La Voz - July/Aug 2017

San Antonio, Tejas

July/Aug 2017 | Vol. 30 Issue 6

30 years

A tribute to Esperanza’s presence and impact on the San Antonio community Saturday, August 12, 2017

Dos Sirenas Rojas

La Voz de Esperanza July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Editor Gloria A. Ramírez Design Elizandro Carrington Cover Art Dos Sirenas by Liliana Wilson

Contributors

Eliot Benjamin, Melinda López, Jessica Martínez, Pablo Miguel Martínez, Gil Murillo,Victoria García Zapata

La Voz Mail Collective

Alicia Arredondo, Juan Díaz, Alma R. Dueñas, Margarita Elizarde, Pauline Enriquez, Charlie Esperiqueta, Mary Esperiqueta, Eric Hoseck, Rachel Jennings, Monika Landry, Gloria Lozano, Jamie M., Angie Merla, Ray McDonald, Maria Reed, Blanca Rivera, Mary A. Rodríguez, Natalie Rodríguez, Pearl Sánchez, Guadalupe Segura, Jessica Soto, Amelia Valdez, Helen Villarreal

Esperanza Director Graciela I. Sánchez

Esperanza Staff

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

Elizandro Carrington, Paty de la Garza, Eliza Pérez, Natalie Rodríguez, Gianna Rendón, Natalie Rodríguez, René Saenz, Susana Segura, Amelia Valdez

2

Conjunto de Nepantleras —Esperanza Board of Directors—

Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Jan Olsen, Ana Lucía Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, Rudy Rosales, Tiffany Ross, Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba, Graciela I. Sánchez, Lillian Stevens • We advocate for a wide variety of social, economic & environmental justice issues.

• Opinions expressed in La Voz are not necessarily those of the Esperanza Center.

La Voz de Esperanza is a publication of

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center 922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212 210.228.0201 • fax 1.877.327.5902

www.esperanzacenter.org Inquiries/Articles can be sent to:

lavoz@esperanzacenter.org

Articles due by the 8th of each month

Policy Statements

* We ask that articles be visionary, progressive, instructive & thoughtful.

Submissions must be literate & critical; not sexist, racist, homophobic, violent, or oppressive & may be edited for length. * All letters in response to Esperanza activities or articles in La Voz will be considered for publication.

Letters with intent to slander individuals or groups will not be published.

by Liliana Wilson graces the front page of this issue of La Voz. But, we run the risk of cancelled Voz subscriptions and irate phone calls with this cover. Even now!

Why? Exposed breasts, the areolas (nipples). The San Antonio Current experienced this ridiculousness in August, 2002 when they featured one of Lilianas images on their front cover—two young women with petite breasts exposed—that was part of the exhibit, Erosiones Internas, that opened at the Esperanza. The Current received irate calls and some establishments that normally accepted The Current for their customers, refused to accept the issue that month. Asi es.

Liliana’s artwork was not the first target of hatred and close-mindedness an Esperanza exhibit experienced in San Antonio. Advocacy of the LGBT community in Esperanza’s early years, resulted in irate calls to City Hall, calls for defunding of designated art funds—and even, defacing and break-ins at our present building on San Pedro. We have experienced attacks, time and again, in our 30 year history. A whole list of LGBT artists were targeted by right wing religious fanatics, especially in the first decade of our existence. Laura Aguilar whose photograph, Sandy’s Room, in 1996 showed a self-portrait of herself, a large woman, naked, sitting at an open window, was targeted by a columnist who was “offended” by the image. The audacity of the photographer showing herself comfortably sitting in front of a fan at an open window! Imagine! Especially in this 100+ degree weather!

A long list of LGBT artists suffered attacks because they were associated with Esperanza.

We, in turn, suffered for advocating for the Queer community. But, let’s be clear —the attacks on us were not limited to the work with the LGBT community. In our first 5 years at 1305 N. Flores, we got numerous calls calling us communists, attacking us for our support of Central American solidarity movements, for being anti-war and for being pro-choice y mas!

So, I’ll take the risk—and have Dos Sirenas Rojas on the cover of this month’s La Voz as a thank you to the LGBT community for their support through the years, and for the support of buena gente who simply support our work understanding that our mission is simple: supporting each other as the good people that we are, trusting that we all simply want to live in a way that benefits everyone and hurts no one individual or group. With the election of a new mayor in San Antonio, we hope everyone will be visible and important to the well being of this city.

We hope the City You Deserve is the one that includes everyone in the decision making process and benefits us all when decisions are made.

According to folklore, Sirenas can appear when there is imminent disaster or as a benefit to those it seeks out.

Let’s hope our city is being guided by that which will be beneficial to all. Mermaids, too, are known as guardians of the water. That, certainly, is something we need for our city. ¡Buena suerte, Mr. Mayor, Ron Nirenberg, Liliana with Antonia Castañeda being interviewed at ofrenda, a retrospective of portate bien!

Liliana Wilson’s artwork in 2015.

—Gloria A. Ramirez, editor ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it to lavoz@ esperanzacenter.org. If you want to be removed from the La Voz mailing list, for whatever reason, please let us know. La Voz is provided as a courtesy to people on the mailing list of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.

The subscription rate is $35 per year ($100 for institutions). The cost of producing and mailing La Voz has substantially increased and we need your help to keep it afloat. To help, send in your subscriptions, sign up as a monthly donor, or send in a donation to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Thank you. -GAR

VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are gente-based, multi-visioned and milagro-bound. We are diverse survivors of materialism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, classism, violence, earth-damage, speciesism and cultural and political oppression. We are recapturing the powers of alliance, activism and healthy conflict in order to achieve interdependent economic/ spiritual healing and fuerza. La Voz is a resource for peace, justice, and human rights, providing a forum for criticism, information, education, humor and other creative works. La Voz provokes bold actions in response to local and global problems, with the knowledge that the many risks we take for the earth, our body, and the dignity of all people will result in profound change for the seven generations to come.

The City of San Antonio Master Plan: Who Pays and Who Benefits?

By Gil Murillo

City of San Antonio’s Comprehensive Master Plan, SA Tomorrow, for the Year 2040 The meter is running on San Antonio’s current master plan—it is meant to order the scores of historical factors associated with free falling urban change. In the modern era, a master plan is the principle way of governing or controlling the enormous expansion of congestion, air pollution, zoning laws, traffic flows and much more. Given the city’s range of differences, say the 78207 zip code area verses the 78258, what needs to be controlled will vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood.

On its website [http://bit.ly/sacompplan] COSA (the City of San Antonio) explains the city’s comprehensive plan, SA Tomorrow, like this: SA Tomorrow is the City’s 25-year framework that guides future growth and development. Adopted

by City Council in August 2016, it addresses a wide range of topics that affect how we experience the city. These topics include land use, economic development, housing, environmental protection, cultural and historic preservation, transportation, and more. The City’s Planning Department has launched an effort to begin implementing the SA

Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan to ensure that it remains responsive to the needs of the community.

In March the City of San Antonio signed off on a sizable (one million dollar) 5-year, 3-round consultant contract with Californiabased MIG, Inc. City staff and MIG are now conducting the first round of regional, community and neighborhood planning. They are charged with shepherding as specified, detailed and in the order listed in COSA’s RFP 17-150 on November 14, 2016 the following areas: • A future land use map, policy, and recommended zoning changes • Transportation system projects • Parks, recreation, and open space planning • Housing strategy • Economic development strategy The City Council will review, then likely revise and pass on each plan as well as on an over-all ten-year plan by September 30th of this year. Then the next round of planning begins, and in September 2019 the third begins and then ends in early 2021.

(Call Rudy Nino, lead planner, 210.207.8389 for updates.)

Role Conflicts in Public-Private Institutions Historically, over-sized consultant arrangements tend to circumvent public management and to privatize public institutions, e.g., by minimizing civic responsibility for efficient operations as well as social responsibility for ensuring its public mission. Their top-down planning “coordinating” activities also tend to obscure the reality that most land use decisions, details of zoning codes, and decisions on growth have long been ordered and structured by developer and investment constituencies, downtown power brokers, and large institutional constituencies in San Antonio—similar to patterns in other cities and well documented as neo-liberal urban renewal and real estate growth tactics. Given some exceptions like the MidTown Methodist Hospital Center at McCullough Ave., the city/contractor planners appear disquieted in la gente’s turf and much more comfortable among the more affluent regional centers included in the first round. There, they can work with developers and stakeholders who complement previous development for the needs of the projected 150,000 technical and professional positions typically located at each of the four or so Northside regional centers. The newcomers will

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Urban design and planning in America is based on our most treasured normative values and laws –”a government of the people, by the people and for the people”. Governmental action must be based on the people’s (la gente’s) consent. Hence, public urban planning is a process wherein all affected people engage in the free expression of ideas and needs, and through compromise and consensus, advance the common good. La gente’s collective contribution to San Antonio Tomorrow is termed el oro del barrio. It is the quality of our shared commitments and values as a people; our collective character, that we especially prize. It is our collective identity in ethics, aesthetics and practical problem-solving. Paradoxically, it is an evolving process and product that we know when we see it—the recent settlement about the Brackenridge Park design in San Antonio is such an expression.

We are now at a historic planning moment for the City of San Antonio. First, an introduction to the present planning cycle and then more examples of el oro del barrio shining in the planning process.

3

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

4

have the means to live in the area and will require near-by housing, recreational and retail facilities, etc. Much of the infrastructure in the area will be provided by the 2022 bond program and profit-making opportunities are lavishly abundant for “team” developers, locally and nationally.

However, the master document, SA Tomorrow (August 2016) is neutral about how it is used and by whom. From its thousand pages or so of policies, programs and projects, any interest group may select and advise the governing bodies what specifically should be done, exactly where it should be done and with the use of what funding and what resources.

