a publication of the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center
APRIL 2014 | Vol. 27 Issue 3 San Antonio, Tejas
In the name of money LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
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La Voz de Esperanza April 2014 vol. 27 issue 3
Editor Gloria A. Ramírez Design Monica V. Velásquez Editorial Assistance Alice Canestaro-García Cover Art: Liliana Wilson Contributors
Christian Amador, Edna Leal Hinojosa, Kristie Mayhugh, Kamala Platt, Liz Ramírez, Cassie Rivera, Graciela I. Sánchez, Susana Méndez Segura, Anna Vásquez, J. Williams
La Voz Mail Collective
Mario E. Carbajal, Daisy Cavallero, Patricia De La Garza, Joann Diaz, Juan Díaz, Angela M. García, Gloria T. Hernández, Norma Lilcano, Josie M. Martin, Angie Merla, Lucy & Ray Pérez, Blanca Rivera, Mary Agnes Rodríguez, Argelia Soto, D. L. Stokes, Helen Suarez, Thomas, Rose Turbeville & Inés Valdez
Esperanza Director Graciela I. Sánchez
Esperanza Staff
Imelda Arismendez, Itza Carbajal, Ramona Corpstein, Marisol Cortez, J.J. Niño, René Saenz, Melissa Ruizesparza Rodríguez, Susana Méndez Segura, Monica V. Velásquez
Conjunto de Nepantleras
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
-Esperanza Board of Directors-
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Brenda Davis, Araceli Herrera, Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Kamala Platt, Ana Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, Rudy Rosales, Nadine Saliba, Graciela Sánchez • 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 Letters with intent to slander individuals or groups will not be published. Esperanza Peace & Justice Center is funded in part by the NEA, TCA, theFund, Coyote Phoenix Fund, AKR Fdn, Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Fdn, Horizons Fdn, New World Foundation, y nuestra buena gente.
n the Name of Money, the cover art by Liliana Wilson introduces this month’s La Voz. As part of the upcoming exhibit, FRACK-ASO! Portraits of Extraction in Eagle Ford and Beyond, opening on April 18th, it alludes to the inevitable harm that fracking will do to the earth and the generations to come. The exhibit will present a broad picture of what can happen to towns and rural environments when a fracking frenzy proliferates and dominates. Gente, tierra and ambiente are not considered. Only money! When one examines the negative effects that fracking has on the earth, air and living beings, one comes up with a never-ending list. One effect was illustrated recently in Azle, TX, a small town outside of Ft. Worth. In two months, November to December, 2013, the town experienced more than 30 earthquakes — something not experienced before. When people protested, they were told there was no direct evidence that fracking “caused” the earthquakes. More “data” was needed. Rarely is fault found with the fracking process. Another effect of fracking is a recent epidemic of giant sinkholes. Sinkholes form when the earth gives way because her entrails have been tampered with. It reminds me of when my elderly mother had a colonoscopy that went awry. After the procedure when I took mom home, her face and throat began to swell up. I returned her to the hospital. Surgery that she had had years before had messed up the structure of her intestines. The doctor, unaware of this, had caused a rupture that was leaking dangerous gases causing her to swell up. Mom’s body would have collapsed had I not taken her back. In much in the same way, the earth’s body reacts to any rupturing of its entrails. The earthquakes and sinkholes can cause gas leaks and eventually, a collapse. The results have led to whole towns being evacuated — or swallowed up! These types of episodes have been documented time, and again. Yet, proving that these episodes are directly linked to fracking is elusive, at best. Whether it’s the increase of pollution and toxicity in our water or air, pockets of cancer and other health problems, earth damage, habitat or wildlife destruction, or the unusual climate and weather changes — fracking continues unabated. All in the name of money! In San Antonio, we just experienced a “fuel spill” at the Calumet Refinery near the San Antonio River. The refinery recently expanded operations from 2,000 to 5,000 barrels of fuel per day due to fracking in S. Texas. The spill occurred in a creek that empties into the River. A protest at the company site inspired me to walk along Mission Reach where I observed 2 trucks, a jeep, and a water truck from HWR of Carthage, TX cleaning the area. The men there wore green rubber gloves and placed a boom across the creek. It felt eerie. The mySA Home Page of the SA Express-News posted a short article on the spill with a slide show of 80 beautiful photos highlighting the new, improved Mission Reach area — not one picture of the clean-up! Negative press was almost nonexistent. Now, there’s talk of high-end apartments to be built in that same area — displacing poor folks that have resided in a trailer park there for years. (see p. 15) It’s endless, and all in the name of money. —G. Ramirez, editor ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it in 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.
