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July 2010
ARIZONA EDITION
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• July 2010
• ARIZONA EDITION
The health insurance gap Are you covered?
Peace Corp
Another way
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to serve
Bright from the start
NDI helps parents do better
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Journal of the American Latino Dream
22
Volume 6
{July 2010}
Issue 11
American patriotas
Latinos have fought in many U.S. wars to defend the country’s ideals. Many become American citizens in the process
39
Serving in peace
Joining the military is a patriotic commitment, but so is joining the Peace Corps, still going strong since its inception in 1961
42
7 11
From the Publisher This month, we focus on patriotism
¡De Veras!
Notable quotes and other fanciful items
12 LP Journal The ‘danged fence’ won’t work; immigration cinema; sixth-sense nonsense; AZ elections
14 Vibe Henry Cejudo’s story; Unforgettable: The Korean War; the Latino WWII experience
19 Rincón del Arte Ex-pro football player Jose Portilla expresses his passion for art and nature
29 Business Movin’ Up: Bravo and Baltazar head up Cox
45 Education New Directions Institute for Infant Brain
33 Entrepreneur Near section 137 at Chase Field, you’ll find
49 Health you uninsured? You may qualify for Areoptions you don’t even know exist
35
54 Time Out Pull the gang of summer doldrums and take them to anoutindoor rock-climbing gym
Latino outreach; Cardenas promoted; Garcia receives Freeman Medal at UA
ReyGloria’s Tamales, a nice change from a plain old perrito caliente
Briefcase
Texting, IM’ing, e-mailing, tweeting. How to mind your professional electronic etiquette
43 Latinos Who Serve George Lopez, a recent ASU grad and former
ROTC cadet, was destined for a military career
Development wants to help parents ‘do better’
56 Getaways Acoma Pueblo celebrates San Esteban 58 My Perspective
Gabriel Pérez, executive director of PVAHCS, on serving veterans with quality health care
Coming in August:
fall arts preview
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¡ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
5
We’re handing out free admission As a member of the Phoenix Zoo, your kids will enjoy the hands-on fun of Harmony Farm, the splashy good times of Yakulla Caverns, and access to the up-close thrills of Giraffe Encounter* 364 days a year. Pop in for an hour or stay all day, it’s up to you. A Phoenix Zoo membership is a year ’s worth of amazing experiences and the best family value in the Valley.
Join today and save $5 on any Zoo membership! phoenixzoo.org
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Save $5 on any Zoo membership by presenting this ad at the Zoo or visit phoenixzoo.org and enter code LP0810. Not valid on previously purchased memberships or in conjunction with other offers or discounts. *Separate fee required for Giraffe Encounter, discounted for Zoo members beginning July 1st.
¡! from the publisher
July 2010 Publisher/CEO Ricardo Torres COO/Executive Editor Cecilia Rosales, Ph.D. Editor Rosa Cays Art Director Charles Sanderson Contributing Writers Catherine Anaya, Erica Cardenas, Dan Cortez, Ruben Hernandez, Kim Jacober, Gary Keller, Gabriel Pérez, Virginia Pesqueira Director of Sales and Marketing Carlos Jose Cuervo Advertising Account Executive – Barry Farber Account Executive - Mayte Marquez Executive Assistant to CEO & COO Olivia Rojas Office Manager Valeria Torres
Contact Us
www.latinopm.com 3877 N. 7th St., Ste. 200 Phoenix, Arizona 85014 602-277-0130 Advertising: sales@latinopm.com Editorial: news@latinopm.com Design: art@latinopm.com
Subscriptions For home or office delivery, please send your name, address, phone number, and a check for $24 to Latino Perspectives Magazine at the address above. Subscriptions also available for credit-card purchase by calling 602-277-0130. Visit www.latinopm.com/digital for a free digital subscription.
Latino Perspectives Magazine is published 12 times a year and is selectively distributed throughout Arizona. The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by Latino Perspectives Media, LLC, all rights reserved, and may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.
Celebrate patriotism By Cecilia Rosales, Ph.D.
As we celebrate this Fourth of July with family and friends, perhaps
with a barbeque or a carne asada, let’s not forget to thank those who help make our country so great. Let’s thank those who have fought to defend our nation and our freedom abroad, as well as the the civilian patriots who serve our communities here at home. And, of course, all those who are propelled in their endeavors by a deep sense of love of country. In this month’s cover story, Ruben Hernandez writes about the multiple ways in which individuals express their patriotism, one of the most abstract American virtues. In Latinos Who Serve, we profile 2nd Lt. George L. Lopez. Born on the Fourth of July, the recent ASU graduate is proud to follow his family’s military tradition. Rincón del Arte profiles talented painter, former NFL player, and avid outdoorsman Jose Portilla. The multitalented Portilla played with the Atlanta Falcons and participated in Super Bowl XXXIII; now he expresses his passion through art. Go straight to the Vibe section if you are looking for uplifting and inspiring stories on the American experience. Among our recommendations: Beyond the Latino World War II Hero: The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation co-edited by UT Austin professors Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez and Emilio Zamora. You may also want to read American Victory, by Olympic gold medalist and Valley resident Henry Cejudo. In this memoir the young wrestler describes his fights in life and in the sports arena. Kudos to Arizona Public Media for the release of its new documentary Unforgettable: The Korean War. The locally produced documentary aired nationally on PBS last month, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the war, and features Tucson veterans Eddie Rios and Ruben Moreno. In Entrepreneur, we introduce our readers to Guadalupe resident Reynaldo Duran Cota Jr., founder and operator of ReyGloria’s Tamales. He sells all-American tamales out of his stand near Section 137 at Chase Field. Guest contributor Virginia Pesqueira reminds us that in addition to the military, the Peace Corps is another alternative to serve our country. In Career, she shares with us the enthusiasm and passion for the Peace Corps expressed by her husband of 25 years, Ed Delci. Gabriel Pérez, CEO of the Phoenix VA Health Care System, shares in My Perspective what the VA is doing to serve those who serve. This month we have several online exclusives, including guest op-eds from journalist and film producer Valeria Fernández, who is currently working with filmmaker Dan DeVivo on a new documentary; Gulf War veteran and political activist DeeDee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans; and perspective from My Latino Vote AZ. Don’t wait for the postal service to deliver your next copy of LPM – you can now sign up to get our monthly publication in digital flipbook format via an e-mailed link. It’s nifty, efficient and green. Sign up at www.latinopm.com/digital. Please continue to send us your comments and feedback to editor@latinopm.com. Happy Independence Day.
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¡ July 2010!
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¡! Será posible? Letters to the editor
Serious, long-term implications
Feedback from the May issue of LPM
What happened to generosity of spirit? In my opinion, the word missing from the subject of S.B.1070 is “compassion.” We do have a problem with drug and human trafficking through the border, and for that there needs to be more controls. But I would venture to say most people cross the border in search of a better life for them and their loved ones. It is unfortunate that for many reasons, too many to list in this letter, most Latin-American countries can’t provide for their citizens. I don’t think most Americans realize how desperate someone must be to take that treacherous journey across the desert. There is a song by the Argentinean songstress Mercedes Sosa that pretty much sums it up: Desahuciado está el que tiene que marchar a vivir una cultura diferente … Hopeless is the one who has to leave to live a different culture. It is not easily understood how hard it is for Latinos to take that journey. To leave those huge extended families so essential in their lives is not easy to do, on top of being alone in a foreign culture and not to mention without knowledge of the language. How desahuciados must these people be that it is the only way they can offer a better future to their children?
This country has benefited from the contributions of many immigrants in every sector – fashion, science, the arts, etc. Is there a responsibility as a society to welcome the immigrants who are a clear benefit to us, i.e., Oscar de la Renta, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, Einstein, Steve Nash, to name a few, and close the doors on the ones that need our benefit instead? Americans for the most part are tremendously generous human beings. This very American quality is what’s missing in S.B. 1070. To quote another phrase from Sosa’s song: Solo le pido a Dios que el dolor no me sea indiferente, que la reseca muerte no me encuentre sin haber hecho lo suficiente … I only ask of God that I may not be indifferent to suffering and that Death not find me without having done enough.
– Julia M. Novoa Phoenix
It is unbelievable how the local government will not think about the impact that such action will have, not only across Arizona but the rest of the country. Having in consideration that other states may very well imitate Arizona, obviously this will cause a lot of issues, from split families to a bigger deficit in the social security office. Working immigrants without legal status pay social security taxes, which will never be claimed; sending them back to their countries compares to asking a sponsor to stop providing funds to the Social Security Administration with no reason. This is not very smart, don’t you think? On top of this, many of these families will leave with their kids, who are U.S. citizens, who may very well come back once they turn 18 – and guess what? Poor education, no English and with the right to file for unemployment, they will still be as American as the white guys on the corner or the ones born on a military base abroad. This is more serious than what the local government thinks; they just saw a way of repression, but it will have implications that nobody can determine. Like the economy and the weather, you cannot forecast beyond seven days.
– Juan Carlos Urbina Phoenix
Setting the record straight: In the LP Journal section of our June issue, we incorrectly stated that Somos Republicans would endorse candidates who support their “strong pro-choice stance.” The group has a pro-life stance. We regret the error.
Your thoughts? Tell us what you think. Send your thoughts to editor@latinopm.com 8
Latino Perspectives Magazine
¡ July 2010!
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Latino Perspectives welcomes feedback from readers regarding published stories or topics of interest. Please include your name and phone number. Mail letters to Editor, Latino Perspectives, 3877 N. 7th St., Ste. 200, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Or, e-mail letters to editor@latinopm.com.
Editorial mission statement Latino Perspectives creates community, cultivates cultural pride and provokes, challenges and connects Latinos who are defining, pursuing, and achieving the American Latino Dream.
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Helping families help children achieve the American Dream
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Latino Perspectives Magazine July 2010 www.latinopm.com WYVZWLY MVY NLULYH[PVUZ [V JVTL
Conversation starters from the world around us
12 LP Journal
News of the political, the social and the bizarre
14 Vibe
Latino nonfiction for your reading pleasure
19 Rincón del arte
Jose Portilla, ex NFL player turned painter
i say ... He’s one big guy, and I hear you don’t want to make him angry.
—Sheriff Joe Arpaio about honorary deputy Lou Ferrigno AKA The Incredible Hulk, who acted as Arpaio’s personal body guard at the pro-S.B. 1070 rally in Tempe
That there earmark ain’t nothin’ but a Boonedoggle [sic].
—AZ Rep. Jeff Flake’s ironic statement on his website about the pork project earmarking $900,000 for land acquisition at the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky
Somebody do something!
page
19
Jose Portilla expresses his love for nature through his art
—Salma Hayek, as she responding to a snake slithering toward her during an Extra interview
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¡ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
11
¡!
LP journal
We wonder if the sixth sense “indicators” Rep. Steve King refers to can also pick out racists from a crowd.
