Hispanic club helps Modesto student redirect life
By Michelle Hatfield, modbee.com, Dec. 3, 2009
Ricardo Marentes-Hernandez is one of those high school students who was slipping through the cracks.
As a Beyer High School freshman, he was going through the motions. Marentes-Hernandez wasn't in a gang and didn't act up, but he was drifting. Without a change, he was in danger of becoming another dropout in Stanislaus County, where one in five high school students don't graduate. The rate is one in four for Latinos.
"I didn't really have any problems at school. I had problems at home," Marentes-Hernandez said. "Last year, my mom was deported, I had no transportation. My attendance wasn't too good. I was getting labeled as a bad kid."
But Marentes-Hernandez wanted to be a role model for his younger siblings. That pushed him to focus on his education. He also joined Beyer's Hispanic Youth Leadership Council his sophomore year and found a mentor in the club's adviser, teacher Linda Hernandez-Rosenthal.
Their relationship shows how important personal connections are for many students. Marentes-Hernandez said his advisor's gentle pushing and encouraging him to try made the difference.
Now a senior, Marentes- Hernandez, 17, is co-president of the council and is on pace to graduate from high school. He wants to enroll in Modesto Junior College's firefighting program.
"It takes courage for a young man in high school to stand up and be a man, to stand up and believe he has a future," Hernandez-Rosen-thal said.
Graduating is 'the beginning'
Joining the leadership council helped connect Marentes-Hernandez with other teens overcoming similar circumstances. The club's mission of developing leadership skills has resonated with its members.
"There is a vision, there is a hope. I tell them there's more to our lives than just graduating high school. That's not the end, it's just the beginning," Hernandez-Rosenthal said. The club meets weekly, and many members will be the first in their families to attend college, she said.
Marentes-Hernandez's involvement in the leadership council proved fruitful.
But his family's struggles still weigh heavily. He has trouble talking about his mom's deportation, tears welling up in his eyes when he describes how he and his siblings weren't given a chance to hug her good-bye.
Oldest brother went to work
Before she was sent back to her home state of Michoacán in Mexico, Marentes-Hernandez's mom worked two jobs to make ends meet. The family has six children — ranging in age from 13 to 27, all U.S. citizens. Their dad has never really been in the picture, Marentes-Hernandez said.
To help his single mother, Marentes-Hernandez's oldest brother, José, dropped out of high school at age 15 so he could work and bring in a paycheck.
"Just to keep a roof over our heads for my mom, it was hard. Basically, my brother sacrificed his education for us, like a father," said Marentes-Hernandez. He and his two younger siblings now live with his oldest sister, Maritza.
"The club was something for me to get away from my situation, be here with friends and have fun," he said quietly, slowly, deliberately. "Through the club, I found out about college opportunities. It brought a lot of things to my attention, helped me set goals in my life."
Marentes-Hernandez urges other struggling teens to push through hardships, because the light at the end of the tunnel is bright and rewarding. His teacher noted that having a goal is also key.
"You have to have drive. You can not go through life without direction," Hernandez-Rosenthal said. "Everybody has a story — it doesn't matter where you come from."
Bee staff writer Michelle Hatfield can be reached at mhatfield@modbee.com or 578-2339. Read Hatfield's education blog at thehive.modbee.com/ExtraCredit.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
MLS and the Hispanic Market
MLS and the Hispanic Market
By Carlos T, Dec 2, 2009
This week the Wall Street Journal published an article on the efforts American sports organizations are making to attract Hispanic fans. Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic group in the US and their buying power is growing rapidly as well. Included in the article is a brief discussion of how Hispanics figure into MLS' plans:
Many Hispanics hail from countries where soccer -- known there as fútbol -- is a national passion, which Major League Soccer is trying to tap. The U.S. league is sponsoring games featuring Latin American teams in the hope that fans will stick around for U.S. matches the same day.
"For us, the Hispanic market is incredibly important," said MLS commissioner Don Garber.
But catering to "the Hispanic market" is a big challenge for U.S. sports promoters, in part because Latinos here have ties to more than a dozen countries.
