La Gente Spring 2014 by LA GENTE NEWSMAGAZINE

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 1

LA GENTE VOL. 44 ISSUE 3

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Reyes

MANAGING EDITOR Jacqueline Espinoza

EDITORS

Rosa Linda Meza Savannah Smith

DESIGN EDITOR Melissa Merrill

WEB EDITOR Michelle Salinas

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Liliana Llamas

COPY CHIEF Savannah Smith

COPY EDITORS Rosa Linda Meza Madelinn Ornelas

Letter from the Editor In this issue you'll find stories of resistance, community empowerment, identity, and opportunity. La Gente, as always, wants to acknowledge diversity and promote progressive futures. Without the support of incredible staff members and community partners, La Gente would not be able to fulfill its mission and would not be where it is today. Shout outs to graduating Gentistas, returning Gentistas, next year's Gentista leaders, community partners LA CAUSA Youthbuild and Generation Progress, and to the devoted campus and community readers! As Editor-in-Chief of this bad ass, incredibly conscious, unapologetic, progressive newsmagazine, I've been empowered beyond measure and have understood the importance of sharing your personal story. I'm honored to present to you our Spring 2014 issue--a collection of our personal passions. Peace,

STAFF

Fernando Antunez Magdalena Ceja Regem Corpuz Mayra Godinez Miguel Angel Martinez Roxana Martinez Giovannié Núñez-Dúeñas Madelinn Ornelas María Perez Yadira Sesmas Kimberly Soriano Roberta Terra Juan Torres

About the Cover “Day laborers, forsaken” influences La Gente’s spring issue cover, which is done by the incredible Oscar Magallanes. La Gente, striving to allow the voices of the marginalized to be heard, recognizes the importance of the day laborer. An individual with as much value as any other individual, the day laborer takes our cover at a moment when day laborer centers are on the verge of closing. An individual representative of struggle, resistance, and opportunity, the remarkable day laborer is motivational. Moreover, he’s human--a vecino, a tío, a father, an abuelito. Read more about the closure of day laborer centers on page 14.

DESIGN

Mayra Godinez Michelle Martinez Miguel Martinez Madelinn Ornelas María Perez Erika Ramírez Michael Reyes Kimberly Soriano

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mayra Jones Melissa Merrill Madelinn Ornelas Erika Ramírez María Varela

TRANSLATIONS Rosa Linda Meza

CONTRIBUTORS Diana Cuevas Oscar Magallanes Mariella Mondragon Lucia Tejeda

STUDENT MEDIA DIRECTOR Arvli Ward

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER Amy Emmert

118 Kerckhoff Hall 308 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90024 lagente@media.ucla.edu 310.825.9836 This magazine was made possible with the support of Generation Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, online at: GenProgress.org 2 LA GENTE Spring 2014

Join Us! We’re always looking for bright and talented students to join our staff. Positions are open in writing, editing, design, photography, illustration, video, business, and marketing.

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CONTENTS latinoamérica

4-5 | No Reason to Celebrate the World Cup

universidad 6 | Bruin-Up Some Hope 7 | Writing the Stories Behind the Statistics

arte y cultura

featured artist 12-13 | Q&A with La Santa Cecilia

comunidad

¡topen esto! 19 | El Futuro de California es la Educación Bilingüe 20 | California Versus Congress 20 | Monsanto

22 *Asterisks next to names within articles indicate anonymity.

expresiones

Start a conversation! La Gente accepts outside submissions of all sorts for review and possible publication. Email lagente@media.ucla.edu with “Submission” in the subject line.

21 | La Rueda de Margarita Hernandez

OUR MISSION:

21 | “Madre”

La Gente Newsmagazine is for el estudiante--the student--interested in Latin@ issues. We represent the diversity of our culture and cultivate pride within our community. We’re a forum for conversation, hoping to inspire readers to get involved and get their voices heard.

nuestra jotería 22 | Let’s Be Free To Be!

sigan luchando 23 | Writing From the Inside Out

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the La Gente editorial board. All other columns, cartoons, and letters represent the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board. The UCLA communications board has a media grievance procedure for resolving grievances against any of its media. For a copy of the complete procedure contact student media at 310.825.2787. Copyright 2014 ASUCLA Communications Board

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 3

latinoámerica

NO REASON TO

CELEBRATE

THE WORLD CUP ROBERTA TERRA RTERRA@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

Editor’s Note: this article, originally published on LaGente.org, was formatted to fit the print publication. For the full version please visit LaGente.org

es, we do have awesome beaches, Rio is beautiful and indeed very hot, and soccer is a big thing for Brazil, which has five World Cup trophies. We do have hot and sexy women, who are usually scantly dressed up shaking their asses in front of a TV screen. What I cannot affirm is that we’re getting wealthier, at least not in positive ways—the happiness of our population. We do have a lot of reasons to be proud of Brazil, but we have a lot to be sorry for, too. With the World Cup getting closer, and the Olympic Games also confirmed to be hosted in Brazil, I can’t stop thinking of how our people are dealing with all this attention pointed toward my country. People in my country are not happy with this upcoming World Cup, given the government’s lack of attention toward our needs and for so many reasons that it gets complicated to bring everything up. The only good thing about this World Cup is that its getting other countries’ attention. We found that it was time to scream for 4 LA GENTE Spring 2014

the needs that we haven’t been getting for a long time. It all started in the south. Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, was the one planting the seeds. On March 23, 2013 a group of young protesters marched on the streets against the raise of bus passes. The government inflated bus passes from R$ 2,85 to R$ 3,05 (Brazilian currency). People demanded free passes, but, instead, the value was maintained. These protesters were beginning to build what would later become the main reasons why people were going to the streets: to retake our pride, justice, better conditions, respect, and voice. The first real, massive protests included most of the country’s states. Thousands of people—all ages and religions—got together to begin what would become one of the major protests in our history. There were thousands of purposes being marched for. In fact we didn’t know exactly what we were doing over there. But who cares! As long as everybody was shouting for the same reason— to be one strong voice—the effort was already worth it. In my town, Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais and one of the wealthiest and powerful states in Brazil, people are very engaged with what’s happening in our town. But everything started to go wrong. Our public transportation was bad, we didn’t have education that would

open greater opportunities, and poverty, crime, drugs and traffic have grown and in between all this we had thousands of promises with no results. I woke up on Wednesday June 26th feeling very excited. I remember everything about that day, when I became part of the huge mass of Brazilians claiming a better country. As I walked from my apartment to meet a friend, I got the exact same feeling I would get if I were watching Brazil’s final match in the World Cup. We then went towards downtown where everybody would get together to march almost seven miles to the Mineirão, the stadium where Brazil and Uruguay were about to play for the Confederations Cup. The goal was to get

are being “People expelled from their

homes with no tenure or previous warning from the government. These people are losing the only property that belongs to them.”

latinoámerica there before the end of the game and bring a large number of people with posters displaying different feelings and political ideals. We wanted to get other countries’ media attention. The least of our preoccupations at that moment was soccer. I saw in the news the other day that Sweden has denied hosting the 2020 Winter Olympics, only because they have other priorities besides spending public money on these kinds of events. I cannot help but agree with Sweden, which prefers to focus their energy and hard work into valuing the needs of their population, rather than doing something for the benefits of their rulers. People are being expelled from their homes with no tenure or previous warning from the government. These people are loosing the only property that belongs to them. It’s very sad what “development” is causing for them. And this is what people have been calling democracy? And all so that FIFA can build stadiums and hide not only the reality of my country, but also people’s dignity. What started as a peaceful, democratic, ideological and very exciting number of protests, with all the differences and idiosyncrasies being respected, turned out to become a huge mess, with people getting killed, overwhelmed and shouted at for voicing their points of view. When we were starting to create this voice, to tell people how we’re really feeling, and showing others that we’re more than naked women, Carnival and soccer, when all that started to happen, we lost our tracks and got silenced for reasons that I’m still trying to understand. The oppressive government started to fight their own people, as they needed to silence us for their reputation. We were hushed, only because we were afraid of what could happen. There are videos being made by a group, Coletivo Mariachi, which is not affiliated with the monopolized media of Brazil. Videos made by Coletivo Mariachi show the conflicts between the police and the Black Blocs, a group of anarchists who use violence and depravation in order to get the authorities’ attention. I thought about the Black Blocs and their attitudes toward the “battle field” (because this is what the protests have become in the last months), and most of the people who embraced this movement have also worked or work for the government: teachers, students, cops, filmmakers. I kind of envy them. Not when they break and destroy our banks, streets, monuments and public facilities, but I envy them for having the balls to do it and for having the balls to challenge the government while many are ignoring their surroundings. They’re alive! I want get this very clear: I hate violence, and I honestly believe that we’re capable of getting

everything we want by communicating. But I also believe that we can’t make any change while there’s no one listening, while there’s no one making noise right next to us. I don’t know why we have stopped with pacific protests, with millions of Brazilians marching together. Only a few are still believing and fighting for a new Brazil, though I can’t tell if they are choosing the pacific path, as most of their strategies to get authorities’ attention are very controversial. I’m positive about us building this feeling of change again, in having faith for a better country, where we’ll find real and meaningful results. I’m positive that we can grow as a whole nation, not only in parts, not just for the sake of a few. But, if we keep closing our eyes and pretending that everything is good, at least now that we’re getting to the World Cup, there will be no reason to celebrate. *All photos by Lucas Marcal

