SOMOS PRIMOS: Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues

U.S. Soldier is Laid to Rest in His Native Mexico
Three Brothers also in Army at graveside
By John Sevigny, Associated Press, March 16, 2003
Sent by John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com

http://ads.specificpop.com/code?pid=280&gid=17&rid=238897317&dom=16&dow=0&hod=20

SABINAS HIDALGO, Mexico – A U.S. soldier killed in Kuwait was buried last week in his native Mexico, a country still struggling to decide whether it will support a war with Iraq. Spc. Rodrigo González, 26, had been sent to the Persian Gulf to prepare for a possible war. His Feb. 25 death in a helicopter crash during training was featured prominently in Mexican media.
        Born in this town 85 miles south of the Texas border, González moved to San Antonio with his family as a toddler. On Tuesday, his coffin, draped in a Mexican flag, was taken to a Roman Catholic church in Sabinas Hidalgo, where his family celebrated Mass. "This is where he came from, and this is where my parents decided he should return," said his brother Ramiro González, a 29-year-old U.S. Army recruiter in Laredo, Texas.
        After the service, residents gathered to watch as a black hearse carried the body to a desert graveyard. All three of González's brothers are in the U.S. Army. As well as Ramiro, he had a twin, Ricardo González, who is an Army combat medic stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y. His younger brother, 19-year-old Rolando González, is stationed at West Point as an operating room technician. All attended the Mass.
        Even though he lived in San Antonio, González spent his summers in Sabinas Hidalgo. Neighbors said they watched him grow up playing football with his brothers in front of their family's home. Speaking to the 500 people gathered at his brother's grave, Ramiro González said Rodrigo would be remembered. "We ask that you never forget him, that you have his memory in your heart," he said.
        As the coffin was lowered into the ground, red, white and green balloons – the colors of Mexico's flag – were released into air. The Mexico City newspaper Reforma said only the playing of the Mexican national anthem drowned out the cries of the crash victim's mother, Orelia Garza. The paper said a U.S. general, Alfredo Valenzuela, spoke at the service.
        Mayor Fernando González said he would propose naming Rodrigo González as a distinguished citizen of Sabinas Hidalgo. He also said a street might be named after him.

Request for a Moment of Remembrance and Prayer

Dear Colleagues:

I would like to request that during the next 24 hours we find a moment as we sit at our desks to remember our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, nephews, cousins, and other loved ones who fought in our country's wars and many who made the extreme sacrifice. The names of many of our brothers and sisters, and other relatives like Lopez, Garcia, Hernandez, Martinez, Gonzales, Medina, Hinojosa, De Leon and others, inscribed on the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) manifests the contributions that Hispanics have made to protect this Country's
Democracy, Freedom and the American way of life.

As we contemplate the sacrifices of these brave heroes, lets also take a moment to pray for those Hispanic young men and women now getting ready to follow on our hero's footsteps at any moment. Unfortunately, the supreme sacrifice will again be disproportioned to our representation in the population. As our numbers in the population have grown, so has our representation in the U. S. military. It is documented that our representation in the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force grew from 4.7 % in 1990 to 9 % in 2000. Some National Guard and Reserve units in Fort Bliss, Texas are as much as 80% Hispanic. Many of these units have already been shipped out for the Middle East.

The sad thing about this phenomena is that the choice to join the military is often about economics or citizenship status. Olivia Marcus, 20, and Francisco Soliz, 24, wanted to work for the FBI or Border Patrol but they would not hire them, so rather than working at the Burger King, they and many of their cousins joined the Army. Other Hispanics who are waiting citizenship join the military to have the Immigration Service waive the waiting periods and residence requirements and therefore, gain approval of their citizen applications when they return, if they return.

Finally, let us each think what more we can do to help these brave young men and women find jobs in our own places of employment so that our representation at our Agency can equal that as in the Military. At the same time let us pray for all our servicemen and women during these trying times.

Thank you,
Lupe Saldana, Chair EPA/HAC
Sent by Vivian Drake vivian.drake@mail.va.gov

Mexico, U.S. cross line on border security
Complete text by Tim Weiner, The New York Times via OC Register, 3-23-03

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: The United States and Mexico, after battling over their common border for so many years are now coordinating military missions to protect it from attack. Mexico is sending thousands of soldiers to patrol the border and secure it against terrorist threats - an unprecedented move. The Mexicans have never used their army to help defend their neighbor.
        "It's a new mission: Mexico looking out for the United States." Sgt. Benito Hernandez, a Mexican soldier on sentry duty her in Juarez, where thousands of travelers and truckers cross the border in both directions every day. Mexico is sending 18,000 soldiers to secure airports, seaports, border posts and bridges with direct links to the United states. At least half will be based within a few miles of the border, many serving as sentries in the dessert. Others will serve in the interior, guarding tourist resorts and oil refineries, the two great sources of foreign revenue for Mexico.
        The United States, for tis part, has Special Forces, Army Rangers and Marines to monitor thousands of square miles at the Mexican border with night patrols, electronic sensors, pilot less drone aircraft first used f18 months ago in Afghanistan and helicopters with infrared scopes. They are training their sights away from smugglers of drugs and migrants towards the terrorist threat, erasing the "thin line between counter-drug and counter-terror missions" to quote Gen. John Yingling, one of their commanders. The U.S.., military is moving closer to using its soldiers as law enforcers, as Mexico has done for years.
        Soldiers attached to Yingling's Joint Task Force Six, based just north of Juarez at Fort Bliss, Texas, have order to support U.S. drug enforcement. They "could also be effectively employed in the combating-terrorism effort," said their spokesman, Armando Carrasco. "Terrorism and drug trafficking are intertwined and use many of the same operational methods." They are under the new Northern Command headquarters in Colorado, which has been given responsibility for overseeing tee United States, Mexico and Canada. The Northern Command includes officers of the CIA and the FBI which in turn are sharing border-security information with their Mexican counterparts. The Federal Protective Police, Mexico's equivalent of the FBI, is heavily involved in the new security mobilization, as is Cisen, Mexico's equivalent of the CIA.
        These linkages and the coast-to-coast mobilization by both nations represents the birth of an international national-security network, U.S. and Mexican official said. "Mexico is not going to be used as a transit point for any terrorist or anyone who wishes to harm the United States,""" said Interior Minister Santiago Creel, who oversees Cisen. Mexico said hours after combat began in Iraq that it would deny visas to travelers from a list of Arabic and Asian countries deemed hostile to the war effort.
         By collaborating against a foreign threat, both nations are crossing a line that they had never breached. "Despite the inherent distrust between both countries' law enforcement and their militaries, they had to find a way to talk to each other and share information," said Ana Maria Salazar, a former Pentagon official and an expert in Mexican national security doctrine. "They were forced to figure out a way to coordinate."

Park Service covers controversial cross
Source: OC Register, February 2003

Riverside: The National Park Service has covered up a controbversial desert cross located on federal land in a respone to a judge's ruling that it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The Department of Justice recomme3dned the action while it appeals the federal court ruling ordering the 8-cross be removed from its site in the Mojave National Preserve.
Although the cross violates the July 2002 court order, Congress passed legislation in 2000 barring the Park Service from spending money to remove it. Legislation has been introduced to save the cross through a land swap that would put it on private land. The cross, atop an out-cropping 11 miles south of Interstate 15 between Barstow and Las Vegas, dates to 1934. Veterans built it as a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in 2001, saying it violates the First Amendment. A federal judge agreed, but did not set a date for the cross's removal.

10th Anniversary of Cesar's Passing: highlighting his legacy's lasting power through several activities:

The Third Annual Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning, March 31, 2003.

The world premiere of Cesar E. Chavez Foundation Founding Member Ed Begley, Jr.'s musical Cesar and Ruben, March 14, 2003 to April 27, 2003

The Third Annual Educating the Heart Dinner, Friday, April 11, 2003

The first day of issuance of the commemorative United States postage stamp honoring Cesar E. Chavez, Wednesday, April 23, 2003

NEW: Chavez Inspired Service-Learning Resource Guides
To access the resource guides, please click http://www.goserv.ca.gov/ccd/ccdpublications.asp

        Chavez Foundation and United States Postal Service to Hold Chavez Stamp First Day of Issuance in Los Angeles on 10th Anniversary of Cesar's Passing
        The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation is proud to announce that Los Angeles has been selected to host the first day of issuance of the commemorative United States postage stamp honoring Cesar E. Chavez on April 23, 2003, the 10th anniversary of the civil rights and farm labor leader's passing.
        A public celebration will be held in downtown Los Angeles to mark the stamp's issuance and to honor Cesar's tireless work for justice and equality for all people through service to others. Leaders in the community, politics, labor, business, and the arts will join the Chavez Foundation, the Chavez family and the United States Postal Service for the event.

