2 Performances: Matinee at 4:30 & Evening at 7:30PM
An Imagen award-winning play and audience favorite!
Veteranos: A Legacy of Valora special theatrical tribute written & directed by actor/writer Enrique Castillo (Weeds, Blood In Blood Out, Mi Familia) presented on Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 at Plaza de la Raza.
The story of Eugene Arnold Obregon, a U.S. Marine in the Korean War at the young age of 18. It was a time when there was still a deep division between Anglos and Latinos. But the story of Obregon and his fellow Marine, a Texan by the name of Bert Johnson was an exception. Putting your life on the line for a brother Marine – was the right thing to do. The Marine Corps made them brothers, an act of valor would make them immortal.
Veterans attend for free. Limited tickets avail so please reserve your free ticket now. YOU MUST provide the branch of military and the year served.
Alex Ruiz, a/k/a David Alejandro Ruiz has been getting the Texas runaround with regard to land his family owns. This is not your ordinary land grant issue …. nay, this story has to do with the Cisnero family who has possession of the land title deed.
Ruiz reached out to George P. Bush who is now the head of the Texas General Land Office to no avail, so when the time comes for the Republican National Committee or the GOP to reach out to “Hispanic / Latino” voters come 2016 with George P. Bush as the brown pawn — we will be right here to remind Chicanos and Latinos how George P. Bush dropped the ball as Texas Land Commissioner when an influential Texas family member sought professional public servant advice.
Ruiz also contacted Senator John Cornyn’s office with regard to the land title his family owns dating back to 1792. Sen. Cornyn’s office pointed Ruiz to the General Land Office — getting more bureaucracy.
Ruiz has been persistent and has been following the land sale(s) that rightfully belong to the Cisnero family. Recently Texas House Bill 724 eventually led nowhere during the 84TH Legislative Session but we now have on record an elitist attorney for Kennedy and Kleberg Estates who is on record for stating the original land and deed holders “do not exist”. (Video being uploaded and we will continue to follow this story with more and updated information.)
Members of the Cisnero family want to know how to hold Texas oil companies accountable for the mineral rights that rightfully belong to them.
Last year, Mr. Ruiz gave a letter to a CIA agent (to give to President Barack Obama) when he and other members of Chingon played for the President. However, we do not believe the Secret Service agent ensured the letter was given to President Obama and we are now following up on the letter. The letter was hand delivered to a Secret Service Agent on July 9, 2014 at a Democratic Fundraising Party when Ruiz and Chingon band members performed at.
Ruiz wrote:
July 9, 2014
Dear President Obama,
It gives me great pleasure to be the first in my family to meet, greet and sing for you. My name is David A. Ruiz. I am the lead singer for Robert Rodriguez’ band, Chingon.
I have been a supporter of yours throughout your administration. I know you are an answer to many prayers whispered throughout American History. I have seen your struggles within the House and want you to know that you are not alone. You have awakened The Nation.
I am writing this letter also as a way to reach Washington in a much needed time for South Texas Pioneer Families, who have been afflicted by criminal activities with no help from the Texas government system. We are engaged in a long series of disputes with the State of Texas and General Land Office, Comptroller’s Office, and Railroad Commission dating back to Civil War times, when Texas was just joining the Union.
We have proof of crimes and grand theft over lands and livestock and now minerals from certain families. These families and Texas still have control over these lands to this day. We are asking for justice to be served and for Texas to withhold the Rule of Law which we feel has been one sided throughout Texas History.
We are currently involved in a referendum with Texas House Bill 724. In this Bill there are hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars being allocated to the State and its departments in which we have known for a long time have belonged to these families I speak of. These monies get allocated and dispersed to a long list of personnel and it is the monies we here in Texas call “Dark Monies”. Unfortunately, a system of government infected with corruption and ruthless ambition and greed.
With violations of territorial integrity and a history of intimidation and unethical means by people in power here in the Texas system this has become an endemic problem within the US boundaries. We seek the immediate assistance of Washington or any World Court that could help us with these corruptions and inefficiencies. We need to hold those accountable for their actions that have wronged the families of the pioneers of Texas.
We are respectfully asking you to lead us through this dark valley. We need the US Department of Justice to see that our people who hold titles and have precedence are still protected by the US treaties of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which President Lincoln signed, and The Adams Onis Treaty of 1819, which protects the rights and lands of our Spanish Pioneer families against hostile take overs and grandfather clauses.