Sixth-sense nonsense There are those who walk among us who have a supernatural ability, a “sixth sense,” so to speak, to identify undocumented immigrants. This according to that master of horror, Steve King. No, not author Stephen King. Steve King, the Republican congressman from Iowa, who pontificated on this point on the floor of the House of Representatives in June. “Some claim that the Arizona law [S.B. 1070] will bring about racial discrimination profiling,” King says in a C-Span video clip. King pooh-poohs that notion by detailing the criteria law enforcement officers can use to pick out illegal immigrants in a crowd. He details this otherworldly intuition. “Sixth-sense indicators are all kinds of things, from what kind of clothes people wear … what kind of shoes people wear … the kind of accent they have, um, the, the type of grooming that they might have. There are all kinds of indicators there ….” 12
Latino Perspectives Magazine
¡ July 2010!
America’s Voice, an organization for immigration reform decided to take King at his word and fight ignorance with humor and produced a short movie trailer for YouTube they titled Steve King’s Sixth Sense for Immigrants. Here’s the script. Picture clips of Bruce Willis as the psychologist and Haley Joel Osment as the troubled, young boy in the 1999 Sixth Sense movie, interspersed with clips of the congressman sharing his sixth-sense theory. OSMENT (Whispering) I see immigrants. Walking around like regular people. WILLIS How often do you see them? OSMENT (Whispering) All the time. I see them everywhere. They want me to do things for them.
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“Our new video may be funny, but the latest talking points coming from antiimmigration Members of Congress like Rep. Steve King (R-IA) are no laughing matter,” America’s Voice comments on its website.
Border walls can’t fool Mother Nature You gotta love election season, that wonderful time when politicians offer up simplistic solutions to complex issues. Take the TV ad featuring incumbent Arizona Sen. John McCain and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu strolling along a desert road discussing McCain’s new plan to secure the border. At the end of the ad, McCain advises Babeu that the U.S. government needs to “build the danged fence.” Well, according to a marine biologist’s relatively new theory, it’s the hot topic among homeland and cyber security experts these days: Even if the “danged fence” is built, in no way will it solve border problems.
Raphael Sagarin, a Ph.D. with the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona, says his theory predicts that even a costly, strong border fence won’t keep out terrorists, much less illegal immigrants, drug and people smugglers, or narco thugs. His idea? In nature, with 3.5 billion years of evolution to learn from, organisms always find a way to circumvent rigid systems. That’s why viruses build resistance to antibiotics. “Every time I give a presentation to security experts I talk about a border wall,” Sagarin said. “What I say is that nature and humans are highly variable. Organisms learn through natural selection. Humans have the ability to learn from one another.” It’s also why terrorists figure out unexpected means of attack, and hackers come up with new software to break through firewalls, he said. “The wall, even when completed, will be a static defense that doesn’t change and doesn’t adapt. Add to that the border situation where you have people who are highly motivated to come to the
LP journal United States. Highly intelligent humans can easily get around that defense. It’s a defense system that will not work.” Sagarin has developed an interdisciplinary group of life scientists and security policy analysts. Their work is supported by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and The National Science Foundation. Sagarin added that some solutions to security threats that mirror nature’s solutions have already been adopted by innovative companies and government agencies. For more on Sagarin’s work, visit www. naturalsecurity.arizona.edu.
Immigration cinema And this year’s Academy Award for best documentary goes to … illegal immigration! Not so farfetched. So far, the marquee line-up of films screening somewhere are: 9500 Liberty (Eric Byler, Annabel Park); Immigration Nation (Esau Melendez); Papers (Anne Galisky); and Entre Nos (Gloria La Morte, Paola Mendoza), fiction based on true stories of women immigrants. Other Phoenix-based filmmakers are wrapping production on their films including Lourdes Gonzales whose film is called Embracing America. Former La Voz journalist Valeria Fernández has teamed up with filmmaker Daniel DeVivo to produce 287(g) County, a documentary about the politics of immigration enforcement in Maricopa County. The project is a follow-up to DeVivo’s film Crossing Arizona, which documents the roots of Arizona’s current immigration battle. (G0 to www.latinopm.com to read
Fernández’s My Perspective.) The film 9500 Liberty, about the controversy when local officials enacted an S.B. 1070like law in Virginia, played at two Harkins movie houses in the Valley and others across the country. The Liberty filmmakers say they plan to produce another film based on the tensions S.B. 1070 is causing in Arizona. 9500 director Eric Byler and his crew are also conducting shooting and editing workshops for people to produce and post their own videos to a Liberty Arizona YouTube channel. “If we take advantage of the revolutionary medium of video, we can impact our political process and restore solutions-oriented dialogue to our democracy,” Byler says.
More Latinos on Arizona’s political carrusel In the past, two burning questions asked at Arizona election time were, where are all the well-qualified Latino candidates? And, why can’t more Latinos get elected? One answer is that Latino voters historically haven’t registered or turned out to vote for Latino candidates. Latino voters comprise only 14.8 percent of the total state electorate, and only 291,000 out of 410,000 registered Latino voters even made it to the polls in the 2008 election. Rodolfo Espino, assistant professor at ASU’s School of Government, Politics, and Global Studies, says the question of qualifications is moot for the party primaries on August 24. The trend today is that there are more, better qualified and younger Latino candidates than ever
for state-elected offices and the Legislature. He attributes this dynamic primarily to two reasons: 1) Latinos were generally galvanized by Gov. Jan Brewer’s signing of S.B. 1070, which many saw as targeting them as well as illegal immigrants; and 2) the prevailing frustration with incumbents at the federal and state levels. Now Latino candidates are running for office in different parties and at different levels. We’ve got our hunches about a few of those races: Entrenched Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor is finally getting some honest competition in House District 4 after running unopposed for many elections. Democrat-turnedRepublican Janet Contreras’ platform comes right out of the Tea Party playbook. Her highest claim to fame is that conservative commentator Glenn Beck of Fox News read her letter expressing outrage with the sitting Congress on the air. The candidate has stressed she’s married to a legal immigrant from Mexico. There’s an “important distinction between legal and illegal immigration,” she says. The problem for Contreras is that the district is heavily Democratic, and Pastor is expected to keep this seat. In Senate District 1, Harvard graduate and attorney Randy Parraz is in the Democratic primary hoping to eventually challenge 24-year incumbent Sen. John McCain. Parraz is running against several other candidates in the primary, including a former journalist and an ASU administrator. McCain finds himself locked in a bitter Republican primary
¡!
race with ultra-conservative candidate J.D. Hayworth. If Parraz should win the primary, it’ll be tough to beat McCain in the general race as Republicans have the voter edge in the district. In the state attorney general’s race, prosecutor Felecia Rotellini, state legislator David Lujan and attorney Vince Rabago are each looking to take on the Republican winner, either Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne or former Maricopa County attorney Andrew Thomas. Either candidate could have a good chance of upsetting the Republican winner. Horne and Thomas are experiencing problems that could derail their campaigns: Horne for having wrongly denied having a bankruptcy in annual reports filed with the Arizona Corporation Commision, and Thomas could come under federal investigation for unethical practices while county attorney. In Arizona District 3 for Congress, Cuban-born Paulina Morris, an attorney, is taking on a crowded field of fellow Republicans for retiring Congressman John Shadegg’s seat. Of the 11 candidates in the primary, Morris is probably the most moderate. She has served as a mentor for the Center for Progressive Leadership and supported Prop. 100, the temporary tax increase. As a moderate, she has been criticized by Tea Party conservatives. Those who know her as Paulina Vazquez Morris have wondered why she dropped “Vazquez” when she entered the race. Quien sabe. What we do know is that this election cycle promises to be an exciting one.
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¡ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
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vibe Unforgettable: The Korean War
Facing adversity
©2010 Arizona public media
¡!
Little did Henry Cejudo
know at the age of 11 he would be competing in the Olympics in Beijing, China ten years later. But to get there, he had to rise above a tough home life and an even tougher street life, where he first tasted the sweetness of victory in the form of fried ice cream. Cejudo’s book, American Victory, is his personal account of going from “human cockfighting” in his neighborhood in Los Angeles to being the youngest American to win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Born to an immigrant mother and an absent father, with five brothers and sisters, Cejudo was always “fighting” for something: the remote control, the last clean towel, even a pillow. He became interested in wrestling via his brother Angel, who won wrestling championships of his own in high school. Cejudo’s true story of facing adversity and fighting it head on, right to the gold, American Victory was co-written by awardwinning sports writer Bill Plaschke. Copies of the book can be purchased on Cejudo’s website at www.henrycejudo.com.
Eddie Rios and Ruben Moreno, members of Tucson Easy Company (13th Infantry Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve) are among veterans featured in Arizona Public Media’s new documentary Unforgettable: The Korean War. Locally produced and directed by Tom Kleespie, Unforgettable aired nationwide last month on PBS in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the war. The powerful film documents veterans as they share memories of the war and America in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Moreno remembers it vividly: “When we were taking Seoul ... along the way we came to this barricade where the buildings were burning. It was so smoky that you couldn’t see but a short distance. I had the gun set up and all of a sudden I see somebody coming towards us. I decided to be sure that I knew who it was before I shot him. It’s a good thing I did ... it was a civilian with a little girl, I’d say about 4 years old, holding her by the elbows and her knee was gone ... [my] tears just started flowing. They almost evacuated me thinking that I had cracked up ...” Unforgettable: The Korean War can be purchased on DVD at www.shoppbs.org.
Get more Vibe at www.latinopm.com
It has been estimated that anywhere from 250,000 to as many as 750,000 Latinos and Latinas served in the armed forces during World War II. In Beyond the Latino World War II Hero: The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation, co-editors Maggie RivasRodriguez and Emilio Zamora and a bevy of scholars focus on home-front issues and government relations, and the convolution of the Latino war experience, including post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects on families; Chicana/o activism in the ’60 and ‘70s inspired by
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Latino Perspectives Magazine
¡ July 2010!
www.latinopm.com
Mexican-American women of the postwar era, and other historic Latino events and perspectives. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez is associate professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and founder of the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. Emilio Zamora is associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of The World of the Mexican Worker in Texas. Purchase a copy of Beyond the Latino World War II Hero at www.utexas.edu/utpress.
image courtesy of the u.s. latino & latina WWII oral history project
The Latino WWII experience
vibe
The summer of our discontent By Gary Francisco Keller
Time is on our
side. Obama meets with Brewer, pero poco pasa. The Schumer and Graham immigration bill is sidelined. Phoenix witnesses dueling immigration rallies. That’s current news. Years hence, this issue will still writhe. We are strong now and we will get stronger. We will not only endure, we will prevail. We have made great progress in the 50 years since I was a teenage border crosser in the Eisenhower “Tortilla Curtain” era. I started job hunting when the convention was not “equal opportunity employer” but “Mexicans need not apply.” Violations of our civil rights have been frequent since 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded 55 percent of Mexico and theoretically provided citizenship and property rights to Mexicans living in the expanded U.S. Professor Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez at ASU reviewed the deportations or internments of citizens over 150 years; it’s a sordid history. To change this historic course, I make the following suggestions: Let’s forge alliances with caring Anglos and organizations. Nationwide, the U.S. Council of Bishops and in Maricopa County the Valley Interfaith Project (VIP) actively educate and mobilize individuals and organizations. Working together, ¡Sí se puede! We should not demonize our adversaries. Let them do the demonizing. We can poignantly document the cases that transpire right now of grievous violations of our civil rights. We can stir the instinct for fair play in most Americans. continued on next page
¡!