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 5

universidad

BRUIN-UP SOME HOPE Student group brings hope to children in Tijuana MICHAEL REYES mreyes@media.ucla.edu

t’s just before sunset, and the volunteers jump into university vans, ready to head back to UCLA. A few children follow and jump in. A volunteer asks one child jokingly if he wants to come to Los Angeles. The child smiles, replies no, and that the shelter is his home and that he knows nothing else. Completely student-run and under UCLA’s Community Service Commission, BruinHope works with La Tribu de Jesus shelter in Tijuana, making bi-quarterly visits to bring collections of food, water, clothes, toys and other necessities requested by the shelter’s directors. “La Tribu de Jesus isn’t funded by the government, so they have a hard time supporting the kids that they have,” says Sabrina Ponce, fourth year History major and Executive Director of BruinHope. “Our presence there is required. [We are] a stable source of support for the children.” The shelter houses about 100 children, ranging from infant to 18 years of age, though most are elementary-school age. Ponce says that the shelter doesn’t receive any government aid because the shelter does not place the children up for adoption. Among many other things, the shelter’s directors are concerned with children being forcefully sold into sex labor. Currently, only a few of the children are orphaned, says Ian Stewart, a Tijuana community member and La Tribu volunteer. The rest of the children still have connections to their parents or guardians, who sometimes visit the children at the shelter. A variety of circumstances have influenced why the parents and guardians bring their children to La Tribu—the most common being the inability to provide basic care. At the shelter student volunteers work with the children one-on-one and in small groups on art projects and English language lessons. BruinHope’s activities are structured to promote selfconfidence and build interpersonal skills. Aside from working in Tijuana, the student group raises consciousness within the UCLA community about orphanages and shelters and overall Tijuana living conditions. Recently, BruinHope has partnered with Flying Samaritans at UCLA and UCLA’s Fellowship for International Service and Health (FISH)—both health care and education provision groups—to lead health seminars, which are not easily accessible to La Tribu’s children and 6 LA GENTE Spring 2014

directors. May 17th was BruinHope’s most recent trip, and last of the school year. For nine years now, BruinHope has been visiting the shelter. Though, in 2007 and a few years after, the student group shut down their trips because of the university’s concerns about ongoing, violent narco-related incidents in Tijuana. In 2013 the university began allowing BruinHope to use university vehicles. Prior, the student group would either rent vans or ask students to volunteer their cars. Ponce says, “We’re allowed to use university vehicles on the condition that we don’t stop anywhere else in Tijuana--we just go straight to the orphanage and back.” La Tribu has been running for 14 years with only the donations and support of volunteers. Ponce says that volunteer consistency is signifi-

cant. Without consistency, the children feel a sense of abandonment, which is not healthy for their emotional development. Saturday morning, May 17th, BruinHope volunteers gathered at UCLA’s Kerckhoff Hall ready for the more than 100 mile trip to Tijuana. For the past few trips, the student volunteers have been going to La Tribu’s new site. Factories were being constructed around the former site, causing serious health problems for the children. At the new site, nothing but dirt roads and vast, empty space surround the children. Motivation for making the trip varies. For Ponce it's the story of her Mexican-born parents, who experienced what it was like to grow up hungry. Thinking back, she wishes someone was there to give her parents the same support that she now provides for the children of La Tribu de Jesus.

WRITING THE STORIES BEHIND THE STATISTICS

UCLA Labor and Work Studies Department works on book about deportation experiences

PHOTOS BY MELISSA MERRILL

universidad

Magdalena Ceja mceja@media.ucla.edu

hen researching immigration and deportation, the only information people usually find are numbers. Through percentages, graphs, and tables, people can find how many have been deported last year, how much deportation costs, or how deportation has looked throughout history. However, what are the stories behind all these numbers? Who are the people being deported and when will the public be able to hear their stories? Looking up “deportation” on Google does not give readers the whole story. Therefore, fall quarter 2013 the UCLA Labor and Workplace Studies Department began writing a book based on the deportation narratives of families who have otherwise been silenced. While mainstream media focuses on numbers and political agendas, the book—still under development—provides readers with a counter narrative to deportation policies and anti-immigrant beliefs with emotional, personal stories from immigrants of a variety of ages and from all backgrounds. For three quarters now, a UCLA Labor and Workplace Studies undergraduate class dedicated to the publishing of the book has been meeting and working tirelessly to get the book out to the public. The idea stemmed from debates within the immigrant movement about the excessive attention on undocumented immigrant youth in reform rather than seeing reform as a collective measure. The book, which will be titled, Dreams Deported, is the third book that will be published under the UCLA Labor and Workplace Studies Department. While the first two books previously written by the department, Underground Undergrads and Undocumented and Unafraid, focused on the student immigrant youth movement, this new book depicts stories from a diversity of people all inflicted by deportation. The goal of the book’s publication is to present narratives from a diversity of undocumented immigrants in order to debunk not only popular beliefs of deportation, but of immigration as a whole. As the book reaches its final stages of production, the class working on it is excited to see their hard work and the stories of these people come to

life for others to see and learn from. Amy Lin, a fourth year political science major at UCLA, has been enrolled in all three of the classes offered throughout the year surrounding the writing of the book. Her role as an interviewer, transcriber, and writer heightened the difficulty in creating the book. “It was hard to get rid of the personal connection and emotions while interviewing, especially because I knew the people and a little bit of their stories already,” Lin says. Despite all difficulties, the students in class continue to stay motivated to publish the book because their goal is, as Lin says, “To see a concrete product that [they] can use to show people why these stories matter, instead of pushing for legislation that may not help immigrant families.” The publication of this book will bring forth new revelations about deportation as well as emphasize the terror and harshness of it through the personal narratives within the book. The book’s publication is important because it provides readers with the stories that ICE and pro-deportation legislators do not want people to know. As the media describes deportation through objective statistical data, the book Dreams Deported provides a different view that actually depicts the victims of deportation not as numbers, but as mothers, fathers, students, and husbands. “Anyone can be a victim of the mass detention and deportation culture we have today . . . The book aims at raising awareness,” Lin says. Currently the class is fundraising in order to publish the book by the end of 2014. The class is also working on a website to preview some of the narratives in the book.

For more information visit: http://www.irle.ucla.edu/publications/books.php

book Dreams Deported “The provides a different view that

actually depicts the victims of deportation not as numbers, but as mothers, fathers, students, and husbands.” Spring 2014 LA GENTE 7

arte y cultura

JORNALERO SPOTLIGHT

Jornaleros express their voices in the play Dreams Without Borders MAYRA GODINEZ MGODINEZ@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

here is a stigma currently held by U.S. society that perceives adult Latino undocumented immigrants as criminals and drug dealers who arrive to the U.S. “illegally” in order to engage in illicit activities. L.A.based theater group Teatro Jornalero Sin Fronteras is determined to end this stigma one scene at a time with a cast made up entirely of jornaleros and domestic workers. Performed May 2-4 and May 9-11 at the East L.A. Rep., the play Dreams Without Borders explores the obstacles that undocumented Latino immigrants face in a society that exploits their labor, yet does nothing to provide them with access to medical services or law services. The actors portray the real-life fears and hopelessness that undocumented Latino immigrants have over the risk of deportation which keeps them from seeking adequate justice and medical attention. At the center of the play is a story about the strained relationship between a father and son that takes place in the Mira Loma Detention Center where they are detainees. The son named Joey, a former gangbanger, is given the choice to leave but it would mean being sent back to his native country, so he refuses. His aging father, Humberto, is given the same option but declines because he would rather be near his son despite his worsening health. The play also brings up issues of sexual abuse that many women experience by employers in the U.S. and by coyotes when they cross over between the U.S. and Mexico. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of the play and the company itself is to claim a space within the media that has arguably become the source of generating anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. Lorena Moran, the production manager, says that she wants the play to remove the stigma that is held by the general public of jornaleros as criminals, drug addicts and unproductive people. Her mission is to confront the idea of jornaleros as unwanted people in the U.S.

Moran says that theater serves as a form of activism politics, but most importantly she focuses on the art itself and fostering “una voz para nuestra comunidad.” During a Q&A that was held after the play, some of the jornaleros described their experiences in the company as therapeutic and as a way to give back to their community. They want immigration reform that will enable them to choose where they decide to work. Although most of the jornaleros were first-time actors, some said that they would look forward to performing on bigger stages. The play is written by Bernardo Solano and directed by Marcos Najera. More information can be found at http://cornerstonetheater.org/teatro-jornalero/about-us/

SNAP FOTOS

The American Indian Student Association (AISA) at UCLA hosted its 29th annual Pow Wow May 3rd and 4th. A colorful weekend honoring the diversity of native communities, the event included various foods and singing and dancing competitions.

