Table of Content Areas

Quote for the Month:
In you, our fathers put their trust; 
they trusted and you delivered them.
Psalm 22:4

Letter to the Editor:

Somos Primos Staff:

Contributors to the September Issue:

Michael Hardwick
Walter Herbeck
Granville Hough, Ph.D.
John Inclan
Lizette Jenness Olmos
J.L. Kunkle
Frank C. Lemus
Gladys Limon
José E. Limón, Ph.D. 
Sheri Long
Francisco L. Lovato
Juan Marinez
JV Martinez, Ph.D.
Emma Montemayor
Alva Moore Stevenson
Dorinda Moreno
Eric Moreno
Paul Nauta
Gregg Nevarez
Maria Angeles O'Donnell Olson
Rafael Ojeda
Felipe de Ortego y Gasca, Ph.D.
Ignacio Pena
Jose M. Pena
Alfredo Perez
Roberto Perez Guadarrama

SHHAR Board:
 

2008 Beijing Olympics

Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@anr.msu.edu
For more on Cejudo http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1089/bio/index.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-olympicrdp&prov=ap&type=lgns

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/sports/olympics/20cejudo.html?ex=
1219896000&en=94e14b1544843543&ei=5070&emc=eta1

UNITED STATES

 

The National Museum of the American Latino …documenting over 500 years of American Latino contributions to the United States

A Blended History

Latinos share a heritage drawn from a combination of old world and new world culture. Among America ’s ethnic groups, Latinos are unique in the fact that there are strains of influence from European, African, and Arabic cultures, as well as the indigenous cultures of the pre-Colombian Americas .

Latinos have been an integral part of the history and culture of this country. The story begins with the peoples and cultures whose scientific, mathematical, and artistic contributions are still considered incredible achievements. The Mayans, the ancestors to today’s Central Americans, invented the concept of zero, without which today's technology would not be possible, and continues with the exploration and conquering of the Americas .

Latinos were present on the American continent for more than two centuries prior to the Declaration of Independence. The first permanent European settlement in 1565 was St. Augustine, Florida, 41 years before the establishment of Jamestown. Spaniards mapped an explored a large portion of the continent, from California to the Southwest; up the Mississippi and the east coast. They named many of the areas and those names still are part of this country: Florida, Colorado, California, Nevada, Montaña, San Francisco, Los Angeles, El Paso and Santa Fe .

Latinos have also played a crucial role during every conflict.  During the American Revolutionary War, General Washington’s army was successful at Yorktown in part because of support from a multi-ethnic army led by the Spaniard Bernardo de Galvez on a southern front against the British, in Mississippi and in Florida, driving them out of the Gulf of Mexico. Galveston, Texas, is named in his honor. In every subsequent military conflict, Latino soldiers fought along side their American brethren.

The museum will create a home for the historical artifacts, images, and personal stories documenting over 500 years of American Latino contributions to the United States. The Museum will serve as an educational tool for the thousands who visit the museum each year, as well as instilling a sense of pride in the Latino community today and in the future.

Summary of H.R. 512/S. 500

The Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino Act of 2007 was signed into law by the President on May 8, 2008, but there is still much work to do. The next step is to send letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees asking them to fund the Latino Museum Commission created by the legislation.  

http://www.AmericanLatinoMuseum.org/support/index.php 

Editor:  Please check out the website.  You will be SO encouraged.  Slowly, but surely, with your continuing support, it will become a reality.  Write to the House and Senate Appropriation Committees right away.  We need your letters!!!

Article:  Hispanics May Get a Museum Marking Contributions to Developing America

Hispanics colonized the New World, discovered Florida, fought for the United States in every major war, shaped cities like Miami and Los Angeles and have become a sought-after electorate. But no national museum exists to tell their story exclusively. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, hopes that will change in a few years. She is the lead Republican sponsor of a bill recently passed by Congress that paves the way for the National Museum of the American Latino, the first of its kind. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, conceived the idea five years ago.

I am proud to announce that the National Hispanic Veterans Museum in San Antonio is now able to accept federal Tax Deductible donations. This is due to ACOT-Austin Circle of Theaters- becoming our Fiscal Sponsor, effective today, July 28, 2008.  

We are now able to use their Tax ID # as a 501(c)(3) organization, as we apply for grants and also ask corporations to make financial donations to our museum.

I wish to thank our Vice-President. Laura Exparza, who was very instrumental in this process. Gracias Laura.   We can now enthusiastically work towards our first major fund-raiser next year--a golf tournament--at one of San Antonio's top private country clubs. Details to come soon. 

Thank you for your support.

Virgil Fernandez  
National Hispanic Veterans Museum  
|512-297-3731
virgilf@sbcglobal.net

Sent by JV Martinez senior science advisor is a federal government executive 

 www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/olivas.html  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Olivas  

National POW/MIA Recognition Day
Sept. 19, 2008

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is traditionally observed on the third Friday of September. This year, the day will be commemorated on Sept. 19, 2008. The theme for 2008 commemorates the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. POW/MIA Recognition Day posters can be ordered at the following website http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/Posterform.htm  or by calling 703-699-1131. For more information, visit the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office website. By law, the black POW/MIA flag can be flown over federal facilities and cemeteries, post offices and military installations on that day.
Sent by Rafael Ojeda

National Association of Hispanic Journalists honors 
Defend the Honor, Co-chair, Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

                                     
Juan Gonzalez         Francisco P. Ramirez           Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@anr.msu.edu

A new way to share photos on Flickr:  The Commons. 
Your opportunity to contribute to describing the world's public photo collections.

A great resource for pictures on file in the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS .     http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157603671370361/  
http://flickr.com/commons
http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/spi_flickr.htm

The man who brought it together was Pete Tijerina. A graduate of St. Mary's Law School in San Antonio, Tijerina had been fighting discrimination in Texas for a long time. While still at the University of Texas in 1946, he joined LULAC and, by the mid-Sixties, was serving as State Civil Rights Chairman for San Antonio's LULAC Council No. 2. He traveled all over Texas persuading Chicano students to master English; raising money for scholarships; denouncing the racist policies of local institutions.

The main instrument for fighting abuses was a "traveling squad" composed of LULAC members who would group together when problems occurred and try to correct them. Sometimes that meant going to a rural area late at night to investigate the killing of a Chicano laborer; sometimes it meant sitting in a town park and striking up conversations with Chicano passerby to organize a new LULAC council; sometimes it meant talking to politicians about the need to correct school segregation problems.  

These actions produced good results, but their effects wee limited. What Chicanos needed was a sustained legal attack against racism in the Southwest; but that would take time and, most of all, money, which nobody had.

The final straw came in April 1966. Tijerina was working on a case in Jourdanton, Texas, involving a woman named Munoz who had lost her right leg at the knee in an accident. Tijerina felt that the woman deserved at least $50,000 in compensation. When the opposing party refused to come up with that amount, Tijerina decided to go to trial but stopped short when he realized that the jury panel contained not one Spanish-sur-named person.

Tijerina knew that an all-Anglo Southwest jury was unlikely to give the Chicana woman a fair trial. The common Anglo assumption was the "Mexicans didn't need much money to live on. "Tijerina brought his problem to a local judge who told him to come back in August and promised to provide some Spanish-surnamed jurors to choose from.

That summer, Tijerina received an invitation to a civil rights conference in Chicago from Jack Greenberg, Director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). A LULAC brother who went in Tijerina's place returned with a favorable report on the work LDF was accomplishing for black people.

In August, Tijerina returned to Jourdanton to try the Munoz case. When the time came to select jurors, he found that he had two Mexican-origin people to choose from: one had been dead for ten years and the other was an undocumented immigrant who had been called by mistake. Tijerina decided to forego the trial and settled the case for a smaller amount.

When he returned to San Antonio, Tijerina was incensed. He was determined to mount a major battle to end jury discrimination in Texas, Hernandez V. Texas had won the Chicano's right to be represented on Texas juries but, because the Supreme Court mandate had not been enforced by further lawsuits, Mexican American jurors were still very scarce. Tijerina and his LULAC brothers talked about lobbying and protesting. Of course, the need to mount a legal challenge was discussed. So was the price tag. A jury discrimination suit could cost close to $10,000.

Tijerina decided to go for higher stakes. Along with Bexar County Commissioner Albert Pena and former City Councilman Roy Padilla of San Antonio, Tijerina traveled to New York in Spring, 1967, and conferred with Bill Pincus, a Ford Foundation representative, at a meeting arranged by Jack Greenberg. Tijerina eloquently set forth the problems Chicanos were experiencing in the Southwest and stressed the need for a Mexican American civil rights organization. At the end of three hours, Pincus was sold. Ford would be willing to consider a proposal for a five-state Mexican American Legal Defense Fund headquartered in Texas. With LDF's help, a seed grant to fund writing of the proposal was obtained from the Field Foundation and work on the new defense fund began.

The task of organizing fell to Tijerina. He and his secretary Rebecca Villareal spent countless hours gathering data for a proposal. That summer, Tijerina piles his family in a car and started out to set up representative MALDEF committees in five southwestern states. Utilizing LULAC contacts, he met with community groups. Local sensitivities and the general activist tenor of the times frequently complicated his task, but with the help of local attorney and community leaders, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Colorado committees were formed. An LDF-sponsored conference held in Fall, 1967, took an important next step. It was the first time that a board cross section of Chicano attorneys interested in civil rights had the opportunity to meet face-to-face. Everyone gained a strong realization of the uniformity of problems they were confronting in the Southwest and important professional links were made that would serve the Chicano community well in future years. Among the participants was a young Chicana named Vilma Socorro Martinez, who was working as an attorney for LDF and who began serving as an important liaison with the budding civil rights organization.

The last committee was put together in Texas in February, 1968. Tijerina announced that a grant of $1 million was being sought for the creation of a civil rights organization. Carlos Cadena was named President of the Board and Tijerina was appointed Executive Director.

For the nest few months, each member of the fledgling Board was highly excited. Cases poured into Tijerina's office and phone calls continually asked, "What's happening?" "When do we get started?" Finally, on May 1, 1968, Pincus arrived in San Antonio for a meeting at the St. Anthony Hotel. The Board members from Texas included Cardena, Tijerina, Albert Armendariz, State Senator Joe Bernal, Gregory Luna, Albert Pena, and Father Henry J. Casso. Herman Sillas, Louis Garcia, Richard Ibanez, and Frank Munoz came from California. Manuel Garcia of Arizona, Dan Sosa of New Mexico, and Jack Greenberg attended. Robert Gonzalez from California and Levi Martinez of Colorado were present by proxy.

Bill Pincus made his announcement: The Ford Foundation had decided to grant to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund a sum of $2.2 million to be spent over five years on civil rights legal work for Mexican Americans; $250,000 of the grant was to go for scholarships to Chicano law students. The board was dumbfounded. Ford had given them over twice what they had asked for. Greenberg pledged support from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and both Pincus and Greenberg were given standing ovation.

MALDEF was to begin work.  

For 35 years, SACNAS has provided strong national leadership in improving and expanding opportunities for minorities in the scientific workforce and academia; mentoring college students within science, mathematics, and engineering; as well as, supporting quality precollege (K-12) science education. SACNAS' annual national conference and precollege teacher training workshops, chapters program, postdoc and leadership initiatives, and online internship and job placement resources are tools that help a diverse community of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, professors, administrators, and precollege educators achieve expertise within their disciplines.

SACNAS Conference . . .International Polar Year: Global Change in Our Communities 

SACNAS provides unparalleled conference activities for students, postdocs, educators, administrators, and researchers in all disciplines of science, mathematics, and engineering.

About the Theme:
The 2008 SACNAS National Conference celebrates the organization’s 35th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, SACNAS marks this year’s conference by engaging conference participants from all scientific fields in discourse on global change.

SACNAS’ theme focuses on global change—particularly climate change—and its impact on all fields of science. The theme explores changes to all ecosystems and populations from the poles to the desert Southwest. Timed to correspond with world-wide efforts related the International Polar Year and supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, SACNAS' IPY conference represents an opportunity for the minority scientific community to have a voice in the direction and application of research affecting the health of the planet and her people.

http://www.sacnas.org/confnew/confclient/
Sent by Rafael Ojeda  RSNOJEDA@aol.com

FOR A brief BIOGRAPHY OF EACH OF THE SCIENTIST BELOW, go to:
http://www.sacnas.org/biography/listssubject.asp

Major Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas, DDS

(February 24, 1888–October 21, 1932) 
was an odontologist (dentist), scientist and a Major in the U.S. Army 
who discovered the bacteria which causes dental caries.

Written by: 
Tony (The Marine) Santiago

Ouch! Man, you know how bad it is when you have a tooth ache, the pain. Then the fear that most of us have when we have to visit the dreaded dentist. When you enter his office the first thing that gets to you is that weird smell and the horrible sound of the DRILL. Anyway, let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the dentist we would have a world full of people with rotten teeth. Did you know that up until 1921, dentists around the world knew that cavities were responsible for the decay of teeth, but that none of them had any idea as to the causes and of course the prevention of the decay? That is, until a Hispanic by the name of Fernando Emilio Rodriguez Vargas discovered the bacteria’s which caused tooth decay. Here is the story of the short life of one of our great scientists.         

                                          Early years

 Fernando Emilio Rodríguez Vargas was born in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico to Luciano Rodriguez and Dolores Vargas. There he received both his primary and secondary education. After he graduated from high school, he applied and was accepted in the University of Puerto Rico where he took paramedic courses and earned his teachers certificate.  He then went to work as a United States Internal Revenue Service inspector and later as a Spanish translator for the United States War Department. In 1910, Rodríguez Vargas applied and attended Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. where he earned his DDS degree in 1913. From 1913 to 1915, Rodríguez Vargas had his private practice in Washington, D.C. In 1915, he joined the United States Indian Medical Services, and was assigned to Tucson, Arizona located in the southwest region of the United States. During this time he studied the mottled enamel situation which was affecting Native Americans.  

                                    Military service

On August 16, 1917, he joined the United States Army and on September 14th, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant.  Rodríguez Vargas was assigned to the Army Dental Reserve Corps and attended a course at the Medical Officer's Training Camp at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia before being sent overseas.  

The  U.S. Congress had already declared war on Germany when Rodríguez Vargas was sent to the United Kingdom. On August 1919, he was reassigned to San Juan, Puerto Rico and served in Camp Las Casas. During his service in Puerto Rico he met and married Maria Anita Padilla. Rodríguez Vargas, who promoted to Captain on September 8, and his wife had a son which they named Roberto.  

                                   Scientific work

On February 18, 1921, Rodriguez Vargas was sent to Washington, D.C. and assigned to the Army Dental Corps where he continued his investigations in the field of bacteriology.  Rodríguez Vargas was there as an educator and investigator of the bacteriological aspects of dental diseases. His research led him to discover the bacteria which causes dental caries. According to his investigations, three types of the Lactobacillus species, during the process of fermentation, are the causes of cavities.  In December 1922, he published an original and fundamental work on the specific bacteriology of dental caries.  His findings were published in the December issue of the ''Military Dental Journal'' titled "The Specific Study of the Bacteriology of Dental Cavities".  Rodríguez Vargas also developed the techniques and methods of analysis. On September 28, 1928, Rodriguez Vargas published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" his findings in the effectiveness of Iodine and other chemical agents as disinfectants of the mucous membranes of the mouth. Since then, other scientists have used the findings of his investigations as the basis in the study of the bacteriology of dental caries.  