I want to bring everyone's attention to the play Cesar and Ruben that is playing at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood. The play, a tribute to was written by Ed Begley Jr. It is a musical
incorporating popular songs (Sting, Enrique Iglesias, Peter Gabriel...). I was a little skeptical at first how these songs would work, but it is done very well. It is a well written and heartfelt play written by
someone who knew Cesar personally. The play is supposed to run until April 27 with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. However I have noticed some cancellations and have heard rumors that it may shut down earlier if attendance doesn't improve. That would be a shame. If you have a chance take the opportunity to see the play. Greg Yorba http://www.cesarandruben.com/
Play review: http://www.curtainup.com/cesarandruben.html
Other websites: http://ww.sfsu.edu/~cecipp/cesar_chavez/chavezhome.htm
http://www.npg.si.edu/col/spot/hispanic.htm

Nationwide Farmworker Awareness
Week 2003, March 31-April 6, 2003 Sent by Howard Shorr
Farmworker Awareness Week (FAW) is a SAF-called, nationwide event in the spring for students and community members to raise awareness about farmworker issues on their campuses and in their communities. This year SAF is collaborating with SLAP’s Student Labor Week of Action to show support for all worker justice campaigns and to educate students about farmworker issues in hopes to gain more support in the movement for farmworker justice. For more information on how you can get involved, contact PCUN’s student campaign coordinator, Cassandra Ogren, at cassandraogren@pcun.org , or at 503-982-0243 ext. 203, http://www.pcun.org
Email requests to or call Laxmi at 919-660-3660.

Latino Power by Betsy Streisand U.S. News and World Report
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnews/20030310/ts_usnews/latino_power

Latinos are now the fastest-growing U.S. minority, accounting for 13 percent of the population. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (news - web sites) 1980 14.6 mil. 1990 22.4 mil. 2001 37.0 mil.

There are 37 million Hispanics in the United States, more than the population of Canada, and they now outnumber African-Americans as the nation's largest minority. In some cities, like Miami, Hispanics are the majority. Their buying power is awesome: $580 billion a year and growing at a rate of 12 percent annually. Only 3 percent of advertising dollars are targeted to Hispanics. Ad rates remain 20 percent to 50 percent lower than those of English stations.

        America's media giants aren't just gearing up to cover a war. They're gearing up to fight one--on American soil, in Spanish. This week, Spanish broadcasting colossus Univision Communications is expected to seal its $3.5 billion deal for Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., the nation's largest Latino radio network. The acquisition will give Univision control of more than half the $2 billion spent annually on advertising to Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. That makes the Los Angeles-based company, known for its steamy soap operas and flashy variety shows, one of the country's most powerful communications players in any language. It also underscores the growing clout of Spanish-language media, which has shown itself to be both recession proof (ad revenues were up 11 percent last year) and capable of pulling advertising dollars away from its English-language counterparts.
        The HBC deal will only make the taking easier. With 63 new radio stations added to its 50 TV stations, two broadcast TV networks, cable TV network, online service, and music business, Univision will finally be able to offer advertisers the cross-promotional opportunities that have fueled an entire wave of media mergers, albeit with varying results. "Now that Univision can drive ears and eyeballs from music to the Web to radio and television, the steal is on," says an executive at a major advertising agency that services English-language clients. "Even more dollars are going to be headed into Spanish-speaking media at the expense of mainstream outlets."
        With that in mind, NBC last year spent $2.7 billion for Telemundo, the No. 2 Spanish network. And Viacom, parent of CBS, reportedly made a $7 billion takeover bid for Univision before the HBC deal and continues to seek options to court Hispanic audiences. Disney is launching a Spanish-language version of ESPN, and the Dallas Morning News is doing the same for its newspaper. And AOL Time Warner, which owns People en Español, HBO Latino, and CNN en Español, is looking to expand its Spanish offerings across the board from music to the Internet.
        But knowing how to target Hispanic consumers can be complicated. Although many second- and third-generation Hispanics flip freely between English and Spanish TV stations, for instance, most prefer to communicate in Spanish, says Loretta Adams, head of TNS Market Development, a San Diego market research firm. "There's a lot of interest in holding on to language and tradition," she says. [[<< Editor: According to the following article this is incorrect.]]
        "Advertising to Hispanics is not about distracting them and inserting a brand image," says Hector Orci, cochairman of La Agencia de Orci, a Hispanic ad agency in Los Angeles that counts Honda and Allstate as clients. "It's very straightforward. It's not entertainment." What's more, ads must be precisely tailored to the audience; simply dubbing an English ad won't do. Consider a popular mayonnaise commercial in which a boy makes a sandwich. "A Hispanic mother would never leave her young child alone with a knife," says Rosa Serrano, director of multicultural planning for Initiative Media in Los Angeles. In the Spanish version of the ad, the mother watches her son from across the kitchen. By 2010, Hispanics are expected to have more than $900 billion to spend, making them an incredibly juicy target.

Extract: Like Others, Latinos Need Their Public Television
Originally published in Current, Feb. 10, 2003 Sent by Howard Shorr HowardShorr@msn.com
[[ Editor: This is an excellent article. Well worth obtaining the full article.]]

