Latino arts, history and culture
False heroes… The unsavory business of “Hispanic/Latino” organizations giving awards to non-deserving people, often for political reasons, is wrong and needs to stop. A couple of points before I … [Read more...]
Honoring MLK and Chávez correctly… It’s the season to honor two human-rights icons and role models who put into practice the Gospel instruction: Insofar as you do this unto the least of my … [Read more...]
The recent passing of Chicano music icon Ramón “Chunky” Sánchez generated many accolades commenting on his musical activism. Indeed, Chunky epitomized the trovadores (singers, musicians) who have made … [Read more...]
Standing with the unions My wife and I recently participated in a rally and picket on behalf of the United Steelworkers and other unions representing nearly 2000 employees who work in ASARCO copper … [Read more...]
The DNC has nobody to blame but themselves… Some quick thoughts on the recent election. The Democratic establishment, who decided in 2008 that Clinton would be the next President, is in a state of … [Read more...]
Democracy be damned—let’s hate! Conservatives and progressives claim to be polar opposites, but when it comes to hating on people whose political views and actions they don’t like, conservatives … [Read more...]
During the political season, politicos and others wail and whine about low voter turnout among Mexican Americans. The same laments are made about Native Americans. The implication is that we, and the … [Read more...]
Do what I tell you … or the Cucuy will get you! By now I figured I had said everything I wanted to say regarding the current presidential campaign. But then came the onslaught of emails, Facebook … [Read more...]
Forget history—let’s drink some beer! Let’s celebrate what we don’t know… Americans love to celebrate—even when they do not exactly know what it is they’re celebrating. The Fourth of July, for … [Read more...]
The Associated Press and lobbyists elect Clinton … Don’t bother voting … we’ve made up your mind… In their classic song, the Mamas and Papas warned us about Monday: “Monday, Monday, can’t trust … [Read more...]
Women organizers in our history: great role models… The moral force of young people at work… Recently, we have witnessed the moral and political force that young people represent, i.e., young … [Read more...]
Racism and politics… It is very disappointing to see that racist undertones, overt and covert, on the Republican side as well as on the Democratic side, permeate the 2016 presidential campaign. … [Read more...]
Déjà vu: Bernie Sanders reincarnates Eugene McCarthy… As Yogi Berra noted, it’s déjà vu all over again. As it did forty-eight (48) years ago, the Democratic Party elite-establishment has declared war … [Read more...]
The stench of political hypocrisy… The contradictions and outright hypocrisy permeating contemporary politics are staggering. Hillary Clinton, for example, is the antithesis of what progressives … [Read more...]
Terrorists posing as ‘patriots’… Rallying in support of two ranchers convicted of arson on federal land and who are accused of child abuse (“Oregon Rancher ‘Heroes’ Accused of Child Abuse,” The … [Read more...]
The silence of the sheep… One of the most exciting aspects of this political season is presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. He is addressing issues that really matter to regular folks, such as … [Read more...]
“Barrio Dreams” A while back I wrote about “La plebe de John Spring,” a group of 1950s junior high-school classmates from different Tucson barrios who formed inter-barrio friendships at John Spring … [Read more...]
We’ve been priced out of higher education… In the recent Democratic Presidential Debate, self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” Sen. Bernie Sanders reiterated his call for free college tuition. … [Read more...]
Unions and civil rights go together Worker-rights and civil-rights dynamics often intersect. An example of the symbiotic relationship that often exists between unions and civil rights is a … [Read more...]
Barrio self-determination An underlying principle of all Liberation movements—labor, women, civil rights, etc.— is the most fundamental civil right, self-determination: the right of people to … [Read more...]
The secret “leaders” amongst us… Circa 1988 I wrote an essay entitled “Why are we so mean to our heroes and heroines and so nice to the vendidos?” in which I lamented the tendency of many … [Read more...]
