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Editor: Mimi
Lozano ©2000-2014 |
COMING SOON
Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Reseach is making available for
purchase,
pre-online issues of SOMOS PRIMOS, 1990-1999, all on one DVD. SHHAR ordering
information in April issue.
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Editor: Mimi
Lozano ©2000-2014 |
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Letters to the Editor: mimilozano@aol.com 714-894-8161 P.O. 490, Midway City, CA 92655-0490 |
I think this link is very interesting for all of us that love and have the passion of investigating our ancestors... Besides that, it goes perfectly along with the name of your "Somos primos"...... http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/01/your-family-past-present-and-future.HTML, Best regards, María Elena Laborde y Pérez Treviño mayelena47@hotmail.com |
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Thank you, Mimi, for your wonderful collection of news and facts on our
Hispanic legacy throughout the States. I'll put together a few notes and send them to you ASAP.. Cordially, Arsenio Rey-Tejerina Valencia, Spain |
| A Thought to Consider |
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"A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves"
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The State of Texas Historical Plaque Honors Dr. Hector P. Garcia Medal of Honor to 19 Latino, among 24 Nominees of overlooked minority service members Why are there so many omissions? by Eddie Morin Cesar Chavez documentary and march What the Film “Latino Americans” Offers and Misses by Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco Big Oscar Wins for Latinos by Kirk Whisler New Organization Launches to Help More Latinas Realize Their Political Dreams The Under-represented Latina Cuento: How Education Can Lead to Freedom by Wanda Garcia Cuento: Conciencia: Knowing Yourself, from The Power of Latino Leadership by Juana Bordas Ghosts of a forgotten war: By Snejana Farberov National Council of La Raza Affiliates |
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The State of Texas Historical Plaque Honors Dr. Hector P. Garcia |
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Program Inside WELCOME Anita Eisenhauer, Chairman Nueces County Historical Commission INVOCATION Monsignor Michael Howell PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – U.S. FLAG STAR-SPANGLED BANNER-NATIONAL ANTHEM Patriots Band of Corpus Christi PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE –TEXAS FLAG TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MARKER PROGRAM John G. Ford, Ph.D. CONTINUING THE MISSION Yvonne Hinojosa, M.D., Program Director CHRISTUS Spohn Family Medicine Residency Program & Dr. Hector P. Garcia Family Medicine Academic Center UNVEILING OF THE MARKER Nueces County Judge Samuel L. Neal Pamela R. Robertson, President and CEO CHRISTUS Spohn Health System CELEBRATING HECTOR P. GARCIA, M.D. Wanda Garcia Daughter of Dr. Hector P. Garcia AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL Patriots Band of Corpus Christi BENEDICTION Monsignor Michael Howell Michele Mora-Trevino, Executive Director CHRISTUS Spohn Marketing & Community Relations 613 Elizabeth Street, Suite 506 Corpus Christi, Texas 78404 361-861-9505 (office) 361-861-9510 (FAX) michelem.trevino@christushealth.org Wanda Garcia with her high school speech teacher, Sister Marcy Lucy Garcia, who announced she was giving Wanda an A+ for the delivery of the speech below. |
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By
Daisy Wanda Garcia |
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I would like to thank the Nueces County Historical Commission, the Nueces County Commissioners Court and Christus Spohn Health System for honoring my father today at this ceremony. A special thanks to the Corpus Christi Caller Times for promoting this event. Most of you knew my father, were former patients of his and are acquainted with his work. Papa began his practice at this hospital in 1945, and spent the next fifty five years working as a practicing physician at Memorial Medical Center. In the 1940ies the hospital, called Memorial Hospital, was located in the annex (now destroyed) at the back of this lot. Hospitals were segregated and there existed Mexican Wards and Anglo Wards. When the Mexican wards were filled, Mexican American patients were placed in their beds in the halls even though the white wards were empty. Dr. Garcia would always check the Anglo wards to make sure there was room. Then he followed up with phone calls to plead that his patients be moved to the Anglo wards. Later the hospital was desegregated thanks to the intervention of Senator Lyndon Johnson. Through the years, I met all of Papa’s physician friends, and especially remember nurses Beverly and Ms. Crabb. Ms. Crabb knew Papa when he was a student at UTMB in Galveston, TX. Papa was the one Mexican American student accepted at UTMB that year. The Garcia family produced six physicians. During the Garcia family’s heyday, the name Garcia, whether Dr. Hector, or his sister or brother, Dr. Cleo or Dr. Xico would resonate constantly over the hospital’s PA system. In 1993, Memorial Medical Center named the new wing of the hospital after Papa. Papa spent the last days of his life in the hospital as a patient and died in his beloved hospital. I will always be grateful to Wheeler Lipes, the hospital administrator at that time, for his kindness to my father. All these people are dear memories which I will cherish for the rest of my life. Today, we ask how we can celebrate Dr. Garcia’s legacy. The answer is simple. By carrying on and supporting Papa’s advocacy work for veterans through the American GI Forum, by promoting education with our youth through scholarships and technology, and finally by not letting his memory die. This historical marker will accomplish this. Every time families bring their loved ones to the Dr. Hector Garcia wing of the hospital, they will be able to know who Dr. Hector P. Garcia was by reading about his life on the historical marker. Young people, who are deciding on what career path to take, can read the marker, learn about my father’s journey and follow in his footsteps of service to others. His life will be an inspiration to everyone who reads the marker. [Below is the text of the plaque.] To the young people in the audience, the freedoms you enjoy today are because of the sacrifices and struggles of men like Dr. Garcia, Gustavo Garcia, George I Sanchez and James DeAnda, and many more. Each of these men had to struggle with discrimination and overcome obstacles to succeed. Dr. Garcia was the one Mexican American student admitted to UTMB for the year. Dr. Garcia graduated summa cum laude from UTMB. Then after when he graduated and had to practice his residency, no Texas hospital would take him. He went to Omaha Nebraska to complete his residency. After he opened his practice he faced other obstacles. Few pharmacies would fill his prescriptions because he was Mexican American. What you must understand that no matter what you accomplished under a racist system, you were never good enough. Never forget this and pass this knowledge on to your children or this part of our history will be lost forever. For the record, I have not given up on Dr. Hector’s dream to restore his clinic into an AGIF center or getting a historical marker for his clinic. Dr. Garcia gave so much to the community. Perhaps, we can make Dr. Hector’s dream a reality.
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Wanda Garcia, daughter of the
late Dr. Hector P. Garcia and Judge Lloyd Neal unveil a Texas Historical
Marker dedicated in honor of Dr. Hector P. Garcia, founder of the
American GI Forum at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial on Friday.
Photo by Eddie Seal, |
TEXT ON PLAQUE: HECTOR PEREZ
GARCIA, M.D. HÉCTOR PÉREZ GARCÍA (1914-1996) WAS A COURAGEOUS LEADER IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. HE ACHIEVED PROFOUND CHANGE IN THE TREATMENT OF FELLOW MEXICAN-AMERICANS THROUGH PEACEFUL PROTEST AND LEGAL RECOURSE. GARCÍA WAS BORN IN MEXICO. IN 1917, WHEN THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION ENDANGERED HIS FAMILY, THEY FLED TO THE UNITED STATES, LEGALLY TAKING UP RESIDENCE IN MERCEDES. GARCÍA WAS VALEDICTORIAN OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS AND GRADUATED WITH HONORS FROM THE UNIV. OF TEXAS (1936), EARNING A MEDICAL DEGREE FROM THE UT MEDICAL SCHOOL AT GALVESTON (1940). HE THEN COMPLETED A TWO-YEAR RESIDENCY IN NEBRASKA. IN 1942, DR. GARCÍA VOLUNTEERED FOR THE U. S. ARMY AND SERVED AS AN OFFICER AND MEDICAL CORPS SURGEON. WHEN DISCHARGED AS A MAJOR IN 1945, HE HAD EARNED A BRONZE STAR WITH SIX BATTLE STARS FOR SERVICE IN NORTH AFRICA AND ITALY. IN 1946, GARCÍA MOVED HIS YOUNG FAMILY TO CORPUS CHRISTI WHERE HE OPENED A PRIVATE PRACTICE WITH HIS BROTHER. MOST OF HIS PATIENTS WERE VETERANS WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO GET THE CARE THEY NEEDED OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION. IN MARCH 1948, HE AND OTHERS FORMED THE AMERICAN G. I. FORUM. THROUGH THE INCIDENT, LATER NAMED THE LONGORIA AFFAIR, DR. GARCÍA AND THE FORUM GARNERED NATIONAL ATTENTION. THE PUBLICITY BROUGHT AN EXPANSION TO FORUM ACTIVITIES INCLUDING EDUCATION REFORM, DESEGREGATION, FARM LABOR AND POLL TAX REPEAL. IN 1966, HE WAS APPOINTED AS ALTERNATE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS. IN 1986, PRES. RONALD REAGAN AWARDED GARCIA THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM. A FIGURE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROMINENCE, HIS LIFE HAS IMPACTED SOCIETY FROM THE POOREST BARRIOS TO THE HIGHEST ECHELONS OF GOVERNMENT. (2012) Historical text on the plaque written by Daisy Wanda Garcia. |
| For a full article of the February 28th event, go to:
"Place is not marked, Place in History Is" written by Dayna
Worchel, Corpus Christi Caller, March 1st, 2014 http://www.caller.com/news/2014/feb/28/plaque-honoring-dr-hector-garcia-unveiled-at/ |
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Medal of Honor to 19 Latino, |
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| In one of the largest Medal of Honor ceremonies in history,
on March 18th, the President will present the Medal of Honors to 24 Nominees.
Each of these Soldiers' bravery was previously recognized by award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest award; that award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Congressional review and the 2002 Defense Authorization Act prompted a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During the review, records of several Soldiers of neither Jewish nor Hispanic descent were found to display criteria worthy of the Medal of Honor. |
The 2002 NDAA was amended to allow these Soldiers to be honored with the upgrade - in addition to the Jewish and Hispanic American Soldiers. The White House ceremony on Mar. 18 will recognize these 24 men for their gallantry, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of duty. The United States Army is proud of these Soldiers and glad to see their professionalism, service and sacrifice being recognized again - in full view of a new generation.
The following individuals distinguished themselves by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving during the Vietnam War
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Sergeant Candelario Garcia will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as an acting Team Leader for Company B, 1st Battalion, 2d Infantry, 1st Brigade,1st Infantry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Lai
Khe, Republic of Vietnam on December 8, 1968. |
Master Sergeant Mike C. Pena will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courageous actions while serving as a member of Company F, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in
Waegwan, Korea, on September 4, 1950. |
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Why are there so many omissions? by Eddie Morin |
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As pleasing as it is to see some Latino heroes finally receiving the recognition they deserve, it is sad that most of the veterans cited will receive a posthumous award. Time has not dealt fairly with our heroes nor has the recognition been complete and so I have mixed feelings about this belated ceremony that has what has to be considered some glaring omissions. I would like to explain some simple facts. Several notable leaders in the Latino community have been attempting for years to gain recognition of some impressive narratives that describe our hero veterans. These individuals include: Pete Limon, Placido Salazar , Alfred Lugo, the late John Lopez and myself, Eddie Morin. We have sought help and publicity from the politicians and the public sector with little to show for it. Even though it is gratifying to see the list of heroes honored that are being honored we have to ask: "Why are there so many omissions?" During WWII, Guy Gabaldon single handedly captured over 1,500 enemy soldiers who were indoctrinated to kill as many Americans as the could before laying down their lives for the emperor, There can be no doubt that a great many lives were saved by Guy Gabaldon and yet no Medal of Honor was ever awarded him even though he truly deserves one. And so it goes, as anyone who has examined the facts can tell you. Im a combat mission in Fallujah, Iraq Marine sergeant Rafael Peralta led his men on an assault of enemy positions. When a grenade was tossed his way he selflessly threw his body over it to absorb the blast. This devotion to his men has been negated by the reviewers who have over-ridden the eyewitness testimony of the others who were there and insist that he was probably fatally wounded and must have just fallen in that direction. He was a hero and should be acknowledge as one! Here is a list of other veterans that should have been considered: VIETNAM: Ramon Rodriguez, Isaac Camacho, Manuel F. Martinez Jr., Fred Ogas, KOREA: Ray B. Gonzales WWII: Guy Gabaldon, Rumaldo Medina, Rufino Gallegos, Miguel Encinas. and Gabriel Navarette. I'm certain that there are more and I realize that not every case can be closely scrutinized and yet I believe a lot more credibility can be had by better examination of eyewitness accounts. Consider that during the War with Mexico, the Civil War and the Indian Wars the Congressional Medal of Honor was common and not really elevated until later. Today it stands as a testament to the highest valor above and beyond the call of duty. It should never be regarded lightly but then never should our heroes. Sent by Eddie Morin |
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On March 28, the Cesar Chavez Movie will open in theaters across the
country. Please encourage your colleagues at work, your schools, your professional groups to come out and watch the movie on opening weekend, the ratings are tracked by how many people come to see it when it opens. We would love to have groups buy the entire movie theater, in some cases, it can be done with as little as $1000. |
March 29, Cesar Chavez
March. |
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What the Film “Latino Americans” Offers and Misses By Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco 28 January 2013 http://mujerestalk.org/ |
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Kudos to all the people who developed the PBS six part Latino Americans (2013) film series. The lenses of race, class, nationality, transnationalism and citizenship are successfully woven throughout six different eras. Despite the inclusive voices of Chicana and Latina historians Vicki L. Ruiz, Maria Cristina Garcia and Virginia Sánchez-Korrol, and despite excellent stories about women like Apolinaria
Lorenzana, Rita Moreno, Dolores Huerta, Julia Alvarez, Gloria Estefan and Maria Elena Salinas the film series lacks a focused lens on gender and sexuality throughout the film. The problems of sexism, heterosexism and homophobia are ignored. I will look at each episode highlighting key aspects of each episode and offer ideas as to what could have been included. Educators may supplement their teaching accordingly. Episode 1: “Foreigners in Their Own Land” (1565-1880) provides a broad sweep though most attention is to post-1836. A focus on 1492 to 1821 or 1848 would have been more appropriate. The “Spanish colonial era” included Spanish presence in twenty-five states of the current U.S. and key civil settlements. Their interaction with Indian nations is essential in accounting for the pandemic that European disease brought to the Americas; Spanish genocide of Indians; Spanish slavery (encomienda system); mestizaje as well as the foundational race/caste/gendered/sexed status of Spanish, mestizo, caste and Indian peoples; and sexual violence. “Our” Spanish lands were Indian homelands. Episode 2: “Empire of Dreams” (1880-1942) should have been two episodes. This episode provides excellent treatment of the Spanish American War and U.S. incorporation of Puerto |
Rico, the Mexican Revolution and resulting immigration to the U.S., and deportation of Mexican descent people in the 1930s. An 1898-1941 episode is needed to address the rise of racial segregation, the struggle for women’s suffrage, the rise of the Mexican American civil rights movement, and school desegregation cases in the 1920s and 30s. Adelina Otero Warren, suffragist and Congressional candidate is missed as was Concha Ortiz y
Pino, state legislator in New Mexico in the 1930s. Episode 3: “War and Peace” (1942 to 1954) addresses the “birth” of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, the rise of Dr. Hector Garcia, the Bracero Program, Operation Wetback and Rosita the Riveter. World War II is the focus so as to provide redress for what filmmaker Ken Burns did not do in his PBS World War II series. In fact, this six part series resulted from numerous Latino and Latina protests of Burns’ film. Yet, the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement did not just emerge from World War II, the American GI Forum and Dr. Hector Garcia. Instead, a focus on World War I is needed to explain this historical development that includes LULAC and activist/lawyer Alonso S. Perales. Garcia was a LULACer and without LULAC there would be no American G.I. Forum. Civil rights activism in the 1920s and the 1930s, including significant political activism by Ladies LULAC and in New Mexico is unfortunately ignored. Moreover, a Latina/o film focus on World War II must mention U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez and the Federal Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), the first federal civil rights agency which outlawed racially-defined wages for people of Mexican descent and Puerto Ricans. |
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Episode 4: “New Latinos” (1946-1965)
is excellent. It addresses the second major migration of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. due to Operation Bootstrap; reveals the welcome of Cubans by anti-Communist U.S. forces; the rise of Herman
Badillo, Puerto Rican Congressman; and the arrival of Dominicans in the U.S. due to the dictatorship in their country. The film mentions how women took on gender-prescribed employment. Birth control experimentation on Puerto Rican women is excluded from Latino Americans as is any mention of the Daughters of
Bilitis, the first out lesbian organization. Episode 5: “Prejudice and Pride” (1965-1980) focuses on the rise of the Chicano Movement. Much like the 1996 documentary Chicano! the focus here is on regional movements and well-known male leaders although Latino Americans also includes Willie Velasquez. Attention to movement machismo/sexism/homophobia is, however, ignored as is the rise of Latina feminism. How are we to explain the rise of Latinas in the 1970s including Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor without this? No Stonewall Uprising either. |
Episode 6: “Peril and Promise” (1980-1910) covers the second wave of Cuban immigration; the arrival of Guatemalans, El Salvadorans, and Nicaraguans; and the diaspora of
Latina/os into every U.S. state. Likewise it shows the rise of English-only efforts and
anti-Latina/o immigrant sentiment/policies. Linda Chavez, Republican, speaks favorably toward immigrants and Dreamers. Feminist moments and LGBT activism are ignored. The year is 2013; filmmakers must account for sexism and homophobia in the history of communities of color. These added lenses would have made a good film great. Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco is Chair of History, Humanities and Social Sciences at ENMU Ruidoso. She is the author of No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement; associate editor of Latinas in the United States: An Historical Encyclopedia; co-editor of Mexican Americans in Texas History; author of 80 articles in the New Handbook of Texas; and author of over 50 newspaper articles and letters. She is also co-founder of the Chicana Caucus in the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies and the daughter of Mexican immigrants. |
| This entry was posted in Film, History on January 28, 2014 by
mujerestalk. Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. beto@unt.edu |
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Big Oscar Wins for Latinos by Kirk Whisler |
| March 3rd was the highlight of the Entertainment Industry
Awards with the Academy Awards. I always love the excitement of the
Awards. While it was a wonderful night for the important film 12 Years
as a Slave, it was also an important night for Latino talent. When Robert Lopez won for co-writing Let it Go from Disney's Frozen, he joined the most elite group of Award Winners ever: those that have won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Rita Moreno was the first so honored with these four stellar awards. Four Oscars went to people born in Mexico City. Director Alfonso Cuarón won TWO: one for Best Director (a first for a Latino) and one for co-editing Gravity. For the same film Emmanuel Lubezki became the first Latino to win the Oscar for Cinematography. He also was born in Mexico City and first started working with Alfonso Cuarón as a teenager. Also born in Mexico City to Kenyan parents was the night's Best Supporting Actress winner Lupita Nyong'o. She was named Lupita after Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was also heart warming to see more inclusion in the Memorial section highlight well-known actress and theater operator Carmen Zapata; Brazilian documentarian Eduardo Coutinho; and Spanish director Juan José Bigas Luna. After Lupe Ontiveros was IGNORED by the Academy last year there was such an upswell of support that the Academy instituted changes in membership processing and this year's Awards certainly celebrated diversity more than perhaps any in the past. The Academy is still far from perfect, but these are important steps in the right direct. I was honored to participate in those key meetings after the oversight of Lupe. Lupe may have been ignored by the Academy - but good is starting to come from that oversight. Lupe, once again, we owe you a debt of gratitude. |
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New
Organization Launches to Help More Latinas Realize Their Political
Dreams
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CUENTO |
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HOW EDUCATION CAN LEAD
TO FREEDOM
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Let me begin by sharing an experience
that was an epiphany in my life. At the time I was working for the
Texas General Land Office as a database administrtor. Texas Land
Commissioner
Garry Mauro brought in at-risk kids so that we could mentor them and
expose them to new opportunities.
Santos Martinez was assigned to me. I had Santos by my side as I worked on the databases. He stayed very quiet during this time. Finally, after three weeks, he commented, “So there are other jobs besides slinging hamburers at McDonald’s.” Santos went on to become a very successful surveyor and I learned a valuable lesson about the cycle of poverty. My father, Dr. Hector Garcia, believed that education was the key to the advancement of our group and made the official motto of the American GI Forum “Education is our Freedom and Freedom Should be Everybody’s Business.” Then he established The American GI Forum scholarship program to encourage education. Each AGIF chapter raises money for scholarships and the National AGIF matches the money. Patsy Vasquez Contes, National AGIF chairwoman, feels that the scholarship program “builds bridges with our Veterans and youth to continue a legacy of an American Hero through this annual Veterans scholarship program. Also students are gaining hands-on lessons through the technology equipment they will be using until they graduate from high school and at same time graduate with an associate’s degree at an early age. This is exactly what Dr. Hector wanted for his people.” The Beatrice Perez Women’s Chapter distributed 36 tablets to deserving students. Alicia Rodriguez, past national chairwoman, tells how the AGIF scholarship program helped her family . “ I received women’s reentry scholarships from the AGIF that helped me continue my education,” she said. “I received my BA in education and MA in Education Administration. I currently work as the coordinator for the Community Learning Center by helping adult students achieve their high school diploma . “I have found this organization to be helpful in promoting education for our youth and women through scholarships and leadership trainings. The AGIF has been extremely instrumental in molding what I am today and serving as a positive role model for my family.” There are many success stories of AGIF youth who received AGIF scholarships. Raul Yzaguirre, founder and President Emeritus of NCLR, learned as a youth from Dr. Garcia the importance of education, leadership and accountability. Raul is recognized across the country for his advocacy for Hispanics. Antonio Morales Jr. was enrolled in AGIF when he was born. He was head of the AGIF Youth. He is now the vice president for human resources for SER, the nation’s largest one-stop employment trainer and provider in the nation. Delia Garcia was involved as a youth and became the chair of the AGIF youth while in high school. Delia became the first Latina elected to the Kansas legislature at age 26. She is now serving her second term . Dr. Susanna Garcia, Dr. Hector’s daughter, got her doctorate and is a tenured professor at Louisiana State University. She was a recipient of AGIF scholarships . Tony Canales, Dr. Hector’s nephew and Dr. Cleotilde Garcia’s son, is one of the leading lawyers in the nation. He was involved with the AGIF youth. The late Carlos Truan, former Dean of the Texas Senate, received scholarships from the AGIF. The goal of the AGIF scholarship program is to help individuals become educated, productive adults who will return to their communities and in turn help others. The AGIF chapters will continue Dr. Garcia’s work through the scholarship programs and help the veterans through their activism. This is what Papa would want. I will continue my father’s work that involves restoring pride in our heritage and culture through my writings. Daisy Wanda Garcia of Austin is the daughter of civil rights pioneer Dr. Hector P. Garcia. She writes monthly for the Caller-Times. Email her at Wanda. garcia@sbcglobal.net. |
| Editor: Below is a letter that Wanda received, from
JOSE GARCIA, jose78745@yahoo.com
who wrote: Wanda, Read your story on How Education can Lead to Freedom. Like yourself I have been involved in education of children in one way or another. I do not hold a teaching certificate but have been involved with in training our youth going back to my scouting days to the present and much like your father I have always believed that advancement is always possible through education. Which always leads to freedom. I'm an example of that. I grew up on the Westside of San Antonio graduate from Old San Antonio Fox Tech. Join the military, retired went back to school and got a college degree in computer science worked another 20 year for the Department of Veterans Affairs retired again. I have had breakfast with the President of the United States chat with congressman/women both state & national. Communicate with important person like yourself. All this is possible because of the education opportunities afford me through veterans and people much like yourself and your father. By the way as a parent of four . . . all our children are college graduate's and our grandchildren are now in college also. Not bad for a kid from the west side of San Antonio. AKA born in Laredo, Texas grew up in SA. Didn't mean to bore you with my life story. I just got to thinking of how many stories like mine are out there . . . All because of education. Thank you. It is refreshing to remember. You and your father help set a standard. God Bless, Jose M. Garcia PNC National Service Officer Catholic War Veterans josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” “In God we Trust" |
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CUENTO |
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Extract from Chapter 4, Conciencia: Knowing Yourself,
pgs. 72-74 |
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| By the time I entered high school, I decided, "I have to succeed. My parents and familia are counting on me and have sacrificed so much." While I was thinking about this, I saw a cartoon that had a wise old owl singing, "It is not what you got. It s what you do with what you got." This became my mantra. "Wow!" I thought, "I may have been born with limitations, but I am going to make it!" I became involved in school activities and sports, wrote for the school paper, and was even elected an officer in several clubs. (Actually if the truth be told, I assimilated, but more about that in part IV) \ I ended up going to college and then, through the transformative i experience of the Peace Corps, learned about my great culture. Today I know that as an immigrant growing up in a low-income family, I was resourceful, scrappy, talented, and street smart. In fact, check it out: I learned to speak English when I was six years old. I now draw energy, pride, and strength from understanding the obstacles my parents and familia overcame. My mother came here with no money and no education, and yet those obstacles couldn't stop her. If she could do that, think of what I can do! Latino
contributions were never taught in school, portrayed in the media, or
acknowledged by people in authority. I had to search for them, talk with
others who had similar experiences, and then find these within myself.
The decision to be proud of my heritage is one of the integrating
factors of my life and |
Conciencia
entailed redefining myself by acknowledging my cultural strengths and embracing my Latino identity. Latinos today must consider their values and upbringing with a new lens—one that portrays the positive attributes of the culture. They need to know their history and unearth the real story of Latino people in the United States. By definition, becoming a Latino leader involves the integration of one's culture, history, and personal background. Leadership preparation in the dominant culture typically does not
entail learning about and tapping into one's cultural identity or
resolving issues of discrimination or exclusion. Although doing this
would certainly expand a person's ability to understand the deep imprint
of culture and race, Anglo leaders today are challenged instead to
increase their understanding of other cultures and to expand their
ability to relate to diverse people. |
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Personal
integration, a secure identity, and self-confidence are not possible if
the reference group and ancestry is rejected. Since the gains of the
civil rights movement, many younger Latinos have not experienced
discrimination personally and can relate to this only by talking to
their parents or grandparents. But they can ponder the fact that
Hispanics still lag educationally, economically, and in housing and
medical benefits, and are scarce at the higher levels of leadership.
These are flashing indicators that discrimination and White privilege
still persist.
Conciencia must be a collective process because otherwise a person keeps internalizing, believing that he is the only one with the problem or even that these limitations are inherent in Latinos as a whole. As people talk about and release the effects of internalized oppression, cultural pride and a stronger identity emerge. Leaders remind people that historically their salvation came from their culture and community, which sustained and nourished them. Latino leaders are alchemists transforming oppression into energy for positive change and harnessing frustrations into passion. They understand that hardships bring vitality, resilience, and spiritual strength. |
Latino leadership
programs can facilitate this collective integration by utilizing these
practices:
• Teaching US Latino history and advancement. • Exploring cultural concepts, strengths, and assets. • Learning about current issues that affect Latinos as well as political and social-change strategies to address these. (Chapter 10 covers this in more depth.) • Dealing with the aftermath of discrimination and exclusion; learning about White privilege and the psychology of oppression. • Conveying the concept of leadership as a service to one's community and people. (This is reviewed in chapter 8.) • Building a support network and integrating people into the Latino community. • Connecting with and hearing the stories of leaders who demonstrate such traits as personalismo and conciencia. |
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Ghosts of a forgotten war: |
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Wooden box found at Washington Naval Yard storage space contained 150 glass plate photos showings scenes from Manila, Philippines, during war Slides were created by San Francisco Examiner war correspondent Douglas White Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898 over Cuban independence and was concluded in August As the victorious power, U.S. annexed territories of Puerto Rico and Guam, and bought the Philippines from Spain for $20million Fanning the flames of war: William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner used sensationalistic headlines and exaggerated stories to sway public opinion in favor of the war |
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Archivists at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington DC were going through a backlog of artifacts this week when they came across an unexpected treasure: a wooden box filled with 150 original glass plate photos from the Spanish-American War. ‘The plates were individually wrapped in tissue paper and include full captions and dates, which were likely prepared by the photographer, Douglas White,’ said Lisa Crunk, NHHC's photo archives branch head. The large container fitted with a leather shoulder strap came with an etching on the cover explaining that it contains photographic slides of U.S. naval military activities in and around Manila, Philippines, during the Spanish-American War of 1898, which were made by war correspondent and photographer Douglas White for the San Francisco Examiner, owned by controversial publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. |
 Incredible find: David Colamaria, Naval History and Heritage Command's photographic section archivist, looking at a glass plate photograph of Spanish Adm. Pasqual Cervera taken in 1898 or 1899 |
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Crunk noted that the collection of rare images, which had been hidden from public view for over a century, is significant because the Navy played a pivotal role in every aspect of the conflict between the U.S. and Spain, which played out over ten weeks of fighting in the Caribbean and the Pacific. ‘American planners and leaders anticipated that the fight with Spain would be primarily a naval war,’ she said. ‘The U.S. Navy's victories at Manila Bay and Santiago de Cuba were pivotal events that turned the course of the war and joint Army-Navy operations at Santiago, Puerto Rico, and Manila sealed the success won by the U.S. Navy's command of the seas.’ Hidden treasure: This image of U.S. soldiers manning a battle signal corps station was among some 150 glass plate photos discovered in a wooden box in a storage space at the Washington Naval Yards |
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On April 25, 1898, the U.S. declared war on Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15 of that year. The conflict was fueled by newspaper magnates Joseph Pulitzer and Hearst, the owner of the Examiner – widely regarded as the fathers of 'yellow journalism# - who used sensationalistic headlines and exaggerated accounts of 'atrocities' committed by the Spanish in Cuba to sway public opinion in favor of the war. Provenance: The uncovered images, among them this undated photo of American troops disembarking from an unknown ship onto small boats near Cavite, Philippines, were likely taken by San Francisco Examiner special war correspondent Douglas White |
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Theater of war: This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows the burning of San Roque, Philippines, February 9, 1899 - more than a month after the signing of the Treaty of Paris that put an end to the conflict |
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The armed conflict, which ended on the ground in August, was officially concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Paris December 10, 1898, establishing the independence of Cuba, and ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States. |
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| Old-time heroes: 'Teddy's
colts,' at the top of the hill which they captured in the battle of San
Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War. The U.S. paid dearly in blood and treasure for its ultimately successful involvement in the Spanish-American War, which claimed 3,000 lives, 90 per cent of whom had died from diseases.
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2014 Online Conference RegistrationClick
here to register |
| Do you know about the NCLR Affiliates . . .
Since NCLR was founded in 1968, the body of NCLR’s Affiliate Network has grown to nearly 300 community-based organizations. Their services are diverse and include charter schools, after-school programs, job readiness and training, English-language preparation, homeownership counseling, health centers, and community activities centers, to name a few. These organizations provide services that reach millions of Hispanic Americans. NCLR's Affiliates deal on a day-to-day basis with all aspects of serving the Latino population. They are familiar with the practical concerns and the policy issues affecting their constituencies and are actively engaged in developing and implementing innovative solutions to the problems they face. NCLR’s active and productive relationships with its community-based
Affiliate organizations are at the heart of NCLR’s work and key to its
ability to fulfill its mission. In providing capacity-building
assistance, policy analysis, advocacy, and special initiatives that
complement the work of our Affiliates, NCLR is able to work “on the
front lines” to improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans
throughout the country. View
Our Affiliate Network SOMOS PRIMOS WILL HAVE A BOOTH AT NCLR'S FAMILY EXPO . . . do come by and share your family stories.
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Hernando de Soto and the Mississippi River by
Carlos B. Vega, Ph.D |
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Hernando de Soto and the Mississippi River |
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Extract from pgs. 256-258 |
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Hernando de Soto not only discovered the Mississippi but also ten of today's states, and the writings of his explorations fueled further European expeditions resulting in the settlement of a vast territory. True, it is conceivable that someone else could have done it at a later date, but this would have set back the birth of our nation for, perhaps, as many as 100 years. But de Soto's importance to American history goes even further. On
leaving Cuba, he commanded an expedition unparalleled up to that time;
and, in fact, he has been rightly called the United States' first true
pioneer and settler. His expedition consisted of a fleet of nine vessels,
five navios, two caravels, and two brigantines, over 620 soldiers,
hundreds of settlers, including artisans and men of all trades and
professions, approximately 300 horses, all kinds of domestic animals,
including dogs and pigs, many priests and missionaries, hundreds of
women, an extensive variety of plants and seeds, tools of all kinds, and
Indian and Black slaves from Cuba. |
In
addition, he discovered the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky, and the
Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, and the Missouri mountains. Thus, in
reality, he discovered not ten but thirteen states, the ones already
mentioned plus Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. With regard to North
American pioneers, the significance of De Soto's expedition was
extraordinary. |
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CUENTO |
 Left to Right, Galal Kernahan and Senator Joe Dunn |
"Apology
Act for the 1930's Mexican Repatriation Program" Nine years
ago, California said "Sorry". There is no way of knowing how
many persons to whom it was directed heard the apology. Nor do we have a
count of expelled American citizens or legal residents who never made it
home again.