8 LA GENTE Spring 2014

The mujeres of Grupo Estudantil Oaxaqueño hosted the 3rd annual Guelaguetza at UCLA on May 24th. The festival promotes the presence of indigenous Oaxacan communities through a variety of music, dance and foods. Photos by Maria Varela

arte y cultura

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED, 2012

ARTIST: LEVI PONCE

ence and I think that’s extremely important. It doesn’t cost me anything to do that, so why wouldn’t I?” Working on the film industry has also given Ponce perspective on the common underrepresentation of Latino faces, further inspiring him to represent them in his art. Ponce says, “If someone were to watch a TV show they will think Latino people don’t exist. Across all forces we’re underrepresented. And I’m just letting the world know we exist!” From Loteria images, Virgenes, lowriders, to sombreros, Latino images are extremely common in Ponces’s art. Although extremely prideful of his ethnic background, he says “It wasn’t as much about the Latino culture but the good people that inspired me to paint these images. Great people, wonderful people! Growing up I have a lot of great stories of them, but we would never see that on TV so I had a need to represent them”. One mural titled “Pacoima’s Art Revolution” portrays the Mona Lisa in a sombrero con armas and a red, white and green Mexican flag on her shoulder as representative of a strong revolutionary women figure and of the growing art revolution in El Valle that grows due to community strength inspired by Ponce. Ponce says, “I will always paint.” He recommends anyone out there with a passion to get up and do it. His advice: “Stop what you’re doing. Do it today. Pick up a paint brush, start painting. Pick up a pen and start writing. If you are going to jump into the pool, then jump! Don’t crawl in!”

CSUN graduate is revolutionizing his community with murals Yadira sesmas yasesmas@gmail.com

THE PACOIMA ART REVOLUTION, 2012

an Fernando Valley-based muralist Levi Ponce is coloring up the streets of Pacoima and bringing art to a community that has not had an art culture before. Levi Ponce, a Cal State University of Northridge (CSUN) graduate in Art with a concentration in Animation, has been painting the streets of Van Nuys Blvd. or what is now known as “Mural Mile.” Murals like that of Danny Trejo along a low-rider, Frida Kahlo fused with graffiti art, and Ritchie Valens are only a few of the murals painted on the walls of Pacoima by Ponce. These murals demonstrate the upbringing of an essential art culture and revolution gaining momentum in El Valle de San Fernando. Ponce got into art at a very young age, describing himself as a “painter kid” and saying art was always in his life. Being exposed to art through his Salvadoran father, Ponce would help his father paint signs. “That’s how I learned to paint, basic design, layout and composition and how to get a message across to an audience.” Although always an art fanatic, Ponce did not get into the muralism scene until two years ago with his initial 2011 “Pacoima Trejo” mural that depicts Danny Trejo, a Pacoima-born actor, alongside a green and blue canvass. From there on, he’s been painting murals continuously along with other artists and, most prominently, with the help of the community. Ponce’s emphasis on community is obvious as he considers them integral to his work. Anyone from business owners, bystanders, neighborhood “cholos” or “punks” come out to lend a hand. He says, “The best part is the interaction with the community. Painting alone is boring. It’s all about good vibrations and meeting new people.” Ponce does this because he says, “It’s the right thing to do. I have more than one brush, more than one paint. I see the excitement, the change made in their day—in their life.” Especially in a community where gang violence, drugs, and daily poverty is a reality, the fact that somebody will give them an opportunity to make a positive impact in their community is huge. “They’re not used to being noticed. Not used to being part of something positive,” Ponce says. “They’re used to not being good enough. People feel noticed, like they made a differ-

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 9

arte y cultura

¿DONDE ESTA EL ARTE HECHO POR MI GENTE?

A struggle to showcase people of color and women of color art ROSA LINDA MEZA RMEZA@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

he voice of the people is meant to be heard! Navigating resistance is no longer the main issue—filtering the voice is what has become an issue. Some voice their opinions through written work or politics, while some do so through art. People of color have produced art, however, there’s a lack of presentation in galleries and museums of such art. The trouble to display art by people of color demonstrates how society is still restrained and subjugated to look upon certain art as “acceptable.” Gustavo Martinez, third year Art major, says, “I am [pushed] to abide by the rules [and produce art] that these contemporary artists make from 1920 to 1980 and I feel like that’s not me.” It seems as though a fine line has been drawn to distinguish what constitutes as worthy art to display and art that many define as too political or brash. Living in a time that promotes liberty of expression turns to be more of a false statement, given the limited art showcased that strives to reach out to diverse communities. Public museums do not display much artwork produced by Latinos, African-Americans, Native Indians, and other people of color. It has come to this: art has become restrained and is forcefully becoming a form of cookie cutter. All art produced is the same, and therfore it’s expected that no arguments ensue. Wrong! There’s of course art that is displayed by people of color, but then another hurdle comes along with it—male dominance. Art produced by men is much better known than art by women. On May 14th at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Library, Cristal Gutierrez Alba, a fourth-year Chicana/o Studies major at UCLA, served as a curator and presented prints created by Chicanas and women of color from the community art center, Self Help Graphics. The posters where produced from 1980-2010, and served as a medium for the Latina/o community to convey their cultural identity. Alba says, “Chicano art that’s marginalized [is] pushed to the side, but then even within that community you have Chicanas that are ignored or not acknowledged because people do not want to go through the difficulty of having to understand another reality.” 10 LA GENTE Spring 2014

UCLA CHICANO STUDIES RESEARCH CENTER

Top Left: Cristal Gutierrez Alba, Top Right: Gustavo Martinez “Keep On,” Bottom: Gustavo Martinez “Non-stop Work”

Women have come to use art just as men to express themselves, but are often cast off as producing art that is disturbing or clashes with social norms that have been far long institutionalized within larger society. “Female or Chicana art focuses more on the female body as a site for claiming history as a site for regeneration, site for connection with the earth and spirituality,” Alba says. “When female bodies are exhibited in Chicano art it is either too signified, like the suffering mother or just another lover, just another mujer sexualized.” With the growing concern to display Chicano art or any other art produced by a person of color, it seems as though museums may now be starting

to expand the vision of “acceptable” art. Martinez says, “I feel like most of the time I relate more to Chicano art because it relates to all the issues my father has gone through and all the one’s I have to go through.” Recent planning for the next L.A.-based art initiative, Pacific Standard Time, has been underway. The J. Paul Getty Trust is donating five million dollars to the showcasing of Latino and Latin American art. The first attempt to include art produced by Latinos was back in 2011. There is no need to place art in a dark corner. Identity serves as a marker—a stamp—that individuals leave in their lifetime. Art functions as proof of the existence of communities’ cultures.

URBAN, ANDEAN FUSION L.A.-based bands embrace transnational “chicha” music MICHELLE SALINAS MSALINAS@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

“P

ara todos los de abajo, todos los que tienen nada,” sings Jason Zepeda, as he vigorously plays the congas during a show with his Los Angeles-based chicha band, La Chamba. The roots of chicha music can be found in the Andean migrant communities of Lima, Peru during the 1960s. The sons and daughters of these migrants grew up between an urban lifestyle and their parents’ Andean traditions, leading them to develop a culture that fused elements from the Andes and Lima together, such as chicha music. In Lima during this time, the radio stations played a lot of Colombian cumbia and rock n’ roll. The migrant community mixed these genres with their own Andean-folklore huayno music, and formed chicha. Chicha made its way to the United States mainly through Oliver Conan’s Chicha Libre band from Brooklyn, New York, who released albums with covers and compilations of chicha songs. Los Angeles-based bands like La Chamba and Viento Callejero embrace this transnational sound. La Chamba was born out of jam sessions between Alejandro Araujo, Jason Zepeda, and Arturo Blanco at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Once these alumni moved back to Los Angeles, they recruited the rest of the band members and officially started practicing in a garage in South Los Angeles in an effort to figure out their band’s sound. It was not until they actually performed that they became a chicha band. Mario Gonzalez, guiro player and vocalist, recounts how after the first gig on October 31st, 2011 a close friend approached him and asked if they were playing chicha. “Influenced by the electrifying guitar and the Afro-Latin percussion of cumbia, salsa, rumba, and merengue, we were soon to find out that this collaborative prototype project was an actual style of music in Peru,” Gonzalez says. From then on they reinvented themselves into La Chamba Cumbia Chicha, and used chicha as a medium for meaningful messages. Gonzalez says,

Members of La Chamba (from left to right): Mario Gonzalez, Arturo Blanco, Jason Zepeda, Alejandro Araujo, and Carlos Zaragoza

arte y cultura “Coming from humble working-class Los Angeles communities, La Chamba decided to amplify the realities that made them who they are by adding a rhythm to the daily bustle of life.” La Chamba collaborated with other Los Angeles bands such as Viento Callejero. Viento Callejero was born out of guitarist Gloria Estrada’s and bassist Federico Zuniga’s desire to start a cumbia project. They later added drummer Gabriel Villa to complete their trio. Although Viento Callejero does not identify as solely a chicha band, this music still influences the group. Estrada says, “Chicha has influenced me in terms of being okay with guitar being a primary instrument.” Viento Callejero does not have a permanent vocalist; instead, they collaborate with other band’s vocalists on a rotating basis. Estrada explains, “One of the things I personally wanted to do with this project is build more of a musical community, where we’re helping each other out and where we’re showcasing or highlighting each others’ projects.” Viento Callejero’s mission reflects how chicha music began in Peru, where migrants found a common ground in an environment that marginalized them for being from the Andes, by creating a community to support one another. Both Viento Callejero and La Chamba are community-nurturing bands, one provides a space for fellow musicians and the latter transmits empowering messages to the working class. Thus, it is important to support these local independent bands that provide Latin@s a sense of belonging with its familiar, danceable rhythms.

