In
October 2017 | Vol. 30 Issue 8
San Antonio, Tejas
Inside: La Lucha Sigue con Esperanza: Three Stories from the Legal Component of Community Actions by Amy Kastely
10th Anniversary of Noche Azul!
September 26, 2017 marked the 3rd anniversary of the kidnapping and disap-
La Voz de Esperanza October 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 8
Editor Gloria A. Ramírez Design Elizandro Carrington
Contributors
Lois Olivia Heger, Amy Kastely, Tom Keene, Tommy Noonan-Minot ND, Lourdes Pérez & Annette D’Armata,
La Voz Mail Collective
Pearl Sánchez, Juan Díaz, Cristina García, Alicia Arredondo, Mary A. Rodriguez, Mary Esperiqueta, Charlie Esperiqueta, Pauline Enriquez, Angie Merla, Guadalupe Segura, Gloria Lozano, Ra Shipps, Gloria Hernández, Sara DeTurk, Olga Crespin, Roseann J., Jessica Sotelo, Alma R. Dueñas, Ashley Mayorga
Esperanza Director Graciela I. Sánchez
Esperanza Staff
Elizandro Carrington, Paty de la Garza, Eliza Pérez, Natalie Rodríguez, Natalie Rodríguez, René Saenz, Susana Segura, Amelia Valdez
pearance of students from the Ayotzinapa rural teacher’s school in the state of Guerrero in Mexico. Seemingly, the Mexican government has done nothing to bring closure to the angst felt by families and the concern of the world community for the 43 students who many feel were murdered and whose bodies were incinerated at a trash dump in Cocula. After three years of investigation, the Mexican government has turned up nothing and has put up more obstacles to the investigation, often firing officials who seem to be on the trail of promising leads—reminiscent of paltry efforts made by the Mexican government to solve the Maquiladora murders of hundreds of young women of Juárez that has gone unsolved since the 90s. Ayotzinapa is only a symptom of a world wide phenomenon that has been occurring for centuries where the rich and powerful seek to exert their control over gente and hold on to and increase their wealth through methods that constitute nothing less than genocide. Kidnappings, desaparecidos, enslavement, human trafficking, mass murders, racial profiling—All amount to the same thing—GREED—defined as an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or food. This penchant for greed is more evident than ever before as it is the driving force behind the current leadership of our country. What to do? In this issue of La Voz, Amy Kastely, buena gente of the Esperanza delves into three community efforts to combat injustice in San Antonio. Amy gives us the inside stories of: the Esperanza’s defunding in 1997 and the subsequent successful lawsuit against the City of San Antonio; the demolishing of La Gloria that inspired buena gente to come back stronger to preserve Westside landmarks; and the community’s fight to protect our aquifer that continues. As Amy states, “ I have nothing grand to say about law or about the role of lawyers in movements for social change. I am convinced that meaningful change can come only from community action… We are but a grain of sand in worldwide efforts to combat injustice. The November Voz issue will offer readers a chance to write literary ofrendas to our dearly departed and Calaveras aimed at mocking those whose desere to be eliminated by Madam Death, La Catrina. Send to: lavoz@esperanzacenter.org —Gloria A. Ramírez, editor
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • October 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 8•
Conjunto de Nepantleras —Esperanza Board of Directors—
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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.
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.
La Lucha Sigue con Esperanza
Three Stories from the Legal Component of Community Actions by Amy Kastely
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • October 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 8
Last month’s La Voz includes Maria Salazar’s recollections of partment of Arts and Cultural Affairs. This grant was included in the the “brilliant community organizing” done by the Esperanza Staff City’s fiscal year 1996–97 annual budget, as an award of $44,100 for and Buena Gente following the targeted attacks and eventual the first year of the operational grant. The second year was to have defunding of the Esperanza in 1997, twenty years ago. Maria’s been fiscal year 1997–98. essay evoked a wave of memories and reflections about various Although the Esperanza had been under fierce attack from a group organizing efforts that have included some legal component with of conservative white men throughout the first half of 1997, the staff which I have been involved. and board become aware of a larger effort to defund the Esperanza I have nothing grand to say about law only weeks before the budget vote. In a mator about the role of lawyers in moveter of days, we learned that Mayor Peak and ments for social change. I am convinced other city officials were appearing regularly that meaningful change can come only on local right wing talk radio shows and that from community action, that lawyers and a massive effort to close the Esperanza was litigation present a serious risk of divertunderway. On the day of the vote on a budget ing community resources, and that law that zeroed out the Esperanza’s second year and legal process will seldom challenge funding, City Council chambers were packed the rich and powerful or protect the poor with Esperanza supporters and right wing and vulnerable. And yet, I have seen achomophobes. Following hours of community tive community engagement by Esperpresentations, no City Council member said a anza buena gente shape legal arguments word about the Esperanza defunding and all and strategies in ways that empower voted to approve the budget. further community action and bring truth The Esperanza community deliberated into the courtroom in a transformative for almost a year about how to respond to the way. I do believe that legal analysis and 1997 defunding. It was difficult to survive - in action has been able to support rather addition to the city funding, the city withthan to supplant the tireless and creative held our state funding, some local private organizing done by the Esperanza comfoundations rejected our funding applications munity and its progressive allies. because of the adverse publicity, and some Moreover, thinking back on some of individual donors were frightened off. The this work, I pursuat realize that we have Board, staff, and community worked hard to uncovered some important information find emergency funds and to cut spending on about the economic and political machin- Esperanza buena gente, staff and lawyers celebrate Espersurviving programs. ery that continues to enrich the wealthy anza’s victory against the City of San Antonio. Moreover, the politics of the defunding 1% in San Antonio. Even when we lost were difficult to sort out. We had been openly