UNITED STATES

Cuento: How The Alamo Helped Win The American Revolution By Robert H. Thonhoff
Cuento: Heritage Discovery Museum by Robin Collins
The Associated Press, 6/29: "Wild horse is on the Verge of going extinct in North America." 
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, July 4th Celebration
The History of the Official Versions of Change of the American Flag
Cuento: I say Hispanic. You say Latino. How did the whole thing start? by Yasmin Anwa
Cuento: Y a mi, qué? Who Does the Civil Rights Movement Belong To? by Eduardo Diaz 
Projects at the Smithsonian Latino Center Newsletter
Columbia Study Finds Marginal Latino Presence Across U.S. Mainstream Media, 
        Despite Growing Population, Posted by Vanessa Gonzalez 
Latinopia and “Political Salsa y Más” blog
American Latino Heritage Fund
Cuento: Change!!! by  Daisy Wanda Garcia
Cuento: If you are doing a good work, expect opposition by Mimi Lozano
Cenotaph will be erected at the Texas State Cemetery to honor José Antonio Navarro, Texas patriot
Cuento: Casa Navarro Essay Contest
Cuento: Career Volunteer Honored by County by Vanessa Finney  
The Sole of an Artist by Lisa Liddane
Latino Americans' Mi Historia
Cuento: ''Cesar Chavez,'' Conditions in the Fields and the Struggle over Memory
Cuento: Terms of Identity: What’s in a Name?  By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
NCLR Annual National Conference and National Latino Family Expo, July 19-22

 CUENTO 

July 4th Speech by Robert Thonhoff in front of the Alamo, 2009

_{How THE ALAMO Helped 
Win The American Revolution
By 
Robert H. Thonhoff*}  

_{*NOTE: This speech was necessarily limited to eight minutes}  

_{Thank you,  Governor (Jack V.) Cowan, for the privilege and honor to relate an amazing story that most Americans, including me, never heard, read, or studied in school or college—a story about how Spain, including our very own Texas, the Texas Longhorns, and even The Alamo—all contributed to the winning of the American Revolution, from which we gained the freedom and opportunity that we still enjoy—and defend—today.}  

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_{Yes, my friends, you heard it right! My story will tell, in part, how THE ALAMO, this “Shrine of Texas Liberty,” helped win the American Revolution in a most interesting and significant way some 57 years before the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.}

_{After the Battle of Saratoga, which we read about in school history books as being “the turning point of the American Revolution,” the European countries of France, Spain, and Holland joined the American colonists in their fight against the British.  After Spain decided to declare war against Great Britain on May 8, 1779, King Carlos III commissioned young Bernardo de Gálvez—after whom Galveston, Texas, is named—to raise and lead Spanish forces in a campaign against the British along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast.  Accordingly, Gálvez proceeded to raise an army of 1400 men, which by 1781 had swelled to over 7000 men. Then, as now, the military axiom that “an army travels on its stomach” held true.}  

_{But Gálvez knew where the food supply was—better yet, he knew where there was a veritable travelling commissary for his troops! As a young lieutenant, Gálvez was stationed in Chihuahua, where he led Spanish troops in a campaign against Apaches, once going as far as the Pecos River. While there, he learned of the great herds of cattle in the San Antonio River Valley in the Spanish Province of Texas, which was filled out with ranches belonging to the missions of Bexar and La Bahía (now called Goliad) and to private individuals.}  

_{Among these ranches was the Rancho de la Mora, a huge ranch just south of present Falls City, Texas, which belonged to the Mission San Antonio de Valero—now called THE ALAMO. On all these ranches grazed uncounted tens of thousands of head of Texas longhorn cattle.}

_{In order to feed his troops, Gálvez sent an emissary, Fran¬cisco García, with a letter to Texas Governor Domingo Cabello requesting and authorizing the very first official cattle drive out of Texas. García arrived in San Antonio de Béxar on June 20, 1779, and by August, two thousand head of Texas cattle, gathered from the ranches of the missions and individuals in the San Antonio River Valley, were on their way to Gálvez’s forces in Louisiana.}

_{During the remainder of the American Revolution—1779, 1780, 1781, and 1782—some ten to fifteen thousand head of Texas cattle were rounded up on the ranches between Béxar and La Bahía and were trailed overland into Louisiana. Most significantly, 180 head of Texas Longhorn cattle from the Rancho de la Mora, which belonged to the Alamo mission—right here where we are assembled—were among those cattle in these first trail drives nearly one hundred years before the great trail drives after the Civil War!}

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From La Bahía, the assembly point, herds were trailed to Nacogdoches, Natchitoches, and Opelousas for distribution to Spanish forces.

Spanish Texas rancheros and their vaqueros, some of whom were mission Indians, trailed these cattle. Soldiers from Béxar, La Bahia, and El Fuerte del Cíbolo escorted the herds. 

And the upshot of the story is this: Fueled in part by Texas beef—Texas Longhorns, nonetheless—Galvez’s troops took to the field in the fall of 1779 and defeated the British in battles at Manchac, Baton Rouge, and Natchez. (This sounds like the Civil War, but it isn’t—it’s the American Revolution!)  The next spring, after a month-long siege by land and sea forces, Gálvez, with over 2000 men, captured the British stronghold at Mobile on March 14, 1780.

The climax to the Gulf Coast campaign occurred the following year when Gálvez directed a two-pronged land and sea attack on Pensacola, the British capital of West Florida. Over 7000 men were involved in the two-month-long siege of Pen¬sacola before its capture on May 10, 1781.

While all this was going on, Spanish forces defeated the British along the Mississippi River, allowing great amounts of Spanish money, ammunition, and military supplies to reach the Americans.

By defeating the British along the entire Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast, Gálvez and his Spanish forces made it a whole lot easier for George Washington and his Continental Army to fight and defeat the British along the eastern seaboard. 

CONCLUSION

As we continue to commemorate the American Revolution, let us give due credit to Bernardo de Gálvez and his Spanish troops. And let us not forget the interesting and uniquely significant role that Texas—its soldiers, ranchers, cowboys, mission Indians and citizens—played in the winning of American independence. And let us not forget that THE ALAMO made a significant contribution in the winning of the American Revolution with at least 180 Texas Longhorn cattle from its ranch, El Rancho de la Mora, about fifty miles south of here. When I first told this story at a meeting at the Institute of Texan Cultures in April 1981, in the audience was Professor Jack D. L. Holmes from the University of Alabama, an expert in the role of Louisiana in American Revolution.  After I told my story, Dr. Holmes remarked to the group, “Now I know why the Spanish were able to defeat the British so handily in their battles along the Gulf Coast.  About all the British troops had to eat was hard tack and water, whereas the Spanish had T-Bone steaks!  

 That’s why I can say with veracity that THE ALAMO had a stake in the winning of the American Revolution, and it doesn’t make much much difference how one might spell it: S-T-A-K-E or S-T-E-A-K!

 
THANK YOU . . . 

AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! 

CUENTO

Cisco

Heritage Discovery Center

Rancho Del Sueño, equine division
www.ranchodelsueno.com

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My name is Robin Lea Collins, president and founder of the Heritage Discovery Center., dedicated to the preservation of rare Colonial Spanish horses, as well as an Advocate for experiential equine-facilitated psychotherapy and education. 

In 1990, our ranch, Rancho Del Sueño, became the steward for a special herd of Colonial Spanish horses from the Wilbur-Cruce ranch in southern Arizona. Dr. Ruben Wilbur, originally purchased the horses in the late 1800’s from Father Kino’s Mission Dolores in Sonora, Mexico. Over a hundred and fifty years later, the Nature Conservancy acquired a portion of this ranch from Dr. Wilbur’s granddaughter, Eva
Antonia Wilbur-Cruce, requiring relocation of the family’s historic mission horses. Rancho Del Sueño became their new home. 

Today, we are the only facility dedicated to the conservation of this endangered breed.  The Heritage Discovery Center is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit

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The horses themselves share in this responsibility: 
• As ambassadors for our time-honored “living history” colonial programs that have educated,  entertained and enlightened thousands of people over the years. 
• As partners in an innovative therapy, have improved the lives of individuals with various physical or psychological challenges and others seeking personal growth. 
• As teachers, have demonstrated the purposeful and dedicated character in their innate desire to be deeply connected and devoted to humans. 

I am writing this letter in an urgent request for aid in the conservation of this unique genetic resource on the brink of extinction. 

For twenty four years, the Heritage Discover Center and Rancho Del Sueño has conserved and cared for these special horses. But now, without additional help, there will be 
no recourse but to disband this rare genetic resource and dispose of the herd of 55+ foundation livestock. 

We are the last preservation location for these rare horses, the other breeder/owners have dispersed their horses due to the dire economic conditions of our country and the extreme weather conditions limiting our resources. increase in feed costs and the need for unusually numerous veterinary expenses this past year, I am now urgently seeking support for feed, veterinary care, and the essential necessities for the survival of this herd. 

• Drought conditions have tripled the cost of hay/feed supplies and the availability is also becoming increasingly difficult. We urgently need Hay/feed now.

• We have urgent veterinary needs that we cannot meet due to lack of funds. We need funds for veterinary care.

• We have farrier (hoof care) that we have no financial resources for. We need funds for hoof care.

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I graciously ask you to help us preserve these horses and the educational and therapeutic work they are doing. 
It is critical that we find support during this difficult time to continue to perpetuate this precious living legacy. With your contribution, you have the opportunity to help conserve an integral part of America’s story/legacy and continue the work they are doing to help mankind. Please help us save their future our history and the important services they provide to humanity. 

To learn more about our RDS programs and the Colonial Spanish Wilbur-Cruce Mission horses, PLEASE visit our website at www.ranchodelsueno.com 
Now need your help to save these horses. PLEASE visit our website, www.ranchodelsueno.com.

All contributions, no matter how small, are greatly needed. 
Thank you so very much, 
Robin Lea Collins 
President/Founder of Heritage Discovery Center 
and Rancho Del Sueño, equine division of HDC 
The Heritage Discover Center is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, and your gifts are tax deductible.

Heritage Discovery Center, Inc.
40222 Millstream Lane
Madera, California 93636
559 868-8681
559 868- 8682 fax
hdcincrlc@aol.com
www.ranchodelsueno.com

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Michael Harris, a lawyer for Friends of Animals, said it could be tough to sell the public on the idea the mustangs are endangered given there are thousands in Nevada alone.

"But I don't think it will be a hard sell at all to the biologists at the Fish^and Wildlife Service," he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Editor: The Spanish Wilbur-Cruce Mission horses lineage must be preserved.  They are living proof of the early Spanish presence and contribution to the development of the United States.

The History of the Official Versions of Change of the American Flag

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As many of you are aware, the Knights of Columbus submitted to congress that the words "Under God" should be added to our pledge of allegiance.  Both Houses of Congress passed the law and it was signed by President Eisenhower  in 1954. 

Official versions, changes in bold italics   

The information below was based on a poll taken by NBC on what percentage should keep the words in our pledge verses the percent who want it removed If you read this and agree that "under God should be left in the pledge, then just forward it to others and you have voted for it to be left in. 

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1892 to 1923  

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."  

1923 to 1924  

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States  and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."  

1924 to 1954  

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."  

1954 to Present  

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America , and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Odell Harwell odell.harwell74@att.net

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How did this movement start?  

It was the activists who first went to the Census Bureau and said, ‘You have got to create a category. You have got to distinguish us from whites.’ Up until that time, the Census Bureau mainly grouped Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans in the same category as Irish and Italian, and that became a real problem because it couldn’t show the government the poverty rates between Mexicans and whites. There was pushback on how large and how broad the category could be, but ultimately, a Hispanic category was established.  

How was the category sold to Latin Americans?  

The Census Bureau asked activists and the Spanish-language media to promote the category. The media created documentaries and commercials. There was even a Telethon where people called in, and were encouraged to identify as Hispanic on the Census form. We can see why the media executives were so happy and so quick to help the Census Bureau because, later on, it became in their interests to help grow that cooperation.  

Why was that?  

Until that time, Spanish-language media executives had been creating separate television stations and programming for Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans. Suddenly they were able to start using some of this broad Census data and go to advertisers like McDonald’s and Coca Cola and say, ‘Look, we’re a national Hispanic community and our consumer needs are different so invest in us and we will get you Hispanic consumer dollars.’ With that strategy, they were able to connect stations across the country, and over time, create a Spanish-language McDonald’s commercial that could broadcast to a national audience.  

Spanish-language media also became an important platform to get the Hispanic political agenda out to communities, and activists were a regular feature on Spanish-language newscasts. For example, if you need funding for bilingual education, you lobby the federal government, you testify before Congress. But if you can go on nightly network news and speak to your people in their language, the message really gets out.  

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Weren’t Hispanics just being exploited to make a buck?  

Spanish-language media is key to keeping immigration reform in the spotlight.  

On the one hand, there were media executives selling the idea of a hot new consumer market. On the other hand, this hot new consumer market still has high poverty rates compared to other groups. But without the media, activists have a hard time getting the message out. If you look at Spanish-language media right now, it’s the perhaps the No. 1 means of getting out information about immigration policy reform. Whereas other networks have moved onto the next hot topic, it’s Spanish-language media that’s still reporting on the issue.  

How did they bring together such a diverse group?  

The Spanish-language media was key to creating a narrative about Hispanics. For example, one of the most popular Spanish-language programs at that time was the Miami-based El Show de Cristina, billed as the Spanish-language version of Oprah. On the set, Cristina might have a Colombian family, a Mexican family and a Puerto Rican family talking about the difficulties of raising second- generation immigrant children or passing on the Spanish language and traditions. This created an image that we were together, that we share the same problems, that we are a community.  

Weren’t there enough Mexican Americans to warrant their own category?  

In the 1970s, this was fine if you wanted to capture the California governor’s attention, but it wasn’t enough for capturing President Nixon or President Ford’s attention, and it certainly wasn’t enough for capturing the attention of East Coast politicians because many of them had never even met a Mexican. But when activists were able to cite the number of Cubans in Florida, Puerto Ricans in New York, Salvadorans in DC and Mexicans in the Southwest, and when they were able to argue that these groups were all connected and were all in need of resources for job training programs and bilingual education, then they were onto something. It was only then that activists could get federal attention – by making Latin American groups seem like part of a national constituency.  

What do Hispanics have in common other than the Spanish language?  

Cuban-American journalist Cristina Saralegui helped promote a Hispanic identity in a popular show that ran for 21 years until it was canceled in 2010.  

In many cases, they don’t even have that in common. You have the person whose great-grandmother came from Argentina, but has never visited Latin America, and does not speak Spanish, lumped into the exact same category as a Guatemalan who just crossed the U.S. border.  

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One argument the book makes is that in order for all these government, market and political interests to come together, the category had to become broader in order to fit in all these ideas about Hispanics being consumers, or Hispanics being disadvantaged people.  

Over time, the Hispanic identity has become based on cultural generalities such as ‘We all love our families. We are all religious and we all have some connection to the Spanish language however far back that may be.’  That’s a weakness and a strength. It was because of that ambiguity that we have the large numbers who identify as Hispanic and who have made advances.  But when you have such a broad and opaque category it’s hard to elicit and sustain passion and commitment.  
Is the Hispanic category here to stay or is change in the air?  

