Somos Primos
Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage 

JANUARY 2015

Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2015

Click for the story behind the cartoon, a monumental accomplishment:  recognition by the United States Congress of the historic contributions of Spain, General Bernardo de Galvez, and the Spanish colonists and Spanish soldiers to the American Revolution. 

 On December 9th, the historic event was the fulfillment of a promise made by the United States Congress 231 years ago.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letters to the Editor

P.O. 415
Midway City, CA 
92655-0490
mimilozano@aol.com
www.SomosPrimos.com 
714-894-8161

Congratulations for your impeccable job helping us all shine to the eyes of everybody on earth!
Thank you Mimi!!

Silvia Ichar, Publisher 
PARA TODOS Magazine

LOTS OF APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED!
Irma Cavazos
irma_cavazos@hotmail.com 

Amor, Congratulations for the 15-year accomplishment.  You are our Pilar!FELIZ NAVIDAD DEL CORAZOÑ!  Que La Virgen te accompañe.Saludos, abrazos, besos,
Manuel Quinones
manuel.quinones3.civ@mail.mil 

Dear Mimi: Many times I have wanted to email a well- earned "bien hecho" for your efforts on our collective relatives. I have failed to follow through but not on this occassion when we should all be cognizant of our closeness as human beings on this monthperiod of honor our Lord and His Holy
Family. 

Rubin Garza rsgarza@suddenlink.net. 

Sometimes Congress takes a while to keep its promises. This one took only 231 years. 
by Ed Butler
SAR President General 2009-2010  
SARPG0910@aol.com 

It has been that long since Congress pledged to hang a portrait in the U.S. Capitol honoring Bernardo de Galvez, a daring Spanish military leader who became a hero in the colonies during the American Revolution.

A civil servant in D.C., Teresa Valcarce Graciani found herself as Chairman of a committee to get Congress to honor a promise it made in 1783, following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which concluded the American Revolutionary War. 

One of her friends in Malaga, Spain, sent her a copy of a May 1783 letter from Elias Boudinot, the president of the Continental Congress, to an American revolutionary financier, Oliver Pollock.   In the letter, Boudinot accepted Pollock’s gift of a portrait of Galvez.  Pollock had worked with Galvez in New Orleans to acquire and distribute Spanish arms, ammunition and military supplies to the Americans.

Galvez had been the governor of Spanish-controlled Louisiana.   Galvez led his Spanish troops against the British in Baton Rogue and Manchac, LA; Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL.  His troops captured Nassau, Bahamas and was about to take the English pearl in the Caribbean - Jamaica - when the English decided they had had enough.  There’s a statue of him near the State Department. The city of Galveston, Tex., got its name from him, and St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana is a nod in his honor to his patron saint. Two counties in Louisiana are named for his wife, Feliciana.

The committee dug up a congressional resolution from 1783 ordering the portrait to be “placed in the room in which Congress meets.” Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), got the ball rolling in the House of Representatives, and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a Cuban-American, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee led the movement in the US Senate.

A national committee was formed, which included members of the SAR, DAR, the Texas Connection to the American Revolution (TCARA) in San Antonio, TX, Los Bexarenos Genealogical Society of San Antonio, TX and the Order of the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez in San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans and Jacksonville, FL.  A letter writing campaign proved to be successful.

Mrs. Valcarce called Manuel Olmedo Checa, the Galvez association member in Malaga who unearthed the 1783 letter.

He knew that a portrait with an impressive provenance was kept in a private collection in Malaga. That painting had reputedly been commissioned by the Spanish king Carlos III to honor Galvez after his return from the Americas. A well-known Spanish artist, Carlos Monserrate, offered to copy the portrait as a donation.

And so it was that in June, 2014 Valcarce received a lushly brushed oil painting, roughly 3 feet by 4 feet, of Bernardo de Galvez, posed in an elegantly embroidered suit with a medal pinned to his chest. She stashed it for safekeeping with the Daughters of the American Revolution, where it was displayed until just a few days ago, when a crew hung it on the west wall of S-116, a compact but ornate room that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee uses to mark up bills and to host official coffees with heads of state.

There will be a small celebration on Tuesday, December 9, in the Hall of the Committee of affairs outside of the Senate of the United States.  Because it is a small room, attendance is by invitation only.

One other matter remains to be accomplished regarding Bernardo de Galvez.  At the SAR national Congress in Greenville, SC. the delegates voted unanimously to pass a Joint Resolution for the US Congress to award Honorary U.S. Citizenship posthumously to Bernardo de Galvez.  The U.S. House of Representatives passed that resolution on June 14, 2014.  Now, all that remains is passage in the U.S. Senate.  Please contact your two U.S. Senators and request that they support this resolution.  
GREAT NEWS: General Galvez received Honorary United States Citizenship, more below on the subject.

Editor Mimi:   Judge Ed Butler, Past President General of the Sons of the American Revolution is publishing a book,  Spain- Our Forgotten Ally In The American Revolutionary War.  I am honored by being asked to write the foreword. 

In the book Judge Butler recognizes, "Jack Vance Cowan, who founded the "Texas Connection with the American Revolution Association (TCARA). Jack has done more than anybody to promote the involvement of Texas in the American Revolution. He has developed a strong sense of coordination among the efforts of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Order of the Damas and Granaderos de Galvez, and other groups. Jack's efforts have contributed to many young Hispanics not feeling estranged, and given then an understanding that their ancestors played apart in the formation of our nation." 

When I first read about the newly organized TCARA, I could not send my membership in fast enough. Since I live in California,  I have only been involved in a few TCARA activities, but they were memorial.  Getting to meet Jack and members of TCARA was special. Jack  really touched my heart with the reason for his unvarying, relentless dedication, commitment, and involvement with promoting the Spanish historic presence.  

Jack's reason in promoting Hispanic history was basically the same as for Granville Hough and Robert Thonhoff.  The lack of historic recognition and inclusion was unfair and unjust.  Jack and Granville, both had Latinos serving under them in the military.  They personally expressed great respect for those soldiers who served with them, and felt they owed it to the men to promote their Spanish ancestors' contribution to the victory of the American Revolution.  Robert remembers the Mexican heritage children in his classroom and said, he felt he owed it them knowledge of their heritage. He said, "The children don't know anything about their history.  They should  know they have heroes to be proud of. They should know."  

H.J.Res. 105: Conferring honorary citizenship of the United States on Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez.

Both Judge Ed Butler and Robert Thonhoff sent the wonderful news  . . . . .

GREAT TIMELY NEWS!!!!!!!!  Bernardo de Galvez Receives Honorary United States Citizenship

Queridos compatriotas:  Following is the GREAT NEWS that I just received regarding the Honorary Citizenship Resolution for our hero, General Bernardo de Galvez. which occurred just in the nick of time with the hanging of his portrait in the Halls of Congress on December 9th! 

¡Viva Gálvez! Robert Thonhoff

ps. Wikipedia is already up dated open the link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_citizen_of_the_United_States 
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/bills/category/spain  
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/226153-congress-gives-revolutionary-war-vet-honorary-citizenship 

Also, copies of the elusive donativos have recently been discovered in the National Archives in Mexico City and are being cataloged and prepared for dissemination. This IS the "The Frosting on the Cake"!
Robert Thonhoff  derkatz001@gmail.com 
Date: Sun, Dec 7, 2014 at 7:50 PM

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Historical-figure-G-lvez-gets-his-due-finally-5953726.php 

We all arrived at the Senate early, as required, they checked ID's very carefully before letting us in. Mostly Spanish members of the Embassy and friends of Teresa Valcarce's. She looked very elegant in a lovely red dress with a black bolero top (shown in the picture). The Spanish ambassador (seen in front of the portrait) waited with all of us for half an hour before Senator Menendez arrived. 

Both the Senator and the Ambassador spoke briefly about Galvez and the union between Spain and the US, Then with Teresa Valcarce they cut the ribbon and we all were given glasses of champagne or wine to toast the General.  Everyone adjourned to the ambassador's residence afterward for a reception.

Great evening and wonderful pride in Bernardo!  Abrazos, 
Carolina Castillo Crimm, Ph.D., Professor of History, ret'd
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77320
(936) 291-2580  history.ccc@gmail.com  

Sent by Juan Marinez marinezj@msu.edu  
View Teresa Valcarce's during the unveiling of portrait:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDiUVI2rmDY 

 A thank you from Teresa Valcarce Graciani for all the support she received to get the Bernardo Galvez Portrait Hung 

Todos ellos han sido muy conscientes de que colgar el retrato de Bernardo de Gálvez en el Capitolio constituye un poderoso argumento que permitirá estrechar las relaciones entre España y Estados Unidos. Estas dos naciones son mi Patria de nacimiento y mi Patria de adopción. A las dos quiero por igual y a ellas por igual he intentado servir desde mi humilde puesto de trabajo al afrontar tan apasionante reto.

Bernardo de Gálvez es un Héroe compartido, es un orgullo para los españoles y para los norteamericanos.

A los medios de comunicación que tanto habeis hecho por esta noble causa os agradezco muy especialmente vuestra decisiva contribución para difundirla, y estoy segura que continuaréis haciendo cuanto sea posible para que Estados Unidos y España recuperen la memoria de tan gigantesca figura de la Historia.

Albergo el convencimiento de que al cerrar esta singular página se abrirán otras que servirán para que recuperemos a nuestros héroes olvidados, para que aprendamos de ellos y reconozcamos sus contribuciones a nuestro país.

Tambien podemos celebrar la maravillosa noticia de que el Senado norteamericano ha aprobado el nombramiento de Bernardo de Gálvez como Ciudadano Honorario de los Estados Unidos!

Por eso hoy sólo puede decir GRACIAS. Muchísimas gracias a todos.

Y yo digo...Who's the Hero?....YOU are my hero!! 

Un beso muy grande,
Teresa Valcarce Graciani

Latinos in Heritage Conservation: Launching a National Network

University of Southern California Alum, Frederick Aguirre, goes on the record for Latino patriots
Superior Court judge shares the history of Mexican-Americans who served in the U.S. military
by Michelle Boston December 5, 2014 

As he began walking through the exhibit, Aguirre was pleased to see some minority groups that faced discrimination at home were presented as patriotic heroes in special sections celebrating African-American and Japanese-American servicemen. But for Latinos who served their country, Aguirre found only a small display on the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 when racial tensions in Los Angeles escalated between on-leave servicemen and Mexican-American youth, erupting in three nights of fighting in the streets.

More than 500,000 Latinos served in WWII. We’re a part of the fabric of this country.  “It angered me,” Aguirre said. “More than 500,000 Latinos served in WWII. We’re a part of the fabric of this country. To be displayed in such a negative and unpatriotic manner, showing Mexican-Americans as enemies of the state at our national museum, was egregious.”  Since that moment, a desire to present the full picture of Latinos’ contribution to the military simmered in Aguirre.

Filling in the gaps: In the 1990s, he and his wife, Linda Martinez Aguirre, a history teacher whose Mexican-American family also had many members serve in WWII and other wars, decided to fill in gaps in the historical record. They established Latino Advocates for Education (LAE), a nonprofit founded with their friend Rogelio Rodriguez. Together, they started interviewing Latino veterans they knew through family and friends, documenting their service in the U.S. military.  “We would tell somebody to get us the names and photographs of their loved ones,” Aguirre said. “From there, it snowballed.”

The research filled three self-published books: Undaunted Courage: Mexican-American Patriots of World War II; Strength and Honor: Mexican-Americans in the Vietnam War and Freedom Is Not Free: Mexican-Americans in the Korean War. All of the research material and photographs of 2,000-plus veterans profiled in the books are now archived in the Orange County Department of Education website American Patriots of Latino Heritage.

In addition, LAE launched an annual Veterans Day event in 1996 to honor Latino servicemen at Santa Ana College, which was later held at California State University, Fullerton. Organized entirely by Aguirre, his wife and Rodriguez, the event ran for 15 consecutive years. They brought in Latino Medal of Honor recipients and Latino generals to speak about their experiences. Prominent figures gave speeches and presented veterans with certificates commemorating their service, including then-Gov. Gray Davis and Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California. Military vehicles were displayed and bands performed. One year, two F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets did a flyover. The Aztec Skydiving team even parachuted into the crowd.

Child of the ’60s: Aguirre said that his time at USC Dornsife was significant in shaping his interest in history. He remembers how his professor Doyce Nunis encouraged him to pursue his doctorate in California history.

“I was very impressed by that,” Aguirre said. For a while he considered the idea. But as a self-described “child of the ’60s,” Aguirre was inspired by the civil rights movement and decided to earn his law degree. He remembers when he listened to Martin Luther King Jr. speak at USC in 1967 at Bovard Auditorium. “I was very moved by it,” Aguirre said.

Now when Aguirre isn’t consumed with his work in court, he films his interviews with Latino veterans in hopes of making a documentary about their experiences.  “I want to show the political maturation of Latinos after WWII as a result of their service to this country,” he said.

For instance, upon returning from the war, a number of Latinos took on leadership roles in politics and public service. One was Edward Roybal, who after returning from his military service in WWII, served on the Los Angeles City Council for 13 years and then in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years. He also established the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging housed at the USC School of Social Work.

Following his father’s footsteps:


Aguirre’s own father, Alfred Aguirre, after returning from serving in WWII, was elected to the Placentia City Council in 1958; he was the second Latino elected to a city council in Orange County’s history. Aguirre keeps a photograph of his father in his judge’s chambers as a reminder of the contribution Latinos have made in the military.

The image shows Alfred Aguirre in uniform in Honolulu during his basic training in 1945. He’s walking down the street with his best friend. The elder Aguirre, forced to drop out of school at age 14 to support his mother and siblings after the death of his father, went on to join the Army Air Corps of Engineers. His unit built the Kadena Airfield in Japan.

          Aguirre’s father, right, in 1945 (Photo/courtesy of Frederick Aguirre)

“The image is instructive,” Aguirre said. “Here is a Mexican-American kid from segregated schools with a ninth-grade education working as an engineer.  “I am inspired each day seeing this photograph of my father proudly wearing his uniform and serving his country.”

2015 will Bring the Most Latino Congress in U.S. History 
Hola Arkansas! (December 15, 2014)

How DACA Has Improved the Lives of Undocumented Young People  

SOURCE: AP/J Pat Carter. Niouseline St. Jean, an undocumented immigrant from Turks and Caicos Islands, 
talks to the media about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in Miami, Florida.

By Zenen Jaimes Pérez

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

August marked the two-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Apart from temporarily deferring their deportations from the United States, DACA also gives eligible undocumented youth and young adults access to renewable two-year work permits and Social Security numbers.

