At long last, el Salvadoran restaurant opens for business
By MIKE KILEN • mkilen@dmreg.com. • March 30, 2009
Perry, Ia. - In the long, narrow dining room, tables hug bright blue walls adorned with maps and photographs of El Salvador. At the far end, a family is lined up at the cash register counter.
Carlos Barco, 44, his wife Edith, 39, daughters Yandi, 19, and Meylin, 22, and cousin Leo Esquibel, 20, are ready to take an order.
They have been ready for this for 12 years.
Four months ago, they opened a restaurant. Edith was so excited she cried.
They call it El Buen Gusto ("The Good Taste"). They still don't have a sign on the corner building on Perry's Second Avenue. Things take time. The quest - this American dream of making your own way - started back in 1996.
In their native El Salvador, it would never have been possible, Edith said. They cut coffee in the fields there, working just to buy food for the month, stumbling into dead bodies in the bushes, casualties of the country's violence.
They dreamed of better. With work permits, they moved to California in 1994, before landing jobs at Tyson Foods in Perry in 1996.
Edith saw a need in town. Although no cooking whiz, in her off hours she learned how to perfect the foods of her country, including pupusas, a centuries-old dish from El Salvador of thick tortillas filled with meats and cheeses.
At first, she knocked on friends' doors or sold them from her house on weekends, wrapping pupusas and tacos in foil.
They saved the profits and bought a van to deliver the food. They saved more money and in two years had enough to buy a "taco truck," setting up in a car repair shop's parking lot.
Every weekend Edith cooked, then sold food. Often the family sold as many as 500 tacos and pupusas a day. Many said they had "good taste."
Years passed. Carlos did his job of scooping up dropped meat and cleaning it on the factory floor. He liked it but his wife had a dream of owning a restaurant. So they saved more - while raising three daughters, including the youngest, Marisa, 13 - and awaited green cards.
Like so many small business owners, Carlos' dream was to be his own boss.
"The motivation is an idea that you are going to have control over your life and your economic destiny," said Jim Heckmann, of the Iowa Small Business Development Center.
Immigrants' early plans often involve sharing their native cultures.
"We usually see that restaurants and grocery stores are the entryway into entrepreneurship with the Latino population," said Himar Hernandez, Community and Economic Development Field Specialist with Iowa State University Extension. "Once those businesses succeed then they open up other businesses."
Word got out about the Barcos, and not just about their good tacos. They were kicked off business properties when they showed up with their truck. Police were called one day to the parking lot location and wrote them a ticket, Edith said. They didn't have the necessary permits to sell food, including those from the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals.
Edith was scared but didn't stop. Her eyes always scanned the horizon.
The stash of money grew but they needed $70,000 to open their own place. Securing financing, Heckmann said, is the main obstacle to starting a small business.
Although a third of Perry's 7,200 residents are Hispanic, a Latino restaurant was not a sure thing. One closed after only six months last year.
"So hard time," said Gisela Guerrero of her restaurant, called Mi Familia. "It didn't work."
She turned the business into a hair salon.
While a Mexican grocery and one longtime Mexican restaurant have survived in Perry, the temporary closing of the Hotel Pattee two years ago fatally hurt a few of the 16 eateries in town.
Even with those long odds and a suddenly tanking economy, the Barco family grew excited when a pizza place moved, leaving a vacant building.
The Barcos used the equity in their house and their savings, and bought it. For seven months, Carlos installed kitchen equipment, laid new flooring, bought new tables, painted the walls and secured the necessary permits.
Special spices from El Salvador were reordered. The menu was printed, including breakfast, lunch and dinner items ranging from fried plantain to cow leg stew, from stuffed poblano peppers and pupusas to fish and shrimp stew.
"I love it, it's very authentic," said Angelica Diaz-Cardenas of Hispanics United for Perry, whose mission is to help Hispanic people adjust to the community.
The Barcos have adjusted by working 12 hours a day six days a week - and a few less on Sundays. They eat at the restaurant, watch TV there - the Latino soap operas echoing - and mop floors late at night. Such long hours hardly seem like a dream fulfilled.
But Edith is not scared anymore.
She flips over a pupusa and places it on a plate with spicy slaw. Only one customer eats on a calm mid-afternoon. The Barcos are sure people will tell friends of the good taste, the buen gusto.
They stand by the cash register and wait.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Latina publishes poetry and short stories
Cisneros crosses all reader boundaries
By FRITZ LANHAM, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, March 30, 2009
At 110 pages it’s slight in size, but The House on Mango Street,written in the early 1980s by a then-unknown Sandra Cisneros and first published by Houston’s small Arte Público Press, has become a landmark book. A series of lyrical coming-of-age vignettes in the voice of a 12-year-old Mexican-American girl in working-class Chicago, it’s sold more than 4 million copies in the United States. It’s also become a fixture in classrooms from middle school to college and a favorite of one-city, one-read programs.
Cisneros, a Chicago native who lives in San Antonio, went on to publish collections of poetry and short stories and in 2002 the multigenerational family saga Caramelo. She also founded the Macondo Foundation, which brings writers dedicated to social change to San Antonio for workshops and seminars.
Cisneros’ current projects include a collection of essays, to be titled Writing in My Pajamas, and a screenplay of The House on Mango Street.
She will read Wednesday at Rice University as part of a tour promoting the release of The House on Mango Streetin a new 25th anniversary paperback edition. She spoke with the Chronicle’s Fritz Lanham.
She will read Wednesday at Rice University as part of a tour promoting the release of The House on Mango Streetin a new 25th anniversary paperback edition. She spoke with the Chronicle’s Fritz Lanham.
Q:The House on Mango Street was published 25 years ago and has never been out of print. To what do you attribute that?
A: I think I had the good fortune to write the story the community was hungry for. Whatever that community may be, whether it’s women, or young people or Latinas, or teenagers or grandmothers. I just happened to hit on something that was going to nourish people at this time. I think of books as being medicine, or food. It happened to be the right recipe.
Q:You’ve said literature should “save people’s lives.” Do you still believe that, and what does that mean?
A: I certainly do. I live by it with the foundation I started to nurture writers doing that work of saving people’s lives. Obama talks about an arts corps. We are an arts corps at the Macondo Foundation — writers who are serving underserved communities and who believe our work can make for nonviolent social change.
Q: I’ve heard The House on Mango Streetdescribed as “a wedge book,” one that introduced Mexican-American writing to Latino and Anglo readers who may never have read anything by a Mexican-American writer before. Is that a fair statement, do you think?
A: I don’t know [laughter]. A lot of one-city one-read [programs] have kept me very busy. It’s a book that bridges many communities and many generations. One of the reasons it gets selected a lot for one-city, one-reads is it’s rare to find a book that will appeal to children and adults at once.
When I was writing it I wanted it to be inclusive of all readers — people who were workers, people who were educated, people who were educated in the university of life. I was mindful not to use language that wouldn’t allow the book to be used in schools. But I was also mindful to myself that it was not a children’s book.
Q: That follows with something you say in the introduction to this new edition about how the younger you back then wanted to write stories that ignored borders between genres, between highbrow literature and children’s books. …
A: Right. I was an experimental writer. People seem to forget that and think sometimes that I’m this naive, primitive writer who wrote these things in a child voice that was all I could do. Quite the contrary. I was looking at experimental fiction, which was all the rage at the time.
Q: Is that mixing of genres and ignoring borders still something you strive for in your writing?
A: Yes. Now I’m more aware that that’s what I can do and that I don’t have to worry about compartmentalizing. When I began the book I was in a graduate writing program and my poetry adviser said, “These aren’t poems.” I was too young to argue with an authority figure. I think if I had to go back I’d argue they’re not exactly stories either. I would argue for some place in the middle.
I am always looking for those borders, whether it’s borders of culture or gender or genre.
I’m always exploring those places where things don’t quite match. I find that a very rich and fertile place to write from.
Q: While your books are not directly autobiographical, you often take and remake people and incidents from your own life. Correct?
A: Yes, but I mix it up with people not myself. Sometimes I’ll take my story and mix it with a cousin or students. I feel like I’m this artist who uses whatever is at hand. It’s kind of like cooking with whatever is in the pantry. I don’t know any other way.
By FRITZ LANHAM, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, March 30, 2009
At 110 pages it’s slight in size, but The House on Mango Street,written in the early 1980s by a then-unknown Sandra Cisneros and first published by Houston’s small Arte Público Press, has become a landmark book. A series of lyrical coming-of-age vignettes in the voice of a 12-year-old Mexican-American girl in working-class Chicago, it’s sold more than 4 million copies in the United States. It’s also become a fixture in classrooms from middle school to college and a favorite of one-city, one-read programs.
Cisneros, a Chicago native who lives in San Antonio, went on to publish collections of poetry and short stories and in 2002 the multigenerational family saga Caramelo. She also founded the Macondo Foundation, which brings writers dedicated to social change to San Antonio for workshops and seminars.
Cisneros’ current projects include a collection of essays, to be titled Writing in My Pajamas, and a screenplay of The House on Mango Street.
She will read Wednesday at Rice University as part of a tour promoting the release of The House on Mango Streetin a new 25th anniversary paperback edition. She spoke with the Chronicle’s Fritz Lanham.
She will read Wednesday at Rice University as part of a tour promoting the release of The House on Mango Streetin a new 25th anniversary paperback edition. She spoke with the Chronicle’s Fritz Lanham.
Q:The House on Mango Street was published 25 years ago and has never been out of print. To what do you attribute that?
A: I think I had the good fortune to write the story the community was hungry for. Whatever that community may be, whether it’s women, or young people or Latinas, or teenagers or grandmothers. I just happened to hit on something that was going to nourish people at this time. I think of books as being medicine, or food. It happened to be the right recipe.
Q:You’ve said literature should “save people’s lives.” Do you still believe that, and what does that mean?
A: I certainly do. I live by it with the foundation I started to nurture writers doing that work of saving people’s lives. Obama talks about an arts corps. We are an arts corps at the Macondo Foundation — writers who are serving underserved communities and who believe our work can make for nonviolent social change.
Q: I’ve heard The House on Mango Streetdescribed as “a wedge book,” one that introduced Mexican-American writing to Latino and Anglo readers who may never have read anything by a Mexican-American writer before. Is that a fair statement, do you think?
A: I don’t know [laughter]. A lot of one-city one-read [programs] have kept me very busy. It’s a book that bridges many communities and many generations. One of the reasons it gets selected a lot for one-city, one-reads is it’s rare to find a book that will appeal to children and adults at once.
When I was writing it I wanted it to be inclusive of all readers — people who were workers, people who were educated, people who were educated in the university of life. I was mindful not to use language that wouldn’t allow the book to be used in schools. But I was also mindful to myself that it was not a children’s book.
Q: That follows with something you say in the introduction to this new edition about how the younger you back then wanted to write stories that ignored borders between genres, between highbrow literature and children’s books. …
A: Right. I was an experimental writer. People seem to forget that and think sometimes that I’m this naive, primitive writer who wrote these things in a child voice that was all I could do. Quite the contrary. I was looking at experimental fiction, which was all the rage at the time.
Q: Is that mixing of genres and ignoring borders still something you strive for in your writing?
A: Yes. Now I’m more aware that that’s what I can do and that I don’t have to worry about compartmentalizing. When I began the book I was in a graduate writing program and my poetry adviser said, “These aren’t poems.” I was too young to argue with an authority figure. I think if I had to go back I’d argue they’re not exactly stories either. I would argue for some place in the middle.
I am always looking for those borders, whether it’s borders of culture or gender or genre.
I’m always exploring those places where things don’t quite match. I find that a very rich and fertile place to write from.
Q: While your books are not directly autobiographical, you often take and remake people and incidents from your own life. Correct?
A: Yes, but I mix it up with people not myself. Sometimes I’ll take my story and mix it with a cousin or students. I feel like I’m this artist who uses whatever is at hand. It’s kind of like cooking with whatever is in the pantry. I don’t know any other way.
Chicago Latino Film Festival is jewel of city
25th Latino Film Festival
CHICAGO DECIDER
For 25 years now, the Chicago Latino Film Festival has cultivated an intricate network of Latino artists, creators, and innovators from film and art communities. Over 3,000 people attend the Festival’s special events, including international media, celebrities and Chicago's movers and shakers. Festival guests experience Chicago life and its rich cultural scene, making the Chicago Latino Film Festival a jewel to the City, as it contributes greatly to its positioning as a world-class city.
The Chicago Latino Film Festival will celebrate its Silver Anniversary, as the oldest and most comprehensive Latino film festival in the country, representing over 100 films in an array of genres –fiction, animation, documentary, and shorts that reflect the great diversity of Latino culture from the United States, Latin America, Portugal, and Spain.
CHICAGO DECIDER
For 25 years now, the Chicago Latino Film Festival has cultivated an intricate network of Latino artists, creators, and innovators from film and art communities. Over 3,000 people attend the Festival’s special events, including international media, celebrities and Chicago's movers and shakers. Festival guests experience Chicago life and its rich cultural scene, making the Chicago Latino Film Festival a jewel to the City, as it contributes greatly to its positioning as a world-class city.
The Chicago Latino Film Festival will celebrate its Silver Anniversary, as the oldest and most comprehensive Latino film festival in the country, representing over 100 films in an array of genres –fiction, animation, documentary, and shorts that reflect the great diversity of Latino culture from the United States, Latin America, Portugal, and Spain.
Latino performance review does not disappoint
Latino Expressions is Fantástico
Jordan Gamble, NDSMCOBSERVER.COM, 3/31/09
For the packed house at downtown South Bend's Century Center Friday, Latin Expressions 2009, "Ritmo Latino," did not disappoint.
The annual performance revue, organized by Notre Dame's La Alianza organization for Latino students, featured 19 acts by various campus groups, all with a Latino flavor.
The show started with a dance act, the only one sponsored directly by La Alianza. In a mix of ballet and ballroom, 10 dancers acted out a five-minute "West Side Story," complete with blue and red outfits and two star-crossed dance partners. It was a great and dramatic way to begin the evening, since it pulled the audience into a rousing and rather professional routine.
The rest of the show was a mix of group acts and individual dance, singing, or instrument performances by Notre Dame students. Ballet Folkorico Azul Y Oro, Tango ND, La Punta Hondureña and La Bomba Puertorriqueña all had great dance performances. One performance, called "Danza De Los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men)" by Ballet Folkorico Azul y Oro, featured four male students dressed up in ponchos and masks who danced with canes and did a comedy routine set to music. Chorale and instrumental groups like Mariachi ND and Coro Primavera presented two heartfelt songs in the first act.
With Latin Expressions, the Latino students at Notre Dame have a chance to express their cultures, but the annual show also brings in students of all backgrounds, nationalities, and talents. Student groups like Troop ND, First Class Steppers and Project Fresh, which are not necessarily Latin groups, lent their usual routines a new flavor. Troop ND performed to a mix of several Latin songs in their high-energy dance. In the second act, the men of First Class Steppers pounded out a routine, and rhymed "Don't think it's crazy" with "First Class guys like Latin ladies," which got a cheer from the audience. The "First Class Chicas" then took the stage for an entertaining workout-video inspired routine. Wearing sweatbands and running shorts, they urged the audience to get in shape with the help of Latin dance moves.
The different performances were strung together by two emcees, seniors Maria Moreno and Danny Rosas Alvarez. Besides introducing the upcoming performers, the two were an act all their own. Moreno's obsession with telenovelas and Alvarez's scheming to steal Moreno's choreography were running jokes, but right after intermission, the two also pulled several audience members onstage for a dance contest. A mix of high school seniors (here for Notre Dame's Spring Visitation Weekend) and college students competed for audience approval while dancing to some '90s Latin pop. The winner received thunderous applause, but no formal award.
Latin Expressions was a night for real awards, however. Father Tom Eckert, C.S.C., received the Julian Samora Faculty Award for his dedication to improving Latin student life at Notre Dame. Father Eckert, currently the rector of Duncan Hall, started Notre Dame's Latino Student Ministry after his years of working in Mexico, Chile, and Peru. Two Notre Dame juniors also received the Julian Samora Scholarship Award.
"Ritmo Latino" is really an accomplishment for La Alianza and all the students who participated. The show, with more than one hundred performers, has outgrown the campus theaters of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's. But Latin Expressions also had no problem filling the huge venue at the Century Center - the tickets sold out at least a half-hour before show time, and for the latecomers seats were a hot commodity. Choreographed lighting, a respectable sound system, and a simple but sizable stage really made a professional show.
Jordan Gamble, NDSMCOBSERVER.COM, 3/31/09
For the packed house at downtown South Bend's Century Center Friday, Latin Expressions 2009, "Ritmo Latino," did not disappoint.
The annual performance revue, organized by Notre Dame's La Alianza organization for Latino students, featured 19 acts by various campus groups, all with a Latino flavor.
The show started with a dance act, the only one sponsored directly by La Alianza. In a mix of ballet and ballroom, 10 dancers acted out a five-minute "West Side Story," complete with blue and red outfits and two star-crossed dance partners. It was a great and dramatic way to begin the evening, since it pulled the audience into a rousing and rather professional routine.
The rest of the show was a mix of group acts and individual dance, singing, or instrument performances by Notre Dame students. Ballet Folkorico Azul Y Oro, Tango ND, La Punta Hondureña and La Bomba Puertorriqueña all had great dance performances. One performance, called "Danza De Los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men)" by Ballet Folkorico Azul y Oro, featured four male students dressed up in ponchos and masks who danced with canes and did a comedy routine set to music. Chorale and instrumental groups like Mariachi ND and Coro Primavera presented two heartfelt songs in the first act.