Would you please help us in our cause to redirect Texas Government for the people and by the people.
To conclude with a quote from President Harry S. Truman: “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
God Speed Mr. President, we send our love and prayers for you and your family. As is practiced in South Texas: Mi casa humilde es su casa.
If you would like more information or to speak with me about this matter, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
To date, we still have not received an apology from Martinez Unified School District (MUSD) Superintendent Rami Muth and we believe that demonstrates weak leadership on her part — particularly when Joe Jaconette apologized for his behavior for hiring an investigator to chase a little brown girl and denying her the free lunch school program. More importantly, we noticed Muth did not take calls from the community and was missing in action during the middle of the controversy.
We now see Ms. Muth wasting time and resources on pricey law firms such as Dannis Woliver & Kelley Law Office, rather than putting those monetary resources towards giving brown kids air conditioning. Our coalition exercised our right to make a simple Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Records request to no immediate avail – just more delay and bureaucracy when we made “when we made a request for all e-mails to and from for Denise Elsken from January 1, 2012 through present, and all emails to and from John L. Fuller, President from January 1, 2012 through present. MUSD should know time is of the essence, as we are entering the hot season, and we have documented complaints from the children at La Junta school (a school that is not in an affluent area) that continue to be ignored.
Apologies made by school board member(s) were not heartfelt. We have made FOIA request before and similar state organizations have complied with us in a timely fashion when we make FOIA requests with them. Muth’s delay only angers those involved in the situation, and any reasonable person with computer savvy understands understands how easy it is to obtain emails. We hope the Martinez Unified School District does not scrub their email written correspondence history.
Finally, since Superintendent Rami Muth and MUSD are delaying our simple FOIA request, we have no alternative but to tell parents of La Junta to make complaints to Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). We urge La Junta Parents to make a confidential complaint to OSHA forthwith and they can be reached at: 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).
It is our mission to ensure brown, black or white under-privileged student children get the same quality of education affluent schools receive, and we are hell bent to this regard. Perhaps these northern California schools think we are just a bunch of stupid Mexicans — but we can assure them that we are not and this is not our first rodeo with regard to confronting bigotry head on. Continued delays will only further our righteous anger.
Gratis! Free event for the community in Austin City, Texas. The event offers over 50 holistic and medical networks in attendance. The information is aimed to Keep Austinites Well from childhood to senior age. There will be yoga, dance, cooking demo, medical testing and tons of non-profits to get people connected to health, wellness and fitness in this city. If people do not have insurance, we have the right groups for them to get assistance. If people are already involved in keeping fit and well, we have activities. Plus everything is FREE at the event!
Please join us at Keep Austin Well, Austin’s annual community health and wellness fair.The event will be held at the beautiful grounds of the Long Center.
Have fun and get healthy with lots of delicious food trucks, vendors, fitness classes, music, and Austin’s best health care providers.
A community event with something for all ages, including face painting and bouncy houses for the kids. Four legged-friends encouraged to come too!
During your visit you’ll meet some of Austin’s best health care providers, receive on site medical exams/screenings, experience healthy living demonstrations ranging from cooking to yoga on the terrace and much more!
It’s a free event, so we encourage you to bring your family and friends and have a great time!
*Parking garage is free for this event
The event offers over 50 holistic and medical networks in attendance. The information is aimed to Keep Austinites Well from childhood to senior age. There will be yoga, dance, cooking demo, medical testing and tons of non-profits to get people connected to health, wellness and fitness in this city. If people do not have insurance, we have the right groups for them to get assistance. If people are already involved in keeping fit and well, we have activities. Plus everything is FREE at the event!
The majority of the Hispanic / Latino population pie in the United States are those of Mexican descent. Mexican American Chicanos for the most part heavily populate the southwestern part of our Nation. Now that Florida’s Cuban American Senator via Sen. Marco Rubio is running for President, we believe it is time to remember the facts and bring up history in an effort to remind ourselves how weak his leadership skills really are.
Chicano Sin No. 1: Senator Marco Rubio supported Arizona’s “papers please” law that would have directly affected brown-skinned Chicanos and Latinos here in Arizona with regard to SB 1070. He has not recanted his support for SB 1070.
