse range of notables from journalism, modeling, politics, sports, activism and business. These prominent Hispanic Americans discuss such subjects as the childhood inspirations that fueled their ambitions, how they achieved success, the evolving American cultural landscape they helped mold, the importance of preserving a distinct cultural identity for future generations to embrace and the challenges posed by discrimination.
Many speakers share stories of growing up Latino in America, discussing how their backgrounds shaped their philosophies and their feelings on a society where new opportunities abound, but obstacles still exist. Hailing from a variety of backgrounds, including Cuban, Dominican, El Salvadorian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and more, each interviewee has a unique perspective on the American success story.
Subjects featured in THE LATINO LIST: VOLUME TWO include:
  • Christy Turlington Burns, a model, entrepreneur and activist, is working to support women’s health projects and relief work across the globe.
  • Henry Cisneros, a politician and businessman, is currently executive chairman of CityView. He previously served as mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration.
  • Cesar Conde is president of Univision Networks, the nation’s largest Spanish-language television network. He is chairman and co-founder of the Futuro Program, a nonprofit organization that provides role models and educational workshops to Hispanic high school students.
  • Victor Cruz, a wide receiver for the New York Giants, began his football career at the University of Massachusetts and was later signed by the Giants.
  • Ralph de La Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, serves as the chairman of Hispanic initiatives for the Boy Scouts of America, and was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
  • Giselle Fernandez is a five-time Emmy®-winning journalist, producer, entrepreneur and filmmaker. She has been a reporter and guest anchor for CBS’ “Early Show,” “CBS Evening News,” NBC’s “Today” and “NBC Nightly News.” She is also president of the first Latina-owned Hispanic-focused media and management company in Los Angeles.
  • Nely Galán, former president of entertainment at the Telemundo network was creator and executive producer of the FOX reality series “The Swan.” Since 1994, she has been an independent producer and media entrepreneur specializing in the Latino market.
  • Dolores Huerta is a labor leader and civil rights activist who founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW), with Cesar Chavez. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights and the Eugene Debs Foundation Outstanding American Award.
  • Janet Murguía is president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. From 1994 to 2000, she served as deputy assistant to President Bill Clinton, acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress.
  • Soledad O’Brien is a broadcast journalist and anchor of the CNN news morning program “Starting Point” and has also contributed to CNN’s “In America” series. She began her career as an associate producer, news writer and field producer for NBC’s “Today” and “NBC Nightly News.”
  • Jon Seda currently stars in the HBO series “Treme.” His other credits include “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Selena” and the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.”
  • Raul Yzaguirre, a Latino rights activist, currently serves as the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic. He served as the founding president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization.

For more information on the documentary, visit: Facebook:facebook.com/hbodocs; and Twitter: @HBODocs # HBODocs.
THE LATINO LIST: VOLUME TWO is directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders; executive producers, Ingrid Duran, Catherine Pino; produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Tommy Walker and Michael Slap Sloane; interviews by Maria Hinojosa; additional interviews by Sandra Guzman; music by Carlos Martin Carle and Neal Evans; edited by Charlie Watt Smith; associate producer, Payne Brown.  

http://t.ymlp237.net/ujywaoabwqsanahuavaujmbju/click.php
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION
Georgia Latino Film Festival, 
John Simmons, 800-775-0889 simmonsj@a-lista.org
Sent by Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan 



LITERATURE

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The Poem as Spiritual Exercise
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Hi there! I was checking out somosprimos.com and thought your readers might be interested in hearing about a new app available.

We all know that apps are becoming more and more popular these days. Now there is a cool app that helps you learn Spanish with an interactive verb conjugation chart.

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Raven Chronicles Vol. 16, no. 1-2, 2012

The Poem as Spiritual Exercise

A Conversation with Rafael Jesús González

by Anna Bálint  

 

Rafael Jesús González, was born into a Mexican family, and raised El Paso, Texas, directly on the US/Mexican border, with Juarez, Chihuahua on the other side. A poet, visual artist, and social justice and environmental activist, Rafael is also a Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing and Literature. He has taught at the University of Oregon, Western State College of Colorado, Central Washington State University, the University of Texas at El Paso, and Laney College in Oakland, California, a community college known for its ethnic diversity.  

It was at Laney College — where he founded the Mexican and Latin American Studies Department — that I first met Rafael, nearly twenty five years ago now. I signed up for his creative writing class on the suggestion of another instructor. At that point in my life, I’d never even thought of taking a creative writing class, let alone seriously pursuing writing. But by the end of the semester I was hooked, and writing had become my passion. For the most part I experienced “Mr. González” (as he was known to me then) as a rather elusive presence in the classroom, a man of strikingly few, albeit decisive words, who quietly nurtured a learning environment that allowed for experimentation and self-discovery, and for which I was grateful.  

Then, in the final session, he gave a reading of his own work, about which nothing was elusive. Suddenly, his passions, his fire, and his world view burst into the room in a series of poems in two languages, a musical partnership in which Spanish and English seemed to sing back and forth to one another.  Two poems that still stand out in my memory all these years later are ”To an old Woman” and “The Hands”, written in honor and memory of the Chilean Poet, Víctor Jara, who was murdered. Something shifted for me. A sense of new possibilities.  Through his poetry I realized we shared similar passions about the state of the world.  

I took more classes with Mr. González, and under his continued mentorship began to find myself as writer, and our relationship gradually evolved into friendship as well as fellow artists and colleagues. I remember it felt strange at first to call him Rafael, but he insisted. By then I also knew him as a visual artist, most known for his installation pieces, particularly his altars, which I saw at the Oakland Museum of California as part of an exhibition for Día de Muertos.  

Rafael went on to become Poet in Residence at the Oakland Museum of California, and the Oakland Public Library under the Poets and Writers “Writers on Site” award in 1996. He received the Annual Dragonfly Press Award for Literary Achievement in 2002, and in 2007 was honored for excellence in poetry at the 20th World Congress of Poets in Montgomery, Alabama in June 2007.  

In October 2009, the City of Berkeley, California, declared October 13th, three days after his 74th birthday, Rafael Jesús González Day, in honor of his contributions to the community, as a poet, visual artist, teacher, and social justice and environmental activist. This coincided with the publication of his poetry collection La musa lunática/The Lunatic Muse (Pandemonium Press). Rafael is one of those remarkable people who the older they get, the more energy they seem to have for life. Also an avid blogger, he can be found at rjgonzalez.blogspot.com for poems, art, social commentary and more.  This interview took place by e-mail, over a noisy lunch, and in Rafael’s art-filled home.  

AB: Beginning at the beginning, you grew up as a Mexican living on the US side of the US defined border with Mexico? How did you experience dealing with two languages?  

RJG: Well, I didn’t speak a word of English when I entered grade school at age seven or eight. I spoke only Spanish. So in the beginning I didn’t understand most of what was being said to me. In fact, I remember one time I showed up to school and there was no one there. (laughing) I was terrified. Well, it turned out it was a holiday, but I hadn’t gotten the information, which was given in English. So it was hard that first year or two, adjusting to a new language. But by the time I was in 5th or 6th grade, I was fluent in both languages.  

AB: And these two languages, Spanish and English, have become a cornerstone of who you are...  

RJG: Oh, most definitely. I am both bicultural and bilingual. This is the gift that growing on the border has given me; my two languages are not antagonistic one toward the other, but complimentary, each informing the other, adding dimension and depth to my perception and insight. Being of the border has also made me disbelieve in borders and become conscious of their permeability, arbitrariness, and artificiality. I’m skeptical of their usefulness and even of their viability. I distrust all borders-- political, geographical, economic, intellectual, spiritual, sexual-- and test them according to the limits imposed upon me by my own insecurities, fears, and conditioning. And I definitely see myself more as a citizen of the world than one in thrall to a parochial identity, unable to relate beyond borders imposed by a society or culture.  

AB: Returning for a moment to language, I remember the first time I heard you read your poetry how much the sound of both languages enriched the experience for me. But I didn’t realize then that you write almost every poem in both languages, which is quite different than translating a poem from one language to another. Can you speak to this?  

RJG: Yes. As a poet I am heir to two muses, who speak in Spanish and English. When I write, no matter which of them speaks to me first, almost immediately the other will speak the equivalent of a word or line in the other language. Each language, related but different, carries its own nuances and values so that in the process of writing a poem the banter between them forces me to go back and forth, refining each phrase or line according to the insight each language gives into the other. The effect of this is that I am left with two poems, one in Spanish and the other in English, which must stand together as a single work in two tongues as inseparable from one another as Spanish and English are in my consciousness, my identity, my way of being in the world.  

AB: What role does revision play? Or do poems come to you nearly whole? 

RJG: Revision is an integral part; each phrase, each line is revised even as I write it. Now, writing to me does not mean setting the pencil or pen to paper or pressing keys on the computer but the process of conceiving an idea and working it in the mind long before I touch a pencil or sit at my desk. In fact, a poem is already well worked out in my mind, evolved through many revisions, long before I set it down in a concrete form. And once I have set it down, I look at it and do more editing and revising and polishing until it reflects sufficient clarity, elegance, and grace to give me satisfaction. Only rarely will a poem, come to me whole (most often in a dream) as Athena from the forehead of Zeus. The gifts of my muses are most often given me contingent on how willing I am to work on them. And if they are worthy of being shared, this means a good bit. Muses do not coddle; they are demanding if not unforgiving.  

AB: Speaking of muses, your recent poetry collection is La musa lunática/The Lunatic Muse. Tell me about the moon as a muse, and a lunatic one at that.  

RJG: (laughing) Well...growing up in the Chihuahua desert as I did, the clear night skies were a spectacle that dazzled me. Most especially when the moon was full and the coyotes were heard in the long distances singing to her. My father and mother were fond of making us aware of the night skies, and nights of the full moon were dear to them. So it was easy for me to find inspiration in the light of the moon and often make her the focus or informing image of my poems. In Western folklore, the moon was cause of madness and in as much as poetry is often seen as outside rational thought, she indeed has been my lunatic muse.  

AB: One of the poems in that collection that I particularly like is “Moon Chased by Dogs”, which was written on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq, in March 2003. What’s the story behind that poem?  

RJG: It was a coincidence that the night before the Invasion was a full moon. I don’t know how much of a coincidence that was in the head of Bush or the other war mongers. Maybe they needed a little light to launch their bombs and things, and to them there may not have been a coincidence. But to me it seemed a coincidence that the moon was full. The moon is always coinciding with what is happening in the world. There is always something happening on the night of the full moon and the moon just happens to be a very convenient focus or the informing image for what I need to say. But of course there are a multitude of other things that influence the writing of a poem, and in the case of “Moon Chased by Dogs” there had recently appeared in the paper a horrific story about a woman being killed by the dogs of her neighbor. And that brought to my mind how horrible it would be to be attacked by a ferocious dog, and in turn to associate the image of rabid dogs with Bush and his ilk, and the imminent and horrific notion of the U.S. bombing Iraq.  

AB: You are also a visual artist, best known for your installation pieces, particularly your altars. How do your poems and visual work inform one another?  

RJG: It is difficult for me to separate my work as a visual artist from my work as a wordsmith. In both, the concrete image is of foremost importance to give substance to abstract concepts. And in as much as I am more concerned with perception than with conception, I depend upon the image to flesh out thoughts I wish to convey. My art has multitudinous aspects and each informs the other — the word is inseparable from the object to which it refers, while the object calls forth the word with which we think upon it. My visual art and my writing are two ways of perceiving and celebrating the world and each informs the other.  

AB: Can you speak a little about your spiritual journey, starting from being raised in a traditional Catholic family?  

RJG: (Laughter) Catholicism was just the context in which my spiritual journey-- whatever exactly that means-- took place. Awe and reverence for the Earth and for life has always been the lynch-pin of my consciousness as far as I can remember, and was so from the very beginning. But raised as I was in a traditional Catholic family, I was trained to focus that awe and reverence upon the concept of “God.” Of course, I was always aware that that awe was elicited by the ineffable glory of the natural world and my love for my parents, my family, my fellow brothers and sisters.  But I was serious in my Catholicism and studied the writings of Aquinas and Augustine and Newman and Chesterton — you name it — but I also read much history, cultural anthropology, world literature.  And I came to realize that there was no basis for considering the Abrahamic myth of monotheism any more true than other world myths. Gradually the myth of monotheism became untenable to me. Not least because of its insistence on being the one and only truth and so readily lending itself to the drives of empire. By the time I was in my Junior year in college, in my middle twenties, I’d become a born-again pagan, with the Earth being the most holy thing I could ever experience.  

But like I said, it was a very gradual intellectual and spiritual journey, not like the Road to Damascus . . . although I must say, thinking of it now, perhaps it did have some of that quality, and if I had to pinpoint the moment of conversion to paganism it would have to be when I first experienced peyote. That was a true communion with divinity.  

AB: Quite a journey! So in light of all of that, how would you describe your own relationship to the “natural” world now, and your understanding of the relationship between earth and spirit?  

RJG: I think what I’ve said of my spiritual journey pretty much explains my relationship to the Earth, meaning the “natural” world, the Earth outside the artifice of humankind. I, and all that I know of life and things, are of the Earth, dependent upon her for our existence. We are of her; that is our relationship. This nonsense of opposing the “spirit” to the Earth is of purely “Abrahamic” invention. The “spirit” is, as are all phenomena in the human sphere, of her.  

AB: I notice you always refer to the Earth as “she...”  

RJG: Of course, when I refer to the Earth as “she” I’m speaking metaphorically. We are mammals and it is the female of our species that bears us from within her own body. In speaking of the Earth as “she” we recognize that it is from her we come. Furthermore, the more we know about how the Earth functions the more it is apparent that “she behaves” as a self-regulating organism as all living things do. It is, to me, important to speak of the Earth as “she” to recognize and relate to her as a subject to be respected and not as a mere object to exploit for our puny, short-sighted, destructive ends. Any less and we court our own self-destruction.  

AB: How, in turn, do these beliefs shape your work as a poet and an artist?  

RJG: They are inseparable.  Certainly, spirituality is, essentially, inseparable from the poetic experience. Words give expression to spirituality, in as much as human kind conceives in language. Poetry is in its essence inseparable from awe, and reverence, and love. Can you love without saying “I love you”? I imagine you can, but it would be a rather incomplete, unsatisfying form of loving.  

And because poetry (from the Greek “to create”) is inseparable from language itself and is at its root, in any culture you care to study, its most ancient texts (whether recorded or passed on by mouth) are poetry — and religious, spiritual if you will. (And this applies to any of its art as well; the word art comes from Indo-European “to fit together”.) The power of a secular, or sacrilegious, or even frivolous poem, hinges upon a sense of awe however hidden or stunted, denied or scorned, or blasphemed. Whether we want to admit it or not, poetry is essentially a spiritual exercise — whether we are talking of Lucretius or Lucian, of Brother Antoninous [William Everson], or Charles Bukowski.  

(laughing) It occurs to me that we have been using the word spirituality a lot. And I fear it may just be a Rorschach test for many. To clarify my use of the word, let me quote myself from my introduction to El corazón de la muerte, a book on Día de muertos by the Oakland Museum of California: “Spirituality,” an awkward and overused term, refers to something not easily defined but always marked by a sense of reverence, awe, affinity, of a place in the scheme of a vast and transcendent order.

 (laughing) So, there . . .

AB: And as activist...? I’m always struck by the sense of urgency that you express, in conversation and on your blog, and in your calls to action.   

RJG: My sense of urgency and my involvement in the struggle for justice and peace and care of the Earth are inseparable from my spiritual beliefs. Returning for a moment to Catholicism, I am fundamentally influenced by the supposed teachings of a Jeshua of Nazaret (Jesus in the Greek.) Of everything that I have had to question and discard of my monotheistic Christian beliefs, the moral teachings of Jesus are the only thing that has held up to my test by reason and experience and the heart. I am responsible for the welfare of my brothers and sisters; I am responsible for the care of the Earth. The suffering of my fellow humans (and my relations the other animals, the plants, the minerals) is great and must be urgently responded to. Love and reverence for life demands it. What other demand is so great? If anything is expression of my “spiritual” and moral beliefs, this is it.  

AB: I’ve read that you refer to the “old cosmology” as having reached its limit, and the need for basing our future on reverence for the earth. Can you speak to that?  

RJG: What I mean by the “old cosmology” is the way we in the “Western” culture have been accustomed to see the universe as a fixed order created and ruled by an immutable will we have conceived as “God” (unique, outside, and independent of the universe “he” created yet somehow obsessed with our behavior in the trajectory of a linear path of time.) However, what science has discovered is that the universe is far from fixed but continually in the process of change, of creation of itself, and that time is not linear but bent and cyclical, and that “will”, consciousness, is one and inseparable from the universe itself. That nothing is fixed but in perpetual evolution and change, and what we call reality is not fixed but in the perpetual process of becoming. In our traditional mythic framework of the “West”, we have popularly projected “God” outside our existence on this Earth and our goal is to “join him” beyond death in some far beyond in the heavens. This paradigm devalues the Earth as only a stage in which our brief lives are but a vehicle toward the “heaven” of our imagination. Not so. We are already in “heaven” and we are of the Earth, and however brief our lives, this is our only “paradise” (or “hell”), and it is up to us to make it one or the other with what “intelligence” we have been able to evolve. We like to say that “God created us in his image” while in fact we create our gods in the image of ourselves.  

AB: You’ve also made some statements about this country having one of the poorest standards of living in the world . . . which I’m sure some people find quite shocking, maybe even ridiculous.   

RJG: In the U.S. we are fond of smugly asserting that we have “the highest standard of living.” What we mean by this is that we consume more than any other nation on Earth. I guess that if consumption is the highest value by which a life is judged, then this assertion is true. But as far as I am concerned, love and joy are by far greater values of living and in these the U.S. is far more lacking than are other nations and cultures. We do not care for the welfare of one another; we spend more time and wealth in seeking “fun” than cultivating joy. Indeed we have one of the meanest standards of living. Even so, should we accept at face value that consumption (or wealth) constitutes the “highest standard of living,” it is at the cost of the greater part of the world. We, about 6% of the Earth’s population, consume about 55% of its wealth. And who in the U.S. enjoys such? We have the highest percentage of our citizens in jail than any other county in the world, most of whom are African-Americans, Latinos, the poor. An unconscionable number of our citizens do not have health care. Our public schools are in shambles and our illiteracy rate is climbing. Millions are out of work and without assistance. Forty percent of the national wealth is in the hands of one percent of our population and poverty levels rise higher each year. To claim that “the U.S. has the highest standard of living” sounds to me like scoundrelly cynicism, a perverse sense of value, or abysmal ignorance.  

AB: I’ve heard you describe yourself as a “pessimist of the intellect” but an “optimist of the heart.” Can you elaborate on this?  

RJG: Given the state of the world, our, not so much inability, but unwillingness to heal our abuse of the Earth (global warming, etc.), ameliorate starvation and disease, end war, share equitably the wealth of the Earth, make learning available to all, intellectually, I see very little hope for our future as a species. But to this, my whole spirit rebels. Futile as it may seem, I have but one life to live and all I can do is put all I have to oppose things as they are, struggle for justice and peace – and do it in joy (albeit it with impatience and anger as well.) In my mind I must say, “The odds are too great; we have destroyed more than we can save; the institutions of fear and greed too entrenched and powerful to overcome or change.” But in my heart, I can only say, “My joy lies in struggling to right things as I see them. Perhaps if my efforts, joined to those of my brothers and sisters of good will, can tip the scales toward a bit more justice, more compassion, more care of the Earth, we may gain a bit more time for those who will follow to open their eyes and their hearts and, odds against odds, realize the paradise from which we were never expelled but have fucked up with our foolish beliefs and irresponsible acts.  

AB:  So where does love fit in? I read something where you were quoted as saying “if you cannot love, you cannot feel joy. And if you cannot feel joy, you will never feel secure.”  

RJG: It is in my direct experience and observation that if I (or anyone I have ever known) cannot love, I (we) cannot experience joy. And corollary to this, if we cannot love and feel joy (or at least contentment) we cannot be (feel) secure. It is my experience, my observation, my studies that lead to this conclusion. It is lack of compassion (limited ability to love) and greed and fear (greatest of insecurities if not madnesses) that are the sources of the greatest inequities, injustices, abuses, ills we suffer as humans. As far as I can see, as individuals and as a species, we cannot consider ourselves successful, fully developed, if we cannot, or are limited in, love.  

AB: And laughter? I can’t help but notice that you love to laugh...  

RJG: (laughing) Life is ridiculous to begin with and we have to face life with laughter . . . I can’t conceive of life without laughter.   

_______________________________________________________________  

[Anna Bálint is currently working on a novel rooted in the Roma experience of the Holocaust. She is the Author of Horse Thief, a collection of short fiction (Curbstone, 2004), as well as two earlier books of poetry, Out of the Box and spread them crimson sleeves like wings. Her poems and stories have been published in numerous journals and magazines. A passionate teacher, she has taught creative writing in prisons, community programs, and in 2001 received the Starbucks Leading Voices award for her work with immigrant youth. At present, she teaches at Richard Hugo House and Antioch University, both in Seattle.]


BOOKS

Red Herring: The Stinking Trail by Joe Sanchez and Mo Dhania
Militarizing the Border: When Mexicans Became the Enemy by Miguel Antonio Levario
Ernesto Uribe's Three Books
Mariachi for Gringos II by Gil Perry
El Camino to Jarales:Purgatorial Confessions with Don Manuel by Oscar S. Ramirez
El Rio by Michael Neale

Congratulations to Joe and Mo Dhania for the publication of  Red Herring: The Stinking Trail.  
The book signing at the Mercantile Grill Restaurant 126 Pearl Street NYC was well attended by friends and the community. 

Tom Keegan, 1Publishing ~ Athletic Guide Publishing ~ Old Kings Road Press
PO Box 1050,  Flagler Beach, FL 32136-1050
386.439.2250 office phone  386.439.2050 cell phone   flaglernet@gmail.com

List of people's name at book signing:

Sgt. Mike Bosak , NYPD {ret. },  knowledgeable NYPD historian.

David Caban { ret. police officer }

Sgt. Eddie Carol { ret. }  30 Pct. NYPD

Gloria Collins, mother of Detective Frank P. Collins NYPD { killed in
motorcycle accident, 6/18/2002 } Gloria was  accompanied by her friend Marty Satloss

Nelson Denis, former New York State Assemblyman, who wrote and directed the feature film "VOTE FOR ME!" { 1998, comedy }

Marc DeSantis, son of Detective Quentin DeSantis, { 19, 25, 44 Pct } and Vietnam Army combat veteran, died  from Agent Orange

Jamar Dickson, NJ and NY Blue Now magazine and Public Relations
Representative For Evisage Production.

Maria DZiegowski wife of Police Officer Matthew A DZiegowski killed in the line of duty 2/14/99.

Retired Chief of Patrol Nicholas Estavillo/ Vietnam Combat Recon Marine 1967.

Family member, Andrew Falco

Cousin Frank Finamori

Retired detective NYPD, Hector Gonzalez

Captain Donna Roman Hernandez { ret. } and husband Jerry.  
Donna retired from Caldwell, New Jersey, PD. She is the  host of radio show "The Jersey Beat" at: www.thejerseybeat.blogspot.com 

Ret. Sgt. Al "Gabe" Kaplan, NYPD

Ret. Deputy Chief Rudy Landin, NYPD

Detective Jose Lopez, NYPD

Retired Police Officer Tommy Matovic, NYPD

Bobby Matovic Vietnam combat veteran { 1970 ]

Sgt. Al Medina { ret. } NYPD and his wife, Chris



Charles "Chuck" Meyers Passaic County, NJ, Sheriff's Office, and his wife, Yamille.

Retired Police Officer Aveian Jay Middleton

Retired Police Officer Timmy Motto { 28 Pct. }

Maureen Ocasio, wife of  Lieutenant Carlos Ocasio { 44, 34, 28 24 Pct. } who died  on 2009 after responding to the 2001 World Trade Center Attack.

Sgt. Jimmy Olivero, { ret. } 34 and 44 Pct NYPD

Cousin Manny Oriolla and his 12-year-old son, Giovannie

Captain Patrick Petrino {ret. } NYPD

Cousin Tony Picon

Detective Erik Pistek { ret. } NYPD

Detective Mark Roman, NYPD, son of my 25 Pct. Partner,  Detective Freddy Roman {ret. }

Angelo Rodriguez, Director of Police Officer Andrew Glover Youth Center. Officer Glover was shot and killed alongside Sgt. Frederick Reddy { 9th Pct. } on September 16, 1975 when they pulled over a car for a traffic infraction on Avenue B & 5th Street. The story is told in both Latin Blues: A tale of Police Omerta From the NYPD & True Blue: A tale of the enemy within.


Gene Serina, host of the Uncle "G" Cozy Corner Radio Oldie Show at: www.cozycornerradio.com 

Sgt. Elsa Seguinot {ret. } and her friend....

Dectective Evelyn Urena { ret. } and her husband

My darling, Lorraine Sanchez

John Valles NYPD Director of Traffic agents.

Lieutenant John Verwoert { ret } NYPD Field Internals Affairs Unit who investigated my case on April 13, 1983, and spoke up for me during my criminal trial in 1985. He tried to help me get reinstated.

Richard Weisel { ret. police officer and former 2nd vice president
Brooklyn/ Staten Island 10-13 Club.

Dear Mimi:

First of all, Mo and I want to thank you for your kind attention to us. Secondly, we want to thank our many guests, friends, relatives, readers, critics, and all, who attended the book signing on the evening of Wednesday, September 19, 2012 . I tried to list all of you individually, but Mo said it was starting to look like the Viet Nam Wall. And thirdly, we want to thank John Moran, the owner of  The Mercantile Grill, 126 Pearl Street , Manhattan , near Wall Street, who put on a truly wonderful spread for everyone. Also to my friend and family member, Andrew Falco, for suggesting the location and was there to make sure all went well. Also to my friend Gene Serina for all his help.  

This book was long in the making. It began over a decade ago, but got sidetracked so many times that, despite the many individual episodes already completed, Mo complained she forgot how it went. One day, we sat down to write about a police sergeant walking into the (fictitious) Thirty-Sixth Precinct, thinking about his niece, a girl whom he had helped raise since her parents’ divorce and now an officer in the same precinct, and how to help her get on in life. Suddenly, all the characters came back to life, and this novel was written.  

It is a novel.  No one actually walked from real life onto its pages, not even me. Yet it is woven from my own life experience, and even sometimes from Mo’s.  The printing was by Tom Keegan, of Old King’s Road Press, Flagler Beach, Florida, and he and his crew put my stories and Mo’s cover art into their final form. Tom worked very hard on this, and was understanding about the hardships we had to go through. I can’t thank him enough.  

There are two guests I want to thank especially: Lieutenant John Verwoert, formerly of  Field Internal Affairs Unit “FIAU”, and Nick Estavillo, former Chief of Patrol, both of whom actually had a part in the story that is yet to be written, Yellow Streak. Yellow Streak is drawn from the last chapters of my police career, and without Nick and John, the ending would have been a whole lot less happy. Thank you, John. Thank you, Nick. Thank you too, Donna Roman and many another I haven’t been able to name, and God bless you all.  

Love to you all, Joe Sanchez

Joe Sanchez1920 Tilburg Avenue
Deltona, Florida 32725
(386) 789 2660   (386) 747 9336
bluewall@mpinet.net


 


Currently available through the 
Texas A&M University Press.  


As historian Miguel Antonio Levario explains in this timely book, current tensions and controversy over immigration and law enforcement issues centered on the US-Mexico border are only the latest evidence of a long-standing atmosphere of uncertainty and mistrust plaguing this region. Militarizing the Border: When Mexicans Became the Enemy, focusing on El Paso and its environs, examines the history of the relationship among law enforcement, military, civil, andpolitical institutions, and local communities. In the years between 1895 and 1940, West Texas experienced intense militarization efforts by local, state, and federal authorities responding to both local and international circumstances. El Paso’s “Mexicanization” in the early decades of the twentieth century contributed to strong racial tensions between the region’s Anglo population and newly arrived Mexicans. Anglos and Mexicans alike turned to violence in order to deal with a racial situation rapidly spinning out of control.

Highlighting a binational focus that sheds light on other US-Mexico border zones in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Militarizing the Border establishes historical precedent for current border issues such as undocumented immigration, violence, and racial antagonism on both sides of the boundary line. This important evaluation of early US border militarization and its effect on racial and social relations among Anglos, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans will afford scholars, policymakers, and community leaders a better understanding of current policy . . . and its potential failure.

Miguel A. Levario, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Texas Tech University, Box 41013
Holden Hall 131, Lubbock, TX. 79409
Fax: 806.742.1060

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


Ernesto Uribe Three Novels

To all on my email list...  A lot of friends and family are not aware that I have published three novels. Since it has been a while since I published TLALCOYOTE, I figured it was time to inform all that there are now two other novels you may want to read.

Featured below are the three books that you can check out through AMAZON.com, with customer reviews, short outlines and even the first chapter that you may want to read. For those of you who don't order online, you can give a phone call to my good friend George Farias who is the owner of BORDERLANDS BOOK STORE in San Antonio and he will gladly fill your order at about the same price as AMAZON. His phone number is: (210) 647-7535. George will send you the books and you can send him with a check.  These books are available as hardback, paperback and electronic.

Thank you,  Ernesto Uribe
Euribe000@aol.com  

Editor: I thoroughly enjoyed  Rumors of a Coup and The Unforgiving. Besides being adventures, they were insightful concerning the U.S. military presence, influence and interaction in the affairs of other countries.  A little romance and principled heroes kept me interested and engaged.   




The book explores mariachi in a clear, concise fashion. Although written originally, and primarily, for the non-Hispanic reader, it has been embraced by ALL who are looking for:

  • more knowledge of mariachi history
  • answers to their FAQs
  • comprehension of the 'stories' told by each song
  • biographies of six prominent 'gringos for mariachi'
  • articles and updates about the genre

In addition, a poll of the leading mariachi experts in both Mexico and the United States has produced a consensus ranked list of 50 More Requested Songs for you to use, sing, or play. Included are:

  1. the sheet music, with chords
  2. the Spanish lyrics
  3. a line-by-line English translation

So... who will benefit from using this valuable volume? And how can you maximize your benefits from its utilization? First, click on each heading on the left side of this page to 'show and tell' all you need to know About the Book.

Once you've completed your search, you'll be ready to utilize Mariachi for Gringos II. Keep in mind that Webster defines utilize as "the means to participate and profit from a particular endeavor."

If you are interested in the Annual Rosarito Beach (MX) International Mariachi & Folklórico Festival, go to the right side columnar display for all the pertinent information.

Visit www.mariachiforgringos.com and investigate the appropriate Wholesale Promotions listed on the right side of that site's Home Page.

Gil Sperry gilsperry@yahoo.com

 

 

 

El Camino to Jarales:
Purgatorial Confessions with Don Manuel
by Oscar S. Ramirez

Oscar S. Ramirez, descendant of the Sanchez, and reared in Jarales, New Mexico captures the pristine world of his ancestors who came from Spain to colonize “La Nueva Galicia.” In so doing captures the sinewy elegance, a poetic beauty, outclassing the most haunting social conditions and myths of the time. He depicts the joys, struggles and sorrows experienced in taming a hostile territory. He shows how narration of history and storytelling can be combined; carefully built and chronologically disclosed to weave the past with the present. This sensitively written book allows the reader to relive the past and learn how wisdom, piety and love were passed down to us.  Don Manuel charms the reader with the music in his words.  

 

 

The setting takes place in la Capilla de San Francisco Xavier in Jarales, New Mexico where an acerbically witted Don Manuel, destined for entrance into Heaven, has been sidetracked to serve his Purgatorial obligation.  Only the sun disk on the altar gives him strength and reduces the agony in his soul. He cannot ascend into Heaven until he has found a mortal who will listen to his story about the Sanchez’s from Jarales.  It is slow in coming! 

Lucia Sanchez meets with Don Manuel in la capilla when she is alive and agrees to ask her son to visit with him. The son takes long in doing so and by that time Lucia chances upon another encounter with Don Manuel as she happens her way through Purgatory on the way to her eternal home. She departs and Don Manuel bemoans his plight but remains confined to feel the blood pass through his stomach. 

The son eventually meets with Don Manuel under the shadows of the night in the capilla nestled at the foot of the cottonwoods. Though suspicious of the “prisoner in la capilla,” the son engages him in conversations but remains guarded of the medium under which events take place. The greater his suspicions, the more offers of proof are provided: transmigration, meeting with the dead and seeing wine turn to blood in a knothole. Don Manuel holds the son’s hand as they cross the veneer between immortal and mortal life and relates names, cites events and dates only one with an intimate acquaintance can tell. Information spills like the unconscious perfume in roses. The means under which events unravel nearly drive the son insane. Events unfold only a sacred oracle can tell from intuitions of the pure-hearted. Such details in another place could lend reason for them to be false but the give and take in the capilla leaves no reason for refuting them. It is said, under extreme situations ancestral stories are dusted from their eternal closets to walk in the mortal world. Could this be the case or is the son bordering on the flowerbed of insanity? 

The son returns to the capilla after their last meeting and Don Manuel’s departure for Heaven but the doors are bolted and so have remained. He questions the mayordoma about the doors being locked. She declares, “I have the only key and never leave the doors unlocked at night.” This raises questions in the son. As stories of the past rage in his mind he understands conversations had to be quid-pro-quo for releasing Don Manuel. But, did they meet on the last pew and walk along the roads in Jarales? On the other hand, if Don Manuel had not been present, how else would the son know about the Sanchez?  


Oscar S. Ramirez was born in Mexico and reared in Jarales, New Mexico the land of his Sanchez ancestors.  He received a Ph.D. in Psychology, was a university professor, cofounded the Hispanic Institute for Family Development, honored as a Distinguished Western Hemisphere Scholar and retired as a college vice-president.  He delves in poetry and sees the world as a picture book of our journey through human life.  He and his wife Sue live in El Dorado Hills, California where they enjoy living not far from open spaces, ranch land where the night hawk shrills in the night air and were a tear of joy beings with their ancestors.

The book is available through: Amazon.com and Xlibris.com.

 

 

The River  by Michael Neale 
now available in Spanish, El Rio  

Review by Christine D. Johnson
Thomas Nelson anticipates high sales from formerly self-published novel

A sold-out crowd filled Christ Fellowship’s Gardens campus in South Florida Aug. 31 to watch as storyteller Michael Neale’s The River came to life in a multimedia event dubbed The River Experience. The novel, which was self-published with a small print run, was picked up by Thomas Nelson and released Sept. 18.

With themes of loss, forgiveness and redemption, The River tells the story of Gabriel Clarke who learns to face his fears and become a man, coming to grips with the sacrifice that led to his father’s death but saved a foolish young kayaker’s life.

Having journaled ideas for the book for years, Neale believes the story was given to him by God.

“It was like the story chose me,” he said in a WAY-FM radio interview.

The idea for the story began more than a decade ago when Neale and his wife, Leah, were on a Colorado River rafting trip, when she fell into the river but emerged unhurt. Just the day before, another rafter had died in the rapids.

Performing what some have described as a “living book,” the live event featured Neale, who narrated passages from the novel and presented original music along with a small group of musicians. A cinematic experience, the audience watched as much of the story was told through film on a large screen. A brief message at the end of the evening by the church’s teaching pastor, author John Maxwell, brought home the gospel story inherent in The River.

This year’s multimedia event marked the second time the story was brought to life at the church where Neale is artist-in-residence, Todd Mullins is lead pastor and Tom Mullins is founding pastor. The event was a benefit for Hope for Freedom, a Christ Fellowship initiative to aid the victims of modern-day slavery.

The previous event, in October 2011, saw 1,200 copies of the novel sell out to the enthusiastic crowd, and this year attendees stood in a long line at a photo booth where they could have their photo taken with Neale after the performance.

Songs by Neale—a Dove Award-winning songwriter whose music has been recorded by artists such as Michael W. Smith (“Rise Above”), Natalie Grant (“Your Great Name,” Dove Awards for Worship Song of the Year), Rebecca St. James (“In A Moment”), Todd Agnew (“I Need No Other”) and Phillips, Craig and Dean (“Saved the Day”)—were part of The River Experience, which he produced with collaborator Michael Whitaker.