A February 22, 2005 "Apology Act for the 1930's Mexican
Repatriation Program" was authored by then Orange County State
Senator Joe Dunn, now Executive Director of the California State Bar.
Much of this coerced racist emigration was launched from Los Angeles
Union Station. It lies in the historic heart of Los Angeles across from
Olvera Street and the old Mission Church. . .right where the city was
begun by Mexican settlers long ago.
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The summer of 1941,1 participated in something called the Lisle Fellowship, "an experiment in international living." About two dozen college students—American and foreign—lived cooperatively for a month or so in a house just North of Santa Monica in Pacific Palisades. We divided up chores, meals and laundry there three days of each of our six weeks together. The other four we went off in pairs on "deputations" to learn from what were for us unusual human encounters. Mine included two in Orange County. One was picking oranges (including some not quite ripe) in La Habra groves with enthusiastic imported Jamaican workers. We went to Sunday church together in a big tent where our foreign friends took turns reciting Scripture from memory. The other was observing the meditative life of the Hindu Vedanta Center in Trabuco Canyon. But my most memorable experience was an attempted door to door survey in the barrio next to the Los Angeles River Channel north of Union Station. It was a neighborhood shocked into silence. You could feel the fear. Few there would speak with strangers. They had been in the midst of a massive expulsion of Mexican Americans (many U.S. citizens or otherwise here legally) on trains from Union Station. Neighbors had been abruptly scooped up and dumped South of the Border. . .some never to return. Here is how the bill authored by then California State Senator Joseph Dunn in 2005 reviewed what had happened:.. .findings and declarations regarding the unconstitutional removal and coerced emigration of United States citizens and legal residents of Mexican descent, between the years 1929 and 1944, to Mexico from the United States during the 1930s "Mexican Repatriation" Program.. .In California alone, approximately 400,000 American citizens and legal residents of Mexican ancestry were forced to go to Mexico. In total it is estimated that two million people of Mexican ancestry were forcibly relocated to Mexico, approximately 1.2 million of whom had been born in the United States, including the State of California. Throughout California massive raids were conducted on Mexican American communities, resulting in the clandestine removal of thousands of people, many of whom were never able to return to the United States, their country of birth... As a result of these illegal activities, families were forced to abandon, or were defrauded of, personal and real property, which often was sold by local authorities as "payment" for the transportation expenses incurred in their removal from the United States to Mexico... The State of California regrets the suffering and hardship those individuals and families endured as a direct result of the government sponsored Repatriation Program of the 1930s. It seems unbelievable. A deliberately engineered mass tragedy on America's doorstep like this is hard to grasp. Could something like it really have taken place? It just never happened or was soon forgotten by those untouched by it. Yet it did happen. It came after the First World War to End All Wars. Here were non-war refugees driven out of the "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave." It happened before World War II and before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Much of it happened in California where in 1945 the United Nations Organization and a Brave New World were born. [Do read California Day of the Teacher, another
project of Galal Kernahan, historical activism.] |
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| DID YOU KNOW? |
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Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) |
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| Book: Rules for Radicals - How to create a social state 1) Healthcare – Control healthcare and you control the people |
5) Welfare – Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income) 6) Education – Take control of what people read and listen to, take control of what children learn in school. 7) Religion – Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools. 8) Class Warfare – Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor. Sent by Anne Mocniak annemocn@aol.com |
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MINI-BIO |
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María Coronel becomes "the Woman in Blue" February 2, 1620 |
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| On this day in 1620, María Coronel took
religious vows in a Franciscan order of nuns who wore an outer cloak of
coarse blue cloth over the traditional brown habit. As a nun, now known
as María de Jesús de Agreda, she had numerous mystic experiences (more
than 500) in which she thought she visited a distant, unknown land.
Franciscan authorities determined that the land was eastern New Mexico
and far western Texas. Sister María supposedly contacted several Indian
cultures, including the Jumanos, and told the natives to seek
instruction from the Spanish. Shortly thereafter, some fifty Jumano
Indians appeared at the Franciscan convent of old Isleta, south of
present Albuquerque, in July 1629 and said that they had been sent to
find religious teachers. They already demonstrated rudimentary knowledge
of Christianity, and when asked who had instructed them replied,
"the Woman in Blue."
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A subsequent expedition to the Jumanos, led
by Fray Juan de Salas, encountered a large band of Indians in Southwest
Texas. The Indians claimed that they had been advised by the Woman in
Blue of approaching Christian missionaries. Subsequently, some 2,000
natives presented themselves for baptism and further religious
instruction. Two years later, Fray Alonso de Benavides traveled to
Spain, where he interviewed María de Jesús at Agreda. Sister María
told of her bilocations and acknowledged that she was indeed the Lady in
Blue. After she died in 1665, her story was published in Spain. Although
she said her last visitation to the New World was in 1631, the legend of
her appearances was current until the 1690s. In the 1840s a mysterious
woman in blue reportedly traveled the Sabine River valley aiding malaria
victims, and her apparition was reported as recently as World War II. |
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Dr. Henry J. Casso, activist, educator passed on Feb 25, 2014 |
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| Friends and Colleagues, We lost another Hispano Legend yesterday. Dr. Henry J. Casso was a friend to many in our community. He did so much for so many over his lifetime and he will be sorely missed. Dr Casso was one of the Founders of MALDEF or the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, was a leader in President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" in the 1960's, he was ordained as a Catholic Priest in 1957 and later left the Priesthood, he was the Founder of PADRES a National organization that pushed for Latino Bishops and leaders in the Catholic Church and to address the national lack of awareness on poverty, he was recognized by AT&T in the year 2008 as a Latino Legend, he started Project Uplift and held over 300 live televised shows that were televised in many media outlets across the Western Hemisphere, he was a recipient of the Hispano Round Table "Walking the Talk" Award, recipient of our NM LULAC Medal of Honor Award, was the current Co-Chairman of our Hispano Round Table of NM Land Grants and Acequias Committee and he worked until his last day on the Sor Maria De Jesus De Agreda (The Blue Nun) Project. |
Dr. Casso was a brilliant man, an educator, a very kind and amazing man who never stopped working to improve the condition of Hispanos, those living in poverty and a strong believer in the Catholic Church. He contributed incredible work and touched on just about every aspect in life while he worked on his lifetime projects. We thank the Casso family and all who worked with Dr. Casso in these towering projects that will live on far beyond his life. Thank you, Ralph Arellanes New Mexico LULAC State Director National LULAC Board Member Chairman, Hispano Round Table of New Mexico |
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 Dr. Henry J. Casso received the Millie Santillanes Education Award in 2011.
He
is former Pastor, Vicar for Urban Affairs and Executive Secretary of
the national Bishops Committee for the Spanish Speaking, Founder of
the San Antonio Don Bosco youth Center, Founding Board member of the
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, was its first
Director of Education.
Under his watch 300 students were assisted and 34 became U.S.
Lawyers, among which was New Mexico’s Speaker of the House and
President Pro Temp. He
received his doctorate in Education at the University of
Massachusetts, where he created the first Massachusetts
Undergraduate Teacher Training Bilingual Program.
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As
Founding President of the National Institute for Professional
Development in Albuquerque and Project Uplift,
he prepared New Mexicans for High Technology Careers.
Project Uplift conducted Spring Institutes in New Mexico, Texas
and Colorado involving 90,000 middle and high school students.
He produced 325 statewide half hour television programs on the
changing work place covering such topics as the Space Port, Computerized
manufacturing and medicine in Space.
The
Director General of UNESCO invited him to Paris, France; he offered a
partnership to apply his state model to a developing Country.
The selected Central America’s Costa Rica. After meeting with
the country’s President and the advanced University Presidents,
students and professors
from these participated in specialized youth institutes.
Later New Mexico students were invited to Costa Rica as guests of
UNESCO and the university presidents. Over
6000 New Mexico university students accepted personal invitation to meet
free of charge, with over 400 government and private sector employers to
participate in a one-o-a-kind Minority and Women Job Fair. Dr.
Casso hosted two 45 minutes WorldNet Interactive TV, in Washington D.C.
and three times by Voice of America beamed to Europe and Latin America,
in ten languages. Hispanic
Times National Magazine, LA Based, allowed Dr. Casso to design its cover
and write a major article for each of thirteen years.
He held a singular record. Dr. Casso served is a volunteer Senior Advisor to the APS First South Valley Reading Summit and as Mentor to its founding doctoral candidate Ms. Mia Sosa-Provencio. |
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Dr. Casso had quick mind, excellent memory and enthusiasm
for uplifting and educating our youth, which in spite of health issues
was not diminished. In the many telephone conversations
following the NCLR conference, Project Uplift was always on his
lips. |
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 Dr. Henry J. Casso, in the white cap, talking with Medal of Honor recipient, Rudy Hernandez. |
 Center group: Dr. Henry J. Casso, Student volunteer, Jorge Hayes, California State University, Mimi Lozano, Steve Rubin, media documentarian, and Rudy Hernandez. |
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March 27: Latino Education and Advocacy Days Summit LEAD Publications for FREE Grandpa Anthony Santiago shares a sports hero Educational Attainment in the United States: 2013 The Herman Baca Papers (1964-2013) What a Future Latino Majority Holds for California? by Jimmy Franco Sr. Why New Mexico’s Latino Students Top Nation on AP Tests by Jorge Rivas |
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 The fifth annual Latino Education and Advocacy Days summit will be held at Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, March 27. This year’s honorary chair, or Padrino de Honor, will be civil rights activist Julian Nava, the first Mexican American to serve as U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Nava was a civil rights activist during the height of the Chicano Movement, and he was the first Mexican American to be elected to the school board of the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1967.
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Nava joins a distinguished group of LEAD
honorary chairs. Previous honorees were civil rights and education
activist Sylvia Mendez, philanthropist Judy Rodriguez Watson, CSUSB dean
emeritus Ernie Garcia and San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie
Gonzales. Journalists and activists Graciano and Trini Gomez were
honored at the inaugural LEAD “Feria Educativa” held in October
2011.
The LEAD summit focuses on educational issues affecting Latinos at the national, regional and local levels, said Murillo. The 2014 summit’s theme is “Latino Male Crisis in the Educational Pipeline.” The day-long free conference will be held in the university’s Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center and will be hosted again by CSUSB’s College of Education. Online registration is available at the LEAD website, http://leadsummit.csusb.edu/. It also will be webcast simultaneously to viewing locations nationally and internationally. Nava is one of eight children born to Mexican immigrant parents in Los Angeles. He grew up in the barrio of East Los Angeles. In 1945, he volunteered for the Navy Air Corps. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he studied at East Los Angeles Community College before transferring to Pomona College. |
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| After earning a bachelor’s degree in
history, Nava earned a doctorate in Latin American history from Harvard
College in 1955. He taught in Venezuela, Spain and Puerto Rico. After
teaching in Spain, he founded Centro de Estudios Universitarios in
Bogota, Colombia. From 1957 to 2000, he was a professor of history at
Cal State Northridge.
In 1967, the Congress of Mexican American Unity, a group of 92 community groups, nominated him to run for the Los Angeles Unified School District and he became the first Mexican American to serve on the board, which is comprised of 13 cities, including Los Angeles. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Nava as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, making him the first Mexican-American to hold that position. In 1992, he ran for mayor of Los Angeles. In 1993, Nava was a pallbearer for the funeral of legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez. Nava worked with Chavez since his time with the Community Service Organization in Los Angeles after World War II. |
Nava was portrayed by actor/director Edward
James Olmos in the HBO film “Walkout.” He also spent time behind the
camera serving as producer of a series of one-hour documentaries that
included the history of Spain’s Basque people in “Song of the
Basque.” He also produced and co-directed “Voices of Cuba” with
producer, teacher and puppeteer Todd Mattox, and produced a documentary
– “Zacatecanos de ida y vuelta,” (Roundtrip Zacatecanos) – on
cross-border migration to and from the United States in two languages.
Now retired, Nava is a professor emeritus at Cal State Northridge and lives in San Diego with his wife, Patricia. He lectures widely about multicultural education and serves on the board of directors of Encuentros, which promotes education among young Hispanic males. In 2011, a new middle school, the Dr. Julian Nava Learning Academy in Los Angeles, was named for him.
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The LEAD 2014 summit will be webcast live courtesy of LatinoGraduate.net
to more than 1,500 viewing sites in the United States and in 32 countries,
including Mexico, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Cuba, El Salvador, England, Guatemala, Iceland, Jamaica, Nicaragua,
Panama, Spain and South Korea. |
To date, the event has attracted more than 160 sponsors and partners, including Cardenas Markets, KCAA Talk Radio, Time Warner Cable, San Bernardino Community College District, the California Teachers Association, H&R Block, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino, Kaiser-Riverside and Altura Credit Union. During the conference’s lunch hour, the LEAD Summit will
feature a dynamic free concert celebrating diverse and beautiful music of
Latin American origin. The “Mosaico Festival” concert will feature
folklorico dancers, storytelling, soloists, and even the opportunity to
sing along to a tune or two. The concert, which also will be webcast, is
courtesy of the San Bernardino Symphony and the support of the James
Irvine Foundation’s Exploring Engagement grant initiative, the
Coussoulis Arena, and Jim Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson of Watson &
Associates. |
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For more information and to register online for the conference, visit the LEAD website at http://leadsummit.csusb.edu/ or contact Enrique Murillo Jr. at (909) 537-5632. For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007. Visit its news website at news.csusb.edu. |
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Access these top articles for FREE until August 30th, 2014 http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/access/HJLE.pdf Playing Fair With Latino Parents as Parents, Not Teachers: Beyond Family Literacy as Assisting Homework Myriam N. Torres and Romelia Hurtado-Vivas http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2011.581108#.UwQu6C3Tl9A Mexican Immigrant Families Crossing the Education Border: A Phenomenological Study Sandra Ixa Plata-Potter and Maria Rosario T. de Guzman http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.659563#.UwQvGS3Tl9A Latinos, the Academic Ethic, and the Transition to College Nathan W. Pino, Gloria P. Martinez-Ramos, and William L. Smith http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.631437#.UwQvQi3Tl9A Funds of Knowledge: An Approach to Studying Latina(o) Students' Transition to College Cecilia Rios-Aguilar and Judy Marquez Kiyama http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.631430#.UwQvay3Tl9A The Relationship Between a College Preparation Program and At-Risk Students' College Readiness Jennifer T. Cates and Scott E. Schaefle http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2011.605683#.UwQviS3Tl9A No Latino Left Behind? Determinants of Support for Education Reform in the U.S. Congress Jason Casellas and Bryan Shelly http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.715505#.UwQvwy3Tl9A The Color of Language: The Racialized Educational Trajectory of an Emerging Bilingual Student Charise Pimentel http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2011.605686#.UwQv3S3Tl9A Quantitative Intersectionality: A Critical Race Analysis of the Chicana/o Educational Pipeline Alejandro Covarrubias http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2011.556519#.UwQv_S3Tl9A The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Partners in the Advancement of Hispanic Higher Education Emily Calderón Galdeano, Antonio R. Flores, and John Moder http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.686352#.UwQwSC3Tl9A Family Literacy Practices and Parental Involvement of Latin American Immigrant Mothers Lorna Rivera and Nicole Lavan http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348431.2012.715500#.UwQwaS3Tl9A Thank you - Gracias, EM |
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Grandpa Anthony Santiago shares a sports hero Milwaukee Brewers' Mark Reynolds, left, signs an autograph, as Anthony Santiago, 4, with his grandfather Anthony Santiago, right, helps him to get closer to Reynolds during spring training baseball practice, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in Phoenix (AP Photo/Ross.D. Franklin) |
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Educational Attainment in the United States: 2013 |
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| This report, based on the Current Population Survey, provides a portrait of academic achievement by demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, average earnings, and Hispanic origin. The number of adults who have completed some graduate school, increased 24 percent from 2008 to 2013, from 29 million to 36 million, according to the Educational Attainment in the United Sates 2012 data release. The report also includes detailed information on years of school completed, showing how many years of education adults |
have completed for each level of attainment. A variety of historical time series tables going back to 1940 are also provided, as are graphs illustrating historical
data. Go to: http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/index.html
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The Herman Baca Papers (1964-2013) |
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| Approximately 40,000 pages of textual and visual material documenting Chicano community activism in San Diego are now freely available on the Online Archive of California
(OAC) and Calisphere. The material was digitized from the Herman Baca Papers (1964-2006), a large and important collection held by Mandeville Special Collections at the University of California San Diego
(UCSD). Collection Guide: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt867nd0km Preferred Citation: Herman Baca Papers, MSS 649. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD Online items available: Contact UC San Diego::Mandeville Special Collections Library Papers of Herman Baca, prolific Chicano activist, political organizer, printer, and longtime chairman and one of several founders of the Committee on Chicano Rights (CCR). Baca is known for his community-based grassroots organizing, especially for civil rights and political and judicial equality. Formed and based in National City, California, CCR operates by volunteer membership and was organized to strive for human, civil, and constitutional rights for the Chicano community. CCR has also organized several events and community protests, including the Chicano National Immigration Tribunal (1981). Baca was an organizer for the Mexican-American |
Political Association (1968-1974) and La Raza Unida Political Party, among others. He is also the founder and owner of Aztec Printing, a print shop in National City. The papers contain a biographical series that includes newspaper articles of interviews, quotes, editorial writings, and written pieces about Baca and the Baca family, in addition to several community recognitions awarded to Baca. The papers contain subject files, research materials, and newspaper clippings (1964-2006) related to current issues on immigration, border conflicts, police brutality, discrimination, and community events; conference materials both attended and organized by Herman Baca, in and around the Southern California/Tijuana area; court litigation case documentation; and writings of others on issues of immigration, citizenship, social economics, and migration analysis. The collection also contains both a large audio and visual component including recordings of testimonies of the Chicano National Immigration Tribunal; posters of events; Chicano artworks including original illustrations by David Avalos and working production files of Aztec Printing related to Baca's activism. The photograhs series contains black-and-white and color photographs of individuals such as César Chávez, Bert Corona, and Herman Baca, and CCR organized events: Chicano National Immigration Tribunal (1981), Unity March Against the KKK (1977) and the National Protest March Against the Carter Curtain (1979). |
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Background: Herman Baca was born to Nicholas and Eloisa Carrasco Baca on April 5, 1943, in Los
Lentes, New Mexico, a small agricultural community outside of Los Lunas. When he was eleven years old, his family moved to National City, California, where Baca attended Sweetwater Union School District schools through high school. Starting in the printing trade business after high school, he worked in a few local shops before opening his own private business, Aztec Printing, in 1969. |
prominent member of the Mexican-American community, document the contributions and accomplishments made by Herman Baca and the Committee on Chicano Rights. Since the 1960s, Herman Baca has been
educating and representing the Chicano community and the rights of undocumented immigrants by means of organizing protests, encouraging self-determination, and defending human rights. The papers embody the organizational elements of the Committee on Chicano Rights, the Mexican-American Political Association, and La Raza Unida Political Party in the form of meeting minutes, correspondence, press releases, writings, membership materials, and articles of incorporation and bylaws. Biographical materials illustrate both Herman Baca's efforts as an individual and his work as a business owner, the latter reflected in the Aztec Printing production files; subject files; legal case documentation; conferences and events both organized and attended; writings of others; a visual component including
videorecordings, photographs, individual artist's work and Chicano movement art, and a large portion of newspaper clippings dated 1964-2006. |
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The papers are arranged in fifteen series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS, 2) COMMITTEE ON CHICANO RIGHTS
(CCR), 3) MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION (MAPA), 4) LA RAZA UNIDA POLITICAL PARTY, 5) SUBJECT FILES, 6) COURT CASE FILES, 7) CONFERENCES AND EVENTS, 8) WRITINGS OF OTHERS, 9)
VIDEORECORDINGS, 10) PHOTOGRAPHS, 11) AZTEC PRINTING PRODUCTION FILES, 12) CHICANO ART, 13) CHICANO MOVEMENT ART, 14) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, 1964-2006, and 15) ORIGINALS OF PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPIES. |
(1977) and the Congreso para Pueblo Unidos - Hispanic of the
Year Award (1980). The awards are arranged alphabetically by awarding organization. |
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SERIES 2: COMMITTEE ON CHICANO RIGHTS
(CCR) The COMMITTEE ON CHICANO RIGHTS (CCR) was established in 1975 to formally address issues within the Chicano community. Run entirely on volunteer and member support, CCR was founded as a non-profit corporation to develop and improve the educational, social, and economic conditions of Chicanos by encouraging participation in educational, community, and civic affairs. The files include articles of incorporation and bylaws; incoming and outgoing correspondence; membership documents; public relations materials; meeting minutes, and fundraising materials. The series is arranged in six subseries: A) Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, B) Correspondence, C) Membership, D) Publicity, E) Administrative, and F) Fundraising. A) The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws subseries for the Committee on Chicano Rights describes the statement of purpose, official rules and regulations for the organization. The documents include drafts and annotations. B) The Correspondence subseries is arranged chronologically and documents incoming and outgoing correspondence, mainly generated by Herman Baca, 1970-2003. |
C) The Membership subseries represent CCR membership- related documents including member lists, official membership criteria, applications, and registration. The subseries is arranged alphabetically. D) The bulk of the Publicity files is press releases and drafts of responses to issue proposals. The Committee on Chicano Rights communicated the organization's position primarily visual and written press releases. Other materials include brochures, the CCR newsletter, and press and media contact lists. The subseries is arranged alphabetically. E) The Administrative files, arranged alphabetically, contain CCR organizational meeting minutes, the organizational history draft, and various notes, as well as a copy of the court case file Herman Baca and CCR brought against the United States Department of Justice. F) The Fundraising files, arranged alphabetically, contain general fund request correspondence and materials involving the "Walk for Rights" fundraiser campaign to defeat the Simpson/Mazzoli Immigration Plan. Also included are grant proposal materials submitted to the General Commission on Religion and Race. |
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| SERIES 3: MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION
(MAPA) The MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION (MAPA) was founded in 1960, in Fresno, California, to educate and represent constitutional, democratic, and political principles to the Mexican and Latino communities of the United States of America. Herman Baca became a member of MAPA in 1968 and organized a local National City chapter; soon thereafter he became the Southern Region Director (Counties of Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego), serving until 1974. The series is arranged in six subseries. A) The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws subseries combines the official documents from the State of California, Southern Region constitution and proclamation, and National City Rights of Incorporation charter into one collection. |
B) The Correspondence subseries contains incoming letters to Herman Baca, representing the National City chapter, and outgoing correspondence generated by the National City Chapter and Southern Region affiliates. Baca's resignation letter as chairman and county director is also present. The subseries is arranged alphabetically. C) The Membership files contain member cards, duties, and lists of the Southern region members. D) The MAPA Newsletter collection, arranged alphabetically by title, contains issues from the Oakland Chapter, San Diego County Council Chapter, and the State of California. E) The Publicity subseries, arranged alphabetically, comprises newspaper clippings, political candidate endorsements, and press releases. F) The Administrative subseries documents meeting minutes for the Southern Region chapter and also contains related writing by members on various issues. |
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SERIES 4: LA RAZA UNIDA POLITICAL PARTY |
A) National City Chapter, B) State Central Committee, and C)
Regional Chapters. |
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SERIES 5: SUBJECT FILES |
SERIES 8: WRITINGS OF OTHERS |
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SERIES 11: AZTEC PRINTING PRODUCTION FILES |
The types of materials included are posters, tickets, leaflets, programs, brochures, invitations, letterhead, and business |
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SERIES 13: CHICANO MOVEMENT ART |
labour rights, and La Raza visual statements. The collection also features posters of Malcolm X, César Chávez, and Francisco
"Pancho" Villa. Additionally, the collection contains a cloth funeral procession flag for Cesar Chavez and several buttons from political candidate endorsements and protest marches. |
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BIOGRAPHY: Herman Baca was born to Nicholas and Eloisa Carrasco Baca on April 5, 1943, in Los
Lentes, New Mexico, a small agricultural community outside of Los Lunas. When he was eleven years old, his family moved to National City, California, where Baca attended Sweetwater Union School District schools through high school. Starting in the printing trade business after high school, he worked in a few local shops before opening his own private business, Aztec Printing, in 1969. |
In 1970, prompted by the lack of Chicanos represented by either the Republican or the Democratic parties, Baca organized the San Diego County chapter of La Raza Unida Party, a national third-party effort to increase the participation of the Chicano commmunity as both registered voters and political candidates. That same year, he served as the Southern California representative to the National Congreso de la Raza
Unida, the party's national convention. Also in the early 1970s, while chairman of the board of "War on Poverty" programs such as the Mexican American Advisory Committee, now the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee
(MAAC), and NEPSI, a narcotics education and prevention program, Baca organized and served as the chairman of the board of Casa
Justicia, a community-based social service agency providing support for undocumented persons dealing with immigration issues. |
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Herman Baca currently operates Aztec Printing, resides in National City, and continues to address issues and be involved in local politics within the community, representing the Committee on Chicano Rights. |
1977 CCR organized a 10,000 person unity march at the US-Mexico border protesting the Ku Klux Klan's planned apprehensions of undocumented Mexicans
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The Walk-on,
The Proud and Damned By Ernesto Uribe UTube: Izzy Sanabria Great 1964 Welcome in Japan UTube: The best of Modern Tango UTube: UTube: Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández |
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...CUENTO |
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THE WALK-ON |
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The year of the
filming was 1970, the movie was released in 1973.
In 1970 I was all of 33 years old. [Ernesto center figure] |
I was posted as Student Affairs Officer in Bogotá, Colombia when I was unexpectedly given a walk-on acting role in a feature motion picture that was being filmed by an American company in Colombia. The Proud and Damned was written, produced and directed by Frede Grofe Jr., son of renowned Frede Grofe, composer of the Grand Canyon Suite. The year was1969, I was the lowest ranking officer in the American Embassy, working in cultural and educational affairs. One day Ferde called on my boss to advise him that he would be filming in the remote village of Villa de Leyva in the Boyaca Mountains and would appreciate any facilitative assistance the embassy might offer. My boss picked me, as he thought that I could keep Grofe and company out of trouble with the local town officials, the local police/military and the community in general. |
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I was watching the filming of one of the first scenes with Chuck Connors where he was supposed to get into a fight with one of the soldiers...and all the
"soldados" were short Andean men no taller than five and a half feet. Chuck said that no way was he going to be filmed fighting these "little guys" and told Grofe that he wouldn't do it. Grofe said that these local fellows were all that were available... Chuck pointed to where I was standing, watching the filming and said " how about that big guy over there?" Ferde told him that I was with the American Embassy and not an actor. So Connors approached me and asked if I would be willing to play the part... I said I would give it a try.
It all happened so unexpectedly that I had no time to think about what I was getting myself into. It was only when I realized that I was going to do something I had never even dreamed of doing in front of floodlights and rolling cameras that I began to worry. It was then that I mumbled a little prayer to myself to please not let me choke and hopefully pull off this acting bit in good form.
A part was written for me into the script on the spot, an officer’s uniform was found, and I would be in the movie in five or six scenes. The fight scene with Connors was the first and it went great. While filming the action Chuck accidentally cut my lower lip with his fist when he grabbed me by the flimsy uniform lapels that tore loose... the blood you see in that scene is real. |
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Ernesto in the fight scene with Chuck Connors, the Rifle Man. |
I helped Ferde get settled in a small inn that his company took over, helped in scouting for filming locations, and was always available for translation assistance but he rarely needed help since his wife was Colombian and was always at his side. I did assist with the rental of a dozen horses plus grooms who were from the local Colombian Army Cavalry detachment that would remain on location for the duration of the filming. |
| I got to meet and have many a meal and drinks with Chuck Connors, Cesar Romero, Jose Greco, Peter Ford, son of Glen Ford, and the whole cast and film crew. The permanent payoff for me while filming this movie was establishing contact with Alvaro Ruiz (el hombre feliz).and Fernando Pacheco, the two most popular Colombian TV and film personalities at the time, as well as with other Colombian actors. We all became and remained good friends after the filming of The Proud and Damned. I was invited to their private parties, the TV studios were always open to me, and I was inducted into the unofficial and very informal "Colombian actor's guild." These guys also started coming and bringing influential friends to cultural functions and art openings at the Bogotá Bi-National Center gallery and bringing their TV crews to record our events to use on their shows... it was good all around. 
My being a member of the “Colombian actor's guild” got me a gig in The Adventurers a movie that featured Candice Bergen and Ernest
Borgnine. Here again I landed a speaking part in the role of an army officer (typecast?) in one scene. Ernest Borgnine and I were in the same scene so we met in the makeup tent before going on location... it was a night scene and they were burning a whole hacienda in the background. I was warned by the movie director that the background fire would only hold long enough to get two or three good takes. My line was: "They're all dead, Colonel Gutierrez." and I got it on the first take.This time, as a "Colombian" actor with a speaking part, I was given a nice private room in the best hotel in Manizales, also a pass to the actor's dining facilities at the hotel and on location, and a car and driver while I was there during filming. Although The Adventurers was a major, multinational, big budget motion picture, for me the filming of The Proud & Damned was a great learning experience and a lot more fun... [[Editor: I asked Ernesto about the hanging scenes in cowboy movies. It always looked to me the actors could get some pretty bad neck damage. Ernesto said, "For hanging scenes in movies, they a special body rig for the stunt man.]]
You can get the movie THE PROUD AND DAMNED on
Amazon.com for less than ten bucks. For me, the most important was being involved in the
making of the movie and learning how it's done.
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Brief as my non-illustrious “movie career” was, it was of enormous value to my other career as the full-time cultural and academic coordinator for the US Embassy. The contacts I made with Colombian actors and TV soap-opera stars helped me draw important personalities to cultural events supported by the United States at the Bogotá Bi-national Center where a few months later I became its director. The Centro Colombo-Americano de Bogotá was a place where leaders and persons in all walks of life found a window to our country. |
| You think the Beatles had a great welcome in 1964.
Check out Izzy Sanabria's welcome crowd in Japan.
Unbelievable! Que Viva la Salsa! 57 Second video on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztuIvpK0r_0
Excellent interview on Salsa, Izzy, especially 3 minutes later where you tell us a bit of the origin of Salsa and introduce the musical instruments on stage with the sound of good music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SulgLsdXtU4 Sent by Joe Sanchez |
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www.youtube.com/embed/_4G03HpzArc
The best I've seen in Modern Tango...I still prefer the traditional Buenos Aires barrio tango that is sung and danced by the people without all that fancy leg twirling that was never a part of the original dance.
Sent by Ernesto Uribe
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UTube: Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández "Huapango" cuadro coreográfico ejecutado por el Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández acompañados por la Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil del Estado de Veracrúz (Antonio Tornero, director concertador) dentro de la Gala de 60 Aniversario en el Auditorio Nacional de la ciudad de México, 13 de enero del 2013. 9 minutes, fast moving . . beautiful
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BOOKS & PRINT MEDIA |
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Coming Soon: 1990-1999 Somos Primos quarterly print issues available on
DVD 2013 Winners from the Int'l Latino Book Awards as either a PDF or as a word document 2014 NACCS Tejas Fiction Awards From the Republic of the Rio Grande: Personal History of the Place and the People by Beatriz de la Garza Spain: The Forgotten Alliance, Independence of the United States by Martha Gutierrez Steinkamp |
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COMING SOON . . . . in April
Earliest issues of Somos Primos will soon be made available on a DVD
by the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, SHHAR.
Between 1990 and 1999, Somos Primos was published as a printed
quarterly by SHHAR. These 10 years of publications should be of
special interest to researchers, librarians, historians, students, and
Chicano studies.
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For information on all the 2013 Winners from the Int'l Latino Book
Awards as either
a
PDF or as a word document
Go to: https://app.box.com/s/rzw14zibtw7vtn0mbd22 Recognizing Greatness for 15 Years Through The Int'l Latino Book Awards By Kirk Whisler |
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On May 30th before a capacity crowd at the Instituto Cervantes in midtown Manhattan the most important awards celebrating achievements in Latino literature were presented to 190 deserving authors and publishers. The International Latino Book Awards, now in it's 15th year, were presented by Latino Literacy Now in partnership with Las Comadres para las Americas and the Instituto Cervantes. Since the Awards were founded over a thousand books have been honored. The important new Award Winning Author logo was also unveiled. In 2012 Latinos in the USA spent over $500 million on books. They are sophisticated buyers of books in English and Spanish, as well adult & children books.
