Joaq uín

current issues / actualidad immigration and the americas: Sensible Policy for Our Neighborhood inmigración y las américas:

Política Sensata para Nuestro Vecindario Presidential Pardon: Dreamers’ Only Option? indulto Presidencial:

¿Única Salida para los Dreamers?

Public HealtH / salud Pública

Groundhog day:

The Railroad and A Never-Ending Story atrapado en el tiempo:

El Tren y el Cuento de Nunca Acabar

Coalitions as Protection from Pesticides Uniéndose como protección a pesticidas

PHotoGraPHy / fotoGrafÍa

White Poetry / Poesía en Blanco

Joaquín

our mission is to provide the latino community of california’s central Valley with an unbiased mirror of our society, to advocate civic duty and participation, to celebrate the successes and achievements of our peers, and to provide a tribune for emerging latino leadership.

Personnel

Editor-in-Chief

Roberto A. Radrigán radrigan@joaquinmag.com

Contributors

Sonya Fe, Art Editor

Las Cruces, NM

Andy Porras

Sacramento, CA

Richard Soto

Tracy, CA

Thomas Block

Lorain, OH

Dave Wellenbrock

Lodi, CA

Ed Ramírez

Linden, CA

David Stuart

Sacramento, CA

Editorial boa rd

Inés Ruiz-Huston, PhD

Gene Bigler, PhD

Richard Ríos, MA, MS

Paula Sheil, MA

Manuel Camacho, MA

Jeremy Terhune, BS

Candelaria Vargas, BS

Mercedes Silveira, MA

Composition, Layout & All Illustrations (unless noted)

Gráfica Design

Translations roberto radrigán & ronald Godoy

Offices/ Advertising

1 North El Dorado Stockton, CA 95202 (209) 513-7749 info@joaquinmag.com www.joaquinmag.com

Joaquín is an English & spanish bilingual publication addressing relevant Latino issues in the California’s northern Central Valley. it is published monthly by Gráfica Design, LLC. a Stockton-based diversified advertising & bilingual services.

Submissions for publishing

We accept free, informational and editorial content. If you feel you have unique, fresh and compelling content to share, please send your writing, photo, art, etc. to editor@joaquinmag.com for consideration. All content must be current, unpublished and cannot advertise any particular business or service. Material can be written in English or spanish. All material submitted for consideration will not be returned except upon request.

Disclaimer: t he views and opinions expressed in this issue are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Joaquin Magazine

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials from this publication, including reproduction, modification, distribution or re-publication, without the prior written consent of Gráfica Design, is strictly prohibited.

MARCH 2023

In This Issue

cover art tree of life cHair by Valerie andriola san José, ca

En Este Número

Public Health / Salud Pública

Groundhog day: the railroad and the never-ending story atrapado en el tiempo: el tren y el cuento de nunca acabar

Current Issues / Actualidad immigration and the americas: sensible Policy for our neighborhood inmigración y las américas: Política sensata Para nuestro Vecindario

Photography / Fotografía

White Poetry / Poesía en blanco

Chican-izmos the old abandoned c ar un Viejo y desvencijado coche

Public Health / Salud Pública building coalitions as protection from pesticides uniendo fuerzas como protección a pesticidas

Art Focus /Enfoque Artístico

Valerie andeola: living cultures culturas Vivas

Poetry / Poesía flavors of stockton / el sabor de stockton

Current Issues / Actualidad

Presidential Pardon: dreamers’ only option? el indulto Presidencial: ¿única salida para los dreamers?

Latino Veterans / Veteranos Latinos

“Mexican americans and the bataan death March” e xcerpts: War at Home and abroad fragmentos de “Mexicoamericanos y la Marcha

Mortal de bataan”: Guerra: aquí, y allá

A Novel / Novela claremont Hotel ii (chapter V ii) (capítulo Vii)

(The Railroad Never-Ending Story)

in the movie, Groundhog Day, bill Murray plays a smug and selfish person caught in a time loop; the same day keeps repeating itself, over and over again.

On November 30, 2012, the Paulsboro school district in new Jersey was forced to close its three public schools due to the derailment of a Conrail train that lost some tanker cars that careened down into Mantua creek. One of the tankers containing vinyl chloride was punctured as it slid down the embankment. responders hastily supervised evacuations without proper breathing equipment. t he school district closed for six days and eventually sued Conrail for $5.8 million. Sixteen police, fire and rescue personnel also filed suits1

While vinyl chloride causes dizziness and sleepiness, it can result in people passing out and even dying. the chemical is a carcinogen. At higher temperatures, it becomes unstable. Burning the vinyl chloride releases phosgene (a WW i chemical weapon) and hydrogen chloride, both which are also toxic2 benzene and butyl acrylates were also discharged. While none of those tankers containing the vinyl chloride were leaking, a predicted “rapid temperature change” worried Norfolk southern – an explosion could happen. only two days after the wreck, the rail company decided to burn off the vinyl chloride. until then, neighboring Pennsylvanian residents were urged to keep windows and doors closed. Those in a radius of 2 miles were evacuated prior to the burn.

On February 3, 2023, 38 cars of a 150 car freight train derailed in rural East Palestine, Ohio, a town of approximately 4,600 population alongside the ohio r iver. some of those cars collided and caught fire. It was determined that five of those derailed tankers contained vinyl chloride.

After the incineration, videos documented the environmental damages. Evidence of chemical slicks were found in Sulfur Run