With Latin Expressions, the Latino students at Notre Dame have a chance to express their cultures, but the annual show also brings in students of all backgrounds, nationalities, and talents. Student groups like Troop ND, First Class Steppers and Project Fresh, which are not necessarily Latin groups, lent their usual routines a new flavor. Troop ND performed to a mix of several Latin songs in their high-energy dance. In the second act, the men of First Class Steppers pounded out a routine, and rhymed "Don't think it's crazy" with "First Class guys like Latin ladies," which got a cheer from the audience. The "First Class Chicas" then took the stage for an entertaining workout-video inspired routine. Wearing sweatbands and running shorts, they urged the audience to get in shape with the help of Latin dance moves.
The different performances were strung together by two emcees, seniors Maria Moreno and Danny Rosas Alvarez. Besides introducing the upcoming performers, the two were an act all their own. Moreno's obsession with telenovelas and Alvarez's scheming to steal Moreno's choreography were running jokes, but right after intermission, the two also pulled several audience members onstage for a dance contest. A mix of high school seniors (here for Notre Dame's Spring Visitation Weekend) and college students competed for audience approval while dancing to some '90s Latin pop. The winner received thunderous applause, but no formal award.
Latin Expressions was a night for real awards, however. Father Tom Eckert, C.S.C., received the Julian Samora Faculty Award for his dedication to improving Latin student life at Notre Dame. Father Eckert, currently the rector of Duncan Hall, started Notre Dame's Latino Student Ministry after his years of working in Mexico, Chile, and Peru. Two Notre Dame juniors also received the Julian Samora Scholarship Award.
"Ritmo Latino" is really an accomplishment for La Alianza and all the students who participated. The show, with more than one hundred performers, has outgrown the campus theaters of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's. But Latin Expressions also had no problem filling the huge venue at the Century Center - the tickets sold out at least a half-hour before show time, and for the latecomers seats were a hot commodity. Choreographed lighting, a respectable sound system, and a simple but sizable stage really made a professional show.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hispanic labor leader celebrated
Cesar Chavez is celebrated in Los Angeles
By Ari B. Bloomekatz, LA Times, March 30, 2009
In the middle of Mass on Sunday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, soloist Dalia Rodriguez sang a ballad for Cesar Chavez, the late labor leader known for unionizing farmworkers.
Whether in cities or farm-fields, hope never withers or dies, for Cesar has given us the word: "You can do it!" is ever his cry, Rodriguez, 20, sang in Spanish.
The state holiday marking Chavez's life doesn't arrive officially until Tuesday, but the event at the downtown cathedral was among a handful in the Southland over the weekend that celebrated the legacy of the legendary union organizer.
Rodriguez sang the ballad in front of 3,000 parishioners who went to the Mass in Chavez's honor. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony presided over the service attended by union members wearing the purple shirts of the Service Employees International Union and the red shirts of the United Farm Workers.
Elsewhere Sunday, members of the Los Angeles City Council and other city leaders joined in the 16th annual Cesar Chavez March for Justice in Mission Hills. And Dolores Huerta, who helped found the UFW with Chavez, spoke about the labor movement at the Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles.
Huerta, who also attended the Mass, said that one of the things to learn from Chavez's legacy was to always maintain faith, and that despite obstacles "he just kept going forward." Chavez died in 1993 at the age of 66.
His son, Paul Chavez, spoke at the cathedral about his father. He told parishioners that "when farmworkers fight to improve their lives, his legacy is honored" and that "when hospital workers, hotel workers and factory workers fight to improve their lives, his legacy is honored."
In an interview after the Mass, Chavez said that his father understood "that his work wouldn't be finished in his life. You always have to look for ways to inspire future generations of folks because the work won't be finished."
The ballad Rodriguez delivered at the cathedral described Chavez's humble origins in Yuma, Ariz., and the nonviolent tactics he later used to achieve victories for workers.
In strikes, in boycotts and marches the field hands banded together, raising aloft the red banner with the black eagle in the center. Delano, Fresno and Madera, Merced, Manteca and Modesto, Cesar asking only for justice when he arrives in Sacramento.
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
By Ari B. Bloomekatz, LA Times, March 30, 2009
In the middle of Mass on Sunday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, soloist Dalia Rodriguez sang a ballad for Cesar Chavez, the late labor leader known for unionizing farmworkers.
Whether in cities or farm-fields, hope never withers or dies, for Cesar has given us the word: "You can do it!" is ever his cry, Rodriguez, 20, sang in Spanish.
The state holiday marking Chavez's life doesn't arrive officially until Tuesday, but the event at the downtown cathedral was among a handful in the Southland over the weekend that celebrated the legacy of the legendary union organizer.
Rodriguez sang the ballad in front of 3,000 parishioners who went to the Mass in Chavez's honor. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony presided over the service attended by union members wearing the purple shirts of the Service Employees International Union and the red shirts of the United Farm Workers.
Elsewhere Sunday, members of the Los Angeles City Council and other city leaders joined in the 16th annual Cesar Chavez March for Justice in Mission Hills. And Dolores Huerta, who helped found the UFW with Chavez, spoke about the labor movement at the Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles.
Huerta, who also attended the Mass, said that one of the things to learn from Chavez's legacy was to always maintain faith, and that despite obstacles "he just kept going forward." Chavez died in 1993 at the age of 66.
His son, Paul Chavez, spoke at the cathedral about his father. He told parishioners that "when farmworkers fight to improve their lives, his legacy is honored" and that "when hospital workers, hotel workers and factory workers fight to improve their lives, his legacy is honored."
In an interview after the Mass, Chavez said that his father understood "that his work wouldn't be finished in his life. You always have to look for ways to inspire future generations of folks because the work won't be finished."
The ballad Rodriguez delivered at the cathedral described Chavez's humble origins in Yuma, Ariz., and the nonviolent tactics he later used to achieve victories for workers.
In strikes, in boycotts and marches the field hands banded together, raising aloft the red banner with the black eagle in the center. Delano, Fresno and Madera, Merced, Manteca and Modesto, Cesar asking only for justice when he arrives in Sacramento.
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Latino phrase motivated movement
Cesar Chavez made a difference for all Latinos
By Ed Fletcher, efletcher@sacbee.com, Mar. 27, 2009
Before there was "Yes We Can," there was "Si Se Puede."
Coined by Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, the Spanish phrase that translates to "Yes, it can be done" has become an international chant.
" 'No se puede' was the default, and Cesar was able to change that," said LeRoy Chatfield, a veteran Sacramento activist who worked alongside the late labor crusader. "It's not a slogan, it's a mind-set that says you can accomplish something that others say is impossible."
Born March 31, 1927, Chavez dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers.
His life is celebrated as an official holiday in eight states, including California.
On Thursday, 60 attorneys affiliated with La Raza Lawyers of Sacramento and Women Lawyers of Sacramento gathered for lunch and to reflect on Chavez's legacy.
The event was one of many this week honoring the labor leader.
Chavez helped bring better working conditions for many, but friends and followers say his lasting legacy is the sense of empowerment he gave to Latino Americans and other recent immigrants.
"In the process of convincing farmworkers that they could make change happen, he also convinced millions of other people who never worked on a farm," said Marc Grossman, a longtime spokesman for the United Farm Workers union.
Chavez said as much in a 1984 address to the Commonwealth Club of California: "Hispanics across California and the nation who don't work in agriculture are better off today because of what the farmworkers taught people about organization, about pride and strength. … You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore."
On Thursday, David Villarino-Gonzalez, Chavez's son-in-law and president of the Farmworker Institute for Education and Leadership Development, told the Sacramento lawyers that Chavez's organizational lessons can help them with challenges that remain.
"The one thing – out of all the things that Cesar really demonstrated – was the power of mobilizing people for change," Villarino-Gonzalez said.
That message captured Art Torres' attention and became a compass point through his time in law school at University of California, Davis, in Sacramento as a state senator and as chairman of the California Democratic Party.
It was an early, failed run for a state Assembly seat that pushed Torres to join Chavez.
"That is when I went to work for Cesar for five bucks a week and all I could eat," Torres said.
Torres recalled Chavez saying that if people he was fighting for lived in poverty, then so should he and his staff members.
"I really pissed my father off," said Torres, whose family had left farm work for an urban life, only to see him return to the fields as an organizer.
But Torres didn't stay in the fields. Armed with Cesar's lessons, Torres became one of dozens of politicians who got their start under Chavez's tutelage.
In the Legislature, Torres worked with the UFW to introduce and pass the groundbreaking Agriculture Labor Relations Act – the first and only state law that specifically gives farmworkers the right to organize.
Chatfield said it's hard to overstate Chavez's impact.
"He empowered an entire generation of Latinos in this country," Chatfield said. "Because of that movement, they as a group have made tremendous strides."
He noted the time the late Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna broke down and cried in the middle of an address on the steps of the state Capitol. Serna later explained to Chatfield that "he would not be there without Cesar Chavez."
Serna's sentiment is among the lessons that 17-year-old Carolina Beltran teaches. Beltran never met Chavez – she was an infant when he died in 1993 – but the Nevada Union High School senior was so inspired by Chavez that she has dedicated herself to teaching younger kids about his life.
"It's just remarkable that a human being could dedicate his entire life to a cause," Beltran said.
With the help of her Spanish Club mates, she began staging assemblies at area elementary schools to talk about how Chavez – in the same vein as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. – used non-violent methods to bring about change.
"I want more people to know about him," she said. "We get somewhere, but it's not without a battle. You have to speak up for what you believe in."
By Ed Fletcher, efletcher@sacbee.com, Mar. 27, 2009
Before there was "Yes We Can," there was "Si Se Puede."
Coined by Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, the Spanish phrase that translates to "Yes, it can be done" has become an international chant.
" 'No se puede' was the default, and Cesar was able to change that," said LeRoy Chatfield, a veteran Sacramento activist who worked alongside the late labor crusader. "It's not a slogan, it's a mind-set that says you can accomplish something that others say is impossible."
Born March 31, 1927, Chavez dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers.
His life is celebrated as an official holiday in eight states, including California.
On Thursday, 60 attorneys affiliated with La Raza Lawyers of Sacramento and Women Lawyers of Sacramento gathered for lunch and to reflect on Chavez's legacy.
The event was one of many this week honoring the labor leader.
Chavez helped bring better working conditions for many, but friends and followers say his lasting legacy is the sense of empowerment he gave to Latino Americans and other recent immigrants.
"In the process of convincing farmworkers that they could make change happen, he also convinced millions of other people who never worked on a farm," said Marc Grossman, a longtime spokesman for the United Farm Workers union.
Chavez said as much in a 1984 address to the Commonwealth Club of California: "Hispanics across California and the nation who don't work in agriculture are better off today because of what the farmworkers taught people about organization, about pride and strength. … You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore."
On Thursday, David Villarino-Gonzalez, Chavez's son-in-law and president of the Farmworker Institute for Education and Leadership Development, told the Sacramento lawyers that Chavez's organizational lessons can help them with challenges that remain.
"The one thing – out of all the things that Cesar really demonstrated – was the power of mobilizing people for change," Villarino-Gonzalez said.
That message captured Art Torres' attention and became a compass point through his time in law school at University of California, Davis, in Sacramento as a state senator and as chairman of the California Democratic Party.
It was an early, failed run for a state Assembly seat that pushed Torres to join Chavez.
"That is when I went to work for Cesar for five bucks a week and all I could eat," Torres said.
Torres recalled Chavez saying that if people he was fighting for lived in poverty, then so should he and his staff members.
"I really pissed my father off," said Torres, whose family had left farm work for an urban life, only to see him return to the fields as an organizer.
But Torres didn't stay in the fields. Armed with Cesar's lessons, Torres became one of dozens of politicians who got their start under Chavez's tutelage.
In the Legislature, Torres worked with the UFW to introduce and pass the groundbreaking Agriculture Labor Relations Act – the first and only state law that specifically gives farmworkers the right to organize.
Chatfield said it's hard to overstate Chavez's impact.
"He empowered an entire generation of Latinos in this country," Chatfield said. "Because of that movement, they as a group have made tremendous strides."
He noted the time the late Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna broke down and cried in the middle of an address on the steps of the state Capitol. Serna later explained to Chatfield that "he would not be there without Cesar Chavez."
Serna's sentiment is among the lessons that 17-year-old Carolina Beltran teaches. Beltran never met Chavez – she was an infant when he died in 1993 – but the Nevada Union High School senior was so inspired by Chavez that she has dedicated herself to teaching younger kids about his life.
"It's just remarkable that a human being could dedicate his entire life to a cause," Beltran said.
With the help of her Spanish Club mates, she began staging assemblies at area elementary schools to talk about how Chavez – in the same vein as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. – used non-violent methods to bring about change.
"I want more people to know about him," she said. "We get somewhere, but it's not without a battle. You have to speak up for what you believe in."
Latinos encouraged to attend college
Encouraging Latinos to Attend College,.
Michael Hyland, mhyland@whsv.com, WHSV Mar 27, 2009
Weyers Cave, Va - Local educators are trying to encourage more Hispanic students to complete high school and continue on to college.
Latino students from five local high schools met at Blue Ridge Community College Thursday.
Educators say some immigrant parents don't understand the process for college admissions in the United States and won't push their children to pursue higher education. Also, if families haven't become citizens, students can be charged out-of-state tuition.
The Pew Hispanic Center studies this issue. In 2007, it looked at adults 25 and older and found just over 12 percent of Hispanics were college graduates, achieving at least a bachelor's degree. That's compared to about 30 percent of the white population and almost half the Asian population.
"The more we as a community advocate for, provide for, and are able to meet the needs of our most vulnerable in our society, it makes the entire community stronger. It makes everyone stronger," says Rick Castaneda, a teacher at Harrisonburg High School and member of the Hispanic Services Council.
Among other things, students also learned about financial aid opportunities specifically for Latinos.
Michael Hyland, mhyland@whsv.com, WHSV Mar 27, 2009
Weyers Cave, Va - Local educators are trying to encourage more Hispanic students to complete high school and continue on to college.
Latino students from five local high schools met at Blue Ridge Community College Thursday.
Educators say some immigrant parents don't understand the process for college admissions in the United States and won't push their children to pursue higher education. Also, if families haven't become citizens, students can be charged out-of-state tuition.
The Pew Hispanic Center studies this issue. In 2007, it looked at adults 25 and older and found just over 12 percent of Hispanics were college graduates, achieving at least a bachelor's degree. That's compared to about 30 percent of the white population and almost half the Asian population.
"The more we as a community advocate for, provide for, and are able to meet the needs of our most vulnerable in our society, it makes the entire community stronger. It makes everyone stronger," says Rick Castaneda, a teacher at Harrisonburg High School and member of the Hispanic Services Council.
Among other things, students also learned about financial aid opportunities specifically for Latinos.
Hispanic immigrant stories captured through poetry
Line by Line, Poets Capture the Immigrant Story, New Jersey Style
Juan Arredondo, New York Times
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. - In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately... Wait. Wrong Xanadu.
Still, if you were poetically inclined you could have done worse on Friday than to cruise past the still-dormant retail-entertainment project, all phantasmagoric shapes and colors, along the New Jersey Turnpike, toward the phosphorescent glow of the refinery world around Exit 13, past the Swan Motel and the anti-Xanadu of the East Jersey State Prison, with its own hulking displeasure dome glowering in the night. Eventually you would arrive at the Barron Arts Center, a Romanesque revival marvel built in 1876 and 1877 as a library of churchlike arches and gables, a clock tower and stained-glass windows.
And if you came at the right time, you might have found Gretna Wilkinson, an energetic woman born in Guyana, declaiming like a soul on fire under the vaulted beams of the main room about saltfish and hot cungapump tea, Marvin Gaye and how Genesis caused Exodus:
i had hoped
to be intelligent about this
believe time could help me
strip this poem of metaphors
then i would write about
how, in a kinder world
one mother buries another
but saves the grip of her sons
for her own casket
i would write it raw. selfish. like that
And so it went, Peter E. Murphy’s view of ships passing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, José A. Rodriguez on his family of Hispanic laborers looking for work in Dimmitt, Tex., Timothy Liu’s erotic take on “Five Rice Queens,” Irina Mashinski’s sharp-eyed Russian émigré’s view of life in New Jersey and beyond. A cynic once said writing poetry is like ice fishing — you have to really want to do it to do it. But here we were Friday night in Woodbridge on the first day of the My New Life, My New Poem Festival of Contemporary Immigration Writing, reminded of how many people from such diverse backgrounds seem to want to do it.
Most, but not all, of the readers had New Jersey ties. Some were children of immigrants. Still, as a snapshot of our assorted diasporas, here it was : Emanuel di Pasquale from Ragusa, Sicily; Sheema Kalbasi from Tehran; Paul Sohar, a Hungarian native who for years combined being a chemist at Merck with writing poetry; Rich Villar of Paterson, part Puerto Rican and part Cuban; Heather Raffo with excerpts from her one-woman play about Iraqi women, “Nine Parts of Desire.”
THE festival came together largely because this stretch of Central New Jersey reminded L. E. McCullough, the township’s grants officer and the festival director, of Central Texas, where he had once lived. This is not a completely irrational thought if your frame of reference is the mix of cultures down there: Hispanic, Anglo, Cajun, Texas Czechs, African-American — and the you-name-it-it’s-there population mix in Central Jersey.
And anyone who has been around for a while, like Mr. Sohar, 72, has watched the incessant ebb and flow of ethnic demography in the area.
“Take New Brunswick,” he said. “It used to be solidly Hungarian. All around there were Hungarian clubs and five or six Hungarian restaurants. Now it’s all Mexican, Puerto Rican, Indians and everyone else. Some of these things change overnight, like all the Asians in the big new houses out here.”