in the courts, we gained information and understanding that can be attacked by a group of conservative white gay men and the Chrisuseful to community activists. So I have three stories to tell. tian right-wing. The Mayor told the New York Times that we were defunded because we are “too political” and “in your face.” We had been defunded by a City Council that had six Mexican-American Arts & Politics: A Model for Community-Controlled members and one African-American member, a majority of the eleven-member council -- we knew that many people, both Anglos Legal Strategy and an Important Glimpse Inside and Latinos, would assume that Latino and black council members In 1996, Esperanza applied for a two-year operational-support grant would not discriminate on the basis of race. And further, the media for its PazARTE programming, which then included MujerCanto, and city officials had emphasized Esperanza’s co-sponsorship of a featuring women’s performance, music, song, and thought; Pláticas, lesbian and gay film festival, Out At the Movies, as the sole reason a community forum for artists and other speakers; the “Other Amerfor the defunding, thereby driving a wedge between Esperanza and ica Film Festival,” presenting films about communities and issues other progressive arts and social justice organizations, who were throughout the Americas; and Exhibiciones Activas, a series of art exhibits featuring art by women, people of color, youth, lesbians and frightened by the political strength of right-wing and by the fury of the homophobic attacks. We knew both the power of the homogays, and other disenfranchised voices. Esperanza’s 1996 application was ranked number one in its category by the peer-review panel, phobic wedge and irony of its role in city politics. Not only were the Mayor and City Council willing to fund the Alamo City Men’s received a numerical score that placed it first among applicants for arts funding in the catagory of multidisciplinary arts groups, and was Chorale (a gay men’s group), but Dennis Poplin, coordinator for the Lesbian & Gay Media Project, which produced Out At the Movies recommended for funding by the Cultural Arts Board and the Deand was the only organization that received city funding for the film
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festival, was advised by city arts department officials that the Media Project would be funded if it broke its association with Esperanza. The more we learned of the actual events leading to the defunding, the clearer it became that Esperanza’s co-sponsorship of the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival was being used by city officials to fuel rightwing protests against the Esperanza and to drive a wedge between the Esperanza and other Latino and African-American organizations. One of the first responses of Esperanza was to join with other arts organizations and to create the Arte es Vida campaign. The campaign focused on the importance of art to the lives of individuals and communities and asked people to sign post-cards to the City Council to express their support for public funding for the arts that were delivered with 9000+ strong. As a direct result of this campaign, arts funding rose in the City Council’s list of priorities from 42nd (in 1997) to 10th (in 1998). Meanwhile, during 1997 and 1998, Esperanza community members met in a series of weekly and then monthly meetings. Participants in these meetings worked hard to analyze the defunding in the context of on-going political struggles in San Antonio and we were cautious about the possibility of filing suit against the City of San Antonio, worrying that litigation would tend to supplant community action, as it did in the 1950s and 60s’ Civil Rights Movement. But a consensus did eventually emerge: we would sue the City on claims rooted in cultural rights and would focus our engaging people throughout the city in discussions of the power of culture and art in the historical survival of our communities and in our daily lives: Todos Somos Esperanza and Respeto es Básico. We knew that we were likely to lose in the courts, but it was worth doing because it would provide a focus for these discussions and would allow us to illuminate the connections between cultural dominance and other forms of oppression. We filed a federal lawsuit on August 4, 1998, alleging an unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and animus based irrationality in the targeting of Esperanza. This prompted another round of inflammatory interviews with Mayor Peak and Councilman Marbut on right wing radio, condescending cartoons and opinion pieces in the mainstream media, and at night, threatening phone calls to our homes. It was a difficult time. And it was clear that our critics were confident that Esperanza would give up and shut down. In September, when the City Council was scheduled to vote on the 1998-99 budget that again refused funding for the Esperanza, the City opened up its doors for right wing radio host Adam McManus to broadcast attacks on the Esperanza from a special room in Council Chambers dedicated to his use. With the lawsuit filing, we began the Todos Somos Esperanza campaign, doing door-to-door visits with neighbors, holding small gatherings throughout the city, performing street theater, and engaging in a variety of formal and informal discussions and programs focusing on the importance of culture to the survival of oppressed communities and the obligation of government to respect and protect the cultural expression of all of the city’s communities. As the scheduled trial date approached, Todos Somos Esperanza yard signs appeared on almost every block and we arranged to have banners placed across busy commuter streets. We were not going to disappear quietly. The legal team consisted of the core group of Mary Kenny, Carol Bertsch, and me and later joined by Isabel de la Riva, Denise Mejia, Judy Saenz, and Lynn Coyle. Although confidence in our legal claims did increase as we dashed through a packed two day trial on August 21-22, 2000 and completed post-trial arguments by