Eduardo Carvacho has been navigating the Hispanic market for U.S. soccer teams since 2007. He started out building a fan base for the Columbus Crew in Ohio, where most Hispanics were recent arrivals. To start a "porra," a group of diehard fans who set the tone at the stadium, he relied mostly on personal interactions, like eating tacos with community leaders.
Mr. Carvacho now works for the soccer team in Dallas, a much bigger market with established Hispanic institutions where he can proselytize through businesses such as Fiesta, a Hispanic-food grocery chain that sells FC Dallas tickets.
"You have to customize every single thing," he said of appealing to Hispanic fans, depending on the local community.
Star-divide
It's refreshing to hear such a nuanced view from someone involved in MLS. It's important to realize that "Hispanic" is akin to "European" in the breadth that it encompasses and there are hardly any touchstones that can be relied upon to hold throughout the entire population. Even language can be an issue, if Brazilians are included as Hispanics. This is not at all a settled question, by the way. The Census Bureau holds that Brazilians are not Hispanic, but other organizations do include them in the classification. I personally am ambivalent Hispanic. On the one hand, Hispania used to be all of the Iberian peninsula under the Romans, so the label has some historical accuracy. On the other hand, Portugal has been independent from Spain since the 12th century, so it's a label that's around nine centuries out of date.
In any case, MLS definitely has plans for reaching out to Hispanics. How successful will they be? It is true soccer is generally popular with Hispanics, but that's not the end of the story. Contrary to what many might expect, MLS will have a very difficult time reaching the Hispanic market, more difficult than the other American sports.
To see why this is, we have to consider some of the unique challenges facing American soccer and MLS:
Cultural Differences
For example, while most Hispanic nationalities do favor soccer over all other sports, Cubans are more fond of baseball and generally lukewarm on soccer. Therefore Florida, which at first looks like a great market for soccer because of the large Hispanic population, is actually not so friendly an environment because of the high proportion of Cubans. In fact, it was the teams based in Florida that both folded when MLS contracted after the 2001 season. While there continues to be speculation around the possibility of a Miami team whenever MLS expansion talk picks up, so far no bids have gotten very far.
Divided Loyalties in a Saturated Market
Of those Hispanics who do consider soccer their favorite sport, many of them are already fans of other teams and other leagues. Consider a hypothetical Mexican-American whose family have been fans of Atlas for years. Alongside that allegiance, he may have followed Rafa Marquez to Monaco and now Barcelona. Our hypothetical Hispanic may already have affection for up to three clubs, and maybe the Mexican national team as well. An MLS team has to somehow make its case to become team number five on that list. And if it even succeeds in that difficult task, how much attention will team number five get? I would love to see some research done to see the extent of this phenomenon. That would be a first step in determining how much of the Hispanic market is actually available to MLS.
Aesthetic Preferences
The playing style favored in MLS, a very physical game where skill tends to lose out to brawn, is generally not very appealing to Hispanic soccer fans. They prefer a style with short, precise passing and subtle, skillful ball control are the highlights in a fluid, flowing game. The problem for MLS is that the kind of player that dominates the league right now is just not capable of that kind of play. Switching to a more attractive style of soccer would be a multi-year project requiring a major investment in retooling rosters all around the league.
Quality and Competition
This is somewhat related to the point on divided loyalties, but it focuses on fans without any existing loyalties. Not all Hispanic fans are spoken for. Some might not be following the sport at the moment, some might have a casual interest, or they follow a national team, but not a club team, and so on. The question for MLS is where does that fan go when his interest in soccer is awakened? Unfortunately for MLS, it isn’t the pinnacle of its sport and will likely never be. Therefore, MLS is by no means the default choice for American soccer fans. MLS has to compete with the EPL, La Liga, and the Serie A, along with all of the leagues in the various countries with which Hispanics may have ties, and any league where players from those countries could be featuring. This is dozens of leagues with hundreds of teams, all competing against MLS for the attention of the Hispanic-American soccer fan. This is in stark contrast to the NBA, the NFL, and MLB, who don’t have serious competition as the top league in their sport. Any fans they can attract to their sport will be attracted to the league and its teams.