Rodríguez Vargas earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University, in 1924 where he was an Associate Professor of Bacteriology in the Ental School. On September 14, 1929 , he was promoted to the rank of Major.  

                                          Later years

 Rodríguez Vargas was a member of the District of Columbia Dental Society, the International Association of Dental Research and a fellow of the American College of Dentists. In 1925, he was assigned to the General Dispensary, U.S. Army in Boston, Massachusetts until August 1926, when he was reassigned to Holabird Quartermaster Depot, Baltimore, Maryland, which would turn out to be his last assignment.  

Major Fernando E. Rodríguez Vargas became ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized at the Walter Reed Hospital for treatment. On October 21, 1932, Rodríguez Vargas died of complications at the age of 44. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 6 Site 8429. He was survived by his widow and son.

                                           Honors  

Rodríguez Vargas is the only Puerto Rican honored with a plaque and bust situated in front of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.  

On March 16, 1940, the American College of Dentists presented a plaque to the Army Medical Service Graduate School (now Walter Reed Army Institute of Research) in memory of Army dental officer Major Fernando E. Rodriguez for his pioneer research showing the relationship between the Lactobacillus acidophilus and dental caries.  

On August 31, 1944, the War Department of the United States issued General Order No. 71 which renamed the Army General Hospital of Fort Brooke located in the Ballaja grounds of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Fort San Felipe del Morro) in Old San Juan, the  Rodriguez (161st) General Hospital, in honor of Major Rodriguez Vargas.  

In the 1950s, the Puerto Rico College of Dental Surgeons honored Rodriguez Vargas with the establishment of the "Dr. Fernando E. Rodriguez Scientific Contest".  

Note: I would like to thank my great friend Omar Rivera for his collaboration. Rivera e-mailed me telling me that he  enjoys reading my articles in Somos Primos. He has a “gift” for research and has provided me with much needed information. Omar, I know that you are reading this and I want you to know that I am praying for your mom.

The Center for Mexican American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin has been working closely with five different departments on faculty hires over the course of the last academic year. We are very pleased and honored to announce that four new faculty members will be joining the CMAS familia effective the 2008/2009 academic year. In addition to their departmental appointments, each will hold a courtesy appointment in and be designated a Faculty Associate of the Center for Mexican American Studies.

Below are biographies of the new CMAS Faculty Associates.

Néstor Rodríguez, Professor of Sociology, effective fall semester 2008. 
Professor Rodríguez, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Texas A&I University and received a doctorate in sociology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1984. He has recently served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Research at the University of Houston. His research interests include international migration, immigration policy, border enforcement, global urban development, racial/ethnic relations, and state repression. Two of his most recent publications include When States Kill: Latin America, The U.S., and Technologies of Terror, University of Texas Press, 2005 and Black/Brown Relations and Stereotypes, University of Texas Press, 2002.

Roberto Tejada, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, effective fall semester 2008.
Professor Tejada received his bachelor's degree from New York University and his master's and doctoral degree in art and art history from the State University of New York, Buffalo. He has recently served as Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego.  His research interests include twentieth-century image-making, cultural and critical theory, the language arts, and visual culture analysis. Two of his most recent publications include Travels in the Image Environment: Camera Culture in Greater Mexico, 1900 and After, University of Minnesota Press, forthcoming; and Luis Gispert/loud image, University Press of New England, 2004.

Deborah Vargas, Assistant Professor of American Studies, effective fall semester 2008.
Professor Vargas, a native of San Antonio, Texas, received her bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a masters and doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2003. She has recently served as Assistant Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies in the School of Social Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Her research interests include Chicana/Latina cultural production, racialized sexualities, transnational feminisms, cultural studies, and popular culture. Two of her most recent publications include "Brown Country: Johnny Rodriguez" in Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies. Volume 32, Number 1, Spring 2007; and "Cruzando Frontejas: Remapping Selena's Tejano Music Crossover." in The Chicana/o Cultural Studies Reader Angie Chabram-Dernersesian (ed.) Routledge Press, 2006

Cecilia Ballí, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, effective spring semester 2009.
Professor Ballí, a native of Brownsville, Texas, received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University and is currently completing her doctoral degree in anthropology at Rice University. She comes to us after a stellar career as writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. Her research interests include the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, gender and violence, transnational crime, music and identity and ethnographic writing strategies. Two of her most recent publications include "Borderline Insanity," in Texas Monthly OnŠTrue Crime, ed. Texas Monthly editors, University of Texas Press, 2007; and "All About My Mother," in Hecho en Tejas: An Anthology of Texas Mexican Literature, ed. Dagoberto Gilb, University of New Mexico Press, 2006.

*******

I wish to extend my thanks to Martha Menchaca (Anthropology and CMAS), Deborah Paredez  (Theatre & Dance and CMAS) as well as Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez (Sociology and CMAS) for their service on the departmental search committees. We also thank the superb administrative personnel in each of the hiring departments.

I also want to thank Samuel Wilson (Chair, Department of Anthropology), Janet Davis (Chair, Department of American Studies), John Yancey (Chair, Department of Art and Art History), Robert Hummer (Chair, Department of Sociology), Richard Flores (Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts) and Gregory Vincent  (Vice President, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement) for all their work in the hiring of these new faculty members.  Finally, we are most grateful to Steven Leslie (Executive Vice President and Provost) and Randy Diehl (Dean, College of Liberal Arts).

Regards,  José E. Limón
Mody C. Boatright Regents Professor in American and English Literature
Professor of Anthropology and American Studies
Director, Center for Mexican American Studies

Luis V. Guevara
Assistant to the Director and Program Coordinator
Center for Mexican American Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station  F9200
Austin, TX 78712-0531

(512) 475-6769
(512) 471-9639 FAX

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/cmas
lvg@mail.utexas.edu

BICENTENNIAL OF HISPANIC NEWSPAPERS IN UNITED STATES

Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Project Conference

Nicolás Kanellos is the Brown Foundation Professor of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston and founder-director of Arte Público Press, the oldest and most accomplished publisher of U.S. Hispanic literature. He is a fellow of the Ford, Lilly and Gulbenkian Foundations and of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1988, he was awarded the White House Hispanic Heritage Award, and in 1989 the American Book Award in the publisher/editor category. Author of numerous books on U.S. Hispanic literature and theatre, Dr. Kanellos was appointed in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the National Council on the Humanities.

http://www.arte.uh.edu/recovery/index.aspx

For REGISTRATION FORM
2008 to the following address: 
2008 Recovery Project Conference
Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project
University of Houston
256 Cullen Performance Hall
Houston, TX 77204-2006

THE AMERICAN GI FORUM 1990 through 1996

The Last Message of Dr. Hector P. Garcia
By His Daughter
Daisy Wanda Garcia

In 1985, Andrew Garcia of Yale University honored Dr. Garcia with an endowment  chair at Yale, California.  Left to Right: Andrew Garcia, Mrs. Hector Garcia, Dr. Hector Garcia.

Dr. Hector wrote his final column on April 12, 1990, six years before his death. This column finds Dr. Hector Garcia reviewing and enumerating his accomplishments and the changes in the socio economic conditions of Mexican Americans.  Dr. Hector knew that his time was short and it was time to pass the torch to the next generation.  Like Moses, he guided his people on a “perilous journey” out of discrimination.  Now it was time for them to carry on without him. His last charge to the American G.I. Forum (AGIF) was, “to be continually vigilant in its support of economic and social justice, particularly as it relates to the fair distribution of educational resources.” Dr. Hector Garcia left this final message with us.

 1989, Corpus Christi State University
  Commencement speaker. Here with Pres. Allen Sugg.

A Message From the Founder of the American GI Forum 
of the United States

42^nd Anniversary Convention

April 12, 1990

U.S. Supreme Court William O. Douglas, writing his memoirs spoke a truth to which I devote to the 42^nd anniversary of the founding of the American GI Forum:  

Only through the individuals, our real quality of life revealed.  That quality is improved by the tension we remove, by the frictions we reduce, by the prospect |
of true equality of opportunity for every human in our midst.   

This observance is special for it represents the embodiment of a movement rooted in advancing educational opportunity for our GIS and young people.  Our creed best symbolizes this movement:  Education is our freedom, and freedom should 
be everybody’s business.  For this reason, I have acknowledged this event as the “educational banquet.”  Through the efforts of the American GI Forum, we have improved the quality of life for thousands of individuals by removing and reducing those obstacles, which have hampered the development of our community.  

Project SER and the Veteran’s Outreach Program were founded by the American GI forum to turn despair into hope, hope into opportunity, opportunity into skills and education, and opportunity into jobs.  Making available scholarships to needy and deserving youth has kept alive the spirit and dreams of many individuals.  

Today in Corpus Christi , which I proudly refer to as the cradle of the American GI Forum, we honor those individuals who have contributed or have worked towards opportunity for many humans “in our midst.”   As Aristotle noted, the arena of human life honors and rewards those who show their good qualities in action.  Through their hard work, they have become living examples-role models for all youth to dream and pattern their lives.  U.S. Congressman Solomon Ortiz, having overcome poverty and discrimination, has become one of the most influential policy makers in nation defense in the United States .  Dr. Lauro Cavazos, a South Texas native, became the first Hispanic to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Education.  Dr. B. Alan Sugg, my dear friend, has successfully helped to transform Corpus Christi State University into a four-year institution.  The implications of increased educational opportunities for our youth are monumental.  Manuel Jaramillo Rodriguez has distinguished himself as an international artist who has paved the way for many young artists to pursue careers in art.   

For these individuals, including our major sponsors for this banquet-Corpus Christi State University and Hoechst Celanese-I am grateful.  Then American GI Forum will continually be vigilant in its support of economic and social justice, particularly as it relates to the fair distribution of educational resources and opportunities for South Texas .  Que Dios los bendiga.  

Time took its toll on Dr. Hector. Physical illness reduced a formerly robust man to a frail individual. Yet He wanted to ensure that Hispanic Civil Rights works continue.  In the 1990s, an interviewer asked my father what would happen to the Hispanic Civil Rights movement after he was gone.  My father said there were other leaders and organizations such as MALDEF, NCLR, and AGIF to continue this work.  

Papa completed work on this earth on July 25, 1996. At his funeral, I read the following passage from Ecclesiastes.  3:1-8.  

There is a time for everything…

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill and a time to heal ...
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance ...
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to lose and a time to seek;
A time to rend and a time to sew;
A time to keep silent and a time to speak;
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

He (God) has made everything appropriate to its time,

Dr. Hector gave his whole life in service to his country, his people and his organization, the AGIF. He left us with a huge legacy of activism, achievement and raised the Mexican American people up. It is our time to continue with this work!

At the 1990 dedication of the Memorial Medical Center renaming the wing after my father, Corpus Christi, Texas with Congressman Soloman Ortiz.

NATIONAL ISSUES

DRUG WARS, 
The Colombianization of Mexico

A Gary "Rusty" Fleming Film


Drug and human trafficking is a nationwide dilemma, and affects everyone in the United States where drug dealings occur.  Drug cartels are threatening to take over Mexico; they provide a gateway for terrorist gangs to come into the U.S. and can strike in any city.

Flemings said that in most cases the cooperating agents, on either side of the border, or individuals needed to distribute the drugs are given a choice of  money or death, plata o plomo.   

Flemings, having lived among the drug scene in Mexico and the U.S. for three years, believes that the only way of diminishing the power and presence of the Drug Lords is to diminish the use of drugs.  He referred to social programs, as well as the real need of building up strong families.

Since 2000, when the United States cut down the effectiveness of the Columbian drug trade through $4 billion U.S. aid to assist the Colombian government's counter-narcotics efforts, the drug trade control and power has shifted to Mexican control.  

The wide-spread family connections that exists between Mexican heritage individuals has facilitated, very quickly the proliferation of drugs through out the United States.  Plus, he explained the inexpensive substances needed to produce very lucrative drugs has encouraged risk taking and increased inter-rivalry between gangs involved in the drug trade.

After viewing the documentary, I certainly agree with the text in the back of the DVD jacket:  "The problem is bigger than any one government or any one nation.  It's bigger than any one solution and its' bigger than any of us realize.

"This documentary exposes the real truth behind the headlines. From the viewpoint of the players and the victims; this situation gets exposed in graphic detail with never before seen footage of the most powerful terrorist on earth.  "The price for allowing our government to minimize this situation an longer is going to be higher than any of us are willing to pay." 

James Verini, contributing editor of Portfolio Magazine sums up my reaction to the Drug Wars, Silver or Lead, "Nothing yet broadcast in the U.S. captures the violence and urgency of the ongoing Mexican drug war, and it relevance to everyday Americans' lives."  

To purchase a DVD, go to:  http://www.drugwarsthemovie.com 
Awards:
Winner: Director's Impact Award, West Hollywood, International Film Festival, 2008
Winner: Best Investigative Political Documentary, Bayou City, International Film Festival, 2008
Official Selection, Dallas USA Film Festival, 2008

Editor: Associated Press, Alexandra Olson, OCRegister, 8-31-08
Mexico City, on August 30th, 100,000 marched to demand drug related killings to stop.
800 murders in the state of Chihuahua this year.  
Kidnappings in Mexico average 65 a day.  

Many immigrants get caught up in moving drugs and become the innocent victims of those on both sides of the battle.

EL INMIGRANTE

1 hr 29 min 19 sec - Jan 14, 2008  

Description: EL INMIGRANTE is a documentary film that examines the Mexican and American border crisis by telling the story of Eusebio de Haro a young Mexican migrant who was shot and killed during one of his journeys north. The film presents a distinct humanitarian focus in which story and character take precedent over policy and empiricism. Towards this end "El Inmigrante" examines the perspectives of a diverse cast of players in this border narrative. A cast which includes the de Haro family, the community of Brackettville, Texas-where Eusebio was shot, members of vigilante border militias in Arizona, the horseback border patrol in El Paso, and migrants en route to an uncertain future in the United States.

Photo Somos Primos Archives 
at El Comite de la Fiestas Patrias Celebration, 9-10-04 

Time for historical lesson on Mexican migration into U.S.
By Arturo Villarreal and Charley Trujillo
Article Launched: 08/06/2008 

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.   beto@unt.edu
who received from Jose Angel  

For more on this, click to programs in Orange County, California.

Editor: Congratulations to the African-American community for their efforts to get fathers’ involvement in the education of their children.  Be looking in your newspapers for information on the Million Father March around the country, specifically in rural North and South Carolina and in St. Louis, Missouri.  More than 450 cities have registered for the Million Father March. 

If you want any more information about these events or our other programs pertaining to strengthening parenthood, please call (773) 285-9600.

Dads join in Million Father March
St. Louis invites men to first day of school

The Associated Press Published Thursday, August 14, 2008 ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis public school district has asked fathers to accompany their kids to this school year's first day of classes on Monday.

The district says other male care providers in a child's life, like grandfathers, stepfathers or foster dads, are welcome to participate in the event, known as the Million Father March.

It wants dads to bring their children to school, meet teachers and the principal, and hopes they'll join a new program called Fathers as Advocates for their Children's Education, which will encourage men to take a more active role in their children's learning.

"A male role model, especially a father, is irreplaceable in a child's life," said Stuart Scott with the Chicago-based Black Star Project, which has worked since 1996 to close racial academic gaps.