Lola's Voicemail: LIVING IN FEAR WHERE?? ¿Presidente Calderón? Señor Presidente ... Saludos desde Arizona. I realize your administration is closely following the S.B. 1070 saga. But I must tell you, while I haven’t agreed with our governor as of late, I’m with her 100 percent in her disappointment of Mexico’s friend-of-the-court brief filed in support of the Friendly House et al lawsuit. Among other things, your amicus brief states that if S.B. 1070 goes into effect, Mexicans will be afraid to visit Arizona for work OR for pleasure. I don’t want anyone to live in fear, ¡pero por favor! What are you doing about those in Mexico who live in fear 24/7?? Fear of police, fear of the military, fear of the crooked politicians, fear of the daily “narco-blockades,” and fear of the drug-related violence. Don’t you see you are causing more harm than good? Conservatives are laughing their asses off at your expense – at your administration’s hypocrisy. Don’t you know that human rights organizations from around the world are asking the U.S. not to release conditioned funds for Mexico under the Merida Initiative because of serious concerns over alleged violations of human rights in Mexico? According to the Washington Office on Latin America, the 2009 U.S. State Department Annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Mexico states that under your watch, the country has seen “unlawful killings by security forces kidnappings; physical abuse ... arbitrary arrests and detention ... confessions coerced through torture [and] multiple reports of forced disappearances by the army and police.” Hold on, my favorite: It was verified that “army doctors or other members of the military falsified evidence to cover up abuses.” In light of this, Mr. Presidente, your actions are only adding fuel to the fire. Even worse, you are pushing gardenvariety moderates over the edge.
Not helping. Back to the topic of your amicus brief: I think this is a serious case of “Candil de la calle, oscuridad de tu casa” syndrome. I suggest you work a bit harder at improving the quality of life in Mexico for all its citizens, so they don’t have to flee, legally or illegally, in pursuit of a better life. Oh, and in the process, start treating the undocumented Central American immigrants currently in Mexico with more dignity and respect. And start translating official documents into indigenous languages so that everyone can partake in the democratic process ... and while you are issuing matriculas consulares, which here in the state are only good to prove Mexican citizenship and open bank accounts ($27 a pop, right?), register Mexican citizens in the U.S. to vote in the next Mexican presidential election, ’cause they have that right, too, ¿que no? Back to the amicus brief. The day after it was filed, I read Mexico ranks as the sixth country with the most homicides at “just” 18, 900 in 2009. Then I read a Mexican politico’s accounts of alleged telephonic espionage at the hands of federal and state authorities … and then my jaw dropped yet again in reading reports about the Jornada 2010 de Prevención de la Tortura held in Mexico City last month. (I stopped reading Ripley’s Believe it or Not when I signed up for CNN Mexico’s newsletter – seriously.) I also read about seven people murdered in Nuevo León, five more in Juárez; the assassination of a political candidate and his entourage in Tamaulipas; and the killings of 12 federal policias in Michoacán and 29 prisoners in Sinaloa, and 15 alleged henchmen killed in a police shootout in Taxco, Guerrero … and nine killed at a rehab center in Durango; and 19 people killed at another rehab center in Chihuahua. Chihuaha, Señor Presidente. Chihuaha. Chin…. www.latinopm.com
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The summer of our discontent continued from previous page
We must be accurate. To claim that the new legislation is because suddenly Americans can’t tolerate the election of President Obama is not true, and we should have confidence in our fellow Americans. The 58 percent of voters who favor a law like Arizona’s in their home state is countervailed by 80 percent who support creating a program allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal. Most Americans don’t have fixed, passionate views on this subject. They are swayed short term by spin on each extreme. We are better served by honestly documenting the existing injustices – there is no shortage of examples to draw from. At a recent VIP rally at the Creighton Elementary School, nothing moved the crowd more than the individuals who recounted their own harrowing personal tribulations. As we did with the civil rights movement beginning in the 1950s, a strategy of sincere testimony will win the hearts of Americans once more. We have huge positives and we should deploy them. We need a stronger voter registration campaign, and this crisis is a perfect opportunity for it. We should exercise our demographic power in the schools where soon the majority of students will cumulatively be minorities. We should partner with businesses, churches, and philanthropic organizations where we have the market power to be taken seriously or where we can count on caring and morally upright allies. My last observation for now: Refute the strategy of those who conflate increased racial profiling around the state with the issue of border security. Senate Bill 1070 has nothing to do with the border, per se. More vigilantes along the MexicanU.S. border will not impede determined terrorists who don’t enter that way. Over 40 percent of illegal immigrants fly into the United States on temporary visas and then stay illegally. Terrorists are well educated and financially supported. The notion that they sneak across the border together with desperate immigrants who take jobs that native-born Americans refuse to consider is just ludicrous. 16
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Pocho keen
Like peachy keen, pero different
¡Go-o-ol! Fueled by my discontent with
Arizona’s most excellent and now infamous law, S.B. 1070, set to go into effect at the end of July, I finally got around to buying my first Mexico soccer jersey, er, futbol jersey. I bought it in May and I haven’t taken it off much since, except maybe to wash it. It’s great – I’ve been meeting lots of new folks from all over Mexico, but it does have its drawbacks. For example, everyone wants to chat me up about the team. They’ll bring up a recent game or ask me for my prognostication of an upcoming one, which unfailingly leads to an awkward silence on my part. All I know is that they have green jerseys! That’s it. And that when they score, some crazy guy yells, “¡Go-o-ol!” I can usually get by with my pochoesque Spanish, but when the soccer jargon breaks out, I’m toast. I smile, nod my head and say sí a lot, and sheepishly walk away feeling like I need to learn me some futbol and improve my language skills. But you gotta love the World Cup, a time when people all over the world go nuts cheering for their national teams. Except in the U.S., that is. Soccer just hasn’t hit the fever pitch intensity in America that many predicted it would. Who knows? It may be the next metric system,
Do you have something pocho, peachy or keen to say? Send it to pochokeen@latinopm.com.
vibe
Contact Pocho Keen
¡!
popular throughout the world but second fiddle to the English system of yards and pounds and stuff. Some things Americans just aren’t going to take up. This is true also for many “assimilated” Latinos who grew up with a football that spirals when you throw it right, not a futbol that you can bounce on your lap incessantly for hours on end. Who wants to do that? But every four years, an event happens that moves America closer and closer to joining the rest of the world in its appreciation for gazelle-like athletes who can chase down a soccer ball, only to kick it further down the field. Every now and then it goes into this big net, and pandemonium ensues for one nation as death threats get sent in another. So every World Cup, Mexican Americans, or pochos to some, get put to the ultimate assimilation test, one that can measure just how American we have become. What team are we going to root for? The good ol’ U.S. of A. or El Tri? That would be Mexico to you really assimilated types. Even if we aren’t into many of the events in the Olympics, we still root for our country, which is easy to do because we’re usually good at most of the events. And it’s the patriotic thing to do. During this and future World Cups, I’m sure we’ll root for the American team, especially now that they’re getting better all the time, but what happens when the two countries meet? Will we have to root privately for Mexico and publicly for team U.S.A.? Is that in S.B. 1070 somewhere? Regardless, I have my jersey and will wear it until it frays, all the while proudly waving the American flag.
Cancer does not care
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doesn’t yield to possibilities or human potential.
But if it strikes there’s
more hope and promise
than ever before for cancer
patients.
Kathy Bollinger - Cancer Patient President, Arizona West Region, Banner Health
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rincón del arte
From NFL to visual artist Jose Portilla, painter
As a small child growing up in Zaragoza, artwork by jose portilla
Mexico, Jose Portilla was consciously surrounded by nature’s beauty. It sparked in him a love of wildlife and the outdoors he carried with him to Houston, Texas, his new home at age 6. An interest in art and sports was also sparked for the young boy, and in high school, his athletic and artistic skills garnered him a scholarship to Ricks College in Idaho, where he pursued football and studied under renowned wildlife artist Leon Parson. Portilla’s football prowess in college earned him several honors, including a scholarship to the University of Arizona and the 1997 Jim Ewing Memorial Award, given to the player who demonstrates outstanding character, scholarship, spirit, leadership and sportsmanship. Portilla went on to play professionally with the Atlanta Falcons and competed in Super Bowl XXXIII. Now focused on his passion for art, Portilla works mostly with oils and pastels and is in the throes of learning sculpture. As his work attests, Portilla beholds beauty in the natural world. His artwork has been published in several magazines and has shown in many galleries and museums, including The Society of Illustrators New York, The Woodruff Art Center, and the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Georgia. He’s had over 12 solo exhibits in the last 11 years. Portilla now calls Arizona home and will soon be represented by Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale. See more of his artwork at www.jportillaart.com. New Beginnings
Portilla with the Atlanta Falcons
Final Run (detail)
Southern Shade www.latinopm.com
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¡!
Anaya says With cracks comes wisdom images courtesy of phoenix art museum
By Catherine Anaya
Cezanne’s Portrait of Madame
Happenings at Phoenix Art Museum Cézanne and American Modernism One of the most recognizable
names in art, Paul Cézanne’s greatest masterpiece may not be a painting but rather his legacy. His work had a profound influence on early 20th-century artists working after his death. Pablo Picasso called Cézanne “my one and only master,” and Henri Matisse described him as “the father of us all.” Cézanne and American Modernism is the first exhibition to examine Cézanne’s influence on American artists working between 1900 and 1930. This dynamic exhibition combines 16 works by the French master with more than 80 paintings, works on paper, and photographs by 33 American artists, including Marsden Hartley, Maurice Prendergast, Alfred Stieglitz and Man Ray. Cézanne and American Modernism will be on view at Phoenix Art Museum July 1 through September 22, 2010. Visit www. phxart.org for details.
“Do I have something in my eye?”