        It’s official. Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the United States, according to figures released in January. These results from the 2000 census signal a seismic shift in the American population and should prompt a comparable change in the way public TV perceives its audiences. PBS has a golden opportunity to serve these viewers and earn their loyalty.
        PBS must diversify its programming to survive. The system has lost both viewers and members. It’s suffering not only from cable competition but also from a major change in the country’s demographics. PBS must reel in the quarter of the population that is not only of color, but also younger on average than the traditional PBS viewer. The median age for the Anglo population is 38; for African-Americans, it’s 29; for Latinos, 25.
        We must face the fact that year after year, minorities continue to be underserved by public television. The problem is particularly acute for Latinos, who make up 12 percent of the general population but 18 percent of the TV viewer ship ages 18-34. According to Nielsen, U.S. Hispanics accounted for 84 percent of the growth in the U.S. adult 18-49 demographics. Yet programming currently being developed for public TV is slow to include this audience. Current’s annual Pipeline listing, for example, shows few stations are even contemplating producing programs with Latino themes.
        Production decision-makers may hold some misconceptions about Latino audiences. The image of foreign-born, Spanish-dominant Hispanics who watch only Univi-sion or Telemundo is outdated. Consider the results of a Miami study on language choice by Barbara Zurer Pearson and Arlene McGee: Only 2 percent of Hispanic junior high school students in the area report watching Spanish TV exclusively. Less than 10 percent watch it for more than half of their TV viewing.
        The country’s Hispanic population is 36.2 million strong. That’s one person in eight. Most are English-speaking, and their preference for English is greatest in the younger segments of the community. Latinos represent a substantial consumer market—as a whole, the U.S. Latino market is already larger than the entire economies of all but 11 countries in the world. Over the next five years, the market is expected to exceed the gross domestic product of Canada, the eighth-largest economy in the world. American advertisers are circling, hoping to capture the loyalty of this community. And Nielsen reports that Latinos watch television at a higher rate than the general population. If Univision doesn’t do it, who will?
                PBS could fill this void in general programming that addresses and incorporates the needs of this audience. These efforts should not be confined to a new digital channel in Spanish or local programming about Latinos in Los Angeles or San Antonio. Nor would such smaller-scale efforts make sense given today’s economics of program promotion and outreach.
        Traditionally, PBS has operated under the assumption that minorities are not interested in watching public television. The notion may come from audience research showing that minority audiences watch less public TV than other channels, with the exception of some children’s programming. But that does not mean those audiences are not available to PBS.
         But what programs should public TV offer to serve Latinos? It is a heterogeneous population that defies easy categorization. To begin with, Latinos are not one race; they can be black, white, indigenous, Asian and every combination thereof. They come from a multitude of countries. What would appeal to this huge, diverse population?
        Most Latinos in America share a few things, the most salient of which are the process of racialization, the immigrant experience, and the Spanish language. Although they may arrive from anywhere in Latin America, Hispanics are soon transformed into one category, "Latino," in a society that does not distinguish between Latin nations as it would between European ones. This "racialization" creates a common experience for all Latinos, who must navigate a society that has generally exhibited a very low opinion of them.
         Latinos rank among the least favored of all new Americans, according to a study examining public opinion data over a 30-year period, Thomas Espenshade and Maryann Belanger found. The pervasive view that Latin Americans are inferior and more likely to commit crimes, abuse welfare and do poorly in school powerfully shapes the Latino experience. Harvard Uni-versity education professor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco argues that young Latinos "struggle to develop a healthy identity and sense of self in the context of such toxic attitudes and beliefs."
        Who but public television will take on the mission to educate the American public and combat these destructive stereotypes? PBS could serve Latinos and contribute to public understanding by making more programs that look at the historic roots of American racism, such as Joseph Tovares’ "Zoot Suit Riots" (presented on American Experience), which examines the 1943 race riots between Anglo sailors and Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles, or films on the historic contributions of Latinos, such as The Fight in the Fields, about Cesar Chávez, the leader of the Chicano civil rights movement, produced by Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles. There are not enough of these programs in the works for PBS.
        The immigrant experience: Two-thirds of today’s Latinos are immigrants or children of immigrants. More than the average American, they are citizens of a hemisphere, still active in the culture, economy and politics of their ancestral nations. Even those Mexican-Americans whose families have lived here for hundreds of years have ongoing relationships with Mexico. Thus programming about Latin American and Latino economics, politics, sports, and the environment would interest Latinos.
          However, programming for Latinos does not mean just translating existing programming into another language. Although PBS made a laudable commitment to airing and partially funding the dramatic series American Family, written, produced, and starring Latinos, the high cost of drama will make it hard to compete with commercial TV in this arena. All of the commercial networks’ new Latino-themed shows feature modern Latino families facing the typical challenges of school, office and family dynamics. The shows also feature bits of Spanish dialogue and wordplay, as well as a heightened sensitivity to the differences between Latinos’ interior and exterior lives. Most welcome of all, these shows offer something other than the tired stereotypical Latino characters in other TV shows such as the gang member and the maid.
           PBS can outshine the competition in documentaries. Most of the program types that appeal to Latinos also appeal to general audiences. Latinos have been a part of America for hundreds of years, and their stories are ultimately American stories. Non-Latinos are interested in Latino stories, just as Latinos are interested in other worlds, as covered by Nova, Frontline and the like—especially if these programs incorporate some Latino on-camera authorities, expertise, and issues. Diversifying the talent pool, too
        Key to creating more diverse programming is creating a more diverse pool of program makers.
        Diversifying programming is not just about choosing new subjects or putting ethnic faces on the air. It’s also about perspective. When more producers and programming executives of color help define public TV content, general programming will take on the complex dimensions that will serve the needs of more diverse audiences. Until then, PBS will struggle under crippling misconceptions such as the belief that a program on Benjamin Franklin is for general audiences while a program on Cesar Chávez is target programming.         Good stories well told are universal, whatever the ethnicity of the subject. After all, Latinos have been viewing "European-American" programming for years. Programming of interest to Latinos and African Americans and Native Americans and Asians can also be appealing to broad general audiences. After all, minorities should also make up the "public" of public TV.

María Agui Carter is an independent producer. Her documentaries have aired locally on WGBH and nationally on PBS. A Charles Warren fellow in American Studies at Harvard University, she is working on "Rebel," a film about the telling of history, centered on a Latina woman who fought in the U.S. Civil War.

Latino “Digital Divide” Is Decreasing
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?fpa=0&id=8839
Extract and sent by Raul Damas Raul@OpinionesLatinas.com

Research organization Arbitron and Edison Media Research has found that the digital divide between African-Americans and Hispanics in the U.S. is falling. The research found that 74 percent of all African- Americans have access to the Internet compared to 65 percent of all Hispanics in
the U.S. This compares to an estimated 75 percent of all of the U.S. population that are using the Internet. Other results showed that 78 percent of all U.S. Internet users are white with African- Americans and Hispanics accounting for just 9 percent and 7 percent respectively. Arbitron and Edison Media Research claims that these figures have improved due to public libraries and schools making Internet access available to members of the public.

Extract: Four-year degrees elude poor
By Lisa M. Sodders, Los Angeles Daily News Staff Writer, 2-24-03
Source: HispanicVista.com   http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/031003bed.htm

        According to the commission's study, California community colleges have worked hard in the last 10 years to eliminate transfer barriers by creating transfer centers at each college and making it easier for students to take classes at different campuses without losing credits when they move on to upper-division studies. Despite those extensive outreach efforts, college officials say they have failed to overcome the twin barriers facing most poor and minority community college students: inadequate preparation for college and job or family-care obligations that allow them to attend college only part-time or even force them to drop out.
        At Pierce College in Woodland Hills. . . .non-Hispanic whites and Asians transferred in numbers proportionate to their representation on campus. But only 12 percent of the UC transfer students and 17 percent of the CSU transfer students were Latinos, although Latinos constitute nearly 22 percent of all Pierce students. Even at Mission and Valley colleges, where Latinos are the largest racial-ethnic group on campus, whites made up a disproportionate share of the transfer students.
        "Latinos and African-Americans are clearly gaining access to post-secondary education, and that's important and should not be overlooked," said Richard Fry, senior research associate for the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. "But in terms of the big payoff, the bachelor's degrees, students of color are vastly behind their white peers in getting the real prize in higher education."

Extract: New Alamo movie filming in Hill Country Associated Press
Sent by Walter L. Herbeck Jr. wlherbeck@juno.com

Michael Corenblith, production designer for "Alamo," said the upcoming movie will include perspectives of native Mexicans as well as the
Texians. "I wanted to present this as a dialogue between two factions," he said in Sunday editions of the San Antonio Express-News.
Mexican actors will speak 19th-century Spanish, and Native Americans will speak Cherokee. Those portions will have subtitles - a first for a major
Alamo movie.
        So far, Alamo historians seem pleased with the direction the movie is taking. "It's one of the most compelling stories in all of American history. It's the ultimate story of American heroism and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds. It's that idea of victory over defeat," said Paul
Hutton, executive director of the Western History Association and a professor of Western and American history at the University of New
Mexico. "We need what it tells us about ourselves. We identify collectively with the Americans at the Alamo."
        On a sprawling ranch a few miles north of Dripping Springs, San Antonio de Bexar of 1836 has been recreated through an elaborate set that stretches over 51 acres. The church of San Fernando and the Alamo complex dominate the villa, while white tents dot the outlying hills. Alamo historians who've visited or seen pictures of the set are impressed. "If you look at it from a purely historical viewpoint, there are some
things you might quibble with," said Bruce Winders, historian and curator of the Alamo. "But when you look at the overall picture, it's surprising
how much attention to detail they got right." Instead of just a facade, several of the buildings have been fully built. No filming will be conducted on a sound stage, and all interior scenes will be filmed on the set instead of in a studio.
        The most challenging aspect of director John Lee Hancock's film is the accuracy of the story. Winders said Hancock's challenge is how to handle Davy Crockett's death. There are theories that Crockett was executed, while others believe he went down fighting. Filmmakers have refused to say much more about the plot. Hancock said one thing's for sure: the Alamo is about more than a land fight.