by J. Williams
FORCIBLE BY GUNPOINT Editor’s Note: In preparation for the Esperanza’s upcoming exhibit, Frack-aso! Portraits of Extraction in Eagle Ford and Beyond, we offer some glimpses here and on page 12 of some of the literary entries and photography in the exhibit that opens on April 18th. The front page artwork, For the Love of Money, by Liliana Wilson is also an entry. continued to slice the air! Other bullets ricocheted breaking our bodies into pieces of flesh. A young mother had fallen with her little ones who begged her and nudged her to wake up! Several of us screamed in shock and pain as the bullets pierced our skins. I ran back to search for our Matriarch. I knew she needed help. I found her lying down and barely alive. Blood poured from her mouth as her eyes locked with mine. She was trying to tell me something. I leaned forward to hear her and she said, “Remember, there are good and bad beings throughout the world. Find the good ones and tell them of our plight.” Then, she took a deep breath and was gone. I had to leave her and get deeper into the woods myself! I had no time to grieve for her nor wipe away my tears! Some of us made it to the edge of the woods only to be gunned down by the enemy who were lying in wait on the ground. We were slaughtered down to a fragment of our already decreased population. Many of us cried quietly so as to not reveal our location. When the attacks stopped, our small band of survivors came out of hiding. We gathered to pay homage to those we lost that day. Tired and traumatized, we left in search for another place to hide. As many times before, we were hopeful that we could find water and food along the way. We relocated only to be attacked again by the giant bird in the sky. As I fled, I heard the screams of the young ones and the remaining members of our group as they were being mowed down! The screaming and the sounds of the giant bird faded as I distanced myself. Eventually, I could only hear my breathing. I reached a fence and slipped through an opening. I continued to run, too afraid to look back! Hours later, Mother Moon rose providing enough light to find a safe place to rest. As I rested my bloody and badly injured body, I began to think about how things had abruptly changed for me and my kind. After years of living freely, we have become targeted as nuisances. Our lands were taken, our homes invaded, our water contaminated and our food sources reduced. We’re being removed and forced at gunpoint, so that others can profit. Those
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were told to be wary of the enemy. Remain mindful of noises, environmental changes and unusual odors. We were tired from walking all night, caring for our sick and elderly. The young ones were hungry and exhausted. Our Matriarch suffered as well. Aging and poor health had taken their toll on her. Although she moved slowly, her mind and instincts remained sharp. We had to continue to push forward until we could find a place to rest ourselves. Over time, our journey had dwindled down our population. Food and water had become scarce. Illnesses and disease had taken the lives of many, too. It is up to us to make the right decisions for our very own survival. After a long trek under the watchful eye of the moon, we came upon a deeply wooded area. We entered and decided to make camp there. The Matriarch urged the young ones to gather around to hear her tell a story. She looked at us and whispered, “The stories will help the little ones forget about our dire situation.” We were grateful, for without her wisdom, we would have been closer to extinction by vast numbers a long time ago. The little ones wanted to hear her story about the old days when food and water was plentiful! It was a story they had heard many times before but they loved it! The story described the harmony and balance that existed in the wilderness amongst the flora and fauna. The young ones began to fall asleep as did many others. The Matriarch smiled as she, too, began to fall asleep. Mother Moon was setting, giving rise to the morning sun. We were soundly asleep as the sun crept above the horizon. Some of us stirred but something was strange…the birds were eerily quiet and so were the insects. Without warning, the sounds of something big and ominous sliced through the air overhead! It was getting louder as it drew closer! Birds fled from their perches in the trees and took flight. Our young ones screamed with fear as our sick and elderly were bewildered and stunned to know that this was starting again. I looked at my childhood friend and before we were able to speak to each other, his face was sheared from his head! Blood spewed everything as he grunted and fell where he stood! “This” was another attack on our population! “Run, run for your lives!” I shouted. “Get into the deeper woods!” The bullets rained down on us as the trees swayed as if to shield us from the threat above! A giant bird came into view as its huge blades
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others are human beings…the most feared and selfish predator of them all! Daylight came and suddenly, I heard my enemy approaching on foot. There were several of them! They were communicating with each other in a language I didn’t understand! Closer and closer they came but I was too weak to stand and defend myself! They stared down at me… I could only grunt. My pain was beyond unbearable and it was getting cold!! Their leader knelt down, gently stroked my face while examining my injuries. There was something warm and compassionate about this enemy. They weren’t like the others!! They knew that I was caught in a rain of bullets!! My breathing became more labored but I was still able to send a prayer to our fallen Matriarch… “Mother, the good beings you urged me to find are now aware of our plight.” I dreamed of seeing her. She said to me, “It is time for you to join us. With us, you will be free of hurt and pain.” I followed the Matriarch, thus ending my lifetime. This event took place in recent times. We are not Native Americans, nor African-American slaves, nor the victims of WWII, Korea or Vietnam. We are not from Iraq, Afghanistan or from the former Yugoslavia. We are merely feral hogs being killed simply because we are in the way of profit for the Eagle Ford Shale project. u Bio: After spending many years in NY and the Mid-Atlantic region, Junko Williams relocated to South Central TX. The vastness, beauty and solitude deserves to have us become more connected to our environment. Photos by Junko Williams for FRACKASO exhibit.
Amalia De Hoyos de Méndez June 2, 1926 - Feb 19, 2014 by Susana Méndez Segura
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y 87-year-old güelita passed away peacefully at 11:35pm in her Igle Pas’ home. Era la last one de sus hermanos. Las tres sisters de ella, como si fuera adrede, se murieron, todas, las year y la dejaron con nosotros, sola; her brothers long gone. Her husband, Raúl Méndez Álvarez, died in December, 2007. Yo y todos ellos, sus parents, y mis bisabuelos nacieron en Piedras Negras, Coahuila en la colonia, Mundo Nuevo — delivered by the same family of doctors, los de los Santos. Amalia is survived by her daughters Guadalupe Segura, Rosa Barrientos and Amalia “Maya” Méndez and her sons, Raul and Miguel. All her kids were there. Nomas faltó un nieto de California who flew in at 11:30 pm. I’m sure she felt he was nearby in her, now, home, Texas. Her children circled her in her final moments and sang “Entre tus Manos”; con la última palabra, she took her last breath . No la pasamos contando stories about her knock-off mañas all weekend. I could never figure out if she or her sister, Chita, cussed more. Muy Catolica, but her favorite sayings were “come santos y caga diablos” y “mas frío que mis nalgas” (usually referring to coffee ). She claimed that she breast-fed casi everybody in the barrio, usually when my mom’s cousins were in the room, as if to say “you know me.” When I was little and she’d cuss, I’d cover my mouth and try to hold in a laugh. That always prompted her to say “¿Y tu? ¿De qué chinga’os te ‘stas riendo?” I would say “es que ustéd es una viejita y ’sta hechando maldiciones.” She would respond “¿Vieja? ¡Tu ABUELA!” my answer was always “¡TU eres mi abuela!” She would reply, “NO, TU eres!” as she tried to attack me with her tickle finger. That usually caused me to apologize, laugh more, then run out of range to avoid peeing on myself. When my güelito would return from his long taxi trips to Monterrey, he would bring back a cabrito. Everyone still remembers her fritadas. Her flour tortillas were the best and she’d always let me make my own little masa ball and roll it into a baby tortilla that she let me cook on the comal. Era seamstress when people could still make clothes without patterns. She made all of mom’s Danza Folklorico vestidos and even her own wedding dress. She always egged me on, including but not limited to: not being married, working gay bars, drinking beer, living with very little money as an organizer and sometimes housekeeper/restaurant worker, living in a casita... the big fight about getting more, finishing, — and dropping in and out of college. She taught me how to tell people off and be funny about it, ...cont’d on pg 6
Letters from A special La Voz series: Part 2
...continued next page
Editor’s Note: Southwest of Salem: the Story of the San Antonio Four screened on March 4th as part of UTSA’s Women’s History Month. In attendance for the screening and panel were the four women who are seeking full exoneration from a crime of child sexual abuse that they did not commit. La Voz is publishing a series of letters from the four. The first letter, Life Begins Again, appeared in the March, 2014 issue of La Voz. Here, the San Antonio Four react to the documentary about their case and speak about advocacy and support.