Chicano Sin No.2: His support for immigration reform via the Gang of 8 until he reversed his position and backed out.
Chicano Sin No.3: Senator Marco Rubio did not take a stand against the RNC’s anti-immigrant policy adopted in 2012 that was essentially written and blessed by Kris Kobach. If Rubio cannot express strong leadership skills within his own Party as a “Hispanic” — how can we trust he is able to run this Nation of ours?
Rubio’s main Latino constituency in Florida are of Cuban descent, therefore we believe he doesn’t understand, feel or hear the outcry experienced by Mexicans (living in the southwest) and other Latin groups who do not receive the privilege of automatic citizenship given to Puerto Ricans, or the immigration amnesty given to Cuban immigrants. Currently under the unique Cuban amnesty program, Cuban immigrants can receive at least one year of government entitlements once their foot touches American soil without first contributing to our tax paying system. Republicans have long forgotten that the GOP has indeed supported immigration amnesty for years under the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) while damning Mexicans, and other Latin immigrants who do not receive Cuban amnesty.
According to a CNN Op-ed by Raul Reyes:
Back in 2013, Rubio was a member of the Senate “Gang of 8” that crafted a bipartisan proposal for comprehensive reform, including a path to citizenship for the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. He later distanced himself from the bill after it ran into resistance from House Republicans, and now says he favors a piecemeal approach, starting with securing the border.
His retreat on immigration means that Rubio has missed an opportunity to set himself apart from most of the presumptive Republican presidential candidates. That’s a shame, for this issue was supposed to be his calling card to Latino voters.
Instead, Rubio has embraced a typical conservative approach to immigration. He believes that President Obama’s Deferred Action program, offering deportation relief to young immigrants, should be ended. He has stated that the President’s executive action on immigration, on hold pending a circuit court review, sets a “horrifying precedent.”
Meanwhile, both the Deferred Action program and President Obama’s executive action on immigration are overwhelmingly favored by Hispanics. No wonder the research firm Latino Decisions reports that, “We find no evidence that Rubio’s candidacy will draw significant Latino support for his candidacy or for his party more generally.” So, if Rubio is counting on his ethnicity and personal history as the son of immigrants to win over fellow Hispanics, he is mistaken.
I’ll agree with Reyes’ opinion and will add to it. Within the last decade the Republican Party has transformed since 2000 when they used to fight to keep Elian Gonzales as Latinos galvanized themselves in Florida. On the other hand, we have witnessed the GOP using Marco Rubio as a Trojan Horse today as a tool to deport the “Mexican equivalents” to Elian Gonzales, and this will only serve to galvanize Latinos in the entire southwest against Republicans during the 2016 election cycle.
(Above) Zarco Guerrero. El Profeta is the name of this mask. Currently in exhibition at Francesca’s Art Gallery.
Now you can see some of Zarco’s work never seen before at Francesca’s Art Gallery thru May 8, 2015. Click Francesca’s Art Gallery located at 4745 N Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, to learn more about the effort.
Zarco Guerrero, Chicano Sculptor, maskmaker and performance artist has dedicated his artistic endeavors to create positive social change through the arts. He adopted Cesar Chavez ideology of art as a social service. His art includes music, poetry and theater. He is the founder of Xicanindio Artes (now Xico, Inc.), the Cultural Coalition, Inc, and has been instrumental in the development of Latino Arts statewide. He has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards. In 1985 PBS broadcast a one hour documentary about his art entitled “The Mask of El Zarco”. He received the Japan Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Arizona Governors Arts Award, the Artistic Excellence Award from American Hispanics in Higher Education and the Esperanza Teacher of the Year Award among many others.
Chicanos are drawing attention to Denise Elsken — a heartless woman out of the Martinez School District that should NOT be a school board member. In fact, we are going to demand she resign forthwith for her derogatory and offensive views towards brown kids vs. her views for the affluent. Essentially Elsken believes La Junta children (high Chicano/Latino population school) shouldn’t have air conditioning but believes a school in an affluent area should be deserving of new air conditioning. I implore my reader to sign this petition (signatures already at 857) and call or email the Superintendent of the Martinez School District . See contact information below. In addition to Elsken’s resignation, we believe the superintendent of the Martinez School District via Rami Muth should apologize for Elsken’s derogatory views that are clearly unjust. The entire Martinez School District should understand and realize that the Chicano/Latino economic contributions are significant. We are a force to be reckoned with considering the U.S. Hispanic market is one of the top 10 economies in the world. We were happy to see Superintendent Joe Jaconnette apologize for their behavior and now it’s time to see Rami display leadership in the Martinez School District. Furthermore, we will be following up with La Junta School parents to see whether or not the Martinez School District opted for planting trees versus giving the school with a high Chicano / Latin children population new air conditioning.
