Inside Prop 3 v Prop 4 Represent p. 4 Cristina Pato: Bagpipe Diva p. 11 NCLR’s Janet Murguía in ATX p. 12 Katie Walsh Full Circles p. 15
Rainbow Coalition
Volume IV, 7 / November 2012 // www.todoaustin.com
Anish Nagar, Patricia Vonne, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Pilar Andújar, Harold McMillan. Front: Jin Kwon. Photo by Kelly Lauder.
City Council Geographic Representation Debate Underscores Austin’s Ethnic Divide By Gavin Lance Garcia
The current discourse on November’s election is a welcome reminder that we must be patient with one another and each contribute to a mutually respectful community dialogue. At present, we are experiencing a political movement – a sea of change in power – as Latino Austin grows into a position of political advantage. Several Hispanic leaders have told me that one way “we” will impose our will is through the passing of Proposition 3 on the ballot. With 10 council districts, they say, Latinos will not only enjoy better representation at City Hall, but because of recent demographic changes, will dominate Austin in every arena. Growing up in Austin, I was taught from grade school through civic classes at Lanier High that Mexican Americans must surrender reason into Anglos’ keeping. I was quite conscious of the fact that to be Latino in Austin was to be obedient to the dominant authority. Liberal whites declared that they would take care of our needs, that they had our best interests at heart. We were assured that minorities were fairly represented culturally, politically and every which way, and were reminded of the “gentleman’s agreement” still in place, whereby one Latino and one African American are allowed to sit on the city council. This “agreement” was blindly accepted, or tolerated, by almost everyone. That Austin’s Latinos followed that two-seat arrangement for so long, without instituting change, says much about the city as a whole, and even more about ourselves. Now, we hear there will be more voter engagement with future local issues. Supporters of the hybrid council system, Proposition 4 (eight geographical single member districts with two elected at-large), broadly supported by representatives of the Asian and African American communities, argue that it is a more ethnic-inclusive approach than Proposition 3, and I see their point. If Proposition 3 passes, there is the distinct possibility that future city councils will consist entirely of Anglos and Latinos.
I regard that sentiment as a truth, based on the historical record. Although I’ve heard it echoed by Hispanics that it’s “our time,” I find it unacceptable that other ethnic communities will have to wait for theirs. Some Latinos are quick to state, “Our people were here first and have waited the longest for our views to be heard.” One interesting response from Asian leaders has been, “But, we built the railroads that brought your ancestors here.” I have no doubt that after the election there will be heated rhetoric in the public square. Advocates on both sides of Prop 3 and 4 will continue to “agree to disagree.” Voices on opposite sides of issues will, on one hand, appeal for civility and fairness, and on the other, fall into ad hominem attacks. As a lifelong resident of Austin, I warn the group that falls on the short end of the Proposition 3/4 election: The future state of Austin will be worse than the present. A former colleague at the Austin American-Statesman used to tease me that the “old Austin” I grew up in during the 1960s was gone. That as a native, I was a relic. On the surface, that may be true; but the substance underneath leads me to reject endorsing either Proposition 3 or 4 publicly. The passing of either would be a welcome change from what can be viewed as a racist at-large council voting system. The evolution of Austin is undergoing a revolutionary period. Minorities have become the majority and now we’re ready to flex our political muscle; but at whose expense? When I look back at Austin’s history, I wonder if our elected leaders – conservatives and liberals, alike – arrested the progress of our communities of color. Who profited during this exploitative period during which minorities existed in a state of submission? Where were our community leaders, our grassroots advocates and organizations, and the liberal alternative press? They were singing hymns of praise and claiming ours was an open, tolerant and fair community. Now there is visible division among ethnic communities, underscored by the Proposition 3 and 4 debate. I will live for the ‘morrow, say something wherever possible and hope for the best.
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CHUCHO VALDÉS QUINTET
CRISTINA PATO
Live at Bass Concert Hall // November 15
Live at Bass Concert Hall // December 1
Hailed as “the dean of Latin jazz,” multi-Grammy Award winner Valdés brings an all-new band to Austin to deliver his distinct Afro-Cuban jazz sound. All About Jazz writes, “his joy in playing and his love of the music always shines through. He can tickle the ivories with the soft grace of Bill Evans and dazzle with the thunderous dexterity of Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson.”
After a 2011 show-stealing performance as the green-haired Gaita player of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Pato returns with her Migrations Band. Renowned for her dramatic performances, Pato fuses influences of Sephardic, Latin, jazz, pop, and contemporary music to create a sound and vision that is energetic, flamboyant, and virtuosic.
Volume IV, Number 07
Alexandra M. Landeros, Callie Langford, Cristina Parker, Blake Shanley
Cover // Austin Celebrates Formula 1 Week.
Publisher/Editor // Gavin Lance Garcia contact@todoaustinonline.com
Contributing Writers/Photographers/Artists Mohammad Al-Bedaiwi, Heather Banks, Gonzalo Barrientos, Adriana Cadena, Roy Casagarnda, Sirsha Chatterjee, Priscilla Cortez, Ruben Cubillos, Chi Dinh, Harmony Eichsteadt, Layla Fry, Shyam Gannavaram, Lori L. Garcia, Kelly Ginest, Mark Guerra, Jillian Hall, Mari Hernandez, Ryan Hutchison, Yadira Izquierdo, Nandini Jairam, Chaille Jolink, Ryan Jordan, Richard Jung, Kelle Kampa, Ramey Ko, Heather Lee, Julia Lee, Liz Lopez, Otis Lopez, Nathalie Lumang, David Marks, JoJo Marion, Mamata Misra, Daniel Mora, Carmen Nenadal, Roberto Ontiveros, Preya Patel, Monica Peña, Agapita Sanchez, Paul Saldaña, Marion Sanchez, Hani Saleh, Snehal Shingavi, Azim Siddiqui, Chris Summers, Blanca Valencia, Kristina Vallejo, Kuetzpalin Vasquez, Joseph P.A. Villescas, Bowen Wilder
TODO Austin // Multicultural Media for All of Austin. TODO Austin is a free print and online journal for all of Austin highlighting our multicultural heritage and promoting the concept of community in an ethnically diverse city. Circulation throughout Austin, from the Westside’s Pennybacker Bridge to the Eastside’s Montopolis Bridge.
Art Director // Dave McClinton www.dmdesigninc.com MANAGING EDITOR // Evelyn C. Castillo Contributing Editors // Katie Walsh, Erica Stall Wiggins Senior Editors // Güner Arslan, Cindy Casares, Sonia Kotecha, Esther Reyes, Lesley Varghese, Yvonne Lim Wilson Associate Editors // Mia Garcia, Harish Kotecha, 02 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
Photo by Kelly Lauder
TODO Austin is published by Spark Awakened Publishing. © 2012 Spark Awakened Publishing. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are the authors and should not be taken to represent those of Spark Awakened Publishing or of any of its associates or partners.
ADVERTISING/SUBMISSIONS/EDITORIAL: Contact@todoaustinonline.com, 512.538.4115 TODO Austin – 1400 Corona Drive - Austin, TX 78723
HABLA Austin // Current affairs and issues impacting our community from Hispanic Advocates and Business Leaders of Austin. Austin Contractor’s Coalition // Proud of our wonderful coalition, the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association, Austin Area Black Contractors, and the Austin Area Asian Contractors Association. We are urging all to get out and VOTE. Let’s make a difference. – Frank Fuentes Latinos, Religion and Campaign 2012 // Latinos are divided by religion in their preferences in the upcoming presidential election, according to the latest survey by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Three-quarters of Latino Catholics and eight-in-ten religiously unaffiliated Latinos support President Barack Obama’s re-election. However, among Latino evangelical Protestants, who account for 16% of all Latino registered voters, just 50% prefer Obama, while 39% support Mitt Romney. Eight-in-ten religiously unaffiliated Latino voters (who make up 15% of the Latino electorate) and seven-in-ten Latino Catholics (57% of the Latino electorate) are Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party. (from pewForum.org) – Paul Saldaña Education Profiteering: Wall Street’s Next Big Thing? // Wall Street and big business infiltrating education dollars is far from a “new” thing. One of the things I show in my own work is how these monied interests in Texas mask themselves. We’re being robbed right in front of our faces. One problem is that there are too many “leaders” who control a lot of on-the-ground decision making who are seduced by these investors/interests … Why is that?” The answer … GREED. If you’re out to make a profit in a down economy, what’s the one “industry” that all state constitutions say will never go bankrupt? Public education. So it’s not just about equitable and adequate funding and holding our state and local government accountable for providing funds, it’s also about knowing WHO ultimately gets that money. The image of communities rising up fighting for more funding and an old school vacuum shoot sending that money straight to the bank account of a profiteer should appear right about now. (from Dr. Patricia Lopez, texasedequity blog) – Kathy Vale Thanks to State. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez // for passing Legislation to help our people in East Austin. As an Affordable Housing Advocate, and Board Member of Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC), the Land Trust will help us (GNDC) make homes more affordable for East Austinites who want to continue living here. Congratulations to the Ybarra Family on their new home. Check it out at 1313 Willow St. – Johnny O. Limon
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TRUST AUSTIN Vote Yes for Proposition 3 By Gonzalo Barrientos
On the Nov. 6 ballot, Austin voters have a historic opportunity. This year we can end the city system that was created in 1953 out of intent to deny people of color — specifically African-Americans — any City Council representation. Our current system is the same as the one created in the ’50s, but with the “gentlemen’s agreement” of the 1970s added to ensure minority representation. This “agreement” is a relic of Austin’s past. It creates a paternalistic system in which the majority chooses which African-American and Hispanic council member they want, rather than allowing minority or geographic communities to choose their own council member. Furthermore, with a positive vote for geographic representation, Austin will join every other major city in the country by bringing fair representation to its city council.