I asked my then 5-year-old son, as I squinted and blinked profusely during breakfast one morning. “Hmm,” he mumbled as he studiously examined my pupil. Or so I thought. “Nope!” he exclaimed, “but you do have cracks in your skin,” he announced with complete innocence and pride in discovering something he seemed to think I hadn’t noticed yet. “Actually, those are wrinkles,” I gently explained. “Oh, because you’re 40?” he asked. I sighed, thinking, Leave it to my child to cut to the chase. “Oh no,” I jokingly corrected him. “I’m 25!” He didn’t quite get the humor in my response. He crinkled his face in confusion and asked, “But I thought you were 40?” I fessed up. “Yes, sweetie, I’m 40. But you can tell everyone I’m 25, okay?” I replied with my tongue firmly planted in cheek. He laughed, but I wasn’t completely convinced he got the joke. That was two years ago and I still smile when I retell that little exchange. It kept me in stitches all day. Cracks in my skin … A few years before, I would’ve panicked at the thought of my skin betraying my youthful energy. I recalled the conversation with my son hours later that day, staring into my magnifying mirror. I studied those “cracks” in my skin, the crow’s feet around my eyes, the fine lines on my forehead. Each one of them told a story. Some were marks of struggle. Some represented stress. Some were reminders of sleepless nights. Others connected me to heartache, tears and loss. But most, I thought, were genuine reminders of a mid-life filled with years of smiles, laughter and the sincere belief that
the best is yet to come. I had already come to realize that with wrinkles comes wisdom, the wisdom to recognize what a defining moment it was when I actually learned to embrace my age. It’s been a handful of years since I’ve entertained the thought of trading places with a 20-something-year-old. Remember those feelings of insecurity about everything from relationships to body image? Wondering how we’d ever measure up to whatever idealistic view of life we grew up wanting? I’m happy to be rid of those. It wasn’t until I turned 35 that I truly felt like I might actually have an idea of who I am, what I want and what direction I was going to head to find it. In the years between 35 and 40 I had my second child, divorced, and discovered that true passion in my work doesn’t come from coveting what I don’t have but from nurturing what I do have, and I took control of my body realizing that being fit isn’t just physical but a mental state of mind. When I took up running five years ago, I was a 38-year-old who hadn’t run more than 5 miles. Since then, I’ve run seven marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2007. I vowed to hang up my marathon shoes after that. But this past September, I got the bug again. I ran five races in three months, placing top five in my age group in nearly every one of them. I ran another marathon this past January with a goal of qualifying for Boston again. I succeeded, yet found the most pleasure in crossing that finish line with my age, 42, proudly emblazoned on my back – proving age is just a number. To truly embrace it is to know that with every year and every “crack” we gain priceless experience.
Cezanne’s Five Apples www.latinopm.com
¡ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
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: m s i t io Azul
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Few others can claim the patriotism demonstrated by our Hispanic citizens. Consistent with this, they’ve received awards for heroism and bravery far in excess to their proportion of the population. —President Ronald Reagan, Sept. 16, 1981
L
atinos have a long history of immigration to the United States, and an equally long tradition of proudly showing their allegiance by joining the ranks of soldiers who have fought the enemies of our nation. From the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan, Latino sons and daughters
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Loyalt y to the and commit m U differe nited States ent n i native t for immig s no rant o -born r L a t ino mi memb litary ers se e k ing Ameri can Dr the eam
have received special recognition and awards for their bravery, including the Medal of Honor – the highest military honor bestowed by the U.S. government – in much greater proportion than their percentage of the U.S. population. What is less known is that in the past century, non-naturalized Latino immigrants have embraced an expedited path to citizenship by joining the U.S. armed forces in wartime and in peacetime. Military men and women make great sacrifices in wartime, dedicating years of their lives, risking danger, living in hostile environments, enduring wounds, and in some cases offering the ultimate sacrifice –
dying, fighting for the United States. Recognizing the immense sacrifices that military members make, the U.S. government has a special application process that expedites the U.S. citizenship procedure for those who serve in the military. In July 2002, immigrants eager to prove their loyalty to their adopted homeland were heartened when President George Bush signed the Expedited Naturalization Executive Order, allowing legal residents who enlisted and served honorably in the “war on terrorism,” invoked by the 911 attacks, to hasten the citizenship process. This policy was pushed because troops were needed for combat in the United States’
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Citizenship could be granted within six months in wartime, shortening the normal wait of about five years or more. In peacetime, documented immigrants in the military could petition to naturalize after three years of aggregate military service instead of the requisite five years of legal permanent residence. The large numbers of non-naturalized immigrants who joined the military saw service as a way to prove their loyalty to their adopted country. While this special process was termed the “green card draft” by some, the term was misleading. The executive order applied only to legal residents who already held green cards, legal documentation to reside here. Some critics interpreted the term to mean non-green card holders could get them by enlisting, which was not the case. Many welcomed the expedited naturalization process as a just reward for military service, although there was some criticism that these immigrant warriors were nothing more than “mercenaries” who were getting around the normal citizenship procedures other immigrants had to follow. Supporters say this argument demeans those who made the ultimate sacrifice and offered their lives for our country. They propose that immigrant soldiers are as or even more “patriotic” than many natural-born U.S. citizens. For example, in A Different Shade of Patriotism: Latinos, Military Service, and
Citizenship, a 2008 research paper by Marco Durazo, he points out that one of the first Marines killed in the 2003 military action against Iraq was Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar, an infantry rifleman. Del Solar was not a U.S. citizen at the time of his death. He was one of the thousands of permanent residents who had made the United States their new home. Durazo argues that while stateside politicians and many citizens single out Latino immigrants as causing some of the economic and social problems that the United States experiences, Latino soldiers – native born and non-naturalized – have shaped our country’s history and the face of its armed forces. “Few are aware, for instance, that roughly 20,000 Latino soldiers served in Operation Desert Storm and that a third of the U.S. troops deployed to Bosnia were of Latino descent,” Durazo writes. “Latino participation in the armed forces, irrespective of legal status, has added a new dimension to the study of patriotism and will increasingly alter our nation’s immigration debates,” he concludes.
Defining the ‘Latino patriot’ The term patriot is generally applied to someone who loves his or her country for its ideals, not necessarily what its government does. In a military sense, an individual is labeled a patriot when he or she honorably
participates in wars to defend America’s freedoms and highest ideals. Latinos have proudly served in the U.S. military for generations. They have consistently shown that when this country engages in military conflict, they have been – and continue to be – as patrióticos as their fellow soldiers, risking their lives right alongside them. Although the literature and research on military Latinos is not as extensive as their service would warrant, Latinos themselves pass on war stories and their pride in military service from padres to hijos e hijas, with the result that whole families can trace their generational family trees through battles in faraway lands. “You go into any Mexican-American family’s home, and you’ll find photos of somebody wearing a military uniform,” observes Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, founder of the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project, a collection of interviews with more than 650 Latino men and women at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is a journalism professor. “In general, Latinos have had a high proportion of participation in the U.S. military,” says Rivas-Rodriguez. “They felt they had to prove they were Americans. This feeling seems to be in their psyche, a way of thinking they have internalized for generations.” Latinos in military service, including
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noncitizens, reconfigure widely held notions of patriotism, say many. “Latino patriots have also been instrumental in helping to determine the outcome of major battles between the U.S. and its enemies. Without their contributions, the military as well as the political, economic, and cultural history of the U.S. might very well have been different,” write Refugio I. Rochin and Lionel Fernandez in U.S. Latino Patriots: From the American Revolution to Afghanistan, An Overview, a research paper for the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives.
Serving their community and country for generations The Munoz family is one of many that have blended their uniquely Latino brand of patriotism into a military legacy in South Phoenix, according to family historians Jimmie and Norma Munoz. Military service was also how Guadalupe Munoz, the late patriarch of the family, and his brothers
A history in battle
On January
3, 1939, just before World War II ignited, David Perez walked into the Arizona Army National Guard office to enlist. At 17, he was still a gangly high school student who was leaving behind his job at a local aluminum company to step into a U.S. Army uniform. In a 2003 interview, he recalled with a light-hearted laugh what had brought him there. “In 1938 … I went to enlist in the daytime. They say, ‘Well, right now we don’t have openings for Mexicans. But there’s gonna be two openings January the 1st of 1939.’ So on January 3rd – it was drill night – I went and sure enough there was a vacancy. So that’s when I joined.”
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earned their U.S. citizenship. Guadalupe Munoz, Jimmie’s father, was born in Mexico in 1908. His father Santiago and his family came to South Phoenix, where Guadalupe attended the original Roosevelt School in the early 1920s when it was a one-room schoolhouse. Records show Guadalupe’s address as “¾ mile west of the Arizona canal,” which would be near 7th Avenue and Baseline, where the family lived and worked as ranchers on the Ryder Ranch, just west of 7th Avenue where Lassen School stands today. Guadalupe and his wife Estefana lived in South Phoenix all their lives. Although he hadn’t naturalized yet, Guadalupe engaged in social activism, advocating for the civil rights of crop pickers in his community. Jimmie, who was born in South Phoenix, remembers accompanying his father, holding signs to boycotts and to warn cotton pickers to stay away from certain farm bosses that cheated workers by paying a lower wage than promised. “My dad believed in justice for all,” says
Jimmie, who was elected a constable for the South Phoenix Justice Court, a position he has held for the past eight years. He is running for re-election this year. “So he fought injustices for Latinos. He had a lot of pride in his Mexican heritage, but loved his adopted country, too.” Guadalupe Munoz’s community activism led him to become president of the Alianza Hispana, an advocacy group of Hispanics in Phoenix that fought for the rights of Spanish-speaking immigrant workers. The Munoz family’s U.S. military history began when Guadalupe enlisted in the U.S. Army Company C 76th infantry in 1945. His four brothers had also enlisted. Although the global conflict had ended, Guadalupe served abroad in helping to keep the hard-won peace in war-torn countries. It was through his military service that Guadalupe and his brothers finally achieved U.S. citizenship. “My dad didn’t like to talk about his military service too much,” Jimmie recalls. “But you could see the pride in his eyes
Perez’s enlistment was anything but new to U.S. history. When the Civil War began in 1861, more than 3,000 Mexican Americans enlisted on both sides. By war’s end, that number had grown to 10,000. In 1864, Rear Admiral David G. Farragut and his fleet pushed into Mobile Bay upon his famous command, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” The crew successfully captured the Confederate Navy’s CSS Tennessee, and Farragut became the U.S. Navy’s first full admiral. At the turn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” would fight on Cuban soil in the Spanish-American War. Many Hispanic members of the Arizona National Guard would also join Roosevelt’s volunteer cavalry regiment. Two years later, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, Pvt. France Silva of the U.S. Marines became the first Mexican American to earn a Medal of Honor for
attempting to defend the Tartar Walls that surrounded Beijing.... In 1916 ... the largely Mexican-American First Arizona Infantry Regiment of the Air National Guard followed Col. A.M. Tuthill and Gen. John J. Pershing into Mexico in a year-long pursuit of Pancho Villa, who had raided Columbus, New Mexico, and killed 17 Americans. Two months after the troops withdrew from Mexico, they were mobilized for World War I on April 6, 1917. Across the nation, some 200,000 Latinos would be enlisted to fight in World War I. Most were Mexican American, with 18,000 Puerto Ricans joining their ranks. In Arizona, more than 12,000 men were drafted or enlisted. Excerpt from The Faces of Post 41 by Charles Sanderson, edited by Pete R. Dimas. Published by Latino Perspectives and Raul Castro Institute.
when his sons joined the armed forces. We thought it was the right thing to do.” Jimmie’s brother Arthur Munoz joined the U.S. Army and was severely wounded and paralyzed for life during the Korean War conflict. Jimmie is a veteran of the Vietnam War era, where he served in the 101st Airborne Division, 1st BTN Company A 327. The Munoz tradition of patriotism continues to this day, Jimmie says. Guadalupe’s great-granddaughter Amanda is married to Javier Lopez, a permanent resident originally from Mexico, who joined the military and earned his citizenship via expedited naturalization process. He is now fighting the war in Afghanistan. For the Munozes, community involvement, military service, and citizenship have always gone hand in hand. “I am very proud of my family’s rich heritage of military and community service,” says Jimmie, whose wife Norma and son Jim Munoz Jr. both sit on the Roosevelt School District Board. Jim Jr. is also running for state representative from his district.