- Follow on Facebook @ La Chamba Cumbia Chicha and Viento Callejero - La Chamba will be at the 9th annual Lummis Day Festival at the Heritage Square Museum in Northeast Los Angeles - Support Viento Callejero’s 1st independent album release by donating to their Kickstarter fundraising project by May 31st! Find them on Facebook & donate - Check more chicha bands: Chicha Dust from Tucson, Arizona and Money Chicha from Austin, Texas

Viento Callejero (from left to right): Gloria Estrada, Gabriel Villa, and Federico Zuniga

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 11

featured artist

Q&A WITH MIGUEL RAMIREZ AND ALEX BENDANA REGEM CORPUZ rcorpuz@media.ucla.edu

s all amazing groups, La Santa Cecilia had to start somewhere. Who would have known that this quartet named after the patron saint of music, and who only recently won a Grammy, began in Placita Olvera. Each of the members of La Santa Cecilia grew up in different places in L.A., including Koreatown, South L.A., Highland Park, and even at a ranch in Walnut, California. Regardless of where they’re from, it was music that brought them together. In their adolescence, José “Pepe” Carlos (Accordionist and Requintero) and Marisoul “La Marisoul” Hernández (Lead Vocalist) played together in Placita Olvera. Marisoul met Miguel Ramírez (Percussionist) when they were around 18 at Placita Olvera, and reconnected later on. Miguel knew Alex Bendaña (Bassist) from their time at Cal State Los Angeles and were doing Salsa gigs around L.A. “We all kind of just met playing in other bands and doing freelance work as musicians,” Ramirez says. At some point, they all decided to meet together to create a band. Bendana says, “When we got together we spoke about wanting to write our own music, tell our own stories, and you know, do something different with music. [We] started mixing different styles, and genres, and writing our own stuff and trying to say something with music.” In my time speaking to two members of La Santa Cecilia, Alex Bendana and Miguel Ramirez, I understood where they come from, what inspires their work, and what the band hopes to convey with their music.

What was the first album you bought and why? What did that mean to you?

express their life, but do you think it can be used in any other way? What do you hope to see in the future with Latino Artists? Miguel: We are lucky to be part of a lineage of Latino artists like Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Quetzal, all these bands that came from L.A. that express this multicultural, multidimensional experience. As an L.A. band, we’re very open. As Latinos, we are expressing what it’s like to be bicultural. To say “Somos Latinos, and we’re American exactly at the same time! And, we have no problem navigating both worlds.”As we become more and more of a majority in different parts of the U.S., it’s important for us to have people to identify with, to say “that’s me.” You don’t have to be ashamed of being bicultural or having both experiences.

So your recent album “Someday New” was just released. How would you describe the new album? What inspired its creation? Miguel: Some of the songs we wrote and recorded were done at the same time with our first album “Treinta Dias.” We chose the songs for “Someday New” to show a return to our roots, to show all the different influences that affect La Santa Cecilia throughout and our love affair for Latin America.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Latino artists who wish to be in the position you are in?

Miguel: The first record I bought was Moonflower by Santana. I was just really into Santana at the time when I was doing different percussions. I was really drawn to the sound of that band, as it was so percussion-centered. I was just going nuts over that band. Alex: The first album I got was Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I didn’t know they were from L.A. The way they were fusing stuff, funk and rap! They had this whole different way of expressing themselves, and it was totally L.A. And, I really connected with that. I was saying to myself, “I would really like to be in a band like that. L.A.- kind of band, mixing styles and doing cool stuff.”

You all are doing so much, touring around the nation. You even travelled to Mexico. But your base is L.A. How do you keep in contact with your community? What places or activities make you feel connected to L.A. even when you are hundreds of miles away? Miguel: That’s where we are from. That’s the city where we developed as people. So no matter where we go, we are always going to be Angelinos, from the City of Los Angeles. Everyone from the band is very connected to their roots—where they come from. Luckily our parents have helped us with that in a natural way, keeping together the music, the food, and the language. It’s just a part of who we are.

Latino artists like you are definitely an example to a lot of those who aspire to be like you. How do you feel about paving the way for Latino artists in that sense and the messages you have brought out? You say music is a way for an artist to 12 LA GENTE Spring 2014

SAVE THE DATE

La Santa Cecilia will be playing at Santa Monica Pier August 14th as part of the Twilight Concert Series. The event is free and for all ages.

featured artist

LA SANTA CECILIA Miguel: Be open. Not to limit yourself. Feel free to express yourself in whatever way that is. Be all of it. Be multidimensional. Be free to express more than what your mind is capable of at a certain time, because the world is huge and there are so many beautiful things to experience. And, if you open yourself to that experience, your life is going to change forever. We are trying to represent who we are as Latinos, so we are showing the best of ourselves. So people can take us seriously, and see our culture has so many beautiful things to offer! Alex: Be open and honest with anything you decide to do. People can read if you’re trying to be something else or be fake. Be honest with your work. Be honest with your art, and whatever you decide to do. Juntate con gente que te va ayudar tambien. Have faith in you, have faith in them. Be there with the people that will support you and move forward. That’s one of the biggest things that’s helped us. It’s not just the four of us. There’s a bigger family--whether it’s the label or the producer or the fanbase, or those that like what we do.

It was awesome for you all to dedicate your Grammy to the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and also working on songs that highlight their struggles and hard work. Why of all issues, immigration? Were you fearful of the reaction this subject would get in places like L.A., given the political climate surrounding immigration? Miguel: I mean, for us, first and foremost, we are not a political group. We didn’t start with any political intentions. What happened with “El Hielo,” a song that was written about immigration, was that we needed to tell our story. We are first generation, most of us immigrants. Waking up and hearing your relatives got deported and our families got separated, it’s just something we deal with in these times. The crazy thing about it is that it becomes normalized in your life, but it is not something normal. [Pepe] was undocumented for such a long time. But luckily, he now has his DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). He was one of those DREAM Act students that received some form of legal stay in this country. We couldn’t travel with him all the time, and he couldn’t go with us to Mexico. When we toured the United States, we had to be careful with the immigration checkpoints throughout the country. You just don’t realize how much of a political situation it actually is. So when we got to writing the song, it was to tell an honest story of what we live and what we experience. We were just really lucky it became part of something greater.

There was a New York Times article about your group published in March. They quote you Miguel saying, “We called ourselves La Santa Cecilia because we wanted something that represented our faith in music, our dreams and what we could accomplish with music. We didn’t have a political intention or agenda at the beginning of the band.” Did that change now, or are you all still the same with what you’re trying to portray with your music? What message are you trying to portray now with your music? Miguel: When you asked if there’s an obligation for an artist to write something, in a way, it’s unfair to an artist to say, “You have an obligation to speak out about this issue.” In reality, most people get into art because they want to express themselves and they want to feel free. And I think for us, we’re very lucky that the four members of La Santa Cecilia have very similar sensibilities of life and music and so many different things. If something affects one of us, it’s more than likely that it’ll affect our group as a whole. And right now it’s a very politically charged time for our community, for Latinos, for everybody that is struggling to have an equal standing in this country, to be seen with dignity and treated with dignity as everyone else. Alex: I think we’re going to continue talking about issues that affects us, like immigration, love, and things that we worry about. If you go to our shows, we talk about everything, the whole spectrum of our lives. And if you feel what we feel, then we have a connection.

Do you think Latino artists have an obligation to highlight the issue of immigration? Alex: I think we just write personal stories about what affects us, our families, and our communities. Musicians always write about their feelings and what is happening currently. I think that’s what we get inspired by every time. That’s just what good receptive artists and musicians do. PHOTOS BY ARMANDO CORRIENTE

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 13

comunidad

DAY LABORERS, FORSAKEN

lessons center around particular words and phrases that help the day laborers communicate freely within their work spheres. “We often fail to understand that such basic words can translate to being able to communicate with their employers--a way to prevent work exploitation,” Ochoa says. With the threat of closing the centers, Proyecto de Jornaleros has joined with IDEPSCA and the day laborers to take a stance against this situation. If the centers were to permanently close, Proyecto and day laborers would have to face a hard task of finding another location to resume their English lessons. Ochoa says, “Right now many labor centers are being closed so various community partners are abandoning day labor programs, so it has become crucial for Proyecto de Jornaleros to solidify its support towards the labor community.”

IDEPSCA day-laborer centers on verge of closing due to lack of city funds MARIA PEREZ MPEREZ@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

14 LA GENTE Spring 2014

laborers are often neglected “Day and isolated, and many people fail to recognize them as part of our community.”