Two years out, we now have a clearer picture of the benefits DACA has provided many undocumented young people. It has allowed them to achieve better economic opportunity, attain higher education, enroll in health insurance, and participate more in their local communities.

As of July, 587,366 undocumented young people had received both relief from deportation and a work permit, out of the more than 680,000 undocumented young people who have so far applied for DACA. However, many more can still qualify. Around 1.2 million undocumented young people were immediately eligible for the DACA program when it began, but an additional 426,000 could apply if they met further qualifications. Another 473,000 children, who are currently younger than 15 years old, will age into the program.

Additionally, in the coming months, hundreds of thousands of DACA beneficiaries will need to renew their DACA. Community organizations, families, and DACA beneficiaries themselves will need to make sure that they meet the renewal deadline and fees set by the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service. The stakes are high, as failure to renew properly could mean a loss of both work authorization and deferral from deportation.

Despite the challenges of renewing DACA and making sure more qualifying young people apply for it, DACA has significantly affected the lives of undocumented young people, as well as on the nation. It is also worth noting that DACA has laid the groundwork for future comprehensive immigration reform by starting the process of registering undocumented young people for potential legal status.

This issue brief discusses the top benefits that DACA provides immigrant youth and takes a look at how the program has helped our economy and society. 

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama created a new policy that called for deferred action for eligible undocumented youth and young adults who came to the country as children. Under DACA, undocumented immigrants are granted deferral of deportation from the United States, as well as access to Social Security numbers and renewable two-year work permits.

To qualify for DACA, undocumented young people must meet the requirements listed below and pay $465 for filing fees and biometric services, such as fingerprints. So far, undocumented immigrants and their families have paid a total of more than $300 million in program fees.

To be eligible for DACA, unauthorized immigrants must meet the following official requirements from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS:

• Have passed a background check
• Have been born on or after June 16, 1981
• Have come to the United States before their 16th birthday
• Not have lawful immigration status and be at least 15 years old
• Have continuously lived in the country since June 15, 2007
• Have been present in the country on June 15, 2012, and on every day since August 15, 2012
• Have graduated high school, have obtained a GED certificate, be an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or armed forces, or currently attend school on the date that they submit their deferred action application
• Have not been convicted of a felony offense
• Have not been convicted of a significant misdemeanor offense or three or more misdemeanor offenses
• Not pose a threat to national security or public safety

In August 2014, renewals for DACA began. All 587,366 DACA beneficiaries must submit renewal request about 120 days before the expiration of their current period of deferred action. According to the official requirements from the USCIS, they must continue to meet the initial DACA guidelines, pay an additional $465 for filing fees and biometric services, and have fulfilled the following requirements:

• Did not depart the United States on or after Aug. 15, 2012, without advanced parole;
• Have continuously resided in the United States since the submission of the most recent DACA request that was approved; and
• Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety

DACA improves economic opportunities for undocumented young people

DACA has opened new doors for undocumented youth, leading to a stronger economy for everyone. Under DACA, undocumented youth are able to apply for and receive temporary work permits. For many, this means the ability to find a job for the first time. For others, it means being able to exit the informal economy and move on to better-paying jobs.

In fact, a recent survey of “DACAmented” young people—undocumented immigrants who have benefited from DACA—indicated that 70 percent of survey respondents reported getting their first job or starting a new job. Additionally, 45 percent reported an earnings increase.

It’s not just undocumented youth who have benefited from work permits, however; the United States as a whole has. Extending work permits to DACA recipients translates into higher tax revenues as these young people get on the books, earn more, and start paying more in payroll taxes. These revenues support vital programs such as Social Security and Medicare—even as undocumented immigrants are unable to access these and other social safety net programs.

Undocumented young people have also benefited in other ways. Almost 50 percent of DACA beneficiaries surveyed have opened their first bank account, and 33 percent have obtained their first credit card. These shifts allow young people to spend their new earnings on purchases throughout their communities and to generate new jobs as businesses strive to meet the higher demand for goods and services. These benefits are especially important because many undocumented young people live in economically vulnerable positions. According to The Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 34 percent of those immediately eligible for DACA lived in families with annual incomes below100 percent of the federal poverty line.

Undocumented young people can achieve higher educational attainment

While DACA has increased the ability of undocumented young people to achieve greater economic opportunity, some evidence shows that it is also increasing educational attainment. To qualify for DACA, a young person must have graduated from high school, passed the GED exam, or be currently enrolled in and attending school. An additional 426,000 undocumented young people could qualify for the program if they meet these educational requirements. This has encouraged more undocumented young people to return to school to complete their education and potentially transition to higher education.

Additionally, DACA has helped some undocumented students complete higher education. In some states, such as Arizona, DACA recipients can enroll in some public community colleges at in-state tuition rates. Virginia recently changed its policy to allow DACA recipients to pay in-state tuition.

Over the past 14 years, states have taken action to allow undocumented young people to pay lower and more affordable tuition fees for their states’ public colleges and universities. In 2001, Texas was the first state to pass legislation that changed its residency requirements so undocumented young people could qualify for in-state tuition. Several states followed. California changed its requirements in 2001, while Utah and New York did so in 2002. Washington and Illinois changed theirs in 2003; Kansas changed its in 2004; New Mexico changed its in 2005; and Nebraska changed its in 2006. Maryland and Connecticut changed their requirements in 2011, and Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon did so in 2013. Florida did so this year. Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Virginia also offer in-state tuition in many of their public colleges and universities; they do so through decisions of their state boards of higher education or advising from their state attorneys general.

DACA has also helped many undocumented students stay in school. The wider student population typically says that it leaves school due to a lack of academic preparation. Undocumented students, however, say that finances force them to leave. This phenomenon, known as “stopping out”—leaving higher education for a certain period of time but intending to come back—has been reduced by work authorization that allows undocumented students to hold higher-paying jobs in order to finance their education.

The Social Security numbers granted to DACA beneficiaries have also helped many undocumented students access financial help for higher education. Current federal law continues to prohibit all undocumented students from accessing federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and the Federal Work-Study Program. DACA beneficiaries, however, can still fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, with their Social Security numbers; this means they can receive their Estimated Family Contribution number, which allows them to petition their schools for institutional aid that is available to all students.

DACA reduces feelings of disconnect

Deferral-from-removal action and work authorization have given hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people increased peace of mind. DACA recipients can more comfortably move through their daily routines: Sixty-six percent of respondents to one survey agreed to the statement, “I am no longer afraid because of my immigration status.” Additionally, 64 percent agreed with the statement, “I feel more like I belong in the U.S.” Reduced feelings of disconnect can have enormous positive effects for individuals and their communities. It allows young people to have greater peace of mind, which translates to greater participation in the economy and in civic life.

Another survey showed that DACA has also enabled 57 percent of undocumented young people to obtain a driver’s license. Forty-eight states allow DACA recipients to obtain a driver’s license, with only two states—Arizona and Nebraska—prohibiting them from doing so. In these two states, DACA beneficiaries have access to in-state tuition at some public colleges and universities, but they cannot obtain a driver’s license to get around campus and the surrounding area.

Access to a driver’s license and identification cards means better safety for all drivers and has given undocumented young people greater job opportunities. Additionally, driver’s licenses and identification cards can have enormous effects on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, undocumented young people. About 10 percent of DACA recipients surveyed also identified as LGBT. This community—and, in particular, transgender individuals—often need proper identification in order to participate fully in society. Without this, undocumented LGBT immigrants can see heightened discrimination from law enforcement or other service providers.

Indeed, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that although undocumented immigrants account for less than 3 percent of the total adult LGBT population in the United States, they represent nearly 8 percent of LGBT hate violence survivors. However, LGBT and HIV-affected undocumented survivors of violence were 1.7 times more likely than the general LGBT community to report incidents to the police. This could be linked to mandatory first responder reports to the police or to greater education and outreach to LGBT undocumented survivors, who feel because of DACA that they can report violence.

Civic engagement and participation increases with DACA

While many undocumented young people were highly political prior to DACA, evidence shows that civic engagement has only continued to grow. More than 50 percent of respondents to a survey believed that their immigrant status empowered them to advocate for their community. This has led to civic participation rates that eclipse that of the general population. According to the 2012 American National Election Study, or ANES, only 6 percent of respondents participated in a political rally or demonstration, compared with 41 percent of DACA recipients. Additionally, 41 percent of DACA recipients had contacted members of Congress, compared with the 21 percent of ANES respondents.

DACA recipients also connect their families to civic life. More than 30 percent of DACA recipients reported getting most of their information regarding immigration, including immigration reform, from online sources. Another survey also indicated that 90 percent of DACA recipients have family that would benefit from immigration reform. Young people are a key source of information for their families on immigration policy issues, and they will be a cornerstone to advocate for the implementation of any future reforms for millions of other undocumented immigrants as well.

Undocumented youth have gained some access to health care

Although undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, DACA recipients have still gained more access to health care. Washington state, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, the District of Columbia, and California allow low-income DACA recipients to enroll in health insurance. By not using federal funds for the programs that help cover undocumented residents, these states were able to bypass restrictions around the ACA; the District of Columbia, for example, allows all immigrants regardless of status to enroll in health insurance. In California, as many as 127,000 DACA recipients qualify to enroll in exclusively state-funded Medi-Cal programs. The #Health4All campaign in California has engaged thousands of undocumented young people to learn if they qualify.

Additionally, many undocumented young people have enrolled in college or university health care plans or have received new employment-based plans. This has led to a 21 percent increase in the number of undocumented young people with DACA that have obtained health insurance. Greater enrollment in health insurance has enormous positive effects on public health.

However, these small fixes do not provide comprehensive care. DACA recipients are still barred from the ACA, and a recent report showed that, in California alone, 50 percent of undocumented young people delayed getting the medical care they needed. Of these people, 96 percent cited lack of insurance as the main reason.

DACA has benefited the families of undocumented young people

Undocumented young people are often not the only undocumented person in their family. More than 80 percent of DACA recipients reported having an undocumented parent, and more than half have undocumented siblings. In families where everyone is undocumented, DACA has allowed young people to provide more services to their families. Access to driver’s licenses, the ability to open bank accounts, and even things such as renting equipment from stores that they can use for employment, have allowed more undocumented families to participate in the economy.

More action is needed

DACA has provided enormous benefits to undocumented young people. However, 66 percent still report feeling anxious or angry because their families cannot qualify. About 2 million people have faced deportation during the past six years, the equivalent to wiping out the entire combined populations of Boston, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and St. Louis, Missouri. These removals devastate communities and leave broken families behind in the United States. A recent Center for American Progress report outlines some of the executive actions President Obama should consider to repair our broken immigration system, including expanding deferred action to more undocumented immigrants.

Despite its successes, DACA has been only a partial fix, largely benefitting those with the most education. This is partly due to the ability of such young people to leverage their credentials in the job market. Additionally, more outreach is needed to make sure that all qualifying young people enroll or renew on time.

The benefits would also run much deeper and wider if Congress were to pass comprehensive immigration reform and create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. In the meantime, the president can expand the use of deferred action beyond DACA to other individuals who are not priorities for deportation given their length of U.S. residence, their stable employment, or the fact that they have children living with them. This expansion could help stabilize families, communities, and local economies across the country.

Zenen Jaimes Pérez is a Policy Advocate for Generation Progress, the youth division of the Center for American Progress.

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/11/19/101868/how-daca-has-improved-the-lives-of-undocumented-young-people/  

http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/informes/7707-el-lejano-oeste-espanol-olvidado-de-pedrorivera-

Presidios centralizados 1680-17701

1 ARNAL, Luis: El sistema presidial en el septentrión novohispano, evolución y estrategias de poblamiento.Scripta Nova, Revista Electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Barcelona. Vol. X, núm. 218 (26), 1 de agosto de 2006

El siglo XVII en Nueva España se caracterizó por ser una etapa de sublevaciones de diversos grupos de nativos americanos habitantes del territorio desde antes de la llegada de los españoles. El sigo siguiente, el XVIII, y sobre todo su segunda mitad, se caracterizó por los ataques de unos recién llegados grupos nómadas, los apaches, procedentes del norte presionados por otros grupos más fieros, los comanches.

El siglo XVIII se abre con la nueva dinastía de Borbón que reinaría en el Imperio Español tras ser coronado como rey Felipe V en Madrid, en febrero de 1701. La Guerra de Sucesión, una auténtica guerra civil, que durante doce años asoló gran parte de España no tuvo tal reflejo en las Indias que, desde tres años antes con la paz de Ryswick, no sufrían los asaltos de los corsarios franceses, ahora aliados de la Corte de Madrid, ni de los ingleses, aliados con la Casa de Austria y sus partidarios españoles. Los primeros años del siglo fueron en las Indias, y por tanto en Nueva España y en sus territorios del norte, una época de paz, prosperidad, expansión colonizadora y creación de riqueza, detenida sólo por la menor afluencia de nuevos pobladores, como consecuencia
de dicha guerra.

A la paz de Utrecht siguió un mayor desarrollo, apoyado por las reformas borbónicas emprendidas en la administración de cara a su
modernización. Se fundaron misiones, pueblos, reales de minas y haciendas ganaderas en Sonora. En Sinaloa, se rompió la prolongada detención en Culiacán y se empezó a ver surgir explotaciones mineras y ganaderas. En Nuevo México, resurgieron y se mejoraron Santa Fe y los pueblos destruidos por la feroz sublevación de 1680 y se fundaron otros nuevos asentamientos.

Dentro de las reformas hubo una a la que se refiere en este trabajo y es de carácter miliar. Por primera vez en la Nueva España se organizó un ejército propiamente dicho, con carácter profesional y permanente sin perder la estructura tan española de las milicias, que son el origen de la Guardia Nnacional de los EEUU, con dos gobernadores y capitanes generales a la vez que fueron, en Florida Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1565), y en Nuevo México Juan de Oñate (1598). Como parte de este proyecto militar reformista, se llevarían a cabo las visitas de Pedro Rivera, primero, y luego la del marqués de Rubí para recorrer los presidios de la frontera del norte, con fines muy semejantes los de éste a los del brigadier Rivera 50 años atrás, por un lado buscar una reducción del gasto de los presidios y por otro mejorar su función militar. Rubí realizó un largo recorrido por los presidios y decidió finalmente que éstos 

se colocaran en una línea que seguía muy de cerca el paralelo 30º, hasta donde llegaban efectivamente los dominios de la Corona, con la única excepción de Santa Fe y San Antonio de Béjar, situados en avanzadilla respecto a la línea fronteriza. El criterio de Rubí tuvo un carácter netamente militar, ubicar presidios de tal manera que impidieran la entrada de los nómadas, y a la vez que, en su caso, se facilitara la persecución y castigo de los atacantes.