A home for every veteran
When soldiers came home from World War II, the legendary housing boom had not quite begun in Phoenix. The entire Valley was still recovering from a sudden shift of focus during the war. It had become a main production center for equipment needed in the war effort. Once the war was over, the local economy had to swerve in a new direction yet again. One resource that continued to be scarce was housing. Many communities had to build temporary housing to provide for the workers. These problems had begun to grow severe during the Depression years. The war had ended, and soldiers across the
Jim Munoz Jr., Arthur Munoz, Jimmie Munoz. In photos: Guadalupe Munoz and Guadalupe Munoz Jr.
nation were coming home and finding themselves forced to live in tents, street cars or worse. In Phoenix, Ray Martinez, then commander of Post 41, saw the barrios suffering as well. “During the war, there was a shortage of housing. And after the war, veterans came home and they had to double up with others. I mean, there’s 10 or 12 living to a house, and we were very much concerned about it, and so were the officials.” In early 1946, the Veterans’ Emergency Housing Program was formed to battle the problem. Congress made funds available to municipalities so that veteran housing could be built. When they were told they could receive 150 pre-fab homes to use for emergency housing in Phoenix, city officials voted to provide them at three different sites. One-hundred homes for Anglo veterans were built downtown at an abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps
camp on 10 acres near 809 N. 19th Street in the Garfield housing community. AfricanAmerican veterans were set up in 25 houses constructed near the Matthew T. Henson Housing Project in South Phoenix. Then they announced where the Hispanic veterans military housing would be placed: at the site of an old city dump at 5th Street and Henshaw Road (present-day Buckeye Road). The next challenge was about to begin for Thunderbird Post 41. Like crossing a new beachhead, Ray Martinez dove forward, challenging the status quo. On March 23, 1946, Martinez voiced his concerns to City Manager Roy Heyne. Promises were made “to cover the dump; landscape it, and make it look pretty.” But this was unacceptable to the MexicanAmerican veterans. It was unsanitary, with open-air toilets and contamination, continued on next page
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Wars translate into ‘double victory’ for Latinos
For Latinos, native born, naturalized, and non-naturalized, military service has always been a “double victory.” They fought with honor on battlefields abroad, earning respect from fellow soldiers. This respect then paved the way for returning soldiers to overthrow the barriers to Latino civil liberties. Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez, chair of the Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Arizona State University, has compiled numerous ethno-studies of Latino history. His research bears out the duality of the purposes military service has posed for Latinos. “The [U.S.] military has played prominent roles in the national and daily lives of Latinos in the United States marked by two recurring features: the wars fought against intolerance and discrimination at home and in the services, and those against whom the nation had declared as its enemies,” says Vélez-Ibáñez. “Latinos have not only fulfilled their military duty but used this experience as the basis to further their civil rights and to
fight the daily conflicts for employment, education, and social justice in often intolerable conditions,” he adds. Vélez-Ibáñez says that Latino veterans returning from World War I and World War II were responsible for many of the gains made against segregated schools, poor housing, homebuyer restriction covenants, voting rights, and employment opportunities. They also capitalized on the post-World War II G.I. Bill of Rights to earn university degrees. They also organized. World War I veterans and other Mexican-American groups like The Order of the Sons of America and The Knights of America founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in 1929, one of the largest Latino advocacy organizations in the nation. Latino patriotism has never been only for men. Latinas were also instrumental in developing LULAC. They formed LULAC auxiliary organizations that supported the group’s goals of equal opportunities for Latinos. Many of them had served in the military as nurses and support personnel and were among the
A home for every veteran and not large enough to provide space for yards. Ray suggested putting the houses at Harmon Park near the Marcos de Niza Project or that they be integrated into the 10 acres of land where the Anglo veterans were to be located. Anglo property owners in the Garfield neighborhood quickly became uncomfortable with the idea of Mexican Americans moving in. They banded together with Anglo veterans to form the Garfield Property Owners Protective Association. Eddie H. Poole, a fellow veteran who had fought at Iwo Jima, was to be the organization’s leader against integration. Eddie Poole stood before the Phoenix City Council and denounced the idea as a travesty in his eyes. Ray Martinez was there to witness his words. “My God, it was the most awful thing you would want
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33,000 women who had enlisted in the armed forces during the First World War. Latinas also supported the war efforts during both global conflicts by taking the place of men deployed abroad to fight. These “Rositas the riveters” worked in the factories that produced munitions and war equipment. During World War II, Mexicans came across the border to replace U.S. farm workers, who made up the majority of Latinos who went off to war, as the U.S. and Mexican governments instituted the Bracero Program on August 4, 1942. About 350,000 workers annually came to work on farms across the country, and thus supported the U.S. war effort. The program formally ended in 1964. After World War II, returning Latino veterans were denied their earned educational, housing, and medical benefits. Some funeral homes refused to bury the bodies of Mexican Americans killed in battle except in segregated cemeteries. Among the angered Latino veterans was Dr. Henry Perez Garcia, an Army veteran medical physician who founded the Ameri-
(continued)
to hear,” he said. “‘Those damn Mexicans, you put them in there, they’re gonna be raping, they’re gonna be robbing and you know, we’re going to have all kinds of problems. And we just don’t want them because we need to protect our families.’ It was so terrible that the members of the city council were just absolutely devastated. You could see that they were completely uncomfortable.” When Ray’s time came, he stood and explained the absurdity of such an argument. He reminded them that they had all fought together. Why couldn’t they live together? Suddenly, another man stood up: Kenny Rosenbaum. He was a Jewish lawyer and a member of B’nai B’rith. “My goodness, here we are. We’ve just been through a war that was mainly motivated by hate, and here
we have somebody still spewing hate as bad as Hitler did over there.” The city council took a brief recess to think things over. Whereas Ray and his supporters had spoken reasonably, they were still stung by the harsh words of Eddie Poole. Fifteen minutes later, the council members returned to make their announcement. “The city council has decided to take this entire matter into consideration. And we’ll decide at a later date.” Ray Martinez would not get the answer he sought that day. But it was an election year, Ray recalls. “The council was voted out. Ray Busey was elected mayor and they immediately said, ‘Integrate it. It goes together.’” Excerpt from The Faces of Post 41 by Charles Sanderson, edited by Pete R. Dimas. Published by Latino Perspectives and Raul Castro Institute.
can G.I. Forum in 1948 in Texas. Latinas also became prominent officers and leaders in this national advocacy organization. In Phoenix, post-war veterans formed the American Legion Post 41 in Central Phoenix. Some of Post 41’s members served in the 158th Infantry Regiment nicknamed the “Bushmasters.” Many in this storied regiment were Arizona Latinos. General Douglas MacArthur complimented the Bushmasters as “one of the greatest fighting combat teams ever deployed for battle.” Latino soldiers came home proud and emboldened to lead the fight against discrimination in the United States. They were determined to claim their right to the American Dream they had risked their lives to obtain.
Latino patriotism and today’s immigration debate Some say now, with the passage of S.B. 1070 into Arizona law, Latinos, regardless of citizenship, may be subjected to increased scrutiny by police. As often occurs during national turmoil,
Rita the nurse
Phoenix, like other places, seemed to be sending an entire generation of soldiers to Vietnam. Pedro and Eleanor Abeytia’s son Bernie was one of the many, signing up just after graduating from West Phoenix High School in 1968. He would serve with the Marines, just as his father had years before. Soon after, his older sister, present-day Post 41 Auxiliary member Rita Brock-Perini, decided she had to do her part as well. […] By 1959, Rita finished nursing school and started a job – just as she’d promised herself – as a high school nurse. In 1968, with 10 years of nursing experience under her belt, Rita enlisted in the Air Force Medical Corps. “We were the six-week wonders .... Our
nativism and extreme nationalism have become the order of the day, with neoconservatives like Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh, and Michelle Malkin using the media to criticize undocumented Latino immigrants and those who sympathize with them. Once again, despite generations of consistent military service to the U.S., by citizens and immigrants, doubts are being expressed about Latino patriotism. As the heated debates centering on Latino immigration illustrate, many U.S. citizens still question the degree to which immigrants serving in the U.S. military or living in our communities support values they deem central to American political culture. Latinos have served this country long and well, yet because many love their heritage, they often have their patriotism questioned. Robert Hernandez, the commander of Post 41, says Latino patriotism is evident in the history and in today’s spirit of America. He was a member of the Arizona Air Guard for 30 years, and served in both the Vietnam and the Desert Storm campaigns.
training was brief. I think they took us out on two bivouacs ... just over the border of Texas and Oklahoma.” In Vietnam, wounded soldiers went from the battlefield to a triage location as close to the front line as possible. If the men needed hospitalization, they were flown to Japan for a second triage. Finally, they were flown to Wilford Hall. Often, by the time the soldiers reached Rita’s care, they were in the worst possible shape – or dead. […] “A lot of the troops that were infantry would come to us with the terrible, terrible, leg injuries because of those Pongee sticks. They used to soak them in feces and then put them in the ground so the kids would step on them and it would go through their boot and into their foot. And if they didn’t get treated soon enough, they lost the leg, and maybe even worse because it would spread through the blood system very
“Having served, we already feel we have shown our patriotism and our dedication to the United States,” says Hernandez. “It doesn’t matter what color or status you are, we are all veterans.” Hernandez says he has concerns with how S.B. 1070 could target all Latinos, not just undocumented immigrants. He’s even warned his own teenage daughter that she may need to carry proof of citizenship. “We reached milestones of Latino rights, but obviously with this law, we are regressing in time. Being a patriot doesn’t mean attacking somebody else’s civil rights.” Hernandez says that true patriotism doesn’t divide people of different cultures, but brings them together through a shared sense of belonging and commitment. He believes that patriotism, not ethnicity, customs, or language, should be the common bond that defines people as Americans. His pride is obvious. “I believe in serving in our country’s military and I believe in this country,” says Hernandez. “That’s my patriotism.”