The Awards were sponsored this year by Premium SponsorLibros Publishing and Gold Sponsor Scholastic. Bronze Sponsors are Atria/Simon Schuster and Vaso Roto Ediciones. Additional support comes from the University of Arizona Press and Arte Público Press. The Awards, already the largest awards in the USA celebrating achievements in Latino literature, are leading a wave of cultural and economic development within the Latino community.
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Tony
Plana served as the master of ceremonies for the event and the
presenters included golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez, various national
leaders within the Latino community, and book industry leaders.
Las Comadres para las Americas, a nonprofit organization, is an internationally known Latino organization empowering women to be actively engaged in the growing Latino communities through online and face to face networks. Our mission is connecting and empowering Latinas everywhere through community building/networking, cultural preservation and celebration, learning, and technology. |
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2014 NACCS Tejas Fiction Awards |
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Houston, TX (February 10, 2014) The 2014 NACCS Tejas Foco Committee is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 NACCS Tejas Fiction Awards. This year's awards features a new category for Young Adult Fiction. FOR FICTION: First Place Daniel Chacon, University of Texas at El Paso Hotel Juarez, Houston's Arte Publico Press, 2013 FOR FICTION: Second Place Ire'ne Lara Silva Flesh to Bone, Aunt Lute Books, 2013 |
2014 NACCS TEJAS AWARD Young Adult Fiction : First Place: Xavier Garza Maximilian and the Bingo Rematch, Cinco Puntos Press Young Adult Fiction : Second Place: Diana López Ask My Mood Ring, Little, Brown Books Description of Awards: The NACCS Tejas Fiction Awards recognize outstanding work of fiction or young adult fiction that best represents a significant topic related to the Mexican American experience in Texas. Any novel or collection of short stories published in 2013 in Texas or elsewhere was eligible. Contact: Tony Diaz, (713) 867-8943 Antonio.Diaz@lonestar.edu www.TejasFoco2014.org |
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From the Republic of the Rio Grande: A Personal History of the Place and the People by Beatriz de la Garza |
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Beatriz de la Garza is
the author of From the Republic of the Rio Grande: A Personal History
of the Place and the People (UT Press, 2013), which received the Jim
Parish Award from the Webb County Heritage Foundation. UT Press also
published her earlier history, A Law for the Lion: A Tale of Crime and
Injustice in the Borderlands (2003). Her books include works of
fiction for children and young adults published by Arte Público
Press, The Candy Vendor’s Boy and Other Stories (1994) and Pillars
of Gold and Silver (1997). Dr. de la Garza holds four degrees from the University of Texas at Austin including her B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and J.D. She’s been a practicing attorney in Austin, Texas for many years. She’s also been an elected public official. In 1988 she was elected to her first of three terms to the Austin Independent School District (AISD) Board. She served on the AISD School Board from 1988-1994, and during her final term (1992-1994) she served as Board President. This made her the first Mexican American woman (and Latina) ever to hold this elected position in the history of the Texas state capital’s public school district. Dr. de la Garza has also held several visiting professorships in Spanish Language and Literature and Legal Principles for Legal Assistants at her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin Community College, and Texas State University in San Marcos. Born in Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, otherwise known as Old Revilla, she grew up and attended school in Laredo, Texas. Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. beto@unt.edu |
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Spain: The Forgotten Alliance, Independence of the United States by Martha Gutierrez Steinkamp Martha Gutierrez Steinkamp is a Cuban-born educator of Spanish
heritage. She is a Smithsonian Fellow and co-author of Hispanic
Contributions to the United States curriculum. She is
certified for K-12 Humanities. The focus of the book are the monetary involvements, primarily of the Spanish and French governments to the American revolution. Interesting are the letters of communication between government and military leaders. Below is the introduction.
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| The
United States War of Independence was an unusually complex war. Three
components made it so. This was an economic war, a political war, and an
international war.
An economic war England was in desperate need to replenish its coffers after major expenditures during the Seven Years War. Parliament looked for all possible avenues of new revenues. The American colonies were the source immediately targeted for this purpose. Gradually the economic burden on the colonies became unbearable. The consequences were dissention and ultimately rebellion. A political war The French House of Bourbon came to power in Spain after the death of the last Habsburg monarch, Charles II. He named the duke of Anjou, who was the second son of Louis the Grand Dauphin of France, as his heir to Spain and its overseas empire. He reigned as Philip V of Spain, becoming the first Spanish Bourbon monarch. The most important result of this dynastic change was that Philip
V |
formed
an alliance with France due to his close relationship with Louis XV. The
treaties, which strengthened their political alliances, became known as
the Family Compact (Pactes de Famille).
France and Spain signed the Treaty of Aranjuez in April 1779, by which Spain joined the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain. An international war By 1778, the rebellion of the American colonies was gradually becoming an international conflict spreading to other colonies particularly in India, the Philippines, Gibraltar and Nicaragua, among others. King George III planned to keep thirty thousand men garrisoned in New York, Rhode Island, Quebec, and Florida as well as keep additional forces ready to attack the French and Spanish in the West Indies. At the beginning of the war, the British had unquestionable naval superiority with more than 100 ships of the line and plenty of frigates and smaller crafts. The colonists had no ships to speak of. There was no American navy as we know it today. |
When
the French entered the war, the British naval superiority was threatened
but not overwhelmed. Once Spain entered the war as an ally of France on the side of the colonists, the British naval superiority disappeared completely. Suddenly the war became a naval conflict that took place in all the oceans. Due to Spain's participation and collaboration with France, it made possible the full support of the combined troops of Rochambeau and Washington. England declared war on Holland in 1780 in response to the latter's continued intense commerce with France by providing materials used for the repair and maintenance of allied ships. Total Ships involved in the conflict |
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| Year 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 |
French 52 63 69 70 73 |
Spanish 0 58 48 54 54 |
Dutch 0 0 0 13 19 |
Allies 52 121 117 137 146 |
British 66 90 95 74 94 |
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GOODREADS
review:
Antonio
Simon, Jr. is a lawyer, author, rated
it 4 of 5 stars, December
2013 This
insightful book casts a bright light on an otherwise forgotten piece
of our nation's history. Having grown up in the United States,
my elementary school history lessons on the American Revolution
centered around the colonists' struggle with Great Britain. France
featured as a prominent footnote, that the French lent funds and the
support of their navy to the colonial army. Nowhere was Spain
mentioned, which leads one to believe that Spain had no involvement in
the war. The author seeks to correct this misconception. This
insightful book casts a bright light on an otherwise forgotten piece
of our nation's history.
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| Statue: kneeling soldier and small Iraqi
girl Cuento: Wrong-Way Brazilians by Daniel L. Polino Poster of the USS Gonzalez, named after Freddy Gonzalez, Medal of Honor Recipient Cuento: A Cause Worth Fighting For, Michael Behenna Cuento: The Ladies at the Base by Raul Guerra Cuento: The Gold Star by Raul Garza Vietnam POWs May 24, 1973 and May 24, 2013 AARP Endorsement & Jacksonville CGM Radio Interview Best Soldier/Dog Reunion Video Ever |
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This
statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace, now home to the
4th Infantry division. It will eventually be shipped home and put in
the memorial museum in Fort Hood, Texas . The statue was created by
an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam
Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that
dotted Baghdad. Kalat was so grateful for the America's liberation
of his country, he melted 3 of the heads of the fallen Saddam and
made the statue as a memorial to the American soldiers and their
fallen warriors. Kalat worked on this memorial night and day for
several months. To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi
girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his
comrades in arms. |
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Cuento |
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WRONG-WAY
BRAZILIANS by Daniel L. Polino |
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| While
stationed at NAS Glenview, Illinois, during primary training, we ran
into (literally) a contingent of young military officers from Brazil.
Some arrangment existed between our countries that provided for their
training along with our Naval aviation cadets, utilizing the U.S. Navy
flight training program. Unlike the system used for the citizens of this
country to obtain a commission, i.e., on the basis of education and
ability, the granting of a commission in the South American countries at
that time was probably more dependent on family position and wealth.
That is not to say that the Brazilian officers that we met in the flight
training program were not good people. They were amiable enough, but
seemed at times to lack the common sense and aptitude to stay alive in a
dangerous business. They did some crazy things.
One phase of our training involved night flying in the two-place, open-cockpit N2S Stearman bi-plane. The way the Navy handled this was to send you up with your instructor for at least one flight at night, then expect you to fly solo from then on. I had the feeling, on my first familiarization night dual flight, that the instructor was glad to get back down. The air around NAS Glenview became pretty crowded at times, and the wind off of Lake Michigan didn't make the landings any safer. Whenever a flight of solo cadets were sent up for their first night flights, the flight operations people would arrange for a pre-sunset takeoff. In this way, the first part of the period was relatively uneventful, since it was still light. As you flew, the sky got gradually darker, and all at once you realized that you were night flying. To practice takeoffs and landings, flight operations would send up about 16 or 20 aircraft. Half of the flight would be sent to a 2000 foot altitude where they would set an interval between each other and circle the field in the traditional left-hand traffic pattern. Each pilot would watch the white navigational light of the plane up ahead and try not to overrun him. It was indeed terrifying to some of us because all you saw were lights, and you hoped they were going the same way as you were. The only lights on the field below were the small kerosene smudge pots, used in highway construction in those days, lined up alongside the runway. While half the flight was at a 2000 foot altitude trying not to run into each other, the other half circled the field in a left-hand traffic pattern at the 800 foot level, keeping a reasonable interval and executing touch and go landings; that's where you land, and immediately apply power and take off again, climbing back into your interval in the landing pattern.
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On
one of our night flights, we were scheduled along with several of the
South American fellows. It was during our portion of the evening when we
circled at the 2000 foot level that I began to notice something very
unusual. Every so often, a group of flashing lights would approach my
aircraft head-on and whip by, barely missing it. After a few minutes of
this, I began to realize that the Brazilians were flying a right-hand or
clockwise pattern over the field at 2000
feet, while we were flying the left-hand or counterclockwise pattern. Luckily, before a mid-air collision occurred, we got the signal from the ground to switch levels with the group shooting landings. Apparently, the Brazilians knew that all Navy landing patterns are with left-hand turns and managed to get going in the right direction for the landings. It was during those first night flights that a few things happened that are worth describing. Our first solo flights at night were very scary, since the important thing was to not run into anyone up there. Once you took an interval on the aircraft ahead of you, you kept track of the white turtleback light up front; and, when he turned, you allowed a few seconds and proceeded with your turn. To a novice flying at night, there is a lot of competition for your attention. There are the white lights of the stars, oil well flares, trucks on the road, etc. It was not uncommon for a cadet to return from a night exercise having the experience of following a truck on the highway cross-country, or homing in on an oil well flare, or just reaching for a star. Made you feel very foolish. My very first night flight at NAS Glenview was a dual hop with a Navy instructor who had been a dive bomber pilot early in the war, and whose ambition was to get out of this extremely dangerous business of training cadets and return to the fleet where it was reasonably safe. You had to have nerves of steel to be an instructor. As I recall, my instructor's name was Lt. Jensen, a nice guy. On this first night flight in the open cockpit of the N2S Stearman, without a word of his intentions, Lt. Jensen proceeded to the big city of Chicago, a few miles south, where he initiated dives between the tall buildings nearly to the street level. It must have been his way of relieving his pent-up frustrations, but for awhile I thought he was contemplating suicide. He actually dove down between the buildings at a steep angle, pulling out before he hit the trolley wires. It must have been a thrill for the pedestrians, as well as those in the office buildings facing the street. After about a half hour of this, he headed back to Glenview. There was no explanation or comment regarding this unusual flying lesson upon return to the field; just another uneventful training flight. And I wasn't going to ask. 21
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Poster
of USS Gonzalez, DDG-66 (Norfolk, VA) – In Honor of Sgt Freddy
Gonzalez, Sent
by Dorinda Moreno |
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To the thousands of Michael supporters, With tears of joy in our eyes we are happy to tell all of you that Michael is coming home! He called us this morning to tell us his parole had been granted and he will be released on March 14, 2014. So in one month Michael will finally be home with his family. Praise God from whom all blessings flow..... It has been, to say the least, quite a ride. Michael signed up for the Army in order to serve his country and honor the innocent people killed on 9/11. As a lieutenant he led his men in the ‘Mad Dog’ 5th Platoon into combat in Iraq and with them bravely faced a determined and ruthless insurgency. Then his story took a bizarre turn when he was charged and later convicted of killing a known Al-Qaida cell leader who was directly involved in an IED attack that killed two of his soldiers, Steven Christofferson and Adam Kohlhaas. He spent the next five years of his life in a small cell in the medium security wing at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth serving a 15 year murder conviction.
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Life is often not fair, and as we have seen, justice is sometimes hard to come by. For the innocent man who is sent to prison, life can seem especially cruel. To survive that requires strength that comes from deep inside. It also requires the love and support from family and close friends. Michael always knew he could count on his family and friends to be there for him. What has rocked his world is how thousands of people he has never met could will him through this struggle. YOU DID THAT! As you’re reading this I want you to say to yourself ‘they’re talking to me’. YOU made the difference in how our son responded to this adversity. Whether you sent him a postcard, a letter, put money in his prison account, contributed to his defense fund, wrote your Congressional Representative, shared Michael’s story with a friend, rode your motorcycle in a rally of support, or lifted Michael up in prayer to Almighty God, you made the difference. YOU literally saved our son's life with your love and support, and for that we will be forever grateful. God bless each and every one of you!
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The Ladies at
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I was shy one month of being eleven and in the fifth grade when President FDR delivered his famous speech about the attack on Pearl Harbor. This became a confusing time for a pre-teenager. Before World War II many of the women in the Barrio had to work by necessity to make ends meet at home. Most did laundering at home, a few with a high school education might work as sales ladies at J. C. Penny or at the 5 and 10 cent stores. Most who worked outside were "Gatas con los americanos." (Worked as domestics for the whites or angles.) domestic skills included washing, ironing, sewing, cleaning, waxing, cooking, and taking care of children prior to and after school. This was a six and a half day week at no more than about $12.00 take home pay. World War II opened an opportunity for many of these women to take a job at the Naval Bases in Corpus Christi, 40 miles away. This also involved a new experience for these women, who had to perfect their English, wear what they considered men's clothes and shoes, get up around 4 o'clock in the morning, fix lunch for the kids and themselves, return home around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. .At home they did not come to rest; they came home to do the wifely or motherly chores at home, get ready for the next day, after going to bed, around midnight. After World War II, when the men came back, many of the women kept their jobs at the bases. Many got to see sons, nephews, and neighbors go through the second war. After Korea O&R (Navy Overhaul & Repair) closed. Then the army took over and opened C-CAD (Corpus Christi Army Depot) specializing in Helicopter repair. NAM came on and the very last of the women saw sons, grandsons, and nephews still go through another war. These were the World War II and after War Workers in the south. Truly, a remarkable bunch of women in American History which have not really been recognized or written about.
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Some were one
parent mothers, Many were very young wives, Most had been domestic for others, Now on the road risking their lives. World War II had created a chance, As domestics their dress was simple, Two, three hours on the road, Four long years of war, The big war is over now. Twenty-five years have passed, Retired at last! NOTE: My hometown had an auxiliary Naval Base with two full air fields. MAS Kingsville closed after WWII, but reopened in the 50's with the Korean War about to start. It became a full fledged Naval Air Station and is still training Jet Fighter Pilots.Naval Air Station was called "AAainside" because it had three or four auxiliary stations in the vicinity, Cuddihy Field, Cabanis Field, Ward Island and one other. Only Mainside Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville are left open in this area. |
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The Gold Star by Raul Garza |
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During
World War II, I lied about my age, and got a job at the Western Union
Telegraph Office delivering telegrams. I saw several Gold Stars in
windows as I delivered telegrams all over the city.
The Gold Stars never really had a meaning to me. I thought they just let you know a member of the family was in the service. I may have delivered a couple of death notices or wounded in action messages, but this was part of the job then. The first Texan who died as a result of the Gulf War was LCPL Arthur Garza, my nephew. I remember my wife and I driving home from Saturday shopping. A police car and military car kept following me. The vehicles were not really following me. They were looking for my cousin's house. I stopped in my driveway and observed the following'' iThe policeman pointed to the residence, and a Marine in dress blues got out of the car. He had a big brown envelope in his hands. He knocked at the door. Gave my cousin Helen, the news. There was a shriek, and in my heart I knew someone had died in the service. The next day a Gold Star Banner was hung in the living room window of
my cousin's house. After WWII, Korea, and NAM, the Gold Star Banner had
a very deep meaning to me. I represented the ultimate sacrifice of a
family to trade the life of a son/daughter so that the kids could
continue to | play sandlot baseball or football in the streets of
our barrio (neighborhood). |
The Gold Star The
Star is not a decoration for a window, I
gave him precious life Cheered
him in every sport contest, The
President, called for War, An
unusual knock at the door, |
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Vietnam POWs |
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Vietnam POWs Reunions, May 23-25, 1973 and May
23-25, 2013 |
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In May, 2013, a three-day celebration was held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum that coincides with the 40th anniversary of a
the White House dinner hosted in 1973 by President Nixon to honor their sacrifice. At the time, Nixon was embroiled in Watergate, but the former prisoners — now in their 60s and 70s — credit him with their freedom after nearly 600 were released in the spring of 1973. Nixon resigned a little more than a year after the dinner as he faced near-certain impeachment. "He was a hero to us. He will always be revered by us as a group because he got us home, and we didn't know how we were going to get home," said retired U.S. Marine Capt. Orson Swindle, who spent six years and four months in Hanoi prison camps. The 2013 Reunion recreated, duplicated every aspect of the White
House dinner, with place sittings and menu. It is doubtful that there
will be any more reunions, given the ages of the men. |
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| Editor: This is a very moving, well
produced documentary. Please do take the time to view it.
What comes through was the combination of their personal faith in God
and loyalty to one another which saw them through the torture,
deprivation, starvation and horror. . . . their Faith. http://www.youtube.com/embed/LemllfcAY8A
Photos above from a google search. Sent by Roy Archuleta archroy1953@gmail.com |
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Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, along with Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD) today unveiled a new initiative to expedite disability claims by veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation rating of 100% Permanent & Total (P&T). Under the new process, Social Security will treat these veterans’ applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions, similar to the way the agency currently handles disability claims from Wounded Warriors. “Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country and it is
only right that we ensure they have timely access to the disability
benefits they may be eligible for and deserve,” said Acting
Commissioner Colvin. “Social Security worked with Veterans Affairs
to identify those veterans with disabilities who have a high
probability of also meeting our definition of disability. I am proud
of our collaboration and happy to announce this new service for
America’s vets.” |
In order to receive the expedited service, veterans must tell Social Security they have a VA disability compensation rating of 100% P&T and show proof of their disability rating with their VA Notification Letter. The VA rating only expedites Social Security disability claims processing and does not guarantee an approval for Social Security disability benefits. These veterans must still meet the strict eligibility requirements for a disability allowance. Social Security plans to launch the expedited process in mid-March. For information about this service, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/disability-pt.htm. For more about Social Security’s handling of Wounded
Warrior’s disability claims, please visit |
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You are subscribed to the Social Security Administration’s Press
Releases page.
This information recently has been updated and is now available.
Social
Security Announces New Expedited Disability Process for Veterans
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/expedited-dib-process-pr.html AARP Endorsement & Jacksonville CGM Radio Interview |
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1)We would like to thank the AARP organization for their generous endorsement. This is a huge endorsement will advance and further legitimize the 65th Inf. CGM initiative among Congress.
See attached letter of endorsement. |
We are at 94% of the required co-sponsors in the House of Reps. and 50% of the required co-sponsors in the Senate. |
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Best Soldier/Dog Reunion Video Ever |
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http://tammybruce.com/2013/07/possibly-the-best-soldier-dog-reunion-video-ever.html |
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Visit Mexico City
with the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, Houston Chapter, June 5th- June 8th |
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Visit Mexico City
with the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez, Houston Chapter |
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| The Houston Chapter is organizing a fantastic
trip to Mexico for the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez. Please mark your
calendars for this special excursion. In the plans are: - Special lectures on the life of Bernardo de Galvez at the University and at the magnificent Salón de los Reyes, in the impressive Casino Español. - Guided tours of Chapultepec Palace, the Cathedral, the National Palace and other major landmarks of Vice-real Mexico, including the church of San Fernando, where Galvez is buried beside the main altar. - An exclusive cocktail reception at the residence of the Spanish Consul. There are more activities in the works. Please see the attached announcement. The Houston Chapter is generating excitement and coordinating what will be a memorable group trip. As for now, we just ask that you mark the date on your calendar. More details are forthcoming soon. Joe Perez, Governor General Order of Granaderos y Damas de Galvez 210-386-5050 www.granaderos.org www.Facebook.com/GranaderosDeGalvez jperez329@satx.rr.com |
Highlights
of this trip already in the planning include:
Special lectures on the life of Bernardo de Galvez at the University and at the magnificent Salón de los Reyes, in the impressive Casino Español. Superbly guided tours of Chapultepec Palace, the Cathedral, the National Palace and other major landmarks of Vice-real Mexico, including the colonial church of San Fernando, where Galvez is buried beside the main altar. We have received an exclusive and personal invitation to a cocktail reception at the residence of the Spanish Consul. Dinners will be arranged at several renowned Mexico City restaurants, and… There will be a special dinner excursion to either the 17 th century Hacienda de los Morales http://www.haciendadelosmorales.com/historia , or to the famous San Angel Inn http://www.sanangelinn.com , after a half day visit to the picturesque town of San Angel, where there is an open street market on Saturdays, full of popular art and souvenirs. We are also considering an impressive Charreria show (with trained Charro horses, lazzos, rodeo, and talented vaqueros)! Details to follow!
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Dear friend,
I want to personally thank you for supporting the effort to exhibit a
portrait of Bernardo de Galvez where “Congress meet[s]” as approved in
the 1783 resolution. I has hoping to receive letters representing 100,000
people, but thanks to you I now have the support of groups representing more
than four million people!!
The response generated in such a short period of time has moved me and it is
something I will never forget. I am amazed to see how the figure of Bernardo
de Galvez was able to mobilize so many people in two countries; working side
by side and against the clock in order to present the requested support
letters by last Friday’s deadline. Now we can only wait for a decision
regarding the portrait.
However, today, I want to celebrate with you the results of a job well done.
Your generosity and solidarity made all the difference.
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Your work bringing
together the strength of two great nations, Spain and the United States, has
been wonderful and will further contribute to cement the historical,
political and personal relations between both nations.
I would have never been able to do this without you. Having you by my side and working on behalf of D. Bernardo’s cause means a lot to me and I thank you with all my heart.
Finally, I would also like to share with you a special thanks to Manuel
Olmedo Checa, Vice-President of The Bernardo de Galvez’ Association in
Malaga, Spain. His energy and perseverance brings a deserved and overdue
recognition on D. Bernado de Galvez.
Please forward this message to everyone who has helped me.
God Bless you, Spain and The United States of America.
Thank you!
Teresa Valcarce
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| Greetings to all: Attached is the information I received regarding the fundraising effort for the Bernardo de Galvez statue. Hopefully, by diligently working together, another long overdue project will be accomplished in the near future.
Please disregard the "Judge" by my name. It is very flattering but the error was duly noted. Jesse O. Villarreal, Sr. jesseo2800@yahoo.com Good morning Judge Villarreal, I am writing to ask your assistance in raising funds for a statue that will be placed in Menard Park, in Galveston. The Bernardo de Galvez Chapter #1 of the Sons of the American Revolution have embarked on this project to educate the public about the facts surrounding the Spanish influence in the Revolutionary War, in particular the role of Galvez. We have commissioned local artist Eric Kaposta (http://www.erickaposta.com/), and he has created the bronze miniature (photo attached) to illustrate his conceptual idea. We now need to raise about $400,000 to build the larger than life state, install it atop a six foot high granite pedestal and provide lighting, benches and other accouterments. Below is a link to our statue web page which will provide more information about the artist, the location and our organization. Please consider assisting by making a direct contribution, and/or raising awareness of our project among similar thinking friends or acquaintances. Thank You, Bill Adriance, Co-Chair Statue Committee bill.a@galvezstatue.org SAR Bernardo de Galvez Chapter #1 PO Box 1, Galveston, TX 77553 409-939-0205 http://galvezstatue.org
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Granaderos and By Joe Perez One of the Spanish flags the Granaderos
carry is known as the Cross of Burgundy, also known as the Cross of St.
Andrew, and has flown on the American continent for three hundred and
thirty seven years, longer than any other flag. From 1506 to 1701, it
was used as Spain’s naval banner and continued to be used as late as
1843 as Spain’s land battle flag. |
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St. Andrew, an Apostle of Jesus
Christ, was crucified for perpetuating the teachings of Jesus. Christian
tradition states that St. Andrew deemed himself unworthy of being
crucified in the same manner as Jesus, so he chose to be crucified on an
X-shaped cross. Thusly, the X-shaped cross is often referred to as the
Cross of St. Andrew.
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BRITO BEGINNINGS, The DeLeon Families |
| Ponce de Leon was a Spanish Explorer b 1460, d 1521, who came to the New World with Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. Ponce conquered the natives of Puerto Rico and explored Florida, claiming them both for Spain. I do not have the list of his Conquistadors. Maria deLeon, bcalc early 1500's in 1560 was a passenger from Spain to _______ per vol 4 p64 of Pasajeros a Indies. Ana deLeon, bcalc early 1500's, in 1560 was a passenger from Spain to _______ per vol 4 p64 of Pasajeros a Indies. Anton de Leon, bcalc mid 1500's, in 1571 was a passenger from Spain to ________ per vol 5 p3207 of Pasajeros a Indies. Antonio deLeon, bcalc mid 1500's, in 1574 was a passenger from Spain to ________ per vol 5 p3407 of Pasajeros a Indies. [Was this the father of the Juan de Leon, (b.1568 in Cadiz/Malaga Spain,) who went to NM with Onate?] Antonio de Leon md 28 Dec 1589 in Santa Veracruz, Distrito Federal, Mexico to Maria Gironima per LDS film 0035855 M619035. [How was she related to the Geronimas in Puebla Mx?][How was she related to the Micaela Geronima of Santa Fe, who md Juan Brito of El Paso, in 1714? Antonio de Leon md 23 Nov 1597 in Sagrario Metropolitana, Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla Mexico to Elena Garcia, per---?---. Manuel de Leon bcalc mid 1500's, in 1574 was a passenger from Spain to ________ per vol 5 p3523 of Pasajeros a Indies. Juana Ponce de Leon y Ponce de Leon, born in 1500 in Spain to Juan Ponce de Leon Y Figieroa and Leonor Ponce de Leon, IGI Juan Ponce de Leon, b 1474 in Santevas de Campos, , Spain, died 20 May 1521. He md in 1499 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to Leonor Ponce de Leon. They had a dau: Juana Ponce de Leon y Ponce de Leon, per IGI Juan Ponce de Leon II, b abt 1522 in San Juan, PR, to Garcia Troche and Juana Ponce de Leon, md abt 1544 in San Juan, PR, to Dona Isabel Lopez de Loaysa, per IGI Juan Ponce de Leon III, b abt 1549 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Juan Ponce de Leon II and Dona Isabel Lopez de Loaysa, md abt 1574 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Ana de Salamanca, per IGI Juan Garcia Troche Ponce de Leon II, b 1528 in Puerto Rico to Garcia Troche Monroy and Juana Ponce de Leon y Ponce de Leon, md abt 1551 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Ysabel de Loyza de Guzman and they had a son per IGI ******Luis Ponce de Leon, who emmigrated to Mexico****** Luis Ponce de Leon, who emmigrated from Puerto Rico to MX, & Maria de Cabrera, had a son chr in Jan 1619 in Sagrario Metropolitano, Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla Mexico: Antonio Leon Cabrera per LDS film 0227521 C605094 my database #65. Melchior de Leon and Juana de Villarrubias had a son on 20 July 1571 in Sagrario Metropolitano, Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Mexico: Juan Leon Villarrubia per LDS film 0227520 J6050903 Juan de Leon Castaneda, b calc 1550, to -?- in ----?----, md 06 Feb 1577 in Santa Veracruz, Santa Veracruz, Distrito Federal, Mexico to Maria de L. Fantas per LDS film 0035848 M619031 Cortez' Conquistadors of 1519 included [per Gary Felix'website]: 1- Alonso de Leon, who md an Indian woman; 2- Alvaro de Leon from Dimynes, Santander, Spain, who came to Mexico with Naravez. He had 6 children. 3- Diego de Leon, who also came to Mexico with Naravez. 4- Fr. Juan de Leon 5- Gonsalo de Leon 6- Juan de Leon Onate's Soldiers of 1598 included [per Gary Felix' website]: 1- Bartolome de Leon, native of the City of Cordoba, son of Christobal de Leon. [According to David Snow's book, New Mexico's First Colonists, Bartolome deserted Onate's colony in 1602.] 2- Francisco de Leon, native of the City of Jaen, son of Francisco de Leon. [Another deserter, per Snow.] 3- Gregorio de Leon, native of Gran Canaria, son of Francisco de Leon. Gregorio brought his wife and children. [Also deserters, per Snow] 4- Juan de Leon, native of Cadez, 30 years old, son of Antonio de Leon. [He is on p 12 of ORIGINS.][According to Snow, Juan was the only Leon who stayed with Onate's colony to the end; Crystobal Brito and his indian servant, Juan, also deserted and went back to Mexico; his female Indian servant, Beatriz de los Angeles, a curandura, stayed with the colony and eventually married Juan dela Cruz Calalen.] Alonso de Leon, b.Aug 1608 in Mexico City to Lorenzo Perez and Adriana de Leon of Castilla, Spain. [Lorenzo Perez' father was Alonso Sanchez sr; they emigrated to New Spain in 1596, following Lorenzo's brother, Alonso jr, who emigrated in 1592.] Alonso de Leon md Josefa Gonzales 23 Sep 1635 in Wichapan, Hidalgo, Mexico, and died in July 1661 in Cadereyta, New Leon, New Spain. RESEARCH FURTHER, The names of their children were: Juan de Leon, Lorenzo Perez de Leon, Alonso de Leon, Josefa Gonzalez, Juana de Leon, Antonio Leal, Maria de Leon, Francisca de Leon, Mateo de Leon, and Miguel de Leon. [See the book, "Alonso de Leon, sus Descendientes" by Guillermo Garmendia Leal, available via Interlibrary Loan from the University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg TX, USA.] Juan de Leon, brother of the above Alonso de Leon, was born to Lorenzo Perez and Adriana de Leon of Castilla, Spain, in Mexico City in 1611. He married Elena Gonzalez on 31 Aug 1636 in San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, New Spain. [Elena was the daughter of Francisco Leal and Maria Gonzalez.] This book does not give their descendants. Another brother, a cripple, Joseph De Leon, (p13) was living in 1651 in the hacienda of Alonso de Leon with his wife and children. In 1657, Joseph filed his will in Monterrey, and among others, left 500 cabras to various people, including Sebastian Rodriguez. Alonso de Leon, in 1646, built the Hacienda de San Mateo del Pilon, in the Jurisdiction of Cadereyta, which is now Montemorelos. In 1651, He went to Zacatecas and the Indians attacked and burnt the outbuildings, but he and his people took refuge in a stone house and survived the attack. In 1652, he was named Captain of the Presidio of Cadereyta. In 1655, he went to Madrid and visited King Felipe IV. Three years later, the governor, Zavala, visited Alonso at the Hacienda. In May 1661, after "repeated attacks" [strokes?], he became crippled in one hand and foot and half of his body for the rest of his life; he wrote his will, and then died at home in July. His wife died in Dec, 1699. Another Alonso de Leon explored Texas in 1689. Juan de Leon, b abt 1660 to --?-- in --?-- md 09 Oct 1687 in see p52 Cuahtemoc, Distrito Federal, Mexico, to Antonia Michaela per LDS film 35262 M619642 Juan de la Cruz de Leon b abt 1660 in Tecpa, Mexico to Juan de Leon and Ysabel Maria, md 02 Feb 1688 in Moxquiahuala, Hildago, Mexico, to Magdalena Maria. Per LDS film 658869 M613681 Agueda de Leon, b abt 1650 to -?- in ---?---, md abt 1680 to see p55 Salvador de las Crus, per IGI [There is a Brito by this name in my database: Juana Aga Brito.] Juan de Leon, b abt 1650 to -?- in ---?---, md 04 1674 RESEARCH in Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico, to FURTHER Polonia Rodrigues per LDS film 247979 M643516 Juan Assencio de Leon, b abt 1650 to -?- in ---?---, md 26 Sept 1695 in Ayo El Chico, Jalisco, Mexico, to Rosa Hernandes de Velasco per LDS film 280814 M647513 Juan de Santiago de Leon, b abt 1655 to Joseph de Leon and Beronica Maria, md 01 Nov 1689 in Autland Navarro, Jalisco Mexico to Mariana de Avila per LDS film 655629 M604458 Juan Jose de Leon Brito, b 1650 in Zacatecus Mexico (who called himself a Tlascatean Indian) md abt 1670 in Zacatecus Mexico to Antonia Ursula Duran. They had a son and a daughter: Juan de Leon Brito and Sebastiana de Leon Sebastiana de Leon, who was b abt 1650 to Juan Jose de Leon Brito and Antonia Ursula Duran, md ---?----- [I have not found any of her descendants or her death date.] She is in the Hidalgo microfisches I think. Juan de Leon Brito, b abt 1672 in Zacatecus Mexico or Santa Fe, NM, to Juan Jose de Leon Brito and Antonia Ursula Duran, md 1) Sebastiana Madrid on 19 Jan 1692 in El Paso, , Mexico per IGI 2) Maria de los Reys Granillo in 1694 in Santa Fe, NM. They had 3 daughters, who are in my database: Maria Magdalena Brito, [whose children used the "Brito" surname]; RESEARCH FURTHER Juana Gregoria Brito, [whose children used their father's surname, "de Arguello"]; Brigida Brito, [whose children used their father's surname, "de Armenta".] Juan de Leon b abt 1675 in --?-- to Juan de Leon and Dominga de Morales, md 09 Sep 1703 in Cuahatemoc, Distrito Federal, Mexico, to Ana de Quiroz per LDS film 35845 M619027 Juan de Leon chr 19 July 1693 in Armadillo de los Infates, San Luis Potsoi, Mexico, to Salvador de la Crus and Agueda de Leon per LDS film 1158410 C611181 see p53 Jn. Leon chr 04 Aug 1686 in El Sagrario, Aug., Aug., Mexico to Miguel Franco and Francisca De Leon per LDS film 0299423 C604763 HMMMMM Bernardo de Leon b abt 1731 in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to --?-- md abt 1765 in --?-- to Maria Galvan. They had a son, Juan de Leon per IGI HMMMMMM Juan de Leon b mid 1700's in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico to Bernardo de Leon and Maria Galvan, md on --?-- at --?-- to Maria Josefa Francisca Leal Fernandez per ancestral file AF97-116693 and AF 93-000285, LDS film 1512682 Josef Leon Brito b 1818 in Embudo, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico to Miguel Antonio Brito and Maria Antonia Ygnacia Barella Line #73 Juan de Leon, b abt 1560, in ---?--- to --?-- md 18 Jan 1584 in Santa Veracruz, Santa Veracruz, Distrito Federal, Mexico, to Francisca de la Cruz per LDS film 0035848 M619031 HMMMMMMM Juan de Leon, b 1568 in Cadiz, , Spain, to Antonio de Leon and --?--, ********emmigrated from Spain to Mexico in 1598********** per Onate by H & R. Juan de Barrios Leon, b abt 1568, of Mexico, md 1597 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, to Micaela Diaz del Castillo per LDS film 1553921 9102460 23 HMMMMMM Juan Ponce de Leon, b abt 1600 in Mexico City to Juan Ponce de Leon and Ana Garcia, md on 26 May 1634 in Cuahtemoc, Dist. Fed., MX, to Catalina Gonsales per LDS film 35848 M619031 HMMMMMM Ortiz de Leon of Mexico City in the 1600's-- See www.pages.prodigy.net/bluemountaincurrent.htm or the article in El Farolito. Ask Gregg and Stanley for more information about Alonso de Leon, b 1490 in Spain, came with Cortez, who married a Native American woman in Mexico. Also, did the fray Juan de Leon who was born abt 1490 in Spain, and came with Cortez, leave any descendants? 1600's: MXCity bunch Zac-SFe bunch 1700's: MXCity bunch Puebla MX bunch SFe/-Zac bunch 'Segura-Leon' bunch 'Brito-Padilla' bunch 1800's: Zac-SFe bunch [some'Brito-Padillas' in SMdelBado] SanMiguel del Bado bunch Tome bunch Taos bunch Picuris bunch Embudo bunch The Muleteers of 1777 in El Parral, Nueva Vizcaya, an article by Frank Dominguez in El Farolito, vol.14 #4 mentions a muleteer, Marzelo de Leon, native of the Villa de Santa Barbara, age 37, married to Maria Francisca de Almansa. He is mulato, she is coyota. They have another woman living with them, Maria de los Dolores Leon, with her twin sons: Josef Prudenzio de Leon, and Josef Antonio de Leon, age 14..... A few doors down is the wife of Don Josef de Soto: Mariana de Olivas, both espanoles, she age 23 & a native of this real. Her sister, Brijida de Olivas, age 16, lives with them. ''One of the first [Spanish officials of Mexico] to propose the colonization of la nueva Mexico was Gaspar Castano de Sosa....the lieutenant governor of the northern Mexican province of Nuevo Leon''.....he gathered all the inhabitants of the frontier settlement of Almaden and set out to establish his colony [this was in 1590] They explored northern NM and reached San Juan, Picuris, and Taos. He eventually was apprehended by the Spanish and sentenced to 6 years of exile in the Phillipe Islands for not having permission from the Viceroy. No mention is made of what happened to the people of Almaden. ''In 1690, Diego de Vargas Zapata Lujan Ponce de Leon was appointed Governor of New Mexico.'' [He got to El Paso in 1691.] Source: Rio Arriba, a New Mexican County, by Torrez and Trapp.