When the category was first established, Latinos were a smaller percentage of the population, but now we’re the largest minority group with increased migration from central and South America and the Caribbean. Why does the guy with the grandmother from Argentina have more claim to the Latino category than, say, Brazilians or Haitians? These questions are going to be asked and we are going to need to develop a new narrative even if it means splintering the group in some ways.  

At the same time, I would advocate that we not forget the political origins of the Hispanic label, that we not forget there are real experiences of discrimination and disadvantage that started this story and that continue today. If we dangerously slip into just a narrative about culture, we forget that there is, within the population, a considerable number of people who 

 still face poverty and a lack of education that the larger community can mobilize help for. There are still really important issues like immigration reform that this community can mobilize its strength toward, but it can only be done with an eye toward respecting diversity.  

What about Hispanic vs. Latino?  

Hispanic generally refers to the way that Latin Americans are united through their connection to Spain and their links to Spanish culture and tradition. Spaniards would be included in this formulation, but Brazilians would not. Latino, on the other hand, is usually used to refer to the way that Latin Americans are connected to one another via their common history of colonization. Spaniards, then, would not be part of this formulation, while Brazilians might. Yet for the most part, these labels and categories are ambiguous and lots of organizations and institutions invest in keeping these terms as ambiguous and as broad as possible.  

As for the breakdown, there is still a slight preference for Hispanic over Latino – 51-49 percent – and it’s more regional and less political. Urban areas on the coasts prefer Latino. Rural areas in states like Texas and New Mexico use Hispanic. Organizations have become adept at using both. The media prefers “Latino.” 

Which do you prefer to be called?

Latino.

Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 

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Importantly, the Puerto Rican Civil Rights Movement inspired several artists. Where was the powerful work of artists like Juan Sánchez, Carlos Irizarry, Jorge Soto Sánchez and Frank Espada? I understand that the exhibition is mostly about work produced in the sixties, but there are several pieces from the seventies in the show, which would seemingly open the door for a photographer like Sophie Rivera. What about the work produced out of Taller Boricua, an early Puerto Rican arts collective? Could the organizers have consulted with Puerto Rican curators familiar with this historical period, like Yasmín Ramírez or Taína Caragol?

Brooklyn's population is 20 percent Latino. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'd venture to say that the majority of our population there is still Puerto Rican. My question then is: How can an exhibit in Brooklyn about the civil rights movement not include the history of the Young Lords, and the Puerto Rican political movement and the artists it inspired throughout the '60s and beyond? I was happy to see that the show included Raphael Montañez-Ortiz's assemblage, "Archeological Find #21, the Aftermath." Montañez-Ortiz is a conceptual, multimedia artist prominent within the destructivism art movement, and notable for his founding, in 1969, of El Museo del Barrio, an El Barrio (East Harlem) institution. El Museo is the oldest Latino museum in the country and its founding is directly attributable to Puerto Rican activism.

As someone who lived and breathed the Chicano movement, I question its exclusion in this exhibit. 

It's hard for me to understand how a well-documented social and political movement born in the '60s that inspired thousands, elevated the plight of farmworkers onto the national stage, led to the creation of university departments, birthed many community-based organizations advocating for a wide range of social issues, and inspired many trend-setting artists, including Rupert García, whose etching, "Black Man and Flag," is featured in Witness, is not mentioned. 

The list of Chicano movement-inspired artists and collectives is a long and distinguished one. It's unfortunate that the museum did not probe further.

My sense is that the Brooklyn Museum missed a golden opportunity to interpret and contextualize the entirety and true scope and complexity of the civil rights movement in New York and in this country. 

I'd really love it if they'd go back to the drawing board and give another shot at telling a more complete story for all of us to more fully appreciate.

Stay current with the Smithsonian Latino Center activities
Sign up: http://www.latino.si.edu/newsevents/sign_up.htm 

AMERICAN LATINO HISTORIC SITES
Cabrillo National Monument, California
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Florida
Chamizal National Memorial, Texas
Coronado National Memorial, Arizona
De Soto National Memorial, Florida
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, LA&TX
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail NM
El Mono National Monument, New Mexico
Fort Matanzas National Monument, Florida
The Forty Acres, California
Freedom Tower, Florida
Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, AZ & CA Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, Texas

Old Mission Dam, California
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, Texas
Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico
Presidio de Nuestra Senora del Pilar de los Adaes, Louisiana
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, New Mexico
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, US Virgin Islands
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas
San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, Colorado
Santa Fe National Historical Trail, Missouri to New Mexico
Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, Florida
Trevino-Uribe Rancho, Texas
Tumacacori National Historical Park, Arizona
Ybor City Historic District, Florida
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, Arizona  

The National Park Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service, enriches America's national parks and programs through private support, safeguarding our heritage and inspiring generations of national park enthusiasts. www.nationalparks.org

For more information about the American Latino Heritage Fund and to learn how you can support its work, please visit: www.ALHF.org
c/o National Park Foundation 1201 Eye Street, NW- Suite 550B Washington, DC 20005  

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This month marks eighteen years since my father Dr. Hector P. Garcia passed away on July 26, 1996. When I think of my father, I remember a strong, vital, intelligent man surrounded by a constant flurry of people and activities. . He always exuded positive energy.

The “ride” with Papa was exciting filled with many highs and lows. We traveled to the Halls of Power with high government officials to the humblest barrio with the average Joe. We were comfortable in both situations. Papa lived his life on an international stage. Sometimes his journey took us to foreign countries. I was always involved with him and enjoyed basking in his limelight. But it was his limelight and when he was gone the party was over.

Since his passing, much has changed. The close knit family life I knew and loved is no more. Instead, many vested individuals who were never around my father while he lived are trying to profit under the guise of promoting his legacy. They are constantly attacking his beloved organization, the American GI Forum. Everything seems to be in turmoil concerning his legacy. 

Over the past two years I have lost many close friends. But the universe compensates by sending me new friends including a long lost relative. Many individuals cross my path, some of them are keepers and some I would rather not have met at all. This occurrence is a classic example of the natural law of compensation opening another door when one closes. Now change seems to be the order of my life. What the universe is trying to tell me is to move forward. – When I don’t pay attention and return to my comfort zone, sometimes the Universe gets my attention with a painful lesson such as eliminating the familiar props in my life which forces me to move forward.

Today’s catchword is “live in the now”. My dogs Donna and Shirley are great teachers. I notice they enjoy and savor each moment of the day. I am learning from them how to live in the moment-in the now. When I try to relive the past, nothing could or would take the place of those memories. I now realize that you cannot live on memories. Life goes on!

This is the 89th article that Wanda has written for Somos Primos.  This article is different.  She speaks of the battle that she has been in to honor her father.  Wanda experienced considerable opposition in having the plaque recognizing her father placed at the Memorial Medical Center in Corpus Christi.  It was stressful and difficult.  Family members who should have been helping did not, creating problems instead.  

Many years ago, while in the process of  building a base of people to form the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research,  SHHAR, George Ryskamp, a leader in the field of Spanish language records and genealogy warned me.

"Mimi if you are going to go in the direction that you are, I need to warn you.  All hell is going to break out, against you.  I have seen it happen, many times.  Anyone taking a strong leadership role in promoting family history is  attacked.  Attacked in many ways.  Be warned and watch out.  It will happen. I have seen it."  

And it did.  The attacks came and they were real, against me personally and against the organization. It was necessary to keep watch as the attacks came, and adjust, changing how we functioned, so we could continue as a helpful society of  promoting Latino family history research.  The organization started with 4 people meeting in 1986 and continues to this day, very active, offering monthly meeting with special speaker, offered free to the public, with no membership required.

In the strenuous process of  keeping SHHAR functioning as a group, I learned much about divisions among Spanish heritage groups, based primarily on regional differences, race, and their  historical connections with the expanding and developing United States.  I  also became quite aware of the situation of  suppressing of  the early colonial history of the Spanish in the United States, and purposeful neglect of our history in all time periods, to the present.  I also came to recognized different motivations for doing family history, and learning about our antepasados.  

Primarily for me, it was curiosity, because I quickly realized as I started my research that what was being said in books and public history about my lineage, my grandparents, my forefathers was not true.  I saw in my grandparents, strength of character, intelligence, wisdom, and fortitude which was not mentioned.  As I searched their personal stories and the history of their times, my love for all my grandparents grew.  The other variable that further shaped my involvement were the last two verses in the Old Testament of the Bible, Malachi 4:5-6:  
 
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

So it is with sadness when I see examples of using family heritage for financial or personal gain, and attacking the light bringer in the process. Since February 2007,  for more than seven years, Wanda has faithfully written and submitted a monthly articles about her father, Hector P. Garcia, M.D., never missing an issue.  Somos Primos mission has been to promote family history research, give visibility to our primos good works, and strengthen the family.  Somos Primos is an all volunteer effort.  No one receives payment, of any kind. Yet, Wanda never failed in preparing an article to share.  

Wanda is experiencing now what George Ryskamp had warned me about many years ago.  Wanda's efforts to promote awareness of Dr. Garcia's leadership in civil rights issues has caused her grievous and unnecessary pain.   A Garcia family member has formed a foundation to use the name of  Hector P. Garcia, M.D. to raise funds, and in collusion with a non-family member is vigorously thwarting Wanda's effort to continue honoring her dad.  It is indeed sad that Wanda's dedication is not being recognized as . . .  the heart of a child turned to her father, is not being helped in her effort, and instead is purposely and viciously maligned. 

I hope that each of you will remember, if you are doing a good work, opposition will be waged against you. Protect the histories of our ancestors.   We owe it to them and to our children.   Stand firm.

Mimi

CUENTO

Cenotaph will be erected at the Texas State Cemetery to honor
José Antonio Navarro, Native Texas patriot

Casa Navarro, State Historic Site
228 South Laredo Street, San Antonio, Texas 78207

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Dear Friend of Casa Navarro! June 6, 2014

After 220 years on February 27, 2015, a fantastic event will take place! A cenotaph will be erected at the Texas State Cemetery in honor of José Antonio Navarro, our extraordinary native Texas patriot.

The celebration ceremony and unveiling will be held on Navarro’s 220th birthday anniversary at the historic Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Texas.

Only persons having made significant contributions to the State of Texas in history and culture are eligible to be buried or memorialized at the historic state cemetery.

We can take great pride in having a unique opportunity to honor a great Texas patriot and hero whose accomplishments have been overlooked for many years. This will be a unique opportunity to participate in a Texas history making ceremony that will garner statewide recognition.

The Navarro cenotaph will be where it belongs, among some of the most famous names in Texas history such as his close friend and confidant, Stephen F. Austin. The Navarro cenotaph unveiling will be a history making event with city and state officials officiating. Descendants, friends, and invited guests will be in attendance to honor the signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and drafter of the Texas constitution; a true native Texas patriot!  

A place of honor at the state cemetery will give permanent recognition to José Antonio Navarro, one of the most prominent and influential figures of 19th century Texas. Every year, over 20,000 school children have guided tours of the cemetery and in addition, 5000+ adult visitors annually. These visitors will learn of Navarro, one of our foremost native Texas heroes! The cenotaph will serve as an educational teaching history tool for generations to come! Navarro’s major accomplishments will be engraved on all sides of the cenotaph.  

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“Kids can come out here and in one day learn more about Texas history than in a whole semester in class.” Former Lt. Governor of Texas, Bob Bullock

“Often, it takes a while for a people to grasp the significance of their own history. As a Texas schoolgirl, I learned names like Travis, Austin, Crockett, and Houston … patriots who deserve their place in our lore. But names like José Antonio Navarro, while they may have been mentioned, were not always given their proper due. We constantly hear that Tejanos, Latino Texans, are the future of Texas. But they are also an important part of its glorious past. This cenotaph honoring Navarro puts this true Texan in his proper company, among the heroes who built this great state.” Senator Leticia Van de Putte

We want to ensure that the Navarro cenotaph dedication ceremony is a momentous Texas event. Please spread the word and help make Navarro come to light in 2015!

Mark your calendar and please consider sending in a cenotaph donation! Be an integral part of this extraordinary event that will have an impact on visitors for generations to come. Navarro’s cenotaph will be the first momument dedicated to a native Texan/Tejano hero at the Texas State Cemetery!  

Consultants to the Friends:

Félix D. Almaráz, Jr., Ph.D.
Peter T. Flawn Distinguished University Professor of Borderlands History (Ret.)The University of Texas at San Antonio
Jesus F. de la Teja, Ph.D., Chairman of the History, Department Texas State University-San Marcos
Andrés Reséndez, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History, University of California, Davis
Tino Duran, Sr. Publisher and Owner La Prensa, San Antonio, Texas
David McDonald, Former Curator Casa Navarro, Historian and Author
Sulema Carreón-Sánchez, Senior Education Associate, Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) San Antonio, Texas
Alfred A. Valenzuela, Major General (Ret.) U.S. Army, St. Mary’s University, School of Law
Jo Ann Andera, CFEE, Director of Special Events, Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas at San Antonio

Sent by Sylvia Navarro Tillotson

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The LATINO AMERICANS PBS project of last year is expanding.  It was the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape North America over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S. The changing and yet repeating context of American history provides a backdrop for the drama of individual lives. It is a story of immigration and redemption, of anguish and celebration, of the gradual construction of a new American identity that connects and empowers millions of people today.  http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en/about/  

Now you can be part of the LATINO AMERICANS project. 

The Latino Americans' Mi Historia projects requests Latinos to make videos themselves describing what being Latino means to them.  They request that you share your family traditions, tell how you celebrate your heritage and culture, or who are your role models. Latino Americans producers say: Share your story and become part of ours.  http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en/

Sent by Sister Mary Sevilla.  
marysevilla@mac.com  

Cesar Chavez Day poster, March 31, 2010. 
(Photo: USGov-DOL / DoD; Edited: EL / TO)

''Cesar Chavez,'' Conditions in the Fields and the Struggle over Memory

By Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, Truthout | Film Review

Saturday, 31 May 2014

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I did not write a critique of the movie Cesar Chavez when it first premiered because I felt somewhat conflicted, and I didn't feel like jumping on a bandwagon. There appears to be a cottage industry of those who love to critique Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW) Movement, by people who have little first-hand knowledge of the events in question. From reading the many reviews, most of them seem to be formulaic, critiquing the movie as a hero-worshipping biopic, with deeply flawed acting, etc., etc.  

Much of that critique comes from professional movie critics who know movies but who know little about Cesar Chavez and the UFW movement and know even less about the condition of farmworkers in this nation's fields. Some of the critique is along the same lines as that of his former enemies, many of whom are from the extreme far right and who always equated him or saw him as an enemy of capitalism and an enemy of the state. Some criticism is from the so-called far left, some of which is simply hypercritical, not necessarily wrong, but seemingly unaware of Chavez's larger role or value to society. Among these critiques, there is also valid and useful critique that comes from people with no ax to grind, primarily from human rights activists who lived that era or who are engaged in human rights struggles today. 