The softcover book and e-book ($16.99 each) and the novel in Spanish, El Rio ($14.99, Grupo Nelson), were simultaneously released in September. On Nov. 6, Thomas Nelson will release The River Discussion Kit, an eight-session DVD study featuring short videos by the author and extra footage not used in The River Experience.

An adaptation of the full-length event was scheduled to be performed Oct. 6 at Women of Faith in Portland, Ore.

For pictures from The River Experience, visit www.christianretailing.com/photos/theriver.

El río (The River), the much talked about first novel by award-winning songwriter and worship leader Michael Neale, is now available in Spanish by Grupo Nelson ($14.99). In the book, the author tells the story of a man who must reconnect with his past by confronting the same river that is responsible for his deep sorrow. We had the opportunity to interview Neale regarding both the novel and his book-related multimedia show.

Writers have used rivers as metaphors for many things. Did that literary background have anything to do with the way the story came to you?

I love rivers. I've rafted and fished in many of them over the years. One trip in particular with my wife Leah really opened my eyes and heart to the story of El río. We rafted through the beautiful gorges of Colorado and at one particularly treacherous spot Leah fell out. She disappeared into the whitewater. I felt so helpless. She was only under for probably 10-15 seconds but it felt like a lifetime. That day, a truly visceral experience was written on my soul. But the full inspiration for El río came from a collection of life experiences. Eleven years later, I finally got the courage to try and communicate a story that was stirring in my heart. It was almost as if the story chose me.

 

When Gabriel, the protagonist, is a young boy he witnesses a devastating event. Do you think anyone is capable of confronting his/her past successfully in a similar situation?

Pain and suffering find their way to us all. It´s part of the fabric of being broken people, living in a broken world. The good news is: it is not forever. I think we all have to deal with our "brokenness", the question is how? For Gabriel, it meant giving himself-heart, mind and soul-to the river. However pain and suffering have made their way to you, God will meet you in that place. Just like a jagged rock is worn smooth by the hands of the river, our pain, in the hands of God, can create something new and beautiful.

 

You have created a multimedia show based on El río, how different was planning the show from writing the book?

The show is 90 minutes. The audio book is seven hours. You have to be concise and precise about delivering the best possible content in a fast paced, theatrical environment. The great thing about the show, it delivers an altogether different experience. Hopefully, once you read the book, you want to see the show. Once you see the show, you want to read the book!

 

Could you share with us what you are working on now?

Most of my time for the next few months will be promoting El río, taking this message to the world. But rumor has it I'm working on the sequel.

 

About the author

Michael Neale, 40 years old, is an award-winning songwriter and a featured teacher at conferences around the U.S. El río is Neale´s first novel. His second book, Your Great Name, will be released in October 2012.

Sent by Kirk Whisler, Latino Print Network  
kirk@whisler.com   http://www.LatinoPrintNetwork.com

 


Latino soldiers
 Cebu, Phillipines, WW II

USA LATINO PATRIOTS

Joe Belman, WWII Vet Receives Long Overdue Medals at JJC Ceremony (2009)
8 minute color film about the June 1942 Battle of Midway Island
Brigadier General Wiltz P. Segura
Long-missing Colorado Marine buried with full honors
65th Borinqueneers Seeking Recognition
American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: Lasting Contributions
Lambeau Fiedl Honors Our Military

World War II Vet collects medals after 64 years

With World War II over, Joe Belman sped home without decorations earned in European skies -- now he has them

September 11, 2009, By Alicia Fabbre, SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

When Joe Belman came home from World War II, he didn't get much of a welcoming party.  He was discharged in Amarillo, Texas, and ended up hitchhiking back to Illinois. When he arrived in Lockport a week later, the only person waiting for him was his cousin. 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-09-11/news/0909090332_1_honorable-service-lapel-button-medals-joliet-junior-college 
Joliet Junior College

An interview produced under the Department of External Relations, Joliet Jr. College, 09/10/2009

World War II veteran Joe Belman of Lockport was honored at Joliet Junior College (JJC) on
Sept. 9, 2009 in a special ceremony to receive medals he earned 64 years ago but never received.

Belman, an 85-year-old U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sergeant, never received certain medals he earned during 35 combat missions as a ball turret gunner for the 8th Air Force – 305th Bomb Group.

“What can I say?” Belman said after accepting his medals. “I’m at a loss for words. This is amazing. I’m certainly humbled because I know that there are so many million more out there that deserve an honor like this.”

Presenting five medals to Belman were Kam Buckner, a representative from Sen. Dick Durbin’s office and Lt. Colonel Jerry Gleason of the Illinois Army National Guard.

As an audience of family members, local legislators and community members looked on, Gleason pinned the Good Conduct Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars, WWII Victory Medal, Honorable Service lapel button WWII, and Marksman Badge with Aeroweapons Bar with Pistol Bar and Rifle Bar to Belman’s suit lapel to conclude the ceremony.

In addition to the public ceremony, Belman’s military experiences were recently recorded by the JJC Media Services Office as part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. An excerpt of this video is below.

"Today, we give special thanks to [Mr. Belman] for his service to our country...for his dedication, his commitment, his allegiance and devotion to this land, her ideals and beliefs," Buckner said. "Joe Belman has exemplified and defined that spirit that is uniquely American—the courage, energy, resolve and substance that have been the backbone of our nation and that continue to illuminate our path." View the video interview with World War II veteran Joe Belman. This video will be included as part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Sent by  Salvador Valadez, co-producer of the video who writes:
Hi Mimi, I've attached information that may be of interest to you and others. I think your Somos Primos website is outstanding! I serve as a consultant for the Fiesta! project and as the lead researcher for the McLean County History Museum's Latino History Project. I was the advisor for the JJC Latinos Unidos Joe Belman Project.

Please let me know if you would like additional information.  Thanks!  Sal Valadez
Bloomington, IL   309-533-3090

salvaladez82@yahoo.com 
Joliet Junior College
1215 Houbolt Road, Joliet, IL 60431-8938
Phone: (815) 729-9020 

Editor:  Do watch it.  It will make your proud.


8 minute color film about the June 1942 Battle of Midway Island

THIS IS THE ACTUAL BATTLE, NOT A REENACTMENT

8 minute color film about the June 1942 Battle of Midway Island, 
filmed by combat camera crews of Hollywood Film Director 
John Ford, who became Navy CAPT. John Ford (USNR). http://video.staged.com/localshops/ww_iirare_film__midway__directed_by_john_ford 

BRIGADIER GENERAL WILTZ P. SEGURA
The Official website of the U.S. Air Force
http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7103 

Retired Oct. 1, 1972. Died April 9, 1999. 

Brigadier General Wiltz P. Segura is the U.S. deputy chief of staff, Live Oak in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium. 

General Segura was born in 1921 in New Iberia, La., where he graduated from New Iberia High School in January 1940 and attended Louisiana State University and the University of Southwestern Louisiana prior to entering the Army Air Corps in 1942 as an aviation cadet. He received his flying training in the Southeastern Training Command and graduated at Craig Field, Ala., with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and his pilot wings in April 1943. He then attended a three month fighter transition training at Sarasota, Fla. 

In August 1943 General Segura was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as a P-40 pilot. He joined the famed 23d Fighter Group of the 14th Air Force which had been organized with members of the American Volunteer Group known as Chennault's Flying Tigers. During his World War II tour of duty in China, General Segura flew 102 combat missions, destroyed one Japanese bomber and five fighter aircraft, and was credited with damaging three more. He was shot down twice by ground fire but each time parachuted to safety and successfully evaded enemy capture behind the lines. 

General Segura returned to the United States in 1945 and attended the Aircraft Engineering and Maintenance School. In August 1946 he was assigned to the San Antonio Materiel Depot as flight test maintenance officer. In January 1947 he entered the Air Tactical School; after his graduation in April 1947, he served as adjutant and coordinator of operations and organizations, and flight test officer for the 22d Aircraft Repair Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas, and Victorville Army Air Field, Calif. He returned to Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, in August 1948 as personnel officer and adjutant for the 86th Air Depot, and later as commander, 25th Aircraft Repair Squadron. In May 1950 he was assigned to the San Antonio Air Materiel Area and served as chief of the Military Personnel Branch. 

In March 1952 General Segura entered the Army Language School at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif., where he studied Spanish. In September 1952 he was sent to South America as an adviser to the Venezuelan air force. He returned to the United States in October 1955 and became commander of the 323d Maintenance and Supply Group, of the 323d Fighter Bomber Wing at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Ind. In August 1957 he was enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force Staff College at Toronto, Canada. After graduation in June 1958, he went to England Air Force Base, La., as director of maintenance, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing and later was chief of maintenance for the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing. 

In 1961 he was selected to accompany the commander, Tactical Air Command, as aide-de-camp, and interpreter on Exercise Solidarity, a joint exercise in the Caribbean area to demonstrate to Latin American military leaders the capability of the United States to assist the free world nations in the event of any emergency. In November 1961 General Segura was assigned as commander of the 4520th Maintenance Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. 

In August 1963 he went to Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. While in the Washington area, he attended The George Washington University for graduate work. In June 1964 he was sent to Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va., where he served as director of engineering and maintenance. 

In October 1965 he was assigned to England Air Force Base, La., as vice commander of the 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, and retained that position when the wing was transferred in November 1965 to Bien Hoa Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. During an extended absence of the wing commander, he assumed command. General Segura flew more than 125 combat missions in the F-100, and F-5 aircraft, and was the first pilot to check out in the F-5 in the combat theater. 

General Segura returned to the United States in January 1967 and assumed command of the newly activated 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Force Base, Fla. In October 1970 the wing was redesignated the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. General Segura assumed duties as the United States Deputy Chief of Staff, Live Oak, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium, in June 1971. 

His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, Venezuelan Distinguished Flying Cross, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Honor Medal. He is a command pilot with more than 6,500 hours, and is a veteran of 28 years as a pilot in the Air Force. 

He was promoted to the temporary grade of brigadier general effective Dec. 31, 1970, with date of rank Dec. 29, 1970. 

(Current as of July 1, 1971)

Sent by Rafael Ojeda  rsnojeda@aol.com 

Long-missing Colorado Marine buried with full honors

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado family's years of waiting ended Tuesday when they finally buried a fallen Marine who had been missing since a helicopter crash during the rescue of an American ship crew seized by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge in 1975.

Pfc. James Jacques (HAW'-kas) was laid to rest with full military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver on what would have been his 56th birthday.

About 50 Vietnam War veterans holding American flags lined a street in the sprawling hilltop cemetery. Doves were released after three volleys were fired into the air.

"We never lost hope that he would come home, and that day has come," said Delouise Guerra, Jacques' older sister. "Now we all have closure."

Jacques, then 18 years old, was on a helicopter that crashed during the rescue of the cargo ship S.S. Mayaguez (my-ah-GWEZ) crew in May 1975. Of the 26 people aboard the helicopter, 13 were rescued and the other 13 were declared missing, including Jacques.

Jacques was among hundreds of Marines and airmen sent to storm Koh Tang Island, about 60 miles off the coast of Cambodia, to rescue the Mayaguez crew. The helicopter carrying Jacques crashed into the surf off Koh Tang Island amid unexpectedly heavy fire from Cambodian fighters.

All 39 crew Mayaguez members were released safely by Cambodia, but some 40 U.S. servicemen were killed.

Jacques' identification dog tags were found in 1992, but his remains weren't positively identified until this year, said Air Force Maj. Carie Parker of the Defense Prisoner of War and Missing Personnel Office.

A Cambodian had turned over the remains to a U.S.-Cambodian search team in 2007. Newly available DNA technology allowed researchers to confirm the identity this year.

Guerra got the news in a letter from the Marines that arrived at her Denver home on Aug. 14. Her son Bob was with her.

"I started crying because I knew it was about my brother," she said. "We were crying, we jumped, we hollered." 
Guerra, now 71, was 15 when Jacques was born. "He was a very loving, very caring — well, he was my baby brother," she said. "He was just a really good person."

Jacques grew up in La Junta, a small town about 140 miles southeast of Denver. He joined the Marines in October 1974, shortly after his 18th birthday. His family was apprehensive but didn't try to dissuade him, Guerra said. "It was something he wanted to do," Guerra said. "He wanted to go and serve his country and do his best." 

Jacques died just seven months after enlisting.

Twelve of the 13 missing servicemen are now confirmed to have died, Parker said. She said she could not discuss the 13th because an investigation is ongoing.

The Mayaguez operation is considered the last U.S. military engagement in Southeast Asia after the long and bloody war in Vietnam. The last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973, and the South Vietnamese capital fell to North Vietnam on April 30, 1975, just two weeks before the Mayaguez engagement.

Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/long-missing-colo-marine-buried-full-honors-071458670.html
Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP


65th Infantry Borinqueneers Seeking Recognition

Frank Medina, who represents an alliance that is spearheading an initiative recognizing the 65th Infantry Regiment with the Congressional Gold Medal, recently got in touch with me.
A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. It is awarded to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement. Refer to link for more details:
The following units have been awarded the CGM:
1.The Navaho Wind Talkers – Native American Marines whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages with the use of their Native language 2.The Nisei Soldiers - Japanese American intelligence soldiers during WWII in the Pacific, Africa, Italy and France  
3.The Tuskegee Airmen - the first African-American military aviators  
4.The Montford Point Marines - the first African-Americans to break the race barrier in the Marines

The 65th Infantry Regiment, which was a segregated military unit, participated in World War I, World War II and distinguished itself during the Korean War. If you read the article which I wrote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65th_Infantry_
Regiment_(United_States
) you will surely agree with me that the 65th Infantry Regiment deserves the Congressional Gold Medal.

 Any questions? Frank Medina can be reached: frank.medina@us.army.mil

Yours truly, Tony "The Marine" Santiago 
Nmb2418@aol.com
 

 

 

American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: Lasting Contributions

Lindsay F. Holiday, Gabriel Bell, Robert E. Klein and Michael R. Wells
Office of Policy
, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Preparedness
Department of Veterans Affairs

Introduction
In November 2001, President George W. Bush proclaimed National American Indian Heritage Month by celebrating the role of the indigenous peoples of North America in shaping our Nation’s history and culture. He said: "American Indian and Alaska Native cultures have made remarkable contributions to our national identity. Their unique spiritual, artistic, and literary contributions, together with their vibrant customs and celebrations, enliven and enrich our land."

An important part of the overall contribution of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) peoples to our Nation is the vital part played by American Indian men and women in protecting and preserving our freedoms. Their contributions to our armed forces have been made throughout our history, from the Revolution to the war against terror. The courage, spirit, and warrior tradition of American Indians have long been recognized as contributing to the individual qualities which distinguished American Indians in the military. During early wars, for example, the scouting and tracking abilities of American Indians, among many other skills, were particularly useful in battle. Later years saw American Indians more highly integrated into the military and playing expanded roles.

American Indians in the U.S. Military: Historical Highlights
Some highlights of the experience of American Indians in our Nation’s military follow:
1

1 The information on American Indians in the military comes from a series of reports from the Department of Defense in honor of American Indian Heritage month. These reports can be found using the following link: http://www.dod.mil/specials/nativeamerican01 /.

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.  beto@unt.edu
Original distributor:  Anthony G. Gonzales [eltonyg@earthlink.net]


LAMBEAU FIELD HONORS OUR MILITARY

Those who attended the game said it was extremely emotional to see the entire bowl of the stadium turn red, white and blue. It took 90 workers two weeks to get all of the colored card boards mounted under each seat. Each piece of card board had eye slits in them so the fans could hold up the colored sheet and still see through the eye slits. Every seat had to have the proper card, with no mistakes, to make this happen. This is what ESPN failed to show you Monday night, Apparently, they thought their commercials were more important than showing this scene for about 5 seconds. 

Sent by Eddie Grijalva  edwardgrijalva6020@comcast.net 

EARLY LATINO AMERICAN PATRIOTS

State of Washington Seeks donations of period uniforms
November 10th: The Tejano Battle of Medina 
Battle of Medina to be taught in schools throughout Texas in the 7th grade

We in the State of Washington State have been wanting to have at least 10 uniforms of the colonial  period for period ceremonies, reenactments, and parades. Washington state was part of Spain from 1774 until 1819 and is home to the Spanish Fort Nunez Gaona (1791). Any help in getting some uniforms donated to our cause would be greatly appreciated. Antonio Sanchez Ph.D.  Antonio.Sanchez@leg.wa.gov

 

November 10
The Tejano Battle of Medina

“Tejanos do not Withdraw” Colonel Miguel Menchaca

 

The Battle of Medina Society in conjunction with Southside Independent School District invites you to the annual Battle of Medina reenactment. The parade for the annual Cardinal Days kicks off at 12 noon on Saturday November 10 at the High School located on the corner of Hi 281 South (Roosevelt Rd) and Martinez-Losoya Road in Losoya, Texas. Volunteer reenactors should be on the football field at 11 AM for rehearsal. The parade ends at the football field and the reenactment follows.

The Battle of Medina was the biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil. More lives were lost in this battle and its aftermath, than in all of the other battles in the second Texas Revolution. The Battle of Medina put an end to the first constitutional government in Texas, but not the spirit of Independence. Serving in the Spanish Army at this battle was a 19 year old lieutenant, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

PBS Documentarian, Bill Millet who is currently filming the epic “Texas Before the Alamo,” will be coming to film our reenactment. I have been with Mr Millet to film in Guerrero Coahuila Mexico to film portions of the documentary. This film will be released on April 6th 2013. We also have permission to film on the Toudouze Ranch which is only a mile from the stadium. After we do the reenactment at the stadium we will film at the ranch where it will appear more realistic. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, finally the BOM will get the recognition it rightfully deserves and it will be seen by a national audience.

Anyone wishing to participate may do so as an 1813 Tejano, Anglo America filibuster, Native American or Spanish/Mexican soldier.

Examples of costumes are available on my Facebook page or you may call Star Line Costumes at 210-435-3535.

Dan Arellano President
Battle
of Medina Society
darellano@austin.rr.com
512-826-7569


Battle of Medina
to be taught in schools throughout Texas in the 7th grade



 Our goal is to have Battle of Medina chapters 
all over the country. 




The Southside Independent School District awarded 
Battle of Medina award for Mr Arellano 12-13-11 01

Due to the testimony of the Society’s Founder at the State Board of Education, the Battle of Medina is now in the curriculum to be taught in schools throughout Texas in the 7th grade; it is also mentioned on a plaque on the Tejano Monument; therefore it is vital that the correct version be taught and not the myths that have developed around it. The Tejano Battle of Medina and the Tejano Declaration of Independence have been celebrated in Losoya and San Antonio by the founder for the last 6 years. He has also led 13 expeditions in search of the battle site.

Therefore the mission of the society shall be as follows.

  • To encourage elected representatives to officially recognize the Emerald Green Flag as the 7th Flag flown over Texas
  • To encourage elected representatives to officially recognize April 6th as the Tejano Declaration of Independence (perhaps a holiday)
  • To archeologically find the battle site of the Battle of Medina
  • To support and participate in the reenactment of the Battle of Medina.(On the school grounds of SSISD in Losoya)
  • To support and participate in the Tejano Declaration of Independence reenactment in front of the Spanish Governors Palace
  • To have historical markers installed to honor the wives, mothers and daughters of the Tejanos that suffered and died from the brutality
  • To have historical markers installed to honor the memory of 327 Tejanos that were beheaded on Military Plaza in San Antonio
  • Once located, to have a monument and museum built on or near the battle site of the Battle of Medina
  • Dues will be $25 per year contributions are welcome and all will go to accomplishing the society’s mission.

Dan Arellano President and Founder
Battle of Medina Society
PO Box 43012
Austin, Texas 78704
512-826-7569  darellano@austin.rr.com  

 

Spanish SURNAMES

GONZALO DE SALAZAR 
Extensive research has been done by John Inclan, available online at:
http://www.somosprimos.com/inclan/inclan.htm   fromgalveston@yahoo.com 

Exchange of genealogical information, 26 Oct 2012  between John and 
Tte. Corl. Intdte. Ret. Ricardo Rául Palmerín Cordero, duardos47@hotmail.com 
Presidente de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León.

 
From: John Inclan <fromgalveston@yahoo.com>
To: Group Mexico <genealogia-mexico-noreste@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Benicio Samuel Sanchez <josbencai@yahoo.com.mx>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 2:24 PM
Subject: [Genealogia Noreste] 2388 Gonzalo de Salazar

Gonzalo de Salazar nació en Granada, España en 1492. Fue el primer niño cristiano nacido en Granada tras la expulsión de los moros, por lo que fue colmado de premios y privilegios desde su nacimiento. Su padre fue el reconocido doctor Fernández de Guadalupe, quien fue muy cercano a los Reyes Católicos y prestó muchos servicios a la Corona. El apellido Salazar fue tomado de la madre de don Gonzalo, quien provenía de una antigua familia de nobles castellanos.

Desde su juventud fue partidario de los reyes españoles, siendo considerado un fiel servidor. Antes de viajar a Nueva España con su mujer y cuñado, luchó a favor de los reyes en la Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla.
Contrajo matrimonio con Catalina de la Cadena y Maluenda, hermana de Antonio de la Cadena y Maluenda, descendientes de la rica Casa de Maluenda ligada al Señorío de las Medubas. Con su esposa y su cuñado se embarcó hacia la Nueva España para servir como factor de impuestos o Tesorero Real.
Salazar adquirió poder, y fue dueño de varias encomiendas en Tajimaroa (Michoacán). Su hija, Catalina de Salazar y de la Cadena, contrajo matrimonio en España con el noble Ruy Díaz de Mendoza y Arellano del Río, hijo del Señor de Morón y Gormaz. Tras darle la primera nieta a su padre, enviudó, partiendo entonces a la Nueva España y volviendo a contraer matrimonio con don Cristóbal de Oñate a quién dio ilustre descendencia. El hijo de "El Gordo", don Juan Velázquez de Salazar heredó sus múltiples encomiendas sumergidas en deudas y demandas tras la muerte de su padre.



Enrique de Trastamara II, Rey de Castilla y Dona Elvira Iniguez-de-la-Vega
Su hijo
Alfonso Enriquez de Castilla, Conde de Norona-y-Gijon
Su hija
Beatriz Enriquez-de-Norona cc Ruy de Periera, el Viejo, (Nobiliario Genealogico de los Reyes y Titulos de Espana, by Alonso Lopez de Haro. Vol. I, page 19).
Su hija
Beatriz de Norona cc Ruy Diaz-de-Mendoza-y-Guzman, III Senor de Moron
Su hujo
Ruy Diaz-de-Mendoza-y-Norona, IV Senor de Moron cc Aldonza de Avellaneda-y-Zuniga
Su hijo
Juan Hurtado-de-Mendoza, V Senor de Moron cc Luisa Velazquez-de-Cuellar-y-Velasco
Su hijo
Ruy Diaz-de-Mendoza-y-Cuellar, VI Senor de Moron cc Catalina de Arrellano-del-Rio
Su hijo
Ruy Diaz-de-Mendoza-y-Arellano-del-Rio cc Catalina Salazar-y-de-la-Cadena
Su hija
Magdalena de Mendoza-Salazar cc Vicente de Saldivar-y-Onate
Su hija
Magdelena Saldivar-Mendoza cc Juan Guerra-de-Reza
Su hijo
Captain Vicente de Saldivar-y-Reza cc Maria (Farias) de Sosa,
mis antes pasados.
John Inclan

GRACIAS A NUESTRO PRIMO MR. JOHN D. INCLAN.
TENEMOS MUCHA INFORMACIÓN DE NUESTROS ANTEPASADOS.

Una de las ramas de mis ancestros maternos.

1.- Sargento Mayor Miguel Sanchez Saenz.- Ana de Treviño.

2.- Diego Saenz Treviño- Clara del Valle.

3.- Miguel Saenz del Valle- Antonia de Saldivar Salinas. ( hija de Agustín de Saldivar Sosa y Ana de Salinas ).

4.- Nicolás Saenz Saldivar- ( 1as.nupcias María Salazar Rodriguez- 2as. nupcias Maria Ynés Salazar Rodriguez )

5.- Juana Saenz Salazar- Juan José Laurel Fernández Villarreal.

6.- Ana Francisca Laurel Fernández Saenz- José Salvador Salinas de los Ríos.

7.- José Ramón Salinas Fernández- ( 1as. nupcias Calletana Botello- 2as. nupcias María Juliana Ponce Silva)

8.- Manuel Antonio Salinas Ponce- Ana Kruzen ( Crusen ) Lutzelberger.

9.- Otilia Guadalupe Salinas Kruzen- ( 1as. nup. Refugio Ollervides de los Santos- 2as. nup. J.Guadalupe Cordero Calzado).

10.- María del Refugio Cordero Salinas- Capitán 2° de Caballería Delfino Palmerín Mejía.

11.- Capitán 1/° Intendente Ricardo Raúl Palmerín Cordero- Gloria Martha Pérez Tijerina.

12.- Gloria Martha Palmerín Pérez.

Saludos para todos los primos y primas.

Tte. Corl. Intdte. Ret. Ricardo Rául Palmerín Cordero.
Presidente de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León.

 


CUENTOS

"Los Piscadores" triggers memories for Tom Saenz
H


Hi Mimi,

When I attended the recent Vera Family Reunion in Alice, TX, one of my cousins, George Gonzalez, had on display a poster size print of a painting by Jesse Trevinio that was titled: "Los Piscadores". I was rather moved by the manner in which the artist depicted the cotton field, the cotton pickers, the truck and the scale used to weigh the cotton. The young man in the painting could have easily been one of my brothers or myself as this was one of the harvest jobs we had for several years. During the ten years we spent as migrant workers we picked all kinds of fruits, vegetables, etc., but none of them compared to cotton picking in terms of its hard work and the impact it had on our bodies. This painting truly bring back memories of that era!

H

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

Resources for beginning research
Courthouse Research Tips from the Virtual Genealogy Conference
 


Lovely idea sent by Oscar Ramirez osramirez@sbcglobal.net

New series for beginning research by those who prefer Spanish.  It is now online.

Part 1 - https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/familysearch-org-parte-1/639
Part 2 - https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/familysearch-org-parte-2/640
Part 3 - https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/familysearch-org-parte-3/650  

Helpful Hint:  To translate web-pages, use Google Chrome. To translate articles, use Google Translate 
Debbie Gurtler
Latin America Research Consultant
Family History Library
Salt Lake City, Utah
Office: 801-240-2732  

 

Courthouse Research Tips from the Virtual Genealogy Conference
Posted by Diane Haddad Editor of  Genealogy Insider 

Courthouse records can be some of the most revealing sources about your ancestors.

These Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference tips come from our live chat on Researching Courthouse Records, hosted by the Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell.
  • Types of records you might find at a courthouse include civil and criminal court records, naturally, but also deeds and mortgages, tax lists, county commissioner meeting minutes, vital records, business licenses, voter registrations, cattle brand registrations and more.
  • But depending on the place your family lived, older records may have been turned over to a local or state archives, historical society or library. Check in advance before you plan a courthouse trip.
  • "Keep in mind is that most of these facilities aren't really archives," Russell advised. "They're working offices trying to keep up with the day-to- day business of government. For the most part, they're not set up to do a lot of hand-holding." Find out as much as you can about the records you need—the date, a microfilm number or volume and page number, where they're located, etc.—before you go.

  • More things to know before you go: Check online for courthouse hours, holiday schedules and access information. The court may have limited hours when staff will pull files. Some won't allow personal scanners or cameras. Different types of records might be in different buildings or rooms. The local genealogy librarian and genealogical society are good sources to ask ahead of time about courthouse quirks.
  • See if the office holding the records you need has a busy season. Russell gave this example: "If the records you really want are the tax records, and the tax office's busy season is October, then going there in October just about guarantees that nobody is going to be available to help you—and they may not even allow record lookups at that time."
  • One chat participant advises you to dress nicely—"so you look like you might be a lawyer or paralegal." And if you have allergies to dust or mold, bring medication.
  • Look for an online or microfilmed index so you have all the volumes and page numbers you need in advance. Also see whether the Family History Library has microfilm of the records you need or even posted them online at FamilySearch.org.
  • "Even 'burned counties' have some records," Russell said. "And don't forget many people re-recorded deeds, etc., after a courthouse fire."

Ready to head to the courthouse now? Click here to find out about our downloadable guide to researching in courthouse records, available in ShopFamilyTree.com.

Video classes from our Virtual Genealogy Conferences are available in ShopFamilyTree.com. And mark your calendar now for our Winter 2013 Virtual Genealogy Conference, Feb. 22-24.

 

 

 

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ORANGE COUNTY, CA

November 10th:  SHHAR Monthly meeting, Jerry P. Martinez
Alfredo Amezcua, New President of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana
Olive St. Westminster Reunion, Heroes Honor Presentation
McCoy-Hare House, Westminster, Built 1873-74
On the Tracks to the Westminster Mexican Barrio, 1870-1940, Part 5 of 6
 




SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH

Jerry P. Martinez
"Timely Conquest" 


ORANGE FAMILY HISTORY CENTER
674 S. Yorba St., Orange, CA
9:00-10:00 am: Hands-on Computer Assistance 
10:00-10:15 am: Welcome and Introduction
10:15-11:30 am: Presentation 

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC . . . . . . . NO COST

Jerry Martinez, historian and author will make a presentation on his newest book, "Timely Conquest" where he will discuss the conquest of New Mexico by the American Westward (Manifest Destiny).  From a New Mexico Hispanic point of view, he will specifically address the implidcations of the conquest on the society of that era including things such as government, religion, education, language and culture, etc.  Mr. Martinez also wrote "Leche de Coyote" the book that inspired him to write "Timely Conquest."
Educated in the Catholic tradition at Holy Cross a small school located in Santa Cruz, NM and continued at the Jesuit College of Santa Fe where I received a BBA and my MBA from Loyola Marymount University. I am a proud twelfth generation northern New Mexican. I believe that time should not govern my movement and I enjoy life because God would have it no other way. 

My first ancestor to settle in New Mexico was Asencio de Arechuleta 1572-1623. He was born in Eibar, Guipuzcoa, Espana (Spain). He was one of the Oñate led soldiers that went into New Mexico in 1598. My ancestors endured the land, the hardships and they managed to survive in a world far removed from Spain and Mexico, the birthplaces of their parents. The Spanish ruled until 1823 when the ceased the lands to Mexico.

Jerry P. Martinez

Colonel Stephen W. Kearny led the US Army into New Mexico in August 1846, changing the future of the people living in the territory. The timely conquest of New Mexico and the West became part of the United States and gave strength to Manifest Destiny. New Mexico would now ruled by the American Constitution. 

English replaced Spanish as the official language. Religion played an important role, for it was during this time that many clergy left New Mexico, returning to Mexico and to Spain. The void of qualified priests gave rise to the Penitente brotherhood. 

Numerous changes in education, government, and land ownership reshaped the lives of the inhabitants. Some accepted the changes while others remained loyal to the nuevomejicano way of life refusing to accept the new government. In time they adjust to life under U.S. control. However the Americano conquest did not change the Spanish customs that prevailed at home. A gentleman's word still ruled religion and the language didn't see drastic changes.

The addition of New Mexico Territory offers a fascinating snapshot of an era of change for the American settler, the West and for the people who called New Mexico home. 



Alfredo Amezcua, New President of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana

Alfredo Amezcua leads Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana

October 6th, 2012,  
posted by

Santa Ana lawyer Alfredo Amezcua is the new president of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana following his installation Sept. 28.
The more than 90-year-old club helped build a park for physically-challenged children and has given more than $1 million to low-income college students.

Amezcua, a former trustee of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, has been active in such groups as the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Bar Association. He has been inducted into the Santa Ana College Hall of Fame has also been honored by the Orange County Boy Scouts of America. 

The Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana is part of an extensive network of Kiwanis Clubs in almost every city in the country, and is a branch of Kiwanis International. Kiwanis International’s operating theme is, “Serving the Children of the World.” The Kiwanis Club of Santa has adapted that theme and has tailored it to, “changing lives in our community one child at a time.”

The Kiwanis Club Santa Ana was chartered in 1920 and has been a major provider of services to the community for the past 90 years. The current club membership of men and women are proud of the work that they able to do in providing services for the children of our community, and we are open to others that might wish to join us. 

See http://www.kiwanissantaana.com/public/index.aspx 

Sent by Alfredo Amezcua 
1319 North Broadway Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 835-3538

 

 


OLIVE STREET REUNION,  HEROES HONOR PRESENTATION

It was a beautiful day Saturday with the temperature hovering around eighty five. Approximately 300 people attended the Ninth Annual Olive Street Reunion and all enjoyed the beautiful blue sky and shade provided by the pine trees at Sigler Park in the City of Westminster. Some traveled to the event from as far away as Connecticut.

This years reunion was extra special since we held a memorial for those killed in action in WWII, Korea and those who survived. Several WWII and many Korean War veterans from the neighborhood attended the event. The ceremony was handled by Frank Mendoza and the United Mexican American Veterans Association, UMAVA.. Margie Rice, Mayor of the city, lead in the pledge of allegiance. Seventeen brave Westminster Soldiers gave their lives for our nation. Six of those brave heroes were out of the neighborhood known as Olive Street. The price we paid for our freedom was remembered and a wreath of honor was placed on the Sigler Park Memorial that bares the names of the soldiers who lost their lives.



Olive Street Heroes 


Families of War Heroes

The annual event went on from 11am. to 6pm. and young and old danced, played and reacquainted themselves with old friends. There was more than enough food and pastries to go around. The barbeque grills were heavy with carne asada and chicken. The entire park was filled with the sweet smell of mouth watering food. Photos dating back to 1901 were on display. Photos of family members, friends, war heroes and old city landscapes decorated various tables and brought back memories of the good and not so good old days.
Many of the people who attended came into the area looking for a new life in the early 1900's. Some came fleeing the persecution and revolution in Mexico. Others came from as far away as Kansas and Oklahoma looking for work to provide for their family. All touched on the hardships faced in the early years but focused on the happy and fruitful years experienced here in Orange County. Many that originally came here worked the fields and factories in the area and now their children are doctors, dentists, teachers, engineers and members of various other professions. Who knew what the future held for these pioneers yet they did what they had to do to provide for their families.
Many of the families who attended still live in the old Westminster neighborhood, in the city and surrounding areas and keep tabs on what is going on in the old barrio. The city continues to change but the memories of a bye gone era are still vivid. Many agreed that it was a good day to focus on the past since it gave all who attended meaning, importance and the strength to deal with the future.
We hope to celebrate our 10th annual next year and we invite all attendees of the past and those who have not attended for any reason to show up for an extra special reunion that is already in the works.
                                                                                                                                    Seniors in attendance
Thanks to Ricardo Valverde, one of the organizers for the photos and article. 
west13rifa@aol.com
 

 

NAMES OF THE 17 BRAVE  Westminster Brothers-in-Arms
(Killed in Action – Their Legacy and Eternal Spirit Lives On!)