Nevertheless, the governing process may be challenged on grounds of responsiveness and efficiency. The awkward administration bind is organizing, coordinating, and recording an armful of various advisory group discussions for the next three to four months. Their findings will be “interpreted” and transcribed by the MIG and COSA staffs then submitted and processed by Zoning and Planning Commissions, and finally, the City Council. It is also politically obligatory and pragmatic that the plans of major institutional actors such as SAWS, CPS, and SAHA, and various school districts, etc., must be incorporated in the master plan’s final product. How efficient is all the baton-passing among these authorities and how or when governing standards become policy are unanswered questions.

Additionally, the inefficiency issue is raised for the City Council because of their additional responsibilities of guiding the International Historical Designation of the San Antonio Missions (2016), the SA Tricentennial (1718-2018) and the Alamo Plaza Renewal project. They also must make decisions associated with engineering studies, constructions starts, etc., for the neo-Urban Renewal Plan (February 14, 2017), the $850 Million 2017-2022 bond program, finishing off the 2012-2017 Bond tasks, the multimillion dollar Westside and San Pedro Creeks Projects and the April 2018 NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship and more.

First Year Planning Round: March – January 2017 The above section provides background and conditions for developing protective or expansive strategies by la gente residing in: 1. The Near Westside: Culebra Rd. to the north, Highway 90 to the south, Callaghan Rd. to the west, and IH 35 to the east. Hence, it is a large area composed of many familiar barrios and

parishes such as Prospect Hill, Guadalupe Church, Guadalupe Ave., Laredo Ave., St. Agnes, Collins Garden and Palm Heights, 2. MidTown: Northern boundary Hildebrand Ave., Broadway to the East, IH-10 to the West, and 35/ IH 10 to the South. Wherein are gente associated with Tobin Hill and Beacon Hill neighborhood associations, St. Ann and Our Lady of Sorrows parishes, Five Points and N. St. Mary’s Corridor as well as small homes on “alley streets” sans sidewalks and drainage.

3. Downtown: La gente there include the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, the southern neighborhoods circling St. Philips of Jesus and segments of St. Henry’s found in the midst of pathways and by-ways without infrastructure yet inlaid with el oro del barrio. (For a precise listing and maps call Rudy Nino, 210.207 8389.)

All these areas make up a large civil society, i.e., families, neighborhood networks, schools, churches, neighborhood associations, small businesses, etc. They also harbor socio-economic predicaments, notably multi-generational poverty and residential segregation. To counter this they talk of wanting to preserve and improve their cultural-historical neighborhoods by extending mutual aid, increasing the number of home owners, maintaining near-by small businesses and insuring public safety so as to live among their family and friends in peace and harmony.

Areas like Culebra Rd., Acme Rd., General Mullen Dr. are backed by neighborhoods that generate vivid cultural images, tone beauty and cultural authenticity so often found in the least privileged houses like shot-gun houses. Antonia Castañeda (La Voz de Esperanza, May 2017, p. 3) also reminds us of el oro del barrio and the danger of its extinction: these low income, poor, and working class neighborhoods and people are our parents … [and descendants]... whose labor built, and continues to build, San Antonio. While the city and State preserve homes and businesses of the rich and powerful, the homes, businesses, entertainment centers, the other structures of the working class families and community are demolished, and torn down under the guise of “dangerous structures,” and … a notion of “progress” and “economic

P h o t o s b e l o w f r o m : S A To m o r r o w , C

development” that denies the importance of class history and culture, refuses to consider another approach to economic development, one that accounts for and honors the history and culture of a people.

La Gente as Victims and as History Makers La gente of San Antonio have been oppressed since the colonial period by those who practice injustices: stripping away our social and civil rights, properties and dignity as a people. This continued among those most vulnerable, in the sixties and early seventies, who lived in downtown and other coveted redevelopment areas, namely, Rosa Verde (Santa Rosa/Robert B. Green and south to Guadalupe Street), Alamo Plaza, Market Square and the King William/Hemisfair areas, as well as others. This was possible because of the 1958 Urban Renewal national legislation. In San Antonio, the Urban Renewal Agency a/k/a SA Development Agency (SADA), controlled by the political economy elites brought much grief to la gente who lost homes in these targeted areas.

In the mid-seventies Communities Organized for Public Services (COPS), a coalition of Catholic, mostly westside parishes, formed protective and expansive strategies becoming history makers by developing effective leaders and a united power block. They brought significant flows of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to the barrios. CDBG funding provided for significant infrastructure improvements, Special Housing Target Area programs (SHTA) and related ones that pressured COSA to use its general funds more equitably. I will detail SHTA and another project that illustrate creative planning collaborations by la gente:

The Select Housing Target Area Program (SHTA): 1976 -1982

Comprehensive Plan - bit.ly/sacomp_pdf

The Guadalupe Avenida Plan (2005) In 2005 several well-meaning westside groups requested a redevelopment plan for the Avenida Guadalupe area. The City Council awarded the task to a private national professional association—the Urban Land Institute. The Urban Land Institute study documented the massive social predicaments and physical needs in the Guadalupe Avenida area. ULI concluded that what must be done can only be addressed by a well-conceived and multi-million dollar funded Marshall Plan tied to an Urban Renewal Program. This gave the right to developers to take large tracts of land, build apartments, and lease them to a mixed income population. The powers-that-be understood the political battles involving urban renewal programs while the important developers at that time were ok with the opportunities abounding of the city’s northside so they washed their hands of the ULI plan. Nevertheless, continuous political pressure from the westside groups brought a number of improvements, e.g., major infrastructure projects and new construction of public and private buildings. How parish leaders and networks, and intermediate groups especially the Westside Preservation Alliance are furthering the livability of the area is being shaped now during the present first planning round.

Summary and Conclusions - Second Year (2018-2019) and Third Year (2020-2021).

This is a time of deeper learning. Some elements of study for me are 1) protective strategies against matters like those tacky-tack three-story apartments increasingly encroaching the barrios and the displacement of those living in trailer parks; 2) expansive strategies like forcing the wise use of the recently passed housing bond and going for a bigger one as soon as possible; 3) working through the impulse to reject planning institutions because of their perceived ineffectiveness and irresponsibility and going for their resources and yes, expertise; and 4) lastly, to accumulate valid actionable knowledge for working with gente of wisdom with professional planners.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

There were seven SHTA self-selected areas on the westside and one on the eastside. Their development was based on mutual expectations and commitments, i.e., actionable knowledge, among COPS leaders and SADA staff especially with the executive director, Winston Martin. On average each area resulted in 100 new low cost replacement homes, 100 “free” rehabilitated homes and notably, infrastructure improvements. Some included a sizable senior housing adjunct to parishes. At the St. Timothy’s parish a protective and expansive strategy formed in opposition to a planned public housing project in the midst of their barrio. Parishioners and residents pressured SADA to converted SA Housing Authority

property to a public park in memory of a COPS legendary leader, Padre Al Benavides. At the time, I asked Winston Martin how this was possible since it clearly violated State law. He answered: “What do you do when people show up in front of your headquarters morning after morning, day after day, week after week?”

5

City of San Antonio Comprehensive Planning Program map of Regional Center Plans 5 C

5

A

C

5

5

C

5

A

5

4

A

4

4

4 B

4 C

4 1

4

4

2

A

2 B 3

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

3

6

5

Regional Center Plans Phase A B C

A

B

Community Plans Phase 1 2 3 4 5

5

City of San Antonio Comprehensive Planning Program map of Regional Center Plans

To that last point Tomás Atencio, a New Mexican friend, writes: The gold of the neighborhood, reflected in the bright sun of our dialogues, became the current of knowledge building and consciousness-raising. The body of knowledge... was the people’s story, their wisdom, beliefs, values, reflections, joys, sorrow, ceremony and ritual as well as practical and applied knowledge. The stories and their content became el oro del barrio and the process keeps evolving as it is applied to diverse experiences.

We will now begin in earnest to plan for the city we deserve with a new Mayor that la gente wisely voted for, Ron Nirenberg, who reached out to them and seemed to share their understanding that the developer-financial establishment’s mismanagement and

greed is seeding our economic inequalities, congestion, environmental degradation, etc. In the short term, he appears to want to add more teeth, e.g., accountability and efficiency, to the SA Tomorrow plan and put into place a housing policy that keeps people in their homes.

And long term? An alliance between the new San Antonioleadership and the civil society, especially la gente, will provide something like a more inclusive Model Cities program and an opportunity to create a new urban strategy that directs all of us towards a just city.

Bio: Gilbert J. Murillo, Ph.D., is a former Planning Director at the Mexican American Unity Council and Sociology and Social Work faculty member at Texas State University. He and his wife, Jo Ann, now lead St. Patrick’s Parish Senior Ministry. The article is an except from his book-in-progress, Research for Radicals: From Cybernetics to Structural Justice, A Pilot Project.

Editor’s note: The following is one in a series of stories, Somos Domesticas, that will be shared with Voz readers by women of Domesticas Unidas, a group of immigrant women working as housekeepers and nannies who fight for just wages and working conditions.

Drawings from Fray Barthlome De Las Casas’ 16th century accounts of treatment of the indigenous people in the “New World”.

La conquista de nuestra Raza Azteca

The Conquest of Our Aztec People

tomaban a los indios como esclavos pagandoles con especies, (maiz o frijol) pero muy a medida.

Cuando un jefe de familia iba a la Iglesia le confesaba al Sacerdote que se habia robado una gallina para alimentar a sus hijos. El Padre le decía—anda hijo reza unas 20 Ave Marias y no peques mas. Al salir, este hombre confiado—al poco tiempo llegaban soldados y lo aprehendian y los encarcelaban y golpeaban.

Si no, lo colgaban en un árbol o peor, castigandolo con tortura.

