Somos Primos

APRIL 2015
Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage

Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2015


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Navarro Cenotaph located at the  
Texas State Cemetery, Austin
February 27, 2015
Click for more information and 
to view the ceremony on UTube

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letters to the Editor

Good morning, Minnie. I read the article on the Globo theater with great interest. I was born in Corpus Christi and as a kid frequented that theater many times. I would go around my neighborhood picking up Mexican tortilla wrappers and turn them in the local grocery store for a free ticket to the Globo. At the time I wasn't sure why the owner operator would do this but as an adult I now realize he was doing his part in keeping the neighbor clean.

Lupe Martinez, President /CEO  UMOS
2701 S. Chase Ave.
Milwaukee, WI. 53207
414-389-6000  414-489-0216 Fax 
http://www.umos.org

Mimi, this (March) is a beautiful issue of Somos Primos.
 I especially loved the Great Train Robbery in Alice, TX.
Joe Guerra
Houston, TX
joguerra@olsenguerra.com

"There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority,
 by adequate governmental action."
~ Bertrand Russell

"Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone."
 ~ Frederic Bastit.

Man is condemned to be free. Condemned because he did not create himself, yet is nevertheless at liberty, and from the moment he is thrown into this world he is responsible for everything he does.
~ Jean-Paul Sartre

A Feel good story for today, but who heard about it?
The Army-Navy Game Train - 2014

Children of Giant

By Daisy Wanda Garcia

By now, everyone is anticipating the premiere of Hector Galan’s “Children of Giant” on PBS April 17. Hector did an excellent job of capturing the history of the writing and filming of the book in the documentary. For me, the book and movie have an emotional significance. Before the book was written, Edna Ferber contacted Papa about wanting to write a book about racism in Texas.  She was inspired to do so when she heard about the Felix Longoria Affair in national news.  So, Ms. Ferber came to Texas and joined ranks with my father.  She traveled with him everywhere-on his house calls, and AGIF business.  He drove her to the King Ranch and the surrounding south Texas small towns. With each visit, Ferber acquired the feel for local flavor on ranch life in a small Texas town. Needless to say, the entrenched racism and squalor that was the lot of Mexican Americans made a deep impression on the lady as well. Sometime after her stay in Texas with Dr. Hector Garcia, the book was born and named GIANT.  The book was a best seller so George Stevens, film producer, decided to make Ferber’s book into a movie.  There was a major difference in Ferber’s book and the film.  In the book Angel Obregon returned to Riata alive. In the Steven’s film Angel returns to Riata dead and a war hero similar to what happened to Felix Longoria. The reason could have been that Stevens heard about the Longoria affair and gave the film this twist. Unknown to me until now, George Stevens Jr. revealed that his father, Mr. Stevens senior, phoned Papa to consult about the Longoria affair while making the film GIANT.
                                                                                                                                 

Life marches on. Through the years the movie and book were ever present in the Garcia family lore and   always surfaced in conversations and became a point of reference. We always talked about Giant until the day Papa died in 1996. Many of the incidents in Ferber’s book were based on attitudes and events that happened in our lives, especially the pool party scene and the incident in the restaurant when my mother, I and the Diaz family were denied service in a restaurant in Gonzales, TX.

I was always puzzled by my reaction to the film GIANT. Despite my fond memories of Ferber’s visit and my father’s involvement with the book and film, 
I found I was never able to watch the movie to the end.   I was aware that I felt a sense of uneasiness and sadness every time I watched the film but could not pinpoint the cause.  Just hearing the “Texan Talk” from characters in the movie was enough to resurrect bad memories which I had experienced many times growing up in Corpus Christi, TX. Then I had an epiphany.  Stevens’s film and Galan’s documentary hit close to home and I was forced to acknowledge those unpleasant memories which were buried deep in my soul. In the final scene when the scraps of papers buried so long ago were finally liberated from their coffin, my soul was liberated as well. Like the papers, my soul soared to the heavens.  We were freed from the tyranny and racism that happened so long ago. Free at last! Despite the painful topic, Galan leaves the audience with an upbeat spiritual message about the triumph of the spirit over adversity.

So today I am here to invite you to celebrate the book, film and documentary, and hope you enjoy them and integrate their lessons into your life. Though all of this happened so long ago, I will never forget my memories of Edna Ferber with her white hair and pearls and all the excitement generated in my life by all three instruments.  I leave this thought with all of you.

                                                                                         Dr. Hector P. Garcia
receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Reagan, March 26, 1985.  For more information on Dr. Garcia and Wanda's life as his daughter, please search previous issues of Somos Primos.  http://www.somosprimos.com/sitesearch.htm   
 

“Latinos in Heritage Conservation” 

Mexican American Studies Department Needed at University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley By Arnulfo Daniel Segovia

Photo: Roberto R. Calderón of the UT-Pan American Mexican American Studies Club. 
Taken, south steps Texas State Capitol, March 16, 2015.
Rio Grande Guardian
http://riograndeguardian.com/soto-mexican-american-studies-department-needed-at-ut-rgv/

"White Colorism" exists. 

Sent by John Inclan  fromgalveston@yahoo.com 

When it became against the law to require a photo, it facilitated all minorities of darker skin colors to obtain employment based on their resume, education/exprience.   Considering the discrepancy between the Latino population, of about 17%, with only about 4% employed in the government,  it could be that some form of negative racial profiling is occurring, based on the Spanish surname on the application.   

The United States is a fascinating jumble of surnames from all over the world.  Historically many individuals made given and surname changes, to sound more "American".  Since color is taken out of the selection process,  it would seem appropriate to research whether racism, based on surname is tipping the scales unjustly.  

PERPETUATED HOLLYWOOD HISPANIC IMAGES
by Ray J. de Aragon

I enjoyed reading the joke pages of Readers Digest. They always provided us with a good and hearty laugh. There was a joke that I read that I have never forgotten. It went something like this. Once there was midddle aged Anglo-American couple that traveled as tourists to South America. They went to Columbia. They decided on going on an excursion into the countryside so they rented a car. The man was dressed in a Hawaiin shirt and Bermuda shorts. His wife wore a Moo Moo dress. They had a great time driving through the country roads but got lost. They didn’t know what to do, As they went along they spotted a house a short distance from the road. A man was sitting on a chair leaning up against the wall. The wife told her husband he should go up and ask the man for directions back to town so he got off of the car and walked up to him. The wife could see her husband waving his arms up and down and pointing in all directions. The man on the chair simply shrugged his shoulders. Frustrated, the tourist went back to the car got in and slammed the door. His wife, now totally perplexed, asked her husband what happened. He exclaimed, ”These dumb Mexicans are all alike!”

Sean Penn recently made headlines while presenting an Oscar at the Academy Awards to “Birdman” Mexican born director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu for Best Picture. The popular actor said before presenting the award, “Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?” This was met with laughter from the crowd. His extremely offensive remark was supposed to have been a joke. But was it a joke? This derogatory statement very graphically illustrates and brings home the point as to how Hispanics are viewed in Hollywood and are shown on the Silver Screen. My earliest recollections of Mexicans portrayed on film was seeing Wallace Beery playing the role of Pancho Villa, and Marlon Brando depicting Emiliano Zapata. It was a given that Anglo actors along with their stereotypical accents played the roles of Hispanic men and women on film. As we look into the history of the wide screen and television we could ask the question as to how Hispanics quite often are depicted. Historical stereotypes immediately pop into mind. They are fat, lazy, good for nothings, or have the roles of drug dealers, drug addicts, unmarried mothers sponging off of the government, prostitutes, mistresses, or maids named Maria who don’t speak English, or speak broken English.

We all know how Hispanics are portrayed in the entertainment industry. We do not fare well in documentary films either. The history shown going back to Columbus in 1492 to the present day is that the Spanish were ruthless bloodthirsty cutthroats that were gold hungry and viciously destroyed everything. The English, in contrast, were law abiding civilizers, pioneers and trailblazers whose only intention was to provide equality and justice for all. As a young university student in an English class I along with my fellow students were required to read Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. This book is recognized as the great American novel published originally in 1928. This historical fiction book has been released in numerous editions and has been a major best seller. It is the fictional story of Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy who was an American bishop sent to Christianize the people of New Mexico in 1850. It didn’t make a difference that the territory had been Christianized by Franciscan friars since the seventeenth century. The author chose to fictionalize Lamy’s name as Jean Vailant as well as the names of other Americans, but she decided to use the actual names of Hispanics in New Mexico. Needless to say, Cather elevated Lamy to hero status saying he fought bravely and courageously to tame an immoral and corrupt people and place. I was incensed reading her words, but the most unfortunate thing is that this book and many others like it have helped to paint a picture that is accepted as fact by many including some Hispanics that deny their heritage and culture as result of this. Some Hispanics feel a shame admitting they are of Spanish descent, but in American culture, per se, it is grand to be of English descent. Remember her majesty, the queen of England? I wrote my book, Padre Martinez and Bishop Lamy to try to counteract this fictional novel with the truth. The reality is that Lamy did not know how to speak Spanish, like the Anglo American tourist in the joke, so he spent his time criticizing, persecuting, tormenting, and viciously punishing the Roman Catholic Hispanic population of New Mexico.

I read a recently nationally published book on the Civil War history of New Mexico The Anglo historian wrote about an episode that took place historically right after the Civil War wherein he said the Spanish raped, maltreated, and pillaged the Native Americans. The Spanish were not even involved in this event, but he chose to mislead the readers with pure fabrication. Vile misinformation, the denigrating of people and their leaders as a whole, and the historical trashing of Hispanic history, traditions, culture and heritage has been commonplace for generations. The sad thing is that many have been brainwashed by this and English and American history has been conveniently whitewashed. An animated film produced in Hollywood and funded by the Guggenheim and other corporate organizations on the New Mexico Revolt of 1680, for example, is filled with distortions, fabrications, animosity and hatred against the Spanish people and history of New Mexico. I love the title Gabriel Garcia Marquez used for his book, One hundred years of Solitude. In New Mexico it has been four hundred years of solitude. In a United States map that was used recently and shown on national news, New Mexico was identified as Mexico. The fact is that New Mexico is a state in the United States. Many people are not only ignorant as to its location, but ask if a passport is needed to travel there, and ask further if the people are civilized. New Mexico is a bilingual state where Spanish and English is spoken. It has its own history, traditions, culture, and heritage dating to 1598 when the area was first settled by Spanish colonizers. It has its own historical figures, heroes, and eminent political leaders. The territory has its own folk arts, and its own folk dances. To confuse New Mexico with Mexico is like confusing Puerto Rico and Cuba with Mexico. The film industry is alive and well in New Mexico with a multitude of films being produced through New Mexico tax incentives. An Oscar winning film, No Country for Old Men was filmed in New Mexico. However, virtually no opportunities for speaking roles for well qualified local Hispanic actors exist. All actors, especially for major and even minor speaking roles are imported into the state from Hollywood. Locals have the opportunity to play riff raff however, or people walking by or in a crowd.

In the Spanish Colonial city of Los Angeles, the City of Angels, Hollywood seeks to demonize Hispanics, and Hispanic culture. A new highly touted television series called “American Crime,” pictures Hispanics as hard core gang members and criminal element. Racial profiling of Hispanics is commonplace on the motion picture, and television screen. Screen writers, directors, and producers in the film industry have to be involved in a culture of change as to the way they negatively view Hispanics. What kind of an impression does Hollywood racial profiling create with the public in general, and law enforcement in particular? Most importantly, what kind of an impression does this leave with our youth? Statistics very graphically point out that Hispanics have one of the highest high school dropout rates, one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies, high drug and alcohol addiction and a high suicide rate. Next to nothing is being done about this. We know that a positive self image, and a positive self esteem goes a long way towards ensuring success in life. This is an extremely important and a relevant issue to all Hispanics living in the United states, no matter what their original point of origin is. We need to actively support one another for the greater benefit of our children and youth.

New Mexicans, have yet, to qualify for the Latin Grammies and are not even counted as part of the Latinos. Nosotros, the organization which honors Latinos in the entertainment industry founded by Ricardo Montalban does not recognize New Mexico actors and performers. The image of Latinos and Hispanics as they are portrayed in the entertainment industry as a whole has to change. This begins by supporting and recognizing all Latinos. When the dialogue of an actor playing a detective, such as one used on the television police drama NYPD states, “the only good Columbian I have ever met was a dead Columbian,” and when Saturday Night Live pokes fun at Latinos since it is so funny to ridicule them, Hispanics should not join in and laugh, or take it with a grain of salt or a dash of salsa. The only superhero Hispanics have is Zorro, but he doesn’t begin to compare with Superman, Batman, or Spiderman. Why not? If negative images and stereotypes do not change in Hollywood, then our children and youth not only suffer as a result, but have no role models to look up to. We need to stand up more to the challenges in front of us.

Now in Español

15th Annual Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards 

"When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit
 that our lives are all that really belong to us. 
So, it how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are. 
It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life."     
                                                               -Cesar E. Chavez                                                                         

The 15th Annual Cesar Chavez Legacy Awards and dinner was held on March 26, 2015 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.  This year the award went to Los Lobos. Well deserved, in 2013 Los Lobos & Paul Rodrigues gave a fundraiser for the Cesar Chavez memorial in Riverside, sculptured by artist Ignacio Gomez.   The figure on the left is the clay master for the new Cesar Chavez Legacy Award, sent to readers to enjoy . . .      

Mimi, hope all is well, here is a sneak look of the Cesar E. Chavez Legacy Award.  The award will be in bronze, with the base, it is13 inches. It's the official award for the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award., Ignacio

ignaciogomezstudio@icloud.com
http://www.cesarchavezlegacyawards.org/

WORKERS’ RIGHTS AND THE RIGHT TO WORK

By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
Scholar in Residence (Cultural Studies, Critical Theory, Public Policy), Western New Mexico University

The expression “the right to work” is a “sleight of word” linguistification meant to convey a positive message which it is not. It’s an expression right out of the lexicon of “union busting.” At face-value, the expression “right to work” implies autonomy of choice—that is, workers have a choice of not signing on with unions if they don’t want to. 

The expression “the right to work” coveys the impression that “right to work” laws are in place to protect workers from unscrupulously corrupt unions who are only out to filch union dues from workers to fatten the pockets of union bosses. There are currently 24 states with “right to work” laws. 

Among the most restrictive is Michigan’s “right to work” law, passed in December of 2013, making the state the 24th to prohibit contracts that require workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. 

Proponents of “right to work” laws cite Thomas Jefferson who wrote: "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.” Opponents of “right to work” laws cite Martin Luther King who counseled that “We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as “right to work.” Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining" (Clay and Larson).

On their face “right to work” laws seems bland enough and fair—union dues should not be a condition of employment. Opponents of the “right to work laws” explain that their

opposition to the law, however, in no way implies support for the organizations that are its immediate target—the official trade unions. After decades of betrayals of the workers they nominally represent, and the imposition of one round of layoffs and wage cuts after another, the unions and their right-wing leadership have earned the hatred of rank and file workers, making them neither able nor willing to oppose the decision of Michigan’s Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature to cripple the unions financially and spurn their services in helping suppress working class opposition.   World Socialist Web Site, wsws.org

Despite the historical excesses and corruption of some unions in the landscape of American Labor, unions have by and large advanced the condition of the working class improving its venue towards middle-class mobility. The operational phrase here is “collective bargaining” which enables unions per en mass strength to negotiate contracts with employers. The origin of labor unions dates back to the 18th century and the industrial revolution in Europe.

In those days, workers’ rights were what employers dictated. Formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) in Philadelphia in 1794 marks the beginning of sustained trade union organization among American workers. The early labor movement was, however, inspired by more than job interest of its craft members. It harbored a conception of the just society, deriving from the Ricardian labor theory of value and from the republican ideals of the American Revolution, which fostered social equality and celebrated honest labor.

A review conducted by the federal government on pay scale shows that employees in a labor union earn up to 33% more income than their nonunion counterparts, as well as having more job security, safer and higher-quality work conditions, and additional benefits. Union membership had been declining in the US since 1954, and since 1967, as union membership rates decreased, middle class incomes shrank correspondingly.

In the political realm, the founding doctrine of “pure-and-simple unionism” meant an arm’s-length relationship to the state and the least possible entanglement in partisan politics. That was easier said than done. Labor unions are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries in the United States. Their activity today centers on collective bargaining over wages, benefits, and working conditions for their members, and on representing their members in disputes with management over violations of contract provisions. Larger unions engage in lobbying activities and electioneering at the state and federal level.

The National Labor Relations Act says in Section 7: "Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. ..." Section 8 of the NLRA makes it illegal for an employer "to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7." the National Labor Relations Board, the agency that enforces the NLRA, specifically says that an employer breaks this law if it engages in "Threatening employees with loss of jobs or benefits if they join or vote for a union or engage in protected concerted activity."

Philosophically the nub of the conflict is about “Economic Justice” which both sides of the issue see, essentially, as a power game about who controls the workplace. In establishing that control “right to work” proponents emphasize the coercive structure of unions while the proponents of “unions” contend that in addition to the “collective bargaining” edge of unions they protect workers from being fired by employers “for any or no reason” at all since without unions workers are considered “at will” employees and therefore require no justification to terminate their employment. While not prohibiting employers from dissuading workers’ efforts to unionize, federal law clearly favors workers. 