Jose Agabo**
Rivers Allen
W. Carroll Byram
Jack Deevers

Martin P. De La Cruz*

Eugene Gray
Archie W. McGilvany

Raymond J. Medina*
Joe Mendoza**

John J. Moir
William E. Moment

Lupe Pérez
**
James W. Rifley

Nicasio Sifuentes*

Henry C. Smith
Ralph Wollson
Michael H. Yawman

* Six brave heroes out of Westminster Barrio
**
Agabo, Mendoza & Pérez: were neighbors on Olive Street

 

WESTMINSTER NEIGHBORHOOD, Names and Biographies

OUR SIX HONORED HEROES (in alphabetical order)
Agabo, Joe:
PFC US Army / WWII - Europe
De La Cruz, Martin P.:
SSGT US Army Air Force / WWII - Pacific
Medina, Raymond J
.: PFC US Army / WWII - Europe
Mendoza, Joe
: PFC US Army / Korean War - Korea
Pérez, Guadalupe C.
: PVT US Army / WWII - Pacific
Sifuentes, Nicasio C.
: PVT US Army / WWII - Europe

American National Gold Star Mother’s Day 
(Last Sunday in September)

Gold Star Mothers

Mrs. SOSTENES M. VASQUEZ (mother of Joe Agabo)
Mrs. MARCELINA M. DE LA CRUZ 
         (mother of Martin De La Cruz)
Mrs. TOMASA G. MEDINA 
         (mother of Ramon J. Medina)
Mrs. JESUS B. MENDOZA (mother of Joe Mendoza)
Mrs. PETRA CERDA (mother of Guadalupe Pérez)
Mrs. SERAFINA C. SIFUENTES 
         (mother of Nicasio Sifuentes)

 

 

Francisco Barragán
Commander, UMAVA
 
On Sun, Sep 30, 2012,  frank mendoza  mendozafrank51@yahoo.com wrote:
Francisco, on behalf of my family and those of the other fallen Westminster heroes, as well as the balance of the 63 brothers in arms from our neighborhood whom we recognized yesterday, September 29, 2012, no words will ever suffice for the gratitude we feel for the supurb honors presentation you and your UMAVA patriots conducted. The community at the reunion couldn't express enough their feeling of "It's about time we had such a commemoration of our fallen." They also expressed admiration of your organization and how devoted, inspirational, and passionate your group conducted itself. A million thanks again.
Two last things, would it be possible for you to prepare 3 more certificates of my brother Joe; one for me and two more for my sister and another brother who couldn't be there yesterday. And the other thing is, if possible, would you let me know how I can contact sergeant Orzio, I didn't have the chance to thank him before he left. Muchas gracias.
 
With warm regards, Frank 
Pastor Frank Orzio 
(714) 955-9259 cell 

 

 

 


McCoy-Hare House, Built 1873-74 



Isabel Vela with Joy Neugebauer, Curator, 
Westminster Historical Museum, 2012


ON THE TRACKS TO THE WESTMINSTER MEXICAN BARRIO 
1870 – 1940, Part 5 of 6

© Albert V Vela, PhD  
November 1, 2012

 

 

This is Part Five of a six-part series of an article about the origins of the Westminster Mexican barrio. Since 2005 the author has been doing research for a book on the history of the Mexican barrio in Westminster, CA. Westminster was a Presbyterian Colony founded by Rev. Lemuel P. Webber in 1869/70. It is in the western part of Orange County in Southern California. Cities within 15 miles of Westminster are Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Stanton, Buena Park, Anaheim, Fullerton, La Habra, Orange, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach.  

The focus of Part Five are three early families: the McCoys, the Hares and the Penhalls. The Penhall patriarch arrived in 1873. In time the Penhalls intermarried with other early colonist families. They ran a truck business of hauling milk to creameries and shifted to transporting gasoline in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The Penhall brothers also operated a garage/ gas station on Westminster Boulevard. In 1940 Francis Penhall sponsored a championship softball team made up of a mix of Anglos, a Japanese, and about four Mexican players from town. Included is an interview of Delbert Del Penhall (1923-2011). The Penhalls socialized well with the Mexican barrio community, were highly respected, and held in high esteem in the town. 

 

L-R Penhall drivers: Francis France; Raymond Dink Penhall
Morton Mort Standing L-R: Bill McCollock Wild Bill 
Harvey Arnett; Harry & Leslie 1915 (Courtesy D. Penhall) 

Bros owned 4 gasoline tanker trucks ca 1930s 
Picked up gas in Wilmington refineries
(Courtesy Del Penhall)


The Penhalls. The Penhall family traces its lineage to Uriah who left England on board the Milwaukee in 1858. He and his wife Letitia arrived in the area of New Almaden where he worked as a miner in the New Almaden Quicksilver Mines south of San Jose. They joined the Westminster Colony in 1873 where they bought 60 acres. This is in the vicinity of today's Westminster Mall. They ran the Penhall Dairy Farm on that land. Their neighbors were the Larters, Edwards and LP Webbers farms. In time the Penhall family intermarried with the Edwards, Larters, Waltons, and Days.

The Penhall Brothers hauled milk to the creameries for processing. When the dairies started to move out, they turned to hauling gasoline to various parts of Southern California as well as lima beans in Wintersburg and Costa Mesa. The limas were taken to the Bean Barn where they were cleaned and sorted for market. It was south of Edinger Street and west of Beach Boulevard (Hwy 39). The two businesses, Penhall Bros Trucking Co. and Penhall Garage, were sold in 1946 after 34 years.

The Early Penhall Trucks. Del called the trucks ass breakers because of the hardness of the drive. The trucks had solid rubber tires and the driver sat on a wooden box with a one-inch mat serving as a cushion. The milk cans were stacked two high. The brothers owned eight trucks. They bought four gasoline tanker trucks picking up gas from refineries in Wilmington and made deliveries to distant places in Southern California like Calexico, Brawley, Imperial Valley, and Santa Monica.

Francis France and Merton sponsored a softball team, the Westminster Aviators, that played in the National Night Ball League. France managed the team that played from the Depression into the 1940s. The Penhall Bros Trucking Co. gave jobs to the players during those hard times. 

Mr. Menard and Law Suit. At first, fans were charged admission to softball games. But Mr Menard, owner of Menard Market on Westminster Avenue, believed it was illegal to charge admission to a public park and took the matter to court. The judge ruled in Mr Menard's favor. 

Delbert Del (1923-2011) was a fourth generation Penhall. He was the second son of Francis and Ruth. His dad France and his uncle Merton owned the Penhall Brothers Garage on the SE corner of Westminster Boulevard and Chestnut Street.


Del Penhall standing next to his 1940 Ford convertible talking to his wife Softball diamond was lit for night games Visitors sat on No. Plaza side Palm Trees in front of Harry Penhall's lot Photo taken 1942  Penhall Bros. Garage & Service Station Had 8 pumps 1937
(Courtesy Del Penhall 2010)
The Penhall Garage. It had eight gas pumps as compared to the two pumps of the Hare's Shell Garage across the street. They sold Flying A, McMillan, Union 76, St Helen's, Rio Grande, Red Horse, and two other brands. According to Del, during the Depression the Garage made $900.00 a month. The two brothers, Francis Edwin (d. 1978) and Merton Elmer (d. 1979), donated three acres for a baseball diamond at Sigler Park in 1942. The city named it Penhall Field on August 4, 1993. 

Del's parents were Francis Edwin and Ruth Edna Walton Penhall. They lived on the NE corner of North Plaza and Chestnut Streets. This is where he was raised. The Methodist Church was west of his home across Chestnut Street (as seen on this page in photo on right below). The softball field lay across the street from his home. 

Del's neighbors east of them on North Plaza Street were Penhall relatives: Orville (OJ) and Daisy Edwards Penhall Day. Two palm trees stood in front of their home. Next came the home of Harry "Harry" and Ella Culver Penhall. The Ed Larter family adjacent to the Presbyterian Church was next in line. Larter served on County Board of Supervisors and was trustee of the Huntington Beach High School. An empty lot was situated between each residence. After selling his farm, Harry opened a pool hall next to Hazel's Oklahoma Café. The Penhall Brothers Garage was a block north of Del's home on the SE corner of Westminster Avenue and Chestnut Street.


Box Office Entrance For Softball Games at Sigler Park
Green wooden fence encircled baseball diamond
Empty lots between neighbors
Box office to softball field on right above 
(Courtesy Del Penhall)

 

Summer time with Penhall brothers playing with
Water hose Empty lot at No. Plaza & Chestnut
Methodist Church & Sigler Park visible in photo 
(Courtesy Del Penhall)
Like his Penhall male predecessors, Del enjoyed sports particularly baseball where he excelled. He was All-Southern California Junior College playing second base at Fullerton Junior College in 1942. Before college he played on the championship Clay Kellogg’s Westminster Kellogg Pilots softball team. They were unbeaten on July 4, 1940 and finished with a 41-2 record. They played in the Orange County Junior Softball League against teams from Buena Park, Garden Grove, Cypress, Los Alamitos, Olive, Orange, and La Habra (Del Penhall Interview; Stanton Progress, May 9, 1940).

Barrio Softball Players on 1939 Championship 
Team from Westminster: Record: 33 - 7 
Manuel Rivera, Socorro "Colo" and Julio Méndez 
Del Penhall in front row on right, 

Clay Kellogg’s Westminster Pilots Softball Team 1939
Front L-R: L Stansbary LF, Felix Orosco P, R Rose C, L Knoeller P
C Kellogg Bat Bo Top: P Knoeller 3rd, J Matsuda Scorer, E Trettin RF 
L J Knoell Mgr, A Parr CF, Del Penhall 2nd Base, Manuel Rivera SS 



Barrio residents Manuel Rivera, Socorro Colo Rivera and Julio Chico Méndez Jr, played on the team. Pitcher Felix Orosco and Henry Wooderts from Santa Ana's Artesia barrio joined them on the team. Francis Penhall's Westminster Flyers played in the Orange County B League opposing teams from Brea, Fullerton, Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Buena Park, and Yorba Linda. They played night games Mondays and Thursdays (Stanton Progress, May 9, 1940).

Del graduated from Huntington Beach Union High School in 1941. A WWII veteran and 1950 USC graduate, he taught mathematics at Long Beach, Orange Coast College, and Garden Grove. In 1984 he taught geometry for one semester at Santa Ana's Mater Dei HS. Del recalled barrio friends whom he got to know personally like Chico Méndez, Frank Lux and Gloria Glida Medina, and the Rivera brothers. He remarried in 2000 taking Lois as his wife. She was born and raised in the small community of Wintersburg (Richards, undated typescript; Interview of June 8, 2010; phone conversation, September 4, 2011).

Del remembered the segregated Mexican School and recalled Mexican Americans as poor and who did the hard labor. According to him, there was prejudice in town against them but "by and by, they [Anglos and Mexicans] got along well." He recalled seeing Judge Bentley who "walked around town with a cane; wore coat and tie and hat." He recalled life in the 1940s and '50s as seemingly "free and easy, comfortable, enjoyable. . .stable family life. . . some of the best of times." Betty Rivera Varela, a contemporary of Del, would no doubt concur with his recollections of the relationship between the Anglo and barrio communities. She said, "The stores treated us Mexicans very good." She recalled that storeowner, Mr Day, allowed her dad to make payments on their grocery bill. She added, "My dad spoke very well about Mr Day" (telephone interview, January 20, 2012). 

Segregated Cypress Street School in nearby Orange, CA ca. 1939


School Segregation of Mexicans in Orange County. De facto segregation of Mexican children in schools was common practice in the Southwest. Mexican schools in Texas dated to the 1890s. In Orange County the Santa Ana board of education dedicated its first elementary school for Mexicans in 1912. The school system had designated separate facilities for them in four areas of the city where there was a concentration of Mexicans. 

In 1915 white parents of Santa Ana's at Lincoln School PTA attended a meeting of the board of education to show their displeasure because Mexican kids were attending the Lincoln School. The presence of Mexicans at their school was seen as a "rank injustice to our schools, our teachers and our children." The board of education passed a resolution "to segregate the sub-normal pupils in our grammar schools" (Hass, 1995, pp 190-91).

An Interview with Soledad Vidaurri. Here is some of the question-answer interplay between Alfredo Zúñiga and Soledad on the topic of schooling in Westminster.
A...... Este, cuánta escuela tuvo usted allá en México?
S ......Nada.
A ......Nada. Y aquí, fue a la escuela aquí en Westminster?
S ......Sí. Fui hasta el quinto grado.
A ......A cuál escuela fue?
S ......A la misma allí, que está allí, a la Hoover. Pero el modo que yo aprendí a leer en español es desde muy chiquita, desde que yo viví en San Ysidro de las Cuevas, yo iba a la Iglesia Metodista. Y como nos dan unos cuadernitos así, allí leen, le lee uno a la maestra de la escuela dominica. Y yo, yo mirando, verdad. Y después que nos venimos [sic] aquí a los Estados Unidos a Westminster, yo siguí [sic] yendo a la Iglesia, no Católica pero a la Metodista. Fue cómo yo aprendí a leer. Yo sola.


A ......Oh, how much schooling did you have over there in Mexico?
S ......Not any.
A ......None. And here did you go to school here in Westminster?
S ......Yes. I went up to the fifth grade.
A ......What school did you go to?
S ......The same one [that's] there, that's there, to Hoover. But the way I learned to read in Spanish is that as a little girl, from the time I lived in San Ysidro de las Cuevas [in Chihuahua, Mexico], I used to go to the Methodist Church. And because they would give us small notebooks [demonstrates with her hands], there they would read, read to our Sunday school teacher. And I, I watching, you know. And after we came here to the United States to Westminster, I continued going to the Church, not the Catholic (Church) but to the Methodist. That's how I learned to read. All by myself.

Start of School Segregation in Westminster. In 1929 the Westminster School District Board of Trustees began to segregate Mexican kids by sending them to Hoover School built in the middle of the barrio. Hoover was no more than three blocks from the Anglo Westminster Elementary School (aka Westminster Main; Seventeenth Street School). One wonders why the trustees decided to segregate Mexican students in 1928-29. Was it prevailing the racist attitude and the economic pressures of the Depression?

Don Trinidad García. Don Trinidad, big property owner in Westminster, sold lots in 1918-1920s to barrio families that lived in la Garra. He was Frank Kiko Mendoza's paternal uncle. Records of these transactions are in the Orange County Recorder's Office in the Old Orange County Courthouse. Persons who bought parcels from Trinidad were Miguel Arganda, Juan Mendoza, Sotero Bermúdez, Hermenejildo Mendoza (Kiko's grandfather), Soledad García, and Anastasio Pérez.

La Garra  on Olive Street  Westminster Mexican Barrio ca. 1930s  Looking north
10 minute walk from here to Ray Burns Market in the background
Hoover School SW corner of Olive & Maple about at point where photo taken
Tall eucalyptus trees upper right site of Espee section houses on Westminster Ave


In her interview Soledad reports that this part of the barrio was known as la Garra. La Liga was the section closer to Anglo businesses on Westminster Avenue. Persons living in la Liga were very proficient in English. La Liga families were the Medinas, Alarcones, Morenos, Mendozas, Vásquez, Riveras, Zapatas, Velas, Ybarras, González, Chávez, (Julio) Méndez Sr. 

Doctor James McCoy. Dr McCoy, who arrived in September of 1873, was the Westminster Colony's first physician. He erected a small building on the north side of Westminster Avenue adjacent to Day's Store. Dr McCoy opened a drugstore in this building. He also built a two-story home north of the drugstore. A brother, Josiah, and Martha Mattie arrived in December 1873. Mattie operated the drugstore after learning the business. [As a side note, the Valera family moved the home in 1938-39 to Warner Avenue in Huntington Beach where it is still owned by the Valeras.]

Mattie continued running the business after her physician brother moved to Beaumont in 1884. The drugstore was listed in the City and County Directories of 1881-82, and the Orange County Directory, 1890-91. The owner was "Miss M.A. McCoy, Druggist." At age 60 she married a minister in 1904 and followed her husband to Long Beach. She died eight years later in 1912. 

Euphrates Hare, Blacksmith. Euphrates, his wife Amy and son Orel came to Westminster about 1907. They bought the property next to the McCoys and set up a blacksmith shop. Orel C Hare learned the trade and was known as "the village blacksmith." Mr Hare and his wife, the former Marie Larter, bought the McCoy building. They had two children, Bud Jr and Mary Lou. Of necessity the Hares renovated and added rooms to the house to make it more comfortable. Edna Richards, city historian, wrote that Orel was "the only resident to acquire a whole city block" (Richards, typescript, 1991, pp 1-6). Orel and Marie passed away in 1966 and 1975 respectively. 

Marie taught for 26 years in the Los Alamitos. A well regarded educator, the Los Alamitos School Board named an intermediate school in her honor in 1956. Mr Hare opened a Shell gasoline station featuring two pumps. Years later he established an automobile agency selling Fords. Following WWII Bud Hare won prizes racing motorcycles. His renown brought lots of business to his motorcycle shop from surrounding towns. 

Marie felt strongly about preserving the McCoy-Hare house. Before dying she wrote the Westminster Historical Society asking that the building be preserved. City officials joined the Historical Society and the Westminster Bicentennial Committee to preserve the house. It is now located on the grounds of the Blakely Historical Park along Westminster Boulevard. It contains a collection of pharmaceutical antiques, a doctor's chair from the 1890s donated by Terry Grant of the Orange County Pharmaceutical Association. Another donor, Anton Lpizich of the Bristol Drug Company, provided other antiques (Richards, typescript, 1991, p. 5). 

Drawing of the McCoy-Hare House / Drugstore McCoy-Hare House
 (Courtesy Westminster Historical Society)

McCoy-Hare House (Courtesy Westminster Historical Society)

  Orel Hare’s Auto Repair, Gasoline & Car Accessories ca. 1926
 midway between Santa Ana on east and Long Beach on west
lost control of bike when chased by Bud Hare’s dog ca. 1 952

Anaheim Merchants’ Assn front of Odd Fellows Hall ca. 1920s   
Hare’s Garage on right (Orange County Recorder’s Office)







Unpaved Westminster Ave ca. 1908   Car heading east toward Long Beach passing a light-colored 

Vehicle parked on right  Another car farther on right   On left car parked near 
McCoy-Hare House Hare’s Shell Garage on left   Hotel across street from McCoy-Hare House   
2-Story Odd Fellow’s Building (1900) on left.  Espee  RR Tracks in background near trees   

 



East bound on Westminster Ave to Santa Ana ca. 1920s

Barber shop on left 2-story Odd Fellows Hall  on right
Street paved in 1910

An Email. Rick Valverde, one of the organizers of the 9th Annual Olive Street Reunion (September 29, 2012), sent me an email dated December 24, 2011. He writes about a conversation he had in 2011 with his Uncle Robert Vega. 

His dad [Robert's], Trini Vega, states that the Hoover School name was offered up by a Mrs. Peña at a meeting and it was agreed by the persons present. 

Mrs Peña is most likely the mother of Sophía (Sofía) Peña, the student identified in the ca. 1929 panoramic photograph of the Westminster School. This photograph was shown in Part 4 of the October issue in SomosPrimos.com.

 

Based on 2009-2010 California Department of Education Data, the Racial Ethnic Student Membership in OC Schools was 46.9% Hispanic, 31.4% White, 16% Asian, 3.1% Multiple or No Response and 1.6 % Black with a combined 1% Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native cohort.

According to the May 17, 2012, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER’s News Page 10 article by Ronald Campbell, Ethnic Tipping Point ahead for California, "Hispanics will eclipse whites, who have dominated California since statehood, in 2013."

LOS ANGELES, CA

November 2nd & 3rd: Danza Floricanto/USA's
November 8, MALDEF 2012 Los Angeles Awards Gala 
George Yepes: City of Los Angeles, "Sacred Memories"  "SPARC 35 Year Celebration

Fiesta del Día de los Muertos! Friday & Saturday, November 2nd & 3rd 8:00 p.m.

Danza Floricanto/USA's
"A raucous, poignant, whimsical and infectuously entertaining treatment of the holiday rites." L A Times  at ARC Pasadena
1158 East Colorado Blvd. or call 1-800-838-3006Pasadena, CA 91106158
Tickets: $20 General Admission,
For Reservations: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/282185  or call 1-800-838-3006
Entrance and parking are behind the building or on street


NOVEMBER 8, MALDEF 2012 LOS ANGELES AWARDS GALA



Paying Tribute To The Work and Achievements of:

Dr. Harry P. Pachon

(Posthumous Award)  Scholar and Activist

Jose-Luis Orozco
Bilingual Educator, Children's Author and Recording Artist

Silvia R. Argueta
Executive Director of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Information, Stephanie Loera at 213-629-2512, 
or email us here  Sent by  info@joseluisorozco.com 


GEORGE YEPES: THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES "SACRED MEMORIES" "SPARC 35 YEAR CELEBRATION" 

 LUNA/SOL GALLERY - CREWEST GALLERY - OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: "ART AS POLITICAL INTERVENTION" 

"BEST INDESCRIBABLE WALL ART" - BEST OF LOS ANGELES George Yepes. 
"Muralist and Painter Yepes is Los Angeles' greatest living Baroque artist".   ~ Marc B. Haefele, Writer, LA WEEKLY

"When it comes to sheer touch that combines beautiful control over line and brushwork, yet seemingly spontaneous expression, George Yepes is among the best. His darkly romantic excess can't help but make you think he would have been Dante Gabriel Rossetti's (1828 - 1882, London, England), equal among the Pre-Raphaelites. But these saints and sinners are hardly a throwback. Yepes' painting has a visual density and suggestiveness that is as tantalizing to the intellect as it is arresting for the eye".
ArtScene
The Guide to over 450 Los Angeles Art Galleries and Museums

"On the opposing side of the spectrum, however, sits the serenely beautiful portraits of George Yepes. Yepes' "Axis Bold as Love," reminiscent of Gustav Klimt's "Dane," is a prime example of his art nouveau-inspired strokes and brilliant color in his delicately sensuous portrayals of women, a popular theme in Nouveau."  Sarah Wilkins, Senior Staff Writer Daily Aztec

"Like Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (1518 - 1594, Venice, Italy), GeorgeYepes has the ability to pull down from heaven the designs which God has for humans and paint them so people can discover through the paintings what they are deaf to in words".
Dr. David Carrasco, Professor - Historian of Religions, Editor-in-Chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures

THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND THE HISTORY DIVISION, EL PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES HISTORICAL MONUMENT PRESENT,  "SACRED MEMORIES": DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBIT
Sacred Memories Exhibit Open from October 21, 2012 through November 18, 2012
Location: The Pico House Gallery at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
424 North Main Street, Los Angeles, California 90012 USA
(213) 485-8437   www.elpueblo.lacity.org 


LUNA/SOL GALLERY EXHIBIT, OPENING NIGHT ARTIST RECEPTION: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2012 5PM - 9PM
Featured Artists:  George Yepes and Maria Kilcha Kane
6711 Bright Avenue, Historic Uptown Whittier  (at Bailey Ave. and Philladelphia Ave.)
Whittier, California 90601 USA  Phone: (562) 201- 9415  Email: lunasolbooks@yahoo.com


CREWEST GALLERY - TOP OF THE DOME & DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ART WALK
ARTIST RECEPTION & EXHIBIT OPENING: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2012 6PM - 10PM
"Only the most talented underground artists, known and unknown, from the West Coast and beyond.  Too edgy and non-conventional. Art that speaks to the heart, soul, and mind. We bring it raw and powerful to the People."

CREWEST GALLERY
110 Winston Street, L.A. ArtWalk Downtown (cross-streets: 4th, Main, & Los Angeles) 
Los Angeles, California 90013 USA
(213) 627-8272 info@crewest.com www.crewest.com

Sent by george@georgeyepes.com
www.georgeyepes.com  



 
The Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield--
"A Heroic Monument" and "A Symbol of Hope" 
-- L.A. Times

The 32-acre Cornfield is the last vast open space in the heart of Los Angeles. The Cornfield, an abandoned rail yard for over 12 years, lies downtown between Chinatown on the west and the Los Angeles River on the east, within walking distance of City Hall, and just down the hill from Chavez Ravine. Chinatown until now has had no park, and has no middle school or high school with playgrounds, playing fields, or green space. The only elementary school in the area does not have a single blade of grass.

In 1999, the City of Los Angeles and wealthy developers proposed building 32 acres of warehouses on the Cornfield. The City Project helped bring together a diverse alliance of over 35 community, civil rights, environmental, business, and civic organizations and leaders to stop the warehouses and convince the state to purchase the site for a park. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo withheld federal funds for the proposed warehouse project unless there was a full environmental impact statement, including an analysis of environmental justice concerns under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, its regulations, and other federal laws. Read the 2000 letter from Secretary Cuomo here. Read the Administrative Complaint here.

The abandoned rail yard could have been warehouses. Instead, it’s a park. “On a deserted railroad yard north of Chinatown, one of Los Angeles’ most powerful and tenacious real estate developers, Ed Roski, Jr., met his match,” as reported in a front page article in the Los Angeles Times. “Robert Garcia . . . organized a civil rights challenge that claimed the project was the result of discriminatory land-use policies that had long deprived minority neighborhoods of parks.” Jesus Sanchez, L.A.’s Cornfield Row: How Activists Prevailed, L.A. Times, April 17, 2001. The Los Angeles Times Magazine called the community victory “a heroic monument” and “a symbol of hope.” James Ricci, A Park with No Name (Yet) but Plenty of History, L.A. Times Magazine, July 15, 2001.

In July 2004, the California Department of Parks and Recreation unveiled the conceptual plan for the state historic park at the Cornfield that includes active recreation, cultural activities, natural open space, and a garden. A "Heritage Trail" for pedestrians and bicyclists will incorporate historical, cultural, and natural interpretive themes.

In April 2004, The City Project published an influential and highly acclaimed report on "The Cornfield and the Flow of History: People, Place, and Culture"(2.2 MB [PDF]) to guide the general plan process. The City Project served on the Cornfield State Park Advisory Committee, which recommended that "a park at the Cornfield should be connected to the struggles, the histories, and the cultures of the rich and diverse communities that have surrounded it since the site was settled."

In June 2005, the California State Parks and Recreation Commission named the new park (at the Cornfield site) the Los Angeles State Historic Park. According to the Department of Parks and Recreation, "The purpose of the Los Angeles State Historic Park is to provide the public with a place to learn about and to celebrate the ethnically diverse history and cultural heritage of Los Angeles. . . . The Park will bring a wide range of visitors together to examine and experience the complete story of Los Angeles. It will be a sanctuary from the dense, urban environment that surrounds it. The Park will connect abstract historical and social patterns to the personal experiences of Angelenos and visitors throughout the state, the nation, and the world."

The City Project advocates for public art at the Park that will reflect this vision and the values at stake - giving children safe and healthy places to play, improving recreation and health, equal access to public resources, democratic participation in deciding the future of the community and the Park, creating local jobs and economic vitality, and providing the clean air, water, and ground benefits of urban parks.

The Cornfield exemplifies the struggle by low-income people of color in Los Angeles for livable communities with parks, playgrounds, schools, and recreation. In addition to creating playing fields and open space in a neighborhood that has none, the park in the Cornfield will improve the quality of life, create quality jobs, increase tourism and property values, promote economic revitalization of the community, and preserve invaluable cultural and historic resources in the birthplace of Los Angeles.

Sent by Ricardo Ramirez rrviarica@comcast.net


 

CALIFORNIA 

Nov 13: A Pilot Fourth Grade Project, California’s State Birthday by Galal Kernahan
Nov 18: Victor Villasenor’s 20th annual potluck at the Villasenor rancho
New book by Villasenor: "Revenge of a Catholic Schoolboy"
Recognizing "Remarkable Mexicans" who have lived or are living in San Diego County
Royal Chicano Air Force


California’s State Birthday, November 13, 2012
A Pilot Fourth Grade Project 

by Galal Kernahan 


At a November 13, 2012 public session, the San Juan Capistrano City Council will commemorate the 163rd Birthday of the State of California. California’s Original Constitution was ratified 12,872 to 811 that day in 1849. The first Governor and Lt. Governor were elected. Twenty-two people from San Juan Capistrano cast ballots in that election.

Fourth Grade Students at San Juan Elementary have made California Birthday Cards that will be displayed at City Hall before going on exhibit at the South Orange County Regional Library just up an historic street from their historic school.

The street is El Camino Real (the King’s Way). Traces of it remain where it begins hundreds of miles south in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, with more here and there all the way to Northern California. Their San Juan School one of the first for California children, began in 1850. It is across El Camino Real from the Mission San Juan Capistrano. 

In 1849, far to the north in Monterey, men began using a new Colton Hall schoolhouse before any kids could. They had been chosen to figure out—in Spanish and English-- the kind of government California should have. Most people, who voted November 13, 1849, agreed with what they came up with.

Californians weren’t the only people who liked this bilingual, bicultural State Constitution. Founders of the Argentine Republic in South America liked some things in it so well they used them in their own Constitution of 1853. [Click above]

On the other hand, many Californians lost track of their Original State Constitution once another replaced it in 1879. The replacement has been added to and changed so many times it has become one of the longest constitutions in the world. 

Something happened a dozen years ago to remind people of our State’s start. 

Here it is from a decade-old computer file: 
The SOCIETY FOR HISPANIC HISTORICAL AND ANCESTRAL RESEARCH and LOS AMIGOS OF ORANGE COUNTY in cooperation with the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE, Chicano Latino and Latin American Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, conducted a SYMPOSIUM ON THE CALIFORNIA SESQUICENTENNIAL 1849-1999 Saturday, November 13, 1999 organized a unique event. It was opened with a Resolution that the Orange County Board of Supervisors congratulate and commend all the participants. . .who subscribe to its Project 150 CALIFORNIANS BUILD THEIR STATE TOGETHER. ALWAYS HAVE. ALWAYS WILL. And join others in making Sesquicentennial Affirmations of gratitude for all that Californians have accomplished in our State’s first 150 years. 

Published Symposium papers were delivered by UCI Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Manuel Gomez; UCI School of Social Sciences Professor Dr. Gilbert Gonzalez; Pomona College Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Gilda Laura Ochoa and Galal Kernahan with Closing Remarks by then Orange County California State Senator Joseph Dunn. The event heralded new trends in how early California State History would be viewed.

Within a year, then State Senator Joe Dunn sponsored what constituted an official state apology from the Legislature for Depression Era forced Los Angeles area mass train deportations of Mexican Americans. During the last decade, the Legislature enacted apologies for discriminatory acts suffered by Californians of Chinese and Japanese descent, too.

The Legislature itself seemed to be making a "course correction". In 2001, it issued a prompt second edition of its THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. To it was added THE CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA by Paul Mason and an account of THE CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION by Judge Bruce Sumner, a former Orange County State Legislator.

This biennial publication puts current wording of U.S. and California Constitutions in the hands of Legislators and other State officials. While the Federal Constitution is only amended now and then, the California’s Second 1879 State Constitution is constantly changed by ballot box additions and revisions. It was to do something about its elephantine growth that Sumner’s CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMITTEE was set up. After the electorate hauled away the first culled loads of trash, the effort seemed to run out of gas.

Mason’s California Constitutional History, an outstanding account of how our Original 1849 California bicultural State Birth Certificate came to be, was added. E. Dotson Wilson, Chief Clerk of the California Assembly then and now, oversaw the augmented 2001 publication of the Constitutions.

Here is his Forward to that edition: California’s first constitution was adopted by the people of California on November 13, 1849. The Original Constitution of 1849 was the supreme law of the State until the present Constitution adopted in 1879. The Original Constitution was amended only three times in 30 years, while the present document has been amended 460 times since adoption. It is one of the most extensive constitutions in the world. . .

This Birth Certificate Constitution was debated and designed in two languages. It was ratified by Californians in both Spanish and English.

Californians Build Their State Together. Always Have. Always Will!

Victor Villasenor’s 20th annual potluck at the Villasenor rancho,
 Sunday, 1pm until sunset, November 18th 

For those unaware of this annual event: For the last 20 years, author Villasenor has held a Sunday Thanksgiving event. The tradition has developed into a pot luck and open house the Sunday before Thanksgiving weekend. 

Let’s all Join in a Spirit of Love, Celebrate our Differences, and Create 5,000 Years of Peace on Earth!  Everyone is invited.
Bring an appetizer, main dish, a salad, or a dessert to share with 12 others, made with warm loving hands! Please bring a candle, a picnic blanket, lawn chair, jacket, utensils, plates and water.  This is a non-alcoholic event.

Hosted by the Victor Villaseñor Family
1302 Stewart St.
Oceanside, CA 92054

Email: Gary Gernandt garygernandt@live.com   Contact: (760) 803 3523   For map directions: www.snowgoose.org

Updates by Linda Villasenor: New Rancho Videos/Stories: Intimate look at the Villasenor ranch, as Victor walks around the rancho sharing family stories. mama y papa built, and makes la familia come alive!   HBO’s still happening!! Production/filming beginning soon after the holidays.   Info on Victor’s new book campaign www.victorvillasenor.com    linda@victorvillasenor.com 

 

NEW BOOK:  It's called Revenge of a Catholic Schoolboy and I just launched an exciting campaign to help get it published.  Will you make a pledge? I'm really excited about it, have some GREAT rewards including sneak peeks, autographed copies and even a party at the old rancho (the setting for many of my other books).

So go ahead, make a pledge, share this campaign with friends, fans and family. And visit my Fan Page on Facebook and let's make this happen!  This campaign lasts only 30 days and I am not getting any younger!

http://victorvillasenor.com/     victor@victorvillasenor.com 
Sent by Rosie Carbo  rosic@aol.com

Fox News

Fox News interviews Victor
April 24, 2011 

Victor is interviewed by a presenter of Fox Channel 5 about diversity, the upcoming HBO series, and the launch of his latest book "Beyond Rain of Gold". … [Read More...]

RECOGNIZING "REMARKABLE MEXICANS" 
who have lived or are living in San Diego County by Jordon England-Nelson,  
U-T San Diego,  September 12, 2012

*They have established a cancer research association, a restaurant chain and a cultural center.
*They have helped draft legislation to protect immigrants’ rights and fought to end racial segregation.
*They have gained prominence and praise as business leaders, community organizers, physicians and literary figures.

All of them are Mexican-Americans who have lived or are living in San Diego County.  The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego officially recognized these “Remarkable Mexicans” this week in an effort to raise awareness of the contributions the Latino community has made in the region.  “When people don’t have the right information, they tend to create images of other peoples that are not based on reality,” said Consul General Remedios Gomez said Tuesday.

In interviews Tuesday, six of the honorees reflecting on their achievements shared their thoughts with U-T San Diego:


Mateo Camarillo

Camarillo’s grass-roots activism in the late 1960s led to increased pay for bilingual state employees. He also worked to assure equal access to government services, regardless of language barriers. He also helped bring the federal food stamp program to San Diego.

“Our organization, Trabajadores de la Raza, went to testify at the county Board of Supervisors’ meetings for weeks in 1969. We testified in Spanish to make a point. We wanted to show how disconnected the elected officials were from the constituency. We kept coming back until they got the message.”

 

Humberto Gurmilan

Growing up in Tijuana, Gurmilan was a big Padres and Chargers fan who dreamed of one day covering them as a sports journalist. Then when he was 15 years old, he broke his neck while surfing, leaving 80 percent of his body paralyzed. He still went on to become a reporter for the sports section of Telemundo. He now works with Access to Independence, which helps people adapt after paralyzing accidents.  “Access to Independence is part of my mission to help people who are going through what I once did. I received so much support in my life that I decided that I need to give back to the community. I hope to start my own foundation in the future.”

Angel Lopez

Inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011. In the same year, the U.S. Professional Tennis Association’s local division gave him its community service award. He runs his own tennis academy and serves as director of tennis at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club, where he has taught since 1979.  “The tennis great Pancho Gonzales inspired me to excel at tennis, and now I try to be a role model for Mexican-American and Hispanic youth. I grew up in Logan Heights, and I believe this area and this country is a land of opportunity. I believe tennis is an instrument to motivate youths to study, to be disciplined, to set goals and settle for nothing less than trying their best.”

Oscar Romo

Romo is a professor in the Urban Studies and Planning Department at the University of California San Diego, where his work involves finding more efficient ways to manage water. He also studies how climate change affects coastal communities in San Diego County.  “I want to turn science into something people can understand. I try to educate people, to give them the tools to comprehend the issues so that policy makers can make informed decisions.”

Martha E. Sanchez

She started Ballet Xóchitl Cultural del Centro Cultural de los Niños 45 years ago. Has received numerous awards, including one from the White House, for her work teaching Mexican folk dance to children. Her “ballet” students continue to give performances across the county. “When kids grow up, they have more confidence when they know their culture. I teach them more than history; I inject them with pride.
 I teach them to respect themselves and their culture and, at the same time, to have a great time dancing.”

Gracia Molina

Advocate of gender equality and the rights of indigenous communities and immigrants. Founded IMPACT, an organization that promotes civil rights for Mexican-Americans. She also created the Mexican Women’s National Commission. As a faculty member at Mesa College, she founded the first associate degree program in Chicano/Chicana studies. Was a founding faculty member of what is now Thurgood Marshall College at UC San Diego. 

 “What guides me is a never-ending belief in making sure everyone’s voices are heard.”