Proyecto de Jornaleros, IDEPSCA, day laborers themselves, and other groups have created events that promote the awareness of the ongoing situation. Saturday April 26th the inauguration of a mural dedicated to the day laborers was held at the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Venice, CA. During the ceremony, it was mentioned that L.A. is in the process of becoming an elitist community, and that it should be open to people from all types of backgrounds, including the day laborers. “Many of us in Proyecto feel like the jornaleros are part of our family, like that hard working uncle that struggles to make ends meet; and every little thing that you do to help becomes even more significant,” Ochoa says. PHOTOS BY ERIKA RAMIREZ

nstituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) is an organization that provides education for immigrants and aids them in resolving some problems found in their own communities. IDEPSCA also has a special program that focuses on the day laborer community. Through its fours centers located throughout Los Angeles, not only are the day laborers offered classes in literacy, English, health, and law, but they are also provided with a safe space where they may spend their time. Potential employers may come and seek day laborers at these centers, and in this way IDEPSCA keeps the day laborers away from the danger they might face as they search for work out in the streets. This facilitates their opportunities of finding employment. It was announced early May that IDEPSCA would have to close all four centers due to the lack of funds within L.A. County. The citizens of L.A. have not been contributing to IDEPSCA’s efforts, and though IDEPSCA has often had their funds cut, it never reached the point where they would have to close their doors. In the midst of this, the day laborers gathered at the City Council where they asked if there was any possibility to receive the funding they need to keep the project going. Though they were not told that they would receive the funding necessary to keep the day laborer program completely functional, they were told that they would be provided with another three months during which IDEPSCA and the centers may remain active. At UCLA, there is a group on campus whose main objective is reaching out to the day laborers. Cynthia Ochoa, a second year International Development Studies major and a director in Proyecto de Jornaleros says, “Proyecto de Jornaleros is a CPO project that aims to serve the day laborer population in the L.A. area. Through weekly discussion and ELL sessions we seek to help the jornaleros become community leaders and to become better able to enforce their rights. Day laborers are often neglected and isolated, and many people fail to recognize them as part of our community.” Each Friday and Saturday morning several members of Proyecto head to the centers in Downtown and Cypress Park, where they take the time to have insightful conversations with the day laborers followed by separating into different groups and leading English lessons. These English

A day laborer speaks at April 26th inauguration of SPARC’s mural

comunidad

FIGHTING FOR FARM WORKERS’ RIGHTS Reflections of a female UFW organizer JUAN TORRES JTORRES@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

“B

efore, we did not have restrooms, clean water… airplanes would fumigate us… we immigrants did not [have] any rights, nothing!” Maria Carqueño, a former organizer for the UFW and now a retired woman living in San Diego, exclaimed to describe the living conditions of farm workers before the creation of the United Farm Workers (UFW). The UFW is a union that emerged as a result of the unification of the Filipino led Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the Mexican-American led National Farm Workers Association to defend the labor rights of farm workers. Sexually abused farm-working women, fired and assassinated union organizers, and a vivid religious hope for things to change for the better, were some of Carqueño's most intense memories of her struggle to create farm unions in the 1970’s.

recounts “Carqueño how white Ameri-

cans would take out the dogs to chase her or how they would grab a flyer from the union, tear it apart and throw the pieces at her face.”

On March 26th she spoke at an elementary school event in which students danced and sang in commemoration of Cesar Chavez. “If they did not recognize him before, he is being recognized now… we are here to remember him. I worked with him and accompanied him in the marches,” said Carqueño to a crowd of parents after watching the performance of their children. Post World War II U.S. saw an increasing demand from farm-workers to improve their living conditions. During the 1970’s, the infection and parasitic diseases rates of migrants were 25% higher than the national average. Even though farm workers were four times more likely to get injured at work, 90% of them were not covered

by any medical care insurance. Additionally, their mortality rate was double the national average and their life expectancy was about 30 years less than the average. With two children and an unstable future, Carqueño engaged in organizing in the 1970’s. “She was very small when we were in the fight; she was four,” said Carqueño, remembering her daughter’s, Lilia Carqueño, age. “[I remember] when we went to the marches...when my mother gathered in the house to talk about how to organize,” recalls Lilia in the moments of intense organizing efforts. In the attempt to organize a union in the Egger & Ghio Company owned farms in San Diego, Carqueño and other farm workers were fired and replaced with undocumented immigrants. Since the company had connections with the local U.S. Border Patrol it was easier to manipulate the undocumented workforce and break the unionization attempt. After the California state government compelled the company to rehire some of previously fired workers, they were punished with harsh labor. Some women, including Carqueño, were given the task of carrying heavy objects causing some injuries such as internal hemorrhage. Outside the farms, Carqueño and other organizers also faced discrimination and contempt from California citizens as they tried to collect signatures to unionize their workplace. Carqueño recounts how white Americans would take out the dogs to chase her or how they would grab a flyer from the union, tear it apart and throw the pieces at her face.

Even at the adversity of powerful and hostile conditions, Carqueño and the UFW managed to validate the UFW as the official union of workers at the Egger & Ghio Company. “The scholarship shows that women were very active [in the farm-worker’s movement], and that we have to question our notion of leadership. Because often times men are the one who are pushed forward to stand at the microphone, but is the women who do the actual organization labor,” said Maylei Blackwell, Associate Professor at UCLA’s Department of Chicana/o Studies. To professor Blackwell, the role of Carqueño as UFW organizer was not uncommon, but the fact that she is recognized for this leadership role is unusual. Blackwell’s research on female and indigenous farm-workers illustrates that the struggle for a quality life for farm workers is not over. Female farm-workers face high rates of sexual harassment and damage to their reproductive organs due to exposure to pesticides. Indigenous farm-workers face a dual system of discrimination for their indigenous culture and their nationality. Furthermore, 23% of farm-workers earn a wage below the national poverty guidelines, and the majority lack quality housing and primary health care. From a children’s book by Alma Flor Ada, Carqueño read out loud her favorite part of a story narrating Cesar Chavez's life: “Cesár Chávez, ya tus pasos no cruzan los campos polvorientos ni los alumbras con tu buena voz pero tu ejemplo y tu palabra retoñan en los surcos en brotes de callada esperanza.” Spring 2014 LA GENTE 15

comunidad

DRIFTING IN LIFE MADELINN ORNELAS MORNELAS@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

hey hit their brakes fast, turning the corner, leaving burning scorch marks on the streets around an empty Los Angeles factory. Others watch from their parked Nissan 240SXs, marked with stickers representing different crews. Guys open their hoods to show off self-built engines, meanwhile others take turns hitting the streets in tandem. Sirens sound in the distance, and not knowing if officials are quickly approaching them, the whole crew jumps into their cars and speed away in seconds. It’s not Fast and the Furious, but it is drifting in L.A. A small community of crews make up the heart of grassroots drifting in L.A. Along with working and obtaining an education, groups of guys have created a space to burn out for the thrill of it. Though the origin of drifting is unknown, the emergence and popularization can be traced in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s by the help of drifting legend, Keiichi Tsuchiya. During the late 1980s, Japanese automotive magazine Carboy Magazine created the first official drifting event and went on to host a second event, with Video Option magazine founder, Daijiro Inada, leading to the creation of Japan’s premier drifting series D1 Grand Pix. After becoming a professional autocross sport in Japan, professional drivers toured Irwindale, California in the tournament D1 Grand Pix, becoming the capital of drifting for the U.S. During the early 2000s, this new autocross sport continued to grow in the U.S., contributing to the emergence of professional premier drifting series called Formula Drift. Through the advancement of videos and word of mouth, people drifting in L.A. continues to grow by the masses. They carve their space out into numerous drifting crews that support each other in meets and competitions. Paisa Drift, originating from Southeast Los Angeles, has been a prominent crew in the drifting scene. “We were all thinking of really making a team since we all kick it...we stuck with Paisa Drift…because we are all from Mexican descent, are all friends, and love to drift,” says a member of Paisa Drift. Originally meant to be a joke, Paisa Drift’s inception began on a local track between a couple of friends. After seeing a car with a sticker saying “Beaner Drift,” they jokingly created Paisa Drift. It was not until weeks later that the group of friends became serious about the idea. This crew has been in the forefront of grassroots drifting, carving out its own space in the drifting universe with nothing but their passions, as well as influencing and entertaining others that enjoy this sport. “Here’s a bunch of guys laying it all on the street...it’s more tangible. It’s like you don’t have to be

16 LA GENTE Spring 2014

from Japan, which is like what everyone thinks or you don’t have to be rich because all these cars are pretty low budget,” says a member of Paisa Drift. “So it’s cool for some guys to see people trying it, rather than watching it on the internet. It hits home. They can relate to it more. We’re all on the same level, same neighborhood, all that.” Many individuals use drifting as an outlet to build fundamental knowledge about mechanics and to connect with a community of like-minded people. “It’s a community of cars. Like if someone is into cars, and they see you’re into cars, it’s easy to talk to that person,” says a member of Team Black, another drifting crew based in L.A. “It’s all love, I guess. A love for cars.” Though it is an expensive sport to participate in, many individuals from L.A. have sought this out while working full-time and continuing their high school and higher education to reach higher, more stable positions in the future. Many of these drivers do not gain endorsements and endure hardships, yet stay committed to their team and passion of driving. “I got a job at the age of 17 and started saving up for my first [car], which is a ‘89 nissan 240SX, and still currently my car, ” says a member of Paisa Drift. “I was always committed to the sport of drifting… Plus my dream is to have my own performance shop with my teammates and compete in the pros, but it takes a lot of money.” Usually drivers buy a Nissan 240SX, due to its effectiveness and low cost, and reserve money for replacing tires that waste when burning-out or drifting. Though these cars are not particularly grandiose or as showy as cars of drivers that do have money or endorsements, many of these local drivers spend all their time working on their cars to achieve the maximum potential. This continues to perpetuate the idea that anyone can really drift, if only they have the passion for it. “I got into drifting because I ran into a 240 Nissan and it was really cheap and I didn’t mind destroying it and I know from videos they get destroyed,” says a member of Paisa drift. “I’m pretty serious, all I do is fix my car and talk about drifting. It’s just so addicting. Something about it draws you.” Drifting, though potentially dangerous, is an essential practice in these individuals’ lives. Paisa Drift, and other L.A. based drifting crews, provide a space where individuals can carry out their passions with a strong community supporting them. Drifting becomes the most definitive way of gaining control in their lives. “You just have to go to the track or go somewhere where there’s drifting and watch the cars fly by,” says another member of Paisa Drift. “You don’t know why. It’s just so wild. It’s chaotic, but it’s beautiful. Drifting is like the ultimate challenge.” “[Drifting] means a lot, but I can’t put it into words. When I’m not doing it, that’s what I think about doing. It’s keeps you out of trouble from doing other shit,” says member of Team Black. “I’d rather be drifting than all the other bad things I can get into. I’d rather be on the streets, drifting.”