Globally, the issue of “workers’ rights and the right to work” is framed as “human rights:” 

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his or her interests.

According to the New Republic “Right to Work isn’t a Civil Right; But Unionizing Should Be” 

The adoption of so-called "right to work" legislation in Michigan, of all places, represents an historic setback for organized labor. First, Republicans went after public employees in the birthplace of public unions, Wisconsin. And now they have taken the fight to private employee unions in the cradle of modern industrial unionism. Conservatives are right that, if they can win in Michigan, they can win almost anywhere.

Despite the arguments advanced by right to work proponents that they are trying to make Michigan more attractive to businesses, this legislation was a calculated effort by conservatives and business interests like the Koch brothers to redistribute political power from Democrats to Republicans (hence the exemption for police and firefighters, who are friendlier to Republicans) and from workers to employers. Previously in Michigan, no one was forced to join a union, but workers who benefited from collective bargaining were required to pay fees to cover the cost of that bargaining. The new law eliminates that requirement, allowing employees to benefit without paying a fee, thereby weakening unions’ ability to participating in politics and negotiate for better wages. As President Obama noted, right to work legislation is really about "the right to work for less money."

Nevertheless, there is an important lesson for liberals and labor in the Michigan story about the power of rhetoric. "Right to work" is a mendacious slogan but a politically resonant one. It's mendacious because everyone in every state has the right to work; the legislation simply gives employees the right to be free riders--to benefit from collective bargaining without paying for it. . . .

The brilliance of the slogan is that it pits the individual's "right" to choose whether to pay dues (and who likes paying dues?) against the interests of large institutions (labor unions). Labor responds with a justifiable plea about the need for workers to be united and pay their fair share for representation (and, ultimately, better wages). But when the fight is framed as individual rights vs. solidarity, rights usually win. Indeed, when asked to identify government's most important role, 59 percent said in a 2010 Rasmussen poll that it is to protect individual rights and liberty.

Richard D. Kahlenberg and Moshe Z. Marvit


WORKS CITED

Clay, William L., and Reed Larson. "Does America need a national right-to-work law? (pro and con arguments)." Insight on the News 17 Aug. 1998. 1 Mar. 2004 http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1571/n30_v14/21031980/print.jhtml 

Richard D. Kahlenberg and Moshe Z. Marvit, “Right to Work isn’t a Civil Right; But Unionizing Should Be.” The New Republic, December 13, 2012.

Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D. 

Avila's El Ranchito Dishes Out Strong Family Traditions by Hannah Madans
Orange County Register, CA  February 27, 2015

Maribel Avila is the manager of the Avila's El Ranchito restaurants 
in Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar and Huntington Beach. 
The Newport Beach location is celebrating its 40th anniversary.   
Nick Agro, Staff photographer

In the ensuing years, one restaurant became 11. Each is individually owned, operated and financed by eight family members. They all share the same basic menu items. Around 40 Avila family members, across three generations, are involved in the business.

Randall Hiatt, the president of Costa Mesa restaurant consulting group Fessel International, said it is “relatively rare” for restaurants to be operated under the same name but be completely independent. While it may be rare, it does have some benefits.

“If the brand is good and has good loyalty, and it’s a good solid business because of name and reputation, it can be a good thing,” he said. “But the downside risk is that someone may not be consistent.”  “They’re extending the brand and furthering and strengthening it in the region,” he said.

The Newport Beach location, at 2800 Newport Blvd., which is celebrating its 40th year, was founded in 1975 by Maribel Avila’s father, Sergio Avila, in a former fish market.

“Seeing my mom and dad so involved and the love and passion they had for the restaurant, well, I just fell in love with the restaurant and taking care of it, too,” she said.

The restaurant is known for dishes like Mama Avila’s Soup, which accounts for 40 percent of sales, and “grandmother approved” dishes like the carnitas.

                                         Avila is pictured here helping at ther family's restaurant 
                                                                                               during her childhood.

When the restaurant first opened, it was small with just eight employees. It grew to include a patio and was completely remodeled in the 1990s.  Maribel Avila now manages around 120 employees at the three restaurants she runs.

Avila sat down with the Register to discuss working with family and what she has learned growing up in the business. Her answers were edited for length and clarity.

Q. What is it like to be part of a family business?

A. We’re really lucky to have a giant support system. All of us help each other out with different menu items and solving different problems. The best part about it is that my grandparents are still involved. My grandpa is 92, my grandma’s 90 and they still come to work.

Q. Are there any difficulties associated with working with your family?

A. I wouldn’t say difficulties. It’s family and we’re all so close. It’s a support system. There’s no conflict because each family member runs the restaurant individually and finances are individual and decision making is too.  We keep running a family business separate from our family relationship. It’s not business all the time. We’re not allowed to talk business at grandma’s house. We’re not allowed to talk business at any family event, and that’s how we remain close.

Q. How has competition from chains like Chipotle affected your business?

A. Mexican food is extremely popular, especially in Southern California. We’ve been fortunate to be here for 40 years. The reason we’ve been able to be successful is by keeping it run and operated by a family member and giving it that personal touch, not straying away from the family recipes. Really just paying close attention to detail and keep listening to our customers. Our regulars mean a lot to us and have been coming here for years.

Q. How many employees are family vs. other people? 

A. The family members are all either owners or managers. Some of our employees have been with us since day one. They feel like family. The first server my dad hired in 1975, her name is Rosina, she still works with us. Angie is coming up on 30 years. We have original cooks in here. So they’re all like family.

Q. Under Obamacare, there are now health care mandates for businesses. How has this affected your business? (Avila answered on behalf of her restaurants and not the entire group.)

A. Our Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar locations now offer health insurance to all full-time employees. Yes, we have had to pay a significant amount of money to do so, but for us it was important. Our employees deserve the opportunity. Some of our employees who have never been able to afford or have access to health care are now offered a plan for them and their entire families. Of course in able to afford to do this, we had make cuts in other departments such as advertising, remodeling and just being more conscious of spending.

Q. Are there any expansions planned?

A. As of now, no immediate plans to expand, but the family’s always growing. We have 40 people in the family, including six little boys, so there’s always room for expansion.

Q. Have you ever had any offers to sell from people outside the family?

A. We’ve had quite a few. People want to get involved, but it’s against our way of doing business. To own a restaurant, you have to be an Avila family member. In order to open a restaurant, you need a college degree. You also need at least five years of experience in the restaurant. We want to make sure there are proper finances and that the restaurant succeeds. The location is also really important. We all need to approve of where it is. It can’t be too close to another one and create competition. And the founders, my aunts and uncles and grandparents, they’re the ones who have the final say in whether or not the restaurant can open and who can open one.

Q. Do you have any plans to open one?

A. I don’t. I am very fortunate. I run three successful locations. My goal is to successfully run these and keep the legacy alive. If I open my own, who would run these?

Q. What menu items makes the Newport Beach location unique?

A. Newport Beach is a very health-conscious neighborhood, so we cater to what our customers want. We put a healthy twist to the traditional chile relleno. Instead of it being in an egg white batter, fried and stuffed with cheese, we use a fire roasted Ortega chile and stuff it with grilled vegetables and chicken. It’s smothered in our tomatillo salsa and topped with low-fat cheese. It has become a customer favorite in Newport.

Q. When your grandpa started the first restaurant, do you think he knew it would be this big?

A. No. He opened it to support his kids. He had no idea he would be living the American dream. He was doing what he knew best and that was putting food on the table for his family.  He’s very proud to see what it has become. I don’t think he ever imagined it would be what it is today.

Q. What do you bring to the business? 

A. I bring a younger clientele to the restaurant. We are the local watch party for all the University of Colorado (her alma matter) football games. I do the social media.  It’s really getting the traditional El Ranchito out there with fresh and new energy. I’ve added new margarita recipes and new beers. It’s been fun to be creative.  

My cousins and I have added some new systems that have kept really tight control on our costs. We’ve kept the core of really traditional Mexican food but added a more organized system, which is where the college education comes into play.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/family-652508-restaurant-business.html 
Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com On Twitter: @HannahMadans

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera  scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com  

Yari Rodriguez 
Could be Mars 
First and Only Latina
to settle Mars  

Yari Rodriquez who lives in Massachusetts is one of 100 contenders for 24 spots to settle Mars

 The most terrifying thought about a one-way trip to Mars for Yari Rodriguez is not fear of a rocket malfunction, lack of oxygen, or the high probability of death on a Martian surface.

It’s the cameras.  “It’s the scariest part about the whole mission,” Rodriguez, 27, said. “I’m really shy and nervous…I’ve been coming to terms with being on TV.”

Rodriguez is one of the 100 contenders who have been chosen from more than 200,000 applicants worldwide vying to be one of 24 chosen to settle on Mars beginning in 2025. The $6 billion mission aims to establish a self-sufficient settlement on the red planet and is sponsored by the Mars One Project, a Dutch non-profit that was founded by entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp.

Enter the cameras. Lansdorp intends to fund the mission by selling the broadcasting rights to what would be the world’s first interstellar reality television show – documenting every step of the Mars’ crews mission and giving earthlings a front row view of the drama.

Except, unlike other reality TV shows, a one-way trip to Mars means death in space is all but a real certainty.

“Of course, it’s something I thought about,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, am I prepared to die here on Earth? What am I going to do with the rest of my life? Of course I think about what the risks and the challenges are going to be. I think about what I want to do with my life and signing up for Mars One… at least I feel capable of going through a mission like this. If someone has to do it, and I am capable of doing it, I’d definitely volunteer.”

Rodriguez, an engineering systems major who now works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology researching Space Control Systems, is well aware of the challenges that could be in store. She’s reminded of the challenges by her close friends and family, particularly the last time she visited her grandmother in Mexico.

To read full story and watch news video: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/02/26/yari-rodriguez-could-be-mars-first-and-only-latina/

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera  scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com

How an Undocumented  Immigrant From Mexico Became a Star at Goldman Sachs 

Sitting at her desk at Goldman Sachs, Julissa Arce is doing her best to keep it together. It’s September?2007. Her father is dying in Taxco de Alarcón, a small and hilly city in Mexico, and she has just hung up after a call from her sister with bad news. Arce stands and leaves the row where she and her colleagues create derivatives and market them to rich people. She walks down the hall, opens the bathroom door, and locks herself in a stall.
“Do not be anxious about anything,” she says under her breath, repeating Philippians 4:6. “Do not be anxious about anything.” Then she straightens, washes her face, and returns to work. Her banker colleagues can’t understand why she won’t get on a plane to see her father. Arce tells them that her family will keep her posted, and she might be leaving tomorrow. There is no crying on the private wealth management floor.

The overachievers at Goldman Sachs aren’t all the same. Some have been valedictorians, or Navy SEALs, or the sons or grandsons of the company’s bankers. Some will stop at nothing to amass a fortune; others are patient. And at least one was an undocumented immigrant. Arce, who turns 32 in March, owed her bright career on Wall Street to fake papers bought for a few hundred dollars in a stranger’s living room in Texas. Over seven years at Goldman Sachs, she rose from intern to analyst, associate, then vice president, later becoming a director at Merrill Lynch. When her father died in Taxco hours after the 2007 phone call, she didn’t leave to see her family because with her bogus papers she couldn’t have come back.

Arce was 11 when she moved to San Antonio from Mexico. Despite arriving with little English, she joined the basketball, softball, cross-country, and dance teams, the student council, a Renaissance club, and two honors societies within a few years. She’s still intense. She likes The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and How to Win Friends & Influence People and is eager to explain, without irony, why they’re illuminating. She does CrossFit and can hold 150 pounds behind her head. “You have to have a very A-type personality,” she says about weightlifting, sipping a beer in Ulysses, a bar three blocks south of Wall Street. “This workout—it’s not going to win. I’m going to win.”

In 2007, at her desk at Goldman after a long night.
She didn’t have to adjust to Goldman Sachs’s culture of undisguised ambition because she embodied it. A few weeks into her first summer there, as an intern in 2004, before her senior year of college, she arranged to have coffee with a managing director whose team she admired. She told him she had learned a lot and was ready for something faster. “I want to play basketball and go up and down the court,” she told him. When she followed up with a handwritten thank-you card at the end of the summer, the managing director told her to expect good news.
A sharp kind of dread sank in after Goldman offered her a full-time position. She was afraid of what could happen when one of the world’s most sophisticated companies examined her fake green card and Social Security number, took her fingerprints, and ran a background check. She had a recurring dream about being caught: She was sitting in an investment bank office. No one had to tell her she was being deported or threaten her; she just knew what was to come next. Then she’d wake up.

But Goldman never did discover her secret. It was 2005 and a good time to become one of the 23,000 employees of Wall Street’s most profitable securities firm. “I was like, sky’s the limit,” she says. “I’m in.”

Taxco is about 100 miles southwest of Mexico City. Arce remembers houses all painted white, tourists who flocked there for the silver work, and a dubbed version of Dennis the Menace called Daniel el Travieso. In one episode a flatbed truck moves the mean neighbor’s house, and in another he drives an RV. “So when I was a little kid in Mexico my aspiration in life was to live in a mobile home like the Americans,” she says. “Then when I got here I was like, ‘Oh!’?”

Her parents left Taxco regularly to sell jewelry in Texas. They got her a tourist visa so she could join them, and on one trip the family simply stayed. They moved into an apartment in San Antonio and then a house one block from the interstate. She went to a local Catholic school and took to math right away, eventually placing in the honors track. She remembers a classmate raising his hand to ask how a Mexican could possibly keep up.
Arce was 14 when her visa expired. “I knew what that meant,” she says. “I became undocumented.” Desperate to stay in the country she had come to love, she pitched her parents on a plan to have her friend Tiffani’s family adopt her. The Arces didn’t go for that, or her half-hearted suggestion at age 16 that they pay a gay U.S. citizen who worked with the family to marry her.

She also wanted to be rich. “I just had this idea in my head that if I can work my way into this wealth and status, then it won’t matter that I’m undocumented,” she says. “I thought if I had a bunch of money I would be accepted.”

At Roosevelt High School in 2000, Arce excelled at math.
In her senior year of high school, Arce sent out college applications with the Social Security box blank—and got rejections. Just as she was graduating in 2001, a new law made it possible for undocumented Texas students to attend public universities at in-state rates. Five weeks later the director for admissions at the University of Texas at Austin wrote to say her application had been reviewed and she’d been accepted.

She majored in finance. The equations “made sense to me,” she says. “There was always a right answer. There wasn’t anything ambiguous about it. There was so much ambiguity in my life that I really appreciated that.” Antonia Bernal, a leader of the Hispanic Business Student Association that Arce joined, describes her at the time as vibrant and driven. Arce hadn’t seen many Hispanic men wearing business suits before joining the club, and she still does a Hollywood swoon when she describes them. Meetings with successful women were just as important. “I could be ambitious and go-getter without seeming greedy and aggressive,” she says. “There are all these amazing jobs, and there’s all this money to be made.” When the group handed out awards one April, it named her its Future Millionaire.

Arce’s parents moved back to Mexico in 2001, and she took over a food cart business they left behind. Every Friday she rode a Greyhound bus 80 miles to San Antonio’s Market Square to sell funnel cakes with strawberries, whipped cream, and cinnamon. Every Sunday she returned to Austin with money for rent and school.

In 2001, with her mom and sister in front of the family’s funnel cake cart in San Antonio. When the cart lost its spot, Arce couldn’t land a new job with her expired tourist visa. And she couldn’t stay in college without a job. Getting a fake green card turned out to be unexpectedly simple. She confessed her need to a suite-mate, who connected her to her boyfriend, who introduced her to a woman, who asked her to come to her home. It was a mundane transaction, Arce says, in an average apartment with an average living room. She handed over the money, had her picture taken, and about two weeks later had the forged documents.

They worked. Arce used them to land customer service work on nights and weekends for a debit card company in Austin and interned for a Major League Soccer team. Then she saw a presentation about summer positions at New York banks. The pay could be $10,000.

“Oh my,” she remembers thinking. “That is where I need to go, and that is where I need to be.”

The most influential document at Goldman Sachs may be a list of 10 business commandments written by co-head John Whitehead, who died this year at 92. “Important people like to deal with other important people. Are you one?” No.?8 asks. “Don’t waste your time going after business we don’t really want,” says No.?1. By putting the Goldman thirst for competence, connection, rank, and respect into words, Whitehead set the strike zone for hitters at the bank, including ones born long after he retired in 1984.

The chances of joining them, with 350 summer analysts chosen by the investment banking unit from 17,000 applicants in 2013, are worse than the odds of getting into Harvard University. For those who do make the cut, the competition—for assignments, pay, power—only intensifies. Women do this battle knowing that 9 of the company’s 10 executive officers are men.