De esto hay memoria en la Biblioteca Nacional Mexicana.

Actualmente, el Sacerdote se daba cuenta de muchas atrocidades y no le reclamaba a las autoridades diciendoles que guardaba la confesiones en confianza. Este tratamiento injusto ocasiono mucho daño a la sociedad y sigue dañando la gente.

by Melinda López

When the Spanish friars arrived and saw the people that inhabited the islands, they saw that they were good people who were very trusting. They took advantage of this and imposed their religion on the people with blows and punishments that inclined them toward acceptance of the God that they were bringing to these foreign lands.

The Spanish, who were very ambitious and ill-mannered, took immediate ownership of the lands and treasures they encountered—including taking native women for themselves. Having established themselves, the Spanish built churches and ordered the priests to teach the way to individual salvation that required erasure of indigenous beliefs and customs.

In those times, the Spanish were owners of everything including the people who inhabited these lands called Indians. In order to domesticate them, however, they needed to assimilate them into the Spanish culture. The owners of the lands and haciendas took Indians

as slaves paying them with small amounts of grains, corn or beans.

When the head of an indigenous family would go to church to confess to a priest that he had stolen a chicken in order to feed his family, the priest would give him penance telling him: “Go, my child, pray 20 Hail Marys and sin no more.” When this man would leave, feeling confident that he had been pardoned for his sin, he would be apprehended shortly after by soldiers who would jail him and beat him mercilessly. Or, he might even be hanged or punished with torture.

Memories of the Conquest and its atrocities can be found in the National Library of Mexico. In actuality, the priests were aware of many atrocities but would not confront authorities and preserve the integrity of their confessions. This unjust treatment of the indigenous caused much harm to the society then and continues to affect gente, today.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Cuando llegaron los frailes Españoles vieron que las personas que habitaban las Islas, eran buenos y confiados. Asi que, aprovecharon la ocasión para imponer una Religion. Asi que, obligaron con golpes y castigos para que se inclinaran a su Dios que habian traido de lejanas tierras.

Los Españoles, mal educados y ambiciosos, se adueñaron de las tierras y tesoros que encontraban—tomando mujeres para sí.

Al estar establecidos, los Españoles construyeron Iglesias y ordenaron los sacerdotes que enseñaran la ordenanza para alcanzar la salvación individual—borrando las costumbres de la población que vivia en estas tierras.

En aquellos tiempos los Espanoles eran dueños de todo incluyendo a los llamados Indios. Para esto tuvieron primero que Castellanizar a la poblacion. Los dueños de tierras y haciendas

por Melinda Lopez

7

To Whom Do We Give Our Voice?

by Jessica Martinez

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

Recently, I have done some reading and writing that have given me more of an awareness of what we create and for whom. As someone who has been writing since my teens and not often shared my work until a couple of years ago, I suppose that I

8

and even hidden from the world for fear of judgment and repercussion. It is our responsibility to write it, and to put it out for people to read because we never know who might need to read it, recite it, act it out, as a way to guide their resiliency.

This piece reminded me of a my own recent form of revolt against silence, albeit a very scaled back one in One of the most influential comparison, a personal open letter of sorts, to our country after the sociopieces for me in Dr. political upheaval that was our 2016 Kamala Platt’s Creative presidential election. I wrote it out of an anger, mostly stemming from the Writing class was that of rather ridiculous phrase ‘Make America Great Again’, but more so a huge Edwidge Danticat’s disappointment over people’s broad use Create Dangerously: The of the phrase seemingly without regard to our country’s history. I wrote: Immigrant Artist at Work Don’t you dare tell me when America was greater than it is now. Don’t you dare rattle off statistics of a time inwardly felt that writing was simply a cathartic process for me when America was better for you than it was for and not so much a talent or passion, as it was a coping method for me, because America has always been better for any of my woes. those with less melanin than it has been for those The reading selections as well as the discussion assignments on whose backs this country was built. Don’t you and feedback from peers from a writing class at Arizona State dare compare today with its many freedoms for University, have helped me gain a new understanding as to why we people of all colors, races, creeds, and religions to writers write, or why we should anyhow; we write for the reader, times of the past when women were not allowed to for the others, for the people like us who wouldn’t otherwise know vote or own land, to times when Affirmative Action that anyone else was in existence experiencing, or having experiwas necessary just to give people a chance at a enced the same things. We write to encourage, to uplift, to enbetter life, to times when blacks and whites had lighten, to attack, show plight, to motivate, but no matter the reason separate drinking fountains, to times when Asian why, the who of it remains those outside ourselves.

Americans were interred in camps because of a One of the most influential pieces for me in Dr. Kamala Platt’s generalization of an entire group of people.

Creative Writing class was that of Edwidge Danticat’s Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work, because it resonated with Don’t you dare make me bring up slavery, the trail me on a number of levels. Danticat spoke to us of creating danof tears, or the nasty European conquest of the gerously, and defined that concept as “creating as a revolt against Americas. Unless you mean to go all the way back silence, creating when both the creation and the reception, the to a time when the Native Americans were the only writing and the reading, are dangerous undertakings” (Danticat). ones on this land, don’t you dare try to tell me that Through this piece, I was reminded of the power of words, of writAmerica has ever been greater than it is now even ing, and of reading. Learning of the brutal dictatorship of Francois with all of its problems. (Martinez, 2016) ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier in Haiti, of his pervasive methods for supThe necessity that fueled my writing of this piece is reminispressing any form of dissent including the arts, and of the Haitian’s cent of the necessity of the Haitians to read, to memorize, and to courageous struggle against remaining silent in the face of violent act out works such as Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and the like. It was oppression, has helped me realize that creating dangerously, “for my version of the plaque that Cecile Pineda passed in Manzanar, people who read dangerously” (Danticat), is not so much a side “May the injustice and humiliation suffered here as a result of effect of our writing as it is a call to action and somewhat a requirehysteria, racism, and economic exploitation never emerge again” ment in the career of every writer. Somewhere down the line, I feel (Pineda, 2016). that we will all be challenged to write that story that we’ve held,

SAVE THE DATE • SAVE THE DATE • SAVE THE DATE Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you an activist, and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare doesn’t make a corporation a terrorist. —Winona LaDuke

which are not so much autobiographical as they are creative nonfiction, I have begun to learn and take interest in finding different, more colorful ways to tell my story aside from prose alone. Whether poetry, memoir, or personal essay style, I have been able to experiment with different styles of writing and can honestly say that I am happy with the results of having branched out in this way. After reading about going back home after an absence, I got a sense of wanting to go back, either to a place, or to a time, when I was more comfortable in my surroundings. As a result, I wrote the following: It is quaint to pretend that I belong In this homogenous community In this neat little suburbia With its perfectly manicured lawns American made trucks in every driveway Dinner on the table Ready to eat by 6 Things are neat and orderly Association dues are paid Meetings are held You must do this And you mustn’t do that Everyone is the same No, this is not where I belong I belong with hoots and hollering Sirens blaring loud Cars parked on lawns Parties ‘til 2am I belong in a place where there are freeways nearby Neighbors who speak to one another Not just spy on them, but do both Three generations in one home, trying to make it work Living the American Dream That’s where I belong With cars that squeal and screech when they start Strollers that pass by with one wheel that creaks I sing I want to be where the people are Like Ariel But I want to be where THOSE people are And these, these aren’t people With their everything the same No, these are robots These are what Manchurian Candidates are made of This is where Stepford Wives are born This robot colony is where I don’t belong

Overall, the most resounding themes for me this session have been twofold: first, to simply write the story, in any creative form that feels right, and second, to write for the others, for the people who ultimately need to read or hear it.

WINONA LADUKE WILL BE APPEARING AT THE ESPERANZA ON OCTOBER 14, 2017. TIME: TBA

Bio: Jessica Martínez is a Black Latina from California by way of Southeasnt Texas. Jessica studies English at Arizona State University, and has a non-fiction blog where she writes about her real life encounters with difficult situations: iamjessicamartinez. wordpress.com.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Their story has provided context to this inexplicable drive to put my honest feelings out in the world. It has provided the encouragement and delegation to continue doing so, to give my voice, my words to those who cannot or will not express themselves out of fear.

Likewise, the selection from Winona LaDuke titled, After the Burn, while short and succinct, further inspired me to write my stories, rather to continue to write my stories, not just for myself and my healing process, but for potential readers. The seemingly unedited realness that came through from her description of her collection of stories was more than enough reminder for of one of the many reasons I started a blog and not too long ago wrote about a very personal struggle with overcoming depression after tragedy. I opened my heart then, and will continue to do so out of a strong belief that my struggle and subsequent victory, if it can be called that, might one day encourage someone to know and believe that tragedy does not define them, and that one day, it may even empower them. I had never been so honest and open about my personal life than when I posted this: 29 brought my husband and I many things; the deaths of family members, uncertain job futures, daunting realizations, feelings of failure, a glimpse of parenthood, and great loss, but above all, 29 brought us great love. […]

Of all the crap that happened in 29, and actually, of all of my life experiences, the hardest thing I have ever had to do, was face what had become my worst fear (thanks to my mom’s 911 Dispatcher horror stories), delivering my baby after his or her tiny heart had stopped beating. Blessing Martínez was born on November 23rd, 2014 weighing all of 5 ounces. I cried. I cried big, fat, uncontrollable tears.

Just as LaDuke had written, “the stories carried me” (LaDuke). Writing my story had helped me start the process of healing after each tragedy. Putting these stories out in the world for anyone to see had cemented in me an attitude of knowing that I would make it through the emotional storm that followed the tragic loss of my grandmother, child, and father within a matter of months. It also gave me the wild idea that this was “the way to help others, maybe.” (LaDuke).