The group has been asking dads to bring their children to the first day of school since 2004 and says fathers in 420 cities, including St. Louis, plan to do so this year.

Scott said while the effort was founded by black men, men and women of all races are welcome. And the dads-to-school push isn't intended to slight mothers, it's just seeking more involvement by men. "Thank you," he said of the work many women do to stress the importance of education but said men should share responsibility. "That's unfair for us to expect the women to raise our child," he said.

St. Louis, the largest public school district in Missouri, will be under state supervision into 2011 due to long-standing academic and financial problems.

It's currently seeking a new superintendent, but the temporary district leader thinks the new effort is a good one.

Interim Superintendent John Wright said he believes some fathers have been on the sidelines for too long when it comes to education. He said the dads are welcome to stay as long as they want at schools on Monday.

"We have to remind people these schools belong to them," he said.

He didn't have an estimate of how many children in St. Louis public schools are from single-parent households or living with other care providers, like a grandparent, but said it can only be helpful to children to have male role models stressing education.

"That's a great idea," said Durrell Walker, 38, of St. Louis. The father of two students at Beaumont High School plans to attend the Million Father March. He said there's a lot of "buzz" around the city about the district's new effort.

"At heart, the fathers want to be involved," he said.

Walker tries to give his children straight talk about the importance of education and to serve as a disciplinary figure to keep them on track.

But he said he hears from other dads about challenges they face. Many work hard to provide for their children, but some face esteem issues or tension from their children's mothers if they can't contribute as much economically as they want or as is needed.

"In my opinion, the fathers that I've spoken with all seem to be interested in not only the first day, but in being more involved, period," he said.

Another father, Andrew Krigler, works at Columbia Elementary School as a parent support specialist. He was hired after years of volunteer and PTO leadership at a different school attended by his now 13-year-old daughter, Victoria.

He said he wants to host a "Doughnuts with Dad" event later this year and to post notices about volunteer work they can help with, like yard work or cafeteria duty at the school, along with photos of family members or care providers who have helped out.

He said it made his daughter feel good to know her dad was involved, and he thinks her daughter's grades were better as a result. "She knows 'my dad will be around,' so she can't mess up," he said.

To have your city join the Million Father March, please call 773.285.9600 or email blackstar1000@ameritech.net.

ACTION ITEMS

"Letter's To The Editor." in the Shenandoah community newspaper, 
from the Thomas F. O'Neill, Mayor, Borough of Shenandoah 
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 6:54 AM,   To: Gladys Limon  

BUSINESS

Recommended Books:

Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America
Author: Dowell Myers

Manifest Destines: the Making of the Mexican American Race
Author: Laura E. Gomez

Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants
Author: Jorge G. Castañeda

Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds 
Author: Gregory Rodriguez

Sent by Rafael Ojeda  RSNOJEDA@aol.com

EDUCATION

Dr. Julius Richmond, 91; helped create Head Start program

The pediatrician also served as surgeon general in the Carter administration and pushed for stronger warnings on cigarette packs.

By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 30, 2008

Dr. Julius Richmond, the pediatrician who helped create Project Head Start and later, as surgeon general, issued a 1979 report on the health risks of smoking that led to more informative warning labels on cigarette packs, died of cancer Sunday at his home near Boston. He was 91.

"Dr. Richmond was one of the giants in our field," said Dr. Renee R. Jenkins, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "He was a wonderful role model for pediatric leaders in the U.S. and throughout the world."

The Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown vs. Board of Education requiring equal access to education inspired Richmond and his colleague Betty Carter to focus their pediatric research on policy as they documented how poverty and lack of educational opportunity affected the emotional and intellectual development of young children.

They showed, for example, that malnutrition and other components of poverty could make learning more difficult, putting children at increased risk of failing in school and later in life.

His work came to the attention of Sargent Shriver, then the head of the Kennedy Foundation. When President Lyndon B. Johnson tapped Shriver to be head of the new Office of Economic Opportunity, Shriver persuaded Richmond to join him.

At the agency, he used demonstration grants to channel funds directly to local public health programs rather than through state health departments, bypassing a substantial amount of bureaucracy.

In 1965, he implemented Project Head Start, an enrichment program for preschoolers that was greeted eagerly by local groups. The following year, he sponsored a series of Neighborhood Health Centers that combined economic development incentives and local oversight of health services delivery.

After Richmond spent nearly a decade in academe, Joseph Califano, President Carter's secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, invited him to return as assistant secretary for health. Richmond agreed, on the condition he would also be named surgeon general, giving him a public health bully pulpit.

His second time in Washington was less successful, primarily because of budgetary restraints.

In 1979, he issued an updated version of Surgeon General Luther Terry's 1964 report on the health risks of smoking, reporting for the first time the overwhelming medical evidence of the dangers of cigarettes.

Since 1965, cigarette packages have been forced to carry a generic warning that smoking "may be hazardous to your health."

Following Richmond's report, Congress required four new labels, titled "Surgeon General's Warning," that outlined specific health risks.

That same year, he issued a seminal report, "Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention," that focused attention on prevention of disease rather than treatment.

The report challenged the country to meet 226 goals over the next decade to make people healthier, reduce deaths by 20% to 35% and lower sick days for the elderly by 20%.

A decade later, the goals had been fully implemented for children under the age of 14 and 80% completed for everyone else.

Subsequent surgeons general have issued new goals to supplement his original achievements.

Julius Benjamin Richmond was born Sept. 26, 1916, in Chicago.

He attended the University of Illinois, receiving his medical degree in 1939.

After an 18-month internship, he joined the Army Air Forces and spent WWII as a flight surgeon with the Army Air Forces' Flying Training Command.

After the war, he joined the faculty at Illinois, then moved to the State University of New York at Syracuse in 1953.

After his first period of government service, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He also served as chief of psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston.

He formally retired in 1988 but continued to teach, write and do research. He also served as an expert witness in several class-action suits against the tobacco industry, including one by flight attendants.

"We are in the midst of the largest man-made epidemic in history, and that is lung cancer," he later said.

His first wife, the former Rhee Chidekel, died in 1985. Survivors include his second wife, the former Jean Rabow, and two sons, Barry and Charles.

thomas.maugh  @latimes.com

  
Harvard University announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition. In making the announcement, Harvard's president Lawrence H. Summers said, 'When only 10 percent of the students in Elite higher education come from families in lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution.'  

If you know of a family earning less than $ 60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free...no tuition and no student loans!  

To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $ 60,000 a year visit Harvard's financial aid website at: http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/ or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.    

Harvard has had this in place for a couple years now I think, but Stanford's a better deal.  ALL STUDENTS who come from households that have incomes of less than $100,000 get free tuition!  

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/MNABV5LHM.DTL&tsp=1

Actually I think there's still room and board costs for both (though it's not THAT expensive considering tuition costs).  Stanford actually waives room and board fees in addition to waiving tuition costs for those that make less than $60,000.

Sent by Lupe Fisher afisher605@msn.com  

 

HABLA program builds on idea: More words make better readers

Outreach project aims to help Latino toddlers learn love for language before they start school.

By Amy Taxin, The Orange County Register, July 2, 2008

The Orange County Register  

ANTA ANA – Aurora Ochoa flips through the pages of the book her mother holds at the kitchen table, pointing out the animals and colors that jump out from the page about a dancing pig.

"I like to read books," the 4-year old says, noting the pig propped up in bed, reading. "I like to read books with mom and dad."  

Over the past two years, Ochoa has sat down twice a week at the table with her mother and a community outreach specialist from a UC Irvine-based program aimed to help Latino toddlers learn a love for reading and improve their language skills before they hit the classroom.  

HABLA – which stands for Home-based Activities Building Language Acquisition and translates to "speak" in Spanish – sends trained "coaches" to Spanish-speaking homes in Orange County armed with bilingual books and educational games. The goal is to help parents teach their toddlers the basics so they can excel in school as early as kindergarten.  

Virginia Mann, HABLA's director and a professor of cognitive science at UC Irvine, started the program eight years ago after noting that many children of low-income Spanish-speaking families in Santa Ana had trouble reading – the same kind of troubles she'd occasionally see in more affluent families with children who had dyslexia.  

But these children didn't have a learning disability but rather a "language deficit" – common in poor families where parents read and speak less with their children because they have longer work schedules and less formal education, Mann said, adding that research shows children who hear more words in conversation are able to pick up language more quickly.  

That led Mann, who studies language acquisition, to tailor a national program aimed to improve English literacy in the 1960s to Spanish-speaking families – and HABLA was born.  

"Children who start learning their native language well are more likely to be able to learn a second language – in this case English," Mann said.  

The debate over bilingual education has been thorny in California – and particularly in Santa Ana, a city where more than half of residents say they don't speak English well. Today, fewer than 1,000 of 31,000 English learners in the Santa Ana Unified School District are enrolled in bilingual education while most students take classes solely in English, according to state data.  

Last year, about 270 children enrolled in HABLA. The program, which is funded by Orange County's Children and Families Commission via state tobacco tax revenues, will nearly double this year as part of a research study by the Washington-based Brookings Institution on whether boosting toddlers' communication skills in their native language helps them learn English.  

Rob Toonkel, a spokesman for U.S. English, said he supports early literacy development for children in any language so long as they aren't pigeonholed as English-learners or isolated from native English speakers when they get to school.  

"At age 2 to 4, as long as you're speaking and working with letters and things like that, I don't see the problem," said Toonkel, whose group wants to make English the country's official language. "As long as you get them into a love of learning, I think you're going to find a lot of these kids are going to want to learn English."  

In Santa Ana, parents and teachers say HABLA is making a difference. Irene Torres, a bilingual pre-school teacher at the Warwick Square apartment complex, said parents who participated in HABLA show a much stronger interest in their children's education. And she believes HABLA, as well as having an older sibling around the house, may be helping her 4-year old students pick up English more quickly.  

"From the very beginning, you can see these children have a more positive attitude in class and they have a real desire to learn," Torres said. "They're interested in books, they ask more questions -- they're more confident."  

In HABLA, trained specialists – some are professionals; some UCI students - visit homes twice a week. The first time, they introduce a new book or activity; the second they help parents play the leading role. The program, offered in Santa Ana and Anaheim, runs for six months at a time over 
a two-year period – at which point many children head to pre-school or kindergarten.  

Children love the games – which include a doctor play set to learn the parts of the body and wooden blocks in different shapes and colors – but also the books. Nancy Hernandez, Aurora's mother, said she always read to her daughter but now she comes to her, asking to read. "Now, it's like three books daily," Hernandez said.  

Hortencia Gomez, 41, started making house calls for HABLA six years ago. Most of her visits are in Spanish because the mothers speak only Spanish but the toddlers pick up English from TV and older brothers and sisters, she said.  

Gomez said the parents she works with teach their children good manners but most figured they'd learn to read once they got to school – until HABLA. "A child is never too young to read," she said.  

Contact the writer: 714-796-7722 or ataxin@ocregister.com  
Sent by Ricardo Valverde

A record number of babies were born in the USA in 2007, according to early federal data released Wednesday that some demographers say could signal an impending baby "boomlet.  

Nelson attributes the 2007 numbers to a "perfect storm" of factors: more immigrants having children, professional women who delayed childbearing until their 40s, and larger numbers of women in their 20s and 30s in the population, keeping the fertility rate high. The average number of births per woman was 2.1 in 2006, the highest since 1971.

"We have three different phenomena around birth happening at the same time," he says.
But family demographer Ronald Rindfuss of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill says there is a bigger question looming than who's having kids.

"From the perspective of schools that have to educate these children, this is a real increase in the number of births and something they're going to have to deal with," he says. But it won't be "the kind of shock that we saw at the beginning of the baby boom. In 1952 and '53, in many parts of the country, schools had to run double sessions. This is a gradual increase." 

BILINGUAL EDUCATION

"Previously, the court reasoned that though bilingual and ESL education are distinct educational theories, the secondary ESL program is merely the latter stage of a comprehensive educational
effort beginning with a bilingual elementary program," he wrote. "That finding was clear and manifest error on its face." In bilingual education classes, students are taught core subjects in their native language while they are learning English. In ESL classes * used mostly in middle school and high school * students receive intensive instruction in English while taking core courses that typically allow limited use of their native language. 

2006 petition Leading Hispanic civil rights groups * including the League of United Latin American
Citizens and the GI Forum * had filed a petition in 2006 urging the judge to update the sweeping court order he issued 35 years ago that forced Texas to provide better education for limited-English students across the state. 

Judge Justice, 88, of Austin, who in his four decades on the federal bench has built a reputation as a legendary civil rights advocate, is no stranger to groundbreaking legal  rulings. For more than 20 years, he oversaw reform of the Texas prison system, finally releasing it from his supervision in 2002. He wrote in March 1999 that the frequency of aggression by prison guards reflected "a culture ofsadistic and malicious violence." Staff writer Jason Trahan contributed to this report.

Margaret Moran, Immediate PastLULAC National
Vice-President for WomenWomen's Commission
P. O. Box 100931
San Antonio, Texas 78201
210 422-2812 (cell)  

SAN ANTONIO, TX - In the most comprehensive legal decision concerning the civil rights of English language learners in the last 25 years, U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice ruled today that Texas is failing to overcome language barriers for tens of thousands of Latino students in secondary programs. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy, Inc. (META) sought further relief from the Court under its continuing jurisdiction in the landmark case of U.S. v. Texas. The case comes 25 years after the State promised the Texas Court to implement effectively a bilingual education program for all English Language Learner students.

The Court said: "After a quarter century of sputtering implementation, Defendants have failed to achieve results [and]…failed implementation cannot prolong the existence of a failed program in perpetuity."

According to MALDEF Staff Attorney David Hinojosa who, along with META, brought the case on behalf of LULAC and the American GI Forum, "this decision gives hope for the future of thousands of young Texans. Its importance can not be overstated."

While the Court noted that there was some success for students in the state's K-6 bilingual education program, the record at the secondary level was one of dismal failure. Attorney Roger Rice of META noted, "the Court looked not only at test scores but also at drop out rates, graduation rates, student retentions and exclusion from advanced academic achievement."

According to Rice, "as former Commissioner of Education, Neeley herself testified `no one in their right minds' would think that these students are demonstrating success."

Among the many serious flaws the Court identified in its 95 page decision, it found that the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) monitoring and data collection system allowed the program's failure to be masked by combining scores and dropout rates from elementary and secondary programs. The Court also found that TEA lacked trained program monitors, a situation the Court called "the blind leading the blind," and that it was likely that students were not being identified for programs.

The Court has given TEA until January 2009 to come up with plans to fix the monitoring and secondary school program and to implement those plans by the 2009-2010 school year.

Founded in 1968, MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal organization, promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through litigation, advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, and higher education scholarships.