What has been particularly troubling is that those who talk or write about the Chavez movie, almost never mention the conditions of farm workers today. It is within that context that I see/saw the movie. A 2007 book: The Farmworker's Journey, by Dr. Ann Lopez, gives us a glance not simply into the conditions in the fields, but examines the deplorable conditions that force migrants from their homelands to migrate to the fields in the United States. NAFTA, a trade agreement that permits goods, capital and executives to flow freely back and forth, but not workers, continues to be the cause of that migration.  

That the movie has failed to encourage a discussion regarding the current conditions of farmworkers is what I saw as its major drawback. Farmworkers today continue not simply to be exploited as in the past - in every respect possible - but also to be shamefully outside the 1935 National Labor Relations Act - a Congressional act that protects the rights of workers. They also continue to be inordinately exposed to cancer-causing pesticides. This should be the time to ask questions, but that has not really happened. Instead, the discussion is about whether the lead actor actually showed passion and whether the director actually understood who Chavez was, etc., etc.  

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Rather than focus on the lives of farmworkers, the movie appears to have been conceived as an opportunity to wax nostalgic or to rub shoulders with someone associated with the movie.  

At the moment, farmworkers are also a primary focus of proposed immigration reform. The Senate (bipartisan) version of the farmworker proposals barely passes the smell test because it actually weakens the protections of the current "guest worker" (H2-A) programs. The House (Republican) version seeks a virtual return to the infamous Bracero program; workers are welcome, but not with any labor or human rights protections.  Farmworker Justice provides a summary of these provisions.  

The problem with the entire reform bill, however, is that whatever is eventually signed will unquestionably create a legalized underclass without many rights and protections for many years . . . until yet-to-be-agreed-upon provisions that will permit workers to begin their quest for citizenship kick in.  

Writing about reality - whether in the past or present - versus a movie, is awkward. Like many from that era, I picketed and partook in many huelga actions, including boycotting lettuce, grapes and Gallo wines for many years and the sustained No on 22 and Yes on 14 legislative campaigns etc. I was also privy to the controversy surrounding Chavez, the UFW and the tension with the urban migrants' rights movement.  

All these campaigns have a story, and much of it, written in blood. A movie, justice cannot make. The real flaw of the movie is that it stops where it should have started; the 1970s was an intense period for the UFW, which saw many battles and even several deaths among its members. In one sense, it culminated with the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act.  

When I first began to read the reviews prior to the premiere, I wanted to ask the critics: Did you ever picket for the UFW in the fields or in the cities? Do you know what it is to face right-wing mobs who hate everything about you and hate everything about farmworkers and everything that their movement stood for? Did you ever have to face riot sticks from law enforcement or intimidation by (anti-UFW) union goons? I would ask if they had ever worked in the fields, but that is unnecessary because the answer is already known and perhaps, at least for me, more important is whether they know about the conditions of farmworkers today.  

That's where the conversation should start and end.  

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Realistically, unless one has many thousands of words, it would be difficult to meaningfully engage in any of the topics or campaigns mentioned above. Of course, the movie could have been better, in all respects. If anything, there is perhaps one topic that most critics missed and was not actually touched upon in the film.  Chavez was never part of the Chicano Movement . . . and yet, for many, this brown man and all that he represented was its inspiration. Twenty years after his death, it is his name that is most associated with that movement and era.  
I teach at the University of Arizon,a and my students have made the same observation about Ruben Salazar, the famed Los Angeles Times journalist who was killed by an LA Sheriff's deputy on Aug 29, 1970. Neither was considered, nor did they consider themselves, to be part of the Chicano Movement, yet they are both viewed as historic icons of that movement.  

That may explain why Chavez is held in the highest esteem by many from this community; in a community that has so few historic figures to look up to - because the history books and the media literally whitewash their history away - Chavez stands out.  

I once told a harsh right-wing critic of Chavez - who masquerades as a progressive at times - that he knew very little about the inner workings of the UFW, and thus his criticisms were way off. Anyone with knowledge of the UFW could be even more critical toward Chavez and the union, but why? I still feel that way today. Anyone can criticize, but toward what end?   

The one area where I never held back was the UFW's policies regarding the migra (immigration police). Chavez always explained that the UFW policy had little to do with being anti-immigrant, but rather, with being anti-strike-breaker, often explaining that he would oppose his own mother if she were to cross a picket line. Many of his members, after all, he argued, were undocumented, so he wasn't being anti-immigrant. Those of us in the migrant rights movement of that era were uncompromising about the issue. Labor leader Bert Corona, a giant in the history of the Mexican, Chicano and labor rights movement mediated, and things eventually got settled. It is true that after that, and to this day, Chavez is seen as someone who fought for the rights of all workers, especially migrants. One quote attributed to him and still in use today is: "The migra is the gestapo of the Mexican people."  

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There is much more to tell. And many more books will most likely be written . . . perhaps about all the violence inflicted upon the UFW, the lives lost and all the interracial organizing that took place in the fields and in the picket lines.  

Several other things need to be added. It was Dolores Huerta who created the concept of "Si Se Puede" ("We Can Do It"). That is a concept that even the president has "borrowed," I believe, not always with attribution. There will be many books and hopefully many movies about Dolores Huerta one day. She has an incredibly powerful story to be told. But here, one last story about Chavez. I was present when this story was told to family members and close friends. One of the very last things Chavez spoke about right before he passed away was the need for the farm worker's movement to align with American Indians. That was triggered when he read a book on the coffee table of the home where he was staying in Arizona. Right after that, he went to bed and did not wake up.  

It is said that 50,000 people went to his funeral. I was there. I traveled over 1500 miles to be there. I saw the all-night vigils. It was a pilgrimage. Yes, he had many faults. But how do we choose to remember him? Solely for his faults - or for being part of a movement that permitted workers to raise their heads a little higher? Missing today are not heroes, but a mass movement that focuses on that same objective . . .  of not simply improving the deplorable conditions in the fields in the 21st century, but also of bringing about dignity to the same workers and their children who daily put food on our tables.  

The truth is, the movie indeed is a battle over memory. The question is, who should be in charge of telling that narrative: movie critics or people who actually took part in those historic struggles?  

Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez: Roberto Rodriguez, an assistant professor in Mexican-American studies at the University of Arizona, can be reached at xcolumn@gmail.com .  
Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.   beto@unt.edu

THIS IS THE MONTH . . .  THIS IS IT !!!

2014 NCLR Annual Conference

&

National Latino Family Expo

The Largest Yearly Gathering of Influential Leaders and Newsmakers in the Latino Community

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National Latino Family Expo

Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to the Los Angeles Convention Center for fun activities, informative demonstrations, prizes, and giveaways taking place July 19-21 2014. It is an entirely FREE experience for the whole Los Angeles community. The NCLR National Latino Family Expo will host free health screenings, including vision, dental, glucose, kidney, asthma, and HIV testing. Amidst all the exciting entertainment, don't miss the COPA NCLR Soccer Tournament! Soccer fans can come meet the players or coaches of the L.A Galaxy. The L.A. Kings will also participate with their mascot, Bailey, and the Ice Crew. There will be an abundance of giveaways, educational information, and appearances from Dora and Friends! Don't miss your chance to engage in this once-in-a-lifetime cultural celebration of the Latino community.

For more information, please visit our website: http://www.nclr.org/

Salt Lake FamilySearch Booth

For the first time at a national NCLR conference, a Family Search booth will be helping visitors start their family research.  This is a great opportunity.  If you always thought of doing it, this is the time to start.

Computers and volunteers will be in place   throughout the Latino Family Expo.  There will be local volunteers from neighborhood Latter Day Saints Family History Centers to help.  This is the time, to take the first steps.  Experienced researcher will help take the mystery away.  Si, se puede!!   

Those who met Arturo Cuellar in Las Vegas during the 2012 NCLR annual conference will get a chance to once again get his help. Arturo is the Mexican Records specialist in the Salt Lake Family History Library.

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The Somos Primos Booth is featuring the work of Ignacio Gomez.  Below is Ignacio in a foundry with a bronze maquette of his Cesar Chavez piece.   A maquette is a small model of a sculpture, in preparation for a full-size figure.  Ignacio will be at the booth sharing both of these pieces.   

The Cesar Chavez statue is in downtown Riverside 

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Another exhibitor devoted to history and heritage, Hispanic Medal of Honor Society will have special guests: 

Raul Mena Lopez

Mexican Who Created LatAm’s 1st Brain Bank Dies, Age 60,
June 14, 2014

Neuropathologist Raul Mena Lopez, a leading Alzheimer’s researcher and founder of the first brain bank in Latin America, died in Merida, colleagues said. He was 60.

Mena Lopez “was one of the outstanding researchers in the study of neuropathological defects suffered by the tau protein at a cerebral level in Alzheimer’s disease,” Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute’s Center for Investigation and Advanced Studies, or Cinvestav, said in a statement. 

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The scientist, born July 26, 1953, founded Cinvestav’s National Brain Bank and supported the creation of similar banks in Latin America in order to assemble a regional network for the study of degenerative diseases.Mena Lopez’s work led to a discovery that opened a new approach to the research of Alzheimer’s disease and to “the therapeutic options for fighting it,” Cinvestav said.

The passion of Mena Lopez was investigating “dementias and in particular Alzheimer’s disease,” and his contributions include 48 papers that appeared in leading professional publications including the American Journal of Pathology and the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, Cinvestav said.

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/mexican-who-created-latams-1st-brain-bank-dies-age-60 

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 CUENTO  

Reminiscences of a Naval Aviator, a Group of Short Stories: Figure Eights
by Daniel L. Polino

FIGURE EIGHTS
pg. 22  

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While training at the Glenview Naval Air Station, north of Chicago, I became acquainted with another cadet who had, because of a flying accident, been set back at least four months in his schedule. Apparently, while flying dual with his instructor, he had lost lift and spun in, killing his instructor and severely injuring himself. The resultant fire caused some facial burns that required plastic surgery, but he was fortunate enough to be able to recuperate and pick up on his training. It was at that point in time that we met.

The maneuver he was involved in at the time of the accident was called figure eights. It is a type of training that is intended to give a flyer experience in low-level maneuvers, such as approach to a landing, and to take into account the effect of crosswinds. To practice figure eights, you'd select two landmarks, such as a pair of trees a few hundred yards apart, lined up at a right angle to the prevailing wind. The figure eight would therefore be flown with a tree being used for the centerpoint of each loop in the eight. The crosswind would be taken into account by varying the angle of bank so that the resultant track over the ground would be a properly traced figure eight. Since this maneuver was generally practiced below 500 feet of altitude, there was no room for error such as a stall. It was during this type of exercise that the cadet had spun in.  

Months later, he found himself once more practicing figure eights with a new instructor, who had no knowledge of his previous crash and the loss of his instructor. As with his previous experience, he was still having trouble doing the figure eights to the satisfaction of his new instructor. When the cadet returned from his dual flight, his instructor proceeded to tell him what he was doing wrong and how he was dead-set on making a pilot out of him. In his talk to the cadet, he used a phrase that went like, "I'll teach you how to fly good figure eights if it kills me." At that point the cadet explained to him the history of his last crash and how his previous instructor lost his life trying the same thing. It's not very often that a cadet has the last word in a conversation with his instructor, but in this case, he did.

I had to teach another naval aviator how to fly an SNJ-Texan later in my reserve flying experience. Once was enough. I have the greatest admiration for the instructor who spends each day trying to teach a cadet, who may not know how to drive a car, how to fly. You have to have nerves of steel to keep from overriding the controls everytime you suspect he's in trouble. The phrase so often heard screamed into the gasport at such times by the instructor, "Cadet, are you trying to kill both of us," comes to mind more often than I'd like to admit.

Poetry of Yesterday and Today
Poems about People and History by Raul Garza

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Sgt. Calaway's story in the newspaper (The Corpus Christi Caller - Times) was the inspiration for my latest poem. I dedicate it to U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Company B and all other Korean Vets, especially those Marines and GI's who experienced the ground battles of Korea.

There sat a lonely concrete bench,
In a well traveled path,
To the Unknown Soldier's Tomb
To memorialized the Forgotten War.

After World War Two, 
The War to end all wars,
Just a "Police Action," 
Not a war in any fashion.

Into a strange treacherous terrain,
Young Soldiers and Marines entrenched,
Fighting the ills of Nature,
And the mentality of a frustrated nation.

Their first experiences in reality,
Fierce fighting in the mud and snow,
Leaving holes in ranks like a cavity,
But....the top we must go!

Chosin Reservoir was a harsher Iwo Jima,
Statistics proved it in Korea,
Marked by the blood and strife,
Of our Marines and GFs.

Twenty-one who became Turn-Coats, 
Led to the Fighting Man's Code,
To be tested once again, 
In the political web of Vietnam.

Quietly men returned home, 
To heal the mental and physical 
Wounds of war.
A lonely Bench to mark their name,
Until a new Memorial honors
All valiant heroes the same.  

The June 10th meeting of TCARA, The Texas Connection to the American Revolution in San Antonio, TX included excellent food and an outstanding presentation by Francis X. Galan, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio.  Dr. Galan spoke on  "Los Adaes: The Forgotten Capital of Spanish Texas."   

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COL Bob Hancock - President of the San Antonio Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution presenting TCARA Historian Judge Robert Thonhoff with the SAR Bronze Good Citizenship Certificate.

“Yo Solo”  By José Antonio López
 June 9, 2014  

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SAN ANTONIO, June 19 - Few courageous stories of New Spain personalities surpass the brilliant career of General Bernardo de Gálvez (1746-1786). A man of such rare courage, King Carlos III awarded him the royal motto “Yo Solo”. While that may seem too bold a slogan, he earned it justly.  However, what is it he did to garner such a robust title? Who was this man of history?

Bernardo de Gálvez de Madrid was born in Macharaviaya, Málaga, a mountain village in southern Spain. He was the son of Matías de Gálvez and nephew of José de Gálvez, both powerful Spanish officials in New Spain. Trained in military school, he joined the Spanish Army in his teens. He served ably while in Spain, but was posted to Mexico in 1762.

Bernardo’s leadership career in America began in earnest in Sonora and Nueva Vizcaya where he led Spanish soldiers and Native American allies against Apaches. He was wounded several times in battle. Soon, he was promoted to the rank of Commandant of Troops of both provinces. Bernardo accompanied José de Gálvez, his uncle to Spain, where he continued to fine-tune his military skills. He was severely wounded in a military campaign in Algeria. For his bravery, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and spent time recovering from his wounds as a professor of military science at the prestigious military school in Ávila.

As a 29-year old in 1776, his uncle named him Governor of Spanish Louisiana and so he returned to America. An astute military thinker, he was a savvy diplomat as well. Careful to

 walk the narrow path of being loyal to Spain’s monarchial American empire (Colonial New Spain), he at the same time championed the thirteen U.S. colonies’ independence from England and the independence fervor sweeping across America. Bernardo Gálvez wrote often to Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, by which they exchanged ideas in fighting the British.

Soon after arriving in Louisiana, the king sent word that the English must be driven out of Spanish territory. Thus, Governor Gálvez organized a Spanish Army and attacked the English fort in West Florida. Facing a much larger force, Gálvez’ strike was quickly decisive and he drove the British out. By late 1779, he pushed his objective even further toward Mobile and Pensacola, also held by English troops. His army would ultimately reach over 7,000 troops.