December 8th, still we knew that political pressure would be brought against the judge and we were determined to keep the community organizing as our central focus. So we were happily surprised in May of 2001 when Judge Orlando Garcia issued a carefully reasoned 53 page opinion finding for the plaintiffs on each of our claims. Judge Garcia’s opinion has significantly strengthened the constitutional protection for cultural rights in arts funding and it has become a landmark case on interpretation of Open Meeting requirements. And through the process, through the testimony of more than twenty city officials and right-wing activists and review of thousands of pages of documents we were able to piece together a detailed glimpse at the workings of power and manipulation inside City Council that finally explained the inconsistencies of motive and allegiance presented in the Council public actions. We learned that Howard Peak, elected District 9 Councilman in 1993 and Mayor in 1997, orchestrated the Esperanza defunding. Mayor Peak, trained as an urban planner and closely tied to San Antonio builders and developers, believed that City officials must aggressively promote the city’s tourist and development industries. Along with other leaders in the business and mainstream arts community, Howard Peak was outraged when, in 1994, the San Antonio Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs (“SA-DACA”) sought to enforce the diversity goals in the Department’s Strategic Plan, which had been approved by City Council in 1993. SA-DACA’s review board recommended a 5% reduction in funding to five organizations, including, most notably, the San Antonio Museum of Art, because these organizations had failed to take reasonable steps towards developing an ethnically diverse programming staff. At the San Antonio Museum of Art, for example, despite repeated promises to diversify, every department head and every programming curator was white. Outraged Museum supporters, including prominent City and tourist industry leaders, responded that the Museum had included some artists of color in its programming and thus should not be required to integrate its administrative staff. In response, Esperanza and other progressive arts organizations and individuals formed the Coalition for Cultural Diversity, providing a strong voice and valuable information supporting SA-DACA’s diversity initiatives. A coalition statement explains the dispute: “The issue, often distorted, is not about some ill-defined notion of ‘cultural diversity,’ but about who gets to decide what ‘cultural diversity’ is.” The 1994 cultural diversity debate ended with SA-DACA backing down from the 5% reduction. In the following year, business and city leaders exerted greater control over the city’s arts and cultural funding so as to focus funding on the promotion of cultural expression that would be attractive and comfortable for “the whole city,” meaning especially class-privileged Anglos, and “tourists,” meaning
Anglo and Hispanic middle-class travelers. Most relevant, Mayor Peak and his business colleagues identified the Esperanza as a group that would challenge the ways in which the city funneled money and opportunities to the affluent Anglo minority and did little to alter the confinement of Latinx and Black workers into low paid tourist industry jobs. They had seen that Esperanza could mobilize hundreds of people for public protest, letter writing campaigns, petition-signing, and the like. Howard Peak considered the Esperanza a troublemaker and he worked toward the defunding of Esperanza. The defunding was supported by right-wing organizers, other councilmen who appeared on conservative radio talk shows enflaming opposition to Esperanza and a network of conservative white gay men who coveted Esperanza’s broad support in the LGBT community. Mayor Peak ultimately secured the unanimous
agreement of Council in a closed midnight meeting at City Hall the evening before the September 11, 1997 budget vote.
Race and Cultural Preservation: A Defining Moment of Resistance for Community and a Startling Eruption of White Fear for the Judge. La Gloria was a beautiful “mission revival” style building located at the corner of S. Laredo and Brazos streets. Matilde Elizondo, grandfather to Esperanza buena gente Patti Elizondo, designed the building himself. It opened for business on April 4, 1928. In front were seven gas pumps under protective cover. Inside were a pastry shop, some groceries, a car repair shop, and a silent-movie theater. When it opened, it was one of the first buildings a traveler from Laredo would reach. For this reason, one spot inside was used as a sort of postal box, where people could leave letters to be carried by the next traveller heading south. But best of all, was the La Gloria Roof Garden, one of the only dance halls open to all, regardless of race or language. Musicians from all over would play into the night as couples danced and children played in the moonlight. No alcohol was served at La Gloria and the whole family was welcome. After Matilde Elizondo’s death in 1949, La Gloria was rented
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Greed by Lilliana Wilson
out for use as a car repair shop, then left vacant, and eventually sold to Roses Estates, a business run by Tony Limón. Even though the building was sound, Mr. Limón decided to replace it with a larger one, to house an auto parts store. Manny Castillo and others from San Anto Cultural Arts Center learned of these plans and appealed to the Historical Design and Review Commission (HDRC) to block issuance of a demolition permit. In September 2001 the HDRC voted unanimously to designate La Gloria as a historic landmark, thereby blocking the demolition permit. Mr. Limón then appealed to the zoning commission which disagreed with the HDCR and recommended that the demolition be permitted, sending the question to City Council, where it was placed on the Agenda for November 8, 2001. By this time the Save La Gloria Alliance had formed, bringing together several groups including San Anto and Esperanza and individuals including Patti Elizando, Cecilia Elizando, and many westsiders. While some stood vigilance at La Gloria to prevent any attempt by the owner to demolish the building without a permit, others pleaded with City Council to preserve La Gloria as an irreplaceable cultural landmark. Ignoring these pleas, District 5 Councilman David Garcia invoked the insidious practice of “council privilege,” pursuant to which Councilmembers defer to the zoning and other land use decisions of the one Council person in whose district the land is located. Observing this practice, one cannot help but notice that it certainly makes the process faster and presumably less expensive for the land owner or developer, as only one Council vote is necessary to pass or block Council action. The Council voted to deny Historic Landmark protection and to allow the landowner to proceed with his application for a demolition permit, with only three votes in favor of historic protection. Following the vote, some Alliance members continued the vigil at La Gloria, determined to prevent the demolition as long as possible. Other members engaged the landowner in negotiations and still others worked to raise funds to buy and renovate the building. Hope, with caution, flourished within the group. As time wore on, it seemed less likely that La Gloria would be saved. The owner repeatedly raised the price for the community to purchase La Gloria, and frustration mounted on each side. And on March 15, 2002, Alliance members saw demolition equipment being moved close to La Gloria. Apparently the owner had completed the demolition plans, but