Arce got a 2004 internship through a nonprofit called Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, which places Hispanic and black students into summer roles at banks. She liked it at Goldman, where she helped put together presentations for existing clients and searched for new ones among the names of yacht owners. She was asked to return to the firm full-time after graduation in 2005. In New York her career got off to an extraordinary start when she was invited to join a new team that built derivatives for the private wealth division’s clients. These were financial products that might, for example, include options whose value would rise 3?percent for every percentage point that an index gained, up to a cap. Arce became a rookie analyst reporting directly to a managing director, making it to the office by 7?a.m. to beat her boss, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast.

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera  scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com

7 Powerful Latina Women Who Made Their Mark on History
John Paul Brammer, March 9th, 2015

John Paul Brammer is a Contributing Editor at BNR. His writing on LGBT and Latino issues has appeared in The Advocate and Huffington Post. Find him on twitter.

Rigoberta Menchú

An indigenous Guatemalan and Nobel Prize winner, Menchú is a strong advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples and served as labor leader in the early 1980s where she helped educate natives on ways they could resist oppression and fight for their rights.

Michelle Bachelet

The current president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, is the first female to ever hold the office. In 1974 she was arrested and tortured for her father’s resistance to the 1973 coup, and later worked in a medical clinic assisting victims of torture. She served as the head of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and she currently puts an emphasis on indigenous peoples’ rights as president.

Ellen Lauri Ochoa


The current Director of the Johnson Space Center, Ellen Lauri Ochoa is a Mexican-American woman who became the first Latina astronaut in history. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from San Diego State University and a Master of Science Degree from Stanford University.

Eva Peron


Actress, women’s rights activist, and first lady of Argentina, Eva Peron has become a legendary figure both in her home country and in the western world. She used her position as first lady to fight for better treatment for the poor and for women’s suffrage. She was immortalized in the musical Evita. 

Selena Quintanilla-Peréz


Known as La Reina de la Cumbia, the Queen of Cumbia, Selena Quintanilla-Peréz changed the face of Tejano music and broke down barriers between the United States and Mexico, bringing Latino culture to the mainstream of American life. She was the first Tejano musician ever to receive a Grammy and her influence continues to impact pop stars to this day.







Hilda Solis

The daughter of immigrants from Nicaragua and Mexico, Hilda Solis is the former US Secretary of Labor, a former Congresswoman, and current member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for District 1. She was the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile of Courage Award in 2000 and fought in the 1990s to increase the minimum wage in California.

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor, born in the United States to Puerto Rican immigrants, went on to become the first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law and a lecturer at Columbia Law School.



Sent by Dorinda Moreno pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 
and Mercy Bautista Olvera  scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com 

Voto Latino is a nonpartisan organization that empowers Latino Millennials to claim a better future for themselves and their community. United by the belief that Latino issues are American issues and American issues are Latino issues, Voto Latino is dedicated to bringing new and diverse voices to develop leaders by engaging youth, media, technology and celebrities to promote positive change.

One of the programs Voto Latino has organized is the VL Innovators Challenge. From their website Voto Latino states: Latinos like technology. Let's put it to work. Latinos use digital media more than any other ethnic group. But few Latinos are translating their tech savvy into tech work. In fact, only 7% of technology workers are Hispanic. That's partly because Latinos don't associate their awesome online skills with the possibility of a career in tech. At Voto Latino, we believe Latinos can use their tech savviness to open doors to amazing careers in Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM).

HERITAGE PROJECTS

Art, History, & Culture: walking the streets of Spain while sketching and listening for voices from the past by Eddie Martinez, edited and translated in Spanish by Viola Rodriguez Sadler
Rancho del Sueno, Madera, CA offers equine assisted therapy, growth, and learning programs  
The importance of the Wilbur-Cruce Horses  by Historian Caroline Baldock
Funding Proposal to Pueblo of Isleta for Sor Maria de Agreda
Latino in Heritage Conservation Summit: National Dialogue

RANCHO DEL SUENO, MADERA, CALIFORNIA 
OFFERS EQUINE ASSISTED THERAPY, GROWTH AND LEARNING PROGRAMS
   

Located in the beautiful rolling hills of central Madera County is Rancho del Sueno, home to one of only three existing herds of world-renowned Colonial Spanish Wilbur-Cruce Mission Horses. These horses were originally discovered and then maintained in wild herd isolation by the same family for generations. To see and touch one of these magnificent animals is to experience close up the world of Cortez and Montezuma.

Ranch owner Robin Collins, a fourth generation Californian and lifetime horsewoman and competitor, was entrusted in 1990 with the propagation and conservation of these exceptionally intelligent and versatile animals. “These horses,” states Collins, “were specifically bred to be versatile and adaptable, capable of an arduous sea journey, challenging and sometimes deadly colonial exploration and a new life in an entirely New World. They can do and handle anything.”

Collins believes that the Wilbur-Cruce Mission Horses, more than any other existing breed, is most apt for interaction with humans because they were genetically selected for centuries by the Spanish to be that way. A Spaniard’s horse was his life. Taking advantage of this aptitude Collins uses these horses in programs and workshops designed to improve the psychological health and wellness of residents in the Greater Central Valley and beyond.

The use of equines in psycho-social health care is expanding for many reasons. The value of using a horse to stage interpersonal interaction lies in its herd animal nature. In a natural setting the horse grows up surrounded by a close knit family whose relationships are constantly negotiated through body language; therefore, they have an innate ability to accurately “read” the body language of a human and respond, even if the human is not self aware. In other words the horse provides the human with an honest mirror of the human’s thoughts, feelings and actions.

Horses are also non-judgmental and very forgiving, setting the person free to explore areas and issues they might think are taboo in interaction with people. Horse therapy is also conducted outside in the open air, removing the dismal and depressing office environment. And finally, horses are born followers seeking leaders who are even more honest and just than they are. This puts the human in a perfect position to act out and learn what that means.

Rancho del Sueno offers open enrollment in a variety of different therapy, growth and learning programs.  Clients are partnered with their “own” horse for the duration of the program to encourage a close relationship. Every week the partnered pairs are presented with progressively more challenging activities that offer experiential object lessons.  Participants are encouraged to journal in different ways the process of self discovery and growth that occurs with every new challenge.

Programs can be covered by medical insurance with a doctor or health care provider’s diagnosis and referral.

Between them the ranch’s three consulting staff members – Robin Collins, Leslie Desmond and Joyce Dickson -- have over 150 years of professional experience helping people and horses to realize their full potential: on the ground, saddled and in life in general. They are excited to offer their services and those of their magnificent assistants, the Colonial Spanish Wilbur-Cruce Mission Horses. They welcome everyone, pointing out that the horses don’t care what kind of human you are. To them, you are just…well, you! And that’s perfectly all right.  

These horses must be preserved, not just for their purity but also for their intelligence, conformation and if for nothing else to prove that breeding carefully for selective qualities is the only way to go.  We spend far too much money breeding bad horses to more bad horse, certainly in the UK. The result is a disaster, we have ugly unsound horses with dodgy characters and poorly adapted for work. I see them all the time.  

Francisco and his relatives are proved horses through hundreds years of trial and error, the survival of the fittest, we should honor them and keep them pure.  

Caroline Baldock 2015

Funding Proposal to Pueblo of Isleta for Sor Maria de Agreda

Editor Mimi: Please contact Jerry Javier or Victor Mancilla directly for more information and/or for donations in support of this most fascinating project, documenting the miracle of Sor María de Jesús de Ágreda. evidence of Heavenly Father's love for all people,   Jerry jerry_javier_lujan@hotmail.com  or Victor info@eravisionfilms.com 

A Somos Primos reader and friend, Gloria Candelaria (candelglo@gmail.com) attended the March 21st symposium held in San Antonio: The Blue Nun and the founding of the first Texas missions. Gloria sent a streaming photo selection set to music. Enjoyed viewing the re-enactor for the Blue Nun. http://play.smilebox.com/SpreadMoreHappy/4e44497a4d446b304d5446384f54417a4e6a63774d6a593d0d0a 

LATINO IN HERITAGE CONSERVATION SUMMIT: 
NATIONAL DIALOGUE
Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23, 2015, Tucson, Arizona

The Hotel Congress 311 East Congress, 
Tucson, Arizona 85701 
800-722-8848; www,hotelcongress.com

Sylvia M. Gonzalez | MANAGER OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS
P 210.223.9800 F 210.223.9802

NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Villa Finale: Museum & Gardens
401 King William Street San Antonio TX 78204
http://www.PreservationNation.org     www.VillaFinale.org 

HISTORIC TIDBITS

The Privileged and Unprivileged Classes in Europe during the 18th Century 
Tobacco . . .  How They Got Started
Who was the first European to smoke tobacco?
Las Adelitas by Margarito J. Garcia III, Ph.D.  
The Spanish Colonial Uniform Research Project
Documentary: Personal reflections on The San Patricios (1996)
The Soldiers of St. Patrick by Michael Hogan

THE PRIVILEGED AND UNPRIVILEGED CLASSES 
in Europe during the 18th Century

TOBACCO . . .  How They Got Started. . .

In 1760 a Huguenot named Pierre Lorillard began selling highly flavored pipe and chewing tobacco and snuff concocted in his New York City plant. His success brought tobacco new popularity—and new condemnation. For a century P. Lorillard and Sons dominated the market with imaginative sales devices, such as the wooden cigar store Indian. On its 100th anniversary, the company stuffed $100 bills into random packages of Century cigarette tobacco.

Ready-made cigarettes were hand-rolled and costly until 1881, when James Duke introduced machines that could roll 200 a minute. At five cents a pack, sales skyrocketed. In 1890 Duke merged America's five largest cigarette companies into the American Tobacco Company.   Source: Strange Stories, Reader's Digest

Editor Mimi: A charter was given to a group of London entrepreneurs by King James I.  They were directed by the King to establish a satellite English settlement in the Chesapeake region of North America, find gold and find a passage to the Orient. It appears that Tobacco was their gold and has continued since then.  
One page summary of Jamestown history, http://apva.org/rediscovery//page.php?page_id=6 

Currently, the British American Tobacco Company is London based tobacco company which operates in 60 markets globally and produce over 670 billion cigarettes a year,  which are manufactured in 46 manufacturing point in more than 40 countries as well as the ability of serving 200 markets worldwide.  

Source: http://www.academia.edu/9374168/INTERNATIONAL_BUSINESS_SCHOOL_BUSINESS_DATA_ANALYSIS
_HOME_ASSIGNMENT_BUSINESS_ANALYSIS_OF_BRITISH_AMERICAN_TOBACCO_
Msc_in_Marketing_Management_Tolga_%C3%87etinta%C5%9F_2014_15_Word_Count_3030_Table_of_Content 

Las Adelitas

By

Margarito J. Garcia III, Ph.D.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I think we would be remiss if we did not remember “Las Adelitas” particularly at this time of the year (as well as throughout the rest of the year).  For those of you who may not be familiar withthe expression “Las Adelitas,” the wording comes, in part, from the Mexican corrido called “Adelita.”I got help in researching the difference between the words "soldaderas" and "adelitas" and whether or not there is a difference--epistemologically speaking.  

According to some input from Dr. Cirencio A. Rodriguez , my understanding is that“Las Soldaderas” is more of general term. On the other hand, La Adelita y Valentina are applied to a particular soldaderas, although the names are often interchanged to mean the same thing. In essence, an Adelita or a Valentina were both soldaderas.  They were both, however, made famous by corridos in their honor, but Las Soladeras is generic and refers to all or any women that fought in the Mexican Revolution.  Dr. Rodriguez also recommends two excellent books:   Soldaderas In the Military; Myth and Fiction  by Elizabeth Salas (1990) University of Texas press and  La Soldaderas: Women in the Mexican Revolution by Elena Poniatoska (1999) Cinco Punto Press, El Paso Texas.  

In addition, Armando B. Rendon informs me that there is a link with Jorge Negrete singing the song at the following web site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbYFqFcxXxE.

And if you need to hear another versions sung by a woman named Carmen Sevilla go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ENe4ynn9o.  One thing you should know that there is no Mexican singer (man or woman) worthy of their fame to the Mexican public who has not sung the song Adelita.  You see, Adelita is not only a love song, it is also an anthem with great rallying power to people of Mexican descent, therefore, also Chicanos.

And for those who need a background film featuring the song, you can see a 1987 film called “Corridos:  Tales of Passion & Revolution” by writer/director Luis Valdez (the well-known Chicano film maker) featuring that particular corrido toward the end of the hour-plus film.  The PBS production can be found at: http://hidvl.nyu.edu/video/000539671.html.

I am thankful also to Don Felipe Ortega y Gasca, Ph.D., for sending me an article by Graciela Martinez Zalce (about that PBS production) which gives us, as well,more information on the play about corridosby Luis Valdez (see title above) in which the corrido Adelita is performed. The link forthe article by Graciela Martinez Zalce can be found at the following weblink:  http://www.revistascisan.unam.mx/Voices/pdfs/9304.pdf.  

There isalso agood references to Las Soldaderas in Wikipedia, i.e., women who were the “adelitas” or the “soldaderas” and who fought in the Mexican Revolution, just go to, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldaderas.  
 

Just so you know how dangerous it was for women to fight in the Mexican Revolution, consider this quote from Wikipedia:  “One of the more sordid of events pertaining to lasadelitas was experienced in Mexico.  According to Wikipedia, “the most appalling event towards women during the Mexican Revolution is known as the massacre of the soldaderas. The massacre happened at the hands of Villa, who had been known to treat women badly. On December 12, 1916, he and his men captured and killed around 90 women. The story is that there was a shot fired from a group of women, towards Villa. None of the women, whether they actually knew or not, gave up a culprit. Villa then ordered his men to kill every single female in the group. Everyone, including children, was killed. Villa's troops were then told to loot the bodies for valuables. During their search they found a baby still alive. Villa told them that their orders were to kill absolutely everyone, including the baby.”  
 

According to sources I know, the atrocities Wikipedia speaks may be verifiable because if you look in the book (pp. 9-13), called Las Soldaderas: Women in the Mexican Revolution by Elena Poniatoska (1999) Cinco Punto Press, El Paso Texas (cited above), the author cites several sources.  According to Rodriguez (2015) most sources seem to agree that something did happen; however they differ in the details.  In comparison Zapata, did not act as badly toward women as Pancho Villa did in the treatment of mujeres.  If you're lucky readers may find some truth to the atrocities story in Poniatoska’s book.
 

I hope the above citing from Wikipedia does not turn you off to the topic at hand, but the above-mentioned massacre underscores the seriousness of the passion behind the lyrics even moreso (in my opinion).  As such, when you read the lyrics below, you can better appreciate the gravity of the situation for the women who went into battlefield. Now, let us go to the actual lyrics to Adelita.  I am grateful to Eddie Calderon who studies songs and lyrics for his assistance.  I am grateful to Mimi Lozano (of www.Somos Primos.com fame) for bringing us together.
 
The U-Tube rendition and lyrics to the song ADELITA can be found at the following link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3w_x2r8fH0.  

Keep in mind that the above link to the song, however, is the background music to a 20-minute film. But know one very important thing also:  The viewing of the short movie (about the Mexican Revolution) which is being shown while you listen to the song AdelitaIS REALLY WORTH IT!  Just pour yourself a nice warm cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy the film for both the singing of the song and the fantastic historical footage.  You will appreciate why Adelita was an inspiration to the those men and women who fought at the Mexican Revolution.  

Also thanks to Eddie Calderon for providing as well the website link for the translation of the song lyrics (in both Spanish and English) for the corrido Adelita, which can be found at:
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-adelita-adelita.html#ixzz3UKMAsbnC, and the translator is Yorsh Kosher, who dedicates his work “para todaslasadelitas del mundo.”  

¡Rayadillo!
THE SPANISH COLONIAL UNIFORM RESEARCH PROJECT  

 
http://www.agmohio.com/losrayadillos.htm  

The study and collecting of Spanish Army relics and souvenirs from the Spanish American War is my passion. This project had its beginning as a display with a printed guide describing the artifacts at the TMCA militaria collector's show in Franklin, Tennessee a few years ago.  My hope is that this website will eventually develop into a reference book that will, for the first time in the English language, accurately detail the uniforms, insignia and accoutrements of the Spanish colonial forces that opposed the United States during the Spanish American War of 1898.  The study will focus on original artifacts and period photographs from the three major colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.  Period regulations and first hand sources will also be presented.  If you have information you would like to share related to this project please contact me, Bill Combs, at :  agmohio@sbcglobal.net  

Images for spanish army colonial uniforms
More images for spanish army colonial uniforms    

Images for mexican soldier uniform alamo

More images for mexican soldier uniform alamo  
Mexican Army Uniforms | Alamo Central Forum  
www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/.../uniforms.html  

Sent by Refugio Rochin, Ph.D. 

Documentary: Personal reflections on The San Patricios (1996)
http://dayproductions.com/documentaries.html 

Dan Overpeck as Capt. John Riley.
During the U.S. intervention in Mexico of 1846-1847, for motives that are still being debated by historians, nearly 500 soldiers, including some from other European countries, deserted the U.S. Army and joined the St. Patrick’s Battalion within the Mexican army. They fought in all the major battles of the two year war. Toward the end of the conflict, scores were captured by the U.S. Army, court martialed, and 50 were sentenced to be hanged in three separate locations in Mexico City. To this day an annual ceremony is held each year on Sept. 12 to commemorate the “San Patricios” at the Plaza San Jacinto in Mexico City where a stone plaque bears their names. 