First, Gálvez defeated English units in Baton Rouge and Natchez, resulting in the capture of hundreds of soldiers and several vessels. Using his trademark military tactics, he succeeded in defeating a well-defended English Fort at Mobile. However, it was in the taking of Pensacola where he excelled the most. Having amassed a strong flotilla of ships and gunboats sent by the king to assist his mission, Gálvez was disappointed that naval commanders were still far off from the battle front; hesitant in entering the narrow harbor. The Spanish admirals pleaded with him to wait, while others tried using their own favor with the king as leverage. Gálvez was not impressed. Timidity in war was not something Governor Gálvez was ready to accept.  

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Leading by example, he took command of one of his ships, raised his own coat of arms on its mast. With two gunboat escorts, he entered the unfriendly harbor himself, facing fire from several land positions. Watching Gálvez’ incredible single-handed act of courage embarrassed the still hesitant senior naval officers so much that each began to steer their ships in his direction. The English fort was soon in flames, forcing the English general to surrender. The brilliantly executed Battle of Pensacola was won, ridding the Gulf of Mexico of the English presence.

King Carlos III was magnanimous in recognizing his gratitude toward Bernardo de Gálvez. The honors were many. He was given the prestigious title of Count, promoted to, general, field marshal, and given command of all Spanish expeditionary forces in New Spain. Still, King Carlos wished to distinguish Gálvez’ rare display of single-handed bravery in the face of enemy guns. Thus, he granted the motto “Yo Solo” to be placed on the Gálvez Coat of Arms.

General Galvez returned to Spain and again led military expeditions. In 1785, his father died and Bernardo replaced him as Viceroy of New Spain. The gregarious general had great plans for New Spain. However, in 1786 he became ill and died on November 30 of that year. Although Bernardo de 
Gálvez was only 40 years old when he died, his life proves

that it’s not necessarily how long one lives, but it is in what one does while living.  

Both France and Spain helped the U.S. colonies drive for independence. However, U.S. history books primarily give credit to French general Marquis de Lafayette. In truth, Gálvez’ direct contributions to George Washington were incalculable. Only recently has this hero come to the attention of mainstream historians. Although author historians, such as Robert H. Thonhoff have done their best for years to help the general public understand the New Spain role in U.S. history. His book, “The Texas Connection with the American Revolution” skillfully explains the story.

In summary, many generations of Mexican-descent Texas students have longed to learn about their ancestors in the classroom. Parents, be aware that since 2010, the state-approved STAAR curriculum has included some pre-1836 people places, and events in Texas history. So, don’t be bashful. Ask your fourth- and seventh-grade students’ teachers to include more lessons on the Spanish Mexican founders of Texas. Also, the next time one of your kids asks you to recommend a topic for a history book report, tell them to look up the inspiring story of Spanish-speaking Bernardo de Gálvez, a mega hero in U.S. history.  

My Days as a Colonist / Soldier with Don Juan de Onate 
– Part 6

By

Louis F. Serna
sernabook@comcast.net 

Oct 2013

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Gracias a Dios.! Another blessed day in May of 1598 and I awake somewhat dazed at the events of yesterday! This morning I am a Sargento with added responsibilities and even an increase in pay., if and when I ever see any of it.! I am now more aware of my work and the importance of it and the fact that people are dying out here and there is a real possibility that I too can die at any time! Especially since my Capitan Villagra has informed me that he thinks I am ready to go further out on exploratory trips with scouting squads so I can take notes on terrain, locations of water holes, places where we see Indians either hunting for game or scouting us, and any details which can become useful to future Spanish travelers. Every bit of information we have used in our travels is important as we are finding out from the notes of the earlier explorers. I thank him for the opportunity and tell him that I feel confident that I can perform the tasks he is giving me. He says that is good as he wants me to accompany the group that will go to Qualacu where el General will meet the people of that village and he wants me to detail that event. 

On the 28^th, we arrive at Qualacu only to find the pueblo abandoned! We find a few people who we try to put at ease by giving them gifts of trinkets. Onate orders us to remove to the banks of the river and pitch our tents there, so as not to scare the pueblo people who must be watching us from hiding. He tells us to prepare to spend at least a month there and to go out to the nearby villages to gather much needed maize and whatever food might be available to take back to the caravan to replenish the food supplies which are dwindling. I go out to every village that I can with the food gathering parties and I record everything and anything that I think may be of interest to Villagra. As the days go by, Onate receives word from the main party that there is discontent among the travelers and he returns to reassure them only to find that the camps have already divided themselves into those who are ready to turn back and those who are still anxious to colonize the lands ahead. 

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Fortunately, on June 14^th, an Onate advance party reaches the pueblo of Teypana, which they rename; “Socorro” because the people are so friendly and their chief has given them a large supply of maize donated by his people, and good information on what to expect ahead! Indeed, Socorro is a fitting name as it stands for “help” or “succor”… the giving of aid by one party to another..! I can’t help but wonder at times like this, if God is reaching out to us Spaniards just when we need him most. My childhood religious training certainly asks me to believe this and to keep the faith..! Indeed, faith is restored by the Gobernador and the caravan trudges northward, ever so slowly as we are now in rocky and hilly terrain. After a brief stay near Socorro, an advance party including me, visit the settlements called; Tzia (which became the Zia Pueblo), Katishtya (San Felipe Pueblo), and Quiqui (Santo Domingo Pueblo).  The General sees that we are in the middle of several substantial pueblos and decides to use that location to call the chiefs of the settlements to come and acknowledge the arrival of the Spaniards and to declare their allegiance to King Phillip and religious preference to God instead of to the various idols they worship. 

The word goes out to all the chiefs and officials of the Pueblos and on July 6^th, they start to arrive at Quiqui – Santo Domingo! They camp themselves on a hill overlooking the pueblo plaza and the ceremonies of allegiance begin with Don Juan de Onate formally greeting and taking the oath of allegiance from each of the Chiefs. The ceremonies take about a month and by August 11^th, an advance party reaches the pueblo called Okhe Owingue, and it is then that the Gobernador sees a location where he feels it is time to establish a capital for the Espanoles to set up their own buildings of residence and business. They cannot help but feel that they are firmly in control of this new land and that there does not appear to be any signs of treachery, yet they remain wary. In this time of confidence, the General decides to name this place where they will build their capital, “San Juan de los Caballeros”, in honor of his men who have done so much to get them where they are..!

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In the days that follow, Onate and /or his emissaries go out to the pueblos of Picuris and Tayberon which will become Taos and to the pueblo of Cicuye which will become the Pecos Pueblo. From them, they learn of other pueblos and even of unruly Plains Indians who live out in the flat lands to the East, who make their living by plundering and food gathering where they can find it. They live in tents made of animal hides and follow the great cows of the plains.

On August 18^th, the long – awaited caravan arrives at the place to be their Spanish capital. They have suffered greatly to get there and unfortunately they have among them, the worst men to have left them with. The disrespectful Capitan Aguilar has been a dangerous malcontent and detractor of the General and his nephews, the Zaldivar brothers and he has cultivated a following of others who could become a threat to the very success of the Expedition. Just two days after the arrival of the caravan a plot to desert comes to the attention of the Gobernador.  

To try to keep the peace, Onate announces that he is aware of the unhappiness of some and he pardons everyone who may have spoken or acted against the Expedition. He declares a holiday of thanksgiving and a celebration follows which he hopes will quell the discontent! He declares that it is time to build a church where they can all worship and after much planning and hard work, it is finished on the 7th of September! 

On the 8^th, the church is named the Church of Saint John the Baptist and more celebrations continue.  Don Juan de Onate feels comfortable that his people and the many Chiefs of the pueblos around him are now unified and content, but dark times lie ahead… and the treacherous Capitan Aguilar is already at work with his mischief! I sense that we are all sitting on a powder keg and the fuse is lit..! I look to the sky and pray for guidance and mercy! God has been good to me and I must remain faithful. 

Banner images: Students taking part in coding, left, and photography courses. Left photo by Chris Mosier/The Archer School For Girls Scratch Club. Christopher Gomez uses his iPod Touch to photograph an outdoor scene. Photo by Jonathan Worth/Phonar Nation.  

Learning Storytelling Through Picture-Taking
 
Free Online Photography Class 
Commencing This Summer  

Phonar Nation class, Orange County  
OC Gente: http://ocgente.com/?p=6863  

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From left:  Christopher Gomez, Derek Vong, Hugo Rodriguez, Jonathan Worth, Viridiana Badillo, Jennifer Fregoso, Larissa Fregoso and Jessica Jimenez. 
Photo by Mimi Ko Cruz

Jessica Jimenez always liked taking pictures of things just for fun, but after recently completing a five-week photography class, the 15-year-old now shoots photos that pack meaning.  

“Photos can tell really important stories about life, historical moments and experiences,” said Jimenez, one of a dozen Santa Ana teenagers who took part in the class, a pilot for “Phonar Nation,” that will open to the world for free online this summer as part of the Cities of Learning initiative. A number of cities — including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Pittsburgh — are taking part in the project, which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation and powered by the Digital Youth Network and Badge Alliance.  

The Phonar Nation class, designed by award-winning British photographer Jonathan Worth, builds on his #Phonar (Photography and Narrative) course that he’s taught at Coventry University and online to more than 35,000 students since 2009. The class is ranked No. 1 by The Guardian.  

Phonar Nation caters to teens and younger students, but anyone can take the class, Worth said, using any mobile device, equipped with a camera and Internet connection. It will kick off with two five-week sessions this summer — beginning June 23 and July 28 through Pursuitery.com, a youth-focused project of the Connected Learning Alliance. The CLA is a network that brings together organizations, projects, initiatives and individuals working to leverage today’s technology for more equitable access to learning and opportunity for all young people.  

“Anyone can drop in, mix stuff up, step out, come back again — whatever works,” Worth said, “and, together, we’re going to build the biggest and best photography class in history.”  

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But, it’s not just about taking photos that tell stories, he said. “Photography is going through a second paradigm shift. The first was when photography broke away from painting. The second is the image breaking away from the photograph. It’s about everybody having the capability to make an image and publish it. That’s a profound moment and, suddenly, it’s not just about photography. With an Internet so visually led, this becomes about visual literacy and digital fluency. It’s about being able to read and write with images, being able to speak clearly with images and being heard through all the visual noise.”  

More on the Phonar Nation.  

It is more than photography. 

Photography is going through 
a second paradigm shift.

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Today’s youth are growing up with technology, Worth added, “so, the noise is normal. This generation’s kids can make images and share them, but they don’t automatically understand the value of being credible and trusted to get a signal through all that noise.  Look at the staggering stats: hundreds of millions of photos are being uploaded on social media daily. In other words, everybody’s talking at once.”  

So, how do you get heard? “If you don’t feel as though your voice is being heard, then how do you engage? How do you get civic engagement? How do you encourage it? What you end up with is people feeling as though they are anonymized by the network,” Worth said. “What Phonar Nation seeks to do is to start them on a path to feeling empowered by the network.”  That’s what the students said they learned from the pilot class.

“Jonathan taught us how to seek and find meaning behind all images,” 17-year-old Dean Padilla said. “He has an interesting perspective on photography. Now, when I see a photo, I question who took it and why and I try to take pictures that have some meaning to me, some depth.”  

Padilla and the other students met on Friday afternoons at The Cambodian Family, a community center in Santa Ana where they were provided iPod Touches to take the course, which was tweaked and improved with their input along the way. They chatted with Worth face-to-face a couple times but mostly online as he taught the course from his home in England.  

Supporting them locally at the center was Claudia Caro Sullivan, assistant director of the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub, who helped revise the university-level course for younger learners and led discussions about the weekly lessons; and James McMillan, DML Hub’s systems administrator who provided technical assistance.  

The DML Hub, an initiative of the University of California Humanities Research Institute, has been supporting Phonar Nation as part of its research on how to connect youth to high-quality educational offerings in the digital arts.  

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“Offering quality enrichment opportunities fills a big need in this country,” Caro Sullivan said. For Jimenez, it’s even proven lucrative. She recently was hired by family members to photograph a wedding and a birthday party. “I’m actually earning money doing what I love,” she said. “At the wedding, the couple was so in love, you could see it in the way they looked at each other and that emotion showed in my photos. My family really liked the pictures because of the story they told.”  

Phalen Lim, The Cambodian Family’s youth director, said the experience was something none of the students could have participated in were it not for Phonar Nation.

“A lot of our youth here in Santa Ana are interested in technology and photography, but many don’t have access to these kinds of learning opportunities,” Lim said. “This really enriches their lives, opens up doors to new skills and possibilities.”    

Learners all over the world are being invited to take part in online photography and coding classes as part of this year’s Cities of Learning initiative.  

The website Pursuitery is hosting two free online classes — “Coding with Scratch” and “Phonar Nation.” While anyone can take the classes, they are aimed at youth. The courses are being offered by the Connected Learning Alliance, a network that brings together organizations, projects, initiatives and individuals working to leverage today’s technology for more equitable access to learning and opportunity for all young people. Pursuitery is part of CLA.  

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Scratch is a programming language and online community developed as a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab as an easy way for young people to learn to code. Youth around the world have shared more than 4 million projects in more than 50 languages on the Scratch website, with several new projects added every minute.  

This summer’s Coding with Scratch class will teach students mathematical and computational ideas while they create programs for their own interactive stories, games, animations and simulations.  

Designed by award-winning British photographer Jonathan Worth, Phonar Nation teaches kids how to tell stories through photographs. Worth, whose Coventry University photography course is ranked No. 1 by The Guardian in its “University Guide 2015,” will direct Phonar Nation and conduct real-time mentoring sessions.  

“Phonar Nation is more than photography; it is visual literacy and digital fluency for a connected 21st century,” Worth said. “Students will learn to speak clearly through images and engage a connected audience.”  

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Both classes are available at summer.pursuitery.com, where learners can connect with experts, share their work, earn digital badges and participate in contests for prizes.  

“Phonar Nation and Coding with Scratch represent the best in open educational offerings in the digital arts,” said Mimi Ito, CLA’s advisory board chair. “These programs offered by Pursuitery represent the commitment of the Connected Learning Alliance to ensure that all young people have access to top-notch summer learning experiences where they are exploring interests, connecting with inspiring mentors, and gaining valuable skills and expertise.”  

Cities of Learning: The Cities of Learning movement, supported by the MacArthur Foundation and powered by the Digital Youth Network and Badge Alliance, launched in Chicago last year with free summer courses for youth, online and in the community. This summer, a number of cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. are taking part, offering myriad courses and activities online and in libraries and community centers.  

CLA: The Connected Learning Alliance is a project of the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit public charity that incubates new and innovative public interest projects and grant-making programs.  

More Information: For questions about the classes, 
send email to summer@pursuitery.com  or tweet @pursuitery.  

Media Contact: Mimi Ko Cruz, mcruz@hri.uci.edu Communications Manager, University of California Humanities Research Institute Digital Media and Learning Research Hub | dmlhub.net  
o: 949.824.4587 | m: 714.932.8589 | mcruz@hri.uci.edu

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg walks with his wife Priscilla Chan at the annual Allen and Co. conference at the Sun Valley, Idaho Resort,  
July 11, 2013. Photo: Rick Wilking —Reuters

Rhodan@m_rhodan  AP
Source: http://time.com/2797142/mark-zuckerberg-donation-schools/ 
May 30, 2014

We're excited to announce the re-launch of the Echoes of Incarceration Project. 