the permit would not be issued until the following Monday. Early in the morning on Monday, March 15, 2002, Alliance member Ruben Espronceda, represented by Charlie Jones, filed suit against both the City and La Gloria’s owner, alleging that the City had failed to follow its own permitting procedures in this case, and that the City had systematically failed to use its historic preservation powers to protect Mexican-American cultural landmarks, focusing its resources on preservation only within San Antonio’s Anglo communities. Before demolition began, the District Court issued a temporary restraining order preventing any further action towards demolition. A temporary restraining order can be issued without an opportunity for the other side to present its arguments, but the case must be set for a hearing within 14 days. The La Gloria case was set for hearing on March 28. Charlie Jones asked me to join him as co-counsel, handling the discrimination claim. We knew that the City would fight hard against this claim, but the undeniable truth was that prior to that hearing, not a single structure on the Westside had been given historical landmark protection. We had subpoenaed the Director of the Office of Historic Pres-
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ervation, a white woman, to testify. Using maps for illustration, the The time is 1994. On August 13, voters again reject Applewhite, Director testified that all of the City’s preservation efforts had been a thinly-veiled ploy to establish a “second water-source” (never mind in traditionally Anglo neighborhoods and none in Mexican-Amerthat it would be very small and filled with dirty water) for San Antoican areas. To the contrary, she testified, the City had aggressively nio and therefore allow development over the aquifer unrestrained by pursued a strategy of the “sole-source” providemolition (or “urban sions of the federal Safe renewal”) in the most Water Act legislation historically significant championed by Henry parts of the city’s B. Gonzales. Latino and Black Soon thereafter, communities. I then Gene Dawson, CEO of asked the witness Pape-Dawson Engiif she could explain neering, is named cowhy the City had Chair of the Mayor’s treated different areas Water Quality Task so differently. MusterForce that is to draft a ing great courage, for water protection ordisurely her job was at nance. An environmenstake, she began to talist, Danielle Milam answer: well, I think is appointed co-chair of that race, or racism … the Task Force. At that point, the Then, on Sepelderly white male tember 8, amidst Esperanza helped organize against the PGA when the City backed developers who wanted to build a golf judge began poundcheers from a packed course resort over the Edwards Aquifer. The community fought back, but lost. The water wars continue. ing on the bench, chamber, City Council his face turned red with uncontrolled anger, and his words emerged enacts a moratorium on building over the recharge zone, to be efas a snarl: MS. KASTELY GET UP HERE. I moved quickly to the fective from that day until an effective water protection ordinance front of the bench, and the City Attorney arrived soon thereafter. The is enacted. The cheering crowd includes activists who have worked judge pointed his finger barely inches from my face and seemed to for decades to educate officials about the Aquifer and to advocate sputter with contempt and fear: “Do you know what you are doing? for responsible protection of the City’s most valuable yet fragile I will not allow it! Do you know? Do you know that this city will asset. Finally, a moratorium on development over the Aquifer is in explode if you do this? You may not suggest such a thing. I will not place! Or so we thought. allow this line of questioning to continue. I will not!” On December 6, the Task Force completed its report, proposing At the end of the hearing, the judge dissolved the temporary ina very weak water protection ordinance that clearly favors developjunction allowing the demolition of La Gloria to begin the following ers. Co-Chair Milam criticizes the proposal, charging that the Task Monday. On April 1, 2002, in the early morning of the day after Eas- Force membership was weighed heavily in favor of developers. But ter, La Gloria was torn down. The Alliance had raised enough money what is most revealing about the 1994 process was determination to meet the owner’s latest demand, but the owner turned his back and quietly made by the City Attorney on the same day that the Task police physically restrained protesters from blocking the equipment. Force Report was released: The moratorium enacted in September With tears and anger, Save La Gloria activists decried these lat- included an unfortunate mistake (oh dear): the moratorium prohibest acts of cultural genocide and swore to prevent the loss of even ited any new zoning and platting applications, but it did not explicitly one more of the Westside’s precious cultural resources. prohibit the filing of “preliminary overall area development plans” (POADPs) and just as a zoning or platting application make the project virtually immune from any regulation adopted after the applicaWater and Money tion (this is the so-called “grandfathering” protection), the filing of a POADP also confers immunity. My third story comes from the Save our Aquifer organizing camThis “mistake” in the moratorium was corrected by Council paign. Protection of the Aquifer is such an important concern for amendment on December 22, 1994, but guess what, between Deall San Antonians, and yet development over the recharge zone has cember 6 and December 22, 27 POAPs were filed, covering 8,000 generated billions of dollars in profit for the small group of develacres on the aquifer recharge zone, and 18 of those, covering 7,200 opers with the greed and power to disregard the inevitable massive acres, were filed by the Water Quality Task Force’s own co-Chair, injury to human life that their actions will cause. In that campaign, Gene Dawson. And among these acres were those used for the PGA an organized community came as close to challenging the central Village project! Indeed, by 2002, when City approved the Lumbermechanism of exploitation as we have been in many years. We man-Dawson PGA Village plan, more than 80% of the Aquifer reneed to gather and study the lessons we learned during that time charge zone in Bexar county had been developed, and Pape-Dawson because that knowledge will strengthen us in future efforts. was involved in a large proportion of that development. My goal here is merely to recount the events prior to the PGA And in case you missed it, Mr. Gene Dawson Jr., owner of PapeVillage proposal; events that laid the setting in which the struggle Dawson Engineering, was recently appointed to Mayor Nirenberg’s over PGA Village played out. new Housing Policy Task Force. . . La luche sigue.