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| Oldest human DNA found in Spain by Elizabeth Landau Montana Prehistoric Boy May Be Native American 'Missing Link' |
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Oldest human DNA found in Spain http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/09/health/oldest-human-dna |
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| Scientists have reconstructed a nearly complete mitochondrial genome of an ancient human relative, whose remains were found in Sima de los Huesos ("pit of bones") in northern Spain. It is the oldest DNA to be recovered from an early humanlike species, authors of a study wrote in the journal Nature.
The ancient species that has revealed some of its genetic secrets, via bone fragments from a femur, is probably not directly linked to your family tree though. "It's quite clear that this is not a direct ancestor of people today," said Svante Paabo, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and senior author of the study. Instead, he said, this representative of an early humanlike species, called Homo heidelbergensis, could be an ancestor of both Neanderthals and another group called the Denisovans. The genetic relationship to Denisovans, discovered through this DNA research, is surprising because the Homo heidelbergensis remains found in the cave have many Neanderthal-like features. The only remnants of Denisovans come from Siberia -- a long way from Spain. |
"It's sort of an open question really what this means, and I think further research into the nuclear genome of these hominins will address that," Paabo said. How they did it. Paabo and colleagues used a new method for sequencing ancient, degraded genetic material to put together the 400,000-year-old specimen's mitochondrial genome. It is the oldest DNA ever found outside permafrost conditions -- in other words, it was not permanently frozen. "The retrieval of such ancient human DNA is a major technical achievement, and promises further recovery of such material from other fossils in this time range, both in the Sima and elsewhere, where we would not previously have expected it, or looked for it," said Chris Stringer, researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, who was not involved in the study. Mitochondria are structures in cells that convert food energy into usable forms. DNA stored in the mitochondria is passed to children through the maternal line only (i.e., only moms can pass it on), so it's only a small snapshot of inherited genes. |
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Genetic material in the cell's nucleus comes from both parents and gives a fuller picture of genetic heritage.
To study genetics of our ancient predecessors, researchers have an easier time studying mitochondrial DNA because there are hundreds of times more copies of it in each cell.
"It's a much bigger chance to find some fragments of this preserved," Paabo said. |
But retrieving the nuclear DNA sequence will be challenging, study authors wrote. Just to get the mitochondrial DNA sequence, it took about two grams of bone -- less than 0.1 ounce -- even though hundreds of copies of this DNA are in every cell.
Still, Paabo said, the sequencing technique his group used "opens a possibility to now do this at many other sites, and really begin to understand earlier human evolution." |
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Humans, Neanderthals related to yet another group.
Little is known about the Denisovans. Although some of their remains were found in southern Siberia, their genetic signature is only found today on islands in the Pacific. |
Guinea as well as aboriginal people from the Philippines comes from the
Denisovans. |
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Sent by John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com |
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FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH |
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Another
Writing Project |
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Another Writing Project
Hi, I am currently working on a book project. The AARP is having a national competition for members to submit their memoirs. The urge to scribble has never left me so I sharpened my quill and dipped it into the inkwell. I passed the first hurdle by submitting a synopsis and the first 5,000 words of my memoir. A representative from AARP emailed me asking for a photograph so that they could use it to promote this contest, which I complied immediately. If I get selected on the first round, then I have to submit a manuscript of from 20,000 to 50,000 words by June 15, 2014. The winner will receive $5,000, plus Simon & Schuster will publish the book. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Dios por delante y Dios dirá. The big seascape oil painting in the background is one of Jo Emma's masterpieces. Gilberto This Facebook page has to do with my participation in AARP's national competition for writing one's memoirs. Pleased click the link to the post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152132276473960&set=a.87332378959.82367.57259033959&type=1&theater Sent by Gilberto Quezada jgilbertoquezada@yahoo.com
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The BYUtv Generations Project |
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| What secrets run in your blood? This
reality series uncovers the hidden identities in family pasts, proving
that the best way to know who you are is to know who you came from.
There are 38 segments in this series. The segments all seem to
be based on traveling to the locations of interest, instead of using
the resources found on the Internet. |
The interesting aspect to me, was that the
episodes reveal the endless ways in which actively engaging in family
history research, benefits the individual psychologically. Each
segment follows one individual, faced with what seems like
unrelated problem, and yet getting involved in a generations
project . . . . meets an important need and satisfies the
individual.
http://www.byutv.org/show/6f62558b-fc6f-49c5-b8c6-2473785a5b44
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Request Information from Salt Lake Family History Library |
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02/08/14 m13599@gmail.com
writes: 02/09/14 mimilozano@aol.com |
02/09/14 m13599@gmail.com
writes: 02/09/2014 mimilozano@aol.com |
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From Debbie Gurtler . . . Francisco, Here is a link to the baptism of one of the children of Francisco Manriquez and Manuela Fonseca. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-20569-7609-70?cc=1860831&wc=M9Q9-ND6:742258419 It indicates that they were residents of San Felipe and living in Altos de Ybarra. I would think that you could find their marriage as well as Francisco’s second marriage to Juan de Canseco among these records as well. Below is a link to the digitized images online. Just click on the records you wish to search and you can then browse through the images online from any computer that is connected to the internet. To advance the images, click on the small arrow just to the right of the words Image (number) of (number of images). https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch. org%2Frecords%2Fwaypoint%2FM9Q9-DGC%3An953040484%3Fcc%3D1860831 I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me again if I can be of further assistance. |
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FamilySearch to Make Millions of Obituaries Searchable Online Tens of Thousands of Additional Indexers Needed to Help Create an Every-Name Index to Millions of Obituaries Salt Lake City, Utah—February 7, 2014—FamilySearch is working with partners and the larger genealogical community to collect, digitize, and index millions of obituaries from the United States (with other nations to follow). This huge undertaking will ultimately make hundreds of millions of names of deceased individuals and information about their family relationships freely available for online research. Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, announced this new initiative in his keynote speech yesterday as he welcomed record-breaking crowds to the 2014 RootsTech family history conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Brimhall and special guest pirate mascot “Captain Jack Starling” utilized a well-known pirate theme of “dead men tell no tales” and added, “but their obituaries do!” drawing attention to the fact that obituaries tell the stories of people’s lives long after they are deceased. Carrying the theme further, attendees at the conference were invited to volunteer and help unlock the “treasure trove” of precious family information contained in obituaries, which is currently “locked away” in static electronic images and newspapers. “Estimates claim over 500 million obituaries exist in the U.S. alone,” said Dennis Brimhall, FamilySearch CEO. “The average obituary can contain the names of about ten family members of the deceased—parents, spouse, children, and other relatives. Making them easily searchable online can be an enormous future source for creating our family histories. The number of people who will benefit is incalculable. It could very well be the single largest preservation and access project of its kind, and will no doubt be one of the most used online collections worldwide as it grows.” |
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The success of the obituary campaign depends on volunteers. The information contained in obituaries requires native language skills and human judgment. The goal for this project in 2014 is 100 million names indexed, which will require tens of thousands of additional volunteers. Without volunteer indexers, these precious records will remain largely unavailable to family history researchers. Those interested in helping to create this vast database that will be used by family history researchers for generations to come can learn more and volunteer at FamilySearch.org/indexing. A training video, indexing guide, and clear project indexing instructions are available to help indexers get a quick start on this adventure. |
About FamilySearch: FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
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Paul Nauta FamilySearch Public Affairs Phone: US +1-801-240-6498 Email: nautapg@familysearch.org |
Mike Judson FamilySearch Indexing Phone: US +1-801-240-0273 Email: judsonmi@familysearch.org |
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FamilySearch
Adds More Than 4.5 Million Indexed Records and Images to
Collections |
| FamilySearch has
added more than 4.5 million indexed records and images to collections
from Brazil, China, Colombia, Ghana, Italy, Netherlands, Paraguay,
Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Notable
collection updates include the 1,165,725 indexed records from the U.S.,
West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970, collection; the 469,903 images
from the Ghana
Census, 1984; and the 415,997 indexed records from the United
States Census, 1860 . See the table below for the full list of
updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion
other records for free at FamilySearch.org.
Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Saturday March 8th, SHHAR monthly meeting: Judge Fredrick Aguirre, presenter Cesar Chavez - Pioneer, Patriot, Humanitarian - Little known facts and photographs Documentary, Parade and Rally for Cesar Chave Lost Cuento: Mitten in Disneyland, written by Sylvia N. Contreras O.C. Center for Contemporary Arts show, honors Emigdio Vasquez Open House, March 8, 2014 , Santa Ana's Fire Department's History in a Working Fire Station! National Hispanic Business Women Association Scholarship, Southern California students |
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Come
join the Society of Hispanic & Ancestral Research at their monthly
meeting on March 8, 2014 featuring Superior
Court Judge Fredrick (Rick) Aguirre. The free presentation will take place at the Orange Family History Center, 674 S. Yorba St., Orange. Volunteers will provide research assistance from 9 -10 a.m., and Judge Aguirre will speak from 10:15 -11:30 a.m.
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On March 28, the Cesar Chavez Movie will open in theaters across the
country. Please encourage your colleagues at work, your schools, your professional groups to come out and watch the movie on opening weekend, the ratings are tracked by how many people come to see it when it opens. We would love to have groups buy the entire movie theater, in some cases, it can be done with as little as $1000. |
March 29, Cesar Chavez
March. |
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Disneyland – what does a child think about when he/she hears the name? Probably joy, excitement, happiness, and lots of energy. The park draws people of all ages. Some without children, some only with one child, some with a few children, some with a whole group of family and/or friends. Aside from fun rides, good eateries, great shows, and just people watching can be quite entertaining too. My husband and I used to be Disneyland Passport Holders
for several years in a row. We
would arrive home from work on |
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For scenery, everyone can watch the boats leaving from
the docks at Pirates of the Caribbean, slowly passing by towards their
courageous trip.
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During the summer, we would
visit |
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One cold winter’s night at about
11pm, we were leaving the park. We
had just watched the Fantasia show in the New Orleans lagoon.
I remember it was cold enough in Southern California to get all
bundled up, wear mittens, scarf, a knit cap, and hold a cup of hot
chocolate to keep warm.
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A young man was attempting to make his way through the bottleneck of people at the Tiki Room area, likely leaving New Orleans Square also, and heading out to Main Street to exit the park. Trotting behind him, as fast as his little feet could keep up, was a 4-5 year old boy, the man’s son. The father was holding the boy’s hand, the one with the mitten. The father turned around and caught sight that the youngster was not wearing the other mitten. The father appeared annoyed and asked the son, “Where’s the other mitten?” The son, looking up at his father, said, “I don’t know.” The father said, “Where did you lose it?” The son just pointed towards the New Orleans Square area. The father said, “We’re not leaving until you find your mitten!” For a moment, the little boy thought about his predicament. Then looked up at his father, all smiles, and yelled out, “OK!” The boy had no problem to stay longer in Disneyland, even for the chore of searching for his lost mitten in New Orleans Square! The father wanting to teach his son a lesson of losing items backfired. The father’s face softened, and realizing what had just happened, headed towards Main Street to exit. The boy’s lost mitten was left behind at Disneyland.
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The show will be held at the Orange County Center for Contemporary
Arts,
located at 117 N. Sycamore St. in Santa Ana. It will take place at the same
time as the Art Village event which is held every 1st Saturday of each
month, both are located on Broadway
and 2nd street. Both events are next to each other. The art show will run
the entire month of March. The opening reception will start at 6pm to 10pm
on Saturday March 1st. There will be a pre-reception from 5pm to 6pm.
The Orange County Center for Contemporary Arts is open Thursday through Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm. Extended hours on the 1st Saturday of each month, along with the Art Village galleries. Closed for all major holidays. Henry Godines hgodines@earthlink.net |
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Santa Ana's Fire Department History in a Working Fire Station! |
The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society invites you explore the proud history of Santa Ana's firefighters at an Open House at our newest museum addition, the Santa Ana Fire Museum. The Santa Ana Fire Museum is located at Fire Station #75 120 W Walnut St, Santa Ana, California Housed in a working fire station, the public can view vintage equipment and memorabilia dating back to the late 1800s, alongside state of the art contemporary fire trucks and equipment. Hands-off the modern items (and don't be surprised if a call comes in while you are there!) but don't miss a hands-on experience with the fully restored 1921 Seagrave fire engine and specially designated items along your guided tour. Be sure to visit our gift shop to purchase interesting books on local history, and firehouse related items. (And pick up a 10% discount for nearby Original Mike's restaurant.) Ticket prices are: Adults $5, Seniors and Members $4, Students K-12 $3 (Free visitor parking is available in the lot behind the fire station, located at Pine and Sycamore. Additional parking is available at Original Mike's restaurant at First and Main.) More information on the Society please visit our website at SantaAnaHistory.com. |
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Applicants Must Meet The Following Criteria
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DEADLINE
TO RECEIVE COMPLETED APPLICATION: MARCH
31, 2014 |
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Seal of Los Angeles County, California Apology Act for the 1930's Mexican Repatriation Program Estela Lopez, new partner in the firm of Kindel Gagan UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Newsletter Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle, PBS documentary premieres on PBS Tuesday, April 29 Roger Rabbit and the Great Angelino Land Robbery by Rodolfo F. Acuna |
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The official seal of Los
Angeles County, California,
has changed twice since its first inception in 1887. The current seal portrays an image of a Native American woman, representing the early inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin, surrounded by six smaller iconic images, with three on each side. The words “County of Los Angeles, California” surround the seal. The Native woman stands on the shore of the Pacific Ocean with the San Gabriel Mountains and the sun in the background.[1] On her right, there are the engineering instruments of a triangle and a caliper (representing the industrial construction complex |
of the county
and its vital contribution to the exploration of space), a Spanish
galleon
(Juan
Rodríguez Cabrillo's ship the San Salvador, which
sailed into San
Pedro Harbor on October 8, 1542), and a tuna
fish (representing the fishing
industry). On her left, the images of The Hollywood Bowl (representing the County's cultural activities) with two stars above it (to represent the motion picture and television industries), the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (representing the historic role of the missions in the settlement of the Los Angeles region), and the championship cow Pearlette (representing the dairy industry). Sent by Lorraine Ruiz Frain lorrilocks@gmail.com
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Kindel Gagan is pleased to announce that Estela Lopez has become a partner in the firm 550 South Hope Street, Suite 530 Los Angeles, CA 90071 Tel: 213-624-1550 Fax: 213-688-1550 |
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| Estela Lopez brings to Kindel Gagan an extensive background in public affairs, government and media relations. For the past ten years, she has served as Executive Director of the Central City East Association (CCEA). CCEA manages the Downtown Industrial Business Improvement District spanning 46 blocks of Downtown Los Angeles. She will continue to represent the Association as a partner at Kindel Gagan. Estela was the driving force behind the establishment of Los Angeles’ first Business Improvement District (BID) in 1993, and became the City’s first practitioner of business district/public space management. At the time, BIDs were transforming urban centers nationwide yet the concept was untested in Los Angeles. Her efforts led to the landmark City ordinance that permitted private sector financing, design and implementation of services and programs to L.A.’s commercial corridors. BIDs have contributed more than $43 million annually to the Los Angeles economy to date and have paved the way for the renaissance of Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and numerous business centers citywide. Estela began her career as a broadcast journalist, with more than a decade of experience as a news writer, producer, editor and executive producer for KABC-TV, KMEX-TV and KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. She later provided government and media relations consulting to private and public sector clients. She also advised a host of state and local public officials, |
including a term as assistant chief of staff to California Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy. Presently, Ms. Lopez serves as a Board member of the California Downtown Association and is a member of the Los Angeles BID Consortium, the Union Station Master Plan Community Advisory Council, and Para Los Niños’ Community Advisory Board. Her past civic involvements include serving the City of Los Angeles as Commissioner on the Convention Center Authority, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and, most recently, on the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission. She is a past chair of the LAPD’s Hispanic Community Forum, past president of the board of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum, a “Woman of the Year” award recipient from both the Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation and the East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU), and a 2008 “Woman of Distinction” award winner from the California State Assembly. She also received the Merit Award from the Los Angeles County Commission on the Status of Women. The California Chicano News Media Association, on the occasion of its 15th anniversary, recognized Estela for her contributions to the organization as a founder and its first female member. Estela is involved in several volunteer capacities at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. She has been a Downtown Los Angeles resident since 1994. Sent by her prima Bea Armenta Dever |
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UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Newsletter Source: February 2014 Volume 12, Number 6 and March 2014 Volume 12, Number 7 CSRC Library |
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You Found Me exhibition continues: Photographs by Christopher Anthony Velasco remains on view at the CSRC Library through March 21 during regular library hours (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.). The exhibition is free and open to the public. |
Additions to existing collections |
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New archival collections |
The 2013 CSRC Annual Open House featured a program devoted to the late Sal
Castro (1933-2013) and marked the official opening of "Sal Castro: Legacy
of a Teacher," an exhibition of items from the Sal Castro Collection at
the CSRC. |
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March 2014 Volume 12, Number 7 The CSRC is proud to announce the addition of the Rosalio Muñoz Papers to its archival holdings. Rosalio Muñoz is a UCLA alum. In 1968 he was the first Chicano to be elected UCLA student body president. He made a stand against the war in Vietnam by publicly refusing induction, and he co-chaired the Chicano Moratorium Committee, formed to protest the war, the draft, and the large number of Chicanos dying in service. Muñoz was also very active in the Justice for Janitors campaign in Los Angeles during the 1990s. His collection includes personal papers that document his father’s career in education and social work as well as his own career as an activist leader. |
March 2014 Volume 12, Number 7 The CSRC is also honored to announce the addition of the David Sánchez Papers to its holdings. Sánchez was one of the founders of the Brown Berets. Founded in 1966 as the Young Citizens for Community Action, the group was originally organized to address discrimination in Los Angeles schools. As they became more involved with a variety of issues affecting the Chicano community they became more militant, and in 1967 the name of the organization was changed to the Brown Berets. This collection includes photographs and papers related to Sánchez’s work with the Brown Berets as well as his more recent community activism. |
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Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle, PBS documentary |
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Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle examines the life and death of pioneering journalist Ruben Salazar, who was killed under mysterious circumstances by a law enforcement officer on August 29, 1970 in the aftermath of the National Chicano Moratorium protest march against the Vietnam war in East Los Angeles. At the heart of the story is Salazar’s transformation from a mainstream, establishment reporter to the primary chronicler and supporter of the radical Chicano movement. This advance screening of Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle will feature a talk by Phil Montez, a key figure in the film and a very close friend of Ruben Salazar. Phil Montez was the director of the Western Regional Office for the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights at the time of Ruben’s killing, and taught one of the first 2 Mexican American Studies classes at CSULB, 45 years ago in the spring semester of 1969.
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An event organized by the California-Mexico Studies Center to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Ethnic Studies programs at CSULB Hosted By: The CSULB Journalism and Film Departments, California Faculty Association, Latino Alumni Association, the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Education, and the California-Mexico Studies Center Co-Sponsored By: CSULB Chicano/Latino Studies, Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, and Asian American Studies Departments, Center for Community Engagement, Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures Department, Hermandad Mexicana Humanitarian Foundation, Mexican Cutural Institute of L.A., LatinoLA.com, Los Amigos de Orange County, CSULB Alumni Association RSVP on or Email us at california-mexicocenter@gmail.com |
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Roger Rabbit and
the Great Angelino Land Robbery By Rodolfo F. Acuña |
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As
a doctoral student I’d drop by the 901
Club, across from the
University of Southern California on Jefferson Blvd., on my way to my
seminars. There I would see Manuel Servín, my adviser, seated at his
designated booth holding court. I am sure we stood out, we were the only
Mexicans in the bar. I had acquired stature because I was with Servín,
a USC history professor. Frequently Bill Mason would stop by. Mason was
a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum, a man with a vast knowledge
of LA and its documents. When
I first met Bill at the 901,
he was seated next to Manuel dressed in a hospital gown, wearing a
hospital bracelet, and hospital slippers. According to Manuel, he had
helped him escape from a local institution. (This was a decade before
One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). I do not in any way want to romanticize the meetings as I will memorialize in a later blog -- alcohol is the scourge of humanity, and it contributed to the early demises of Manuel and Bill. At the time, however, I was impressed, and would hang on every word especially when Manuel talked about history while we consumed beer and an occasional boilermaker. He
would advise me to stay away from sociologists – it was not really a
discipline; you could learn it on any street corner. |
articles
like scientists but when they wrote books, they posed as historians. History, according to Manuel, was all about books, and that took time and craftsmanship. He advised me to begin writing book reviews. You got free books from the publishers, got known to other historians, and learned to critique books. It is an advice that I have followed religiously and I have published over 200 academic book reviews. They have been so peripheral to my resume that I haven’t listed them for over a dozen years; I have not even kept drafts. But as Manuel said, they are the building blocks of the profession, and they teach you how to relate pieces of the story.
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I am currently reviewing Ethan N. Elkind’s
Railtown:
The Fight for the Los Angeles Metro Rail and the Future of the City.
It is a good
book; however, out of habit I think outside the monograph paradigm that
is standard for most academic works. A monograph is a specialized work
usually limited to a single subject. It differs from a textbook that
synthesizes the field of study. Other stories kept creeping into my thoughts as I read Railtown,
especially the movie Who
Framed Roger Rabbit
(1988)
that depicts cartoon characters interacting with people. Set in 1947 the
"toons" lived in Toontown, an area near Hollywood, California.
The story of Roger and his wife Jessica and a murder mystery
are peripheral. Central are Judge Doom and his Toon Patrol of weasel
henchmen. My heroes are the toons who like Mexicans work cheap and own
the land that Cloverleaf Industries wants. Cloverleaf had bought the
Pacific Electric system of trolley cars, and wanted Toontown. Roger,
Jessica, and Eddie, a detective, are captured by Doom and held captive
at Cloverleaf’s Acme Factory. |
For me, Toontown is a metaphor for East L.A.. Like in real
life, Doom plans to destroy it to make room for a freeway. Doom wants to
dismantle the trolley fleet, and make a fortune by building a series of
businesses to appeal to the motorists. Eddie manages to get the weasels to self-destruct, and Doom is
run over by a steamroller. Unlike
in real life, the Toons end up with their land. Railtown’s
narrative
begins in the 60s a decade after Roger Rabbit left off.
Circa 1936 General Motors led a conspiracy known as the
Great
American streetcar
scandal. It
carried Doom’s dream to fruition, buying up the
Pacific
Electric Railway
streetcars.
Joined by Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips
Petroleum, Mack Trucks, and the Federal Engineering Corporation—GM
purchased over 100 electric surface-traction systems in 45 cities
including Baltimore, Newark, Los Angeles, New York City, Oakland and San
Diego and converted them into bus operations. Their dreams were much grander than Doom’s; today only a few U.S. cities have effective rail-based urban transport systems as a result. |
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But a funny thing happened: by the 60s Angelinos grew nostalgic for rails and subways. It had to keep up with San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit system. The hype was traffic, air pollution, and sprawl—the silver bullet was a rail system. Enter Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in 1973. After his election the Los Angeles Metro Rail patched together a rail system. Elkind’s narrative is about ambitions of local leaders. Theirs was not so much a vision but a venture for prestige, contracts and undoubtedly political contributions. The basic flaw was that L.A. did not have the rider density of other cities. Lacking demand, fares could not sustain its growth and operation.
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The book is grounded in extensive research. For my taste, it
is too careful, I wanted to expose the
Gordon
Gekkos
who
propelled the greed that cost taxpayers billions and motivated city and
county leaders to squander Los Angeles’ future.
Instead, "Everyone has a story about themselves or their
parents or somebody riding these streetcars," and want to bring
back those happy days. Everyone
has a plan a la Bart, New
York, Portland, Toronto etc. It is not by accident that many of rails run along the Yellow and Red Car routes. The Pasadena and Long Beach routes are established. There is a subway from downtown to the San Fernando Valley. In poorer areas LA Metro has thrown together lines that remind me of the Juarez-El Paso or San Diego-Tijuana border trolleys (probably more like Disneyland). |
In 1992, the Bus
Riders Union
emerged to
defend the interests of the poor who mostly rode the buses. The BRU was
favored by the lack of cohesiveness among the advocates who could not
answer the simple questions: have rails improved the transportation of
the working class? Where did the money go? The founder and organizer is Eric
Mann,
a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement who brought those organizing
tactics to the struggle, E.g., lawsuits, demonstrations, sit in’s etc.
Mann set out to organize poor Latinos, Blacks, Asians and whites. The
strategy was to bring down fares and put more buses on the streets.
Belatedly Latino politicians were admitted into the county’s political
club, and the BRU targeted them, although the views of most Latino
politicos became more conservative as they became part of the political
establishment. The bottom-line remains, should the poor subsidize the travel of the rich through the fare box? |
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I thank Manuel Servín for turning me on to book reviewing.
Books taught me that Roger Rabbit lives in Ethan Elkind’s Railtown. The problem
is that most do not see Roger, and this contributes to the “silence of
the lambs” and our failure to ask, what happened to LA’s rail
transportation? Shouldn’t the Gekkos pay for what they have destroyed?
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May 14, California Day of the Teacher by Galal Kernahan Cuento: Recollection and memories of my father By Angel Cortinas Cuento: Our Aunt Phoebe by Eva Booher Joaquin Murrietta, The California Desperado by Ray John de Aragon What a Future Latino Majority Holds for California? By Jimmy Franco Sr. |
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by
DAY
OF THE TEACHER is a Mexican Observance transplanted to California more
than a quarter of a century ago. Thousands of Los Angeles celebrants
filled the Plaza de la Raza performance area for it in 1982. |
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I was U.S. Correspondent for the leading Mexican weekly newsmagazine TIEMPO in those days. How annual country, village and urban events peaked with a ceremony honoring educators in Mexico City moved me. Some teachers with 30 and 50 years classroom service received medals from the President. It led me to lobby a California State Assemblyman. "We ought to celebrate a DAY OF THE TEACHER in California. Why not pass a law and make it official?" "So write
one," he said. And I did. Canny politicians well knew the State could not be dinged for any expenses incurred absent mention of how the recognized occasion might be observed. So what has California's DAY OF THE TEACHER become? |
Every year, the
California Teachers Association issues DAY OF THE TEACHER posters to its
chapters throughout the State. Some of the students, whose lives have been touched by departing classroom veterans, may have kind words for them. Colleagues and parents may express appreciation, too. Or not. You and I and any Californian should be able do better than this. It is my DAY OF THE TEACHER hope that more and more teachers will teach by example. None are without teachers who made a great difference in their own lives. I hope many find ways to acknowledge teachers who have not only influenced their own teaching.. .but their lives. |
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Here is the story of California's DAY OF THE TEACHER as told in the
April edition of CALIFORNIA EDUCATOR by Dean E. Vogel, President of
the 325,000 member California Teachers Association: CTA Staff Member Galal Kernahan first worked with State Senator Joseph Montoya in 1982 to carry the legislation. Kernahan wsas told by the Senator at the time, "Make sure that it doesn't cost any money or it won't have a chance in this session." Kernahan did
just that, and in fact he continues to support and promote Day of the
Teacher each year by delivering Day of the Teacher posters to
libraries and businesses all over Orange County to display... He researched, promoted and lobbied legislation which eventually was authored by Senator Joseph Montoya. In 1983, the first observance of Dia was held throughout the state. He revived attention to the Code of Ethics and transmitted some of its principles into the Rules of Professional Conduct. "I am particularly gratified at the development of El Dia del Maestro, and that it has lost neither its AMAE birth certificate nor the memory it came from — Mexico," Kernahan said. Kernahan worked for 17 years as a CTA staff member. Presently, he is the director of the American Host Foundation, which is responsible for bringing foreign educators to attend cultural exchange programs in the United States. This year, AMAE pays tribute for all his efforts in improving education for all students.