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Back in 2009, a crew of young people with incarcerated parents went through intensive filmmaking training and created a short film exploring the impact of prison system on children.  The first 10-min film, called "Echoes of Incarceration" has since been shown in hundreds of screenings around the country, and has toured with the Media that Matters Film Festival.  Due to the overwhelming response, and a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council, the project was revived last March, with support from with the Osborne Association and Downtown Community Television, and the National Resource Center for Children and Families of the Incarcerated.  We're currently training a new crew of young filmmakers with incarcerated parents, and producing a new series of short educational and advocacy films to dig deeper into the topic.  Our long-term goal is to develop a highly trained crew, then set out around the country to document both the hidden consequences of incarceration, as well as innovative programs that are fighting for change.  

Newest film available for free: "Caring Through Struggle: Grandparents and Caregivers of Children of the Incarcerated"

For their first project, the new crew decided to tackle the issue of grandparents and caregivers raising children incarcerated parents.  We worked with the NYC Department for the Aging to produce the 11-minute film "Caring Through Struggle." It's an intimate look at this growing and overlooked population. In the process the crew found surprising connections in their own lives.  

The film can be seen online HERE.  There's also an extra 11-minute chapter with advice for social workers HERE.  

We're also making DVD's of the film available for FREE to social workers, educators, or advocates who would like a copy.  Just email Jeremy@ibisdocs.com with a mailing address, or find out more HERE.  

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Now In Production: film focusing on visiting

For our next film, the crew is looking at the issue of visiting parents in prison.  Research has shown that a sustained relationship with a parent in prison is one of the strongest factors in both reducing a child's trauma, and also in reducing that parent's chance of going back to prison after they're released.  

Yet, in addition to the incredible distances many families must travel, children often face huge resistance: from caregivers, schools, social workers, and even judges, who believe that visiting a parent behind bars is bad for a child.  This film will dig into the challenges, sorrows, and incredible joys of visiting a parent in prison, and address one of the deepest misconceptions that children with incarcerated parents face.  

School's Ayala name 
underlines its excellence

by Frank M. Laferla, Dean 
Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences.  

Published: UC Irvine Voices, May 14, 2014

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On March 12, I was pleased to join UC Irvine Provost Howard Gillman as we publicly announced that the School of Biological Sciences was officially renamed the Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences. A member of our faculty for 27 years, Ayala holds the title of university professor, an honor only for scholars of the highest international distinction within the University of California system. He is also a Donald Bren professor of biological sciences.  

Moving forward, the Ayala name will represent what I have called “the gold standard of scientific distinction and a shining model of selfless service.” With superb faculty, outstanding undergraduate students and top graduate students, we now have a name that underlines our school’s excellence.  

The Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences, one of the few and perhaps only comprehensive schools of biological sciences to be named, will now reflect Ayala’s remarkable scientific achievements, his international reputation and his many years of dedication to our school and the UC Irvine campus. Among his many honors is the National Medal of Science, awarded in June 2002 at the White House by President George W. Bush.  

On May 5, 2010, Dr. Ayala received the 2010 Templeton Prize for exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension. He received the UCI Medal, the highest honor bestowed by our campus, in 1995. He is an active member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and numerous foreign academies. He has published more than 1,100 articles and is author or editor of 40 books. Twenty-one honorary degrees from around the world are a testament to his influence and impact on science and humanity.  
What does this historic renaming mean for our students and alumni? In a few short weeks, the Class of 2014 will walk across the commencement stage as the first graduates under the new Ayala School name. All of our alumni are automatically considered graduates of the Ayala School as well.  

One of the original academic units at UC Irvine, the Ayala School is approaching its 50th anniversary along with the campus. Our founding dean, Edward A. Steinhaus, began with 17 faculty members and initial plans for one building. Today the school is 115-faculty strong, with a robust undergraduate education program and research being conducted on a wide 

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range of topics. From infectious diseases to neurological degeneration, from the ecological impacts on climate change to new discoveries in biofuels, we are exploring the wide range of topics that are defining the 21st century as the century of the life sciences.  

As the faculty and staff of the Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences, my colleagues and I look to the future with optimism as we send the Class of 2014 out into the world and prepare for a new class to enter this fall.  

Historic Rosenwald School Serving African American children 
following the Civil War Continues Historic Preservation Successes

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The second annual Pender County, NC tour and celebration of African American schools will be held on May 31st. The tour will offer an opportunity to visit several Rosenwald Schools and enjoy a traditional chicken dinner at the Canetuck school with gospel music from the Canetuck Community Male Chorus. For more information contact Claudia Stack at clauida@underthekudzu.org  or at  910-602-3042.  

Kentucky Rosenwald School receives $150,000 for Rehabilitation
Jefferson Jacob Rosenwald School located in Jefferson County, Kentucky in the Harrods Creek area, recently received $150,000 in grant money from the Louisville Bridges Project Historic Preservation and Enhancement Fund. The fund stems from a legal settlement filed in opposition to the bridges. Jefferson Jacob is owned by the Prince Hall masons and is used as a meeting location. The construction of the school dates to 1918. The funds received will be used for exterior improvements. Additionally, preservation and conservation easements will ensure the property is preserved. The Jefferson Jacob Rosenwald School is one of two historic properties in the area that reflects African American heritage.  

Champion for Alabama Rosenwald Schools 
Takes New Position
Dorothy Walker formerly of the Alabama Historical Commission has taken a new job as cultural heritage manager at Alabama State University's Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture. Dorothy shared her enthusiasm for Rosenwald Schools across the state of Alabama giving presentations, delivering Alabama's Rallying for Rosenwalds state exhibit, and making resources available to grassroots groups working to restore Rosenwald Schools. Dorothy represented Alabama on the Rosenwald Schools Initiative Task Force of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was our local champion behind the 2012 National Rosenwald Schools Conference held at Tuskegee University. We wish Dorothy continued success.   

National Rosenwald Schools Conference to be held June 17-19, 2015. The conference will take place in Durham, NC in the heart of the region where the largest concentration of historic Rosenwald Schools still exists. 

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Sent by Enrique Murillo Jr.  EMurillo@csusb.edu  

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Griselda Melendez, whose son Robert wants to study mechanical engineering in college, participated in the Latino Educational Attainment Initiative. The program provides classes that teach parents about college requirements and how to support students.  

By the numbers: Latino Educational Attainment Initiative  
8,000: Parents who did the multi-week training.  
500: Trainers who teach LEA classes.  
143: Schools that have accepted training on LEA.  
10: Average grade-level attained by parents participating in LEA study. Source: Latino Educational Attainment Initiative

Robert Melendez came home from school seven years ago to a question he’d never heard his mother ask before. “She asked me what my GPA was,” said Melendez, a junior at Santiago High School in Garden Grove. “Once she actually found out more, she pushed me to work toward my goals.”  

This was around the time when his mother started taking parenting classes through the Latino Education Attainment Initiative. The meddling was annoying at first, Melendez said. But over the years he began appreciating her support. He now wants to study mechanical engineering at his dream school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  “If my mom didn’t care, I would have been left out. I wouldn’t have been as successful,” he said.  

For the past 10 years, parents who took classes through the Latino Educational Attainment Initiative have learned to navigate the complex school system in the hopes of sending their children to college.  

The initiative reaches out to parents of students in some of Orange County’s lowest-performing schools, seeking to narrow the achievement gap between students of color and their white peers through a parenting course. The success of the program and its leaders were lauded during a reception at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana on Thursday night.  

As part of the initiative’s 10-year anniversary, its leaders presented preliminary findings from a study of the parenting class. The five-week course teaches parents “Ten Education Commandments for Parents” – including directions to calculate a grade point average and a summary of the types of scholarships their children might be eligible to receive.  

Early findings suggest that parents who’ve taken the class are more likely to help their children with homework, attend parent-teacher conferences and encourage their children to graduate from college.  

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The initiative began in 2004 after a series of articles in the Orange County Register identified the root causes of Latino students’ academic struggles. Chief among those was parent involvement. The initiative was formed by local groups including the Orange County Business Council, the Orange County Department of Education and Orange County United Way.  

Twenty-eight parents signed up for the pilot class in 2006. During the first class, 1 in 10 parents were able to calculate a GPA. Afterward, 8 in 10 were able to calculate their student’s GPA, said Teri Rocco, supervisor for parent and community outreach at Garden Grove Unified.  

“The parents were on fire,” she said. “It’s like I couldn’t give them enough information.”  

Since then, about 8,000 parents have taken the class, which is funded mostly by corporate and private donations. Organizers are now looking to revamp the curriculum since parents have

 so many questions about the state’s new educational standards. Though parents say they’ve seen their children improve academically, leaders in the initiative wanted to scientifically track their progress, said Juan Carlos Araque, a USC professor and former Latino Educational Attainment Initiative chair.  

“The quality of the teachers and the level of involvement of parents are the two biggest parts of a student’s success,” he said. “So it’s important to have scientific data to back that up and create a model that is sustainable.”  

The study takes place in two Santa Ana schools involving about 120 parents. Researchers hope to show increased student achievement, said Heather Huntley Cova, who got involved with the initiative in 2005 and joined the executive committee in 2007. Final data from the 18-month-long study will include the improvements students made as a result of having their parents in the class.

Half-hour reality series about people trying to qualify for the Mexican National Rodeo will premiere on Hulu in October.  

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Hulu has snapped up a rodeo reality series that will debut exclusively on the online streamer this fall.  Los Cowboys will follow a group of Latino cowboys, including an L.A. firefighter, a horse trainer and a model, in their quest to qualify for the Mexican National Rodeo Finals in Guadalajara. The half-hour series, which goes into production in July, was created by executive producer Alex Corral, who will also star, and produced by his production company, Corral 360, which focuses on series that target Hispanic millennials.

Hulu has found success with English-language Latino programming in the past including original East Los High, one of the most-watched shows on the platform, which returns for a second season on July 9.

Los Cowboys, which is not a part of the streamer's original programming initiative, is set to debut on Hulu in October.  Sent by Dorinda Moreno

Why Was this Taco Fundraiser Deemed Offensive?

Sent by Erasmo Riojas who comments: 
"Stupid is as Stupid does. They said the Pi Beta Phi sorority was minimizing the full significance of Latino heritage and history by using a taco as an artifact that didn’t fully represent their culture.  Thereby making tacos offensive… "

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The national sorority Pi Beta Phi is a longstanding and highly involved sorority that has over 200 chapters in America.  Every year several of the chapters hold a taco themed fundraiser around Cinco De Mayo.

The aptly named “Pi phiesta” is used to generate money for charitable purposes and does nothing more than provide all-you-can-eat tacos for those willing to donate.

This year, one of the organizations was approached by groups of concerned Latinos and asked to end the practice of all-you-can-eat tacos because it is “culturally insensitive.”

The group at Stanford quickly tucked tail and put the kibosh on their customary celebration and decided to do something more “neutral.” So they chose to have a fun “beachy” affair.

Keep in mind, the tradition held by these chapters happens to occur on Cinco de Mayo… the “non-official” holiday that celebrates Latino heritage and all things Hispanic… in the U.S.A.  

Furthermore, the “Pi phiesta” is in no way meant to be derogatory. Rather, by attaching itself to Cinco de Mayo, the fundraiser is actually designed to celebrate the tradition and spirit of the large Latino influence we see in this country.  

Unfortunately, this trend of saying celebrating certain parts of Hispanic culture is “insensitive” isn’t just limited to tacos.

As the College Fix observed, other universities’ attempts at tipping a hat (or a sombrero) to recognize Latino traditions were slammed as offensive.

“A sign at UCLA this month offered students a guide to a ‘racist-free Cinco de Mayo,’ advice that included warning students not to speak their shoddy high school Spanish on the day.

At North Carolina State University, its dining services officials had to apologize for handing out “offensive” chocolate mustaches for dessert on Cinco de Mayo.  

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A similar kerfuffle also occurred at the University of Maryland after two Latino students were offended when the university’s dining services staff voluntarily wore fake mustaches and sombreros during its Cinco de Mayo dinner.”

So why exactly was this group of Latinos offended by tacos on Cinco de Mayo?  

They said the Pi Beta Phi sorority was minimizing the full significance of Latino heritage and history by using a taco as an artifact that didn’t fully represent their culture.

Thereby making tacos offensive… Essentially, it’s culturally insensitive to eat a taco and claim you’re celebrating Latino history because you’re not including the whole breadth and depth of what it means to be of Latino descent.  

To carry this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, it would also mean we should probably say goodbye to Sushi, Kung Pao chicken, BBQ, Kielbasa, and you know what else? — ALL foods that represent a culture in any way shape or form.

Of course, it’s easy to see how ludicrous the request is. If these things continue to happen, then all forms of cultural expression and celebration will eventually be curbed, and we’ll live in a boring, gray world.

Source:  http://preservefreedom.org/why-was-this-taco-fundraiser
-deemed-offensive/ 

Sent by  Erasmo “Doc” Riojas  docrio45@gmail.com

The WWI Diary of José de la Luz Sáenz
Edited by Emilio Zamora  
College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2014

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Although some of your readers already know of my recent publication, The WWI Diary of José de la Luz Sáenz, I thought that I should offer a short announcement with some observations on the book’s importance.  Sáenz, known by a good number of historians for his role in helping found the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in 1929, is less known for his authorship of the diary.  His account of the war includes daily entries, letters to his loved ones, articles that he wrote for the San Antonio daily La Prensa, photographs of fellow soldiers, and a list of persons who made advance payments for the book and thus made the publication possible.  

          His biographical notes on his Mexican buddies and their experiences in the military, as well as his accounts of the horrific war front experiences are enough to make the book a valuable historical document in the history of Mexicans in the United States.  Sáenz, however, also comments on the meaning of the war throughout the diary.  He is especially profound when noting that Mexicans are making the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields so that successive generations of Mexicans use it to claim equal rights at home.  Sáenz elaborates on this central theme by analogizing the cause for equal rights at home as the moral equivalent of the fight for democracy and justice in Europe.  He also inverts the relationship between the civil rights activists and the segregationists to claim that the former are the true Americans because they advance the principles of democracy and justice in our foundational documents, while the latter disregard these same values or reserve them for Whites.

Source: El Rrunn Rrunn, October 28, 2011  
 http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2011/10
/luz-saenz-wrote-only-diary-of-mexican.html   

LULAC leaders Alonso S. Perales and José Luz Sáenz
University of Houston Digital Library, image from the Alonso S. Perales Papers

  http://uhdigitallibrary.blogspot.com/2012/11/international-mens-
day-and-celebrating.html\

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

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After the war, Sáenz busied himself in building LULAC, while also assembling the diary materials, including his entries on loose leafs of paper, the back of post cards that he had sent his loved ones, and in the margins of photographs and other forms of memorabilia that he brought from France.  The book appears in 1933, as a handsome 298-page, cloth-bound book, and an imprint of the well-known publisher from San Antonio, Artes Gráficas.  Written in “formal” and “colloquial” Spanish, the book was intended to be a historical record of history and a call for political action for the Spanish-speaking.  Sáenz, however, was equally proficient in English and tried to publish a translation but was unable to convince English-language publishers to give the book a chance.    