For nearly 150 years, U.S. military authorities suppressed the story of the San Patricios. Then, in 1989, Robert Ryal Miller published his extensive research on the battalion in his book, Shamrock and Sword. In 1993, Miller agreed to serve as the principal historical adviser for my documentary, The San Patricios. He made many helpful suggestions for the script and sat for an interview at his Berkeley, California home. Another valuable resource has been Peter Stevens, author of The Rogue’s March: John Riley and the San Patricios. Stevens probes deeply into the Irish background of the battalion and questions the findings of the U. S. courts martial which concluded that the men deserted and joined the Mexican army simply because they were drunk and disorderly. 

                                                                               San Patricio Commemoration.
In the next two years our production crew traveled to Texas for US-Mexican war re-enactments; to Mexico for further research, interviews and to film the annual San Patricio commemoration in Mexico City; and to Ireland to retrace the journey of the San Patricios, particularly to Clifden, Galway, birthplace of John Riley, founder and commander of the battalion. Several months were spent in post production with the valuable advice of film maker Hector Galan, the editing skills of Joanne Hershfield and an original music score by Steve Yeaman. The documentary was premiered at the Cork International Film Festival in 1996 and was also shown on Irish television (RTE). In September, 1996, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Mexican War, President Ernesto Zedillo presided over a special ceremony commemorating the San Patricios. The documentary was shown the same day on Mexico’s Televised network. Since then it was broadcast on a dozen PBS stations. It has garnered several awards and continues to be used as an educational resource in schools across the United States, Canada and Ireland.

A teacher’s guide and bibliography can be downloaded from this website. Educators have discovered that the story of the San Patricios serves as a valuable window for understanding the U.S-Mexican War, as well as 19th century Nativism, Manifest Destiny, the Great Hunger (the so called Irish Potato Famine) and the mass emigration from Ireland that took place in its wake.  (see Store for purchase:  http://dayproductions.com/store.html )

What I also like about this production is that it comes with a teacher’s guide and a bibliography which can be downloaded from this website. For those of you who do not know, I got my doctorate in the area of Social Studies Teacher Education, so I very much like films that come with a teacher’s guide. I hope you try it and let me know if you liked it, ok? Just so you know, I own no stock in the company called Day Productions, I am only sharing.

Margarito J. Garcia III, Ph.D.
Su Hermano Chicano
(517)894-2881

HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

Mares, with Miguel Montiel and Tomás Atencio, wrote, “Resolana, Emerging Chicano Dialogs on Community and Globalization.” The publisher, University of Arizona Press, describes the book: “Resolana will inspire dialogue and creativity from those interested in sociology, political science, social work and Chicano studies, as well as public policy makers and the general public.”

MADISON - Camille Guérin-Gonzales died on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, at Agrace HospiceCare in Madison, after 14 months of living exuberantly, purposefully, and consciously with a cancer diagnosis that she never let define her.

She was born on July 20, 1945, in Las Vegas, N.M., the first child of Estella María Gonzales and Benedict Frederick Guérin. Because her father worked in the nuclear weapons industry, she did part of her growing up in Los Alamos, N.M., near the Nevada Test Grounds; and in Livermore, Calif. But she also lived in Las Vegas with her grandparents, who helped to raise her, Johanna and Gilberto Guérin, and Elenita and Adelaido Gonzales. Some parts of her family had roots in northern New Mexico going back 17 generations; they migrated there from what is now Mexico. Some parts of her family were indigenous to the land. Still others arrived later from France, Germany, and New England. Camille attended both Catholic and public schools growing up, rarely spending more than a year in any one place.

When she entered community college in Riverside, Calif., she lived with her Aunt Angie (Guérin) Kramer and her cousins, Karen, Joan, and Anita. An early marriage produced three handsome and spirited children, Kerrie Anne, Ronald Wayne, and Michael James Lester. When the children were small, Camille went back to school, earning her B.A. at University of California, Riverside, in 1978. By then, she was hooked on the study of history, and she went on to receive her M.A. in 1980. Now on her own, she took a brave leap into a Ph.D. program while raising three children. She earned her doctorate at UC-Riverside in 1985, writing the dissertation that eventually appeared in book form, Mexican Workers and American Dreams: Immigration, Repatriation, and California Farm Labor, 1900-1939. She published in the areas of U.S. labor, immigration, and Latino history, and left behind an unfinished book manuscript on coal mining communities, "Mapping Working-Class Struggle in Appalachia, South Wales, and the American Southwest."

Her real love was teaching, which she did at University of Colorado-Boulder, Oberlin College, University of Michigan, UCLA, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. At UCLA, she was among six founding faculty members of the César Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies. She joined the faculty at UW-Madison in 2001, retiring in 2014. She directed UW's Chicana/o Studies Program, which became the Chican@ and Latin@ Studies Program under her leadership, and she also served as associate chair and director of Undergraduate Studies in the History Department. She was a founding member of both Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) and the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA). She found her greatest joy in teaching labor history and in promoting justice for working people in the present.

Memorials may be made to Workers' Rights Center of Madison, Somos Un Pueblo Unidos of New Mexico, Human Rights Campaign, or Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com .
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
(608) 238-3434

Wisconsin State Journal
www.madison.com 
February 28, 2015, by Jessica Schurmann

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/obituaries/gu-rin-gonzales-camille/article_ef80da32-4087-5700-9cb0
-7c756243b5b2.html#ixzz3U26CTkxO  

Sent by Roberto Caleron, Ph.D.  
Roberto.Calderon@unt.edu
Historia Chicana, Mexican American Studies
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas

EDUCATION

George I. Sanchez: 
The Long Fight for Mexican American Integration by Carlos Kevin Blanton

Review: Integration Hero and Education Legend George I. Sanchez Gets a New Biography
by Ronnie Dugger, Texas Observer, March 18, 2015
http://www.texasobserver.org/george-i-sanchez-biography/ 

It is not a matter of color, but numbers 
by Mimi Lozano

LNESC and Marathon Oil Expand Partnership for Middle School Science Corps Program 

Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism on Campus

New documentary reveals the rise of anti-Israel activity& anti-Semitic rhetoric on university campuses.

What’s New?
The Virtual Race Across Texas  . .   on the web game, free to play.

Early Educational Institutions in Colonial Spanish Texas
5th Essay from: Colonial Spanish Texas & Other Essays by Dr. Lino Garcia, Jr. 

Max Berger in his "Education in Texas during the Spanish/Mexican Periods" gives us an insight into the early efforts by Spanish/Mexican citizens of Colonial Spanish Texas in establishing the first system of public schools. Spanish soldiers occupied Texas by establishing military outposts, with the early Spanish missions an integral part of that military policy. The Indian population was to be Christianized, educated, and prepared to be citizens of the Spanish Empire. Thus, every mission had as its component an industrial school for instructions in industry and agriculture. The Spanish language was also taught to the Indian population. The first of such mission with its instructional component was established in Texas in 1690, and within five or more years other such Spanish missions were also started. The first settlement in Texas by Spanish families and soldiers was the founding of San Fernando de Bexar (later San Antonio) in 1718; and thereafter it was inevitable that a need for education existed for the children of Spanish settlers, soldiers, and governmental officials in the Texas of that time. Thus, the first such non-mission school began its operation in San Antonio, Texas in the year 1746. It was a normal parish school as was in place throughout the Spanish Empire and had as its mission the training of the young in religious doctrines. Another such school was opened in San Antonio in the year 1789, but closed soon in 1792 at the end of that century.

In 1802, an official edict was pronounced by the Spanish government in Texas that called for a school to be in operation, tuition free and prescribing compulsory attendance, with penalties for parent for failure to comply. One year later another official order was proclaimed establishing schools at all military posts in Texas, with provisions to grant a small salary for its teachers. Spanish authorities had a penchant for details, and for a firm authority in all its affairs in the New World, which also included Spanish Colonial Texas, and it is no wonder that detailed instructions for the organization of its schools also reflected that policy. In the City of San Antonio a school was established with public funds and offering free tuition, setting the stage for the later on famous "Public Free Primary School" that opened in that city in 1828 and that had its blessings from the Mexican authorities who then ruled Texas after the state gained its independence from Spain in 1821.

In 1818 at La Bahia, a soldier named Galan taught a class of eighteen children, receiving no salary, except for a few donations of meat, lard, salt, and the small salary he received as a soldier. A citizen then wrote "... the majority of the children are taught out of pure charity, the custom being not to give anything to this unfortunate wretch". It was difficult to sustain any semblance of an educational system during the turbulent years of unrest between 1819 and 1821, when Texas was liberated by the Independence Movement "El Grito of 1810", and when the territory reverted back to the Mexican authorities. However the Mexican government, which ruled Texas after 1821, issued a proclamation allowing the states control of its educational endeavors, and such was the case in Texas. Thus, the new constitution of Coahuila and Texas of 1827 required all cities to establish primary schools in the territory. In 1828 the then governor of Texas Jose Maria Viesca encouraged parents to send their children to the best schools possible; and by 1833 the state of Texas started the practice of granting land grants to establish local institutions of learning.

However, it was still difficult to establish a long lasting educational system of learning given the political unrest that set upon the Texas of that time. The best schools in all of the territory existed in San Antonio, but they were still far from perfect. Other factors were lack of teachers, and the low level of poverty of the state. However, San Antonio managed to establish a law known as the "Public Free Primary School", which was free, subsidized by public funds, and private subscriptions.

Rules were immediately established to conduct this endeavor; such as classes were held from six to ten in the morning during the summer, and seven to twelve in the winter months; with classes held in the afternoon from two to six during the whole year. The instructor was to open the school with a prayer; and held strict observances of religious events. The lessons included the "three R's", with lessons in manners, morals, and religion. The teacher was hired on a four year contract at a salary of five hundred dollars a year, payable in monthly installments. These early schools in Spanish/Mexican Colonial Texas existed until the year 1834.

By this time in history the Mexican authorities were granting huge land grants to northerners headed by Esteban F. Austin to settle in Mexican controlled Texas, but with certain conditions, one being that they must learn the language spoken by its citizens, which was the Spanish language, they were to become Mexican citizens, and accept Catholicism. In 1831, the townspeople of San Antonio constructed a school building, with contributions from the citizens of various sums of money, others gave lumber, nails, hinges, a calf, a barrel of corn, or personal services. A teacher from the north was hired but soon the citizens objected to his being in the classroom when it was discovered that he lacked a proper documents to be in the Texas of that time. The early contract with northerners required that schools be erected in each new colony, and that all instructions be given in Spanish, the official language of Texas of that time.

As the year of Texas Independence approached in 1836, one of the provisions of the new constitution was the establishment of a strong public school system in Texas. Early advocates of such efforts included

Tejano patriots Lorenzo de Zavala, Antonio de Navarro, and Juan Seguin; with Zavala introducing legislature to establish the first system of higher education in Texas; and both Navarro and Seguin attempted to donate thousands of their own land for the purpose of establishing the first university. After the Battle of the Alamo of 1836, schools again began to flourish, but it cannot be denied that the early efforts of Spanish/ Mexican authorities in establishing the first schools, with laws governing its administration was the embryonic source of the present Texas system of education now in existence. Tejanos should, indeed, feel proud that their ancestors worked diligently and did the heavy lifting in order to establish an educational system in Colonial Spanish Texas that set the stage for the present educational institutions that all Texans now enjoy.

Extracts: Obama defunds private school vouchers for kids in Washington, D.C.
Stephan Moore, Orange County Register, CA Feb 8, 2015

CULTURE

Spring Means Spanish Paella in Alamo City 
by Rosie Carbo 

Creativity took hold during the cooking competition in which more than 30 chefs, representing restaurants, wine and tapas bars and catering services from Texas, the nation and Mexico, went head-to-head. Seventeen chefs competed in the Classical category, while 19 competed in the Contemporary category.

Celebrities included Susana Trilling, chef and author of Seasons of the Heart and other Mexican food cookbooks. Trilling has also hosted several television shows. She has done TV cooking segments with the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern, Burt Wolf, Rick Bayless, and other celebs at her Rancho Aurora in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The Experiment’s chef Lorenzo Morales won in the People’s Choice category. The overall winner in the “Classical and Contemporary” category was chef David Gilbert of the local Tuk Tuk Taproom. Gilbert received an all-expense paid trip for two to Spain. Seasoned chefs competed in Classical, Contemporary, People’s Choice, and Overall Classical and Contemporary.

Aside from that, this was the fourth year in which local high school students from the culinary arts programs at nine San Antonio high schools participated. Sponsored by San Antonio-based grocery giant H-E-B, students get a taste of what it’s really like to cook under pressure. 

“My dad was the one who inspired me to want to cook. We always used to cook together when I was growing up. So I know this is what I’m meant to do,” said aspiring chef Grecia Oveda, a senior at James Madison High School. Winning schools were Bryan P. Steels, Howard Taft, and Robert E. Lee.

Paella was meant to bring the family together; it was a special time of sharing. It began in Valencia, Spain as a humble saffron-infused dish made up of wild rabbit and local vegetables. In time it evolved to include shrimp, mussels, baby clams, and other seafood items from the nearby Mediterranean.

Purists looking for the traditional paella, which calls for Calasparra rice grown in the mountains of Murcia, Spain, were amazed at the many unusual variations on this quintessential Spanish dish. In fact, one chef said he used Basmati rice, a staple in the Middle East, to cook his delicious paella.

This chef was not alone. Most Paella pans were filled with nontraditional ingredients such as cauliflower, roasted artichokes, and escargot. Some boasted small red potatoes, corn on the cob, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and all manner of edible ingredients.

Tim McCarty of Rochester, Minnesota created one of the most unique paellas and dubbed it the Bloody Mary paella. McCarty has been participating since the Paella Challenge started six years ago.

“It’s a great cause for donating to the high school kids, so we’re really out here for the kids,” said McCarty’s colleague, chef James Foote of the Victoria Country Club, which took third place in the Classical category.

Under the Texas sun, with temperatures hovering in the 70s, the scent of saffron, garlic, onions, Turkish paprika and Italian sausage wafted across the kiosk-dotted 22-acre complex igniting hungry or curious appetites. Paella Challenge goers dashed from one kiosk stand to another savoring each plateful.

Entertainment ran the gamut from Spanish Flamenco to Rock ‘n Roll and Jazz. The music filled the air and kept the huge crowd gyrating and toe-tapping until restraint gave way to dancing rhythmic Salsa music.

Advanced tickets of $65 dollars a person sold out before the event. So admission on the day of the event was $75 a person. Tickets for those 21 years old and under were $25 a person for the all-inclusive affair.

NEW PLAY, ESPERANZA RISING 
Written by Lynn Alvarez, Directed by Rebecca Rivas

Esperanza Rising was performed in March seven times at the University of Texas, El Paso,.  UTEP invited the public to join them on "this mariachi-accompanied journey through Aguascalientes, to the fields of California, toward Esperanza."

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

Up For Natl Award, Poet Willie Perdomo's Ode To El Barrio

by Juan Castillo 
Juan Castillo is an award-winning writer and journalist based in Austin, Texas. 

March 22-29th, 2015

10th Annual Bay Area Flamenco Festival

FESTIVAL FLAMENCO GITANO 2015

ABOUT THE BAY AREA FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

Sent by Juan Marinez 
marinezj@msu.edu 

BOOKS & PRINT MEDIA

University Press Copublishing Division / Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
Pages: 254• Size: 6 x 9
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781611478198#
978-1-61147-818-1 • Hardback • June 2015 • $75.00 • (£44.95)
978-1-61147-819-8 • eBook • June 2015 • $74.99 • (£44.95)
Series: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Mormon Studies Series
Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural Heritage, Biography & Autobiography / Religious, Religion / Christianity / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Editorial Reviews:

A unique, powerful, and inspiring memoir on the complexities of becoming a Chicano Mormon by one of the accomplished historians of his generation. (Mario T. Garcia, University of California, Santa Barbara and author of "The Chicano Generation: Testimonios of the Movement")

Think you know what it means to be Mormon? In this tough, tender memoir, Ignacio Garcia reminds us that Mormon barrio girls with hair teased high, walkouts, grape boycotts, urban congregations run by tough-minded working-class women, soulful contemplations in the Vietnam barracks—these too belong to the modern LDS experience. His story reminds us that the Mormon faith can fuel a hunger for social justice, and that the Mormon people have a great deal to learn by turning the time over to our brothers and sisters of color. Thank you for the wisdom, Brother Garcia. Adelante, and amen. (Joanna Brooks, author, The Book of Mormon Girl)

Ignacio M. García is the Lemuel Hardison Redd, Jr. Professor of Western and Latino History at Brigham Young University. Professor of Western & Latino History
(801) 422-4387  


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

When Mexicans Could Play Ball by Ignacio M. Garcia 

Students of Color and the Achievement Gap: Systemic Challenges, 
Systemic Transformations 
by Richard R. Valencia

By showing how racialized opportunity structures in society and schools ultimately result in racialized patterns of academic achievement in schools, Valencia shows how the various indicators of the achievement gap are actually symptoms of the societal and school quality gaps. Following each of these concerns, Valencia provides a number of reform suggestions that can lead to systemic transformations of K-12 education. Students of Color and the Achievement Gap makes a persuasive and well documented case that school success for students of color, and the empowerment of their parents, can only be fully understood and realized when contextualized within broader political, economic, and cultural frameworks.

