Earlier this year, you and thousands of Presente.org members called on Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to speak out against the brutal, racially motivated attack on Mexican immigrant Luis Ramirez. You helped raise the call for justice, and now justice is being served: on Tuesday, after a yearlong investigation, the federal government announced hate-crime and corruption charges in the
case (1).
Robert
Renteria, author of From the Barrio presented his story
to over 300 inmates at Cook County Jail. It was an emotional time for
Robert, who admitted to the inmates that he could have very easily
ended up in the prison system for the terrible things he had done when
he was younger. After his presentation, inmates lined up to ask Robert
questions ranging from how to overcome their own obstacles to how to
find support and where to go when they leave the prison system. Barrio
books were distributed to the inmates to share throughout the
divisions.
The
Barrio book/ message and the From the Barrio to the Classroom
curriculum have not only changed the lives of boy's, girl's, men and women
alike; it has changed my life as well. In 2010, I will be focused on
reaching out to pull people from the Barrio's and Ghetto's by teaching
them that anything is possible if we believe and that living a productive
and meaningful life only comes from making the right choices. There are no
shortcuts in life and even though we have had to survive a difficult 2009,
all of us must maintain our integrity, respect and honor for the sake of
all our fellow human beings. 
To
wrap up 2009, Robert was invited by Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley to
participate in principal for a day at a CPS school. Robert spent the
morning at Evergreen Academy Middle School and then met the Mayor and
other city leaders for lunch. The foundations big push in 2010 is to have
a huge impact on Chicago students and families. We're working closely with
the Chicago Public School District and other citywide programs to make a
difference. Pictured here is Robert with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
and Michael Ivers, President of 
The
From the Barrio to the Classroom Program was recently adopted by
Westmont High School, Fontana High School, Evergreen Middle School, East
Aurora Middle School, Quad County Urban League and Taft High School as
well as in St. Charles Youth Prison and Warrenville Youth Prison. The book
has also been adopted into the Criminal Justice program at DePaul
University. Pictured here is Robert at the 
For Alfredo
Rodríguez, painting was as much a part of his childhood development as learning to walk and speak. Now living in California and winning top awards from several of the most prestigious
organizations, Rodríguez is a member of the American Indian and Cowboy Artists
Association. Alfredo Rodriguez established a studio in Corona, California. His rich and vivid colors depict scenes of the inhabitants of the American West: Indians, Mountain Men, Cowboys, nestled in the mountains, deserts, and Indian villages. Painting has always been a part of Alfredo Rodriguez' life. He was born in the small Mexican town of
Tepic, Nayarit which is located in the heart of Mexico and very close to the Huichole Indian reservation. He was born and raised into a family of nine children, and the first gift he can recall was a gift of watercolors from his mother. Some of his earliest memories are of illustrating classroom assignments and painting portraits of family members, he used his talent to supplement his family's income needs. In 1968, an American art dealer discovered Alfredo's art and commissioned him to paint American Indians. The paintings were highly successful and in 1973 Alfredo moved to America. He has been painting American Indians and Mountain Men ever since. Alfredo considers himself a traditional artist and describes his style of painting as Classical Realism with a bit of Impressionism. Now living in California and winning awards from several of the most prestigious organizations, Rodriguez' work is also included in the books "Western painting Today" by Royal B. Hassick and "Contemporary Western Artist" by Peggy and Harold Samuels. Alfredo also has been featured in magazines such as "Art of the West,"
"Informart," "Western Horseman" and "International Fine Art Collector." Alfredo lives with his wife Cheryl and three daughters in Corona, California.
The
Basques, one of Spain's most distinct ethnic minorities, played a
remarkably influential role in the creation and maintenance of Spain's
vast colonial empire, including the Philippines. Basques were members of
the Magellan expedition that discovered the Philippines in 1521, and a
Basque-led expedition subsequently laid the foundation for Spain's
conquest and pacification of the archipelago. Despite the small population
of their native provinces, the Basques' unique skills as shipbuilders,
navigators, businessmen, and scribes; their evangelical zeal; and their
ethnic cohesion and work-oriented culture made them well suited to serve
as explorers, colonial administrators, missionaries, settlers, merchants,
and shippers in the trans-Pacific galleon trade between China, Manila, and
Acapulco, Mexico. After the Wars of Independence deprived Spain of most of
its American empire, many Basques settled in the Philippines, fleeing
political persecution and increasingly limited opportunities in their
homeland. Basque emigration from Spain to the Philippines continued
through the first half of the twentieth century.