 

 

Sent by Tawn Skousen  

 

General Vallejo's Fast Empire

By Maria Rieger

 

During a recent meeting of Los Californianos, a large organization of descendants of the original Spanish-Mexican settlers of California (similar to the Daughters of the American Revolution), I was delighted to meet Martha Vallejo-McGettigan, a great-great-granddaughter of Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1807-1890), the legendary California military commander, politician and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state. The California city he founded is named for him, and the nearby city of Benicia is named for his wife—nee Francisca Benicia Carrillo.

Martha Vallejo-McGettigan has devoted much of her life to custody of the Vallejo family's historical past. An accomplished speaker, she has lectured on Native Americans and Californios with emphasis on the Suysun tribe and the women of early California. She has written extensively on those subjects and on the music of early California. She is also a classical clarinetist. I was so impressed by her that I decided to review historical facts of General Vallejo's life and history.

Focusing on facts of his life known less than his military and political roles, this article attempts to show the general's ranchero side, which is quite impressive. What follows is an excerpt from William Heath Davis's 1929 work, Seventy-Five Years in California.
 

"General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo had as many as 25,000 head of cattle in his two ranches. One was called the Petaluma. The other was the Tremblee, between Sonoma and Petaluma. At one time he owned another rancho in Santa Rosa which afterward became the property of Dona Maria Ygnacia Lopez de Carrillo. He had besides about 2,000 head of horses and 24,000 sheep.

     "The general maintained friendly relations with the Indians, to whom he acted in a most humane manner. His right-hand ally in all his intercourse with the neighboring tribe was the high priest Francisco Solano who was six feet tall and possessed good intellect. This chief had received some education from the mission padres and appreciated the advantages of civilization. He was companionable and pleasant in his manner and deportment and was 

respected by all who knew him. At his death he was buried on a small island in Petaluma Creek. The burial with all honors took place under direction of another chief named Camilo.

"I knew this priest who was a fine, intelligent and shrewd man. He often came to San Francisco to purchase goods from Nathan Spear, whose agent I then was. He owned 600 cattle, many horses and sheep, and was quite a noted breeder. He was punctual in meeting his obligations, and owing to this and to his affability and intelligence, was highly esteemed by us all. He could read and write and keep accounts, in Spanish, having been educated by the old missionaries. Camilo was the grantee of a rancho of about two leagues of land, known as 'Olampah1 bordering on the Bay of San Francisco between the Ranches Petaluma and Novato. He was likewise a wheat rancher and sold his crops to the Russians.

"As proof of General Vallejo's clear­headedness, I will state that he treated both Solano and Camilo with great consideration, because it was through these men that he controlled numerous tribes of Indians without shedding blood. It was also by their assistance that he had command of all the laborers he needed for the vast improvements that he introduced in Solano and Petaluma.

"The general was a large grower of wheat at his hacienda Petaluma. He employed several hundred men to plow, sow, and harvest the vast fields he had under cultivation. These laborers were trained in the arts of plowing and sowing at the missions with the padres as instructors. The general also employed uncivilized Indians, known as 'gentiles,' as assistant plowers and harvesters. Plowing the soil was done wholly by oxen, a pair to a plow. Thus the primitive cultivator penetrated the earth but a few inches. The soil being virgin and rich in quantity, however, produced fabulous crops. The measurement of the product of a wheat field was by the quantity of seed sown.

"The California 'fanega' weighed 133 pounds. It has been known that crops of wheat raised on the lands of the Mission San Jose returned 100 fanegas for every fanega sown. Thus was the yield estimated. Acres were not known in early California among the "labradores" who tilled the ground. Their smallest land measure was the square league.

"The general was very fond of superintending the work as it progressed. Among the crops he planted were wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, garbanzos and lentegn (lintels). He raised great quantities of these foods in his haciendas. I have watched his management as a farmer with interest, particularly at harvest time, as he always appeared to take pride in the title of  "labrador" (farmer). Vallejo found a market for his wheat with the Russians, who came regularly each year with two and sometimes four vessels to transport to Alaska.

"The general's vast consumption of wheat was considerable; it was made into flour for the maintenance of his soldiers at Sonoma and to feed the workers at his several haciendas. At his principal Rancho Petaluma, he had to house and feed 600 vaqueros (cowboys) and laboreres. The grand old structures of two stories in height with piazzas and courtyard in the rear, stood upon a commanding eminence. It was a rule generally among the hacendados (landowners) to select an elevated site for the home of the family."

      The author of the excerpted work married Maria de Jesus Estudillo and lived in California the rest of his days, a friend and part of the California culture.  So the next time any of us travels to nearby Sonoma or Petaluma, we can consider how peaceful and pleasant the land must have been before all modern development, when so much grain was produced that the Russians came to fill their vessels to feed settlements as far away as Alaska; and when thousands of cattle, horses and sheep, herded by vaqueros, roamed the land while, at least for a brief period, all lived in peace.

Source: El Rancho Moraga Quarterly, Winter 2012
Box 103, Moraga, CA 94556 
Quarterly Editor:  Larry Swindell  925-376-5692  voldswin@comcast.net


 

Royal Chicano 
Air Force

The Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) is an artistic collective based in Sacramento, California. Initially named the Rebel Chicano Art Front, the RCAF was founded in 1969 to express the goals of the Chicano civil rights and labor organizing movement of the United Farm Workers. Its mission was to make available to the Chicano community a bilingual/bicultural arts center where artists could come together, exchange ideas, provide mutual support, and make available to the public artistic, cultural, and educational programs and events.

The founding members of the RCAF include José Montoya, Esteban Villa, Juanishi V. Orosco, Ricardo Favela, and Rudy Cuellar among others. Montoya and Villa knew of each other through their involvement in the Mexican American Liberation Art Front and the California College of Arts and Crafts. During the Chicano Movement students pressured colleges and universities to diversify their faculties. As a result, Montoya and Villa were hired as professors of art at California State University, Sacramento. Their academic positions gave them the creative freedom to initiate programmatic exchanges between the university and the barrio community. Through this effort they initiated many programs including the Barrio Art Program, which required university students to go out into the community including senior centers to teach art courses.

The RCAF created in 1972 the not-for-profit Centro De Artistas Chicanos. This community based organization became the spring-board for all types of Sacramento community programs, such as La Nueva Raza Bookstore (with its Galería Posada), Aeronaves de Aztlán (Automotive Repair Garage), RCAF Danzantes (Cultural Dance venue), Barrio Art Program, and the RCAF Graphics and Design Center. By 1977, the Centro de Artistas Chicanos and Breakfast for Niños Program (a community non-profit program that fed children before school) joined forces to create the Cultural Affairs Project, which further funded their many community services.

The RCAF is best known for its mural paintings, poster art production, and individual artistic contributions. The artists of the Centro have produced murals and exhibitions from San Diego to Seattle. RCAF is significant as a collective that has maintained a forty year history of engaging communities to express their Chicano culture, history and struggle for equal rights.

While the "RCAF" originally stood for the Rebel Chicano Art Front, people confused the letters with the acronym for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Montoya and his fellow officers capitalized on the misunderstanding, and in good humor adopted the name Royal Chicano Air Force. This new identity found its way into their wardrobe, as well as their highly successful silk screen poster program, which began to disseminate the World War I aviator and barnstorming bi-winged planes as icons. The RCAF gained a well-deserved reputation for outrageous humor, fine art posters, murals, and community activism. Their pioneering spirit throughout the 1970s and early 1980s was well-known in the California Chicano community, and continues to the present.

RCAF links: Royal Chicano Air Force

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Chicano_Air_Force
Sent by Dorinda Moreno   pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 



NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES 

November 1: Reading by Arturo Madrid,  In the Country of Empty Crosses:
      The Story of a Hispano Protestant Family in Catholic New Mexico  
From professor to politico: Joseph Gallegos
 

In the Country of Empty Crosses: 
The Story of a Hispano Protestant Family in Catholic New Mexico  


by
Arturo Madrid (Author), Miguel Gandert (Photographer)

Reading by  Arturo Madrid from his book.
Thursday, November 1,  3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Free and open to the public - reception to follow
Simpson Center for the Humanities 

Contact American Ethnic Studies for information
206-543-5401   aes@uw.edu

What it means to belong, through the eyes of an acclaimed Hispanio observer of religious and social histories

In the Country of Empty Crosses is Arturo Madrid’s complex yet affirming memoir about northern New Mexico—places such as Tierra Amarilla, San Augustín, and Los Fuertes that were once among the most remote in the nation. This is Madrid's homeland, a place in which his ancestors predate those who landed at Plymouth Rock.

Madrid grew up in a family that was doubly removed from the community: as Hispanic Protestants, they were a minority among the region's politically dominant Anglo Protestants and a minority within the overwhelmingly Catholic Hispanic populace. He writes affectingly of the lives of his family as they negotiated prejudice and racism in a beautiful if sometimes unforgiving landscape. The result is an account of New Mexico unlike any other, one in which humor and heartache comfortably coexist.

Images by acclaimed photographer Miguel Gandert complement the narrative to portray unkempt rural cemeteries, New Mexico's small villages, and stunning vistas while capturing the sense of loss and survival, hope and redemption that marks this moving and loving memoir.  

Reviews:

In the Country of Empty Crosses arrives as an event in the literary annals of America’s epic pageant of anathematized New World identities, prophetically remembered. Read it as the first ‘deep time’ testimonio of a Hispano protestante from old New Mexico to heed the call of his ancestors to tell their story, which is also his own, con corazón. Wrought with an often wry, flinty poetic eloquence, boundless compassion, and a geomancer’s attention to the austere mystical power of the landscapes of his Tierra Amarilla homeland, Madrid’s fearless tale gives us a glimpse into a secret world of untold histories and longings, narrated throughout with a generous heart, open to becoming something new. It is a bravura performance of ancestral imagination.”— John Phillip Santos

“Blessings, benedictions, benificence to all things in the world, little and large. Arturo Madrid has given them each a name, and their names are chamizal, Teófilo, Tierra Amarilla. For the country of empty crosses is not empty at all. It is a story older than Plymouth Rock, a history history forgot.” — Sandra Cisneros

From professor to politico: Gallegos takes a run at Rep. Lindsay’s House seat

By Richard Jones, El Hispanic News

Now a retired university professor, Joseph Gallegos worked in the fields around Hillsboro to help his family when he was a teenager. Photo by Steve Dipaola
Hillsboro, OR — Four months ago Joseph Gallegos had never gave much thought to running for a political office. Having served 25 years on the faculty at the University of Portland, he had enjoyed a full and productive life.

With his retirement, Gallegos and his just-graduated daughter, Amelia, found time to bicycle the scenic highways and to backpack in the remote woods of the Pacific Northwest.

A little surprise interrupted his thoughts of a boating adventure.

Adriana Cañas, a Democrat, had won the nomination to oppose Republican incumbent Rep. Shawn Lindsay in Oregon’s District 30. Suddenly she withdrew because of personal financial problems. Party leaders began looking for another candidate.

District 30 lies in the north part of Hillsboro, close to dozens of high-tech corporations such as Intel and Tektronix. This results in several high-end neighborhoods.

Democrat David Robinson made a bid to replace Cañas and drew some heavyweight support in Democratic Party circles. Meanwhile several other Washington County party leaders persuaded Gallegos run. In July they selected Gallegos to carry the flag.

Born in San Antonio, Gallegos moved to Oregon at an early age. During his teen years, he worked in the fields around Hillsboro to help his family.

Although he had little experience in active politics, Gallegos has an impressively broad background in education. His résumé resembles an international trouble shooter with stops in eight states and five other countries.

District 30 is not just another district. It will likely shape the course of state politics over the next two years. Currently the 60 seats in the Oregon House of Representatives are evenly split. Each side has 30 seats. Any highly partisan bills would not likely receive enough support to pass.

Rep. Shawn Lindsay

Currently Lindsay holds the District 30 seat. Predictably, Democrats dream of unseating him and Republicans want to hold onto this seat. The matter of one seat in the House could bring about passage — or failure — of many proposed pieces of law. Gallegos says that in District 30 about 25 percent of the residents are Latinos, although only about half of them are registered to vote. With the stakes involved, this will be one of the key districts to watch on Nov. 6.

Preparing a campaign


With a late start in the race, Gallegos had to take care of the legalities — certification by the Democratic Party and registration with Washington County.

In a flurry came a barrel full of chores. The matter of selecting his primary issues and laying out a battle plan based on them required serious thought. Gallegos targeted education and health care as his top issues.

“If you don’t have educated and healthy workers, you won’t have companies employing Oregonians.” Gallegos observes.

The ongoing recession — currently at 8.9 percent unemployment in Oregon — means less money for schools. This happens because a large part of school funding comes from income tax. Gallegos is acutely concerned with “the hemorrhaging of the schools.”

Gallegos suggests a double-edged policy of cutting waste in public schools and eliminating the “kicker” rebates for corporate income taxes. The kicker is a refund to tax payers when the taxes received exceed the state’s budget.

With a large part of the school budget based on the state income tax, the revenue can swing up and down, making it nearly impossible to know how much to allocate for education. Gallegos says that Oregon needs to find more stable sources for school funding.

Another essential was renting a small office on E. Washington St. in Hillsboro and putting together a small staff. Along the way, Gallegos and his staff put together information to go into the Voter’s Guide booklet.

Then came the matter of a slogan (“He’s more than your average Joe”) and designing a brochure and printing a few thousand copies, followed by the most important investment of time and shoe leather: getting your face before the public at events and knocking on doors and shaking hands with voters.

Perhaps the most difficult part of running for office is raising money. To run a competitive race requires thousands of dollars to have a fighting chance to win a seat in the Oregon House o Representatives. For more visible offices — attorney general or governor — expenses will exceed $100,000 considerably.

Sent by Rafael Ojeda  rsnojeda@aol.com 
http://www.elhispanicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Joe-Gallegos-campaign.jpg 

 

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES   

19th Century Photos of the American West
Photo of a Spanish rock inscription from 1726
The Eugene Acosta Marin papers
Salazar creates Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area
The Sernas of New Mexico Newsletter
Historic Clifton-Morenci Strike of 1915
History Often Trails But It Corrects Itself by Rodolfo F. Acuña
 
 
19th Century Photos of the American West
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149899/The-American-West-youve-seen-Amazing-19th-century-pictures-landscape-chartered-time.html 
Editor:  This is an amazing outstanding collection of  early photographs of the America West.  Do pause and view them.

An earlier visitor: Nearly 150 years ago, photographer O'Sullivan came across this evidence of a visitor to the West that preceded his own expedition by another 150 years - A Spanish inscription from 1726. This close-up view of the inscription carved in the sandstone at Inscription Rock (El Morro National Monument), New Mexico reads, in English: "By this place passed Ensign Don Joseph de Payba Basconzelos, in the year in which he held the Council of the Kingdom at his expense, on the 18th of February, in the year 1726"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149899/The-American-West-youve-seen-Amazing-19th-century-pictures-
landscape-chartered-time.html#ixzz2AF2esFkI
   Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Sent by Eva Booher EVABOOHER@aol.com 

The Eugene Acosta Marin papers

The Eugene Acosta Marin Papers are now available in the Chicano/a Research Collection, Hayden Library, Arizona State University in Tempe.. http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/asu/marin.xml.

Biographical Note:

Eugene Acosta Marin was born to Mexican American parents on December 7, 1922 in Christmas, Arizona. He married Marie and the couple had two daughters, Martha and Beverly. Eugene Marin died on November 10, 1999 at the age of 77.

Marin lived in Christmas, Arizona through the Depression years of the 1930s until he graduated from high school at nearby Hayden in 1941. He joined the Army Air Corps and became a B-24 Bomber Navigator. Upon his discharge in 1945, he enrolled at Arizona State Teachers College (now Arizona State University) and settled in Phoenix upon graduating in 1949. He went on to earn his M.A. in Education (1954) and his Administrative Certification (1958) from ASU and his Ph.D from California Western University (1972).

Eugene Marin devoted his professional life to education, teaching for 16 years in the Phoenix elementary school district and participating in pilot bilingual education programs in California. He served as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Arizona for four years, as Financial Aid Director at Arizona State University for 12 years, and as Director of Special Programs in the Office of Education in Washington, D.C., for four years. He was a founding member of the Vesta Club, which annually awards scholarships to Hispanic students. He also established the American Coordinating Council on Political Education to promote political awareness and activity among Hispanics in Arizona.

Dr. Christine Marin, Professor Emeritus . 
Grant Consultant. Chicana/o Research Collection & Archives.
Department of Archives & Special Collections. 
Hayden Library. Arizona State University. 
PO Box 871006. Tempe, AZ. 85287-1006. (mail)
300 E. Orange Mall. Tempe, AZ. 85281. (delivered packages)
Christine.Marin@asu.edu
 
http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives
 

Salazar creates Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area  

Written by THOMAS PEIPERT, Associated Press,  Sep 15, 2012 | 

DENVER — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar established a conservation area in the San Luis Valley on Friday after billionaire Louis Bacon committed to protect more of his vast landholdings in southern Colorado.

Salazar said the designation of the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area marked a “glorious day for our nation, for the state of Colorado, for the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. … It is the spirit of Louis Bacon which allows us today to say that the southern Rockies are in fact a landscape of national significance and one that will be protected for generations to come.”

Bacon, a hedge fund manager, is adding a conservation easement to protect nearly 77,000 acres of his 81,400-acre Trinchera Ranch from development. He announced plans in June to add a perpetual conservation easement on his 90,000-acre Blanca Ranch if the federal government moved ahead with plans to create a new 5 million-acre conservation corridor in Colorado and New Mexico.

The Blanca Ranch easement is expected to be finalized later this year and, with the Trinchera land just south, will represent the largest easement donation ever to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

It creates “a contiguous mosaic of privately held and publicly protected lands that will stay in perpetuity in creating one of the longest migratory wildlife corridors in America,” stretching from the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to New Mexico, Bacon said.

He added that he hopes his decision to put the land under a conservation easement will inspire other landowners to do the same.

Bacon’s land, which Salazar’s office said is the largest continuous, privately owned ranch in Colorado, includes three 14,000-foot peaks — Mount Lindsey, Blanca and Little Bear peaks — in the Sangre de Cristos. The mountain range is one of relatively few in the United States that that still allows unobstructed migration by wildlife.

The interior secretary said Friday the Trinchera Ranch easement would protect fish and wildlife on the property, as well as the area’s watershed. Meanwhile, the land will remain under private ownership, and Bacon will control access and agriculture production. The land also will remain on the local tax rolls.

“For Costilla County, its tax rolls, the tax situation will essentially remain the same,” Salazar said. “And so that’s also a benefit because we are past the time that the United States of America is buying up large tracts of land.”

Bacon signed the agreement after fighting to keep Xcel Energy and the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association from running solar-transmission power lines across his property. State regulators approved the plan but Xcel announced last fall that it wouldn’t build the lines because not enough solar power would be produced in the San Luis Valley.

Bacon said Friday that Xcel’s plans to back off the plan laid the groundwork for the easement announced Friday.

Meanwhile, Salazar stressed that the area’s highest priority now is conservation, and he doesn’t expect that power lines will be built on the property.

 

The Sernas of New Mexico NEWSLETTER


Louis F. Serna, well known to many as the writer and producer of "The Sernas of New Mexico NEWSLETTER" in New Mexico for many years, and author of several historical books on people, places and events in NM, and lecturer on a variety of historical subjects, has up-dated his website to include some of his favorite hobbies and "past-times"... Louis continues to write about "Outstanding People I Have Known", continues to produce beautiful silver jewelry, and for the last year, has been a student of "La Escuelita de el Santo Nino de Atocha", made up of a group of NM Santeros who keep alive, the skills of carved santos, bultos and retablos out of wood, using traditional techniques, paints and styles. Some in the group like the founders, Alcario Otero and Adan Carriaga, are teachers and mentors and their work is known worldwide as some of the best. Louis has been a serious student and has displayed some of his work on his website at www.CimarronPublishing.net. The learning never ends as stated by Adan who has shown his work at the Spanish Market for many years and has received many awards. Alcario is considered one of the top three Santeros in NM and perhaps, in the country.

Although Louis is in his early 70's, he never tires of learning something new and worthwhile and although his schedule is quite full, he looks forward to his next "project"... Having been a welder, machinist, college teaching professor, Business Manager, SCUBA diver, artist, silversmith, author, writer, and a serious student Santero.., what might be next for him...? Visit his website often and find out....!

Louis F. Serna,
www.CimarronPublishing.net 

 

 

Historic Clifton-Morenci Strike of 1915

In case you’re interested in the historic Clifton-Morenci Strike of 1915, a great source to obtain from the History & Archives Division, Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records (aka “State Archives in Phoenix) is the Globe, Arizona newspaper, “Arizona Record”…I’ve been doing some research on another topic & reading the Arizona Record newspaper on microfilm: tedious, but necessary. In issues from July, 1915 to December, 1915, the strike receives great coverage in the Arizona Record. In the October 28, 1915 issue, for example, the names & comments of numerous Mexicans arrested in the strike & accused of being labor organizers or leaders or members of the IWW, WFM, or aligned with socialism, are provided: are they union men, they’re asked by Phelps Dodge officials. Are they sympathetic to the strike, ask Phelps Dodge officials. All say they’re honest, hard-working miners in the Clifton-Morenci mines and have nothing to do with the 1915 strike there. 

The Arizona Record is only available on microfilm. That means that you have to use your own academic, or public, libraries’ Inter-Library Loan service to obtain reels from the State Archives of Arizona: or, drive to the Polly Rosenbaum Archives at 1901 W. Madison, 2nd floor, to read the microfilm there in Phoenix…I find the Arizona Record to be very sympathetic to the union, the WFM, and supports the strike. One union man says that Frank Little was involved in helping round up strikers for Phelps Dodge. And labor organizer & somewhat heroic Henry McKluskey plays a major role for the WFM there in Clifton-Morenci…The Arizona Record is weekly, very pro-labor, & very thorough in the coverage of this strike for the period of July to December, 1915…..

I am not conducting research on this strike, but I recognized how important the Arizona Record newspaper from Globe, Arizona can be for anyone who’s interested in seeing just how this strike affects other mining communities outside of Clifton-Morenci…In Globe, the strike is an important labor issue at this time…and the role of the Mexican laborer receives much attention in the Arizona Record newspaper as well…….

Dr. Christine Marin, Professor Emeritus . 
Grant Consultant. Chicana/o Research Collection & Archives.
Department of Archives & Special Collections. 
Hayden Library. Arizona State University. 
PO Box 871006. Tempe, AZ. 85287-1006. (mail)
300 E. Orange Mall. Tempe, AZ. 85281. (delivered packages)
Christine.Marin@asu.edu
 
http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives
 


History Often Trails But It Corrects Itself

 

By Rodolfo F. Acuña

If you haven’t read David Dorado Romo’s “Ringside Seat To a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923,” (Cinco Puntos Press), do so. It is a book I wish that I would have written. A pictorial history of the Mexican Revolution, it also sees events through a trans-border prism that includes a Chicana/o lens.

My favorite story is of the Mexican gas baths forcefully given Mexican immigrants upon entering the country (for over 50 years) and the little known story of Carmelita Torres, a seventeen year old Mexican maid who crossed over into El Paso from Juarez to clean houses in 1917.

Carmelita refused to take a gasoline bath when she entered the United States. The soldiers would often stare at the disrobed Mexican women as they were forced to take the baths. Carmelita was aware that a similar gasoline bath had burned the inmates in the El Paso jail to death when a fire ignited the gas. Carmelita, tired of suffering this indignity, agitated the other passengers on the trolley. Thirty passengers joined the protest, touching off two days of uprisings.

The Los Angeles Times reported on January 30, 1917, “Nine hundred and twenty-nine Mexicans were given baths at the United States immigration station today, the third day of the enforcement of quarantine regulations as a preventative of typhus fever. … The only disturbance today was when two Mexican men and one woman were arrested by local police officers at the American end of the international bridge. They were placed in the City Jail on charges of inciting a riot, the specific charge being that they crossed the international line and assaulted Sgt. J. M. Peck of the Twenty-Third United States Infantry and Inspector Roy Scuyler of the customs service. The woman was later dismissed and the men fined in Police Court.”

The night before the Times reported that “THOUSANDS OF MEXICANS BLOCK TRAFFIC IN ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATION.” The Mexican government of Venustiano Carranza cooperated with American authorities in putting down the rebellion. The Times continued, “The rioters were mostly Mexican women, employed as servants in El Paso, who resented the placing in effect of an American quarantine order that all persons of unclean appearance seeking to cross the bridge be given a shower bath and their clothing be disinfected to kill the typhus-bearing vermin.”

The Times added that “Stories also were circulated that American soldiers were photographing the women while bathing, and making the pictures public.” The account described the women as defiant:

Excited women thronged the Mexican side of the bridge, held up streetcars and completely blocked traffic for several hours. They shouted defiantly, waved controller bars at the helpless manager of the street car system, scurried against the shade of the bridge walls when a moving picture man tried to take them, and had a good time generally. Some of the American carmen were roughly handled and several car windows were broken. Mexican men, who attempted to cross to El Paso, had their hats snatched off and thrown into the Rio Grande…

The women also defied Mexican authorities shouting, “Viva Villa!” The Mexican troops of Venustiano Carranza pressed the women back from the bridge. They fired supposedly to scare the crowd. A demonstrator was later executed by the Carranza’s army.

Despite the importance of the Carmelita Torres story, it like hundreds of others was untold. Romo is one of the first scholars to highlight it. Significantly many such incidents have emerged in the last twenty years.

This no doubt can be attributed to the dramatic growth in the Latino population that has forced changes not only on public policy but in scholarship. It is no longer strictly a white narrative. While Latino students made up 4.6 percent of the school-age population in 1968, twenty years later they comprised 10.5 percent of the populace. In 1970 the census estimated that 9.07 million Spanish-surnamed persons lived in the United States; at least 4.53 million were of Mexican origin, living mostly along the 2,000 mile border separating Mexico and the United States. There were small pockets in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. There are now 35 million Mexican Americans and they span the entire nation.

In 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that Latinos would become majority California-born by the time the 2010 census. There was also an exponential growth in Mexican popular culture and scholarship. In the Southwest a cultural revolution took place -- not only in music and the arts but in foods. Salsa is the No. 1 condiment in the United States. Mexican folklore, music, Cinco de Mayo, the Day of the Dead and foods all became part of American culture. Mariachi music has become a standard part of most statewide and national political events. The only thing that has marred the fiesta is a vicious rise in white supremacy and racist nativism rhetoric.

An almost unnoticed consequence of the shift in population is the growth of Mexican American and Latino research. Before December 31, 1970, there was not a single dissertation written under the category of “Chicano”; by 2010 870 dissertations had been recorded under this grouping. Under “Mexican American” 82 dissertations had been accepted before 1971, and 2,824 after that date -- under Latinos, 6 before 1971 and 2,887 after. The growth of the Chicano population also produced a renaissance in interest on Mexico. Before 1971, 660 dissertations on Mexico could be found in the Proquest data bank contrasted to 9,078 that were written after this date to 2010. The number of books and journal articles on Chicanas/os and Latinos exploded.

A growth in the Chicana/o middle class took place because of the Chicana/o Movement. This is in spite of the horrendous Mexican American dropout rate.

This advance in the production of knowledge will have future implications for places like Arizona because it will determine what future generations know and think about today. It will not be like in the case of Carmelita Torres who was discovered a century after her courageous stand for human rights.

Take the case of the Tucson Unified School District: Most of the local coverage has been controlled by local news media, which are controlled by a cabal.

In just the past couple of months two books have been published that are highly critical of what is happening there, i.e., Jeff Biggers’ State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream and Otto Santa Ana’s anthology Arizona Firestorm have just come out and I know of at least six other books including one by me that are in the works. Most take a definite stand against the privatization of the state’s resources, exposing the chicanery of school and state officials. Some even name names.

Many of those who are relying on anonymity will be exposed; books on Tucson will have a much wider reader ship than let’s say my book Occupied America simply because the Mexican American population has grown exponentially so much larger than in 1972. It is at that point that the Southern Arizona Leadership Council will become universally known as the Robber Barons and Arizona as the Mississippi of the West.

Based on my reading of history the stock of Sean Arce will reach epic levels. If he were living in California or Texas there would have been at least a half dozen corridos (ballads) written about him.

Like in the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Arce took on the gringo or more specifically injustice. Like Aurelio Pompa he may lose but the sacrifice will be recognized. It is very rare that a corrido is dedicated to a politician and almost never to a businessman. It is reserved for a hero. Arce even looks the part. (You can picture Sean riding with Pancho).

History will absolve those who stood with the Tucson Mexican American Studies program. In this case the truth comes in numbers. Who would you prefer standing with? Carranza or Pancho Villa?

However, how this awareness is translated into progressive change will greatly depend on Democrats who should recognize that their future depends on Mexican Americans knowing about Carmelita Torres and the Sean Arces and that it is better to have Mexicans in the schools than in prison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nz-253RaQo

Fight Back! Please click on to the links and support. There are two urgent needs:

Depositions begin this week in the case against HB 2281. You can donate by clicking on to http://saveethnicstudies.org/ . We are run entirely by volunteers; however, depositions are expensive. Please donate at least $5 a month.

Depositions have started in the case against Sean Arce and José González. Four hours of depositions were taken of both Arce and Gonzalez. Our side deposed Ward this past week. Please donate: https://www.wepay.com/donations/144408

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. 
Historia Chicana, Mexican American Studies
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas


MIDDLE AMERICA

Louisiana Historical Center
The Young Lords in Lincoln Park Project at GVSU
Canary Islanders Heritage Society Mounted Display at Assumption Parish Library
Alhaurin de la Torre and New Iberia, Sister Cities

  Louisiana Historical Center

The Louisiana Historical Center, located in the French Quarter at the Old U.S. Mint, is one of America's great archives. Since it opened in 1982, the Center has served thousands of researcher's from around the world. In addition to its priceless collections of Colonial-era manuscripts and maps, the Louisiana Historical Center houses a wealth of primary and secondary source materials in a wide range of media.

Sent by  Winston De Ville deville@provincialpress.us

 

http://www.crt.state.la.us/museum/collections/historical_center/ 


"THE YOUNG LORDS IN LINCOLN PARK" PROJECT AT GVSU


On Sunday, September 23, 2012, faculty and undergraduate student researchers at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will launch an oral history project, dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Recording, preserving, and making these memories accessible to teachers, researchers, and the community is the guiding aim of this effort.

More information about "The Young Lords in Lincoln Park" project, including videotaped oral histories, photographs, and a growing collection of related material can be found at: http://www.gvsu.edu/younglords

"The Young Lords in Lincoln Park" project grows out of the ongoing struggle with the Richard J. Daley Machine for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José "Cha-Cha" Jiménez, who founded the Young Lords Movement on September 23, 1968. Just this Monday, the Greater Little Rock Church, which was the Young Lords' People's Church, was sold and will be torn down to build a Walgreen's, underscoring the urgency of this preservation effort. The pastor then was United Methodist Rev. Bruce Johnson who was found brutally stabbed along with this wife, Eugenia, on September 30, 1969. Their murders have never been solved. 

The GVSU project is co-directed by Mr. Jiménez and Professor Melanie Shell-Weiss, of the Liberal Studies Department in the GVSU Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Core partners in this effort include the GVSU Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship and the GVSU Special Collections and University Archives.

Highlights of this project include a rich collection of more than 100 videotaped oral histories which become fully available online over the next year. A subset of these oral histories as well as photographs and biographies of all 88 individuals who have been interviewed to date are currently available through the website. 

Additional materials that will become available online through the GVSU Libraries Digital Collections include historical photographs, papers, and clippings documenting the origins of the Young Lords Movement including Mr. Jiménez's unpublished manuscripts from his campaign for alderman of Chicago's 46th ward, founding of the Lincoln Park Camp and KO Club (both in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area), as well as photos, documents, clippings, and related ephemera donated by other individuals who have been interviewed as part of this project.

CONTACT: THE YOUNG LORDS PROJECT
OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
PHONE: (616)331-8100  EMAIL: OURS@gvsu.edu
http://www.gvsu.edu/younglords


Canary Islanders Heritage Society Mounted a Genealogical Display 
at Assumption Parish Library 



In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Canary Islanders Heritage Society provided a display and genealogical information to the Assumption Parish Library in celebration of the 16th anniversary of the Society's founding. Exhibited materials included maps of the areas settled by the Isleños, a list of the surnames of most of the original settlers (including the modern spelling), ships' passenger lists, archaeological materials from the Gálveztown dig, and genealogy research resources. The exhibit was opened October 6th by a brief history of the Canary Islanders presented by Chad LeBlanc. 
www.canaryislanders.org/aboutnew.htm 


Pictured above, left to right, are: Chad LeBlanc, Society Board Member; R. Layne Lindsly, Society President; Nancy Duco, Friends of the Library President; D.J. "Peanut" Alleman, Society member; Joan Aleman, Society Vice President; Father Gerald LeFebvre, Society Board member and Karen Lambert, Society Secretary.   http://www.postsouth.com/article/20121017/NEWS/121019821/-1/entertainment%20life
 

Alhaurin de la Torre and New Iberia, Sister Cities 
José Manuel de Molina was instrumental in pairing Alhaurin de la Torre and New Iberia as sister cities. He also graciously allowed me to post a translated copy of a chapter of his book on the Malaquenos Settlers of New Iberia - see http://www.thecajuns.com/malaguenos.htm 

The url for the Bayou Teche Museum is http://bayoutechemuseum.org/ 

On Sept. 27, 2012, a plaque was placed in New Orleans by the society the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez which is based in San Antonio. The marker is a few feet from an equestrian statue of Galvez that has stood since 1976 between the former World Trade Center building and the ferry terminal at the foot of Canal Street. The following url is to an article in The Times-Picayune. 

http://www.nola.com/military/index.ssf/2012/09/galvez_society_plants_a_plaque.html 

I've asked for permission to reproduce the article on my website. I've also posted on my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheCajuns 

There are two organizations in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana dedicated to preserving the Canary Islanders Heritage in Louisiana. They are:  The Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana at http://www.canaryislanders.org/  and 
Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society at http://www.losislenos.org /

Sent by Stanley LeBlanc  A Seguin 2@aol.com



TEXAS

Angel of Goliad
Angel of Goliad - Francisca Alavez or Alvarez? by Dan Alvarez Garza
Report on 33rd Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference by
José Antonio López
Eddie Garcia and Irma Saldana, in front of ancestral file created by Crispin Rendon
Conversos on the Rio Grande Frontier by conference presentor, Norman Rozeff
Presentor, José Adrián Barragán Shares Resources for Searching Among
Texas General Land Office Archives and Records
San Antonio 9th Annual San Antonio Founders Day
Delgado v. Bastrop Case and Photo of Delgado Lawyers, Michael A. Olivas
The Chicano Movement Changed Education in South Texas: Elpidio Lizcano
Annual Tejano Vigil in the Alamo Shrine

 

Angel of Goliad, a section from the 6 X 20 feet,  1936 painting, located in  the museum next to the Mission Espíritu Santo at Goliad State Park. It is only 1 mile from Presidio La Bahia, where Fannin and his 340 men or so were executed, or as some say massacred by General Santa Ana’s orders. This is where Francisca Alvarez, the “Angel” saved many of the Texans and attended as many of the injured as possible.

 

Angel of Goliad -  Francisca Alavez (or) Alvarez?
by
Dan Alvarez Garza 


Texas history has always been close to the heart of most Texans, and we have always tried to ensure we keep our facts straight and are as accurate as possible, so when we tell our stories we tell them proudly, and we try to make them interesting and believable. It has been more than 176 years since Francisca Alvarez saved or aided the young Texan soldiers during the horrific "Goliad Massacre" events in March of 1836. Not only was she in Goliad at the right time for the Texan revolutionists, but she also helped Texans in San Patricio, Copano Bay, Victoria, and Matamoros, an important military strategic town for the Mexican Army, located across from Brownsville, Texas. What was interesting about Francisca was, even though she was helping Texan soldiers, she travelled with the Mexican Army and supposedly accompanied Captain Telesforo Alavez, a paymaster under General Jose Cosme Urrea who was General Santa Ana's most successful general.