For more information contact:
MALDEF: Laura Rodriguez: 310-956-2425
David Hinojosa, Staff Attorney: 210-224-5476, 210-473-1935
META: Roger L. Rice, Executive Director: 617-628-2226
Jane E. López, Staff Attorney: 617-312-3996

BOOKS

EDGAR HERNANDEZ: POW – AN AMERICAN HERO 
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 

A PRISONER OF WAR FOR 21 DAYS IN IRAQ, THIS BIOGRAPHY MARKS THE FIRST TIME THE P.O.W.’S STORY WILL BE TOLD

HONORING FORGOTTEN HEROES http://www.honoringforgottenheroes.com/index.html  
Sent by Site Editor Alfredo Perez oceanbreezebooks@yahoo.com

Survivor: Msgt. Frank N. Lovato

An American soldier's heartfelt story of intense fighting, 
surrender, and survival from Bataan to Nagasaki 

as told to Francisco L. Lovato

Dad and his American/Filipino compatriots heroically defended the Philippines until their capitulation at the tip of Bataan. His captain from Texas, a fellow New Mexican and 25 Filipinos may have been the first to face General Homma's invading Japanese face to face on the beaches of Northern Lingayen Gulf December 22, 1941. They sank 30+ Japanese landing craft with artillery mounted on their halftracks.Of course this battle was lost to the US historical record. The "Ken Burns" have been around as long as there have been cultures to dismiss.   

The already starving and malaria plagued defenders suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of the Imperial Japanese beginning with the infamous Death March to overcrowded POW camps, Hell Ships and Japanese slave labor camps. Everyone suffered from a muscle wasting starvation diet, lack of medicine and senseless brutality. Those who did survived came home indelibly wounded within their minds yet in spite of their scars helped build a better world for us all. A large percentage of the men were Latinos from New Mexico, Texas, and the Southwest. 

Ex-POW and Professor Emeritus Ben Steele generously provided several of his poignant drawings.  

Francisco L. Lovato  
franciscolovato@franciscolovato.com

Carlos Montoya : A Tale of Survival 

What follows is the notorious Bataan Death March where thousands died over a span of about fifteen days, then torturous work details and months of starvation in camps across the Philippines. He is eventually transported to mainland Japan via hellship, and spends the remainder of the war a slave in the freezing environment of northwest Japan, worked like a pack-mule, loading coal.

In 1945 after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the emperor surrendered unconditionally and Carlos was liberated and returned to society. There he quickly learned that the war had not only changed the society he left behind in 1941, but the three years and ten months that he spent a prisoner of the Japanese military had also changed him in ways that he was only beginning to see.

Every day, 1,000 WWII veterans die, and their stories die with them; a terrible waste of America's living heritage.

.

I'm about to launch a 17-city "Border Party Book Tour" and would be honored by your presence. I've pasted a sampling of the Steptember events below; the complete, updated list can be found at: http://www.aroundthebloc.com/bloc_party.htm  . 

Mil gracias for your support. I would be lost and lonely without it. 
Best wishes y saludos! 
Stephanie Elizondo Griest
www.MexicanEnough.com 

2008 BORDER PARTY BOOK TOUR
 
Tuesday, September 9 - AUSTIN, TX -- Book People at 7 p.m., 603 North Lamar

Saturday, September 13 - CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -- Instituto de Cultura Hispanica at 10:30 a.m., Instituto Museum at Heritage Park

Thursday, September 18 - Sunday, September 21 - HOUSTON, TX -- Latino Book & Family Festival 

Tuesday, September 23 - BROWNSVILLE, TX -- the University of Texas at Brownsville 

Saturday, September 27 - PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Taller Puertorriqueño's Julia de Burgos Bookstore at 3 p.m., 2721 Nth 5th Street 

Monday, September 29 - PRINCETON, NJ -- Princeton Public Library at 7 p.m.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest 
sgriest@yahoo.com

CULTURE

Book Review
By 
Norman Rozeff

F. Luis Mora: America's First Hispanic Master (1874-1940), by Lynne Pauls Baron           Falk Art Reference, Madison, Connecticut, 2008. 344 pages, 350 plates, half in color, $79.95

Why Mora is largely unknown or ignored by US art lovers is but one of the many facets covered in the first and comprehensive book dealing with this artist. With Spanish father, Domingo, who was an artist himself concentrating on architectural sculpture, it might be said that Francis Luiz and his younger brother Joseph (Jo) Jacinto were born to be artists. Jo (1876-1947) would go on to become a renowned California painter. Their mother as the book recounts was a member of the famed Baccardi family.

Luis's family left Uruguay during an insurgency in the year 1877.  They went to Barcelona then came to the United States in 1880. Father Domingo (1840-1911) came to set up an exhibit in New York City and remained to design terra cotta tiles that would be installed in the Metropolitan Opera House. He taught both sons the fundamentals of art. Luis (pronounced Lu-ee in the French manner), even as a child, worked the city, always sketching. Before the age of 13 he had painted 100s of action scenes with soldiers.

After a start in New Jersey where the boys were privately tutored, Luis and the family moved to Massachusetts.  Later Luis would start, in 1889, to attend three years at the Boston Museum School of Art. While even being a fully assimilated American, Luis retained his multi-cultural identity. He was fluent in Spanish, Catalan, and French. He painted and studied at El Museo del Prado in Madrid and his palette certainly utilized vibrant Latin American colors. His frequent trips to the Southwest reinforced his bright visages. Mora was strongly influenced by the great artist Diego Valazquez and his father's mentor Mariano Fortuny I (1838-1874).

Mora was an artist comfortable in many media from watercolor to oil to pencil and unafraid to work from miniature up to mural sizes. He was an etcher, illustrator, muralist, and painter. His portrait of President Harding is displayed in the White House. In a catalogue accompanying a major exhibit of his works he was described as "prophetic", "dazzling" and "life full-filling".

Most active between the years 1899 and 1931 when his wife Sonia of 31 years suddenly died, Luis Mora's buoyant, enthusiastic works are to be found in twenty three museums in the US and Canada besides many private collections. His works were exhibited in numerous galleries and the recipient of a number of salon medals.

This well-researched and thorough book explains Mora's descend with age into sentimentality and perhaps "kitsch". His realism fell out of favor as the art world came to embrace the avant-garde. The Great Depression decreased art patronage and hurt him as well. Now his optimism, confidence, and compassion are once again being recognized.

The illustrations alone make the book valuable but so does the touching story of Mora's life. Readers of this review may go to http://www.fluismora.org to view firsthand the wonderful bright accomplishments of this artist who fulfilled the heritage of two worlds.

Sent by Norman Rozneff  nrozeff@sbcglobal.net

Growing up in Hemet, Jessica Arellano was well known for her musical talent. An award-winning pianist while still in her teens, she also made her mark with Hemet High's music department as a saxophonist before graduating in 1997. 

Then it was on to USC where she graduated with honors and a music degree. The dark-haired beauty also met and married trumpet player Fabio Spinella. 

As Jessy J, she has been tearing up the jazz scene with her tenor sax virtuosity. Traveling the world and performing with some of the top names in the music business, Jessy J has seen the title song from her most current CD rapidly climb the charts. 

According to the Radio and Records Web site, "Jessy J breezes to No. 1 on her first try, as 'Tequila Moon' rises 2-1. The Paul Brown-produced piece is the title cut from her pop and Latin-influenced debut set, which has resided in the top 20 of Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart since its March release." 

Jessy J wrote in a recent e-mail message that she was on tour with Michael Bolton and was looking forward to performing a concert in his home state, Connecticut. 
"It should be a blast!" she said in the e-mail. 

Jessy J will be performing as a member of Bolton's band at Pechanga on July 31 and Aug. 1 but has found time for shows with her own band, too. 

She said that the concert featuring the most songs from her "Tequila Moon" CD will be on Aug. 15 in Newport Beach at the Hyatt Newporter Jazz Series. 

Her band also headlines at The Country Club in Avalon on Aug. 14. 

Jessy J graced the cover of "Jazziz" magazine in May. She has been interviewed for programs on CNN and Telemundo and has been a guest on late night talk shows. 

She was invited to perform for a major all-jazz cruise with Wayman Tisdale and was included at the Detroit Jazz Festival. 

Another gig keeping her busy is the 2008 "Guitars and Saxes" tour. The event takes world-class musicians around the country playing cool jazz during the hot summer months. 

This year's headliners are saxophonist Gerald Albright, guitarists Jeff Golub and Peter White, and keyboardist Jeff Lorber. This is the first time a keyboardist has shared top billing on the tour. 
This year marks another milestone in the 13-year-old concert series that attracts jazz enthusiasts and music lovers in general. Jessy J is the first female to be included in the traveling tour. 
"She's a great saxophonist," Albright said in an interview. "She's a side person for the tour, playing with the band, but she does some solos during the show." 

Jessy J returns the compliment by saying that she considers Albright "one of the best alto sax players alive." The tour will reach Newport Beach Hyatt Newporter on Aug. 8 and the Oceanside Pier Amphitheatre on Aug. 10.  She was nominated for Best New Artist. 

Information: www.jessyj.com  or www.myspace.com/jessyjsax  
Reach Diane A. Rhodes at 951-763-3461 or dianealease@hotmail.com
Sent by Crispin Rendon  crisrendon@earthlink.net 

Historia de un Letrero

Winner of the NFB Online Competition Cannes 2008
http://en.zappinternet.com/video/nilSqaMboM/HISTORIA-DE-UN-LETRERO

Fourth annual Short Film Online Competition - Cannes 2008. The NFB, in association with the Cannes Short Film Corner and partner YouTube, is proud to announce that the winner of the NFB Online Competition Cannes 2008 is Alonso Alvarez Barreda for his short film Historia de un Letrero (The Story of a Sign) produced in Mexico/U.S.A.

Director : Alonso Alvarez Barreda
Running Time : 04:50
Year : 2007
Country : Mexico/ U.S.A
Category : Short film

With a stroke of the pen, a stranger transforms the afternoon for another man in this emotionally stirring short film by Alonso Alvarez.

Alonso Alvarez Barreda was born in Mexico City in 1984. He met Alejandro Monteverde, who was still in film school, and since then Alejandro became his friend and mentor. Alonso wrote, produced and directed his first short film, called El Algodonero. His second short film, Historia de un Letrero, was named best short film in the Festival Internacional de Cine en Corto and also won the Hispanoamerican jury award in the Short Shorts Film Festival in Mexico City. It has also been an official selection at the San Diego Latino Film Festival, Cine Festival in San Antonio, Texas, Short Shorts Film Festival Monterrey and Morelos, and in the Short Film Corner in Cannes.

Currently, Historia de un Letrero is part of the regular programming on National TV in Mexico. Alonso lives in Los Angeles.

Sent by Bonnie Chapa TheChapas@yahoo.com
and Jaime Cader   jmcader@yahoo.com

Danny Flores part of a long Hispanic tradition in popular-music industry

Many were on the Top 40 charts back in the days of segregation. (Originally published Feb. 27, 2000)  
by Valeria Godines

The Orange County Register, July 8, 2008

Before Ricky Martin swiveled his hips, before Enrique Iglesias made girls swoon, even before Ritchie Valens took that fateful, fatal plane trip, there was Danny Flores.  

Hispanic musical artists may be the rage these days, but they certainly aren't new to the scene.

Flores, better known as Chuck Rio with the Champs, which earned the first rhythm and blues Grammy in 1959 for the song "Tequila," says he is the first Mexican-American artist to win the award.  

Grammy officials did not return phone calls to confirm the ranking, but other music-industry experts say Flores isn't just tooting his own horn.
 

A number of Hispanic artists made it to the Top 40 at a time when many Mexican-Americans still attended segregated schools.  

Pam Miller of "Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember" radio show says that disc jockey Huggie Boy often played Mexican-American groups on radio station KRLA.  

If these groups were around today, some of them could have been as big as Ricky Martin.

"There is a long history, and unfortunately it is probably true that timing is everything and they were not given their due," Miller said. "They live in the memories of the baby boomers, pretty much. A lot of people, such as myself, bought their records and cruised to Huggie Boy and listened to all these incredible groups and soul performers. " The first Hispanic artist to make a big breakthrough was Valens, whose big hits included "Donna" and "La Bamba. " Valens died in a plane crash in 1959, along with Buddy Holly.  

"He was the first Mexican-American teen idol in rock history. He was the first Mexican-American rock superstar," Miller said. "And he grew up near here. He was a quiet, shy, very sweet kid who loved music."  

Other Hispanic artists/groups in the Los Angeles area from around the same time include The Midniters, "Whittier Blvd."; Premiers, "Farmer John"; Cannibal and The Headhunters, "Land of 1000 Dances"; Chris Montez, "Call Me"; and The Blendells, "La La La La La."

Sent by Ricardo Valverde

DAN GUERRERO began his eclectic career in New York where he was a successful theatrical agent with clients in the original casts of countless Broadway musicals in the years from A Chorus Line to Cats. He returned home to Los Angeles for an equally successful time as a casting director for stage and television before turning his talents to producing and directing.

He has been widely-acclaimed as a highly creative independent producer of diverse programming for network and cable television in both English and Spanish.  At the same time, he has produced, written and directed music and award show events at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the Cite de la Musique in Paris and New York's Apollo Theatre.   

Guerrero began his production career at Guber-Peters Television as head writer and co-producer of the long-running late night talk/variety program, El Show de Paul Rodriguez.  The landmark show aired nationally on Univision and internationally throughout Latin America bringing the biggest U.S. and Latin American stars together in a ground-breaking bilingual format.   

He eventually headed Paul Rodriguez Productions with two El Show colleagues where the team produced four "docu-comedy" specials for FOX starring the comic actor: Paul Rodriguez: Behind Bars, Crossing Gang Lines, Back to School and Born to Ride. The highly-rated programs were a unique mix of documentary footage, music performances and stand-up taped at locations from San Quentin prison to the Black Hills of South Dakota and the barrios of East LA and South Central.  

Guerrero served as executive producer of another successful talk/variety show, Al Dia con Maria Conchita. The daily talker aired nationally on Telemundo with Maria Conchita Alonso hosting top music and film guests from Latin America.   

As a partner in There Goes the Neighborhood Productions, Guerrero produced HBO's Loco Slam, a series of Latino stand-up comedy shows hosted by Carlos Mencia. He also co-produced the PBS Kennedy Center Concert of the Americas with Quincy Jones/David Saltzman Entertainment featuring the biggest names from the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean. The concert at the James L. Knight Convention Center in Miami celebrated the Summit of the Americas and was attended by President Bill Clinton and 34 leaders of Western Hemisphere countries.  

Under his own banner, Guerrero produced the NBC Vida Awards, the CNBC J.D. Power Global Automotive Awards hosted by Tim Allen and the national PBS music special, Vikki Carr: Memories/Memorias that featured Carr, Arturo Sandoval, Mexican superstar Pepe Aguilar and Jack Jones. The bilingual program included a DVD/CD release.  

An earlier bilingual Christmas special produced for Buena Vista International also created a best-selling CD topping the Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums chart.  Navidad en las Americas was taped at Disneyland and aired on Univision with Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jose Feliciano and late, greats Celia Cruz and Tito Puente among the TV guest performers.  

Guerrero most recently co-produced and co-wrote Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano, an award-winning documentary on his late father, Chicano music legend Lalo Guerrero. The film has been airing nationally on PBS stations as part of the Voces series hosted by Edward James Olmos and includes a DVD/CD release. It has also been screening at national and international Film Festivals.  

Live shows and concert events directed by Guerrero include the recent world premiere of Concierto para Mendez for the Los Angeles Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with a full on-stage symphony orchestra, opera singers, a narrator and visual projections celebrating the life of Mexican trumpet master Rafael Mendez.  He also directed Jasmine Guy in Raisin' Cane, a solo show with an on-stage jazz trio about the Harlem Renaissance that toured several cities before a bow at the storied Apollo Theatre in New York.  