Now the question is … which proposition to choose? There are two on the ballot. As former chair of the Charter Revision Committee commissioned by the council and part of Austinites for Geographic Representation, I strongly recommend voting yes on Proposition 3. Here are a few reasons why: • Proposition 3, Citizens Districting 10-1, was created by a diverse cross-section of citizens and recommended by the majority of the CRC. It was put on the ballot by 33,000 signatures and is backed by a broadbased coalition of 30 organizations and hundreds of personal endorsers. • Proposition 3 ensures that district lines will be drawn by an independent commission, not politicians or lobbyists. • Proposition 3 brings equal and fair representation to all members of our community — no matter what part of town you live in, what color your skin is, or your income level. 04 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
You might think that Proposition 4’s 8-2-1 “plan” would be the recommendation of the CRC minority report, but it’s not. Our minority report’s recommendation was 10-2-1. Why? Because public expert testimony clearly showed that it takes 10 districts to meet the requirements of federal law and to provide our African American citizens an opportunity district. So how did 8-2-1 get on the ballot? It is interesting that the Real Estate Council of Austin recommended 8-2-1 less than a week before the City Council put it on the ballot. If this argument is just about including some at-large seats, then why not take our Commission’s minority report? Proposition 4 isn’t about real reform; it’s about confusing voters and hoping nothing will pass. If Proposition 4 does pass, one of two things will happen: we’ll create another ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ where African-Americans will be elected at-large (with the permission of the rest of us because they will have no district) or the Department of Justice will reject the plan and Austin will be back to where we are now. Is this why RECA and some on the council recommended Proposition 4 and not the CRC minority recommendation? They apparently don’t really want the system to change.
FORWARD AUSTIN Support a Hybrid City Council and Proposition 4 By Austin Community for Change
Boston, Houston, Corpus Christi and many other cities have embraced a hybrid system and enjoy diverse representation on their city council. Meanwhile San Antonio’s single-member district structure dilutes Latino influence, despite its 63% Latino population. With Austin’s growing and dispersed minority populations, a hybrid city council improves equitable access to representation. 5. A HYBRID SYSTEM IS OUR BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE.
Change is hard, but necessary. Any new system should address past injustices, sustain Austin’s rapid growth and protect against uncertainty. A hybrid system provides the opportunity to balance what works in an at large system while embracing strong support for change. A hybrid is not just a compromise - it is a system that ensures fair representation for all Austinites, now and in the future.
The majority of the CRC chose not to include at-large seats. Since 1971, city council members have been elected through a system that encourages unequal representation — 10 percent of the population lives in an area that receives 55 percent of the representation. With any at-large seats, these wealthy and historically high-turnout zip codes will likely get the mayor — as they usually do — and one, if not both, of the at-large seats. Further, proponents of at-large seats seem to argue that only at-large council members will care about citywide issues. Not only is this untrue, it is insulting. It assumes that you are so narrowminded that you won’t elect district council members capable of dealing with citywide issues.
1. WHAT IS IT? A HYBRID CITY COUNCIL PROVIDES REPRESENTATION FOR GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICTS WHILE RETAINING A FEW AT-LARGE SEATS ACCOUNTABLE TO ALL AUSTINITES.
Last, Proposition 3 creates an independent commission that requires those with an active electoral or financial interest in City Hall to be excluded from drawing district lines. It is an open process that follows all laws and requires — to the extent possible — the protection of neighborhoods. Proposition 4 legalizes gerrymandering. Council members or their cronies will be able to draw lines as often as they like. There are no requirements in Proposition 4 that protect anyone but power brokers and incumbents. If you like how the state legislature redistricts Austin, you will love redistricting under Proposition 4.
In a city as diverse as Austin, fair political representation must be about more than geography. A hybrid city council provides the best opportunity for dispersed minority and identity groups to achieve representation and for your voice to be heard.
Trust Austin and vote for the plan that the citizens put on the ballot. Join us in voting yes on Proposition 3 and no on Proposition 4.
4. CITIES LIKE AUSTIN THRIVE WITH HYBRID REPRESENTATION.
Based on extensive analysis from leading experts, social science research, and recommended by nearly half of Austin’s Charter Revision Committee, a hybrid city council is designed to be fair today and fair tomorrow. For Austin today, we support a hybrid plan that allows voters to elect eight (8) district representatives, two (2) atlarge representatives and the mayor. 2. YOU WILL VOTE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD AND MULTIPLE CITYWIDE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO LOOK OUT FOR YOUR INTERESTS.
3. UNLIKE THE 10-1 PLAN, UNDER THE HYBRID SYSTEM YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR FOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON ELECTION DAY, NOT JUST TWO.
Austin voters like being able to vote for more than just one or two people. Under the existing at-large system, Austin voters currently vote for every member of the city council regardless of where they live. A hybrid approach strikes a balance between this benefit and the advantages of geographic representation.
We believe that a system of geographic representation for the Austin City Council is long overdue, that we must all work together to bring about change. 8-2-1 provides eight single-member geographic districts, while retaining two at-large Council seats accountable to all voters. This offers the benefits of both systems and ensures maximum representation for all Austin residents. 8-2-1 allows every Austin voter cast a ballot for up to four Council seats, including the mayor, and to vote in every city election. This increases citizens’ ability to shape a greater proportion of the Council and its policies. 8-2-1 offers minority groups who are not geographically concentrated a better opportunity to elect a representative of their choosing in a citywide. 8-2-1 offers minority groups who are currently geographically concentrated the opportunity to strengthen their representation through atlarge seats, or ensure continued representation should their population decline or become geographically dispersed. 8-2-1 provides insurance against the uncertainty of future district boundaries or long-term demographic and political trends. 8-2-1 is a practical balance of a hybrid system. It is more apt to appeal to voters skeptical of an exclusively geographic approach, and is a proven, legal, and fair system that can build the inclusive future we all want for Austin.
