Bienvenidos otra vez a La Voz Newspaper. As you can see and feel, this issue of La Voz topped out at 24
pages. We had a lot more news to share but will have hold up on until the next issue.
In this issue we want to congratulate Mando Rayo for making the cover of the Austin Chronicle. I have
known Mando for a while now and he is certainly one of the most high energy guys I know. His efforts to bring
tacos into the mainstream will go down in history. The is especially true when you think back to the time when
tacos were taboo in public schools. Way back then, if you brought tacos to school, other students would laugh
at you. Back then it was puro sandwich con baloney. Also on 5 is a short story on the United States Census
efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Various groups and academics have warned the Census
Bureau that including a question on citizenship might result in a large undercount because there are those people who believe
it might be used by the immigration authorities. While Census data is supposed to be private, there are those who
remember how Census data was used during World War II to help round up Japanese Americans.
On page 8 and 9 we bring a short interview with Dr. Juan Sanchez the founder of Southwest Key Programs. They have been
in the news lately because of their work with unaccompanied minors that are place in their shelters by
the government. Recently a group of community activists went to his house in Austin and his office in East Austin to protest
Southwest Key’s involvement with the government.
On page 10, Justice of the Peace of Precinct # 4 in Travis County, Raul Gonzalez, offers advice and counsel to parents with regard to helping their children succeed in school. In the next issue of La Voz we will have part two of his column. On page 12 is a short mention and photo of Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez and some of the folks who have helped her raise the profile of the Voces Project at The University of Texas at Austin. More
and more people are learning of her pioneering work in the field of oral history. Recently the Voces Project completed its 1,000
interview. Check them out online.
On November 15th through the 17th in San Antonio, Texas, there will be a celebration and conference commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights hearings that were held at Our Lady of the Lake University. This
inspiration for this event came in part from some of those who attended a Voces Project Conference in Austin, Texas in 2016. The
event is free and open to the public. On page 16 and 17 we wish to share with our reader a tribute to Enrique “Pepsi”
Peña, an influential personality in San Antonio who spun the records and served as the master of ceremonies at many a dance
and sock on the Westside. Today, many of those teenagers from the 1960s remember Pepsi Peña and his TV show.
Lastly, we want to call to your attention an invitation from La Voz Newspapers. We are looking for writers . . and we
can pay. Check out the announcement on page 23 and give us a call. No tengan miedo.
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Copyright 2018 by Alfredo Santos