The good news for MLS is that the Hispanic market may end up not being as important a piece of the puzzle as Garber thinks. The most successful teams by far in generating fan support in MLS have been in the cities with the lowest Hispanic population: Toronto and Seattle. Philadelphia, with a mere 8.5% Hispanic population, is doing very well in season ticket sales, and Portland (8.5%) and Vancouver (1.36%) will without doubt continue that trend. Compare that to FC Dallas's poor attendance in a region that is over 35% Hispanic and a picture starts to emerge. There are markets more fertile than Hispanics for American soccer and identifying and reaching out to those will give MLS it's best chance at robust growth. And if in the future, Hispanics in America are ready to embrace MLS, the league will be ready for them as well.
By Carlos T, Dec 2, 2009
This week the Wall Street Journal published an article on the efforts American sports organizations are making to attract Hispanic fans. Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic group in the US and their buying power is growing rapidly as well. Included in the article is a brief discussion of how Hispanics figure into MLS' plans:
Many Hispanics hail from countries where soccer -- known there as fútbol -- is a national passion, which Major League Soccer is trying to tap. The U.S. league is sponsoring games featuring Latin American teams in the hope that fans will stick around for U.S. matches the same day.
"For us, the Hispanic market is incredibly important," said MLS commissioner Don Garber.
But catering to "the Hispanic market" is a big challenge for U.S. sports promoters, in part because Latinos here have ties to more than a dozen countries.
Eduardo Carvacho has been navigating the Hispanic market for U.S. soccer teams since 2007. He started out building a fan base for the Columbus Crew in Ohio, where most Hispanics were recent arrivals. To start a "porra," a group of diehard fans who set the tone at the stadium, he relied mostly on personal interactions, like eating tacos with community leaders.
Mr. Carvacho now works for the soccer team in Dallas, a much bigger market with established Hispanic institutions where he can proselytize through businesses such as Fiesta, a Hispanic-food grocery chain that sells FC Dallas tickets.
"You have to customize every single thing," he said of appealing to Hispanic fans, depending on the local community.
Star-divide
It's refreshing to hear such a nuanced view from someone involved in MLS. It's important to realize that "Hispanic" is akin to "European" in the breadth that it encompasses and there are hardly any touchstones that can be relied upon to hold throughout the entire population. Even language can be an issue, if Brazilians are included as Hispanics. This is not at all a settled question, by the way. The Census Bureau holds that Brazilians are not Hispanic, but other organizations do include them in the classification. I personally am ambivalent Hispanic. On the one hand, Hispania used to be all of the Iberian peninsula under the Romans, so the label has some historical accuracy. On the other hand, Portugal has been independent from Spain since the 12th century, so it's a label that's around nine centuries out of date.
In any case, MLS definitely has plans for reaching out to Hispanics. How successful will they be? It is true soccer is generally popular with Hispanics, but that's not the end of the story. Contrary to what many might expect, MLS will have a very difficult time reaching the Hispanic market, more difficult than the other American sports.
To see why this is, we have to consider some of the unique challenges facing American soccer and MLS:
Cultural Differences
For example, while most Hispanic nationalities do favor soccer over all other sports, Cubans are more fond of baseball and generally lukewarm on soccer. Therefore Florida, which at first looks like a great market for soccer because of the large Hispanic population, is actually not so friendly an environment because of the high proportion of Cubans. In fact, it was the teams based in Florida that both folded when MLS contracted after the 2001 season. While there continues to be speculation around the possibility of a Miami team whenever MLS expansion talk picks up, so far no bids have gotten very far.
Divided Loyalties in a Saturated Market
Of those Hispanics who do consider soccer their favorite sport, many of them are already fans of other teams and other leagues. Consider a hypothetical Mexican-American whose family have been fans of Atlas for years. Alongside that allegiance, he may have followed Rafa Marquez to Monaco and now Barcelona. Our hypothetical Hispanic may already have affection for up to three clubs, and maybe the Mexican national team as well. An MLS team has to somehow make its case to become team number five on that list. And if it even succeeds in that difficult task, how much attention will team number five get? I would love to see some research done to see the extent of this phenomenon. That would be a first step in determining how much of the Hispanic market is actually available to MLS.