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oday was a day that I was finally able to view the work-in-progress documentary with my three friends. I watched Cassie, Kristie, and Liz share the same emotions as I once did. It was something I had been waiting for, for a long time, and to have them view this in a crowded auditorium was worth the wait. Supporters from all across the country were also in attendance, one even came from as far as Canada. The amount of support that we have now is truly overwhelming because nearly 20 years ago we had no one on our side. It makes me realize that there are good people still out there in the world. Telling my life story and all the trials and tribulations that I’ve endured is not easy but it is something that needs to be done. Not only does it help to advocate for my case but for others as well. I have received numerous thanks and much gratitude for sharing the details of my case. It helps others come forward with their similar situations.
My hope is that everyone will gain strength and courage to stand up for what they believe in and never give up…
- Anna Vasquez
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arch 4th was my first time to view the work-in-progress documentary about our case. Even though I have been living this nightmare for almost 20 years now, the screening was very touching and emotional for me. To see and hear what each one of my friends has gone through brought tears to my eyes. There was a wonderful turnout from the public. They let me know that there are people out there who care and believe in justice. I was incarcerated for 13 years before being released on bond November 18, 2013. During that time I met some great people, a few who were in the same position as me, innocent. I try my best to advocate not only for us but for others as well. If I can help just one person or be an inspiration to many, then I know I have given back.
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Kristie Mayhugh
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After spending nearly a third of my life in prison I have come in contact with some wonderful people — people who come from different backgrounds and yet so caring. I have stayed in contact with some of the women whom I met during my incarceration and we continue to share a bond that can never be broken. When you spend a great deal of time with people in such a dark and lonely place you take comfort in those that are in the same position as yourself.
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cont’d from p.5
Letters from
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ords cannot describe how I felt the night of the documentary. To see so many people involved and interested in our fight for justice is amazing. Never did I imagine that our story, our struggle, spreading and uniting people from all over. Their love and support has made every step to winning our battle so much easier. We do not feel alone anymore as we once did locked away behind gates with no idea of what might come. That night I heard people crying, shedding tears about our suffering over the years — not understanding how such an injustice could occur. But we want people to smile when they see us and to always stand strong and fight for what they believe in the way we have and will continue to do. Seeing the way people come together as one in society, today, is such a beautiful sight — one that we definately didn’t see fourteen years ago. I have a strong gorgeous family that I am so proud of, they have stood by my side as families should. To everyone that is walking with us through our fight for exoneration, our gratitude is neverending.
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- Cassie Rivera
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s I watched the work in progress documentary for the first time, tears rolled down my face to see and hear my friends speak about their experience and pain. To see their tears and cry for justice pierced right through me. I was so filled with love and compassion for everyone that was there to support us. I could never forget those that have done time with us as well a few who drove in from Houston to show their support that evening. Monica Rivas shared: “This is a given — we love you guys, and where y’all go, we follow! Keep pressing, we’re behind y’all.” A true friend. We have met a whole lot of people who want to help in any way possible, even if it’s just a friendly dinner date. A wonderful couple shared their story with us and it seems like they are not all that different. I was able to speak with Darrell Otto for the first time face to face and thank him for being our voice, an Angel sent from GOD. I truly believe that people come into your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime. They will leave a milestone that will never be moved. Keith was amazed since it was his first time as well. He said “It was amazing to see as the girls prepared to go to prison that they were supporting you; I know that must have moved you. There has not been a day that I have not drawn strength from my friends to continue looking forward for the day that I will see them free.” I pray that this will encourage others to stand up for what they believe in. v
- Elizabeth Ramirez
Amalia De Hoyos de Méndez , cont’d from pg 4 not to walk around barefoot and to do the dishes as I go, the difference between testales and tanatls, along with chingos of things — too many to list here. Most importantly, she taught me how to laugh at myself, heckling me any chance she got. She especially supported my organizing and the historic and cultural preservation work with Lerma’s. In her memory, say a bunch of cuss words and listen to La Rancherita del Aire radio at www.la-rancherita.com. mx, if only for an hour. Her viewing was held at Memorial Funeral Chapel. Her final ascension at Sacred Heart Church in Eagle Pass. She was laid to rest at Our Lady of Refuge Cemetary. She was in good hands — with the same family that’s buried all our relatives. Four generations llamados "Rito" fueron los encargados de la funeraria, el entierro, y el panteón. I’m looking forward to more forgotten stories. Igle Pas’ is a small town after all. v
Historic Preservation on
San Antonio’s Westside: Why Isn’t It Happening?
by Graciela I. Sánchez
Editor’s note: The following address was delivered at the San Antonio Latino Legacy Summit that focused on the future of Latino heritage and historic preservation in Texas. It took place on Saturday, Feb 15th. Graciela, Director of the Esperanza, attended as a member of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center and the Westside Preservation Alliance.
y abuelita Francisca and my Tata lived at 910 Santiago. My brothers and sister
Economic development?
The Vista Verde project took away Doña Natividad’s house and the Ramos’ Maternity Home, the partera’s two-story, 20-room house on Matamoros St. That street doesn’t exist there any more. We lost so many tienditas — Don José’s on Chihuahua, El Pelón’s on Vera Cruz and Cibolo, Arevalo’s by the Matanzas and Don Antonio’s on Sabinas. We had tienditas at every corner where we’d return empty glass soda bottles for a nickel and, in turn, buy raspas or assorted five cent candies.