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| February
24. 2014 Dean E. Vogel, President California Teachers Association 1705 Murchison Drive Burlingame, CA 94010 Dear President Dean Vogel, I take the liberty of sharing the enclosed article that will appear online in the March 2014 monthly edition of SOMOS PRIMOS ("We are Cousins"). Though in English, this is a U.S. Hispanic Cultural Affairs posting. Each of its non-commercial monthly editions receives about a million and a half "hits" from around the world. Keep well. Sincerely,
cc: Mimi Lozano Holtzman, SOMOS PRIMOS |
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My father, Nicanor Sanchez Cortinas, left me a fond and memorial expression of himself, as I grew up to manhood. There are many stories that I have pieced together, but here is only a few that I am relating. My father was born in Hondo, Texas in 1902 and raised in D’Hanis and San Antonio area where his parents resided. My father’s family was originally from the Monclova, Nadadores, Saltillo, and San Buenaventura area in Coahuila, Mexico. In those days, the border was transparent and Mexican citizens were allowed to travel back and forth into Texas, which my grandfather often did, particularly into San Antonio where there was family from the old days before 1820. In my great grandfather’s time there were no borders from Mexico City, only open vast stretch of frontier to the north. To go to ‘Tejas ‘, one traveled through mountain passes and trails such as the El Paso de Norte, Eagle Pass, and others routes through Del Rio, Laredo and Brownsville along the Rio Grande when it was all part of Mexico and before that Spanish territory. |
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My
mother, Maria Toribia, was born in Coeneo, Michoacan, Mexico, in 1906.
My mother’s family came to the United States when she was quite young
in order to escape the violence and bloodshed of the Mexican Revolution,
but that is an entire different story. My father was of medium build, about 5' 9", slim and lean when young, but later in life stocky and muscular. He meets and then married my mother, Maria Toribia Garcilazo in San Antonio in 1928, where a year later my older sister Ramona was born. This was the time of the Great Depression and work and jobs were practically non-existing for a young man with a family to support. Hard decision to make, but it was resolved to go to California for work and a chance to live a better life. |
My parents were also in the group
classified as "Dust Bowl” people fleeing to California's San
Joaquin Valley for survival in 1930’s. It is not hard to find old
family folks that have a similar story to tell, not only to California,
but to other states as well. |
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My folks settled in Di Giorgio, California, where my father succeeded in get employment at Di Giorgio Farms Corp. as a farm laborer. Di Giorgio Farms provided living houses for their workers and that is where my parents resided after leaving Texas. Not much of a house, typically 2 rooms and a kitchen with outside outhouses. My sister, Hortencia, was born at the Di Giorgio dispensary in 1931. My father was easy going and not hard to get along with, but when angered, fearless and quick to answer his objections, by force if necessary. This got him fired and disbarred from Di Giorgio Farms as a trouble-maker, when he beat up and disarmed a foreman that pulled a knife on him. This foreman was 'mean to his people' and overrode them to excess and my father thought it was unjust and confronted him with it. My father was a forerunner in protecting ‘his’ people from bad ones of his own kind and making better working conditions for farm workers. The foreman was probably trying to do his job too good, probably to impress his bosses, but in the ensuing argument made the mistake of pulling a knife on my father. My
father was fired and told not to come back. He covered the path and
ground, only at an earlier time, the same path that Cesar Chavez and his
Farm Worker Union covered in the 1960’s. |
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After
being disbarred from Di Giorgio, my parents settled in Arvin, California
where my father worked as a farm laborer for many years for other farms.
My mother also did her share of field work to supplement our income.
They were able to save enough money to buy their first home in the small
town of Lamont, California in about 1939. They subsequently sold that
house and bought a home in Bakersfield in 1944 when my father left
working in the fields, never to return as a farm worker. He got
employment and worked in construction and the lumber industry. They
bought and moved to a new home in Sun Valley, California in 1950. I was
born at the Bakersfield County Hospital in 1934. My sister Gloria was
born in Arvin, in 1937 and my younger brother Martin was also born in
the Bakersfield County Hospital in 1940. There were five children
altogether, 3 girls and two boys in my father and mothers family. |
trained
as a military cadet in D’Hanis Texas, but probably due to finance, was
unable to continue to completions. |
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My father loved baseball and in his younger days played what we now consider semi-pro baseball, and it was a league where one town played against each other on weekend (usually Sunday). At that time we lived in Arvin, and he played against teams such as Wasco, Delano, Shafter, Mc Farland, Oildale, and Lamont. Sometimes, though injured when playing, he was ready for work on Monday morning. I don’t know for how many years or for how long he play, but I do recall him taking me to see the Bakersfield Indian, Class C professional baseball team when I was young. I don’t know why, but it was only him and I that went to these games. Maybe, because you had to pay admission was the answer. My father told me many stories and tales of his life and adventures, and would often try to give me advice and lectures on ways of life. One time, when I was around the age of 10 or 11, a neighbor girl about a year or two younger than I, kept pestering me and hanging around me whenever she could. I guess I was sort of mean to her and told her to get lost or to go away. My father observed this action on my part and tried to give me advice. He did this by relating what had happen to him. |
My father as a young boy was very attractive and many girls his age tried to get his attention and one particular girl was excessive in showing her affection and attention. My father didn’t mind this, but was not interested or serious about a relationship, even as a simple boyfriend-girlfriend. It was my father’s mother, my grandmother, who confronted the girl and in some unknown terms or language told her that it was not lady like to act so brash and to leave my father alone. I imagine she must have been crushed and hurt by what my grandmother said to her. A couple of years later she turned out to be a real beauty and my father then took notice of her and was very interest in a relationship. She told him “no!!!”, a very infatuated no. She told my father that because of his action and that of my grandmother she was going to say unkind things about him and put him in bad light with all the other girls in town. I guess this relates to the saying, “no fury like the fury of a scorn woman”. I, being young and with other interests, the story went in one ear and out the other, though I recall my father’s story now. I was more interested in my baseball batting average at that stage. How ironic, sad but true, wisdom is lost on the very young, at least in my case.
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Of my father’s stories, the best one I recall is one about his father, my grandfather, Jose Emeterio Sanchez that found or discovered a treasure cave in Mexico. My father was a great story teller had a good memory and recollection of his youth, but the one who really spiced up the story, and probably added her own version was my mother. Not that she changed the story, but with each telling probably added emphases and exclamations that intensified the story. The story begins one day, while my grandfather was looking and rounding up lost or stray cattle from his father’s (my great grandfather, Jose Atanacio Del Refugio Sanchez) ranch near Nadadores and close to Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. The land was handed down to him from his father (my great-great grandfather Bartolome Del Refugio Sanchez and wife Maria Merced Guerra). It was late afternoon after riding most of the day, going beyond his father’s land and into unfamiliar part of a mountain and had separated from the rest of the family participating in the round-up. In one particular arroyo that he was looking for strays, he noticed an opening or a cave entrance, larger than normal than just a hole in the ground. On dismounting his horse, he didn’t tie the horse’s reins to anything, since he normally left him loose to wander about to graze. My grandfather observed and decided to explore this opening. |
Since it was in an incline or decent downward, he easily went down and into the cave. In the dim light from the outside he noticed that there was another room or cave structure in addition to the entrance one he was in. In moving around and exploring the other section in the dim light, he saw two or three trunks or cargo boxes with hinges that had no locks. Upon opening the lid of one of the trunks, he was astonished and amazed with shock at what he saw. There before him, almost filled to capacity, was a trunk full of silver and gold coins. He had no idea of how many coins there were or their value and he hadn’t even looked at the other boxes. After a shock of such a discovery hit him, he moved from one side of the trunk to get to the other that he received an even greater shock. He had stepped on and dislodged the remains of a human skeleton and in the dim light saw a human skull staring up at him. Possibly, because of two great shocks in rapid succession, his present of mind wandered and the incident spooked him. His recollection later was that he heard voices, loud and clear. Whether real or imagined, the voices said in Spanish “shoot him, shoot him. He’s to be killed”, and “cut his head off” echoing and resounding all through the cave. |
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My
grandfather was not a meek or weak man, growing up as it was with the
hardship of a ranch hand, he was not afraid of many things and was
considered by his family to be a brave man. Either real or imagined
voices, he bolted to the entrance opening wanting to exit as quickly as
he could and there he received his third shock. He could not get out. |
Shortly after this, he heard his horse whine, and my grandfather started
to whistle and call him. For some unexplained reason, and my grandfather
believed it to be a miracle, his horse appeared at the top of the
opening and lowered his head, as if he was looking for my grandfather.
Instantly he grabbed the horse’s reins that had fallen into the
entrance.
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My uncles (my father
was considered to young) went looking for the arroyo and the cave many
times but they never found it. It was thought to have been a cave where
bandits or revolutionary stashed their loot. I never did get an answer
to the question of why my grandfather never went back looking for it,
but his sons for many years did try, and no persuasion by his sons and
family could get my grandfather to do likewise. Probably afraid that he
would be accused of being a bandit or revolutionary himself if he had
money that was not accounted for. My father related the story on
occasions a few times, a true actual event, but it was my mother who
actually took the story to heart and told it often. |
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Our Aunt Phoebe by Eva Booher |
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Our Aunt Phoebe, had no children, but all
of her nieces, nephews and their children have always enjoyed being with
her. She is youthful and cute, funny and serious, active and
interesting, has been hale and hardy and always keeps her self looking
pretty. We are so proud to be part of her family and to share our life
with her, especially on the "ranch" in Oroville, California,
where they spent many years making people happy. Aunt Phoebe and her
husband, Gene Scott, set a fine example of life for all of us. They
loved life!
They came to the City of Sacramento in 1983 we all followed them there too! Their home was always welcome to us. After Uncle Gene's death, in 1986, Auntie kept the home-fires burning until 1996 when she moved to an Adult Apt. in Charmichael. She is now 88 years old, going on 39, has only one brother left who is 95 years old, in Southern California, with his wife of 72 years. Aunt Phoebe, a true Senora, is a descendant from Jose Antonio Yorba, one of the first settlers of California. Jose arrived from Spain in 1767 with the Portola Expedition and Fra. Serra, to line up the Missions of California. He was a Royal Spanish Catalan soldier and served all the Missions from San Diego to Monterey. For this service the King of Spain granted him 62,516 acres of land in Orange County, from Riverside County line to the sea. The towns of Yorba Linda, Olive, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Costa Mesa are derived from this grant. He retired from the Army to his 'Rancho Santa Ana de Santiago' where he and his offspring grazed their cattle for 140 years. From one of Jose's sons, Bernardo, came Vicente O. Yorba, he was the father of Felipa, who was Aunt Phoebe's mother. Felipa married John Farias, he being an original settler, they also lived on a Spanish land grant from the King, in the area of 'La Ballona.' |
From Culver City
to the sea of Marina del Rey, on a farm, where Aunt Phoebe learned many
things that would follow her in life. Her parents, John and Felipa Yorba
Farias had Eleven children, Phoebe was child # 8, she was named
after her Mother Felipa, who lived to be 97 years old and was never in a
hospital and neither has Aunt Phoebe. The name Phoebe, it has been
said,' is English for Felipa.'
At 17, she met and married Gene Scott and made 60 years of that happy life. There were no divorces in her family, six making over 50 years of marriage and many of the nieces and nephews also married over 50 years. Uncle Gene was a wonderful man with many talents and with a broad knowledge of life and a love for dancing! We just loved watching him and Auntie, 'trip the light fantastic.' They were great! They lived in Culver City, near the M.G.M. Studios, where they held a Movie Guild Card, and still do. They both were extras in the picture, Gone With The Wind. In the early Forties Auntie and Uncle left the big city and moved to the 'Ranch,' there, our family enjoyed the Mountains above Oroville, California. We have good memories of time spent there learning about the past! Milking cows, making butter, and cooking on a woodstove. The high meringue pies and cakes frosted with whipped cream, that only had to be whipped a few times because it came out of the cow so thick. She cooked to perfection on a wood stove with no gauge, she knew just how much manzanita wood to use to bake goodies. We can't forget our before dinner sing alongs around the piano, when Auntie danced and sang while she cooked!\ Our Aunt Phoebe is a 'Lady of Ladies,' none can compare! My Family and I have everlasting memories of our time spent with her and look forward to many more years of happiness with 'Our Auntie!' I speak for all her family and friends that know her. By Eva Booher (Daughter of Phoebe's sister, Marion)
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What a Future Latino Majority Holds for California? |
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 A
growing Latino population needs to be politically mobilized to improve
its conditions |
result in the development of a more equitable society in terms of the economy, political representation and social equality or whether we will simply witness a continuation of the present status quo and the growth of two parallel ethnic societies comprised of haves and have-nots.
The current economic, political and cultural situation within California |
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| A drastic social change is required to stem two parallel and unequal societies in California Both the educational level and percentage of skilled workers among Latinos are also below the state average as many are service employees who have suffered from a lingering high unemployment rate and a lowered standard of living. The prevailing social problems that affect the Latino population such as housing segregation, inferior education and a lack of comprehensive healthcare are directly related to recent structural changes within California’s economic base. Downsizing by companies has resulted in mass lay-offs of employees and the elimination of large numbers of good-paying jobs. This economic trend combined with harmful budget cuts to education has severely affected the financial well-being of the Latino working-class. Such a deteriorating economic situation continues to contribute to a steady growth in income inequality within California as a disproportionate amount of the state’s wealth steadily flows upward to the top ten percent of the population which is predominantly white. A present state-wide poverty rate of six million people and a lack of full-time employment with decent salaries is stifling the state’s economic progress for all of its inhabitants. However, this situation has impacted Latino and African-American families particularly hard. These economic factors combined |
with the urgent need for a higher level of investment in education and vocational training are the underlying cause of why many Latinos still live economically and socially as de facto second-class citizens. In the political sphere California’s Latinos are now voting at a higher rate than in the past due to the efforts of organized voter registration drives and this has resulted in a higher number of Latino politicians being elected at the state and local levels. However, this increase of Latino politicians has not yet manifested itself into real changes in people’s everyday lives. On the social and cultural front this prevailing economic and political domination by the state’s top ten percent has created a situation where the majority of California’s indigenous peoples and languages have all been eliminated except for a small minority. Spanish has been spoken in the state since the 1700′s, yet, there is no official recognition of its equality despite the names of the state, counties, cities and thousands of streets being derived from the language. Bilingual education and the use of Spanish as part of a valid methodology to teach children English is still illegal which in effect bans the use of Spanish as a viable language and proven educational tool. Contributing to this present cultural situation within the state is the official lack of any acknowledgement nor acceptance of Mexican-American history and culture which results in a conscious policy of historical, cultural and linguistic amnesia. |
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A historical glance: the rule of the Californios and the ensuing US annexation |
evolved into the state’s major urban centers. The first school in musical groups, theater and dance troupes, oral histories, poetry and secular and religious fiestas.
Antonio
Franco Coronel and wife Mariana. During the 1850′s he was the
mayor of Los Angeles and organized the city’s first school board. By 1846 Mexican military resistance was overwhelmed by stronger US forces
and this resulted in the forcible annexation of California and its rapid acceptance as a US state. This ushered in a period of uneasy coexistence between the native Californios and newly arrived American immigrants who were viewed as foreigners. During this post-war period when Alta California became a US state Mexicans continued to hold political office primarily in Southern California as their population and economic influence still bolstered their political power. In 1853 Antonio Franco Coronel was elected mayor of Los Angeles and organized its first school board while Pio Pico was the last
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By the end of the century Californio economic power based upon ownership of the mines, land, traditional ranchos and commerce had been taken over by Anglos due to the imposition of heavy land taxes, growing debts to US banks, costly legal litigation over land titles that was primarily conducted in English, outright judicial fraud and in many instances illegal land seizures by violent Anglo gangs and squatters. With the passage of time the elimination of Californio political power followed their economic demise as they were eventually categorized by authorities as foreigners devoid of political and legal rights. These policies manifested themselves in a new legal system of educational and social segregation that was strictly imposed upon Mexican-Americans along with the chauvinistic discarding of the Spanish language, traditional culture and the official glossing over of California’s true historical roots. There were increasing instances of violent conflicts due to the resistance by Mexican-Americans to such an enforced second-class status and economic dispossession. The indigenous population fared much worse as they numbered about 150,000 in 1850 when California became a US state, but under American domination they had been physically eradicated to less than 15,000 survivors by 1900. |
A new direction requires a statewide strategy and organization to guide us |
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vocational-jobs training and resources for encouraging start-up businesses. Ensuring such an affordable, qualitative and equal education for all will eventually result in raising incomes and the standard of living for the working majority. A political movement is needed to impel educational and economic development |
state’s large corporations maintain their vast political power and an ability to allocate the distribution of wealth in an unequal manner. This is done by implementing “friendly” laws for corporations which provides them with generous tax subsidies, loopholes or in many instances an outright avoidance of paying taxes. Such a continuing flow of wealth upward translates into a growing monopoly of political power for the upper strata of the state’s population. These corrupt political practices need to be abolished as this would be a fundamental step forward in the expansion of democracy and economic rights within the state. The current economic trend of increasing inequality and poverty means that there is also a concurrent decrease in the equality of opportunity for the children of the mass majority of California’s wage earners and especially its Latino members. A fairer method of distributing the products and profits of production needs to be created that will also benefit the lives of those whose labor creates this wealth. Unless these economic and political transformations take place the widening wage gap and the lowering of their standard of living will continue for Latinos and other members of the state’s vast working-class. This will also be accompanied by an increasing disparity in political and social rights among California’s social classes. |
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Toward a new epoch of equal opportunity and tolerance in California |
Building on the legacy of the Californios along with greater economic and political power will create a new epoch |
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CUENTO |
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by
Ray John de Aragon |
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It is often very difficult to separate fact from fiction when writing about a legendary figure. It is especially difficult when it involves a person who is surrounded by a romanticized or popular image. This type of individual is seen as a saint by some and as a sinner by others. However, an intriguing personality emerges from the few salient facts which are available about Joaquin Murrietta and this helps reveal the hardships of living during the California Gold Rush days of the 1850’s. To many of his contemporaries, Murrietta was “El Macho,” the strong, aggressive and virile bandit with characteristics reminiscent of a Robin Hood. He was the real “El Zorro,” the fox who could not be captured even when all of the odds were against him. Women swooned at his presence and men trembled, they said, when they heard his name. During the Gold Rush days of California a wave of men with gold fever appeared. Their love for gold broke the peace and serenity of the little Spanish villages and turned the land into a lawless territory. Vigilante justice was swiftly dispensed by many of the more ruthless miners whose motto was “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Little regard was given to an individual’s rights and the credo was “guilty until proven innocent” after they were hanged. Of course, it depended upon which side of the fence you were on as to how just the law actually was. California at the height of the gold rush days was certainly no place to raise a family. |
One day in the spring of 1850 a recently married couple from Sonora, Mexico arrived at Saw Mill Flat. The young man was eighteen years old and, as the ladies described him, tall, dark and handsome. The girl, Rosita Carmen Feliz, was the beautiful daughter of a haciendado (large ranch owner) who had really preferred she marry someone of her stature and wealth. But they were in love and they planned to seek out their fortune in the gold fields. The young couple settled down in an adobe home at the outskirts of Saw Mill Flat, a wild mining town. Saw Mill Flat like other mining towns of the day had its share of dance halls, saloons and prostitutes. Anything could be purchased if the price was right and, sometimes, it was simply taken by brute force. As a result, the honeymoon for the young couple ended in a tragic nightmare. The young man was beaten senseless by five miners and the girl was stripped, raped and killed. This was only to be the first of many incidents which would affect the later life of poor Joaquin. His brother Jesus was murdered in a later episode. While Joaquin and Jesus Murrietta were at Murphy’s Diggings, they were accused by American miners of stealing a mule. It didn’t make any difference that they had papers to prove their ownership of the mule. The two were apprehended by Anglo vigilantes. They were tied to posts, whipped and Jesus was stabbed repeatedly until he was dead. Joaquin escaped with his life. Now he embarked on a personal vendetta to settle the score with the American miners. |
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With blazing six guns the enraged man killed those responsible for his wife’s and brother’s deaths. One by one his victims fell to his vengeful guns and a telltale “M” would be found carved near the bodies and sometimes on the foreheads of his family’s tormentors. Only the brand “M” was left as a sign to show he had been there. This man man called “The Fox” soon teamed up with a compadre who was to attain a great deal of notoriety himself, Manuel Garcia, “Three Fingered Jack.” Reportedly, two of his fingers had been cut off by American miners who had captured him and were having fun with him. Together they either championed the cause of the Spanish-speaking people of California or were seen as just another couple of plunderers and killers. They were chased after by dubious lawmen that traversed one end of California to the other in what always turned out to be a fruitless search. |
Joaquin dressed as a vaquero (cowboy) in bright colors and wore a multicolored poncho to conceal his firearms. He would often appear in town disguised as peon or as a priest to hide his identity. If the local law or anyone else recognized him he would speedily mount his horse and ride off like the wind. Being an excellent horseman and a crack shot with his pistol helped his escapes. “Three Fingered Jack” who was just as good a horseman also served his partner as a decoy. The mysterious and colorful horseman was soon recognized as the Romantic Bandit by the ladies. He had an eye for the women and he often gave a gift to those he courted on his escapades. The bandit flirted with both the American and Hispanic girls and was linked romantically with Clarita Valero, Dolores Garcia, Maria Benitez, Antonia Molinera and countless others. Whether Murrietta stole from the rich and gave to the poor is a matter of conjecture, but one thing is certain according to folklore, women found him to be a dashing romantic bandit and hero. |
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Murrietta
was constantly on the brink of being captured by poses that pursued
him. But lady-luck always
helped him on his narrow escapes. The
colorful bandits luck finally ran out in June of 1853.
A group of California Rangers led by Captain Harry Love finally
tracked Murrieta and Three fingered Jack down near an arroyo and shot
them while attempting another daring escape.
They did not go down easily however and killed several of their
pursuers in a fierce gun battle. The
head of Joaquin Murrietta and the hand of Three Fingered Jack were cut
off, preserved in alcohol, and displayed for curiosity seekers at
traveling California side shows for months after that. |
El Zorro.”
The saga of his life continued with novels, a newspaper series,
and a motion picture produced in 1936 loosely based on his life
starring Warner Barter as the “Robin Hood of El Dorado.”
Marlon Brando later appeared in a motion picture loosely based
on Three Fingered Jack called “One Eyed Jacks.”
Hollywood also produced a pair of Joaquin Murrietta films.
Ironically, some contemporary historians claim that Joaquin
Murrietta actually did not exist. They
say he was nothing more than a figment of the imagination of John
Rollin Ridge, the supposed biographer of Murrietta.
Perhaps the truth about the life and infamous deeds of Joaquin
Murrietta will never be fully known. But,
whether in fact or in fiction, the escapades of this famous outlaw
paint a vivid picture about the life and hard times of Latinos during
a fascinating chapter of the Old West.
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NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES |
| Utah mom buys all of store's 'indecent' t-shirts |
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Utah mom buys all of store's 'indecent' t-shirts |
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| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A mother upset about "indecent" T-shirts on display at a Utah mall found a quick if not especially convenient way to remove them: She bought every last one. Judy Cox and her 18-year-old son were shopping Saturday at the University Mall in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, when she saw the shirts in the window of a PacSun store. The shirts featured pictures of scantily dressed models in provocative poses. Cox said she complained about the window display to a store manager and was told the T-shirts couldn't be taken down without approval from the corporate office. She then bought all 19 T-shirts in stock, for a total of $567. She says she plans to return them later, toward the end of the chain store's 60-day return period. The shirts cost about $28 each on the website for PacSun, which sells beach clothes for teenagers and young adults. "These shirts clearly cross a boundary that is continually being pushed on our children in images on the Internet, television and when our families shop in the mall," |
An employee at the Orem store said Tuesday she wasn't authorized to speak about the issue and referred questions to the company's Orange County, Calif., corporate headquarters. PacSun CEO Gary Schoenfeld said in an emailed statement the company takes pride in the clothes and products it sells, which are inspired by music, art, fashion and action sports. "While customer feedback is important to us, we remain committed to the selection of brands and apparel available in our stores," Schoenfeld said in the statement. Orem is a city of about 90,000 in ultraconservative Utah County that uses the motto "Family City USA." Most residents belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which frowns on pornography and encourages its youth to dress and act modestly. City code prohibits anyone from putting "explicit sexual material" on public display. The city defines that as "any material that appeals to a prurient interest in sex and depicts nudity, actual or simulated sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse."
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Cox met with Orem city attorney Greg Stephens on Tuesday to discuss whether the images on the T-shirts violated city code. Stephens said he told Cox that she first needed to file a complaint with police. Stephens said police would review the issue and decide whether it needed to be passed on to the city attorney, a process that could take weeks. Cox said she wants her actions to make clear that these types of images are not acceptable for public display. "I hope my efforts will inspire others to speak up within their communities," Cox said in an email. "You don't have to purchase $600 worth of T-shirts, but you can express your concerns to businesses and corporations who promote the display of pornography to children." Longtime mall manager Rob Kallas said the display is down now because Cox bought all the shirts. He said the PacSun store manager told him she was embarrassed to put up the display but was following instructions from corporate managers. |
Kallas said this is the first time he's received complaints about PacSun. But in the past, others have complained about images in the windows of Victoria's Secret. That's led to Orem city attorneys at least once asking the store to remove an image, he said. Kallas didn't see the T-shirts in question until getting an email from Cox, but he said he agrees that they were inappropriate. Victoria's Secret has images of women in lingerie, but their clientele is different, he said. "This is a store that caters to junior high and high school age kids," said Kallas, mall manager for 40 years. "Some of the poses were provocative and were inappropriate for a store catering to young people." PacSun has 600 stores across the United States, the company's website shows. |
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Cuento: The Land Tells Who We are in the St. Luis Valley by Claire Marie O'Brien Cuento: My brother, Juan Dolores Romero by Annie Romero Oldfield Mini-Bio: Fray Angelico Chavez: The Sage from Wagon Mound by John Ray de Aragon and and Anticipation Guide by Rosa Maria Calles Why New Mexico’s Latino Students Top Nation on AP Tests by Jorge Rivas Cuento: Sixtieth anniversary of the film Salt of the Earth by Dorinda Moreno |
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THE LAND TELLS WHO WE ARE: by Claire Marie O'Brien
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There are some American places where history overlaps
and becomes so condensed, so close and nearly visible, that each layer is
almost like its own separate lens. Lorraine Gomez grew up in such a place Colorado's St. Luis Valley is the world's highest
alpine basin, and one of its oldest, created by the great river that formed
it thousands of years ago in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Valley
follows the Rio Grande south to New Mexico, where the river tumbles over the
border and the two join the Camino Real in its long journey to Mexico City. Gomez's connection to the 120-by-75 mile valley
stretches back to the Spanish farmers who settled the land before the
Mexican Revolution. The communities they established have retained a strong
and continuous Hispanic identity for generations (the term
"Hispanic" refers specifically to Spanish-Americans in this
region.) Gomez is so deeply rooted in this valley that it
defines the heart of her own identity as well, remaining her central
reference point, regardless of whether or not she happens to be living
there. "It's like a compass that's a part of me,"
she said. " And that actually allows me to go further and stay away
longer - I don't even get homesick because in a way, I'm always there." |
They settled at different times, founded segregated
towns with separate, often tiny schools located within just a few miles of
one another, and told their own histories, allowing several versions to
co-exist simultaneously. The large land holders are primarily Anglo, while
most Hispanic landowners are small farmers, and very few Latinos
(specifically, in the San Luis, Mexican-Americans, ) own any land at all.
Several old Hispanic families are wealthy, but most struggle to keep their
land. However, Gomez was appalled, albeit politely, at the
suggestion of open conflict. |
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But things are changing in the San Luis Valley.
According to Gomez, they've been changing for almost everyone for a while,
but the momentum of a transformative discovery accelerated her personal
journey faster than she had anticipated. It was a discovery that changed the
way she looks at herself and the world. |
But things are changing in the San Luis Valley.
According to Gomez, they've been changing for almost everyone for a while,
but the momentum of a transformative discovery accelerated her personal
journey faster than she had anticipated. It was a discovery that changed the
way she looks at herself and the world.
Nothing has been the same for Gomez since. Lorraine Gomez's path began in the small town of La
Jara, when it was still possible for a kid to make it to high school without
knowing anyone who didn't mirror himself. |
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"Of course hardly anyone did grow up like that. We
were country kids. We had pick-up trucks. Very old pick-up trucks," she
laughed. "You drove through the Valley when I was growing up - I'm 44,
so it was roughly 30 years ago when older teenagers began to let me ride
along - and you'd come to a town where everyone was Anglo, and I mean
everyone. Then, five miles down the road, you came to a town where everyone
was Hispanic, meaning no one else was allowed...then Anglo, then Hispanic,
Anglo, Hispanic, all the way through. That's the kind of message that speaks
for itself." "It wasn't something anyone sat kids down to tell us, just what everyone grew up knowing: that it took everything we had, our tiny towns, small farms and churches combined with our history, to keep the Anglos ...well, frankly, to defend ourselves from them. |
Latinos didn't have their own towns, they were rarely able to buy land, they rented mobile homes and small houses, and they worked for large farmers - mostly Anglo farmers, but some, a few, Hispanic farmers, " said Gomez. "But this message wasn't really about Latinos. It was much more about Anglos. I mean we worked for the Anglos too. I picked lettuce for them starting when I was twelve years old, because my family had lost its small farm. Gomez paused for a long moment before she added one
more group. She is still unaccustomed to including its members, even as they
become increasingly significant to her. When she was growing up, no one had
included the small settlement of Utne Indians who had been allowed to remain
in a southern portion of the valley when the rest of their Nation was forced
to a reservation in Utah. |
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And when did the Ute arrive? The shortest period confirmed by Western scientists
place the Ute in the St. Lois Valley 3,000 years ago. The Ute's own
religious traditions date their presence from the Creation. "I can't tell you why we never thought about them.
The truth is, I never gave any thought to the small reservation in the
Valley," said Gomez. "No one ever told me about them, I hardly
ever even heard them mentioned that I can recall." |
Meanwhile, the Valley's Mexican-Americans ("Latino" has
refered specifically to them since the mid- 1960s, according to Gomez), were
descended from Mestizo ancestors who had accompanied the Spaniards to
present-day northern New Mexico. Two and a half centuries later their descendents did
not need directions home. Most of the other Latinos who settled San Luis Valley
had roots in the surrounding region, generally. Their ancestors had not come
from Mexico: Mexico had come to them. They also were perfectly aware of
their location.
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| The Ute had fought long and hard to prevent intrusion
into the Valley, and weren't fully conquered until near the turn of the 20th
century, when Anglo settlers prevailed upon the federal government, which
sent troops and constructed Fort Massachusetts.
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The girl told the boy she was a slave, bought and paid
for. Determined, the young couple made arrangements to escape, and that's what they did. One night they simply removed the boy's fencing repair materials and tools from his wagon, hitched up his horse, climbed in, and drove away to the nearest train station. No one knows where that was. All Gomez knows is that her grandfather took his beloved to Denver and married her, then the two settled down in the town of his ancestors, La Jarta, in the San Luis Valley.  Everything else remains a mystery. Gomez's grandmother never revealed the name of her tribe, or the circumstances of her enslavement. That her own tribe had sold her is essentially unthinkable, and in fact she never claimed that it had. Whatever happened was evidently too traumatic for her to discuss - and/or there could well have been political factors at play. |
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"In the end, I was a Latina before I found out
about my grandmother, because my experience in the world, my language and my
identity here in this place and in America - in the world, actually - makes
me a Latina,"
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Claire Marie O'Brien | January 24, 2014 at 4:36
pm | Tags: Ethnic Identity/ San Luis valley, San Luis Valley, Ute Indians,
Who is Latino? | Categories: activism, American Southwest, Civil rights,
DESERTS, Farming culture and history, feature writing, GOVERNMENT, human
rights, Immigration/border, imperialism, Latino/Hispanic, Neo-Colonialism,
New Mexico, oral histories, POLITICS, RACE, social justice, storytelling,
Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2mfU
Utes Chief Severo and his family, 1899 |
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MINI-BIO |
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My brother,
Juan Dolores Romero |
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My Dad died on Feb 10, 1975, so the month of February and Valentine Day, is not a day that I celebrate. On April 1, 1940, Dolores Romero was 7 years old and lived in Solano, New Mexico. The 1940 United States Federal Census enumerator made a mistake and listed Juan Dolores as a daughter. |
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Juan Dolores
loved traveling and helping others. |
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MINI-BIO |
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FRAY
ANGELICO CHAVEZ: THE SAGE
FROM WAGON MOUND |
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Artist,
writer, priest Fray Angelico Chavez by
Ray John de Aragon |
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Communities
throughout Fray
Angelico was born in Wagon Mound on April 10, 1910.