IMMIGRATION
Let Them Drive Because it’s Stupid Not To By Cristina Parker
The debate over driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants flared up again when noted evildoer Gov. Jan Brewer said recently that any young immigrant who qualifies for deferred action will not be getting a driver’s license in Arizona. Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and our own Gov. Rick Perry both jumped to join the defiant little chorus. “Illegal immigrants!” said Heineman. “No status whatsoever!” added Perry. I have a better idea. Here it is: Young immigrants who qualify for DACA should be able to get a driver’s license. So should their undocumented parents, neighbors and friends. So should immigrants who are too old to qualify for DACA. Wait for it. Every person living in Texas over 16 should be able to drive safely and legally. They should be able to carry a valid ID. The opposing point of view is stupid, and I can prove it. Let’s look at our neighbors. New Mexico extended licenses to undocumented immigrants in 2003. Since then, more than 80,000 immigrants have successfully applied, taken the eye, written and road exams, registered their vehicles, and
purchased auto insurance. We know the law delivered on improving public safety, because New Mexico has seen a major decrease in alcohol-related crashes, injuries, and deaths. But the policy change also fattened the wallets of all New Mexicans. The uninsured motorist rate decreased from A New Mexico mom attends a rally to ask her senator to reject any attempts to repeal the 2003 law 21percent in 2003 to about 9 percent in 2011, that allows undocumented immigrants in the state to get driver’s licenses. meaning lower insurance rates for all drivers in the state. Undocumented immigrants also But you don’t have to take it from me. You can It’s time for Texas to join the rational and allow contributed more than $17 million in fees for ask a law enforcement executive like Los Angeles undocumented immigrants to get licenses. Texans licenses and registration. Police Chief Charlie Beck. He told the Los Angeles won’t be alone. Communities in North Carolina, Times earlier this year, “Why wouldn’t you want to Vermont, Pennsylvania and others are fighting for There’s more. Without social security numbers, put people through a rigorous testing process? licenses. In addition to New Mexico, Washington undocumented immigrants must obtain Why wouldn’t you want to better identify people and Utah currently allow driver’s licenses. This is something called an ITIN from the IRS. This magic who are going to be here?” possible. number can be used to apply for a state driver’s license but also comes with something else: an You can ask a Republican, too. “We have between Our friends in Vermont are almost there. This obligation to file federal and (in the case of New two and three million undocumented workers year, the Vermont Senate moved on a proposal Mexico) state income taxes. in Texas. Most of them have cars and trucks,” said Norman E. Adams, Co-Founder of Texans for licenses. Danilo Lopez, a farmworker and There you have it. Allowing undocumented for Sensible Immigration Policy, a conservative community organizer was there. “This bill isn’t immigrants to get driver’s licenses instantly made business group. “Refusing to require these people about just migrant workers,” he said. “This bill New Mexico roads safer, saved drivers money to have a driver license makes no more sense is for the public safety and human rights of all in insurance and increased revenue. I’ve proved than refusing to inoculate their children for Vermonters.” why denying driver’s licenses to undocumented communicable diseases!” He’s right. We demand the same common sense immigrants is stupid. We should stop doing it in Makes sense, doesn’t it? in Texas. Texas.
Growing Up By Blanca N. Valencia
As a teacher, everyday I have my students write a journal entry upon entering my classroom. Ninety-precent of the time, it’s related to a topic we will be covering in class that day. A couple of weeks ago we were preparing to watch the first presidential debate, so their journal question was, “Which presidential candidate would you vote for and why?” Being seniors, some of them can vote and are registered, thanks to your’s truly (yes, I’m proud of that one), so I thought some discussion must be had before election day. The discussion yielded a very interesting result—my classroom is an absolute reflection of the national discussion surrounding the presidential debate. I’ll use a student as an example. Let’s call her Maggie. Maggie sat in class and asked “Miss, but, like, what’s the difference between the two main parties?” Where to begin? I found that the simplest thing might be to draw a t-chart on the board. I discussed the typical items, like fiscal policy, abortion, taxes, etc. We discussed that, in actuality, many times these lines are blurred once a president
comes to office because priorities become different. Then, as Maggie was processing all this information, she exclaimed, “You see! This is why all this is confusing! ‘Cause, like, Obama is Republican?” Dead silence in the room, followed by a collective, “NO!” I chuckled a little, but Maggie’s questions and understanding of the issues and candidates were truly revealing. How many people in our country really understand the issues and candidates’ policy history? How many people can truly grasp the president’s actual role as listed by the Constitution? Maggie’s example may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I don’t think it’s very far off. For another example, I give you “Collin.” During a viewing of the vice presidential debate, I overheard an odd conversation. Collin was explaining to another teacher and student why he doesn’t smoke pot because he is white. We then wound up in a discussion about why Collin considers himself Republican. “It’s because, I’m like ... white. I’m, like, old-school white,” he explained. I asked him to articulate further and proceeded to anger some of the minority students in class
Texas Tribune graphic
with comments like, “I won’t ever be the person to have a mixed baby,” but reasoned, “I am not a racist.” For his own protection, I told Collin to take the weekend to rethink how he was articulating his thoughts because he felt he was misunderstood. I also explained to the class that Collin had a similar understanding of political parties that the rest of them did—that party affiliation is about race. I realize there are correlations. However, as we have found in this election and in many before it, race hardly makes a voting
block, especially today. It’s the issues. Those are correlated. But how many times to do we see politicians wanting to claim the “Latino Vote” or the “Black Vote?” We’ve even broken it down by gender and the “Women’s Vote.” One might be offended at the fact that I have compared this country to a bunch of 17 and 18-year olds, but taking a closer look, how many of us have actually grown up since high school? How many of us have done the research and are now informed citizens? As my students would say, “Just sayin’.” TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 05
AUSTIN LYRIC OPERA OPENER:
‘Pagliacci’
Bridge2Bridge From Montopolis Bridge to 360 Bridge, Everything Austin
There’s a new sense of vitality at Austin Lyric Opera as it embarks on its next 25 years under the guidance of new General Director Joseph Specter. ALO kicks off the season in November with one of the most dramatic, delightful and powerful operas in the repertoire, Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.” This famously tragic opera tells the heartbreaking story of betrayal and jealousy in an Italian commedia dell’arte troupe. Theater and reality collide in a dramatic climax of operatic proportions when Canio discovers his wife has eyes for another actor. “Laugh, clown, at your broken love,” he exclaims in one of opera’s most legendary tenor arias. “Pagliacci,” which premiered in Milan in 1892, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, was instantly successful with the public and has remained so, with several stars performing the opera including Luciano Pavarotti, Enrico Caruso, Placido Domingo and Mario Lanza. The ALO performance marks the return of world renowned tenor Carl Tanner to the Austin Stage. His Canio at the New York City Opera was admiringly described as “the performance of a lifetime.” Tickets are available for Saturday, November 10 and Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 18 at 3 p.m. at Dell Hall. ALO’s dynamic campaign to bring opera to the people this season included a series of free performances around Greater Austin called “The Pagliacci Project.” These modern presentations taken from the opera were created to engage audiences and communities new to opera, and included tunes performed in English, with updated sets and costumes and a “barker” to enliven crowds. Performances took place in a variety of highly-visible locations, such as outdoor street festivals, shopping malls and clubs, as ALO – founded in May, 1986 – continues to make a lasting connection with the greater Austin community, fostering an appreciation for opera and the arts by bringing traditional opera to non-traditional settings. “The optimism and excitement for the future of ALO is palpable with our patrons,” says Specter. “Our loyal audience has responded enthusiastically to our current season with subscriptions that outpace those of even our 25th anniversary season.” 06 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
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“The Longoria Affair” is a documentary on the Mexican American civil rights movement playing as part of the Cine de Oro series at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. It tells the story of one key injustice the refusal, by a funeral home in Texas, to care for a dead soldier’s body “because the white’s wouldn’t like it.” Free screening Tuesday, November 27, 9:30 a.m. maccaustin. org • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The 21st Annual Austin Powwow and American Indian Heritage Festival is a family oriented event and a great way to learn about the rich heritage of American Indian Culture. Over 50,000 attendees will enjoy traditional story tellers, an Indian Market and food court. The free event is all day Saturday, November 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Toney Burger Center. austinpowwow.net/ austinpowwow.cfm • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Austin Shakespeare presents “Pride and Prejudice,” the romantic tale of two unlikely lovers. Enter a beautiful world of comic characters and elegant heroes in an unlikely romance when the sparkling wit of Miss Elizabeth Bennet meets the serious soul of Mr. Darcy. Enjoy graceful ballroom dance and music. November 7-25, Rollins Theatre at the Long Center. austinshakespeare.org • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Just a week after the 2012 presidential election, Texas Performing Arts presents a compelling ‘State of the Union’ conversation with two of America’s most respected writers and social commentators. Frank Rich, Writer-atLarge for New York Magazine and Fran Lebowitz, author and journalist, will discuss a number of topics including politics and culture. Wednesday, November 14, 8 p.m. Bass Concert Hall. texasperformingarts.org • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Tapestry Dance Company brings back to the stage “April Fools,” the winner of “Best Choreography” by the Austin Critics Table Awards. Join the company in a traveling road-show, rhythm experience you’ll never forget with the live music of Datri Bean and The Butter Bean Band. A memorable feast of dance from this treasured Austin organization. November 30-December 1, Rollins Theatre at the Long Center. tapestry.org • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade will again collect toys to benefit Operation Blue Santa. The parade features giant inflatable balloons, festive holiday floats, famous children’s characters, spectacular marching bands, cool classic cars and Santa! Santa’s Helpers will line the parade route to help spectators with their toy. Saturday, December 1, 11:00 a.m., along Congress Avenue. chuysparade.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Raindrop Turkish House presents the Turkish Film Series. The film series is co-sponsored by the UT Department of Middle Eastern Studies and Austin-Antalya Sister Cities Committee. All films are free and open to the public, in Turkish with English subtitles. This year’s selections include “Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds,” “Conquest 1453,” and the comedy “Vavien.” November 3 & 29, University of Texas. raindropturkishhouse.com
¡Noche de Fiesta, Noche de Lucha! // El Sol y La Luna Join the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition on Wednesday, November 7, to celebrate and support the work of those fighting for human rights. The evening will feature food, live music by Addixxion, dancing, and stories from AIRC members on the forefront of immigrant-led organizing in Central Texas. All proceeds will benefit AIRC’s organizing and community education. Tickets are $15. To purchase, contact Esther Reyes at esther@austinirc.org or call (512) 476-2472.