Haikus and Poems for Peace and Justice Alone rarely works Pride keeps all too long encaged Step by step unite With war we all lose Growing faith, hope, love, and peace Justice wins for all. Mother Nature wins! Sunflowers bloom between rocks Beauty is alive! On a bicycle She is beyond beautiful Onward she’s flying En Guatemala “Pueblo con hambre sin paz” ¡Graffiti Grita! Today breakfast beans Hoy, mañana y siempre Comida explosiva —Tommy Noonan-Minot, ND.
Is that a bug on the ceiling? Oh, that’s a lady bug. If I can name it it’s ok that there’s a bug on the ceiling. What is that weed? That’s not a weed it’s a sunflower. Familiarity The difference between a pest and a pet A garden scourge or a wildflower. How sinister those folks seem speaking foreign languages, looks pretty dangerous, right here in Marshalls in front of everyone. Wait, listen, can you understand? That’s not foreign it’s Spanish, they’re saying that skirt won’t fit, those colors don’t match. Until it’s named, understood, familiar that sweet ladybug is just a nasty bug on the ceiling. —Lois Olivia Heger
Food Stamps Rain, roof leaks, cold, long wait. The first-timer looks around. Thinks: I’m not like these people. A voice within whispers, Oh, yes you are. In a flash, he knows he knows that. All at once, all around, young and old, firm and feeble come to be lovely to look at. —Tom Keene
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Bug on the Ceiling
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Az
Diez Años , l u
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Noche
September 2017 marked the 10th anniversary brothers that were 9 to 20 years older than she, Azul experienced of Noche Azul de Esperanza with Azul Barrientos their varied musical interests as she listened to Earth, Wind & and friends. It Fire, Police, Mecánica, Guns & Roses and was then that more. One of Azul’s brothers who was into she began an jazz passed on to her the influences of Charlie artist-in-resiParker, Miles Davis and John McLaughlin. dence relationHer parents who traversed the world of Mexiship with the can and Latin American music gifted Azul Esperanza with the music of Benny Moré, Mercedes Center that has Sosa, Alfredo Zitarosa, Atahualpa Yapanqui, allowed her Oscar Chávez and others including a host of to explore her Nueva Canción musicians that inspired revomany talents lutionary movements. and interests. In 2007, Azul moved to San Antonio Esperanza permanently and began to groove to the local audiences have music scene. In an interview with Eliza Pérez benefitted of the Esperanza she noted that San Antonio Azul singing on March 2010 in a Noche Azul tribute to Frida Kahlo from Azul’s has a strong musical foundation that has hisand Billie Holiday. collaboration torically included with Esperanza enjoying a diversity of music, hisa rich diversity of cultures and music. tory and cultural exchanges on an almost monthly It is here that she found her niche and basis for ten years. has been able reach into a plethora Azul’s popularity has not ceased and, in fact, of styles more in tune with World, seems to be increasing with each performance of Acoustic, Jazz and the vast diaspora of Noche Azul. The secret to her success lies in her música Latina. talent as a singer and musician and in her ability to Local musicians have inspired bring together other musicians, dancers and artists to be part of Azul as they have joined her in her performances. Her particular style can best be described as a Noche Azul concerts. Among her fusion that is inspired by her Mexican roots and love of folkloric favorite duets that accompany her on music expanding to Latin America, Spain and Africa. Her style a semi-regular basis have been Bett does not bind her to a specific type of music or time period. Butler and Joel Dilley and George Azul’s influences in music can be traced back to her family and Aaron Prado who are talented and and childhood. Being the 7th child of a couple who married in have enough musical curiosity to try the 50s, Azul was exposed to all kinds of music that continues to new musical ventures with Azul. In surface even now. Whether classical music, music from the 19th addition to the musical duets she has century, music from the 30s and 40s or the more contemporary worked with, she also has had talented music of Mexico—Azul’s home and playground were filled with musical backups such as percussionist, music including playing the piano. Being a little sister to Nina Rodríguez among others. Noche Azul offers concerts with a purpose that include musical-offerAmor concert with a papel picado set design by Adriana García in February ings-plus. Sometimes the concerts 2010. To Azul’s right are Joel Dilley & include videos that educate the audiBett Burler. ence on a type of music like tango, or that give biographical information on Mexican icons like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Chavela Vargas, María Felix, La Catrina, Agustin Lara or Pedro Infante. Other times, Noche Azul celebrates traditions or history like Valentine’s Day celebrated with boleros, El Diez y Seis with ranchera music or el Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe/Tonántzin with special songs and stories. Still other programs of Noche Azul are simply to enjoy dancing—cumbias, for example or boleros, tangos or even polkas. At end of 2014 when 43 students in Mexico were kidnapped,
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Azul on stage with Aaron and George Prado and Nina Rodriguez performing at a Noche Azul tribute to Sor Juana, August 2016.
Azul performs with Columbian harpist. René Devia, in a special Noche Azul tribute to Mercedes Sosa, October 2009.
Gitana featured dancers on stage with Azul at Noche Azul on June 2013.
sing until she came to San Antonio to attend Azul’s marriage in 2013 to Aaron Root. Cuca reluctantly took the stage with Azul in a healing process that both she and Azul were grateful for. It has been an amazing diez años de NocheAzul. The near future holds new collaborations for Azul and a new CD based on her own songs that is in the process of being finished. Voz readers be on the lookout for an announcement on Azul’s new CD release soon. ¡Felicidades, Azul, on diez años de Noche Azul!