La península de California estaba ya evangelizada por las misiones de los jesuitas, que fundaron varios pueblos, de los que los más importantes fueron Loreto y el puerto de La Paz. Al norte de Tampico surgió la nueva provincia de Nuevo Santander, con las colonias fundadas por el coronel José de Escandón, que pronto fueron prósperos pueblos agrícolas y mineros. Y en cuanto a Texas también fue importante la labor misionera y colonizadora, fundándose misiones y pueblos entre los que destacó San Antonio de Béjar.

Sólo Coahuila, debido a sus extremas condiciones de climatología con su extraordinaria sequedad, continuó durante muchos años como provincia despoblada, con sólo algunos pueblos mineros, como La Monclova, llegándose a pensar en anexionarla a Nueva Vizcaya o Nuevo León. En 1734 se estableció una gobernación que de sur a norte abarcaba las provincias de Sinaloa, Ostimuri y Sonora, con cabecera en esta última, la más extensa y de mayor potencial económico y expansivo2.

La frontera del norte era una línea inmensa, difícil de cubrir constantemente atacada por tribus nómadas que acosaban tanto a los asentamientos de colonos españoles como a los poblados de tribus sedentarias. Desde las iniciales exploraciones costeras y continentales dirigidas hacia el norte del continente americano realizadas en el siglo XVI, la frontera del norte era un lugar lejano que comenzó a causar preocupación cuando se tuvieron noticias de que otras potencias se interesaban por aquellos territorios.

Además de la amenaza creciente de los nómadas, los españoles tuvieron que enfrentarse en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII con una amenaza exterior consistente en la expansión europea desde el norte. Tanto los franceses, como rusos e ingleses avanzaban lenta yamenazadoramente desde sus posesiones en Norteamérica sin ocultar un claro interés por alcanzar hasta las ricas explotaciones 

2 RODRÍGUEZ PÉREZ, Gabriel: El norte de Nueva España en tiempos de Carlos III, Revista de Historia Militar nº 91, 2001.

3 ABOITES, Luis: Breve historia de Chihuahua. http://bibliotecadigital.ilce.edu.mx/sites/estados/libros/chihua/html/sec_1.html

4 La Apachería en el siglo XVIII. http://apacheria.webnode.es/la-apacheria-siglo-xviii/ 5 La nación Kaw, Kanza, o Kansa, son actualmente un pueblo reconocido como tribu de Oklahoma. Proceden de la parte central y medio oeste de los Estados Unidos de América. La tribu conocida como Kaw también ha sido conocido como el "Pueblo del Viento del Sur", y "La gente de agua", bajo las voces Kansa, Kaza, Kosa, y también Kasa. Su lenguaje, Kansa, se encuentra clasificado como una lengua sioux. El topónimo "Kansas" se deriva del nombre de esta tribu. El nombre de Topeka,  capital de Kansas, procede de la palabra Tó Ppí Kˀé que significa "un buen lugar para cultivar patatas". Los Kaw están estrechamente relacionados mediante parentesco con la nación Osage, con la que sus miembros establecían relaciones matrimoniales.

6 Los comanches son una tribu amerindia nativa de la Comancheria, territorio que comprendería el este de Nuevo México, sudeste de Colorado y Kansas, todo Oklahoma y bastante del noreste y sureste de Texas. Se. Hoy, la nación comanche está constituida aproximadamente por 10.000 miembros; cerca de la mitad reside en Oklahoma y, el resto, en Texas, California y Nuevo México. Hay varias teorías sobre el origen del nombre Comanche. La más aceptada es que deriva de Komantcia, una corrupción del español de "Kohmahts", el nombre dado por los Ute a la gente. "Kohmahts" es traducido varias veces como "enemigo", "el que quiere luchar", "contra el que se va a luchar", o "extranjero", que es el más lógico.

De otra parte también se dice que puede venir del español camino ancho. Los primeros exploradores franceses y estadounidenses conocían a los comanches como los padouca o paduca, su nombre en la lengua Siouan. Los comanches preferían llamarse los Numunuu, que quiere decir "el Pueblo" o "las personas".
7 Kansas.
8 Noreste de Nuevo México; la fecha y la ubicación exactas se desconocen.
9 GARZA MARTÍNEZ, Valentina: Medidas y caminos en la época colonial: expediciones, visitas y viajes al norte de la Nueva España (siglos XVI-XVIII).
file:///C:/Users/Propietario/Downloads/Fronteras%20de%20la%20Historia%2017-2-Articulo%207%20Garza.pdf

16 Real de minas se llamaba anteriormente a los lugares donde había grandes yacimientos minerales y por lo tanto se explotaban minas como en Guanajuato, Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Taxco, Hidalgo, etc. En Nueva España. Con el tiempo y como consecuencia de las reformas borbónicas se constituyó el Real Tribunal de Minería, institución constituida por el gremio de mineros que se estableció en la Nueva España en el año de 1777 y que funcionó hasta su cese en 1826.
17 El Presidio de San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande, fue durante muchos años el más avanzado hacia el norte, contuvo los continuos ataques de los indígenas procedentes de Texas y sirvió como punto de partida para la fundación de nuevas Misiones y creación de nuevos núcleos poblacionales.

El acuerdo en la forma propuesta habría incluido el vasto territorio de la Luisiana a ambos lados del río Mississippi, incluyendo lo que en aquellos momentos se conocía con el nombre de país de los Illinois, y se mantuvo en secreto incluso tras la firma del Tratado de París de 1763, que puso formalmente fin a la Guerra de los Siete Años y que escrituraba las tierras al oeste del Mississippi a nombre de los franceses y las situadas al este, incluyendo Baton Rouge y el país de los illinois) a los británicos. El Tratado de París estableció un periodo de dieciocho meses durante los que los franceses canadienses podrían emigrar libremente. Como resultado, muchos de los emigrantes hoy conocidos como cajunes se trasladaron a Luisiana y posteriormente descubrirían que ésta había sido cedida por Francia a España.

19 Las primeras informaciones de los sucesivos exploradores habían presentado a Sonora como un emporio de extraordinaria riqueza minera, especialmente de plata e incluso de oro. Los bajos rendimientos de los primeros intentos de explotación, dada la deficiente técnica aplicada, y los ataques de los belicosos nativos americanos seris y pimas, más alguna incursión de los apaches, hicieron perder todo el interés por aquel territorio, hasta los viajes del padre Kino. Puede decirse que entonces empezó  a actuarse en forma efectiva para la colonización y evangelización de Sonora, que pasaría a ser una de las más importantes entre las llamadas «provincias internas» de Nueva España.

21 Con esa exactitud y con ese objetivo fue dibujada la red de misiones en la Alta California. 
22 POWELL, W. Philip: UTRILLA, Juan José: La guerra chichimeca, (1550-1600), Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 1977. (Cita a Gonzalo de las Casas, en: “Noticias de la chichimeca y justicia de la guerra que se les ha hecho por los españoles”).

Por mucho esfuerzo que se hizo, por todos los medios, para terminar con el acoso chichimeca, la guerra duró más de lo que nadie se esperó. Los medios utilizados para acabar con la agresión de los nómadas daban escasos resultados. Todos los interesados en lograr la paz lo reconocieron. La guerra, la venganza, la esclavitud no daban sino alivio momentáneo. No faltó quien criticara los medios usados, sobre todo el de la esclavitud, y llevara su queja ante el rey para detener las mil injusticias que, con pretexto de la fe, se ejercían sobre los indígenas. Destacan las expresadas por Gonzalo de las Casas,quien escribió un informe titulado Noticia de los chichimecas y justicia de la guerra que se les ha hecho por los españoles, que se sumó a las cartas que envió al rey como informes de sus servicios como general de la frontera. El virrey Martín Enríquez de Almansa también mostró preocupación por la legalidad de esta guerra y por la cuestión de la esclavitud (Almansa fue el cuarto virrey de Nueva España, nombrado por Felipe II, ejerciendo su cargo entre el 5 de noviembre de1568 y el 4 de octubre de1580, también sería 6º virrey del Perú). También los misioneros franciscanos y de otras órdenes, dadas las características de esta guerra, cuestionaron su validez y sus métodos.

Poco a poco se fue creando consenso sobre la necesidad de utilizar otras formas para terminar con la rebeldía chichimeca. A pesar de todo los ataques se sucedían, como en las minas de Comanja donde mataron a todos los residentes, incluido un monje; en el Paso de Ojuelos un grupo chichimeca cayó sobre una caravana de 60 carretas y se llevó mercancía valorada en 30.000 pesos. En el Paso de Bocas una pequeña fuerza chichimeca mató a los 50 soldados que defendían este punto. Los hacendados diseminados por tierra chichimeca, hartos de sufrir los embates de los antiguos dueños, escribieron una carta al rey en estos términos: la insolencia y atrevimiento de los indios ha crecido tanto que no solamente han continuado los daños, pero se han hecho tan fuertes y mañosos que han dejado sus tierras y las sierras y quebradas que tenían por su defensa y se han bajado a lo llano, y de pocos días a esta parte han dado muchos asaltos a los pueblos de paz y muerto mucha gente, ansí en ellos como en los caminos y estancias, ejecutando en ellas sus acostumbradas crueldades, desollándoles las cabezas y sacándoles vivos los corazones y entrañas y quemado y profanado iglesias, y aun les está aprobado comer carne humana de las personas que matan...
23 ARNAL, Luis: El sistema presidial en el septentrión novohispano, evolución y estrategias de poblamiento. Scripta Nova, Revista Electrónica de Geografía y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Barcelona. Vol. X, núm. 218 (26), 1 de agosto de 2006

PROJECTS

HERITAGE PROJECTS

H
Tidbits

HISTORIC TIDBITS

NEWS RELEASE

Nueces County , Texas

901 Leopard St .

Corpus Christi , Texas 78401

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mike Pusley
Commissioner, Precinct No. 1
361-888-0245

Tyner Little, Governmental Affairs, OCCA
361-888-0878

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       December 8, 2014   1:20 p.m.

 Commissioner Mike Pusley announced this morning that a replacement “Hector Perez Garcia, M.D.” Historical Marker has been installed at its original site at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital , 2606 Hospital Boulevard , Corpus Christi , Texas .

Shortly after the marker’s original installation in April this year, some historical discrepancies were noted in the language of the marker.  In the preceding months, Commissioner Pusley worked with the family members and other local historians to come to a consensus on the proper historical references in the marker.  

Commissioner Pusley stated, “I am satisfied that we have restored accuracy in this historically significant marker for not only our generation, but for countless generations to come.”  

Looking back:   In the Land that Made Me . .  Me      https://www.youtube.com/embed/J55S38xwxnQ?rel=0 

Christmas in Goliad 
December 6, 2014: Tejano Author's photo  

Seated left-right: Celia Hayes,*Dr. Carolina Castillo Crimm, Donna Rogers, Emily Buckert; Standing left- right: left-right: *Jose Antonio Lopez, *Dr. Felix D.Almaraz,, Jr., *Dr. Jesus F. De La Teja, Henry Wolff, Linda Wolff, *Dr. Joseph E. Chance, Louise O'Connor, and Sonny Long.  Not available for picture: *Dr. Emilio Zamora

*Early Texas Historians 
Thanks to our friends in Goliad for an absolutely great visit yesterday, helping them celebrate their Christmas in Goliad event.  Gracias especially to our hosts, William & Estella Zermeño, who both tirelessly spread the word on our rich, pre-1836 Texas history.  What can I say, but that I was honored to stand for an authors’ picture (above) that includes Drs. Caroline Crimm, Felix Almaraz, Frank de la Teja, and Joe Chance; all champions of early Texas (Tejana/Tejano) history.  Yes, I am truly humbled & blessed.

Saludos, José Antonio “Joe” López  

                Latino History: An Interchange on Present Realities and Future Prospects

In her 2006 Organization of American Historians (oah) presidential address, Vicki Ruiz invoked José Martí’s landmark 1891 essay “Nuestra América” in calling for a more comprehensive, transhemispheric vision of the U.S. past, one that understands “Latino history as United States history.” For more than four decades, scholars have written about U.S. Latina and Latino experiences, often under the rubric of Mexican American or Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, or immigration history. Recent scholarship, especially, has embraced such a transhemispheric vision.

Inspired in large part by Ruiz’s address, this interchange engages ten scholars in a conversation about ways they conceptualize, research, and teach Latino history within national and transnational narratives. We are honored to have such a distinguished group of scholars whose work in and out of the classroom reflects the dynamism and meaning of Latino history as U.S. history.

The JAH is indebted to all of the participants for their willingness to enter into the online conversation:
Please go to:  http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/issues/972/latino-interchange.html 
www.journalofamericanhistory.org › Issues › Vol. 97 › No. 2 (Sept. 2010)

CALL FOR PAPERS

 Deadline for Submissions: January 15, 2015

 Creating the Past and Its Futures: Historians at Work

2015 Annual Meeting
Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association
Sacramento, California, August 6-8, 2015

Research, teaching, writing, and public outreach are interconnected components of the historical enterprise. If the past does not change, the way we share it does. As novel strategies for locating, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting the past allow us to imagine anew its future, this dynamism continues. Innovative approaches to identity, society, economy, science, and the state have invigorated scholarly and public engagement in historical questions; while new media and the digital humanities have created new venues for historians to share their stories. Meanwhile, as more diverse individuals and groups enter the profession, we are invited to reconsider not just what we think but also how we convey ideas to others who may not share our basic assumptions. As scholars and educators, we gather to exchange work and explore how to engage specialists, generalists, students and the public.  

The program committee solicits panel proposals and individual submissions encompassing new research, pedagogy, research methods, public history, and civic engagement. We invite proposals from all walks and developmental stages of the historical profession and related disciplinary and disciplinary fields. We encourage those proposing panels to remember that conversations are more interesting when they include people who represent diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities, sexual orientations, and dis/abilities.  

While we welcome traditional sessions of research papers amplified by learned commentary, we also encourage individuals and groups to consider other presentation formats, which can be found by following the link below. We hope that by expanding to new session types and being mindful that academics, like our students, acquire information in different ways, we can enrich conversation among all members of the historical profession.  

Please visit http://pcb.cgu.edu/papers.htm for a complete list of session types and submission. Questions may be directed to the Program Co-Chairs:  

David Torres-Rouff
University of California, Merced
dtorres-rouff@ucmerced.edu

John Williams
Colorado College
jwilliams@coloradocollege.edu  

Kate Smith and the Story Few Know 

Today learn more about our Presidents . . .