So some of the themes in the poetry were very much about the immigrant experience, like Mr. Rodriguez’s “Resident Alien Card.”
This is what I know of that day: 5 years old
and being walked through the immigrant process
the photo first, two copies
one for the eventual alien card
and one that gets lost in a cardboard box
without a label
until today.
And others were the world we share: sex, family, visiting a mother’s grave.
Sometimes the differences among them seem more striking than the commonalities. But, no, most of the readers seemed to agree that what united them all was that outsider’s eye viewing our strange green oasis, which even in hard times still seems a place of heedless plenty — or at least the omnipresent dream of it.
There was Mr. Murphy, from Wales.
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry from Staten Island
did not close the doors of the orphanage inside him
On that boat he studied Casper the Friendly Ghost
and ate a hot dog and Coke, the first supper of a life
he hoped not to suffer.
Or Ms. Mashinski:
Traffic lights shine from bushes
steppe wolves
Passaic, Passaic! Your quiet but hissing name is
like Mongol campfires
squeezing the fortress
I am the last one to defend.
A Peruvian band, Viento Andino, played Andean music, the poets read and mingled. Other readings were set to be held on Saturday and Sunday.
When it ended on Friday, the musicians packed up their instruments and the hall emptied out like the slow exodus from church. Nearby young men sat on the tailgate of a pickup, drinking beer. The streets were dark and quiet as the nice woman inside the GPS led you this way and that as you headed back, way up the Turnpike, toward Xanadu.
E-mail: peappl@nytimes.com
Juan Arredondo, New York Times
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. - In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately... Wait. Wrong Xanadu.
Still, if you were poetically inclined you could have done worse on Friday than to cruise past the still-dormant retail-entertainment project, all phantasmagoric shapes and colors, along the New Jersey Turnpike, toward the phosphorescent glow of the refinery world around Exit 13, past the Swan Motel and the anti-Xanadu of the East Jersey State Prison, with its own hulking displeasure dome glowering in the night. Eventually you would arrive at the Barron Arts Center, a Romanesque revival marvel built in 1876 and 1877 as a library of churchlike arches and gables, a clock tower and stained-glass windows.
And if you came at the right time, you might have found Gretna Wilkinson, an energetic woman born in Guyana, declaiming like a soul on fire under the vaulted beams of the main room about saltfish and hot cungapump tea, Marvin Gaye and how Genesis caused Exodus:
i had hoped
to be intelligent about this
believe time could help me
strip this poem of metaphors
then i would write about
how, in a kinder world
one mother buries another
but saves the grip of her sons
for her own casket
i would write it raw. selfish. like that
And so it went, Peter E. Murphy’s view of ships passing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, José A. Rodriguez on his family of Hispanic laborers looking for work in Dimmitt, Tex., Timothy Liu’s erotic take on “Five Rice Queens,” Irina Mashinski’s sharp-eyed Russian émigré’s view of life in New Jersey and beyond. A cynic once said writing poetry is like ice fishing — you have to really want to do it to do it. But here we were Friday night in Woodbridge on the first day of the My New Life, My New Poem Festival of Contemporary Immigration Writing, reminded of how many people from such diverse backgrounds seem to want to do it.
Most, but not all, of the readers had New Jersey ties. Some were children of immigrants. Still, as a snapshot of our assorted diasporas, here it was : Emanuel di Pasquale from Ragusa, Sicily; Sheema Kalbasi from Tehran; Paul Sohar, a Hungarian native who for years combined being a chemist at Merck with writing poetry; Rich Villar of Paterson, part Puerto Rican and part Cuban; Heather Raffo with excerpts from her one-woman play about Iraqi women, “Nine Parts of Desire.”
THE festival came together largely because this stretch of Central New Jersey reminded L. E. McCullough, the township’s grants officer and the festival director, of Central Texas, where he had once lived. This is not a completely irrational thought if your frame of reference is the mix of cultures down there: Hispanic, Anglo, Cajun, Texas Czechs, African-American — and the you-name-it-it’s-there population mix in Central Jersey.
And anyone who has been around for a while, like Mr. Sohar, 72, has watched the incessant ebb and flow of ethnic demography in the area.
“Take New Brunswick,” he said. “It used to be solidly Hungarian. All around there were Hungarian clubs and five or six Hungarian restaurants. Now it’s all Mexican, Puerto Rican, Indians and everyone else. Some of these things change overnight, like all the Asians in the big new houses out here.”
So some of the themes in the poetry were very much about the immigrant experience, like Mr. Rodriguez’s “Resident Alien Card.”
This is what I know of that day: 5 years old
and being walked through the immigrant process
the photo first, two copies
one for the eventual alien card
and one that gets lost in a cardboard box
without a label
until today.
And others were the world we share: sex, family, visiting a mother’s grave.
Sometimes the differences among them seem more striking than the commonalities. But, no, most of the readers seemed to agree that what united them all was that outsider’s eye viewing our strange green oasis, which even in hard times still seems a place of heedless plenty — or at least the omnipresent dream of it.
There was Mr. Murphy, from Wales.
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry from Staten Island
did not close the doors of the orphanage inside him
On that boat he studied Casper the Friendly Ghost
and ate a hot dog and Coke, the first supper of a life
he hoped not to suffer.
Or Ms. Mashinski:
Traffic lights shine from bushes
steppe wolves
Passaic, Passaic! Your quiet but hissing name is
like Mongol campfires
squeezing the fortress
I am the last one to defend.
A Peruvian band, Viento Andino, played Andean music, the poets read and mingled. Other readings were set to be held on Saturday and Sunday.
When it ended on Friday, the musicians packed up their instruments and the hall emptied out like the slow exodus from church. Nearby young men sat on the tailgate of a pickup, drinking beer. The streets were dark and quiet as the nice woman inside the GPS led you this way and that as you headed back, way up the Turnpike, toward Xanadu.
E-mail: peappl@nytimes.com
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Hispanic TV reaches 13 million viewers
UNIVISION’S 2009 “PREMIO LO NUESTROTM” SETS NEW RECORD
MOST VIEWED PROGRAM IN ITS 21-YEAR HISTORY REACHING 13 MILLION VIEWERS
Beats CBS and NBC Among Adults 18-34
#1 Station in Time Period Among Adults 18-34 and 18-49 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston and Dallasl
TV BY THE NUMBERS
MIAMI, FL, MARCH 27, 2009 - Last night’s star-studded broadcast of Univision’s 2009 “Premio Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina®,” which included an historic message from President Barack Obama, broke all previous audience levels and reached 13 million viewers 2+ who watched all or some of the telecast.
In addition, “Premio Lo Nuestro” delivered its highest average audience ever with 6.6 million Total Viewers 2+ and 3.8 million Adults 18-49. The program also made Univision the #3 broadcast network for the night, beating CBS, NBC and the CW among Adults 18-34 with 2.2 million viewers.
Additional Programming Highlights:
#3 broadcast network among Teens 12-17 (380,000), beating ABC, NBC and CW and among Persons 12-34 (2,550,000), beating CBS, NBC and CW
On this very competitive night, the 2009 “Premio Lo Nuestro” telecast delivered more Adults 18-34 and 18-49 than the original episodes of the following English-language programs on this night:
o ABC’s “In the Motherhood” (premiere episode) and “Samantha Who?”
o NBC’s “My Name is Earl”
o CW’s entire programming line-up: “Smallville” and “Supernatural”
Univision’s “Premio Lo Nuestro” in 2009 also had more Hispanic viewers 2+ and Adults 18-49 than the combined audiences of the latest editions of the Academy Awards®, Golden Globes®, Emmy® Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
Source: The Nielsen Company, NPM Fast National Ratings for Thursday 03-26-09, 8pm-11pm, Reach based on Persons 2+, 6+ minute qualified audience. Academy Awards (02/22/09), Golden Globes (01/11/09), Emmy Awards (09/21/08) and MTV Video Music Awards (09/07/08) based on NHPM. Live+SD.
Local Market Highlights:
· Univision was the #1 station during the time period in the following markets:
o Among Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Women 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Men 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Adults 18-49: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Women 18-49: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento
o Among Men 18-49: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Persons 12-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Teens 12-17: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago (tie), and Sacramento
o Among Kids 2-11: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and Sacramento
“Premio Lo Nuestro 2009” was the #1 program of the day in the following markets:
o Among Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Women and Men 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento
o Among Adults, Women and Men 18-49: Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston
o Among Viewers 12-34: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Kids 2-11: Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas (tie), Chicago, and Sacramento
Univision averaged more viewers during “Premio Lo Nuestro’s” time period than ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliate stations combined in Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento among Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34. In addition, “Premio Lo Nuestro” further out-delivered the combined audiences of ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in Miami among Adults 18-49, Men 18-49, and Total Viewers 2+.
Source: Nielsen Station Index, live preliminary ratings, 03/26/2009 (Thu. 8-11pm E/PT, 7-10pm Central).
MOST VIEWED PROGRAM IN ITS 21-YEAR HISTORY REACHING 13 MILLION VIEWERS
Beats CBS and NBC Among Adults 18-34
#1 Station in Time Period Among Adults 18-34 and 18-49 in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston and Dallasl
TV BY THE NUMBERS
MIAMI, FL, MARCH 27, 2009 - Last night’s star-studded broadcast of Univision’s 2009 “Premio Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina®,” which included an historic message from President Barack Obama, broke all previous audience levels and reached 13 million viewers 2+ who watched all or some of the telecast.
In addition, “Premio Lo Nuestro” delivered its highest average audience ever with 6.6 million Total Viewers 2+ and 3.8 million Adults 18-49. The program also made Univision the #3 broadcast network for the night, beating CBS, NBC and the CW among Adults 18-34 with 2.2 million viewers.
Additional Programming Highlights:
#3 broadcast network among Teens 12-17 (380,000), beating ABC, NBC and CW and among Persons 12-34 (2,550,000), beating CBS, NBC and CW
On this very competitive night, the 2009 “Premio Lo Nuestro” telecast delivered more Adults 18-34 and 18-49 than the original episodes of the following English-language programs on this night:
o ABC’s “In the Motherhood” (premiere episode) and “Samantha Who?”
o NBC’s “My Name is Earl”
o CW’s entire programming line-up: “Smallville” and “Supernatural”
Univision’s “Premio Lo Nuestro” in 2009 also had more Hispanic viewers 2+ and Adults 18-49 than the combined audiences of the latest editions of the Academy Awards®, Golden Globes®, Emmy® Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
Source: The Nielsen Company, NPM Fast National Ratings for Thursday 03-26-09, 8pm-11pm, Reach based on Persons 2+, 6+ minute qualified audience. Academy Awards (02/22/09), Golden Globes (01/11/09), Emmy Awards (09/21/08) and MTV Video Music Awards (09/07/08) based on NHPM. Live+SD.
Local Market Highlights:
· Univision was the #1 station during the time period in the following markets:
o Among Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Women 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Men 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Adults 18-49: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Women 18-49: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento
o Among Men 18-49: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Persons 12-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Sacramento
o Among Teens 12-17: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago (tie), and Sacramento
o Among Kids 2-11: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and Sacramento
“Premio Lo Nuestro 2009” was the #1 program of the day in the following markets:
o Among Adults 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Women and Men 18-34: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento
o Among Adults, Women and Men 18-49: Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston
o Among Viewers 12-34: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Sacramento
o Among Kids 2-11: Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas (tie), Chicago, and Sacramento
Univision averaged more viewers during “Premio Lo Nuestro’s” time period than ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliate stations combined in Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, and Sacramento among Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34. In addition, “Premio Lo Nuestro” further out-delivered the combined audiences of ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in Miami among Adults 18-49, Men 18-49, and Total Viewers 2+.
Source: Nielsen Station Index, live preliminary ratings, 03/26/2009 (Thu. 8-11pm E/PT, 7-10pm Central).
Latino sci-fi drama debutes in film festival
Sci-fi drama "GB2525" debutes at San Diego Latino Film Festival
Robert Aguilar Jr., San Diego Film Industry Examiner
One of the highlights of this year’s San Diego Latino Film festival was the premier of the American Latino urban sci-fi drama, “GB2525” Presented by New Legacy Entertainment and produced by John Estrada, GB2525 features the multiple talents of Writer, Director and Actor Jojo Henrickson ("Ladron Que Roba Adron” Lionsgate 2007)
Henrickson’s story is a journey to the dark urban landscape of Los Angeles in the year 2525. A two year truce between rival gangs is broken when the leader of the powerful 54th street gang is murdered in a drive by shooting, His successor, Puppet, seeks a vengeful retaliation but is held off by another gang member named Supa’man. Supa’ is one of the voices and level headed minds that helped to initiate the truce in the first place and he is determined to maintain the peace. So Supa’man and a few of his friends must do what ever they can to find the truth and salvage the truce. But his journey takes him far beyond what he could have ever imagined.
Outstanding performances by Frank Alvarez as “Supa’man” and Richard Azurdia as “Puppet” cap off an outstanding ensemble of soon to be discovered actors. Other stand out performances include Jossara Jinero as “Yoli”, a reformed gang member who has joined Supa’man is his quest for peace. And Ricardo Molina as “Sherlock” a member of a rival gang with outstanding fight skills and an unsteady mind.
GB2525 delivers a strong political message about society and the perception of mankind and it’s future by those who dictate our reality. The use of a futuristic setting lends a whole new element to the traditional gangland tale. Their tagline “In the future the only things that have changed are the weapons” gives a true picture of the nature of man and the way we relate to each other now and how the basic nature of man hasn’t changed. Survival is key and peace is desired but we may never see the two existing together at the same time.
As we participated in a question and answer session at the end of the film a collective gasp came over the crowd as writer/director Jojo Henrickson mentioned that the entire film was shot for less than $50,000. Of course that included a 2 1/2 year shooting schedule and the cooperation and talent of several dedicated actors and crew, but GB252 is a true testament to the passion and drive a filmmaker can have when they believe in their project and their talents.
The future of Latino film is uncertain. Demographics and studio systems dictate that Latino film is a sub culture and that people like John Estrada and Jojo Henrickson are destined to tour the festival circuit for their entire careers. But films like this give hope to an ignored culture. That mainstream entertainment will some day recognize the reality of our society. Organizations like The Media Arts Center and the Latino Film Foundation have helped to bring these talented people to the forefront. And I look forward to the day where Latino filmmakers are featured on the cover of traditional magazines and not the “Latin Edition”.
It is unclear right now if "GB2525" will see theatrical distribution but you will see it on DVD and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it. Set it on your shelf next to your copy of “Gang’s of New York” and don’t think twice about it. It’s not a Latino film. It’s just another great film.
Robert Aguilar Jr., San Diego Film Industry Examiner
One of the highlights of this year’s San Diego Latino Film festival was the premier of the American Latino urban sci-fi drama, “GB2525” Presented by New Legacy Entertainment and produced by John Estrada, GB2525 features the multiple talents of Writer, Director and Actor Jojo Henrickson ("Ladron Que Roba Adron” Lionsgate 2007)
Henrickson’s story is a journey to the dark urban landscape of Los Angeles in the year 2525. A two year truce between rival gangs is broken when the leader of the powerful 54th street gang is murdered in a drive by shooting, His successor, Puppet, seeks a vengeful retaliation but is held off by another gang member named Supa’man. Supa’ is one of the voices and level headed minds that helped to initiate the truce in the first place and he is determined to maintain the peace. So Supa’man and a few of his friends must do what ever they can to find the truth and salvage the truce. But his journey takes him far beyond what he could have ever imagined.
Outstanding performances by Frank Alvarez as “Supa’man” and Richard Azurdia as “Puppet” cap off an outstanding ensemble of soon to be discovered actors. Other stand out performances include Jossara Jinero as “Yoli”, a reformed gang member who has joined Supa’man is his quest for peace. And Ricardo Molina as “Sherlock” a member of a rival gang with outstanding fight skills and an unsteady mind.
GB2525 delivers a strong political message about society and the perception of mankind and it’s future by those who dictate our reality. The use of a futuristic setting lends a whole new element to the traditional gangland tale. Their tagline “In the future the only things that have changed are the weapons” gives a true picture of the nature of man and the way we relate to each other now and how the basic nature of man hasn’t changed. Survival is key and peace is desired but we may never see the two existing together at the same time.
As we participated in a question and answer session at the end of the film a collective gasp came over the crowd as writer/director Jojo Henrickson mentioned that the entire film was shot for less than $50,000. Of course that included a 2 1/2 year shooting schedule and the cooperation and talent of several dedicated actors and crew, but GB252 is a true testament to the passion and drive a filmmaker can have when they believe in their project and their talents.
The future of Latino film is uncertain. Demographics and studio systems dictate that Latino film is a sub culture and that people like John Estrada and Jojo Henrickson are destined to tour the festival circuit for their entire careers. But films like this give hope to an ignored culture. That mainstream entertainment will some day recognize the reality of our society. Organizations like The Media Arts Center and the Latino Film Foundation have helped to bring these talented people to the forefront. And I look forward to the day where Latino filmmakers are featured on the cover of traditional magazines and not the “Latin Edition”.
It is unclear right now if "GB2525" will see theatrical distribution but you will see it on DVD and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it. Set it on your shelf next to your copy of “Gang’s of New York” and don’t think twice about it. It’s not a Latino film. It’s just another great film.