comunidad

INSPIRE(D) TO RESIST Students in Watts take direct action to save their school Kimberly Soriano ksoriano@media.ucla.edu

eon Clayvon, 24, continuously chanted to the crowd of community members and students who marched to inform their community about the displacement of INSPIRE Research Academy. On May 7th students hosted this march that went around their local park and down 103rd street towards the Watts towers. For many of the student supporters this school serves as the “last chance” after being pushed-out from traditional high schools. The Institute of Service-Learning, Power, and Intersectional Research (INSPIRE) is an alternative school in partnership with Los Angeles Youth Opportunity Movement in Watts (YO Watts) and John Muir Charter School. INSPIRE Research Academy is an educational center for 17-25 year olds to earn their high school diploma. “You can be inspired...it’s all in the name.“ says, Clayvon. According to a public letter, Councilmember Joe Buscaino’s representatives offered INSPIRE Research Academy a one year lease on Firehouse 65 to expand their campus. Yet, on January 24th Councilmember Buscaino’s office notified the school that the firehouse was no longer an option and that his offices would be moving into INSPIRE’s recreation room. The recreation room houses a variety of classes, including a class that offers college credit for students. According to an INSPIRE press release, the removal of the recreation room will

displace about 90 students. The councilmember claims that he will be saving money by moving into the facility, but has yet to comment on where the money he saves will be redirected. On April 2nd INSPIRE held a community forum for members of the surrounding Watts community to share their opinions and resolutions about the takeover of the recreation room. According to the report on the community forum, about 200 community members, teachers, INSPIRE and UCLA students, and representatives from Councilmember Buscaino’s offices participated in the forum. Dialogue was held around questions such as, what is your opinion about Councilmember Buscaino’s plan and what are some alternative solutions to the potential displacement? “The march [was] one of solidarity and awareness. We are not seeking to be confrontational in the sense that we are trying to be belligerent;” Alejandro Covarrubias, Executive Director of INSPIRE Academy, “However, we realize that holding people accountable to listen to us as they would other communities can be perceived as aggression rather than active citizenship.” Dulce Gomez, a student leader in the May 7th march said, “This is the epitome of oppression simply because they think they shouldn’t count our voice; they made a decision without consulting us. . . [Buscaino] hides behind cameras, he says he is trying to help us but he is taking away our last hope.” Many students that attend INSPIRE Research Academy have been previously pushed-out from their high schools and have limited options to where they can continue their path towards education. INSPIRE’s recreation room being displaced is the effect of the lack of democracy during the

is the epitome “This of oppression simply

because they think they shouldn’t count our voice; they made a decision without consulting us.”

decision making process. Students were given no voice when it came to making decisions for their own school. Councilmembers and not the community are making decisions that will directly affect students. The issue is not only the displacement, but the lack of a democratic process when making decisions that will affect youth and their educational resources given. All factors are enabling the attacks on youth centers and high schools that offer greater opportunities for students of color. Support INSPIRE Research Academy and sign the petition on Change.org: http://www.change.org/petitions/joe-buscaino-don-t-displace-our-public-school-givethe-people-of-watts-a-voice-in-communitydecisions INSPIRE students will be presenting their research on June 4th at the Youth Research Symposium at Ackerman Grand Ballroom from 9am- 3pm with special guests Professor Daniel Solorzano PhD and Professor Tyrone Howard PhD.

Spring 2014 LA GENTE 17

comunidad

PROMOTORAS DE SALUD

South Central L.A. group addresses community health concerns Roxana Martinez rmartinez@media.ucla.edu

ESPERANZA COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION

18 LA GENTE Spring 2014

speranza Community Housing Corporation has taken part in addressing issues affecting Figueroa Corridor of South Central Los Angeles residents' health. The lack of education and attainability to healthy food is one issue that Esperanza addresses. Esperanza works with a group of neighborhood residents, primarily women, and trains them on how to be health leaders, patient advocates, health educators, and community organizers. They call them Promotoras de Salud. Promotoras educate residents about varied health issues, including environmental health, lead poisoning prevention, allergies and asthma, prenatal care and early childhood development, and access to health services. They promote healthier eating habits as well as education on how to attain affordable nutritional food. “It’s really shocking to drive through almost any neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles and see how little has changed in terms of healthy food and health care options for our residents since the Watts Riots of 1965 and the LA civil unrest of 1992,” says Pr. Brian Eklund, chair of the Board for Esperanza Housing Corporation. “If it weren’t for the numerous community groups which have organized to improve their neighborhoods these areas would be a wasteland.” Promotoras go out to the neighborhood and inform families about eating healthy and adopting healthy habits, which is crucial to the communities that don’t have much resources for healthy living. South Central is a food desert because there isn’t any accessible healthy foods for the community in over one mile on foot. Mainstream grocery-chain stores that provide healthy foods are rare in South Central, but when you do find one it is with low quality food and highly priced products. What you will find is liquor stores and other small “corner stores,” at times referred to as convenience stores. Few of these stores sell fresh food. If they do have fresh items, the selection is limited and the items are overpriced and low quality. Due to the fact that there isn’t accessible healthy foods, dialysis centers are now opening up. Dialysis means removing waste and excess water from an individual’s blood, and is used primarily as an artificial replacement for lost kidney function due to diabetes and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Urban displacement occurring around the University of Southern California (USC) area

prompted the growth of Esperanza, initially a housing corporation that has now branched into so much more, including health advocacy. Esperanza began developing new family apartments, and rehabilitated existing properties to improve the quality and affordability of housing in the neighborhood. On top of this, Esperanza has begun a grassroots campaign called “People not Pozos.” The campaign arose from the concerns that community members had regarding the University Park’s oil well gas emissions. The emissions caused harmful health symptoms including spontaneous nose bleeding, headaches and asthma. The campaign addresses the prioritization of people’s lives and health over oil fracking corporate profit, and advocates for the end of fracking in low-income communities of color.

it weren't for the “Ifnumerous community

groups...these areas would be a wasteland.”

“It has been amazing to see the explosion of grass roots community groups which have emerged over the last 20 years in South Los Angeles,” Eklund says. “Finding political will for creating positive change, business investment to help lift the neighborhoods, and outside financial resources to assist the non profits continues to be a critical challenge.” It is really difficult to imagine how a community can be so overburdened. However, there are organizations like Esperanza that strive to achieve comprehensive and long-term community development. Esperanza’s focus is on creating opportunities for community residents’ growth, security, participation, recognition, and ownership through developing and preserving affordable housing and promoting health care. Additionally, they are also engaged in getting more community participation in arts, pursuing their own economic development, and ensuring quality education through different partnerships that build hope. “What grass roots organizations have accomplished in our communities with minimal resources is nothing short of a miracle. You will find some of the most vibrant, alive, and hope filled communities in the city right in South Central!”

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

EL FUTURO DE CALIFORNIA ES LA EDUCACION BILINGUE

¡topen esto!