 George Washington, 1^st president when elected (1789-1797), had only one tooth and wore dentures made from hippopotamus and elephant ivory, not wood as commonly thought. 

John Adams, 2^nd president (1797-1801), after a long feud with Thomas Jefferson, 3^rd president (1801-1809) finally called a truce and developed a friendship that lasted the rest of their lives. Both men died on July 4, 1826—the 50^th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. 

William Henry Harrison, 9th (1841), was the first president to die in office. During his lengthy inaugural speech, which was more than two hours long, he contracted a cold that quickly developed into pneumonia. 

John Tyler, 10^th president (1841-1845), two decades after leaving the White House, joined the Confederacy and became the only president named sworn enemy of the United States. 

Abraham Lincoln, 16^th president (1861-1865), was the only president to receive a patent; it was for a device designed to lift boats over shoals. 

Andrew Johnson, 17^th president (1865-1869), never received any formal schooling; he credited his wife with teaching him to read and write. 

Ulysses S. Grant, 18^th president (1869-1877), was cast in the role of Desdemona in an all-soldier production of Othello during the Mexican-American War. 

Chester A. Arthur, 21^st president (1881-1885), after his election, sold more than two dozen wagons full of White House furniture. Arthur commissioned Louis Comfort Tiffany as designer for his White House makeover. 

Grover Cleveland, 22^nd and 24^th president (1885-1889) and (1893-1897), in his early career, served as New York sheriff and carried out at least two hangings, refusing to delegate the unpleasant task to others. After being diagnosed with mouth cancer in 1893, he had a secret operation on a yacht to remove part of his upper jaw. 

Benjamin Harrison, 23^rd president (1889-1893), was the first president to use electricity in the White House. After getting an electrical shock, he refused to touch light switches. 

William H. Taft, 27^th president (1909-1913), was the first president o own a car while in office. In 1930, his funeral was also the first presidential funeral to be broadcast on the radio. 

Woodrow Wilson, 28^th president (1913-1921), played golf as a source of exercise, even in winter. He had his golg balls painted red so he could see them in the snow. 

Warren G. Harding, 29^th president (1921-1923), suffered his first nervous breakdown at age 2 and spent time in a sanitarium run by J. H. Kellogg of breakfast cereal fame. 

Herbert Hoover, 31^st president (1929-1933), never held an elected office before becoming president. He was the first self-made millionaire to reside in the White House and his fortune in the mining industry. 

Harry Truman, 33^rd president (1945-1953), suffered from bad eyesight, which kept him from attending West Point. When World War I  broke out, he passed his vision test by memorizing the eye chart beforehand. 

John F. Kennedy, 35^th, president (1961-1963), the first Catholic president, was also the first president to have been a Boy Scout. 

Lyndon B. Johnson, 36^th president (1963-1969), and his wife Lady Bird, were married with a $2.50 wedding ring bought at Sears the day after he proposed to her. 

Richard Nixon, 37^th president (1969-1974), wanted to be an FBI agent. He applied to the Bureau but wasn’t accepted. 

Gerald R. Ford, 38^th president (1974-1977), played football for University of Michigan from 1931 to 1934, and was offered tryouts by both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. 

Ronald Reagan, 40^th president (1981-1989), actor became increasingly interested in politics while serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild. He was elected governor of California in 1966 and soon viewed as a contender for the presidency. 

George H. W. Bush, 43^rd president (1989-1993), at the age of 19, Bush became the youngest pilot in U.S. Navy history. He went on to fly 58 combat missions during World War II and was shot down in 1944 (he was rescued after four hours on a life raft). 

Barrack Obama, 44^th president (2009– ), cut his political teeth as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side. In 2008, the former senator defeated John McCain to become the first African American president of the United States.

Sent by Poppo Olag  poppoolag@verizon.net

HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

Herman Badillo, first Puerto Rico-born 

U.S. congressman, dies at 85

By Celeste Katz, with Jennifer Fermino

New York Daily News (Dec 3, 2014)

Herman Badillo, the nation's first Puerto Rico-born congressman and a four-time candidate for mayor, has died. He was 85.  

The pioneering Badillo, who represented the South Bronx in the House from 1971 to 1977, also served as Bronx borough president and ran for mayor as both a Democrat and later as a Republican.

Badillo died at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell of complications of congestive heart failure, according to a spokesman, George Arzt.

"As the first Puerto Rican to be elected as Bronx Borough President, as U.S. Representative and to be a mayoral candidate in our city, Herman Badillo was one of my inspirations as a young man of Puerto Rican descent who was born and raised in the Bronx and pursuing a career in politics," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. in a Wednesday statement announcing Badillo's passing.

"He was a true Bronxite and the epitome of a passionate leader who truly cared for his community," Diaz said.

"Herman Badillo worked assiduously throughout his career to make a difference in the lives of countless individuals across our borough and city."

Herman Badillo was born August 21, 1929 in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Orphaned by a tuberculosis epidemic, he moved to the United States as a boy with his aunt.

Badillo attended public schools, earned degrees from City College and Brooklyn Law School and also became a certified public accountant. He worked consistently during his schooling -- setting up pins at a bowling alley and stocking food at an automat.

After his initial foray into politics via his work with local political clubs, Badillo went to work for then-Mayor Robert Wagner, serving as Commissioner of the Department of Relocation until his election as Bronx borough president in 1965.

Badillo made his first run for the Democratic nomination for mayor in 1969, and tried again in 1973.

Per the Library of Congress, "During his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives he gained a seat on the Committee on Education and Labor, where he worked on legislation on behalf of his district, where at the time forty-eight percent of the people spoke English as a second language. Through his efforts, job training for unemployed non-English-speaking citizens was included in the Comprehensive Manpower Act of 1973."

Improving education -- particularly for minorities -- remained a lifelong passion of Badillo's.

"I got the highest marks at Haaren [High School]. I graduated magna cum laude from City College, and in law school, I was first in my class," he recalled in a 2001 Daily News profile.

"And what still gets me mad is that were it left to the Board of Education, I would have ended up in a job nobody holds anymore, shunted off as so many Puerto Rican kids were then, and now."

Badillo left Congress to serve as deputy to then-Mayor Ed Koch, handling labor relations, but the two eventually had a falling out that led Badillo to leave City Hall to practice law -- and later to support Koch's rival, Mario Cuomo, in the 1982 gubernatorial primary.

The victorious Cuomo appointed Badillo head of the state Mortgage Agency.

In 1986, Badillo won the Democratic nomination for state controller, falling to the GOP's Edward Regan.

Then in 1993, Badillo ran for city controller on a fusion ticket topped by Republican mayoral candidate Rudy Giuliani. Badillo lost to Alan Hevesi in the Democratic primary but remained a candidate on the GOP and Liberal Party tickets.

Badillo went on to work for the Giuliani Administration and became chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York.

In 1998, as the Daily News reported at the time, Badillo switched to the Republican Party, "pledging to crisscross the country in a marathon effort to lure armies of Hispanics into the GOP's big tent. Minutes after bolting the Democratic Party, Badillo also opened the door to a possible race for mayor in 2001 despite his five flopped attempts to capture City Hall over two decades."

The Republicans welcomed Badillo -- who named Thomas Jefferson as his political idol -- enthusiastically: "Herman Badillo is truly a crown jewel among the 370 elected and formerly elected Democrat office-holders who've joined us," said GOP National Chairman Jim Nicholson.

He threw his hat in the ring for the mayoralty once again, losing to the ultimate victor, Michael Bloomberg, who had also ditched the Democratic Party for the GOP.

In 2011, Badillo returned to the Democratic Party, saying he did so to further his goal of improving education opportunities for minority students.

"As many know, a burning passion of mine and something I have been trying to accomplish for many years, in different capacities, has been to improve the educational system in New York City. More particularly to seek ways to close the educational gap between Hispanics and Blacks and other ethnic groups," he wrote at the time.

"This is the particular area that I want to address in the future and I believe that my involvement can best be accomplished by returning to the Democratic Party."

In keeping with his return to the fold, Badillo endorsed former city Controller Bill Thompson for mayor in 2013 after having supported Bloomberg four years earlier.

In the last decade, Badillo worked in the city office of two law firms, Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo and Parker Waichman Alonso, and also served as a fellow of the Manhattan Institute.

The trailbreaking Badillo published his first book, "One Nation, One Standard: An Ex-Liberal on How Hispanics Can Succeed Just Like Other Immigrant Groups," in 2006.

Said Gov. Cuomo in a condolence statement, "Today, New York lost one of its most cherished and revered citizens. Herman Badillo was a longtime public servant who dedicated himself to improving the lives of others. From his tenure as Bronx Borough President to his work leading the CUNY Board of Trustees, Herman was a shining example of how a dedication to civil service can make a difference in the world around us. As the Bronx's first Puerto Rican Borough President, Herman also embodied the spirit of diversity that defines New York today, and his legacy will live on for years to come.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I offer my condolences to his friends and family. He will be greatly missed."

Badillo, who lived on the upper East Side of Manhattan and in East Hampton, L.I., is survived by his wife, Gail, and son, David.

Private services will be held Sunday at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, with eulogies delivered by Giuliani and former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Update: Said Giuliani of Badillo in a statement, "He was a champion for civil rights, housing, jobs and safety, but for me his key contributions were in education. He was the first to point out the dangers of social promotion. He also pointed out that bi-lingual education, originally intended as a temporary criteria to learn English, had become, in many cases, permanent and therefore harmful to the development of young people. He wrote a report on the failures of the City University system that led to major reform - much of which he presided over as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York.

"He was also a good friend whose counsel on all matters was always of great value. Judith and I will miss him greatly. "Our good friend Gail gave him much love and attention to the very end and we are sure his last years and days were happy ones. "Herman Badillo is in the pantheon of truly great New Yorkers."

Sent by Dorinda Moreno 
pueblosenmovimientonorte@gmail.com 

Juan Flores speaking at Afro Latino Forum Conference 2014 
by Ed Morales emorales7@aol.com

EDUCATION

Sent by National Association of Latino Independent Producers   www.nalip.net

Meet Ellen Ochoa, 1st Hispanic Woman in Space, PhD, 
Director Johnson Space Center, and 2nd Generation Immigrant!
 

Ellen Ochoa has a life story that highlights just how well second generation immigrants from Mexico are doing in America today! Her story should inspire us all, especially the children and grandchildren of immigrants from third world nations. Ellen Ochoa’s origins are humble, but she reached for and realized the American dream, becoming a PhD, an engineer, the world’s first female Hispanic astronaut, and now the director of one of NASA’s premier facilities, the Johnson Space Center, also known as mission control.

Early Life and Family of Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa as child: Ellen Ochoa was born in 1958 in Los Angeles, one of five children of Joseph and Roseanne Ochoa. Joseph Ochoa was a retail store manager, and Roseanne Ochoa a homemaker. Ellen grew up mostly in La Mesa, California.

Joseph was born and raised in Arizona to immigrant parents from Sonora, Mexico, one of 12 children. His parents were born in the 1870s, and his father was a newspaper editor in Mexico, then owned a store in Arizona. Ellen didn’t know her grandparents, as they were already in their 80s when she was born, but certainly their hard working immigrant values and ambition passed down to Ellen. 
Had they still been alive for Ellen’s first space flight, we can be sure they would have felt immense pride.

While growing up in Arizona, Joseph felt the sting of rampant discrimination against Hispanics, for example Hispanics were only allowed to use the public pool the day before cleaning because it was felt they dirtied the pool. Though Joseph was bilingual, he spoke English only at home, not wanting to teach his children Spanish, fearing the lash of discrimination he had experienced if they spoke Spanish or spoke English with an accent.

Roseanne Ochoa, mother of five, began part-time college studies when Ellen Ochoa was just one, and though she could only take one class at a time and didn’t graduate from college until 22 years later, her example of perseverance clearly inspired Ellen Ochoa to excel in school.   Joseph and Roseanne Ochoa divorced when Ellen was in junior high school, and Ellen and her four siblings lived with their mother.

Education of Ellen Ochoa: Ellen Ochoa was an excellent student, and despite the trauma of her parents’ divorce, Ellen graduated as valedictorian of Grossmont High School in San Diego. Ellen then attended San Diego State University, majoring in physics, and graduated once again as valedictorian!



Ellen Ochoa graduation photo: Ellen Ochoa then received a master of science degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1981 and 1985. At the time there were few women studying engineering and the sciences, and Ellen Ochoa was discouraged from pursuing these fields because she was a woman, but she persevered and excelled.

Side note: as an electrical engineer myself, I can tell you that electrical engineering is a grueling curriculum, requiring a strong foundation in math and the sciences. Stanford is a top notch university for engineering and the sciences, and just being admitted to a prestigious university like Stanford is an accomplishment in itself. I studied Electrical engineering about the same time as Ellen at UNO, and just six of 150 students were women, who were all especially hard working and motivated to succeed.

Ellen Ochoa’s Career from her NASA bio:

As a doctoral student at Stanford, and later as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing. She is a co-inventor on three patents for an optical inspection system, an optical object recognition method, and a method for noise removal in images. As Chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at Ames, she supervised 35 engineers and scientists in the research and development of computational systems for aerospace missions. Dr. Ochoa has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ochoa became an astronaut in July 1991. Her technical assignments in the Astronaut Office include serving as the Crew Representative for flight software, computer hardware and robotics, Assistant for Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control, Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, and Director, Flight Crew Operations, where she managed and directed the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space. She was a mission specialist on STS-56 (1993), was the Payload Commander on STS-66 (1994), and was a mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-96 (1999) and STS-110 (2002). Dr. Ochoa currently serves as Director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Here’s a video clip of the launch of mission ST-56, first space flight of Ellen Ochoa, also the first Hispanic woman astronaut!

We're excited to finally take the wraps off our collaboration with Sesame Street! Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street (which last year released their amazing Incarceration Toolkit) partnered with the Echoes crew to create a film for the social media site Upworthy, to continue spreading awareness about the issue of children with incarcerated parents, and particularly the issue of visiting. 

The collaboration was part of Sesame Workshop's ongoing commitment to create resources for children going through life's most difficult issues and to continue helping all kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.   It was an incredible honor to partner with them.  

Watch HERE and please share this video to help us continue to raise awareness about this issue. 