Rita welcomes her brother Bernie back from Vietnam. quickly … And we used to take them off the plane and immediately start treating them while they were still on their stretcher .…” Slowly, the soldiers began to come home. Bernie returned while his sister Rita was still serving in the Air Force. Friends found it amusing that he would have to salute his higher-ranking sister when she finally arrived. Excerpt from Nurturing Tradition, Fostering Change by Charles Sanderson. Published by Latino Perspectives and Raul Castro Institute.
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“We must view education as an investment, not an expense.” SHELLY ESQUE Vice President, Intel
The education we provide for Arizona’s children will determine the kind of future we all enjoy. Arizona employers need a highly skilled, talented workforce to diversify our economy, increase job opportunities and stay competitive. That requires a stronger education system that begins at birth and continues through career. By investing time, talent and money to improve education today, we better position Arizona for long-term success. In the end, we all benefit. Education is everyone’s business. Make it your priority. Visit ExpectMoreArizona.org.
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6/2/10 10:23:17 AM
33 Entrepreneur
Rey Cota is living the sueño americano at Chase Field, selling his tamales in Section 137.
35 Briefcase
Do you mind your virtual manners? Erica Cardenas gives our readers a few tips
39 Career
Serving in the Peace Corps is another way to show your patriotism
Movin’ Up Bravo and Baltazar head up community relations at Cox
Roxanne Bravo, senior community relations specialist at Cox Communications
Cox Communications has appointed Roxanne Bravo to serve as senior community relations specialist. Bravo will coordinate corporate sponsorship fulfillment and manage the board stewardship and Cox volunteer programs. She will also assist with the development and execution of strategic community partnerships. Bravo holds a B.A. in communications and in Spanish from ASU and is a 2008 graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute. www.latinopm.com
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movin’ up
Cesar Baltazar will be the new bilingual customer care manager at Cox. Baltazar will oversee strategies and operations to better serve bilingual customers in Arizona and other Cox markets around the nation. Baltazar has been instrumental in the evolution of Cox’s bilingual team. He is a member of the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) class of 2010.
Maria C. Garcia
Contreras new exec director of UCP United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona (UCP) has appointed longtime Valley business leader Armando Contreras as executive director. Contreras had been serving as president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He previously served under former Gov. Napolitano as director of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and as executive director for the Governor’s Council on Small Business. He also served as executive director of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry for more than 10 years. UCP provides comprehensive programming to children and adults throughout Arizona with a range of disabilities including cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, developmental delays and learning disabilities.
Garcia honored with Freeman Medal Mary C. Garcia received a Merrill
P. Freeman Medal at the UA commencement ceremony in May. A student in the UA Honors College, Garcia earned a Bachelor of Health Sciences in physiology, with a minor in Spanish, and graduated cum laude and with honors. The Merrill P. Freeman Medals are awarded annually to one male and one female student selected by the UA administration, recognizing individuals whose contributions have had a positive impact on the UA and surrounding community.
De la Melena interim prez for AZHCC Local entrepreneur Gonzalo de la Melena will serve as interim president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC). Founder of Emerging Domestic Market Ventures, LLC, the managing partner of Emerging Restaurants Group LLC, the Phoenix developer and franchisee for Pollo Campero restaurants, de la Melena was the 2009 winner of Arizona Minority Retail Firm of the Year. He earned an MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global
individual immigrants for their outstanding accomplishments and unique contributions to the United States. Last year’s honoree was Carlos Santana.
Ortiz heads up PR at RSD
Gonzalo de la Melena
Management. De la Melena has been active in the AZHCC as a corporate representative, chair of numerous committees, and as a member of the board.
Salcedo named to Komen BOD Luisa Salcedo of Ahwatukee was
recently named to the 20102011 Komen Phoenix board of directors. Salcedo is a certified public accountant and is also the treasurer of the Komen Phoenix Affiliate. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance and business management.
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UVM promotes Cardenas to KPDF general manager Una Vez Más, LP (UVM) has promoted Gabriela Cardenas to general manager for the KPDF Phoenix station. Cardenas will be in command of the Phoenix DMA OTA channel 41 including COX 56, DirecTV 41, Qwest 16 and the upcoming channel 41 Digital.
American Heritage Award goes to Rico The American Immigration Council will honor Nelly Rico, lawful, permanent resident and mother of Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, at their annual benefit in Maryland. Cejudo will present the council’s coveted American Heritage Award to his mother. Also known as the Immigrant Achievement Award, it is presented to
Movin’ Up Know someone who has been promoted, elected or honored? Send us the news of their achievements! E-mail movinup@latinopm.com 30
Roosevelt School District (RSD) has named Joseph Ortiz as its new director of public/community relations. Ortiz has more than 25 years experience in public relations and marketing, including heading up the communications department for the city of Tempe and as senior VP of public relations and community affairs for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
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All-American tamales Reynaldo Duran Cota Jr., owner, ReyGloria’s Tamales
Baseball and hot dogs are a classic patriotic combo, but baseball and tamales could soon be another combo clásico. Ever since 2006 when D-backs president Derrick Hall got a taste of one of Rey Cota’s tamales, Cota has been living a dream, making and selling his tamales at Chase Field for every home game, with support from his wife Martha and four other employees.
Elevator pitch: I make red chili tamales and green corn tamales sold at my stand near Section 137 at Chase Field Ballpark, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. What makes my business great is I can offer to all the fans that come to the baseball games something different and unique from the same old hot dog, popcorn or chicken tenders and fries. Once the fans try one of our tamales, they come back for more.
Where are you from? I grew up in Guadalupe, Arizona, which is about one square mile, a small town with a population of about 6000 Hispanics residents and Yaqui descendants, where everybody knows each other. My grandparents Ramón and Francisca Cota arrived here in 1952 from Mexico. I still live in Guadalupe. What prompted you to start your own business? My parents, Reynaldo Cota Sr. and Gloria Cota. They had the idea of opening up a restaurant when they were younger, but with Dad working a full-time job and Mom
raising four kids, it was kind of hard for them to start their own business.
Whose recipe is behind your tamales? The recipe belongs to my mother … I named the company using our first names, Rey and Gloria. She has always been a great cook and has many recipes for authentic Mexican foods. But we’re known for the tamales.
What else do you sell besides tamales at your Chase Field stand? I only sell the red chile tamale and green corn tamale, but I am working to convince Chase Field to sell my red chile and green chile burritos, which are amazing, too. I also cater on the side, for weddings, private company parties and quinceañeras, or whatever comes along.
Who has inspired you? Several people ... My parents; both were hard workers in their prime and are still going strong ... My wonderful wife, who is always there for me. Also Victor Flores and Derrick Hall; if it wasn’t for their help, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now.
Best advice you’ve heard: From my parents, to never forget where I come from and remember the people who helped me get to where I am, and to always give back to the community and help those less fortunate than me.
Business highlights: Being in Latino Perspectives, Arizona Highways and D-backs Insider. Working at Chase Field and all the publicity and support that came with it, from Derrick Hall and everyone who helped me along the way.
Plans for the future/next step: I want to open up a fast-food takeout restaurant and sell my tamales at Costco, Sam’s Club and a few grocery stores. I also want to open my own operation outside of Chase Field.
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Minding your e-manners A brief guide to professional electronic etiquette By Erica Cardenas
A glimpse into Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876
notebook entry describes his successful experiment with the telephone. Bell spoke through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, who was in the next room, and said these famous words: “Mr. Watson, come here – I want to see you.” And so it began, a seemingly simple, yet revolutionary form of communication in the “workplace” that would eventually evolve into something bigger and more complex than even Mr. Bell himself could imagine. Now it’s all about how many mobile applications you can download onto your iPhone, BlackBerry or Android. Let’s face it: Today’s modern professionals, regardless of the industry, are often plugged in to some sort of handheld device, providing them full access to communication on the go. Perhaps it’s even safe to say that because we are virtually connected to our peers, coworkers and even clients 24/7, sometimes that fine line between work days and being “off the clock” gets blurred. With the continual embracing of new media and technology, the question becomes how does one integrate and properly balance the use of these mediums when it comes to using them for work-related communication? What’s the protocol for maintaining proper business etiquette across all these platforms without crossing the line?
Digital cognizance Let’s begin with the basics and take a look at a few etiquette guidelines when it comes to text messaging, also known as SMSing (short message servicing), the term used for all types of short text messaging. First and foremost, before you text, ask if communicating this way is acceptable, especially when the person on the receiving end happens to be el jefe. If permission is granted, a key rule to remember is content matters. Your boss is your boss; make it a point
to maintain a level of professionalism when SMSing him or her. And because texting has a tendency to be less formal, keep in mind that perception is reality to some, so before you push that send button, review and think about how your message will be both perceived and received. Another key point to remember is to be sure to monitor the frequency of your texts. Meaning, unless it’s mission critical, steer away from repeatedly texting your boss, especially after normal business hours. It’s better to play it safe and be respectful of his or her privacy after the work day is over. But whether they’re to your boss, or even your coworkers and associates, the texts you send should alwww.latinopm.com
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ways convey professionalism. You have a reputation to manage and you don’t want to tarnish your good name just because you got carried away and decided to forward a not-so-kosher text message to all of your contacts. Keep it clean, and keep it professional.