Additionally, in terms of writing creatively, and of memoirs,

9

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

10

Editors, I was deeply dismayed by several inaccuracies and gaps in Amy L. Stone’s essay on Cornyation and Fiesta (“Camping in the Cold War South,” May-June 2017). If the essay is extracted from her book, Cornyation: San Antonio’s Outrageous Fiesta Tradition, I worry that readers of the latter will be woefully misinformed about Fiesta and San Antonio, my hometown. (The book is on my summer reading list.)

The essay’s title hints at its problematic character: Few, if any, here in San Antonio—experts and laypersons alike—view San Antonio as part of the South: Geographically, anthropologically, historically, and in virtually every other respect, San Antonio is a Southwestern city. That’s important for several reasons, not the least of which is the city’s demographics, which rate only a passing allusion in Prof. Stone’s essay. It mentions San Antonio’s Anglo elites “and the rest of the city.”

San Antonio, which is located in what once was Mexico, is today the seventh largest city in the U.S., and, more to the point, the country’s largest majorityHispanic city, where we comprise 63 percent of the population. But one would never know that from reading Prof. Stone’s essay. And though some of San Antonio’s politicized population of Mexican descent yearns for a candid, meaningful dialogue on brownwhite relations, such as those around black-white relations in other parts of the country, that day has yet to dawn. Lamentably, the essay, which afforded an opportunity to redress historical erasures and errors, perpetuates the inequities.

One basic fact Prof. Stone gets wrong is the genesis of Fiesta, and by extension, Cornyation. She writes that Fiesta is “a commemoration of the Alamo.” While that iconic site became part of the celebration early on, Fiesta is, in fact, a celebration of the defeat of Mexican troops at the Battle of San Jacinto. As Fiesta’s origins grow dimmer in the collective memory, it is still singularly ironic to see people of Mexican descent celebrating the defeat of Mexicans who were, in an arguably simplified telling, defending their territory. Another fact Prof. Stone leaves out of her essay is the fact that in its earlier years, performer demographics at Cornyation closely paralleled those of the elite, i.e., overwhelmingly white, whom Cornyation intended to skewer. Notably, it wasn’t until 1980 that a local LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) chapter established a Rey Feo (Ugly King) parade, a small step toward equality among the ranks of what was then—and mostly remains to this day—an all-white court of Fiesta ‘royalty.’ While this may seem a tempest in a teapot, I challenge anyone to consider a similar scenario in say,

Atlanta, with limited, if any, participation by African Americans in the ‘official’ segment of the celebration.

Prof. Stone’s use of the Anglicized name of Mateo Camargo Park, “Paul’s Grove” is curious: No one who uses that public space refers to it as anything but “Pablo’s Grove.” Yes, the eponym is Paul Steffler, who was a Parks Commissioner, but the park has always been known by its Spanish-language name. This is what comes of relying solely on so-called official histories. The ‘common folk,’ in this case referred to locally as gente or raza, and their customs are white-washed.

Finally, in my college years, I used to frequent a large gay disco called San Antonio Country (“The Country,” as it was more commonly known), which Prof. Stone sites in “the rural area north of San Antonio.” Unless there was another bar with the same name, The Country I knew was located just a few blocks north of downtown San Antonio, steps from the San Antonio River, at the corner of North Saint Mary’s Street and McCullough Avenue. It was owned by two men who were prominent in gay circles (it wasn’t a full-fledged, organized community back then): Hap Veltman and Gene Elder.

Perhaps most perplexing is the thesis of Prof. Stone’s essay. Is its main idea that the Cold War had a toxic effect on certain freedoms? That it had a paradoxically healthy effect on underground satire? That San Antonio, then known as ‘Military City, USA,’ was especially hard-hit by the Cold War? I don’t like to see any academic’s credibility undermined by careless oversights, or, worse, by willful neglect. We are all eager for a full and accurate telling of Fiesta’s complex history.

Sincerely, Pablo Miguel Martínez Bio: Pablo Miguel Martínez’s collection, “Brazos, Carry Me” (Kórima Press) received the 2013 PEN Southwest Book Award for Poetry. His chapbook, “Cuent@,” is available from Finishing Line Press. Currently he is working on a memoir.

Note: To access Amy L. Stone’s essay on Cornyation and Fiesta,“Camping in the Cold War South” appearing in the May-June 2017 issue of Gay Lesbian Review go to: http://bit. ly/coldsouth.

Editor’s Note: The illustrations on this page are

by Glenna Park and appeared in a special issue of La Voz on Fiesta in April, 1993. (Courtesy of La Voz de Esperanza archives)

Esperanza: 30 Years of Queers Presentes!

The Genesis

Editor’s Note: In the first 10 years of the Esperanza, the LGBT community came out publicly in our programming. We eventually paid a price in 1997 with the defunding of city arts monies —however, the investment in the queer community has kept us going for 30 years.

part 1 Continued

Recent Paintings, The

AIDS Series by Mim Scharlack (deceased), was the first Queer Art show in San Antonio in 1989.

David Zamora Casas sent Mim to the Esperanza after she was turned down by other spaces.

The exhibit paid tribute to gay men lost to 17-06-14 AIDS who Mim knew when she was a Las Vegas showgirl in the 50s. A month later, David curated the first lesbian & gay art show, Equal Rights for Whom? with 12 artists including two lesbians. Artists included Lee Carter, Brad Braune (deceased), David Casas, Ray Chávez, Gene Elder, Fiorentino (deceased), Jamison Holt (deceased), Jaime Jiménez, Mike McElhaney, Lisa Mellinger, Mim Scharlack Maren Phillips and Carmen Zamora. Pictured above are David & Mim attending the Gertrude Baker (deceased) tribute in 1997.

And Justice for All, the 2nd exhibit, followed in 1990 with Carolyn Warmbold talking about her husband, Ted Warmbold, editor of the San Antonio Light, who died of AIDS. Local AIDS quilt panels were also on display.

Richard Arredondo, Chuck Squier, Gerald Aves, and Miguel Huerta at The AIDS Series exhibit at the old Esperanza at 1305 N. Flores.

The Esperanza patio was used

by groups such as the Blue Light Candle Project during exhibits. Pictured are Jamison Holt (deceased) and Fran Méndez, director of the Project. At right, are ELLAS members, Alicia Martinez, Alicia López and Grace Rosales in the patio.

“Freedom of Choice” the 3rd lesbian & gay

exhibit in 1991 featured (left to right) Agosto Bianco Cuellar, Michael Marinez, Andy Beach, David Zamora Casas, Bernice Willams, Martha Prentiss & others.

Exorcising Demons, the 4th show was in 1992; Closets: Queer Experiences in 1993. Who We Art in 1994 queerated by Penny Boyer, Michael Marinez & Martha Prentiss was hung at La Nueva Esperanza on San Pedro (below) with 48 artists participating.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Roland Mazuca,

11

Esperanza: 30 Years of Q

Algunos fotos

Editor’s Note: The Esperanza has been dedicated to bringing communities together to work on a variety of issues at the local and global levels from civil and cultural rights, economic inequities, preservation of neighborhoods and cultures, to environmental justice issues and more. We have umbrellaed or worked with many LGBT groups for 30 years. Because of our advocacy of the LGBT community, the Esperanza was viciously attacked until we filed a lawsuit for loss of funds from the City of San Antonio in 1997. We won the lawsuit in 2001. More about that in the September issue of La Voz de Esperanza.

Maylei Blackwell

Angela Davis and

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

Graciela Sánchez were panelists in a discussion held in 2010 at the Esperanza for the ACA conference.

12

The ¡Que Queer! exhibit in 2007 featured Tshirts stamped with the slogan. The group includes staff and buena gente.

A vintage video of Closets: Queer Experiences of 1993

by Agosto Bianco Cuellar is on exhibit at Esperanza’s Queer Grito that continues thru August 18. Agosto*, Martha*, and Bernice* (pictured in screen captures at right) are also part of Queer Grito. Other artists in the 1993 Closets exhibit included Alkie, Gene Elder, Pat Gavin, Danny Geisler (deceased), Cristine Hutchison, Michael McElhaney (deceased) & Noe Méndez.

Agosto Bianco Cuellar*

author of ¡Chicana Power!— Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement at the book reading and plática with guest Anna Nieto Gómez in 2011.

¡Gaytino! a one-man show starring Dan Guerrero, award-winning producer, was staged in June 2007.

Deb Myers and Nikki Valdez, community actvists, contributed ephemera to the ¡Que Queer! exhibit in 2007.

David Zamora Casas

Lisa Mellinger

Anel Flores’ Empanada was performed as

a reading in 2004 and as a play in 2006. Empanada, A Lesbiana Story en Probaditas was published as a book in 2012 by Kórima Press.

Michael Marinez

Queers Presentes! Part 2

s y recuerdos

Canicula:

Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera by Norma Cantú published in 1995, winner of Premio Aztlán, was celebrated at a 2010 literary “quinceañera”.

Queer Brown Voices book contributors* appeared on a panel at

Esperanza in 2015. Pictured are Dulce Benavides (left), Gloria Ramírez*, Mike Rodríguez, Brad Veloz*, Leti Gómez*, Luz Guerra*, Graciela Sánchez and Dennis Medina.*

Jotos del Barrio by Jesús

Martha Prentiss*

Ana Fernández

Mim Scharlack & Gertrude Baker

Cherríe Moraga (center at table) hosted a

reading of the 4th edition of This Bridge Called My Back in 2016 and joined a kitchen table panel with Antonia Castañeda, Liliana Saldaña (left) and Graciela Sánchez (right).

The San Antonio Four, a

works-inprogress film screening, with director, Deborah S. Esquenazi Mary Burdette and Elvia Mendoza took place at Esperanza in 2013. The documentary, Southwest of Salem, was released in 2016. All 4 women, were exonerated November 23, 2016.