Hablando sobre la propuesta SB 1174 del Senador Lara LucIa Tejeda, La Gente Alumna and UCLA MSW candidate

l comienzo de éste año, el Senador Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) escribió la propuesta SB 1174 cual posiblemente le daría lugar a la educación bilingüe en California otra vez, si es que llega a pasar por el proceso y ser parte de las elecciones de este otoño. Actualmente, desde que la propuesta 227 fue aprobada en 1998, California se propuso crear programas de inmersión solamente en inglés, eliminando a la educación bilingüe. Sin tener en cuenta el futuro que nos puede brindar al ser bilingüe, la propuesta 227 se enfocó en solamente enseñar el inglés en las escuelas--ya que es nuestro idioma nacional, según el argumento de las personas que apoyaron a esta ley. Con la propuesta SB 1174, el Senador Lara vuelve a abrir el discurso sobre la importancia del multilingüismo, las oportunidades económicas, y por supuesto, el valor cultural que es mantener la lengua materna. A la misma vez menciona la necesidad de que nuestros alumnos estén aprendan el inglés. Ser bilingüe es valer por dos. Aproximadamente más de 38 millones de personas hablan el español en los Estados Unidos. Un 43.5 por ciento de la población de California habla otro idioma en casa que aparte del inglés. En el condado de Los Ángeles, se hablan 135 idiomas. Aunque el inglés sea la lengua nacional, aquí nos damos cuenta que somos un país más y más diverso lingüísticamente. Sin embargo, mientras un 66 por ciento de los niños del mundo se crían bilingües, solamente un 6.3 por ciento de los niños que viven en los Estados Unidos se crían bilingües. Para competir en el mercado global, ¿Por qué no continuamos con los programas de educación bilingüe? El inglés es muy importante y esencial, pero también existe un valor inmenso en saber una segunda lengua, tercera, cuarta….ser bilingüe o multilingüe nos ayuda a comunicarnos mejor. La comunicación es esencial en todas las industrias y carreras. Ya que somos un país muy diverso, los trabajos a veces exigen que uno sea bilingüe porque las organizaciones, agencias, negocios y gobierno están muy al tanto de la necesidad no solamente de otra lengua, sino de las habilidades y destrezas que uno desarrolla al aprender más de un idioma. La recompensa está en que las personas bilingües ganan casi $7,000 más por año comparado a las personas monolingües. Esto significa que las personas que estén bajo el nivel federal de pobreza, tienen la oportunidad de ganarse más dinero, apoyar a sus familias, tener un trabajo en el cual valorizan sus habilidades, etc. Hoy en día, un 66 por ciento de los empleadores prefieren contratar a los candidatos bilingües, ya que se valoriza mucho el idioma en las distintas industrias. ¿Por qué apoyar y/o estar al tanto de SB 1174? Ser bilingüe es más que una oportunidad de trabajo o un aumento de ingreso. El futuro está en la educación. Yo personalmente, tuve la gran oportunidad y privilegio de estudiar en un programa bilingüe K-12. Mis padres son inmigrantes de México y mi lengua materna es el español. Lo que aprendí en la escuela, fueron técnicas del idioma que hasta hoy día me han ayudado bastante en mi carrera educacional y profesional. Ahora como futura trabajadora social profesional, podré representar, ayudar y asegurar que las personas a las que ayudaré en distintos aspectos, confíen en mí para podernos comunicar eficazmente y efectivamente. El idioma nos une uno al otro. Ser bilingüe me ha unido a mi familia, a mis amigos, a la comunidad, a mi profesión, y a mis raíces. Ahora al pensar en el futuro de la educación de los alumnos, hay que tomar en cuenta el valor de ser bilingüe en todos sus aspectos.

SB 1174 Amended Law (1) This bill would amend and repeal various provisions of Proposition 227. The bill would, among other things, delete the sheltered English immersion requirement and waiver provisions, and would instead authorize school districts and county offices of education to determine the best language instruction methods and language acquisition programs to implement by consulting experts in the field, parents, and engaging local communities. *Source: California Legislative Information

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¡topen esto!

CALIFORNIA VERSUS CONGRESS

Lack of immigration reform cutting away at California’s agricultural industry MIGUEL ANGEL MARTINEZ MMARTINEZ1@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

y the year 2022 agricultural jobs will decrease by 25,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is important to notice this decline in labor within the agriculture industry. California leads agricultural business in the United States. But, the decrease is neither due to a drought nor a spreading plague. It is due to strict immigration laws that deport and coerce away dependable, undocumented immigrant workers. Despite California farmers advocating for immigration reform to have a dependable work force in the fields, last year the United States Congress halted any talk on immigration reform. According to agricultural economists at UC Davis, about 50% of farm laborers who work under the sun’s rays are undocumented persons. According to reports by Partnership for a New American Economy, agricultural labor in the United States in recent years has decreased by 27%. Comparing the years 1998 to 2000 and 2010 to 2012, imports have increased by about 80%. It, therefore, becomes a major loss for California. The history of the California’s agricultural economy starts with Native American “Indians,” who were the first people to settle in what is now called California. When the Spanish colonized their lands, the Spanish then began to produce non-native European crops such as wheat and began to farm cattle. California now leads the United States in the cultivation and selling of crops such as avocados, almonds, asparagus, cauli-

MONSANTO

JUAN TORRES JTORRES@MEDIA.UCLA.EDU

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JONATHAN HORCASITAS

flower, oriental vegetables, pistachios, lettuce, and in processing tomatoes. Yet, representatives in the United States Congress are not addressing the decline in agricultural labor and the need for workers. Despite bipartisan support in California for immigration reform, the Republican Party at the national level is not encouraging immigration reform that would provide more labor for California farmers. Both Republicans and Democrats in California understand the need for immigration reform.

Yet, the lack of action on immigration reform on Capitol Hill is negatively affecting California’s agricultural economy. Congressmen and Congresswoman ought to be conscious about their lack of action. Because agriculture is an important part of California’s economy, a dramatic decline in agricultural production is a huge risk. How will Republicans in congress alleviate California’s need for agricultural labor without immigration reform, which could have done just that?

and the use of GMOs as food products. Activists claim GMOs cause organ damage, sterility, birth defects, auto-immune conditions, infant mortality and many more diseases. They claim that Monsanto uses harmful practices towards the environment through habitat destruction, monocropping, soil infertility, and by decreasing the world’s bee population. Activists, therefore, have opted to take their concerns to the streets and to their congressional representatives.

n May 24th Los Angeles residents marched against Monsanto, a multinational agricultural and chemical company. Among their main grievances towards the company was the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as food products and the continual resistance from Monsanto to allow GMO products to be labeled as such. This protest was one of many planned in various cities across the world to protest Monsanto

LA RUEDA DE MARGARITA HERNANDEZ Donny Chago*

astened comfortably on my left wrist is a purple rueda. I have a tendency to keep things on my wrists if they mean something to me. Some last a couple weeks, others last a couple of years. This rueda has been with me since late March of 2014. It belongs to my mom and it’s not so much that she gave it to me as it is that I held onto it and haven’t given it back yet. My mom is generally very mindful of where things are. Her family has always looked to her for solutions. She may have only been educated to what is the U.S. equivalent of a 3rd grade level back in Guerrero, but anyone spending a few minutes in her typical day would be astounded by the sharpness of her mental faculties. Those same faculties are only superseded by her un-bounding generosity and kindness. El problema es que not too long ago, my mom got sick. She started lying and covering up those lies. She started getting into car accidents. She started falling down on a regular basis. On the night before Halloween of 2012, she slipped and fell while showering. This would prove to be the first in a string of spiritually draining hospital visits. After countless trial and

“MADRE”

Mariella Mondragon, Contributor Como mujer que soy estoy tratando de dar un homje a mis compañeras Y es por esto que le digo a todo el genero humano que es la mujer La mujer es la gloria que como una lámpara perpetua permanece encendida como el mejor emblema que Dios dejo en la vida Es como una fuerza para la existencia de los hombres Y cuando estas mujeres se hacen madres y son las Primeras en alumbrar el sendero de la vida de cada Ser que día a día llega este mundo. Nos hacemos merecedoras a los mas sublimes elogios Y es el momento en que Dios redime primero a la mujer y luego a la madre. La ensalza, la eleva, y la glorifica. Por esto hoy en el día de las madres fiesta que nació como atributo a la mujer y a venido constituir un recto espiritual hace blasonan las liras vinculado a la mujer en todos los emblemas, el arte, trabajo, ponencia y dolor. Dentro de el cristianismo a la mujer aquieta el corazón encendido por el odio comforta el dolor y suaviza el rencor

expresiones error with specialists and curanderos alike, we arrive to April of 2014. After a series of visits, her latest neurologist explains that she has arrived at a diagnosis: Dementia. My mom is 59. Since the Spring of 2013, I had been taking care of my mom in the hopes that her vulnerable state is transitory. I had just received my letters of acceptances from universities and opted to attend UCLA for the Fall, hoping that my mom’s debilidad would be shed alongside the leaves of Autumn. That summer was the most emotionally and mentally draining period of my short 21 years. September 23rd came and went. I deferred my admission for a later date. I said to my family and to myself that I was going to stay by my mother’s side until she recovers. Education could and would wait. Yo estuve dispuesto to wait on her hand and foot, cater to her every whim to show my dedication, my conviction, but most of all my agradacimiento for all that she had done for me and for the family. Being that my dad wanted me to attend in the Fall as planned, this was the first real act of rebellion against my parents’ wishes. I thought to myself “How? Como yo seria capaz de abandonar a mi familia cuando mas me necesita?” The past year had seen a marked number of subsequent changes. Given my 24-hour presence en el hogar I felt it only natural to take up my mom’s cooking, cleaning, and everything in between. The most important change that happened, though, was the evolution of the relationship between my dad and I. Through hardship, our bond grew stronger, our confidence, greater. Iron sharpened iron. I learned to see my dad as a person like any other with his own fears and insecurities. He learned to treat me as not just his son, but his friend, too. With this new dynamic, I grew to understand that I was pandering to a parasitic guilt festering inside of me. By sending me off to school, my dad could finally have the satisfaction of helping his son reach a height he only dreamed of as a joven in Mexico. I’m now attending my first quarter at UCLA with a very special brand of anxiety that doesn’t allow me to sleep more than 6 hours a day or spend a single dollar. I’d be lying if I said that the guilt isn’t still there; but, I’m making a conscious effort to overcome it. Until the day comes that I can feel comfortable walking up and down Janss steps, I’ll keep fiddling with my rueda, the symbol of mi motivo por estar aqui. When that day does comes, though, I will look forward to handing that rueda to its rightful owner, looking at those iridescent caramel-colored eyes with the confidence and conviction that everything is going to be alright.

