Latino arts, history and culture
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” Shannon Alder, Therapist and Author True friends are a real treasure. … [Read more...]
Coronavirus and culture change In addition to the known damage the Coronavirus pandemic is currently visiting on us, it can potentially wipe out an important feature of Mexican American—actually, … [Read more...]
Let us forgive… By your leave, I’m going to deviate from my usual diet of politics and such and focus on a topic that is more personal, more intimate yet just as important as (community-based or … [Read more...]
Bring back decency! All politics is local. Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill Restoring decency into our politics should be our community’s political priority for 2020. It is a moral imperative to rid … [Read more...]
Draft boards, one of the least visible governmental bodies, have had an immense effect on the Mexican American community over the years. Draft boards oversee the registration and selection of persons … [Read more...]
“Hypocrites chasing windmills…” It’s the Christmas season, and, predictably, the right-wing “war on Christmas” nonsense has begun. Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and other Republicans are … [Read more...]
Huelga! Huelga! Huelga! The United Steelworkers(USW) and several other unions—Teamsters, Boilermakers, Electricians, Machinists & Aerospace workers, Automobile workers, and Operating … [Read more...]
Proud Yaqui Gabriel Ayala is multi-layered yet simple... I was thrilled to have a front-row seat at a recent performance by Gabriel Ayala, award-winning, internationally known and acclaimed … [Read more...]
Voting and self-determination… People love to complain about the government (what it does, and more often, what it doesn’t do) and the elected officials in charge of the government, … [Read more...]
There's blood on their hands... The blood of the 22 El Paso massacre victims, the youngest of whom was 15, is on the hands not only of Donald Trump but also on those who support, protect, make … [Read more...]
Income inequality rears its ugly head everywhere... Income inequality is pervasive. It rears its ugly head everywhere. We hear much about income inequality from the likes of U.S. Sen. Bernie … [Read more...]
When are we Mexican … indigenous? Recently I’ve witnessed two spirited debates. One revolved around terminology, that is, what do we call ourselves? The other one revolved around the question of … [Read more...]
Are pickets, marches, etc., effective? Were the demonstrations, pickets, marches, etc., of the Chicano Movement effective? During an interview (by a college student for a term paper) I was asked that … [Read more...]
"Safe" events don't create real change... It's the season to honor César E. Chávez and his legacy of labor activism on behalf of farm workers. However, many of the contemporary Chávez celebrations … [Read more...]
Sanctuary cities-a civil initiative... A local activist coalition, Tucson Families Free and Together, has launched a petition drive to change our city's status from being an "immigrant-welcoming" … [Read more...]
The good, the bad, and the ugly… In the immortal words of Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Dickens … [Read more...]
Carnalismo is alive and well… “Si sangra mi hermano, yo también sangro … la herida es igual…” (If my brother or sister bleeds, I too bleed … I also am wounded) Chicano Movement song “Yo soy tu … [Read more...]
Donald Trump’s pathological lying knows no bounds. He even lies about Christmas. Since the summer he has been telling the bobblehead crowds at his rallies that he “will bring Christmas back.” And last … [Read more...]
Liberals: a strong force in history… The mid-term elections are over. No more annoying, lying ads. And no more “Friend” emails. For some inexplicable reason, the right-wing Trump cultists—who … [Read more...]
Indigenous political representation… Arizona recently made history by electing three Indigenous women—Jamescita Peshlakai (Navajo), Victoria Steele (Seneca), and Sally Ann Gonzales (Pascua … [Read more...]
History is not a spectator sport… I taught Chicano history at the University of Arizona, and to make the material more relevant, whenever I could I gave a Tucson perspective to historical dynamics. … [Read more...]