LATINOS AND LATINAS AT RISK, GABRIEL GUTIERREZ, EDITOR

Description: The Latino/a presence in this country predates the United States itself, yet this group is often marginalized in the American culture. Many noted experts explore the ideology behind this prejudicial attitude, examining how America views Latinos/as, how Latinos/as view themselves, and what the future of America will look like as this group progresses toward equitable treatment. Through the exploration process, the book reveals the complexity and diversity of this community. 

ISBN-13: 978-0313399251   ISBN-10: 0313399255 
Hardcover: 828 pages  Hardcover $189.00  Kindle $170.09
Publisher: ABC-CLIO/Greenwood (January 26, 2015)
Sent by Roberto Calderon, Ph.D.  Roberto.Calderon@unt.edu 

Mexicans in California: Transformations and Challenges, Exploring the past, present, and future of ethnic Mexicans in California

Edited by Ramón A. Gutiérrez and Patricia Zavella

Pub Date: June 2009 Pages:264 pages

http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/
26qkw4ek9780252034114.html

Contributors are Brenda D. Arellano, Leo R. Chavez, Yvette G. Flores, Ramón A. Gutiérrez, Aída Hurtado, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, Chon A. Noriega, Manuel Pastor Jr., Armida Ornelas, Russell W. Rumberger, Daniel G. Solórzano, Enriqueta Valdez Curiel, and Abel Valenzuela Jr.

Numbering over a third of California's population and thirteen percent of the U.S. population, people of Mexican ancestry represent a hugely complex group with a long history in the country. Contributors address a broad range of issues regarding California's ethnic Mexican population, including their concentration among the working poor and as day laborers; their participation in various sectors of the educational system; social problems such as domestic violence; their contributions to the arts, especially music; media stereotyping; and political alliances and alignments.

Contributors are Brenda D. Arellano, Leo R. Chavez, Yvette G. Flores, Ramón A. Gutiérrez, Aída Hurtado, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, Chon A. Noriega, Manuel Pastor Jr., Armida Ornelas, Russell W. Rumberger, Daniel G. Solórzano, Enriqueta Valdez Curiel, and Abel Valenzuela Jr.

"Informative and well written, this anthology contains substantive explorations of issues that deeply affect the daily lives and experience of Latino/as in the United States today."--Suzanne Oboler, founding editor of Latino Studies and coeditor in chief of the four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia on Latinos and Latinas in the United States

Ramón A. Gutiérrez is the Preston and Sterling Morton Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Chicago.Patricia Zavella is a professor of Latin American and Latino studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sent by Refugio Rochin, Ph.D.  rrochin@gmail.com

Building Blocks for Hispanic (and Other) Millennials by Gil Narro Garcia
Chapter 6: Interesting Approach to Identity
Access the complete iBook through iTunes.  

Many of you are like me. I was born into a middle class Mexican American family and grew up in a well-kept neighborhood full of children just like me, though we did come in contact with others who were not. My parents were Mexican-born. Their generation (in the first quarter of the 20th Century) was one of refugees from the Mexican Revolution. They left behind estates and professional positions, but brought with them the values and attitudes of the Mexican middle and upper classes.

Upon arrival in South Texas, my parents enrolled in public schools and later became American citizens. They were literate in Spanish and acquired English in school. Mom and Dad valued, above most things, education and good deportment and language skills. And, they instilled in us the values of their accomplished family antecedents. The principal decision after high school that my brothers, sister, and I were expected make, for example, was which college to attend. Not going was not an option! Such was the case for my neighborhood friends as well. I elected to go to Baylor, but that’s a different story.

Now that we’re older and have families or at least live in secure households, many of you and I enjoy the fruits of being part of the American middle class. At least 5 million of us have a minimum of a BA/BS degree. The vast majority of the Hispanics living in the US are native born, a change from when I was growing up. Further, over 19% of us are working in management, business and science positions, and in the arts.* But, enough with the statistics. If you are reading this, you are very likely middle and upper middle class.

We know who we are. We shop both at Wal-Mart and Nordstrom’s, the local panaderia/bodega and at Whole Foods. We drive relatively good cars, be they a Ford or Prius or a Lexus. We drink beer as well as wine, bourbon and tequila. Some of us joke in Spanish, depending on the circumstances and whom we’re with. Because most of us hold white collar or professional jobs, we enjoy annual salaries that range from $60K to $175K+. This enables us to live in secure urban and suburban neighborhoods with good schools. We are doctors, sheriffs, and office workers. In short, many of us represent a segment of American culture and society that, while not in the 1%, are not living in poverty, though we are struggling along with the rest of our middle class counterparts.

We vote and we argue conservative and liberal politics just like others in the middle class. Some of us hold local elected offices. Many of us read major newspapers daily and enjoy going to movies and other entertainment. We vacation in Hispanic countries, as well as in Europe. We are vested in the stock market and fret about its ups and downs and about our retirement prospects. Many of our children play sports in school or in college and are already or might soon become engineers or attorneys or major chain managers or educators. In fact, many of our children, the second generation, are achieving admirably. In my family alone, there is a family doctor, a veterinarian, tenured university faculty, and a soon-to-be attorney.

The above, while not universal for Hispanics, is not fiction. And, I don’t believe that it’s an exaggeration. But, neither am I suggesting homogeneity within the ranks of our middle class standings. Secondly, middle class Hispanics live, for the most part, seamlessly in the American middle class milieu. I say “part” because America remains a society that judges and treats people on the basis of looks, dress, accent, last name, and other features that have little bearing on acumen, creativity, and contributions. In this respect, the most recent incidents in Ferguson, Cleveland, and New York City reveal a dichotomy that might be quite valid. Consider the reality that neither our children nor we appear to encounter the extent and severity of the problems and obstacles that many of our African American colleagues and middle class peers face with regard to encounters with the police and judicial systems, hiring, job promotions and related economic behaviors that have a direct impact on conditions of stable living.

The other “part” is the reality that many middle class Hispanics have melded into the broader American middle class and have not taken full advantage of nor exploited the socio-cultural resources that are fundamental to what it means to be Hispanic/Latino in America.

So, where am I going with this good-looking picture? I’ll be upfront: The Hispanic middle class is, as a group and in proportion to our history, accomplishments, and size, more consumer and spectator than innovator and large-scale leader.

A bottom line is that, given the wealth, talent, ambition, and successes that we represent, we simply have not translated our middle class strengths and resources into movements of change and impact. Hispanics seem to prefer local rather than national or larger global scales. We ultimately let others in the American upper and middle classes do the bidding and the controlling, and basically run the show. I believe that we’ve shorted ourselves! Why is that?

Consider the most recent announcement by ex-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles. Because Senator Barbara Boxer has announced her retirement, there is an on-going struggle to nominate a candidate for the open seat. What an opportunity! But, Mr. Villaraigosa has stated that he won't run for that position because he prefers to remain in California. No doubt that this is a sincere decision. The fact remains that Senators have the opportunity to wield national influence on policies and legislation that, at the very least, impact on Hispanics. At some point in a Hispanic's life, national priorities and un-addressed social and economic issues need to over-ride self-limiting aspirations. I use this example only to point out the desperate need for Hispanics who think and act on large scales.

In other features, I plan to provide an overview of what I believe the Hispanic American middle class is not doing. Achievements to an average point have meant that we are not achieving “optimally”. I’ll also delve into what we could assertively be doing as a middle class group if we are going to affect the policies and priorities that must shape the (inter)national frontiers for the next 30 years. I further believe that it’s either going to be pronto or nunca! There is simply too much at stake.

Please send me your thoughtful comments and challenging questions. Also, please let me know if you would agree to be interviewed for the next installment. It’s your chance to be heard and to make a difference. 
Gil Narro Garcia Gil@improveyouroffer.com

Sent by Refugio Rochin rrochin@me.com

On Mar 5, 2015, at 1:00 PM, Joe Lopez <jlopez8182@satx.rr.com> wrote:

Mr. Narro García (Gil), thank you for the opportunity to join in this important topic. FYI, ever since I retired after a nearly 38-year military/Federal service career in 2000, my wife and I have visited dozens of South Texas campuses. During that time, we have mentored thousands of Mexican-descent students, sharing with them their “lost” history. In accordance with your last paragraph (of the excerpt I received from Refugio), I take the liberty to add the following:

First, to restore Hispanic dignity and respect in U.S. history books, the Mexican-descent “ownership” of early U.S. history in the Southwest must first be established. In other words, the mainstream U.S. history assumption that we are all immigrants has to stop.

To explain. Mexican-descent citizens comprise the majority of Hispanics in the U.S. At last count that’s estimated to be about 35 million people. Out of that number at least half are descendants of the Spanish Mexican pioneers already living here when the U.S. subsumed Texas, South Texas, and the entire Southwest.

What that means is that 15-20 million Spanish-surnamed citizens originating in the Southwest are not descendants of immigrants. (That is what separates us from other Hispanic groups that came here later as immigrants.) Until pre-1848 Texas and Southwest history is accepted and taught as part of mainstream curriculum, our right to claim Hispanic (Mexican) heritage “on this side of the border” will remain clouded with suspicion and resentment within the U.S. general public. Ignorance feeds intolerance, while knowledge feeds understanding.

Second, my theory is that the 1960s set the basis for human rights that Mexican-descent U.S. citizens of the Southwest now enjoy. Because the U.S. Constitution was not good enough for mainstream society to adopt inclusion (equality for all its citizens), President Lyndon Johnson used his executive powers to bring justice to a group of society that he was intimately familiar with (Mexican-descent Texans). As a result, our folks walked through the doors of opportunity in education, employment, and housing that President LBJ and U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough opened widely. The problem is that once they got their degrees, many never looked back. Nor did they reach back to help those behind who needed a helping hand up to get onto the same ladder of success we used.

Third, (in relation to the point above) it is time that the highly successful Spanish-surnamed folks filling high-level, high visibility, high-paying positions you cite in your “Building Blocks for Hispanics…” book get actively involved in bringing change, regardless of ideology and political affiliation. For some reason, we as a group have a dismal record of involvement when we fully know that from within we must solve the problem of Hispanics remaining at the bottom of most quality of life indicators.

Mr. Narro García, I will leave you with a particular conundrum we have here in Texas. The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) and state legislature officials disapprove of and are reluctant to teach early Texas (Tejana/Tejano) history in Texas classrooms because “… it teaches the history of Mexico”. Well, of course that’s true, but the fact is that it’s in Texas’ DNA. In short, Texas is a child of Mexico (New Spain). The early chapters of Texas history are written in Spanish, but that only means that Texas (& U.S. history) are truly bi-lingual and bicultural. To be blunt, Texas is in New Spain, not New England.

Sir, I would submit to you that our communication gap here in Texas with our “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind’s made up” leaders is a microcosm of what the problem is nationwide.

Thank you, again.
Very Respectfully, José Antonio López
jlopez8182@satx.rr.com  

From:  Gil@improveyouroffer.com 3/5/2015 10:39:21 A.M. Pacific Standard Time

Senor Lopez,  

Thanks for your candid comments. Yes, history is rife with deletions and omissions. The best that we can do is continue to grow as communities of Americans who are Hispanic. The more sophisticated we become, the more difficult it is for others to challenge our credentials or to dismiss our talents.  

I appreciate that you took the time to read my iBook. Please forward it to others who might benefit. My retirement time is filled with my art and my relentless efforts to highlight what Hispanics have accomplished, but also to highlight what we haven’t yet. If only more middle and upper class Hispanics would strive to achieve beyond their safe zones, we’d have a whopper of the world!  

Saludos to you and to Refugio.  

Gil Narro Garcia

Gracias, Sra. Lozano.

 ===============

Gil Narro Garcia  

On Mar 6, 2015, at 2:16 PM, MIMILOZANO@aol.com wrote:  

Yes, yes, yes . . . When our youth think of Mexican soldiers, they think of Pancho Villa.

In the late 90s, in response to teachers complaining that celebrating Hispanic Heritage month was difficult because it comes right in the beginning of the school year, I prepared a manual for use in the classroom. I developed it with minimal teacher preparation, but suggestions of how it could be incorporated into the subject matter of the classroom. I also suggested that it could be implemented from the principal's office on the school intercom system.

The material includes tidbits of information that I thought would be fun for the kids. Please check it out. http://www.somosprimos.com/heritage/heritage.htm

Maybe we need to think about preparing something similar, but different, with incidents presented historically chronological and very visual, which would produce the same student response. Come to think of it . . . maybe I should add some visuals to the Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month manual?? Hum m m m

Mr. Narro García (Gil), I will be sharing information on your book in the April issue of Somos Primos. Glad to be in touch with another Mexican-American activist historian.  

Warmest regards, Mimi

Latino soldiers
 Cebu, Phillipines, WW II

AMERICAN PATRIOTS

Vietnam Wall

First click on a state. When it opens, scroll down to the city and the names will appear.
Then click on their names. It should show you a picture of the person, or at least their bio and medals.
This really is an amazing web site. Someone spent a lot of time and effort to create it.
I hope everyone will stop and appreciates what those who served in Vietnam sacrificed for our country.
Link below virtual wall of all those lost during the Vietnam war, names, bio's and other information.
Those who remember that time frame, or perhaps lost friends or family can look them up on this site.
Pass the link on to others, as many knew wonderful people whose names are listed.
http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm

Sent by Juan Marinez, marinezj@msu.edu 

Sent by Oscar Ramirez  osramirez@sbcglobal.net 

The Hornet’s Nest and Working Wardrobes’ VetNet program

Sent by Yvonne S. Duncan
Federal Grants Manager
U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez (CA-46)
12397 Lewis Street, Suite 101
Garden Grove, CA 92840
P: 714-621-0102 Ext 20
F: 714-621-0401

Vietnam War, 50 Years Later Giving a Voice to Latino Veterans
 by Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Growing up, Tomas Summers Sandoval was surrounded by veterans of the Vietnam War: His father and uncle and neighbors served proudly, the survivors returning to start families in the working-class suburbs of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire

But outside his social circle, Summers Sandoval was dismayed to find very little has been done to document the impact of the war on Latino communities.

This month, 50 years since U.S. troops set foot in Vietnam, Summers Sandoval has found himself face to face with these men as they tell their stories.

“To understand Latinos in California, how they found their way into the military is a window to understanding the educational inequalities in society of the time,” the soft-spoken Summers Sandoval said.

A history professor at Pomona College, Summers Sandoval is researching the Latino experience in Vietnam and plans to calculate the casualties of Latinos in the war, teaming up with economics professor Fernando Lozano to get those figures. He is working with students to review large data sets from the Census and other federal surveys to determine the number of Latinos that fought in the war.

“We have to think about Vietnam as more than just creating an anti-war movement in Chicano communities — which it did and was very important. I think far more families were affected in ways beyond participation (in the protests),” he said.

Knowing those stories is vital, said Summers Sandoval, who teaches a class devoted to compiling oral histories of Latino and Chicano Vietnam veterans.

According to his research, Latinos did indeed bear a heavy burden. Latinos made up 11 percent of the population during the war, but 14 percent of the Vietnam casualties were Latinos.

“Now that we have final numbers — what is the participation rate of Latinos in the Vietnam war,” he said. “Were we more overrepresented in our population in deaths?”

New data shows that many more families have a direct connection to those who served in Vietnam than to the Chicano youth activism of that time, he said.

In the dozens of interviews Summers Sandoval has conducted over the past four years, he has come to believe the war had a profound effect on the Southland’s Latino population.

Latinos, many from East Los Angeles and other parts of working-class L.A., shouldered a heavy, disproportionate burden in the war, he said. Those who came back alive changed communities and affected how Southern California neighborhoods looked. Many migrated eastward into the San Gabriel Valley, turning up in places like La Puente and all those other towns, which become what Summers Sandoval coined “brown suburbs”.

There’s the serviceman who experienced tragedy after coming home from war, the one who went on to become a probation officer and another whose treatment after returning from the conflict inspired him to be an advocate for all veterans.

They’re men like Luis Ramirez. In 1966, he was 19 years old and purposelessly attending East Los Angeles College. Ramirez, who lived in Lincoln Heights with his family, admitted he didn’t pay close attention to the conflict overseas.

If he got drafted, he got drafted, Ramirez recounted.  That tall and lanky 140-pound teenager who went to war is now 67, with white strands surrounding the frame of his face.

“We looked at our uncles and the older generation of World War II veterans,” said Ramirez, who served as a radio operator calling airstrikes for the Vietnamese infantry he was assigned to near the Mekong Delta. “I think our mentality was ‘Hey, our country needs us, we’ve got to go in.’ I didn’t realize I would end up in a war situation.”

