Latino arts, history and culture
“This is not who we are…” I keep hearing the refrain (or variations thereof) “This is not who we are…” in the context of the acts of domestic terrorism, such as the mass shootings we are experiencing … [Read more...]
History surrounds us… Again, I will forego writing about political issues. Instead, I will try to do justice to a history maker, someone whose advocacy had national implications, someone I was … [Read more...]
Nicknames can be hurtful, harmful… Nicknames stick to people, and the most ridiculous are the most adhesive. Thomas Chandler Haliburton – Nova Scotian-Canadian-English politician and author. By … [Read more...]
Republicans and the KKK – an ugly coupling… It’s déjà vu all over again. American philosopher Yogi Berra Indeed, it’s déjà vu all over again. Fifty-six years after the passage of the Voting … [Read more...]
Stereotypes are not funny… A subscriber to a Listserv I am a member of recently criticized Jewish comedians from yesteryear for having invoked Mexican stereotypes in their routines. He’s right to … [Read more...]
The hypocrisy overwhelms… It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Noel Coward, English playwright, composer, director, and singer Esa gente no … [Read more...]
There once was a Republican Party. It had a set of principles that formed the basis of a defined ideology. To be sure, I didn’t subscribe to those principles nor agree with the ideology they … [Read more...]
Trumpism: A Death Cult… “The (Republican) party is his. It doesn’t belong to anybody else.” QAnon Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Whom are you not allowed to criticize? Following the … [Read more...]
Decency is not transactional… Again, 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 … [Read more...]
Trump lied, people died… That sign is ubiquitous at civil-rights marches and other rallies. But the sign is more than a clever slogan. It’s a four-word essay reflecting reality. Some people have … [Read more...]
Corridos: “singing newspapers” and community organizers… The corrido, which tells a true story in song, has served us well over the years. It has informed and inspired us and has moved us to … [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...]
“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...]
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...]
"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...]
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...]
THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! ALEJANDRO MOLINA ON "SAN VALENTÍN," SAL BALDENEGRO ON "TRUMPISM A DEATH CULT," 100 YEARS OF LATINO MUSIC, 100 YEARS OF LATINO LITERATURE AND 100 YEARS OF … [Read more...]
The times, they surely did change… Bob Dylan’s 1964 song “The times, they are a-changing” was popular during a dynamic political era, a period when grassroots movements—civil rights, Black Power, … [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...]