In
1937 Fray Angelico was ordained as a Franciscan priest.
During World War II he served as a military chaplain and he
ministered to the Fighting 200th Division in the The popular priest had the given name of Manuel Ezequiel, but he had taken on the name of the famous medieval fresco painter, Fra Angelico, when he was ordained because of his admiration for the artist and for his love of the arts. |
This served as an inspiration on his first church
assignments when he used his artistic
abilities to paint masterful religious scenes of the crucifixion
to adorn the walls of the churches. In
time Fray Angelico Chavez joined an elite group of pioneer
Hispanic writers from Aurora
Lucero wrote “We Fed them Cactus,” which became a number one
best selling book and Fray Angelico appeared with “Clothed With
the Sun,” which was also popular.
A string of works on the religious history of In
1996 the History Library at the Palace of the Governors in
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ANTICIPATION
GUIDE Instruction:
Respond to each statement twice:
once before the Reading Comprehension Lesson
FRAY
ANGELICO CHAVEZ: THE SAGE
FROM WAGON MOUND
MINIMUM
TIME REQUIRED:
45 minutes MATERIALS
REQUIRED:
Reading text titled, “Fray Angelico Chavez:
The Sage From Wagon Mound;”
KWL Graphic Organizer; CD of picture from this Discovery;
and equipment needed for art CD. MIND
SET:
Art from this Discovery. INSTRUCTIONAL
PROCEDURE:
Make enough copies of reading text and KWL Graphic
Organizer for each student; review the story and the graphic
organizer; and prepare equipment for art mindset. ANTICIPATION
GUIDE: Give
Anticipation Guide pre-test before beginning this lesson,
discussion, or giving any handouts to students.
The test will be given again after this reading material is
completed. “Before” and
“After” reading text results will be entered on the Scatter
Gram and grade book to monitor progress. DIRECT
INSTRUCTION: ASSESSMENT:
Anticipation Guide. |
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Author Ray John de Aragon began his writing career as a
journalist. In New Mexico he wrote historical features for the Mora County
Star, El Hispano News, Tombstone Epitaph. He received bylines in the Santa Fe
New Mexican and the Santa Fe Reporter. He is the author of nine published
books on New Mexico
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The Anticipation Guides, Vocabulary Units, etc. to
accompany the historical stories that Ray John has written were
developed by Ray John' wife, Rosa Maria Calles, well known New Mexico playwright, producer, and director.
Rosa has a history of using plays as a teaching tool for children, young adults, and even adults. Her most successful stage production has been “Cuento de la Llorona/Tale of the Wailing Woman” which was very enthusiastically staged at the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood, California. In addition to Rosa Maria dramatic skills and involvement served on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Board of Religious Education for many years,
and has also has worked as a director of religious education for twenty five
years. |
Why New Mexico’s Latino
Students Top Nation on AP Tests
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| New Mexico’s high school students had Advance Placement exam scores that were below the national average. But when it came to Latinos, the state had the highest percentage of students who passed the test, according to the report released by The College Board, the group that administers the popular exams. Nearly half of New Mexico's Latino high school graduates took an AP course last year. Of those students, 43 percent scored a 3 or higher on the college entrance exam – the highest percentage in the country. The figure below illustrates what is pretty remarkable about New Mexico’s achievement compared to other states with large Latino populations. In 2013, 53.3 percent of New Mexico’s high school graduates were Latino, of those students 46.7 percent took the AP exam with a large percentage of them passing the test and earning |
college credit. If you compare those numbers to other states with a high Latino populations like Texas, you see a much bigger gap between the Latino students taking AP exams and those passing the AP.“There’s been a really effective set of strategies to promote the value of advance placement coursework to Hispanic parents,” Trevor Packer, Senior Vice President, AP and Instruction at the College Board told Fusion in a phone interview. “What we’ve seen New Mexico doing is proactively reaching out to minority students and informing them of these AP opportunities and encouraging them to take them,” Packer went on to say. In recent years the state launched a number of programs to help Latino and low-income students pass their AP exams. Here’s a look at some of the unprecedented programs: |
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| 1. AP materials were translated to Spanish, with the goal of increasing parental involvement. In an unprecedented move New Mexico became the first state to partner with the College Board to translate AP course materials to Spanish. The program was so successful that other states launched similar strategies. (New Mexico also has AP materials in the Navajo.) 2. AP online course Today if you look at the national demographics of where AP courses exist the schools least likely to have these advance programs are rural schools. “A challenge that New Mexico faces is that there are a lot of small rural schools in the state and small schools nationwide are where it’s most challenging to set up AP programs because the funding for such schools can’t afford to have a regular teacher and an AP teacher,” explained Packer. New Mexico has provided direct funding to train rural teachers to become AP teachers, as well as launching online courses to help students access courses that were unavailable because of their location. |
3. The state launched a program in low-income areas aimed at preparing middle school students for high school AP classes. New Mexico launched pilot programs in Pojoaque, Bernalillo, Carlsbad and Zuni to help low-income and students of color advance in AP classes when they reach high school. 4. AP Teacher stipends AP teachers who improve student achievement from one year to the next receive a $5,000 bonus. “In New Mexico, the Hispanic student population in AP is catching up with their representation overall,” Packer said. To pay for these programs New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez secured $750,000 and a state grant of $1 million from the non-profit College Board. Governor Martinez's hopes to expand the program, her new education budget includes $2 million to increase AP access and support services throughout the state. |
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CUENTO |
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Dorinda's Childhood in New Mexico and the influence of a celebrated film, Salt of the Earth |
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Department of Women’s Studies February 12, 2014 Dear Friend: Salt of
the Earth’s perspective is what today we call
“intersectional,” and its existence reminds us that a
progressive politics of intersectionality linking class, race, and
gender existed long before that term was coined in academia. The
film has been selected by the National Film Registry as worthy of
permanent preservation. It has inspired a documentary, an opera, and
a docudrama, One of the Hollywood Ten, starring Jeff Goldblum as director Herbert
Biberman. It has also been the subject of three books, exploring
jointly the history of the film, the story of the strike, labor
organizing in the Southwest, and the mechanisms and consequences of
the blacklist. (My edition of and commentary on the screenplay is
still available from The Feminist Press.) A group of activists based in California, New
Mexico, and Mexico has been planning a film screening and a series
of related events for the University of New Mexico, Las Cruces, and
the surrounding community. They have been linking the film, with its
depiction of life along the border and its history of embattlement
with immigration authorities and the FBI, to current struggles
around immigration issues and injustices.
The celebration of the film’s sixtieth anniversary there
will be linked with the work of the International Tribunal of
Conscience, which investigates and publicizes violations of the
dignity and the rights of migrants, refugees, and the displaced
throughout the world, most recently in the Americas. HOW CAN YOU HELP? --to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the
film, you can arrange a screening and discussion for your own campus
later this spring or in the fall.
Salt of the Earth is a superb teaching tool for classes in women’s
and gender studies, labor studies, Latina Studies, American Studies,
and film studies, as well as a work of art in its own right. --You can donate something to help support the
work of activists in Los Angeles and New Mexico who are linking the
film’s sixtieth anniversary to current struggles around
immigration in their events. Those who donate $50.00 or more will
receive a limited edition commemorative poster by artist Adrian
Kolarczyk, destined to be a collector’s item.….. but smaller
amounts will be gratefully welcomed.
(Donations are not tax-deductible.) If you are able to make a donation, please send
a check made out to Corazon
del Pueblo, to: Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions, and enjoy revisiting Salt of the Earth, or perhaps even seeing it for the first time!
Deborah Rosenfelt |
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I begin with memories from my childhood. Among the strongest memory of my youth is of my parents Celia Garay and Jose Heraclio Moreno, and the long haul drive from New Mexico to California in a car that seemed to gasp at every sad mile from leaving the elders behind in tears. Also, my father and male cousins each in their own paths were influenced by WWII, some serving and leaving work in the mines in Silver City, New Mexico, Bayard, and marrying girls from the region (each that enriched the family in what turned outbeinglong and productive lives lived.) The threat of the danger working at the mines and the vulnerable state of health where family siblings passed on at early ages, while two siblings were fortunate in their being taken to a California infirmary at San Luis Obispo, California to improve on their chance at recovery.
Indeed each lived fairly long lives overcomingthe epidemics of Enfluenza and the dreadedTuberculosis, the word TB referred to in quiet voices to quell from the prejudice of the new urban society where survival depended on the bread winners earnings and the capability of securing housing (which was transient as a matter of course) and where our welcome suffered from the continued threat of being denied safe lodging due to the fear of public exposure to contagious diseases. Though families had to be mobile in order to follow the crops, health and cleanliness was a constant struggle from something as simple as fighting the elements to the communicable diseases that the poor were vulnerable in overcoming. |
In due time they would establish root, remaking their lives in the face of much uncertainties and a transformation from a history of working in the mines to now confronting the very hard times and harsh existence in San Francisco. Here they would make a home in the urban city of concrete, where the climate of fog matched the gray of the streets and also their nostalgia over the lives they had left behind. The Moreno family arrived in the City at a time when talk of bomb shelters and a climate of fear over the extended war that took the young men and imposed the possibility of leaving a family fatherless. But, we were fortunate that the men returned to rebuilding their lives and growing their families. And while the grown ups were immersed with thoughts of the families struggling back home and who were named in their constant prayers--the young adapted to the corner store and penny candy, and learning to communicate in two languages and perspectives of life. Learning to interpret what they would experience in the backdrop of discrimination, though soon they adapted to the commonality with the many cultures converging for the jobs offered that provided energy in feeding the war machine. With the new foods, dress, music, and the military ambiance that provided romantic drama and war stories; though yet, the family lived for the brief and joyful moments on the visits that were never frequent enough and that were only appeased by the back and forth letters that expressed the agony sustained by the reality of distance from the loved one's back home. | |
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The contrast from my earliest reflection in Santa Rita, New Mexico, where mom protected us from the danger of the mines near Santa Rita's copper pit where we lived and where sister Clorinda was born. Santa Rita had the distinction that seemed to signify that because her birthplace was erased from the face of the
earth and dismissed to 'outer space', and no longer could be claimedas their place of belonging and lent to a feeling of displacement and separation from the soul of one's existence. We were now in the City of San Francisco, but our hearts stayed in New Mexico. |
system of sharing with relatives provided enough for all with her system of saving boxes of garments carefully washed, mended, and ironed and prepared as gifts for relatives on the periodic trips back home. Always, there were a child who appreciated a pair of shoes, a sweater, and a young couple preparing a layette for a coming baby... |
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And, as Dorinda grew from a child to an adolescent, she became the reliable bed-side helper and willing accomplice catering to Tia's joyous and inquisitive mind. In their conversations, Lupe recounted that she had had a lung removed at the age of 12 with no anaesthetics. In California, she received the medical treatments for her long and painful recovery.
It would take the Moreno's and extended family many returns to New Mexico for caring for the elders. Though each at some point were to come to California, her maternal grandfather Francisco Garay from
Zacatecas, and whowas a jolly story tellerwho loved talking about his past adventures of fighting at the side of Pancho Villa. And, her paternal grandmotherthe stoic Rosa Gonzalez Carrasco Moreno, Mescalero Apache,who was steeped in religion in contrast to 'Don Pancho'who strayed from the spiritual path...neither opted in staying. And, this served to engage and retain their extensive network of receiving and communicating with the folks 'back home', in a tradition known as
'compadrismo' keeping them bonded in cultural ties while longing for their native land. |
way crossing the border were the many elders and children who begged for pennies and men and young boys pleaded for rides back to the U.S. for work. One man, looking intently into our window with such eyes of need that I never forgot that look that summoned my sensitivity to his suffering. This pulled at my child heart and lasts with me to this day piercing my soul to think that life cheated men as he for their lifetimes. And, perhaps naught were there ever to be any release from the pain of extreme poverty. Unfortunately, for many these desperate conditions were the norm and nary an opportunity for escaping such tragic circumstances without a civil society that cared for inspiring a change in overcoming poverty. These memories fueled a passion for the land of New Mexico and its people and heritage, and an appreciation toward the life of service her parent's lived. |
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Salt of the Earth |
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| Salt of the Earth, would become a universal vehicle that would become as a metaphor for defining not just my purpose but our purpose as a people and nation--at times divided, but always a dramatic backdrop of cultural expression and richness. Especially through the Arts and film. The cross border, continental and indeed global movement, defined through the heart of a people in a struggle for positive social change: the Arts and Humanities and the perspective of Women at the core.
I was ready for the times and Ethnic Studies would be my portal and from then to date, this has proven to be a challenge that is never quite won and continues to provide a forum for dialogue and building understanding. The Arts. Film and Theater became my language from the heart of the 60's and 70's, a time for deep reflection and social change. Almost as soon as I began, Ethnic Studies would become the driving force that propelled the diversity of groups that came together to give America, the land defined as being 'by the people, of the people and for the people', thus became the spirit of demanding 'Justice for All! My having lived in Los Angeles during the Watts Riots, and the assassinations of Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr., and President Kennedy, were indeed the breadth of background experience that enabled me to step into a role as a leader and toward defining and designing our department direction and curriculum. |
My appreciation for archiving was contagious, the collecting of important documents as part of my research that I wrote up, lobbied for, and taught the first La Raza Women's Class in the nation, and worked developing the first Ethnic Studies Department. And, utilizing the film of my heritage Salt of the Earth as the prototype for melding one's cultural legacy, family, ancestry, sociopolitical community--traditional, spiritual, and that served in guiding one's work ethic--to speak out at injustice and win! And in this day of social media, having had the blessed destiny of an amazing friendship circle of artistsand academicians living in the City which was a mecca for progressive thought, the university provided the environment for embracing my contributions to Ethnic and Women's Studies, though not necessarily always with support from our own men and neither always from a racist and sexist norm not to be ignored. Yet, real brothers who got the principle of inclusion have remain in the space that my own father, brothers, and cousins took, in respecting the women as not just equals but in a space of honor! Before SF State, I never knew the word 'machismo' but would it take a lot of drama and to this I became impassioned toward building understanding and clearing the language paradox. The strengthening and merging of the popular movements whose enduring bonds of communications through time nurtured a loyal fan base that today makes up the scores of academics joining in the commemoration of the 60th Anniversary. |
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Lauding such actions as in 1992, Salt of the Earth was named among the l00 films depicting 'Americana.' And,also received an apology from the son of the then publisher of the Hollywood Reporter, for the erroneous sins of his father in fabricating the intrigue that starting the ill conceived misinformation which instigated the flames of the so named 'witch hunts' of the 50's--the infamous
HUAC, House of un-American activities --responsible for the bias and prejudice of the Hollywood film makers and artists who cut their film, yet that according to many is amongst the best of films America has to offer. |
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On March 5-6, our arts collaboration of (FM/ITCPM) Fuerza Mundial and the International Tribunal of Conscience, Pueblos en
Movimiento, after having worked for a year will actualize the fruits of our efforts in convening a profound and humbling event at
NMSU, Las Cruces, for celebrating International Women's Day with a screening and Symposium of Salt of the Earth, 60th Anniversary Symposium: Legacy, Impact, and Contemporary Implications: Celebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment: Weaving the Huipil of Unidad y
Lucha: the 60th anniversary of the film is thus a most propitious moment to explore the extent to which the film and the issues it seeks to address, have an enduring significance and what the implications of these issues might be in contemporary New Mexico, the nation and continent: The Big Picture. |
She also has extensive multi-cultural transnational experience in the U.S. and Mexico as a cultural worker and archivist. And, our goal as a direct outcome of the gathering is to take it to its worthy place as a 'classic' supported by its people and the world community. To this we have on course the building of a website and energetic plan of action that Dorinda is at the heart. Though, it is as an example for the contemporary generations to take this gift given and to embrace the manda as provided them by the Elders, to takethis mandate forth intoits 40 years into the future, as Dorinda and circle of associates have committed thus far. And, we expect that the clearing house of information, its publications, tapes, books, shall be the resources and marketing tools that will help maintain the intent set in these goals affirmed by these actions becoming sustained for meeting the challenges ahead. |
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View 1954 Classic film, link below for 'Salt of the Earth': |
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1972
KCET-TV in Los Angeles California, broadcasts a half program of one
act plays and poetry by dramatist Dorinda Moreno. The program,
“Mujer En Pie de Lucha,” is produced by Jesús Treviño as part
of his Acción Chicano television series.
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Cuento: A
Flood of Memory by Margarita B. Velez Photos: Laredo Floods, 1948 & 1954 Cuento: A Cheap Date by Margarita B. Velez Cuento: Beneath the Shadow of the Capitol by Ramon Moncivais, Chapter 4 Cuento: Swimming in the Brazos River by Odell Harwell Cuento: A Visit from Two Angels by Yomar Villarreal Cleary 219th birthday celebration of José Antonio Navarro February 27, 1850: South Texas separatists proclaim Territory of the Rio Grande Forgotten Fourteen Freedom Fighters of Texas By José Antonio López Mini-bio: Teodoro Zamora’s Commission By Alice L. Baumgartner Handbook of Texas Seeks Support |
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CUENTO |
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A Flood of
Memory by Margarita B. Velez From her book: Stories from the Barrio and Other 'Hoods, pg.41-42 |
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A military bus
ferried people to work because public transportation was halted and many
cars were damaged in streets dotted with potholes. Adventuresome kids
paddled a canoe down the creek...er, street while pedestrians tried to
negotiate the knee-deep water on Mount Shasta Street. To this day Mount
Shasta still floods, just not so bad.
When we ran out of milk, Papa and I went to the store. Papa said we must put our faith in God but he checked under the hood before maneuvering our '50 Dodge out into the street. Mama stood at the door watching and probably said a prayer as we drove away. We drove down Diana Drive and the water was running from curb to curb. Papa drove slowly and explained that it was important not to splash and wet the points inside the distributor cap, which could cause the car to stall. He grumbled when a "smart aleck" sped by and splashed us with a "rooster tail." Later Papa smiled when we saw the speedster idled by "wet points" a short distance ahead. On the way to Kay's convenience store (later renamed Circle-K) on Dyer and Hercules, we saw beleaguered residents desperately working to keep the water out of their homes. We bought enough milk for a week and on the way out, Papa complained that the milk was more expensive than at Safeway but he didn't want to risk going that far.
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We headed home
passing cars standing at odd angles because the wheels were buried in
chuckholes beneath the water. Two blocks from our house a new Cadillac was
idle with a fin pointing toward the sky. Papa said with a touch of
bravado, "See, my little Dodge did better than that fancy car."
We prayed for the weather to clear but the rain kept pouring down. Every time it clouded up my brothers made sure that we had enough sand bags on the porch. Newspaper and television reports showed the devastation left by floodwaters and residents clamored for flood relief. My brothers just kept check on the sandbags, as if they were some kind of insurance policy. Other neighborhoods throughout the city experienced flooding and, unfortunately, some still do today. Northeast residents banded to petition the city to control the flooding and a hasty plan created the drainage ditch between the divided lanes on Diana Drive a few years later. There's beauty in the Franklin Mountains when the rain seems to paint them green. But there's a lot of empathy for those folks who contend with flooding anywhere. The Diana Ditch yawns empty on sunny days but it functions well to carry the runoff from the mountains away from people's homes.
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Source: Gilberto Quezada |
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CUENTO |
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CHEAP DATE by
Margarita B. Velez |
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Stories about Americans
landing in Juarez jails remind me of a narrow escape. My friend Betty and
I dated a couple of fellows who had little money and less common sense.
They tried to impress us by taking us to Maxfim's in Juarez, the
restaurant of recent notoriety.
On a Sunday afternoon we dashed across the bridge to gas up the car and have it washed. Cars with Texas plates were lined up to buy inexpensive gasoline. Betty and I posed for a picture in front of the car wash. Then we went to the fancy restaurant where a trio strolled among the tables singing and strumming guitars. We ordered from the pricey menu and requested romantic tunes as the tab mounted. When the bill was presented the fellows announced they didn't have enough money. Betty and I dug into our purses and emptied our pockets but the pooled resources still fell short. The waiters eyed us knowingly as we counted and recounted the money. I suggested we could "borrow money" from my aunt and uncle who lived a few blocks away. My date and I left the other couple sitting at the table with a promise that we'd hurry back. As we left I thought the pair looked like two pawned puppies waiting for the owner to return. We reached my uncle's home and I suddenly feared they would be out for a Sunday outing. We were lucky the elderly folks were getting ready for bed. Tia Mariana was surprised by our late visit and offered us a cold Pepsi. My uncle asked direct questions and wanted details about what we ate, more importantly, what we drank. I confessed to requesting many songs from the musicians. |
"You were gypped but
there's no sense arguing," he said sternly and gave us the money to
pay up.
"When you get home I know you will tell your mother about this," he admonished. Then he turned to my date and added, "I expect this loan to be paid in a week." Rushing back to Maxfim's we found our friends sitting in the same spot. The table had been cleared and waiters hovered around them. The place had emptied and the Mariachis were gone. Betty jumped up with relief when she saw us. The bill was settled and as we left, the waiters invited us to come back but I never set foot in that place again. That night I had a hard time telling Mama about our escapade. I received a tongue lashing for being out late and going to Juarez without permission. "How could you bother your aunt and uncle?" Mama asked as my conscience gnawed at me. Then she said, "If that young man can't afford to pay he shouldn't be showing off." The next day the fellow brought the cash to pay off the loan. The experience soured an already shaky relationship and we parted ways. I had forgotten about him until I read about the problems people create for themselves when they enter foreign lands and violate their laws. The lack of cash could've landed us in the pokey. Thank God my uncle bailed us out, otherwise we would've washed dishes for a long time, or worse. September 1998
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CUENTO |
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Discrimination
101, Chapter 4 |
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On my first day of
school, when I was six years old, my mother and I walked a little over a
mile to Palm Elementary School at First Street and East Avenue. I spoke
very little English, but I had learned a few words from the
newspaper-covered walls in our house and from the walls of the outhouse.
I was eager to learn anything they would teach me. I also remember crying when I watched my mother walk away, not because I was scared but because I would not be at home to do things for her or help her with whatever she had to do. Little did I
know that I would meet discrimination without realizing it. When "a
little recess" came, we all went outside. "What are you doing home?" I told them, "School's over." The next day my mother walked me to school again, and when recess time came, I walked home again. |
This time my
mother took me back to face a very angry teacher. No amount of
explanation would satisfy good old Mrs. W., a whale-sized person. I
always thought that if she ever fell on any of us, we would be crushed
to death. There were to be no more escapes from good old Palm School and
my personal warden, Mrs. W.
One of the first things we learned in school was that we had to ask permission to go to the restroom—a hand in the air, with one finger raised for a pee and two fingers for a little longer stay in the restroom. I always wondered why they had to know what we were doing. A nod from the teacher meant it was okay to go. When I started public school was the first time I had even seen or used toilet paper, for all we had at home was newspaper that my grandfather brought home. About a week after school started, my big chance came. I needed the one-finger permission. I was excited because I had seen the other kids take their turns. I waited for the "Yes" nod from Mrs. W. And waited. And waited. She looked at me several times but never nodded. My
excitement went away, quickly replaced by fear. I was in pain and could
not hold back any longer. I peed in my pants. Everybody laughed,
including Mrs. W., while I sat there |
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"What are you
doing home?"
I told them, "School's over." The next day my mother walked me to school again, and when recess time came, I walked home again. This time my mother took me back to face a very angry teacher. No amount of explanation would satisfy good old Mrs. W., a whale-sized person. I always thought that if she ever fell on any of us, we would be crushed to death. There were to be no more escapes from good old Palm School and my personal warden, Mrs. W. One of the first things we learned in school was that we had to ask permission to go to the restroom—a hand in the air, with one finger raised for a pee and two fingers for a little longer stay in the restroom. I always wondered why they had to know what we were doing. A nod from the teacher meant it was okay to go. When I started public school was the first time I had even seen or used toilet paper, for all we had at home was newspaper that my grandfather brought home. |
About a week after
school started, my big chance came. I needed the one-finger permission.
I was excited because I had seen the other kids take their turns. I
waited for the "Yes" nod from Mrs. W. And waited. And waited.
She looked at me several times but never nodded.
My excitement went away, quickly replaced by fear. I was in pain and could not hold back any longer. I peed in my pants. Everybody laughed, including Mrs. W., while I sat there crying. The same thing happened to me again about two weeks later with the same results. The class laughed, and I sat there crying. It never happened again. Out of the 20-25 of us, only I flunked first grade. Maybe I didn't pass because I felt helpless and always afraid. What little confidence I must have had at that age Mrs. W. had beaten down. The next year, I started first grade again. I had almost forgotten Mrs. W. She, however, had not forgotten me. It turned out that Mary Ann, a little blonde white girl, my only friend in class and the only one who talked to me, had told her mother about |
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the pee incidents.
Her mother had complained to the principal, and he had had a talk with my
whale teacher. My little friend's mother told me that she was very sorry about what had happened to me the year before and that not everyone was like Mrs. W. No one in my family ever knew what happened to me in first grade, only the white lady who went to the principal. This time, I passed first grade, doing no more or less than the year before. I did not pee in class anymore. I don't know why many of us were transferred and ended up going to three different elementary schools. I started at Palm, transferred to John B. Winn, and finally finished at Bickler. It was said that they moved us to get most of us out of the white schools. When I was about
eight years old, I learned another lesson. I had seen my grandfather go
into our little chicken coop to catch a chicken and kill it. I usually
only went in there to gather eggs and to help clean, but this day I was to
learn to
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My grandfather said
not to worry, that he would guide me through it. After I caught the
chicken, he showed me how to hold it by the neck and twirl it sharply to
break its neck. He made a drum-like sound and said, "Here comes the
great matador, Ramon the Great," and started clapping his hands.
My first attempt as a chicken killer was terrible. The chicken did not want to die, and I did not want to kill it. Grandfather started laughing and said, "You're shaking hands with the chicken and not twirling." I asked him, "Will you help me?" He said, "You need to learn for yourself because I might not be around the next time you needed help." I don't know who suffered more, the chicken or me, but I killed it. That was not the end. He showed me how to gut it and pluck it, sticking it in boiling water and removing the feathers. I hated the smell. Some years later that smell would come back into my life.
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CUENTO |
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Angelica Beings in Texas |
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My
dad was on vacation during the summer of 1952.
After doing fix-it chores
around the house for a few days, he decided to
go fishing at the Brazos River, which was only a
few miles from us. I asked to go
along so I could go swimming. With
mom and dad’s approval in hand, I then asked
if my four neighbor friends could go with me.
Again, with their approval, we all put
our swim trunks on and piled into the car.
Upon
arriving at the river, we all ran into the water
and started having the time of our lives. Dad
took his fishing gear and went about thirty or
forty yards away and started fishing. About
a half hour later he decided to move to another
location, since the fish weren’t biting at all
where he had been fishing.
He
came over to where we were and announced
“I’m going upstream to Red Bluff, you guys
come and go with me.”
We
said “OK, we’ll wade up there.”
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As
we were wading upstream, the other guys got
about 15 yards ahead of me and I was following
in their path in the water, whose depth was up
to my chest. At this time I did not know how to
swim. As I was wading along, I suddenly went
under water, way over my head. I
had stepped into a hole in the river bottom that
was too deep for me. It happened so
fast and suddenly that I did not get a breath of
air before going under.
I
began struggling to reach the surface and was
swallowing water at the same time. When
I finally broke the surface, I began spitting
out water, but before I could get a breath of
air, I sank underneath again. I
continued struggling to get above the surface
and was swallowing more water because I had no
air in my lungs. I continued this cycle of
struggling to the surface, spitting out water,
and going back under without getting a breath of
air.
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Finally
my muscles became too tired to struggle any more
and I gave up trying. Immediately
my movements seemed to go into extreme slow
motion and I could see my hands and arms moving
agonizingly slow. At this point I
did not feel any more pain or tiredness from the
struggle. I seemed to be an
impartial observer watching the event play out.
I
then started rising up until I was about 10 or
12 feet above the water and watched my body in
the water continue struggling, in slow motion.
I had no mental attachment to the body
nor was I concerned that it was drowning.I
was completely aloof from it.
As
I turned my attention away from my body in the
water, a bright penetrating light appeared
before me. It was the brightest
light I had ever seen, yet it did not hurt my
eyes. I looked down at my new body
and saw that I was clothed in white garments
just like people wore in the days of the Roman
Empire, except that the garment hung low enough
that my feet were not visible unless I extended
my foot and leg forward enough to reach beyond
the hem on my garment. The light
seemed to penetrate me and my garments such that
my body and clothes became the purest white
ever. The light was coming from a
sphere about the size of a basketball and the
outer surface seemed to be crystal clear, all
the more reason that the light within was so
bright. Also, the light seemed to
be churning, just like smoke churns as i t
rises, yet the churning was contained within the
confines of the sphere as the rays of light
radiated outward.
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As
I was studying the sphere of light, I suddenly
saw a very black speck in the center of it.
For some reason I knew this tiny speck
was very important, and so I concentrated on it
very intensely. As I concentrated
on it, it suddenly zoomed out toward me, and
there standing before me was Jesus in all His
glory, bigger than life itself. He
wore the same clothes as I did, and He radiated
a powerful golden light in every direction from
His body. Light travels at 360,000
feet per second, yet with my spiritual eyes, I
could easily see the rays of golden light
emanating outward from Him toward infinity.
The color of this golden light coming
from Him was so beautiful that the English
language is incapable of describing its’
purity and beauty.
I
immediately held up my hands and arms in front
of my face to shield myself from His brightness
and told Him to get away from me. I
almost fell all over myself trying to get away
from Him. He was so pure and clean
that I was not worthy of being in His presence,
nor anywhere close to Him. I was
too adulterated and contaminated with the
impurities of this world. I was
contaminated with the impure deeds of the things
that I had done: lying, stealing, fighting, all
of the negative things that a little 11 year old
boy had done. I was contaminated
with all the mental impurities that I had done:
hatred, distrust, sarcasm, resentment,
fear, narcissism, and anger. Even though I
wanted to stay there in His presence, I
couldn’t, because God’s law forbids
everything evil from heaven.
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Jesus
stretched His hand toward me and immediately,
all my guilt fell away and I received the most
overpowering feeling of love from Him. Although
His lips did not move, He said “Fear not.
Peace.” He seemed to communicate to me through
Extra Sensory Perception rather than a physical
spoken word by mouth. He seemed to
sense my question of why we could talk to each
other without physically speaking. He
told me that we communicate this way to
eliminate errors in speech and understanding
that is common with all spoken languages. In
effect, while I was thinking something, it was
magically transposed to Him immediately and he
knew what I thought. I only had to
think of something to say, and it immediately
became word.
At
this point, as we were conversing by ESP, a
giant screen appeared next to us. It
was so gigantic that I can naturally compare it
to the large screens that used to be in the old
drive-in theaters of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and
early 70s. On this screen, in
random order, different scenes of incidents that
had happened in my life, while here on earth,
were being played out. Jesus would
indicate a scene, and it would expand to the
point that it encompassed almost the whole
screen. I could still see other
scenes playing in the background around the
edges of the main scene that we were reviewing.
The scene we were reviewing was a most
accurate depiction of an incident that I was
involved in at that point in my life, and He
questioned me as to why I did the things that I
had done. ;
At
first, most of the scenes that we discussed were
ones in which I had done something wrong or bad.
However, He also pointed out scenes where
I had done something outstanding. In
the bad scenes, He chastised me severely and
used it as a teaching moment to ingrain into me
that I must always be truthful, loving, or good
in all of my actions and words. While
reviewing a scene in which I had done something
bad or wrong, I could see that I had acted
inappropriately and wanted
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to slant my answer to
make the action seem less evil to Him. As
soon as I started giving a slanted reason for my
action , He would authoritatively stop me and
correct me. When He corrected me, I
had to acknowledge His truth and correct my
slanted reason.