Chucho Valdés Quintet // Bass Concert Hall Hailed as “the dean of Latin jazz” and “one of the world’s great virtuosic pianists” by The New York Times, multi-Grammy Award winner Chucho Valdés brings an all-new band to Austin to deliver his distinct Afro-Cuban jazz sound on Thursday, November 15. Winner of five Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, he’s performed all over the world, sharing the stage with numerous musical luminaries. “His joy in playing and his love of the music always shines through.”
Austin Symphony Orchestra ‘Rite of Spring’ // Dell Hall This performance of Chicago Symphony’s Beyond the Score, featuring Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” is designed for both aficionados and newcomers to look deeper into the world of classical music. The first half offers a multimedia examination of the “The Rite of Spring,” sharing the illuminating stories found “inside” the music. After intermission, concertgoers hear its performance played in its entirety, conducted by Peter Bay. Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1 at 8 p.m.
Asian Austin About Town
using millions of grains of sand. The opening ceremony on Wednesday, November 14, at Bollywood Fiesta Presents ‘Dandia’ Indian 12:30 p.m., will give visitors an opportunity to Folk Dancing Night // A fundraiser for the experience the beauty of ancient ritual and the Austin based Hindu Charities for America, is Saturday, November 3, 8:30 p.m. at Mexita’s Restaurant (1107 N IH-35). The event features traditional Indian Ras Garba and Dandia Ras, and music by Jankar Beats. Proceeds will go to procure supplies for homeless children in the Austin metropolitan area for the 2013-14 school year. “We have already recognized our responsibility to help improve the quality of life back home in India,” said charity founder Harish Kotecha. “We have contributed our time and money to build schools, temples, hospitals and more. HC4A has launched various initiatives to help Hindu communities get involved in giving back to their local societies. Our initial goal is to aid in the overall education of homeless children in America. Our current drive is to help 600 Manor ISD homeless children with school supplies and hygiene packs. Your help is needed.” Complimentary Indian snacks, with food and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase. $10; students/seniors $8. Children under 12 free. Tickets are at www.austindia.com/event/160 or 512-773-7815, and at Taj Grocers, Amibica Foods and Apna Bazar.
blessing of the Blanton’s space as the monks prepare for the creation of a 5-foot sand mandala in the museum’s Rapoport Atrium. The monks will construct the sand mandala over a five day period during regular museum hours. “Symbolism of the Sand Mandala,” a lecture in conjunction with the visit, is Saturday, November 17, at 2 p.m. The closing sacred ceremony is on Sunday, November 18, at 2 p.m., as the monks dismantle the sand mandala, which will then be dispersed at Waller Creek. SAHELI’s Mamata Misra Recognized // The guiding force behind SAHELI, Mamata Misra, was presented the Jordan Award by the Austin Community Foundation in a ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel on October 17. Misra was recognized for being a volunteer who, through dedication, commitment and contributions, has made a significant impact in Austin.
Zen priest Kosho McCall
JASGA’s Japanese Zen Practice // JapanAmerica Society of Greater Austin presents a special Soto School Zen practice on November 5, 7-8 p.m. at Casa de Luz on 1701 Toomey Road, Cielo Room South (2F), featuring teacher and Head Priest Kosho McCall. For more info call 512-656-4731. Tibetan Monks to Visit Blanton Museum // Accompanying the exhibition, “Into the Sacred City: Tibetan Buddhist Deities from the Theos Bernard Collection,” the Blanton brings Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery to the museum from November 14-18 to construct a sand mandala
Misra was called a “Renaissance woman who mustered her skills as an engineer, writer and poet, charismatic speaker and first-rate organizer, to found a program that continues to help hundreds of women, primarily Asian immigrants, rebuild their lives ... Members of cultures with strictly defined family and gender roles, Asian women seeking help for domestic violence, rape or abuse often had few options. They lived in fear, not only of their spouses but of being ostracized by their own community. They faced many challenges, including a language barrier. Recognizing that something needed to be done, Mamata teamed up with a few like-minded colleagues and founded SAHELI, which in Hindi means ‘female friend.’ SAHELI provides assistance to Asian and other immigrant families dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking.” Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Connect’ // Relationships are a key to building trust and long-term growth, and GAACC’s “Connect: Business and Career Forum” offers structured networking and
interactive panel discussions to facilitate face-to-face discussions. The program, on November 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, 701 East 11th Street, will include panels featuring corporate and government representatives discussing how to access procurement opportunities with Fortune 500 corporations and government agencies. There’s also a small business roundtable, “My Sassy Girl” corporate roundtable and a networking reception. Free. austinasianchamber.org talk on Tuesday, November 13, 3 p.m., in the University of Texas’ Belo Center for new Queer Asian American Visibility Project Media, Room 5.102, examines how South // Oakland-based photographer and Korean cinema is being globalized within the videographer, Nakano, is headed to Austin to U.S. context, focusing on three Hollywood do a shoot for the Visibility Project. The series films, “My Sassy Girl” (dir. Yann Samuell, 2008), is focused on Queer Asian American Women, the U.S. remake of “Yeopgijeogin geunyeo” Genderqueer, and Trans-folk from all over the (dir. Jae-young Kwak, 2001), “Ninja Assassin,” country. The project seeks to breakdown racial, starring Rain (dir. James McTeague, 2009) and ethnic, gender, and all the other stereotypes “Blood: The Last Vampire,” starring Gianna Jun placed upon the communities she’s a part of. (dir. Chris Nahon, 2009). One of her goals is to do a shoot in each of the 50-states to bring light the different and similar Compiled by staff and Asian Austin at www. challenges faced. Register to be interviewed AsianAustin.com, an online news source in Austin on Sunday, November 4th at: www. featuring news about Asian American people, eventbrite.com/event/4386092922 organizations and events in Austin. Visit the Asian Austin website and “Like” us on Facebook Crossing Over: South Korean Cinema, for calendar and event details! Contact publisher Oriental Style and “Hallyuwood” // This Yvonne Lim Wilson at yvonne@asianaustin.com.
No Breath No Life: Know Breath Know Life By Shyam Gannavaram
Our breath holds a lot of secrets because, for every emotion in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath. And each rhythm affects certain parts of the body, physically. Have you ever counted how many times you breathe in a minute? Breathing is the first act of life and it’s the last act of life. In between, the whole life we are breathing in and out, but not attending to the breath. Ninety percent of the impurities in the body go out through the breath because we are breathing twenty-four hours a day. However, we are using only 30 percent of our lung capacity. We are not breathing enough.
Michael Fischman
See, the mind is like a kite and the breath, a thread. For the mind to go high the breath needs to be longer. You don’t have to take Prozac if you can attend to the breath. In one minute, we breathe nearly 16 to 17 times. If you are upset it may go up to 20, if you are extremely tense and angry, it could total 25 per minute. Ten if you are very calm and happy, two to three breaths if you
are in meditation. Deep meditation can reduce the number of breaths you take. If you observe an infant, you will be amazed at how balanced they breathe. They breathe from all three sections of the body. As they breathe in, their belly comes out; as they breathe out, their belly moves in. But the more nervous and tense you are, you do the reverse. When you breathe out, your tummy will come out and when you breathe in, it goes in. Our mind is preoccupied with so many things, so many judgments, so many opinions, and so many impressions, we are unable to observe, perceive the refined things in nature. The Sudarshan Kriya technique taught in the Art of Living Course in Austin, November 9-13, with Michael Fischman (www.keepaustinmeditating. org.), incorporates specific natural rhythms of breath which harmonize the rhythms of the body and emotions and bring them in tune with the rhythms of nature. The breath connects the body and mind. Just as emotions affect our patterns of breathing, we can bring about changes in our mental and behavioral patterns by altering the rhythms of our breath. It flushes our anger, anxiety and worry; leaving the mind completely relaxed and energized. This single technique has benefited thousands of people across all walks of life – corporate executives, trauma affected, underprivileged, children and homemakers. Attention to the breath and to meditation can bring true health to all levels of our existence. True health is a disease-free body, a quiver-free breath, a stress-free mind, an inhibition-free intellect, a trauma-free memory, an ego that includes all, and a soul which is free from sorrow. TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 07
Evening Stars at Austin Fan Fest’s Cultural Arts Group Stage
Patricia Vonne
Omar Lopez
John Arthur Martinez
Layalina are from varied social and ethnic backgrounds, which adds to a creative ensemble of talented musicians. Playing on the oud, nay, violin, darbuka, riq, with two main female vocalists, the group loves to improvise and do it well. Most importantly, they enjoy making music together and live by Khalil Gibran’s words, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” Naga Valli
Tio Jacare and Austin Samba School is a group of over 100 drummers and dancers that performs the music and dance of Brazilian Carnaval, from Rio to Bahia. Performing at parades, festivals and special occasions, they channel the music, movement, color, pageantry and joy of Carnaval. Created and led by Robert Patterson, a.k.a. Tio Jacaré, the samba school has anywhere from 40-50 drummers and 60-80 dancers.