Americans for a Fair Chance, a non-partisan consortium of six of America's leading civil rights legal organizations dedicated to the preservation of affirmative action welcomes the release of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute study on Latino and African- American admissions. The study found that "race neutral" plans used in California after the end of affirmative action adversely affect underrepresented minorities and are not a viable method of achieving a diverse campus. http://www.trpi.org

Fatality Rates Increase for Hispanic Workers     USA TODAY - March 13, 2003
http://www.hispaniconline.com/topnews/article.html?SMContentIndex=0&SMContentSet=0

        Alfonso Alvarez was 17 when he died last year while laying water pipe east of Dallas for a Texas construction company. A trench cave-in buried him to his waist. He was alive during the 30 minutes it took to free him. But the Mexican immigrant died later that January day of asphyxia and other injuries, the investigator's report says. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company, Pate & Pate, for nine safety and health violations, including three willful ones -- OSHA's most serious, public records show. It seeks a $238,000 fine. Pate disputes the claims.
        Alvarez added to a grim legacy of the 1990s economic boom. New government employment and Census data show. More than 6,800 Hispanic workers died on the job from 1992 through 200.
Their workplace fatality rate jumped 15.1% in that period, even though the rate fell 15.4% for all other workers. Many were Mexican immigrants with poor English skills. They took the only jobs they could get. They were often repaid with death. Poisoned by toxic fumes. Crushed by falling equipment. Burned alive.
        They died, in part, because they took some of the nation's most dangerous, thus hard-to-fill, jobs in construction and factories, government data show. They were often too scared of losing jobs to press for safer working conditions, advocates say. There weren't enough government inspectors to help ensure their safety, and lax penalties failed to discourage safety-law violators.
        The rise in Hispanic deaths reflects U.S. history. In a nation of immigrants, the newest arrivals often fill the most dangerous and least-desirable jobs. African slaves chopped cotton in the South. Chinese workers built railroads in the West. Irish and Poles labored in coal mines and steel mills in the East. Russian Jews sewed in sweatshops such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. ''We've always had an economy that depends on a class of workers that are exploited,'' says Robert Ross, a sociology professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
        Now, the biggest immigrant worker class is Hispanics -- mostly Mexicans -- in construction, agriculture and meat processing. And their rising fatality rates are setting off alarms. Among Hispanics, the trend grew worse. Their fatality rate in 2001 rose to 6.1 per 100,000 workers from 5.3 in 1992. That shows Hispanics have not sufficiently benefited from government programs to reduce deaths and injuries among the USA's 136 million workers, safety experts say. Safety experts attribute the rise in Hispanic deaths to:
        Construction's boom. Demand soared ''like we've never seen'' during the 1990s economic expansion, says Diane Swonk, chief economist at Bank One. The construction industry added more than 100,000 companies from 1990 to 2000 to 702,000, the most recent data show. Construction employment jumped 30.8% to 6.7 million workers. Only the services industry added more jobs.
And record labor shortages showed up -- including in construction, where pouring asphalt in summer heat or framing walls in winter chill drew few takers.
        Mexicans filled the gap. More than 4 million crossed the border during the 1990s, often illegally. By 2001, Hispanics -- 11% of all workers -- held 17.4% of construction jobs. That was up from 10.2% in 1992. Rising death rates followed. Construction-related accidents accounted for 31.5% of Hispanic fatalities in 2001, up from 20.3% in 1992, according to data from OSHA, the Labor Department unit responsible for workplace safety. In the New York case pursued by Morgenthau, the five workers were killed at an office building undergoing renovation. Morgenthau said an improperly built, 13-story scaffolding weighing 90,000 pounds collapsed on a crew of 20. The victims, ages 19 to 40, were crushed or died of asphyxia. Most of the workers were illegal immigrants from Mexico and South America who were paid $7 an hour in cash, prosecutors said -- below the $11.15 national median paid to many such laborers.
        Overwhelmed regulators. The number of OSHA inspectors has not kept pace with employment growth, especially in the highly fragmented construction industry. It has more firms than any sector but retailing. That means OSHA cannot always make sure workers are getting proper training. Lack of such training was the problem last March, according to OSHA public documents, when Mexican immigrant Miguel Paramo, 33, died saving his brother at a residential construction site south of Tampa.
        ''What's most troubling,'' OSHA chief John Henshaw said after Alvarez's death, is that three of the four deaths involved trenching work. ''These tragedies could have been avoided, and these workers would be alive today had their employer provided basic protection.'' For many companies, it is cheaper to pay the fines.
        Fear and weak language skills. Many Hispanic construction workers don't report unsafe working conditions because they are scared of losing jobs, says Michele Waslin, an immigration analyst at the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil-rights group. About 57% of the USA's about 1.1 million Hispanic construction workers are illegal immigrants, says the Pew Hispanic Center, a non-profit. The GAO estimates there are 260,000 such workers, although it says that figure is probably too low. They often can't speak or read English, and some aren't proficient in their own language, giving them few job options, the GAO found. That also contributes to their rising fatality rates when supervisors don't speak Spanish well enough to explain safety procedures, warn workers of imminent danger or understand workers' warnings of possible danger, says John Mayo, dean of Georgetown University's business school.
        Few remedies in sight. There is little chance for a big reversal in Hispanic fatality rates anytime soon, according to Mayo and other safety experts. Even the cooling economy, which tamped down construction, hasn't helped. The number of Hispanic workplace deaths rose 9.3% in 2001 from 2000 -- the third-biggest year-over-year gain since 1992.
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com

Mexican radio soap prepares immigrants for trips to the U.S.

by Ricardo Sandoval, The Dallas Morning News via O.C. Register, 3-7-03

        MEXICO CITY - After listening to the first harrowing episodes of the radio soap opera Tortillas Duras, Maribel Trejo was so shaken by the experience of the fictional migrants that she swore off following her family, neighbors and friends who have gone to the United States.
Leonardo Gómez, an artisan in the Indian village of Bondho, in rural Hidalgo state, also heard those shows. He felt compelled to offer his experiences so others who make the journey north can be better prepared than he was.
        Those were the reactions Enrique Romero was hoping for when he converted his professional diary into the book Tortillas Duras: Ni Pa' Frijoles Alcanza -- which roughly translates to ``hard tortillas, not even good enough for beans.''* The title is a play on a Mexican phrase describing bad luck, and Romero saw many a Mexican migrant engulfed by hard times when he served as a Mexican consular bureaucrat in California and Florida.
        After he spent $10,000 to publish the book on his own, it sold out in six months and his bosses in Mexico's Foreign Ministry took notice. They liked Romero's message so much that they converted his cautionary tales about migrant life into a dramatic radio series that has won praise from migrants and would-be migrants in test airings in Hidalgo state.
        ''I saw worse and worse conditions for migrants on the avenues of Los Angeles and in Orlando, so I just started typing out these histories, based on the people I saw and their experiences,'' said Romero, 44, now an official in the Mexican consular office in Ciudad Guzman, just across the southern Mexican border in Guatemala. ``What struck me was the rhythm of the migration to the United States: One by one they come to a new life, after selling it all in Mexico, and that's where the deception begins.''
        What's attractive about the radio show, said would-be migrants who have listened, is the authoritative voices of characters who deal with real-life threats of people smugglers, unfamiliar health risks such as tuberculosis and AIDS, treacherous desert crossings, and even fellow migrants who prey on naive newcomers.
        Romero not only saw all of this through the eyes of a consular bureaucrat, he actually walked the walk. Romero spent much of his early life in Pacoima, in southern California, as a legal immigrant, and studied in American public schools before returning to Mexico for a college degree in international studies.
        It was that familiarity with migrant life -- and a desire to help fellow migrants -- that led Romero into Mexico's diplomatic corps. ''I'd been in their shoes, and I started out thinking I would be some kind of Superman or Spiderman, dedicated to righting all the wrongs committed on migrants,'' Romero said in a telephone interview. ``But over time, I got more and more doses of reality -- that migrant life today is more difficult than it was when we moved to Pacoima. I was frustrated that I could not do more for them.''
       Romero's desire to help migrants will not be wasted, said a confident Melba Pria, director of the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Mexicans Abroad, which sponsored the book's conversion to a radio novella. Tortillas Duras marks the first time the Mexican government has delved into the world of popular soap opera to reach millions of people who might be contemplating the often dangerous and illegal journey north.
        It's another in a recent string of pro-migrant decisions by the administration of President Vicente Fox, which Pria said has reversed a decades-old government tradition of benign neglect of migrant issues. ''As a government, we must start talking about the reality of migration,'' Pria said. ``It is a complex reality; that's what we want to relay to them, and through the radio medium help them sort out even simple things, like where to go to have a baby.''
        The Foreign Ministry chose radio as the medium for Tortillas Duras because it is the cheapest and most effective communications tool in rural Mexico, where most potential migrants live. The mountain villages of Hidalgo were selected as a test market for the radio novella because the indigenous villages have been yielding so many new job-seeking migrants in recent years.
        "There are whole families for whom this phenomenon of migration is new, and who are seeing their children end up working in cities whose names they can't even pronounce," said Gustavo Flores, an anthropologist who doubles as a program director for Radio Cardonal. After reading the book, Pria was convinced that it could help dissuade some people from going north, or at least offer them advice if they choose to ignore the risks and go anyway.