Latino Book and Family Festival in Chicago
The Latino Book and Family Festival
Mayra Calvani mayra.calvani@gmail.com, examiner.com March 27, 2009
If you happen to be in Chicago this weekend, don't miss your chance to meet an oustanding lineup of Latino literary talent at the 10th Annual Latino Book and Family Festival. Some of the guests will include:
Raul de Molina, Univision TV host of 'El Gordo y la Flaca', and the author of La Dieta del Gordo, in which he shares the secret of how he lost 70 pounds without starving. Molina has earned many awards for his outstanding television career.
Maria Marin, motivational trainer and the author of Mujer Sin Limite. Her national newspaper column, named the same as the book (Women Without Limits) is published weekly in the top 30 markets of the US and Puerto Rico. She's the motivational expert for 'Despierta America'.
Susan Orosco, public speaker and the author of Latino Power. In her book, she teaches Latinos how to overcome the challenges of being a Latino in an all-white world, as well as how to unlock the power we have within ourselves to achieve what we want.
Xavier Serbia, radio personality, financial analyst, and ex-member of the band Menudo. He's the founder of XavierSerbia.com, a financial site to help Latinos.
And many others. The authors will be there to talk with fans and sign their books.
The Latino Book and Family Festival is presented by Edward J. Olmos and Latino Literacy Now, and was created to celebrate Latino literature in both Spanish and English and meant to appeal to a wide range of ages and interests.
For more info: http://lbff.us/chicago-nov-10-11
Mayra Calvani mayra.calvani@gmail.com, examiner.com March 27, 2009
If you happen to be in Chicago this weekend, don't miss your chance to meet an oustanding lineup of Latino literary talent at the 10th Annual Latino Book and Family Festival. Some of the guests will include:
Raul de Molina, Univision TV host of 'El Gordo y la Flaca', and the author of La Dieta del Gordo, in which he shares the secret of how he lost 70 pounds without starving. Molina has earned many awards for his outstanding television career.
Maria Marin, motivational trainer and the author of Mujer Sin Limite. Her national newspaper column, named the same as the book (Women Without Limits) is published weekly in the top 30 markets of the US and Puerto Rico. She's the motivational expert for 'Despierta America'.
Susan Orosco, public speaker and the author of Latino Power. In her book, she teaches Latinos how to overcome the challenges of being a Latino in an all-white world, as well as how to unlock the power we have within ourselves to achieve what we want.
Xavier Serbia, radio personality, financial analyst, and ex-member of the band Menudo. He's the founder of XavierSerbia.com, a financial site to help Latinos.
And many others. The authors will be there to talk with fans and sign their books.
The Latino Book and Family Festival is presented by Edward J. Olmos and Latino Literacy Now, and was created to celebrate Latino literature in both Spanish and English and meant to appeal to a wide range of ages and interests.
For more info: http://lbff.us/chicago-nov-10-11
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hispanic magazines lose advertising
Hispanic Magazine Ad Pages Down 17 Percent Through February
Report: Some of the largest titles hit hardest; more magazines to fold.
By Jason Fell, Folio Magazine, 03/23/2009
Hispanic magazines have been hit just as hard as the rest of the U.S. consumer magazine industry during the recession, according to a new report from advertising research company Media Economics Group.
According to the report, ad page declines at Hispanic magazines were significantly steeper through the first two months of 2009 (-17.2 percent) than they were in 2008 (-11.8 percent). Estimated revenue through February was down 20.9 percent, compared with a gain of 1.9 percent last year.
“Right now, every magazine is hurting, from the largest to the smallest,” Media Economics Group president Carlos Pelay told FOLIO:.
Some of the largest Hispanic magazines reported severe declines in first quarter ad pages numbers. The sharpest came from Meredith’s Siempre Mujer, which reported pages were down 39.8 percent for the period. People en Español (-24.8 percent), Latina (-27.6), RDA’s Selecciones (-13.9) and Cosmopolitan en Español (-7.4) also reported declines.
As a result of the economic crunch, a number of Hispanic titles—including AMI’s Mira!, Impremedia’s Vista and Meredith’s Ser Padres—have made strategic changes, such as reducing rate bases and frequencies. Meanwhile, titles like People en Español and Siempre Mujer raised rate bases in 2009.
“I think we will see some additional magazines fold—especially smaller, marginal titles,” Pelay said. “I think those with a niche or more targeted audience are more vulnerable than larger titles with a broader audience.”
Some Hispanic titles that folded or suspended publication since last year include: ESPN Deportes-La Revista, Sports Illustrated Latino and Tu Ciudad Los Angeles.
Report: Some of the largest titles hit hardest; more magazines to fold.
By Jason Fell, Folio Magazine, 03/23/2009
Hispanic magazines have been hit just as hard as the rest of the U.S. consumer magazine industry during the recession, according to a new report from advertising research company Media Economics Group.
According to the report, ad page declines at Hispanic magazines were significantly steeper through the first two months of 2009 (-17.2 percent) than they were in 2008 (-11.8 percent). Estimated revenue through February was down 20.9 percent, compared with a gain of 1.9 percent last year.
“Right now, every magazine is hurting, from the largest to the smallest,” Media Economics Group president Carlos Pelay told FOLIO:.
Some of the largest Hispanic magazines reported severe declines in first quarter ad pages numbers. The sharpest came from Meredith’s Siempre Mujer, which reported pages were down 39.8 percent for the period. People en Español (-24.8 percent), Latina (-27.6), RDA’s Selecciones (-13.9) and Cosmopolitan en Español (-7.4) also reported declines.
As a result of the economic crunch, a number of Hispanic titles—including AMI’s Mira!, Impremedia’s Vista and Meredith’s Ser Padres—have made strategic changes, such as reducing rate bases and frequencies. Meanwhile, titles like People en Español and Siempre Mujer raised rate bases in 2009.
“I think we will see some additional magazines fold—especially smaller, marginal titles,” Pelay said. “I think those with a niche or more targeted audience are more vulnerable than larger titles with a broader audience.”
Some Hispanic titles that folded or suspended publication since last year include: ESPN Deportes-La Revista, Sports Illustrated Latino and Tu Ciudad Los Angeles.
Hispanic newspaper to sponsor Atlanta's Cinco de Mayo
MundoHispanico to Serve as Exclusive Sponsor for Atlanta's Premier Cinco de Mayo Festival 'Fiesta Atlanta'
Fox Business, March 23, 2009
ATLANTA, March 23, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Hispanic newspaper enters into a three year sponsorship of Fiesta Atlanta through 2011
Lanza Group, LLC, Atlanta's leading Hispanic marketing, PR & events firm, today proudly announced that MundoHispanico will be an official sponsor for Fiesta Atlanta from 2009 through 2011. Fiesta Atlanta is an outdoor Cinco de Mayo festival celebrating Latino culture, music and food. The 3rd annual Fiesta Atlanta event will take place on Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 10 AM to 7 PM at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.
MundoHispanico is celebrating their 30th year anniversary and are preparing for a great year. "Fiesta Atlanta will give us the opportunity to reconnect with our community," said Anibal Torres, Publisher of MundoHispanico. "We're pleased to partner with Fiesta Atlanta and have many wonderful things in store for all who attend."
"We're really excited that MundoHispanico will be joining us for the next three years as an official sponsor," said Ralph E. Herrera, President of Lanza Group, LLC. "As part of the family of Cox Newspapers we welcome them in the upcoming years to create great bridges with your community."
Fiesta Atlanta '09 events include continuous live performances by national and local artists, an artist's market, a children's stage, and vendor booths offering free product samples, and authentic Latino foods. For more information about Fiesta Atlanta '09, contact Cynthia Vergara at (404) 350-0200 or at cvergara@lanzagroup.com. You can also visit www.fiestaatlanta.com.
Fox Business, March 23, 2009
ATLANTA, March 23, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Hispanic newspaper enters into a three year sponsorship of Fiesta Atlanta through 2011
Lanza Group, LLC, Atlanta's leading Hispanic marketing, PR & events firm, today proudly announced that MundoHispanico will be an official sponsor for Fiesta Atlanta from 2009 through 2011. Fiesta Atlanta is an outdoor Cinco de Mayo festival celebrating Latino culture, music and food. The 3rd annual Fiesta Atlanta event will take place on Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 10 AM to 7 PM at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.
MundoHispanico is celebrating their 30th year anniversary and are preparing for a great year. "Fiesta Atlanta will give us the opportunity to reconnect with our community," said Anibal Torres, Publisher of MundoHispanico. "We're pleased to partner with Fiesta Atlanta and have many wonderful things in store for all who attend."
"We're really excited that MundoHispanico will be joining us for the next three years as an official sponsor," said Ralph E. Herrera, President of Lanza Group, LLC. "As part of the family of Cox Newspapers we welcome them in the upcoming years to create great bridges with your community."
Fiesta Atlanta '09 events include continuous live performances by national and local artists, an artist's market, a children's stage, and vendor booths offering free product samples, and authentic Latino foods. For more information about Fiesta Atlanta '09, contact Cynthia Vergara at (404) 350-0200 or at cvergara@lanzagroup.com. You can also visit www.fiestaatlanta.com.
Latino bookstore feeds more than the mind
Outpost of literature feeds the body and the mind
Bookstore and restaurant
Hector Tobar, LA Times, March 24, 2009
Somewhere up in poet heaven, Roque Dalton is a happy man.
Just across the street from MacArthur Park, the town square of Central American immigrants in Los Angeles, a tiny storefront has an entire shelf dedicated to the works of the Salvadoran writer, who died in 1975.
Dalton's poems celebrate the tenacity of Salvadorans and their diaspora across the Americas. If his books had eyes, they could look through the store's glass window and see his countrymen hawking snow cones and tacos outside.
The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda lives inside the Librería Hispanoamérica too. His "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" is a popular item there, as is the work of another Nobel laureate, the Guatemalan novelist Miguel Angel Asturias.
Spotting great literature in the shadow of the park's aging palm trees, in a corner of the city once infamous for the sale of crack cocaine and sex, felt at first like stumbling upon a mirage.
One of the local alcoholics thought so too. First, he wandered over from the park's lawns and skeptically inspected the freshly swept sidewalks in front of the bookstore. Then, persuaded they were real, he stepped inside.
"Señora, you've earned a spot in heaven," he told owner Aura Quezada. "Because in this place where everyone opens liquor stores, you have opened a bookstore."
The bookstore is still open, despite some recent hard times, thanks to an informal network of activists, shoppers, businesspeople and city officials. Together, they believe MacArthur Park can remain a place where good people gather. And they're not going to give up just because there's less cash floating around.
They've tossed the old, bottom-line ways of thinking about this neighborhood out the window. And whether you call their philosophy anti-economics or just plain solidarity, we need more of it to get our city out of the hole we're in.
Aura and her husband, the Guatemalan novelist Roberto Quezada, started selling books instead of cheap wine on 7th Street because they saw something more than money when they looked at the people who reside and shop there.
"We don't live from what we make here," Aura told me. "It's a kind of hobby for us. We do it for our customers because they depend on us."
The Quezadas live on Roberto's salary as a court interpreter. They've survived as booksellers, in part, thanks to a neighbor -- the legendary tamale cook Sandra Romero of Mama's Hot Tamales.
Sales have dipped for Romero's tamale restaurant so she's rented a part of her space to the bookstore in the hope that together they can weather the economic storm. If either had to close, Romero said, "We would lose our eyes on the park."
The bookstore and the tamale restaurant, along with a handful of other nonprofits and development projects in the surrounding streets, are anchors that keep the park from drifting back to a crime-ridden past.
The restaurant draws connoisseurs with its excellent tamales. The bookstore's customers, for the most part, are hungry too -- for knowledge.
The Quezadas' most loyal patrons include a Salvadoran bus driver, a school janitor from Honduras and several dozen Guatemalan garment workers who buy a new, thick Spanish-language dictionary-encyclopedia every year.
The garment workers are Kanjobal Indians for whom Spanish is a second language and English a third. To them, the Pequeño Larousse Ilustrado, with its "200,000 word definitions and 5,000 illustrations" is well worth the $42 price.
The Quezadas founded the bookstore in 1996 with books from Roberto's private collection.
They gave their store the name of a large and famous bookseller in San Salvador, thus triggering happy memories for many of the Salvadorans who walk past.
Many of the customers are like Julio Lozano, a Salvadoran bus driver from the San Fernando Valley who used to live in the neighborhood. He shops in MacArthur Park instead of his local mall, he said, because it's "the cradle of Central Americans" in Los Angeles. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Bookstore and restaurant
Hector Tobar, LA Times, March 24, 2009
Somewhere up in poet heaven, Roque Dalton is a happy man.
Just across the street from MacArthur Park, the town square of Central American immigrants in Los Angeles, a tiny storefront has an entire shelf dedicated to the works of the Salvadoran writer, who died in 1975.
Dalton's poems celebrate the tenacity of Salvadorans and their diaspora across the Americas. If his books had eyes, they could look through the store's glass window and see his countrymen hawking snow cones and tacos outside.
The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda lives inside the Librería Hispanoamérica too. His "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" is a popular item there, as is the work of another Nobel laureate, the Guatemalan novelist Miguel Angel Asturias.
Spotting great literature in the shadow of the park's aging palm trees, in a corner of the city once infamous for the sale of crack cocaine and sex, felt at first like stumbling upon a mirage.
One of the local alcoholics thought so too. First, he wandered over from the park's lawns and skeptically inspected the freshly swept sidewalks in front of the bookstore. Then, persuaded they were real, he stepped inside.
"Señora, you've earned a spot in heaven," he told owner Aura Quezada. "Because in this place where everyone opens liquor stores, you have opened a bookstore."
The bookstore is still open, despite some recent hard times, thanks to an informal network of activists, shoppers, businesspeople and city officials. Together, they believe MacArthur Park can remain a place where good people gather. And they're not going to give up just because there's less cash floating around.
They've tossed the old, bottom-line ways of thinking about this neighborhood out the window. And whether you call their philosophy anti-economics or just plain solidarity, we need more of it to get our city out of the hole we're in.
Aura and her husband, the Guatemalan novelist Roberto Quezada, started selling books instead of cheap wine on 7th Street because they saw something more than money when they looked at the people who reside and shop there.
"We don't live from what we make here," Aura told me. "It's a kind of hobby for us. We do it for our customers because they depend on us."
The Quezadas live on Roberto's salary as a court interpreter. They've survived as booksellers, in part, thanks to a neighbor -- the legendary tamale cook Sandra Romero of Mama's Hot Tamales.
Sales have dipped for Romero's tamale restaurant so she's rented a part of her space to the bookstore in the hope that together they can weather the economic storm. If either had to close, Romero said, "We would lose our eyes on the park."
The bookstore and the tamale restaurant, along with a handful of other nonprofits and development projects in the surrounding streets, are anchors that keep the park from drifting back to a crime-ridden past.
The restaurant draws connoisseurs with its excellent tamales. The bookstore's customers, for the most part, are hungry too -- for knowledge.
The Quezadas' most loyal patrons include a Salvadoran bus driver, a school janitor from Honduras and several dozen Guatemalan garment workers who buy a new, thick Spanish-language dictionary-encyclopedia every year.
The garment workers are Kanjobal Indians for whom Spanish is a second language and English a third. To them, the Pequeño Larousse Ilustrado, with its "200,000 word definitions and 5,000 illustrations" is well worth the $42 price.
The Quezadas founded the bookstore in 1996 with books from Roberto's private collection.
They gave their store the name of a large and famous bookseller in San Salvador, thus triggering happy memories for many of the Salvadorans who walk past.
Many of the customers are like Julio Lozano, a Salvadoran bus driver from the San Fernando Valley who used to live in the neighborhood. He shops in MacArthur Park instead of his local mall, he said, because it's "the cradle of Central Americans" in Los Angeles. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Latinos in the eye of Blockbuster
Blockbuster courts Latino auds
Homevid co., Maya team for film festival
By ANNA MARIE DE LA FUENTE, Variety
Beleaguered homevid retail giant Blockbuster is making a pitch for the fast-growing U.S. Hispanic market by teaming with mini-Latino studio Maya Entertainment to set up a film festival and screenwriting competition.
"We've always had an eye on the growing Hispanic demo, which has overindexed on movies and DVDs for a number of years now," said Keith Leopard, Blockbuster's film content director.
Move is aimed at driving more customers to the retailer's 3,900 U.S. stores, which account for roughly 70% of its revenues. At least 400 of the stores are in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Fest, dubbed Maya Independent Sponsored by Blockbuster, will screen Latino-themed pics in 10 cities including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Fest kicks off in June and wraps in September (Hispanic Heritage Month), when pics will be available for rental exclusively at Blockbuster.
Titles include 2008 Sundance Film Festival entry "Mancora" and 2008 Toronto selection title "Once Upon a Time in Rio." The official list, including mainstream, genre and arthouse titles, will be unveiled shortly.
"The biggest problem in expanding Latino shelf space among homevideo retailers was the lack of a consistent quality flow of product," said Maya Home Entertainment VP Victor Elizalde.
The Los Angeles-based upstart, founded in February 2008, aims to release each year some 30-40 Latino-themed pics, including theatrical and direct-to-video titles that it produces or acquires.
Festival films will be shown on some screens belonging to sister exhib Maya Cinemas, which will have 50 screens in California by September.
Maya aims to spend up to $1 million on P&A, using local TV, radio, Internet, mobile campaigns and grassroots promotions, according to Maya VP of marketing and digital media Jaime Gamboa.
Meanwhile, the winner of screenwriting competition Project Goldenlight will likely have a theatrical release before being made available exclusively at participating Blockbuster stores.
The selection panel includes "Transformers" and "Star Trek" scribe Roberto Orci, Maya founder and CEO Moctesuma Esparza, LatinoReview.com's El Mayimbe and Endeavor agent Alexis Garcia.