Beautify the neighborhood? We also lost thousands of fruit trees and jardines medicinales as well as shot-gun homes with our version of picket fences. The beautiful Spanish mission revival Christian church down the street, gone... and the outdoor nichos and grottos with the Virgen de Guadalupe, el Santo Niño de Atocha or any one of a number of assorted saints that our neighbors favored — all gone. Urban renewal devastated our communities, separated families and uprooted children. Yes, our streets are now paved, but our communities are disrupted, our family businesses are shut down and our children are left to fend for themselves as their mothers and fathers now travel far from home to work in big box
En Aquellos Tiempos Archives
stores on the northside. Has everything changed for the better from those bad old days? Are we in the midst of enlightened historic preservation? Urban renewal has hurt us by dislocating families and destroying historical landmarks that are the visible reminders of our cultural past. Sadly, most current plans for “neighborhood improvement” or “economic development” or “gentrification” are having the same impact on our ever more vulnerable communities. We, the survivors of Urban Renewal, have grown up. We have studied Chicano history and literature classes. Some of us run cultural centers, some of us have PhDs in history and cultural studies and for those of us who have been gathering the oral histories of our abuelitas and abuelitos, we have gotten our barrio PhDs as well. Because of this, we have committed ourselves to stop the destruction of our communities, the dispersion of our families, and the erasure of our histories. When La Gloria, the 1928 two-story building on Laredo St., was threatened, hundreds of folks came out to try and save this building. We met with councilmembers. We marched in the streets. We
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and I grew up at 914 Santiago. Before that, my great grandmother, Teresita, lived a block down on Chihuahua. On my Dad’s side, my abuelos lived a block north on Vera Cruz. All of those houses were bulldozed in the 1970s for so called “better housing” for us, “poor Mexicans”. The reality? Zachary and other contractors made millions of dollars. Hundreds of poor and working class families were driven out of the neighborhood and hundreds more were forced to move to new cheaply constructed houses. My family, for example, lost two sturdily built wooden houses, approximately 2400 sq. ft. made with long-leaf pine, a wonderful wood that is now largely extinct. They were moved one-half block north to a cement house, approximately 900 sq. ft. that was made by Zachary, now permeated by mold. In the downtown area, on Laredo St., a neighborhood existed that was known as Laredito. It, too, is gone.
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showed film clips of Mexican and Black men playing trumpets and trombones — while women, some dressed like 1920s flappers, danced on the roof-top of La Gloria. We attended city council meetings to try and stop the destruction, but lost because city leaders were more interested in economic development over our history. When we filed a temporary restraining order to stop the demolition, we ran into a racist judge who didn’t want us to talk about equal protection. Didn’t want Ann McGlone to testify in court that the reason there were no buildings saved in the Westside WAS because of racism. That challenge was in 2002. The building fell. And we said no more. We, Chicanos who lived or had lived or worked in the Westside, began to meet. We began gathering oral histories to learn our unwritten history so that we could build up the community’s self-esteem. So that we could learn to love ourselves, our people, our small and simple homes, our history, our culture, our dark-skinned color, our long names that many folks couldn’t and don’t try to pronounce. In 2006, we hung photo banners using photos collected from people who were from the Westside. Suddenly, we saw major interest in being from this neighborhood. People who grew up north of Commerce, north of Culebra, people who grew up in the Jefferson neighborhood, suddenly claimed this neighborhood as theirs. So, we succeeded on some level. But, nothing changed at the policy level, at the bureaucratic level, at the level where decisions are made. And by 2008, we found ourselves working to save another building, “the pink building.” It was déjà vu. But this time, we were more prepared.
And because we didn’t want to see another historical building come down on the Westside, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center worked to bring together community residents and non-profit organizations to develop policy regarding historic buildings on the Westside. We wanted to avoid having to save historic buildings one at a time. So we invited Westside community members and folks who once lived in the neighborhood and folks who work in the neighborhood, non-profits like the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Inner City Development, NALCAB, the Avenida Guadalupe, the Office of Historic Preservation and the San Antonio Conservation Society to come together. Soon, the Westside Preservation Alliance came into existence. In addition to developing policy regarding historic preservation on the Westside, we would “concientizar” the community and power brokers of this city and would work to stop further demolitions of peoples’ homes and communities. However, for all our proactive actions: 2000-plus signatures collected door-todoor and at surrounding churches; meetings with elected and appointed officials and heads of non-profits; creating short testimonio videos of community members requesting that the building be saved; powerpoint presentations; researching historic Sanborn maps; interviewing 90-plus-year-olds who remembered the building or Guillermo Maldonado; and on and on — we still found ourselves in the same place. Internalized racism made some community members insist that it was old and should be torn down. Racism kept the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) from championing our work and sitting with us
to strategize on how to save this building as should be when preservationists work together. We couldn’t even get meetings with the Office of Historic Preservation’s administrative staff. From our research of Casa Maldonado, we learned that the 1986 Villa de Guadalupe Historic Resources Assesment prepared for the City of Antonio had declared 71 buildings from Guadalupe to Tampico to be of social and cultural significance. Unfortunately, less than 20 of those structures survive today. The city approved all of the demolitions. When we had to go before the Historic Design and Review Commission, we weren’t allowed by city staff to present the project. We weren’t allowed the time to explain the historical significance of Casa Maldonado. We were only allowed to have our 3-minute presentation. We barely won historic designation and then lost the battle with the zoning commission and the city council. But we didn’t stop. We pressured the mayor to meet with us. And since there was no big developer or a big corporate powerhouse behind the project, the Mayor found $500,000 to give to the Avenida so that they could preserve the building. We won outside of the system. Finally in the fall of 2012, there was the Univision building… Same story, shorter time frame. By February, 2013 the building was demolished.
So…what do we need to do to save latino legacy, history and our sacred spaces?
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First, learn from the horrors of Urban Renewal:
a) Make sure that the first question asked of every proposal is: How many houses will be lost and where will those families be relocated? b) The second question must be: What impact will this have on the property taxes of other families in the neighborhood and what will be done to keep those families from being driven from the neighborhood? c) And the third question must be: What impact will this have on small and family businesses? It is not enough to say that Zachery and others will make a lot of business or that those construction companies will offer some temporary jobs to our people. THAT is NOT “economic development” — that is “economic exploitation”! As has been noted, we are not people being “left behind” by economic development, we are the ones being robbed. d) A fourth and equally important question must be: What impact will this project have on the buildings that are the “visible reminders” of the cultural and political history of our people?