Did you know Jesus has a great sense of humor? In some of the scenes where something funny happened or was said, He laughed with me, and with gusto.
After
reviewing many scenes of my past, I was very
worried and scared that I was not going to be
able to go any further into heaven with Him.
Almost all of my past actions had been
negative, rather than positive or helpful.
I had truly been a spoiled child, only
concerned about the things that were Important
to a young child, e.g., toys, candy, food, etc.
I was only concerned about me, and no one
else. Now I was desperately worried
that I was going to be condemned forever.
Next,
the large screen went away and Jesus took my
hand and we began moving through a long tunnel
at a very high rate of speed. What
is strange about this is that we were not in a
vehicle moving at a high rate of speed. We
were actually just standing still and holding
each other’s hand, but our bodies seemed to be
levitating forward. We were just
standing there motionless, yet we were zooming
through the tunnel at an extreme rate of speed.
While zooming through the tunnel, the
sides of it did not zoom by like here on earth.
As you drive at a high speed down a road,
all of the trees, signs, and any other objects
that are close to the road will zoom by you and
fade away in the rear as you continue down the
road. In this tunnel the walls,
ceiling and floor did not zoom by and fade aw ay
to the rear. Instead, they seemed
to stay right there as if they were still or
motionless, yet there was no sense that the
tunnel was carrying us along. I know that’s
hard to fathom, but that’s how I have to
explain it.
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After
what seemed an extremely long time moving
through the tunnel, I began to wonder how much
longer we were going to stay there and continue
moving. I looked ahead and saw a
small light that seemed to be moving closer to
us. I thought to myself, “At
last, we’re finally getting somewhere.”
Suddenly,
back in the water in the river, something hit my
right foot. Instantly, I was back
inside my body fighting for a breath of air and
struggling against the water. Next
I felt someone come up between my legs and raise
me up to the surface of the water so I could
begin breathing again. As I began
regaining my ability to breath again, I noticed
that the person I was sitting on was swimming
toward shore and beginning to struggle also.
I thought to myself that he needed to
come up for air, and I knew that I might cause
him to drown if I didn’t get off and let him
come up. I swung one leg over and
slid off of his back and he came up gasping for
air.
We
waded to shore and I started vomiting up all the
river water that I had swallowed. I
vomited up water again and again. After
vomiting several times, there was no longer any
water in my stomach to vomit up. I
continued dry heaving in an effort to expunge
more water. Now my stomach started
cramping from the over-exertion of heaving.
Slowly my heaving subsided and I began to
recover.
For the rest of the day I was wary about venturing very far into the river again. I was in a state of shock for a day or two over this and did not remember anything that I saw while in the
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water. I was in pain
from all of the exertion of fighting the water
and heaving up the water I had swallowed. Every
muscle in my body was sore for almost a week.
In
later years while a freshman in high school I
remembered my whole life flashing before my
eyes. Many people have reported
seeing their whole life flash before their eyes
when they were involved in an accident and they
came close to death. I don’t know
when I first became aware of the fact that at
some point in my life my whole life had flashed
before my eyes, but when I did, I associated it
with the near drowning experience, but did not
remember any of the other things like seeing
Jesus, or talking to him.
Many
years later, about 1978 or 1980, I read an
article about a book written by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
titled “Life After Life.” The
article told of a few incidents mentioned in the
book where persons had been involved in a life
threatening accident or had a heart attack, and
experienced some of the same scenes of meeting
Jesus and traveling in a tunnel. This
one article seemed to open the floodgate of
memories in my mind of everything that happened
that day when I nearly drowned. Everything
came to me as clear as the day it happened.
I have attributed this to Post Traumatic
Stress Syndrome (PTSD).
Now,
when someone asks me if I believe in Jesus, I
tell them YES! I tell them I
believe in Him because I know He is real. I
know He is real because I have SEEN Him. I
have touched Him. I have talked to Him. I have
held His hand. I have felt His love. I
have heard His voice. Yes, I know
He is real!
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A Visit
from Two Angels |
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What an inspiring description of events – I wish I could express myself so eloquently as Odell. This has inspired me to tell you about my experience though not in great detail because it happen so fast. When my mother Dora Chapa and my father Fermin Villarreal divorced, my mother took my two young brothers and my dad took me. At the age of 3, my father took ill with an enlarged heart, my father’s sister Carmen Villarreal Torres and her husband Antonio Torres took care of me while my dad was in the hospital. As it turned out he was in a convalescent hospital for three years. At the age of 26 years old my father passed away and at that time I was six years old living with my aunt and uncle.
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Shortly after my dad died, I experienced the following beautiful scene. One morning around 5:00 am just before the alarm went off for my aunt and uncle to get up, something woke me up. I looked up at the foot of my bed and there were two beautiful angels watching over me in their white floating garments. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was awake and just then they both floated out the window and at that point the alarm went off for my aunt and uncle to get up. I believe it was my father watching over me and don’t know who the other angel was.
And that is my story, Mimi..........
love, your cousin Yomar
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219th birthday
celebration of José Antonio
Navarro hosted by The Friends of Casa Navarro Casa Navarro State Historic Site is located in downtown San Antonio at 228 South Laredo St and is overseen by the Texas Historical Commission. |
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Only
persons that have made significant contributions to the State of Texas
in history and culture are eligible to be buried in the State Cemetery.
The State Cemetery was established in 1851. It’s the resting place for
Governors, senators, legislators and legendary Texans who have made the
state what it is today. Many important stories telling the founding of
Texas are found in this historic cemetery for visitors and for the many
generations to come! A
formal announcement of a Navarro Cenotaph was made at the Casa Navarro
State Historic Site to city officials, descendants and Friends of Casa
Navarro on Saturday, February 22, 2013 at Navarro’s 219th
birthday celebration. The historic site, an 1850’s adobe and limestone
structure was Navarro’s homestead and is located in downtown San
Antonio. The cenotaph will be engraved; listing Navarro’s many contributions to the founding of the State of Texas. The monument will serve as a teaching tool for the thousands of visitors and school children that visit the Texas State Cemetery. There are approximately, 5,000 visitors and 15,000 -20,000 school children that tour the cemetery annually! |
“Kids
can come out here and in one day learn more about Texas history than in
a whole semester in class.” Visitors,
students and children will learn about Texas history from the founding
era of the Republic of Texas! Stories of history abound in the State
Cemetery. Navarro is one of
Texas’ great patriots whose monument will be located among other great
Texans like his close friend, Stephen F. Austin. The
Friends organization plan to have the monument erected and installed as
soon as possible. A bronze bust of Navarro is being sculpted by Gilbert
Beall, well-known artist of Austin, Texas. Initial
funds have been generated and those wanting to learn more about the
project and to participate in the special ceremony and celebration being
planned for the installation, please contact Sylvia Navarro Tillotson,
Founder and President Emerita, 972.841.1018. |
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| We had a special exhibit of pictures and news articles of past birthday events and other past major Casa events. Many of the our past State and City Proclamations were displayed. Period clothing and old descendant pictures on display. |
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Wines that were fruit based as in those times. We had a ton of compliments on the food and on everything! Violinist, guitarist, and singer Juan Martinez who was excellent and played and sang old classics as may have been played and heard in the old days! It was a perfect evening - weather couldn't have been better...we were able to sit outdoors in the courtyard! |
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We had 100 guests attend that included descendants, Friends, and officials (unfortunately we had conflicts in this area because of election events going on!) The Navarro cenotaph was exciting news and well received - with applause! |
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| Former Mayor, Lila Cockrell (first woman mayor of SA) with John Tillotson |
Woman making tortillas |
A few Guests |
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David McDonald was present to sign Navarro biographies and brought us his most recent research on one of Navarro's names (Baldomero). Acknowledgments of special guests...and then the formal announcement was made! Drafts - pictures of the cenotaph were displayed. An original 5x7 acrylic painting of Navarro was given as a door prize. It was won by Navarro descendant, Joe Ramon Navarro. It was painted by Sylvia Navarro Tillotson.
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South Texas separatists proclaim
Territory of the Rio Grande |
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Texas State Historical Association |
During the Civil War, he managed to aid Union and Confederate forces against each other while promoting the Cortinista cause. In 1873 Esparza was appointed special deputy inspector of hides and animals in Cameron County. Texas Ranger Leander H. McNelly was probably referring to Esparza when in 1876 he described the Cortinistas' "organization ... called the 'rural police.' The chief man is owner of a ranch, or the superintendent... He is a civil officer... He sends an alarm to one ranch, and it is sent from ranch to ranch in every direction." After Cortina was arrested in 1875, Esparza retreated to his ranch and became a recluse to avoid criminal charges for his controversial political activities. He died in 1885. |
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Forgotten Fourteen Freedom Fighters of Texas |
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SAN ANTONIO, February 9 - Mostly as a result of the Tejano Monument’s unveiling in Austin in 2012; interest in early Texas history people, places, and events continues to grow. |
Real midpoint from Monclova to sites north in Texas, such as San Antonio, Goliad, and Nacogdoches. Thus, the Villas although set up in Nuevo Santander, strengthened Texas communities against French incursion and hostile Indian attacks. |
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Of interest to South Texas is the fact he was also joined on his trip from Revilla to the U.S. by a small group of recruits. The trip was tough, with most energy spent trying to avoid the Spanish Army. All went well until the party reached the Texas-Louisiana border. It was then that they were attacked by a Spanish patrol. Don Bernardo narrowly escaped death; most of his soldiers wounded, and three of his men were killed. Stopping in New Orleans, Don Bernardo left Captain Menchaca and wounded soldiers there to recuperate. He continued his journey. |
Grande. There was also constant movement of pioneer settlers within the villas: |
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Disunion follows the Civil War as it unfolded. Teodoro Zamora’s Commission By Alice L. Baumgartner January 6, 2014 |
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On a humid November day in 1863, Teodoro Zamora and his two brothers rode to the mouth of the Rio Grande. After tying their horses to a lone tree, they walked to where Col. Edmund Davis of the First Texas Cavalry Regiment stood, waiting. Davis was a tall, lean man who served for six years as the 12th District judge of Brownsville, Tex. He ruled over land disputes, fought beside the Rangers during the Texas Revolution and sentenced criminals to the penitentiary. But after Texas seceded from the Union, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. Discharged from his judgeship, Davis fled from Texas to New Orleans and finally to Washington, where Abraham Lincoln commissioned him as a colonel. Now, at the mouth of the Rio Grande, Davis handed Teodoro Zamora a commission as a lieutenant in the Union Army. Library of Congress Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Tex., just over the border The offer, at first glance, was not unusual. Tejanos (or, Texans of Mexican extraction) like the Zamoras enlisted to fight in the Civil War by the hundreds. Some fought for what was at stake, others for the $100 bounty. Zamora seemed like just the man to lead a company of Tejanos into battle. He had lived for many years in Brownsville, and served as the chief justice of Hidalgo County. But he differed from the other Tejanos in one crucial respect: He no longer lived in Texas. After resigning |
from his judgeship, he had moved to his mother’s ranch in Mexico. Zamora left Brownsville to join Juan N. Cortina, a Tejano rancher who raided Brownsville in 1859 to protest the unlawful seizure of his family’s land in South Texas. Defeated within the year, Cortina retreated to the Burgos Mountains, only to reappear after Texas seceded from the Union. This time he invaded Zapata County. Again defeated, Cortina returned to Mexico, where he installed himself as the governor of the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. This turn of events caught the Union’s attention. From Tamaulipas, Southern cotton could be shipped to Britain, disguised as an export from Mexico. Confederate agents appeared in Matamoros, the capital of Tamaulipas, eager to exploit this hole in the Union blockade. But Cortina favored the Union – not because he sympathized with its cause, but because he believed that a Union victory would further his own aims: taking back the territory Mexico had lost to the United States in the Mexican-American War. As governor, he closed the upper reaches of the Rio Grande to Southern cotton and arrested Confederates in Tamaulipas. “I will do everything that tends to the good and prosperity of the American union,” he wrote. The man who once charged through the streets of Brownsville, shouting “Death to the Americans,” now supported the government in Washington. |
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The result of this stunning reversal was the meeting that balmy November. Davis had fought against Cortina. He once counted Zamora, Cortina’s first lieutenant, as an enemy. Now he was offering Zamora a military commission. But to accept his commission, Zamora had to forswear his former allegiances — in other words, to concede that Texas belonged to the United States and that he had been “errant and mistaken” in supporting Juan Cortina. Zamora asked for a few days to make a decision. |
asked for his decision several days later, Zamora refused the commission. |
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What the Tejanos should have forgotten was the Mexican-American War. Though motivated by the United States’ “obliterating ambition,” the war was waged “with the hypocritical pretext of containing, helping, pacifying, and converting Mexico.” The Americans considered it their duty to intervene in Catholic, despotic Mexico. But this was a duty that “only the devil wishes to fulfill” — a duty that disguised the United States’ true aim: land. And under the treaty that ended the war, Mexico lost half of its territory, from the deep harbors of California to the fertile valleys of Arizona and New Mexico. The United States government “prostituted” Mexico to “its own favor.” And the Tejanos resisted. Who, then, ought to renounce his past actions? Not the Tejanos, Zamora wrote, because “by God we have defended justice.” |
further the interests of justice. He returned lands that had been unfairly dispossessed. He tried Texans for their crimes against Tejanos. But he was also interested in questions of a larger scale. How could a nation like the United States be so unjust but meet with such success? Why, in other words, did the Americans win a war with Mexico that was justified, as Lincoln had said, with the “half-insane mumblings of a fever dream”? |
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HANDBOOK OF TEXAS SEEKS SUPPORT |
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On March 29-30, 2014, a group of historians and
Texas-minded runners will come together as Team TSHA to tackle the 200-mile
course of the Texas Independence Relay, one of the most grueling relay races
in the entire state. Running day
and night, the team will retrace the route of the Texas Revolution from its
beginning in Gonzales to its end at San Jacinto. |
Why are they running?
To raise funds and support for the Handbook of Texas, the most
comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas history and culture.
Last year alone, the Handbook received 11.8 million page views from 226
countries. Keeping the Handbook
updated, comprehensive and freely available to millions requires sustained
support. And so Team TSHA is
running 200 miles in only 28 hours to raise funds for the Handbook.
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We need your support!
Every pledge and donation, no matter how small, makes a tremendous
difference. Make a pledge TODAY to support Team TSHA and the Handbook of Texas!
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Photo: Steamboats
on the Mississippi River in 1907 UTube: Los Isleños Fiesta of St. Bernard, Louisiana French Colonial Records, 1732-1819, Natchitoches Parish Louisiana, Creole Heritage Center The Attakapas Historical Association |
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| UTube of the Los Isleños Fiesta of
St. Bernard, Louisiana Sent by Bill Carmena who writes: Several great videos about the Canary Islanders of Louisiana and the Isleno Fiesta in St. Bernard Parish in March . I have Canary Islands' genes on both sides of my family. Enjoy the videos .. One is a wonderful 6 minute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKaNwzy-qtk JCarm1724@aol.com |
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| The Creole Heritage Center is testing out a
new online searchable index for the Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Courts French
Colonial Documents. This index can be accessed by clicking on the
French Colonial Records icon above.
This Index represents a computerized version of the hand-written listing of the Natchitoches Colonial Documents for the period 1732-1819. The current searchable file contains over 15,000 entries. Plans are to update the document with additional records as they are accumulated. Document references include Marriage contracts; sale of land; exchange of land; sale of slaves; Renunciation (rejection or |
abandonment); Manumission (emancipation
of slaves); acknowledgement of partnership; consent to marriage;
successions and inventories, just to name a few.
This resource was made possible by a grant from the Cane
River National Heritage Area. Representatives from the Clerk's
office worked with staff members of the Center, the NSU Head Archivist,
the Louisiana Regional Folklorist and NSU graduate assistants to provide
the framework for a comprehensive, searchable and detailed index. http://creole.nsula.edu/french-colonial-records/
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The
Attakapas Historical Association… |
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Founded
in 1966, the Gazette
appeared quarterly until the early 1990s, when it became an annual. It
ceased publication in 1996. During
its dormancy, however, both professional and amateur researchers
continued to find the first
series of the
Gazette
an invaluable resource. This indispensability played a major role in the
decision of a handful of cultural activists and scholars to resurrect
the publication. Now, however, the Gazette will not be published with traditional paper and ink, but virtually - on the Internet. The journal can thus be found at: www.AttakapasGazette.org. |
The
journal's inaugural digital issue is now online at the above website. It
includes an article by historian Shane K. Bernard about early St. Mary
Parish sugar planter John C. Marsh; a biographical sketch by Roger Busbice
(former chief archivist of Louisiana's Old State Capitol),
writing on Civil War general Leonidas
Polk (who,
as an Episcopal bishop,
consecrated two churches in central Acadiana),
and an essay by noted linguist and folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet
about that ever-controversial word "coonass."
Sent by Winston Deville
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New
issues will be released quarterly on
AttakapasGazette.org,
which readers may
also be acces-sed to submit articles for
consideration. As with the original journal, we encourage submissions
from both professionals and the aficionado. Possible
topics include family histories; collections of birth, marriage, death,
and burial records; transcribed or translated historical documents;
oral interviews,
and studies of local folklore and folkways, among others. For
membership information, contact:
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| Painting: They called it la Florida March 8, 2014: 17th-Century Military Muster at Mission San Luis, Tallahassee, Florida Cuento: Cooking Lessons by Daisy Martinez, extract, Count on Me, edited by Adrianna V. Lopez Cuento: Once upon a time, there lived a street cop by the name of Joe Sanchez |
"THEY CALLED IT 'LA
FLORIDA'" |
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Los Presidiales de San Agustín (c. 1672-1763) / Theater with a Mission (16th and 17th century) 17th-Century Military Muster at Mission San Luis |
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Mission San Luis (www.missionsanluis.org) will host its annual 17th-Century Military Muster heritage Event on Saturday, March 8, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., highlighting Spanish and Apalachee military life in La Florida.
Members of Florida Living History, Inc.'s (FLH) Los Presidiales de
San Agustín group will participate in colorful pageantry,
military drills, and the firing of muskets and cannons at the
reconstructed Castillo de San Luis. FLH's member unit, Theater with a
Mission, will give a reading from Juan del Encina's one-act pastoral
comedy, ¡Carnal fuera! (Feast, Be Gone!), featuring four
country bumpkins who are determined to make the most of the last few
minutes before the Lenten fast begins. |
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The Event will feature demonstrations and interpretations of the lives
and tasks of colonial soldiers and native militias in San Luis de
Apalachee, the 17th-century capitol of Spanish Florida's Apalachee
Province. Originally established in 1656, the Mission San Luis site is
now a National Historic
Landmark. Admission to Mission San Luis is $5 per adult; $3 per senior; and $2 per child aged 6-17. Children under 6, members of The Friends of Mission San Luis, and military personnel are admitted for free. For more information on the 17th-Century Military Muster heritage Event, please contact: |
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| Karin Stanford / Mission San Luis E-mail: karin.stanford@dos.myflorida.com |
Dr. Richard Shortlidge / Florida Living History, Inc. E-mail: info@floridalivinghistory.org Phone: 1-877-FLA-HIST [1-877-352-4478] |
| Florida Living History, Inc. (FLH), in partnership with the Diocese of St. Augustine and Mission Nombre de Dios, is pleased to announce our initial,
2015 plans to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of the City of St. Augustine.
On September 5-6, 2015, FLH will host heritage events and activities at Mission Nombre de Dios – the site of Menéndez’ original landing – in St. Augustine, Florida.
For further information, contact us at info@floridalivinghistory.org
or (toll-free) 1-877-FLA-HIST (1-877-352-4478).
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| CUENTO |
| Cooking Lessons by Daisy Martinez Extracted segments (pg. 153, 163-164), Count on Me, Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships, edited Adrianna V. Lopez |
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The first way I remember my mami expressing that she loved me was by pulling apart a piece of freshly poached chicken from a pot of soup, blowing on it so it would cool, and placing it in my mouth. If you've ever experienced a similar gesture, you know how loved, safe, and secure it made you feel. It should come as no big surprise to anyone who knows me, therefore, that my most cherished memories involve food; from the shopping for ingredients to the preparation, and finally the culmination of serving that food to people who I love. I truly believe that feeding someone is one of the most intimate things you can do: You are continually touching, tasting, and smelling the dish that you will ultimately use to nurture the other person. I've been blessed to have had not one, but four children for whom I've been able to replicate Mami's simple act of love, and further blessed to have been able to thank my mother by honoring her with cooking of my own. Another lesson mami taught me early on is how food is such a focal point in just about any situation: a celebration, a condolence, a reconciliation, a reunion, even a seduction (I remember my abuela telling me that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach). People come together around a table to break bread, and if they are eating, they're talking, and forging relationships. As a professional chef, I am lucky enough to earn a living doing something that I love, and as a freelancer I am fortunate enough that |
I can choose exactly who I cook for (I vowed long ago that I would not cook for anyone that I don't love; it would be the ultimate act of hypocrisy). My profession has also allowed me to utilize the act of cooking as a teaching tool, and not just the "how to" of a recipe, but as I cook I give motherly advice. I motivate my students to open up to me about themselves. We even offer cultural discussions. Whether I'm cooking with my children, teaching classes at New York City inner-city public, schools, or giving cooking demos, I am able to fortify relation ships. Teaching brings all of my strengths together, and puts me in my most happy place. [Editor Mimi: Daisy responding to the enthusiasm of three fans, offered to teach these three young women cooking lessons in her home. The experience as she writes turned into a life lesson. "Our Saturday in the kitchen, which started out as a gesture of appreciation for three young women who had showered me with their support, turned into a life lesson: You never know who is watching you for inspiration. It's always better to be on your best behavior, so that the lessons you teach by example are positive. |
| On
November 1, 2011, I attended Mimi's graduation from the French
Culinary Institute. She'd quit her job as a social worker, and while
scared out of her mind, dove into the culinary arena headfirst. Rachel
is working as a bilingual paralegal full time these days, but says her
passion for food never ceases to be a huge part of her everyday life. Ofelia is wrapping up her
academic pursuits and is planning her wedding this year. Me, I
continue to be proud of my comadres and their accomplishments. You
know how I know? At the FCI ceremony, I was that woman in the
front row, with the cheerleading pom-poms, and the ridiculously large
grin pasted on her face, jumping up and i down with excitement. I am
their comadre. |
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CUENTO |
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Once upon a time, there lived a street cop by the name of Joe Sanchez |
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Once upon a time, there lived a street cop by the name of Joe Sanchez. He
was assigned to the notorious Dirty 30. Precinct, where many a good cops
worked as well as bad cops. One nefarious boss was known for being
vindictive. If you did not play ball according to his rules, he would make
life miserable for you by assigning you to the worst foot post in the
precinct and giving you the evil eye. It was either his way or the highway.
This particular boss and I clashed a few times. Other bosses who knew I was
a good street cop and would not sell my badge, left me alone. But slick
Willie was not one of them. He was on a mission to help one of the worst
captains I had ever worked under to bring me down and get me off the job. |
I was hanging around the main lobby near the information counter which is
close to the entrance of 100 Centre Street, when I heard an elderly woman
screaming and calling for help. Others in the area were already trying to
comfort the old lady and asking what had happened. She said that she had
handed five hundred dollars to a black man who had told her that he was a
lawyer after she had told him that her husband had been arrested and he had
called her to bring the money to bail him out. She said that the man told
her he would take the case for five hundred. He told her to wait until he
went into his office to take care of some paper work. She pointed to the
office he had walked into. It was the docket number room for those people |
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I took the cab driver inside the room where cops wait to be called to the
court room to pick up their prisoners for arraignment. Inside were a few
cops and the court officer who was taking some information from the old
lady who had been conned. I asked for some backup, telling the cops that |
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After speaking to the old lady again, she tells me if I
would be nice enough to tell her husband she has the money to bail him
out.. She gives me his name, and off I went to find him. He is waiting in
one of the cells where he is being interviewed by a Legal Aid Attorney
before being taken out to sit at the Bull Pen, where his name will then be
called to face the judge for |
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When the old man knocked on the door, the door opened, and right behind him
were the Secret Service with guns out. Not |
I cannot remember how long it was before the old man once again paid me a
visit. I was on patrol when I got a call to report to the station house. The
old man was waiting for me. Fortunate, Slick Willie was off that day. He
told me he had been given all the money back, and that his daughter was
sorry for what she had done. She told him she was forced to do it by the bad
people she was hanging around with. They were going to rip him off by
stealing his money. Who knows what would have happened had not the Secret |
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New
York State Correction Academy Joe Sanchez 42-years-old graduating in 1989 from the New York State Correction Academy in Harriman, Orange County, New York. Joe smiling 3rd row 4th from right. Archie Bunker { All in the Family } second row far right was the commanding officer. When new cadets were each asked in the classroom to introduce themselves and where they were from and what they did before coming to the academy, I just said: I just left the post office after three years and I'm glad and proud to be here. The only ones that knew I was a former cop was my investigator and some people up in Albany |
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Harvard History Department Adds Latin American Scholars |
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| While the overall size of [Harvard University's] Faculty of Arts and Sciences has remained flat, the History Department has increased the number of professors specializing in Latin American history in the last two years. The expansion is part of the department's larger effort to restore its faculty in Latin American history after several years with no professors specializing in the field. "This has been a priority for the department for five years now," History Department Chair David R. Armitage said. "Student interest in the region is enormous, and we want to make sure that its importance is understood in Harvard and beyond." Assistant professor of History Kirsten A. Weld was the first to join the department last year. "The changing demographic realities of the United States means that there are more people who look around themselves and realize that knowing something about Latin America is necessary to living in the United States," she said. |
Weld, who specializes in 20th century Mexican and Central American history, also noted that her classes have had students from a wide range of backgrounds. Weld also explained that many more students at Harvard now are of Latino and Latin American descent compared to previous years. Most of my classes have been productive and interesting mixes of people who have a pre-existing interest in history as a discipline and people who have a pre-existing interest in Latin America as a region, and when you get those two groups of people together you have wonderful classroom discussions," she added. Besides geopolitical reasons, a driving force behind the recent hires of faculty specializing in Latin American history was the retirement of three professors, including John H. Coatsworth, who is now Provost at Columbia University. The History Department went several years without having a faculty member specifically devoted to Latin America. |
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In addition to Weld, Tamar Herzog and Alejandro de la
Fuente, Robert Woods Bliss Professor of Latin American History and Economics, were also appointed as faculty members. The department is also planning to present an offer to Sidney Chalhoub from the University of Campinas in Brazil to join the senior faculty. |
and I'm hoping to learn from everyone here." Sent by Dorinda Moreno |
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LDS Church Making Strides Preserving African
Family Histories |
LDS Church Making Strides Preserving African Family Histories Recording oral histories; a race against time.
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Dr. Osei-Agyemang Bonsu, an area manager for the Church’s FamilySearch International, is working hard to preserve family history in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has spent the past five years working with a team of contractors to record the histories and take pictures of the elderly family historians he called “informants.” |
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Ultimately the team’s efforts will be freely searchable online at FamilySearch.org. “Every family has a particular person who knows the history of that particular family, and you need to know who that person is,” said Bonsu during a Skype interview from Ghana. “They are dying fast and going away with all this information.”
Written records for many Native Africans didn’t appear until war registration records were created in 1949, and he said those are deteriorating. “They are not well-kept and they are not on quality paper, and so these are also getting lost quickly,” added Bonsu, who has been involved in efforts to digitize historic records in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. He said field workers will be moving to records in Nigeria this year. |
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“We are losing information every day, and that’s my worry,” said Bonsu, who spoke at the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City on 6 February 2014, on the challenges facing those tracing their African ancestry. |
The local youth used to sit with the informants and talk
to them about their family histories, but Bonsu said “urban drift”
is an issue as they leave their villages. “Now because of poverty, a
lot of these young men are coming to the city,” he said.
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Another way families in Africa are sharing their histories is by using a family tree or drawing pictures as a way to record genealogy. “The time to make all of the effort to collect this information is now--not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, but now, and that is what we’re hoping that we can get all the support to do,” concluded Bonsu.
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Ison added that the Freemen's records have limited information. “While it’s really great if your ancestor was a depositor, not that many people were depositors.” He said records of enslaved people may be helpful. “If they can figure out who the slaveholder was, they can start researching the slaveholders’ family.”
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NaDine Timothy at FamilySearch in Salt Lake City has assisted those doing research on their families for more than 30 years, watching the “boom” in family history as more and more online resources become available.
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Timothy urged those doing family history to keep a “written trail” of their searches, whether they get positive or negative results. “It’s easy to become discouraged; they should never give up hope. I have seen amazing things happen. If the first person doesn’t give you the right advice, don’t get discouraged; just move on,” she said. |
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FamilySearch has created an interim website, Community Trees, to host information being collected through oral histories in Africa and other parts of the world. In addition, FamilySearch has an online resource for those doing research on their African Americans ancestors. Collections include records from all of the U.S. Federal Censuses, the Civil War and the Freedmen's Bureau, a U.S. federal government agency initiated by President Abraham Lincoln after the Civil War to assist distressed freed slaves and give them a safe place to put their money. More information about the Freedmen’s Bureau records can be found in this online video. |
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About Genealogy: Researching
African-American & Other Ethnic Ancestors |
| Explore your African American family history and heritage through this collection of free databases, resources and family trees for African-American genealogy. |
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1. AfriGeneas |
4. Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System |
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7. American Memory Collection |
10. Freedmen's Bureau Online |
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15. Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722–1863) |
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Survivors of Captivity: Known Captive Indians in Southern Colorado, 1860-1880 by Virginia Sanchez Photos: A mountain of bison skulls ready to be ground into fertilizer in the 1870's. Photo: Michigan loggers in 1890 sent by Roy Archuleta |
| Book: Survivors of Captivity: Known Captive Indians in Southern Colorado, 1860-1880, provides 365 genealogy reports about captive Indians in Southern Colorado. Before this book, descendants of these captives had little documented information about their ancestors' lives and the owners they served. In addition to a full index and fully sourced footnotes, the book includes a table that lists the owners, where they lived, and the number they owned. I used a variety of primary and secondary sources to research and document their names, dates, and histories. The 450-page self-published book also includes historical notes and photos of some of the captives. Ask your local libraries to purchase copies. $57 each (includes postage). Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy for your library, or for more information email at Virginia.Sanchez@comcast.net 571-312-5717 or 303-730-6464 Editor: Virginia has been involved in genealogical research for almost forty years. She is an expert in New Mexico and Southern California history. Although, I have not read Survivors of Captivity: Known Captive Indians in Southern Colorado, 1860-1880, I feel very confident in recommending it. |
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17th New York Sephardic Festival, March 13-20, 2014
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17th New York Sephardic Festival, March 13-20, 2014
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Enrico Macias is one of the most popular and influential French performing and recording artists of his generation – a composer, singer and prolific songwriter, as well as a celebrated actor. He was born to a musical, Jewish family in Constantine, Algeria in 1938. In 1961, during the Algerian War of Independence, he and his wife fled to Paris in the aftermath of the murder of his father-in-law, also a famous musician. Mr. Macias has not returned to Algeria since then. His destiny, like most of the Jews of North Africa and the Middle East, became the central focus of his early songwriting as with his major hit “Adieu mon pays” (“Goodbye My Country”). The Sephardic narrative remained a central focus in many of his more than 100 recorded songs. He has became, and remains, a special hero and inspiration to so many that shared the same destiny. He is the first major performer in modern times to reach international fame while proudly emphasizing his Jewish roots. For the past 50 years, he has performed throughout the world and has acted in numerous films and television shows. In 1997, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, nominated Mr. Macias for the title of "Ambassador at Large for Peace and Protection of the Children of the World.” |
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A Jewish piednoir musician and singer, Enrico Macias, is a unique figure in the French musical landscape. Over the past 50 years, the boy from Constantine, Algeria, has become the spokesman for the thousands of North African, and other Middle Eastern Jews, who fled their homelands in the 1950’s and 1960’s. A utopian, singing of love and friendship between nations, he has gradually become not only a messenger for peace, but also one of the most popular singers in France. |
France, 2012. 52 mins. French w/English subtitles.