Azul sings with her mother, Cuca, at Noche Azul, December 2015 in tribute to La Virgen de Guadalupe. Photo used with permission from Sofia Tomas.
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Noche Azul raised awareness about Ayotzinapa, with a special program of music and visuals exhorting the audience to become involved and demand that the the Mexican government do something to recover the missing 43 students. When asked—Have you always used music to convey social justice issues to your listeners? Azul responded “I don’t know of a better way to raise awareness than the combination of music and images. They get it by listening and seeing with their own eyes. They (the audience) get to conclusions by themselves.” Some of the more creative aspects of Noche Azul have been the set designs and backdrops provided that have involved artists like Adriana Garcia who designed full wallsized papel picado enveloping Azul and her musicians. The beautiful set designs served to complement the music highlighted that in 2010 included music in tribute to Frida Kahlo and Billie Holiday with Bett Butler and Joel Dilley, and what a creative combination that was! In addition to creative sets, Azul has employed a variety of instruments to add to her vocals and music including a harp, accordions, trumpets, the sax, violins, tarimas and every kind of string instrument you can imagine in ten years. Dance is another element that Azul has added to her performances and delighted audiences as they enjoyed music along with live tango dancers, belly dancers, flamenco dancers, capoeira demonstrations, fandangos, jarochos and even, fire eaters. Azul has honed her communication skills through the years to integrate short pláticas giving historical background, anecdotes, leyendas, or stories to bring together the music, songs and themes of each Noche Azul. Using film clips, videos, photographs or
other media Azul has effectively balanced music with technology and talk maintaining a flow that the audience is able to follow and keeps them wanting for more. They always walk away having learned something new at Noche Azul performances. Azul has had many guests singing with her or accompanying her at Noche Azul, but the most endearing of all has been her mother, Cuca Morales de Barrientos who has made an appearance with Azul each time she has visited San Antonio. Her talent lies in musical folklore and she has even sung vintage childhood songs with Azul. In response to the question of what highlights in her career have been the most memorable, Azul points out that having her mother on stage with her has been the most rewarding. It has completed the relationship between mother and daughter resulting in a blossoming of both when they are together. After Azul’s father, Trino Barrientos, died in 2010, her mother did not
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Imagine San Antonio without Esperanza. Lourdes Pérez and Annette D’Armata
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for 30 years for people who don’t fit the bill, won’t shut up, would not be stopped and will gladly feed you homemade tamales on your way in or out, prepared by the loving hands of fierce elders who will also take their aprons off (or not) and go marching into the city council to rectify wrongs, who will stand and support oppressed people on the other side of the earth, who will defend and preserve culture and history but are also willing to learn and change traditions and habits that are harming some of us. - A place that helped make the road and shape the conversation at a time when neither existed, for queer people of color... and is now continued by newer generations. - A place where La Voz, a people’s journal, has been folded by the hands of the community. For years. Without fail.
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Lourdes Pérez sings at the 1991 Mujercanto at 1305 N. Flores in front of the iconic sunburst doors. Penny Boyer with Lourdes Pérez and Irene Farrera after her first concert What if Esperanza had folded in the 1990’s? What if it had never with Lourdes at the Esperanza in 1996 at 922 San Pedro as part of the existed at all? Imagine what instead would have filled that space Mujercanto program. and time that Esperanza has held continuously, against the odds, in this particular city in the southern U.S. Esperanza is its founders and original visionaries (those here and those who are gone), the longest standing components of its life force (Graciela Sánchez and Gloria Ramírez), all the staff and volunteers and board members whose work built it, all the local and international artists, cultural leaders and human rights activists that have left echoes inside Esperanza’s physical space and in its heart. Esperanza is all its biggest fans and all its critics and all the voices who found the courage to speak for the first time. Erase the moments, hours, days, weeks and months packed into 30 years of stories, singers, writers, visual artists, hands on clay, dancing, laughter, rabia, discussions, panels, agreements, disagreements...an empty building at 922 San Pedro. Miriam Pérez accompanied Lourdes Pérez in the Dulce Vigilante concert of 2015 But San Antonio is not without Esperanza. that featured stories and songs of life in the western region of Puerto Rico. A place emerged and, more importantly, has remained An art exhibit of the drawings from the book was also part of the program.
- A place where artists emerge and established artists return. Our own history with Esperanza goes back to our first performance at MujerCanto in 1991. Over the years, we lived in Austin, California, Arizona, Mexico, Spain and Alaska but always considered Esperanza our artistic home and came back nearly every year to release a new CD, to perform as part of MujerCanto, to teach oral history based songwriting workshops and to present first at Esperanza any international collaboration that we toured (Irene Farrera - Venezuela, Miriam Pérez - Puerto Rico, May Nasr - Lebanon), and most recently to turn oral histories of Westside elders into a book and CD that honors them. Always part of Esperanza and yet not local, not from here, we grew together through the years. In 2014, we physically moved to this place that has somehow always been home: this San Antonio that is not without Esperanza. Right top: Lourdes Pérez and her partner, Esperanza’s survival doesn’t come Annette D’ Armata, out of a few conversations or a couple of are now working with mind-blowing pláticas or a deeply moving local musicans like performance or nourishing convivio. Flaco Jiménez (right) It comes from never stopping the work. and Max Baca putting music to the stories of It comes from holding each other in the Westside. highest regard.