If you have traveled through Goliad, Texas, you may have noticed Presidio La Bahia, a Spanish fort just south of Goliad off of highway 183, established in 1749. This is where the "Goliad Massacre" took place on March 27, 1836 and is where Francisca Alvarez was described in testimonials to have vehemently protested the orders of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana to execute all prisoners. They say that she saved many Texans, including one 15 year old she had pulled from the line as they were being marched to their imminent death.

Since no one knew her true identity, there were many variations given of her first and last name, but Texas Historian Harbert Davenport believed and insisted her last name had to be Alavez since she accompanied Captain Telesforo Alavez. However, it was discovered that Captain Telesforo Alavez unfortunately was already married to Maria Augustina De Pozo of Toluca, Mexico whom he had already abandoned in 1834. Many other historians have repeatedly stated that Francisca's last name should be Alavez, and that naming her Alvarez is incorrect. They ascertained that since Alvarez was more popular and well known than Alavez, the Texan soldiers, not knowing Spanish, must have mispronounced it.

However, according to the Sacrario Catholic Church of Toluca baptism archives, the Christian name given to Captain Alavez is, Jose Maria Telesforo Alavez Albares born January 5, 1802. His father's name is recorded as Manuel De Alavez y Piza and his mother as Maria Josefa Albares. Since she gave her son Matias the surname of Albares, it is apparent that she did not wish to take the Alavez name since he had been married before in Toluca, Mexico. So it was advantageous for everyone to use his mother's surname "Albares".

Within the museum at Presidio La Bahia in Goliad is a bust of Francisca with the name "Francisca Alavez", but as a descendant of the Angel of Goliad and as historian of the Angel of Goliad Descendants Historical Preservation organization, I feel it was evident that she preferred the surname of "Albares", which later changed to Alvarez. Since she passed the name down to her son and grandchildren, I believe consequently that the name Alvarez should be used when stating her name, instead of using the surname of Telesforo Alavez.

More information on the Angel of Goliad, as well as Teleforo Alavez's baptism record, can be found at our web page, Angel of Goliad Descendants Historical Preservation, at www.angelofgoliadhp.com . Membership is open to all descendants and friends of the Angel. You are welcome to visit our tent by the statue of the Angel of Goliad, between Presidio La Bahia and Fannin's monument, when we meet every year the last weekend in March, and make sure you do not miss the reenactment. 

Dan Alvarez Garza - AOGDHP Historian 
Angel of Goliad Descendants Historical Preservation 
dgarza48@comcast.net 
281-831-1055  
Houston, TX

Report on 33rd Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference,  October 11-14

To ALL: 

Cordy & I just returned from a very excellent 33rd Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference, Oct 11-14, 2012, held in beautiful South Padre Island. First, the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Genealogical Society deserves a very well-earned round of applause from all of us. Ofelia (Chavez Medrano) Olsson, President, and her outstanding crew of volunteers did a superb job!

I saw many of you there, but I would like to share with everyone else who was not able to attend three things that stood out for me:

Camaraderie. The conference was well attended and visitors came from across the country. It was absolutely a pleasure sharing and learning, because in Mimi Lozano’s motto, somos primos and primas. As a matter of fact, I met a couple of primas that I had not seen since my youth. We have promised each other we will keep in touch.

Presentations. The conference consisted of a great balance of genealogical and historical information. The sharing of information in these two fields is crucial if we are to continue preserving our rich history.

International Appeal. One of the things that struck me the most positive is the inclusion of presenters and participants from Mexico. It was a great honor to meet Dr. Israel Cavazos, chronicler and well-know historian from Monterrey. In truth, Texas is incomplete unless we recognize our hermanos and hermanas across the Rio Grande. As many of you know, I like to refer to the U.S.-Mexico border as a permanent Mason Dixon Line. It is time we begin to treat our extended family as true members of Tejano heritage.

The keynote speaker was Mr. Bill Millet, Director of Millet Films. Mr. Millet specializes in history and travel films for public broadcasting stations. He has “discovered” Tejano history and now finds himself immersed in learning about pre-1836 Texas history. As a result, his current major project is a three-part mini-series called “Texas Before the Alamo”. He describes his effort as a documentary about the true beginnings of the history of Texas. The film is scheduled for release in the Spring of 2013. To view a trailer for the movie, visit www.texasbeforethealamo.com .

To end the conference, we were treated to an absolutely fantastic performance (more like our own personal classical concert) by four students from the Estudiantina, San Benito School District. The spectacular show consisted of three guitars (2 Spanish guitars and a bass) and a percussionist. With their selection of popular Spanish classical and flamenco (gypsy) tunes, the young students truly inspired all of us. Through their music, we were reminded of our ancestors and who we really are. I am sure we would all agree that if Tejanos and Tejanas were to choose an instrument that represents us, it would be the Spanish guitar.

“AQUI TODAVIA ESTAMOS, Y NO NOS VAMOS.”

Saludos, José Antonio López 
jlopez8182@satx.rr.com  

Mimi,
I attended the 33rd Annual Texas Hispanic Genealogical & Historical Conference in South Padre Island and it was great. My cousin Irma Saldana from Mercedes, Texas, webmaster of El Rancho Las Escobas - Salinas - Guerra - Garcia website, sent me this picture of us together in front of her ancestral chart created by Crispin Rendon (that also includes our mutual family). The chart on the right is in a different format with the same ancestors.

eddie_u_garcia@yahoo.com 

 

Among the presentations . . . . 
Conversos on the Rio Grande Frontier by Norman Rozeff


The last decade has seen a quantum leap in genealogy interest, not only across the nation,  but also in South Texas. Hispanics are taking a keen look at their ancestry and, in the course of this, a strange piece of history has had more light focused on it. This is the remarkable story of conversos.  

The Spanish word converse means a Jew or Muslim who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal during the 14th and 15th centuries. The fact was that both had lived in Spain for nearly 600 years after the Moors began conquering much of the area in the year 711. These Jews were labeled Sephardic. They were Jews that had migrated after the diaspora to the Mediterranean littoral and eventually the Iberian peninsula. A second distinct group of Jews who ended up in northern Europe were termed Ashkenazi.  

Religious persecution of Jews was common in Spain for many decades before the coming of the Moors. That condition initiated early conversions to the Christian faith. Wikipedia's "The History of Jews in Latin America" tells us that "There were at least seven  (converted Jews) who sailed with Columbus in his first voyage to the New World in 1492, including Rodrigo de Triana, who was the first to sight land (Columbus later assumed credit for this), Maestre Bernal, who served as the expedition's physician, and Luis De Torres, the interpreter, who spoke Hebrew and Arabic, which it was believed would be useful in the Orient—their intended destination."  

The Moors were relatively tolerant, and the Jews living among them in Spain prospered in many different occupations, especially in the dynamic city of Toledo. Their idealistic life came to an end when the Spanish royals Ferdinand and Isabella re-conquered much of  Moorish Spain.  It would, however, take until 1591 before its last stronghold, Al-Andalus, was occupied.  

On March 31, 1492 the Alhambra Decree began to reverse the protection of religious rights that had been granted under the Treaty of Granada. The edict ordered the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year. At this point thousands of Jews converted to Catholicism to avoid expulsion. The screws on the religious liberties of the Jews and Moors were inexorably tightened by succeeding royalty. It was however the Inquisition that "drove the final nail into the coffin." This tribunal had been started in 1480 by Ferdinand and Isabella to ensure the orthodoxy of Jews and Muslims who had converted to Catholicism. Earlier they had been convinced that some converted Jews were actually crypto-Jews, who were secretly practicing their old religion while professing to be Catholic. Confiscation of property and, worse yet, burning at the stake was the fate of some of these accused crypto-Jews or as the Spanish termed them Marranos (literally swine).  

Benzion Netanyahu, the father of Benjamin Netanyahu currently prime minister of Israel, was an historian, editor, and Zionist activist. He studied medieval history and his life's work was a 1,384 page history of the Spanish Inquisiton. In it he argued “that discrimination against convversos stemmed from deep-seated anti-Semitism and not the belief that they were secretly practicing Judaism, something he called a myth.”  

The continuing discovery of crypto-Jews, whether this status was true or not, led to ever-increasing personal violence by the church. Over time conversos and crypto-Jews fled first to Portugal then to other lands -- in Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and the New World. Nuevo Spain, as Mexico was then called, was one site of such migrations. Many settled in what is now Mexico City and lived relatively unencumbered lives until 1571 when the Holy Office of the Inquisition was established there. From that date the lives of conversos became progressively risky. "So many perceived crypto-Jews were going to Mexico during the 1500s that officials complained in written documents to Spain that Spanish society in Mexico would become significantly Jewish. Officials found and condemned clandestine synagogues in Mexico City. At this point, colonial administrators instituted la Ley de la Pureza de Sangre (Blood Purity Laws), which prohibited migration to Mexico for New Christians (Nuevo Christiano), i.e. anyone who could not prove to be Old Christians for at least the last three generations."  

Persecution reached a peak in 1642 when 150 of Portuguese descent were arrested and placed on trial. New Spain saw its largest auto da fe in April 1649 "in which twelve were  burned after being strangulated and one person was burned alive. Most of the remainder were ‘reconciled’ and deported to Spain." Auto da fe literally means "act of faith". In reality it was the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed.  

Conversos, some of whom may have been crypto-Jews, took action to escape persecution. They moved north to the nearly unoccupied hinterlands of New Spain. One notable individual connected with this history is Luis de Carabajal y Cueva (also sometimes Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva. He had been born in Portugal in 1539 to a family of conversos. His family moved to Leon, Spain when he was eight, but he was to return to Portugal after his father's death. Eventually he ended up in the Cape Verde Islands where for 13 years he was involved in the slave trade.  

He returned to Portugal and married Guiomar de Ribera of Lisbon and whose father was also in the slave trade. Encountering financial and marital problems (his wife, a staunch Jew refused to give up her Hebraic faith and remained in Spain) he sailed as second in command of the Spanish Indies fleet to New Spain after which he was appointed mayor of Tampico. In 1568 he rounded up 88 Englishmen abandoned by the English privateer John Hawkens. This so impressed his superiors that he was promoted to captain and sent to explore new mining areas as well as suppress Indians along the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) River. "He claimed to have punished the natives responsible for the massacre of 400 castaways from three ships wrecked on the coast en route to Spain — presumably the Padre Island shipwrecks of 1554. During the campaign, he crossed the lower Rio Grande into what is now Texas, becoming the first Spanish subject to do so.  

After a trip to Spain in 1579 during which time he convinced King Phillip II of the feasibility of developing ports on New Spain's northeast coast and colonizing the vast area northwest of Tampico, he was granted, on May 31, 1579, the title of governor and captain-general. The agreement with King Philip II of Spain was to pacify the region and to establish the state of Nuevo León; the contract authorized him to do this in an area that did not exceed 200 leagues on a side. "Significantly, the charter allowed the Blood Purity Laws (Pureza de sangre), which stipulated that Spanish immigrants to the New World be at least three generations of Old Christian, to be lifted in an effort to encourage migration to this remote province beset by attacks by indigenous tribes. This Northern Province therefore became a target for migration by Iberian conversos, i.e. New Christians." The territory involved now consists of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and other parts of present day Mexico and Texas. He sailed aboard the Santa Catarina with 100 families, mostly related to his and his wife's family. He was also granted 100 soldiers and 60 married laborers to help pacify the new territories. These were said to be primarily Marranos. Any colonization was to be done at Carabajal's own expense.  

In 1557 Carabajal founded the village of  Saltillo; in the same year, he also founded Santa Lucía, now called Monterrey, and discovered the mines of San Gregorio, located in what is now called Cerralvo. The first Spanish settlement in Nuevo León took place in 1582 in Cerralvo, which thus included the first capital of the state. In 1630, this settlement was renamed Villa de San Gregorio de Cerralvo, after the fifteenth Viceroy of New Spain, Rodrigo Pacheco y Osorio, Marques de Cerralvo. The municipality was settled in order to exploit mineral resources, including lead, and to sell Indians to the Spanish. Because of its early settlement, Cerralvo may be therefore thought of as the "mother city" of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  

Dr. Lyman Platt in his “The Escandon Settlement of Nueva Espana” has some slightly different settlement dates. He relates: “In 1583 Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, a Portuguese Jew, was named as Governor of Nuevo Leòn. He entered with his colony and began to establish the colonies of Monterrey, Monclova, and probably Cerralvo between that year and 1596. Some descendants of this group became part of the Escandòn colonists. The list of Carvajal colonists is found in Catàlogo de Pasajeros a Indias, Siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII. Vol. VI (1578-1585) [Seville: Archivo General de Indias, 1986, pp. 447-457]. There were seventy-six individuals or families forming this initial group. This list has been reprinted in Los Bexareños Genealogical Register 4 (1987); pp. 179-185.”  

Things did not end well for these immigrants. By 1590 after his extended family and associated had established themselves and laid the foundation for the city of Monterrey, the Inquisition sought out these apparent Christians. "Don Luis de Carabajal [had] brought with him to Mexico his brother-in-law, Don Francisco Rodríguez de Matos, and his sister, Doña Francisca Nuñez de Carabajal, with their children.  Isabel was tortured until she implicated the whole of the Carabajal family, who, with the exception of Don Baltasar, were imprisoned. The latter succeeded in escaping to , Taxco and was condemned to death in his absence." Carabajal was charged with Judaizing and heresy and 20 other offenses while his real crime may have been enslaving Indians captured along the Rio Bravo. Sentenced to a six-year exile from New Spain he died in 1595 while in prison. He thus escaped a far worse fate, for in December 1596 Doña Francisca and her children, Isabel, Catalina, Leonor, and Luis, as well as Manuel Díaz, Beatriz Enríquez, Diego Enríquez, and Manuel de Lucena, a total of nine people, died at the stake in Mexico City. It may surprise some to learn that the Inquisition wasn't totally and officially abolished until 1820.  

Other conversos survived in the area surrounding the Rio Bravo, and their descendants are with us today. Sephardic surnames  include: Almanzi, Castro, Carvajal, Leon, Navarro, Somogyi, Robles, and Sevilla from Spain; , Almeida, Lisbona, Miranda, Paiva, Porto, and Pieba from Portugal; and from Majorca, Abraham, Daviu, Duran, Jordà, Maimó, Salom, and Vidal. Also noted in some articles are the popular names Garza, Cardena, and Esparza.  

Still other descendants were said to have migrated to other frontier colonies further west to the trade routes passing through the towns of Sierra Madres Occidental and Chihuahua and further north on the trade route to El Paso (Texas) and Santa Fe (New Mexico), and somewhat less in California.  

Some have even hinted that the name of the Mexico state, Nuevo Leon, is actually taken from the New Lion of Judah, Judah being the Old Testament Hebrew tribe that used a lion as its traditional symbol, rather than the site in Spain.  

Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods Jews can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten. "Kashrut" comes from the Hebrew root Kaf-Shin-Reish, meaning fit, proper or correct. We commonly know this today as "kosher". Many modern Jews think that the laws of kashrut are simply primitive health regulations that have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation. There is no question that some of the dietary laws have some beneficial health effects. However, health is not the only reason for Jewish dietary laws. Many of the laws of kashrut have no known connection with health. The short answer to why Jews observe these laws is: because the Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any reason for these laws, and for a Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there is no need for any other reason. Some have suggested that the laws of kashrut fall into the category of "chukkim," laws for which there is no reason. Jews show their obedience to God by following these laws even though they do not know the reason. "The dietary laws are designed as a call to holiness. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the profane, is very important in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat ingrains that kind of self control, requiring us to learn to control even our most basic, primal instincts."  

Although their origins have dimmed with the passage of time, the region settled by the conversos continue to consume different foods such as cabrito (goat), semitas (a bread incorporating anise), capirotada, empanadas, and practice obscure customs associated with the conversos. These customs include handling of the tortilla dough, the slaughter of chickens, salting of meat, and having a seven day mourning period rather than the nine day Catholic one among others. Empanadas, which originated in the remote and poor  province of Galicia in Spain, may take thier name from Sephardic Jews who borrowed the word tapada or literally “with a lid” and transformed it into empanada.  

Although many believe that the above-noted foods were exclusively introduced and consumed by converos, Mr. Raul Montemayor,a native of Monterrey and Jewish who has deeply investigated the subject, has concluded that many of the traditional foods were actually native to the areas from which the conversos immigrated. One notable exception is the flour tortilla made originally from unleavened flour and water. This he concludes is the Mexican equivalent of Jewish matsoh.  

DNA analyses now offer a reliable avenue to trace complex ancestry. When some Hispanics in New Mexico had their DNA determined, up to 38% were found to have markers commonly found in Jewish people. This has to be taken with a grain of salt because 20% of the population in Spain were said to have similar strains. It was then pointed out by researchers that early Phoenician seaman and settlers to Iberia as well as Hebrew slaves brought to the area by the Romans may be the base for some of this genetic material.  

Jeffrey Wheelwright, who wrote an article in Smithsonian magazine on the possibilities of certain isolated southwest communities having conversos bloodlines, has recently expanded his research into a book titled " The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess: Race, Religion, and DNA." In it he goes into the cancer-causing gene mutation known as BRCA1.185delAG.

 

A small group of Catholic Hispanic women living in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado were found to have a higher rate of breast and ovarian cancer than demographics would have predicted. One might conclude "Although these conversos probably thought they had left their Jewish heritage behind, they actually brought with them one deadly piece of genetic baggage: 185delAG." As Wheelwright wrote earlier the DNA didn’t prove that the genetic carriers’ unusual rituals were indeed vestiges of ancient crypto-Judaic rites, but the evidence neatly matched the historical hypothesis. The science is hard to deny.  

Regardless of any controversies, the subject continues to fascinate and entice additional research on the part of many Southwest Hispanics and, indeed Jewish historians alike.

 


Presentor, José Adrián Barragán Shares Resources for Searching Among Texas General Land Office Archives and Records
 

 
Dear conference attendants,  I would like to thank you again for your interest and for allowing me to speak with you about the resources available at the GLO. I'd like to provide you with some helpful research tools from our website:

- The Surname Index can be found here: http://www.glo.texas.gov/what-we-do/history-and-archives/the-collection/land-grants/surname-index.html 

- The Land Grant Database can be found here: http://www.glo.texas.gov/cf/land-grant-search/index.cfm 

- The map database can be found here: http://www.glo.texas.gov/cf/ArcMaps/ArcMapsLookup.cfm 

- The Genealogy Name Search Request form: http://www.glo.texas.gov/what-we-do/history-and-archives/_documents/Genealogy%20Name%20Search%20Request%20Form1.pdf   

- Our latest Saving Texas History Newsletter: http://www.glo.texas.gov/what-we-do/history-and-archives/_publications/STH-newsletter-fall-2012.pdf

If you have any questions about the services of the GLO Archives, or have a specific research question that I might be able to help you with, please feel free to call me at 512-463-5270 or email me at jose.barragan@glo.texas.gov .

José Adrián Barragán
Spanish Translator
Texas General Land Office Archives and Records
512.463.5270  jose.barragan@glo.texas.gov 

Sent by Walter Herbeck       tejanos2010@gmail.com

 


San Antonio Founders DayTM Alliance
Presented it's 9th Annual San Antonio Founders Day
October 20, 2012

The great city of San Antonio deserves a great celebration worthy of its heritage…and San Antonio Founders DayTM, was born nine years ago through the vision of the late historian Frank W. Jennings, whose commitment and enthusiasm made the celebration a reality.  The Founders Day celebration  was on the grounds of the Alamo and Alamo Plaza from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The day-long musical, cultural, historical and educational celebration will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at The Alamo. The selection of this site is fitting as Mission San Antonio de Valero, the forerunner of The Alamo, was one of the first institutions established by the Spanish along the banks of the San Antonio River.

Founders Day is San Antonio's celebration of 294 years in one of the most interesting and history-filled cities in America. We celebrate our city's unique communal harmony -- its remarkable “convivencia” that people come from all over Texas and far beyond to admire and enjoy. San Antonio is truly “an enchanted city.”

We pay tribute to the more than 20 cultural groups and outstanding individuals who have, since the 1700s, made our city what it is today. We honor the people who took part in history-making events during the city’s development in the years 1718, 1731, 1836, 1968 to 2012.

A special feature of the afternoon festivities will be historical walking tours from the Professional Tour Guide Association of San Antonio. As you visit these history stations, you will have the opportunity to learn more about each topic from professional tour guides, who will entertain you with true stories and amazing legends.

The history trail includes:
HISTORIC & MEMORABLE EVENTS: San Antonio has a rich and unique history. Hear some of the amazing stories and events that have happened over the last three centuries. Here you can learn about the first San Antonio fire station in Alamo Plaza, the first demonstration of barbed wire, the mesquite pavers, and the Menger Hotel.

THE WATERS: The San Antonio River begins at a group of springs on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word. The largest of these springs is called the Blue Hole. Visitors in the 1800s describe the spring gushing many feet in the air from the earth. When the Spanish missionaries arrived in 1718 they and the Indian converts began building a system of irrigation ditches, called “acequias” throughout the area. This system brought water from the San Antonio River to the missions.
THE ARCHITECTURE: When you stand in the middle of the Alamo grounds, you can see buildings from the 1700s, the 1800s, the 1900s, and the current century. Many of our older buildings began with one purpose, and are now used for something completely different. You can learn how our city has changed over the years.

THE GARDENS: The native people were hunter-gatherer Indian tribes. They collected native plants and hunted wild animals for their food. When the missionaries arrived, they brought new foods and taught the Indians to become farmers and ranchers. As colonists from different cultures arrived, their influence was added to the mix. The food we enjoy today is a result of many influences joining together.

Visitors to the History Trail are encouraged to enjoy at their own pace and take as long as they need or as little time as they wish. Interested folks may complete the entire trail or visit just one or two stations. The PTGASA is there to share their knowledge of history and folklore and hope to enhance your Founders Day experience.

San Antonio Founders DayTM is sponsored by the San Antonio Founders Day Alliance in association with San Antonio’s Founding Heritage and The Alamo.
More information can be obtained at www.SanAntonioFoundersDay.org or call (210) 240-1745.
# # #

Sent by Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, Joe Perez jperez329@satx.rr.com

Delgado v. Bastrop Case and Photo of Delgado Lawyers

Michael A. Olivas

MOlivas@UH.EDU

 

It is funny how once someone becomes attached to a matter, others send things along. My friend and UT historian Emilio Zamora passed this picture along. He thought that it was connected with Delgado v Bastrop, the important 1948 Texas district desegregation case. It was brought by Gus Garcia and Carlos Cadena, later of Hernandez v Texas. At the time, they were litigating many bread and butter cases together in San Antonio, and Cadena tried an important racial covenant case with Alonso P. Perales, Clifton v. Puente, 218 S.W.2d 272 (Tex. Civ. App.—San Antonio 1948, writ ref’d n.r.e ). (Below, I say that this is among the first cases tried together by them—I should have said among the first civil rights cases.)

 

Emilio guessed correctly. The dapper guy in the middle with the mustache is the NM-born, UT educator Dr. George I. Sanchez, who served as an expert in so many cases; he died in 1972. He also helped the four lawyers to pay for the Hernandez filing with money he had received from a foundation, to undertake housing and discrimination litigation. The dapper guy next to him, on his left at the table, is Gustavo Garcia. To GIS’ right is Carlos Cadena. At the microphone is Robert Eckhardt, one of the lawyers for Delgado family in the case, and later a US congressman (in a personal footnote, my wife Tina Reyes worked for the Congressman in DC in 1977). Others at the table include A.L. Wirin, another of the Delgado lawyers, Ed Idar, Jr., and several people I do not recognize. Emilio had thought that James DeAnda and John Herrera were in the picture, but they are not—DeAnda was still in UT Law School (or TAMU, depending upon the time of year), while JH was not involved in the case. I thank Emilio for this picture.

 

Because Delgado v Bastrop was unpublished, it was not as widely known as, say, Mendez. (In fact, it is literally hard to find, so I send along a copy, below.) Behind the scenes, Texas educators and officials pushed the Bastrop ISD to settle the case and not to appeal to the Fifth Circuit. You may recall that at the time, there was no 11th Circuit, and the Fifth extended all the way to Florida, that is, most of the South. They did not want the entire South affected by this case, so it was never appealed. I do not believe that this is the actual trial, as there would not have been a microphone. It is more likely a school board meeting or legislative hearing or the like, but it is interesting even so.

 

If any of you run across such pictures or materials, be certain to send them to me, and I will post them on the Hernandez website.  
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj308/Ezamora2653/sanchez-garcia-1948-1.jpgd


The important 1948 Texas federal case of Delgado v. Bastrop was a victory for the schoolchildren of Bastrop, a small town near Austin, and for its lawyers—among them, Gustavo Garcia and Carlos Cadena. A number of sources have shown that the LDF took note of this case (as they did with its 9th Circuit counterpart, Mendez v. Westminster) in their march towards Sweatt and Brown. But it is an unpublished case, hence difficult to find. The State of Texas chose not appeal this case, but to swallow it, because if it had gone to the Fifth Circuit (which then stretched all the way from Texas to Florida and encompassed what is now the Fifth and the Eleventh Circuits), and they had upheld it, the entire South would have had to acknowledge it and cite it for African Americans as well as Mexican Americans. It’s being unpublished and being only a district court decision meant that its reach was limited.

 

In my work on the 1954 Hernandez v. Texas case, I had occasion to secure a copy of this decision (believe it or not, I had to get it at the Benson Latin American Library at UT-Austin, where I found a typed copy in the George I. Sanchez papers). I believe that this is among the first cases tried together by Garcia and Cadena, who later joined Houston’s John Herrera and James DeAnda in the 1954 Hernandez SCOTUS case.

 

I pass this along to all for your interest. 

Michael A. Olivas

Posting it to my website in a week or so there will be a citation format for it—
probably www.law.uh.edu/ihelg (Downloadable from Alonso Perales book site)


The Chicano Movement Changed Education in South Texas: 
the Oral Memoir of Elpidio Lizcano

The Chicano Movement Changed Education in South Texas: he Oral Memoir of Elpidio Lizcano

Jessica Elizondo, who provided this oral text, is a native of Laredo, Texas and her grandfather was someone who was deeply involved in the Chicano movement in South Texas during the sixties and seventies.  He was an educator.  This interview is officially titled Oral Memoirs of Elpidio Lizcano, and it is the product of an oral history interview conducted in Crystal City, Texas by Joyce Langenegger, a graduate student at Baylor University representing the Mexican American Program of The Texas Collection, Program for Oral History, Baylor University.  The interview was conducted on November 11, 1972, and transcription and editing was finalized in 1975.  Lizcano has since died.  But his granddaughter lives and carries his memory forward. So does this completed interview transcript.

Please take note that I have kept the original formatting below including the original pagination though we have added on the upper-right-hand corner a new pagination to reflect the current Word document we have generated in which to convey this material.  The current document including our front matter comes to about 12,100 words.  The original manuscript available in PDF at the following URL was written with a typewriter.  The typescript may be accessed at: http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/buioh/id/2516/rec/2.

Jessica Elizondo completed her BA at the University of North Texas and then returned to Texas A&M International University to do an MBA in International Trade.  She has completed that degree and is now back and working in social media production in the greater North Texas metro area.  We extend our gratitude to Jessica for sharing her grandfather Elpidio Lizcano’s oral history with those of us who are now receiving it.  Adelante.
Roberto R. Calderón, Historia Chicana [Historia]

From: Jessica Elizondo [jessica.elizondo44@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 3:35 PM
To: Calderon, Roberto
Subject: Memoirs of Elpidio Lizcano
Hello Dr. Calderón,

My name is Jessica Elizondo. I am a graduate of UNT. I don't know if you remember me, but I took a course with you (Mexican American Historical and Cultural Development) and went on to study at Texas A&M International in Laredo, Texas.

I came across this article today and immediately thought of you! Elpidio Lizcano was my Grandfather. He died when I was very young, so I was unable to really get to know him well unfortunately, but he was very, very involved in the Chicano movement in Texas. This is an interview taken in 1972. I thought you might be interested!

Hope all is well with you!

Best wishes,  
Jessica Elizondo 


Oral Memoirs of Elpidio Lizcano 
November 11, 1972

Copyright (©) 1975 by Baylor University
Mexican American Project
Baylor University,  Program for Oral History 1975
The Texas Collection v Baylor University

Editor: The first 18 pages are included below, for the full 40 pages, please go to the site . . 
http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/buioh/id/2516/rec/2

INTERVIEW HISTORIES

TERMS OF AGREEMENT:
Mr. Elpidio Lizcano stipulates that the interview and tapes be used only with his permission in each case. The contract and tape disposal forms were signed on October 17, 197**.

INTERVIEWER: Joyce Langenegger, Graduate Assistant
Program for Oral History, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

SETTING OF INTERVIEW: Place--605 E. Val Verde, Crystal City, Texas
Date—November 11, 1972  Length of tape--one (1) hour and thirty (30) minutes

TRANSCRIBING AND EDITING:
Transcribing—Pam Carroll, Student Assistant  Editing — Sent to interviewee on October 10, 197^ and returned
in edited form on October 18, 197^ Staff editing--Joyce Langenegger, Graduate Student Interviewer
Suzanne Jeter, Project Secretary  Lynn Campbell, Graduate Assistant  Ina. Beth Decker, Student Assistant
Gail Geary, Student Assistant  Darla Lindsey, Student Assistant  Patti Randies, Student Assistant  Typing in final form--lna Beth Decker

ORAL HISTORY MEMOIR  BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PROGRAM FOR ORAL HISTORY
Interviewee: Elpidio Lizcano, Principal, Airport Junior
High School, Crystal City, Texas
Date: November 11, 1972
Place: 605 E. Val Verde, Crystal City, Texas
Interviewer: Joyce Langenegger

LIZCANO INTERVIEW NO. 1

JOYCE LANGENEGGER: Today I'm interviewing Elpidio Lizcano, Principal of Airport Junior High School in Crystal City. We are at 605 E. Val Verde, Crystal City, Texas. The date is November 11, 1972. Mr. Lizcano, are you a native of Crystal City?

ELPIDIO LIZCANO: No, I'm adopted as we say here. I come originally from Laredo, and 1 went to school there, went to the university [The University of Texas], went back there to teach, as the band director. And I was there for eight years as both assistant band director and head band director in high school, Martin High School in Laredo. After that I went to Austin for four years, and I was junior high school band director there in Austin. And then I came to Crystal City. I've been here for about three years.

LANGENEGGER: You came to Crystal City then in 1970-1971.

LIZCANO: Right.

LANGENEGGER: That school year.

LIZCANO: Right.

LANGENEGGER: What originally brought you to Crystal City at the time?
 
LIZCANO: Well, I'd gotten tired of being a junior high school band director in Austin, and I wanted to go back to South Texas, somewhere in South Texas. I'd applied for some of the Valley schools, and this came up. Mr. Briggs who was then the superintendent here, called me one day and wanted to interview me, and so I came down here. And I liked the idea. The challenge was here. The band here had not been to contest [Interscholastic League Contest] for about fourteen years or had really not done too much. And so it was a big challenge. And I came down here just to be a band director nothing else. And it didn't turn out that way. [chuckle]

LANGENEGGER: What kind of situation greeted you when you came to Crystal City?

LIZCANO: Well, from the Anglo community, it was very, very hostile. There was--l later found out there was a petition going on to keep the other band director that had been here, who was an Anglo.

LANGENEGGER: And his name was--?

LIZCANO: Wayne Coleman. And most of the Anglos here were not very nice. You know, and there were some that were very, very nice, who were sort of waiting to see what I would do. So with an open mind, but the majority of them were not very nice to me—or to my wife. The funny part about that is that my wife is Anglo, but she's got black hair, and they thought that she was Chicana. And she noticed a difference in the way that she was treated, say in Fort Worth, her home town, and here. Over there she was an Anglo, you know, and everybody knew her name was Hunt. So over here she was Chicana. And black hair they thought she was Chicana. She noticed the difference right away. But that first year was very, very hectic for me. I was trying to build up a band group. I was trying to bring some innovations to the band field because the board here gave me that opportunity which I'd never had before. One of the things that I wanted to get going was bilingual presentations of the half time shows. The majority of the people here are Chicanos and there's a tremendous amount of illiteracy, as you know. And so many of the people didn't understand what was going on in the half time, so they just listened to the music and that was it. So I started, you know, announcing bilingually, and of course this created quite a [laugh] big thing with the Anglo community. They started booing at the half—as soon as I would start speaking in Spanish they would start booing and quite a lot of ugly remarks were [laugh] made. One time here in Crystal City, they turned off the lights in the press box while I was reading the script, as I started speaking Spanish. It got pretty hectic. It got to the point where I had two body guards going up into the press box because—well, there were a lot of rumors that they were going to beat me up and things like that, and I also changed the music, you know. Instead of playing just Anglo music, I guess we would call it, I started putting in some Chicano music. I added a fight song, "Jalisco." And it sort of became oh, I don't know, the fight song not only for the high school but also for La Raza Unida. So--

LANGENEGGER: What was the reaction of the Anglo community to playing something like "Jalisco," to the more Chicano oriented music that you were playing?

LIZCANO: Well, [laugh] again, they in one of the school board meetings they brought it out and there was a—they called it a
drinking song and that we shouldn't play it in the schools and so on. l--my reason—one of the reasons that I had for getting—for
playing "Jalisco" was that we're the Javalinas and that—well you usually pick a college fight song and A&l are also Javalinas and
their fight song is, one of the fight songs is "Jalisco" and everybody knows this, and so you usually pick a song from a nearby college.  A lot of other school districts do this, you know. The one that we had was from Washington and Lee which is very, very far away from here. [laughter] Not very relevant. A lot of our kids, a lot of our teachers that were teaching here were from AS-I and so—the school voted by the way, I didn't just impose this on the school. The school voted and oh, it was very, very one-sided that they did want this fight song. And so—and we didn't change tradition either. We didn't eliminate the other. We played both of them. In fact, at the present time they play both fight songs. But the Anglo community just didn't go for this. They were very—as I said, every time we played it or announced in Spanish, they would start booing and you know, all sorts of things.

El Dia de La Raza was one that I'll never forget because [laugh] Dia de La Raza is a holiday that we've not started but continued here in Crystal City. It's very popular in Mexico and South America and some South Texas towns. But it's—when Columbus came
to America, you know, that was the beginning of the mixing of the European blood with the Indian blood and which formed sort of a new race. And one of the secretaries of state in Mexico or somebody thought that this was a good thing to build up the Mestizo pride and so they made it a national holiday and it's spread out throughout South America and South Texas. And that's all it means, you know, but for the Anglos this did mean, El Dia de La Raza, it meant La Raza Unida, you know, for some reason. They associated that with the La Raza Unida party. And I spelled Raza on the field and explained you know, what Dia de La Raza means both in English and Spanish and I also said that it was also Columbus Day and that— and I played "America"—very patriotic. [laughter] But that didn't— you know, there were a lot of rumors that they were going to beat me up after the game and so on. So in order to protect myself I threw a party at the house [laugh] and a lot of people around. And nothing happened. Just an old lady came up and told me that I was a Communist, and that if I were being paid by the Communists, and why was I coming here to disrupt the community and so on. But that was about all that happened.

LANGENEGGER: Did you have any Anglo students in the band at this time?

LIZCANO: Yes. Every game about two or three would quit the band. And the program—the Anglo students I can honestly say, because many of them told me, that my teaching methods, my program, my band programs were very good, you know. That they liked them, that they were learning quite a bit that they had not had before. But that their parents were really pressuring them into getting out of the band and not being a part of anything as subversive as being bilingual . [laugh] And every game 1 would have about two or three that would come up and just hand in their uniforms. Just say that they were quitting and 1 never argued with them, 1 just took it and they left. A few times a few students approached me and wanted to know why I was announcing in two languages and 1 told them the same thing. Then about two weeks before contest—this was after the football season. About two weeks before marching contest about, oh,  1 would say about twelve Anglos just quit right before contest which is suicide, sort of, you know, [laugh] It really hurt us because we had been preparing our show for the contest and all of a sudden to take about ten to fifteen kids out. It really left us—well, we didn't know what we were going to do. So I called a meeting of the band and I told them the situation. That it was almost impossible for us to compete with this kind of—no band would ever try to compete with something like this happening to them. But they decided that no, that we had to prove that we could do it even without the help of the Anglos. That this was one of the reasons why we were fighting for La Causa. And so 1 said, "Well, that means that we're
going to have to practice day and night, you know." And they agreed. And so for two weeks we really hit it and we went to contest and did— for the first time in fourteen years as I've mentioned before. And they did tremendously. We got an excellent rating which is second division and one of the judges even gave us a superior rating. And so we were very pleased with that. 1 guess we sort of proved a point.