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Learn to be Buena gente- good people. What does this mean?
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Learn to work in coalition: a) If partnering with us, then add our names to the list.
b) Share resources: (i) Share contacts and entry into state and national folks. With Casa Maldonado, we found ourselves calling various folks at the Texas Historical Commission — and none of them seemed to be the right person to talk to. Or, they weren’t interested in changing their mind once we submitted to them the hundreds of documents we had collected. People offered to set up meetings with the WPA and the Texas Historical Commission but then never followed through. (ii) Share information on potential demolitions, on upcoming meetings and conferences, on changes in policies, and on job opportunities so that we can get folks with more knowledge and skills to do the work (iii) And, if there are funds at any level, share and better yet, contact your connections at those funding institutions to urge them to learn more about our work so that it’s easier to access the limited funds. And sit with us to develop strategies to find new funding for a Latino Historic Preservation Initiative at the federal, state and local public and private levels. (iv) Teach us how the system works. According to the Office of Historic Preservation, none of us should have applied to the Board of Adjustments in the Univision case. If they knew this, then they should have alerted us and we would have followed a different plan of action.
c) Stand in solidarity with community-based historic preservationists. Be courageous. (i) Although Univision was eligible for designation under three national criteria — the OHP staff did not recommend approval. If we can’t count on the local Office of Historic Preservation, who can we count on? (ii) Don’t take money from lobbyists and developers such as Kauffman/Killeen and Greystar to underwrite an event such as Power of Preservation San Antonio. These folks were the lobbyists and developers who were the forces behind the
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a) Greet all your allies with a hello, a smile, a handshake and maybe an abrazo after you’ve worked with them more than a month. I find it hard that after working with some folks for over 5 years that they can totally ignore you, especially if you’re in a meeting trying to save these Latino structures. b) Give us credit for the work we do. As the Westside Preservation Alliance, we discuss and educate ourselves about the issues, we share our knowledge and insights with one another and then strategize and act on those strategies. It is disappointing that although we do so much of the work, we are erased by our government allies in the struggle. c) Remember: most community activists don’t get paid for the work they do, or get paid relatively little — how arrogant for those of you with a government salary to take credit for our work.
If the Conservation Society had named all the groups who were working to Save Univision in their paperwork, rather than going it alone, then all named groups would have had standing in court and we could have made a unified fight. Instead, the Conservation Society, out front on their own, hired a young white attorney with little, if any, experience on historic preservation who argued against the Westside Preservation Alliance. His explanation, in private, was that the Conservation Society is the brains and the Westside Preservation Alliance is merely the “passion” for historic preservation.
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d) Finally, BE SMART … (i) If you want community participation — mail hard copy invitations to community folks. Most of our people are working class and poor. We do not have computers, much less internet. If you’re interested in bringing nuestra gente to the conversation, dollars should be set aside to get them more engaged. For this event (Latino Summit), Esperanza paid for designing, printing and postage of a flyer for 4000 folks from this neighborhood. We weren’t asked to do this, but we noticed that no one else was going to do this and we had to at least reach out in a more accessible way. (ii) Implement guidelines that incorporate vernacular architecture of working class and poor people. And, in San Antonio, we should be focused on Latinos. We were blown away when the City’s most recent design guidelines included German vernacular, but made no mention of Mexican vernacular. (iii) Don’t hire outside consultants who have no understanding of the local latino community and its culture and values — or have barely worked with Latinos and other communities of color. Hire, instead, progressive latino cultural historians in your organizations.
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
Isabel Sánchez at 910 Santiago in San Antonio’s Westside.
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demolition of Univision. Taking money or other resources from these guys separates you from community-based allies. (iii) Hire staff with decision-making power that speak Spanish and are sensitive to community concerns. Learn to speak Spanish as well. Learn about our history. Take Chicano/Latino 101, 201, 301 and beyond. We can also work to identify folks at the various universities who are the best scholars to learn from. (iv) Listen and learn. When community preservationists offer suggestions, take them seriously. For example, when you host a meeting in our communities and we suggest that an elder from the community should be the first to speak, allow it. Don’t ignore us. (v) If you want our help generating interest in meetings, larger gatherings, or tours, let us work with you to develop the idea. Don’t come to us months after you developed the project. Goals and objectives will be different after the fact. We don’t just want to help you bring in the brown folks after the fact. (vi) Tell us about national conferences and then find funds for us to go to national, local and statewide conferences. Since many of us are doing this work as volunteers and/or, often, the organizations we work for do not have funds set aside for travel and registration fees, we can’t attend those conferences. Often, too, partial scholarships for registration may not be enough. Open up spaces for us to speak at these conferences. Don’t simply speak for us. (vii) Get “Passionate!” Remember, when we get jailed, we are preservationists, as well as activists. We are people who do the research, who think, analyze and follow the rules. And when all else fails, we take to the streets and, if necessary, do civil disobedience. Don’t go home to sleep when one of our historic buildings or entire blocks are marked for imminent demolition. Stay with us. Call your attorneys and stay up all night writing and filing the temporary injunctions. Don’t expect us to make noise so that you can step in as the grown ups. It is hard on our bodies and distressing to our families when we have to resist at that level. You can join us and put your lives on the line too.
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Help us preserve our communities but avoid the potential gentrification that tends to take place post historical conserva- tion of neighborhoods.
Help us move new policies forward that don’t just landmark latino historical buildings, but also work to find funding for our low socioeconomic and working-class folks to fix up their home. And again, don’t post the application forms on-line because we won’t know that this funding is available. Make sure it’s written in English and Spanish. And hire someone to do community outreach so that people know that the resources are available to them. Our communities fear historical designation because they feel that our neighborhoods will be gentrified and taxes on our homes will go up. And they’re right. So, how do we create policies that don’t create that scenario? We lost La Gloria, the Municipal Auditorium, KEDA, Univision and thousands more. But the work continues…. Hemisfair Park, the HEB at Nogalitos, and designating the entire near Westside as historic. Don’t avoid us and go talk to other Latinos who will agree with your point of view. We need to have the difficult conversations and grow. We need to accept that racism is still alive and that communities of color are generally ignored and suffer from selfdoubt and all of the other maladies of internalized racism. Don’t be afraid of us. In general, we’re on the same side. Will you work alongside us or against us? Respect and honor our work and we will save Latino history and U.S. history. u
our future depends on Real Values What could San Antonio do to improve schools, strengthen public hospitals, and make city services we all rely on better? We can take a hard look at how our property tax system is working against ordinary residents and homeowners – and advocate for reforms so everyone pays their fair share.