J. Philip Avila

Bernice Appelin-Williams*

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Alonzo was staged as a reading in 1995 and as a play in 2002 and 2014 with Maria A. Ibarra directing.

Miss America: A Mexicanito Fairy’s Tale starring Erica Andrews was staged at Esperanza in 2009.

A book by Kórima press was published in 2014.

13

Esperanza: 30 Years of Queers Presentes!

con Esperanza hasta la victoria!

Editor’s Note: The Trans community has always had a presence at the Esperanza even at 1305 N. Flores where an informal group met before Trans rights was in the media. Recently, the Queer Corazones group has been part of Esperanza, programming events such as the film, Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story and working with trans parents and kids in the schools. Queer Corazones is also involved in many other Esperanza events.

part 1 Continued

Michelle Myers (deceased), a beloved trans woman

involved in many Esperanza activites and a regular Voz folder is pictured above (far right) at the annual IWD March in 2008 with Dan Graney next to her and Sally Said at the far left.

San Antonio’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance passed in 2013 with a broad and diverse

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

coalition of supporters. The LGBT community celebrated even though much remains to be done.

14

Mangos With Chili, the floating

cabaret of queer & trans people of color from the Bay area performed at Esperanza in October of 2009.

Antonia Padilla, trans

photographer, has been part of the Esperanza for years.

She was a featured speaker at the IWD March in 2010 and has exhibited her photos at Esperanza art shows.

The Community Alliance for a United San Antonio (CAUSA) formed in 2011 as

a non-partisan coalition aimed to promote LGBT nondiscrimination laws and policies within San Antonio and Bexar Co. helped pass the Non-Discrimination Ordinance in 2013.

Lauryn Farris (far left) of Queer Corazones leads a discussion with parents and trans kids as part of an effort to protect and prepare them for the 2016-2017 school year.

Remembering Orlando Recordando Orlando

Grupos latinos LGBTQ y sus aliados reafirman su compromiso de poner fin a la violencia

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or transgender (LGBTQ) Latinx groups and allies reaffirm their resolve to end violence against marginalized communities and to invest in the long-term healing process. In the spirit of education and with the purpose of honoring the more than 100 people who were murdered or injured at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016 during the LGBTQ establishment’s Latinx-themed night which featured trans specific talent, we call on all people to defeat with compassion and solidarity the scourge of hate crimes based in animus toward LGBTQ people, people of color and those who live in the intersection of our communities.

This sad truth was borne out last year at Pulse where 49 people were killed. Nearly half of the victims were Puerto Rican, while the other half were Cuban, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Mexican, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, Afro Latinx, and from other Latinx communities. Almost all were members of the LGBTQ community. Some were undocumented. Over half were under 30, with the youngest victim being just 18 years old.

The LGBTQ Latinx community is facing a disturbing reality. As the U.S. Latinx population has grown, the incidence of hate crimes against Latinx people has risen disproportionately, tripling in one recent year. According to a study published … by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), murders of LGBTQ people in the U.S. increased by 20% between 2014 and 2015. NCAVP’s research on hate violence also shows that LGBTQ people experience many forms of violence not only by strangers, but in their everyday environments by employers, coworkers, landlords and neighbors. According to FBI records…crimes motivated by bias due to sexual orientation and gender identity represented the largest category of hate crimes (20% in 2015). So far this year, in the U.S., there have been at least 12 murders of trans women reported, but these data are also assumed to be conservative. … We must not forget that the true causes of such attacks are a combination of homophobia, transphobia, racism and sexism. We cannot allow people who want to destroy our unity to plant seeds of fear within our communities and use tragedies to prevent our movements from building bridges, understanding, and love between people of color, LGBTQ people, and other marginalized communities. We state our steadfast support of LGBTQ Muslims and their communities who live under a cloud of suspicion and threats of violence everyday, understanding that our paths to liberation are intertwined.

We reiterate our commitment to advancing our movement and our resolve to live as proud LGBTQ people without fear

Con el espíritu de educar y … rendir homenaje a las más de 100 personas asesinadas o lesionadas en el local nocturno Pulse en Orlando el 12 de junio de 2016 en una noche de fiesta latina para la comunidad LGBTQ patrocinada por dicho establecimiento.

Hacemos una llamada a todos que rechacen la plaga de delitos motivados por el odio hacia la gente LGBTQ, la gente de color y los que son miembros de ambos grupos en nuestra comunidad. Esta triste verdad se confirmó el 12 de junio en el club Pulse de Orlando, en el que 49 personas fueron asesinadas.

Casi la mitad de las víctimas eran puertorriqueñas. Mientras que la otra mitad la conformaban cubanos, dominicanos, ecuatorianos, mexicanos, salvadoreños, venezolanos, afro-latinos, y otras comunidades latinas. Casi todos eran miembros de la comunidad LGBTQ. Algunos eran indocumentados. Más de la mitad de ellos tenía menos de 30 años de edad, y la más joven sólo 18 años.

La comunidad LGBTQ latinx en los Estados Unidos enfrenta una realidad preocupante. A medida que la comunidad crece, la incidencia de delitos contra la gente latinx LGBTQ ha aumentado desproporcionadamente, triplicandose el último año. Según un estudio publicado … la Coalición Nacional de Programas Contra la Violencia (“NCAVP” por sus siglas en ingles), los asesinatos de gente LGBTQ en los Estados Unidos aumentaron en un 20% entre 2014 y 2015. Los estudios de NCAVP también muestran que la gente LGBTQ no solamente sufre discriminación y violencia por gente desconocida, pero también en sus entornos cotidianos, a manos de empleadores, compañeros de trabajo, de propietarios de los lugares donde viven y hasta vecinos. Además, según los registros del FBI … los delitos motivados por el prejuicio contra las personas por su orientación sexual e identidad de género fue la categoría que vio los mayores aumentos (20% en 2015). Además, tal como ha sido documentado por el FBI en lo que va de este año en Estados Unidos, se tiene conocimiento oficial de 14 asesinatos de mujeres transgénero.

Para poder ser libres de verdad debemos reconocer y afrontar todos los componentes tóxicos de este detestable acto: la homofobia, la transfobia, el racismo y el sexismo. En ese entonces nos preocupó que la narrativa actual en contra de la comunidad musulmana fomentará miedo que luego se transformaría en odio.

Nos preocupa que algunas personas aprovecharon esta tragedia para impedir que nuestros movimientos trabajen juntos, y fomenten el entendimiento y amor entre la gente de color, LGBTQ y otras comunidades marginadas. Declaramos nuestro firme apoyo hacia los musulmanes LGBTQ y sus comunidades que viven bajo una nube de sospechas y amenazas de violencia, puesto que nuestras posibilidades de liberación están entrelazadas.

Reiteramos nuestro firme compromiso al avance de nuestro

Continued on Page 16

Continua en pagina 16

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

LGBTQ Latinx Groups and Allies Reaffirm Their Resolve to End the Violence

15

Aléxandra – para mi hija, Aléxandra Xéxilia She tells me “Mama I’m reading We Should All Be Feminists,

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, for my Xicana Feminist afterschool club...

Mama, I’m a queer feminist Xicana!”

She’s 13, that tender age when young women begin to investigate, to explore that spark, to ignite the embers of understanding what kind of woman she wants to be.

Aléxandra, my little warrior woman, my golden girl, Aléxandra, she is the reason I stand up for myself today, she is the reason I can reclaim my name my body my life,

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

Aléxandra, her fire warms my core, deep beneath my sternum, giving me hope that our daughters will see the light of a time, when we as women can truly own our own bodies, can honestly say we are equal to all men,

16

equal to all humanity equal to all life Aléxandra helps me on a daily basis, teach my youngest son, Jimmy, who like my oldest son, Paco, is my light, my love, my joy, to have enough self-respect to treat the women in his life, beginning with his Nana, his mother, his sister with the love and tenderness, dignity and respect that all women deserve.

Aléxandra, my only daughter, my Wonder Woman, my shooting star, my pride, Rise, míja, rise and resist!

—Victoria Garcia Zapata

Orlando. . . Continued from Page 15

Orlando. . . Continua de pagina 15

of discrimination. We call for comprehensive action to bring to young LGBTQ people of color the safety and well being that they deserve. We call on individuals and organizations who care about peace, justice and love to engage with and support our LGBTQ Latinx community at the intersection of all struggles against violence so that we can work to eliminate all the forms of animus – racism, homophobia, and transphobia, – that take precious lives from us every day.

This trauma has made a deep and lasting impact in LGBTQ and Latinx communities, and that it will take much time to mourn and heal, and that to do so, we must invest in those most directly affected by this tragedy. Latino-led, culturally competent efforts, based in Orlando, such as QLatinx, Proyecto Somos Orlando, and the Contigo Fund are critical initiatives dedicated to the well-being and healing of survivors of the Pulse tragedy, to honoring the many LGBTQ Latino lives taken last year, and to supporting a healing process.

movimiento y nuestra decisión de vivir orgullosamente como personas LGBTQ sin temor a la discriminación. Hacemos una llamada para que se tomen medidas amplias que restablezcan la seguridad y bienestar que merecen los jóvenes de color LGBTQ. Pedimos a los individuos y organizaciones que se preocupan por la paz, la justicia y el amor que convivan y apoyen a nuestra comunidad LGBTQ latina que se encuentra en la intersección de todas las luchas contra la violencia para poder eliminar todo tipo de odio – ya sea el racismo, homofobia o transfobia– que nos roban vidas valiosas todos los días.

El ataque ocurrido en Orlando ha dejado un profundo y duradero impacto en las comunidad latinx y LGBT, Se necesita tiempo para el luto y la recuperación, y para logralo necesitamos invertir en los mas afectados por esta tragedia. Los esfuerzos liderados por por organizaciones latinas como: QLatinx, Somos Orlando y el Contigo Fund son iniciativas importantes dedicadas al bienestar y recuperación de los sobrevivientes de la masacre de Pulse, honrando de esta manera las vidas de latinos LGBT perdidas el 2016.