Finding Your Hispanic Roots is quite possibly the most useful manual on Hispanic ancestry ever published. Building on the previously published Tracing Your Hispanic Heritage (1984), it provides detailed information on the records, sources, and reference works used in research in all major Hispanic countries. Starting with an examination of basic research principles and techniques, illustrated with examples from actual Hispanic research experience, it goes on to discuss such important subjects as language and handwriting, Hispanic surnames, methods of tracing Hispanic immigrants in U.S. records, and, most importantly, how to conduct Hispanic genealogical research in LDS Family History Centers, where the researcher has access to the largest body of Hispanic records in the United States. 
At
the height of my disillusionment the country was celebrating the 200th
anniversary of the Corps of Discovery, Lewis and Clarks? journey to
explore America. This inspired me to embark on my own expedition of
self-discovery. This pilgrimage would take me through all 50 states,
Mexico and Canada. I would travel over 26,000 miles, mostly with
only my dog, Dudley for company. As each mile is traveled, layer
after layer of truth is revealed. My book takes readers on both a
physical journey and a pilgrimage of spiritual self-discovery. Along
the way I would be hospitalized in Paducah, Kentucky, stranded in Mexico
and lost in a great fog in South Dakota. But, I also found my
ancestral home and relatives that I never knew I had. I explored the
mystery of my family history and tried to understand why no one in my
immediate family knew or cared about it. In the end I gained
inspiration from the whole truth of how both courageous people and
villains helped carve a nation out of a wilderness.
The century-old
presence of Mexican Americans in Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach is an
important, colorful part of the history of Los Angeles County’s South
Bay region. This evocative pictorial history documents the ways in which
this group left significant marks on the economic, agricultural,
academic, religious, professional, and governmental fabric of both
communities. World War II heroes, star athletes, lawyers, professors,
teachers, city councilmen, a judge, an astrophysicist, and many other
professionals have come from this heritage. The first known Mexican
American in Redondo Beach was Mauro Gonzales, who arrived in 1900 to
unload ships at the city’s old wooden pier. He was followed in 1910 by
Domingo Moreno, who fostered 12 children, and Mauricio Colin, who had
13, after they escaped the Mexican Revolution. They initiated a large
and vibrant Mexican American community, one that has virtually been
ignored by conventional histories.
"Belinda Acosta's
Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz delivers all its title promises and more: it's a book about damas of all ages, from teenage girls to the struggling mothers of those teenage girls; it's packed with drama so you don't want to stop reading; it's a novel that deeply and honestly tells the story of Ana Ruiz, her own coming of age as a woman and as a mother. Belinda Acosta is up to all of the challenges of such a rich panorama of characters and events. She's sassy, she's smart, she makes it look easy! But it takes a lot of hard work and a pile of talent to write such an engaging, touching book. A wonderful quinceañera of a novel!" (Julia Alvarez, author of Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA and Return to Sender )
Those
of you who have read the book,From the Barrio, by Robert Renteria know that Robert
believes that the military not only changed his life, but saved his
life. Here Robert is pictured with Command Sergeant Major Victor Rivera,
United States Army, as they discussed ways that Robert can help men and
women to successfully transition out of the military and back into a
successful civilian life.
Much talk goes on in our office about those who are Native American and those who are not. This is because many people request our services to find their Native American ancestors and most often documentation shows that they are not. This is true because most of the people who submit these requests are Caucasian. Joseph has recently started a series of blog posts on the subject.
Want to know who IS Native American? Most of the people in Latin America. Sentiments toward indigenous groups have not collectively shifted one way or another in Latin America. There are those who are proud of their indigenous heritage and others who pride in having mostly non indigenous blood. In Peru and Bolivia there is a high concentration of indigenous people, whose traditions have been well kept. Whereas, in the countries of Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina the indigenous people are a minority. In Brazil, the indigenous people are concentrated in different areas. Uruguay may be the only country that is almost entirely populated by people of European descent.