Friday November 16 9:00 PM Naga Valli music is described as “East-Indian Soul with delicate touches of Pop, Rock, Trance and pure Eastern tradition.” The power and emotion in Valli’s voice, her lyrics that speak of inner struggles and inspiration, combined with the effortlessness with which she blends Eastern overtones with Western melodies make Valli’s music refreshingly unique and yet, familiar at the same time.
Sunday November 18 10:00 PM
Omar Lopez w/ String Phoenix Lopez is an entertainer with a passion for the stage, known for his technique and showmanship. Lopez’s sound draws from a dark, morose, and almost MiddleEastern influence at first, building into a sizzling Latin-jazz flair, and ultimately evoking a fiery, hard-rock vibe, all the while with a pitch perfect tone, fine-tuned over the course of more than two decades of playing the violin.
Saturday November 17 10:00 PM
Texas Bhangra is a UT-based group which originated eight years ago when a group of Punjabi undergrads decided to form a team, now considered by many to be a catalyst that helped propel the bhangra scene in America. The group strives to share the Punjabi culture with the community. They compete nationally at contests and are often honored with Best Artistic Act and Best Technical Act awards.
East Side Blues Syndicate is a true family affair, born out of the weekly “Blue Monday’” Blues Jams at The Historic Victory Grill. Led by Matthew Robinson’s, vocals, Jose “Sweet Tone” Ruiz’, harmonica, Roland Lawes, percussion, Harold McMillan, bass, and Johnny Glass, lead guitar, the band transforms obscure blues tunes and originals with a fierce, collective vision and taste. The result? Soul, blues and jazz of the highest order.
Pilar Andújar
Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox
Patricia Vonne is a Latin roots rocker and troubadour who over the years since her debut album, has proven herself a truly ascendant and transcendent musical artist. The lovely San Antonio, Texas born-and-bred Chicana has risen to popularity across the states and Europe while also “quickly taking her place among Texas’s musical treasures,” notes the Austin Chronicle, “a Tex-Mex spitfire with a rock’n’roll heart.”
John Arthur Martinez makes music filled with the spiritual and creative energy of the Texas Hill Country. His pedigree as an Americana artist of the first caliber was stamped well before his runner-up finish on TV’s “Nashville Star,” leading to world tours and the Grand Ole Opry. His heart and soul defies categorization as the Grammy Award winning songwriter is as much at ease in a work shirt, as he is on the podium.
Pilar Andújar is a professional flamenco dancer, choreographer and instructor from Spain. Working in the top tablaos in Madrid and with the country’s best flamenco companies she has also performed as a headliner across the world, from Turkey to Latvia to Bosnia and Vietnam. Now based in Austin where she performs and teaches flamenco, she has also choreographed for companies such as Carlota Santana FlamencoVivo.
Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox are the power couple of accordionist/producer/arranger Guzman and singer/songwriter Fox, known as one of the most prolific and influential duos in American music. The multi-Grammy Award winning outfit’s field of musical expertise runs the gamut from rock to blues, folk to jazz, and conjunto to Americana. They’ve collaborated with myriad music icons as their reputation continues to soar.
St. Edward’s University Ballet Folklorico performs with a goal to share the richness of the Mexican culture through the traditional dances of ballet folklorico. Throughout the year, the group performs on campus, in Austin and around Texas. The group has also been invited to take its mission of cultural dissemination across state lines by venturing into parts of the U.S. that don’t often see the beauty and majesty of ballet folklorico. TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 09
InterFest Austin Blazes New Path in Austin Fest Offerings By Chris Summers
Historic Victory Grill
With thousands of visitors making their way to Austin for the inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix on November 16-18, a group of local cultural arts leaders representing various ethnic communities gathered over the summer to discuss how best to present the diversity of the city to the world. Brought together by the Austin-based non-profit, Humanitarians in the Arts, the advisory coalition agreed to produce a series of free showcases in the African American Heritage Cultural District, along the East 11th Street business corridor, anchored by Kenny Dorham’s Backyard, The Historic Victory Grill and the Texas Music Museum. The festival, called InterFest Austin, runs Friday evening, November 16, through Sunday afternoon, November 18. Humanitarians in the Arts laid the foundation for the festival two years ago when Austin was awarded the U.S. Grand Prix and plans were announced to build a track in southeastern Travis County. After temporary halts and starts, the race was finally confirmed in the fall, 2011. By May 2012, hints at a downtown cultural programming were leaked to the media, most of its offerings of the country western variety. In short order, venue owners along East 11th Street met with Humanitarians in the Arts Director Gavin Lance Garcia to discuss a partnership of diverse ethnic voices and the creation of an event that was authentic in its representation of Austin.
Formula 1 Austin Fan Fest a Sophisticated Spectacle By Roberto Ontiveros
I’m not into racing, and I am even less into watching people watch racing. And I have, for years now, felt comfortable with my prejudice against guys in flame proof 10 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
Texas Music Museum
Kenny Dorham’s Backyard’s Harold McMillan was one of the first that Garcia turned to as he began to build an Eastside team. “This festival gives us the opportunity to showcase the diversity in our various communities in Austin,” McMillan said. “Drawing on the different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds allows us to return to our roots as a City.”
With AIN on board, a small group from Humanitarians in the Arts met with Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell to request funding for the InterFest Austin endeavor. In late summer, the coalition learned in a follow-up meeting at City Hall that the RunTex Foundation had volunteered to stand in the gap left by a promoter and was attempting to resurrect an event along Congress Avenue.
As often happens with good ideas, another group, the Austin Intercultural Network (AIN), also envisioned a multicultural festival for Austin during the inaugural race. Garcia met with the organization and they agreed to join the growing confederation.
As often happens in Austin, conversations about hosting an intercultural festival to represent Austin to the world started circulating among key people in the event management industry. So in the best spirit of cooperation, Humanitarians in the Arts and the RunTex Foundation staff decided to join forces and leverage all their specialties into a single festival branded as Experience Austin.
Chi Dinh, founder of AIN, who’s group hosts monthly happy hours to bring various cultural groups together, has been working for several years to bring a festival to Austin. As Dinh states, Austin has the capability to host an intercultural event on the scale of Austin City Limits or SXSW. “From what I have learned of the Houston International Festival, Austin has at least as many diverse groups as Houston, and is much more open and accepting of diversity. Not to mention that Austin is a festival happy city, always ready for a street party,” said Dinh.
Timing however, was not the team’s best friend. With only a few months before the November festival date, gathering sponsors and attending to the hundreds of details required to put on an event of this scale was too tall an order. So the upper Congress Avenue side of the event was cancelled and merged into the Austin Fan Fest operation, leaving the InterFest Austin organizers to regroup and finish the original planning for the indoor venues in the 11th Street District.
A quick glance at the city’s calendar of events bears out her statement. Many in Austin have taken to renaming the spring and summer seasons the Festivus season.
Humanitarians in the Arts, meanwhile, was offered performance space on Austin Fan Fest’s Cultural Arts Group Stage and a select number of performers were scheduled for late evenings at Austin Fan Fest.
gear speeding down severe circles because it seemed dopey and frankly because it just seemed a little too white, or white enough that I wouldn’t feel too comfy sitting near all this days of thunder nonsense. But that is all Nascar related right? From what I gather — from people as disparate as this Australian children’s lit proff I sometimes drink with to my own dad, who in between his dialysis has recently rediscovered the pleasures of Stan Getz — this Formula 1 thing is a very big and very different kind of deal.
I suppose that the point is that Formula 1 is a more sophisticated kind of spectacle: the cars are cooler, and even the fuel is somehow better, and the crowds come in from all over the world and dress like James Bond villains instead of dudes who are jonesing for the 4th of July. Here is the other thing: These Formula 1 events are really inclusive. And I guess I’ve always seen Nascar as a particular homogenous sport, kind of exclusive and defiantly, like I mentioned, whiter than it needed to be. But with folks coming in from Brazil and France, Germany, and Italy, a race riot at these races seems unlikely.