This is not the first time we have seen this sort of behavior in a northern California school district with regard to what school board members/leaders will do in order to create an unjust climate. For instance, the Orinda Union School District Superintendent Joe Jaconette was in hot water in light of his utter disregard for the concern and safety of a 7 year old little girl. According to the Mercury News: “Days before kicking a second grader out of the district for living outside its boundaries, the Orinda Union School District twice denied the Latina girl access to its free lunch program while recognizing that she lived in the city.” The absolute worst part of this story involves the mother of this precious seven year old little girl where her mother was hiding their address in light of filing a domestic violence restraining order against her ex.
That said, now we see Orinda’s Neighboring School District chiming in. This time school board member Denise Elsken Of Martinez School states:
“I would say 95% of the students at La Juntas do not have air conditioning in their homes. So whether that means those students are more acclimated and can handle a little more heat than the John Swett students — which I would say 95% of their residences have air conditioning in their homes.”
Denise Elsken supports putting A/C at the more affluent John Swett Elementary. But when it comes to lower-income Las Juntas, Elsken said $2 million would be better spent on education and teachers. She said “cool roofs” and shade trees at Las Juntas would keep students cool.
We implore our reader to call Rami Muth and demand an apology for Denise Elsken’s derogatory views that have no place in the school board system.
California activist and radio show host via Mark Lane states:
This woman is not fit to be on a school board making decisions for children. She publicly displays her racism and lack of common sense. Her statement is rude, it is dehumanizing and it is patently unfair. Denise Elsken is unfit for the position she is in and should be removed from her position on the school board.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday (on which the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church) and it is traditionally a day of fasting and penance for Christians. However, the Apostolic Church seems to continue to turn a blind eye to one of their own pastoral leaders within their religion via Arizona Rep. Steve Montenegro. In light of this Holy Week, perhaps members of the Apostolic Church can do what Jesus did when He exposed the hypocrisy occurring in the Temple.
According to Matthew 21:12 –
Jesus Cleanses the Temple 12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”…
On January 25, 2015, we thoroughly informed Steve Montenegro’s church members how he has been friends with while siding with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Russell Pearce and other tea party extremists with regard to their support of anti-immigrant legislation [see video here].We also told his congregation how Montenegro (from El Salvador) was a primary sponsor in doing away with #Chicano Studies. Every time Montenegro allows himself to be a vessel for anti-immigrant hatred, we will protest him every single time and every step of the way. The neighbors who live in houses surrounding the church told us they knew something was “not right” with Montenegro and they were glad we were informing his members but also the neighborhood. There was a church a block away where their members were outside looking an hearing to see what we were doing. Stephen Soto went to that church and informed them. We did what we needed to do and now we let God work in the hearts of the people surrounding the Church. We did not know how prominent the Montenegro family was within the Surprise Apostolic Church until that day and we will continue to do our best to send shockwaves throughout the entire Apostolic Church community. It’s imperative to us that Montenegro understand we will not be idle no more. We will take a stand against his hypocrisy.
Our Good Friday Promise: Protest the Apostolic Church Southwest Regional Training ,October 14-17, 2015, to be held in Tempe, AZ to further expose the El Salvadorian wolf in “Latino” sheep’s clothing.
Make no mistake… we are not done with Montenegro who claims to be a representative of the Apostolic Church. Chicanos and Chicanas will not allow tea party Republicans to use “minority tokens” without us exposing their dastardly deeds. Another minority token the Arizona Republican Party used to fulfill their agenda is Sen. Carlyle Begay who is a member of the Navajo (Dine’) community. What kind of deal did Begay work out with the Arizona Tea Party Republicans that helped his people while throwing our Mexican American Chicano people under the bus?
Enquiring minds wanna know.