It comes from, together, identifying the very real threats to our existence and knowing, in the big scheme of things, who really has your back. San Antonio is not without Esperanza. And for that we are grateful beyond words. Editor’s note: This article appears in the special publication, Esperanza, 30 years of Peace and Justice available to Voz readers online at [www.bit.ly/30th_anniv] and for pickup during normal business hours at the Esperanza Center.
Above: Lourdes is currently documenting Westside stories (like elder Jesús Vidales’ life story) setting them to music at Blue Cat Studio owned by Joe Treviño (right). Below: Lourdes has played two international concerts with Venezuelan singer, Irene Farrera, most recently in 2013. Below: Another international concert with Lourdes, Written in Water, occurred with May Nasr of Lebanon in 2009 and in 2016.
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Next: Gabriela González, Gloria Ramirez, Annette D’ Armata and Lourdes Pérez at the Sara De Turk reading of Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in 2015.
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Las Tesoros de San Antonio have had a busy summer. Invited by Su Teatro in Denver to be present at the Annual Chicano Music Festival & Auction held on July 26-30, las tres packed lightly and flew off to Denver with buena gente volunteer, Sylvia Mireles and Esperanza staffmember, Amelia Valdez for a scheduled screening of Las Tesoros de San Antonio, a documentary of the famous elders’ life stories produced by Jesse Borrego and directed by Jorge Sandoval who were also present at the Festival. The documentary tells the stories and legacies of the four South Texas singers who reigned as stars of the stage in the 40s, 50s and 60s: Rita Vidaurri also known as “La Calandria”, Blanquita Rodriguez aka “Blanca Rosa”, Beatriz Llamas aka “La Paloma del Norte” and Anita Janet Cortez “La Perla Tapatia” who is now deceased. Through their stories and music the audience learned how these women began their careers in a male dominated industry to become successful singer/performers nationally and internationally. As elders who were brought back onto the stage by the Arte es Vida program of the Esperanza Center the surviving Tesoros continue to be crowd favorites. Not only did Las Tesoros delight the Denver audience with their presence but their singing was a hit as each individual belted out familiar oldies performing with Denver’s Mariachi Vásquez. The first to perform was Beatriz Llamas also known as “La Paloma del Norte.” Llamas Sylvia Mireles, Esperanza buena gente accompanied Las Tesoros—Rita Vidaurri, Blanca is the youngest of the three surviving Tesoros and was the first Rodríguez, & Beatriz Llamas—and staff member Amelia Valdez (in T-shirt) to Denver for the Tejana to perform in Madison Square Garden in New York 21st Annual Chicano Music Festival where a documentary of them was screened and they were featured singers. Here, they are at the San Antonio airport ready to take off. City. Her songs, along with her traditional pink rebozo and embroidered dress, delighted the crowd. Next up was Blanca Rodriguez, aka “Blanquita Rosa”. “Blanquita” who hails from San Antonio’s Westside, belted out her signature canción, “La Chancla”. She revved up the crowd with a dramatic performance that brought out the “gritos!” She also dazzled everyone with her sparkling, sequined ensembles leaving audience members wanting for more. Blanca provided the audience with a beautiful introduction of Rita Vidaurri, “La Calandria”. As Rita took the stage, the audience could see why Blanca introduced her as “la Mera Mera.” Along with her “chistes“, “La Calandria” lit up the entire space with personality plus a booming ranchera voice. The Denver trip proved to be so successful that Las Tesoros were invited to a festival in Japan that they were certainly tempted to attend but may not be able to. For more photos of the Tesoros in Denver see www.latinlifeindenver.com and key in Las Tesoros in the search box at the top. [Photos by Joe Contreras, Latin Life Denver Media] In the
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o s e r T o f s.. o meantime Las Tesoros will continue to be available for local bookings and tributes are doable for the 80 and 90 year olds. This memorable summer of Las Tesoros included a sing-out in Austin for the 5th annual Ney Day at the Elizabet Ney Museum with the theme, Celebrating Women in the Arts, Sciences and Civic Culture. There they sang to the delight of the Austin crowd adding to the live music by The Hey Lollies, The Jones Family Singers, Riders Against The Storm and Ruby Fray. Las Tesoros were also honored among the Legends of Tejano stars of the 60s and 70s at the Wittliff Collection at Texas State University in San Marcos that is currently highlighting an exhibit that shows how Tejano music evolved from the early 1900s through a series of hybrids and how it continues to spin off into new genres, today. The exhibit features treasured artifacts, photos, recordings and instruments from the world-class collection of musicologist Ramón Hernández. It includes personal items from stars such as Lydia Mendoza, Laura Canales, Freddy Fender, Little Joe, Sunny Ozuna, Steve Jordan, David Lee Garza, Selena and more. Las Tesoros contributed to the Wittliff exhibit with costumes that they wore in the past and some they still wear, today. The Legends of Tejano exhibit at the Wittliff continues through December 20, 2017 and can be found on the seventh floor of the Alkeke Library on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Visitors can view the collection from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Get info on the Wittliff Collections Legends of Tejano Exhibit and others currently there at http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu.
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Beatriz Llamas, La Paloma del Norte, at the Legends of Tejano exhibit at the Wittliff Collection at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX with one of her dresses.
Las Tesoros de San Antonio, Rita Vidaurri, Beatriz Llamas & Blanca Rodríguez pose with the Ney Day banner at the Elizabet Ney Museum in Austin where they were among the featured singers.