(HispanicVista editor made the following comment in their 3-3-03 posting. Mr. Sandoval errs in his interpretation of the meaning of the title of the book: “Tortillas Duras: Ni Pa’ Frijoles Alcanza.” – what the title makes reference to is – “Tortillas Duras” (hard tortillas) are tortillas that have become hard from aging and are purchased much cheaper than freshly made tortillas – the “Ni Pa’ Frijoles Alcanza” – means that there isn’t enough money left to buy beans after paying for the hard tortillas – the “Pa’ is an abbreviated way of using ‘para’ (for) such abbreviated words are used by poor rural and urban people and in vogue with the more educated when imitating or stressing a point.)

Extract: National Council of La Raza and Citigroup announce partnership

       New York, NY--(HISPANIC PR WIRE - BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003--Citigroup today announced a $105 million strategic partnership with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). The core component of this partnership is a commitment to provide up to $100 million to finance the creation of affordable housing and community facilities, including single-family homes, multi-family rental housing, schools, and job training, child and health care centers located in Hispanic neighborhoods and/or serving Hispanic populations. NCLR is the largest -organization representing Hispanics in the U.S. with more than 300 affiliate members that together serve individuals in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.
        Citigroup's investment commitment is accompanied by a $5 million grant from the Citigroup Foundation to support NCLR's community development initiatives in Hispanic neighborhoods. Funds from the grant will be used to expand the capacity of NCLR's community development subsidiary, the Raza Development Fund, and transform it into the country's first national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to increasing investment in low-income Hispanic neighborhoods.
              "Thanks to this historic partnership with Citigroup, we will be able to expand NCLR's reach into the community - increasing the magnitude of our development work to such an extent that we could impact the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Latinos throughout the country. We are deeply grateful to Citigroup for their commitment and vision," stated Raul Yzaguirre, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza. Citibank Community Development, a member of Citigroup, will administer the $100 million investment commitment. In 2002, Citibank Community Development loaned and invested more than $1.1 billion in low- and moderate-income communities across the U.S.

Extract: Mexican-Born Treasurer Becomes U.S. Icon
By Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press Writer, White House - AP Cabinet & State Newsletter

WASHINGTON - If money is power, Rosario Marin has a whole lot of it. It's not her own cash, actually, but the nation's. As treasurer of the United States, the Mexican-born Marin sits atop the money heap, overseeing the makers of America's greenbacks and its coins — the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint.
        Marin's is not a household name, but her autograph, along with that of the treasury secretary, is carried on billions of U.S. notes, tucked inside the wallets and pocketbooks of many Americans. The treasurer and the treasury secretary are the only two people who get to put their signatures on U.S. dollars. For Marin, who came to the United States from Mexico at 14 unable to speak English, it has been an amazing journey, with unexpected twists and turns.
        As the nation's 41st treasurer, and the first born outside the United States, the 44-year-old Marin is the highest-ranking Latin American woman in the Bush administration and a key player in the administration's efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters, the fastest-growing bloc. She is being floated as a possible Republican contender for a Senate seat from California in 2004.
        "My dad was a factory worker. My mom used to help him by sewing at home. We had a two-room house in Mexico," Marin said in a recent interview. "There were five kids." A sixth child was born after the family moved to California. Going to college at night and working during the day at a bank, Marin planned a career in business. "I was going to be the owner of my own bank," she said. "I had plans. I knew what my future was going to be."
        But those plans changed with the birth of her first son, Eric, in 1985. He was born with Down Syndrome. Marin said she stopped working on a master's in business administration, quit her job at the bank, and she and her husband, Alex, sold their house. "It was that turning point in my life," she said. She eventually decided she wanted to help people with disabilities and their families. Her political career began when she went to work for GOP California Gov. Pete Wilson in 1992 in the Department of Developmental Disabilities. She held various posts in Wilson's administration for nearly seven years.
        Marin first crossed paths with George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas and she the Republican mayor of Huntington Park, Calif., a heavily Democratic city that is largely Hispanic. She worked as an unpaid volunteer for Bush's presidential campaign. After Bush won the presidency, Marin said she was floored when he tapped her to be treasurer. Glad in a green and black suit — similar to the colors on U.S. dollars — and wearing coin jewelry from the U.S. Mint, Marin joked that she did not know much about the treasurer's duties. But she knew her name would appear on greenbacks, and she had an aim for the job: Promote financial literacy.
        "I felt I would have the bully pulpit to go out there and do as much as I could to educate America about personal finances," Marin said. And she has, in countless speeches since taking office in the summer of 2001. Marin is especially passionate about educating the poor — a group most likely to pay excessive interest rates on loans. She has worked to try to get lower-income people and others into the banking system, helping them to set up savings and checking accounts. Treasury officials estimate that one in 10 American households are in the ranks of "unbanked."
        Mike Madrid, a political consultant at the San Antonio firm Guerra DeBerry Coody, wants Marin to run for the Senate from California in 2004, taking on incumbent Barbara Boxer. It's a race he acknowledges would be an uphill battle given the Democratic Party's stronghold, and would be expensive. Madrid said Marin was well received when she recently spoke at the California GOP convention. "She has extremely high name recognition in the Hispanic community and that is a natural edge," Madrid said. "People reach in their wallets, pull out dollar bills and look for her name." As to her own political aspirations, Marin is noncommital. "I am incredibly flattered," she said. "But it is something that I have not sought."
        Marin remembers her reluctance to come to the United States, worried she would miss her "quinceanera" party, a rite of passage for a girl turning 15. She didn't. Her parents took her back to Mexico to celebrate with family and friends. "It rained ... my dress was all muddy," but she was still thrilled, Marin recalled. "One of my little dreams had come true."
On the Net: Treasury Department (news - web sites): http://www.ustreas.gov/

Extract: Effort to help illegal immigrants get driver's licenses draws protest
Opponents raise issue of terrorism; supporters say bill would aid workers
By Ivan Penn, Baltimore Sun Staff, 3-6-03

        A proposal to help undocumented immigrants in Maryland obtain their driver's licenses came under fire yesterday because of concerns the measure could make it easier for terrorists to acquire identification from the state. Family members of Sept. 11 victims and other opponents of the bill launched a campaign against the legislation in a news conference and during a packed hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
        "This is a situation that is intolerable," said Wilton A. Sekzer, a board member of the 911 Families for a Secure America who lost his son in the World Trade Center attack, during the morning news conference. "Why are we making it comfortable for illegal aliens to come here?"
The proposal comes at an interesting time. Lawmakers in Virginia recently passed legislation to toughen regulations for acquiring licenses. The legislation in Virginia is awaiting the governor's signature.
        Latino activists in Maryland have made this legislation one of their top priorities this year, saying it affects many people in their community who are unable to legally drive - hurting their employment prospects. Such workers have lived in Maryland for years but do not have legal status to remain in the state or the country, and dozens filled the hearing room yesterday in support of the bill.
        Proponents want the state to allow Maryland residents - including those who do not have legal status or documentation to support their legal status - to be able to receive driver's licenses by using certified foreign documents from their native countries. The documents would include foreign birth certificates, passports, military documents or national identification cards. Driver's licenses, supporters argue, would help ensure motorists are trained and driving with insurance. In addition, they would serve as identification for law enforcement, contributing to public safety.
        "It's not a 9/11. It's not terrorism," said Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a Montgomery County Democrat. "All immigrants are not terrorists."
Denise Hammond, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told the committee that the country depends on undocumented residents to support the economy. Since this class of immigrants continues to live in Maryland's communities, Hammond said she believes it would help national security to have each person on record.