Blockbuster posted a net loss of $359.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Homevid co., Maya team for film festival
By ANNA MARIE DE LA FUENTE, Variety
Beleaguered homevid retail giant Blockbuster is making a pitch for the fast-growing U.S. Hispanic market by teaming with mini-Latino studio Maya Entertainment to set up a film festival and screenwriting competition.
"We've always had an eye on the growing Hispanic demo, which has overindexed on movies and DVDs for a number of years now," said Keith Leopard, Blockbuster's film content director.
Move is aimed at driving more customers to the retailer's 3,900 U.S. stores, which account for roughly 70% of its revenues. At least 400 of the stores are in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Fest, dubbed Maya Independent Sponsored by Blockbuster, will screen Latino-themed pics in 10 cities including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Fest kicks off in June and wraps in September (Hispanic Heritage Month), when pics will be available for rental exclusively at Blockbuster.
Titles include 2008 Sundance Film Festival entry "Mancora" and 2008 Toronto selection title "Once Upon a Time in Rio." The official list, including mainstream, genre and arthouse titles, will be unveiled shortly.
"The biggest problem in expanding Latino shelf space among homevideo retailers was the lack of a consistent quality flow of product," said Maya Home Entertainment VP Victor Elizalde.
The Los Angeles-based upstart, founded in February 2008, aims to release each year some 30-40 Latino-themed pics, including theatrical and direct-to-video titles that it produces or acquires.
Festival films will be shown on some screens belonging to sister exhib Maya Cinemas, which will have 50 screens in California by September.
Maya aims to spend up to $1 million on P&A, using local TV, radio, Internet, mobile campaigns and grassroots promotions, according to Maya VP of marketing and digital media Jaime Gamboa.
Meanwhile, the winner of screenwriting competition Project Goldenlight will likely have a theatrical release before being made available exclusively at participating Blockbuster stores.
The selection panel includes "Transformers" and "Star Trek" scribe Roberto Orci, Maya founder and CEO Moctesuma Esparza, LatinoReview.com's El Mayimbe and Endeavor agent Alexis Garcia.
Blockbuster posted a net loss of $359.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Latino Rockabilly Hot - Caliente
Phoenix’s Latino Rockabilly Set Turns the Beat Around
By Niki D'Andrea, PHOENIX NEWTIMES, March 24, 2009
On a small corner stage at Chopper John's, Marco Polo's getting ready to perform with his Mexican psychobilly trio, Curse of the Pink Hearse. Most of the patrons at this biker bar on east Indian School Road in Phoenix are white, blue collar 30-somethings kicking off a late-winter weekend with shots of Patrón and a couple of games of pool, but there's also a handful of rockabilly types, dressed in cuffed blue jeans and leather jackets.
The club manager gets onstage, beneath the blue neon glow of a Budweiser sign. "Kill the jukebox," she says. "It's so cool to have this band here. Marco Polo was, like, the first rockabilly guy in Phoenix, since, like, the '80s. Please welcome Curse of the Pink Hearse!"
Behind her, Marco Polo smiles. He's wearing sunglasses and gripping an upright bass that's almost as big as he is. It's painted to look like a spotted cow. When the band starts to play, Polo assails his bass with fast finger work and half-sings, half-growls into the microphone. "The devil is woman, and the devil have my soul . . . "
Polo's accent is so thick that it's hard to understand what he's singing most of the time, or even whether he's singing in English or Spanish. But it doesn't matter to the crowd inside Chopper John's, because the beat has got their souls. A young, raven-haired woman in tight jeans and a tank top grinds around on her boyfriend's lap at the bar, then grabs another woman in a clingy dress and starts writhing all over her. When an unsuspecting blond woman walks out of the restroom and accidentally bumps into the dancing dames, they grab her and sweep her up into the dance. Even people sitting on bar stools are bobbing their heads and wiggling in their seats.
The beat that moves them is a Latin rhythm, a variation of the habanera, with sharp snare drums punctuating what should be the "weak" or unstressed beats in the rhythmic pattern. The result is a popping, knee-cracking beat that even the most rhythmically challenged can move to.
Onstage, Polo is possessed. The cow bass he's playing once belonged to the late Bruce Hamblin, of The Varmints and The Cowbillies, bands that were at the forefront of the '80s rockabilly revival in Phoenix. Hamblin was one of Polo's heroes — when Polo, now 40, moved here from Mexico City in 1987, he saw The Cowbillies playing on a corner on Mill Avenue in Tempe, and was inspired to start Curse of the Pink Hearse. Hamblin died in 1996 of liver failure; he believed in Polo enough to will his bass to him.
Polo views the cow bass as a portal to the soul of rock 'n' roll, and tonight, it really looks as though he might need an exorcist. With sweat flying from his hair, he bangs his head in time with the breakneck rhythms and makes contorted, grimacing faces that express a combination of pain and ecstasy. He leans over and turns the bass sideways, furiously plucking at the big steel strings and almost mounting the instrument. It looks as if he were wrestling with a heifer.
His passion is earnest — after all, Polo's had to fight hard for a place in the rockabilly scene. "When I first started playing, people told me I couldn't be rockabilly because I wasn't American," he says. "They said, 'You don't have the southern accent, like Elvis.'"
Mexican rockabilly sounds like a strange idea to most people. The pervasive view, even today, seems to be that rockabilly bands comprise white guys with pompadours who drive classic cars and play twangy, reverb-drenched guitar.
But both the rhythm of rockabilly and the custom cars so big within the scene actually have roots in Latin dances and Chicano lowrider culture, so it's really not shocking that the Mexican rockabilly scene is thriving in Phoenix.
Latino artists dominated last weekend's three-day Arizona Rockabilly Festival, dubbed "Tres Días (Three Days) in the Desert." Marco Polo and his bands Acapulco Five-O and Curse of the Pink Hearse played for thousands.
For Marco Polo (born Marco Saldana), being a Mexican who makes rockabilly music isn't so strange. The lifelong rockabilly enthusiast says the genre crosses all cultures. "I've got records from the '50s of Mexican rockabilly, German rockabilly, Japanese rockabilly," he says. "The thing is, everybody told me I couldn't be rockabilly, even though everybody adopted rockabilly, right? Because when people think of rockabilly, they think of country music. But as a Latino, I don't care so much about the country part."
So, Polo says, he took rockabilly and gave it his own twist. "A lot of Latino rockabilly will mix cumbias and norteño music with country music," he says. "What I came up with was a mix of . . . Spanish guitars — like flamenco guitars — and Central American guitar with the rockabilly standup bass and snare and crash cymbal. It's all about the flavor you want to bring."
As an example, Polo talks about Phoenix native Mario Moreno, who played with Bruce Hamblin in The Varmints during the '70s. Moreno's family has been in Arizona for multiple generations — he says his grandmother came to the state when it was still part of Mexico. In the '70s, Moreno was the most influential local figure in Latino rockabilly. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
By Niki D'Andrea, PHOENIX NEWTIMES, March 24, 2009
On a small corner stage at Chopper John's, Marco Polo's getting ready to perform with his Mexican psychobilly trio, Curse of the Pink Hearse. Most of the patrons at this biker bar on east Indian School Road in Phoenix are white, blue collar 30-somethings kicking off a late-winter weekend with shots of Patrón and a couple of games of pool, but there's also a handful of rockabilly types, dressed in cuffed blue jeans and leather jackets.
The club manager gets onstage, beneath the blue neon glow of a Budweiser sign. "Kill the jukebox," she says. "It's so cool to have this band here. Marco Polo was, like, the first rockabilly guy in Phoenix, since, like, the '80s. Please welcome Curse of the Pink Hearse!"
Behind her, Marco Polo smiles. He's wearing sunglasses and gripping an upright bass that's almost as big as he is. It's painted to look like a spotted cow. When the band starts to play, Polo assails his bass with fast finger work and half-sings, half-growls into the microphone. "The devil is woman, and the devil have my soul . . . "
Polo's accent is so thick that it's hard to understand what he's singing most of the time, or even whether he's singing in English or Spanish. But it doesn't matter to the crowd inside Chopper John's, because the beat has got their souls. A young, raven-haired woman in tight jeans and a tank top grinds around on her boyfriend's lap at the bar, then grabs another woman in a clingy dress and starts writhing all over her. When an unsuspecting blond woman walks out of the restroom and accidentally bumps into the dancing dames, they grab her and sweep her up into the dance. Even people sitting on bar stools are bobbing their heads and wiggling in their seats.
The beat that moves them is a Latin rhythm, a variation of the habanera, with sharp snare drums punctuating what should be the "weak" or unstressed beats in the rhythmic pattern. The result is a popping, knee-cracking beat that even the most rhythmically challenged can move to.
Onstage, Polo is possessed. The cow bass he's playing once belonged to the late Bruce Hamblin, of The Varmints and The Cowbillies, bands that were at the forefront of the '80s rockabilly revival in Phoenix. Hamblin was one of Polo's heroes — when Polo, now 40, moved here from Mexico City in 1987, he saw The Cowbillies playing on a corner on Mill Avenue in Tempe, and was inspired to start Curse of the Pink Hearse. Hamblin died in 1996 of liver failure; he believed in Polo enough to will his bass to him.
Polo views the cow bass as a portal to the soul of rock 'n' roll, and tonight, it really looks as though he might need an exorcist. With sweat flying from his hair, he bangs his head in time with the breakneck rhythms and makes contorted, grimacing faces that express a combination of pain and ecstasy. He leans over and turns the bass sideways, furiously plucking at the big steel strings and almost mounting the instrument. It looks as if he were wrestling with a heifer.
His passion is earnest — after all, Polo's had to fight hard for a place in the rockabilly scene. "When I first started playing, people told me I couldn't be rockabilly because I wasn't American," he says. "They said, 'You don't have the southern accent, like Elvis.'"
Mexican rockabilly sounds like a strange idea to most people. The pervasive view, even today, seems to be that rockabilly bands comprise white guys with pompadours who drive classic cars and play twangy, reverb-drenched guitar.
But both the rhythm of rockabilly and the custom cars so big within the scene actually have roots in Latin dances and Chicano lowrider culture, so it's really not shocking that the Mexican rockabilly scene is thriving in Phoenix.
Latino artists dominated last weekend's three-day Arizona Rockabilly Festival, dubbed "Tres Días (Three Days) in the Desert." Marco Polo and his bands Acapulco Five-O and Curse of the Pink Hearse played for thousands.
For Marco Polo (born Marco Saldana), being a Mexican who makes rockabilly music isn't so strange. The lifelong rockabilly enthusiast says the genre crosses all cultures. "I've got records from the '50s of Mexican rockabilly, German rockabilly, Japanese rockabilly," he says. "The thing is, everybody told me I couldn't be rockabilly, even though everybody adopted rockabilly, right? Because when people think of rockabilly, they think of country music. But as a Latino, I don't care so much about the country part."
So, Polo says, he took rockabilly and gave it his own twist. "A lot of Latino rockabilly will mix cumbias and norteño music with country music," he says. "What I came up with was a mix of . . . Spanish guitars — like flamenco guitars — and Central American guitar with the rockabilly standup bass and snare and crash cymbal. It's all about the flavor you want to bring."
As an example, Polo talks about Phoenix native Mario Moreno, who played with Bruce Hamblin in The Varmints during the '70s. Moreno's family has been in Arizona for multiple generations — he says his grandmother came to the state when it was still part of Mexico. In the '70s, Moreno was the most influential local figure in Latino rockabilly. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Hispanics watch Dancing, Idol
Hispanic Viewership: Dancing With the Stars Sashays Closer to Idol
Suzanne Heibel--HispanicBusiness.com March 26, 2009
Despite Hispanic viewers' love for American Idol, Dancing with the Stars gained significant momentum on the Most Watched list for the week of March 16, tying with American Idol's Tuesday showing for the second spot, as well as nabbing the seventh place for its results show.
DWTS and AI are both in their eighth seasons and the competition on both is heating up. American Idol's Wednesday show ranked first for the ump-teenth week in a row, but Nielsen's Top 10 welcomed new comers American Dad and Law & Order: SVU, who tied for ninth on the English language list. Manana para Siempre and Ciudado con el Angel maintained their rankings as the number one and two spots, respectively, on the Spanish-language rankings, followed by Nuestra Belleza and Rosa de Guadalupe.
American Idol contestants Matt Giraud and Allison Iraheta seemed to be unstoppable this week. Though the top 11 idol contestants had to perform a country song of their choice--a notorious tough category--Giraud and Iraheta passed to the next round with ease, using strong song choices and working those pipes. Ironically, Alexis Grace, the 21-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, who is from a city mired in country music, was given the boot for her rendition of "Jolene." Judge Simon solidified the voter's qualms with her sub-par performance after he told her that she sounded too similar to Dolly Parton, indicating, perhaps, that Grace didn't inject her own personality into the performance. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Suzanne Heibel--HispanicBusiness.com March 26, 2009
Despite Hispanic viewers' love for American Idol, Dancing with the Stars gained significant momentum on the Most Watched list for the week of March 16, tying with American Idol's Tuesday showing for the second spot, as well as nabbing the seventh place for its results show.
DWTS and AI are both in their eighth seasons and the competition on both is heating up. American Idol's Wednesday show ranked first for the ump-teenth week in a row, but Nielsen's Top 10 welcomed new comers American Dad and Law & Order: SVU, who tied for ninth on the English language list. Manana para Siempre and Ciudado con el Angel maintained their rankings as the number one and two spots, respectively, on the Spanish-language rankings, followed by Nuestra Belleza and Rosa de Guadalupe.
American Idol contestants Matt Giraud and Allison Iraheta seemed to be unstoppable this week. Though the top 11 idol contestants had to perform a country song of their choice--a notorious tough category--Giraud and Iraheta passed to the next round with ease, using strong song choices and working those pipes. Ironically, Alexis Grace, the 21-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, who is from a city mired in country music, was given the boot for her rendition of "Jolene." Judge Simon solidified the voter's qualms with her sub-par performance after he told her that she sounded too similar to Dolly Parton, indicating, perhaps, that Grace didn't inject her own personality into the performance. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
EVENT PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITY
March 23, 2009
Dear Corporate Friend:
The Latino Journal has been in publication for a little over 13 years, establishing a strong following among many of the nation’s most affluent readers and becoming one of the most respected publications. This past year, we expanded our reach by publishing a weekly E-News, highlighting different themes, but with a focus of providing public policy and government information from a Latino perspective. Published in English, our readers span the racial and cultural rich population the nation has become.
To support our business endeavors, eleven years ago we also established “The Latino Leader’s Reception,” an annual event held in January of each year in Sacramento, California, our home base. This politically charged event brings business and political leaders together for several hours of networking, planning, and establishing agendas that will benefit the Latino community.
Now, with the support from Sacramento Councilmember Sandy Sheedy and the Del Paso Boulevard Merchants Partnership, the Latino Journal hopes to establish another signature event, the “Vida de Oro Latino Folk Art Festival,” a family event set for May 8 and 9, 2009 on Del Paso Boulevard in Sacramento, California. Its goal is to highlight the finer qualities of the Latino community by featuring Artists whose work is influencing the perception of Latinos in the United States. In addition, Latino crafters will be able to show their handmade wares, offering a glimpse into a culturally rich past. Finally, it offers attendees an opportunity to see tomorrow’s musical and artistic talent.
The Vida de Oro Latino Folk Art Festival takes full advantage of two popular dates that promises to attract up to 4,000 attendees: 1) It is Mother’s Day weekend; and, 2) it is also Sacramento’s Second Saturday, which promotes the arts.
Attached is additional information to help you consider participating in this important and dynamic event. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or if there are special needs you will be seeking.
Sincerely,
Adrian Perez, Publisher
Latino Journal
aperez@latinojournal.net
(916) 396-4053
_________________________________________________________________________________
’09 Vida de Oro Latino Folk Art Festival
May 8 and 9, 2009 - Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, California
Sponsorship Levels
Title Sponsor – $5,000
This executive level includes, or as negotiated:
∑ A speaking role at opening reception and main stage;
∑ Recognition on all promotional materials and media;
∑ Square button ad (linked) in 24 issues of the Latino Journal weekly E-News;
∑ Information booth;
∑ Corporate logo in the giant screen during main entertainment event;
∑ A full page Ad in the program book; and,
∑ Other concessions as negotiated.
Platinum Sponsor - $4,000
This premium level includes, or as negotiated:
∑ Company representative provide brief remarks at main stage;
∑ Recognition on all promotional materials;
∑ Square button ad (linked) in 16 issues of the Latino Journal weekly E-News
∑ An information booth;
∑ Corporate logo on the giant screen during main entertainment event; and,
∑ A Full-page ad in the program book.
Gold Sponsor - $3,000
This optimum level includes:
∑ Recognition during the program at main stage;
∑ Recognition on all promotional materials;
∑ Square Button ad (linked) in 12 issues of the Latino Journal weekly E-News;
∑ An information booth; and,
∑ A Half-page ad in the program book.
Silver Sponsor - $2,000
This popular level includes:
∑ Recognition during the program at main stage;
∑ Square Button ad (linked) in 8 issues of the Latino Journal weekly E-News
∑ An information booth; and,
∑ A quarter-page ad in the program book.