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The Long Road Home |
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| More than 500 years after their ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity, thousands of descendants of Marranos living in South America are returning to their Jewish roots. But they are running into obstacles on the way back to Judaism. It seems like they can still hear the rolling laughter of the Inquisitor. Tens of thousands of descendants of the Marranos - the Jews of Spain and Portugal who were forced to convert to Christianity more than 500 years ago - continue to carry the lost identity of their forebears, despite the passage of centuries. The Internet is buzzing with forums of the descendants of the Marranos, also called anusim, forced converts in Hebrew. On a forum called "Saudades" (Longings; www.saudades.org), more than 1,000 people are engaged in an intensive process of clarifying and crystallizing their identity. They write about Hebrew accents, Israeli Nobel Prize laureates, Torah precepts, Talmudic sages, the Jerusalem prayer book and even about the quality award that went to the olive oil of Kibbutz Revivim in the northern Negev, in a worldwide competition. |
One of the participants in the forum styles himself "The 7 Noachian Laws." Another, Mordechai Lopes, from
Recife, Brazil, writes about Shabbat observance, and a woman contributes an article that was published in a local American paper about descendants of Marranos who live in the United States, urging people to read it. Anabela from the village of Soago in Portugal writes about a DNA test she recently had done. She says she knows she is of Portuguese descent and asks any forum participants who have also had DNA tests to check whether there is any compatibility with her results (which she includes in the message). Besides Saudades, an English-language site, there are many sites serving virtual communities of Spanish-speaking Marranos - Mexicans, Peruvians and Colombians. Here, too, at the heart of their discourse lies their great trap: their past. The Marranos' descendants, who are formally Christians in every respect, deal with questions such as "who is a Jew" and how Jewish history has ignored them. They talk about various archives that document the Spanish Inquisition and their personal genealogies, whose roots extend all the way back to that dark period in Spain. |
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"All the signs indicate that there is an awakening of Marranos who are looking for their Jewish roots," says Prof. Avi Gross, an expert on Spanish and Portuguese Jewry and on the Marranos from the Department of Jewish History at
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva. Gross returned last month from a visit to the Marrano communities in Brazil as part of his activity in Ezra La'anusim (Help for the
Marranos), an association which became operative this year. On the screen of his laptop is a photograph of a family of
Marranos: the husband took a picture of his wife and two children as they lit the Shabbat candles. |
awakening among the descendants of the Portuguese Marranos who immigrated to Brazil. "Jewish blood flows in the veins of a very high proportion of Christian Brazilians of Portuguese origin," he says. "The fact that vestiges of Judaism exist in astounding quantities is clear; it is a statistical matter. Historians say that 15 percent of the Portuguese emigrants who settled in Brazil in the 16th and 17th centuries were of Marrano - that is, Jewish - descent. A simple arithmetical calculation will give you seven-digit figures today. In my opinion, the numbers are far smaller. We are talking about unconscious Judaism which was totally assimilated. Most of them assimilated a thousand times since then." |
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There are large concentrations of Marranos (the word, used derogatively of the converts, means "pigs" or "the accursed") in Brazil, especially in the country's northeast. It is in these arid areas, deep in the interior of the continent, that Gross found huge families that maintain a Jewish way of life, at least as far as they are able. The area borders four states:
Pernambuco, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraiba. |
The Marranos' descendants are far from being a monolithic bloc, Prof. Gross relates. Because the Marrano reality was concealed until now, it became an individual matter, so there are some Marranos who are more Zionist and others who are more religious. There are also some who consider themselves pure Sephardim [from the Hebrew word for Spain] and therefore decided to follow in the footsteps of Maimonides and express powerful opposition to mysticism and
kabbala. In general, they all feel Jewish and Israeli, even if they are totally cut off from that way of life. |
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Root Of The Evil |
conversion in Portugal, most Marranos were cut off from the
Jewish world. A paradoxical situation emerged in which the Church succeeded in turning the Jews into "new Christians," but Christian society rejected them. The entry of the new Christians into the social system was perceived as a threat by former Jews, certainly in the first generation. By the 16th century a view gained credence in Spain and Portugal that there was a stubborn core of heresy in the Jews, who were Christians on the outside but remained Jews in their homes. This outlook was manifested in the form of the "blood purity" laws, which were not necessarily promulgated by the state but were adopted in various areas by certain institutions, such as universities and monasteries, in order to exclude anyone with Jewish origins. |
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Born And Dying As Jews |
Marrano community in Brazil, like the model of the famous Marrano community in
Belmonte, Portugal, where forced converts managed to preserve Jewish religious observance in secret from the time of the Inquisition until the 1970s, and train people to carry out religious tasks in the community. He himself has already learned the burial ritual from the Orthodox burial society of Sao Paulo. "In all the generations of my family," he writes by e-mail, "the women preserved the customs and transmitted the tradition. For example, the burial tradition - my mother was responsible in the family for purifying the dead and for the interment." |
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The Orthodox Barrier |
procedures, even though I am Jewish." |
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"Those who wish to perform all the precepts of the Torah openly today should be praised," Rabbi Eliahu wrote. "After undergoing all the processes of Torah study, accepting the Torah and the burden of the precepts, circumcision and immersion as stipulated in the Law, they should be given a certificate headed, `Certificate for one who returns to the ways of his forefathers.'"
Halakhically, this ruling puts the Marranos through the same strict process that a convert undergoes, but despite this, the rabbinical courts in Israel do not abide by this ruling. |
Jewish past was forgotten in certain parts of the family - my mother, for example, didn't know about it." |
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"I think we are obligated to find a way to draw the
Marranos' descendants close to us and to draw closer to them," Aryeh Barnea says in a determined tone. "This is a humane story. We have to understand that this means the whole world to these people - to connect with their Jewish roots. There is a matter here that the Israeli establishment is not aware of: the
Marranos' descendants are Jews and we must find a way to bring them back into the fold of Judaism and Israel. We have to help them come back home. The estimate is that hundreds of thousands might return, and as I see it this is a demographic issue that constitutes a meaningful contribution to society in Israel. From my point of view, a step in this direction is definitely the realization of Zionism." |
This organization, which was founded by Rabbi Eliyahu
Avichail, is also active in trying to find descendants of the 10 lost
tribes. Ezra La'anusim has hopes for a genuine shift of attitude, one that would verge on the historic. "Our primary goal is to find conversion courts with Orthodox authority," Prof. Gross explains. "When that court rules in favor of a Marrano's right to return to the ways of his forefathers, no one will be able to dispute it." |
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return of the descendants of the anusim to the fold of the Jewish people, the subject will be examined in depth, because of the fear of assimilation among the descendants of the
anusim. To examine the Jewishness of the descendants of the anusim, the chief rabbi sent two representatives who are to submit a conclusive report on the subject very soon." Sent by Monica Smith
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| Thousands of men and women who claim descent from forced converts have set out on an emotional odyssey to regain their families’ original faith—Judaism. Growing up in a Catholic family in the 1950’s in the old whaling town of New Bedford, Mass., Linda daCosta’s early life resembled that of her neighbors. When they socialized they would recall their Portuguese seafaring ancestors with pride. Her own had come from the Azores, an archipelago of mid-Atlantic islands. But there were differences. “At home we were taught to check a raw egg for blood and soak meat in brine,” recalls daCosta. “In the spring my mother would insist upon getting ‘every crumb out of the house.’” Housecleaning was done on Fridays and there was little enthusiasm for attending church. Only after she visited Israel in 1995—one of several visits to Israel she had felt compelled to make without knowing why—did she better understand that her family had been perpetuating certain Jewish rites. Before then, “I had not one single clue that my ancestors might have been Jewish,” she says. |
Linda—now known as Yaffah Batya—formally returned to Judaism through intensive study and ritual purification. She lives in a suburb of Jerusalem and leads an active peer group for those, like herself, exploring a return to their ancestors’ faith. Preferring the Hebrew term bnei anousim (children of forced converts) rather than crypto-Jews or the neutral conversos, many of these men and women trace descent from the mass of forcible conversions that took place on the Iberian Peninsula during the 15th century. Their ancestors later fanned out over northern Europe, the New World, Asia and Africa to escape the Inquisition. Not all returnees are of Spanish and Portuguese origin. Take Italy, a country that historically had both Sephardim and Ashkenazim as well as Jews who had been there since Roman times. Over the centuries, generations of Italian Jews were also coerced into Catholicism, each town having its House of Catachumens, a sanctuary for Jews who agreed to accept Christ. These practices spawned hundreds of Italians, especially in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, who today share the same dim awareness of a Jewish past. |
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“We have a new congregation in Trani made up entirely of returning
anousim,” reports Massimo Mandolini, a professor of Italian language and civilization at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif. Mandolini was born in the Adriatic port city of
Ancona. After researching his Jewish roots in an emotional odyssey that thrust him back into the arcane folkways and dialect of Italian Jews, he is undergoing a formal return to Judaism. |
at least 40 percent, or 80 million, are deemed of Portuguese origin. Of these, at least one quarter, or 20 million, have Jewish blood, says Jacques
Cukierkorn, the Brazilian-born rabbi at the New Reform Temple of Kansas City. He first ran the numbers in 1994 while completing a master’s thesis on the hidden Jews of Brazil. If 10 percent or fewer seek return, it still works out to almost two million. |
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In the United States, “it could change the tenor of Jewish life from a heavily Ashkenazi base to a more Hispanic one,” predicts Stanley Hordes, adjunct research professor at the Latin American and Iberian Institute at the University of New Mexico and a founder of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies. But “there is a very big if,” he adds. |
conversion that he or she can violate the law of Shabbat (cook a meal, drive a car) until going to the mikvah because such an act is not yet a sin, since that person is not yet Jewish. Not so for a returnee. |
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Others do not get a sense of being wanted. DaCosta thinks this comes too often from being Hispanic, that it conjures up the image of someone poor and uneducated. “But we have software engineers,” she says, “doctors and business professionals like me.” |
For many, the strict requirements of Jewish law for conversion become a hurdle— the detailed instruction, ritual purification and mandated circumcision. The complexity was highlighted at a conference called “Conversion and Reversion to Judaism” held at the Center for Jewish History in New York last March, where panelists discussed how difficult it has been for rabbis through the centuries to respond to the sensitivities of returnees while realizing their obligation to fully uphold Jewish law. |
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A few bnei anousim are taking a leadership role by entering the rabbinate. Among them are Spanish-born Jordi
Gendra, who graduated in June from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia; Juan Mejia from
Bogota, a student at the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary in New York; and Rigoberto Emmanual Viñas from Cuba, a rabbi since 1998 now at an Orthodox congregation in Yonkers, New York. (While these theological students and rabbis all underwent conversion, the other bnei anousim mentioned have or are studying with a rabbi as returnees.) |
The World Council of Conservative/ Masorti Synagogues recently sent Harlow and his wife,
Navah, to Lisbon to help 18 Portuguese complete their conversion requirements. The group had already established its own congregation, Kehillat Beit
Yisrael. Sent by Monica Smith tortelita@gmail.com |
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Ancient Native American village found in
downtown Miami, slated for massive development |
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ancient-indian-site-found-downtown-miami-article-1.1602482 |
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Archeologists are excavating the Met Square site in downtown Miami that was a parking lot most recently. The incredible site includes carved holes believed to be foundation holes for Tequesta Indian homes built two millenniums ago, the Miami Herald reported. The site, apparently once occupied by Tequesta Indians, is on track to become a Whole Foods, 34-story hotel, restaurant and movie theater. The dig, on a two-acre spit of land at the intersection of the Miami River and the Biscayne Bay, has become a contentious plot because of the historical significance and the property’s financial value to developers MDM Development Group. The incredible site includes carved holes believed to be foundation holes for Tequesta Indian homes built two millenniums ago |
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El dia de la Bandera en Mexico Joseph Luiz Vicente. Indio Apache Don José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi " El Pensador Mexicano " |
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| En 24 de febrero de 1937 se celebró por vez primera el Día de la Bandera (única y exclusivamente) en la ciudad de México por iniciativa de un Comité Pro Día de la Bandera. Una ocasión el empleado del Banco de México Benito Ramírez Espíndola, acudió a una ceremonia cívica realizada en el puerto de Veracruz en 1934. En lugar de ondear banderas de nuestra nación, abundaban por doquier banderas rojas y negras con la hoz y el martillo. Ramírez Espíndola debió formar un Comité Pro Día de la Bandera pues parecía más bien que le estaban rindiendo una salutación a la bandera de la ya desparecida Unión Soviética. Desde el 22 de febrero de 1940, la Secretaría de Educación Pública dispuso que todas las escuelas del país le rindieran los honores a la bandera de México. Y dos años después, el general Manuel Ávila Camacho propuso que también se le hiciera un juramento de lealtad. Originalmente el día de la Bandera se hacía en el
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Panteón de San Fernando en la ciudad de México, ahí donde descansan los restos del general Vicente Guerrero quien fue el primer militar insurgente en reconocer al lábaro Patrio que nos recuerda el plan de las Tres Garantías proclamado por Agustín de Iturbide en Iguala el 24 de febrero de 1824. Cada color simboliza a Dios (religión), la Patria y la libertad: blanco, verde, rojo y blanco. Luego el verde representa a la independencia y la esperanza y el rojo a la unión y a la sangre derramada por nuestros héroes que nos dieron Patria y Libertad. Cordialmente, Antonio Guerrero Aguilar cronos85@hotmail.com Cronista de Santa Catarina Mandado por samuelsanchez@genealogia.org.mx |
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Joseph Luiz Vicente. Indio Apache |
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Del libro de bautismos de San Fernando de Austria, San
Fernando de Rosas hoy Zaragoza, Coah. les envío la imágen y paleografía
del siguiente registro. |
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Fuentes. Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los
Santos de los últimos Días. |
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Don José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi " El Pensador Mexicano " |
| El año de 1827 falleció en la ciudad que lo vió nacer la capital de la República el notable escritor Don José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi " El Pensador Mexicano ", quien nos deleitó con sus novelas: el Periquillo Sarniento, la Quijotita y su prima, Don Catrín de la Fachenda y otras, fué un entusiasta propagandista de ideas liberales de la Revolución Francesa. |
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Libro de defunciones del Sagrario Metropolitano de la Cd.
de México. |
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Fuentes.Family Search. Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de
los últimos Días.
Investigó y paleografió. Tte.Corl.Intdte.Ret. Ricardo R. Palmerín Cordero. Miembro de Genealogía de México y de la Sociedad de Genealogía de Nuevo León. |
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| Libro genealogías del Suroeste Antioqueño
Por Luis Álvaro Gallo Martínez. |
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Por fin, y luego de una serie de obstáculos, a partir del próximo lunes 17 de febrero dispondremos de ejemplares de la obra Genealogías del Suroeste
Antioqueño. |
Las poblaciones del Suroeste Antioqueño, su gran mayoría, fueron fundadas hacia la mitad del siglo
XIX, siendo por lo tanto relativamente jóvenes. Y fueron pobladas por personas de Medellín y
Envigado. Dos o tres municipios sirvieron como puntos de irrigación para la
zona. Esto contribuyó para que entre los habitantes de esta región exista mucho parentesco entre
ellos.
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| The Harana
Article, An Update by Eddie AAA Calderón, Ph.D. Dr. Jose P. Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines |
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CUENTO |
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The Harana Article, An Update |
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When I wrote the Harana article --refer to http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2012/spfeb12/spfeb12.htm#THE PHILIPPINES, I did not include amusing stories that came with my Harana (serenade or panambitan in Tagalog) experience. Some of the stories were told to me by my fellow haranistas (seneraders) and some of them were from my own experience. I could only join the haranistas with this memorable event during Summer and school vacations as they lived in my mother's home town of Taal, Batangas which is 120 kilometres away from my home in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila. My harana experiences as well as those of my friends were not only "out of sight" especially if the lady being serenaded opened the window from her bedroom and beam her nice smile on us, but they were very amusing too. A serenade even became an important event if there were lady visitors to the town. I remember an Australian 24 year old woman I met in Turkey in 1970 who decided to visit my country after I made that invitation to her if she was on her way back to Australia. I took her later to my mother's hometown of Taal, Batangas. And as expected of a female visitor especially from a foreign country, my Australian friend was then serenaded. My sister was also serenaded when she was 13.5 years of age for the first time in my mother's hometown. A harana had been a common event among the young male adults of my country, and usually the harana was done to help a swain bestow his amourous attention and intention to a lady that he was too shy to do on his own. The harana tradition seems to fade in recent years unfortunately since I left my country many years ago. It can now be only seen on movies and television shows or in special occasions. |
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| The above pictures showing the homes made with nipa, a palm tree with creeping roots, characteristic of mangrove swamps in the Philippines (also found in India and the Pacific Islands) during the olden times, are still very current among many rural areas and the indigenous peoples living in the mountains and isolated areas. The second picture was taken perhaps in the early 1900's. This house is called a Nipa Hut or Bahay Kubo in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines.The Bahay Kubo often serves as an icon of a broader Filipino culture and specifically, the Filipino rural culture. We even have a song entitled Bahay Kubo I learnt when I started to sing. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WkH58rV3I* | ||
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Let me start with my experience. I remember us haranistas doing the serenade one evening and despite all efforts to get the lady being serenaded to wake up and open her window from the second floor to look down on us below, the mother would instead lay a lighted candle by the slightly opened window of her daughter's room instead of letting her daughter wake up and greet us. This was a very strange event for me but I was told by my fellow haranistas that it had happened before. I found out later that the girl being serenaded was not feeling well and would not want to dress for the occasion. Then there was a guy who insisted on doing a harana though the group asked him not to do it. But he persisted anyway and did his out-of-tune rendition leaving us haranistas with no choice but to smile and look at each others. And that could have been the reason why the lady being serenaded who might have been displeased did not even bother to wake up and open the window during the entire serenade event. |
Then the serenaders recounted to me their amusing experiences when I was not with them. I was told that the guy mentioned above who sang out of tune rendered his solo serenade even though he was told not to do it. One haranista told me that he found it so funny hearing the singer's monotone voice resembling that of a person reading a story that he could not help but smile. The monotone singer caught him smiling as he was singing that he started to burst into laughter. The father of the girl being serenaded heard of the big laughter coming from the singer that he opened the door to the house expressing his anger against the haranistas saying that they were making fun of his daughter. The haranistas had no choice but to end the serenade. |
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But when he started to sing, he was about to sneeze and therefore the first lyric line was kind of garbled and one word clearly sounded that of a common sneeze. He then sang: Kay lungkot nitong
"hatsing" gabi when the mild sneeze finally came, instead of saying
hatinggabi. He then had to abruptly end his serenade. The sound hatsing is a very common sound of a "sneeze" in the Philippines. The fellow haranistas laughed hard and the particular haranista felt so embarrassed that he asked to be excused from participating in the serenade. The serenade then continued. Luckily the woman being serenaded later opened the window and looked at the haranistas with a smile on her face. |
Usually the name of the person, if he were a single person, interested in the lady was mentioned during the rendition of the harana as was customarily done. And for the two interested persons, the singer would just render the serenade without mentioning the names of the rivals. This had happened several times and I was a witness to one of them. |
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*Bahay kubo, kahit munti Ang halaman doon, ay sari sari Sinkamas at talong, sigarilyas at mani Sitaw, bataw, patani. Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa At saka mayroon pang labanos, mustasa, Sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya Sa paligid-ligid ay puno ng linga. English translation Nipa hut*, even though it is small, The plants that grow around it are varied: Turnip and eggplant, winged bean and peanut String bean, hyacinth bean, lima bean. Wax gourd, luffa, white squash and pumpkin, And there is also radish, mustard, Onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger And all around are sesame seeds. |
**Kay lungkot nitong hatinggabi, wala man lang kahit isang bituin Nawala rin ang buwan, kaya ngayon ako'y lubhang naninimdin, giliw Kahit na walang tanglaw sinta ang palad ko sa gitna ng dilim Manungaw ka ang buhay ko'y kusang magniningning Nagsusumamo ang puso ko paraluman Nakikiusap sa iyong pagmamahal Hindi mo man pinanpansin ang panambitan Pag-ibig ko'y ikaw pa rin kaylan pa man, hirang Maawa ka na sinta sa pusong walang aliw Pangarap ko ay ikaw sa paggiliw Kahit na walang tanglaw sinta ang palad ko sa gitna ng dilim Manungaw ka ang buhay ko'y kusang magniningning |
| Ay amorcito mio que romantico! THE WORDS ARE SO ROMANTIC AS THE SINGER PROFESSES HIS SUBLIME LOVE FOR THE LADY AND ASKING HER TO RECIPROCATE HIS VERY INTENSE LOVE FOR HER AS HE SERENADES HER DEEP INTO THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT WITHOUT THE STARS AND THE MOON.
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CUENTO |
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A tidbit on Argentina by Ernesto Uribe was included in the
February issue of Somos Primos. |
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"Mi Ultimo Adiós" |
"My Last Farewell" |
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http://www.fahschicago.org/pcg_about.html < Philippine consul website on
Dr. Jose P. Rizal |
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| Grace & Drake Fenn research on Sephardim Anusim in
Spain El Gran Mito del Oro por Angel Custodio Rebollo Spanish Jews: Reports of new Sephardic citizenship law, premature by Marion Fischel, Sam Sokol Spain: Sephardic Jews are Welcome Back... Maybe by Soeren Kern |
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CUENTO |
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Research
Trips in Spain by SHI
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| The main cathedral in Toledo was originally a synagogue. Toledo was founded by Sephardic Jews and was the first capitol of Spain. | The bridge of San Martin in Toledo. This was the bridge over which the Jews passed when they were expelled from Toledo, Spain. | The entrance to the Sephardic Museum in Toldeo, Spain. This was originally one of the main synagogues in Toledo. |
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| Viewing the history of the Sephardim in Toledo | The Mikvah under the Sephardic Museum in Toledo. | The Explusion edict from 1492 in the main Catholic Cathedral in Toledo. |
| Monica Smith tortelita@gmail.com |
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EL GRAN MITO DEL ORO
Cuando los españoles, después de la gran aventura del 3 de agosto de 1492, empezaron a volver de América, surgieron las más increíbles leyendas que contaban los que habían regresado. Describían unos animales y plantas que no se conocían por aquí, pero aderezados con una enorme dosis de fantasía y egolatría. Hubo algunos, como Ponce de León, que influido por lo que le habían dicho quiso localizar un lugar donde “estaba la fuente de la eterna juventud” y lo que descubrió fue La Florida en 1512, pero del “agua milagrosa que convertiría en joven a un anciano”, nada de nada. Lo peor fue que muchos vinieron haciendo alarde de lo que traían, como le ocurrió al ayamontino Rodrigo de Jerez que había descubierto que los nativos quemaban una planta haciendo cilindros con ella, y expulsaban humo por su boca, y sentían una sesación placentera con ello. Eso hizo que se corriera la voz de que era un” brujo” y rápidamente ocurrió lo que tenía que suceder, que al enterarse de ello la Inquisición lo encarceló. También hubo una expedición de 1527, en la que fueron muchos onubenses, dirigida por Pánfilo de Narváez, y que partieron con unas seiscientas personas y de la que, por muy diversas circunstancias solo volvieron cuatro, uno de ellos fue el Capitán Andrés Dorantes, de Gibraleón. Pero el gran mito fue el oro, porque todos los que volvían decían que haber hablado con un nativo y que le había dicho que existía un pueblo que tenían tanto oro, que en los tejados las tejas eran de ese metal. Lamentablemente, más de uno perdió la vida buscando las casas con tejas de oro. Lo bueno que tenían todas estas expediciones, eran los descubrimientos que hacían para acercarse a los lugares donde decían se encontraban los tesoros, por lo que considero que todas aquellas jornadas no se hicieron en inútilmente. Ángel Custodio Rebollo
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Marranos:
Secret Seder in Spain during the times of inquisition, painting by Moshe
Maimon. Photo: Wikimedia
Commons
Spain's Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon says Spain owes Sephardic community a debt for spreading the Spanish language and culture. |
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The Minister also asserted that his nation owned the Sephardic community a debt for spreading the Spanish language and culture around the world. The word Sephardic comes from
Sefarad, or Spain in Hebrew. However, Friday saw not the passage of a new law but rather the approval of a draft bill that the government hopes to see passed by the legislature. The spokeswoman told the Jerusalem Post that she believed it was “very important that the media get the story right in order to avoid a run on consuls around the world by people seeking Spanish nationality.” Friday’s draft has to be presented to Congress and then to the Senate and then back to Congress. The text may also be modified during this process, which is expected to take several months, she added. There are several ways in which a prospective citizen may prove their Jewish identity, she added, reading from a draft copy of the bill obtained by the Federation and passed on to the Post. An applicant will be required to either present a certificate |
from the Federation or from a recognized Rabbinical body overseas. “People who speak Ladino [Judeo-Spanish] will also be considered, as well as those who have Sepahrdi last names [will be accepted, however] how the list will be compiled and which names will appear on it is at present a complicated challenge, and any lists that have been published so far, claiming to be official, are not.” People living abroad will do this through consuls and those physically in Spain can approach The Direccion general de Registros y Notariado, the civil registry. The new draft bill, which has been under discussion for several years, is significant in that it will scrap several current restrictions on Sephardic Jews seeking citizenship. Today, an applicant must fulfill a residency requirement and give up any secondary citizenship. However, under the draft bill, dual citizenship will be permitted and residency will no longer be a factor. As such, Jews around the world will be able to obtain citizenship by applying at a local Spanish consulate. |
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“It hasn’t been passed and they are still working on the text,” Fernando Vara de
Rey, the director of Institutional Relations at the Centro Sefarad-Israel in Madrid, a government body, told the Post.
Vara de Rey explained that the granting of citizenship is civil in nature and not based on definitions contained in Jewish law. The paperwork necessary under the new rules will range from a
Ketubah, a Jewish marriage contract, to family documents showing a connection to Sephardic Jewry. |
Study of hidden Jews at Netanya Academic College said in a statement. Around 300,000 Jews lived in Spain before the 'Reyes Catolicos', Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country. The law potentially allows an estimated 3.5 million residents of countries where many Sephardic Jews eventually settled, such as Israel, France, the United States, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina and Chile, to apply for Spanish nationality. The new measure reaped praise from the Sephardic community with Dr. Abraham Haim, the 4) president of the council of sephardi and oriental communities of Jerusalem, calling it “a very advanced step.” This will provide “more flexibility to prove if the person is sephardic,” he told the Post. “If he has even a typical Sephardic family name it is enough.” Reuters contributed to this report. |
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"Five centuries ago, the expulsion happened partly because the Iberian rulers wanted the Jews' assets. Now we see efforts to welcome back the Jews partly for the same reason." — Michael Freund |
means Spain in Hebrew) was first announced in November 2012. From the beginning, however, the application process has been stalled by confusion over how to interpret certain parts of the law, as well as by countless bureaucratic snafus. |
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Adding to the frustration, many applicants have been unable to receive accurate information or assistance from authorities in Madrid and Spanish diplomats overseas. |
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Bilateral relations reached a low point during 2004-2011, when Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero—who made no secret of his disdain for Zionism, and who took pride in his anti-Israel and anti-Jewish outbursts—was in power. |
established Spain as the only EU country with a consulate in Gaza. More recently, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Spanish ambassador (plus those of Britain, France and Italy) to protest his "perpetual one-sided stance" vis-à-vis the Palestinians. At a press conference later that same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "time to stop this hypocrisy" and "inject some balance and fairness to this discussion." "The EU calls our ambassadors in because of the construction of a few houses? When did the EU call in the Palestinian ambassadors about incitement that calls for Israel's destruction?" Netanyahu said. Others say the Rajoy government is seeking to attract Jews as a way help remedy Spain's economic problems, which rank among the most intractable in the European Union. Just days before welcoming Sephardic Jews back to Spain, the government announced it would offer residency permits (the equivalent of a US green card) to foreigners who buy houses priced at more than 160,000 euros ($220,000) in an effort to revive a collapsed real estate market. |
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"The Sephardic Diaspora can be viewed as a large pool with the potential to benefit the economies of Spain and Portugal, provided that pool can be drawn to visit, settle and invest," said Michael Freund, the chairman of Shavei Israel (which means "those who return to Israel" in Hebrew), an organization that reaches out to descendants of Jews around the world to strengthen their connection with Israel and the Jewish people. |
The Edict of Expulsion was issued on March 31, 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon). Also known as the Alhambra Decree, the edict ordered Jews to leave the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, and their territories and possessions, by July 31 of that same year. |
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Customers Wait When Muslim Clerks Won’t Touch “Dirty” Pork or Alcohol |
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Customers Wait When Muslim Clerks Won’t Touch “Dirty” |
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Last December, some over-the-top political correctness at one London retail outlet created quite a stir. Marks & Spencer is a retail chain of over 700 stores located throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, as wells as another 300 stores globally. |
he employees or accommodate the employees. If they choose to accommodate the employees, a wiser choice would have been to do so in a manner which does not adversely impact their customers. |
03/18/2014 08:20 AM
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UNITED STATES
HISTORIC TIDBITS
SURNAMES
BOOKS AND PRINT MEDIA
NORTHWESTERN, US
ARCHAEOLOGY
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03/18/2014 08:31 AM
Editor
Mimi: I had the joy of meeting Dr. Casso through the Hispanic
Medal of Honor Society. Rick Leal, President invited me to help
man the HMoH booth at the 2008 NCLR conference in San
Diego. 
The dominant economic power in the state is in the hands of Euro-whites. This financial domination is based upon the ownership of large corporations and the majority of the land which produces billions in agricultural profits per year and by corporate real estate conglomerates who propel the sale and profits of commercial and residential prices upward. This ethnically dominant upper-class and a segment of the higher middle-class appropriate the products and profits produced by the state’s generally low-paid employees which permits this elite to possess superior housing, education, healthcare and political influence. If California was an independent country it would be the 6th wealthiest in the world. The present economic status of the growing Latino population is comprised of a small but developing middle-class made up of business owners and professionals and a large working-class whose average pay is lower than the state norm. 
The establishment in California during the 1700′s and onward of Spanish missions and Mexican settlements eventually developed into our existing towns and cities and laid the foundation for present-day California society. Prior to its seizure by the US in 1846 California possessed a developing pre-capitalist economy based upon the production and sale of cattle, sheep and farm products along with silver mining and trade. Agricultural products that were produced included wheat, corn, oranges, lemons, olives and grapes for the production of wine. Beef, pork and
mutton products as well as tallow and hides were sold to merchants within the state and to foreign trading ships who loaded these products at ports such as Monterey, San Francisco and the Ventura area. A state-wide pattern of family-owned ranchos and small social classes of craftsmen and wage earners were the economic norm during this Californio historical period. Although some mistreatment of indigenous peoples occurred there was also a strong element of intermixing and co-existence among Californios and Native-Americans. This extensive network of ranchos surrounded small towns which were the political centers for 
Mexican-American governor of the state. Also, a Spanish language newspaper with the title “El Clamor
Publico” defended the rights of Mexican-Americans during the 1850′s and was published by a young journalist named Francisco Ramirez. By the late 1880′s a historical and demographic shift had occurred as heavy American migration into the state along with European immigration transformed the Mexican population into a numerical minority.
The state’s present and growing income disparity and the narrow ownership of the major means of production also need to be equitably restructured and changed. Such an economic restructuring would better serve the social needs of the majority of California’s people. What presently exists is an economic system of crony capitalism which is propped up and manipulated by hordes of paid political lobbyists, PACs and campaign funds. These political mercenaries ensure that the 
and quality education will foster the development of our human resources, economic development and future. Basic educational and cultural changes are also needed that will provide for the equal treatment of California’s three-century use of the Spanish language, its rich history and culture. Any attempt to abolish by legal force these essential aspects of a traditional ethnic group’s identity will fail and only lead to an increase in nationalism and conflict. As already stated these fundamental and sweeping social changes require planning and direction by a statewide organization with a progressive focus in order to become a concrete reality. This new Latino plurality and imminent majority needs to become politically energized in order to consciously take the reins of history and play a major role in this political movement for social change so as to ensure that a future California becomes an equitable and civilized place for all to live in. 
Gomez has a lot of company. Everyone in the San Luis
Valley appears to have that compass. The air is thick with competing claims
of ownership, legitimacy, and the contradictions of history. Ancestors are a
defining issue in this region where identity is intertwined with land and
ethnicity, and people locate themselves in terms of centuries.
What she discovered was that her grandmother was a
slave. An illegal, Indian slave, tribe unknown, owned by an Anglo farmer in
1916.
We kept the old house
we had inherited, and that was extremely important to us - I always knew
that we had been here for well over three hundred years before the Anglos
arrived.""
In any case, this is what Grandmother Gomez chose to
share, and it is what her granddaughter chose to share with me. Lorraine is
pursuing the issue slowly, carefully, and in her own time and way.
My brother Juan Dolores Romero
was born in Roy, New Mexico.
He will be missed so much. He died on February 11, 014, in Rocky Ford, Colorado , at the age of 80.