Unión = Fuerza, Latino Institute, @ Creating Change

Still Fighting Against the Trump Dictatorship

by Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D.June, 2017 Introduction

Yesterday [4/7/17], NBC reported that the Trump regime is considering plans presented by the National Security Council to redeploy nuclear weapons in South Korea. . . and attempting to assassinate Kim Jong-Un as a means of countering North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. . . .

Earlier last month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said diplomacy had “failed” and stated the U.S. was done negotiating with North Korea. Tillerson warned that “all options are on the table.” ...This past Sunday, the Financial Times interviewed Trump and he claimed that he had told China that he prepared for the U.S. to act unilaterally against North Korea. ...We’ve just witnessed in Syria, Trump ordering a missile strike on “impulse” ...without a strategy or plan to what happens next. ...Trump learned that war is a great distraction. ...I do not doubt Trump would hesitate from ordering a nuclear strike.

During the campaign, Trump had this infamous exchange with Chris Matthews in a March 30, 2016 interview on MSNBC: TRUMP: Let me explain. Somebody hits us within ISIS— you wouldn’t fight back with a nuke?

MATTHEWS: . . . o.k. The trouble is, when you said that, the whole world heard it. …They’re hearing a guy running Continued on Page 20

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

In my previous essay Fighting Against the Trump Dictatorship: An Integrative Perspective,1 my focus was on describing a group that I initiated and facilitated, originally entitled Trump Supporters and Non-Supporter s Against Hate Crimes and Discrimination, and later changed to the less politically charged: Citizens Against Hate Crimes and Discrimination.1 My group has been meeting mostly every other week for over 4 months; one Trump supporter attended our first 4 meetings, and though he did not continue to attend, due to his excessive schedule of activities, another Trump supporter attended our last group meeting and, hopefully, will become a regular member of the group.1 Since writing my previous article on this topic,1 our group decided to change our focus to a more open, diverse description.

Art: Nate Beeler, The Columbus Dispatch Thus, I advertised our group in the local papers and flyers with the heading: What Tears Us Apart and What Holds Us Together?

However, this was not at all successful in attracting new people to the group, Trump supporters or not, and all of us were feeling frustrated at how difficult it was to attract the kind of political diversity that our group was based upon. Consequently, the current flyer and ad that I periodically put in the local papers has the title: Building Bridges Through Political Diversity.2 At one of our meetings, we had a stimulating visit by a renowned international expert on conflict resolution and bullying, Steve Wessler,1, 3 who advocated that to attract the kind of political diversity that I envisioned and that our group wants, we should change our focus to bullying in the schools, as he impactfully conveyed to us that this is something which virtually all people are concerned about, regardless of political viewpoints. I was initially sold on this strong recommendation, inclusive of his suggestion to completely change how we were trying to attract political diversity to our group, as he very persuasively advised us to meet with PTA organizations and local churches. I didn’t know exactly how any of us, including myself, would actually develop the confidence and ability to conduct anti-bullying programs in the schools, but it seemed to me like something very concrete was needed to make our group come alive with political diversity, and this suggestion sounded like what was needed.

However, I must say that the idea of going into the schools as a political diversity group to conduct anti-bullying programs, even if it were feasible to do so, soon felt much less of a priority to me. I subsequently learned from Steve Wessler that he was not

advising us to actually go into the schools to conduct anti-bullying programs, as a number of trained people were already doing, but rather to serve as an advocacy group to promote anti-bullying programs. But even before I learned this from Wessler, my priorities significantly changed after President Trump made the decision to bomb Syria in retaliation to Assad’s chemical attack, a decision he made without consulting congress.4 Although there are some people who have expressed concerns about Trump’s unilateral decision and lack of strategic planning or serious consideration of the consequences of his action, apparently his bombing Syria had a (temporary) rejuvenating effect on his popularity and his presidency, and he soon followed this up with “the mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan.4, 5 But what concerns me most about the “Trump dictatorship” is the deadly and devastating possibility that Trump could engage us in a nuclear war—in particular, against North Korea.6 I do not think that my concerns are far-fetched or unrealistic, as the following information demonstrates:6

17

Nivia González

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

September 16, 1946 - June 4, 2017

18

Editor’s note: The Esperanza staff and buena gente extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Nivia González who first honored us with her art at the Esperanza Center in 1988 at the Mujeres y Artistas exhibit and, later, at the annual Peace Market. On Sunday, June 11th, a life celebration was held in memory of the internationally reknowned Chicana artist whose paintings of Latina women graced the covers of books, magazines and conference posters for decades. In 1997, an accident stopped her from painting for ten years but she painstakingly recovered the use of her left hand and produced more artwork in the last decade. The Esperanza’s 2nd floor walls, covered with

her artwork, served as a backdrop for the many memories that friends and family—including her twin daughters, Regina and Selena—shared that afternoon. María Berriozábal remembered meeting Nivia when the artist was working with inmates in 1987.

She recounted how the inmates completed a 10’x15’ mural with Nivia for Pope John Paul II’s visit to San Antonio’s Westside. The Pope who spoke at Guadalupe Plaza was so moved by the mural behind him that it brought tears to his eyes. The impressive mural, a yarn painting, was on display for the tribute at the Esperanza, courtesy of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Joe López of Gallista Gallery, a lifelong friend, shared this story:

her selling her art at a festival. We saw each Nivia González was a friend of mine. We other again a few years later, happy we were met in high school at Alamo Heights. I still doing art. Then one day, I saw a paintgrew up kind of rough and didn’t care ing of hers in an Art Magazine. She had much about studying but I loved art! I was made it! She was recognized nationally. a year behind Nivia. In those days there One day at “Las Manitas”, a popular weren’t many Mexicanos at Heights. The Nivia Gonzalez in 1987 with her painting “Stonewoman with Black Heart and Blue Veil” behind her. restaurant in Austin, I was handed an invitaones that went there were from barrios tion to an opening of Nivia’s art. I was reluctant to go, thinking she in the area. I was from “El Barrio Escondido, c/s”, near the Alamo wouldn’t remember me. She did remember me and gave me a hug.

Cement Quarry. Us, Mexicanos, stuck together—we didn’t mix She asked how I was doing with my art. “Not much”, I said. She much with the white kids. Most of us knew each other from going pulled me to the side, “If you’re serious about your art you need to school earlier at St. Anthony Shrine Catholic School, a mission school, where most of us were children of migrant workers, factory to paint regularly. Stop hanging around with your friends. They are nothing but drunks and skirt chasers! Paint!” workers, and laborers…poor kids.

That did it! I changed my priorities: lost my Nivia was different, she was better off than us and lived in the heart of Alamo Heights. She was pretty and very friendly and popu- friends along the way but good things started to lar with everyone. I remember her trying out for cheerleader. Wow! happen. I saw Nivia one more time in Austin after her accident. One again, we hugged and wished A Mexicana for cheerleader at Heights? That was a first for us!

I first met her up close in an Art Class that was very informal. each other well. Nivia was a true friend. I thank There, I realized she was very Mexicana. We became good friends. you for setting me straight. —Joe López She was sincere, NOT FAKE! Years later, after we graduated, I saw Nivia’s artwork has appeared on many book covers including Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.

Imelda Arismendez May 2, 1949 - May 31, 2017

Imelda’s love of art and immense talent was matched only by her love of the women of MujerArtes . . .

Our dear staff member and friend, Imelda Arismendez, coordinator of MujerArtes Women’s Clay Cooperative passed into spirit a few months after receiving a diagnosis of terminal illness. Imelda was one of the original artists of MujerArtes which opened in 1995. This was Imelda’s 20th year with MujerArtes and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center where she not only headed up MujerArtes but was also actively involved in Esperanza’s programming, fundraising and community actions. In September of 2015, MujerArtes celebrated its 20th anniversary with an extraordinary exhibition that Imelda coordinated with las mujeres, “Barrio de Barro: Reclamando y Recordando el Westside de San Antonio,.” It paid tribute to the Westside neighborhoods that many of the women were originally from. The exhibit showcased 25 clay replicas of Westside structures, houses and buildings, such as the Guadalupe Church, the Cheers Bar and the former Guadalupanita Café that were arranged in blocks of Westside streets. Each home featured details of the yards and streets with children playing, clothes hanging, families gathered outdoors with BBQ pits, religious shrines and greenery surrounding each house.

Imelda’s love of art and immense talent was matched only by her love of the women of MujerArtes whom she believed in and supMujerArtes Earth Block Studio ported in many ways. She was an incredibly hard worker Opening—September 9th and could be found on top of scaffolding at the Esperanza working alongside young staff members in preparation for an @ El Rinconcito de Esperanza, exhibit or program. More recently, before her illness, Imelda 816 S. Colorado, Time: TBA could be seen working on the new earth block studio at El Rinconcito de Esperanza that will open this fall. Imelda’s spirit and creative energy will be felt in the new studio with her artwork forever imbedded in the earth block walls and her presence in the hearts of the women of MujerArtes.

The staff and buena gente of Esperanza extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family and the many friends whose lives she touched. ¡Imelda Arismendez, siempre presente!

A LIFE TRIBUTE for Imelda Arismendez Sunday, July 9th @ Esperanza.

Time: 1-4pm

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

19

TRUMP, Continued from Page 17 for president of the United States talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. Nobody wants to hear that about an American president.

TRUMP: Then why are we making them? Why do we make them?...

Trump wants to be “unpredictable” when it comes to his use of nuclear weapons. During the presidential campaign in 2015, Trump said, without irony: The biggest problem we have is nuclear—nuclear proliferation and having some maniac, having some madman go out and get a nuclear weapon. . . . I think ...for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

The above article concludes alarmingly as follows:6 There is nothing more devastating than a nuclear war. Such a war in North Korea risks escalating quickly into a short, but deadly global war.