Protest at Surprise Apostolic Church Rep. Steve Montenegro pastors. Photo Credit: Gail Mokry Shoultes.
The message is clear for Steve Montenegro: “STOP SUPPORTING ANTI-IMMIGRANT LAWS and STOP BEING A VESSEL FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PARTICULARLY WHEN THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE ADOPTED AN ANTI-IMMIGRANT PLATFORM IN 2012.
“Some days it does feel like it has been 20 years. Some days, in a weird way, it feels like it never happened.” — Chris Perez, Selena’s widower
By Doug G. Ware | March 31, 2015 at 1:10 PM
SAN ANTONIO, March 31 (UPI) — Music fans, the recording industry and the Latin community are remembering Selena Quintanilla Perez — the rising Tejano singer who was murdered by her fan club president 20 years ago Tuesday.
Known simply by her first name, Selena was known as the “Queen of Tejano Music” and released five albums between 1989 and her death in 1995. Though she was American-born, Selena was viewed by many as a crossover star — which typically qualifies to foreign singers who subsequently release songs and albums in English. In fact, Selena’s first four albums were in Spanish but her final LP, “Dreaming of You,” was recorded in English.
On March 31, 1995, the 23-year-old music star was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar, who had become president of her official fan club. Saldivar engaged in a protracted standoff with Corpus Christi, Tex., police in a motel parking lot after the murder before she was arrested. Saldivar was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
“Selena was relatable, lovable, identifiable and an artist that just spoke to me as an individual,” college student Angelica Silva said in a NBC News report Tuesday. “Her life story had similar struggles to mine and to hear about how she overcame them all was always very inspiring. Her music was also incredibly beautiful.”
“She [had been] in the studio when she passed away that morning. She was working on her English recordings,” sister Suzette Quintanilla told The Real on Tuesday. “It seems crazy, 20 years. It’s amazing how her legacy has continued … It’s awesome. That’s just my favorite word to use when it comes to her.”
Selena, who dreamed of becoming a music star as a child, was nominated for a Grammy award a month before her death for best Mexican/American album — the category in which she won a Grammy the year before. She also appeared briefly in the film Don Juan DeMarco, which starred Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando, as a Mariachi singer. The film, like her final album, was released after her death.
That final album, “Dreaming of You,” went on to become the best-selling Latin album in the United States — a distinction it still holds today. It has been certified 35 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and spawned multiple hit singles.
Two years after her death, Selena was portrayed by actress/singer Jennifer Lopez in a major motion picture about the singer’s life.
“I felt she had a sense to live in the moment, that you’re not promised tomorrow,” Lopez remarked to Billboard, about the 20th anniversary of Selena’ death. “For me that was the biggest lesson. That affected me in my life far more profoundly than the movie did in career terms.”
Selena, who would have turned 44 in two weeks, had also launched a fashion line and was considered by some to be the “Madonna of Latin Music.” In fact, Saldivar was also involved in the operation of the Selena clothing boutiques and was suspected of embezzling money from the family’s business affairs. It was this suspicion that led to her firing and subsequent confrontation between her and the singer at the southeast Texas motel.
Authorities said Selena was shot in the back as she attempted to leave Saldivar’s room. The mortally wounded Selena made it all the way to the motel’s lobby and identified her killer before she collapsed — a major artery in her shoulder severed by Saldivar’s .38-caliber bullet.
Saldivar was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, she will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2025 — one day before the 30th anniversary of Selena’s death.
Selena’s immediate family, who were heavily involved in her recording career, said they do not observe the day of Selena’s death because they celebrate her life and achievements every day. Her brother, Abraham, continues to be a producer in the music industry. Selena’s collaborator and widower, Chris Perez, who later remarried and fathered two children, also continues to work in the music industry.
“Back then, [Selena’s death] was mainly a source of sadness, of darkness for me,” Perez told CBS Los Angeles. “Now, it has kind of become more of light and happiness in remembering the good stuff.
“Some days it does feel like it has been 20 years. Some days, in a weird way, it feels like it never happened. But I do think about her quite a bit … What she would want to be remembered for is her music, because that’s what was her main source of pride and joy.”
“It has always bugged me that people would try to think that there’s a ‘next Selena,'” Lopez said. “It’s like saying there’s another James Dean or Marilyn Monroe. People like that don’t come along every day.”
Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor
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