  I came to the book years ago, after an undergraduate class on Mexican American history during which I had spoken about the emergence of an ethnic form of politics that historians usually associate with LULAC and an upwardly mobile group of Mexican workers, businessmen, and professionals.  After the class, a young woman thanked me for noting the role that Sáenz, her grand-uncle, had played in the history of LULAC and the civil rights cause that the organization headed.  Somehow we came to the subject of the diary, at which point she announced that her family had a copy.  Since I had not yet read it—few copies had been printed (perhaps as little as 1,000) and university libraries had mostly failed to secure their own copies—she graciously shared the book with me.  I copied the book and over the years used it in my Mexican American and Texas history classes.  

I had not planned to translate the book until some years had passed and I saw that no one had taken on the task.  I decided to assume the responsibility primarily because I believe that Sáenz had important things to say.  This made translating the diary a serious undertaking.   The length of the diary posed a serious challenge; more demanding, however, was doing justice to Sáenz’s work.  I have felt especially responsible in translating the affective side of his wartime trauma into the rational meaning that he gives battlefield sacrifice for the cause for equal rights at home.

I hope that readers can appreciate that his political arguments were grounded on his own sacrifice of palpable feelings of pain, fear, and despair.  Above all, I have tried to convey his values, ideas, feelings, and spiritual awareness—his sense of self—in the best way that I know how.  I sincerely hope that my preface, translations, and editing conveys the deep respect and admiration that I have for Sáenz as one of the most important figures of the twentieth century in Mexican American, Texas, and intellectual history.

Source: El Rrunn Rrunn, October 28, 2011  
http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2011/10/luz-saenz-wrote-
only-diary-of-mexican.html

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“I am home, safe and sound, and reviewing all these memories as if in a dream. All of this pleases me. I have been faithful to my duty.” Thus José de la Luz Sáenz ends his account of his military service in France and Germany in 1918. Published in Spanish in 1933, his annotated book of diary entries and letters recounts not only his own war experiences but also those of his fellow Mexican Americans.

A skilled and dedicated teacher in South Texas before and after the war, Sáenz’s patriotism, his keen observation of the discrimination he and his friends faced both at home and in the field, and his unwavering dedication to the cause of equality have for years made this book a valuable resource for scholars, though only ten copies are known to exist and it has never before been available in English. Equally clear in these pages are the astute reflections and fierce pride that spurred Sáenz and others to pursue the postwar organization of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

This English edition of one of only two known war diaries of a Mexican American in the Great War is translated with an introduction and annotation by noted Mexican American historian Emilio Zamora.

EMILIO ZAMORA is a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. Recent publications include Claiming Rights and Righting Wrongs in Texas: Mexican Workers and Job Politics during World War II.

What Readers Are Saying

“With the publication of this extraordinary diary titled The World War I Diary of Jose de la luz Sáenz, Professor Emilio Zamora makes available to both scholars and the larger reading public what stands as the only memoir of a Mexican American soldier in World War I (and for that matter, probably the only account by a Tejano serviceman who fought between WWI and the Vietnam War).  The narrative, by J. Luz Sáenz, provides not only first-hand information on military training and on action in France, but offers valuable insight into the social life of early twentieth-century Mexican American communities.  From Sáenz, historians learn of struggles by common working-class people to gain a passable life as well as of Tejano leaders whose political consciousness prodded them to develop plans for civic action on behalf of la raza.  Zamora’s painstaking translation and annotation of this primary source, done with a master’s touch, is certain to stimulate new research by those with interests in military, cultural, and intellectual studies.”—Arnoldo DeLeon, professor of history

World War I - Mexican American Studies - Texas History 6 x 9, 528 pp.  14 b&w photos. line art. 2 maps. Index.  Publication Date: 02/18/2014
C. A. Brannen Series  cloth Price: $50.00  978-1-62349-113-0
paper Price: $24.95  978-1-62349-114-7

_{A Question of Characters by Jenny Price  
Jenny Price is a Senior Writer at On Wisconsin}

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_{Kids' books are missing the diversity of modern America.}  

_{The Snowy Day is a simple story about a boy named Peter who experiences the wonder of fresh snow. But when it debuted in 1962, it was a remarkable addition to children's literature, because Peter was one of the first African-American characters who wasn't a caricature to be featured in a major book.}  

_{The Snowy Day won the Caldecott Medal and is still a staple on children's bookshelves. Yet representation of children of color in literature has not improved greatly in the fifty years since the classic by Ezra Jack Keats was first published.}  

_{Each year, the UW's Cooperative Children's Book Center conducts a survey of the number of children's books by and about people of color published in the United States. Last year's findings?} 

<sub>Just ninety-three of the 3,200 kids' books the center received had significant African or African-American content and 67 were written or illustrated by African-Americans - numbers that have shown almost no improvement since the center began documenting them in 1985. The numbers are even lower for other racial and ethnic groups, including Asians, American Indians, and Latinos

The center maintains a web page devoted to multicultural literature, including lists of recommended titles by age group. It conducts the annual survey to support the message that children deserve books in which they can see themselves and the world where they live.</sub>  

_{After The Snowy Day was published, Keats recounted hearing from a teacher who told him that, for the first time, her African-American students were using brown crayons to draw pictures of themselves, rather than pink ones.}  

Hispanics American in Congress 1822-2012
Hispanics in Congress Chronicled in History Book Published by the House of Representatives
George Mason University History News Network (May 28, 2014)
House of Representatives Office of the Historian Hispanic Americans in Congress 1822-2012

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The United States celebrates its history through monuments, parks, statues and more comprehensively through books. The latest book from the House of Representatives Office of the Historian Hispanic Americans in Congress 1822-2012 profiles Hispanic members of Congress, incorporating their government service with the history of United States expansion. This book joins existing publications Women in Congress and Black Americans in Congress in honoring minorities and their role in government. This hefty coffee table book does not make for light reading with more than 700 pages weighing seven pounds, but it is rich in content with history spanning nearly 200 years and three centuries.

Since 1899 at least one Hispanic American has served in each Congress. For much of the 19th century, Hispanic Americans served as Territorial Delegates whose native lands had been acquired by war or diplomacy from Spain or Mexico as a result of U.S. continental expansion. Territorial delegates had limited power and served more as lobbyists for their interests like infrastructure projects for roads and railways than as legislators.

Following the Spanish-American War of 1898, the inclusion of Puerto Rico as a territory marked another increase in representation of Hispanic Americans in government. Since the first Territorial Delegate from Florida joined Congress in 1822, 91 Hispanic Americans have served in Congress and more than half, or 54, served after 1977.  

The publication dedicates more pages to the past giving a detailed history of United States expansion and the inclusion of Hispanic Americans in Congress as Texas, New Mexico, California, Florida, Puerto Rico and other territories gained representation in government. Each member's profile includes a picture, full-page pictures for former members, and standard biographical information with a greater focus on what they did while in Congress - the committees they served on, legislation they fought for and select anecdotes. The early history is more interesting as representatives overcame language barriers and fought for statehood for their territories. The appendices at the end of the book are a great resource organizing members by every imaginable category like the number of Hispanic Americans in Congress from each state, the committees they served on, the committees they chaired, the representatives in each Congress, and so on...

Sent by Refugio Rochin, Ph.D.  
Source: National Institute for Latino Policy  

NEW BOOK:  The Men of Company’ E

http://www.latinopov.com/blog/?p=10321
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Jimmy Franco Sr.  

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The Men of Company E: Tejano Soldiers Who Battled the Nazis was comprised of men from the El Paso area of Texas. 

‘The Men of Company’ E. is a new book which will be made available this coming July and is co-authored by Arnulfo Hernandez Jr. and Samuel Ortega. The book depicts the military and historical contribution to the World War Two effort that was made by the courageous soldiers of Company E. This all-Chicano US Army company was comprised of men from the El Paso area of Texas who were sent to Italy during the Second World War to fight against the fascist armies of Germany and Italy. The soldiers of Company E fought valiantly in battles against Nazi forces during the campaigns to liberate Italy and France and suffered horrific casualties. Despite being assigned to a segregated military company and waging a heroic and victorious struggle against German troops which involved a great loss of life, these men of Company E have still not been given the proper recognition and respect that they deserve by the US military, the media and within our history books. This lack of recognition is not only unfortunate, but also disgraceful, as it is time that the heroic war-time effort of these men to defeat the world-wide menace of fascism during the 1940′s be recognized. There are just and unjust wars and World War Two was definitely a just one. The following live interview 
with Arnulfo Hernandez Jr. by Jimmy Franco Sr. will provide

viewers with an overview of this forthcoming book and its informative and vital historical importance for us today.  

Roberto and Salomon, thank you for distributing the referenced piece.  It is very good.  I urge you to check out a live interview on  http://www.latinopov.com/ on the upcoming book on the Men of Company E, pictured in part in the article by Salomon cited below and titled, WW II Generation: 750,000 Mexican-American served.  The handsome fellow with the mop of hair is Jimmy Franco, the moderator for Latinopov; I am the other guy, the one with not much hair.

Quite timely, Sam Ortega and I will have our book on the Men of Company E out and available on  http://www.amazon.com/ on July 26, 2014.  Company E was the Army's All-Chicano Company based in El Paso in WW II.  Company E was part of the 2nd Division, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Texas Division.  The 36th was activated and federalized in WW II.  They went into action in Northern Africa, the Italian Campaign and in Southern France.  Many of the Men of Company E were sacrificed in the crossing of the Rio Rapido at Monte Cassino in Italy.  The monument in El Paso to the Men of Company E depicts the suicide mission of crossing the Rio Rapido.  Their names are inscribed for eternity on its black granite wall.  They are the "Fallen Sons of El Paso."   

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The Men of Company E has many heroes and many were highly decorated.  Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, Infantry Combat Badges and many more medal were awarded to them, as described in our book.  Our book is dedicated to t he Men of Company E, the four who are alive and the many who died, so that we could live.  They fought a racist Nazi regime at a time when the same rights they were fighting for were denied to them at home.  Patriotism became their mantra and "country first" became their guiding light.  They went to war as young boys of Company E, most not even out of high school, and few returned as battled scarred men and hardened veterans; others came home badly injured and minus body parts; sadly, many made the supreme sacrifice and paid with their life for love of their country- a love that back home was often not equally returned.  But, they no longer accepted the "Second-class status" they were subjected to before they went off to war.  They had earned the right to be treated as full Americans.  And, they fought with equal zeal for equality for them and their children and for their future generations.  We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifices.  The book honors their sacrifice.  

By reference and as an example of their second-class treatment, the Longoria Affair, written, directed and produced 
by our good friend John Valadez, brings to life the refusal of

the only funeral home in Three Rivers, Texas, to wake the body of PFC Felix Longoria, who was killed in combat fighting the Japanese in the Island of Luzon in the Philippines, because "because he was Mexican and Whites would not like it."  The incident gave rise to the exponential growth of the American GI Forum, under the leadership of WW II veteran and our revered founder, Dr. Hector P. Garcia; and, a civil rights movement exploded under the leadership of the AGIF and LULAC, which spread from Texas to the entire United States like a prairie fire.     

For these reasons, on July 25, 2014, 2-6 p.m., (the day before our book will be available to the public) a special graduation ceremony will be held at Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas, where the 4 members of Company E who are still alive will receive their high school diploma awarded to them by El Paso Independent School Superintendent Juan Cabrera.  Posthumous diplomas will also be awarded to surviving family members of fallen and departed Members of Company E.  On or part, we will present them with the first books released.  They are our heroes and our role models.  The graduation is real, with caps and gowns for our veterans and the entire regalia associated with receiving your high school diploma!  

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They, too, in the words of tom Brokaw, who wrote the book, The Greatest Generation, "came of age during the depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America-men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage gave us the world we have today."  sadly to say, Brokaw's book omits any mention of Chicano, Mexican-"Americans in the war, as if we never participated in it.  Never mind that the Mexican-American soldier was the most highly decorated identifiable ethnic group with the most Medal of Honors in WW II and Korea, as memorialized and narrated in Raul Morin's book, Among the Valiant.   We, Sam and I, are humbled by the opportunity to write their story for the first time in a book.  it becomes much more deliciously urgent to get their story out, as they are all in their late 90's!

On a very personal level, these men attended Bowie High School in El Segundo Barrio of El Paso, located in the 79901 zip code, one of the poorest areas in the entire United States, and went off to war before they graduated.  In spite of poverty and the odds against them, they became productive citizens of our country and models for us to emulate.  I am immensely proud that I graduated from the same Bowie High School years later in 1966.  They left footprints too large to fill; they interrupted their studies, so that I could continue with mine; 

they dropped out of school to fight for their country, so that I could continue with my education and become a lawyer  years later.  The debt I owe them and owe other members of Company E- and their entire generation- grows in compound increments.  This book is, for my part, a small down payment on my debt to them.  My time left on this earth is too short to hope to repay the entire principal and interest accrued and accruing on my debt; the payment won't make much of a dent, but it eases my mind, soothes my soul and lightens my heart.  I am a man at peace.  

Following El Paso, we will continue our journey in Texas to Fort Davis, San Antonio and Austin to spread the word about Company E.  We will be at the AGIF National Convention in San Antonio July 29-August 2, 2014, and will return to California in mid-August where we are planning other book signing events.  One of our living Company E members lives in Palm Springs, CA; the second lives in Rowland Heights, CA.     

Finally, we are honored and elated that our good friend and an inspiration for the book, Alfred Lugo, who is the writer and producer of the documentary, THE MEN OF COMPANY E, has agreed to accompany us on our Texas trip to film all the events for future use. 

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In his own right, Alfred has just been named Veteran of the year by LULAC of CA and also honored by LULAC of New Mexico for his pioneering work for veterans and Raza in general.  He is finally getting the recognition he so richly deserves.

As an aside, the song "Vengo a decirle adios a los muchachos" by Daniel Santos and "Soldado Raso"by Jorge Negrete capture the feelings and sentiments of the men of Company E as they embarked on their journey to fight Nazi Germany in Africa, Italy and France.  It is  this music that reveals much of their innermost thoughts and mixed emotions as they prepared to face the enemy.  

The song by Daniel Santos evokes those raw emotions of leaving a loved one and mothers behind; Jorge Negrete, on the other hand, sings of the brave, valiant warriors who willingly set off to face the enemy knowing that they might not come return - and they rejoiced in the battle to come!

These songs, along with a short power point, and the screening of Alfred Lugo's documentary, THE MEN OF COMPANY E, play a part in our presentation of the book.

In closing, I can tell you that this is only the beginning of the story of the Men of Company E.

Arnulfo Hernandez, Jr. arnulfoh@sbcglobal.net  

The Kingdom of Zapata by Virgil N. Lott and Mercurio Martinez

The Kingdom of Zapata Here is a great book for anyone interested in the County or city of Zapata. It was written by Virgil N. Lott and Mercurio Martinez as a work to compile the history of Zapata county commissioned by the County Commissioners of Zapata county back in 1951.