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.hispanics06mar06,0,1226910.story
Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun
EDITOR'S NOTE: Maryland Bill number is HB 838, online at:
http://mlis.state.md.us/2003rs/billfile/hb0838.htm

For Millions of Latinos, Race Is a Flexible Concept
Extract by Raul Damas Raul@OpinionesLatinas.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-latino11mar11001504,
1,884221.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

National 2000 census figures captured a deep ambivalence about race among Latinos. Nearly 15 million -- 42% of the total -- declined to identify themselves as white, black or any specific race and instead picked "some other race," a relatively new category. Demographers classify Latinos as an ethnic group, not a race. On the 2000 census form, respondents were given the option of choosing multiple ethnic and racial categories. Thus, people who identified their ethnicity as Latino could also indicate a racial background, choosing among a range of options. Because many Latinos are of mixed racial ancestry, they do not fit easily into the rigidly defined racial categories used throughout
most of U.S. history. Those distinctions are further blurred for millions of Latinos whose ancestral cultures treat race as a flexible concept, social scientists say. And in the United States, some Latinos
who also have African heritage may describe themselves as "white" because they fear the discrimination that comes with being identified as black. In this country, many people believe that any quantity of African ancestry makes a person black, but in Latin America it's not quite like that. "In Latin America, the 'one drop rule' doesn't work at all," said Silvia Pedraza, a University of Michigan sociologist. "The way people define race is by appearance. If you came out looking white, you are
white.

Extract:
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Partners with the Bush Administration to Provide Local Chambers with Direct Link to Administration and Cabinet Officials.

WASHINGTON--(HISPANIC PR WIRE - BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2003--Today, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) announced a collaboration to host a series of regional town hall conference calls with the White House.
        The calls will give cabinet members and senior officials from the Bush Administration the opportunity to speak directly with USHCC's local chamber membership. This is the continuation of various joint efforts between the Bush Administration and USHCC, the nation's preeminent organization that represents the interests of more than 1.2 million Hispanic businesses.
        George Herrera, USHCC President and Chief Executive Officer, at an exclusive White House briefing held as part of the USHCC's 13th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC this week, made the announcement. Hispanic chamber presidents, business leaders, entrepreneurs and corporate America were in the audience. This collaboration further underscores the standing and recognition of the USHCC as the leading business organization in the country working
on behalf of the Hispanic business community. The first of the regional conference calls will be held in April and every other month thereafter.
      The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of more than 1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico, which earn more than $200 billion annually. It serves as the umbrella organization for more than 130 local Hispanic chambers nationwide, and it actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs. For more information about the USHCC and to register for the 13th Annual Legislative
Conference, visit http://www.ushcc.com. Maria Ibanez, 202/639-4396 or 202/842-1212

WePledge.com is securing ten million signatures for the Constitutional Amendment to save the Pledge of Allegiance and our National Motto. This would be the most people to sign a petition in history! Help save our Pledge of Allegiance and National Motto! Please sign the petition and forward it on to others. For more information, go to www.wepledge.com Thanks (and pass it on).

World Congress of Families Update, Online! "Children Feeling Down"
http://www.worldcongress.org/WCFUpdate/wcf_update.htm
Copyright 2000 The Howard Center, All rights reserved
======================================================
World Congress of Families Update, Online!
11 March 2003
Volume 04 Issue 10
A Free Email Newsletter
======================================================
This Week’s Topic: Children Feeling Down
Family Archives:
Family Fact of the Week: Suicide
Family Quote of the Week: Depressed Teens
Family Research Abstract of the Week: In a Down Mood
Special Offers: What you can do to help the "natural family".
Back Issues: http://www.worldcongress.org/WCFUpdate/wcf_update_archive.htm

Family Fact of the Week: Suicide
Suicide is the number three cause of death among children aged 10 to 19.
In the Year 2000, 1921 teenagers took their own lives. For the sub-group
aged 15 10 19, this accounted for 12 percent of the total deaths.
(Source: Robert N. Anderson, "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2000," National
Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 16, September 16, 2002, p.13;
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr50/nvsr50_16.pdf.)

Family Quote of the Week: Depressed Teens
"Four out of five parents say they are concerned about the problem of depression and suicide among teenagers. They believe this is both a public health and a public safety problem. Surprisingly, 90% of parents indicate they are confident in being able to tell if their child was depressed or
thinking about suicide. Yet, in reality, only one-third of teens with mental health problems are known to parents or any adult."
(Source: "National Initiative Launched for Early Detection of Teen
Depression and Suicide Risk," Columbia University TeenScreen Program and
the Positive Action for Teen Health (PATH) initiative, February 20, 2003;
http://teenscreen.org/resources/press1.html.)

For More Information:
The Howard Center and The World Congress of Families stock a number of pro-family books, including Day Care: Child Psychology and Adult Economics, edited by Dr. Bryce Christensen. Please visit The Howard Center Bookstore at http://www.profam.org/THC/thc_books.htm
or contact us at 1-800-461-3113 or mailto:books@profam.org
.
What you can do to help preserve the "natural family".
"Our objective is not to be your 'agent' in the fight for the natural family. We want to help you fight for yourselves — our job is to give you all of the ammunition you need to do it!" Click for information on how you can help: https://www.profam.org/thc/thc_join.htm

United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, INS Puts on a New Face ***
Sent by Ronald Monard monard@justice.com

On March 1, 2003, the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") functions was taken over by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as mandated by the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
Within the DHS, the INS' functions will be split up into different Bureaus. The INS' services or benefits function will become part of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services ("BCIS"). The INS' border protection and inspections functions will now be the responsibility of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection ("BCBP"). And, the INS' investigative and enforcement functions will now be the responsibility of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("BICE").
The changes (other than the name change) may not be immediately evident to the general public as the official forms and documents issued by the INS will continue to be valid and the BCIS' functions will be executed out of existing INS locations. Officials are promising that the split of
functions between the different Bureaus will greatly improve immigration services and benefits for the public.

Newspaper and Media Site
http://www.usnpl.com/
This is a fantastic site for doing U.S. history and connecting with hometown news.
This is just half of the California newspapers. . . . with email listings on the site
Sent by Johanna De Soto

Alameda Alameda Times-Star
Alturas Modoc County Record
Arcata The Arcata Eye
Arroyo Grande Times Press Recorder
Auburn Auburn Journal
Bakersfield Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield Bakersfield Guide
Barstow Desert Dispatch
Benicia Benicia News
Berkeley East Bay Express
Beverly Hills Weekly
Big Bear Lake Big Bear Grizzly
Blythe Palo Verde Valley Times
Blythe The Desert Independent
Carmel Carmel Pine Cone
Carmichael Carmichael Times Newspaper
Carpenteria Coastal View News
Chico Chico Enterprise-Record
Chico Chico Examiner
Chico News & Review
Clipper Mills Rabbit Creek Journal
Coalinga Coalinga's Own
Colfax Colfax Area Express
Costa Mesa Orange County Weekly
Crescent City The Daily Triplicate
Crestline Crestline Courier-News
Crestline Crestline Chronicle
Culver City Culver City News
Cupertino Cupertino Courier
Davis Davis Enterprise
Dixon Independent Voice
El Centro Imperial Valley Press Online
Elk Grove Elk Grove Citizen
Escondido North County Times
Eureka Times-Standard
Fairfield Daily Republic
Fall River Mills Mountain Echo
Felton Scotts Valley Banne
Folsom Folsom Telegraph
Fontana Fontana Herald News
Fort Bragg Fort Bragg Advocate-News
Fresno Fresno Bee
Galt The Galt Herald
Gilroy The Gilroy Dispatch