Many dropped out of college and got picked up in the draft. Others, despite being enrolled in college, didn’t put in for deferments because they figured they would eventually serve anyway, Summers Sandoval said.

“A lot of them are men, in any other generation, who would have wanted to be put into college,” he said. “They are graduating and going off to war. In a way, they were this surplus population that the military was waiting to pick up.”

Ramirez’ mix of pride and resignation was shared by many others in that period, Summers Sandoval said.

Howard Hernandez grew up in the city of Commerce, and he recalls more than 150 classmates, mostly Latinos, who either enlisted or were drafted.

“We had a great deal of pride and we’re Americans,” said Hernandez, who now lives in Montebello. “I thought it was every male’s responsibility to serve in the military.”

THE BRUNT

They paid a heavy price, one that Summers Sandoval continues to tally.

Much has been documented about the anti-war Chicano movement, but rarely has there been discussion about the disproportionate number of Latinos and Chicanos who served – according to previous surveys and even in Summers Sandoval’s research — and who were casualties of the war, Summers Sandoval said.

Documenting the stories of veterans such as Ramirez has also been a way to hone in on just how much of the war’s burden California’s Latino veterans bore.

It hasn’t been easy.

“Through the Vietnam War, Latinos are not counted separately, and so they are folded into the white population,” he said. “There’s no easy way to retrieve data about how many were Latinos and how many causalities were Chicano and Latino.”

Political scientist Ralph Guzman, who taught at Cal State L.A. and UC Santa Cruz, was among the few researchers to delve into the issue of how many Latinos served. Guzman did what Summers Sandoval described as important research on Spanish surname analysis of the war’s casualty reports.

Guzman released his findings in 1969, and Summers Sandoval still leans on it in his studies. And that’s where he finds the burdens that Latinos shouldered during the war.

Latinos represented 19.4 percent of deaths, but were 11 percent of the population of the southwestern U.S., Summers Sandoval said, referring to the work of Guzman, who died in 1988.

Guzman’s research was one of the catalysts for the Chicano anti-war movement. But there was a caveat. Guzman’s numbers took into account only the three deadliest years of the war. And that’s where Summers Sandoval has taken the baton. His research will span the entire war, and as part of his oral history projects, he continues to sift through the data and is planning a book to be finished next year.

‘HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE’

Ramirez went to basic training with three classmates from his high school, and lost seven to eight from his graduating class during the war, he said.

Ramirez said his experience in the military gave his life more structure and taught him to be more responsible.

“It helped me to do things in life,” he said. “It’s also made me realize what I have in the world and how fortunate we are. What we have is freedom.”

For 39 years, he has lived in El Sereno, a community in East Los Angeles, with his wife Mary Ellen, and raised four children. He eventually graduated from college, and after more than three decades in information technology, he retired. Today he teaches part-time at East Los Angeles College.

For Manuel Sandoval, Summers Sandoval’s uncle, serving in the Marines was unlike any other life lesson he had before being drafted at 19 years old. Returning from service was like returning to a different world.

“I felt like people who were here were kids,” he said. “My friends who hadn’t gone, seemed to me childish. They were more into the party scene — this is, again, when I came back in 1967. I felt like I was much older and more mature, maybe I wasn’t, but that’s how I felt.”

Perceptions. Feelings. They are going into the stories that Summers Sandoval is archiving with the Library of Congress.

To help find those voices, he is working with his students at Pomona College to gather the histories.

“We have a history, community history, but more specifically we have a history inside of the military,” he said. “We can talk about making sacrifices — people who are still alive and participated in this war from our community. If we don’t record those stories, those stories die with them.”

http://www.dailybulletin.com/veterans/20150321/vietnam-war-50-years-later-giving-a-voice-to-latino-veterans 

Liset covers the cities of Upland, Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga as well as LA/Ontario International Airport. Reach the author at liset.marquez@langnews.com or follow Liset on Twitter: @JournaLiset .

On April 18, 1942, 80 men achieved the unimaginable when they took off from an aircraft carrier on a top secret mission to bomb Japan. These men, led by Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, came to be known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.

WW II Era

PBY-5A CATALINA
Strawberry 5

AFTER FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11 
. .  THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED

A chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, told of an   incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon on 9/11.

A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children, including infants   who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do.

There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the   cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers.

Just then a young Marine came running   into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back   out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our own."

About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child,   and the rest started gathering up toddlers.

The director and her staff then helped   them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park nears the Potomac ...

Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they   formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West.

Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off. Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the   children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children.

The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an   incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It   was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

It's the Military, not the politicians that ensure our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

  "GOD BLESS AMERICA"  

Sent by Rosa Parachou 
  rparachou@gmail.com

EARLY AMERICAN PATRIOTS

Another Gálvez Portrait Unveiled - Pensacola

Senator Robert Menendez received the Bernardo de Galvez Award

El Rey Juan Carlos entrega el premio Bernardo de Gálvez a Bob Menéndez
Alfonso Vázquez 03.03.2015
Por hacer posible que el retrato del estadista malagueño esté en el Capitolio de Washington

El senador cubanonorteamericano Robert Menéndez, uno de los principales líderes de la comunidad latina en EEUU, recibió en Washington el premio Bernardo de Gálvez de manos del Rey Juan Carlos. La ceremonia tuvo lugar en la Embajada de España en la capital norteamericana.

El galardón es un agradecimiento por sus gestiones para que el retrato del general malagueño pudiera estar colgado en el Capitolio. El senador ya recibió hace poco más de un año la Gran Cruz de Isabel la Católica, que le entregó en la embajada española el presidente del Gobierno Mariano Rajoy.

El premio Bernardo de Gálvez es una réplica en miniatura del grupo escultórico de Juan de Ávalos que él mismo regaló en nombre de España al pueblo norteamericano con motivo del bicentenario de su independencia en 1976 y que se encuentra en la capital norteamericana. Al acto asistió Teresa Valcarce, la embajadora de la Asocación Cultural Bernardo de Gálvez y la española que más ha hecho porque el retrato pueda estar ya en el Capitolio, un compromiso de los congresistas americanos de 1783.

http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/malaga/2015/03/03/rey-juan-carlos-entrega-premio/747874.html

Sent by Teresa Valcarce    tvgraciani@gmail.com

Corpus Christi y Lepe by Ángel Custodio Rebollo

Angel Custodio is a columnist writing for  the El Diario newspaper  in Huelva, Spain.  His  focus is on the history of Spain.   He is a friend and frequent contributor to Somos Primos.  acustodiorebollo@gmail.com 

Texas A&M University-San Antonio: Special Collections Reading Room

Robert and Victoria Thonhoff

Sent by Jack Cowan, JVC4321@aol.com 
Texas Connection to the American Revolution.

SAR SEEKS DESCENDANTS OF YUMA MASSACRE OF 1781

Spanish SURNAMES

Descripcion del Escudo de Inclan

Partido. 1º: En azur, un castillo de piedra, de tres torres, y asomada a una ventana, una doncella, con una espada en la mano diestra, y un perro, en actitud de acometer, delante de la puerta, y 2º: En oro, una nave al natural sobre un pino, con frutos y terrasados, y tres flores de lis, de gules, una en jefe y dos flanqueando el pie del árbol.

DNA

Anthropologist offers possible explanation for collapse of ancient city of Teotihuacan
Anthropological Genetic Genealogy: The Carthaginian Connection to New Mexican Families 
URL: New theory on how Neanderthal dna spread in asia
URL: Quess where white Americans have the most African Ancestry
URL: Complex genetic ancestry of Americans uncovered

Anthropological Genetic Genealogy: 
The Carthaginian Connection to New Mexican Families 

John also recommending other URLs with DNA information: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/science/a-new-theory-on-how-neanderthal-dna-spread-in-asia.html?_r=1  
http://www.vox.com/2014/12/22/7431391/guess-where-white-americans-have-the-most-african-ancestry  

http://phys.org/news/2015-03-complex-genetic-ancestry-americans-uncovered.html <Sent by Dorinda Moreno

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

El Portal de Archivos Españoles es un proyecto del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte 
destinado a la difusión en Internet del Patrimonio Histórico Documental Español conservado en su red de centros. Como proyecto abierto y dinámico sirve de marco de difusión para otros proyectos archivísticos de naturaleza pública o privada, previamente establecido un marco de cooperación con el Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte.  http://pares.mcu.es/  

PARES ofrece un acceso libre y gratuito, no solo al investigador, sino también a cualquier ciudadano interesado en acceder a los documentos con imágenes digitalizadas de los Archivos Españoles.

http://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas/servlets/Control_servlet  Search by name.

RootsTech 2015 Breaks Records and Keeps Giving

The popular conference’s formula for success included attracting well-known keynote speakers, such as former First Lady Laura Bush, Donny Osmond, Tan Le, and A. J. Jacobs, who shared inspiring family stories, and offering a rich combination of more than 500 classes, exhibits, demonstrations, and fun entertainment designed to appeal to multiple generations of family members and broad family history interests. Select sessions from RootsTech 2015 can be viewed for free at RootsTech.org.

RootsTech 2015 also included Innovator Summit and Family Discovery Day. RootsTech-specific registrations were up 43 percent (10,216 paid attendees versus 7,253 for 2014) and Family Discovery Day was up 125 percent (15,765 attendees versus 6,900 in 2014, which includes some who also paid to attend RootsTech). Registrations for both were closed early because of popular demand and full sessions. Additionally, 20 sessions were broadcast live online, pulling in another 128,000 viewers. Family Discovery Day sessions and highlights can be viewed at lds.org/discoverfamily.

The Innovator Summit at Rootstech featured cutting-edge content for developers, business leaders, and enthusiasts seeking to use family history data and services. The summit saw increases in attendees, developer apps, and prize money from sponsors ($25,000) for the growing RootsTech Innovator Showdown that challenged developers to submit their entries for a possible share of the reward purse. This year’s big winner was StoryWorth, which provides simple solutions to help families preserve and share their family stories.

Another exciting fact is that before the lights were turned off for RootsTech 2015 on February 14, volunteers from locations worldwide were already busy preparing to deliver their own free local family discovery day events. Select sessions and planning resources from RootsTech 2015 have been recorded, translated in 10 languages, and made available online to support these local volunteer organizers. By the first week following the conference, 65 local family discovery day events had already been held, including 27 in Latin America, one in Korea, and another in the Philippines. Over 1,000 more events are expected to be held throughout 2015, significantly extending the reach and impact of this popular conference. Search online the growing list of local family discovery day events to find one near you.

The most popular question posed by many conference goers, media, and exhibitors was, “What about next year?”

Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, which hosts the popular conference replied, “We are just thrilled to provide a forum where families and people of all ages can enjoy the thrill of family discovery and learn new ways to share and involve others, and the growing attendance numbers are certainly very encouraging.”

In 2016, in addition to the venue in Salt Lake City, the conference’s organizers plan on taking more advantage of live broadcasting, recording of content for online viewing, and further offering local family discovery day events worldwide as a way to continue expanding the popular conference’s reach.

To view select sessions of RootsTech 2015 online, go to RootsTech.org and lds.org/familydiscoveryday.

Researching and Finding Military Records

The following articles introduce how to find and use United States Military Records. Information by permission of Genealogy by Barry Newsletter. For a free newsletter, filled with wonderful resources,  go to and sign up with Barry J. Ewell  at : http://genealogybybarry.com/ 

• Revolutionary War 1776-1783
• War of 1812 (1812-1814)
• Mexican War 1846-1848
• Early Indian Wars 1815-1858
• Civil War 1861-1865
• World War I 1917-1919
• World War II 1941-1945

• Revolutionary War 1776-1783, Search the cemetery for information
• U.S. Civil War 1861-1865—Search the cemetery for information
• Anatomy of a military headstone
• Symbolism on U.S. military headstones
• Emblems of believe on U.S. military headstones

• U.S. Civil War 1861-1865, Find records on the Internet
• U.S. Civil War 1861-1865, Develop a search profile for military records

• World War I 1917-1919, Researching Draft Registration cards
• U.S. World War I 1917-1919, Develop a search profile for military records
• World War I 1917-1919 , Search the cemetery for information
• World War I 1917-1919, Search the home for information

• World War II 1941-1945, Researching Draft Registration cards
• World War II 1941-1945, Search the home for information
• World War II 1941-1945, Search the cemetery for information
• World War II 1941-1945, Develop a search profile for military records
  
  
  

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

The Society of Hispanic Historical & Ancestral Research (SHHAR) invites the public to it April 11, 2015 meeting featuring speakers Dr. Justin Sikora and Melanie Gross who will present “Hispanic Pioneers and their Legacy in Orange County”.  Dr. Justin Sikora is a historic resource specialist with OC Parks and manages the Peralta Adobe, the Historic Yorba Cemetery, and the George Key Ranch.  Ms. Gross volunteered at the Historic Yorba Cemetery for 11 years, is President of the Santa Ana Canyon Historical Council and has helped research the early settlers of Southern California.  

Melanie Goss has been a volunteer at the Historic Yorba Cemetery for 11 years, and is the current President of the Santa Ana Canyon Historical Council. She has worked with many family groups descended from the first settlers in Southern California, and has done extensive research on the people who settled the Santa Ana Canyon and surrounding areas over the years.  

Dr. Justin Sikora is a historic resource specialist with OC Parks, and manages the Peralta Adobe, Historic Yorba Cemetery, and George Key Ranch. 

The free program, sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR), will be held at the Orange Family History Center, 674 S. Yorba Street, Orange.

Genealogical research assistance will be available from 9 -10 a.m., and Dr. Sikora and Melanie Gross will speak from 10 -11:30 a.m.     For additional information, contact  Letty Rodela at lettyr@sbcglobal.net .

A Look at What's Happening at Delhi Center

"Chicano Heroes de Aztlan," Legacy and Heritage
March 7 to April 4, 2015
Group exhibition of Chicano artists runs March 7 – April 4

Galleries were crowded with all ages enjoying art.

Artists and gallery owners intermingled with guests.

Westminster Family Resource Center
Ribbon cutting, March 10th. 2015

All members of the Westminster City Council were present: Tri Ta, Sergio Contreras, Diana Lee Carey, Tyler Diep, and Margie L. Rice.
 Sergio Contreras (Mayor Pro Tem) is holding the end of the ribbon, Mayor Tri Ta is holding the scissors.  

LOS ANGELES, CA

“The House of Aragón” by Michael S. Perez, Chapter 4
‘A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt’ 
Rosa Barragan 2015 "Woman of the Year”
UCLA Flash Exhibits
Afro Mexicans in Early Los Angeles
UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
Chochi the Curandero by Mike Acosta
Los Angeles Transportation Miracle by R. Champlain Johnson 
Los Angeles Hank Panic of 1875 by Sandra Kay Siegel 

Introduction to Chapter Four 
 “The House of Aragón”


America's Bastard Children
by 

Michael Brakefort-Grant

Just as he was grappling with American racism, he was hit by a new revelation. His father and other business owners were being extorted and bullied by Barrio gangs. The situation worsened, his father was beaten when unable to pay. An enraged Michael Aragón went to war with them changing his life forever.

Leonor Xochitl Perez, Ph.D. Founder and Director
Viva El Mariachi Femenil 

       ‘A TRIBUTE TO LINDA RONSTADT’ 
“Canciones de mi Padre”
At San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 
March 21, 2015
2^nd Annual Mariachi Women’s Festival

Mercy Bautista Olvera entering the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

Note: Our beloved father passed away on May 12, 1989, he was 82 years old. Our beloved mother passed away 1978, he didn't dated or remarried. I was pregnant at the time; I attended our father's funeral at a cemetery on a Wednesday, and our daughter Monique Mercy was born two days later... bittersweet memories.

My father, Marcelino R. Bautista favorite CD was “CANCIONES de mi PADRE”

Note: Our beloved father passed away on May 12, 1989, he was 82 years old. Our beloved mother passed away 1978, he didn't dated or remarried. I was pregnant at the time; I attended our father's funeral at a cemetery on a Wednesday, and our daughter Monique Mercy was born two days later... bittersweet memories.

My father, Marcelino R. Bautista
 favorite CD was “CANCIONES de mi PADRE”

     Mariachi Angelitas 
     from Los Angeles

Mariachi Mariposas from Texas

Mariachi Flor de Toloache from New York 

Mariachi Mariposas from Texas and me

Mariachi Las Angelitas from Los Angeles and me

Sent by Mercy Bautista Olvera 
scarlett_mbo@yahoo.com 

Assemblymember Cristina Garcia Introduces Bill to Teach 
Mexican Repatriation to California Students
Created: Thursday, 15 January 2015 15:38

Measure would encourage inclusion in school textbooks and curriculum

Sent by M. Guadalupe Espinoza 
mgespinoza2009@hotmail.com 

UCLA FLASH EXHIBITS 

We call them flash exhibits because they are only on display a few days. This allows us to display more material from our collections throughout the year. Secondly, in 2013, I was guest editor on a special issue of the Journal of Pan African Studies on Africans in México: http://jpanafrican.com/vol6no1.htm  

Take good care, Alva      
Alva Moore Stevenson
Program Coordinator
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
310-825-4932 – phone
310-206-1864 – fax

Photograph of the Reyes Family. Courtesy of the Miriam Matthews Photographic Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections

Arriving in Los Angeles shortly after the city’s settlement was Juan Francisco Reyes, a mulatto soldier from Zapotlán el Grande in Jalisco. He was both the first Black and the first Hispanic alcalde (or mayor) of Los Angeles from 1793 to 1795. Francisco Reyes was also the Spanish Crown’s first land grantee and the original grantee of the San Fernando Rancho – now the San Fernando Valley. Pictured (above from left) are his great-grandchildren: Margarita, Isidro, Jr., Francisca and Mariá Antonia Villa de Reyes, widow of Ysidro, Sr. who was grandson of Juan Francisco Reyes.

