Latino arts, history and culture
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...]
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...]
SANTA ROSA DE LIMA. For the past 85 years, the Santa Rosa de Lima Mission in Tucson’s Old Pascua Yaqui Village has been a spiritual and community anchor of the village. The Yaquis—whose term for … [Read more...]
HISTORY MAKERS ARE ALL AROUND US! One thing I’ve learned in my close-to-50 years of organizing and being in the trenches of the civil-rights movement is that if we are to understand and influence … [Read more...]
Ol’ Yogi had it right… It’s déjà vu all over again. Forty-three (43) years apart, Tucson’s west side fought the same battle with the same folks—a Democratic Mayor and Council—over basically the … [Read more...]
MINING TOWN KIDS- WE'RE EVERYWHERE! Small towns are like big barrios. People know and take care of each other. Which is why Arizona’s mining communities impress me greatly. That, and the people … [Read more...]
PUBLIC COLLEGES BELONG TO THE PUBLIC. The mission statements of community colleges reflect the comprehensive nature of these institutions. More than providers of courses for transfer to a … [Read more...]
Indigenous sacred sites matter… Arizona Democrat House member Ann Kirkpatrick, whose district includes the Apache reservation, teamed up with Republican Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake and … [Read more...]
I like your Christ, but… How things change. When I was growing up, religious folks railed against the commercialization of Christmas. They believed and taught that publicly, Christmas was to be … [Read more...]
“IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK" -- EL CASINO BALLROOM. "If them walls could talk,” El Casino Ballroom in Tucson, AZ, would be loquacious. Since its founding in 1947, El Casino has hosted thousands of … [Read more...]
THE POWER OF FAMILY. A group of young women from Tucson’s south side—the area 1996 Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan derisively called “Mexico town"—just made history. Representing … [Read more...]
Mexican American baseball “tiros” and their legacy… Historically, baseball has been very much a part of Mexican American life. In Arizona, the mining towns, which played a huge role in the state’s … [Read more...]
LA PLEBE DE JOHN SPRING This is the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education case that determined that racially segregated schools were unconstitutional. Which brings to mind how in … [Read more...]
MIGRANT TRAIL: MARCH FOR LIFE. "Let us pray for our brothers and sisters [who perished] from thirst, hunger and exhaustion trying to reach a better life.” Pope Francis—lamenting that "we have seen … [Read more...]
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! Hola Latinopians! Hope you’re having a great Father’s Day. We celebrate El Dia De Los Padres with two videos this week. Author Sarah Rafael García remembers her dad in a … [Read more...]
HOW TO HONOR A GIANT. This month I was going to focus on some cultural matters, but then César Chávez got in the way. Many communities recently honored César Chávez, a labor- and civil-rights icon … [Read more...]
