TEXAS IS THE NEW CALIFORNIA. When you think of Texas, “progress” is hardly a word that comes to mind for most, but I can’t seem to get the association out of my head. I see my Californian friends … [Read more...]
IN A MELLOW MOOD: ME, MRS. LUCY AND LATINO JAZZ. __________________________________________________________ Recently, I attended a jazz concert that stirred many memories of my days as a jazz … [Read more...]
“Mija, no te voy a mentir,” La Señora Falcón said gravely. “It’s a dangerous assignment.” The matronly woman settled her plump body into the seat across from me in what once had been a lab supply … [Read more...]
Placita Olvera Church I love the color scheme of the church it has a Caribbean feel to it. Continuing from my Instagram series (http://instagram.com/amosart). … [Read more...]
CÉSAR CHÁVEZ: AN AMERICAN LEGEND REMEMBERED. “We need a leader, not a martyr!" pleads the brother of beloved labor leader César Chávez in a memorable scene from the film of the same name. The … [Read more...]
Ena Suseth Valladares: An Unforgettable Chapi-nica-dureña Fighting for Reproductive Rights By Fanny Garcia Ena Suseth Valladares is chaparrita but you quickly forget her diminutive physical size … [Read more...]
RIC SALINAS OF CULTURE CLASH IN NEW PLAY TITLED "PLACAS" The culture and customs of the Salvadoran community are at the heart of a new play featuring the mercurial actor Ric Salinas who is best … [Read more...]
MIND BLOCK 101. It was almost two months after Mr. Nez announced that it would take only a week or so for Filomino and I to train each Mano Poderosa zombie how to block the intrusion of a Zombie … [Read more...]
HISPANICS AND AMERICAN EDUCATION. In 1975, Dr. Marta Sotomayor and I authored a work entitled A Medio Grito: Chicanos and American Education, its research funded by the Ford Foundation and … [Read more...]
“VICTORY IS IN THE STRUGGLE" Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr. is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley and one of the participants in the 1968 high school walk-outs in East Los … [Read more...]
TOGETHER. In my dream I was running through an open desert, running for my life. Instead of my usual jeans and sweatshirt, I was wearing the dress my mother had sewn for me when I was sixteen. My … [Read more...]
I slowly became aware that I was conscious. That it was dark and that I was screaming. “Hold him down,” someone said. The babble of voices in my head was deafening. It was as if a hundred people … [Read more...]
LATIN BLACKS IN BASEBALL BEFORE JACKIE ROBINSON. The start of the Major League Baseball season is just around the corner and that seems like a good time to look back at some of the very early … [Read more...]
AN INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT LUIS ALFARO ABOUT ST. JUDE, A PLAY FIRST LIVED ON FACEBOOK. BY FANNY GARCIA Luis Alfaro is a performance artist, writer, theater director, social justice activist, … [Read more...]
I was walking behind Lazaro when Mr Neza stopped reached out and grabbed him by the arm. As Lazaro turned to him I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. Lazaro’s face was completely white, like … [Read more...]
CRISIS! The caravan of zombie vans returning from the destroyed training camp in the Joshua Tree desert approached Los Angeles on the San Bernardino freeway; the setting sun silhouetted the … [Read more...]
GIRAFFES AND OTHER GENTLE CREATURES. The barrels of their rifles and guns are placed against my neck and head as I’m ordered to look ahead and march forward along a gauntlet of jeering citizens who … [Read more...]
CÉSAR CHÁVEZ TAKES ON SCAB-LOVING GOVERNMENT. Coinciding generally with César Chávez’s birthday (March) and the anniversary of his death (April), a movie about Chávez’s life and work will soon be … [Read more...]
TACO TRUCKS: “STREETAURANTS” AND LE BON PAIN. It seems to me that in the case of most life forms, if not all, food is a function of form. That is, life forms need sustenance to survive. From the … [Read more...]