There were many familial intersections among these Californio (descendents of the pobladores or settlers) families. MariáAntonia Villa de Reyes was the granddaughter of Mariá Rita Quinteros Valdez de Villa whose father was Luís Quintero, one of the pobladores. 

Refugio Reyes de Roberts, great-granddaughter of Juan Francisco Reyes, 
c. 1870s. Photograph courtesy of the Miriam Matthews Photographic Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections

Terri’s genealogy is equally fascinating as well. She is descended from the Marquez family of Santa Monica who came there in 1839. In 2014 her cousin Ernest Marquez donated a collection of early photographs of Santa Monica and Los Angeles to the Huntington Library. In an interesting aside, Terri, a writer, donated materials related to her first and second novels to LSC as part of the Mazer Collection. Terri is in the process of writing a book on her genealogy.

Read more on Afro-Mexicans in early Los Angeles: 
African-Americans and the Early Pueblo of Los Angeles
L.A.’s African Settlers
Damany, M. Fisher, Discovering Early California Afro-Latino Presence / Heyday Books, 2010.

By Alva Stevenson, Program Coordinator

Tags: Afro Mexicans, Juan Francisco Reyes, Los Angeles, Los Angeles History, Miriam Matthews
Posted in Exhibits | No Comments »

UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
http://www.cjs.ucla.edu/ 

Chochi the Curandero by Mike Acosta
Old Aliso Village Housing Project, East Los Angeles

Mimi,
I am the author of this short story which is set in the old Aliso village housing project where I grew up. wikipedia carries an article describing this east l.a. project before it was torn down and replaced by more modern housing. i am currently sketching another infra-historical e.l.a. story, perhaps novel length; it is about an everyday existential visit to the original lake at Hollenbeck Park. this park was just south east of the village. on Sundays tenants of the village would first go to mass and communion at the Dolores Mission Church, afterwards many would gather at
this park. I've always compared the first time I saw this lake as a Chavalito to Dorothy opening the front door of her gray world and seeing the Technicolor spectacle of oz.

On a cloudy gray day years ago a quiet man moved into an apartment of a housing project building where I lived. his name was Chochi. he was a bit overweight for his small size, had a wrinkled face, and it was evident from smudges on his hairline that he colored his hair black. he also read lips. even after a few weeks no one knew much about him. he rarely stepped out of his apartment. but one could see he was a curious man- he would push a window shade to one side to peek at a group of saggy women that gathered daily at the community clothes line. they were the wi-fi for exchanging rumors and gossip; like Shakespeare's weird sisters they proclaimed who was
who; in a word they were the building's tamaleras. no one dared to offend them.  They once shamed and brought to tears a tenant who made the sign of the cross too abruptly.

Everything stayed as it was until Chavela a tamalera got sick one summer afternoon. She lived in a first floor apartment a few doors from Chochi. He found out about her illness and visited her. He also gave her some
information about an herbed medicine to drink. After a week Chavela said she got better. Word spread that Chochi cured Chavela. fame soon followed wherever he went throughout the building complex. In no time the tamaleras
announced him as the curandero. With this blessing, Chochi began offering advice for curing any ailment. One tenant whose name I forgot claimed Chochi helped to cure her of blindness. But on the other hand, if a remedy
didn't work the neighbor kept quiet. nobody wanted to slight Chochi's remedies and anger the tamaleras who guarded him like rabid dogs.

The apartment building continued as a placid place until the end of summer when a young nurse temporarily moved in. her name was Selsa. she worked at a newly opened health clinic a mile from this housing project. from the start
the tamaleras eyed her warily. they gossiped that selsa se creia muy suave. the confident way she carried her youthful shapely body may have caused the gossip. Or maybe because she refused to gossip whenever she went to the clothes lines to hang her laundry. Whatever the reason the tamaleras did not like her.

Other tenants wondered whether Selsa's sudden presence was connected to the end of the summer superstition. No one remembered when this superstition began. All anyone knew was that something dark happens to end the summer months. was Selsa the darkness they wondered about? Chochi too was mindful of Selsa the moment he first peeked at her.

I think it was either the last Friday or Saturday of summer that Chochi's aura began to dim. a woman from the second floor had become terribly ill. She had taken pills that Chochi's information said would cure her stomach
pain. He distanced himself from her. The tamaleras did the same.

Fortunately Selsa was home when the woman's family cried for help. She drove the woman to the new health clinic. the doctor there found that Chochi's pills had become a poison for the woman. the pills had clashed with her allergies producing what the woman described as a painful fire all over her body . she was examined and referred to the county hospital for more tests.  Selsa drove the woman there to stay until all tests were completed. After several days in the hospital the woman was released and driven home by Selsa.

The woman's fiends welcomed her back and thanked Selsa who paid Chochi a visit the next day. she cautioned him against trying to help tenants with one-size- fits-all remedies. Chochi did not take her caution well. Dark clouds suddenly appeared as he hurried in anger to complain to the tamaleras about Selsa's warning. Then as mythical furies act, the tamaleras began to take it out on Selsa. They spread word she was a vendida for insulting Chochi; they also went to the clothes lines, took down her laundry and threw it to the ground.

Tenants throughout the building who were friends with the woman began to defend Selsa; each one felt it was time for tenants to be helped by the clinic and not by chochi. This support for Selsa and the clinic suddenly turned the tables on Chochi's plan to remain as curandero . Except for the tamaleras no one went to him for help anymore. His purpose in life among the tenants quieted. All that remained was his habit of peeking from the corner of a window shade.

Before she left to live in more permanent housing, Selsa developed a transportation service to drive tenants to and from the nearby health clinic. And with this new service, a blue sky with cottony white clouds once again returned to watch over the tenants...

mikea@WINFIRST.COM  Mike Acosta

The characters in my stories usually come from a little bit of each of the things you mentioned. I also believe that everyday ordinary situations, the kind we overlook and take for granted , often provide the basis for wonderful stories.   ~ Mike  

Los Angeles Transportation Miracle
by R. Champlain Johnson 

Source: Fedco Reporter, April 1997
With thanks to Steve Demara

Los Angeles Hank Panic of 1875
by Sandra Kay Siegel 

CALIFORNIA 

California National Register of Historic Places, No. 152
Dominguez Rancho Adobe 

This fun and interactive focused on what life was like on the Rancho San Pedro in Alta California.

Activities included: 
Sheep herding demonstrations and blacksmithing
Dance to early California music and eat Rancho food
Gold pan and collect gold nuggets to trade for goods
Make adobe bricks and help create a miniature version of the Dominguez homestead
Send your family to the local jail and see if you can barter something to get them out
Find the steer on the Rancho and win a prize
Learn about quilting, butter making, and other trades
Dress up in clothing from the 1800s
Learn to churn butter, make tortillas and more

For more Information, go to: http://www.dominguezrancho.org

Sent by Bob Smith 
pleikul96970@yahoo.com


 

Los Californianos supports upcoming canonization of Fray Junipero Serra

WHEREAS the nonprofit organization, Los Californianos, founded in 1969, is dedicated to preserving the heritage of early Hispanic Californians in Alta California; to conducting research on genealogy and on civil, religious, military, and cultural activities in Alta California; and to providing an accurate and authentic interpretation of Alta California's history by such means as the Board of Directors may prescribe; and

WHEREAS the organization's regular membership is composed of descendants of the settlers of Alta California prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848 and their spouses; and

WHEREAS many of the regular members of Los Californianos had ancestors in Alta California during the time that Fray Junipero Serra (1713-1784) established the first nine of the ultimate 21 Catholic Missions in Alta California; and

WHEREAS Fray Serra is considered a holy man and great evangelizer by Pope Francis; and

WHEREAS Pope Francis has announced his intent to canonize Fray Serra during his September 2015 trip to the United States: Therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Los Californianos will reaffirm their dedication to the above enumerated activities and to enhance these activities at this auspicious time invite other descendants of the settlers of Alta California prior to 1848 to join our organization in this effort.

Potential members should refer to the Website www.loscalifornianos.org  for further information.

Sherwood E. Milleman, President
17 February 2015

Silas Abrego, Appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees
Mechista appointed CSU Trustee by CA Gov. Brown

Cattle on a Thousand Hills - The Hispanic Era
by Beverly Lane
The California Historian, Vol 59:1-2, 2014, 43-44

In 1769 about 200 cattle were moved from Baja to Alta California with the first Spanish invasion led by Caspar de Portola and Father Junipe.ro Serra. Juan Bautista de Anza's 1775-1776 epoch expedition from New Spain brought the region's first colonists and about 1000 livestock -- 695 horses and mules and 355 cattle. As the 21 California missions were established, each one was allotted a "dowry" of 18 cattle and four swine in addition to horses, sheep, goats, and mules.

Descended from animals brought to the Americas by the Spanish two hundred years earlier, these cattle were primarily Longhorn and Corriente breeds. They flourished mightily in Alta California's congenial landscape and climate. Great herds of cattle and horses covered the California countryside, sustaining the hide and tallow economy of the Hispanic era.

These grazing animals changed the environment, replacing the native perennial grasses and herbaceous flowering plants nurtured by the Indians to the annual grasses we know today. Beginning with wild oats, these grasses included annual foxtails, Italian ryegrass, rat-tail fescue, soft chess, cheatgrass, medusa-head and goatgrass. "The seed stuck to the hides and wool of the livestock and from imported feed and ballast accompanying the new livestock in ships' holds," according to botanist David Ammc.

The San Ramon Valley was part of Mission San Jose's land on which cattle and sheep grazed from Fremont north to Concord. In 1832 the Mission reported that they managed 12,000 cattle, 13,000 sheep and 13.000 horses. Of all the northern missions, Mission San Jose baptized the largest number of Indians and produced the most agricultural products.

With no fences in place, the free-ranging cattle or vacas (Spanish), evolved into fierce feral animals. Historian Robert Glass Cle-land wrote: "The breeding of cattle being the chief occupation of the Californians...it determined their mode of life, the structure of their society, and the size of their ranches." Indian and Spanish vaqueros tended the livestock and were famous for their riding and roping skills. They were the precursors of our American cowboy.

After the Mexican Revolution and secularization of the missions, more than 800 ranches were granted to former soldiers. In the San Ramon Valley, Jose Maria Amador's Rancho San Ramon covered over 20,000 acres of the San Ramon, Dougherty and Tas-sajara Valleys with a large headquarters in Dublin. This rancho, which was formally granted to Amador in 1834 and 1835, was stocked with at least 300 horses, 3,000 sheep and 13,000 head of cattle.

Mariano Castro and Bartolome Pache-co received the Rancho San Ramon Valle north of Amador in 1834 which covered two leagues (around 8,000 acres) in today's Danville and Alamo, southwest of Mount Diablo. Because of the aggressive Indians based on the mountain's foothills, the rancheros received permission to live elsewhere, coming to the valley for periodic round-ups and cattle slaughters.

Cattle hides and tallow were the main trade items and beef was the principal food. Amador's 150 workers used the leather hides to produce harnesses, saddles, shoes and manufactured furniture as well. He had regular sales contracts for cattle hides (called "California banknotes") and transported them by ox cart over today's Dublin grade to the Bay.

Hispanic Californians were experienced cattle raisers with dry years being the only threat to production. Rodeos, or round-ups were held twice yearly, so that stock could be branded by each owner. Brands were registered and changed only with permission of the governor. A.juez de campo, or field judge, settled disputes over the ownership of animals at these rodeos.

William Heath Davis listed the largest land and cattle owners of California's pastoral era and estimated there were 1,220,000 head of cattle on the ranches. Throughout Alta California, cattle and horses doubled their numbers roughly every two years.

Before the Gold Rush, Alta California did, indeed, have cattle on a thousand hills.

With the discovery of gold and the Mexican-American War's conclusion in early 1848, the Mexicans' bucolic rancho life came to an end. A non-Indian California population of 14,000 swelled to several  hundred thousand by 1852.

These new Californians needed food, so cattle, sheep and vegetables had ready markets. Prices were high. For example, in the early 1850s, apples sold for $1 each and cherries went for a dollar per dozen. The price of beeves soon reached $500 at Sacramento; in 1851, cattle were only worth $50 to $150 each. An estimated 3,000,000 cattle grazed the state's hills and valleys by the early 1860s. Sheep herds grew to over one million in the same period.

TATAVIAM CULTURE | ST. FRANCIS DAM DISASTER

Rivera / Garcia Families - San Francisquito Canyon

Joseph Pedro (Pete) Rivera: Death Certificate

Death certificate for Joseph Pedro "Pete" Rivera, who perished in the St. Francis Dam Disaster along with his (second?) wife — the former Miss Addie M. LeBrun — and two of their children.

We don't (yet) know the exact relationship between Addie LeBrun and Frank LeBrun, a rancher in San Francisquito Canyon. From her extrapolated birth year (1882), she was probably his daughter. The irony is, in 1920, Frank LeBrun sold his ranch to the city of Los Angeles for the dam. From 1924 until the dam broke in 1928, the LeBrun Ranch was submerged under the reservoir.

The informant for Pete Rivera's death certificate is Grace Rivera of Newhall. We don't know who that is.   The death certificate shows Pete was born May 31, 1877, at Elizabeth Lake.

It lists his name as Pedro Rivera. However, it should be noted that this is the same person who appears as Joseph P. Rivera on his 1899 marriage license with his (first?) wife, Petra Garcia, when he was 22 — giving an extrapolated birth year of 1877.

According to the informant, his father's name was also Joe Pete Riveria — "Riveria" being a common variant of "Rivera" which frequently appears on documents relating to this family. In fact, on this death certificate, the surname appears both ways: "Rivera" for the decedent and "Riveria" for his wife.

According to family tradition, Joseph/Pete Rivera (the decedent) was the son of Tejon Indians — an appellation for Native Americans of various cultures who were brought to the San Sebastian (Tejon) Indian reservation in the 1850s-1860s (and some of their descendants), e.g., Chumash (specifically ex-Mission Santa Barbara), Tataviam (ex-Mission San Fernando), Kitanemuk, Tongva (ex-Mission San Gabriel), Southern Paiute (removed from Owens Valley), etc. We don't know how long Joseph/Pete's ancestors were living at Elizabeth Lake prior to his birth there; if they were indigenous to the area, they were likely Tataviam.

As stated, Joseph/Pete married his (first?) wife, Petra Garcia, in 1899 when Joseph/Pete was 22 and Petra was 17. Later that same year, Petra gave birth to a daughter who, in 1914, married Eldridge Ward, thus estabishing the local Ward line of Native Americans. (Petra's ancestors lived at the Tataviam Indian village of Chaguayabit/Tsawayung at Castaic Junction prior to European contact.)

Pete and Petra's marriage didn't last. Both remarried.

We don't know when Joseph/Pete married Addie M. LeBrun, but their eldest child, William Peter Rivera, was 24 when he died in 1928, so it was probably around 1904. (Petra remarried in 1907.)

According to St. Francis Dam researcher Ann Stansell, Joseph/Pete and Addie and their children were living on The Newhall Land and Farming Co.'s ranch, probably west of the L.A./Ventura county border near Rancho Camulos. (See map of flood-damaged Newhall Land property.) Joseph/Pete's body was found and taken to a morgue in Fillmore.

Addie's body was not found; nor was son William Peter Rivera's. Also killed was 6-year-old son Albert Rivera, who was probably carried farther by the floodwaters because his body was taken to a morgue in Santa Paula.

Joseph/Pete's cause of death on March 13, 1928, is listed as "Drowning or being struck by objects in Santa Clara River Flood."

The informant, Grace Rivera, possibly a sister or cousin of Joseph/Pete, filed a claim with the city of Los Angeles in the amount of $20,000 for the wrongful death of five people, not four — three adults and two children — and the city paid that amount. We don't know who the fifth person might have been, if there was one.

One of Joseph/Pete and Addie's surviving sons was Louis Rivera, the young man seen in the famous "Hero Medal" photo, where actor William S. Hart and Rev. Wolcott Evans are pinning a medal on his chest for his heroic efforts to save the lives of his two sisters, Mary and Belle.

Also of note is another famous photo showing William S. Hart and the Newhall Cowboys at a gravesite in the Ruiz Cemetery after the dam disaster. One of the cowboys in the photo is an Indian — Petra Garcia's nephew Cy Cooke, a son of Chief Frances Garcia Cooke (Petra's sister) and father of Chief Charlie Cooke (born 1935).  