LANGENEGGER: By the end of the year you say the Anglo students continued to drop out. How many Anglos did you end up with in the band?

LIZCANO: One. [laughter] She's a majorette and you know a lot of things have been said about—oh, what do you—racism in reverse? But the following year that Anglo got to be drum major. The kids themselves elected her. She was the best qualified student in there. And she'd been a majorette before, and she practiced quite a bit to be a drum major. And the kids all elected her the following year to be their drum major. So again, she stuck it out and—but she was the only one.

LANGENEGGER: You said that the parents encouraged the students to drop out of the band. Did you have any personal encounters with parents of the band?

LIZCANO: No. One time we were supposed to, we were going to a celebration—1 don't remember if it was El Diez Y Seiz or the El Dia De La Raza. We had a celebration in the park, and we were supposed to go. And they, of course, lot of parents were worried that there would be a lot of Raza Unida supporters there, that they didn't want it to turn into a rally or anything like that. And 1 assured them that we were taking the band just for the celebration, that would be here, you know. If any rallies were being held or anything like that. But we talked it out and they all went along with it. So we, we played at that celebration. A lot~a lot of the parents were there, and they were afraid, really afraid that maybe something would happen to them, somebody would say something to them which, you know, nothing like that happened.

LANGENEGGER: Did the band receive any poor receptions at communities outside of Crystal City during that year?

LIZCANO: Not that we could notice. Most of, most of the time when 1 had the band 1, I had talked to many of the community
people and they, they, 1 knew more what they wanted as far as half time shows. 1 couldn't go into another community and say,
"1 know this is what you want." So most of the outside games 1 just went completely in English. And so 1 did continue to play,
you know, both Chicano music and Anglo music in the other places. But, like when we went to Fredericksburg, you know, we played the, what's—the "Beer Barrel Polka." That's a German community, and they really, really applauded; they really liked it, you know. And the things that — I sort of try to get those—those half time shows to be, you know, relevant to the community or the occasion, what was happening at the time.

LANGENEGGER: You mentioned that you had special permission from the board, or you had permission from the board to try these innovations, these ideas that you had. At what time during your directorship did the change come about with the superintendent?

LIZCANO: Well it was, it was right before school started, actually. This Mr. Briggs was superintendent for a short while during the summer, and then he—the board got rid of him I guess. And then at the beginning of the school year is when Mr. Gonzalez came in. He and the board--l don't mean that they ever came out and said, "Do your thing bilingual," or anything like that. They just led me to understand that I could try innovative things. And it was up to me and if 1 got in trouble somehow, it would fall on me, you know. But —

LANGENEGGER: Was Mr. Briggs aware of your plans or not?

LIZCANO: 1 had talked to him about them, and it didn't seem to disturb him. But it never—he was never the superintendent while
these things happened.

LANGENEGGER: So you really aren't, you don't know what his reaction would have been.

LIZCANO: Right. I don't know what—yeah, right. 1 just wonder if he had stayed here as the superintendent and the Anglo community would have applied pressure because they did come to talk to Mr. Gonzalez. And they wanted it stopped, and they thought it was a Communist plot and all this business. But I don't know how Mr. Briggs would have reacted.

LANGENEGGER: At the time that you came, how many Anglo students were in the high school as a whole? Do you have any idea?

LIZCANO: I'm not sure. 1 think it was about ten per cent Anglos in the high school.

LANGENEGGER: Were they still part of the high school as you could see it, or had they begun to withdraw?

LIZCANO: No. They were a part of the high school, but they were used to—they were really used to having their own way all the time. And when a lot of the Chicano teachers came in and even just Anglo teachers — my wife, for instance, was the sponsor of the annual and the newspaper, school newspaper—when you try to get—do everything, you know, on a fifty-fifty basis, you know, where you wouldn't, you know, go to either one side, they weren't used to this. So they thought that they were really going against the Anglos. And a lot of them quit the paper staff, also, and the annual staff and things like that. They started out, but then when you try—for instance, if you try to have some kind of an election to elect officers and things like that, they didn't think that was right because it wouldn't come out. Before they would just be appointed, and most of the time would be an Anglo that was appointed to head this and to head that. And when we came in we, we were very democratic about it and got elections going. And this they didn't agree with; they thought it wasn't fair to have elect ions—to be democratic, 1 guess, [laughter]

LANGENEGGER: About how many new teachers were there the first year that you were beginning to teach here in Crystal City?

LIZCANO: Not very many, not very many because usually teachers are hired, you know, before the elections. You have to, by law,
hire them before the elections. They'd all been hired. And I guess a lot of them were, were staying to see what was going to happen.  But there wasn't that much of a turnover that year. Some of the key positions —1 ike high school principal, he was new, and band director, things like that. But overall most of them were the same teachers. We had a—there was really by the end of the school year, it was really, you know, the old guard, the Anglo teachers on one side and the new, new ones on the other side.

LANGENEGGER: At the beginning of the year, what was their reaction toward you and toward your wife and the new kinds of policies?

LIZCANO: Well, some of, of course some of the Anglo teachers quit talking to us immediately after we started with the bilingual presentations, half time shows. Some, you know, just went ahead and acted as if nothing were happening. But it was just sort of mixed, 1 would say.

LANGENEGGER: And then as the year progressed and the elections in the spring of 1971 drew closer, how did their attitude toward you change?

LIZCANO: Well, I, I started getting involved. As soon as I came here, like 1 said, I came here to be band director first of all, and
then 1 started seeing what was going around. 1, 1 had left Laredo, and 1 sort of saw myself for the first time when I left Laredo, you know, what 1 had been in Laredo. 1 was trying to be very middle class; I was trying to forget, you know, the poor people which 1, 1 had come from, you know, really, because we always had to struggle for everything. But I started, you know, seeing the movement and, and understanding it and looking into it and I liked what 1 saw. And so 1 got very, very involved and started talking at rallies and really getting involved. 1 started a, an organization of teachers called Educators in Action, and it was to get the teachers involved in politics instead of just sitting on the sideline and going to the lounge and gripe, you know, having gripe sessions. 1 thought, well, let's do something, you know, instead of just criticizing.

So I got, 1 got very, very involved. So by the time, by the election time they knew what side I was on, and I was very open about it.
And of course they were still hoping that this was just a one-time thing with La Raza Unida, that in the next elections they could
show, you know, how wrong we were and everything. And it turned out the other way. We swept again the, both elections, the city
council elections and the school board elections. And—

LANGENEGGER: Did you meet with any criticism from the Anglo segment for your organization, Educators in Action?

LIZCANO: Oh yes, very, very definitely. We opened it up to anybody who wanted to be a part of the organization. And we had some, mostly "outsiders," you know, the Anglo teachers who were really interested in getting involved, and we got together real well. 1, I don't remember if you were here that first year; 1 think you were. [laughing] But as far as the Anglo teachers that had been here before, why they were completely against it. A lot of things were said, and we came out, of course, . we—in politics you come out with as much support as you want to. We published the names of the ones that were backing us in a political ad in the newspaper, and so on, and they didn't like this at all. They didn't like the openness, I guess, of the thing. Did get a lot of criticism.

LANGENEGGER: Along with a lot of other things that were tried probably. Okay. You said you became involved with La Raza after, with  La Raza Unida after you came to Crystal City. Were you aware of what had happened in Crystal City prior to your coming?

LIZCANO: Very vaguely. I was in Austin, and I had heard about the elections—And really, Mr. Briggs, the superintendent I talked to, he sort of explained to me a little bit of what was happening and what—this was before the board elections that I talked to him when La Raza took over, before those elections. And he said that he thought that it would probably be, probably be three Anglo board members, three Raza board members, and one that was, he called him a halfbreed— he was part-Anglo, part-Chicano. And he thought he would be elected and that he would be the swingvote. And this is when 1 first started hearing about Jose Angel Gutierrez and La Raza Unida. I, 1 was very, very vague. So it really didn't make too much difference when 1 was talking to him at that time. 1 just, well, you know—1, 1 didn't dream that it was going to be the way that it turned out to be!

LANGENEGGER: So then you came to Crystal City and went through the whole first year. Then the next year did you still remain as the band director, or—

LIZCANO: No, 1, I guess I started getting more and more involved in things, and 1, 1 saw, 1 saw lot of things that needed fixing. And I don't mean to say that I was going to fix them, but 1 wanted to get involved in something like that. One of the—some of the
principals we had that first year were very, very weak. They were sort of, they didn't, they weren't against us, but they, they
didn't really—I don't know—just weak. They didn't stand on their decisions, you know; they didn't make too many decisions. And 1, I thought that I could help better by being—I'd been a band director for fourteen years, and 1 thought I could help better changing the educational system being a principal. So 1 went to school for that summer, and I worked. I had to take the Miller's Analogy Test and get a pretty high score on that and have certain amount of years of experience. And, anyway, 1 worked on, on an emergency certificate to be a principal. And then 1, 1 asked Mr. Gonzalez if it would be all right with him to—if he had an opening. Of course he, he did have several openings for principals. And it was, I always think it was a little unfair, what he told me, but he said, "If you can bring a replacement," and I don't know of anybody else who had to do that, you know. But asked me if I could bring another band director that was as good as 1 was, [laughter] that he would consider me as a principal. So, 1 did. 1 knew of a very close friend of mine who had been, we'd gone to school together in Laredo and gone to The University together, and 1 persuaded him that he should come over here and he did.

LANGENEGGER: His name?

LIZCANO: Roberto Botello. He was teaching Travis in Austin at the time. And he had experience. He had started out at—what's the name of that school in Austin, the Chicano school?—yeah, Johnston; he'd been the director there then he moved over to Travis. And he decided to come, you know, so—

LANGENEGGER: And so beginning in the school year of 1971-1972 you came in as the principal.15

LIZCANO: Right. I was principal of the junior high school.

LANGENEGGER: And what was the name?

LIZCANO: Fly Junior High School.

LANGENEGGER: Was there, you said the first year you were here that  [there] was not that much of a turnover in teachers. What situation greeted you at the opening of school the next year?

LIZCANO: By that time it was very evident that La Raza was in complete control of the school board. They'd gotten more board members in and the city council and so on. So a lot of the Anglo teachers left, not only Anglo teachers but a few Mexican American teachers also left; they didn't like, you know, what was happening and so on. And so we had a tremendous turnover. We had a lot of new teachers, a lot of first-year teachers coming in. And very liberal teachers many of the, which later on, I guess, it created a lot of problems, some problems, not much, some. But it, it was a very, very young staff of teachers. So that, that in itself was--[laughter]

LANGENEGGER: Did that create any special problems for you, then, as an administrator?

LIZCANO: Yes, well, inexperience mostly. And then the liberal teachers—we have, you know our community is very conservative. Everybody thinks that because La Raza is in power that it is very liberal, but it isn't. It's a very, very conservative community. And so this, this happened. We started out, of course, at that time the classroom teachers association, Texas Classroom Teachers Association, put sanctions on the school, so that even made it harder to get experienced teachers over here. And we had teachers with, you know, long hair and little bit more liberal life-style and things like that. And it, it created some problems, both in the classroom because they wanted to have a very, very open, nonstructured classroom, and the community just didn't like that at all.

LANGENEGGER: Did you encounter personally community reactions to what was happening?

LIZCANO: Yes, we had a big shock at our first PTO meeting. There was one, one person there in particular that really let us have it and questioned practically everything and was against many of the things that we were trying to do. I'm not saying that all of them
were bad, you know; some of the things that we were doing were good. But both myself and the staff who were very inexperienced in a lot of things, you know, 1 don't know, for some reason we thought that, that we could just come in with a lot of liberal ideas and the community would just accept them. Many of those they did not.

LANGENEGGER: How did the students react to this more liberal situation?

LIZCANO: Well, first, of course they had—the classes had been pretty, 1 don't, you know, traditional. And many of the students
at first would take advantage of certain freedoms that they would have, right away. But 1 think overall the students really liked
the change. This is, well this is one of the reasons why we kept on, you know, pushing for the different changes because we, we
definitely saw a difference in attitude, at least with the students. They started enjoying school. And we started with a higher attendance; the ADA [Average Daily Attendance] went way up high in Fly Junior High School.

LANGENEGGER: Had this been a problem before?

LIZCANO: Yes, very definitely, especially with Chicanos. You know, this, around this time is when they would start dropping out.
They were just fed up with school. They were pushed out really, because the courses were not relevant, you know. They started out weak anyway with the "language problem"; nothing was ever done to try to help them. So by the time they got to seventh or eighth grade they were ready to drop out. And this, this is one of the distinctions we saw right away, you know, that most of the students were going to high school the following year. And they, they enjoyed coming to school. This is—some of the parents, not all of the parents are as conservative as the ones we had at that PTO meeting, but they, they were amazed at the fact that they, the kids were really enjoying school, they wanted to go to school. And this hadn't happened. So—

LANGENEGGER: What were some kinds of changes that you brought about?

LIZCANO: Well, starting from, 1 guess you'd say from the office and teaching the course and things like that, we started evaluating
each other. This is one of the systems, and 1 think the whole system this year is going into this which I'm very proud of. Last year
was something of a first time here; and 1 know even some of the top administrators weren't too sure that that was the thing to do. But, no, I would evaluate the teachers and the teachers would evaluate me very openly. They didn't have to sign anything; they could just go ahead and turn in their evaluations of me and no questions would be asked. Then the students also got to evaluate the teachers. [end of tape]

LIZCANO: This was very revealing to the teachers and to myself; in some of the things that we thought that we were doing real great some of the students didn't like it. We started out with no bells. And this was my thing; 1 didn't really think that we needed any bells. And we got into some problems there. Mostly—and most, 1 think most of my problems have been not with the students but with the teachers. The teachers would not do what they were supposed to do, you know, to, to make this thing work. And so it, we had to,toward the end of the year we had to put in a bell, you know, to dismiss from classes and start the new class and things like that. We initiated a new grading system where we gave points for attending school and also for the work that was done in school  . . . . 

Sent by Juan Marinez, Roberto Calderon, Ph.D and Minnie Wilson  minswil@yahoo.com


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Editor: Although this event is past, it is an annual affair, and worthy of support and involvement.

             Texas Tejano.com to Host th Annual Tejano Vigil in the Alamo Shrine

Contact: Rudi R/Rodriguez at (210) 673.3584

2012 Tejano Vigil in Alamo Shrine(San Antonio, Texas) August 31, 2012 – Texas Tejano.com, a San Antonio-based research, publishing, and communications firm, in conjunction with the Alamo Legacy & Missions Association (ALMA), a San Antonio-based, non-profit organization that provides living history reenactments to educate youth and adults about Texas history, are proud to announce today that they will host the 7th Annual Tejano Vigil inside the Alamo shrine on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012 beginning at 7:00pm. We invite you, your family and your friends to join us as we commemorate the role Tejanos and Tejanas played in the “Battle of The Alamo”. Seating is limited, to RSVP and reserve your place in this solemn ceremony, please call (210) 673-3584.

This very solemn and reverential ceremony continues to grow in size and circumstance. Past speakers include Gen. Alfred A. Valenzuela, LTG Charles G. Rodriguez, State Rep. Joe Farias and Chief Justice Alma L. Lopez. Created to bring awareness of Tejano settlers’ contributions to Texas history to the public. The Tejano Vigil is just one of the many projects developed and promoted by Texas Tejano.com in celebration of Tejano Heritage Month, the month of September, as designated this year by the honorable Gov. Rick Perry.


“We are proud to once again hold this event inside one of the most sacred landmarks in our state, the Alamo Shrine,” says Rudi R. Rodriguez, Founder of Texas Tejano.com. “The sacrifices made by our Tejano ancestors during the fight for independence should never be forgotten. This event and the partnerships that it has fostered will go a long way in making sure that this history and their legacies will be remembered for generations to come.”


The Tejano Vigil is just one of many events taking place throughout the State of Texas in honor of Tejano Heritage Month. Texas Tejano.com and its Tejano Heritage Month Partner the Alamo Legacy & Missions Association (ALMA) are proud to have collaborated this year with the Alamo, Citi, EPI Electrical Enclosures & Engineering and The Hispanic Heritage Center of Texas on this year’s Tejano Vigil. For informationon other events, click here.

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MEXICO

Exceeding Expectations: 3rd Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi and
Folklórico Festival by Gil Sperry
Historic Frida Kahlo photo returns to Mexico by Ron Gonzales
VII Reunion Internacional De Los Elizondo
Investigó y paleografió de Tte. Corl. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero.
    Bautismo: Pedro Bernardino Español, Fué Presidente de la Republica.
    Defuncion: Pedro Maria Anaya
    Bautismo: Isidro Salazar Rodriguez
    Bautismo: Ignacio Guerra Cañamar
Missions of Michoacán: San Nicolás de Obispo

Exceeding Expectations: 3rd Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi/Folklórico Festival  
If hyperbole were the order of the day, the headline above would have read "Beyond Our Wildest Dreams." This year's recently concluded five-day encuentro started with a crescendo that never diminished.

For many of those who have been intimately connected with this worthy event, the sight of nearly 300 local students pouring into the lobby of the Rosarito Beach Hotel to register on Wednesday morning, October 3rd, was particularly gratifying. They were there, thanks to the altruism of both the Mexican nationals and expatriates who had signed on to become Padrinos de los Talleres (Patrons of the Workshops), to be tutored in the fine points of the instrumental and vocal music & dance of their country by some of the finest teachers of these skills in the world. This was the centerpiece of the Festival because the sponsoring entity, the Club de Ninos y Ninas Seccion Rosarito (The Boys and Girls Club of Rosarito) knows that the public schools of Mexico only provide ballet folklórico programs, not instruments and musical instructors.

Thursday night, October 4th, all of the scholarship recipients & the teaching staff... as well as the Padrinos... were guests for two showings of 'Mariachi Gringo,' the Best Film Award winner at this year's Guadalajara (MX) International Film Festival. The Miami (FL) News had hailed it as "... a multi-cultural masterpiece" and the Orange County (CA) Weekly described it as "...a sonically and visually stunning tour-de-force." All of those who saw the movie in the hotel's Salon Mexicano main showroom, definitely agreed!


Composer:  Alberto "Beto" Jimenez Maeda




Friday evening, October 5th, after the conclusion of the Workshops, the students (under the auspices of their teachers) plus their families and friends moved outdoors to be seated around the 30' x 40'stage erected in the midst of the iconic venue's ocean front gardens. This was immediately followed by a ceremony featuring the flags (and flag bearers) of both countries, the respective national anthems beautifully performed by Juan Pablo Pacheco & Maryam Malak, a ribbon cutting featuring all of the dignitaries in attendance, and then what everyone had been waiting for...performances from all of those who had worked so hard for three days to polish their musical, vocal, and instrumental skills. It was a never-to-be-forgotten occasion, captured on high definition film and sound by master cinematographers Michelle Hinojo Oceguera and Samuel Paredes Valdespino for inclusion in a documentary film under development.

Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th, found two days of non-stop entertainment being provided for those in attendance. The Competencias, where each country's hand-picked mariachi groups & folklórico troupes competed for over $10,000 in prize money, filled the morning and afternoon hours. From noon to 1:00 PM each day, The People's Choice Sing-Off, featuring vocal performers, was the focus of the crowd's attention. Both days festivities book-ended the Saturday evening's Concierto Extravaganza which featured the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas, as well as other great performances by Mariachi Tesoro de Tucson, Genesis Codina, Selah Flores, Caroline Crawford, Mariachi Estrellas de Chula Vista, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Olga Flores and Friends, Mariachi Aguila de Tijuana and Ballet Folklórico Tapatio.

The Awards/Closing Ceremonies concluded at 4:00 PM on Sunday and it was time to say adios to all of those who had helped this year's Festival exceed expectations.

Composer:  Ismael Gallegos

Saturday night's concert, held in an area where 1500 seats had been set up for the audience, drew a SRO (standing room only) audience. Since ALL...100% of the net proceeds...go to benefit the building and operation funds for our local Boys and Girls Club, I guess it would be alright to say that the event succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.

Now, nearly a year removed from our next Festival's opening (Please Save the Dates: October 2nd through October 6th, 2013), we're already working hard at winning the most difficult game of all: "Can You Top This?"
 
"Ay Mi Mexico" is nominated for a 2012 Latin Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Song of the Year. It is from the Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea album "Oye". 
"Ay Mi Mexico" Grammy Award Winning Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
  
Vocals: Melinda Salcido
Director: Adrian Trujillo
Producer: Cindy Shea (Shea Records/ East Side Records)
Special guest: Ballet Folklorico Ollin


Historic Frida Kahlo photo returns to Mexico

Orange County Register August 10,  2012

A historic photo of artist Frida Kahlo and exiled Russian leader Leon Trotsky has been returned to the place in Mexico where it was taken, thanks to an Orange County woman and family members in Mexico City.

Lilia Stapleton of Yorba Linda delivered the photo in June to the Frida Kahlo Museum in Casa Azul, Kahlo's residence since birth and the home she shared with famed muralist Diego Rivera.

The donated photo was a gift of her mother, Elodia Escudero Camalich, now 91 and a Brea resident, and Elodia's two sisters and another family member.

Stapleton said the photo will be restored and placed on display
 in the museum in about three months.

It was taken in Casa Azul, probably in April 1937, and shows 
five people, Stapleton said.

The photo shows, from left, Antonio Villalobos, a Mexico City mayor; Trotsky; Kahlo; Trotsky bodyguard and secretary Jean van Heijenoort, who later became a mathematician and logician at Stanford University; and Jose Escudero Andrade, who at the time was a congressman and a friend of President Lazaro Cardenas. Escudero was Stapleton's grandfather, and Elodia Camalich's father.

The five people in the photo were present for an obscure moment in Mexican history, when the Dewey Commission met in Mexico City.

Trotsky had been exiled, outmaneuvered by Russian dictator Joseph Stalin, and arrived in Mexico in 1936 as a result of Rivera's efforts on his behalf. Stalin, meanwhile, staged trials accusing Trotsky and others of treason. John Dewey, an American philosopher, led what was formally called Commission of Inquiry into the Charges Made against Leon Trotsky in the Moscow Trials that rebutted the accusations. Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico in 1940.

"The image of great documentary value recorded a time during the Dewey Commission and the relationship of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky," the museum said in a news release.

Stapleton said experts are aware of only one other photo showing Trotsky with government officials in Mexico. It also shows that commission members met at Casa Azul, where they interviewed Trotsky, Stapleton said.

Jose Escudero Andrade, her grandfather, went on in the 1940s to become inspector general of police in Baja California, a presidential appointee. He pioneered Mexico's cooperation with the U.S. in combating drug traffic before his death in 1972.

Elodia Escudero Camalich, who immigrated with her husband and family in 1952, had kept a copy of the photo in an album. The family didn't know about it until one of her grandchildren in the late 1990s took it to school for a Spanish-class project at La Serna High School in Whittier.

"The Spanish teacher went crazy," said Stapleton, 63, a longtime educator who is now retired. "My mother kind of just pulled it out of an album. And then from then on, the family was aware of the photo. A lot of us have copies. She has one hung in her home now."

The family discovered the original about two years ago while sorting through photos of Elodia's father. She had acquired them about 30 years ago after the death of her mother.

Soon afterward, Elodia Camalich Escudero made the decision to donate the photo along with her two sisters in Mexico City, Martha Escudero de Villar and Elsa Escudero, and Elba Escudero, who is their sister-in-law.

"We decided to donate the original to the museum, so that it could go back to where the photo was taken," Stapleton said.

"They're going to put it in a very important room in the museum," Elodia Camalich said. "It's a historic photo of something that happened in Mexico City. ... Why should we keep the photo in the family if many people can see it and know about those moments in the history of Mexico?"

At first, the museum didn't show much interest and didn't understand that the family wanted to make it a gift, Stapleton said. She said that historical photos and other artifacts are often sold, at times in the United States, rather than donated.

When the museum realized about six months ago that the family wanted to donate the original, it took greater interest, Stapleton said.

Stapleton took it to Mexico City in June.

The museum called the gift "an example of how important it is to promote the culture of donation in Mexico."

"They really consider it a historical treasure," Stapleton said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-6999 or rgonzales@ocregister.com

© Copyright 2012 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved

 


VII REUNIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE LOS ELIZONDO

Estimados amigos amigas.

Envío a Uds. el programa para la VII REUNIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE LOS ELIZONDO, que se efectuará en Múzquiz, Coah. en el Museo Histórico de la Ciudad y que se ubica en la esquina de las calles Hidalgo y 5 de Mayo a una cuadra de la Presidencia Municipal y plaza principal ( Anexo una foto de la entrada de Múzquiz y 2 del Museo ).

Para las personas que no conocen la región tomar la carretera Monterrey- Monclova, de esta última continuar 88 kms. hacia Sabinas, antes de llegar a esta Cd. se localiza El Sauz o Roncesvalles, de este lugar dar vuelta a la izquierda rumbo a Barroterán, después siguen Las Esperanzas, Rancherías, Palau y Múzquiz, de la salida de San Nicolás de los Garza hacia Múzquiz son 322 Kms.  Los esperamos, recuerden compañeros que muchos tienen familiares en Múzquiz.

Su amigo.  Tte. Corl. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero.
duardos43@hotmail.com

VII REUNIÓN INTERNACIONALDE LOS ELIZONDO.
19 Y 20 de Octubre del 2012.Múzquiz Coahuila.
Viernes 19 de Octubre del 2012.Lugar el Museo Histórico de Múzquiz.17:00 a las 20:00 hs.

BIENVENIDA Por la Profra. Yolanda Elizondo Maltos y Tte. Cor. Ricardo Raúl Palmerín Cordero.
18:30 hs. Profra. .Edna Yolanda Elizondo González. Introducción sobre, El Origen de Los Elizondo

PROGRAMA DEL DÍA.
Sábado 20 de Octubre del 2012. 
En el Museo Histórico de Múzquiz Coahuila.

9:00 a 9:30 Inscripciones a las Conferencias.
9:30 a 9:45 Ceremonia de Inauguración.
9:45: a 10:15 Lic. Jesús Santos Landois
     Reseña del paso de Los Elizondo en la Historia de Santa Rosa, Hoy Múzquiz Coahuila.
10:15 a 10:45 Tte. Cor. Ricardo Palmerín Cordero. Tte. Cor. Don Francisco Ygnacio Elizondo Villarreal 
     Genealogía e Historia.
10:45 a 11:00 DESCANSO
11:00 a 11:30 Dr. Antonio Guerrero Aguilar Cronista de Santa Catarina N. L. 
     Los García de Santa Catarina y Pesquería Grande y su relación Familiar con los Elizondo.
11:30 a 12:00 Profr. Miguel Ángel Muñoz Borrego:   La Familia Borrego Elizondo.
12:00 a 12:30 Lic. Lucas Martínez Sánchez.
12:30 a 14:00 Mesa Redonda
14:00 a 15:30 COMIDA.
15:30 Convivencia y visita a Lugares Turísticos de Múzquiz Coahuila.

 
Investigó y paleografió.
Tte. Corl. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero.
Presidente de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo Leon. 

duardos47@hotmail.com
 

Hola amigas y amigos.

Envío los registros de bautismo y defunción del Sr. Gral. de Bgda. Don Pedro María Anaya Alvarez, quién combatió en muchos hechos de armas durante nuestro turbulento pasado, cuando las tropas Norteamericanas atacaron Churubusco el día 20 de Agosto de 1847 Don Pedro tenía el cargo de Segundo Comandante en la defensa de dicho lugar, el Comandante del Ejército de Vanguardia era el Sr. General Don Manuel Rincón Calcanio.

" Durante el ataque se incendiaron algunos cartuchos de cañón, quemándose el mismo Sr. Anaya del rostro y manos, un Capitán Yngles adicto y tres artilleros quedando estos imposibilitados de continuar en la batería " (estos de la Compañía de San Patricio),  así lo menciona en su parte el Gral. Rincón.

 

LIBRO DE BAUTISMOS DE LA YGLESIA PARROQUIAL DE SAN MATEO HUICHAPAN, HGO.
Márgen izq. Pedro Bernardino Español. Fué Presidente de la Republica.

En la Yglesia Parroquial de este Pueblo Cabezera de Sn. Mateo Huichapan en veinte y un dias de el mes de Mayo de mil setecientos noventa y quatro años (V.P.) fho.el debido examen bautizé solemnemente a un niño que nació el día de hayer. Le puse por nombre Pedro Bernardino. es Español, hijo legmo. de D. Pedro José Anaya y de Da. Maria Antonia de Alvarez españoles de esta Cabezera. Fué su padrino D. Vicente Ciriaco de la Paz. Español vecino de el Pueblo de Nopala, casado con Da. Maria Manuela Alvarez. le Advertí sus cargos y obligaciones, y por verdad lo firmé. Dor. Josef Maria Ramirez de Echavarri. Cura Ygo. Alexandro de Ochoa.



LIBRO DE DEFUNCIONES DEL SAGRARIO METROPOLITANO DE LA CD. DE MÉXICO.
Márgen izq. 275. El S.D. Pedro Maria Anaya, soltero 70 años pulmonia.

En veinte y dos de Marzo de mil ochocientos cincuenta y cuatro, se le dió sepultura Ecca. en el Panteon de los Angeles, al cadaver del E.S.Gral. de Brigada Caballero de la N. y Distinguida orden de Guadalupe y Admor. de Correos D. Pedro Maria Anaya, soltero, el que habiendo recibido los Stos. Sacramentos de la Penitencia y Extrema unción murió hoy, en el Correo. Dor. José Ma. Diez de Sollano.

Observación su nombre de acuerdo con el registro bautismal era Pedro Bernardino y su edad al morir eran 60 años.

Mi Abuela paterna se llamó María Martiniana Ygnacia Mejía Fuentes, era originaria de Nopala, Hgo. entre sus ancestros se encuentra Doña Hesiquia Anaya. ( algún parentesco con Don Pedro o tal vez casualidad ?).

Fuentes. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días.

Investigó y paleografió.
Tte. Corl. Ricardo Raúl Palmerín Cordero.
Presidente de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León. 
duardos47@hotmail.com


BAUTISMO DE ISIDRO SALAZAR RODRIGUEZ. 1698

Hola amigas y amigos. Envío la imágen del registro de bautismo de Isidro Salazar Rodriguez. año de 1698.
Fuentes. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días.

LIBRO DE BAUTISMOS DE LA YGLESIA PARROQUIAL ( HOY CATEDRAL ) DE LA CIUDAD DE MONTERREY. N.L.
Márgen izq. Ysidro Español.

En veinte y ocho de Junio de mil y seiscientos y nobenta y ocho años en la parochial de la Ciudad baptize puse los Santos oleos a Isidro español que nacio a primero de este dicho mes hijo de Pedro de Salazar y de Y Rodriguez su muger padrinos Joachin de Escamilla y D. Maria Theresa de Guzman aquienes adverti el parentesco espiritual que avian contraido y la obligacion que tenian de enseñarle la doctrina xptana asu aijado y para que conste lo firme vt supra. Br. Lorenzo Perez de Leon.

Investigó y paleografió.
Tte. Corl. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero.
Presidente de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo Leon. 
duardos47@hotmail.com
 

Bautismo de Ignacio Guerra Cañamar 
Amigas y amigos.  Gracias a la información que envió nuestro primo Mr. John D. Inclan, localizé la imágen del registro del bautismo de Ignacio Guerra Cañamar la cual anexo.

Fuentes. Mr. John. D. Inclan.  Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los últimos Días.

SAGRARIO METROPOLITANO DE LA CD. DE MÉXICO, D.F.

Márgen izq. Ignacio.
323

En seis de nobiembre de mil seiscientos y treinta y tres años con licencia del Qura semanero. bautice a Ignacio de la Guerra Hijo de Antonio Guerra de Cañamal y de Luisa Hernandez Rio Frio becinos de la ciudad de Mexico. Diego Garcia Rengel.

 

Localizé la partida y paleografié.
Tte. Corl. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero.  
duardos47@hotmail.com
 

 


 Old Missions of Michoacán, 1

In a series of three posts we will look at the little visited mission of San Nicolás del Obispo.






One of our favorite places in Michoacán is the rustic village of San Nicolás del Obispo, located just outside the colonial city of Morelia.
Set amid a bleak lava field overshadowed by an unsightly quarrying operation and overlooked by most travelers, San Nicolás nevertheless manages to retain much of its colonial charm, most notably in the precincts and interior of its venerable parish church.
Founded and built by the Franciscans in the late 1500s it was later handed over to the Augustinians. And in the 18th century San Nicolás attracted pilgrims from across the region.






The Exterior:  Large lava blocks distinguish the rugged church front, whose baroque gable was added in 1736 in celebration of a visit by Bishop Hoyos of Michoacán.


San Nicolás is exceptional for the quality of its stone carving. The west doorway is framed in the classic Franciscan manner with broad jambs of intricately carved foliage, sinuous vines, and rosettes above and below.







A rugged basalt cross faces the church door, featuring a giant, stylized Crown of Thorns at the axis and carved on either arm with large, bleeding Wounds like bunches of grapes, pierced with angled spikes.  


Reflecting the colonial history of the mission, both Franciscan and Augustinian insignia are carved on the cross.

San Nicolás is also one of a handful of churches in the region to retain its freestanding tower, which has recently been saved from ruin with a new roof.




Some of the finest work is on display in the monolithic stone font, which stands 
just inside the church door, and is ornamented, like the doorjambs, with foliage and rimmed 
by the Franciscan knotted cord.

 

Text and line drawing © Richard D. Perry.
photographs by Richard Perry and Niccolo Brooker. 
All rights reserved. Included in Somos Primos by permission.

Sent by Richard Perry
ESPADANA PRESS
Exploring Colonial Mexico
http://www.colonial-mexico.com
http://colonialmexico.blogspot.com/

 

 

INDIGENOUS

Sacred Land Film Project
Countdown: The date is finally here! The end of a Mayan 5,125 year cycle.?
Video interview with the artist, James Ayers
Two Worlds: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects.
Lack of Access to Health Care & Ancient Wisdom Behind Revival by Devon G. Peña
A Little Humor


Sacred Land Film Project announces founding of the Friends of Celilo Falls

Friends of Celilo Falls Is Founded Posted by: Amberly Polidor

Sacred Land Film Project friend and colleague Sean Cruz, author of our Celilo Falls sacred site report, earlier this week announced the founding of the new Oregon nonprofit Friends of Celilo Falls.

Once the largest waterfall in North America, the center of a vast Native American salmon fishing and trading economy and a nucleus of sacred sites, Celilo Falls was flooded over when a dam was built downriver in 1957. The new organization seeks to restore Celilo Falls and the salmon population, and to protect the health and sustainability of the Columbia River Gorge region.

Below is the official announcement of the organization’s founding, along with written comments presented to the Columbia River Gorge Commission. This information and more can be found on the Friends of Celilo Falls website.

http://www.sacredland.org/friends-of-celilo-falls-is-founded/

Don Milligan donmilligan@comcast.net 

THE COUNTDOWN
The date is finally here! The end of a Mayan 5,125 year cycle.?

Hi Mimi,

I've been a big fan of your newsletter for so very long. It's quite an extraordinary feat you accomplish every month and I always look forward to receiving it. In fact we met years ago during an event an in Orange County. I was promoting my business "Casa de la Diosa" which I started in 1998! I began with importing fine artesania and representing Mexican artists and now my business includes group or custom travel to Latin American countries. Many of my trips are designed for legal associations like MABA or SEDBA, but I've taken small groups to many locations in Mexico for adventure, art and great food. Like you, I adore my Mexican roots and wish everyone could experience the wonderful culture that it is. That's one of the reasons my next group trip is to Palenque, Chiapas to celebrate the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and the beginning of a new cycle. A real amazing once in a lifetime event.