Informational Booth - $500
_______________________________________________________________________________
’09 Vida de Oro Latino Folk Art Festival
May 8 and 9, 2009 - Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, California
Tenative Schedule
May 8, 2009 Opening Reception: The Artisian Gallery (Main Venue)
5:30 P.M. Reception Doors Open – Networking Reception
Food and No-host Bar (Wine & Beer only)
6:00 P.M. to 6:20 Opening/Welcoming Remarks
6:20 p.m. to 6:45 Featured Artist Introductions and Presentations
6:45 p.m. to 10:00 Gallery Visits
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 Poetry Reading (Artisian Theatre)
10:00 p.m. Conclusion
May 9, 2009 Latino Folk Art Festival
3:00 p.m. Booths open for business
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 Car Show
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 Fashion Show
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 Craft Demonstrations
5:30 p.m. to 9:30 Live Music Entertainment
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 Gallery Visits
6:00 p.m. to 6:30 Welcoming Remarks (Mayor Kevin Johnson, Artisian Hall)
6:30 p.m. to 6:45 Aztec Dancers (Artisian Hall)
6:45 p.m. to 7:15 Vaquero Roping Demonstration
7:15 p.m. to 8:00 Live Music
8:00 p.m. to 9:30 The Sosa Sisters
10:00 Conclusion
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT ADVANCE NOTICE
__________________________________________________________________________________
Featured Artists
Felipe Davalos
Mr. Felipe Davalos is a former illustrator for National Geographic and is well known for his knowledge of and working with pre-Columbian art. The combination of etchings, drawings and paintings he has created depict some of meso-America’s most interesting yet little told history. Mr. Davalos will share knowledge and discussions about his work with all art seekers, including stories of some of his most fascinating travels across the earth.
Juanishi Orosco
Mr. Juanishi Orosco is Sacramento’s least known famous artist, whose work spans several decades and can be seen in the beautiful murals that decorate the city of Sacramento. From the mural welcoming tourists in the Sacramento-Old Sacramento connector tunnel, to the influences he has had on many of Sacramento’s youth, Mr. Orosco’s work has been featured in local and national media.
F. A. Romero
A professional photographer for the last couple of decades, Mr. F. A. Romero has captured some of the most important and historical images of Latinos in California. From Cesar Chavez to current leaders like former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, the eye of Mr. Romero’s camera tells a story few can share with California’s future leaders.
Guillermina “Mina” Perez
As a child, Ms. Mina Perez was told by her grandmother to learn to use her hands to preserve traditions of the past. Today, Ms. Perez produces high-end pincushions, broaches, corsages and other handmade wares whose traditions date back to the colonial period. Her products are meticulously embellished with materials of the period and sold under the name of “Mina’s Treasures.”
The Sosa Sisters
From near tragedy to growing success, the Sosa Sisters are six Latinas ranging in age from 7 to 14. Born to a mother that was unable to care for them, the young girls were separated into different foster homes. One of those foster parents decided they wanted to reunite them, so, with the help of the adoption agency, they became a family once again. Their new adopted father was an accomplished musician who has taught the young girls to sing and play instruments. The Sosa Sisters have been the opening act for such pop groups as “SAPO” and “War.” They are completing a new CD and are being considered for a show by Nickelodeon.
_________________________________________________________________________________
SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT FORM
’09 Vida de Oro Latino Folk Art Festival
May 8 and 9, 2009 – Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, California
Please complete and sign this Sponsorship Agreement Form and either email it back to aperez@latinojournal.net or fax to (480) 287-9833 by not later than May 1, 2009.
This is to certify that I, ____________________________ am an official representative of ___________________________ and am authorized to enter into this agreement with the Latino Journal as indicated in the sponsorship level marked below.
I further understand that payment for this sponsorship will be made not later than January 10, 2009, by the company I am representing.
Sponsorship Levels: Level Selected
Title Sponsor – $5,000 _______
Platinum Sponsor - $4,000 _______
Gold Sponsor - $3,000 _______
Silver Sponsor - $2,000 _______
Other Participation Options:
Information Booth: $500 _______
Advertise on the Program Book
Full-page ad: $500 _______
Half-page ad: $200 _______
Authorizing Signature: _________________________________ Date: ________________
Please make checks payable to Latino Journal and mail to 1017 L Street, PMB 719, Sacramento, CA 95814. Call for advertising specifications – (916) 396-4053.
Payment is due by May 1, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Latino basketball player shows he can play
Western Kentucky's Orlando Mendez-Valdez determined to succeed
He has taken hard road from San Antonio to NCAA tournament
Rick Morrissey | CHICAGO TRIBUNE, March 21, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. — If you watched Western Kentucky's victory over Illinois the other night, you might have noticed the Hilltoppers' Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
He's a really, really good basketball player.
He's also 6 feet 1 inch and Hispanic.
It took the former — and unbending determination — to overcome the latter. And if you don't think being Mexican-American makes playing Division I basketball a challenge, you haven't been paying attention.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Mendez-Valdez had one Division I scholarship offer coming out of high school in San Antonio, then had it yanked away at the last moment when Texas State chose to give it to another player. Rather than go to one of the junior colleges that wanted him, he attended Charis Prep in Goldsboro, N.C.
A year later, there was interest, but no scholarship offers, from Gonzaga, Wisconsin and Wake Forest. Perhaps Mendez-Valdez's memory will be sharp when Western Kentucky plays Gonzaga in a second-round NCAA tournament game here Saturday.
The Hilltoppers, along with East Carolina, offered him a ride. Mendez-Valdez chose Western Kentucky and then waited three years to be a starter.
"He persevered," said Abelardo Valdez Jr., Mendez-Valdez's legal guardian. "He had multiple doors shut in his face. They said he was too small. They said he wasn't fast enough. That he never would play Division I basketball. But he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Mendez-Valdez grew up in a now-razed housing project where the nearby landmarks were a cemetery, railroad tracks and a creek. His guardian calls it "the Bermuda Triangle of trouble."
"I saw murders happen," Mendez-Valdez said. "Drive-bys. Right across the street. There were unstable family households, arguments, fighting, prostitution, everything you could imagine.
"It's truly unbelievable how I came away from all that. I have a lot of friends now who either have been shot, are dead or are in jail. I've been blessed. I thank God. I've been truly lucky. I've been through it all. You could make a movie out of it, really."
Mendez-Valdez was in 6th grade when Valdez first saw him. The youngest of seven children, the boy was struggling in school and beginning to get into trouble. One brother had just been sent to prison for manslaughter. Another later would serve time for a drug conviction. Valdez was the assistant coach at the school the boy attended. He saw raw talent.
"He was a scared kid," he said. "But there was something about him. He had a light. He just needed confidence and discipline. He was starving for it. He just needed a change. I was hard on him, and he took to it."
Valdez began giving Orlando rides home, and the boy started spending more time with him. Orlando never had met his biological father. Finally, his mother asked the coach if he would take in her son to get him away from the neighborhood. That was the beginning of his freshman year of high school. Four years later, he surprised Valdez by having his name legally changed to Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
There's not a great tradition of Hispanic basketball players from San Antonio—or anywhere, for that matter — competing collegiately, so there's not a lot of encouragement in the community for kids who might dream of doing great things on the court. In the 2006-07 academic year, the most recent data available, only 1.8 percent of Division I players were Hispanic.
"Part of it is the perception that they can't play at that level," said Valdez, who works at an alternative school for at-risk kids in San Antonio. "A lot of kids here can play. They're not getting the opportunity. I don't get it. If you can play, you can play."
When Mendez-Valdez arrived in Bowling Green, Ky., four years ago, he was met with some skepticism.
"Once he practiced with us, I was like, 'Man, he's going to be a good one,' " Western Kentucky forward Mike Walker said. "But my first impression after seeing him was, 'He can't play.' "
Mendez-Valdez finally won a starting spot this year under new coach Ken McDonald, averaged 14 points per game and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. He had the first triple-double in school history. But he's more than a sweet shooter and passer. He's a drill sergeant of a floor leader.
He's also on schedule to be the first member of his family to graduate from college. He wants to play pro overseas, then become a teacher and coach of inner-city kids. Who's willing to bet against him?
Word has spread about Mendez-Valdez. When Western Kentucky players and coaches were eating at a restaurant in Miami earlier this season, a Hispanic family stopped and started taking photos of him.
Maybe the kid can change perceptions.
"We're the victim and the perpetrator of the problem," Valdez said. "We're telling the kids they're not going to make it in basketball; get real, nobody else is doing it.
"What we said to Orlando was, 'Dream big. Why not? Why not you?' "
Why not him, indeed?
"I was the San Antonio player of the year coming out of high school," Mendez-Valdez said. "It was hurtful seeing all these other players you beat out for the award, and they're going to big-time programs. And you don't even get a courtesy letter that schools send out to all players.
"It was hard to swallow. But if you know anything about Hispanics, we don't give up easily. I never gave up."
rmorrissey@tribune.com
He has taken hard road from San Antonio to NCAA tournament
Rick Morrissey | CHICAGO TRIBUNE, March 21, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. — If you watched Western Kentucky's victory over Illinois the other night, you might have noticed the Hilltoppers' Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
He's a really, really good basketball player.
He's also 6 feet 1 inch and Hispanic.
It took the former — and unbending determination — to overcome the latter. And if you don't think being Mexican-American makes playing Division I basketball a challenge, you haven't been paying attention.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Mendez-Valdez had one Division I scholarship offer coming out of high school in San Antonio, then had it yanked away at the last moment when Texas State chose to give it to another player. Rather than go to one of the junior colleges that wanted him, he attended Charis Prep in Goldsboro, N.C.
A year later, there was interest, but no scholarship offers, from Gonzaga, Wisconsin and Wake Forest. Perhaps Mendez-Valdez's memory will be sharp when Western Kentucky plays Gonzaga in a second-round NCAA tournament game here Saturday.
The Hilltoppers, along with East Carolina, offered him a ride. Mendez-Valdez chose Western Kentucky and then waited three years to be a starter.
"He persevered," said Abelardo Valdez Jr., Mendez-Valdez's legal guardian. "He had multiple doors shut in his face. They said he was too small. They said he wasn't fast enough. That he never would play Division I basketball. But he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Mendez-Valdez grew up in a now-razed housing project where the nearby landmarks were a cemetery, railroad tracks and a creek. His guardian calls it "the Bermuda Triangle of trouble."
"I saw murders happen," Mendez-Valdez said. "Drive-bys. Right across the street. There were unstable family households, arguments, fighting, prostitution, everything you could imagine.
"It's truly unbelievable how I came away from all that. I have a lot of friends now who either have been shot, are dead or are in jail. I've been blessed. I thank God. I've been truly lucky. I've been through it all. You could make a movie out of it, really."
Mendez-Valdez was in 6th grade when Valdez first saw him. The youngest of seven children, the boy was struggling in school and beginning to get into trouble. One brother had just been sent to prison for manslaughter. Another later would serve time for a drug conviction. Valdez was the assistant coach at the school the boy attended. He saw raw talent.
"He was a scared kid," he said. "But there was something about him. He had a light. He just needed confidence and discipline. He was starving for it. He just needed a change. I was hard on him, and he took to it."
Valdez began giving Orlando rides home, and the boy started spending more time with him. Orlando never had met his biological father. Finally, his mother asked the coach if he would take in her son to get him away from the neighborhood. That was the beginning of his freshman year of high school. Four years later, he surprised Valdez by having his name legally changed to Orlando Mendez-Valdez.
There's not a great tradition of Hispanic basketball players from San Antonio—or anywhere, for that matter — competing collegiately, so there's not a lot of encouragement in the community for kids who might dream of doing great things on the court. In the 2006-07 academic year, the most recent data available, only 1.8 percent of Division I players were Hispanic.
"Part of it is the perception that they can't play at that level," said Valdez, who works at an alternative school for at-risk kids in San Antonio. "A lot of kids here can play. They're not getting the opportunity. I don't get it. If you can play, you can play."
When Mendez-Valdez arrived in Bowling Green, Ky., four years ago, he was met with some skepticism.
"Once he practiced with us, I was like, 'Man, he's going to be a good one,' " Western Kentucky forward Mike Walker said. "But my first impression after seeing him was, 'He can't play.' "
Mendez-Valdez finally won a starting spot this year under new coach Ken McDonald, averaged 14 points per game and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. He had the first triple-double in school history. But he's more than a sweet shooter and passer. He's a drill sergeant of a floor leader.
He's also on schedule to be the first member of his family to graduate from college. He wants to play pro overseas, then become a teacher and coach of inner-city kids. Who's willing to bet against him?
Word has spread about Mendez-Valdez. When Western Kentucky players and coaches were eating at a restaurant in Miami earlier this season, a Hispanic family stopped and started taking photos of him.
Maybe the kid can change perceptions.
"We're the victim and the perpetrator of the problem," Valdez said. "We're telling the kids they're not going to make it in basketball; get real, nobody else is doing it.
"What we said to Orlando was, 'Dream big. Why not? Why not you?' "
Why not him, indeed?
"I was the San Antonio player of the year coming out of high school," Mendez-Valdez said. "It was hurtful seeing all these other players you beat out for the award, and they're going to big-time programs. And you don't even get a courtesy letter that schools send out to all players.
"It was hard to swallow. But if you know anything about Hispanics, we don't give up easily. I never gave up."
rmorrissey@tribune.com
Hispanic women in Wichita raise their profile
Hispanic women hope to re-energize Wichita group
BY CHRISTINA M. WOODS, The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA - A network to uplift and empower Hispanic women is reorganizing and working to raise its profile as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
In its infancy, the Hispanic Women's Network held an annual scholarship recognition banquet for high school students, awarded scholarships, mentored female entrepreneurs and successfully lobbied for local cable providers to offer a Spanish-language television station.
In recent years, the network has suffered because its members either pursued higher education or became overextended with other community-building activities.
But its core membership, which consists of professional women, are rallying to raise awareness of the group and to recruit new members.
They've coordinated a reception to coincide with National Women's History Month, recognized in March.
"We want to see this thing go," said Margo Parks, a member who is a city employee and is on various civic boards. "It's been in existence all this time. We don't want to see it die."
Its president, Veronica Triana, said the network will set priorities for what it hopes to accomplish during this year of rebuilding.
Ideally, the network would continue to emphasize education among Hispanic women and youth, provide mentoring and networking opportunities and encourage volunteerism.
The group also wants to help immigrant women better adjust to Wichita by guiding them to services such as English-language classes or GED programs.
More than 7,000 foreign-born Hispanic women live in the Wichita metro area, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates from 2005 to 2007.
"They may be involved in their church activities in Spanish-speaking congregations, but branching out to women's or community organizations, they haven't yet," Triana said.
Also important, she said, is to affirm women who feel self-conscious about not being able to speak English.
"They need so much encouraging and mentoring," Triana said.
Former County Commissioner Ben Sciortino, an honorary group member, commended the group for the work it has done through the years.
The city's Hispanic population when the network launched was a fraction of what it is now, and few Hispanic-oriented civic organizations existed at the time.
Sciortino, who worked at Multimedia Cablevision when the group lobbied for the Spanish-language station to be carried locally, also served as emcee for the network's annual scholarship recognition program.
Based on that experience, Sciortino said, he took Spanish lessons at Wichita State University and is now proficient in the language.
"They're just a really neat group, and pretty-low key," said Sciortino. "They don't tout their accomplishments, but I have nothing but the utmost pride in those women and the way they've dedicated themselves to the entire Hispanic community."
Reach Christina M. Woods at 316-269-6791 or cwoods@wichitaeagle.com.
BY CHRISTINA M. WOODS, The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA - A network to uplift and empower Hispanic women is reorganizing and working to raise its profile as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
In its infancy, the Hispanic Women's Network held an annual scholarship recognition banquet for high school students, awarded scholarships, mentored female entrepreneurs and successfully lobbied for local cable providers to offer a Spanish-language television station.
In recent years, the network has suffered because its members either pursued higher education or became overextended with other community-building activities.
But its core membership, which consists of professional women, are rallying to raise awareness of the group and to recruit new members.
They've coordinated a reception to coincide with National Women's History Month, recognized in March.
"We want to see this thing go," said Margo Parks, a member who is a city employee and is on various civic boards. "It's been in existence all this time. We don't want to see it die."
Its president, Veronica Triana, said the network will set priorities for what it hopes to accomplish during this year of rebuilding.
Ideally, the network would continue to emphasize education among Hispanic women and youth, provide mentoring and networking opportunities and encourage volunteerism.
The group also wants to help immigrant women better adjust to Wichita by guiding them to services such as English-language classes or GED programs.
More than 7,000 foreign-born Hispanic women live in the Wichita metro area, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates from 2005 to 2007.
"They may be involved in their church activities in Spanish-speaking congregations, but branching out to women's or community organizations, they haven't yet," Triana said.
Also important, she said, is to affirm women who feel self-conscious about not being able to speak English.
"They need so much encouraging and mentoring," Triana said.
Former County Commissioner Ben Sciortino, an honorary group member, commended the group for the work it has done through the years.
The city's Hispanic population when the network launched was a fraction of what it is now, and few Hispanic-oriented civic organizations existed at the time.
Sciortino, who worked at Multimedia Cablevision when the group lobbied for the Spanish-language station to be carried locally, also served as emcee for the network's annual scholarship recognition program.
Based on that experience, Sciortino said, he took Spanish lessons at Wichita State University and is now proficient in the language.
"They're just a really neat group, and pretty-low key," said Sciortino. "They don't tout their accomplishments, but I have nothing but the utmost pride in those women and the way they've dedicated themselves to the entire Hispanic community."
Reach Christina M. Woods at 316-269-6791 or cwoods@wichitaeagle.com.
Latin Grammy winners team up
Latin Grammy Hall of Fame inductee Marco Antonio Solis and Pepe Aguilar team up for trio of shows
CMN NEWS
Two of Mexico’s most popular music icons, 2007 Latin Grammy Hall of Fame inductee Marco Antonio Solis and ranchera star Pepe Aguilar, have announced a trio of shows that has dazzled fans throughout different parts of the nation. The artists will kick-off the summer shows on Saturday, Aug. 8 at Chicago’s Allstate Arena (8:00 p.m.), followed by performances at Miami’s American Airlines Arena on Friday, Sept. 4 (8:00 p.m.) and New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Sept. 5 (8:00 p.m.). Tickets for the Chicago and New York shows are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call 312-492-6424.