Guerrero produced and staged the spectacular AmericArtes Gala at the Kennedy Center to launch the multi-year AmericArtes Festival featuring performances by the Costa Rica Youth Symphony Orchestra, Brazil's Deborah Colker Modern Dance Company, Julio Bocca and Ballet Argentino and Mexico's Tambuco Percussion Quartet among other distinguished artists.  He returned to the Kennedy Center to direct Pablo Neruda: A Centenary Celebration, a special event honoring the Chilean poet with Il Postino author Antonio Skarmeta, the film's director Ariel Dorfman and soprano Veronica Villaroel among the participants.  

Other live events include opening ceremonies for the city-wide Artes de Mexico Festival with more than 300 musical performers and costumed participants on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall and The Maravilla Concert to inaugurate the new Roy E. Disney Performing Arts Center at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The gala featured tenor Daniel Rodriguez, flamenco troupe Yjastros, mezzo soprano Suzanna Guzman, the Francisco Martinez Dance Company and the New Mexico Symphony among other music and dance performances.  

Award show credits include the Inaugural NCLR Alma Awards Gala at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel, the Imagen Awards at the Beverly Hilton, the Placido Domingo Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Estilo Latino at Ruby Skye in San Francisco.  

Guerrero has been twice honored by the distinguished Imagen Foundation for his positive portrayal of the Latino culture in his work and Hispanic Magazine recognized him as "one of the 25 most powerful Latinos in Hollywood."
The Dan Guerrero Collection on Latino Entertainment and the Arts was established in 2002 at the University of California, Santa Barbara in their California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives.

http://cemaweb.library.ucsb.edu/danguerrero.html

Anti-Spanish Legends

LA LEYENDA NEGRA/
THE BLACK LEGEND 
HISTORICAL DISTORTION, DEFAMATION, SLANDER, LIBEL, AND STEREOTYPING OF HISPANICS
From Somos Primos: A Website Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues, Sept 2008

By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca

Scholar in Residence, Western New Mexico University ; Professor Emeritus, Texas State University System—Sul Ross  

[The Columbian Exchange--Number 2 in a series on La Leyenda Negra]

y the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Spain held firm control of its empire in the Americas, a control that, despite its loss in attempting to gain a foothold in England by force of arms, continued for another 30 years until 1620 with establishment of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts by the English. Emboldened by the disaster of the Spanish Armada, which was actually a Luso-Hispanic collaboration, the English intensified their slanderous characterization of the Spaniards over those 30 years. Propagandists vilified Spaniards as “corrupt and cruel people who subjugated and exploited the New World Indians, stole their gold and silver, infected them with disease, and killed them in numbers without precedent” (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article).

      There is no dispute that the Columbian contact with the Americas impacted the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Spaniards and ineluctably altered the course of history. Within a century that contact devastated the Indian population within those zones of contact to one-tenth of their original size. That devastation was engendered principally by smallpox, influenza, and measles, diseases for which the Indians had no immunity. This is not to diminish Spanish excesses against the Indians, excesses practiced by all the other imperial powers around the globe. However, it was the Spanish excesses that “provided powerful ideological sanction for English involvement in the New World ” (Digital History, Ibid.).

      The heat of the Black Legend revealed the “true” nature of the conflict: Protestant England versus Catholic Spain. Some historians point to this conflict as the root cause of slavery in the Americas , singling out Bartolomé de las Casas as the architect of that trade by his suggestion in his Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552) to augment the indigenous workforce of the Americas with African slaves. But this view of non-whites as human commodities was part of the paradigm of ethnic-specific supremacy espoused by imperialism around the world then. Nothing in de las Casas’ work indicts it as the blueprint for the Black Legend or slavery.

      In the years following establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Protestant English settlers (essentially Puritans, though hailed as Pilgrims) regarded themselves as the vanguard in America against the Papist Spanish Catholics. The Puritan English settlers believed it was their destiny to rescue the Indians from their Spanish oppressors; but the Puritans also saw slavery as authorized by the Bible and a natural part of society.

      The most ardent of those rescuers was Cotton Mather (1663-1728), the most prodigious writer of Puritan America. In his zeal to free the Indians under Spanish rule from the yoke of Catholicism, he translated the King James Bible into a rough but tolerable Spanish for publication and distribution to the Indians of New Spain. Perhaps this contributed to the very common practice of intermarriage between Spanish colonists and the Indians of New Spain encouraged by Catholic priests.

      By the end of the 17^th century the most virulent reference of the Black Legend which made Spain less than European was propagation of the concept that Spain ’s greedy thirst for gold could be attributed to Spain ’s racial corruption after 800 years of Moorish occupation mixed with Visigothic and Jewish remnants. That reference has become so historically ingrained in the collective consciousness of the world that even today the Spanish past in the Americas is characterized as a search for gold, nothing else. Never mind that Spanish settlers established communities, built human networks, and practiced agriculture, ranching and mining whose techniques are still with us in the Americas.

      The polemics of the Black Legend has so demonized Spain and its progeny that efforts to repair the character of Spain and its progeny seem almost insuperable.

Copyright © 2008 by the author. All rights reserved.

For Part One of the series, please go to: http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2008/spjul08/spjul08.htm

Untranslatable Words: "Macho" by Rose del Castillo Guilbault 

Sent by Sheri Long  sheri@amigosatwork.com 
Amigos at Work, Inc.
4533 MacArthur Blvd., #200
Newport Beach, CA 92660

 

This Bond of Common Faith

NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía's Remarks 
at the 2008 Annual Conference Latina Luncheon in San Diego, CA
Full Text

Sent by Gus Chavez, Co-founder
Defend The Honor

I want to first thank the City of San Diego. You have greeted us with open arms and all of us appreciate the generosity, good will and passion with which you have welcomed us in your beautiful home.

I am very pleased to be speaking at what is consistently one of the most popular events at our Conference, our Latina’s Luncheon. The issue of Latina empowerment is one that is near and dear to my heart.

Throughout the years, this event has showcased some of the Latino community's most prominent leaders and role models. I am especially looking forward to today's panel and how it resonates with what I want to speak to you about today.

Our panelists are not politicians. They are artists, filmmakers, journalists and writers. Yet, the issue of immigration and the rise of anti-Hispanic sentiment have deeply affected - and continue to permeate their work. It is just one more example that shows no corner of the Latino community has been unaffected by the anti-immigrant wave of hate.

I am so happy to see you all here today. We do have much to celebrate. This is the fortieth anniversary of the National Council of La Raza. For forty years, this  institution has played a significant role in strengthening America by promoting the advancement of Latino families.

Our NCLR Homeownership network has helped more than 25,000 low-income American families purchase their first homes and has provided counseling to more than 145,000 families.

NCLR and our Affiliates have built a network of health clinics and lay health-educators that in 2006 alone, provided care and disease prevention to nearly 100,000 people.

And during our forty years, NCLR and our affiliates have helped millions of Hispanic immigrants fully integrate into American society, by providing English-language training, civics classes and assistance with naturalization and voter registration. We also have much to celebrate as a community.

Latinos continue to play a greater and larger role in this great country. Our singers top the music charts and our athletes perform at the top of their sport. We have a greater presence in the movies and on television with such stars as such as Eva Longoria, Jimmy Smits, Roberto Rodriguez, and Jennifer Lopez.

We have more leaders in business and the military and more leaders in Congress than at anytime before in U.S. history, including three senators: Mel Martinez,Bob Menendez and Ken Salazar as well as 29 members of the House of Representatives. And for the first time in our nation's history, a Latino, Governor Bill Richardson, made a concerted run for the presidency.

We should also celebrate those whose names we don't know, yet who serve in ways great and small. Our teachers, our police officers, our firefighters, our doctors and nurses, and our ministers and priests. The people who prepare our food and clean our hotel rooms, those who work on our farms and factories, those who work at home and those who raise our children. And the people who are fighting for our country.

Each contributes to their communities every day and paves the way for the next generation to achieve the American dream. We have much to celebrate both as an organization and as a community. But, if this year has taught us anything, it is that we still have much left to do.

Not everyone rejoices in our success. The vitriol and hate that surrounded the immigration debate this year was a stark reminder that our road is long and filled with obstacles.

Voices of hate demonized our community with labels like invaders, illegals, anchor babies, and swarms. They falsely claimed immigrants bring crime and disease to our country. They say that immigrants are a threat to our culture, our way of life and even to the sovereignty of our nation.

Such labels and rhetoric are not new to our community. We have heard them before. What is new: is how much of their hate-speech is being parroted on the nightly news and by a number of politicians in both political parties.

I personally went on Lou Dobbs' show to make the case about the hateful rhetoric and engage him in restoring some civility to the debate. His answer was to try shouting me into silence.

I am here today, to tell you that we will not be cowed and we will not be silenced. This year, we started a campaign to expose the hate groups for what they are and to combat hate speech where it raises its ugly head. We are using this campaign to educate the public about hate groups, hate speech and its consequences - because we know that words have consequences…and hateful words have hateful consequences.

It is no surprise that hate crimes against Latinos are up 35 percent over four years. Hate groups targeting Latinos are up 48 percent since the year 2000. Two-thirds of Latinos say that the failure of the immigration bill has made life more difficult for Latinos overall and roughly half say that it has affected them personally.

The voices of hate have responded by saying, "But, we're not talking about immigrants. We LOVE immigrants! We're only talking about illegal immigrants." Make no mistake. This is about all of us. Most Latinos aren't immigrants. The vast majority of Hispanics in this country are U.S. citizens or legal residents.

But, you can't tell that just by looking at us.

Ask Jesus Garcia, a legal resident of Texas who spent more than 30 hours in custody for appearing to be undocumented.

Ask the Chief Financial Officer of Micro Solutions Enterprises who was picked up and illegally detained along with 100 other legal Los Angeles residents when his company was raided. He asked why only those who looked Hispanic were being questioned. So far there has been no answer.

Ask 17-year old Justeen Mancha, a U.S. citizen, who emerged from her shower to find ICE agents with guns in her living room, shouting for "her papers" and looking for what they called, "illegals."

Ask Baby Tomassa of New Bedford, Massachusetts who was separated from her father by an immigration raid. For every two people deported, one U.S. citizen child is left behind. So far, more than 13,000 American children have been separated from their parents as a result of our misguided immigration priorities.

The humanitarian crisis being perpetrated under the name of enforcement needs to be recognized for the national tragedy that it is.

Our nation's immigration laws need to be enforced. But, what is happening today with these raids is an assault on civil rights, common decency and basic human dignity.

It is outrageous that only the workers are targeted in most immigration raids while the owners and managers of plants go unpunished. We are better than this. America is better than this.

Forty years ago, in the year NCLR was founded, on the day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy gave a speech at the Cleveland City Club. It was exactly two months before his own life would be taken.

He said then, "When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies - to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and mastered.

We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear - only a common desire to retreat from each other - only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force.

As a nation, we have let the voices of hate stymie real solutions to the immigration crisis. We have let them sow fear and terror in a population that has lived peacefully and productively within our borders for years and poses no real threat to our country.

It is time to take back the debate. It is time to make our voices heard. It is time for us to restore common sense and human decency to this equation.

Criminalizing immigrants -- has NOT worked.
Forcing desperate people farther into the desert -- has NOT worked.
Denying care and assistance -- has NOT worked.
Raiding their workplaces -- has NOT worked.

We support a solution that restores the rule of law, secures our borders smartly and effectively, strengthens our economy and upholds the values of faith, family and hard work that are the cornerstones of our democracy.

Many of those living in this country without documents have been here for more than a generation. Most have worked hard, paid taxes, lived productive lives and been good neighbors. They have become integrated into American society and would gladly become citizens if they could.

Will we continue look upon them as a threat? Or, will we begin to recognize in them our common humanity.

How we resolve their status will say much about who we are as a nation. Bobby Kennedy concluded his speech in Cleveland by saying, "But, we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

That was Bobby Kennedy’s vision forty years ago. And it is a vision that still speaks to each of us today. Fulfilling that vision is why the Latino vote matters. And after this election, it will matter more. Our vote will be the deciding factor in who is elected President this November. We must choose wisely. Let us choose someone who has the courage to use his bully pulpit to quiet the voices of hate once and for all.

It isn't enough, however, to choose a President with courage. We must also elect a Senate with courage, a House with courage as well as state governors and state legislators who show courage.

To do this, NCLR has begun an unprecedented collaboration to mobilize the Latino vote across the country. This campaign is already succeeding at historic levels by producing more than one million new citizenship applications.

We are registering voters in a partnership called Ve y Vota with NALEO, SEIU, ImpreMedia and Univision. And, we have launched a major new initiative to improve Latino participation in the electoral process with Democracia USA.

This is an historic election. It is not only historic for the make up of the candidates who are running; it is historic for the role we will play in it.

For forty years we have talked about the day when we would have the votes to make a difference. For forty years, we have talked about the day when we could take our rightful place at the table of American politics.

For forty years, we have worked and struggled for the day when our voices would be heard.  hat day is here. That day is now. It is time for us to stand and deliver.

Our message is simple: we will not be demonized. We will not be scape-goated and we will not be ignored.  Sixteen weeks from today, on November 4, 2008, I promise you America will hear our voice loudly and clearly in state after state across this country.

My challenge to you is to help me deliver on that promise. When you wake up on November fifth and the votes are counted…when you look into the mirror…will you know in your heart of hearts, that you have reached out to your friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors about the importance of this election? That you have worked to empower our daughters, mothers, nieces, aunts, and sisters? That you have done everything humanly possible to register and to mobilize and turn out our vote?

Because that's what it will take to clear the landscape of hate. That's what it will take to determine our own destiny in this great country.

I'm counting on you…every one of you…each and every day from now until the election. And, so is everyone in this country who hopes to live the American Dream.  Thank you.

Sent by Carlos Munoz, Jr. Ph.D. 
cmjr@berkeley.edu

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Resources

My name is Adam Taub and I am a documentary film director from Boulder, Colorado. I am making educational institutions and student groups aware that I recently completed a documentary entitled "La Quinceañera" that has played at a number of film festivals and is now offered on DVD. Exploring issues of family, tradition, faith, and coming of age, “La Quinceañera” is a touching portrait of a Mexican family's love and devotion to each other and the Quince Años tradition. The film has been reviewed by School Library Journal, Video Librarian, among other review publications and may make an excellent resource for you.  It is already in use in classrooms from elementary to the university level.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a perfect time to make this DVD available for a screening.  More information on the DVD can be found at http://laquinceaneradocumentary.com/ 

Thank you and if you have any questions please contact me.

 Adam Taub   adam_taub@hotmail.com

Military and Law Enforcement Heroes

WWII surrender photo is like looking in mirror for son  
David Sanchez shares picture and connects with other memories with his dad, 
William, at 90th birthday party.

By FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, Sunday, July 20, 2008

Staring into the computer, doing research on World War II, 51-year-old David Sanchez couldn't believe the face that he saw among a sea of faces in a picture of Americans and Filipinos surrendering to Japanese forces on May 6, 1942, at Malinta Tunnel, Corregidor, in the Philippines.