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do not have to prove that their valuation is wrong. They just have to find other “comparable” properties assessed for less, even if those appraisals might also be inaccurate. As a result, property valuations for the whole category of commercial properties are driven down. If large property owners’ appeals don’t work – and even sometimes when they do – many sue for further reduction on their taxes. These cases often settle because appraisal districts don’t have the resources to fight for what is fair. The J.W. Marriott Resort here in San Antonio reportedly cost over $600 million to build, but in 2011 it was appraised at only $150 million. Still, the owners sue over its appraisals each year, according to the San Antonio Express. An office building at 5859 Farinon Drive is another example. It was sold for $18.1 million last year, yet in 2013, owners paid property taxes on a value of only $11.3 million – or 62 percent of the purchase price. Commercial properties in the state are being taxed at an average of only 60 percent of their actual value, according to research by the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts and the Houston Chronicle. This is good for the owners, but bad for our community. When commercial property owners fail to pay
cost over $600 million to build, but in 2011 it
was appraised at only $ 1 5 0 million.
their fair share, it deprives our city of much-needed funds and puts increased pressure on homeowners to make up the difference. Our kids’ classrooms get more crowded. Some schools are forced to close. Library hours are reduced. Wait times are longer in public hospitals. City services that we all count on are cut back. How do we change this? We need our city, school districts, and local officials to get off the bench and commit to fighting for property tax reform at the state level. Real estate sales information should be public and we need to improve the appeals process to make sure large property owners pay taxes on the real values of their property. u
www.realvaluesfortexas.org to find out how you can help Visit
bring our property tax system in line with our
Real Values for Texas.
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
n Texas, everyone who owns a house, an office building, or other real estate is supposed to pay property tax based on the value of the property. It’s an important way San Antonio pays for public services that benefit everyone in our community. On the surface, our property tax system seems fair. Appraisals for houses tend to be pretty accurate, so the amount most homeowners pay is fair. However, large commercial property owners devote a lot of resources to driving down their property tax bills – and it pays off. Property sales prices are not public in Texas, so appraisal districts have a difficult time pinpointing the real market value of property. Large commercial property owners take advantage of this lack of information. Many owners appeal their appraised values every year, and more often than not, their appeals are successful. Owners
The J.W. Marriott Resort here in San Antonio reportedly
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Fracking, South Texas Style LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
by Edna Leal Hinojosa
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riving down Texas Hwy U.S. 281 S. when I was young, I thought of the song, America the Beautiful, “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain…” Patches of blue sky, beautiful sage brush blooming in lush purple bouquets and different blushed birds in formations flying — brought the song back. Hungry and thirsty, chirping and flailing wings, birds with endless energy looked for a place to rest — landing on the beautiful green mesquite trees, lining the roadside on 281 S. I recall tall green trees with yellowish bean pods that have long been used by wildlife and livestock as a food source. Native Americans relied on the mesquite pod as a dietary staple from which they made tea, syrup and a ground meal called pinole. I loved pinole. Mami would make it for snack when I got home from school. She would cook it, pour it into a pie pan let it set in the fridge and once ready, slice it, put it on my plate and add fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, or chocolate. Wow, it was so good! For the birds, the mesquite tree served as a hotel on 281 S. The green leafy branches became a roadside stop when they were looking for shelter from the hot sun or a sudden South Texas storm. The yellowish bean pod fruits, mesquite beans, hanging from the trees become decorative chandeliers, as well as food for them. Imagine, the birds have a room beneath the long green leafy branches, with room service. We had two giant mesquite trees in our back yard in Kingsville. As I swung on the swing, I could hear the birds singing as the sun was setting reflecting the deep blue waters from the Gulf of
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Mexico. One of my favorite birds was the cenzontle, the Mexican mockingbird. My window would be open in the morning and a breeze would flow through and shuffle the soft silky curtains as if they were dancing. Opening up the stage, the cenzotle would begin the aria. There was a musical accompaniment from another bird with a funny name, tijereta, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, and, of course, the blue jay. What an opera! These beautiful yellow blue birds with red, yellow and gray speckled wings would leave their safe haven and continue their long journey further into South Texas on their way to the Rio Grande Valley. They would fill their yellow rounded bellies at shallow crisp clean creeks, feasting on meaty morsels from the carcasses of other animals that had met their demise by the roadside. With their bellies teeming with food, they continued their laborious trip, flapping their wings, up, down, once again, flowing, sailing along with the wind currents, in long semicircles as the wind propelled them, swaying, up and down, floating. Sometimes they disappeared inside the white feathery clouds and quickly dropped like rain. All these wonderful memories disappear as I drive down 281 S. I see clouds of dust, gray smoke and trees being replaced by metal towers. What has happened? Once the trunks of the mesquite trees growing wildly were used to feed campfires… now they are being hacked, chopped into small piles like trash, burned, not as campfires, but to make way for enormous trucks and tractors. Metal diggers are destroying all vegetation and turning the earth inside out, everywhere puffing out clouds of gray smoke filled with chemicals polluting the air. The once beautiful blue sky I remember is now gray and filled with poison, no birds swoop down from the blue sky through the white soft puffy clouds. Dry, arid, waterless, unsafe excavations, turned into chemical mud stock piles have replaced part of our terrestrial, green earthy land in this part of our Texas. As I continue my journey, I see lines of white pickup trucks with company logos on their doors, followed by more extended traffic lines on the side of the road with vehicles carrying water
tank-like containers. You try to pass them on the long dry roads, but then, you have yet more trucks with long metal cranes, reminding me of movies with robots and Star Wars machines made of cold steel. They are now destroying all life in my Texas, our earth. The landowners that have either sold or leased their land to these companies have the option of leaving these areas, and they do because they know poisonous air and water will soon kill all the surroundings, and them as well. No greenery left except the green paper, the mighty dollar bill, the powerful green dollar. Are we safe? Is nature happy with what’s happening? No, areas south of San Antonio have been experiencing 2+ earthquakes, this in an area where tremors did not exist before. All this heavy metal machinery is used for a process called hydro-fracking, a technique forcing a mixture of water, sand and chemicals down a gas or oil well under extremely high pressure with the goal of cracking previously impermeable rock (typically shale) to create fractures that will allow trapped oil and/or gas deposits to flow to the surface. This mixture of water and chemicals create a deadly mix of sludge that is excavated by these huge bulldozers and dumped into trucks, which then take this poisonous clay filth to pits to be dumped there and soaked up by the earth. Yup, they are dumped on somebody’s property. The company has leased and paid the owner really good green dollar bills – only green left in these areas. The use of fracking requires millions of gallons of fresh water, carried through endless miles of plastic white piping. They end up sucking the water from our lakes, creeks, rivers and man-made reservoirs. As this relatively new drilling technology has ramped up nationwide, communities have seen a corresponding increase in air emissions, water contamination, disappearing wildlife and plant vegetation, and very serious problems associated with the disposal of horizontal fracking waste chemicals. Poison mud pits. The new watering holes for creatures that will be born from these chemicals. Next time I am driving through 281 S., if there is a road left, I might get struck by a new species of bird, a yellow-bellied metal fracker. I now hear a different song! u Note: This story was previously published by Gemini Ink’s Writers in Communities Program.