The reason for this is mentioned in the book as follows:

The action was decided upon due to the inevitable inundation of a part of the county from the waters of the Falcon Dam which will destroy many of the historic landmarks of the county, including the county seat, Zapata, and other villages, many of which were founded in the early eighteenth century by colonists and their children, who were settled on this frontier by Escandon, the great colonizer of all time. The first colony on the north banks of the Rio Grande was at Dolores, Zapata County, Texas, in 1751, and from this establishment many of the present population of Starr, Zapata and Webb counties originated.

Sent by Ernesto Uribe  
Source: http://www.wearecousins.info/2014/05/the-kingdom-of-zapata/

Latina/os and World War II: Mobility, Agency, and Ideology  
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez and B.V. Olguín, editors

Austin: University of Texas Press, April 2014 
http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/rivlat 

This eye-opening anthology documents, for the first time, the effects of World War II 
on Latina/o personal and political beliefs across a broad spectrum of ethnicities and races within the Latina/o identity.  

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Description  

The first book-length study of Latina/o experiences in World War II over a wide spectrum of identities and ancestries—from Cuban American, Spanish American, and Mexican American segments to the under-studied Afro-Latino experience—Latina/os and World War II probes the controversial aspects of Latina/o soldiering and citizenship in the war, the repercussions of which defined the West during the twentieth century. The editors also offer a revised, more accurate tabulation of the number of Latina/os who served in the war.  

Spanning imaginative productions, such as vaudeville and the masculinity of the soldado razo theatrical performances; military segregation and the postwar lives of veterans; Tejanas on the homefront; journalism and youth activism; and other underreported aspects of the wartime experience, the essays collected in this volume showcase rarely seen recollections. Whether living in Florida in a transformed community or deployed far from home (including Mexican Americans who were forced to endure the Bataan Death March), the men and women depicted in this collection yield a multidisciplinary, metacritical inquiry. The result is a study that challenges celebratory accounts and deepens the level of scholarly inquiry into the realm of ideological mobility for a unique cultural crossroads. Taking this complex history beyond the realm of war narratives, Latina/os and World War II situates these chapters within the broader themes of identity and social change that continue to reverberate in postcolonial lives.  

April 2014 $55.00 ($36.85 if purchased online at UT Press website)  

Introduction: Mapping Latina/o Mobility, Agency, and Ideology in the World War II  

In the academy it is often said that all research is a reflection of the scholar’s own values, concerns, and obsessions. This certainly is true for this anthology, as most of the writers have a personal link to the topic: they are the sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, or grandchildren of Latina/o World War II–era military veterans and defense department workers. Yet beyond this shared legacy, the origination and inspiration for the essays in this book are as varied as the individual writers, whose case studies come from the family stories passed on through generations, boxes of family photos, and archived newspapers, as well as ongoing research projects for graduate school and monographs.  

One of those starting points was the 2002 weeklong workshop in Austin, Texas, where the U.S. Latina & Latino World War II Oral History Project at the University of Texas at Austin brought together scholars from across the country. The goal of the workshop was to provide a foundation for research into Latina/os and World War II, as well as to stimulate scholarly use of the primary source materials that have been gathered by the oral history project since its foundation in 1999. A palpable excitement pervaded the fifth floor conference room on the University of Texas at Austin campus where we met daily for a week. The presenters, all experts on World War II–related matters, recognized the tremendous potential of investigating the Latina/o experience during World War II. They also knew that the interviews being recorded by the U.S. Latina & Latino World War II Oral History Project would provide the primary source material for future research projects. 

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Presenters were assigned topics such as California and World War II or Latinas in World War II. Some of the presenters—Richard Griswold del Castillo, Dionicio Valdés, Joanne Rao Sánchez, Emilio Zamora, Silvia Álvarez Curbelo, Rea Ann Trotter, and Ricardo Ainslie—had written chapters for a previous book, Beyond the Latino World War II Hero: The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation. Others—Naomi Quiñonez and Erasmo Gamboa—had contributed to the project’s first book, Mexican Americans and World War II, which got its start from the inaugural two-day conference in Austin in 2000. Two of this anthology’s writers, both senior scholars, Félix Gutiérrez and Gary Mormino, also took part in that workshop. The complicated process of meditation and dialogue among intersecting networks of interlocutors illustrates the long-term conceptualization and planning required to bring to fruition a project such as this one. We thank all of those 2002 workshop presenters for their help in shaping this book.  

Latina/os, World War II, and Beyond: The Past, Present, and Future of the Voces Oral History Project  

This book marks another accomplishment: the evolution of the oral history work that is based on U.S. Latinas and Latinos. When the project was inaugurated in 1999, it focused exclusively on the World War II period, and we immediately were asked when we would include the Vietnam War. From the start, we conducted several Korean War–era interviews; there was a remarkable overlap between World War II and the Korean War since many interview subjects were veterans of both wars. The Vietnam War would require a major refocus that required resources beyond our means at that time. But in 2009 a major grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services allowed us to expand the scope. As we finish this book, we are thinking ahead to similar research into Latina/os in the Korean and Vietnam War eras. 

With our expanded scope, the project has changed its name to the Voces Oral History Project (vocesoralhistoryproject.org). For consistency, in this book, all interviews from our collection, including those before the name change, are listed under the project’s new name.  

Since its start in 1999 the project’s mission has been to create greater awareness of Latina/o participation during wartime, in the military as well as on the homefront. In addition to the nearly one thousand interviews it has recorded across the country (and which are housed at the University of Texas’s renowned Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection), it has digitized over six thousand photographs at high resolution, dating from the early 1900s to the present. But it is not enough to collect the archival material. In order to promote the archive’s use, the Voces Oral History Project has held symposia and conferences for both academic audiences and the general public, including one in Washington, DC, in 2004, and another in Tempe, Arizona, in 2006. It also has mounted photo exhibits; created educational materials; helped produce an original two-act play, Voices of Valor, written by Phoenix-based playwright James E. Garcia; and sponsored a video editing contest using World War II–era interviews with Latina/os as the basis. Its representatives have served on academic panels, have made speeches, and have engaged in numerous other related activities. This initiative has been the subject of stories that have appeared in local, national, and international newspapers, magazines, radio, and television newscasts, in addition to the web. It has become a resource that book publishers, journalists, and documentarians seek out for material to support their own work. In addition, when various entities are looking for World War II-, Korean-, or Vietnam-era participants for panel discussions, commemorations, or observances, we are often consulted. We are very happy to oblige.  

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In 2007 we were thrust into the spotlight. In late 2006 we learned that in nine months PBS documentarian Ken Burns was scheduled to present a fourteen-and-a-half-hour documentary on World War II that included no Latina/os. We responded by sending dozens of emails to supporters across the country, beseeching them to help address what to us was a deplorable example of the deliberate effacement of Latina/os in the epochal moments of this nation’s history. That effort became a national, grassroots campaign, Defend the Honor (see DefendtheHonor.org), that sent out weekly updates and staged pickets in various cities, as well as a teach-in in Austin. Burns eventually recorded additional interviews with two Latino World War II veterans and one Native American veteran and inserted them at the end of three of the seven parts of his series. But that addition is not included in the boxed set available for sale, nor was the additional footage shown in all markets. And in the accompanying coffee table book, there are no Latina/o voices. Burns’s and PBS’s omission resonated with Latina/os for a simple reason: we all had parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and spouses who served in World War II, with little public recognition. Many never returned from battle. It was a sore spot for us that we had repeatedly been left out, and this time with public funds-.our taxpayer dollars—so we demanded our due recognition.  

But the Burns issue was larger than World War II or Burns, PBS, or television. It was emblematic of the continuing omission of Latina/os in the U.S.’s broader historical narrative. This is the reason that our oral history project came into being and continues to expand. This is not to say that we will be afraid to address some of the contradictions, problems, and tensions among the Latina/o population. Our aim is to present an honest and full understanding of our complex role in U.S. history.  

Recovering the Multiethnic and Multiracial Latina/o Experiences during World War II  

This anthology addresses several topics that either have not been addressed or have not been addressed in depth in extant scholarship on Latina/os and World War II. They all, in one way or another, examine how the war affected Latina and Latino geographic and social mobility and agency or the ability to make changes in their own lives. We also address the broader issue of ideology, that is, the range of personal and political beliefs that are found among U.S. Latinas and Latinos. Indeed, the book’s contributors illustrate a healthy diversity of opinions, methods, disciplines, and analyses that will add to the ongoing debates about Latina/os and World War II. The book pays particular attention to Latina/os of different ethnicities and different races. Demographer Karl Eschbach and coeditor and journalist Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez have teamed up to explore the complexities of trying to determine the extent of U.S. Latina/o participation in World War II. In addition to recovering the most accurate estimate of Latino participation in World War II to date, Eschbach provides an innovative and groundbreaking methodology for extrapolating the numbers of Latina/os who served in the U.S. military during the war. His overview of the demographic profile of Latina/os in the war also extends to the present and provides new strategies for uncovering the effacement of Latina/os by institutions of power, specifically, various government agencies. Eschbach relied on census figures, weighing them to provide a measure of Latina military participation. Rivas-Rodriguez offers the human side of the equation, as discharged servicemen were labeled “White” in some cases, “N/A” in others, and “Mexican” in still others. As one West Texas World War II veteran put it, “When the war started I became a white man.”4

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For him, segregation targeting Mexican Americans took a backseat to the U.S. need for front-line soldiers. Rivas-Rodriguez recovers important testimonial evidence in the Voces archive that dramatically illustrates the inconsistent, contradictory, and often baffling use of racial classifications for Mexican American soldiers.  

Historian Gary Mormino introduces the book with a discussion of Ybor City’s self-identified “Latin” communities, which included Spaniards, Cubans, and Italians. Mormino, who has conducted and published foundational research on Ybor City, examines the support system and interactions between the three ethnic and racial groups, and he also writes about various generations of Spanish Americans who are integral to this unique community even though they are often excluded from Latina/o research.  

The history of Spanish and U.S. colonization figures prominently in other chapters, particularly that of Jordan Beltrán Gonzalez, who writes about the Filipino and Mexican American experiences in the Bataan Death March. Ironically, even in the Philippines, New Mexicans, who claim “Hispano” heritage, are mistaken for Mexicans—a confusion that continues to this day. 

The intersecting Spanish and U.S. colonial legacies in the Philippines and Caribbean cast a long shadow that informs additional research by other scholars. Journalism professor Félix Gutiérrez examines the World War II era, Los Angeles-based Mexican American newspaper and magazine, the Mexican Voice. He notes that readers were exhorted to claim their “Mexicanness” rather than try to pass as “Spanish” or Latin. The deliberate-.and given the context of segregation, defiant—use of the word Mexican signifies a larger transformation of the men and women journalists who contributed to this youth publication. It reflected their refusal to efface their ethnic and racial identity even as they insisted on their claim to civil rights. This small yet profound media intervention presages the more comprehensive interventions that ensued after the war.

The issue of Latina/o ethnic and racial difference, and identity in general, is woven throughout the Voces Oral History Project archive, and this anthology includes several intersecting chapters on the compelling story of Cuban American Evelio Grillo, a World War II veteran whose African roots led to his identification with, and embrace by, African American soldiers. He is renowned for requesting a transfer out of a white army unit in favor of a black one, which scholars Frank 

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Guridy, Gary Mormino, and Luís Alvarez explore further in their respective chapters. Guridy analyzes the complex ethnic, racial, and ideological negotiations of Afro-Latino World War II soldiers, some of whom embraced the mobility that military service enabled and another who likened service in the segregated U.S. Army of World War II to slavery.  

Significantly, historian Luís Alvarez observes how many Latina/o World War II veterans engaged in a multiplicity of identifications in the United States and abroad, including Americans of different races and ethnicities, Muslim Moroccans, as well as various European and Asian nationalities. These negotiations, which were occasioned by their military service, anticipated what later generations of scholars have identified as transnational subjectivity. Alvarez’s research underscores that the Voces Oral History Project archive provides evidence that these transnational models of Latinidad were already well under way before subsequent generations embraced and began theorizing transnationalism as an operative term in Chicana/o, Latina/o, and general American Studies. B. V. Olguín uses the Voces archive and other materials to complicate the ideological dimensions of Latino World War II transnationalism in his case studies of Latino-Japanese and Latino-white cross-cultural exchanges. The Voces Oral History Project archive, that is, reveals its potential to transform the field of Latina/o Studies.  

Gerald Poyo extends the transnational dimensions of Latina/o mobility during the World War II era with an intimate family portrait of his father’s and uncle’s migration from Cuba to the United States and throughout Latin America before, during, and after the war. His account adds new insights into the social and economic spheres of Latina/o immigrants in this era outside of the usual focus on Mexican braceros or economic refugees from various Latin American and Caribbean countries. He thereby inaugurates a new avenue for mapping the class mobility of Latina/os in this era.  

Painful Reflections: Dis-Covering Old Wounds and Introducing New Critiques of Latina/os in World War II  

Having collected a large archive of interviews with Latina/o military veterans and civilians from World War II and most recently from the Korean and Vietnam War eras, the present challenge of the Voces Oral History Project is to continue collecting key interviews about unique experiences but also to continue theorizing this growing archive. This is both an exciting and a sobering venture. While new and productive discoveries have been made regarding Afro-Latina/o heritage, complex shifting transracial alliances, and even more convoluted transnational and supranational identities, other issues have emerged that require scholarly maturity, honesty, and bravery.  

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Much of the work related to the Voces Oral History Project has dutifully, and masterfully, recovered, honored, and contextualized World War II era Latina/o agency, and this anthology continues to participate in this important intervention. The jointly authored study by Angélica Aguilar Rodríguez, Julian Vasquez, and Allison Prochnow, for instance, features three new discoveries of Latina/o World War II soldier.scholars, with particular attention to the role of the GI Bill in promoting educational attainment for Latino veterans and their families.  

Marianne Bueno brings new insights in her historiography of Carlos Castañeda’s complex negotiations of ideology and institutional politics in his role as head of the Fair Employment Practice Committee during World War II. Her study involves the use of new archival materials, in addition to contrapuntal arguments that help us complicate reductive a  

Historia-l mailing list  
Historia-l@mail.cas.unt.edu  
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Origins in Salamanca

The “Diccionario heráldico y genealógico de apellidos españoles y Americanos” states that one of the first notable members of this surname was Hugo Lozano, a native of Segovia, who was the secretary of King Ferdinand III (the Saint) who ruled from 1217 to 1230. However, over the centuries, various houses of the surname Lozano have also arisen in Aragon, Navarra, Asturias, La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalusia. The Lozanos in Aragon took part in the conquest of the Region of Murcia (in southeastern Spain) and the settlement of the town of Jumilla within Murcia.  

One Gil Lozano, the son of Miguel Lozano, lived in the Villa de Biel in the judicial district of Sos (Zaragoza) in the early Sixteenth Century.  He was the founder of one branch of Lozano’s living in Biel and later in the Villa de Luna in the judicial district of Egea de los Caballeros (Zaragoza).  

Another branch of the Lozano’s started out in San Juan de Berrio in the judicial district of Infiesto (Asturias) in the person of Alvaro (or Alonso) Lozano, a native of that town, who married Gracia Rodríguez.  Some descendants of this family moved to and lived in Granada, Sevilla and Cadiz during the next three centuries. In Vizcaya, a branch of the Lozano family originated in the Villa de Bilbao.  