"He was right in front … leading the men out," Sanchez said. "I saw him and it was like looking in the mirror at myself. 'There is my father.' "

Sanchez, of Huntington Beach, excitedly met with his father, William Sanchez of Monterey Park, to verify if the face in the photo really was Sgt. William Sanchez, who would have been 24 in the picture. "His jaw dropped when he saw it," David said. A piece of history.

William Sanchez, left, and Harry Corre display 1942 photo of surrender to Japanese forces in the Philippines. In foreground, with hands over his head, is Corre. Just to the right of him, in front row, facing a Japanese soldier, is Sanchez.

Saturday night, some other pieces of an unlikely puzzle were in a room together as David tossed a surprise 90th birthday party for his dad in Santa Ana. Harry Corre, 85, was there. So was Dr. Harry Levitt, 93.

The guest of honor, Bill Sanchez, has known Corre for 10 or so years through meetings of an ex-POW group weekly at the Veterans Administration in Los Angeles. What they didn't realize until four months ago was that they are standing right next to each other in that historic photo from Malinta Tunnel.

About four months ago at one of the ex-POW meetings, Bill Sanchez showed the photo to Corre. "He says, 'That's me outside the Malinta Tunnel,' " Corre said, "and I say, 'Gee, that's funny. That's me standing next to you.' We never knew it for 60-odd years."

"It's wholly coincidence," Bill Sanchez said. "We were both in the 59th Coast Artillery Regiment, but we didn't know each other."

A third piece of the puzzle also was at Saturday night's party, Dr. Harry Levitt. He's part of the same weekly meetings of ex-POWs in Los Angeles. One day, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Levitt turned up at a meeting and he and Corre recognized each other.

"The doctor operated on me," Corre said.

"You don't forget a face like that," Dr. Levitt said.

At Cabanatuan POW Camp in the Philippines, shrapnel in Corre's leg had become badly infected. "The foreign body had to come out," the doctor recalled. "We didn't have any anesthesia. We didn't have any tools."

"He got five guys to sit on me, and he cleaned it out with a toothbrush and soap," Corre said.

And how is Bill Sanchez doing at 90? He's active as a Southern California advocate for veterans' benefits and gives talks about the war, David said.

"I'm always amazed at his attitude and his physical abilities," said Peter Limon, 85, a longtime San Clemente resident now living in San Juan Capistrano. Limon has known Sanchez 20 years, seeing him at veterans' functions.

Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127

From left, Dr. Harry Levitt, William Sanchez and Harry Corre reminisce at Sanchez' birthday party Saturday. They share WWII memories as POWs from 1942 in the  Philippines.

Frederick P. Aguirre, an Orange County Superior Court judge, congratulates William Sanchez at a party honoring the WWII veteran's 90th birthday Saturday. Aguirre emceed the party.

Patriotism and remembering the sacrifices of POWs were the focus of William Sanchez' birthday party Saturday night in Santa Ana.

Peter Limon, left, a Pearl Harbor survivor, chats with Bill Delfin, a survivor of the battle for Okinawa, at Saturday's birthday party for Philippine campaign POW survivor William Sanchez.

The crowd at William Sanchez' birthday party hears Mariachi music in a room decorated with American flags and a POW banner at El Zocalo Mexican Steak House in Santa Ana.
Sent by Ricardo Valverde West13rifa

detrimental 

Gabriel, you’ve been reading Japanese manga since you were 13. How did that happen?

I had some Chinese friends in seventh and eighth grade who would bring "Dragon Ball Z" comics to school. We all liked the drawings but none of us could read Japanese, so I learned from my older brother’s Japanese textbooks after he had dropped out of that class.

That’s cool. And now you can read and speak the language? 

Yes. I graduated high school with honors in Japanese, and now I am fluent in both reading and writing. If I don’t know the word, I will look it up.

Why is manga so popular in Japan?

Because unlike Saturday morning cartoons in the States, manga has really strong character development and continuing story lines.

What is your favorite manga?

I like "One Piece." It’s a fantasy story line about the pirate era. The main character is seeking to be king of the whole sea, but there is so much to it. I’ve been reading it since I was 13.

Are the Japanese shocked when they realize you speak their language?

When I speak, a lot of Japanese assume I have memorized a few common phrases and speak English to me so that I do not embarrass myself. But when I start to read random things in Japanese, that’s when they become really surprised.

Any funny examples of this?

I went to a restaurant on Okinawa and the waiter started speaking English. She was struggling a little, so I did not want to be rude and stop her. But after a while I started speaking Japanese to help her, and she asked: "Why didn’t you just speak Japanese from the beginning?"

Have the Marines ever used your Japanese skills?

I was the 3rd Marine Division translator for Maj. Gen. Miller when we went to Camp Naha to speak to the Japanese Self-Defense Force. I was never utilized, but I did travel to serve that purpose just in case. I also went to a martial-arts conference in Japan with five Marines where I spent four days translating the martial-arts moves to them. That was a blast.

Do you get paid to speak Japanese?

Actually, the Marines pay me $650 extra a month for my Japanese and Spanish proficiency. That’s pretty nice, especially with two children.

You are also a black belt in mixed martial arts, right?

Yes, and I also teach Aki Goshen-jutsu and am a black belt in Aikido. I have been doing martial arts since I was 3.

Do you have any other hobbies? 

I also teach break dancing and capoeira at the youth center here on Saturdays.

Cool. Can you do the worm and the dolphin?

I’ve never heard of the dolphin. It’s probably called something else now. But I can do the worm, flares, cherry drops, windmills and other moves.

What’s your best move? Describe it. 

I like the windmill. It’s like a head spin, but you’re spinning at an angle on your head and shoulders.

Sounds like it defies physics. 

It actually looks like it, but it’s more about technique.

Know someone whose accomplishments, talents, job, hobby, volunteer work, awards or good deeds qualify them for 15 minutes of fame? How about someone whose claim to glory is a bit out of the ordinary — even, dare we say, oddball? Send the person’s name and contact information to: news@pstripes.osd.mil.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56676
articles@stripes.com

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com

  

Latinos/Latinas - Ultimate Sacrifice

Part VIII

 By

 Mercy Bautista-Olvera

In the coming months this series “Latinos/Latinas Ultimate Sacrifice” will present the stories and contributions of heroes who have sacrificed their lives for United States . The reason for me to be interested in writing about Hispanics, who lost their lives in Wars, I want to be one of their voices. We do appreciate their sacrifice. It is my sincere belief and commitment, that these heroes are never forgotten. Take time to look at their faces, read their histories, and keep their spirit alive…
 

Army Spc. Jose L. Mora 26, of Bell Gardens , Calif. , died on October 24, 2003 of wounds of a mortar attack. Assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson , Colo. ; killed Oct. 24, 2003 in an enemy mortar attack in Samaria , Iraq .

"He knew he had to make something of himself, please his parents and provide for his wife and family," said Lt. Col. John Powledge.

Mora, who worked his way up from a rifleman to a Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver to a Bradley gunner, had what it took to be an Army leader, said his first sergeant, Glenn Robinson. "Toward the end of every month he always had two questions for me," Robinson said. "He'd ask me how I was doing, and then with a smile on his face, he'd ask me when he was getting promoted." Army Spc. Jose L. Mora leaves behind his wife and three young children.

Army Pfc. Steven Acosta 19, of Calexico , Calif. , died Oct. 26, 2003 from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baqubah , Iraq . Assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood , Texas .

Steven Acosta was born in Blythe, into a family that spends their time together playing soccer, His older brother Gerardo was a Marine but Steven decided to enlist in the Army. The family lived in Mexicali , Mexico , before settling in Calexico, in1991. Steven Acosta graduated from Calexico High School in 2002. The second youngest of five brothers Steven was sentimental and outgoing, his brother said. Steven's friends would regularly gather at the Acosta home, bringing their guitars to play punk rock while Steven kept the beat on the drums, Gerardo Acosta said.  

California Governor Gray Davis expressed his condolences and honored Acosta as "a courageous American soldier, But as we grieve his passing, we find solace in the knowledge that he died for the noblest of causes - fighting for his country," he said in a statement. "As Californians, and as Americans, we are eternally grateful for his sacrifice."  

SGT Linda C. Jimenez 39, of Brooklyn , N.Y. , died on October 31, 2003. She fell while running to keep up with friends, fearing for her safety if she lost contact with them and injured on Oct. 8, 2003. She was taken to the 28th Combat Support Hospital and was later evacuated to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center . Subsequently, she was moved to WRAMC where she later died. This accident happened a few weeks after she was scheduled to have returned stateside according to her father, Angelo Cruz of Sun City West, AZ. Linda died of complications after a blood clot formed, went to her brain and caused a stroke.  Assigned to the 2nd Squadron Combat Support Aviation (Maintenance), 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk , LA.   

Army Staff Sgt. Paul A. Velazquez 29, of San Diego , Calif. , died on November 2, 2003, in an attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah , Iraq . Assigned to III Corps Artillery at Fort Sill , Okla. ; killed Nov. 2 in an attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah , Iraq . Army Staff Sgt. Paul A. The insurgents shot down the helicopter, which was carrying soldiers to Baghdad from there they would have departed for leave.

Velazquez was planning to visit his wife in Oklahoma where his wife and baby lived, to see his baby daughter for the first time; he had recently re-enlisted for four more years, his father John said. Paul A. Velazquez was one of four children. He attended Mira Mesa High School . He was in the wresting team and the drama club. He joined the Army in 1992.
 

Army Spc. Genaro Acosta 26, of Fair Oaks , Calif. , died November 11, 2003 while on patrol when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle hit and detonated two improvised explosive devices in Taji , Iraq .  Assigned to 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Hood, Texas; The explosions that killed Spc. Genaro Acosta on Veterans Day destroyed even his wedding ring, but his gold cross that he always had on his neck was intact. “He was a very strong believer in God,” his brother Fernando said.

 The Avid Los Angeles Lakers fan “felt very strong about helping other people out,’ his brother Fernando said. He reenlisted this year despite his concern over the dangers because “He figured it was the right think go do.” “I know that he did not die in vain, he was proud of what he did,” said his widow Roxanne.

Army 1st Lt. Michael W. Vega 41, of Lathrop, Calif.; assigned to the 223rd Military Intelligence Company, 223rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Army National Guard, based in Sacramento, Calif.; died March 20. 2004 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center , in Washington , D.C. , from injuries sustained March 11 when his military vehicle rolled over in Diwaniyah , Iraq .

Vega was unconscious for nine days after the accident. His family decided to take him off life support, said his girlfriend Marisol. “He was riding o top of a humvee when it came under fire and the driver swerved, causing the overturn. “He was a military man all the way through, he always believed in what he was doing.”    

Michael W. Vega was born and raised in Vallejo , CA . He was the youngest of seven children. Michael Vega was on active duty in the Army in the early 1980’s. In 2002, he enlisted in the army National Guard, he spoke some Spanish, was attached to a group of Spanish speaking  soldiers in Iraq, he joked with his girlfriend that he would be fluent in Spanish by the time he came home. Army National Guard Lt. Alexys Scott met Vega when the two were in intelligence training at a base in Arizona, he described Vega as a dedicated student who had an upbeat attitude and studied when others chose to party in their time off. “He was always looking at the positive side of d difficult situation,” Scott said. “I never heard him complain; he would do the job.

Army Staff Sgt. Abraham D. Penamedina 32, of Los Angeles., died on April 27, 2004 when his patrol came under sniper fire in Baghdad . Assigned to Company B, 20th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood , Texas .

 Pena Medina joined the Army in 1991 he was a cheerful man who loved country-western dancing, said a friend. Abraham D. Pena Medina attended Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles , CA . He missed getting his high school diploma with his classmates; he had to report to Basic Training a day before graduation, said his friend Raul.  

"Staff Sgt. Pena was the best a man could be. He had integrity above reproach, courage and loyalty to his family and comrades. His sense of humor always brightened the day. He was always a friend through thick and thin. I will always remember the fun times and the help he gave me in my times of need.”    
said Scott Wilmot of Baumholder Germany .  

“Abraham was not only our brother, he was also like our dad, he helped my mom raise us and guide us. After our mom died he kept helping us, although he was the oldest, but he was always our mom’s baby,” said his sister Elvia. His sister wrote this poem and published in the Los Angeles Times on July 2008 as well as in the Whittier Daily News. He leaves behind his wife, son and three siblings, Elvia, Pascual and Araceli.

Abraham,
If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane
We would walk right up to Heaven
And bring you back again

No farewell words were spoken
No time to say goodbye
You were gone before we knew it
And only God knows why

Since you’ll never be forgotten
We pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our hearts
Is where you always stay”

Elvia of Los Angeles , CA

Army Cpl. Billy Gomez 25, of Perris , Calif. , died on October 27, 2004 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center , when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Naka , Afghanistan of injuries sustained Oct. 20. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii .

Billy Gomez was the youngest of triplets. His brothers are also in the Army. Mark is a member of 2^nd Battalion, 35^th Infantry Regiment, serving on Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan and Joey assigned to a unit on Fort Sil , Oklahoma . Gomez’ friend Ron from North Carolina said that Army Cpl. Billy Gomez was a devoted son sending most of his paycheck home to his parents.

Army Cpl. Billy Gomez was a Combat Medic. Army Spc.Visala Tui an American Samoa had worked with Cpl. Gomez for three years as combat medics, when Tui was called to help with casualties, he expected his best friend combat medic Army Cpl. Billy Gomez to already have the situation under control, when he got there he found that it was his best friend, one of the casualties.  The two medics, both members of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, they were attached to an anti-tank platoon for a mission that day. The explosion occurred near Naka , Afghanistan , an area known to have been a Taliban stronghold in northern Paktika province. During a Memorial service at the remote base in southeastern Afghanistan , his company gave their final respects to Army Cpl. Billy Gomez. Capt. Daniel Beard, commander of the battalion's Headquarters Company, called Gomez an “infantryman's best friend.” He said not only was Gomez proficient as a medic, but he was also a soldier with a can-do attitude.” However, for Visala Tui, the loss rings deeper. He lost a friend who he had built an incredible bond with over the last three years. The bond has only increased since they deployed to Afghanistan together in March. "My kids will always remember an Uncle Gomez, a person who helped their dad in the Army, a hero who fought for their freedom," Tui said. "They will hear stories about how brave he was, how tough he was, and how he inspired others to fight on. They will remember Billy Gomez because I will tell them.” 
 

Army Spc. Sergio R. Diaz Varela 21, of Lomita , Calif. , died on November 24, 2004 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol in Ramadi , Iraq . He had been in Iraq only a few months. Assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Camp Howze . 

Sergio R. Diaz Varela was born in Guadalajara , Mexico . He came with his family to Lomita in the early 1990’s when he was 11 years old. Sergio Diaz joined the army with the intention to buy his mother a house in Guadalajara , his father was living in United States , he moved to United States with his father so he could learn English. As he got older, his neighbors describe him as quiet and hard working. They remembered that he always seemed to have his head in a schoolbook. Sergio also played basketball at Narbonne High school and found time to pick games with the younger children in the neighborhood; he would teach them to stay low as they dribbled, to bring the ball up and aim for the basket.

Varela joined the Army after earning his high school diploma. He enlisted as a legal immigrant; his neighbors said they hope the government will recognize him as a citizen now. Army Spc. Sergio R. Diaz Varela spent year training in Korea . Army Spc. Sergio R. Diaz Varela died the day after Thanksgiving, the Department of Defense said in a prepared statement released that afternoon. The officer who visited his father said Diaz had stepped out of his vehicle and was walking when the bomb went off, tearing through his hip and side. Diaz's body was flown to Guadalajara , Mexico for the burial.