A virtual socialite
The Healing Starts Here ƛȯɀȷȼȵ˴ΎƛȽȻȾȯɁɁȷȽȼȯɂȳΎ ƞɃȼȳɀȯȺΎƫȳɀɄȷȱȳɁΎ ȯɂΎƙˎȽɀȲȯȰȺȳΎƨɀȷȱȳɁ
Since virtually connecting is practically de rigueur, it’s no surprise it continues to grow like wildfire. Facebook now has 110 million active users in the U. S. alone. And according to Scarborough Research, 40 percent of Hispanic Internet users maintain social-networking profiles on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The use of social media for business communication is soaring to new heights, says Jim Lupkin, founder and social media director for Scottsdale social media
agency www.webuildyoursocialmedia. com. And when it comes to standard business etiquette for social media, there are rules to live by. “We live in a time where everything is transparent. It used to be whatever happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas. Now it’s whatever happens in Vegas will show up on YouTube or Facebook,” says Lupkin matter-of-factly. He notes that because people are held accountable, a benefit of social media is that in its own way, it raises people’s standards. Basically, don’t do anything on social media that you wouldn’t want your mother to find out about. It all goes back to image – if you’re a professional using Facebook for business communication, you want to always be mindful of protecting your image and never want to jeopardize your job or credibility. Even when you’re
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Communicating via e-mail has its own set of “manners.” Think of how many e-mail messages you’ve received with the generic subject line, “Hi!” In business communication, you want to avoid doing this. The subject line is the window into your e-mail and can many times determine if your message will even be opened. Make the subject line specific and brief. AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE MESSAGES YOU GET THAT ALMOST SEEM LIKE THE SENDER IS SHOUTING AT YOU? Another etiquette rule: Don’t type in all caps. It’s intense and can even give off the impression you’re too lazy to use punctuation. E-mailing is still a written medium, so follow standard grammar guidelines as a professional courtesy. With e-mail, respond to questions in full, as if properly answering an essay question. For example, instead of a terse “no,” respond with, “No, I’m not available to meet the board members at that time.” One-word answers are too blunt and can confuse the reader; don’t assume your reply is at the forefront of his or her thoughts. An alternative would be to copy the original question into your e-mail, then provide your response. Here are a few more etiquette tips for e-mail communication: Reply to All: Before you opt for this button, think carefully about whether “all” really need to be aware of your reply to conduct business. You don’t want to unnecessarily increase others’ volume of e-mail.
briefcase posting or “talking” on a personal level, people may perceive you to be posting on behalf of your business or employer, another reason why you want to keep your content in good taste. So what do you do in the case where your boss or co-workers are your FB pals, and you’re not sure if you should overlap your professional and personal online information? Lupkin points out the human condition. “We are in a world of relationships, and there’s something to [be said for] sharing a connection with your boss or peers, where they can see pictures of your puppy, your wedding or other things you might not see in the common workplace. When people have a better relationship with you, they take more interest in you.” On the flip side, if you do choose to keep your personal and professional lives
¡!
separate, Lupkin would advise changing your FB settings so you can control who sees what information. For example, if you don’t want to share posts or photos with your boss or peers, determine which privacy settings are best for you. What you post might be around for a while and could possibly be shared by others. With that in mind, it’s always wise to heed professional social media etiquette. Another scenario: What should you do if you’re faced with the awkward situation of not wanting to “friend” your coworker? Simple – just be open and honest about it. “You probably don’t have a relationship with that person anyway, so if you’re faced with a situation where that person confronts you, be transparent, and the same goes if you decide to ‘un-friend’ someone,” adds Lupkin.
Think outside the mailbox. Attachments: When sending large files, business courtesy dictates that you ask the recipient first if it’s ok. You may also want to confirm that they have the same software to ensure they’re able to download the file while keeping their e-mail flowing. Never send large attachments without warning, especially on weekends or after business hours when the recipient may not be available to keep their inbox clear. Signature files: Limit your signature to no more than five or six lines, and don’t forget to include ‘http://’ with your website address to ensure the URL is recognized as a clickable URL, regardless of the user’s software or platform. When it comes to business communication in general, anyone using e-mail, smartphones, or any company-owned hardware should be aware that their electronic communiqué could very well be the property of the company – a good thing to know and to keep in mind. Ownership aside, when it comes to “netiquette,” common courtesy is the bottom line, and doubly important since body language and tone of voice are mere conjectures for both parties.
LPM, sent to your Inbox. For six years, LPM has been the only Arizona magazine focused on the local Latino community. Sign up for the free digital edition: www.latinopm.com/digital
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In service to country As a Peace Corps volunteer By Virginia Pesqueira
The phrase “in service to country” is usually
attributed to men and women who serve in the military and give much of their time away from home, and sometimes even their lives, to contribute to a cause. Whether or not the cause is one of their choosing, they believe it will make a difference for themselves, their family, their community and their country. The United States has been blessed with many such military personnel, including many Latinos who have given of themselves for the greater good. Peace Corps volunteers have also given of their time away from home, to serve their country in foreign lands for the greater good. Unfortunately, not much has been written or mentioned about these volunteers, whose talents and contributions have made a difference for the people in the countries they have served – and for themselves. Sometimes the Peace Corps is dismissed as something peaceniks join between graduation and growing up. While the Peace Corps’ mission is to promote world peace and friendship, it does much more than that, and with volunteers of all ages who work in other countries as well as the U.S., with local governments, communities, schools and entrepreneurs to help them become self-sustaining in areas of education, health, the environment, agriculture, youth development, information technology and business development. The Peace Corps has an interesting history, despite its lack of media attention. When Minnesota Sen. Hubert Humphrey introduced the first Peace Corps bill in 1957, the senator received a lukewarm response to the concept. His more conservative peers thought it was dangerous to send young American volunteers to far reaches of the globe; others thought it was an impractical idea. Three years later during his presidential campaign, Sen. John F. Kennedy challenged a group of 10,000 students at the University of Michigan and asked them if they would be willing to serve their country “in the cause of peace” by living and working in developing countries. This time the response was energetic.
During his inauguration speech, when President Kennedy made the famous decree, “Do not ask what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” many young people took his call to action seriously. On March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. In 1981, Congress passed legislation to make the Peace Corps an independent federal agency. In that same decade, the Peace Corps celebrated its 25th anniversary, and established the first Peace Corps Fellows Program at Columbia University to recruit returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) as public school teachers in New York City. In exchange for a two-year work commitment, the RPCVs were offered scholarships for graduate study. In 1995, director Mark D. Gearan launched Crisis Corps (now called Peace Corps Response), a new program that allows returned volunteers to provide short-term assistance during natural disasters and humanitarian crises. By 1998, Crisis Corps volunteers were serving in Guinea, Bolivia, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and other countries. In the last 10 years, volunteers have responded to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the 2005 tsunami, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. www.latinopm.com
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Early on, Latinos in Arizona heeded the president’s call and made the decision to serve their country by volunteering in the Peace Corps. One of the early volunteers was Dr. Quino Martinez, then a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Arizona State University, where he taught for 31 years. Dr. Martinez became a language instructor for the Peace Corps because of the many South American countries wanting volunteers. He also became a volunteer and served in Brazil, and in later years, his younger sister Julia Martinez Emmons also served in Brazil. Another early volunteer was Eduardo Delci of Chandler, Arizona, who upon graduating from ASU in 1963, waved his Peace Corps letter of acceptance
along with his bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies. He was ready to trek to South America to augment his education. What better way than to travel and serve his country at the same time? “My initial contact with Peace Corps was on the ASU campus,” says Delci. “I was one of several Chicanos who worked as Spanish-language tutors for Peace Corps trainees bound for assignment in Bolivia … [and] I was studying to be a Spanish teacher in secondary education.” It finally dawned on Delci that he was just as qualified to join the agency as the trainees he was tutoring. Delci served not once, but twice. And like other volunteers, Delci encountered many adventures and made
To be a Peace Corps volunteer • Length of service is 27 months, which includes an average of three months of in-country training and 24 months of volunteer service. • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline. The entire application process, from completion of the application to departure for service, takes an average of nine to 12 months. Applicants can expect to hear from a Peace Corps recruiter within two to three weeks after the completed application has been submitted. • The minimum age for Peace Corps service is 18; there is no upper age limit. Volunteers must be U.S. citizens. • Competitive applicants will have a demonstrated commitment to community service, leadership experience, and a willingness to learn a new language. One in three applicants serves abroad. • The Peace Corps provides volunteers with a living allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in their community. The Peace Corps also provides complete medical and dental care and covers the cost of transportation to and from your country of service. To assist with the transition back home, volunteers are paid $7,425 (before taxes) at the close of 27 months of service, whether it be for travel, a vacation, making a move, or securing housing. • Volunteer safety and security is the Peace Corps’ highest priority. The agency devotes significant resources to provide volunteers with the training, support, and information they need to stay healthy and safe. • Master’s International Program offers the unique opportunity to combine Peace Corps service with a master’s degree program. Prospective students apply separately to Peace Corps and to a participating graduate school. Once accepted by both, students will study on campus, usually for one year, and then spend the next two years earning academic credit while working overseas in a related Peace Corps project. Most schools provide students in this program with opportunities for research or teaching assistantships, scholarships, or tuition waivers for the credits earned while serving in the Peace Corps. ASU’s School of Sustainability in Tempe and NAU’s School of Forestry in Flagstaff both offer this program.
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Visit www.peacecorps.org to learn more about becoming a Peace Corps volunteer.
career
Ed Delci in Ecuador, 1965
many friends along the way. He helped build a school in the village of Llacao, Ecuador, a project that brought Delci great satisfaction. He felt he made a big difference for the community, especially the youngsters. Delci and another Peace Corps volunteer would commute to Cuenca every Saturday night to do a local radio program about the Peace Corps. Delci was called back in 1969 to serve another two-year term, this time in Cuzco, Peru. There he served as regional director for several small villages and towns. He was well respected by many of the volunteers and the natives. Delci even learned a little Quechua, the Andean people’s Inca language. He also learned that even though he was of Mexican heritage and knew Spanish very well, the Spanish spoken in Ecuador and Peru was very different in each country, as was their food, music and religion. It’s been more than 40 years, and Delci’s demeanor changes and eyes still sparkle when he shares his adventures in the Peace Corps. His time as a volunteer was a worthwhile experience and reinforced his interest in Latin America. And he’s still at it: Delci and two other returned volunteers recently did a presentation at Nogales High School about the Peace Corps. “Peace Corps opened my eyes to the many realities we must face in our daily
ÂĄ! ÂĄ!
lives [and how they] impact people of humble background and lower socioeconomic status,â€? says Delci. “Peace Corps taught me how to become stronger in facing adversity ‌ It also gave me the courage to work with young people in the higher education settings at the University of New Mexico and ASU.â€? His time with the Peace Corps also influenced his decision to pursue graduate studies in social work. Now retired, Delci spent many years working on issues of poverty and empowering people in selfhelp projects, human rights and working in people-to-people programs in the Southwest and Latin America. He’s been a field trainer, program administrator, regional director, adult probation officer, senior outreach counselor/academic advisor and an activist de la comunidad. In 2009, over 15,000 applications were submitted to join Peace Corps. Since 1961, close to 200,000 Americans have volunteered and over 139 countries have been served, including Mexico as of 2003. The most recent host countries to be added are Colombia, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. People who believe they can do something to make a difference in their lives and others’ lives, can and should look into becoming Peace Corps volunteers and a significant part of America’s history. And their contributions should be considered as “in service to country.â€? Virginia Pesqueira and Edward Delci have been married for over 25 years.
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Delci being interviewed at a community gathering, 1998
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Born on the Fourth George L. Lopez, 2nd Lieutenant, Army National Guard George L. Lopez commissioned as a second
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lieutenant on May 13, 2010. He will soon begin his service as an officer in the Army National Guard. Lopez grew up in South Phoenix, strongly encouraged by his parents to get an education, succeed, and help others. He was consistently on the honor roll, active in sports, an involved member of the YMCA and his church. At ASU, Lopez was a member of the Omega Delta Phi Hispanic fraternity and a cadet in the ROTC program. He graduated this past May. Feliz cumpleaños, George L. Lopez. Y gracias.
Who or what inspired you to pursue this career? My grandfather. He was a World War II veteran and received a Bronze Star. Once he got out, my grandfather continued to work for the Air Force as a civilian for over 20 years. He told me I had the potential to do great things and that I should consider being an officer in the military.