If possible, would you be able to include this brief description and contact information for the trip in your next newsletter. I know I missed the October issue but being able to be included in the November issue would be so very helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you so much,
Carolina Macias
Casa de la Diosa Art & Travel


THE COUNTDOWN!.​​
The date is finally here! The end of a Mayan 5,125 year cycle.​​​​​

At the end of the thirteenth B’ak’tun, which coincides with the date of December 21, 2012, a god will descend from heaven, known as Bolon Yokte’ K’u, or “Lord of Light”-, and a cycle of 5,125 years will be completed. Thus marks the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, when the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in approximately 26,000 years and a new adventure begins.​​

Please join Casa de la Diosa Art & Travel for this truly incredible, once in a lifetime event as we journey to the state of Chiapas to celebrate, with the Mayan the long awaited end of the cycle and beginning of a new dawn.​​
cfmacias.wix.com/themayantrip

For more information please contact us:
Casa de la Diosa Art & Travel
P.O. Box 7302
Huntington Beach, CA 92615-7302
714-375-0041
casadiosa@gmail.com
cfmacias.wix.com/themayantrip
Our group trip will also take us to the surroundings areas of Palenque and San Cristobal de las Casas, which are inhabited by many ethnic groups, including the Ch'ol, Tzeltal, and Lacandon.

Casa de la Diosa is soliciting donations to be given to the organization "Yaxil Ansetic"- that is run by indigenous women with children. What they need most is warm clothing for the winter season. They request clothing such as underwear, jackets, sweaters, shirts/blouses for children ages 1 to 10 years old. The women need underwear (bras and panties), jackets, and sweaters. Anything, new or used, that would provide joy and warmth would be greatly appreciated.

Video interview with the artist, James Ayers   http://jamesayers.com/original-artwork/sold-work/bring-it-on/   

TWO WORLDS: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects.

After generations of Native children were forcibly removed from their Tribes and placed in residential boarding schools, children were also being placed in closed adoptions with non-Indian families in North America. 

Finding those children became a mission for award-winning Native American journalist-adoptee Trace A. DeMeyer who started research in 2004 which culminated in her memoir "One Small Sacrifice" in 2010. DeMeyer was introduced to Cherokee adoptee Patricia Cotter-Busbee, and the two collaborated on their new anthology, "TWO WORLDS: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects." The book hit Amazon and Kindle in September. (ISBN: 978-1479318285, Price: $19.95 (PAPERBACK), $6.99 (EBOOK).

"Readers will be astonished since these narratives document a page of North American history that few even know happened," DeMeyer said. "Today tribal families hope to reconnect with adoptees but we know closed adoptions were planned to assimilate children, to erase their culture and end contact with their tribe. I started this project in 2008 after my memoir, then adoptees wrote to me. When I met Patricia in 2010, she shared her own amazing story and I knew she had to be part of this book."
A recent MFA graduate of Goddard in writing, Patricia Cotter-Busbee welcomed the chance to contribute and help edit. "I could not resist helping with this important book. I felt that this was the project I had been waiting for. I kept thinking where are all these adult adoptees? I am an adoptee and know how badly I wanted to reconnect with my first families. If 1/4 of all Indian children were removed and placed in non-Indian adoptive homes, these adoptees must be looking for help, trying to open records and find clues to their identity. One study even found in sixteen states in 1969, 85 percent of the Indian children were placed in non-Indian homes. This book will help lost adoptees reconnect."

The Lost Children in Two Worlds share details of their personal lives, their search for identity and their feelings about what happened to them.

"The history of the Indian Adoption Projects is troubling since it was unofficially ethnic cleansing by the US and Canadian governments, and this practice went on for years without public knowledge, but I am happy to report it failed because we are still here and still Indians; and this book explains how we adoptees did it," DeMeyer said.
DeMeyer and Busbee agreed that "TWO WORLDS: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects" is an important contribution to American Indian history. 

"Indigenous identity takes on a whole new meaning in this anthology," Busbee said, "both for the adoptee and those who adopted them. Adoptees definitely live in two worlds and we show you how."
The book covers the history of Indian child removals in North America, the adoption projects, their impact on Indian Country and how it impacts the adoptee and their families, Congressional testimony, quotes, news and several narratives from adoptees in the US and Canada in the 384-page anthology.

"Two Worlds is really the first book to debunk the billion dollar adoption industry that operated for years under the guise of caring for destitute Indigenous children," DeMeyer said. "Readers will be astonished since very little is known or published on this history."

DeMeyer lives in western Massachusetts and Busbee lives in North Carolina.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Trace A. DeMeyer  tracedemeyer@yahoo.com  
Patricia Cotter-Busbee  writingintheriver@gmail.com 

Review copies available - ebooks can be emailed.
For a copy of this press release online: visit Blue Hand Books at www.bluehandbooks.blogspot.co m
Contact: Trace A. DeMeyer, 413-772-6996 (home)  Photos available upon request.
Adoptees in this book are available for interviews.

Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com

Extracts: Revival of indigenous ethnomedicine
LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND ANCIENT WISDOM ARE BEHIND REVIVAL
By Devon G. Peña

Indigenous Medicine and Environmental Justice - Part 1
http://ejfood.blogspot.com/2012/08/indigenous-medicine-and-environmental.htm 

SEATTLE, WA) The traditional practice of *curanderismo*, or indigenous medicine, involves the holistic integration of homeopathic and naturopathic methods and herbal remedies. This means that curanderismo builds a bridge between physical and spiritual qualities and conditions of the human organism; it connects the biomedical with the In recent decades, traditional folk healing or curanderismo has gained increasing status as a legitimate part of interdisciplinary and multicultural approaches to the medical arts and sciences. Thus, even the American Cancer Society hardly a bastion of alternative medicine, offers this commentary: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/
MindBodyandSpirit/curanderismo
:

*Curanderismo is a form of folk healing that includes various techniques such as prayer, herbal medicine, healing rituals, spiritualism, massage, and psychic healing. It is a system of traditional beliefs that are common in Hispanic-American communities, particularly in the southwestern United States...Available scientific evidence...reports that curanderismo helps to
improve symptoms, reduce pain, and relieve stress...While some aspects of curanderismo, such as using folk remedies for minor illness, are practiced at home, many people seek out specially trained folk healers called curanderos (male healers) or curanderas (female healers). Curanderos’ knowledge of healing may be passed down from close relatives or learned through apprenticeships with experienced healers. In some cases, their healing powers may be described as a divine gift received later in life. Most curanderos say that their ability to heal involves divine energy being channeled through their bodies. In addition...there are yerberos (herbalists), parteras (midwives), and sobadors or sobadoras (who use massage, bone manipulation, acupressure, etc.), each of whom treat more specific or limited problems. All of these healers may use herbs in addition to their other treatment methods. Most of these healers do not charge for their services, but they may accept donations.*

There are numerous stereotypes about curanderismo and many are associated with stigma; e.g., only poor and ignorant people will use a curandera/o. So it is encouraging to see organizations like the American Cancer Society acknowledge, albeit with some caveats, the importance and value of indigenous medicine. But this is only half of the story. While curanderismo is enjoying a
string resurgence today and is making serious in-roads into health care systems in clinics, community health centers, and hospitals, it is also still marginalized and many physicians and health care administrators still frown or dismiss this ancient system of biomedical and spiritual healing arts.

The survival and contemporary resurgence of curanderismo is tied to the environmental and food justice struggles of Mesoamerican Diaspora and Mexican American communities in the United States and Canada.  


Toward a deeper history of indigenous medicine: 
This section is based in part on a section of Chapter 3 of my book, Mexican Americans and the Environment: Tierra y vida http://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Americans-Environment-American-Experience/dp/0816522111
Tucson: U. of Arizona Press, 2005

The roots of indigenous medicine are deep and this is certainly true of curanderismo. In pre-contact Mexico, the institution of the curanderismo was at the center of the medical and spiritual healing arts of the Culhua Mexica (a.k.a. Azteca) in the twin island cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco. The Mexica had a highly advanced ethnobotany and this was in large measure a significant empirical basis for the healing arts of their indigenous medicine.

Traditional healers and physicians (Nahuatl *ticitl*, Spanish *curandera/os*and *médica/os*) were familiar with thousands of wild and domesticated plants used in medicinal practice. Mexica *remedios – *natural herbal remedies administered via teas, pastes, tinctures, suppositories, and other forms – are still widely used today.

The ethnobotany of the Mexica was not limited to herbal remedies; the formal study and classification of cultivated food crops and their nutritional and health-affirming properties were also important. Experimentation with crop selection and intercropping resulted in the spread of practices such as the use of companion plants, e.g., the planting of beans and other legumes for their nitrogen-fixing properties. Keeping the body of the person and the health of the Earth (soil) were integrated aspects of the same philosophy of resilience and respect for original instructions.


'El Curanderismo' by Pedro
Azabache http://www.taringa.net/posts/info/13362821/Latinoamerica.html 
*Indigenous medicine, healing, and struggles for justice*

It would be a mistake to consider the contemporary resurgence of curanderismo without also accounting for the conditions associated with disparities in health care access and quality for Mexican-origin working class, immigrant, and indigenous populations in the United States. The fact of structural violence – involving systematic denial of the services and resources required for life – has been indisputably documented and highlighted by the work of researchers like Paul Farmer, Karina Walters,
and Henry Herrera.

However, this resurgence is not just simply associated with grassroots responses to a widespread lack of access to health insurance and health care, it is also part of the so-called Latina/o health paradox and thus a matter of the self-willing enactment of alterNative medical paradigms and practices. The resurgence of curanderismo is *a cultural and political phenomenon and unless we grasp this fact it will be difficult to assess and interpret its significance and larger implications. http://www.unm.edu/features/2011/curandero-tradition-returns.html 


Eliseo ‘Cheo’ Torres, a professor and administrator at University of New Mexico (UNM), is the author of an early respected study of curanderismo, *The Folk Healer: The Mexican-American Tradition of Curanderismo http://www.amazon.com/Curandero-Life-Mexican-Folk-Healing/dp/082633640X 
*(1984; 2nd edition 2005). 

He makes an important observation about the resurgence of indigenous medicine in a recent article noting how this is about 
…a concept of fusing traditional and modern medicine, similar to what Chinese medicine has done for years, which is to deliver patient care according to the culture, needs, and affordability of the person…As we move into the new millennium it appears that people want to be more in charge of their health. Throughout the world there is a growing concern that Western medicine may not provide all the answers…Many recent Latino immigrants and  undocumented workers in the United States are uninsured or underinsured, and as a result they are often forced to rely on the charity of municipal healthcare systems. Because of this, some may not seek care when they need it, while others have to wait in overburdened emergency rooms to be treated as indigents…people have had to find other ways to get treatment for illness…One way has been to continue to rely on folk healers who have provided basic care in rural villages for centuries…The trick is to bring Curanderismo in line with conventional medicine – and vice-versa, so that folk healers can work in tandem with and supplement modern medicine…* http://curanderismo.unm.edu/good-medicine.pdf 

Professor Torres is highlighting the twin aspects of the resurgence: The problems posed by structural violence and disparities in access to quality healthcare and the proactive forces associated with the decline of trust in Western medicine and the desire to reconnect with cultural traditions that have served the community well in the past. This is also obviously not a simple attack on Western medicine or some fatalistic relapse into superstition and witchcraft; it is instead a wise and empirically-grounded
call for a more integrated and interdisciplinary approach to healthcare that increasing numbers of Western biomedical model healthcare practitioners and physicians are recognizing as legitimate and necessary.

The resurgence of curanderismo is an example of this type of social movement transformation and mobilization and it is largely being led by *las parteras*, the midwives who provide the birthing and postpartum healthcare to a growing number of Mexican women, Chicanas, and other Latinas. As the biopolitics of reproduction, largely expressed through the state of exception, reduce the value of the lives of women of color, our modern day *tetlacuicuiliques *are mobilizing together to bring quality health care to marginalized and middle-class professional women and contributing in no small manner to the struggle for indigenous autonomy, north and south of the border.

According to my graduate student, Claudia Serrato, there are now curandera and partera networks and cooperatives in the Los Angeles basin and other metropolitan areas. These networks and co-ops are dedicated to quality healthcare and the revival of traditional indigenous cultural values and practices.

*Resources for further learning The University of New Mexico http://curanderismo.unm.edu/  in part as a result of the presence of Professor Eliseo Torres, has created a major curanderismo research and learning project. 

For an unlisted documentary video from the UNM Curanderismo Program please use the link below: http://youtu.be/SEzvf33twBU* http://youtu.be/SEzvf33twBU

 


A LITTLE HUMOR . . .

It's late Fall, and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the meteorologist at the weather service responded.  So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?' 'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'it's going to be a very cold winter.'

The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?' 'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'

'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked. The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting loads and loads of firewood.

 

 

 

 

ARCHAEOLOGY

Tomb of Maya queen K’abel discovered in Guatemala
Mexico: Mayan ball court was celestial 'marker'
Google Street View now available for Mexico archaeological sites



El Peru Waka Regional Archaeological Project


Tomb of Maya queen K’abel discovered in Guatemala

Washington University, St. Louis archaeologist, David Freidel, part of the team to discover a tomb containing rare combination of Maya archaeological, historical records, By Jessica Daues, October 3, 2012

Archaeologists in Guatemala have discovered the tomb of Lady K’abel, a seventh-century Maya Holy Snake Lord considered one of the great queens of Classic Maya civilization.  The tomb was discovered during excavations of the royal Maya city of El Perú-Waka’ in northwestern Petén, Guatemala, by a team of archaeologists led by Washington University in St. Louis’ David Freidel, co-director of the expedition.

Go to http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/24167.aspx to view an interview with David Freidel.

K’abel discovery team

Along with David Freidel, professor of anthropology at WUSTL, the project is co-directed by Juan Carlos Pérez, former vice minister of culture for cultural heritage of Guatemala. Olivia Navarro-Farr, assistant professor of anthropology at the College of Wooster in Ohio, directed the excavations with Griselda Pérez Robles, former director of prehistoric monuments in the National Institute of Anthropology and History, and archaeologist Damaris Menéndez.


The burial chamber. The queen’s skull is above the plate fragments. The discovery of the tomb of the great queen was “serendipitous, to put it mildly,” Freidel says.


A small, carved alabaster jar found in the burial chamber caused the archaeologists to conclude the tomb was that of Lady K’abel.
The white jar is carved as a conch shell, with a head and arm of an aged woman emerging from the opening. The depiction of the woman, mature with a lined face and a strand of hair in front of her ear, and four glyphs carved into the jar, point to the jar as belonging to Lady K’abel, a seventh-century Maya Holy Snake Lord considered one of the great queens of Classic Maya civilization..

Based on this and other evidence, including ceramic vessels found in the tomb and stela (large stone slab) carvings on the outside, the tomb is likely that of K’abel, says Freidel, PhD, professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences and Maya scholar.

Freidel says the discovery is significant not only because the tomb is that of a notable historical figure in Maya history, but also because the newly uncovered tomb is a rare situation in which Maya archaeological and historical records meet.

“The Classic Maya civilization is the only ‘classical’ archaeological field in the New World — in the sense that like archaeology in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia or China, there is both an archaeological material record and an historical record based on texts and images,” Freidel says.
“The precise nature of the text and image information on the white stone jar and its tomb context constitute a remarkable and rare conjunction of these two kinds of records in the Maya area.”

The team at El Perú-Waka’ has focused on uncovering and studying “ritually-charged” features such as shrines, altars and dedicatory offerings rather than on locating burial locations of particular individuals.“In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense that the people of Waka’ buried her in this particularly prominent place in their city,” Freidel says.


Olivia Navarro-Farr, PhD, assistant professor of anthropology at the College of Wooster in Ohio, originally began excavating the locale while still a doctoral student of Freidel’s. Continuing to investigate this area this season was of major interest to both Navarro-Farr and Freidel because it had been the location of a temple that received much reverence and ritual attention for generations after the fall of the dynasty at El Perú.  With the discovery, archaeologists now understand the likely reason why the temple was so revered: K’abel was buried there, Freidel says.

                                                        Drawing of the glyphs on the back of the alabaster vessel by Stanley Guenter. > >


K’abel, considered the greatest ruler of the Late Classic period, ruled with her husband, K’inich Bahlam, for at least 20 years (672-692 AD), Freidel says. She was the military governor of the Wak kingdom for her family, the imperial house of the Snake King, and she carried the title “Kaloomte’,” translated to “Supreme Warrior,” higher in authority than her husband, the king.

K’abel also is famous for her portrayal on the famous Maya stela, Stela 34 of El Perú, now in the Cleveland Art Museum.

El Perú-Waka’, located approximately 75 km west of the famous city of Tikal, is an ancient Maya city in northwestern Petén, Guatemala. It was part of Classic Maya civilization (200-900 AD) in the southern lowlands and consists of nearly a square kilometer of plazas, palaces, temple pyramids and residences surrounded by many square kilometers of dispersed residences and temples.

This discovery was made under the auspices of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Guatemala. The El Perú-Waka’ project is sponsored by the Foundation for the Cultural and Natural Patrimony of Guatemala (PACUNAM).

The project was originally funded by the Jerome E. Glick Foundation of St. Louis and has received support from the Alphawood Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of the Interior, in addition to private benefactors.

For a full report on the discovery by the archaeologists, click here.

Sent by Juan Marinez  marinezj@msu.edu 


Mexico: Mayan ball court was celestial 'marker' 

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican archaeologists say they have determined that the ancient Mayas built watchtower-style structures atop the ceremonial ball court at the temples of Chichen Itza to observe the equinoxes and solstices, and they said Friday that the discovery adds to understanding of the many layers of ritual significance that the ball game had for the culture.

The structures sit atop the low walls of the court, where the Mayas played a game that consisted, as far as experts can tell, of knocking a heavy, latex ball with their elbows, knees or hips, through a stone ring set in the walls.

The bases of the structures — essentially, look-out boxes set atop the walls, each one with a small slit running through it —had been detected before, but archaeologist hadn't been sure what they were used for. Since the ball court was built around 864 A.D., the boxes and the stairs leading to them had crumbled.

The government's National Institute of Anthropology and History announced Thursday that the boxes had been 90-percent reconstructed, based on the stone footings that remained. Late last year and early this year, a team led by archaeologist Jose Huchim confirmed that the sun shone through the slit-like openings when the setting sun touches the horizon at the winter solstice.

The sun's rays also formed a diagonal pattern at the equinox in the slit-like openings, which are about tall enough to stand up in.

Huchim said he knew of no similar structures at other Mayan ball courts. "This is the place where we're finding this type of pasaje (structure)," Huchim said. He said a stone structure atop a ball court at the nearby ruin site of Uxmal appeared to have been used as a sort of spectators' stand for elite audiences.

Huchim said the slits may have been used to determine when ball matches were played, given that the ball itself, as it was knocked through the air by the players, may have been seen as imitating the sun's arc as it passed through the sky.

It may have also been used "like a calendar, to mark important periods for agriculture," like planting the core crop of corn.

Finally, Huchim noted that old descriptions of the ball courts sometimes depicted people atop the walls, and that they may have been acting as umpires in the game.

Huchim said Thursday that stairways to the structures are being restored so visitors can observe the phenomenon.

Boston University archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli, who was not involved in the project, said the solar sighting lines were part of "part of Maya architecture and cosmology."

"The fact that the sun rise can be observed behind a structure should be understood in that sense, as reverence to the sun or other star, not necessarily as an observatory in the technical sense," Estrada-Belli said. The orientation of the structures "emphasized the sacrality of the ritual space."

http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-mayan-ball-court-celestial-marker-155035359.html  

Sent John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com 


Google Street View now available for Mexico archaeological sites

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/08/mexico-google-street-view-prehispanic-archeological-sites.html

MEXICO CITY -- For travelers who've never been to the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza, a virtual window into the site's pyramids and plazas is available online, among 30 archaeological zones in Mexico now mapped by history's greatest peeping Tom: Google Street View.

From the comfort of a computer, any Internet user anywhere can now zoom in and examine the perfect form of Chichen Itza's Kukulkan pyramid, known also El Castillo, or the Castle.

On Google Street View, a viewer can almost feel like they might tumble into the Sacred Cenote, or natural sinkhole, where Maya priests practiced ritual sacrifice. Or imagine cavorting on the Plaza of the Thousand Columns. Or maybe do some souvenir browsing, up close and in intensely high resolution.... 

Sent by Dorinda Moreno 
pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 


SEPHARDIC

Nov 13: The Forgetting River: A Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition
A presentation by Doreen Carvajal
Mongolian Spot by Mimi Lozano
Contemporary Sephardic Identity in the Americas
by Margalit Bejarano and Edna Aizenberg
Sephardim paper by Hebrew Bible teacher, Rabbi Joseph Zavala
Conversos on the Rio Grande Frontier by Norman Rozeff

 


Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Program begins 7:00 p.m.

The Forgetting River: 
A Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition
A presentation by Doreen Carvajal


Jewish Community Library
1835 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(free parking in gated structure; entrance on Pierce between Eddy and Ellis)

Despite growing up Catholic in the Bay Area and having vivid childhood memories of Sunday sermons, catechism, and the rosary, Doreen Carvajal never felt the familial connection with Catholicism. Unable to shake that feeling, and to understand why generations of her family left Spain and spread across Latin America, she moved to Arcos de la Frontera, a historic pueblo on the southern frontier of Andalusia. 
 Through her research, Carvajal discovered that her family may be descended from conversos, Jews who were forced to renounce their faith and convert to Christianity during the Inquisition. Her search to find an answer included extensive interviews, DNA testing, and studying rare archives acquired by UC Berkeley from the time of the Inquisition. Recovering her family's secret Sephardic Jewish roots is the basis for her new memoir, The Forgetting River.

Doreen Carvajal is a Paris-based reporter for The New York Times and a senior writer for the International Herald Tribune with more than 25 years of journalism experience. She grew up in Lafayette, California and was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley and San Jose State University.

This event is cosponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, http://www.jewishgen.org/sfbajgs/
The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Allison J. Green, ajgreen@bjesf.org , or visit http://www.bjesf.org/library.htm.

Sent by Janice  janicemsj@gmail.com  


Mongolian Birthmark by Mimi Lozano 

I have increasingly grown in my assumption that my heritage includes Sephardic roots.  Many little incidents related to my maternal grandmother, Petra Farias Perez,  which did not make sense, make sense if I assume a Jewish heritage.  

Early in my family research, I came across a Mexican document concerning a Juan Lozano, who in the 1520s was being taxed for blasphemy being a Jew.  I remember coming home with a copy of the document in my hand and telling my husband who is of Russian Jewish background, "I may be more Jewish than you."  After that, every time I find a resource for Sephardic surnames, 
I check through and look for my family surnames, almost always finding many of them included..

In my search,  a  physical clue to my heritage has reinforced and supported my assumption of Jewish heritage.  I was born with a  birthmark, a purplish spot on my lower back, hard to see without a mirror in hand and a 3/4 length mirror, so I did not really pay much attention, pass knowing that it and occasionally I would see it.

I frequently get requests concerning my Lozano surname.  I received this in response to some information that I forwarded to Harold Schuller Port Charlotte, Florida caribeesix@bellsouth.net   .

Hello and thanks for the contact person, My former wife's father was Lozano Sanchez. He was from Bogota, originally from Honda. Most of those Sanchez perished in the Nevado del Ruiz mudslide. Her mother was Olga Juliao de Lozano .Her father was a 100 percent Sephardic Jew who emigrated to Cartagena from Aruba with his brother Issac or Isach. Olga‘s father, a Jew married Aida or Leonor Everall a relative of the English Consul in Nicaragua. Olga and her siblings were raised Catholic. My two daughters are 8 percent Sephardic, Karen the youngest was born with a blue spot on her back, a common thing among Sephardic females in Lisbon due to ghetto interbreeding. I took Vickie and my daughters to the oldest synagogue in the new word, in 1974 where Brother Cardozo there wept and thanked them and thanked me, a Gentile for the respect."

The blue spot on his daughter's back caught my immediate attention.  Reminding me of the bluish-purplish spot on my lower back, about the size of a silver dollar.  During my teen year, I had wondered about it.  The first time I saw a similar spot was when a Japanese American friend was changing her baby's diaper.  We were all in veterans' housing at UCLA.  Her husband was in medical school and I thought she might answer my question.  I rudely asked, "what is that?  She answered a Mongolian spot, and said that many, if not most Japanese  children had those marks.  Interesting, I had a Mongolian spot.  It took me back to Junior High.  I remembered with fascination seeing some photos in our textbooks of  a Japanese tribe in Northern Japan, the "Hairy Ainu ".   My grandpa, Alberto Chapa Sanchez looked  just like them.  He would have fit in perfectly with the assembly of men in the photo.  A few years ago, the Smithsonian had a display of the Hairy Ainu, and again I remembered grandpa and my birthmark.   

I wrote to Harold and received this response:

" Hola Mimi, Tu mancha es un fuerte indicio que tienes herencia hebrea através Portugal. Hay laboratorios que a precio módico realizan pruebas del ADN. También puedes usar Google referente esa Médico, doctora de Sudâfrica del -mongolian spot- Sephardic females in Portugal. Me avisas? Mi hija Tani es experta en buscar esto, lo hizo para todos nuestros apellidos. Los mormones mantienen 150 millones de familias. Boa noite, Harold"


Well, this  added more to the discovery.  My grandmother Petra Farias Perez heritage goes back to Portugal.  The Portuguese connection caused me to remember my high school, once seeing a girl in the locker room with a spot that looked like mine. I had forgotten that and she was of Portuguese heritage . 

After the email from Harold,  I grabbed a mirror to see the spot, and I was really, really surprised that  . . .  it was not there??? 
With disappointment, I thought how strange. It had been there all my life and now that I had information, it had disappeared. 
My husband had even commented on the spot on occasion.   I contacted Harold, and told him the Mongolian/Portuguese spot was no longer there. Maybe, I suggested,  it had faded. 

No, Harold said, he had read that sometimes the spot moves, shrinks and darkens. He asked me if I had seen anything like that. Yes, I said, while trying to locate the bluish birthmark, I  had noticed, and was puzzled,  by two small brown spots, one  the size of a dime and a smaller one, both on my spine. I had never seen them before.  I described them to Harold, and he confirmed that what I described was what he had read happens in many cases.  How about that . . .

I hope eventually to see if I can find the Jewish marker in my DNA, which would explain why my grandmother never went to Catholic Church, did not hang crucifixes , did not have a rosary, and made seasonal foods which apparently from what I read were traditional for Southwest Sephardics.


I now view Israel with a sense of kinship, my ancestry.  I see the fulfillment of prophesy that the 10 tribes that were taken captive and who had been spread all over the world are returning to Israel, as prophesized.   I may not return physically, but in my heart, I view father Abraham of the Bible as my ancestor, and the lineage David through which my Perez grandmother descends is the same line through which our Lord Jesus Christ was born.  True to my lineage,  I will bless Israel and support an undivided Israel.    
This website on Sephardic genealogy has a very extensive listing.   http://bethaderech.com/sefardic-genealogy-genealogia/sephardic-surnames/ 
Among their list of surnames, I found a few of my surnames,: Bejar, Farias, Garcia, Sanchez, Salinas, and Lozano Pena, Perez. 

 

  

Contemporary Sephardic Identity in the Americas 
by Margalit Bejarano and Edna Aizenberg

Editors Margalit Bejarano and Edna Aizenberg have gathered a pioneering collection of essays in Contemporary Sephardic Identity in the Americas, which provides a vital contribution to the long-neglected study of the Sephardic experience in the Americas. Spanning from the 1908 revolution of the Young Turks that motivated migration from the Ottoman Empire, to the establishment of new Sephardic centers in South Florida, the editors draw from the fields of history, literature, musicology, and linguistics.  [Editor: the table of contents does include a chapter on Colon.]


Margalit Bejarano received her Ph.D. on the history of the Jewish Community of Cuba from the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She teaches in the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Hebrew University and is a Fellow of the Liwerant Center. 

Edna Aizenberg holds a Ph.D from Columbia University and is Professor Emeritus of Hispanic Studies at Marymount Manhattan College. Prof. Aizenberg specializes in contemporary Latin American literature, Judeo-Hispanic cultural relations, and contemporary memory discourses. Her publications include numerous articles and four books. She is co-president of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association, LAJSA.

“Sephardic history has not received the scholarly attention that its place in 
Jewish history warrants. This volume is a giant step toward righting that imbalance.”


– Judith Laikin Elkin, University of Michigan.

Sephardim paper by Hebrew Bible teacher, Rabbi Joseph Zavala
This is interesting from the point of few that my grandmother Jovita Cuellar Uribe always said that there were no pure blooded Spaniards among the early settlers of Northern Mexico and what is now the Southwestern United States. She always said that all who think they are of "pure" Spanish blood should give their family tree a good shake and an Indian (Native American), a Moro (North African) and a Jew ( Sephardic) would drop on their head..  It's a good read. Go to the last paragraph and see if some of your family names are on that partial list.  http://beitelzahavyeshiva.weebly.com/sephardim.html 

This article put together by Hebrew Bible teacher, Rabbi Joseph Zavala, might be of interest to you. It's quite lengthy
but one of the most comprehensive to date on our Spanish Jewish ancestry. Ramirez and Gonzales(z) are Sephardic/ Jewish in origin.  

Sent by Ernesto Uribe  Euribe000@aol.com and Jose M. Pena  JMPENA@aol.com 

Biography: Joseph Zavala
Joseph Zavala is a Messianic Teacher for Baruch HaShem Messianic Congregation in San Antonio Texas. Currently teaching a “Digging Deeper” study as well as a Yeshiva (Bible school) for individuals seeking further instruction in Biblical theology in an Associates and Bachelors degree programs. Currently serving as the rabbi for B’nai Shalom Messianic Congregation in Corpus Christi Texas, providing teachings and guidance. Has also taught classes on ancient Hebrew, cults, along with Biblical theology. Providing Outreach to churches and ministries teaching Hebrew insights of the Scriptures; so that every believer, both Jew and Gentile will to “know beyond any shadow of doubt” who they are in Messiah Yeshua and who G-D is.

He has served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and is a 1st Lieutenant in the Texas State Guard as a chaplain.  He is an affiliate instructor with The Sure Foundation Theological Institute. And is currently working on his Ph.D. in theology thru The Sure Foundation Theological Institute.

MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America) - http://www.mjaa.org 
IAMCS (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues) - http://www.iamcs.org 
UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) - http://www.umjc.org 
International Messianic Jewish Alliance - http://imja.org/ 
The Sure Foundation Theological Institute - http://www.virtualbibleschool.com 
Baruch Hashem Messianic Congregation - http://www.baruch-hashem.com 
Bnai Shalom Messianic Congregation - http://www.bnai-shalom.net 
Beth Israel Worship Center - http://www.bethisraelworshipcenter.org 
Beth Messiah Messianic Synagogue - http://www.bethmessiahfla.com /
Messianic Jewish Publishers - http://www.messianicjewish.net 
ElijahNet For the Redemption of Israel - http://www.elijahnet.net/ 
Creation Evidence Museum - http://creationevidence.org 
Ramshead Press International, web site for Dr Philip Moore - http://www.ramsheadpress.com /
Sid Roth - http://www.sidroth.org 
Messianic radio WSTM.FM - http://www.wstw.fm/index.html 


AFRICAN-AMERICAN

A Place in the Heights, Jimmy Franco Sr.
Lost Legends: Cinematic Documentary Series and Traveling Exhibit
A Place in the Heights, Jimmy Franco Sr.  
View post: "A place in the Heights": 
Latinopov.com, posted on October 29, 2011

Growing up in the Lincoln Heights area of North-East Los Angeles, Kenny Washington became an All-City football and baseball player at Lincoln High School, an All-American at UCLA and the first African-American to integrate the National Football League as a player for the L.A. Rams.
On September 16, the Second Annual Kenny Washington Memorial Game: Lincoln vs Manual Arts High was held to commemorate and support 100 years of Lincoln football.  34 North Broadway, Los Angeles, California, 90031   KWSF web site

Growing up in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles, Kenny Washington became an All-City football and baseball player at Lincoln High School, an All-American at UCLA, and the first African-American to play N.F.L. football. 

During the 1930's, Kenny Washington grew up in a small home on Avenue Nineteen in Lincoln Heights. The “Heights”, as it is called by its present and past residents, is a district of Los Angeles that sits on the hills of the East Side across the L.A. River from Downtown. He was raised by his uncle Roscoe “Rocky” Washington and his wife Hazel. As one of the only African-American families in the neighborhood, the Washingtons were well-respected and embraced by the community. As a young boy Kenny honed his football and baseball skills while playing on various neighborhood teams. These activities came to an abrupt end as a bicycle accident resulted in both of his knees being broken, an injury that would cause him pain throughout the following years. As Kenny grew into a teenager he attended Lincoln High School that was located up on the hill on North Broadway.

Kenny Washington and the 1935 LIncoln Tigers: undefeated City Champions.
  A late-blooming football star reaches the pinnacle of success. As a lanky student at Lincoln High, Kenny was once considered too weak to play football, so he concentrated on baseball. By his junior year in 1934, Kenny had blossomed into a star football player who became an unstoppable force during his last two years of high school. During his senior year in 1935 Kenny led the Lincoln High football team to an undefeated season in which they won the L.A. City Championship. Kenny also won the City batting title while playing for the baseball team and also led his beloved Tigers to the City Championship. For two seasons Kenny was named to the All City teams in both football and baseball. Later on as a member of the L.A. Rams, a football card described Kenny as being, “Considered by many as the greatest high school player in Southern California history.” 

One of the greatest UCLA Bruins of all time.  Kenny earned a scholarship to UCLA as most other private universities would not enroll African-Americans at that time due to the racial barriers imposed by segregation. While at UCLA, Kenny played football alongside Jackie Robinson who would later on become the first African-American to play major league baseball for the then Brooklyn Dodgers. During his senior year at UCLA Kenny led the nation in both rushing and passing yards with a total of 3,206 yards gained. His astounding performance while playing both offense and defense led to his being selected to the All-American Football Team. He was recognized as the top football player in the country and was honored by being given the 1939 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Award. Kenny was also the first African-American to play baseball at UCLA and batted .454 in 1937. Kenny then played in the 1940 College All-Star Game where the best college players squared off against the N.F.L. Champion Green Bay Packers who he scored a touchdown against. He was also An All-American at UCLA and a star with the L.A. Rams.  subsequently inducted into the College Football Hall of fame in 1956 and was the first UCLA player to ever win this honor.  

The existing Segregation of the N.F.L. prevented Kenny from moving upward. 
After playing well in the College All-Star Game, Kenny now aspired to play in the National Football League. However, at that period in history, the N.F.L. had a policy that banned the signing of African-Americans to play for an N.F.L. team. George Halas who was the owner of the Chicago Bears attempted to gain the approval of the conservative N.F.L. franchise owners to lift this racial ban and thus allow Kenny to play professional football. Unfortunately, as segregation was the legal and moral norm throughout the country at that time, the racism of the franchise owners won out as they refused to lift the racial ban which then prevented Kenny from reaching the heights of football by playing in the the N.F.L. Kenny then served in the military during World War Two and later played for a semi-pro football team named the Hollywood Bears.

Kenny achieves the lofty heights of football with the L.A. Rams.
In 1946, the then Cleveland Rams relocated to Los Angeles and thus became the L.A. Rams. The Coliseum Commission at that time played a progressive and pivotal role in race relations and in Kenny’s life. They required that the newly arrived Rams be integrated before a contractual lease for them to play in the Coliseum could be approved and signed. Kenny signed a contract with the Rams in 1946 and became a trailblazer by becoming the first African-American to break the color barrier and play for the National Football League. This was achieved a year before his ex-teammate Jackie Robinson would integrate major league baseball by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Kenny was soon joined on the Rams by another ex-teammate from UCLA named Woody Strode who was also African-American. Kenny had a short career of only three seasons with the Rams as years of football had taken its toll on his body. On many occasions while still playing with the Rams, he was unnecessarily roughed up and insulted by the white players on opposing teams who resented an African-American playing in the once segregated N.F.L. At his last game as a Ram in 1948 Kenny was honored at halftime by the L.A. City Council and Mayor with a day proclaimed as “Kenny Washington Day”. He was elected to the National Football Hall of fame, but not the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Later on in life, Kenny had some roles in movies, worked as a scout for the L.A. Dodgers, and had a career as a police officer. 