It isn’t like Nascar at all. Nascar is all Ricki Bobby and Wonderbread. Formula 1 is all Borat and berets.
A paradigm shift like this deserves a real party. So: In honor of Formula 1 coming to Austin,
Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
That street party on Congress and Colorado between 2nd and 4th Streets, will focus on the Formula One tie-in, as well as having live music stages and acts in the Erwin Center and Convention Center. So InterFest Austin lives on. In addition to the music, dance, and performance art on the indoor stages, the plans to collaborate with the East Austin Studio Tour continues. At each of the indoor performance venues, there will be visual arts on display along with information about all the 180+ studios participating in the Tour this year. According to Mary Shannahan, chair of the Interfaith Arts Council, who is collaborating on InterFest Austin, “We have more than 150 hours worth of Austin local programming at our disposal for this festival, including several Grammy winners. Unfortunately, we do not have 150 hours of stage time available.” “All these diverse parties working together for a project of this scale, in this spirit of cooperation, has seldom occurred in this town,” said Garcia. “It takes time to build a team with a shared vision,” explained McMillan. “We are just taking baby steps with this year’s event, building grassroots support for a large festival that yet retains that unique Austin flair.”
there will be this Austin Fan Fest which will be happening on the November 16-18 and will be bringing in uber-hip acts like Ghostland Observatory and the Wallflowers, along with pretty boy tennis player daters like Enrique Iglesias. Think of it as a preamble to the vast shake up of all your pop culture assumption: I mean Cheap Trick will be opening up for Aerosmith. Did these guys even talk to each other in the 70s? Sometimes there is so much healing happening all at once, it just makes sense to watch people drive real fast in circles.
Cristina Pato: Galician Bagpipe Diva
By Alexandra M. Landeros
“I have the beautiful problem of being able to enjoy all kinds of music … from classical to hip hop, from Shostakovich and Miles Davis to The Ramones and Jimi Hendrix.” — Cristina Pato Born in Ourense, Galicia, Spain in 1980, Cristina Pato is now in her early 30s. Tall and sleek, with striking features, she is classically beautiful, and has streaks of green in her long, dark hair. She is a musician. At a first glance, one might assume she plays electric guitar in a rock or punk band, but she is actually the first female gaita (Galician bagpipe) player to release a solo album in Spain, which she did in 1998. “In Galicia we have our own culture, our own language, and our own instrument, which is the gaita,” says Pato, “so I was exposed to the instrument since I was born. I started playing bagpipes when I was four years old, and I started a classical education in piano when I was five ... and I kept going with both.” Pato has been an active recording artist and performer since the age of 12, releasing four solo albums, and has collaborated with world and Latin music, jazz, classical and experimental artists. Her unique and powerful style full of passion and energy has been acclaimed by The New York Times as “a virtuosic burst of energy” and by the BBC as “the Galician bagpipe diva.”
the instrument in the first seconds of a show. It is a very powerful instrument, and although I play it my own way, the sound of it has the power to connect me to my audience in a way I cannot do with the piano.”
where she has lived since 2004. She is part of the Leadership Council of The Silk Road Ensemble, collaborating closely with Harvard University, the ensemble’s residency. Pato is also a faculty member (adjunct) at the vocal department of New Jersey City University, and she is the founder and artistic Internationally acclaimed as a Gaita master and director of Galician Connection, a forum in world classical pianist, Pato enjoys an active professional music celebrated annually at Cidade da Cultura de career devoted to both Galician popular and Galicia. classical music. Her audiences across the globe seem almost immediately captivated by the energy “Just in the last two years I have been working with she brings to the stage. the kids of the streets of Luanda (Angola), playing concerts in Arab Emirates and Jerusalem and “Gaita and piano represent two different facets of my touring India once a year,” says Pato. “Every time I personality, and I cannot choose between them,” tour with my band, and I have the chance to spend explains Pato. “I have been looking for the right a couple of days in a new place, I try to place a language to express myself in both instruments, and school visit or a university residency so I can have curiously enough, I found that language through the chance to learn from their culture and tradition Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road ensemble and through jazz. and share mine, too.”
“To me the challenge – and at the same time the beauty – of being a musician is the idea of reinventing yourself constantly,” says Pato. “This profession is not a stable one concerning schedule and economics, so being able to organize your life around months and months of touring is always “Bagpipes are one of the oldest instruments in the a challenge. But the beauty is exactly that lack of history of music,” says Pato. “It relates to almost stability: that feeling makes me being alive!” every tradition in the world. Maybe because of that, audiences are usually connected to the sound of Pato’s current home base is in New York City,
During the 2011-2012 season, Cristina Pato toured with her own band, The Silk Road Ensemble and the HUM Ensemble. On Saturday, December 1, Pato will return to Bass Concert Hall with her Migrations Band. “This roots-hazz album I am presenting in Austin is probably my best way of finding a common ground in which the bagpiper and the pianist feel equally comfortable and featured,” says Pato. “It is like having two personalities...Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. But I love that feeling.”
Photo | Yinka Oyelesse
TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 11
National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguía’s Plan to Take Over the Texas Capitol By Cindy Casares
I had the opportunity to hear National Council of La Raza president and CEO Janet Murguía speak at a luncheon in Austin in September at Southwest Key in East Austin. The 52-year-old University of Kansas Law School graduate and former aide to President Bill Clinton took over as NCLR’s leader in 2005 and has subsequently been on a slow and steady march toward national prominence. Since the 2008 elections, Murguía has built NCLR into one of the largest Hispanic voter registration organizations in the country—a direct result of her emphasis on strengthening the relationship between the group’s Washington D.C. headquarters and its local affiliates. The media-savvy Murguía has also aggressively pursued a strategy of promoting “fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos” in the public eye, according to her official bio. She is often remembered for debating former CNN host Lou Dobbs on his show over his anti-immigrant hate speech, was instrumental in his eventual resignation. NCLR—not to be confused with La Raza Unida, the grassroots political party formed in the Chicano movement of the 1970s—is not a political party, though it leans Democratic. They work on civil rights issues affecting the Latino community in the U.S. through nearly 300 community-based
affiliate organizations across America. The nearly 50-year-old organization is no fringe player— they’re funded by the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and staid corporations like Citigroup and Walmart. This year, Murguía said, they are on track to register nearly 100,000 new voters in time to vote in November. Local NCLR affiliates in Texas will contribute thousands to that total, Murguía said. The meeting of Texas NCLR affiliates broke a record for attendance with more than 80 percent of its local groups represented. In short, NCLR is on the ground in Texas and mobilized to take control of this state’s political future.
Maybe they should talk to people in California. “The DREAM Act is alive and well in California and it is because our folks came together,” Murguía told a crowd of about 100 Texas Latino dignitaries gathered in East Austin, including former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, Austin’s first and only Latino Mayor Gus Garcia, and Consul General of Mexico in Austin Rosalba Ojeda.
CASA
Volunteer Spotlight Lesley Ledwell grew up in Texarkana and attended Duke University. She moved to Austin about 7 years ago to help run a satellite office of her family’s manufacturing business. She does sales and operations work and travels regularly. When she’s not on the road, Lesley has been focused on getting her Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Texas while enjoying the lake, music, restaurants and fun events in Austin. Lesley knew she wanted to volunteer, but had to find the opportunity that fit her busy work travel schedule and her demanding class schedule. CASA provided just the right flexibility. Lesley appreciates knowing that her work with CASA is truly affecting someone’s life for the better, and she enjoys spending time with kids and taking them to see a movie or to a visit to Chucke-Cheese. “Working with CASA keeps me grounded,” shares Lesley. “It gives you a dose of reality that’s easy to forget about when you’re coming from a world without a lot of need.” Leslie believes that you have to be a curious and compassionate person when you’re 12 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
Latino Leadership Institute, to teach community organizing, advocacy and campaign building. In February, they will re-launch their Texas Advocacy Day, modeled after the California event where leaders from local affiliates lobbied at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
Murguía said her organization will take on antiimmigrant legislation like Arizona S.B. 1070 copycat “We want to do the same thing right here in Austin,” bills and voter ID laws in the Texas Legislature next she said, “and that’s what we’ve been talking about year. “It’s also about enacting laws to help our community. We can’t be on defense anymore,” for the last two days.” she said. “We need to be affirmatively passing laws This fall, NCLR will launch the Texas NCLR that we know are going to help our community.”
Add to that the news that nearly 40 percent of Texans under 18 are Latino, and I have to wonder why most mainstream news outlets in Austin declined the chance to hear Murguía speak about how NCLR plans to harness that political power.
(Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Travis County
advocating for kids.
Now, Murguía says, California legislators are coming to NCLR for help in gathering key support for legislation. According to Murguía, California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked for her affiliates’ help in passing the California Foreclosure Reduction Act, a bill that protects homeowners facing foreclosure—a huge problem for Latinos there—that Gov. Jerry Brown signed in July.
Janet Murguía, Southwest Key’s Juan Sanchez and Gonzalo Barrientos. (SW Key photo)
Traditional Music from Mexico Connects With Austin Community at Café Cultura
as well as build solidarity with communities abroad to fight injustice.
Fandango Tejas and Son Armado, with support from Texas Folklife, present their second edition of Café Cultura: Community Fandango and Mercado, on Sunday, November 11, from 2-7 p.m. at the Sahara Lounge, 1413 Webberville Rd.
Son Armado, a grassroots Son Jarocho group in Austin works in support of local struggles for justice and the worldwide movimiento, Jaranero, and has organized events and performed in the area for nearly five years, including appearances at Pachanga Fest.
“Café Cultura II is more than just a regular show,” said Chris Ledesma an organizer of the event. “It’s an all-ages, community gathering full of life, where, through the exchange of music, art, film, homemade food, local crafts, kid’s activities and more, we aim to foster connections and awareness while reaching our community’s potential together.”
Proceeds from the $8 donation (free for kids 13 and under) will go towards Colectivo Altepee’s community work in Mexico, as well as towards Fandango Tejas, to support outreach and community building through Son Jarocho.
The event, which promises “a space to celebrate intergenerational tradition and solidarity,” will mark the first appearance of Son Altepee in Austin on their first U.S. tour. Hailing from Acayucan, Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, Son Altepee are young ambassadors of the musical style of Son Jarocho and active organizers who see, “string music as a tool of social consciousness in a shared environment.” Las Krudas, a hip hop group with Cuban roots, will also perform, along with screenings of documentaries by Simon Sedillo. The day tops off with an authentic Fandango where all attendees are invited to learn the skill of playing rich musical tradition of Son Jarocho. Fandango Tejas is a statewide affiliation of Jaranero(a) s, dedicated to community building and personal growth through the fandango practice of Son Jarocho, a traditional music style originating in the region of Veracruz, Mexico. The group is seeking to form ties in their communities at home
Chronicles of Undercover Mexican Girl:
use for health care,” states the Keep Austin Healthy campaign, in favor of Proposition 1.
Election Day and Proposition 1 for the New Medical School in Austin
What is the health care tax supposed to pay for? The health care taxes would not be used to pay for the physical construction of the planned University of Texas at Austin medical school. Seton is planning on picking up the construction bill and plans to pay $250 million to build the new teaching hospital to replace University Medical Center Brackenridge, which Central Health owns and Seton operates.
By Alexandra M. Landeros
What the health care tax is supposed to pay for are the services provided by the new medical school. A majority of the services are intended to expand health care to uninsured patients. Central Health also plans to use the tax revenue to generate federal matching funds under the so-called 1115 waiver, a program aimed at saving money in Medicaid. There are currently 200,000 uninsured Travis County residents, and about 56% of these are people who work and don’t have or can’t afford employer-provided insurance. (I have been one of these people since 2006.) According to StateHealthFacts.org, 38% of the nonelderly Latino population in Texas is uninsured, compared to 16% of whites and 23% of blacks. Currently, about 60% of patients who seek care in community clinics (such as CommUnityCare and People’s Community Clinic) are Hispanic. The theory is that in the long run, Proposition 1 will actually save taxpayer money by helping people without insurance avoid the emergency room, and to seek preventative health care instead, which is more cost-efficient. But opponents of Proposition 1, led by the Travis County Taxpayers Union (TCTU) and their “Stop the Bleeding Campaign,” are saying that taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for these medical services. They reason that we already have eight accredited medical schools in Texas (same as California) and that we already have a teaching hospital in Austin (Brackenridge). They also state that Travis County has its share of doctors, more than any other metro county. Daniel Llanes speaks at Voter Mobilization Initiative (SW Key photo)
Election Day is coming up on November 6, and early voting has already begun. If you don’t know where to vote, it’s not a valid excuse – you can look up the polling locations on the Travis County website. If you don’t know which president to vote for, perhaps we need to branch out from the two-party system, but that’s for another conversation. But what about all those propositions? There are 18 propositions that are part of the City of Austin Special Election portion of the ballot, and these range on topics from when we should hold the city’s general elections, whether we should allow council members to raise political funds for 30 days after an election, or whether we should issue certain funds for various improvements such as parks and recreation or transportation and mobility. It’s enough to make your head spin, especially if you’re an average citizen like me. I am college-educated (I even have a master’s degree!), and I have a basic understanding of how our government works, but legislative language sometimes seems to be written in Martian. One proposition that seems to be causing heated debate and anxiety among Austinites is Proposition 1, put forward by Central Health Tax Ratification Election (not to be confused with the City of Austin Special Election Prop. 1). Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $0.129 per $100 valuation in Central Health, also known as the Travis County Healthcare District, for the 2013 tax year, a rate that exceeds the district’s rollback tax rate. The proposed ad valorem tax rate exceeds the ad valorem tax rate most recently adopted by the district by $0.05 per $100 valuation; funds will be used for improved healthcare in Travis County, including support for a new medical school consistent with the mission of Central Health, a site for a new teaching hospital, trauma services, specialty medicine such as cancer care, community-wide health clinics, training for physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals, primary care, behavioral and mental healthcare, prevention and wellness programs, and/or to obtain federal matching funds for healthcare services. What does that mean? It means that the Central Health Board has placed a proposal to raise the health care tax by 5 cents – a nickel – per $100 valuation to expand and upgrade local health care. This increase would cost the average Travis County homeowner less than $9 per month for a home valued at $214,000. “For every local dollar raised, we can generate $2.46 through matching federal funds to
On the contrary, supporters of Proposition 1 say that we face a shortage of 770 doctors by 2016, especially as our over-65 population has the second-fastest growth rate. We may have enough doctors at the moment, but what about in the near future? And even if we have plenty of doctors right now, how many are accepting patients without private insurance? In 2012, the Texas Medical Association reported that the number of physicians who accept all new Medicare and Medicaid patients is at an all-time low. Currently, many patients in the Austin area who are diagnosed with cancer must travel to Houston or Dallas for treatment. “If Proposition 1 passes, access to primary care will be expanded to greater number of medically underserved residents – the money is targeted to select 50,000 Medical Access Program (MAP) consumers,” says Michael Candelas, Executive Director of the Latino Healthcare Forum and former director of the Austin-Travis County Department of Public Health. Candelas also emphasizes that the approved funds will “replace the inefficient and undersized Brackenridge facility.” A consulting firm concluded in a report funded by the nonprofit Greater Austin Economic Development Corp. that the aging UMC Brackenridge needs to be replaced “as soon as possible” because of cramped operating rooms, inadequate heating and cooling systems, and other deficiencies. As one of the 200,000 uninsured individuals in Travis County – not by choice, but because I can’t afford private health insurance – I am going to take a gamble and vote yes on Proposition 1. Honestly, the thought of going to Brackenridge if I get into a car accident sounds rather unappealing – there is a negative perception in the community regarding the facility, especially if all the deficiencies stated by the report are true. I know that the passing of Proposition 1 is not going to guarantee anything for me, or for the many others who don’t have affordable access to quality health care. I don’t get excited about tax increases. Even if I do benefit from this prop, it’s going to take some time to build the new facility and get all the services in place. Anything might happen between now and then. I might gain a significant increase in income and be able to afford amazing health insurance. I might become an American expatriate in Europe or Canada and pay even more taxes for health care. In the meantime, one can only hope for improvement. But the least we can do is go out and vote and have a say in what happens. TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 13
11th Austin City Limits Music Festival Review October 12-14, 2012 - Headliners such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse and the Black Keys brought some 75,000 fans to Zilker Park each day of the three day music festival. Rain on Saturday didn’t deter fans from enjoying acts such as The Roots and Bassnectar, either. After years of selling out months in advance, in 2013 the festival will accommodate twice as many fans by featuring the same lineup over two consecutive weekends. The dates are already set for October 4-6 and 11-13. — Erica Stall Wiggins Photos by Erica Stall Wiggins (ESW), by Kelly Ginest (KG) and Mari Hernandez (MH).
Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding. (KG)
Civil Wars Sunday on the AMD Stage. (ESW)
Austin’s Wheeler Brothers (ESW)
The mesmerizing Gary Clark, Jr. (ESW)
Florence and the Machine light up the stage. (ESW)
Austin Tequila Society Fest Benefiting the Horse Boy Foundation By Monica Peña Casa Chapala Mexican Grill and Cantina’s Austin Tequila Society presents the 3rd Annual Austin Tequila Society Fest, “An Evening of Tequila Tastings, Fun, Food and Music,” benefitting the Horse Boy Foundation on Friday, November 9 from 7-10 p.m. Guests and members of Casa Chapala’s Austin Tequila Society will vote for their favorite tequilas from among several distilleries, Blancos, Reposados, Añejos, and Extra Añejos, to challenge their palate. Dozens of tequila brands will vie to receive “Austin’s Favorite Tequila” for 2012. The Austin Tequila Society, whose home is Casa 14 TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com
Steve Earle in an interview at ACL Fest Day 2. (KG)
Chapala, is a community of tequila aficionados and lovers-of-agave who gather to enjoy tequila in its many forms. The Society’s mission is to promote the enjoyment of tequila as a sophisticated sipping spirit, as well as a delicious base to traditional cocktails. The recipes are the same the abuelas of owners Lupe and Lucina Barragan used to make in the small town of Huitzila, outside of Guadalajara, the center of the tequila region of Jalisco. This year’s Tequila Society Fest will benefit Horse Boy Foundation, an organization that brings special needs children (mainly kids on the autism spectrum) and “neuro-typical” (i.e., “normal”) children together, using the horse as a social nexus. Tickets include 10 tequila tasting tickets and interior Mexican cuisine, plus live music and more. For more info see www.casachapala. com or austintequilasocietyfest.eventbrite.com.
La Vida Boheme. (MH)
Michael Kiwanuka (ESW)
Full Circles By Katie Walsh
About a year ago, I was trying to create a whole new life for myself in a village on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. I was grappling with the turbulent emotions of being alone and feeling like an outsider in a new place, I was exploring the history and teachings of the ancient Mayan calendar and this spiritually rich moment of history we’re living in, I was observing and appreciating synchronicities in life and at last, after exhilaration and depression and discovery and adventure and intrigue and connection and utter confusion, I was giving myself permission to come full-circle and return home. Now, almost exactly a year later, I find myself back in this very same mystifying village, looking at many of the same themes I’d faced then. Just a short visit this time—I came back to see my homegirl Michelle, who became my right-hand lady and lifeline during those trying months. Right before I came back to see her, Michelle invited me to join her at the Paradigm Symposium in Minneapolis, hosted by Intrepid Magazine and featuring an outstanding lineup of thinkers and researchers including Erich Von Daniken, Linda Moulton Howe, Giorgio Tsoukalos and George Noory of Coast to Coast AM. The theme was the shifting paradigm underway in the world today, one that involves taking a second look at our history as a species and our place in the larger universe. The subject matter spanned topics from the recently discovered Gobekli Tepe civilization in Turkey (which dates back 12,000 years and so throws all conventional thought about our history beginning 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia out the window), time travel and alternate dimensions, government involvement in extraterrestrial technology and research, crystal skulls, Atlantis, and the wisdom, writings and history of ancient civilizations from around the globe, including the Mayans. The knowledge and learning was incredible. But the social experience of a twentysomething hippie writer in a Dickies hoodie
(me) and a thirty-something fashion buyercum-purveyor of style in a chic hooded wrap and designer jacket (her) at an alternative information conference on ancient alien theory was odd. We stuck out. More than I’d expected. And in some key moments we clashed severely in awkwardness and isolation with the people around us. It was a lesson in self-assuredness, in being totally comfortable in who you are regardless of how much or little you may vibe with people around you. Despite a few to-be-expected pangs of emotion, that feeling of being an outsider really didn’t affect me or loom over me the way it had a year before. I became aware that each day, I am more and more unwaveringly sure of who I am. Since we’ve been back in Mexico, I’ve had a few moments of personal triumph, clarity or humble pride; in contrast to that stormy background I stood against a year ago, I can see how much I have accepted and fearlessly become who I know myself to be today. I once wrote that this place “held up the mirrors and bore the reflections I’d never wanted to see,” and it has been enlightening and reassuring to observe how those reflections have changed since I last faced them. I’m realizing that the backdrop of this little village is like a beautiful and familiar constant against which to gauge my own transformation.
Tiny Taiga Condensation By Blake Shanley
Good AND good for you? Too often we seem to believe that, or act as though, what is “good” for us either tastes bad, doesn’t feel as good, isn’t as fun, isn’t as interesting, is too hard, isn’t as cool… Well, that simply ain’t true and you should gently, but firmly, pinch whomever told you that. When you get up in the morning, refreshed and rested, squeeze a fresh lemon into a cup of hot water and stand outside sipping and charging. Stretch a bit or take a walk around the neighborhood to get the energy flowing. Blend up a tasty smoothie of superfoods and greens, enhanced with wild blueberries and raw honey, and power up for the day.
beautiful home-cooked meal of fresh roasted veggies, quinoa with pine nuts, tomatoes and fresh rosemary, paired with a juicy baked fish and a bright green salad drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and sea salt. Toast your amazing friends with a nice glass of red wine and enjoy each drop. For dessert, savor a few, or five, pieces of artisanal raw chocolate and wash it down with a rich herbal hot tea spiced with a cinnamon stick and sweetened with honey. Finish the evening with a few drops of pure peppermint essential oil in some sparkling water, breathing deeply as you sip, and slip into a hot bath. Fall into bed knowing you provided a wonderful evening for your wonderful friends and think about what new wonderful thing you might do tomorrow. Man, that sounded like a pretty damn “good” day, didn’t it? http://www.tinytaiga.com
Walk into work with confidence, purpose and intention and put your heart and soul into it, whatever “it” is. Tell your coworker or employee “Good morning!” with a big, fat smile and genuinely hope that their day is great, and then let your imagination, ideas, skills and talents bleed out and acknowledge in your soul that each day is different and new. And then invite a few good friends over for a
A year ago, I was becoming so acutely aware of myself that a sense of self-consciousness and constant self-critique overtook my ability to relax and be authentically “me.” I found myself “putting on” out of fear that who I really am wouldn’t be well received. This year, in this same place, I have received myself with unconditional love; relaxed so much into the essence of my soul and all of the quirky, goofy, wonderful and weird ways in which it manifests, that that same acute self-awareness has gone from paralyzing to empowering. Another full circle; another synchronistic cycle. A year ago I said a bittersweet goodbye to my darling Puerto Morelos. Neither bitter nor sweet, this year’s “hello” brought with it the plain and powerful gift of the next version of myself.
Saturdays, Sundays and Thanksgiving Friday
Discount tickets on sale now at TODO Austin // November 2012 // TodoAustin.com 15
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Good Times at Güero’s
For great tunes and great rita’s! Please join us for live music on our outside jardin stage, every Thursday through Sunday. Thanks to the fans & bands who support us!!! All outdoor shows are “weather permitting”
November Line-up
Taco Bar
1412 S. Congress Avenue • Austin, Texas 78704 Open Weekdays 11am-11pm; Weekends 8am-11pm
----------------------------------------------------------------THU 11/1 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW (6:30) FRI 11/2 LOS FLAMES (6:30) SAT 11/3 EL TULE’ (6:30) SUN 11/4 THE RECOUPERATORS (3:00) ----------------------------------------------------------------WED 11/7 THE LARRY MONROE RADIO SHOW (6:00) THU 11/8 THE FABS (6:30) FRI 11/9 LOS FLAMES (6:30) SAT 11/10 PAUL ORTA & THE KINGPINS (6:30) SUN 11/11 TRENT TURNER & THE MOONTOWERS (3:00) ----------------------------------------------------------------WED 11/14 THE LARRY MONROE RADIO SHOW (6:00) THU 11/15 MATT SMITH’S WORLD (6:30) FRI 11/16 LOS FLAMES (6:30) SAT 11/17 MC & THE MYSTIX (6:30) SUN 11/18 MITCH WEBB & THE SWINDLES (3:00) ----------------------------------------------------------------WED 11/21 THE LARRY MONROE RADIO SHOW (6:00) FRI 11/23 LOS FLAMES (6:30) SAT 11/24 PONTY BONE & THE SQUEEZETONES (6:30) SUN 11/25 CHICKEN STRUT (3:00) ----------------------------------------------------------------WED 11/28 THE LARRY MONROE RADIO SHOW (6:00) THU 11/29 TRACIE LYNN (6:30) FRI 11/30 LOS FLAMES (6:30)
www.GuerosTacoBar.com