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Note: To book Las Tesoros call Esperanza at 210.228.0201. See them at the 2017 San Antonio Día de los Muertos Festival, October 29th, at the Arneson River Theater in La Villita.
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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
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Pax Christi, SA meets monthly on Saturdays. Call 210.460.8448
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Parents of Murdered Children, meets 2nd Mondays @ Balcones Heights Community Ctr, 107 Glenarm | www. pomcsanantonio.org. Rape Crisis Center, 4606 Centerview Suite 200, Hotline: 210.349.7273 | 210.521.7273 Email:sschwab@ 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.
Give to the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center at your workplace, today! Use the appropriate code: Combined Federal Campaign (Gov’t/military) code: 77773 City of San Antonio: 8022 Bexar County: 8022
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.
The United Way Combined Federal Campaign is Here!
SA’s LGBTQA Youth meets Tues., 6:30pm at Univ. Presby. Church, 300 Bushnell Ave. | www.fiesta-youth.org
City/County I.S.D.s: 8022 State of Texas Employee Charitable Campaign: 413013 ¡Todos Somos Esperanza! For info: call 210.228.0201 or email: esperanza@ esperanzacenter.org
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Notas Y Más September October, 2017 2017
Trinity University presents LATINX HERITAGE MONTH offering two events in October. Bárbara Renaud González, freelance writer, activist and journalist in Get Woke. Join the Global Tribe, a reading of her recent book, Las Nalgas de JLo, a compilation of her writings as a journalist will be presented on Thursday, October 5th at 3 pm in the Chapman Center, Great Hall. And Virginia Grise, award-winning playwright and director will read from her latest publication, Your Healing is Killing Me on Thursday, October 12th at 5:30 pm in the Holt Center, 106 Oakmont Court. Contact Laura Rodriguez: mrodrig7@ trinity.edu or check www.trinity.edu
participant via USPS priority or express mail so that they can include it with their renewal application as soon as possible. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center presents a film screening of Santa Muerte: A Folk Saint in Texas about the controversial Mexican folk saint who personifies death on Thursday, October 5th at 7 pm. Free Admission! And on Friday, October 6th at 8 pm GCAC presents Conjunto Blues, an exploration of the social and historical conditions that led to the development of Conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation written and performed by Nicolas Valdez & directed by Ruben González. Tickets: $10 - $15. Check: www.guadalupeculturalarts.org Domesticas Unidas ofrece el taller: Entrenamiento para el trabajo de el cuidado de personas de la tercer edad que se presentará el 7 de octubre de 3-6 pm con la entrenadora, la enfermera Liliana Rubio Murillo. El evento se presentará en 1606 Fulton Ave. en San Antonio. Para mas informes llame la oficina a 210.468.2004 o a Araceli, 210.310.6071 o Irasema, 210.446.8525.
The Yanaguana Indian Arts Market with over 40 of Native American artists sponsored by the Briscoe Museum of San Antonio will be held on October 7th and 8th, 10 am to 4 pm It includes workshops, performances, artist demonstrations and food celebrating Native culture. See: BriscoeMuseum.org Free admission. Gemini Ink has a call out to all poets who want to generate new work. Pablo Miguel Martínez is offering a four-week class, Poetry-Making: New Ways, New Work beginning Tuesday, October 10th from 6;30 pm to 8 pm and continuing on Oct. 17th & 24th ending on Nov. 7th. Participants will explore fresh pathways for generating poetry that will result in a sheaf of new poems. Cost: $125. Contact: 210.734.9673 or geminiink.org for more. On April 18, 2015, the city of Baltimore erupted in mass protests in response to the brutal murder of Freddie Gray by police. Devin Allen was there, and his iconic photos of the Baltimore uprising became a viral sensation. He documents the uprising capturing the life of his city and the people who live there in his book, A Beautiful Ghetto. Order from www.haymarketbooks.org and take 30% OFF, with free shipping!
–Coming October 2017– Esperanza Day of the Dead Workshops Preparando para el Día de los muertos Workshops - dates TBA / Talleres - con fechas pendientes • Setting up an altar/Preparando una ofrenda • Tissue paper flowers/Haciendo flores de papel china • Sugar skulls/ Haciendo calaveras de azucar • Calavera masks / Haciendo mascaras de calavera • Papel picado Call 210.228.0201 for times and dates or visit our website: www.esperanzacenter.org
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Mission Asset Fund is now providing scholarships for DACA renewals through October 5th across the country. Apply through www.LC4DACA. org. or, email: programs@missionassetfund.org for information. MAF has streamlined the enrollment process so that they can issue a check for $495 made out to the Department.of Homeland Security within 24-48 hours after a DACA applicant submits an application online. The check is then mailed to the
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.
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Call for Calaveras, Noche Azul 2017 Literary Ofrendas, October 21, November 18, December 16 & Artwork 8pm • Doors open at 7pm • $7 más o menos for November 2017 issue of La Voz
Deadline: October 8th, 2017!
Esperanza @ 922 San Pedro Ave. Call 210.228.0201 for more info 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
Send to: lavoz@esperanzacenter.org
Nov. 1st 4-9 pm
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28th Annual International Mercado de Paz • Peace Market • 2017 Friday & Saturday, Nov. 24 & 25, 2017 • 10am-6pm Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 • 12am to 6pm
Now 3 Days!
@ Rinconcito de Esperanza 816 S. Colorado St. ¡Ofrendas! • ¡Música!
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Calavera readings!
¡Ponche y pan de muerto! Susana
Gloria
Itza
Eliza