Joseph Pedro "Pete" Rivera was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Chatsworth, CA on March 15, 1928

Courtesy of Ann Stansell

Sent by Lorraine Frain lorrilocks@gmail.com

San Diego FP Writer Maria Garcia Honored by CA Senator Ben Hueso 

The History of Neighborhood House in Logan Heights: Love and Marriage, 1940s by Maria E. Garcia

Posted: 28 Feb 2015 

Sent by Dorinda Moreno 
pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 

The History of Neighborhood House in Logan Heights: Love and Marriage, 1940s
by MARIA E. GARCIA on FEBRUARY 28, 2015 
in HISTORY OF NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE
Part II of the Lives of Girls

By Maria E. Garcia

Whitney’s dress ad

Today’s article is a continuation of last week’s conversation with Amparo “Tuti” Zumaya, Consuelo Zumaya Lopez, Noralund Cook Zumaya, Rosa Zatarian Ramirez, Armida Piña, and Bertha Castro Zumaya. While hard economic times affected everyone, there were different societal expectations about what were considered appropriate activities for boys and girls during this time period. These women all provide rich details about the lives of girls who grew up during the war years.

Rosa Zatarian has her own memories about Neighborhood House and about Logan Heights. She and her sister would lay in bed on Friday night and listen to the Latest Hits program. This program came on at 9 p.m. every Friday and they couldn’t wait to listen to the music of the 1940s.

Rosa also remembered that when her family lived in El Paso and did not own a radio, a neighbor would place his radio in the window. Neighbors would then bring chairs and sit in the yard to listen to President Roosevelt’s fireside chat broadcasts. According to Rosa’s mother “Él nos quitó el hambre.” (He took our hunger away.) It seems that helping and supporting each other was a way of life all over our country.

Rosa came home from working at the aircraft plant and found all her family waiting for her to arrive home.


Rosa shared a story about her first husband Armando. He was one of the many boys that played and hung out at Neighborhood House. All the women agreed that he was a nice quiet man. One day this all changed. Armando turned to robbing stores. Even today, over forty years later Rosa cannot understand his behavior. It seemed so out of character. Rosa came home from working at the aircraft plant and found all her family waiting for her to arrive home.

Someone handed her the green sheet (San Diego Tribune) and she read how Armando, aka “little rifleman,” had robbed nine places on Highland Avenue in National City. The family and community were shocked. Rosa had no idea Armando was capable of such a thing. She thinks that drinking is what changed Armando.

Coach Pinkerton from Neighborhood House went to court and testified as to Armando’s character. Armando was given five years to life for his crimes. Rosa waited for Armando while he was in prison. He was released after three years and Coach Pinkerton hired him to teach boxing at Neighborhood House.

Rosa and Armando would be invited to have dinner at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton. Coach Pinkerton was always reaching out to “his boys” and their families, trying to guide them in the right direction. Armando did get in trouble again and was told by a judge that he never wanted to see him in San Diego again. He moved to Los Angeles. Armando and Rosa had divorced.

After the divorce Rosa went to work at General Dynamics. A coworker of Rosa’s kept telling her he wanted to introduce her to another coworker. Rosa had been divorced and a single mom for eight years and was not interested in meeting anyone. As it turned out the person that the coworker wanted her to meet was Jerry Zatarian, a man she already knew but had not seen for many, many years.

Jerry had been a neighborhood boy and Rosa’s first boyfriend. Rosa was fourteen years old and Jerry was seventeen years old at the time. They would meet at the Cornet Theater and hold hands. Later Jerry went into the service and was sent to Japan.

They wrote each other for a period of time and then the letters stopped. Now Jerry was also divorced and had a daughter. Jerry and Rosa were married for nineteen years prior to his death. Today she refers to Jerry as the love of her life.

All the girls remembered Chencha peeking through the window to make sure her daughter was there and that she was behaving herself.
Bertha Castro Zumaya describes herself as mischievous teenager. Her mother did not allow the girls to go to the dances at Neighborhood House. Bertha was 15 or 16 years old and loved to dance. She would use any pretext to sneak over to the dance if only for an hour. At times her excuse was that she was going to the store or to ask a friend something. Instead, she would rush to the Neighborhood House. She always got in trouble for it.

The woman wore fishnet stockings, had bright red hair and had “Ginger” tattooed on her leg. To this young girl it all seemed rather glamorous. Bertha approached the woman and told her: “When I grow up I want to be just like you.”  She says it was worth getting hit to be able to dance for an hour. All the girls remembered Chencha peeking through the window to make sure her daughter was there and that she was behaving herself. Girls were kept close to home and constantly under the watchful eye of their mother.

Bertha also remembers walking past the La Bamba night club and seeing the ladies of the evening standing outside. She loved seeing the way they were dressed and did not understand what their profession was. One day she approached one of the women.

The woman wore fishnet stockings, had bright red hair and had “Ginger” tattooed on her leg. To this young girl it all seemed rather glamorous. Bertha approached the woman and told her: “When I grow up I want to be just like you.” The woman told her, “No you don’t” and proceeded to tell her she was never to walk in front of that club again. This is all it took to scare Bertha. She would walk across the street or down the other block to avoid walking in front of La Bamba.

The Cherry gang was well known for causing problems in the neighborhood. They were in constant fights with the Mute gang from National City. In general, anyone from National City was known as the “mutes.” The name was also used to describe any National City gang.

The women all remember members of the Cherry gang going to confession on Saturday or sometimes Sunday morning, then attending Mass on Sunday. The other days of the week were spent causing havoc in and around the neighborhood. Eventually a judge invited some of the members of the Cherry gang to enlist in the service or serve time.

Thank you to all these women for sharing their stories. A special thank you to Tuti Zumaya for hosting us.

The History of Neighborhood House in Logan Heights: 
The Lives of Girls in Culture,
by Maria E. Garcia 
February 21, 2015

The History of Neighborhood House in Logan Heights: Tulie’s Story

7 Mar 2015 

Tios and Tias - Herrera Family by Jerry S. Herrera

Tios & Tias Years 

1945 thru 1957 

My Dad reminded me that his Mom told him “that they needed to be there for each other” and this I know is what they did because whenever one would find work the others would follow and it pretty much was field work. I think of how they started and how all of them were successful in their own rights.

I remember us living with Tia Becky’s family in Santa Maria and taking a bath in a tin tub outside, the bathroom was outside and my Dad chopping wood early in the morning to feed the wooden stove. We went to school there and our lunches were burritos and we would eat them far away so no one would see us eating them.

Then, moving to some Army Barracks where Ta Sam lived across from us and Tia Mary would always make sure we had HO (oatmeal) for breakfast. Even to this day, I look and see if they sell HO in the super markets and they don’t. Ta Sam would always check on us. 

During much of this time my Dad was a field contractor so that would often take him away from home. I think my Dad enjoyed this the most of the work he did in his lifetime. The movie “McFarland” has a scene of pickers that might help you understand what our parent’s life started like and even our cousins. I hated going to school with black stain from picking walnuts. Good memories, though. 

We moved to Sisquoc where my grandpa Nick (Ruiz) lived with us until he passed away. While we were there, we went to our first Drive-In Movie which I’ll get back to later.

We moved to Mountain View where we would cut apricots and pick prunes before starting school--they were the summer crop. 

While living at 99 No.17th Street in San Jose, we had the Medina family living with us and I remember our Mom getting up and fixing breakfast and lunch for them because they would go to Salinas to top carrots. I think of Tia Linda and how she would work right along with her family even though she probably could have stayed at home; what an example of a Wife and Mom working so hard. Yet, the most important thing I remember of Tia Linda is her willingness of getting up before everyone else to make sure that her Menudo was ready to have whenever the rest of us would get up at the family reunions--that, my friends, is called sacrifice for others. 

Sometimes on Sunday nights, Tio David, Tia Lily's husband, would come and takes us to church. That’s not the only thing he did. He always brought homemade Bico (sweet rice) and even today I can say that this is my favorite dessert. During those years at 99 No. 17th Street is where I learned the true meaning of “Others”. 

It is no coincidence that on this city block there is a hospital now where, at one time, on one of the corners there was a home that was a haven for others. 

Our Mom got sick and we moved to 34th Street and San Antonio Street and this is were we were living when Our Mom passed away on Dec.8th, 1951 (Margaret Ruiz Herrera). Tio Able (Herrera) is the one who told us the news. It always seems that one of our Tios or Tias were around when we needed them. 

During the Family Reunions, I can still remember My Tias and Tios always having time for us and wanted to know how we were doing. One thing I know is that they had our respect and we knew that if one of us did something wrong that they had the right to correct us. I always thought that our Tios and Tias didn’t love us as Nephews or Nieces but rather like one of their own; they were always there for us.

What stands out the most for me was their walk with God; they might not have said much but WOW their walk and gentle spirit sure was an example for the younger generation. We all listened when Mama Orta (Tia Margret Herrera Gonzales) spoke (smile) and she was always dressed so properly. 

In the late 50’s, Ta Sam, Tia Mary, Red (Henry Herrera)and Pops worked at a packinghouse with my Dad in Los Angeles. Tia Mary would make sure that my Dad had his crème of wheat where he could drink it and she always made an extra lunch for him. I think she spoiled him.  Smile . . . 


Jumping to 1973 & 1974
I was part of the group that was responsible for the 1974 Family Reunion and Tio Able was our senior adviser. He helped us write, mail out four newsletters regarding our Family Reunion updates and stories--this is when we didn’t have computers. We needed to look for a spot that year so we had to pass through Oil-Dale, which is close to Bakersfield. So we decided to stop by my sister Margie's home for breakfast. She fixed us omelets and man they were sort of big so I asked her how many eggs she used? Her reply was "you each had a six-egg omelet”. Margie, I never eat six eggs at one time, who does that? Her reply was "my husband Dave does”, with a smile on her face. So during this time, I became very close to Tio Able. After that, my Tio and I would meet for coffee once in awhile and he became some one I could confide with. I think of him as a friend even today.

While my Dad and Jennie (Grandma) lived in Santa Barbara, our Tio Frank (Rev. Montoya)and Tia Alice (Herrera Montoya) started a church there (Templo Cristiano El Salvador) and they allowed Dad to be their worship leader and with other responsibilities in the church. Dad would later tell me that those were one of the best times of his life and I know that my Dad enjoyed every moment of being there. 

Dad would always tell me that if I ever had questions regarding the Word to make sure to call my Tia Jane (Herrera) because that is who he went to for answers. 

Older Cousins 1945-1957
When we were living in Sisquoc, our cousin Ti-Ti (Lydia Perez) took us to our first Drive-In Movie. The movies were Dumbo & Red Rider. Not only that, she also introduced us to Chinese food. Even today going to a movie or having some type of Asian food is OK with me. 

Between living in Sisquoc and Mountain View, we lived with Tia Amy (Cousin Amy) in Salinas. We must have spend part of a school year there because Jr. and I were in 3rd grade together. One time, Tia Amy's husband BBQed a pig in the ground and man that was the best pork I ever had. Today there is a place in Bell, California 
that prepares it that way every weekend. 

I remember always going to Tia Amy’s home when she moved to San Jose to see the Friday night fights and sometimes we would go and get wet at a creek near by. For some reason Tia Amy’s home was the place to be because she always made us feel welcome. That’s some thing I’ll always remember "her open door policy" for whomever. 

While living at 99 No.17th street, I remember that our cousins Joel, Pops and Barney would drive up with their Motorcycles and park them on the front lawn and just hang out with us for awhile. 

When my Mom passed away the funeral was in Santa Paula so Bobbie and I would go and stay with our Cousin Johnny Perez and his wife in Santa Maria for a week. Tia Edna would bring us lunch and when we left them Johnny brought us our first BB-Rifle to take home. 

At one of our Family Reunions, maybe 1953, Sonny (Cousin Paul) came dressed in his Army uniform and did the Sunday Morning service. I thought to myself that someday I, too, would want to be in a uniform. Ever since that Sunday morning I thought of Sonny as our Spiritual leader for our family and he did have our respect. He was a type of man that another man could look up to. 

In the mid-fifties we moved to San Gabriel. Ruben, David and Ruth would stay with us on weekends. Ruben was in the Navy, David & Ruth were in Bible school. What stands out during these visits was Ruth reminding me of my Mom and in turn hearing my Mom's voice “Jerry you were prayed for” those words would forever be planted in my heart. (Mama, by Il Divo is a great song.)

During my high school years, my cousin Red (Hank) was like an older brother to me and during one of our visits, his brother Paca (Abel Herrera, Jr.) was with us and he told me “not to join the Marine Corp”; well, you know when someone tells you not to do something you go ahead and do it, which I did. I’m glad I did because it helped me a great deal most of all to be responsible for my actions. 

Bottom Line

Those who have gone before us have left us with a spiritual inheritance with their footprints in the sand that leads us to the cross and one day soon we will have a Family Reunion with them and our Lord and Savior. Rev.19: 6-9

Not only doing that, Grandma made a statement when she told her children to take care of each other. The word “Others” has been interwoven in our family members' lives in so many ways. The Statement is “Others, Our life is not our own”. Matt.25: 34-40

Even today, we have different family members in some type of Ministries, Teachers, working for non-profit organizations, doing volunteer work, supporting and being involved with a cause that is dear to them, and, most of all, praying for one another. 

We can only thank God for His hand upon our Grandparents showing their children the way and may we continue to pass that baton to the next generation. 

In closing, I would like to end with one of my Father's favorite verses.

III John 1:4 I have no greater Joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 

Love is a never-ending road.  Take care

P.S. This is not my life's story and it’s only my memories of my Tios, Tias and 1st cousins. I’m truly grateful to my wife Carmen, our little family and to my extended family members. I’m truly blessed and am a very rich man because of them. 
Written by Jerry S. Herrera
3/11/2015

PUEBLO DE SAN JOSE
29 November 1777

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES   

NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER
OUR PENITENTE LAND EXHIBIT

                                              Blue Christ                                                                                                 Rostro

Each year during Good Friday thousands of penitent pilgrims follow the routes of the world famous Santuario de Chimayo, and Tome Hill in New Mexico.  These two iconic landmarks hold a tradition that is centuries old.  At the sanctuary known as the Santuario people seek comfort and the spirituality associated with physical and emotional well being.  At Tome Hill people follow a trail that leads to a summit with three massive crosses.  This place has been known for generations as the Monte Calvario, the Mount Calvary honoring the place of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.  Hundreds of visitors to New Mexico join in on the pilgrimages snapping pictures of these marvels for posterity.

These internationally recognized landmarks were established by Penitentes, a lay religious confraternity of men and women dedicated to works of mercy.  The Santuario de Chimayo was erected in 1816 over what is regarded as a holy site containing miraculous dirt used for curing illnesses. At  the El Cerro de Tome, called Tome Hill, Penitentes have used the site to re-enact Christ’s crucifixion with a Via Crucis, The Way of the Cross Passion play since the eighteenth century.  Edwin Baca Berry a World War II veteran promised to rebuild the landmark with three dynamic crosses that could be seen from miles away as a testament to the centuries old Roman Catholic worship in New Mexico dating back to 1598.  He also sought to preserve this rich history, traditions, and culture by stimulating Penitente membership.  At one period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century there were well over one hundred active moradas (chapels of Penitente worship), with over fifteen thousand members throughout New Mexico.  

While attempting to further enrich this marvelous Spanish heritage in New Mexico, santero artists, Rosa Maria Calles, who is a native of Tome, and Ray John de Aragon from Las Vegas, New Mexico, created artworks associated with the Penitentes.  New Mexico santeros are widely known as makers of religious images.  Modern, or contemporary santeros carry on a tradition dating from the early colonization of the area.  Their work is shown at the Traditional Spanish Market in Santa Fe and early pieces that are centuries old can be seen at the Spanish Colonial Arts Museum, also in Santa Fe.   The most famous wooden religious image is La Conquistadora, Nuestra Senora de la Santa Fe (Our Lady of the Holy Faith), which is a statue of Mary, the mother of Christ dating to 1634, saved during the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680, and brought back to New Mexico by Don Diego de Vargas and the settlers in 1692. The world famous image is housed in the Saint Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe.  A very active penitent confraternity known as la Cofradia de la Conquistadora as the conqueror of souls, is dedicated to this particular statue.

Rosa Maria Calles is the fourth generation great-granddaughter of Don  Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, a Spanish cartographer, and santero during the eighteenth century.  He is considered as the progenitor of the famous santero folk art tradition in New Mexico, one that is unique in the United States.  She follows this family tradition in her images painted on retablos, wood panels, and bultos, images in the round.  Ray John de Aragon comes from a long line of Penitente members in his family, and he seeks to recreate the popular work associated with this group.  Some of his figures representing Christ, his mother Mary as Our Lady of Solitude, and la Sebastiana, The Angel of Death astride her Death Cart holding a bow and arrow, are life size.  Both santeros are collectors of Penitente artifacts and have built up a distinguished collection of hundreds of pieces with some dating to the sixteenth century.  A large sampling of their artwork, and relics of the Penitentes can be seen at the “OUR PENITENTE LAND” exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a show which commemorates this important part of New Mexico history arts, and culture.