Grass Valley The Union
Half Moon Bay Half Moon Bay Review
Hanford Sentinel
Hemet The Valley Chronicle
Hollister Free Lance
Hollister Pinnacle News
Huntington Beach Huntington Beach News
Idyllwild Idyllwild Town Crier
Irvine World News
Kingsburg Kingsburg Recorder
La Canada La Canada Valley Sun
Lake Arrowhead Mountain News
Lake Isabella Kern Valley Sun
Lakeport Lake County Record-Bee
Livermore The Independent
Lodi Lodi News-Sentinel
Lompoc Record
Lone Pine The Advocate
Long Beach Grunion Gazette
Long Beach The Press-Telegram
Lompoc Lompoc Record
Los Angeles City News Los Angeles
Los Angeles Investor's Business Daily
Los Angeles Jewish Observer
Los Angeles La Opinion
Los Angeles L.A. Weekly
Los Angeles Los Angeles Downtown News
Los Angeles Los Angeles Times
Los Banos Los Banos Enterprise
Los Gatos Los Gatos Daily News
Los Gatos Los Gatos Weekly-Times
Madera Madera Tribune
Malibu Malibu Times
Mammoth Lake Mammoth Times
Manteca Manteca Bulletin
Marina del Rey The Argonaut
Marysville Appeal-Democrat
Mendocino The Mendocino Beacon
Menlo Park The Almanac
Merced Merced Sun-Star
Modesto Modesto Bee
Monterey Monterey County Herald
Morgan Hill Morgan Hill Times
Mount Shasta Mount Shasta Herald


Hernandez Apellido patronímico, derivado del nombre propio de Hernando, muy extendido por toda la Península y América. Algunos Hernández navarro fueron naturales de la Villa de Espronceda, en el partido judicial de Estella. Probó su nobleza repetidas veces en las Ordenes de Santiago y Carlos III y la Sala de los Hijosdalgo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid.		Hicieron probanzas de su hidalguía o litigaron para que fuese reconocida, los Hernández gallegos de Viana do Bolo, ya en el siglo XVI; los de Vigo exactamente por el mismo tiempo que los anteriores, volviendo a insistir a fines del siglo XVIII en sus pretensiones; los de la casa de Villaméz (en la provincia de Lugo), también favorecidos con sentencia a su favor en 1538; y por fin los de la Ciudad de la Coruña, a principios del siglo XIX.
En la lista de los pasajeros de Indias aparecen los nombres de dos hijos de Pontavedra de este apellido (Juan Hernández y Antonio de León Hernández) que pasaron a principios del siglo XVI, el primero 14-IX-1512; el segundo en 22 -IX-1517, eran hijos de don Juan Hernández y de doña Inés Hernández, vecinos de Pontevedra. Algunos de los conquistadores que arribaron a la Nueva España, se encuentran; don Diego Hernández Nieto natural de Almeyda, viene a la Nueva España con Cortés; don Diego Hernández de Proaño natural de Sevilla, llega a la Nueva España en 1525, con Nuño de Guzmán, fue regidor por provisión real en el año de 1528; don Francisco Hernández, natural de Sevilla, llega en el año de 1533. Pacificador de Jalisco con el virrey, en el año de 1552 es nombrado alcaide de la cárcel real; Hernández Garci, llega a Santo Domingo con Narváez, falleció en el año de 1547; Gonzalo Hernández de Mosquera. Hijodalgo, viene a la Nueva España con Narváez y en año de 1527 se le nombra alguacil de la ciudad, por nombramiento de Alonso de Estrada; Juan Hernández natural de Valle de Selorio, Asturias de Oviedo, llega a la Nueva España en 1530, entre otros. En el año 1760, José Hernández de Oroquieta, y sus hijos Joaquín y Rafael Hernández, vecinos naturales de Luquín, en el mismo partido judicial de Estella, solicitaron ser declarados nobles por los Tribunales de Navarra, como descendientes de la mencionada casa de Esponcedra. Obtuvieron sentencia confirmatoria. Otra casa Navarra hubo en el lugar de Meoz, del Ayuntamiento de Lónguida y partido judicial de Aoiz, y a ella perteneció Pedro Hernández Aam, Doctor, que pasó a Zaragoza y obtuvo firma de hidalguía el 4 de junio de 1649. En Vizcaya radicaron casas de Hernández en el barrio de Ibarrondo, del Ayuntamiento de Ceberio y partido judicial de Durango, y en el lugar de San Julián de Musques, del partido judicial de Valmaseda. Descendieron de la primera casa Juan Manuel, Gabriel, José y Pedro Hernández, hermanos, vecinos de Cádiz y de Valladolid, que el 22 de septiembre de 1783 y el 29 de diciembre de 1790, obtuvieron declaración de vizcainía en la Real Chancillería de Valladolid. Fue de la segunda casa Mateo Hernández Urcullu, bautizado en San Julián de Musques, el 11 de diciembre de 1759, y que obtuvo igualmente declaración de vizcainía el 22 de enero de 1795. Otra casa hubo en la villa de Munaga, en Alava. Sus armas son: Los de Castilla: ESCUDO PARTIDO; 1o., EN CAMPO DE GULES, TRES CASTILLOS DE PLATA, BIEN ORDENADOS, Y 2o., EN CAMPO AZUR, TRES FLORES DE LIS DE ORO, BIEN ORDENADAS. Entre otros traen: los de Galicia: en campo de gules, tres aspas de oro, bien ordenadas. Los de León traen: en campo de plata cuatro fajas de gules. El Emperador Don Carlos I concedió por privilegio dado en Valladolid a 4 de abril de 1542, el siguiente escudo de armas a don Diego Hernández, vecino de Arequipa: en campo de gules, un peñasco al natural, sumado de una torre de oro y plata; bordura de azur, con ocho estrellas de oro. El mismo Emperador concedió por privilegió dado en Valladolid a 8 de junio de 1538, el siguiente escudo de armas a don Gonzalo Hernández, regidor de la villa del Espíritu Santo, Nueva España; en campo de azur, un castillo de oro sobre ondas de agua de azur y plata, superado de una estrella de oro, bordura de oro, con cuatro rosas de gules con hojas de sinople. Ante la Sala de los Hijosdalgo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid, litigaron por el reconocimiento de su nobleza: Don Francisco Hernández Flores, natural de Pedraza, Segovia, 1819; don Francisco Antonio Hernández. Vecino de Almarza de Cameros, Logroño, 1805; don José Hernández, natural de Cameros, Logroño, 1805; don Manuel Amador Hernández, natural de Almarza de Cameros, Logroño, 1805; don Benigno y don Joaquín Hernández Rodríguez, ambos naturales y vecinos de la Coruña, 1806. Extract from BLASONES Y APELLIDOS, 828-page book by Fernando Muñoz Altea In its second edition, the book can be ordered from blasones@mail.com or at P.O. Box 11232, El Paso, Texas 79995 or by contacting Armando Montes AMontes@Mail.com

Ramon Family Corrections Link to another Ramon pedigree in this issue. Historia General del Estado de Coahulia Sent by John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com I read the article listed in your article in the March 2003 issue of Somos Primos I would like to bring to your attention errors in this story. I descend from Captain Jose de Urrutia and his 2nd wife Dona Rosa Flores de Valdez, Captain was married on January 5, 1697 in the Parish Church Santiago Apostol, Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. to his first wife, Dona Antonia Ramon. LDS Film #222,421. If Captain Diego Ramon married Dona Felician Camacho y Botello in 1688, that would have Dona Antonia under Nine years old. Also, All of the history books have Captain Diego Ramon as the natural born son of Sgt. Major Joseph Ramon and Dona Catalina Martinez. Diego Ramon did have a relationship with Maria de los Rios, not his father, and their children are noted in his biography in the Handbook of Texas Online. Dona Maria de los Rios setteled in the mining town of Boca de Leones (Villaldama) in the state of Nuevo Leon. I also descend from Captain Pedro Botello de los Morales, the grandfather of Dona Feliciana Camacho y Botello who was the daughter of Don Andres Camacho y Olea and Dona Juana Botello de Morales. Don Andres and Dona Juana were married February 1644 in the Parish Church Sagrario Metropolitano, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The Children that are listed are correct, but I can add to this: Dona Jacinta married Lt. General Juan Jose Valdez on February 27, 1707 in Monclova. He served as Alcalde Mayor of the Presidio and villa de Bexar (San Antonio, Texas) Captain Jose Domingo Ramon was killed by indians at La Bahia, (Goliad, Texas) Andres lived at the Presidio de San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande de Norte (Guerrero, Coahuila) Alferez Diego also lived at the Presidio listed above. Po Ramon was baptized on July 27, 1685, in the Parish Church Sagrario Metropolitano in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Alferes Joseph Ramon lived at Boca de Leones. Dona Antonia married Captain Jose de Urrutia, Commander of the Presidio de San Antonio de Bexar. Marriage listed above. John David Inclan, Descendent of Don Ignacio Gonzalez de Inclan, (son-in-law to Captain Jose). and his wife, Dona Juana de Dios de Urrutia.