We Need Your Help: We're half way through our series of films based on the Bill of Rights.  To date we've given away hundreds of DVD's and screened thousands of times across the country. We've brought our stories to churches, prisons, universities, and the White House. Now we need to raise money to finish the series of films, and train more youth in film production, and make sure that the voices of children of incarcerated parents get heard. Find out more and help make it happen HERE.

http://echoesofincarceration.org/Home.html

Sent by  Jeremy Robins jeremy@ibisdocs.com 

Lessons from Arizona: Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo  
By Rodolfo F. Acuña  
8 December 2014  

Mexico is a nation of memories – the people treasure their favorite stories of the past. They know the oldies. Go to a Mexican concert or night club, and unlike Anglo American events the audience spontaneously breaks out in song.  

As a child, I’d listen silently to my elders -- children did not speak unless someone called bacin (literally a bed-pan).  It was fascinating how everyone would recall a proverb and nod. No one had to explain what it meant.  

There were hundreds of sayings, which I absorbed with time. I felt like an adult when I understood them. The older people seemed like the most communicative, they were in the know. The refranes became part of my shared knowledge.  My favorite saying -- one that I have often repeated is “Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.” I have repeated it in my writings and it becomes truer as my hair turns white.  
Diablo courtesy of AbsolutMexico

It is not just age that makes one wiser, but the chaffs and sparks of life. I have known people of my age who have learned little about life, and their most profound decision is the color of their RV.  

A big part of my life has been Arizona. I have memories of my childhood and grandparents talking about it as if it were the Holy Land. The names of people and places over time became familiar through relished proverbs -- so much so that by the time I visited Tucson at the age of five or six, it was déjà vu.  The streets seemed familiar as if I were seeing them through the eyes of my grandparents.  

In 2010, I spoke at a teacher institute sponsored by the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies Program.  Although there were clouds in the horizon, I was able to grasp the situation. I could foresee the imminent storm and ugly stain of xenophobia that had increased since the early 1970s, acerbated by the arrival of large numbers of white easterners and Midwesterners, who incessantly complained about Mexicans messing up their Pleasantville – too much color. This was so even though “the Mexicans” cleaned after them and cared for them in hospices.  

A month before the MAS Institute the Arizona Legislature passed the draconian SB1070 that made it a crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying required documents and obligated police to make "lawful stops, detentions or arrests", to determine a person's immigration status if there is reasonable suspicion that the person was an “illegal alien”.  I did not have to read much to realize that this was the beginning of open warfare on immigrants – a race war many of us had predicted.  

Almost simultaneously HB 2281 wove its way through the Arizona Legislature. It prohibited public schools from offering courses at any grade level that advocated ethnic solidarity, promoted the overthrow of the US government. It was as if the ghost of Joseph McCarthy had returned to haunt us.  

After meeting with Sean Arce, students and teachers I enlisted in the struggle. Being from California I knew my limitations and the landmines ahead. It reminded me of the refrain, “amor de lejos es de pendejos.” In this environment you did not have the luxury to become a true believer, and as an outsider was limited to advice and support. Because of the distance, I could do little about ameliorating the predictable mistakes and misjudgments.  

You gain more from activism than any library. You learn to rely on your instincts.  The barrio is the ultimate learning laboratory where you test what you have learned. I immediately recognized that 1070 and 2281 were related and they did not happen by accident.  

This led me to two questions: why Arizona? And, who was paying for the disorder? I instinctively “followed the money.” Arizona is a small state, and it was and is part of a national campaign to privatize public institutions and resources. For the corporations, privatization means paying little or no taxes and the opening huge new markets without a heavy investment of capital. It is analogous to the federal governments handing out free land and giving away of national resources such as the airwaves.  

The assault on Arizona was possible through the selling two American commodities -- fear and hate. Go to the movies and to Magic Mountain to have the shit scared out of you. This tactic was used in Arizona as the Koch Brothers and other merchants of fear paid Tea Party organizers and encouraged the growth of wannabe Nazis called minutemen.  

Fear and hate of Mexicans is nothing new. Its commodification made it profitable and SB 1070 was the perfect vehicle. Many Arizona prisons had already been privatized so 1070 was a boon -- the federal government and the taxpayers paid to incarcerate “the illegals.”  It opened a free market on guns and gun manufacturers made a killing selling to the fearful as well as Mexican cartels. The banks made a profit laundering the dirty money.  

2281complemented 1070, and it was just as insidious – it ensured supplies of future inmates. It sought to keep Mexicans ignorant about the political, economic and social realities of Arizona. Finally, schools are profit centers for corporations. The ruling elite influence the appointment of high paying administrators and control over lucrative contracts. In Arizona, Charter schools are totally privatized and outside the control of boards of education. They are islands of white flight that is spurred by fear of Mexicans.  

No doubt the organizers against 2281 made mistakes. Unlike the forces of reaction such as the Tea Party, they did not have paid organizers. Personalities loomed as did petty jealousies of early supporters. That was, however, to be expected; however, it can rip a movement apart.  “Porque los celos son el furor del hombre, y no perdonará en el día de la venganza”.  

Through this experience I learned that what is ultimately important is not the Chicana/o Studies model. I thought that we had the key at Northridge with our area studies model. However, the lesson from Arizona was that while the curriculum is important, the gut of the Tucson success was not the model but teachers who believed in their students and in the importance of the subject matter. They acted as a team to instill in the students that they were actors in history. This is something that you cannot design.  

In California the struggle to get a curriculum into the public schools is underway. But if we are to make a difference we have to go after the Colleges of Education that train teachers. In 1985 I went after Chancellor Anne Reynolds for proposing to raise the CSU’s admission requirements. She almost had me fired, and even the liberals attacked me. LA Times columnist Frank Del Olmo came to my defense pointing out if students came unprepared to the CSU, it was because they were poorly prepared by the CSU that trained most of California’s teachers. "Árbol que nace torcido jamás su tronco endereza".  

Finally, the devil learned from Arizona how a state was totally privatized and taken over by corrupt corporate interests. When the UNAM controversy came to light in November 2013, I immediately sent up the alarm that this was the final leg of the privatization of CSUN. I warned the Provost that the deal would come back to bite him. Mexico like Arizona is controlled by people who believe that greed is good, and our provost is blinded by the color green. "Acuestate con perros y tendrás pulgas".

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

CULTURE

BOOKS & MEDIA

                                                                                                                                                               BH
Genie’s Gifts:  “My 15 Grandmothers”

and “How I Found My 15 Grandmothers/Como Encontre Mis 15 Abuelas”

Reviewed by Chana Mendez  

“As we started to leave, the three of us stood near the small white rickety fence that separated us from the sheer drops to the river and wondered what it had felt like for the Conversos to see another land, a hope for the future so close and yet so far at the same time.  Did many of them die while scaling those cliffs in an attempt to reach the other side?  Could they even fathom that the brass ring that they were throwing into the air via their hopes and dreams would rise from the earth to glimmer and shine for me to catch 500 years later?”

                                                                    (p. 133, My 15 Grandmothers, quoted with permission)  

     Genie Milgrom, a Cubana who grew up as a Catholic in Havana and in Miami Florida, was from a young age very drawn to the “Old Testament” and to Judaism.  She eventually converted to Judaism, and began her search for her maternal genealogy, Ramos-Ramos, only to discover, after a lengthy and difficult search, that she was from Jewish converso descent.  Her maternal grandparents were descended from Crypto-Jews who had converted to Christianity but kept their Jewish faith alive and secretly handed down over generations.  

     As a child in Cuba, she remembers attending an elite private school with the daughter of Che Guevara.  Her family fled Cuba after Fidel Castro’s triumph over Batista.  In Miami, they no longer had servants, and she and her sister had to learn to keep the house clean.  Her description of how her mother taught her to sweep may ring a bell for many of us who were also taught to sweep this way:  

     “I remember taking the broom in hand for the first time, opening the front door and sweeping the dust outside.  My mom came flying across the room, shut the door and told me that I always had to sweep to the middle of the room and pick the dust up from there.  She told me to never ever sweep near or out the door. . .” (p. 17)  

     In Catholic school in Miami, she began to question what she was learning (just as I remember doing in my childhood), not out of skepticism or disrespect, but because she saw contradictions in what they were being taught about the “Old Testament” and she yearned to get at the truth.  She began to seek out Jewish children in summer camp and wherever she could, to learn more about the Torah and Judaism.  

     She married young, to a Catholic man, raised her children, and was divorced about a dozen years later.  This is when she turned again to Judaism.  In the process of studying for conversion to Judaism, she had an unusual spiritual experience, in the form of a vision or dream.  Eventually, she completed her conversion and married a Chassidic Jewish man.  And she resumed her childhood quest to learn about her maternal grandparents’ origins.  Her maternal grandparents were no longer alive, but her grandmother on her death had left Genie a little box containing two Jewish symbols:  a “hamsa” (Hand of God for protection), and a tiny gold earring with a Star of David in the center.  From her grandfather she had uncovered a hand-written genealogy that included in one of the margins the mysterious words, “Nos decian Los Bollicos” (“They called us ‘Los Bollicos’”).  

     She embarked on a genealogical search of her maternal grandmothers, since the Jewish line is transmitted through the maternal lineage.  With her husband’s encouragement, she began an internet and book search of everything she could find about her grandparents’ village in Spain:  a little town called Fermoselle, perched on the Duero River across the border from Portugal.  

     In a website http://www.enotes.com/topic/Fermoselle she discovered:  

“Among the oldest family last names in the village of Fermoselle is the Garrido family, which still resides atop the gigantic boulders facing the Duero River at the southwest corner of “La Ronda” heights.  Don Jorge Garrido (1953- ) – a descendant of Don Angel Garrido Fermoselle (1893-1979), his grandfather – as his family descendants is a wine maker and grape grower in this . . . region. .  ..  … origins dating back to Don Antonio Garrido Puente (1852), his Great Grandfather and Don Julian Garrido Castro (1798) his Great, Great Grandfather and Don Agustin Garrido Ramos (1732), his Great, Great, Great Grandfather, whose father (Angel Garrido Fermoselle, (1712) planted the first grapevines . …  The Garrido family descends from Jewish ancestry as many of the families in the town that settled in this remote location who – as many other Jewish families of the epoch, in Spain, adopted their last names derived from either: a town’s name such as “Fermoselle”. . . or a physical landmark . . . Puente meaning “bridge” or Castro meaning “a fortified high terrain location” . . . or “Ramos” meaning “branch from a tree. . . .(pp. 77-78)

Mentioned here were several family names from her ancestry!  

     A friend from a genealogy log, Abraham, connected her to a professional genealogist, Fernando, who was going to Fermoselle where his own family’s origins lay.  They began to discover very interesting things in her ancestral lineage:  One was that people changed their last names:  Jewish converts or forced converts to Christianity had to take on new names, but in order to throw off the Inquisition, they would change the name given at baptism and take on a different name upon marriage or other occasions.   Also, they found repeated documentation of babies who were not baptized in a church:  it was reported to the authorities that they had “baptized” the child at home “’con necesidad’ (out of necessity)” – i.e., presumably the child was ill and could not be taken to church.  

     Eventually, Genie and her husband and their friend Abraham travelled to Fermoselle to try to uncover the Jewish roots of her family.  What they uncovered there, through great difficulty, is amazing, mysterious, and a testimony to the great courage, heroism, and self-sacrifice of her Converso Jewish ancestors, and is really the heart of her book.  

In Fermoselle, they at first kept running into stone walls, with everyone they spoke with denying the Jewish past of the town.  Yet in one internet source, Genie had found an article about Fermoselle that proclaimed, “Judios por los cuatro costados, y si no lo creais en la puerta de la iglesia lo verais pintado.” (“Jews in all four directions, and if you do not think so, on the church doors you will see the indications”) (p. 114, my translation, C. M.)  

     It turns out that not only did the town have a Jewish history, it also had a network of underground tunnels connecting houses together, and underground mikvahs (Jewish ritual baths).  One of the most moving discoveries is when they found a place just outside town called “El Humilladero” (the Place of Humiliation), which appears to have been where Conversos were martyred for their Jewish faith.  

     Among the people who helped Genie in her search were Gloria Mound, and Dr. Stanley Hordes.  From Dr. Roger Martinez of the University of Colorado, Genie learned of the Luis de Carvajal family:  

     “I learned from Roger about Luis de Carvajal, the first Governor of Nuevo Reino de Leon which is today Mexico.  His family was from Fermoselle and partly from the nearby town of Mogadouro in Portugal and Benavente in Spain.  I sent him my work, and he sent me his, and he assured me that the trees were very similar.  I was in awe!  At almost the same time that Stanley verified my work, I was being told that I was also a part of the very famous Luis de Carvajal family.

     Luis de Carvajal, along with many others of his family, including his sister and several nieces and nephews were either judged, sentenced or died in the Inquisition prisons in Mexico.  Francisca, his sister, was burned at the stake.  As it turns out, with the information that I have to date, his grandmother, Francisca, is my 14^th great-grandmother.”  (pp.139-140)  

Genie comments,

     “This academic conclusion to my spiritual journey was nothing short of amazing.  I had grown up with a strong sense of not fitting in, then feeling the Jewish connection in my soul, finally converting to Judaism, then living as a convert while being an integral part of the Jewish people and only afterwards finding out I was Jewish all along.  
I had come full circle.” (p. 140)  

Publishers & Authors may now enter the 2015 International Latino Book Awards 
Go to International Latino Book Awards Recognizing the Greatness of Award Winning Authors 
Over 1,600 Authors & Publishers have been honored since 1997 
Go to the website to view the great variety of categories and past winners.

Entries must be delivered by January 20, 2015
Latino Marketing 101, Vol. 12, No. 54
Sent by Kirk Whisler, Executive Editor Latino Print Network
760-434-1223
kirk@whisler.com

Following the publication of a story of the four successful Latinos,  in April, 2005, WIRED readers contributed more than $90,000 in scholarships for Vazquez, Arcega, Aranda, and Santillan. 
To see what they’re up to now, click here .   http://www.wired.com/2014/12/spare-parts/ 

Sent by Luke Holtzman NVSCamaro@hotmail.com 

Gabriel García Márquez 

Insights on her personal memoir, and being an "Arizona Maker."
http://www.azpbs.org/horizonte/detailvid.php?id=951 

KABAQ HEARING THE CENTURY: Listen to Stella tell her "Spiral Staircase," and "Chicago" story. 
Enlightenment and humor especially for you! 
http://www.hearingthecentury.org/stella-pope-duarte/#more-414 

Inspired to become a writer by a prophetic dream of her father in 1995, Stella Pope Duarte, descendant of Irish/Latino parents, is described as a “major literary voice in America,” and as an author who “will enlarge humanity.” Her works include: Fragile Night, Let Their Spirits Dance, If I Die in Juárez, Women Who Live in Coffee Shops and Other Stories, and Writing Through Revelations, Visions and Dreams: The memoir of a writer’s soul. 