Army Pfc. Joseph Cruz 22, of Whittier , Calif. , died on Oct. 16, 2005 in Bagram , Afghanistan , of non-combat related injuries sustained in an accident a day before at Organ-E , Afghanistan .  Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Red Devils,” in Vicenza , Italy .

 Army Pfc. Joseph Cruz became a paratrooper, he was not afraid of parachuting out of moving planes.  

Joseph Cruz grew up in Whittier , California . “He liked alternative rock, skateboarding and video games.” Joseph graduated from Sierra Vista High School in 2001. “Joseph was taking online college courses and planned to get a job after the Army,” his stepfather Roberto said. “Joseph joined the Army after graduation, he was sent overseas to Vicenza , Italy . “In the beginning, he liked the Army. He had been to Afghanistan and Iraq already, and he was only 22 years, after Joseph saw a friend of his die in front of him, he did not want to go back, he lost enthusiasm for his mission,” said his sister Ana. In mid-September, he was able to visit his family and went on a cruise to Baja , Mexico , where he was having so much fun with the family.  

Special thanks to Alan Lessig, Director of Photography, for the website, “Military   Times, Honor the Fallen” (www.militarycity.com) for granting permission to reproduce photos for this article.

Quick Relief of PTSD Anxiety
August 12th, 2008   (9 views )
By William Hageman | Chicago Tribune reporter
August 10, 2008

Patriots of the American Revolution

Father Virgil Cordano OFM was laid to rest at Old Mission Santa Barbara on May 30, 2008. He was a great friend of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation and El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, officiating at many events held at the Presidio over the years. He was born Dec. 3, 1918 and died May 22, 2008. Arriving in Santa Barbara in 1934, Father Virgil lived through the era of Pearl Chase and Thomas Storke as they rejuvenated the city. As a renowned teacher of theology, Father Virgil obtained a Doctorate from Catholic University in Washington DC. He taught at St. Anthony's Seminary for eighteen years. 

His service to people of Santa Barbara was legend. Fr. Virgil became what Harriet Miller called "the heart and soul of Santa Barbara", meeting all sorts of people, from the Queen of England to the Dalai Lama. Serving over six decades as a Franciscan at the Old Mission, he represented the Franciscan Order in Santa Barbara for nearly a quarter of the time that the Franciscan Order has been at Old Mission Santa Barbara. 

In fact he liked to say that he and Father Serra came here together... We know that Father Serra did come to the Presidio, so it was indeed fitting that Father Virgil would come there also .. as he very well did!

by Michael R. Hardwick, SBTHP Life Honorary Director 
and member of Los Soldados de Cuera

1779 Baton Rouge

Saturday September 13, 2008

10:00am-4:00pm

For this program, guests are invited to come observe military life in the 1700s.  Guests will witness an American Revolutionary War Encampment featuring soldiers and militia of both the British and Spanish forces preparing for the Battle of Baton Rouge.  The sounds of flintlock muskets firing, the sights of militia drilling and the smell of the cook's fires preparing the days meals are just some of the activities to be experienced.

For more information contact: Audubon State Historic Site
11788 LA HWY 965
St. Francisville, LA 70775
225-635-3739 or 1-888-677-2838

CUENTOS

MY UNCLE’S RESURRECTION  
Corpus Christi, Texas circa 1920

A True Story of Alfredo Franco 
by nephew, Norberto Franco-Cisneros

cisnart@inreach.com

Night had come slowly
Neighbors brought pan dulce and café (Mexican sweet bread and coffee),
Tamales and frijoles boludos (unmashed beans) with tortillas de maiz, 
This was the custom, and so the wake began.  

Five year-old Alfredo had been dead for two days
Alfredo had been laid on two crates 
The crates were draped with a white sheet 
A separate white sheet covered Alfredo’s body but not his face
Two candles on tall candle holders were lit on either side
Two small kerosene lamps flickered, casting elongated dancing shadows on
The somber room’s dark mood
A small alter filled with saint icons and penny candles sat on a lone shelf
A wooden Jesus on the cross next to a picture of Jesus, 
His hands clasped in prayer, resting on a rock looking heavenward,
Hung over Alfredo’s head 
Around the sparsely furnished room were wooden folding chairs that
Women sat on 
The men after paying their respects
Went outside to converse, some to imbibe
They did not sit on the chairs inside

Alfredito (a term of endearment for children) had pneumonia for two weeks
The doctor pronounced him dead on Wednesday at 10 A.M.
This was Friday night

My Grandmother, Maria Franco had spent the night at her sister’s home and|
When my Grandmother saw her lifeless son’s little body
Lying on those wooden crates, screamed, 
“He is here! He is not dead! No esta muerto!

I will not mourn for my child
I will not cry for my child
I will not look at my child!”
She pointed at the makeshift cadaver stage and shouted, 
“If HE wants him, HE can have him (referring to God) but
I do not give him up willingly. Take him or leave him to me!
Llevatelo o dejamelo!”

Her eyes stared fiercely at the picture of Jesus. 
Darting to her bedroom, she tore the sheet that covered the mirror. 
In those days, women covered all mirrors when there was a death in the family
She did not cry. Her face was flushed but resolute. Her fists tightly clenched.
Her dark, defiant eyes just stared at her reflection in the oval mirror.

“He is not dead! No esta muerto!”
She repeated it again and again and again,
In between her admonishments at her God,
She prayed.

 Countless minutes were lost, disappeared, gone to the wails and screams of
The mourners who shook their heads in sympathy The men
 continued eating the pan dulce and drinking café 
Some men enhanced their coffee with a little whiskey
While commiserating with Grandmother’s grief.
The women wailed continuously without end 
As is the tradition in Mexican wakes  

Some more minutes went by and my Grandmother could be heard for blocks
Screaming obscenities at a God that seemed unfazed, and 
In between her tirades she prayed and was inconsolable,
Torn by the loss she would not relinquish  

It seemed an eternity as my Mother recalls but
It actually had been a little while since her tirade began, 
Of course, nobody kept time, but unbeknownst to the gathering 
Suddenly, the five year old Alfredito bolted and sat upright.
He turned his head and looked around the room
My aunt screamed being the first to see him
Everybody in the room with mouths agape
Dropped their saucers of coffee and sweet bread onto the floor
The wailing stopped. Everyone was petrified and silence prevailed.  

My Grandmother was the only one who did not seem surprised 
She darted from her bedroom and ran to Alfredito
Picked him up with a strong embrace, wrapped him in the sheet and
Making the sign of the cross on his forehead carried him to her bedroom
She also crossed herself with the sign of the cross as Catholics do
She said the rosary while cradling him and
Fed him a tea mixture meant to calm, soothe and heal and
Praying a special prayer only she knew,
She then gave him a full-body rub with an oiled, small palm leaf
A part of a ritual to rid him of any lingering bad spirits.  

My uncle, recently awakened from the dead, 
Laughed out loud when she rubbed his armpits tickling him 
My Mother said in telling his story that the first words he uttered were,
 “’Ama, am I ok?” and with the countenance of La Virgin Maria she said, 
“Si mijito, yes, my son, you are ok now,” and
She began to cry.

 EPILOQUE  

Every time my Mother told Uncle Alfredo’s story
I imagined that somewhere in the outer reaches of space
Great storms brewed, thunder roared and 
Lightning sheared the darkness of black matter and
There was an uneasy, fitful unrest in the heavens  

There had been an enormous battle between
My Grandmother and her God and
My Grandmother had won.
It seems that even a God cannot stand between 
A Mother’s love and her children

For the rest of her life my Grandmother, with much humility,
Prayed and gave thanks to the God she battled
She praised him for HIS compassion and understanding and 
In the end, HIS great gift to her.
My Grandmother died several years later, a legend in the neighborhood.
My uncle lived to be 70 years old.  

And this time, he stayed dead.

COLUMN OF THE AMERICAS, MAY 7, 2008
HUEHUETLATOHLI: 

The Ancient World of My Creator Couple
By Roberto "Dr. Cintli" Rodriguez 

When  my sisters and I were growing up, a print of this Emmy Lou Packard painting hung in the living room. The Women's Marathon in the Olympics this August brought back memories of the picture.  The medal winners were a Romanian, a Kenyan and a Chinese.

Ted Vincent

A YARD SALE IN AUSTIN
 AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER

By Jose M. Peña  [i]

JMPENA@aol.com

Having been in Foreign Services for over 30 years, the family accumulated a huge inventory of nice things mostly overseas.  In fact, even after moving back to Texas , we continue to have in our two-car garage many items and unopened boxes.  We don’t even remember what they even contain.  So, we finally decided to have a “huge” Yard Sale and picked a Saturday as the best day.  Expecting it to be fun, it turned out to be a combination of a huge success and a near disaster.  It was --- an experience to remember.  

As the CEO of the Yard Sale, the experience taught me one important lesson: to heed the Oriental (or is it Mexican-American) Proverb: "He/She that controls the Yard Sale Signs controls the Yard Sale."  I don't know if there is such a proverb; if not, I am now minting it because it’s true.  

You really work your butt off to do a yard sale.  There were conflicts of interests within my committee (family members).  As CEO, my sole interest was to get rid of so much junk -- pardon me, stuff -- that had accumulated in the two car garage.  Wow, that place was full.  

On the Friday before the sale, I ran around like crazy and placed the Yard Sale signs in the most strategic places where people could see them.  Immediately after I finished putting the signs, someone stole two Yard Sales signs -- I guess they were thinking of the same proverb.  Anyway, I fooled them, because the next morning (Saturday) I got up at 5:45 AM and replaced them.  

We had set the time for 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday.  So, the rest of the committee started helping to drag things out at 6:30 AM .   Just as we began, the first few customers arrived.  One had the gall to say:  "You are not ready yet."  I told him – in kind words, of course -- come back later.  That was useless advice, all of a sudden thousands and thousand and thousands of customers (ok, this is a slight exaggeration) --began to arrive.  It meant that the Yard Sale signs were working perfectly.  So, remembering the words of a great leader, I said: "…bring them on...."  

And, come they did.  You cannot imagine the number of people that kept coming.  The scene reminded me of an old movie -- "Born In East L.A. "   Cheech  Marin (???), a Mexican American, misplaces his wallet and documents, is caught by the Immigration Department  ("Migra"), and deported to Mexico .  Since the guy does not even speak Spanish, Mexico does not want him.  So, with and without Mexico ’s help, he tries to come back to the U.S. a number of times.  Each time, the Migra would pick him up and throw him out of the country.  At the end of the movie, he appears on the US/Mexican Border, on top of a hill -- all alone.  Three Border-Policemen, guarding the border, sees him at the top of the hill, laugh, and say: "oh, what the hell, it's him again, let's just pick him up and dump him out again." All of a sudden, thousands and thousands of people appear on the horizon behind the guy and start running into the U.S....  This is the size of humanity that seemed to rush to our Yard Sales.

Anyway, all kinds of things began to take place:  

Committee members placed some electrical wires in the wrong place. My wife stumbled and took a fall; luckily, she was laughing and was not hurt.  I did not see the same wires and my feet got tangled up and I took a real fall towards the cement stairs.  Flying through the air with the greatest of ease, my mind reacted and I saw the cement stairs straight ahead.  Somehow I did an acrobatic maneuver in mid-air – comparable to the best Olympiad – landed on my knees, and crashed the stairs with my arms.  I have three quarter-size scrapes on both legs, my wrist and rib hurt, and my sciatic nerve or Spinal Stennouses is acting up once again -- but I saved my head from hitting the cement stairs.  

People kept coming.  I had bought two clothing racks.  We never got to put the clothing on the racks.  Blown by the wind, those silly things kept falling down.  We lifted and propped them up.  They fell down.  We finally said: “…the hell with them.”   People would sift through clothing -- some guy or lady would embarrassingly show off an undergarment, etc.  

The electronic gear that had worked before, did not work properly when it should.  Some guy bid a lower price; he got it.  

People were buying and buying.  The big stuff (nice furniture, nice tables, a Marimba, Nicaraguan Rocking Chair, Egyptian paintings, Stereo Equipment, etc) went quickly.  People seemed interested in all kinds of stuff.  By 9:30 AM , the majority of the things had been sold.  

As the CEO of the Yard Sale, I delegated to other committee members the menial tasks (pricing, sales, cashiering, and dealing with the people).  I took charge of the important things: clean, load, help negotiate, and run errands.  It was why I began to clean the garage (my principal interest).  You cannot imagine the dirt and junk I began to find.  When my committee members were not looking, I kept dumping things in the trash can or the trash bags (don't say anything, but I got rid of many a thing this way).  I was caught dumping things in the trash bags about three times.   Committee members asked me: "what are your doing?" My response: "nottin."  Oh, I knew I was slipping a lie alright; but I did it with a straight face and the best of intentions.  

I also helped with some of the most difficult negotiations.  Here is one example where Client (C) wanted to buy a widget; Director of Sales (DS) wanted to sell; and Me -- I was the negotiator.  The sequence went like this:  C:  "How much for this widget?" Me: I relayed to the DS: "How much?"  DS: "$35."  Me to C: "Offer her $10."  C: Ok.  Me: "He says $10."  DS: No.  $30.  Me "Offer her $15." C: Ok.   DS: No, $25   Me:  "Hey, don't go.  Offer her $20.  He took the widget for $20.   Everyone came out happy with the deal.   C got the widget; DS got some money; and Me -- I got rid of some the stuff.  Ah!  Now you have seen the art and dynamics of negotiations, learned through life’s hard knocks, which is worth of remembering.   In more understandable words, the old Mexican Proverb still holds: “Mas Sabe El Diablo Por Viejo Que Por Diablo.”     

By 10:30 AM , the heat was so intense.  All my committee members were drained and tired.  Wife and son would escape to the coolness of the house.  Me, I was panting in the shade of the garage.  Then, suddenly, my daughter began to give things away.  I saw her doing this and I said "wow, that is really ingenious."  So, I myself began to implement that same concept.   We made a number of kids and people happy.  Later, my son would suggest giving some of the remaining things to the Goodwill or Salvation Army; as CEO, I was proud of that suggestion and patted my back for my ability to delegate authority.  

By 11;00 AM, the heat and sweat became unbearable.  Me, I was sweating so profusely that every part -- and I mean  e v e r y  part -- of my body must have shriveled with the loss of water.   

By about this time, a nephew came by and, seeing the success, offered me the Chairmanship to his mom's future Yard Sales.  That was indeed an honor.  It showed respect for my Chairmanship and Negotiation Abilities.  However, based on the experience and the pain in the Ace of the Yard Sales, the best I could do is to re- delegate the Chairmanship back to him.  

Mercifully, one member (my daughter) mentioned the words: "let's quit."  Others (my son) seconded that motion.  However, the motion never made it to the floor for a vote....  

Faster than Superman and more powerful than a rocket, the Chairman got into the car, ran around and pulled all the Yard Sale signs.  The flow of humanity stopped.  We never made it to 2:00 PM deadline.  Boy, we were all pooped.  When I went to Jack In The Box with my son, we both ordered some food and the guy asked me: "what would you like to drink."   My quick response was "Scotch and Water."  The guy looked at me as if I was crazy.  After that subliminal response, I remembered that it has been close to 25 years since I stopped drinking.   