Bio: Edna is a native of Kingsville, TX who graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in S.A where she was Assistant Director in the Career Services Office the last 8 years. She is the mother of three children and grew up loving the outdoors.
share historias, memories, coffee & laughter on 2 nd Saturdays!
NEXT CONVIVIO: Saturday, April 12th 10am - 12pm @ Casa de Cuentos 816 S. Colorado (at Guadalupe St.) For more info: Actos de Corazon: Honoring the Historias of San Anto’s Westside
www.corazonesdelwestside.blogspot.com or call Cynthia at 210.396.3688.
Saturday, May 3, 2014 @ Rinconcito de Esperanza, 816 S. Colorado
¡Vengan, enjoy a day of música, films, photos, games, food, historic tours, y más!
Eagle Ford Shale: A Free Form Fracking Corrido by Kamala Platt (excerpt of a longer corrido for the FRACK-ASO! exhibit)
...
Let the earthworms Return to this land Undo the impact of the trucks and soften the soil, darken it for the gente-two and four legged, and those with fins & wings The gente of generations will follow when we heal their lands.
For more info: (210) 228-0201
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
Photos for Fracking, South Texas Style are by Diana Fernández, a San Antonio photographer and videographer whose interest and work is centered on social issues. Her photo series will be on exhibit at the FRACK-ASO! exhibit.
The Corazones de Casa de Cuentos invite you to
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* community meetings *
Amnesty International #127 info. Call Arthur Dawes @ 210.213.5919. Bexar Co. Green Party: Call 210. 471.1791 or info@bexargreens.org Celebration Circle meets Sundays, 11am@SA Garden Ctr., 3310 N. New Braunfels @ Funston Pl. Meditation: Weds @7:30pm, Quaker Mtg House, 7052 Vandiver. 210-533-6767. DIGNITY S.A. gathers @ 5:15 pm, mass @ 5:30 pm, Sunday @ Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church, 1101 W. Woodlawn. Call 210.340.2230 Adult Wellness Support Group sponsored by PRIDE Center meets 4th Mondays, 7-9 pm @ Lions Field, 2809 Broadway. Call 210.213.5919. Energía Mía meets as-needed for the time being. Call 512.838.3351. Fuerza Unida, 710 New Laredo Hwy. See www.lafuerzaunida.org or call 210.927.2294
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
Habitat for Humanity meets 1st Tues. for volunteer orientation, 6pm, HFHSA Office @ 311 Probandt.
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PFLAG, meets 1st Thurs. @ 7pm, University Presbyterian Church 300 Bushnell Ave. Call 210.655.2383. Parents of Murdered Children, meets 2nd Mondays @ Balcones Heights Community Ctr, 107 Glenarm See www.pomcsanantonio.org. The Rape Crisis Center 7500 US Hwy 90W. Hotline: 210.349. 7273/210.521.7273 Email: sgabriel@ rapecrisis.com
The Big Give S.A., part of Give Local America, is a 24-hour national day of giving that takes
The Religious Society of Friends meets Sundays@10am @ The Friends Meeting House, 7052 N. Vandiver. 210.945.8456. S.A. Gender Association meets 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 6-9pm @ 611 E. Myrtle, Metropolitan Cmty Church. The SA AIDS Fdn 818 E. Grayson St. offers free Syphilis & HIV testing, 210.225.4715|www.txsaaf.org. SA–NOW is back! Call 210.887.1753 or see womansa.com for info.
Proyecto Hospitalidad Liturgy meets Thurs. 7pm, 325 Courtland.
SGI-USA LGBT Buddhist group meets 2nd Sat. at 10am @ 7142 San Pedro Ave., Ste 117. Call 210.653.7755.
S.A. International Woman’s Day March & Rally planning cmte. meets year-round. Call 210.262.0654 or see www.sawomenwillmarch.org
Shambhala Buddhist Meditation classes: Tu. 7-8pm & Sun. 9:30am12:30pm, 257 E. Hildebrand Ave. Call 210.222.9303.
Metropolitan Community Church services & Sunday school @10:30am, 611 East Myrtle. Call 210.472.3597
S.N.A.P. (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Contact Barbara at 210.725.8329.
Overeaters Anonymous meets MWF in Spanish & daily in English. See www.oasanantonio.org or (210) 492-5400.
Voice for Animals: 210.737.3138 or www.voiceforanimals.org for info
People’s Power Coalition meets last Thursdays. Call Marisol 210.878.6751.
One City, One Day, One Goal!
