Latino arts, history and culture
MAKING SURE POLICE ACTUALLY “PROTECT AND SERVE” It’s been a year since the killing of Michael Brown by a cop in Ferguson, Missouri set off a firestorm of rage and demonstrations. It gave rise to … [Read more...]
I now have a little granddaughter and I’m thinking that when she’s old enough she just might ask, “What did you do in the Chicano Movement, grandpa?” I should live that long. She’s one year old. I’m … [Read more...]
IT'S NOT JUST RACISM THAT BREED POLICE BRUTALITY It’s not only racism that’s behind the recently documented cascade of violent police abuse cases in the United States. There’s a kind of … [Read more...]
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse “Go Mexican” on Independence Day Who woulda thunk it? Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse served as the Honorary Grand Marshals of this year’s Mexican Independence Day … [Read more...]
POLICE BRUTALITY CONTINUES IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE NEED BETTER COPS. The year started with the ugly but not necessarily unexpected news that a couple of cops who apparently beat a man to death were … [Read more...]
POLITICAL ANNIVERSARIES WE COMMEMORATE AND WHY. The observance of the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the annual observance of Labor Day (regrettably, … [Read more...]
JACKIE ROBINSON. Not long ago something happened that really had me scratching my head. I accompanied a friend of mine who went to Tucson to shoot a little film about the political scene in … [Read more...]
Who woulda thunk it? First, the Berlin Wall comes down and now they’re planning to open a United States Embassy in Havana! And the Cubans will open an official embassy in Washington, D.C. Years ago … [Read more...]
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 the … [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...]
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...]