Aguilar will perform fan favorites plus songs from his latest recording, “Homenaje a Don Antonio Aguilar,” a tribute to his father and late Mexican actor, singer and producer, who died in June 2007 … Born in the U.S. but raised in Zacatecas, Mexico, son of recording legends Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, Pepe Aguilar was influenced and supported by his parents to start singing. He reached the stage for the first time at the age of three, performing at New York's Madison Square Garden two years later. After saving money, Aguilar decided to buy a drum set to get involved in rock music, inspired by progressive groups such as Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Nevertheless, while leaving his teenage years behind, he turned to “tejano” once again, mixing the traditional style with his modern pop influences and becoming a strong identity in the Latin scene, in addition to developing a successful acting career. Among his biggest albums are 1998's “Por Mujeres Como Tu,” which spent nearly a year on the Latin and Mexican charts and garnered the Latin Grammy, 1999's “Por una Mujer Bonita,” which won him a Grammy for Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance, 2003's “Y Tenerte Otra Vez,” 2004's “No Soy de Nadie,” and 2005's “Historias de Mi Tierra.” (Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide).
Born in Michoacán, Mexico, Marco Antonio Solis was only 12 when he formed his first group, Los Hermanos Solis. He formed Los Bukis (“The Kids") in the early '70s and for the next two decades, the group had a profound impact on Mexican music in their homeland and in the southwestern United States. In 1995, Solís decided to pursue a solo career full time, and in 2004 he won a Latin Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Song ("Tu Amor O Tu Desprecio"). The albums inducted into the 2007 Latin Grammy Hall of Fame were: Falso Amor (with Los Bukis), Mi Fantasía (with Los Bukis), and Trozos De Mi Alma. The versatile artist, composer of hits such as “Si no te hubieras hido,” Tu carcel,” and “Inventame,” received the 2005 Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award.
CMN NEWS
Two of Mexico’s most popular music icons, 2007 Latin Grammy Hall of Fame inductee Marco Antonio Solis and ranchera star Pepe Aguilar, have announced a trio of shows that has dazzled fans throughout different parts of the nation. The artists will kick-off the summer shows on Saturday, Aug. 8 at Chicago’s Allstate Arena (8:00 p.m.), followed by performances at Miami’s American Airlines Arena on Friday, Sept. 4 (8:00 p.m.) and New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Sept. 5 (8:00 p.m.). Tickets for the Chicago and New York shows are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call 312-492-6424.
Aguilar will perform fan favorites plus songs from his latest recording, “Homenaje a Don Antonio Aguilar,” a tribute to his father and late Mexican actor, singer and producer, who died in June 2007 … Born in the U.S. but raised in Zacatecas, Mexico, son of recording legends Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, Pepe Aguilar was influenced and supported by his parents to start singing. He reached the stage for the first time at the age of three, performing at New York's Madison Square Garden two years later. After saving money, Aguilar decided to buy a drum set to get involved in rock music, inspired by progressive groups such as Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Nevertheless, while leaving his teenage years behind, he turned to “tejano” once again, mixing the traditional style with his modern pop influences and becoming a strong identity in the Latin scene, in addition to developing a successful acting career. Among his biggest albums are 1998's “Por Mujeres Como Tu,” which spent nearly a year on the Latin and Mexican charts and garnered the Latin Grammy, 1999's “Por una Mujer Bonita,” which won him a Grammy for Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance, 2003's “Y Tenerte Otra Vez,” 2004's “No Soy de Nadie,” and 2005's “Historias de Mi Tierra.” (Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide).
Born in Michoacán, Mexico, Marco Antonio Solis was only 12 when he formed his first group, Los Hermanos Solis. He formed Los Bukis (“The Kids") in the early '70s and for the next two decades, the group had a profound impact on Mexican music in their homeland and in the southwestern United States. In 1995, Solís decided to pursue a solo career full time, and in 2004 he won a Latin Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Song ("Tu Amor O Tu Desprecio"). The albums inducted into the 2007 Latin Grammy Hall of Fame were: Falso Amor (with Los Bukis), Mi Fantasía (with Los Bukis), and Trozos De Mi Alma. The versatile artist, composer of hits such as “Si no te hubieras hido,” Tu carcel,” and “Inventame,” received the 2005 Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Hispanic will run for Baptist Presidency
Vela announces bid for Hispanic Baptist presidency
By Ken Camp, Managing Editor, Baptist Standard, March 20, 2009
Angel Vela, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Westway in El Paso, has announced he will allow his nomination for president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.
Vela expressed his desire to “join efforts with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and churches all around the state to … have a more effective plan of discipleship for our new believers.”
Angel Vela
He also hopes to keep the Convencion updated about available programs that can help enable church leaders to reach their goals in their communities.
Vela is a former first vice president of the Convencion, and he has held several offices in El Paso Baptist Association, including president of the Hispanic Fellowship and Pastors’ Conference and associational executive board moderator.
In his 32 years as a pastor and missionary, he has served churches in El Paso, Pecos and Ciudad Juarez.
Under his leadership, Congregacion Hispana First Baptist Church in El Paso and Iglesia Bautista Westway each started two missions that have constituted as churches.
Vela is a graduate of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary extension center in El Paso.
His wife of 47 years, Delia, is a former president of Women Reaching Texas. They are the parents of seven adult children—four sons and three daughters.
By Ken Camp, Managing Editor, Baptist Standard, March 20, 2009
Angel Vela, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Westway in El Paso, has announced he will allow his nomination for president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.
Vela expressed his desire to “join efforts with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and churches all around the state to … have a more effective plan of discipleship for our new believers.”
Angel Vela
He also hopes to keep the Convencion updated about available programs that can help enable church leaders to reach their goals in their communities.
Vela is a former first vice president of the Convencion, and he has held several offices in El Paso Baptist Association, including president of the Hispanic Fellowship and Pastors’ Conference and associational executive board moderator.
In his 32 years as a pastor and missionary, he has served churches in El Paso, Pecos and Ciudad Juarez.
Under his leadership, Congregacion Hispana First Baptist Church in El Paso and Iglesia Bautista Westway each started two missions that have constituted as churches.
Vela is a graduate of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary extension center in El Paso.
His wife of 47 years, Delia, is a former president of Women Reaching Texas. They are the parents of seven adult children—four sons and three daughters.
Latina artist puts Utah on map
Arte Latino
Cheech's new high is Chicano art, and the Kimball celebrates the genre Saturday
Greg Marshall, Record staff 03/20/2009
If "Cheech" Marin's biography is best summarized by the title of his 1987 film, "Born in East L.A.," Ruby Chacon's life might be called "Born in East Salt Lake."
Chacon, a painter, grew up in a relatively affluent area of the Salt Lake Valley.
Latinos weren't represented en masse at Chacon's high school and school counselors often waylaid her dreams for the future. "They told me I would just never graduate," she said. "They said I should give up now."
Chacon didn't give up. She trudged through night classes to earn her diploma and went on to be the first person in her family to go to college. A graduate from the University of Utah's art program, Chacon has studied in Mexico and Central America. In June of 2008, she put the finishing touches on a joint coffee house and art gallery on the west side of Salt Lake called the Mestizo Institute of Culture and Art, or MICA, and Mestizo Coffeehouse.
A new exhibit at the Kimball, "Arte Latino: A Celebration of Voices in our Community," will highlight works by established and emerging artists including Chacon. Meanwhile, about 40 pieces from Marin's private collection of Chicano art on paper, "Papel Chicano," will also be unveiled in the Main gallery. On Saturday, from 6 until 9 p.m., patrons are invited to attend an evening at the Kimball Art Center that will feature music, dancing, live performances, and children's art. Marin, Chacon and other artists will be present to discuss the work. The exhibits run until May 3.
This is the fifth year Chacon has been involved with the Kimball's "Arte Latino." The art pieces on display in the Garage and Badami Galleries come from workshops and community outreach programs held at MICA. They run the gamut from models of low-riding cars to abstract art.
Chacon started MICA to broaden the audience for fine art. "We want to give access to people who don't feel like they have access," she said. "We want people to come who wouldn't normally consider going to an art gallery" but would regularly socialize in coffee shops. The end game is to channel artistic ability to make people feel like assets to the community rather than liabilities, Chacon said.
Cheech and Chicano art
Marin, who sold his Summit County home three years ago, will return to the Kimball to mingle and answer questions Saturday about a role many thought he would never assume: that of a high-profile art connoisseur.
With about 500 paintings, many of them hanging in his home in Los Angeles, Marin boasts one of the largest private collections of Chicano art in the world. He bought his first painting in 1985, the year he made the movies "Get Out of My Room" and "After Hours."
Marin has shown his collection at some of the most prestigious venues in the United States, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Not unlike Chacon in his efforts to act as an ambassador for art, Marin said he has been an art lover for most of his life.
Marin wants people to come to "Arte Latino" because "you can't love art you've never seen." Positive response from across the country has helped inform the public about art historically excluded from the American cannon. "It has been really overwhelming," he said. "Once people see these paintings, the stories they tell, they love them."
Veronica Perez, a muralist and one of Chacon's apprentices, said it was an honor to have her paintings shown alongside Cheech's collection. Perez's "Muerte y Renacimiento de Tonantzin" and "Dolor Hereditario" use traditional Aztec symbolism to express the themes of motherhood, authenticity and strength in adversity, she said.
Perez earned her undergraduate and masters in business administration from the University of Utah. She serves as the treasurer of MICA and helped create a pair of murals based on feedback from the community. Once finished, they will be hung in a multipurpose room on Salt Lake's west side. "We don't just create anything," Perez said. "We create what people want to see."
Perez moved from Southern California to rural Utah, between Kaysville and Farmington, in 1990. Her family was one of only three Latino families in her junior high school. "It was a huge culture shock," she said. "We were the only Latinos within a mile radius, almost like I was the phenomenon."
Art helped Perez express and share her often contradictory feelings of alienation and pride. Her apprenticeship with Chacon has helped her network with galleries and art instructors to hone her craft, and make a living at it.
Brittney Flores met Chacon about a year ago when her dad, a door maker, literally hung and hinged the doors onto Mestizo. Initially, Flores wanted to be a tattoo artist. "I didn't think I would ever be a painter at all," she confessed. "[Ruby] showed us what was possible. That's how I found my own style."
Flores pointed to a painting of a fetus-like shape cradled in the branches of a tree. "This is a picture of creation," she said. "This is a picture of creation. Ruby created my future and helped me grow."
Then Flores walked to another of her paintings affixed to the wall, a tree with a beating heart for soil and roots. "This is 'Passion,'" she said. "It's my heart. It's what I love to do."
Cheech's new high is Chicano art, and the Kimball celebrates the genre Saturday
Greg Marshall, Record staff 03/20/2009
If "Cheech" Marin's biography is best summarized by the title of his 1987 film, "Born in East L.A.," Ruby Chacon's life might be called "Born in East Salt Lake."
Chacon, a painter, grew up in a relatively affluent area of the Salt Lake Valley.
Latinos weren't represented en masse at Chacon's high school and school counselors often waylaid her dreams for the future. "They told me I would just never graduate," she said. "They said I should give up now."
Chacon didn't give up. She trudged through night classes to earn her diploma and went on to be the first person in her family to go to college. A graduate from the University of Utah's art program, Chacon has studied in Mexico and Central America. In June of 2008, she put the finishing touches on a joint coffee house and art gallery on the west side of Salt Lake called the Mestizo Institute of Culture and Art, or MICA, and Mestizo Coffeehouse.
A new exhibit at the Kimball, "Arte Latino: A Celebration of Voices in our Community," will highlight works by established and emerging artists including Chacon. Meanwhile, about 40 pieces from Marin's private collection of Chicano art on paper, "Papel Chicano," will also be unveiled in the Main gallery. On Saturday, from 6 until 9 p.m., patrons are invited to attend an evening at the Kimball Art Center that will feature music, dancing, live performances, and children's art. Marin, Chacon and other artists will be present to discuss the work. The exhibits run until May 3.
This is the fifth year Chacon has been involved with the Kimball's "Arte Latino." The art pieces on display in the Garage and Badami Galleries come from workshops and community outreach programs held at MICA. They run the gamut from models of low-riding cars to abstract art.
Chacon started MICA to broaden the audience for fine art. "We want to give access to people who don't feel like they have access," she said. "We want people to come who wouldn't normally consider going to an art gallery" but would regularly socialize in coffee shops. The end game is to channel artistic ability to make people feel like assets to the community rather than liabilities, Chacon said.
Cheech and Chicano art
Marin, who sold his Summit County home three years ago, will return to the Kimball to mingle and answer questions Saturday about a role many thought he would never assume: that of a high-profile art connoisseur.
With about 500 paintings, many of them hanging in his home in Los Angeles, Marin boasts one of the largest private collections of Chicano art in the world. He bought his first painting in 1985, the year he made the movies "Get Out of My Room" and "After Hours."
Marin has shown his collection at some of the most prestigious venues in the United States, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Not unlike Chacon in his efforts to act as an ambassador for art, Marin said he has been an art lover for most of his life.
Marin wants people to come to "Arte Latino" because "you can't love art you've never seen." Positive response from across the country has helped inform the public about art historically excluded from the American cannon. "It has been really overwhelming," he said. "Once people see these paintings, the stories they tell, they love them."
Veronica Perez, a muralist and one of Chacon's apprentices, said it was an honor to have her paintings shown alongside Cheech's collection. Perez's "Muerte y Renacimiento de Tonantzin" and "Dolor Hereditario" use traditional Aztec symbolism to express the themes of motherhood, authenticity and strength in adversity, she said.
Perez earned her undergraduate and masters in business administration from the University of Utah. She serves as the treasurer of MICA and helped create a pair of murals based on feedback from the community. Once finished, they will be hung in a multipurpose room on Salt Lake's west side. "We don't just create anything," Perez said. "We create what people want to see."
Perez moved from Southern California to rural Utah, between Kaysville and Farmington, in 1990. Her family was one of only three Latino families in her junior high school. "It was a huge culture shock," she said. "We were the only Latinos within a mile radius, almost like I was the phenomenon."
Art helped Perez express and share her often contradictory feelings of alienation and pride. Her apprenticeship with Chacon has helped her network with galleries and art instructors to hone her craft, and make a living at it.
Brittney Flores met Chacon about a year ago when her dad, a door maker, literally hung and hinged the doors onto Mestizo. Initially, Flores wanted to be a tattoo artist. "I didn't think I would ever be a painter at all," she confessed. "[Ruby] showed us what was possible. That's how I found my own style."
Flores pointed to a painting of a fetus-like shape cradled in the branches of a tree. "This is a picture of creation," she said. "This is a picture of creation. Ruby created my future and helped me grow."
Then Flores walked to another of her paintings affixed to the wall, a tree with a beating heart for soil and roots. "This is 'Passion,'" she said. "It's my heart. It's what I love to do."
Oregon Latinos plan festival
Hillsboro's Latino Cultural Festival coming March 29
The Hillsboro Argus March 20, 2009
The Latino Cultural Festival returns soon to downtown Hillsboro.
The Hillsboro Civic Center will host the fifth annual program 12 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 29. Featured will be an afternoon of food, entertainment, sports and information and a special film presentation.
The festival is free and the entire community is welcome to join the fun and festivities.
The Latino Cultural Festival, presented by Providence Health & Services and M&M Swap Meet, celebrates the diverse heritage and traditions of the Hispanic community. Over the years the festival has become a key community event in Washington County and continues to grow with support from sponsors and volunteers. Dozens of local organizations and agencies participate by providing information, education and entertainment.
This year's festival will include a screening of "The Forgotten Eagles." The film, narrated by actor Edward James Olmos, recently debuted at the Smithsonian Institution. It honors the "Aztec Eagle" pilots of the Mexican Air Force, who flew with the U.S. Army Air Force in the liberation of the Philippines in World War II.
"We are honored to have this exceptional film as a new feature; it highlights the rich diversity and proud history of our community," said Jaime Miranda, business development coordinator for the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. The two showings of this documentary, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., are sponsored by Grande Foods, in Cornelius.
A variety of entertainment acts, including folkloric and Aztec dancers, a mariachi band and a Brazilian martial arts group will perform throughout the afternoon. Soccer fans will enjoy the return of Hillsboro Futsal's street soccer tournament and exhibition, showcasing teams from throughout the Portland metro area.
The festival also features authentic Hispanic food vendors, informational booths and children's activities.
Attendance in 2008 topped 1,500 guests.
The annual Latino Cultural Festival is organized by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. Presenting sponsors are Providence Health & Services and M&M Swap Meet, and supporting sponsors include Best Buy, the City of Hillsboro, Hillsboro Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, PGE, Tuality Healthcare, US Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.
For more information, phone Jaime Miranda at 503-726-2150 or e-mail jaimem@hillchamber.org.
The Hillsboro Argus March 20, 2009
The Latino Cultural Festival returns soon to downtown Hillsboro.
The Hillsboro Civic Center will host the fifth annual program 12 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 29. Featured will be an afternoon of food, entertainment, sports and information and a special film presentation.
The festival is free and the entire community is welcome to join the fun and festivities.
The Latino Cultural Festival, presented by Providence Health & Services and M&M Swap Meet, celebrates the diverse heritage and traditions of the Hispanic community. Over the years the festival has become a key community event in Washington County and continues to grow with support from sponsors and volunteers. Dozens of local organizations and agencies participate by providing information, education and entertainment.