Laugh all you want, but that newly minted Oriental or Mexican American proverb works:  "He/She that controls the Yard Sale Signs controls the Yard Sale."  Moreover, I am having the last laugh: I hid all the Yard Sale Signs in a safe place ….for the near future.....

[1]  Jose M. Peña is the author of “Inherit The Dust From the Four Winds of Revilla” and other articles.    

LITERATURE

Un Stradivarius by Vicente Riva Palacio 

Después de mirarlo con mucho cuidado lo pone en la caja y dice:

SURNAME

GONZALES/GONZALEZ/GONSALES
Part 2 
“Volviendo a Nuestras Raices”

Used by permission  
http://www.thetreemaker.com/coats/Gonzales-Spain.jpg

GONZALEZ, The third most popular surname in all of Spain and former Spanish colonies originated in Segovia. The "es" or "ez" added to a Spanish first name indicated "son of." In case, the son of Gonzalo. Gonzalvo comes from a German word meaning to combat with bare arms, that is without weapons.

The name rises to prominence as early as the mid 10th century. As one of the first Visigoth rulers, Count Fernan Gonzalez established the Kingdom of Castilla, as a country independent of Leon. Gonzalez was also the name of a 12th century saint. The Latin and Spanish derived meaning is, son of the good savior.

Among early explorers, we find in 1518 a Diego Gonzalez and Juan Gonzales Ponce de Leo: who entered Nueva Espana with Heman Cortes. Alonso Gonzalez de Portugal and Ruy Gonzalez joined in the Narvaez entrada of 1520. No indication that these men were related.  All were married.

Diego Gonzales married a Cuban native. Juan Gonzales married Francisca de Ordaz, one of eight Spanish women who accompanied the Cortes entrada. Alonso Gonzalez married Isabe Bolanos and became a merchant in Mexico City. Ruy Gonzalez was an alcalde ordinario of Mexico City for 1533 and served as a regidor from 1534 to 1550.        /

ANTONIO AURELIO GONZALEZ, a Corona, California resident traces his earliest roots to MARCOS GONZALEZ-HIDALGO, a colonizer born circa 1560, from Logrono, Spain. Marcos married Mariana Navarro circa 1585 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. A study of surnames found that by the year 1600, 65 men bearing the Gonzales name were living in the northeastern part of Nueva Espana.

MARCOS GONZALEZ-HIDALGO managed a hacienda and also had a cart train in Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico. He had two sons, Marcos and Bernave. Bernave's son, Bernave, founded Hacienda de San Jose, today called Villa Juarez, within the jurisdiction of Cadereyta Jimenez, Nuevo Leon.                                      

Mr. Gonzales has been able to trace himself back to a Bernave Gonzalez-Hidalgo married to Josepha de Trevino in Cadereyta Jimenez, circa 1670. Since Bernave, the son of Marcos Gonzalez-Hidalgo had many children and had settled in Cadereyta, Mr. Gonzalez believes it is from that Marcos that he descends. Although he has not been able to find the documents to prove the connection to Marcos, Mr. Gonzales stated emphatically, "I will. Researching myancestors is a never ending delight."

In doing his family history, Mr. Gonzales expressed great personal insight. "I have developed strong feelings for my ancestors, a sense of belonging. Prior to this venture, I did not think of who I was. I have found my identity. I am very proud of my ancestors. They wrestled with and survived the frontier. I know it was their strong faith which strengthened them."

The gradual migration to California began in 1894 when Mr. Gonzalez' Grandfather Jose first crossed into Texas for work. Returning in 1906 to Mexico, Grandfather Jose married Aurelia Gauna in Monterrey, moved to Nuevo Laredo, then to Austin, Texas. Grandfather Jose bought a ranch outside of Stockdale, Texas in 1912, but died in 1918 during the influenza epidemic. Mr. Gonzalez parents Antonio Gonzalez and Francisca Frausto, married 1931 in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to California in 1946, after the second World War.

FAMILY RESEARCHER, Antonio Aurelio Gonzalez, a barber, stated proudly. "My family traditions helped me raise my sons, Antonio and Zachary. Both obtained university degrees and are married." Mr. Gonzalez is married to Dina Castro whose ancestors also came from Coahuila, Mexico.

FAMILY SURNAMES on Mr. Gonzalez's pedigree: Cantu, Villarreal, Mantolbo, De La Fuentes, Flores de Abrego, Perez, Garcia, Rodriguez.

Compiled by Mimi Lozano (c) 1992. Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research.  Published, Orange County Register’s Spanish language Excelsior November 11, 1992, second in the series called: “Volviendo a Nuestras Raices”. 

Editor: Tony Gonzalez is the father of Antonio Gonzalez, Executive Director of William C. Velasquez Institute and President of  Southwest voter Registration Education Project.

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

Hispanic Heritage Month: Seeking family stories

What is the legacy of your family in Orange County?
By RON GONZALES
The Orange County Register

Nearly all of Orange County's families came here from somewhere else, Latino families among them.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Sept. 15, the Orange County Register will publish in print and online the stories that our readers submit about their families.

Stories about immigrant parents and grandparents. About families with longtime ties to California and the Southwest. About Latinos born here and abroad, from Mexico to the Caribbean to Tierra del Fuego.

Here's what we ask:

Send a .jpg photo of the person or people you're writing about. Be sure to identify who is in the photo, where and when it was taken, to the best of your knowledge. And send along a photo of yourself.

Answer these questions:

Tell us the name of the family member or members you're writing about.

Where did they come from, and when? Where did they settle in Orange County, and why did they come here? Tell us what you know about them.

What challenges or obstacles did they face and overcome?

What is their legacy? What did you learn from their experience that you carry with you, to this day?

You can write long or short, from 250 words to 1,000.

Email Ron Gonzales, a Register editor, at rgonzales@ocregister.com. If you have questions, please call 949-454-7334.

Ron Gonzales
Orange County Register
(949) 454-7334

Editor:  Dear Primos, this is a great opportunity to share our family story with the community.  Many of you were born here, or came while you were children.  You could prepare a story on your parents, or your children could prepare the story of their grandparents, or you.  Please, please, let us surprise the Register with an avalanche of wonderful families stories to be shared during Hispanic Heritage Month, 2008.  

SEPT 7TH:   
DIA DE LA FAMILIA, 
WESTMINSTER

Dia de la Familia is hosted annually by the Westminster City Council, this “Day of the Family” provides  an opportunity for residents and surrounding communities to participate in a cultural celebration of family and friends. The event is held at Sigler Park, 7200 Plaza Street, on Sunday, September 7th at 1:00 p.m.


Entertainment Schedule

·      1:00 WELCOME

MC – Lupe Fisher

Honored 
were:

 
The League of United Latin American Citizens
Westminster Council # 3017
Tenth Annual Scholarship Awards Reception
August 12, 2008

Abrazar Community Services & Education Center
7101 Wyoming St. Westminster , CA 92683

Steven Flores                           UC Berkeley                                 Business/Law
Mildred Jara                             UC Irvine                                         Economics
Ricardo Medrano                     CSU Long Beach                                  Biology
Fernanda Gallo Moreno        Chapman University               Physical Therapy
Joanna Gallo Moreno              CSU Long Beach                  Nutrition/Dietetics 
Laura Ponce                             University of the Pacific           Biology/Spanish
Maria Ponce                             CSU Fullerton                                      Spanish

Left to Right: Joanna Gallo Moreno, Steven Flores, Ricardo Medrano, Laura Ponce, Maria Ponce, Fernanda Gallo Moreno, Missing is Mildred Jara   Photo enhanced by Ignacio Pena

Another special guests was Vera Marquez, who spoke concerning the 50 years during which  she has served in some capacity of LULAC, from local councils, to state, and national officer.  "I was a skinny little 16 year old.  I didn't know anything, but the leaders helped me along the way. 



Vera Marquez surprised Gloria Reyes, Director of the Abrazar with a California state medal recognizing the years in which Abrazar started within a little house to the current schedule of services that includes after school care, dental services, meals and activities for seniors, plus the new capacity now to transport those in need of transportation to doctor appointments, groceries, etc..

Here Gloria (standing), shares a photo album which traces the continuing expansion of services with Yolanda Moreno, mother of students Fernanda Gallo Moreno and Joanna Gallo Moreno. Vera Marquez is on the right.  

Scholarship funds are gathered by the sale of tamales at Westminster City events, such as the City wide July4th celebration, City summer concerts, and Dia de la Familia.

Lft to rt: Leonor Barajas, Cristina Villasenor, president, Nipps Barajas, Lupe Fisher, Gene Fisher, Robert Cerda, Serna, Sergio Contreras, Westminster School Board, Yolanda Moreno.

 LULAC Booth, July 4th Westminster City Festival 2008, California

Sent by Mª Ángeles O'Donnell Olson  conhon.espana.sd@gmail.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2008
Location: Pio Pico State Historic Park - Whittier, CA
6003 Pioneer Blvd, Whittier CA, 90606
For more information: (562) 695-1217 ex 104

                                                      6:00 - 8:00 p.m.                                                         

FREE ADMISSION
Bring your own chair or blanket.
Food and drinks available.
Sent by Robert Smith  Rsmith1022

Hello Fellow Cousins:  
In our attempt to expand the history and knowledge of "The Los Pobladores" to the public, I have placed an article at "Wikipedia". I hope it will simply explain our heritage.

Thanks; Alfred "Ed Moch" Cota 
aedwardmoch@yahoo.com
V.P. LP 200

Table of contents

• 1 Los Pobladores or "The Settlers"
• 2 A Little Pre-History
• 3 The Mission, Presideo and Pueblo Periods
• 4 The French and Indian War
• 5 A Land of Opportunity
• 6 Portola and Rivera
• 7 An Early Important Way Station
• 8 The Mother of Pueblos
• 9 Trial And Error
• 10 Mission and Spanish Land Granting Reconds
• 11 The Grand Pueblo-Rancho Period
• 12 The City of Angels

REFERENCE LIST TO HACIENDAS IN LOS ANGELES
http://www.csudh.edu/csudh/isso/hac.htm

By Dan A. Joseffini

Lorri Frain lorrilocks@sbcglobal.net  writes: "Here is a really neat web site regarding California old adobes, ranchos, and some missions."

 Introduction

There are more than forty-two adobes in Los Angeles County and vicinity.  Most are open for visits to the public on weekends. A few are private homes and are closed to the public.  Some are replica abodes.  I recommend that while driving between haciendas (adobes) envision how sparsely populated the area was when very few people lived in Los Angeles.  This will give you a geographic perceptive of the population at that time.  Adobes were positioned for logistical reasons of protection and transportation (like the Mission system) to be traveled in a one-day ride from each other.  They also had to be near water but not to close to a dry riverbank for fear of occasional flooding (Los Angeles River).  Adobes were mansions of their day only for the rich.  Like royalty relationships between the first hacienda families of California intertwine like a grape vine.  Visiting the adobes of Los Angeles will help give you a better understanding of the past.  Across the nation and the globe, California has special meaning to everyone.  Commemorate Her past and celebrate Her future by visiting these extraordinary adobes and learn more about the people who lived in them.

Avenue 50 Studio, Inc. Presents: Nathanial Bustion Continuing with our Black/Brown Dialogues: Melly Barragan · Nathaniel Bustion · Pamela Davis · Jan Jackson · Jacobo Ramirez · Oscar Sanabria · Curated by Dr. Gerda Govine Ituarte, Ed.D.

The Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present “Lives at the Intersection,” an exhibit featuring multi-media works of art by six Los Angeles artists.  The works are as diverse as the artists.  Many of us live at the intersection of bi-racial, bi-cultural, intra-cultural and immigrant realities.  Black/Brown relationships are stretched across a racialized domestic and international landscape sprinkled with preconceived stereotypes. Our exhibit focuses on a “value added” (strength and benefit) perspective regarding the spaces created at that intersection.  Each artist created a space for conscious dialogue exploring commonalities and possibilities. They capture moments shaped by their experiences and truth, and invite the audience to consider the multi-faceted opportunities.
 
Mely Barragán is one of the best contemporary artists in Mexico whose multi-media work has been exhibited in shows throughout Europe, Mexico, the U.S.: New York, Pasadena, San Diego; and Tijuana.  Selected sites include the San Diego Museum, Galeria H&H, Cornerhouse and Bronx River Art Center. Her work is original and creates thought-evoking, spirited and diverse dialogue.  Mely tackles women’s issues and even the street mechanics’ Muffler men from Tijuana.  She will create numerous installations for “Living at the Intersection.”

Nathaniel Bustion is a painter, sculptor, educator, philosopher and poet.  His work is universal and stretches across Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America.  The images he creates are extraordinary and holds your attention and takes your breath away.  Nathaniel is considered perhaps one of the most gifted African American artists who continue to create visions that transcend time and place touching one’s spirit and senses again and again.   

Pamela Davis, photographer, was born and raised in East Los Angeles.   She exhibited at Pomona’s Millard Sheets Gallery, Pasadena Art Walk, and One Colorado.  She attended Cal Arts and, Otis Art Institute.  Pamela was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2004 International Photography Awards.  Her photographs are beautiful and illuminates everyday sightings. Pamela’s work is a gift for viewers to behold and leads to endless discovery.

Jan L. Jackson is owner of Captured on Canvas Portrait and Design Studio.  She is a multi-media artist who prefers creating portraits working with oils.  Expressing movement and capturing “moments” is the heart of her creations. Pamela produces a range of images from women with flowing white summer dresses on the beach, weddings, and family togetherness.  Jan created artwork for “Lives at the Intersection.”

Jacobo Ramirez is an emerging artist who creates artwork using multi-media, woodcut, photography, acrylic, drawings, installation to make space for discourse across diverse peoplescapes and landscapes focused on solutions and different ways of being.  His work is grounded in observations and experiences  growing up in South Gate and attending UCLA.  He exhibited his work in group shows in Los Angeles.  Jacobo is producing some original artwork for “Living at the Intersection.”

Oscar Sanabria is a long-time East Los Angeles resident and descendent of Guatemala.  He exhibited locally and internationally at Tropico de Nopal, Pharmaka, San Francisco Art Institute, Self-Help Graphics and in Japan. He grew up and experienced diversity first-hand and was intrigued by the “other.”  The theme of identity is woven throughout Oscar’s work which is dramatic and thoughtful.  And, at the same time, his work startles and welcomes.

Sponsored by:  Myra Booker, Ph.D.; Sandy Bleifer, Artist; Lisa Boags, Documentary fillmaker (Tuskegee Airmen); Eleanor Brownn; Christina and James Cook, M.D.; Joann Edmond; Ruthie and Attorney Joe Hopkins (Publishers of the Pasadena San Gabriel Valley Journal); Lara Larramendi; Alex and Jaylene Moseley; Attorney Angela Oh; Rebecca S. Rojas, Ph.D.; Linda Rose, Ph.D. (Cerritos College); Shirley Spencer; Professor Jack Turman, Ph.D. (USC); Attorney Carolyn Williams; and COFAC.
 
The Black/Brown Dialogues:  Lives at the Intersection is supported in part by the Ford Foundation, JP Morgan, Chase, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Southwest Airlines through a grant from the NALAC Fund for the Arts.