San Antonio’s LGBTQA Youth Group meets every Tuesday from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm at University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell Ave. See fiesta-youth.org
place from midnight to midnight on th
Tuesday, May 6 , 2014. The purpose of this community-wide giving challenge is to increase public awareness of the impact local nonprofits make in addressing San Antonio’s social challenges by connecting people to the causes that move them the most. Of course, this also makes giving FUN! Hundreds of cities across the country will come together May 6th to Give Local. We encourage you to support the Esperanza with year-round giving, but especially on May 6th, a charitable holiday! It’s a day to celebrate San Antonio’s spirit of generosity and help raise Esperanza’s profile within the city.
Plus, gifts made on The Big Give S.A. website during this 24-hour give may be amplified by matching funds and prizes for the Esperanza! There will even be a celebratory party that night for all who participate!
www.thebiggivesa.org
Start your 2014 tax-deductible donations to Esperanza today! La Voz Subscription $35 Individuals $100 Institutions
for more info call 210.228.0201
Please use my donation for the Rinconcito de Esperanza
Notas Y Más April 2014
The International Society for Criminology will hold its XVII World Congress of Criminology in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico at the Cintermex Congress Center August 10-14. The theme is on Gangs, Trafficking & Insecurity: Empowering the Community. Deadline for submission of papers: April 1st See www.criminology2014.com for details.
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.
annual conference takes place April 11-13 Indigeneity or scholarship are preferred. in Amherst, MA. See: clpp.hampshire.edu/ Send to: www.decolonization.org no later conference than April 25th, 2014.
NATURE BATS LAST, an intermedia art exhibit with 12 artists interpreting 12 oneminute scripts co-curated by Juanne Peck & Tammy Melody Gomez will take place at the Irving Art Association, Jaycee Park Center for the Arts, 1975 Puritan Drive, Las Américas Letters, A Series in Litera- Irving TX. It opens on Sunday, April 13th ture & the Arts at St. Mary’s University in from 2pm to 5pm. Call 972.721.2488 or San Antonio from April 3-5 pays tribute to locally, 210.639.3622. Jorge Luis Borges with a presentation by his widow, María Kodama, President of The 2014 Battle of San Jacinto Sympothe J. L. Borges International Foundation. sium takes place at The Ripley House, Call 210-436-3107 or go to www.stmarytx. 4410 Navigation, in Houston on Sat. April 12th examining the Tejano side of the edu/las-americas-letters. Texas Revolution from the siege of BéEntreFlamenco San Antonio has shows at jar through the Battle of San Jacinto. $55 8:30 pm on April 4th & 5th and May 2nd covers lunch, speakers and parking. Call & 3rd. Doors open at 8. Call 210.842.4926 713.237.8997 or see www.sanjacintoconservancy.org or www.entreflamenco.com
Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies invites submissions for a special issue on Transnational Feminism. Deadline: May 1st. Ck: frontiers.osu.edu/submissions The Journal of South Texas seeks contributions about the social, political, military, economic and cultural history of South Texas for its fall 2014 issue. E-mail Dr. Alberto Rodríguez at alberto.rodriguez2@ tamuk.edu & cc: jst@tamuk.edu with articles by May 15, 2014. For info, see: journalofsouthtexas.wix.com
The Julián Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a conference, Latinos in 2050: Restoring the Public Good, in East Lansing on Oct. 30th to Nov. 1st. A call for papers has been issued with a July From Abortion Rights to Social Justice: The journal, Decolonization: Indigene- 1st deadline. Call 517.432.1317 or go to Building the Movement for Reproduc- ity, Education & Society, is calling for jsri.msu.edu/vents/25 years. Papers may tive Freedom Hampshire College’s 28th submissions to be published in the fall of be submitted to jsamorai@msu.edu 2014. Entries that center decolonization,
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am Christian Amador, 22 years old, a full-time student at San Antonio College who also works full time at McDonald’s. I’ve lived in the Mission Trails Mobile Home Park for the past 8 years with my parents, Adriana and Luis. In February residents learned that the park was going to be rezoned so it could be sold to developers. We did not receive any notice from management or the owners. We first heard of this when my dad saw a yellow city rezoning sign out front. When we called the number, we learned that a developer,
White-Conlee Builders, represented by the lobbyists, Kaufman and Killen, had put in an application to rezone. They want to build high-end apartments right on the river. If they do this, we will all lose our homes. Although we rent our lots from American Family Communities, an out-of-state landlord, most of us own our mobile homes and pay property taxes. Mission Trails Home Park has been here for at least 35 years. There are about 125 mobile homes and 200 residents. Some have been here since the park began. We are a very tight-knit community, neighbors take care of each other. When school buses did not even stop here, we organized to get service for our children. We’ve also done much of the maintenance on our homes that management neglected. Unfortunately, the city, the developer and our councilwoman are using the excuse of bad management to say that the park should be condemned and that we should be relocated. Not everyone here has the ability to leave and start over. There are many elders in the community on fixed incomes. Most of the trailers are older — ours was constructed in 1984. These
days, trailer parks often take only homes built in the last ten years. We don’t want to go. This is our home. If the owner is going to sell, he should sell to us, so we can own the land together. Help us pressure City Council to say NO to rezoning. It’s the city’s job to listen to residents first, not to greedy developers and powerful lobbyists. People all over the U.S. are watching to see what “San Antonio, City on the Rise” means — respect for its citizens, or if “on the rise” means on the backs of our homes and wellbeing. We need your help! Call City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, 210.207.7064 and the Mayor, 210.207.8998, and ask them to meet with us and support our efforts to stay in our homes! v
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
Tell the City of S.A. We Will Not Be Moved for their “Decade of Downtown”! ¡No Nos Moveran!
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LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
MONTHLY CONCERT SERIES
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Portraits of Extraction in Eagle Ford and Beyond
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 3•
Lanier scholarship fund An exhibit featuring photographs, visual art, installations, literary arts, and performance— all focused on the fracking frenzy of S. Texas and beyond.
7pm @ Esperanza - thru AUG. 2014
frackaso
más o CONCERT Wednesday, April 2nd 8pm | $5 menos
Mother’s Day Exhibit & Sale Sat, April 26th - Sun, May 4th 10am-5pm, Free handcrafted ceramics made to honor all women who have nurtured and advocated for their families, friends and community
brandi merolla
@1412 El Paso St, (210) 223-2585