El amor que refleja la mirada de las madres es limpio manantial de agua sagrada. Y sus manos que acarician con ternura el cuerpo de los hijos cuando llegan Toda una vida de amor y sacrificio es lo que al mundo una mujer ofrece. Y es un orgullo para los hombres y mujeres ofrecerles su madre en este dia fragantes flores perfuradas. Y para las que ya descansan decirles o madre te sigo viendo como antes y ancio que me guardes en tu pecho tu recuerdo de mi mente no se aparta y sigo necesitan de tus cuidados como entonces es por esto que te pido de rodillas, madre ayúdame en este largo camino de la vida. Mientras que yo rumeo la muerte de mi madre por todos los caminos arrodillo mi alma para rezar la plegaria de el amor por mi dulce y lejana viejecita adorada… Alma de mi madre mártir de mi soledad ayúdame. Tristeza infinita de mi madre ausente enbriagme llanto de mi madre purificame. Recuerdo de mi madre iluminame. Y en todo instante bendíceme para que nunca te olvide y para que te adore siempre. Spring 2014 LA GENTE 21

nuestra jotería

LET’S BE FREE TO BE! The importance of L.A.’s first ever Queer Punk Fest

Giovannie Nunez-Duenas gnunezduenas@media.ucla.edu

he general idea of what punk rock embodies has become iconized by the drug-drenched and/or mentally unstable “legends” that pioneered the genre: Black Flag, The Ramones, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, GG Allen, etc… Yes, these figures symbolize a disenfranchised youth that clamor for freedom from a boring daily life. Yet, like many American byproducts they are white, male, middle-class, cisgendered, able-bodied, and straight straight straight. Ultimately, they cannot come to understand how their experiences don’t relate to vast intersectional identities that fall outside the male, white, straight, middle-class norm. “We are a collective all about queer visibility within punk and hardcore,” says Rex Halafihi, a member of Solidarity, Queer Unity, and Diversity. SQUAD is the group who organized the first ever Los Angeles Queer Punk Fest. It is SQUAD who has also made it their personal mission to dismantle the white hetero-normative norm and dance over its pathetic grave. Anyone familiar with Chucos’ Justice Center in Inglewood knows that they aren’t shy about their confrontational politics. Thus, it was not surprising walking into Queer Punk Fest finding a circle of queer punks cheering each other on as they took turns swinging at a police-pig piñata vomiting colorful condoms out its gashed belly. Welcome to Day Two of Queer Punk Fest!

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You may be wondering what happened during Day One. Well, if you are straight then keep wondering because you’re never going to know. Queer Punk Fest brings our attention to an unrecognized fact: the world is a space meant to predominantly accommodate straight people, and anyone who doesn’t fit that category must pay uncomfortable expenses. This festival reverses those comfort zones and makes it clear that you are entering a queer-space tailored around queer folk’s comforts and wishes. “The first night is no cis-heterosexuals allowed. We want it to be specifically a queer and trans mixer, it’s more of a dance party,” explains Halafihi when asked about the event. But Day Two was open to the entire world, and it wasn’t your ordinary punk fest. Instead of just having a handful of bands perform, Day 2 started with the police-pig piñata-breaking, as collectives such as Los Angeles Queer Resistance, Long Beach Riot Grrrl, Heart of Art Gallery, and a Self-Care Station tabled and distributed free zines, propaganda, patches, and infomation. Art canvases covered Chuco’s graffiti-art walls while workshops like “The Politics of Dating,” “Gender Liberation,” “Queering Spaces,” and “Queer Imperialism and Homo Nationalism” were facilitated. Burlesque and open mic performances occurred between the workshops while free food was generously distributed before the night culminated in seven “queercore”/queer-identified bands including Girl Fly, Palm Reader, and Angustia

performing. Queer Punk Fest does not shy away from challenging punk norms. It recognizes that punk does not tailor itself to the frustration of womyn, queers and trans-identified folks, and people of color. Instead of just accepting this as an unalterable fact and assimilating, Queer Punk Fest not only carved a haven for queer punks of color but also a site of resistance. As a form of empowerment, here queers made the rules, queers have the power, and queers rule the day. Straights step aside. “I’ve gone to a lot of queercore shows or queer-centered events that end up being a bunch of straight people with a little bit more than usual queer people which is so frustrating because well, who’s queer and who’s not?” says Allan Yaxon Chavez, SQUAD member and festival organizer. “Even in spaces that aren’t homophobic, you still enter knowing that you are the only queer person, or knowing you’re only still entering a hetero-space.” But Queer Punk Fest in itself, then, will not dismantle the hetero-normativity that exists within the L.A. punk scene. Yet, the event demonstrates that the history of intersectional oppressed peoples should not be one of suffering but instead a resistance narrative. Queer Punk Fest was a celebration of queer-punk existence and demands a follow-up. Thus, a promise and a threat, is just the beginning.

sigan luchando

WRITING FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Writing as transformative tool for incarcerated youth Diana Cuevas, La Gente Alumna

s the writing circle discusses his book, The Gringo Nightmare, Eric Volz asks the InsideOUT Writer’s alumni to draft the table of contents for their own bibliographical novel. “What is it about your story that the world needs to know?” For most, it is a harsh past of clouded anger, loneliness, and struggle. Yet, their present seems to be headed towards a clear and affirmative identity. The InsideOUT Writers program (IOW) offers creative writing as a transformative tool for low-income L.A. incarcerated youth. Those who wish to continue with the program after release can choose to enter the IOW’s Alumni program, which works with them to get employment, housing, education, and to mostly avoid relapse into criminal behavior. Jimmy Wu, Case Manager for the Alumni program and a former incarcerated youth himself says, “There are a lot of root causes of why the alumni youth that we work with choose to make mistakes, but overall, the most persistent reason that is revealed through their writing is escape.” “In the streets, and sometimes even at home,

they are being exposed to various degrees of mental, physical, and emotional abuse and violence at a young age, and sadly, it becomes the norm. It’s more a coping skill that develops to survive in a very harsh situation,“ Wu says. When released from jail, the IOW Alumni program provides a safe space and teaches writing as an alternative outlet for escape. They are able to release the anger, fear, sadness, hurt, and resentment that have been the enablers for destructive and criminal behavior. “It’s almost like therapeutic release,” Wu says. Jaki Murillo was a member of IOW while inside juvie at age 14 and is now a member of the Alumni program. She says that besides the constant shootings and violence, she was an angry child because her father was violent and abandoned her. She found herself doing bad things to see if he would come back and ground her and show her that he cared. Through the IOW’s writing circles, she dove deeper and realized she needed forgiveness from herself. “I wrote a letter of forgiveness to myself because I made big mistakes only to spite my dad.” She immortalized her last name as a tattoo, a name she hated but is now at peace with. Sergio Marroquin’s father left his family at a time when they were losing their house for financial reasons. “I was witnessing my mom struggle, and my dad got to run away from it.” Marroquin became rebellious and landed in jail at a young age, also hoping his dad would come back to save him from bad choices. Through IOW, he was encouraged to write a

letter to his dad while in jail for the second time. He had attempted suicide via a drug overdose, which was considered a drug violation. In that letter, he poured his anger and forgave his father. His mom mailed the letter to his dad in Guatemala, and his dad flew back to see him. Due to that letter, his dad moved back and they are now a family again, symbolized by a sewn-together heart tattoo on his arm. Wu says, “Most of us are not inherit, psychopathic criminals, most of us are individuals that have made mistakes due to the what we have been exposed to. In a sense, we are a product of our environment.” The IOW program offers motivational, inspirational and emotional outlets, such as author Eric Volz, to counter what they have been exposed to before. Of the IOW’s Alumni population, only 13% fall to recidivism because of the additional support and guidance. “Two major things that have to change to break the cycle of recidivism (which is up to 80%) is in employment and housing. Majority of the youth we work with relapse back into criminal behavior due to lack of basic necessities,” Wu says. “Without offender-friendly employers and adequate housing programs, how can we expect them to get back on their feet?” Though they realize the help they provide will not solve the major issues, InsideOUT Writers provides the support and guidance for currently and formerly incarcerated youth to transition back into society--something not easy for most offenders. Visit insideoutwriters.org for more.

DID YOU KNOW?! Our Free Your Mind Project, despite it taking some financial blows, consists of us sending La Gente print issues to our inmate subscribers. Inmates all across California prisons write us and send us their artwork, which we highlight in our Sigan Luchando section. And peep this: our Nov. 2006/Jan. 2007 V. 36.1 issue was denied by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on the basis that our publication contained material that promoted the breakdown of prisons. Ha! Spring 2014 LA GENTE 23

Pinches Palabras Michelle Martinez mmartinez@media.ucla.edu

Latina Latino Chicana Chicano Queer Punk Chicha

Lara Multilingualism Cecilia Jornalero Madre Brasil

Tijuana Immigration Luchando United Paisa Drift

Pushout Inspire Arte Muralismo Latinoamerica Esperanza

Done reading? Please recycle. 24 LA GENTE Spring 2014