The Bernardo de Galvez Project made its debut March 9th in the San Antonio, Texas celebration of the 272 year anniversary of the arrival of the Canary Islanders to the Presidio de Bejar. This is the art included in their brochure.
October 12th Long Beach, California Bernardo de Galvez Gala Festival Honoring Hispanic-American Heroes We are proud to share the wonderful news that the The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, under Music Director, Maestro Enrique Arturo Diemecke will be honoring Bernardo de Galvez in a special afternoon concert in the 3,000 seat Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. With grateful appreciation to Long Beach Symphony Association and the Symphony's Latino Advisory Council, former city manager Henry Taboada, and Los Amigos of Long Beach for their current and ongoing commitment to the Galvez Project Gala. We anticipate this will surely be a premiere event for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on the West Coast. The Somos Primos readership, SHHAR supporters, and various allied organizations have joined in this great effort to educate. Genealogical and historical speakers and displays will add to the great base of information. The festival will also include music, dancers, and other activities. A Hispanic Heroes website will soon be online for updated information on the Galvez Project. Below are two photos of the exterior and two photos of the interior foyer. For more views go to the Long Beach Performing Arts website:






The Vital Contribution of Spain In the Winning of the American Revolution, An Essay on a Forgotten Chapter in the History of the American Revolution. by Robert Thonhoff
Robert Thonhoff, Galvez Project historian is a retired school teacher, author, historian, speaker, retired Karnes County Judge, and a former President of the Texas State Historical Association. He explains to your editor, in a letter dated 1998, his reason for writing a 12-page booklet entitled, The Vital Contribution of Spain In the Winning of the American Revolution, An Essay on a Forgotten Chapter in the History of the American Revolution. The essay booklet was inspired by these two letters-to-the editor that were printed in the Houston Chronicle on November 8, 1997. On November 15, 1997, I wrote a response to the newspaper commending the view taken by Mary Lousie Gulley of Houston and refuting the view by John P. Bridge of Katy. For whatever reason or reasons, my letter-to-the-editor was not published it in booklet form for all Americans who might like to learn more about Spain's vital role in the winning of American independence.
I commend Anthony Burden for his October 27th, 1997 Outlook article, "How Hispanic America first came to the U.S. rescue," about Bernardo de Galvez. Many ethnic cultures contributed to the American Revolution and citizens should know the contributions of all cultures in our America heritage. Today we continuously battle those who want to rewrite history, so it was refreshing to read such a well researched and factual offering. Recognizing the contribution of de Galvez was considered so import historically that in 1985 the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Texas Society Sons of the America Revolution jointly financed the printing and distribution to Texas school children brochures entitled "Bernardo de Galvez, Unsung Hero" authored by Nancy Reynolds Tiner, a Texas Daughter. Tiner was intrigued by Robert Thonhoff's book, The Texas Connection with the American Revolution, which illuminated Galvez, and she determined that his role in the American Revolution should be recognized and shared with Texas students. Additionally, a new category of membership in the DAR was opened for the descendants of the trail drivers who drove 10,000 head of Texas longhorn cattle overland between 1779 and 1782 to provide food for the Spanish troops under Galvez's command who were fighting the British. The DAR also dedicated memorial plaques honoring de Galvez in Natchez, Mississippi and at the Hotel Galvez Galveston. Mary Lousie Gulley of Houston, Texas	In his October 27 Outlook article, "How Hispanic America first came to the U.S. rescue," television producer Anthony Burden attempted to show that Hispanics deserve as much credit as the French in aiding the Hispanics deserve as much credit as the French in aiding the cause of the American Revolution. I don't question Burden's scholarship, but I do take issue with his politics and the manner in which his facts were presented. We are led to believe that through the kindness of his heart, Spanish commander Bernardo de Galvez sent supplies up the Mississippi to the rebellious colonists in the form of "aid," opened the port of New Orleans to American warships and marshaled his forces to fight the British on our behalf. This is not exactly the truth. During the course of the Revolution, the Colonies did ask for and received, several small loans from Spain which were ultimately repaid; the Mississippi was used as a trade route with New Spain, but all items received were paid for by the colonials and not accepted as "aid"; Spanish forces did fight the British in New Spain (the Gulf Coast), but on their own behalf - not ours. No Spanish ground forces were committed on American soil and no Spanish ships were deployed to American waters to repeal the British Navy. Unlike the French who were already well on their own road to revolution, Spain was strongly committed to monarchy. When Spain finally declared war on England, it was not to encourage or aid the cause of American independence. The Spanish, rather, saw an opportunity to recoup losses suffered at the hands of the British. This cannot be attributed to benevolence but to self-interest, pure and simple. The United States' history gives credit to the French (who did send aid), because credit is deserved. On the other hand, if history seems to neglect the contributions of the Spanish in our fight for independence, it is only because those contributions were minuscule and hardly worth mentioning. John P. Bridge of Katy, Texas

To purchase a copy of the 12-page booklet, *The Vital Contribution of Spain In the Winning of the American Revolution, An Essay on a Forgotten Chapter in the History of the American Revolution,* please contact Thonhoff directly profk@karnesec.net or 830-780-3582

Franciso de Miranda, Post-Revolutionary War Sent by Michael Steven Perez One of de Galvez’s officers, Franciso de Miranda, also played an important role in the defeat of the British on the Mississippi and the capture of the port of Pensacola. Ultimately a revolutionary himself, de Miranda left the Spanish army and lead a campaign against Spanish colonialism while living in North America and Europe. In 1805, he led an American-sanctioned invasion of Venezuela and is credited with the title of “Precursor of Latin American Independence.” During the 1800s, the sale of all Spanish lands west of the Mississippi to France was made under the proviso that these lands not be in turn relinquished to the United States. France reneged on its agreement and President Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase for $15 Million in 1803. http://www.gordon.army.mil/eoo/hispan2.htm

Thanks Mimi, I appreciate you putting the NM Patriot info on your website. I have a correction to the information for NM State Historian, Dr. Estevan Galvez. He is not the first Hispanic State Historian. His predecessor was Roberto Torrez. Thought you and the readers should know. Thanks again, Virginia Sanchez virginia.sanchez@attbi.com Editor: Oops. my error. Dr. Estevan Galvez was the first Hispanic in that position with a Ph.D..

Content Areas United States .. . . . . 2 Surname . . . . . . . .21 Hernandez Ramon Bernardo de Galvez 23 Orange County, CA 26 Los Angeles, CA . . 30 California . . . . . . . . 36 Northwestern US . . 46 Southwestern US . 47 Black . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Indigenous. . . . . . . 54 Sephardic . . . . . . . 55 Texas. . . . . . . . . . 57 East of Mississippi . .74 East Coast. . . . . . . 76 Mexico . . . . . . . . . .79 Caribbean/Cuba. . . .88 International . . . . . . 91 History. . . . . . . . . . 99 Archaeology . . . . . 106 Miscellaneous . . . .107 2003 Index Community Calendars Networking Meetings SHHAR - May 31 GALVEZ - October 12 END
	This is the 10th Anniversary since the death of Caesar Chavez, many activities are planned in recognition of the cause for which he fought. A U.S. postal stamp will be issued on April 23 with appropriate ceremonies in Los Angeles. The struggle for fairness, respect, and recognition for the laborer goes on. More information on activities. Hispanic leadership is being displayed across the nation in many realms of human activity. These poster drawings were done by well-know Los Angeles artist Ignacio Gomez. All of Gomez' work reflect his personal philosophy of hope and respect for the human spirit. These two he said were done for use in the primary classrooms - a message that the cause can and should be carried on with kindness in purpose. Poster information: http://www.ufwstore.com/www-ufwstore-com/products.html? PageName=products&CategoryName=Prod_Posters More about the artist: http://www.nosotros.org/ignaciogomez.html

ORANGE COUNTY, CA
Lincoln Juarez Opportunity Center Lincoln Juarez Opportunity Center History Lincoln & Juarez: El Paso Courthouse Mural