The first Annual Kenny Washington Memorial Game.
On October 7, 2011, the newly formed Kenny Washington Stadium Foundation organized the First Annual Kenny Washington Memorial Game. The football game between the Lincoln Tigers and the Torres Toros brought the community and students together in order to commemorate the legacy and achievements of Kenny, a son of Lincoln Heights. School alumni, ex-players, staff and students honored Kenny’s legacy at halftime with cheers and speeches that gave recognition to the athletic exploits of one of the greatest athletes, if not the best, in Lincoln’s history. Also present at this event were Kenny’s grandchildren Kraig, Kysa and Kirk and other family members who witnessed the warm and vibrant feelings that the predominantly Latino Lincoln High and the people of the “Heights” still hold for Kenny as he was one of their own. 

Kenny Washington's family, alumni and students honor his legacy at a recent Tigers football game.

Despite facing many challenges Kenny struggled to surmount them and eventually achieved lofty success both in sports and in civil rights history. An animated Kysa Washington, Kenny’s grand daughter, said, “There are no African-Americans on the board of the Foundation. It’s all Latinos. For them to honor my grandfather in this way is special. Especially when we know how much tension there can be in L.A. among the cultures.” Even years after retiring from the Rams Kenny still returned to his beloved Lincoln High and gave back to his community of the “Heights”, a community that had previously given him the support that he needed to move onward and upward. The newly formed Kenny Washington Foundation that organized this event is also attempting to raise funds to renovate Lincoln’s aging and dilapidated 75 year old athletic facility that still sits up on the hill and transform it into a modern sports complex. The Foundation is also also working to promote naming the renovated complex the Kenny S. Washington Stadium to honor his athletic and historical legacy, a legacy that has not been given its proper recognition in the past. To assist in this project to enhance the athletic field and again make it the jewel of the “Heights”, people may contact the Foundation on facebook or at the web site listed below.

Kenny Washington belongs in the Heights.
As a young boy growing up on Avenue Nineteen in the “Heights”, and just three doors away from the Washington’s immaculate home, I had always heard stories of Kenny’s athletic exploits and his ascent from Lincoln Heights as he achieved success at both UCLA and with the Rams. Kenny was already gone from the Washington home by the time I grew up, but his uncle Rocky continued to live in the same family home. All of us kids had heard stories 

Current Lincoln Tigers football team cheering the memory and example of Kenny. 
about Kenny’s memorable football and baseball feats as they were passed around the neighborhood from parents to children in a sort of heroic oral history. We kids still called the Washington’s home Kenny Washington’s pad even though he was no longer living there. But he didn’t have to be there in person, as his influence and example imprinted itself, and meandered through the gritty neighborhood of low-income kids who were struggling to survive on Avenue Nineteen and make it in the tough world of the East Side of L.A. Many kids did make it, while a good number didn’t and tragically fell by the wayside. Yet, for the kids in the neighborhood, with their innocence and search for some direction in life, there was always the story and legend of Kenny Washington. He was the spindly and fragile kid from Avenue Nineteen and the “Heights”, who despite the many challenges that he faced, ascended to the heights of acclaim at UCLA and stardom with the L.A. Rams. 

For more information contact:
Stephen Sarinana-Lampson, Foundation President: www.KWSFoundation.org

Sent by Jimmy Franco Sr. jimmyfone@gmail.com 


Cinematic Documentary Series and Traveling Exhibit 
www.LostLegendsUSA.com

From humble beginnings, these LEGENDS became Military Heroes, Business Superstars, and the Pride of the NFL.

"Mean" Joe Greene, Otis Taylor, Mel Farr, Earl Campbell, Bubba Smith, Dick "Night Train" Lane, and Dorie Miller are a small sampling of  LOST LEGENDS that were discovered because they saw opportunities instead of barriers. They embraced their gifts despite the stigma of racism, to feel the sense of accomplishment despite the limitations imposed by society.

But, this is not a story about racism.  It is the story of how inspiration and courage will crumble the walls of adversity. That's...what makes a LEGEND.

LOST LEGENDS USA© is a cinematic Documentary Series and Traveling Exhibit that focuses on Texas High School Football and the Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) that proudly served as the main academic and athletic organization for Texas' African American students for half of the 20th century. 

It was an era of great change and transformation that affected the lives of players, coaches, families, and entire communities. 
You will be in their presence and feel their drama, their setbacks, and their glory.
You will be in the stadium where LEGENDS were born.

Artistically, dramatically, and authentically created by the award-winning team of Native Sun Productions, Eugene Williams, and Canovision Entertainment, LOST LEGENDS USA© are the untold stories in the chronicles of football that transformed the pages of American history.   http://www.lostlegendsusa.com/#!__page-1 


EAST COAST 

Wild Pigs May Be a Solution 
 
This cute little pig (over 1,800 lb wild boar) ... was killed in King's Point, Sun City Center , FL., (30 miles north of Sarasota). They call them Piney Wood Rooter's. 

Evidently they're all over Georgia , Alabama , Arkansas , Missouri , Florida and other states.  

There was a documentary on about a month ago about these PIGS growing up rapidly in the US.   Did you ever wonder what happens to those people that just leave home and disappear but their car is found out on a dirt road? 

Between bigfoot and these monsters, I think we know! This one was killed by a Medical Radiology worker.

Sent by JMPENA@aol.com

 

 

Editor:  In April of 2010, I viewed the fascinating documentary on the Discovery Channel on the growing population of these huge wild pigs. The following day, I received an email with these same photos, however the location was different.  The location was identified as Texas, not Florida.
http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2010/spmar10/spmar10.htm
 

Scientists suggest  that these huge boars seem to be the result of the interbreeding of the domesticated pigs brought in by the Spanish during the colonial period with Asian pigs brought in more recent history.

The evening in 2010 when  I saw the documentary on the wild pigs, I also saw a documentary on the lack of protein in the diet of the poor in Mexico.  

It struck me that the spreading of these wild pigs, migrating south could be viewed as a solution to a problem.  . . . . a miracle.  Heavenly Father's manna for the hungry in Mexico.  

It touches me to consider that the Spanish colonizers brought the pigs in initially, and now their descendants may feed the  descendants of the soldiers that brought them in initially  some five hundred years ago.  

 

CARIBBEAN/CUBA

Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc.
Carmen Iris Veg crowned Miss Manati Puerto Rico in Chica

Board of Directors
Left to right: Carmen Valdivia, Carmen Romanach, Elena Muller,
 Maria De La Milera, Frank Echeverria, Jorge Finlay, 
Ángel Cordova, John Couriel, Juan Pujol.
Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc. 
http://www.pedropan.org/  

OPERATION PEDRO PAN GROUP, INC. is the Official National Charitable organization founded in 1991 by the former unaccompanied Cuban children. It was created to fulfill the Pledge of Thanksgiving given in 1990, in which we honor the sacrifice of our parents and this noble nation that welcomed us, and the person that made it all possible, Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. We felt it was our duty to pay back the kindness by helping today's needy children. OPPG Inc. is a non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501 C3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh was the Chairperson of the organization until his death on December 20th, 2001. Under his direction, in order to protect & to allow the public to identify the organization and its services we obtained the Registration of our Trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce on December 1993.

All the unaccompanied Cuban minors who were part of the exodus now popularly known as Operation Pedro Pan, call ourselves Pedro Pans.

Our Board of Directors is formed by volunteers who were part of the exodus & are duly elected in a democratic process. The twenty five members of the Board of Trustees are our "Ambassadors of Good Will" and assist in locating Pedro Pans and connect with over 2000 members throughout the US and the world. Our headquarter is in Miami, Florida.

MISSION STATEMENT

  1. To sponsor, aid, assist and promote programs that benefit children in need. This includes children without parents (unaccompanied minors) and the needy, regardless of race, creed, color or religion.
  2. To document our history for the future generations and to spread the knowledge of our exodus as an important chapter of the history of Cuba and the United States.
  3. To locate and reunite those individuals who were part of the unaccompanied Cuban Children's Program and to share our experiences.

We are currently the support group for the Child Welfare Programs of Catholic Charities in Miami which includes Catholic Home for Children in Perrine and the Boystown Unaccompanied Minor’s Program. We will contribute to and help with the preservation of the Pedro Pan Archives at Barry. We have organized Pedro Pan Conferences and historical presentations in places such as the US National Archives, Annual Reunions in Miami and other States, picnics for the needy children, assisted in Hurricane relief efforts and other humanitarian causes. For the last 17 years we have played the roles of Santa Claus & Los Reyes Magos for the underprivileged children. OPPG spearheaded the effort to preserve "Camp Matecumbe" as a Park, a living memorial to our Exodus for the future generations. In our effort to spread the knowledge of our exodus we have contributed information and materials to numerous writers, scholars and students in their projects. Most importantly, we have been helping Pedro Pans find each other since 1990.

You are cordially invited to join us on Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

For the unveiling of a Florida Heritage Landmark Marker And Pedro Pan Place Street Designation. This historical event will be held at the Former Florida City Camp, 55 NW 14th Street, Florida City, Florida  A Block Party will take place immediately following the Ceremony.

Sponsored by: OPPG Historic Committee
RSVP: 305.554.7196 or at members@pedropan.org


  Carmen Iris Vega crowned Miss Manati Puerto Rico in Chica

 


Carmen Iris Vega was born and raised in Manati, Puerto Rico. Shegraduated from High School and worked at the Governors office in San Juan. Iris Vega was crowned Miss Manati Puerto Rico in Chicago. She wore a white dress and gloves with a shoulder ribbon to the waist, and a crown on her head. The beautiful pageant princess rode on a float in the Puerto Rican Day Parade and toured New York. She graduated from Boricua College and is now teaching.

Homepage: http://community.webtv.net/AGNER/MISSMANATIPUERTORICO 

Sent by Joe Sanchez 

 

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

Argentinian Constitution of 1853 based on the California Constitution of 1849
Fundación Archivo Gráfico y Museo Histórico, Ciudad de San Francisco y la Región, Argentina
Zacapa, eastern Guatemala
 

 Requesting  Comments from Argentine Constitutional Scholars  

A most striking tribute to the excellence of the Original (California State) constitution of 1849 is that it was a principal inspiration and model for the Argentinian constitution of 1853. Comparison of the two documents reveals their similarities. We have also the testimony of Juan Bautista Alberdi, father of the  constitution of 1853. Acknowledging his indebtedness, Alberdi had this to say of the California Constitution:  “Without universities or law colleges, the newly organized people of California have drawn up a constitution full of foresight, of common sense and of opportunity.”   (From Page 279 of the mid-20th Century university textbook CALIFORNIA by John Caughey published by Prentiss Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.)

By posting this citation on the internet as part of SOMOS PRIMOS, it is hoped  those versed in Argentine history will comment on the November 13, 2012 celebration of the anniversary of its popular bicultural ratification by Californians.  It had been debated, developed and published in Spanish and English by a convention convened in Monterey.  In 1849, voters approved it 12,872 to 811.

An example of the Hispanic influence is to be found in it is a provision guaranteeing property rights of married women.  Decades were to pass before wives in the eastern United States won the same legal guarantee.

 

Please send your comments to mimilozano@aol.com for inclusion in the December issue of Somos Primos. 

Californians Build Their State Together. Always Have. Always Will!

Galal Kernahan, 619-C Avda. Sevilla, Laguna Woods, CA 92637 (949) 581-3625

 

 

arturobienedell@yahoo.com.ar      Arturo Bienedell
Les enviamos el fondo de pantalla de octubre 2012.
Fundación Archivo Gráfico y Museo Histórico de la Ciudad de San Francisco y la Región, Argentina

 

 


Autoservicio? Solo en Zacapa 

Zacapa is a city in eastern Guatemala, along the Río Grande de Zacapa
Sent by Karen Pederson 


THE PHILIPPINES

Reminiscing The Days of Yore by Eddie AAA Calderón, Ph.D.
First Filipinos in America landed in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.


 Taken when I was 14 years old 
and just graduated from 
Quezon City High School

Reminiscing The Days of Yore


By 
Eddie AAA Calderón, Ph.D.
eddieaaa@hotmail.com

 



Birthday party celebration with   University of the Philippines friends.
 I am on the far right of the picture. 1960



Taken in my mother's hometown of Taal, Batangas,
 includes my two maternal aunts and their mother, 
my grandmother and her two great grandsons,  early 70's. 


I remember the song rendered by Al Johnson in one of those old movies in the 30's while watching an old video movie many years ago. He sang that song composed and published in 1853 before the US Civil War by Stephen Foster and the song starts:
Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay.

My being in the autumn of life keeps me reminiscing the days of yore when this country was more personal than what it is today. I am particularly referring to the songs and movies in the past especially the 20's onto the early 60's. America that time was a romantic country. It had been that way until the 70's came. The days of yore as we remember when knighthood was in flower, when men would stand and offer their seats to women in the bus, when people addressed women and men as ma'am and sir, etc are in many cases a thing of the past.

The movies and the novels during those days and before that were all personal, written in good, spoken in decent language and grammatically correct English even by children. The movies and novels talked about romance as though Cupid or Eros was all over the place. I remember seeing a movie in the 40's on television whose title has skipped my memory of an American man meeting an American woman in the Holy Land during a visit. He fell in love with this woman and during a romantic interlude he expressed love words to her that one will never see and hear again in today's movies or television programs. I do not remember exactly all the words he uttered to that lady but I could not resurrect or completely reconstruct them but it would be:
I can not believe that you and I are together in a very old city in the world. And with you around in this very dear old city here I am now suffering that same old feeling.
(what do you think is that very old feeling?).
(Ay que romantico! El gran' sentimiento viejo es lo mismo --el gran' sentimiento de amor.)
I also remember the movie in the 59's entitled Voyage to the Bottom of the World which featured Pat Boone though he was not the main actor. Pat Boone and other explorers which included one very beautiful woman, who appeared older than Pat Boone, were later marooned in that abyss during the voyage. Pat Boone who was mesmerised by the beauty of that woman, looked at her with amourous feeling, and later told her his wonderful sentiment which I am again paraphrasing:
You know we are now in the bottom of the world with no stars and moon to light and help us guide our way, but you are here.
(Pat Boone was telling her that even though it was dark there, the beauty of the woman served as the beacon or light. The woman just smiled and told him to help continue finding the way out of the abyss.)
I think that was Pat Boone's very important movie though he was not the lead actor. That opportunity came when the movie "April Love" came in 1957 where he sang April Love and Love Letters in the Sand that made him very
famous actor and singer later.
Movies during those days were romantic and interaction between the two lovers were both expressive and later phyical. But nowadays, the scenes are devoid of romantic expressions, and physical interaction is the order of the day. The songs too were romantic. To mention a few that my father sung to me and my sister and hearing them also over the radio when we became old enough to appreciate and enjoy the songs, they were: 'I Want You All To Myself', 'Harbour Lights', 'Till We Meet Again', 'I'll be Loving You Always', 'Turn Back the Hands of Time', 'Springtime in the Rockies', 'Let the Rest of the World Go By', 'A you're Adorable, B you're so Beautiful', 'Forever and Ever', 'Beloved be Faithful', 'Because of You', "Fools Rush In', 'Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow', 'Till' (the latter came in 1960 and it is to me the most romantic song I have ever heard), to name a few memorable and very beautiful American songs of the past. Even that beautiful song entitled 'Mexicali Rose' , which I first heard from my father back home and later from Gene Autry in a cowboy movie of the same title (if I remember it right) when I was already in the USA, is an American song and is very romantic. I just found out recently that this song was also translated in Spanish.* My father also used to talk to me and my sister passionately of the days of yore that he very much missed while we were still young. And he dramatised this by singing to us all those beautiful songs whether they were in our language, the language of Don Miguel de Cervantes, or the language of Edgar Allan Poe.
In the Summer of 1955, an older male cousin came to visit us in my hometown of Quezon City in the Philippines and asked my father if he could take me to visit friends in another province which was Santa Cruz, the capital of the province of Laguna. It was a less than two hour bus ride from my hometown and during the bus ride, I heard the tune 'Don't Keep It a Secret' over the bus radio and started singing it. My cousin liked the song so much that he asked me to write the words of the song so he could also sing it with me on the bus. I now realise that this song was a country Western Song rendered by Bob Willis.** He lived with us in Quezon City when I was in my last two years of elementary education and I remember him singing with so much enthusiasm that popular romantic song, entitled 'Eternally'. This song was made popular by Sarah Vaughan.***
Even songs in fast tempo such as Sh Boom by the Crew Cuts in the mid-50's , and of course the songs of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll starting also in the 50's also showed romantic lyrics. Even the songs of the Beattles from the 60's from the United Kingdom had romantic words. But sadly the romanticism in American songs had to come to an end starting mostly in the 70's. One of the rare exceptions to this trend is the very beautiful 1974 'Feelings' which is a very rare  romantic song.  
"Where have all the romantic songs gone, long time passing" to put out new words to Pete Seeger's famous song, Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing. We can then bring back Pete Seeger to the picture to show how the days of yore have now gone and current American songs we hear at the preseent are devoid of romantic and nostalgic lyrics of the past.
I am very happy that most Philippine songs and movies despite the influence of rock music and others still retain the romanticism in them and this is also true with many Spanish songs and movies that I have seen so far even if they involve actions and mystery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_PRxt784s  song sung by Kitty Kallen in 1954  I want you all to myself just you
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5rmVkFyrI (April Love)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENzT9k1LRs (Love Letters in the Sand written in 1931. It became popular in the Philippines according to my aunt in the late
30's as she me and my sister when Pat Boone made it popular in the movie April Love in the late 50's))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS6CkpXmORA (Harbor Lights)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnWvem5iNOA (Till We Meet Again)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBbUURz81Xo (I'll Be Loving You Always)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iTRBICB3G8&playnext=1&list=PL5ADFF1125185E6A6&feature=results_main (Turn Back the Hands of Time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qVJIjNvzi8 (Springtime in the Rockies by Gene Autry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrSi0xf8Ro8 (Let the Rest of the World Go By)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-gC3hnN0YE&feature=related (Feelings)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UPxFqWNbI (Mexicali Rose by Gene Autry in a 78 rpm recording)* 
This has the second version which the other two below does not including the Spanish translation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCqD6iFUXoY (Mexicali Rose by Gene Autry in a movie of the same title)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltaf1MiNT0k (Mexicali Rose by Jim Reeves)
(The music by Jack Tenney and lyrics by Helen Stone that was published in 1923. Manuel Sanchez de Lara translated it in Spanish.)
Mexicali Rose, stop crying;
I'll come back to you some sunny day.
Ev'ry night you'll know that I'll be pining,
Ev'ry hour a year while I'm away,
Dry those big brown eyes and smile, dear,
Banish all those tears and please don't sigh,
Kiss me once again and hold me;
Mexicali Rose goodbye.

 

Rosa de Mexicali no llores;
Piensa que muy pronto volveré,
Y que siempre triste sin consuelo,
Cada noche y dia yo pasaré
 
Seca tus hermosos ojos,
Deja de llorar y suspirar.
Bésame otra vez y estréchame;
Rosa de Mexicali, adios.

 

**Don't Keep It A Secret (not in the Utube unfortunately)

If your love for me has died
  Don’t be afraid to hurt my pride
    Don’t keep it a secret from me
If you’ve had a change of heart
  Now is the time that we should part
    Don’t keep it a secret from me

Why go on pretending there’ll be 
 
  A happy ending for me 
    Each love affair must have two hearts that care

Why let this linger on
  If all your love for me is gone
    Don’t keep it a secret from me
 ***http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT3TN3wpeYE        (Eternally)

 

First Filipinos in America landed in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.

This is a very interesting news. The first Filipinos in America landed in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.
The Filipino people are very much well-known as patiperros (Chilean Spanish) or lagalag in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines.
Consider also the fact that I first learnt during my Philippine History class at the University of the Philippines (UP) as a freshman that the first person known to have circumnavigated the globe was a Filipino by the name of Enrique de Malacca. The one known officially as the first circumnavigator was Juan Sebastián Elcano a Spaniard born in 1476 and died in 1526 who was Ferdinand Magellan's second in command during his trip around the world.
But in our UP Philippine history class that time, a very observant classmate of mine told our History Professor, I still remember her name as Ms.Donata Taylo, that Enrique de Malacca, whose Iberian name was given by Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who sailed to the Philippines under the Spanish flag. Enrique was the slave of Magellan. My classmate said that Enrique was the first global circumnavigator because he was said to be originally from the Philippines before the Spaniards came and was taken to Malacca where the became as slave. From there he was in that Spanish ship that returned to Spain. And from there Enrique de Malacca joined Magellan and Elcano in their first trip to the Philippines.
My History Professor was speechless when she heard this assertion from my classmate and she told him that she could write a short history of Enrique de Malacca based on his very keen and factual observation.
Ginés de Mafra explicitly states in his firsthand account that Enrique was brought along in the expedition primarily because of his ability to speak the Malay language. "He [Magellan]," wrote de Mafra, "told his men that they were now in the land he had desired, and sent a man named Herédia, who was the ship's clerk, ashore with an Indian they had taken, so they said, because he was known to speak Malay, the language spoken in the Malay Archipelago." The island in the Philippines where he spoke and was understood by the natives was Mazaua which Ginés de Mafra locates somewhere in Mindanao.
Eddie


SPAIN

PARES – An important resource for our Hispanic ancestors (Spanish/English)
by Sonia Meza Morales and Debbie Gurtler
The surname LUACES, Peter E. Carp
Promocion del Idioma, El Instituto Cervantes por Angel Custodio Rebollo
Kingdom of the Canary Islands

 

 

PARES – An important resource for our Hispanic ancestors

By Sonia Meza Morales and Debbie Gurtler

 

 

PARES – Un recurso importante para nuestros antepasados Hispanos

Por Sonia Meza Morales 
y Deborah Gurtler

 

 

History, discoveries, voyages . . . they all leave clues. Through the passing of centuries there are still places where we can read the letters of Miguel de Cervantes, the immortal author of Don Quixote, browse the will of Christopher Columbus, or peruse the chilling documents of the Spanish Inquisition. The Spain of discoveries, from which three ships departed more than 500 years ago trying to find the end of the horizon and prove whether the Earth was flat or round, left thousands and thousands of historic documents in which we can find names, besides those mentioned previously, such as Magellan, Hernán Cortes, or Goya and including on occasion in their personal papers, something even more important:  our ancestors.

 

The Spanish government has created a website of Spanish archives that contains millions of images and ancient records called PARES.  There among the documents of kings and nobles, are countless clues and names that could become part of the family trees of thousands of Hispanics, whose roots come sooner or later to an adventurous ancestor who boarded a ship bound for a distant and unknown land.

 

The Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) contains, for example, the General Archive of the Indies of Seville, an archive fundamental to finding passengers who travelled to the Americas where more than 43,000 bundles of records are stored that provide us with information about the American Continent from Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) to the southern United States and the Philippines during the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries. You can view the contents of their catalog using this link. Cuadro de Organización de fondos. This video, in Spanish only, provides a good summary of the PARES site and the things you may be able to find there.

 

Another vital source for millions of Hispanics who are seeking their ancestors is the Portal of Migratory Movements of Spanish-Americans or the Portal de Movimientos Migratorios Iberoamericanos. There any researcher can access records of emigrants in passenger lists, applications for resident permits, consulate records, and many other sources for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, covering a time of massive Spanish emigration for economic and politic reasons. The collection also includes records from Latin America. Here is a link to one of our favorite videos about this collection.

 Searching in the archives of PARES is quite simple and you won’t miss having to blow the dust off these historic records. Among the enormous content, to which they are constantly adding new documents, not all the documents are digitized, but yes they are catalogued. This means that if you find something there with the name of one of your ancestors, just note the reference, its call number or signatura, code number, and the name of the archive where it is found in order to request a copy.


Another important resource to keep in mind is the Guide to the Archives of Spain and Latin America or
Censo Guía de Archivos de España e Iberoamérica, where the resources of many archives are listed. You will also find vital information such as the phone number, physical address, email address and the archive’s website, so that you can contact them directly.  

We must not forget to mention these other important collections:

 

·       Bicentenial Independence of Spanish-Americans - Portal del Bicentenario de las Independencias Iberoamericanas

·       Spanish war of Independence – Guerra de la Independencia

·       Victims of the Spanish Civil War and of the Franco regime  Portal de Víctimas de la Guerra Civil y del Franquismo

·       Catalog of Maps, plans, and drawings in state archives – Catálogo de Mapas, Planos y Dibujos en los Archivos Estatales

·       Cadastre of Ensenada - Catastro de Ensenada

  • Spaniards Deported to Nazi camps - Españoles deportados a campos nazis

·       Photographic Archive of Propaganda Posters from Madrid during the Spanish Civil War Archivo Fotográfico de la Delegación de Propaganda de Madrid durante la Guerra Civil  

To see what’s been updated, digitized or is partially digitized click on the tab Inventario Dinámico  or Dynamic Inventory and then select the archive you wish to see from the drop down menu. On this page you can also see what’s been added to the site in the last month.   

If you begin to search and find it difficult, please see this article which explains in simple terms how to perform a basic simple search or búsqueda simple. If you need to learn more about a specific type of search, simply click on Ayuda or help. Each time you click there, a PDF file will open with screen shots to guide you through the process.  

PARES has a large following by the Hispanic population, among their top ten, visitors come primarily from the United States.

 

La Historia, los descubrimientos, los viajes… siempre dejan rastro. Por mucho que pasen los siglos, aún hay lugares donde podemos leer cartas de Miguel de Cervantes, el inmortal autor de “El Quijote”, curiosear en el testamento de Cristóbal Colón o en los escalofriantes documentos de la Santa Inquisición española. La España de los descubrimientos, aquella de la que partieran tres carabelas hace más de quinientos años para intentar encontrar el final del horizonte y comprobar así si la Tierra era plana o redonda, dejó miles y miles de legajos históricos en los que podemos encontrar, además de menciones a nombres como Magallanes, Hernán Cortés, Velázquez o Goya e incluso en ocasiones sus papeles personales, algo aún más importante: nuestros antepasados.  

El gobierno español estableció un sitio web de los archivos españoles que contiene millones de imágenes y registros antiguos, llamado PARES. Allí, entre documentos de reyes y nobles, se encuentran innumerables pistas y nombres que podrían pasar a formar parte del árbol genealógico de miles de hispanos de nuestros días, cuyas raíces llegan antes o después hasta un antepasado aventurero que se subió a un barco con rumbo a tierras lejanas y desconocidas.  

El Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) alberga, por ejemplo, el Archivo General de Indias de Sevilla, un registro fundamental para conocer los pasajeros que viajaron a las Américas y que conserva más de 43.000 legajos que nos aportan datos de  documentos del Continente Americano.  Desde Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) al Sur de Estados Unidos, pasando por Filipinas durante los siglos XV al XIX. El Cuadro de Organización de fondos se puede ver en este enlace.

En este pequeño vídeo, puedes ver un resumen del PARES.

 
Otra fuente obligada para millones de hispanos que busquen en su ascendencia es la del Portal de Movimientos Migratorios Iberoamericanos. Allí, cualquier investigador podrá acceder a listados de pasajeros y emigrantes, registros de entrada o de nacionalidad y muchas otras fuentes de los siglos XIX y XX, recogiendo las emigraciones masivas de españoles por motivos económicos o políticos y también registros de América Latina. Uno de mis vídeos favoritos sobre este archivo, es éste.

 Buscar en los archivos del PARES es muy sencillo y no hace falta ni desplazarse ni respirar el polvo característico de los papeles históricos. Entre su enorme contenido –al que constantemente se añaden nuevos fondos- no están digitalizados todos los documentos, pero sí están catalogados, esto quiere decir que si está allí alguno de tus antepasados puedes tomar nota de los datos como la signatura, el código de referencia y el Archivo donde se encuentra para poder pedir una reproducción del mismo.

Un recurso que debes tener en cuenta y no olvidar es el Censo Guía de Archivos de España e Iberoamérica, donde clasifica los fondos de cada uno, ofrece datos tan interesantes como el teléfono, dirección, email y página del archivo, para que puedas contactar directamente.  

No debemos olvidar mencionar otras colecciones importantes:

 

·       Portal del Bicentenario de las Independencias Iberoamericanas




Para estar al tanto de las novedades, es decir la digitalización de las últimas imágenes debemos acceder al Inventario Dinámico en donde nos informaremos acerca de las actualizaciones del mes.

Si comenzar a buscar se presenta como una tarea difícil, no tienes más que ver este artículo en el que de forma sencilla se indica como hacer una búsqueda simple. Si necesitas aprender acerca de una búsqueda específica, simplemente ve a “Ayuda”, cada vez des clic allí, abrirá un archivo PDF con capturas de pantalla que te irá guiando.

 El PARES tiene gran afluencia de público hispano, en sus primeros diez puestos, los visitantes provienen principalmente de Estados Unidos.


The surname LUACES

The surname  LUACES has  its origin  in the parish by the se name located in the council district  of Pol  within the judici district of Lugo in the Spanish region of Galicia.

Juan de LUACES was a prominent early resident of the parish Labrada within  the judicial  district of  Mondoftedo nearby Luc,  He married Maria YANez by whom he had a son named Diego de LUAC e IBANEZ.

In turn, Diego de LUACES  married  Mayor  ALONSO  and  had two children  named  Juan  and  Garcia  LUACES  ALONSO.    They  were residents of Villamayor de Mondofiedo and obtained a  coat of arms from the  Royal Chancellory  of Valladolid  (Real Chancilleria Valladolid) on 27 April 1510.

This surname first appears in the  New World  with the Ignacio  LUACES a native of Muros in Galicia.  He was a said to have drowned in the Rio de la Plata in 1728.

Carmen E. LUACES,  a  resident  of  Highland,  California. < trace her  ancestry to a Domingo de LUACES born circa 1670 in 1 parish of Somozas in the province of La Coruna in Spain.

Domingo de LUACES married Maria FERNANDEZ  de PINON,  a nat of Somozas  about 1688.   Their son named Domingo had a son nai Juan Antonio LUACES born on 20  January 1713.   He  married mb] Antonia de GALDO on 22 April 1739.

Sometime about  1750, Juan  Antonio LUACES made a house in • village of Bustabad within the parish of Somozas.  The  house 1 made out  of black  slate and granite.  It remained in use by LUACES family until about 1960 when Antonio LUACES  died there an age of about 103 years.  Antonio was a great-great-grandson Juan Antonio who had built the  house.   Though in  a dilapidated condition, the  small house  still stands today and is owned b member of the LUACES family.

Mrs. LUACES came to  the United  States in  1963 after flee Cuba  in  order  to  avoid  the repressive government there. grandfather, Manuel LUACES was  the  first  of  her  ancestors arrive in Cuba.  He was born in Bustabad on 26 January 1862.

By 1880,  Manuel was well established in La Habana, Cuba where he was involved in the coal business with a maternal  uncle na Pedro LOPEZ  PAZ.   Manuel married Delfina DIAZ FIGUEROA in 18 They had two children.  One  was named  Manuel and  he became father of Mrs. Luaces.  For most of their residency in La Haba the LUACES family lived in the neighborhood of Jesus, Maria y J known as the "neighborhood of the tough guys".

Compiled by Peter E. Carp

PROMOCION DEL IDIOMA por El Instituto Cervantes
por Angel Custodio Rebollo


El Instituto Cervantes, que como ustedes saben es el organismo estatal para la promoción del idioma español, ha celebrado el pasado día 11 de octubre, en el Palacio de El Pardo, de Madrid, su reunión anual bajo la presidencia de los Reyes de España. 

En esta reunión se informó que la dirección del Instituto ésta negociando con una universidad de los Estados Unidos para crear un observatorio permanente del idioma, dada la importancia que el español tiene en el País, con lo que se le prestará una especial atención a la evolución social, cultural y lingüística entre los estadounidenses.

El Rey Juan Carlos intervino para expresar su apoyo a “la intensa labor del Instituto Cervantes en España y en los países hispanohablantes”, elogiando sus esfuerzos para “llegar cada vez más lejos en la promoción del español”.

En un año de crisis económica como el 2013, que el Cervantes ha visto mermado su presupuesto, su director, el Sr. Garcia de la Concha, estima que serán cumplidos todos los objetivos, para lo que están estudiando nuevas vías de financiación.

Para evitar las actuaciones que no son rentables, se piensa suprimir la emisión de Cervantes Televisión, incrementándose la colaboración con Televisión Española y Radio Nacional de España.

El Observatorio Permanente que se creará, se conectará con las redes de enseñanza de otras universidades tanto de los Estados Unidos y España, como iberoamericanas. En principio, el gobierno mexicano se ha ofrecido para compartir todos los centros que México tiene en los Estados Unidos.

Es una buena noticia para todos los que, por lazos familiares o por otro interés, deseen acercarse a la lengua de Cervantes. 

Ángel Custodio Rebollo 
acustodiorebollo@gmail.com

 

 

Kingdom of the Canary Islands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Canary_Islands

The Kingdom of the Canary Islands was founded in 1402/1404, although it had always recognized another country as their overlord. Its purpose was probably entirely to conquer the Canaries, and to eventually be fully incorporated into the Crown of Castile when complete.

Besides earlier contact, one of the first known Europeans to have encountered the Canaries was the Genoan navigator Lancelotto Malocello. He arrived on the island of Lanzarote, (which was probably named after him), in 1312 and stayed for almost two decades until he was expelled during a revolt by the native Guanche under the leadership of their king Zonzamas.

The conquest of the Canaries was started in 1402 by French-Norman explorer Jean de Béthencourt. He had set sail from France one year earlier with a small army. He started the conquest in a rather friendly way by taking over the island of Lanzarote with the help of the locals. They would soon also take Fuerteventura and El Hierro. Their present king Guadarfia was the grandson of Zonzamas, who was king when Lancelotto Malocello had visited the island earlier.

When Béthencourt left the island for reinforcements from Castile, unrest broke out because of fighting between Norman officer Gadifer de la Salle and Berthin, in which the natives had been involved. However, Béthencourt managed to calm the situation when he returned, and the Guanche leader was baptized on February 27, 1404, thus surrendering to the Europeans. Subsequently Jean de Béthencourt was proclaimed king of the Canaries by Pope Innocent VII, even though he recognized the Castilians as overlords. The remaining islands, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma, were gradually conquered over the course of a century or so.

Jean de Béthencourt was, after his death, succeeded by his nephew Maciot de Béthencourt, who turned out to be a tyrant. He established Teguise as the new capital. The Portuguese had been competing with the Castilians for the islands. The Castilians suspected that Maciot would sell the islands to them, which he did in 1448. Neither the natives nor the Castilians approved, and this led to a revolt which lasted until 1459 when the Portuguese were forced to leave. Portugal formally recognized Castile as the ruler of the Canary Islands in 1479 as part of the Treaty of Alcáçovas.

The military governor Alonso Fernández de Lugo finally conquered the islands of La Palma in (1492–1493) and Tenerife in (1494–1496) for the Crown of Castile, thus completing the conquest of the island group.

Sent by Bill Carmena  JCarm1724@aol.com 

 


INTERNATIONAL

Recipe for Derbyshire Oatcakes, sent by reader in England

 
Good Morning Mimi, 

You recall all that talk about my 'Derbyshire Tortillas' a few years back?  

Well, there's a new magazine come out this year called 'Taste The Seasons', (produced in my home town of Belper, incidentally) and in the Autumn edition there's a recipe for Derbyshire Oatcakes which I thought you'd like to publicise amongst your 'SomosPrimos' readership. My mother actually uses wholemeal flour, but we all have our own preferences, don't we?

I wasn't quite as aware as I perhaps should have been of the extent of the predicament in which our Staffordshire competitor had got. So, it's move over Staffordshire...there's a new kid on the block, then!

http://www.tastetheseasons.co.uk/magazines/autumn2012/#p=12

Of course, I should imagine that a certain degree of conversion to U.S. weights and measures would have to be done, but I'm sure those could be worked out. If any of the ingredient-related terminology mystifies you (because I am aware that there are certain differences in forms of words) then please get back in touch with me and I shall endeavour to elucidate.

I hope you enjoy the read!
Yours,  Christopher.

Christopher Bentley
cdbgd190761@myopera.com 

  10/29/2012 03:03 PM