Aesthetic Preferences
The playing style favored in MLS, a very physical game where skill tends to lose out to brawn, is generally not very appealing to Hispanic soccer fans. They prefer a style with short, precise passing and subtle, skillful ball control are the highlights in a fluid, flowing game. The problem for MLS is that the kind of player that dominates the league right now is just not capable of that kind of play. Switching to a more attractive style of soccer would be a multi-year project requiring a major investment in retooling rosters all around the league.
Quality and Competition
This is somewhat related to the point on divided loyalties, but it focuses on fans without any existing loyalties. Not all Hispanic fans are spoken for. Some might not be following the sport at the moment, some might have a casual interest, or they follow a national team, but not a club team, and so on. The question for MLS is where does that fan go when his interest in soccer is awakened? Unfortunately for MLS, it isn’t the pinnacle of its sport and will likely never be. Therefore, MLS is by no means the default choice for American soccer fans. MLS has to compete with the EPL, La Liga, and the Serie A, along with all of the leagues in the various countries with which Hispanics may have ties, and any league where players from those countries could be featuring. This is dozens of leagues with hundreds of teams, all competing against MLS for the attention of the Hispanic-American soccer fan. This is in stark contrast to the NBA, the NFL, and MLB, who don’t have serious competition as the top league in their sport. Any fans they can attract to their sport will be attracted to the league and its teams.
The good news for MLS is that the Hispanic market may end up not being as important a piece of the puzzle as Garber thinks. The most successful teams by far in generating fan support in MLS have been in the cities with the lowest Hispanic population: Toronto and Seattle. Philadelphia, with a mere 8.5% Hispanic population, is doing very well in season ticket sales, and Portland (8.5%) and Vancouver (1.36%) will without doubt continue that trend. Compare that to FC Dallas's poor attendance in a region that is over 35% Hispanic and a picture starts to emerge. There are markets more fertile than Hispanics for American soccer and identifying and reaching out to those will give MLS it's best chance at robust growth. And if in the future, Hispanics in America are ready to embrace MLS, the league will be ready for them as well.
Hispanic slur furor at Museo
Hispanic slur furor at Museo
NY Post, December 5, 2009
El Museo del Barrio says it was attempting to redefine a Hispanic slur by employing it in the title of its spoken-word series.
The evening program was initially titled "Spic Up/Speak Out!" It was established to offer a venue for Hispanic poets.
But the East Harlem museum dedicated to Latino, Latin American and Caribbean cultures said yesterday it had changed the name after receiving numerous complaints.
The program has been renamed "Speak Up!/Speak Out!"
NY Post, December 5, 2009
El Museo del Barrio says it was attempting to redefine a Hispanic slur by employing it in the title of its spoken-word series.
The evening program was initially titled "Spic Up/Speak Out!" It was established to offer a venue for Hispanic poets.
But the East Harlem museum dedicated to Latino, Latin American and Caribbean cultures said yesterday it had changed the name after receiving numerous complaints.
The program has been renamed "Speak Up!/Speak Out!"
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Latino comedy troupe gets a home
A home sweet home for Culture Clash in MacArthur Park?
LA Times, November 27, 2009
Salinas Will the sweet green icing of success be pouring down on Culture Clash, the iconic L.A. Latino comic-theater troupe, if it moves to a new home beside MacArthur Park?
Under a proposal spearheaded by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), the Westlake Theatre at the edge of MacArthur Park, which was built in 1926 and currently is used as a swap meet, would be converted into a multi-use entertainment space for live theater, film screenings, musical performances and community and social events. The project also would include the creation of 49 units of affordable housing and a 300-space parking garage.
According to CRA officials, the Music Box@Fonda, which runs the Music Box theater in Hollywood, would operate and program the revamped Westlake Theatre, and Culture Clash, the popular and respected Latino performance ensemble that is marking its 25th anniversary this year, would become the facility’s resident theater company. In addition to performing at the theater for a minimum of 30 days per year, Culture Clash would provide youth-oriented programming and instruction in writing and acting, said Leslie Lambert, the CRA’s administrator for its Hollywood and Central region.
