THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: RICARDO ROMO ON THE LEGACY OF HECTOR GARCIA AND THE G.I.FORUM, ARTURO ROSALES ON THE 1929 FOUNDING OF THE LEAGUE OF UNITED MEXICAN AMERICAN CITIZENS, A MOMENT IN TIME AS J.F.K. MEETS WITH LULAC THE DAY BEFORE HIS ASSASSINATION AND A MOMENT IN TIME WITH BERT CORONA ON FAIR WAGES AND THE PASSING OF ACTIVIST PUBLISHER MOLLY SANTOS.
Hola Mi gente! At a time when we finally have a credible Latino candidate running for the office of President of the United States, it’s important to remember that Julian Castro’s candidacy is not just the result of his dynamic presence and intellect and savvy organizing, but also the result of decades of Latinos who have gone before. We don’t want to take anything away from Julian’s inspiring trajectory, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind ourselves of some of these earlier heroes of La Raza who laid the groundwork, heroes who spent their lives working to better our community with aspirations that someday Latinos would rise to elected office and yes, even aspire to the Presidency of the nation.
Ricardo Romo gives us an appreciation of the life and legacy of Hector P. Garcia, founder of the American G.I. Forum. Not only was Garcia a decorated soldier in World War Two, but he went on to denounce discrimination of Mexican and other Latinos in the United States and created an organization that would benefit thousands of Latino veterans, the American G.I. Forum. Check out Ricardo Romo’s essay.
Also this week, we visit the late historian Dr. Arturo Rosales ( a hero himself) as he gives us the story of the founding of yet another landmark Latino institution that is still active today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
And speaking of LULAC, we have a classic Moment in Time photograph showing President John F. Kennedy celebrating with members of LULAC in Dallas, Texas at their annual dinner. Yes, Jackie was there also, speaking Spanish to the audience! Sadly this photo was taken the day before Kennedy was assassinated. Check out the first hand account of this historic night.
And lastly, one of the most ardent advocates for worker’s rights, going back to the 1930s, was labor organizer Bert Corona. In this Moment in Time photograph Bert gives a speech about fair wages for workers at a rally in the 1990s.
We end on a sad note, the recent passing of another pioneer, educator, activist and publisher Molly Santos. She founded the La Voz newspaper. Chekc out the remembrance by her son, Alfredo Santos, whose Mis Pensamientos column appears here on Latinopia. He has an extensive story of Molly’s life which you can find at: http://www.lavoznewspapers.com
As your Tia Tenopia checks out these blogs, photos and videos it makes her proud to see the progress we have made over the generations.
Adelante!
Tia Tenopia