20

And this is what I became particularly taken up Source: thebuckleyclub.com with for a while. With the threat of our impulsive, narcissistic, mentally unbalanced president making the decision to engage us in a nuclear war, everything else paled by comparison to me—including eliminating the foundations for the arts and humanities, clean air and water safety regulations, Obamacare, and much of the environmental protection agency; as well as an escalation in hate crimes, discrimination, and bullying since the 2016 presidential election, and a very long list of other horrible proposals and actions. Thus, I started asking myself the question: What could I possibly do to fight against this? I believed that this was the most dangerous and alarming facet of Trump’s presidency/dictatorship. My immediate response was to at least put down my thoughts and feelings in writing.

The Resistance and My Radio Interviews

In my previous Fighting Against the Trump Dictatorship essay,1 I described my involvement in the Bangor, Maine Indivisibles group,1 which is part of the enormous Resistance movement6 that has sprung up to continuously fight against the Trump dictatorship. Although I started to get discouraged, and I must admit rather bored, with the same repeated Indivisibles tactics of putting pressure on our 3 members of congress, I now fully appreciate the wisdom and effectiveness of both the Indivisibles group and the wider Resistance movement to fight against the Trump dictatorship. Just the fact that Trump’s proposed budget to build the wall and eliminate support for the humanities, the arts, planned parenthood, and environmental regulations was put on hold for 4 months, is a remarkable achievement, and is part of what I believe the Resistance is all about. And, the effectiveness of the Resistance movement curtailing Trump’s initial efforts at repeal-

ing Obamacare and illegally limiting immigration is noteworthy. I have also come to realize that working toward impeaching Trump, as I wrote previously,1 could easily backfire as “President Pence” and perhaps “Vice President Ryan” could be more of a disaster to the U.S. and the world than our President Trump is. At least Trump has no real idealistic agenda other than his destructive business mentality, and he has stimulated a mass Resistance movement against him. I believe that continuing to promote massive resistance to all of Trump’s destructive proposals, along with working to gain power in congress in the 2018 elections, and getting rid of Trump once and for all in 2020, are the most effective tactics to fight against the Trump dictatorship.

In regard to my Building Bridges Through Political Diversity group, it remains to be seen if we will continue. I was disappointed that the initial Trump supporter decided to leave the group and even more disappointed when both the prospective second Trump supporter as well as the group member who had recruited him, did not show up at the meeting where we expected to finally have another Trump supporter to dialogue with.

However, they did both show up at our subsequent meeting, and we had good constructive dialogue.

As the horrifying prospect of nuclear war with North Korea at this point seems to be not quite as stark and imminent as it was soon after Trump’s Syria bombing, I am again thinking about common ground for our group in terms of working against hate crimes, discrimination, and bullying. However, given the continuous mainstream news coverage of the investigation of the possible Trump/Russia collusion, and the possible momentum for impeachment, I feel that these topics are legitimate and important to discuss in our group.

With all this in mind, I have actually done two radio show political interviews—which is something that I have never done before.7 One of these interviews was with another member of our group, and the second one was by myself. In my radio interviews I described how my sister-in-law, who I consider to be a good ethical person, voted for Trump, and how this was much of my initial motivation to adopt the perspective that voting for Trump did not necessarily mean that someone was racist, homophobic, xenophobic or a “bad” person. Although, I am not comfortable being a continuous public figure, apparently there is now a possibility of a local television interview for our group, so I may need to stretch myself even more than I did for my radio interviews. I received a response from a listener of one of my radio interviews who is interested in attending our next meeting. So, I realize that utilizing available public media is a crucial method to promote our group. But I am still wondering what is the nature of our group as time evolves, as apparently some Trump supporters are finally starting to get disillusioned with their hero.8

To Impeach Or Not To Impeach

As I described in the essay Fighting Against the Trump Dictatorship essay in the 2017 April issue of La Voz,1 I was initially quite taken up with the movement to impeach Trump. However, as I have thought more about it, my concerns about the replacement of a president Pence

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think about my initial impetus to form my group, based upon the writings of Gene Sharp in regard to transforming a dictatorship into a democracy.9 In particular, I was deeply affected

by Sharp’s strategy of bringing about a change in perspective in the people who empower the dictator. This is the real motive that led me to form my political diversity group, although my real motive was frequently hidden for political expediency. My deepest motivation in forming my group, however, was to gradually weaken the base of Trump’s support by bringing the most open-minded of Trump supporters into contact with progressives and Trump non-supporters.

As many idealistic undertakings, this was certainly easier said than done, but my group is still going, and I make sure that any topic that I think is relevant is fair game to bring up in our group. Thus, I will not budge about bringing up the topics of the investigation of a possible Trump/Russia collusion, and impeachment, at our next meet-

political diversity,” I think it is appropriate to let Vance have the last word in this article, as it is very fitting to my main theme:

This country is segregated by race, geography and income in a way that it hasn’t been in a very, very long time. The person in New York City is showing too little empathy for the Trump voter. The Trump voter is showing too little empathy for the person who’s very worried about the refugee ban. They’re not spending enough time with each other to have a meaningful conversation.11

Bio: Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D. is a philosopher, mathematician, psychologist, musician, writer, teacher and counselor with Ph.Ds in psychology and mathematics.

Editor’s note: Complete footnotes cited in this article can be obtained from lavoz@esperanzacenter.org

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

I would feel successful if I heard the have grown. I am no political analyst, but it Yes, I must support the efforts for ing. seems to me that replacing Trump with Pence new Trump supporter in our group say that would empower the Republicans in congress impeachment, while advocating he no longer supports Trump, and would not to implement a wide array of destructive povote for him, again. I would of course like to that the Resistance movement hear our initial Trump supporter say the same litical policies, far more effectively than they are currently able to do, with the widespread thing, as I occasionally stay in e-mail contact hold strong and firm against the with him, but this is not likely to happen. The Resistance movement against Trump that has infiltrated congressional districts all over the line is that, as outrage gets piled on destructive Republican agenda bottom country. Unlike Trump, Pence most definitely outrage, at least some Trump supporters are does have an idealistic political agenda, and that President Pence would be finally starting to think that, perhaps, they the possibility of Paul Ryan having even more made a mistake in their support of him.8 I empowered to try to implement. want to milk this for all it is worth. If my influence is a prospect that I certainly do not want to see happen. Would the Resistance group thinks that I am too “opinionated” movement continue with all its very effecand should not bring up such topics, then I tive activities under a Pence presidency? I don’t know, but perhaps know my group has run its course. But for now, I am continuing in the overriding consideration is that Trump is extremely reactive and my own way, fighting against the Trump dictatorship, and I think it has very little ability to understand the complicated nuances of world is excellent timing for others to make their best efforts at engaging events and the deadly consequences of his decisions, much of which constructively with Trump supporters who may finally be more open he tweets for the world to see. Certainly, Pence would be exceedingly to end their support of our U.S. president/dictator. more “mature” and a tremendously more refined and respectful figure Along these lines, I have read two books recommended by to represent the U.S. But would there be any less danger of catastroph- members of our group to help us understand the phenomenon of ic war with a Pence presidency as opposed to a Trump presidency? poor white Americans voting Republican, apparently against their I don’t know the answer to this question, but I realize that the own best interest, and consequently helping us understand how impeachment momentum is a very good thing in regard to weakenTrump became the president of the U.S.10 Arlie Russel Hochschild, ing people’s positive perceptions of the Republican party, as the the author of Strangers in Their Own Land, is a politically progresgrowing investigation of possible collusion with Russia by Trump sive sociologist from Berkeley, California who investigated this and his aides hopefully brings the word “traitor” to the minds of the phenomenon with people in Louisiana whose lives were destroyed common folk who voted for Trump. At the very least, this should by the pollution from oil well drilling.10 J. D. Vance, the author make them think twice about being over-zealous to vote for Repubof the other book, Hillbilly Elegy, experienced this phenomenon lican presidential candidates again, and it should greatly increase the firsthand while growing up, though he amazingly was able to avoid opportunity for the Democrats to regain more control over both conthe pitfalls of his upbringing and achieve a great deal of fame, presgress and the presidency in the next few years. But there is a whole tige, and wealth by his early 30’s.10 Vance, an ex-marine, describes lot of destruction that can happen before this occurs, and the question himself as a patriotic conservative Republican, and has an affinity for church and state. However, he strikes me as an ethically decent in my mind is what are the most effective ways of minimizing this person and he did not vote for Trump (he voted for the independent destruction? When push comes to shove, my gut level feeling is that presidential candidate Evan McMullin). Vance has described his we do need to get rid of President Trump. The shame and embardisappointment with Trump’s campaign, saying: rassment of having this person represent the U.S. as its president is just past what I could choose to accept if there were a choice for an (Trump) ran an angry, very adversarial campaign that in alternative, in spite of the serious possible destructive consequences tone matched the frustrations of the people I wrote about. of the replacement by Pence. Yes, I must support the efforts for He certainly ran a pretty cynical campaign, and got a lot impeachment, while advocating that the Resistance movement hold of votes from people who are feeling cynical about the strong and firm against the destructive Republican agenda that Presifuture.11 dent Pence would be empowered to try to implement.

Given the emphasis and intent of my group to “build bridges through

21

People’s Power Coalition meets last Thursdays | 210.878.6751

Bexar Co. Green Party: Call 210.

471.1791 or bcgp@bexargreens.org

PFLAG, meets 1st Thurs. @ 7pm, University Presbyterian Church 300 Bushnell Ave. | 210.848.7407.

* community meetings *

Amnesty International #127 For info. call Arthur @ 210.213.5919.