This year's festival will include a screening of "The Forgotten Eagles." The film, narrated by actor Edward James Olmos, recently debuted at the Smithsonian Institution. It honors the "Aztec Eagle" pilots of the Mexican Air Force, who flew with the U.S. Army Air Force in the liberation of the Philippines in World War II.
"We are honored to have this exceptional film as a new feature; it highlights the rich diversity and proud history of our community," said Jaime Miranda, business development coordinator for the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. The two showings of this documentary, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., are sponsored by Grande Foods, in Cornelius.
A variety of entertainment acts, including folkloric and Aztec dancers, a mariachi band and a Brazilian martial arts group will perform throughout the afternoon. Soccer fans will enjoy the return of Hillsboro Futsal's street soccer tournament and exhibition, showcasing teams from throughout the Portland metro area.
The festival also features authentic Hispanic food vendors, informational booths and children's activities.
Attendance in 2008 topped 1,500 guests.
The annual Latino Cultural Festival is organized by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. Presenting sponsors are Providence Health & Services and M&M Swap Meet, and supporting sponsors include Best Buy, the City of Hillsboro, Hillsboro Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, PGE, Tuality Healthcare, US Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.
For more information, phone Jaime Miranda at 503-726-2150 or e-mail jaimem@hillchamber.org.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Latino community embraces Morrissey
Latinos love Morrissey, and why not?
Unlikely fans tap into his Irish outcast melancholy.
By A.D. Amorosi, The Philly Inquirer
There are some mysteries of fandom that cannot be easily fathomed.
Why do the French love Jerry Lewis and the Germans David Hasselhoff?
And here's yet a third unexpected fan-artist connection that has been going on since the early '90s: the Irish singer Morrissey's hold over the Latino community of the West Coast.
Since his days in the celebrated British band the Smiths, Morrissey has had a devoted following among Latinos in California, in L.A. in particular. Fans packed his concerts and emulated his slicked-back look. Morrissey, who plays the Academy of Music Sunday night, even has a Spanish nickname: El Moz.
Now with Years of Refusal, Morrissey's label, Lost Highway, has formed an alliance with Nacional Records, America's preeminent Latin alternative label, to promote the singer in Spanish-speaking markets throughout the United States.
"It's a no-brainer," says Rahsaan Lucas, 35, a Philadelphia percussionist and entrepreneur whose Afrotaino Productions runs events musical and nonmusical for Latino audiences.
"I got into him in the '80s, that 'Girlfriend in a Coma' moment. He tapped into and channeled this resident melancholy that we carry around with us internally."
Whether as front man of the Smiths (disbanded in 1987) or as solo artist, the British-born child of Irish Catholic parents has been a potent but flowery crooner. He's a sexual enigma whose literate, sarcastic lyrics speak of personal and social politics. He sings of wronged romance, alienation, and dysfunctional unions on a scale from intimate ("I Just Want to See the Boy Happy") to grand ("Irish Blood, English Heart"), with fanciful character studies in between.
At first, the Smiths' ringing new wave and the glam rock of his solo albums might seem a world away from the tastes of Latino listeners in East L.A.
Morrissey is conspicuously British-looking. His face and body, thicker now at 49, were waifish, even when topped by a high rockabilly do. Though today he wears natty suits, Morrissey was a model of billowy shirts and cuffed-jean cool.
But fans say his image, his message of trouble assimilating, his outcast appeal connect with Latino listeners.
"Latinos in the Southwest have a strong, complicated culture, so to branch into areas that are countercultural makes sense to me," says Philadelphian Heather Phillips, a Mexican American bartender and fine-art photographer who has friends in L.A. "So long as there are societal standards and cultural pressures, there'll be outsiders and oddballs who seek solace in a union with other like-minded folk." That's Morrissey, in her estimation.
She fell in love with images of Morrissey when she was 14 and watching MTV's alterna-rock 120 Minutes program. "I saw this video for 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before,' with legions of British kids styled like Morrissey riding around on bikes." That was romantic to Phillips, and gave her insight into style. "I grew up feeling like an outsider. When I found this outlet where I could dress differently and listen to music that spoke that language, I embraced it."
Kim Buie, vice president of artists and repertoire at Lost Highway, learned of the connection between Morrissey and his Latino fans while hanging in Mexico City in the '90s. "I was amazed to find amongst the kids and in the depths of the street markets of Mexico City Morrissey fans selling and trading music and T-shirts next to Menudo paraphernalia," Buie says.
"Ever since the Smiths, Morrissey was important to us - his music and image, the attitude of what he said onstage and offstage, how he rolled up his jeans and what motorcycle boots he wore," says Tomas Cookman, the Puerto Rican founder of Nacional and an organizer of the Latin Alternative Music Conference. In L.A., he says, he has seen men who resembled Morrissey but were proudly Latino. "They were not English-accent wannabes. They were into the fact that they were Latino - they just had a distinct Morrissey stamp."
Cookman notes that Mexican cowboy crooning legends like Vicente Fernandez are not so unlike Morrissey.
"They portray themselves as real knock-the-batteries-off-your-shoulder tough guys, but there's lots of sensitivity in their lyrics," he says. "As many songs as there are about sleeping with women cavalierly and riding horses, there are lyrics about how this is hurting my heart that people in different emotional stages . . . can relate to."
The same Latino audiences who understand that brand of hurt, lashing-out lyricism surely get Morrissey.
Ramon Martinez, a Venezuelan American pharmacist who lives in South Philly, doubles as on-air host for WXPN's Y-Rock Internacional. Martinez, 42, got into Morrissey when he was a teen.
"Morrissey opened my eyes to things I didn't understand: girls, being in love, falling out of love, living with pain, suicide, abandonment, misunderstanding, and silence," Martinez says. "I was a kid who grew up in a different society, and my parents sent me here to study, so I understood what he was saying about the 'Headmaster Ritual' and the feelings of anger and rebellion."
Between them, Cookman and Buie are testing the crossover currents in both directions. While Lost Highway markets Nacional's Manu Chao records to gringos, Nacional takes on Years of Refusal with pushes at Latino radio and listening parties across the United States. Cookman says Nacional couldn't keep up with the demand for them.
"Not just in Los Angeles but in Chicago and Philadelphia," says Cookman, who asked Lucas to showcase El Moz at Lucas' monthly Discoteca event at Fluid, which he did last night, premiering Morrissey music remixed by Mexican Institute of Sound as well as playing new records from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.
"With all the broken-heart crooning as well as Mexican rancheras that wail in that corta vena [cut vein] style, it was no wonder Morrissey found a Southwestern Latino" audience, says Lucas, who has long spun new wave records in non-Latino clubs.
He finds in Morrissey's music a space for listeners to touch on feelings and thoughts that haunt them. "It's not a scary, dark melancholy that makes you want to dress in black and be depressed. It's uplifting. It's human experience to want to be appreciated for who you are and what you do, and he fleshes out that struggle, that experience, through his lyrics."
kimmelcenter.org
Unlikely fans tap into his Irish outcast melancholy.
By A.D. Amorosi, The Philly Inquirer
There are some mysteries of fandom that cannot be easily fathomed.
Why do the French love Jerry Lewis and the Germans David Hasselhoff?
And here's yet a third unexpected fan-artist connection that has been going on since the early '90s: the Irish singer Morrissey's hold over the Latino community of the West Coast.
Since his days in the celebrated British band the Smiths, Morrissey has had a devoted following among Latinos in California, in L.A. in particular. Fans packed his concerts and emulated his slicked-back look. Morrissey, who plays the Academy of Music Sunday night, even has a Spanish nickname: El Moz.
Now with Years of Refusal, Morrissey's label, Lost Highway, has formed an alliance with Nacional Records, America's preeminent Latin alternative label, to promote the singer in Spanish-speaking markets throughout the United States.
"It's a no-brainer," says Rahsaan Lucas, 35, a Philadelphia percussionist and entrepreneur whose Afrotaino Productions runs events musical and nonmusical for Latino audiences.
"I got into him in the '80s, that 'Girlfriend in a Coma' moment. He tapped into and channeled this resident melancholy that we carry around with us internally."
Whether as front man of the Smiths (disbanded in 1987) or as solo artist, the British-born child of Irish Catholic parents has been a potent but flowery crooner. He's a sexual enigma whose literate, sarcastic lyrics speak of personal and social politics. He sings of wronged romance, alienation, and dysfunctional unions on a scale from intimate ("I Just Want to See the Boy Happy") to grand ("Irish Blood, English Heart"), with fanciful character studies in between.
At first, the Smiths' ringing new wave and the glam rock of his solo albums might seem a world away from the tastes of Latino listeners in East L.A.
Morrissey is conspicuously British-looking. His face and body, thicker now at 49, were waifish, even when topped by a high rockabilly do. Though today he wears natty suits, Morrissey was a model of billowy shirts and cuffed-jean cool.
But fans say his image, his message of trouble assimilating, his outcast appeal connect with Latino listeners.
"Latinos in the Southwest have a strong, complicated culture, so to branch into areas that are countercultural makes sense to me," says Philadelphian Heather Phillips, a Mexican American bartender and fine-art photographer who has friends in L.A. "So long as there are societal standards and cultural pressures, there'll be outsiders and oddballs who seek solace in a union with other like-minded folk." That's Morrissey, in her estimation.
She fell in love with images of Morrissey when she was 14 and watching MTV's alterna-rock 120 Minutes program. "I saw this video for 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before,' with legions of British kids styled like Morrissey riding around on bikes." That was romantic to Phillips, and gave her insight into style. "I grew up feeling like an outsider. When I found this outlet where I could dress differently and listen to music that spoke that language, I embraced it."
Kim Buie, vice president of artists and repertoire at Lost Highway, learned of the connection between Morrissey and his Latino fans while hanging in Mexico City in the '90s. "I was amazed to find amongst the kids and in the depths of the street markets of Mexico City Morrissey fans selling and trading music and T-shirts next to Menudo paraphernalia," Buie says.
"Ever since the Smiths, Morrissey was important to us - his music and image, the attitude of what he said onstage and offstage, how he rolled up his jeans and what motorcycle boots he wore," says Tomas Cookman, the Puerto Rican founder of Nacional and an organizer of the Latin Alternative Music Conference. In L.A., he says, he has seen men who resembled Morrissey but were proudly Latino. "They were not English-accent wannabes. They were into the fact that they were Latino - they just had a distinct Morrissey stamp."
Cookman notes that Mexican cowboy crooning legends like Vicente Fernandez are not so unlike Morrissey.
"They portray themselves as real knock-the-batteries-off-your-shoulder tough guys, but there's lots of sensitivity in their lyrics," he says. "As many songs as there are about sleeping with women cavalierly and riding horses, there are lyrics about how this is hurting my heart that people in different emotional stages . . . can relate to."
The same Latino audiences who understand that brand of hurt, lashing-out lyricism surely get Morrissey.
Ramon Martinez, a Venezuelan American pharmacist who lives in South Philly, doubles as on-air host for WXPN's Y-Rock Internacional. Martinez, 42, got into Morrissey when he was a teen.
"Morrissey opened my eyes to things I didn't understand: girls, being in love, falling out of love, living with pain, suicide, abandonment, misunderstanding, and silence," Martinez says. "I was a kid who grew up in a different society, and my parents sent me here to study, so I understood what he was saying about the 'Headmaster Ritual' and the feelings of anger and rebellion."
Between them, Cookman and Buie are testing the crossover currents in both directions. While Lost Highway markets Nacional's Manu Chao records to gringos, Nacional takes on Years of Refusal with pushes at Latino radio and listening parties across the United States. Cookman says Nacional couldn't keep up with the demand for them.
"Not just in Los Angeles but in Chicago and Philadelphia," says Cookman, who asked Lucas to showcase El Moz at Lucas' monthly Discoteca event at Fluid, which he did last night, premiering Morrissey music remixed by Mexican Institute of Sound as well as playing new records from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.
"With all the broken-heart crooning as well as Mexican rancheras that wail in that corta vena [cut vein] style, it was no wonder Morrissey found a Southwestern Latino" audience, says Lucas, who has long spun new wave records in non-Latino clubs.
He finds in Morrissey's music a space for listeners to touch on feelings and thoughts that haunt them. "It's not a scary, dark melancholy that makes you want to dress in black and be depressed. It's uplifting. It's human experience to want to be appreciated for who you are and what you do, and he fleshes out that struggle, that experience, through his lyrics."
kimmelcenter.org
Hispanic census count important for network
Telemundo push aims to get Hispanics 'Counted'
Kimberly Maul, PRWEEK U.S., March 19, 2009
MIAMI: US Spanish-language TV network Telemundo wants Hispanics to “Be Counted” in the 2010 Census, and is launching a multiplatform, year-long campaign on April 1. “Hazte Contar!” will bring together online, in-person, and on-air elements promoting involvement in the 2010 Census.
“The Census is very important to Spanish-language television because Hispanics, as well as other minorities, tend to be undercounted,” said Alfredo Richard, SVP of communications and talent development for Telemundo. “It's part of our mission to serve our viewers, but also it is good business. The more Hispanics that are accounted for, the bigger business we can aspire to.”
Telemundo will create a Web site for the campaign, develop PSAs, and will participate in speaking engagements surrounding the Census. Telemundo president Don Browne is scheduled to speak at a March 30 briefing of 2010 census strategy in Washington, DC, for the Census Bureau and its partners, which include nonprofits and other government organizations.
Additionally within the community, Telemundo is partnering with organizations, such as the US Hispanic Leadership Institute, MANA, and League of United Latin American Citizens, for grassroots outreach and community events.
“We're doing all of the innovative things to be able to get the message across for the next 12 months,” Richard said. “We're thinking of a song. We're also going to find a way to get the Census messages into the storyline of one of our original novelas.”
Goodman Media in New York currently serves as Telemundo's AOR for business and trade media relations, while Santa Cruz Communications in Miami works on programming publicity. Both agencies are helping with the execution of the campaign, Richard said, while “our in-house PR team is developing all the strategy and working in all the messaging.”
Kimberly Maul, PRWEEK U.S., March 19, 2009
MIAMI: US Spanish-language TV network Telemundo wants Hispanics to “Be Counted” in the 2010 Census, and is launching a multiplatform, year-long campaign on April 1. “Hazte Contar!” will bring together online, in-person, and on-air elements promoting involvement in the 2010 Census.
“The Census is very important to Spanish-language television because Hispanics, as well as other minorities, tend to be undercounted,” said Alfredo Richard, SVP of communications and talent development for Telemundo. “It's part of our mission to serve our viewers, but also it is good business. The more Hispanics that are accounted for, the bigger business we can aspire to.”
Telemundo will create a Web site for the campaign, develop PSAs, and will participate in speaking engagements surrounding the Census. Telemundo president Don Browne is scheduled to speak at a March 30 briefing of 2010 census strategy in Washington, DC, for the Census Bureau and its partners, which include nonprofits and other government organizations.
Additionally within the community, Telemundo is partnering with organizations, such as the US Hispanic Leadership Institute, MANA, and League of United Latin American Citizens, for grassroots outreach and community events.
“We're doing all of the innovative things to be able to get the message across for the next 12 months,” Richard said. “We're thinking of a song. We're also going to find a way to get the Census messages into the storyline of one of our original novelas.”
Goodman Media in New York currently serves as Telemundo's AOR for business and trade media relations, while Santa Cruz Communications in Miami works on programming publicity. Both agencies are helping with the execution of the campaign, Richard said, while “our in-house PR team is developing all the strategy and working in all the messaging.”
Hispanics more likely to download digital content
Hispanic Internet users downloading digital content at high rates
Phoenix Business Journal March 19, 2009
Hispanics are more likely than average to download digital content and adopt broadband, and Phoenix is the top U.S. market for Hispanic Internet use, according to a survey conducted by Scarborough Research.
The survey found Hispanic Internet users were 21 percent more likely to download digital content than the average user, and that 42 percent of those users had downloaded some digital content within the past 30 days.
Hispanics also are adopting broadband, with 68 percent of those Internet users having high-speed Internet connections. That number is up from 13 percent in 2002, about on par with national averages.
“Increased high-speed Internet access among Hispanics is opening the door for online businesses to establish brand loyalty with this consumer group,” said Gary Meo, senior vice president of digital media services at Scarborough. “Offering Hispanics new and creative ways to interact with a brand online -- particularly via downloaded digital content -- could go a long way in successfully marketing to the Hispanic adult.”
Phoenix was the strongest market surveyed for Hispanics downloading digital content, with more than 60 percent downloading some content in the past month. Other markets, such as Miami, have high penetrations of Hispanics with broadband connections.
Phoenix Business Journal March 19, 2009
Hispanics are more likely than average to download digital content and adopt broadband, and Phoenix is the top U.S. market for Hispanic Internet use, according to a survey conducted by Scarborough Research.
The survey found Hispanic Internet users were 21 percent more likely to download digital content than the average user, and that 42 percent of those users had downloaded some digital content within the past 30 days.
Hispanics also are adopting broadband, with 68 percent of those Internet users having high-speed Internet connections. That number is up from 13 percent in 2002, about on par with national averages.
“Increased high-speed Internet access among Hispanics is opening the door for online businesses to establish brand loyalty with this consumer group,” said Gary Meo, senior vice president of digital media services at Scarborough. “Offering Hispanics new and creative ways to interact with a brand online -- particularly via downloaded digital content -- could go a long way in successfully marketing to the Hispanic adult.”
Phoenix was the strongest market surveyed for Hispanics downloading digital content, with more than 60 percent downloading some content in the past month. Other markets, such as Miami, have high penetrations of Hispanics with broadband connections.
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