Otra vez aqui estamos con La Voz newspaper.
Poet Nephtali De Leon.
In this issue we are highlighting the Chicano Poet Nephtali De Leon who currently lives in San Antonio, Texas. For more than 50 years Nephtali has been sharing his spoken words and insight into the Chicano Movement. I last saw him at the 50th Anniversary of La Raza Unida Party at UTSA in San Antonio where he delivered a magnificent poem at the conclusion of the reunion. He recently completed a book of poetry that centers on the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. More information is forthcoming.
Cambiando de tema
In our People in the News section we continue to follow the unfolding career of Dr. Cecilia Ballí. She has signed on to a new position with the Institute of Texan Cultures and discusses some of the challenges of this new position. Also on in our People in the News section we spotlight Austin City Council member Vanessa Fuentes as she works to improve what the city can do to remove barriers to people who would like to provide child care facilities out of their homes. Vanessa is one of the hardest working city council members. On page 4 we share the sad news of the passing of Albert Almanza at the age of 86. Mr. Almanza was a basketball standout at The University of Texas at Austin in the late1950s and early 1960s. Read about his spectacular career on the 40 acres.
Dr. Cecilia Ballí has signed on to a new position with the Institute of Texan Cultures.
We also are sharing with our readers the passing of the Rev. Chris Hartmire in California. Chris Hartmire was one of many who answered the call of Cesar Chavez to help him organize farm workers. Chris made his way to California and was instrumental in providing support for the grape and later the lettuce boycott. Chris has a lot of connections and helped to place farm workers in key cities across the United States that resulted in bringing the growers to the bargaining table. Without the countless volunteers like Rev. Chris Hartmire, the effort to unionize farm workers would have been a much longer fight.
Cambiando de tema
Olga Campos Benz provides a great story of how the restaurant Fonda San Miguel and Austin Community College are going to be working together to train chefs in the culinary arts of Mexican food preparation. While most people think of Mexican food at tacos and enchiladas, the folks of Fonda San Miguel have gone way into the interior of Mexico and bring to Austin a who new meaning of what food can taste like. And they do it in a setting that is filled with art and atmosphere. On page 13, Paul Saldaña and Anita Quintanilla provide insight on the efforts to transform the old Palm School into a community space and possibly heritage center. Both of these individuals have worked tirelessly over the years to bring improvements to Austin, Texas.
On pages 16 and 17 we look at authors and their work. Read about their books and the drive behind their efforts to get on paper topics that they hold dear to their hearts. In the coming months we hope to highlight more Austin authors who have written books.
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Copyright by Alfredo Santos. All photos use under the “fair use” proviso of the copyright law.