TM

Books that Change American History

Quotes from the Media Concerning Special Books:

"It's the kind of thing a historian lives for: coming across 
never-published letters"  -- Los Angeles Times

"Of all the books written ... This book is the most unique" 
-- Florida Today

"The truth, as noted here ... is much more down to earth" 
-- Oconto News

SOMOS EN ESCRITO
https://www.facebook.com/somosenescrito

              Three Decades of Engendering History: 
           Selected Works of Antonia I. Castañeda
                                Edited by 
        Linda Heidenreich and Antonia I. Castaneda



Three Decades of Engendering History collects ten of Antonia I. Castañeda's best articles, including the widely circulated article "Engendering the History of Alta California, 1769-1848," in which Castañeda took a direct and honest look at sex and gender relations in colonial California, exposing stories of violence against women as well as stories of survival and resistance. 

Latino soldiers
 Cebu, Phillipines, WW II

AMERICAN PATRIOTS

The performance of Roll Call on November 6, 2014 and November 7, 2014 by the Rio Hondo College Drama class was witnessed by two full houses. The following PTSD Panel Discussion was attended by Joe Leal, Founder of the Vet Hunters, Mr. Manuel Martinez, MS Team Leader East Los Angeles Vet Center and Corporal Ryan Todd of the Whittier Police Department thanks to Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper. An invitation went out to Mr. Richard Bean Director of Public and Community Affairs Long Beach VA. Unfortunately they were a no show.

I want to thank Mr. Christopher Guptill for bringing Roll Call to Rio Hondo College.

Mr. Joseph Eggleston Director of Auxiliary Services for the Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier, California gave us great news that the University wants Roll Call to be produced there in their auditorium. The tentative date will be in May or June of 2015. He will be presenting to the board requesting that it be approved for the auditorium be presented Pro-Bono to the Roll Call production team. They will assist us in putting together our panel discussion on PTSD, TBI, Mental Health and Suicides. They want to help Roll Call bring awareness of PTSD to the community. Actor/playwright/director Enrique Castillo "Veteranos" and Bel Hernandez, "Hola LA" are on board.

Now it is time to get to work and campaign for the funds for production. Please call us if you can help.

12902 Helmer Dr. Whittier, California 90602 562-696-6204 (H) 562-706-3286 (C) Alfredo.Lugo@verizon.net

Ohio Boy’s $20 Gift to Soldier Multiplies:  http://nethugs.com/inspirational/stories/ohio-boys-gift-to-soldier/ 
  

I noted that on the Texas Generals, its cited that General Richard Cavazos was the first Hispanic Four Star General. He was the, First U.S. Army four Star General.

Since Navy Admirals are also 'generals", the first distinctions for a Spanish Admiral (4-Stars) goes to Admiral David
Farragut who was awarded the U.S. Navy promotion to Admiral on July 28 1866. ("Dammed the Torpedoes").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut 

No other 4-star Hispanic General or Admiral until July 31,1964 when Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr was promoted 
to full Admiral. Admiral Rivero graduated form the USN-USNA Class of 1931 and was from Puerto Rico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacio_Rivero,_Jr. 

Please see other Admirals in our USN.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_Admirals_in_the_United_States_Navy 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_four-star_admirals 

A link on Hispanic Generals: (Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine)
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=7475 

Thank you, Rafael Ojeda
(253) 576-9547
rsnojeda@aol.com 
Tacoma WA

Mark H. Hunter,
Special to the Advocate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
November 12, 2014
http://theadvocate.com/news/10807535-123/veterans-honored-at-old-state 

 There are 2 pictures of my cousin Charles Carmena , a WW2 Vet at yesterdays Veterans' Day ceremony at the Old State Capitol One of the pictures made the Front Page. Makes us Carmenas proud .  Bill Carmena JCarm1724@aol.com 

New Members Appointed to VA Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans includes Latinos
December 3, 2014

New Members Appointed to VA Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the appointment of five new members to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. The committee was chartered on November 2, 1994, and advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the needs of the nation’s 4.7 million minority Veterans with respect to compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach and other benefits and programs administered by the VA. The Committee assesses the needs of Veterans who are minority group members and recommends program improvements designed to meet their needs. The committee members are appointed to two or three-year terms. 

Minority Veterans comprise nearly 21 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States and its territories.

The new committee members are:
Patricia Jackson-Kelley: Lt. Col. (US Army-Ret) of Los Angeles, California; Served as one of the first full time Women Veteran Program Coordinators at the Los Angeles VAMC. Currently serves as a member of the LA County Veterans Advisory Council; Board Member of Military Women in Need Organization and LA County Council Commander of the American Legion.
Librado Rivas: Command Sgt. Maj. (USA-Ret) of Manassas, Virginia; State Commander of the DC Chapter, American GI Forum of the United States; National Liaison Officer in Washington, DC, for the National Office of the American GI Forum, and Director of the Army Lean Six Sigma.

Rebecca Stone: Staff Sgt. (USA-Ret) of Columbia, Maryland; served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was medically retired under the Wounded Warrior Program through Warrior Transition Units. She is a certified suicide negotiator/first responder. She was also the recipient of the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) Women of Excellence Award. 
Cornell Wilson, Jr.: Maj. Gen. (USMC-Ret) of Charlotte, North Carolina; currently serves as Military Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina, where he also advises state agencies and Veteran’s organizations on the needs of Veterans. 
Anthony Woods: Army Veteran of University Park, Maryland; currently serves as the Senior Manager at Cisco System’s Consulting Services and consults with the Department of Defense and the Army on IT transformations. Mr. Woods also volunteers with organizations such as Got Your 6 and Hiring Our Heroes. 

The new members join current members:
Marvin Trujillo, Jr., Committee Chairman, Marine Corps Veteran
Richard de Moya, Lt. Col. (USA-Ret)
Elisandro (Alex) Diaz, Navy Veteran
Many-Bears Grinder, Col. (USA-Ret)
Harold Hunt, Army Veteran
Sheila Mitchell, Air Force Veteran
Teresita Smith, Sgt. First Class (USA-Ret) 

In addition to working closely with the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans, VA is improving its services for Veterans who are minority group members:  Establishing the Office of Health Equity Research and Promotion, which assesses health equity and health disparities within the health care system to ensure adequate policies are in place to reduce disparities in vulnerable minority Veteran populations.

Funding projects focused on Pacific Rim Veterans, including Spinal Cord Injury outreach and treatment in Hilo, Kona, Maui, Molakai, and Kauai; leveraging telehealth technology to provide clinic based tele-mental health care on the island of Kauai.
Conducting a 3-year project through VA’s Office of Rural Health to establish a collaborative National Native Telehealth Training and Consultative Service which aids in the replication of tele-mental health clinics for use by rural Native American Veterans.

People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases and updated fact sheets can subscribe to the 
VA Office of Public Affairs Distribution List.  http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opa_listserv.asp 

7. New York – Mohawk Valley Latino Association Annual Gala (Dec. 06, 2014) – Many thanks to the Mohawk Valley Latino Association for paying a special tribute to the Borinqueneers at their Annual Gala (See attached picture).

8. Texas – Casa de Puerto Rico Killeen, Texas Annual Gala/Banquet (Dec. 06, 2014) – Many thanks to the Casa de Puerto Rico Killeen, TX for dedicating their gala to the 65th Infantry Regiment and inviting several 65th Infantry veterans to the event. (See attached picture)

We are all very glad that the Borinqueneers’ legacy is being “weaved” more and more into the fabric of our American Society. I hope this trend continues with other overlooked notable Latino veterans and groups.
We apologize if we did not list an event which honored the Borinqueneers. Be inspired a honor the Borinqueneers in your local area!

We close a magnificent year and enter a new one with great anticipation!!!

Thank you very much for an outstanding year in making history for the 65th Infantry, Puerto Rico and our Latino veterans. This would not have happened with your tireless efforts. 

Saludos, Frank Medina
National Chair
Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance
239-530-8075

“Like” our Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/BorinqueneersCGMAlliance 
FOLLOW US on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CGMBorinqueneer 
Visit our Website: http://www.65thCGM.org  

Sponsored by:  You Are Strong! Center on Veterans Health and Human Services    www.youarestrong.org 

Dr. Felipe de Ortego y Gasca, Ph.D., Alum: Pitt, UTx, UNM
British Renaissance/Mexican American Literature, University of New Mexico 1971
Scholar In Residence (01.07-Pr), Cultural Studies, Critical Theory,Public Policy
P.O. Box 680, 1000 West College Ave, Miller Library, Western New Mexico University
Silver City, New Mexico 88062, e-mail: ortegop@wnmu.edu;
O: 575-538-6410, F: 575-538-6178, C: 575-956-5541
Campuses: Silver City, Gallup, Deming, Truth or Consequences, Lordsburg and on the Web


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

EARLY LATINO AMERICAN PATRIOTS

Rosters of Tejano Patriots of the American Revolution 1776-1783 by Jesse O. Villarreal, Sr.
Bernardo de Gálvez y la Independencia de los Estados Unidos Por Antonio Sánchez de Mora
Fixed Regiment of Spanish Louisiana   
Love And War The Romance of Bernardo and Marie Felicite By Joe Perez 

Bernardo de Gálvez 
y la Independencia de los Estados Unidos

Por Antonio Sánchez de Mora

Six pages of,  as Paul Newfield reports, "about Bernardo, with several impressive images.".  skip@thebrasscannon.com 

Archivo General de Indias 
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte Subdirección General de los Archivos Estatales 

Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid fue un militar español nacido en Macharaviaya, Málaga, el 23 de julio de 1746. De orígenes modestos, ascendió en el ejército merced a sus hazañas al norte del entonces virreinato de Nueva España, a caballo entre los actuales México y Estados Unidos. En 1772, de regreso a la Península Ibérica, tuvo varios destinos, méritos que sonaban cada vez más en una corte en la que su tío, José de Gálvez, gozaba de gran reconocimiento.

En julio de 1776 Gálvez, que sumaba a su experiencia en América el dominio del francés, fue enviado a la recién adquirida provincia de Luisiana, un vasto territorio al oeste del río Misisipi que había sido recibido de Francia. El nuevo gobernador debía potenciar el comercio de la colonia con puertos franceses e hispanos. Su dedicación a estos asuntos le acercó a los intereses de las familias prominentes de Luisiana, entre las que encontró esposa, Felicitas Saint-Maxent.

Fundó nuevas localidades, como Galveston o Nueva Iberia, en las que asentó pobladores procedentes de los dominios británicos en Norteamérica, que huían del conflicto bélico. También recibió inmigrantes europeos y españoles, como aquellos canarios y malagueños que arribaron a Luisiana por estas fechas, y no se olvidó de contactar con las comunidades indígenas de la región, interesado en afianzar el dominio hispano y contrarrestar la expansión inglesa.

Fixed Regiment of Spanish Louisiana   

Santiago y a Ellos! Fixed Louisiana and Principe Regiment re-enactors charge with fixed bayonets against the British positions, during the re-enactment of the Battle of Pensacola (1781), in Pensacola, Florida in May 2011. — in Pensacola, Florida.
 https://www.facebook.com/FixedRegimentOfSpanishLouisiana/photos/a.163207317201857.1073741827.163198840536038/163207323868523/?type=1&theater 

Sent by Bill Carmena JCarm1724@aol.com 

Love And War The Romance of Bernardo and Marie Felicite By Joe Perez 

L-R: Marie Felicite, Miguel, Adelaide, Matilde and Guadalupe

Resources: G. Roland Vela Múzquiz Bernardo de Gálvez Spanish Hero of the American Revolution, Acacia Press, 2006 John Walton Caughey, Bernardo de Gálvez in Louisiana 1776-1783, Pelican Publishing Co., 1991 (2nd printing) Robet H. Thonhoff, The Texas Connection with the American Revolution, Eakin Press, 1981

Source: La Granada  December 2014
Sent by Joe Perez  jperez329@satx.rr.com 
Governor, San Antonio Chapter
Order of Granaderos y Damas de Galvez

Spanish SURNAMES

Sent by Val Valdez Gibbons  
valgibbons@sbcglobal.net 

Heraldry of the World

DNA 

Regardless of which theories are correct, it is quite possible that the Basques arrived before the Celts and likely that they are the oldest continuously surviving people inhabiting a particular location in Europe.

It is believed that they have lived in or near their present location for at least four thousand years, a relatively small group of people surviving when many others were overwhelmed by invaders.

As with the Basque language, the Basques are generally considered to be an isolated ethnic group.

The Basques are clearly a distinct ethnic group in their native region. They are culturally and especially linguistically distinct from their surrounding neighbours, and the controversial claim has often been made that they are comparably genetically distinct as well.

Traditionally, by popular culture, they are considered to be tall, muscular, high-shouldered, big ears and with a very high incidence of blond hair, fair skin and blue and grey eyes.

Although they are genetically distinctive in some ways, the Basques are still very typically west European in terms of their Mt-DNA and Y-DNA sequences, and in terms of some other genetic loci.

Before the development of modern Genetics based on DNA sequencing, Basques were noted as having the highest global apportion of Rh- blood type (35% phenotypically, 60% genetically).

Additionally Basques also have virtually no B blood type (nor the related AB group). These differences are thought to reflect their long history of isolation, along with times when the population size of the Basques was small, allowing gene frequencies to drift over time.

Basques, along with Irish, show the highest frequency of the Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup R1b in Western Europe; some 95% of native Basque men have this haplogroup.

The history of isolation reflected in gene frequencies has presumably been key to the Basque people retaining their distinctive language, while more recently arrived Indo-European languages swamped other indigenous languages that were previously spoken in western Europe.

In fact, in accordance with other genetic studies, a recent genetic piece of research from 2007 claims:

"The Spanish and Basque groups are the furthest away from other continental groups (with more diversity within the same genetic groups) which is consistent with the suggestions that the Iberian peninsula holds the most ancient West European genetic ancestry."

 

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

US Census 1850-1890 and Military Records
Chart of Cousins ~  How They Are Related 
Gleaning information from photos and family members
FamilySearch Adds More Than 125.4 Million Indexed Records/Images to the United States
How to GET Goals,  not SET Goals in 2015 by Juana Bordas
The Black Telephone

Sent by Bill Carmena  JCarm1724@aol.com

Gleaning information from photos and family members

FamilySearch Adds More Than 125.4 Million Indexed Records and Images to the United States

FamilySearch has added more than 125.4 million indexed records and images to collections from the United States. Notable collection updates include the 124,060,301 indexed records from the Find A Grave Index collection; the 830,416 indexed records and images from the US, Michigan Obituaries, 1820–2006 collection; and the 497,490 images from the US, Washington, County Records, 1803–2010 collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

How to GET Goals,  not SET Goals in 2015 by Juana Bordas
Start today to Make 2015 the best year of your life! 

