CURRENT DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY RECALL THE INFAMOUS "BLOOD CHRISTMAS" CASE IN LOS ANGELES. As this new year gets rolling, scattered protests and lots of grumbling continue over … [Read more...]
IS HISTORY MORE THAN JUST A MYTH AGREED UPON? Recent political chingazos about the teaching of history in our public schools got me to recalling a crazy comment a woman in Texas made a few years … [Read more...]
The bloodied, shrapnel-punctured body of a little boy dangling from a makeshift stretcher on a rubble-strewn dusty road in Gaza. The sad, terrified look of a little boy in ragged clothes peering out … [Read more...]
Hello. I’m Luís Torres. As you must know by now, by virtue of the fact that you are reading this, I regularly write the blog “Tales of Torres.” This time around, I’ve decided to step aside and let a … [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...]
THE YEAR IN REVIEW. This year is drawing to a close. What kind of a year has it been for Latinos here in what 1960s African American activist Frank Greenwood referred to as “the Land of the Free … [Read more...]
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR NAMES AND OUR STORIES. In 1974 a teenager named Jaime Ramirez made his way from a tiny town in Mexico to the city of Pasadena, California. He got a job as a dishwasher. It was … [Read more...]
NOT CINCO DE MAYO BUT CUATRO DE JULIO. Celebrations of the Fourth of July and this country’s Independence Day are booming all around us. In my neighborhood that’s literally the case, with mocosos … [Read more...]
The Humble Mexican Tortilla is a Staple in Outer Space In the fall of 1979 I found it nearly impossible to find tortillas in New York City. But today tortillas are ubiquitous. Heck, tortillas … [Read more...]
CHICANOS AND THE SOMEWHAT MYSTERIOUS GAME OF FÚTBOL. Fútbol. Football. Soccer. Whatever you call it, it captivates most of the industrialized world when World Cup competition comes around every … [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...]
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS ON RECENT NEWS I once offered the notion that pretty soon nobody will be reading blogs, because everybody will be busy writing blogs. Maybe. But let’s plow ahead, guided by the … [Read more...]
REMEMBERING SAL CASTRO. Some 45 years ago Sal Castro told me, “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders – for a guerito – go out and do something good for yourself and for your gente.” He said it … [Read more...]
LET'S GET TOUGH ON ILLEGAL BORDER-CROSSERS! That’s it! I’ve had enough. All this talk about immigration reform. All this talk about “Let’s just accept the fact that they’re here and let’s give them … [Read more...]
STARTING A SUPPORT GROUP CALLED "GUEROS ANONYMOUS." I’ve sometimes thought about starting a semi-secret organization, complete with decoder rings and speakeasy-like murmured passwords. I’ve … [Read more...]