Catholic parish registers are the greatest resource for genealogical research in Latin America. These records are rich in information including specific references to the race of the people being recorded. It is common to find different registers were kept for those of European descent and for those of indigenous descent. The indigenous people were most often referred to as “indios” in the records.
Tracing the percentage of indigenous blood in my family lines has not been the motivation behind my research. However, it has been exciting for me to document my mixed family history. I have only traced one of my lines to a Spanish immigrant with the help of some distant relatives. This was exciting and surprising because you can tell at a glance there is much indigenous blood in my family. Maybe as I learn more about the origins of my other family lines, I’ll be more interested to know how many of them are of indigenous blood and how many are not.
Do you have Hispanic ancestry? If so, then you probably are Native
American. If you don’t, then you may not be.
http://blog.progenealogists.com/
Mayme Clayton Library Museum and Cultural Center maintains
the largest and most academically substantial collection of rare and out
of print books, manuscripts, documents, films, music, photographs and memorabilia on African American culture and history in the Western United States.
WSBREC was founded by Mayme A. Clayton, Ph.D., a retired university librarian. Dr. Clayton assembled the
collection over a 40 year period and serves as WSBREC’s Archivist and President.
Gov.
Rick Perry and the State Preservation Board today, January 5, 2010, officially passed the
final approval to construct the Tejano Monument on the state capitol
grounds. The monument has cleared many hurdles since the effort
began nine years ago. See 
Existe
un antiguo dicho que dice que en México la mayoría somos católicos,
pero el 99% somos guadalupanos. Ciertamente 
La
tradición histórica nos dice que en los inicios de 
Una
antigua leyenda de España narra que en el año 1326 un humilde pastor de
Cáceres, encontró la efigie de 
Las
apariciones de 
Además
de la historia de la aparición de 
La
parroquia fue elevada al rango de Basílica menor por el papa Pío X el 9
de febrero de 1904. 
El
primero de octubre se convocó a una Convención de Generales afines a
Carranza, en 
Villa
y Zapata se encontraron en Xochimilco, suburbio de 
El
día 6 de diciembre los ejércitos Convencionistas, que se encontraban en
el valle de México, sumaban aproximadamente treinta mil hombres,
realizaron un desfile triunfal en la capital de 
En
el banquete ofrecido por el Presidente Gutiérrez, ofreció un asiento a
Emiliano Zapata a su izquierda y a Francisco Villa a su derecha. A la
derecha del Gral. Villa se sentó el Lic. José Vasconcelos. Después del
banquete Villa y Zapata se concentraron en sus respectivos cuarteles.
Aunque
tuvieron varias victorias a fines de 1914 y en las primeras semanas de
1915, solo seis meses fueron suficientes para que el poderoso ejército
convencionista fuera derrotado en varios frentes, porque Villa fraccionó
su ejército y en lugar de fortalecerse en una o dos posiciones, se
debilitó peleando simultáneamente en varios sitios.
En
ese mes de diciembre de 1914 Francisco Villa y Emiliano Zapata pisaron los
umbrales del triunfo total, pero no lo pudieron alcanzar plenamente por
las circunstancias, sin embargo entraron a 
With
this 26th stamp in the Literary Arts series, the U.S Postal Service
honors Julia de Burgos, one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated poets.
The stamp goes on sale in September. A revolutionary writer, thinker,
and activist, de Burgos wrote more than 200 poems that probe issues of
love, feminism, and political and personal freedom. Her groundbreaking
works combine the intimate with the universal. They speak powerfully to
women, minorities, the poor, and the dispossessed, urging them to defy
constricting social conventions and find their own true selves. The
stamp features a portrait of de Burgos created by artist Jody Hewgill. 
LAGUNA
BEACH – Students from the Laguna College of Art and Design brought back
more than souvenirs from their summer trip to Spain. The group of about 20
will exhibit their artwork inspired by Spanish landscapes, culture and
artists in The Splendor of Spanish Art at the college's gallery. The
exhibit runs Jan. 7 to 16, with a closing reception on Jan. 15.