Editor Mimi:  I decided to place Juana's suggestions under Family History, with the idea that these New Years Resolutions could be  the foundation for a keeping a journal, and perhaps propel each of us to write stories, past and present.  

The Black Telephone

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

His first book, Mexican Americans in Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach, documents the 100 year presence and contributions of residents in both communities, describing the social and economic infrastructure of these two coastal cities in southwestern Los Angeles county.  Prior to the publication of this book, these communities were invisible or largely overlooked.  

Mexican Americans in Los Angeles was his second book. Even before the turn of the century, Mexican Americans established and nurtured the foundation, fiber and fabric of Los Angeles since the first pobladores arrived in 1781.   Pride in family, work, community, and religion coalesces into their legacy from East Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley, to the port areas of Wilmington and San Pedro, California, and beyond.  The Mexican American story is embodied in the success of Congressman Edward Roybal, civic leader Dionicio Morales, Supervisor Gloria Molina, labor leader Cesar Chavez, and actors Anthony Quinn, Rita Hayworth, Katy Jurado and Carmen Zapata, who all provide inspiration. Antonio Villaraigosa, elected in 2005, was Los Angeles’ first Mexican American mayor in more than a century.  

His third book, Beach Mexican, is Mr. Areyan’s odyssey of growing up Mexican American in white, upper middle-class Redondo Beach in the 1950s.  The tale presents a story of assimilation different from that experienced by Mexican Americans in larger barrios.  The kid who was once threatened with permanent expulsion from Redondo Union High School for speaking Spanish on campus eventually received a plaque from the city of Redondo Beach for writing the Mexican American history of the city. The eight years he and his family spent as migrant farm workers in the great central valley of California are also portrayed in his odyssey.  

Mr. Areyan is a retired aerospace Human Resources administrator with a Master’s degree from the University of San Francisco.  He lives in Torrance, California, with his wife, Linda, and is the proud father of three children and two grandsons.

For more information, please contact President Letty Rodella, lettyr@sbcglobal.net

The Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research ended an outstanding 2014 year. The monthly presentations had an average of 40 attendees and each month an exciting topic. In addition to the monthly presentations, SHHAR participated in several community events. These included the “Dia de la Familia” sponsored by the City of Westminster; the Orange County Family History Fair 2014; The CCHS Fair in San Pedro; The Mariachi Fair in Anaheim; and the “Back to the Beginnings” fair sponsored by the Heritage Museum of Orange County. SHHAR continues to provide a $100.00 gift certificate to the 
California History Day sponsored by the County Office of Education. SHHAR will continue to participate in community 
functions which promote its philosophy and goals. A special

 “Thank You” to Mimi Lozano for giving SHHAR copyrights to the 1990‐1999 Somos Primos magazines. SHHAR now has these editions on one DVD available for sale for $10.00. Another special “Thank You” goes to Viola Sadler who developed and printed our new SHHAR brochure. This brochure will be distributed at all future SHHAR functions. SHHAR is currently preparing the 2015 Calendar of Activities.If you have any questions about SHHAR, please email President Letty Rodella at lettyr@sbcglobal.net 

Sincerely, Letty Rodella  
Published in California State Genealogical Alliance
Volume 32, Number 6,  November—December 2014

Thank you from John Inclan

Editor Mimi: Do check the many pedigees that John has compiled of some of the founding families in Northern Mexico and South Texas,   http://www.somosprimos.com/i nclan/inclan.htm 

LOS ANGELES, CA

January 14 through February 5, 2012

 Resurrected Histories:
Voices from the Chicano Arts Collectives of Highland Park

Curated by art historian Sybil Venegas

An archival exhibition presenting paintings, graphic art, photographs, publications and other memorabilia telling the story of the Highland Park Chicano arts collectives Mechicano and the Centro de Arte Publico during the 1970's. 

We have partnered with KCET’s Departures regarding our Highland Park art history.  This partnership allowed us to share resources with KCET, as they provided the filming for our documentary while we conducted interviews with some of the important artists.  Our project team helped to contribute to KCET’s Departures segment entitled, “Painting the Walls,” which has nine topics for your enjoyment! 

KCET’s Departures is an online interactive exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods. Video clips, photos, and essays are available online for your enjoyment, education, and interest.  Please visit.  http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/highland-park/painting-the-walls/

Virgin de Gudalupe helmet by Ignacio Gomez

Ancient Colombia: 
A Journey through the Cauca Valley
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Ahmanson Building, Level 4
January 31, 2015–December 31, 2015

CALIFORNIA 

From: MIMILOZANO@aol.com
Sent: Dec 8, 2014 To: leach3175@earthlink.net

Hi Amy . . . I'll be happy to sign you up to receive the monthly notification letter.

Let me also suggest that you edit your email and send along some of the families your mother is related to in California. I would publish it under California. Hopefully potentially related readers would contact you.

What do you think??
God bless, Mimi

12/9/2014  leach3175@earthlink.net writes:

Hi Mimi-

Thanks for your reply! My mother's name is Phoebe Leach (Bothwell), born in Palo Alto CA. Her mother is Virginia Bothwell (Lopez), born also in Palo Alto CA. Her parents were Ramona Marie Rodrigues (Rogers), born in Mayfield CA and Asencion (Sencion) Lopez, born in Half Moon Bay CA. Ramona's parents were Vicente (Vincent) Rodrigues, born in Chile and Maria Ignacia Robles, born in Half Moon Bay CA. Asencion's parents were Jaun Bausta Lopez, born in Spain and Maria Ramunda Robles, born in Half Moon Bay CA. 

It looks like since Maria Ignacia and Maria Ramunda were sisters, Ramona and Asencion were 1st cousins. Maria Ignacia and Maria Ramunda's parents were Benito Robles and Francisca de Paula Josefa Rodriguez. I am quite positive on the genealogy because of other accounts from other family members, death certificates, obituaries, etc... 

My mom told us that her mother (Virginia) would tell her stories of growing up in the Santa Clara area and how difficult it was. They lived out on a farm that had little shanties for the workers. She said the rats would come up and bite her ears if she wasn't careful, when she laid down to go to sleep at night. Apparently, the conditions were deplorable. My mom said that Virginia had a hard time talking about growing up. Virginia got married at 16, had 2 kids, divorced, remarried about 10 years later and had 2 more kids, one being my mother. 

Because of the hardships she endured, she didn't pass very much family information on. She always maintained that her family ONLY came from Spain and NO where else. When I started working on our family history, I found that what she said wasn't entirely true. I have no proof of this, but I think she was embarrassed of her heritage. I think this is why no history was passed on. But I have found a lot of distant relatives who have helped me and other sources, which have been most helpful!

I am stuck on one person, in particular, though. His name is Benito Robles. I cannot find out who his parents are. I thought it was Jose Antonio Robles but I was wrong. I have been trying to go through the baptism records in the missions and I haven't found anything, as of yet. I can let you know when I find anything. I truly appreciate your help! Your site and the info you offer is wonderful! Thank you!

 Amy Leach

12/9/2014  from mimilozano@aol.com to  leach3175@earthlink.net

Best Wishes, Mimi

 “San Ysidro:  Voices and Visionaries”

Rosalinda Mendez Gonzalez, Ph.D.

This article (c. 1995) was originally prepared as a research project for the California Council for the Humanities “Searching for San Diego II” Project in 1994-1995.   A shortened version of this paper was published in the CCH 1995 publication Searching for San Diego II, A Journey Through Four San Diego Neighborhoods, under the editorship of Ralph Lewin. Rosalinda Mendez Gonzalez is a Professor Emeritus of  Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, California 91910.  (619) 421-6570  rgonzalez1@swccd.edu  

The community of San Ysidro is today a part of the City of San Diego, California.  It was incorporated by San Diego in 1957 with the foresight of providing the port city of San Diego a direct land connection to Mexico and a stake in the international trade that flows across the United States-Mexico border through San Ysidro. 

San Ysidro received its name from a visionary group of people who came to settle in the valley in 1909, founding an agricultural colony called "Little Landers."   Dedicated to the principle of growing their own food, they christened their community with the name of the patron saint of farmers, Isidro, "a virtuous farmer who had fallen asleep and had his fields plowed for him by angels." [1]

San Ysidro was once part of a land grant given by the Mexican government to Don Santiago Arguello in 1828.  The "Rancho de Tia Juana" was soon threatened by the expansionist aspirations of the United States .  In its drive to acquire the rich lands of California and ports on the Pacific Ocean to link it with Asia , the United States waged war against Mexico in 1846.  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war in 1848, required Mexico to give up Alta California to the United States , and the San Diego region passed into the waiting arms of the United States .

Today San Ysidro still looms large in the dreams of many people.  Immigrants "without papers" fleeing the U.S. border patrol ask breathlessly when they come across if they have arrived--if they have crossed "la linea" and entered the land of milk and honey.  For long-time San Ysidro residents, who love their community and live, feel and appreciate the social relations that make up their community, their vision of San Ysidro goes beyond the limitations that some outsiders myopically focus on.  In the words of (the late) Doug Perry, "the heart of the community is an uncut gem." (2)

The sense of community and history of San Ysidro is best told through the voices and visions of the people who have made it their home and have left their mark on it.   We offer here but a few reflections of the multi-faceted history and character of the people of San Ysidro.

Arrival: First Visions and Dreams

Long before California was even a myth or a dream in the imagination of the Spaniards, the area that is today San Ysidro was inhabited by Kumeyaay Indian clans. They held communal ownership of land and lived in an environment that rewarded them with a rich supply of food.  Respect, ritual, and spirituality guided their lives and social relations.  Mountain-tops were sacred to them.  In the words of their descendents, "'They are our cathedrals of worship," ... 'We go there to pray.' " (3)  In their fasts and sweats on the mountaintops, people's prayers for guidance were sometimes rewarded by visions.  The region that is San Ysidro is bordered by foothills and mountains.  It is very possible that the decision of the earliest arrivals to settle in San Ysidro was guided by such a vision.   

The first recorded descriptions we have are from the Spanish expeditionaries who came through in 1769 on their way to the bay of San Diego .  Father Serra's passage was to foreshadow the way in which many immigrants today arrive at San Ysidro.  He first entered the region through an area now known as Smuggler's Gulch.  His party was led through the gullies by guides, and his description reads like it could have been the thoughts and words of the many undocumented immigrants who are led through those gullies across the border into the United States today:

‘We started early, and the first thing was to cross the ravine and climb up the opposite hillside.  After a few ups and downs we saw a wondrous sight -- a measureless plain stretching out before us over which our footsteps had to tread.  The hills we left on our right. . . .  But the ravines we had to cross were . . . quite numerous, without any possibility of avoiding them or flanking them -- they are all alike coming straight out from the mountains. . . .  I summoned up all my courage -- because you were no sooner out of one ravine than you were into another, and each one was dangerous.  At one time I asked the guides:  “Is this the last one?”  “There are plenty more to come,” was their answer....’ (4)  

In this beautiful land that Serra had arrived at, there were "many willows, poplar and sycamore trees along the river banks, wild grapes grew in profusion, there were plenty of acorns and wild asparagus, and game seemed abundant." (5)  One hundred and forty years later, the founders of the San Ysidro Little Landers Colony would encounter a similar environment:  "The colony lands, starting with the foothills that bounded the northern side of the valley sloped gradually across a mesa and down to the alluvial bottom lands of the lower valley...  valued for their rich fertile soil and for the stream of water which underlay them and assured success for the colony." (6)

By now, the original settlers had been dispossessed:  the Kumeyaay no longer lived amidst their cornucopia.  They had been transformed into a labor force for the Spanish-Mexican ranchers who had been "granted" the California Indians' lands.  In their turn, the Spanish-Mexican ranchers had been supplanted by incoming Anglo-American settlers in the nineteenth century.  And now, in the early 20th century, the new arrivals came with their own vision for their San Ysidro colony.   Little Landers Founder William Smythe described the high ideals of brotherly love and the fullest development of human potential he held for the cooperative farming venture he founded.  He foresaw the colonist as:  "a man who... is a scientist... an artist. ... a man with initiative. ... He is an independent, self-employing man.  To his trees, his plants, and his vines he gives the ineffable touch of love.  He is the spiritual man of the soil." (7)

Smythe's idealism was reflected in the colony's symbol: a flag bearing a white star on a field of blue, the "star of hope."  The Little Landers dream was undermined with the flood of 1916, but it left national repercussions:  the colony helped inspire other utopian agrarian experiments in other parts of the United States. 

Throughout the following decades, San Ysidro continued to attract people.  Doug Perry, who arrived in San Ysidro in 1979, described his experience upon first seeing San Ysidro:  " I came down that one time and I saw the hills and got off and went up to the hills and looked down on San Ysidro and the valley and that was it, I was sold. ... I made that trip and between the hills and the valley I thought, this is it for me."   

The Circle of Community

          "San Ysidro...is a different feeling ...  in the way that people live and the way the community is . . . . This community is still a little community.  It has an alma (soul), and it has a corazon (heart)."  (A. Skorepa)  

One of the first interviews we gathered was from Mr. Edward M. Cuen, whose parents came to San Ysidro in 1929.  He describes what it was like growing up in San Ysidro:   "San Ysidro was a beautiful community.  I think I knew everybody in town then. ... It was just farmland, and a lot of people had cows, goats, horses, chickens."

Between 1929 and 1969, many things changed in San Ysidro; but the strong sense of community remained.  Lydia Armenia Beltran, who arrived in 1969, describes her reception:

"It was a very beautiful community.  We found people ...  who were very much involved with the community.  They ...told us what was going on and they said that if we worked hard and involved ourselves . . .  the community would be that much better off.  ...  A little girl . . . who's now my goddaughter... came out and welcomed me and took me over to her house....  My neighbors became all my compadres.... Everybody's compadre here."  

            (The late) Joyce Hettich, long-time San Ysidro resident and considered its unofficial historian, remarked about inter-ethnic relations in San Ysidro:  "My experience of 49 years in San Ysidro is that we have all gotten along just fine."   In describing relations between the Community Church and the Catholic Church, she explained how the churches would help each other out:  The Community Church minister would say to his congregation – “go over today to the Catholic Church--they're having a fundraising drive.”  When the Community Church was having a drive, the Catholic Church pastor would say, "Go over to the Community Church today, they're having a drive."