Celebration Circle meets Sun., 11am @ Say Sí, 1518 S. Alamo. Meditation: Weds @7:30pm, Friends Meeting House, 7052 Vandiver. 210.533.6767.

DIGNITY SA Mass, 5:30pm, Sun. @ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1018 E. Grayson St | 210.340.2230 Adult Wellness Support Group of PRIDE Center meets 4th Mon., 7-9 pm @ Lions Field, 2809 Broadway. Call 210.213.5919.

Energía Mía: (512) 838-3351 Fuerza Unida, 710 New Laredo Hwy. www.lafuerzaunida.org | 210.927.2294 Habitat for Humanity meets 1st Tues. for volunteers, 6pm, HFHSA Office @ 311 Probandt.

LGBTQ LULAC Council #22198 meets 3rd Thursdays @ 6:45pm @ Luby’s on Main. E-mail: info@ lulac22198.org

NOW SA Chapter meets 3rd Wed’s.

For time and location check FB/satx.now | 210. 802.9068 | nowsaareachapter@ gmail.com

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6•

Pax Christi, SA meets monthly on Saturdays. Call 210.460.8448

22

Parents of Murdered Children, meets 2nd Mondays @ Balcones Heights Community Ctr, 107 Glenarm | www. pomcsanantonio.org.

Rape Crisis Center 7500 US Hwy 90W. Hotline: 210.349.7273 | 210.521.7273 Email: sgabriel@ rapecrisis.com The Religious Society of Friends meets Sunday @10am @ The Friends Meeting House, 7052 N. Vandiver. | 210.945.8456.

S.A. Gender Association meets 1st & 3rd Thursday, 6-9pm @ 611 E. Myrtle, Metropolitan Community Church.

SA AIDS Fdn 818 E. Grayson St. offers free Syphilis & HIV testing | 210.225.4715 | www.txsaaf.org.

SA Women Will March: www. sawomenwillmarch.org|(830) 488-7493 SGI-USA LGBT Buddhists meet 2nd Sat. at 10am @ 7142 San Pedro Ave., Ste 117 | 210.653.7755.

Shambhala Buddhist Meditation Tues. 7pm & Sun. 9:30am 257 E. Hildebrand Ave. | 210.222.9303.

Proyecto Hospitalidad Liturgy meets Thurs. 7pm, 325 Courtland.

S.N.A.P. (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Contact Barbara at 210.725.8329.

Metropolitan Community Church services & Sunday school @10:30am, 611 East Myrtle. Call 210.472.3597

Voice for Animals: 210.737.3138 or www.voiceforanimals.org

Overeaters Anonymous meets MWF in Spanish & daily in English | www. oasanantonio.org | 210.492.5400.

SA’s LGBTQA Youth meets Tues., 6:30pm at Univ. Presby. Church, 300 Bushnell Ave. | www.fiesta-youth.org

Be Part of a

Progressive Movement in San Antonio

¡Todos Somos Esperanza!

Start your monthly donations now!

Esperanza works to bring awareness and action on issues relevant to our communities.

With our vision for social, environmental, economic and gender justice, Esperanza centers the voices and experiences of the poor & working class, women, queer people and people of color.

We hold pláticas and workshops; organize political actions; present exhibits and performances and document and preserve our cultural histories. We consistently challenge City Council and the corporate powers of the city on issues of development, low-wage jobs, gentrification, clean energy and more.

It takes all of us to keep the Esperanza going.

What would it take for YOU to become a monthly donor? Call or come by the Esperanza to learn how.

¡Esperanza vive! ¡La lucha sigue, sigue!

FOR INFO: Call 210.228.0201 or email: esperanza@esperanzacenter.org

Start your 2016/2017 tax-deductible donations to Esperanza today!

I would like to donate $________ each month by automatic bank withdrawal.

Contact me to sign up.

I would like to send $________ each ___ month ___ quarter ___ six-months

Enclosed is a donation of ___ $1000 ___ $500 ___ $250 ___ $100

___ $50

___ $15

___ 10

___ $25

through the mail.

Name _____________________________________________________________________________________

La Voz Subscription ___ $35 Individuals

Address ___________________________________________________________________________________

___ $100 Institutions

City, State, Zip ______________________________________________________________________________

___ other $ _______________

Phone ____________________________Email_____________________________________________________ For more information, call 210-228-0201 Make checks payable to the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.

Send to 922 San Pedro, SA TX 78212. Donations to the Esperanza are tax deductible.

I would like to volunteer Please use my donation for the Rinconcito de Esperanza

Notas Y Más July/Aug 2017

tBárbara Renaud González, author of Las

Nalgas de JLo, will have a book signing at The Twig Book Shop, 306 Pearl Pkwy on Saturday, July 1 from 11am to 1pm.

Contact: aztlanlibrepress.com

The #ImpeachmentMarch in San Antonio, TX in solidarity with worldwide marches to demand Trump’s removal from the presidency! Join us on July 2nd at 12pm in front of City Hall in San Antonio, corner of Dolorosa and Flores Streets.See http://bit.ly/ impeach_SA Enjoy great Tejano music this summer sponsored by Univision at La Villita with KXTN 107.5 in Maverick Plaza as part of Tejano Thursdays on July 6 & 20 and August 3, 17 & 24 continuing thru September 28th. Gates open @ 5 pm until 11pm.

FREE! Check getcreativesanantonio.com A Compassion Vigil sponsored by the peaceCENTER and the Interfaith Welcome Coalition takes place on 4th Thursdays from 6-7pm in front of San Fernando Cathedral. Next date is July 27. Contact them on facebook.

Brief news items on upcoming community events.

Send items for Notas y Más to: lavoz@esperanzacenter.org or mail to: 922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212.

The deadline is the 8th of each month.

Latino Heritage is the theme for the 2017 Fall Semester (September thru December 2017) ACHP-SI Cultural Heritage Fellowship, a joint experience with the Smithsonian Institution and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Grants Deadline: July 15, @ 11:59pm EDT See: www.smithsonianofi.com/chp-fellowship/ Geminiink will sponsor a Writers Conference on July 21 @ 8am to July 23@ 5pm at 1111 Navarro St. Call conference organizer, Alexandra van de Kamp, at 210.734.9673 or go to: geminiink.org/writers-conference/ ¡Levanta tu voz, trabajadora! Domesticas Unidas convivio, 27 de julio, 5 pm, 1606 Fulton Ave. con Karaoke-Poesia-Declamaciones. Contactos: Araceli 210.310.6071 o Irasema 210.446.8525.

2017 Summer Reading!

No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need is a new book by Naomi Klein.

To read a recent interview with Klein go to www.truth-out.org The Barrio Gangs of San Antonio, 1915-2015 by Mike Tapia, published by TCU Press, is the most comprehensive academic case study of barrio gangs in San Antonio to date examining the evolution of urban barrio subcultures.

Available online.

De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a MultiColored Century by Elizabeth Gemini Ink honors Tomás “Betita” Martinez published in Ybarra-Frausto with the 1998 is being re-issued on July Award of Literary Excel25, 2017 as part of the Feminist lence at its annual gala, InkClassics series by VersoBooks. stravaganza, on September com. Betita is now in her 90s. The book 28 from 6-9 pm. Call 210.734.96.73 or includes a forward by Angela Davis. email btremillo@geminiink.org for more.

Workshop and Plática

2nd annual event about the legal rights of trans children and their parents and guidelines for schools.

Saturday, August 26, 2017 12—2 pm

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center • 922 San Pedro Ave., SA, TX • 210-228-0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org

88th Annual

LULAC

National Convention & Exposition

San Antonio Convention Center July 4 - 8, 2017

Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latino/a Activism

Sat. July 6, 2017 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm Location: Room 221 – A

Panel participants: Leticia Gomez, moderator with Laura Esquivel, Brad Veloz, Gloria Ramírez, Luz Guerra, and Dennis Medina

The Federal Training Institute (FTI) Youth Symposium

“Cultivating Talent for Tomorrow” a program for students in grades 8-12. Free!

Friday, July 5, 2017 8:00 am – 3:30 pm

Download Youth Symposium Packet, go to: http://bit.ly/youth_pack

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

Son tus niños también: Trans Kids Back to School

23

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/Aug 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 6

#queergrito

<title>

<title>

A CRY OF>BY>FOR THE TIMES BY LGBTQ+ ARTISTS/CULTURAL WORKERS

Exhibit continues until August 18, 2017 Dan Guerrero “Gaytino!” *

Activism & the Arts: A Life Journey —a plática

Wednesday, July 26th • 7pm @ Esperanza

Esperanza, 922 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212 Esperanza Peace & Justice Center

922 San Pedro San Antonio TX 78212 210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID San Antonio, TX Permit #332

Haven’t opened La Voz in a while? Prefer to read it online? Wrong address?

TO CANCEL A SUBSCRIPTION EMAIL lavoz@esperanzacenter.org CALL: 210.228.0201

Dan Guerrero travels through decades of Mexican-American/Chicano and LGBTQ history from a personal point of view using historic photos, stories and music sharing his story of political and social awakening. Q&A follows. *Dan performs his acclaimed one-man show, Gaytino!, at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center on July 28th.

Saturday August 19 • 8 – 10:30 pm

Join

Azul for

Esperanza: 30 Years of Peace & Justice

a musical tribute of famous

Tangos

NocheAzul This Summer

Admission $7 más o menos Doors open 45 min. before program starts.

July 15 & 16 • Sat 8 pm & Sun 4 pm

Frida

—A tribute to Esperanza’s presence and impact on the San Antonio community.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Reception: 5pm Dinner: 6pm

Celebrate Frida’s 110th birthday with Azul

Program: 7:30pm * Convivio: 9pm

* Program will include speakers, archival photos & footage, performance, & music For tickets or info, call Natalie at 210.228.0201 or visit www.esperanzacenter.org