Pasajeros

During the Sixteenth Century, a significant number of Lozano’s left Spain for Nueva España (Mexico). Three of these immigrants – listed in Pasajeros a Indias -- were:  

• Antón Lozano and María de Aguilar, his wife, residents of Los Angeles in Nueva España embarked from Spain to Mexico in a return trip to their residence in 1557
• Catalina Lozano, daughter of Juan Gilado and María Lozano, a resident and native of Sevilla, also embarked for Nueva España in 1557
• Pedro Lozano, a native of Archilla in Spain, the son of Juan Lozano and Teresa Fernández, embarked for Nueva España as the servant of Luis Méndez de Sotomayor (cleric) on January 11, 1593

Mexico City: Asunción Parish

The surname Lozano made an early appearance in Asunción Cathedral in Mexico City during the Sixteenth Century. On June 19, 1582, a Francisco Losano was married to Ana Rodriguez in the Church. And, a year later, on Sept. 27, 1583, another Francisco Losano was married to one Francisca Osorio.

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A few years later, on January 21, 1585, Alonso Losano, the son of Xpoval (Cristoval) Losano and Maria Perez, all residents of Mexico City, was married to Barbara de Quiros (Family History Library Film 35267). A copy of that record is shown below:

Although some of the Mexico City Lozano’s eventually moved on to other parts of the country, the surname is still fairly common in Mexico City and the Federal District today.

Lozanos in Aguascalientes

Although it has not been absolutely verified at this time, Juan Lozano, a native of Lobón, Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain, and Ines Martinez are believed to be the ancestors of the Lozano family that settled in Aguascalientes in the early years of the Seventeenth Century. The name of Cristobal Lozano appears in the earliest parish registers of that city. On November 29, 1609, two Indian laborers employed by Cristobal Lozano were married in the Church of Aguascalientes.  In 1614, he is first mentioned as a padrino at the wedding of a couple.  

Then, on April 1, 1619, Juana Lozano, the daughter of Cristobal Lozano and María de Isla, was married to Hernando de Velasco, a resident of Zamora (the son of Diego Arias Puebla y Maria de Velasco, natives of Valladolid). At the same time, Juana’s parents were still in the process of building their own family in the Hacienda de Xiconaque. Several of Cristóval Lozano and María de Isla’s children were baptized in the early years of the Villa, including Leonor (May 22, 1617) and Magdalena (September 7, 1619).  

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Although Lozano has been a very common surname in parts of Aguascalientes, it was equally prevalent south of Aguascalientes in Nochistlán (Zacatecas) and Jalostotitlán (Jalisco).
 

Jalostotitlán (Jalisco) Lozanos

The Lozanos also made an early appearance in Jalostotitlán, which is about 49 miles (78 kilometers) almost directly south of Aguascalientes. Their first recorded marriage in that parish took place on October 17, 1707 when Benito Lozano, the son of Fulgencio Lozano and Juana Casillas, married Rosa Francesca (whose parents’ names were not given – “hija de padres no conocidos”).  

At this early stage, many Lozanos lived in the town because more than half a dozen served as padrinos at the marriages of other people in the first few years. The second Lozano to get married in Jalos was Jacinto Lozano (a widower) who, on Oct. 24, 1712, was married to Lugarda Enriquez del Castillo.  

The five or six Lozanos living in Jalos at this time were prolific families and, as a result, the surname flourished over the next few decades and today, anyone who has ancestors from Jalostotitlán more than likely has Lozano ancestors.

Lozanos of Zacatecas

Finding the Spanish origins of Mexican families can be difficult when you consider that the Atlantic journey for many families took place several centuries ago. A Zacatecas will dated September 9, 1674 described the testament of one Pedro Lozano. Among other things, the will said that Pedro Lozano was the son of Francisco Lozano and Teresa de Alcolea (both deceased) who were residents of “Lugar de Campisarcalos, jurisdiccion de la villa de Miedes, Obispado de Siguenza” (in Zaragoza). Pedro’s own wife was Antonia de Urquicu and his children were listed: Pedro, Francisco, Ignacia, Joseph (a priest) and Teresa. Their descendants appear to be inhabitants of Monterrey (Nuevo Leon).  

José Luis Vasquez y Rodríguez de Frías, in masterpiece “Genealogía de Nochistlán Antiguo Reino de la Nueva Galicia en el Siglo XVII Según sus Archivos Parroquiales,” discusses several dozen of the earliest families in that area. Among the early lineages discussed by José were:

• Juan Lozano y Josepha Vázquez de Sandobal
• Capitán Juan Lozano y Inés Martínez

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Lozanos of Monterrey

The Monterrey Cathedral marriage records start in 1667 and are available on Family History Library Film 605179. One of the earliest marriages in this book is the October 2, 1669 marriage of Pedro Lozano and Mariana de la Garza, which we have reproduced below:

Capitan Pedro Lozano and his wife had eight children between the years of 1670 and 1687 and many of these descendants continued to live in Nuevo Leon for many generations. Capitan Pedro Lozano died on April 20, 1708 and was buried on the same date in the chapel of San Francisco Javier in Monterrey. His wife died nine years later, also in Monterrey. Their descendants are shown at the following link:  

http://www.somosprimos.com/inclan/pedrolozano.htm

According to Kimberly Powell, “Meanings of Hispanic Surnames,” Lozano is the 51^st most common surname in Spain, with an estimated 39,000 people bearing the surname. The surname is also believed to be fairly prevalent in many regions of Mexico today.

Copyright © 2014 by John P. Schmal. All Rights Reserved.  

Sources:  

Archivo General de Indias. “Pasajeros a Indias: Libros de Asientos” (Sevilla, 1978).  

De Atienza, Julio. “Nobiliario Español: Diccionario Heraldico de Apellidos Españoles y de Titulos Nobiliarios” (Madrid, 1959).  

García y Carraffa, Alberto and Arturo. “Diccionario Heráldico y Genealógico de Apellidos Españoles y Americanos” (1920-1963), 86 volumes.  

Hanks, Patrick and Hodges, Flavia, “A Dictionary of Surnames” (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988).  

Iglesia Catolica, Catedral (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon). “Registro Parroquiales, 1667-1968.” FHL Microfilm #605179.  

Inclan, John D. “The Descendents of Captain Pedro Lozano Rodriguez  And Dona Marianna de la Garza y Rocha” Online: <http://www.somosprimos.com/inclan/pedrolozano.htm>.  

Méndez de Torres y Camino, Daniel Alejandro. “Archivos Parroquiales de Aguascalientes: Siglo XVII” (San Jose, California: 2011).  

 “Notarias of Felipe de Espinoza, Caja 02, Experiente de 1674.” From: “Gonzalez Direct Lines - Person Sheet.” Available at: <http://www.currays.net/Gonzalez%20Web%20Project/ps05/ps05_080.htm>.  

Powell, Kimberly. “Spanish Surnames & Origins: Meanings of Common Hispanic Last Names.” Online: <http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/a/spanish_names-2.htm>.  

Vasquez y Rodríguez de Frías, José Luis, “Genealogía de Nochistlán Antiguo Reino de la Nueva Galicia en el Siglo XVII Según sus Archivos Parroquiales” (2001).  

Woods, Richard D. and Alvarez-Altman, Grace. “Spanish Surnames in the Southwestern United States: A Dictionary” (G. K. Hall, Boston, 1978).  

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John Schmal is an outstanding researcher, historian, author.
John is a SHHAR Board and a very active presenter.   
Somos Primos is honored to have a very large collection of 
John's research on Mexican and Indigenous research. http://www.somosprimos.com/schmal/schmal.htm 
All the information is freely accessible.  

The Indigenous Languages of Mexico: A Present-Day Overview
Mexico's 1921 Census: A Unique Perspective
Mexico's 2010 Census: A Unique Perspective
Indigenous Mexico Statistics: The 2005 Conteo
Extranjeros in Mexico (1895-2000)
Mexico and Its Religions

INDIGENOUS ROOTS IN MEXICO
Indigenous Roots in Mexico
Tracing Your Indigenous Roots in Sonora

ZACATECAS HISTORY AND RESEARCH
Mexican Americans Finding Their Roots
The History of Zacatecas
The Indigenous People of Zacatecas
The Mexicanization of the Zacatecas Indians
Genealogical Research in Zacatecas
Indigenous Roots: Zacatecas, Guanajuato and Jalisco (the Chichimeca Story)
The Caxanes of Nochistlán: Defenders of their Homeland

JALISCO HISTORY AND RESEARCH
Mexico: The Best Records in the World
Los Tapatiós de California: Returning to Their Jalisco Roots
The History of Jalisco
Indigenous Jalisco: Living in a New Era

AGUASCALIENTES

THE AZTEC EMPIRE
The Mexica: From Obscurity to Dominance
The History of the Tlaxcalans
The Defeat of the Aztecs


SOUTHERN MEXICO
Campeche: On the Edge of the Mayan World
Oaxaca: A Land of Diversity
Indigenous Yucatán
The Mixtecs and Zapotecs: Two Enduring Cultures of Oaxaca
Chiapas - Forever Indigenous

NORTHWEST MEXICO
Indigenous Baja: Living on the Edge of Existence
The Yaqui Indians: Four centuries of resistance
NW Mexico: Four centuries of resistance
An Entire Frontier in Flames

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_{Grijalva: A family tree that has deep roots in Orange County
By Rebecca Kheel/staff writer,  published: June 9, 2014}  

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_{Grijalva familiy members, from left, Bobbie Grijalva-Wagen, Mary Grijalva, Vanessa Borquez and Edie Grijalva-Borquez, stand at the park.
Ana Venegas, staff photographer}

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Grijalva descendants are planning to converge on the park dedicated to their ancestor are calling for the “Great Grijalva Gathering” to celebrate their heritage, meet distant relatives for the first time and eat some tacos.

I’ve wanted to do this since we’ve had the park named after our ancestor,” said Eddie Grijalva, 81, of Vallejo. “I always dreamed about having a picnic with a bunch of Grijalvas there. I’m really excited about it.”

History dates to the 16^th century but the start of the story in California is when Juan Pablo Grijalva came with the Spanish army for the Anza expedition. He was stationed in San Francisco for 10 years and San Diego for 11 years before retiring in 1796. Upon his retirement, he petitioned for 130,000 acres from the Spanish government in what is now the Camp Pendleton area. The petition failed, but he later succeeded in his petition for 60,000 acres that encompassed what’s now Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin, Villa Park, Costa Mesa and parts of Anaheim Hills and Newport Beach. He called it Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. His adobe was the first private dwelling in Orange County outside of Mission San Juan Capistrano.  

            Edward T. Grijalva, aka Eddie Grijalva was a leader 
                   behind this historic preservation effort 

_{Grijalva Park opened in 2003, and a sports center opened there in 2011. The 26.5-acre park at 368 N. Prospect St. also features two picnic pavilions, two basketball courts, three multipurpose fields and two tot lots.}

_{Juan Pablo Grijalva
Born: 1741  Died: 1806
Highest rank in Spanish army: Lieutenant
Wife: Maria Dolores Valencia
Daughters: Maria Josefa Grijalva, Maria del Carmen Grijalva}  

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_{A plaque at the front of Grijalva Park at North Prospect and East Spring streets explains the history of the park’s namesake. In four paragraphs, it sums up Juan Pablo Grijalva’s life: came to California with the Spanish army in 1776, petitioned for 60,000 acres of land in 1801, built an adobe in what is now El Modena and died in 1806.}  

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When Juan Pablo Grijalva died in 1806, his son-in-law, Antonio Yorba, and grandson, Juan Pablo Peralta, took over the ranch.  

For a long time, Juan Pablo Grijalva’s story had been lost in Orange County history in favor of the Yorbas and Peraltas. But Eddie Grijalva, who used to live in Orange, worked for years to make sure his forefather was remembered.  

Any vacation time from his work as a school custodian was spent tracking down proof of his ancestor’s place in history. The journey took Eddie Grijalva from UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library to Arizona. A highlight, Eddie Grijalva said, was being able to touch a map at the library that Juan Pablo Grijalva drew by hand.  

With the history enshrined at Grijalva Park, Eddie Grijalva’s work has turned to connecting distant relatives. That’s the idea behind June 21’s “Great Grijalva Gathering,” an idea he posed to the 539-member “Grijalva Clan” Facebook group last year.
To contact Eddie: edwardgrijalva6020@comcast.net 

“The idea was to get together and get to know each other more,” Eddie Grijalva said. He said he hopes between 125 to 150 people come. His daughter, Edie Grijalva, is expecting it to be closer to 35 to 40 people

Edie Grijalva, 55, of Whittier, said she’s looking forward to meeting distant relatives. She’s talked on the phone with a few of them, but this will be the first time meeting them in person, she said.  

She’s thankful, she said, for the work her father has done bringing the family together. “Who doesn’t want to know their heritage,” Edie Grijalva said. “Because of him, I know so much more, and I’m proud of who I am and where I came from.”  

Mary Grijalva, 68, of Orange, married into the Grijalva family. But she’s as proud of the heritage as if she were born into it, she said. She’ll asks people if they’ve been to “her” park yet. “We have reserved parking right in front,” she joked.  

Mary Grijalva’s husband will be providing the tacos for the gathering. She’s excited to find out about the connections between various Grijalvas. “If it’s five or 100 people that come, it doesn’t matter,” Mary Grijalva said. “Somewhere along the line, we could be really related. I’m looking forward to meeting the people, getting a little bit of information about their history and seeing really how we are connected.”

Contact the writer: 714-704-3771 or rkheel@ocregister.com  

Journey Stories at the Heritage Museum of Orange County

October 5 - November 15 and will be open daily 9am - 5pm.  

Part of Museum on Main Street, 
Collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution & Exhibit Envoy and communities across the nation.  
Heritage Museum of Orange County | 3101 West Harvard Street | Santa Ana | CA | 92704

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In honor of Journey Stories coming to Heritage Museum of Orange County, we want to hear your stories!  Each month, we will be asking you a different question about various modes of travel & history, and one winner each month will be selected to win 2 complimentary tickets to join us for an exclusive event on Friday, October 10th!

Participants of all ages are welcome to to submit their stories!  Teachers are encouraged to assist students in sending in their stories as well.  Please include the student's name, grade, & school in the story.  Winners selected from our students submissions will receive complementary admission for 2 adults & 2 children to our "Road to Southern California" event on Saturday, October 11th!  Join us for a day of fun & hands-on learning as you ride in a horse-drawn trolley and see a working steam fire engine!     

June's Question of the Month

Summer is here & there is so much to do around Southern California!  What is your favorite mode of transportation around town?  Do you like to walk, ride bicycles, cruise around town in a car?  Tell us how & why you like to move around on a sunny day in Southern California!

How do I enter the contest and tell my story?  
Simply submit your stories related to the question each month by e-mail to Stories@HeritageMuseumOC.org and include "Journey Stories Contest" in the Subject line OR on Facebook by using #HMOCJourneyStories when you see our Journey Stories posts!  Feel free to leave your comments after each post!