Today San Ysidro is a predominantly Latino community.  Mexican music is heard, and Spanish is the principal language spoken.  Yet San Ysidro contains an ethnic and cultural representation that many people are not aware of.   It is a community that has undergone major demographic change, particularly since the 1950s and 1960s.  Andrea Skorepa observes that the community has "become a lot more predominantly Latino, but we've also had an emerging African-American community . . . we've gotten an influx of African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, especially Filipino."

Steven Andrew Gomez describes his own family's background and social-cultural activities: 

Me myself, being Mexican Indian, Tohno-O'odam, Yaqui and Papago, that's who I relate to more.... Our entertainment is Pow-wows. The Gathering of the people.  These are my ways.  Singing [in ceremonial drums] is another way.  I attend, not a church, but a circle of friends, a Native American sweat lodge, which is our church.  

San Ysidro is also home to an ancient equestrian tradition going back to the Moorish days in Spain and to the Spanish-Mexican frontier days:  the Charreada, a form of rodeo, with elaborate dress, highly skilled horsemanship and beautiful lasso techniques performed by both male "charros" and female "escaramuzas".  The Lopez brothers of San Ysidro were involved in forming an association of charros.  Their charreadas drew people from as far away as Los Angeles and as far south as Rosarito in Baja California.  Nicolas Lopez describes how they began:  

[Translation:] "In 1973 we formed . . . the Association of charros of San Ysidro . . .  My brother and I and about 20 friends
          and companions . . .  The first events were gatherings in the countryside with our wives, it was all open fields.  Each
          one of us began to buy a pony and to saddle and teach ourselves how to ride . . . then later we formed our alliance with
          donations, with events that we programmed, dances . . . .  We held many charreadas here.  Charros would come from
          Los Angeles, from Tijuana, from Rosarito, from Escondido, from Vista, from Encinitas." 8

This proximity to the border, which drew people from above and below the border, has been an important element in the life of San Ysidro, just as its proximity to the ocean and the salt beds once attracted Indian peoples from as far away as present-day Sonora and Arizona.

1. "A Brief Synopsis of San Ysidro's History with a Chronology of the Town's Most Important Events" by Richard Griswold del Castillo.   This article and several others written and researched by Professor Griswold del Castillo's students in the early 1980s were published in mimeograph:  "The San Ysidro Community History Project" Edited by Richard Griswold del Castillo, Professor of Mexican American Studies, San Diego State University .  A copy of this booklet is in the San Ysidro Public Library.  

2.  Interview with Doug Perry conducted by Rosalinda M. Gonzalez, San Ysidro Senior Center, 1994.  This and the following interviews used in the writing of this essay were carried out by Professor Gonzalez and Research Assistants Yolanda James and Maribel Castaneda with San Ysidro residents in 1994 as part of a California Council of the Humanities Grant, "Searching for San Diego II" under the direction of Ralph Lewin.  In addition to Doug Perry, we conducted interviews with Lydia Armenia Beltran, Edward M. Cuen, Steven Andrew Gomez, Klaudia Gomez and Paloma Gomez, Joyce Hettich, Margaret Lashlee,  Nicolas Lopez, Francisco Salazar, Andrea Skorepa, Alicia Serrano Valadez.  

3. "The Indians Before Invasion," Robert Cupeno, in The Missions of California, A Legacy of Genocide, by Rupert Costo and Jeannette Henry Costo, Eds., c. 1987, Published by The Indian Historian Press for the American Indian Historical Society  

4. "Expeditions by Land" pages 115 to 125.  
5. "Expeditions by Land."  
6. The Little Landers Colony of San Ysidro, by Lawrence B. Lee, Xerox University Microfilms  
7.  The Little Landers Colony of San Ysidro.  

8. [1] “En el '73 formamos... la Asociacion de Charros de San Ysidro... Nosotros, mi hermano y yo y como 20 companeros.  . . . Los primeros eventos fueron reuniones en el campo con las esposas, habia puro campo abierto.   Empezamos a comprar cada quien un caballito y a encillarlo y a ensenarnos a montar.... y luego construimos nuestro lienzo con donativos, con eventos que haciamos, bailes,.... Aqui habia muchas charreadas.  Venian  charros de Los Angeles, de Tijuana, de Rosarito, de Escondido, de Vista, de Encinitas.”  Interview with Nicholas Lopez (see Note 2)  

9. [1]  “Mi abuela, yo creo que inicio la idea del comercio con mi papa y con mis tios, porque ella era una mujer que ... luchaba mucho por la vida...  Enseno a mi papa a comerciar, a elaborar comidas, ...a hacer tortillas desde el nixtamal, ... porque el sabia hacer eso, y lo comercio todo.... Nuestra empresa le ha dado por muchos anos trabajo a muchas familias, de esta empresa hemos vivido muchas familias, y quisiera que el reconocimiento de esto fuera a mi papa, Leopoldo Lopez Barracamontes, porque el tuvo la vision de establecer primero un negocito y guiarnos y mantenernos unidos para poder seguir adelante con nuestra empresa Hermanos Lopez.”   Interview with Nicholas Lopez (see Note 2)

 Other sources consulted:
"Welcome to San Ysidro" by Neal Matthews, Reader Vol. 10, No. 35, Sept. 3 1981 .
 " Adelante! San Ysidro" R/UDAT, A Program of the American Institute of Architects,         March 1987
"Every Man An Acre ! Every Man A King! San Ysidro's Little Landers", Bill Manson, Reader  10/6/94
San Ysidro Public Library, Extension Division, "Community Profile," San Ysidro Branch
"10 Years Later: San Ysidro Education Center is a Living Memorial", Southwestern College Messenger, Fall 1994
California Utopian Colonies, 1850-1950

Additional materials, maps and information provided by Doug Perry and by Florence Shipek.                                                                                    

Town and Country Resort and Convention Center 
500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, Calif. 90128

http://www.bilingualeducation.org/cabe2015/index.php 

Exhibitor information: 
http://www.bilingualeducation.org/cabe2015/registration/exhibitor.php    

Sent by Kirk Whisler, Hispanic Marketing 101
email: kirk@whisler.com    voice: (760) 434-1223
Latino Print Network overall: 760-434-7474
web: www.hm101.com     Podcast: www.mylatinonetwork.com

NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES 

The New Magdaleno.org is Here!

Follow along in my blog section 
and be a part of our changing world.
http://www.magdaleno.org 

  Magdaleno Rose-Avila

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES   

They walk into a hole, what they see is mind-blowing by Todd Briscoe

"A man who wants to spend all of his time inside a dark cave with only a dog for company may sound like an ominous, strange person, but artist Ra Paulette has an artistic vision for these caves that will truly astound you."
Editor Mimi: Do read and view the video of an amazing accomplishment by one man, of turning caves into works of art.     
Happily, a documentary was created to share the passion and accomplishment of Ra Paulette, the man turned artist.  Don't miss this, you will be pleased that you stopped a moment and viewed it.   http://www.littlethings.com/dog-cave-art/ 
Sent by Oscar Ramirez 
osramirez@sbcglobal.net 

Nine months after her husband received a pacemaker, Ginny Correa Creager was horrified one day in 2012 to see wires protruding from an oozing wound in his chest.  After Scott Creager, now 86, had emergency surgery to install another pacemaker, Ginny, then 71, of Litchfield Park, was given a box of medical supplies and told it was her job to keep the cavity that was left by the first device from getting infected.  “They wanted to tell me in five minutes how to care for this gaping wound,” she said. “It’s not like changing a bandage. I said, ‘I have a Ph.D., but it’s not in nursing.’?”

Ginny Creager, a retired educator, is one of about 1.3 million Arizonans serving as long-term caregivers to loved ones.
According to a recent AARP Public Policy Institute study, these family caregivers provide an estimated $9.4 billion a year in unpaid services.

AARP Arizona is responding to these concerns by making caregivers a top legislative priority in 2015.
Arizona is one of several states where advocates are working to enact legislation called the CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable) Act. The measure would require hospitals to provide training for family caregivers, giving them the skills they need to help reduce costly hospital readmissions.

The CARE Act would:
Allow patients to designate their caregivers when they are admitted to a hospital.
Require the hospital to notify the family caregiver before the patient is discharged or transferred.
Require the hospital to provide an explanation and live instruction of medical tasks—including medication management, injections, wound care and transfers, such as from a bed to a wheelchair—to family caregivers, about half of whom perform such tasks at home.

Creager, who learned to tend to her husband’s wound from a doctor friend and a home health care nurse, said she could have benefited from the CARE Act.

“People should not have to face this stuff all by themselves,” she said.
The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association has not taken a position on the legislation.
Demand for in-home care

The growth of Arizona’s older population—by 2030, more than one-quarter of residents will be 60 or older—is also expected to increase demand for paid in-home care. Arizona is one of about two dozen states that do not require a license to provide nonmedical home care.

“If you get your nails done or get a haircut, those people are more regulated than many home care people who come to your house, close the door and they’re in there with Mom,” said Steve Jennings, AARP Arizona associate state director for advocacy.
AARP Arizona supports proposals to set standards among home health care providers, he said. It particularly supports “nurse delegation” provisions allowing trained, paid caregivers to administer treatments like oral medication and eyedrops.
Other priorities for the session that starts Jan. 12 include:

Advocating for utility consumers before the Arizona Corporation Commission to ensure companies properly file and prove their cases before raising rates.

December 5, 2014  NMSU Student Series

The Kings and Queens of the Duke City Taco Truck Boom

"CenturyLink Customer" emaestas1@q.com 

November 22, 2014
Historic Cultural Event (SFNewMexican Article)

New Mexico's and Hispanic New Mexican's cultural ties to Spain, their long ago "mother country," continues to flourish as another round of distinguished honors for three outstanding New Mexicans will take place today. Spanish Ambassador Enric Panes will award the "Order of Isabella The Catholic/Isabela La Catolica" to Nambe's Orlando Romero, and Albuquerque's Conchita Maria Lucero and John Lucero for their "dedication in preserving the Spanish language, history, culture and traditions and customs of Hispanic New Mexico." These honors were approved at the highest level of the Spanish government, by King Felipe VI himself. The honoring of these distinguished New Mexicans is in keeping with Spain's historic and long enduring New Mexico ties, as other
distinguished New Mexicans who have been so honored include - Ambassador Edward Romero, Major General Melvin Montano, Mr Albert Gallegos and others. We are hoping that this event/honor is widely published in New Mexico as should be the case. Well Done and Well Deserved -Orlando, Conchita and John. Un Gran Saludo, Elmer.

La Orden de Isabel la Católica, the Order of Isabela the Catholic honor will be presented by Ambassador Enric Panes, Consul General of Spain, to Maria Conchita Marquez de Lucero and husband John Lucero, of Alburquerque, also to New Mexican Columnist Orlando Romero of Namb. The award is one of Spain’s highest Honors according to an announcement made by Albert J. Gallegos Honorary Consul of Spain in Santa Fe, who will be assisted by Honorary Consul of Spain in Alburquerque Fred Mondragon at a private reception at the Instituto Cervantes de Albuquerque located at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque on Nov. 24, 2014. 

The couple is being awarded the honor for their dedication in preserving the Spanish heritage, language, history, culture traditions, and customs. As founding members of the New Mexican Hispanic Culture Preservation League they worked to acknowledge the history of the first European settlers with a 33 piece sculpture La Jornada, the Journey, located in front of the Alburquerque Museum at the corner of Mountain and 17th. Street NW. Directly behind the monument is a wall naming the 400 settles, who came up the Camino Real in 1598 bringing life stock, agriculture products. Many Hispanics can trace their roots to the original settlers. They were also founding members of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, working to education others of the positive impact of the settlers. Their interest did not stop in New Mexico ,they were also active in the El Paso dedication to don Juan de Oate , the Equestrian, which is the world’s largest equestrian sculpture. Conchita was appointed to the Cuartocentenario (400 the year celebration) planning committee for Alburquerque, and chaired the parade. During the city of Alburquerque’s 300th birthday in 2006 the couple reenacted their founding ancestors in the Plaza dedication ceremony. They both trace their roots to a common ancestor Captain Gernimo Márquez from San Lucar de Barrameda mayor Spain in the 16th century and have visited the towns of origin of their ancestors. John is retired from Bernalillo County, where he was director of Building and Zoning and was elected to serve on the New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association Board. Conchita is retired from Bernalillo County, where she was a Senior Tax Researcher in the Treasurer’s office prior to being 

Agriculture Supervisor in the Assessor’s Office.

Orlando Romero a local author, historian and columnist for The New Mexican. It isn’t the first award Romero has received. Romero has received the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in 1980. He is retired from the State’s History Library and authored Nambé Year One, a nonfiction book that explores the history of Northern New Mexico. He said he often travels to Spain.

The Order was created by King Ferdinand VI of Spain in honor of Queen Isabel I of Castile with the name of "Royal and American Order of Isabel the Catholic" with the intent of "rewarding the firm allegiance to Spain and the merits of Spanish citizens and foreigners in good standing with the nation and especially in those exceptional services provided in pursuit of territories in America and overseas."

The King of Spain, currently Felipe VI, is Grand Master of the Order. The Chancellor of the Order is Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel García-Margallo . All deeds granting decorations of the Order must bear the signatures of both. 

Other notables who have received the honor include former Ambassador Ed Romero, Fray Angelico Chavez, Maria Benitez, Ambassador Frank Oritz, Dr. Jose Sanchez, Jose Antonio Esquibel, Dr. John L. Kessell, Marc Simmons PhD., Socorro V. Aragon, Bob Moore, and Carlos Fuentes. Felix Almaraz PhD., Jose Cisneros artists, Sheldon Hall Honorary Consul to Spain from El Paso, Texas. (Source of this article: Catholic Communicator).

Sent by Joe Lopez   jlopez8182@satx.rr.com

 

TEXAS

Alamo Cenotaph

Rueben and Dorothy Perez gave an account of the first Women and Children of the Alamo Descendents’ meeting in 1995. When their father, a grandson of Alejo E. Perez, the youngest survivor of the battle, stepped up to the podium to give the opening blessing but with tears in his eyes and his voice quivering, he was unable to conclude the prayer. As the patriarch of the Perez family he had touched history as the very last person in San Antonio to have personally had contact with an Alamo survivor. 

For Texan of the Year, I nominate Ruben Garcia
by Robert Moore, Nov 27, 2014
 
Garcia is director of Annunciation House, 
a shelter for migrants in El Paso.

When tens of thousands of Central American women and children surged into the Rio Grande Valley this summer, it triggered another combative debate about our nation’s immigration policies.  But in El Paso, a border community hundreds of miles away from the influx, another conversation took place, focused on one question: How can we help?