"They’re very popular, they attract a big audience," said Lambert in explaining selection of Culture Clash, which is known for its mix of antic comedy and biting social commentary. "Ethnically, they fit perfectly with that community. They’re very much in touch with that community. [And] they’ll bring in audiences from elsewhere."
Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, who with colleagues Herbert Siguenza and Ric Salinas have operated as a gypsy ensemble since the group moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, praised the Westlake Theatre as "a grand old faded lady" and said the trio was excited about finally acquiring a "bricks and mortar" home of its own.
"Thank God there’s angels in bureaucracy — there are — that have said, ‘You guys deserve a home,’" Montoya said. "We’re, like, two Salvadorans, one Chicano, there’s a need in the area."
However, he emphasized, MacArthur Park is "not an area devoid of culture. No, it’s a very, actually, sophisticated place."
LA Times, November 27, 2009
Salinas Will the sweet green icing of success be pouring down on Culture Clash, the iconic L.A. Latino comic-theater troupe, if it moves to a new home beside MacArthur Park?
Under a proposal spearheaded by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), the Westlake Theatre at the edge of MacArthur Park, which was built in 1926 and currently is used as a swap meet, would be converted into a multi-use entertainment space for live theater, film screenings, musical performances and community and social events. The project also would include the creation of 49 units of affordable housing and a 300-space parking garage.
According to CRA officials, the Music Box@Fonda, which runs the Music Box theater in Hollywood, would operate and program the revamped Westlake Theatre, and Culture Clash, the popular and respected Latino performance ensemble that is marking its 25th anniversary this year, would become the facility’s resident theater company. In addition to performing at the theater for a minimum of 30 days per year, Culture Clash would provide youth-oriented programming and instruction in writing and acting, said Leslie Lambert, the CRA’s administrator for its Hollywood and Central region.
"They’re very popular, they attract a big audience," said Lambert in explaining selection of Culture Clash, which is known for its mix of antic comedy and biting social commentary. "Ethnically, they fit perfectly with that community. They’re very much in touch with that community. [And] they’ll bring in audiences from elsewhere."
Richard Montoya of Culture Clash, who with colleagues Herbert Siguenza and Ric Salinas have operated as a gypsy ensemble since the group moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, praised the Westlake Theatre as "a grand old faded lady" and said the trio was excited about finally acquiring a "bricks and mortar" home of its own.
"Thank God there’s angels in bureaucracy — there are — that have said, ‘You guys deserve a home,’" Montoya said. "We’re, like, two Salvadorans, one Chicano, there’s a need in the area."
However, he emphasized, MacArthur Park is "not an area devoid of culture. No, it’s a very, actually, sophisticated place."
Kennedy Center Hispanic outreach program honored
Kennedy Center Hispanic outreach program honored
Vanderbilt.edu, 11/27/2009
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Hispanic outreach program was honored by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities with the Multicultural Award for Leadership in Diversity.
The award was presented at the association’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in November, in recognition of the development, collaboration, and expansion of Camino Seguro and Camino Seguro West, a database of Spanish-speaking staff working in Tennessee’s disability service agencies. The project has made services more accessible to Spanish-speaking families and serves as a model for other states.
Vanderbilt.edu, 11/27/2009
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Hispanic outreach program was honored by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities with the Multicultural Award for Leadership in Diversity.
The award was presented at the association’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in November, in recognition of the development, collaboration, and expansion of Camino Seguro and Camino Seguro West, a database of Spanish-speaking staff working in Tennessee’s disability service agencies. The project has made services more accessible to Spanish-speaking families and serves as a model for other states.
Getting Tom Flores to the NFL Hall of Fame
ELECTING TOM FLORES TO THE NFL HALL OF FAME WOULD INCREASE STADIUM ATTENDANCE THROUGHOUT THE NATION
By Joe Ortiz
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The Cholo-themed Thanksgiving Dinner
TOP Ten Signs You Are at a Cholo-themed Thanksgiving Dinner
Keep him away from the cranberries
By Al Carlos Hernandez, LatinoLA, November 25, 2009
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Keep him away from the cranberries
By Al Carlos Hernandez, LatinoLA, November 25, 2009
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