What drew you most to serving in the military? A sense of pride drives me to serve our country every day of my life. I hold my loved ones dear to me and will do what it takes to keep them free.
Greatest satisfaction of serving: Being able to say that I gave back to my country. We take for granted every right that is given to us as Americans. Serving my country is just a small way in which I can give back. It is also a great feeling to know I can protect my family’s freedoms and way of life from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
What will your duties be? My MOS/job title will be a 21B, which is a combat engineer. As an officer I will be in charge of the training of my soldiers and providing support on the battlefield during combat. This could mean clearing a road, helping with the construction of bridges and much more.
How do you feel about active duty? Active duty is a choice and a way of life, and if you like to move every couple of years and have great family support to do it, then I am all for it. I chose to go a different route and stay in Arizona, pursue my professional goals and serve my country by being in the National Guard.
What do you like to do in your down time? I am a simple guy who loves to hang out and watch movies, play sports and listen to music. I actually DJ in my free time, something I love and have been doing for a few years now. Playing and watching sports is my next biggest passion – I love to keep up with my Sun Devils, Suns and Yankees.
Advice to others considering joining the service: Do it out of the love for this country. Also, before you make a choice to join the military, do your research on the enlisted side as well as the officer side.
Nominate a candidate for Latinos who serve Men and women currently in the military or a first responder. Send your info to editor@latinopm.com. www.latinopm.com
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Helping parents ‘do better’ New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development By Kris Jacober
remember how they were raised, they use the techniques their parents used, they “do the best they can with what they know.” Now, thanks to science and brain imaging that allow us to look into children’s brains, we know better. New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development (NDI) is devoted to using that information to help parents do better. NDI was founded nearly 10 years ago by Drs. Jill Stamm and Janet Johnson while they were students at Arizona State University, earning their doctorates in learning processes for typical, normal children. They got to be fast friends as they worked together on their research and shared their common experiences, each raising a multiply handicapped child and a typical child. “We were researching how children learn,” said Stamm, “and we knew from experience the difficulty of raising a special-needs child, and how much easier it was for a typical child to learn.” Healthy, normal development was fascinating to them both. At the same time, the late 1990s brought the advent of new technologies in PET scans and MRIs, which made it possible for neuroscientists to look inside the brain while it was at work and actually see how the brain processed information. Some of the earliest work was generated from brain scans of children in Romanian orphanages who had been deprived of human interaction, one-to-one attention and social interaction for the first months and years of their lives. Researchers discovered that lack of stimulation affects the architecture of the brain; its fundamental wiring does not develop appropriately. “Once scientists discovered the ramifications of neglect on different systems in the brain, they began to understand how rapidly the structures are formed, and how vulnerable the brain is to what is going on in the child’s environment,” says Stamm. Stamm and Johnson became “crazy passionate” about sharing what they were learning with people; how simple things can make a huge difference in social and emotional
Photo courtesy of new directions institute
Most parents do the very best they can. They
growth for children, and that a lack of meaningful human interaction for newborns and babies could be detrimental and long lasting. “We literally sat at my kitchen table and said, ‘Somebody needs to do something with this information. Oh, no! It’s us.’ Then we got busy,” Stamm remembers. “Early care is closely related to the ability to learn and to effective memory function,” adds Stamm. “Consistent, loving, predictable environments allow cognitive energy [or] brain energy of a child to remember rather than just experience. The ability to secure information in your memory bank takes energy. Children who are secure develop better memory systems.” Parents looking for the “quick fix” to maximize brain development for their child may rush out to buy the latest video or gizmo or computer game. The reality is brain development is intimately tied to a child’s relationships with his parents and caregivers in the first three years, when the bulk of the brain is “wiring up.” Three concepts, done purposefully, go a long way to wire the brain effectively: www.latinopm.com
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attention, bonding and communication. A child’s feeling that somebody loves her, cares about her, attends to her when she cries, is the beginning of a lifelong ability to trust others and to feel attached to another human being. Children need at least one, predictable and loving caregiver that they can count on to “be there.” When children can count on that relationship, they free up cognitive energy to be better able to learn. Communication, the third element of the ABCs of early brain development, is facilitated by books and simple games that help children learn language. “Pay attention, bond and communicate with your children every single day,” says Stamm. “Turn off your cell phone, take your baby out of his carrier, and talk to him. When parents know the importance of this information to the development of their child’s brain, they do change.” Over the past 10 years, the New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development has gained the trust of policymakers, business leaders, parents, community leaders and others as a statewide resource for accurate, easy-to-understand information about how a young child’s brain develops and the simple and easy techniques parents and caregivers can use with children to increase their ability to learn, to be securely bonded with caregivers and to lay the foundations for language and literacy. In 2006, NDI merged with Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA), the largest child welfare and behavioral health organization in Arizona. For NDI, the merger with AzCA has meant statewide and national growth. “Our merger with Arizona’s Children allowed us to take all of our programs statewide, which is something we never could have done,” says Stamm. On the national level, NDI has leveraged AzCA’s long history and credibility with the Child Welfare League of America to bring its programs and products to several other states.
NDI workshops NDI products and programs share the science of early development in a variety 46
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of formats. All NDI workshops, presentations and materials are available in English and Spanish, and all workshops are generally free. Wired for Success® is presented in one-hour or four-hour workshops for parents and caregivers of newborns and infants. The one-hour workshop is filled with handson experiences that show parents how critical their role can be in stimulating a child’s development. The four-hour workshop builds on the one-hour workshop, plus addresses developments in neuroscience with practical methods for stimulating healthy early brain development in children based on S.T.E.P.S. to Early Brain Development®, a New Directions program concentrating on security, touch, eyes (vision), play and sound. Participants learn how to encourage a child’s learning through parent-child interactions in these areas. St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Banner Thunderbird Hospital in Glendale, Tempe St. Luke’s and Chandler Regional Hospital offer these workshops for parents of newborns in their hospitals and others who are interested. Brain Time is available at libraries statewide for parents, grandparents, caregivers and others who care for children ages birth to five years old. Modeled after the traditional library story time, Brain Time includes three free, one-hour sessions that allow parents and caregivers to learn about the latest child brain development research and techniques, and practice what they are learning by interacting with their child in a guided setting using Brain Box™ toys and books. Kinder Prep is a pre-literacy program for children ages three to five. It includes three one-hour sessions, with activities that use common materials found in many homes to illustrate and practice fun learning experiences. One session is on attention, one on bonding and one on communication. Each fun interaction is linked to how that activity strengthens brain connections. Recently, with funding from First Things First, NDI embarked on the Cornerstone Institution project to embed NDI’s brain development curriculum and early education programs into respected
and trusted cornerstone institutions, including hospitals, public libraries and established community centers. At Chandler Regional and Tempe St. Luke’s hospitals, three or four nurses in each of the two main hospitals and birthing centers will be trained to teach the four-hour Wired for Success curriculum over a course of three years. The Chandler Downtown Library, Sunset Library, Tempe Library and Guadalupe Library are reaching out to parents with Brain Time programs, and the North Tempe and Escalante Multi-Generational Community Centers, Pecos Community Center and the AzCA Chandler office will host Kinder-Prep programs. New Directions has also trained in-home workers at AzCA who work with parents of children ages birth to five years old who may not have the experience or knowledge they need to meet the health, safety and welfare concerns of their children. Using NDI Brain Boxes and with support from their in-home worker, parents learn to interact with their children in meaningful ways that will impact their children’s future success. “There are highly trained, master’s-level, behavioral health specialists at AzCA for whom our information makes immediate sense,” reports Stamm. “They have begun to apply our early brain development information in their daily work with families, as well as directly bring our programming into their communities.” New Directions’ hope is that information about early brain development would be seen as a regular part of what a young family would learn about their new baby. “It is common sense and proven by science that minimal investment in the earliest years of a child’s life can prevent more costly and less-efficient interventions down the road,” says Stamm. At New Directions, it’s called the Upstream Solution, and it means that implementing simple strategies so that children become successful early learners eliminates the need for expensive downstream remediation. So, when public investment in education is lowest in early childhood, a mismatch occurs between the investments made and
the opportunity for improvement. As a result, there is a great demand for expensive remedial programs to address learning and behavior problems in later years when change is far more difficult to achieve. New Directions is not alone in this belief. The country’s major national foundations – Buffett, Gates, Kellogg, Pritzker, George Kaiser Family Foundation – are in complete support of investment in zero-to-five prevention activities to reduce later costs. “We were really beginning to sail after voters approved First Things First, and funding was available to 31 different Arizona communities to spend on their community priorities for early childhood development,” Stamm says. “It is our hope that voters will not permit the First Things First funds from being raided in the November special election and will continue to support these proven efforts for children ....” New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development is a member of the Arizona’s Children Association family of agencies. Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) was originally founded in 1912 as Arizona Children’s Home Association to care for homeless, neglected and dependent children. For nearly 100 years the agency has stayed true to its mission of protecting children and preserving families, serving more than 45,000 children and their families in all 15 counties in the state each year. Arizona’s Children Association and its seven member agencies is presently one of the oldest and largest statewide child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit agencies in Arizona. AzCA programs and services include foster and kinship care, adoption, crisis nursery, family support and preservation, prevention, counseling, substance abuse and sexual abuse treatment, special education school, early childhood education, Head Start, adult education, preventive health and fitness and a neighborhood Community Center. To learn more about Arizona’s Children Association, visit www.arizonaschildren.org.
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The health insurance gap Where to go if you can’t pay and you don’t qualify By Rosa Cays
Mesa resident Felipa Garcia is employed full
time, owns her own home and what she describes as a “clunker” car. She’s proud of her kids: 20-year-old Anthony, an ASU student; Marisa, a junior at Red Mountain High School taking college credits through the ACE program at MCC; and 15-year-old Gilbert, a sophomore at Red Mountain High. Sounds like middleclassdom, right? But something was keeping Felipa up at night. For the past 11 years, Felipa has worked full time at Longfellow Elementary School as a parent educator/homeschool liaison. A single mother, she also works at the local YMCA to make extra money for groceries and fuel. Felipa has health insurance through her job. Her children were on their father’s policy until he got laid off. If Felipa put them on her policy, she would barely take home a paycheck. Her niños went without health insurance for two years. No dental or vision checkups, just Felipa’s crossed fingers, hoping nothing would happen to them. Felipa applied for AHCCCS but didn’t qualify because of her townhome and car. It was disheartening for Felipa. Here she was, working hard, providing for her children, yet could not get help. Felipa recalls thinking, “Wait a minute. Do I have to quit my job, get rid of my vehicle and my home to get help?” The Department of Economic Security (DES) system confused her. “We strive not to be dependent,” she says, “yet the message seems to be ‘don’t try.’” Felipa is not alone. People are reluctantly opting to give up health insurance to save money, but as many can attest, it’s almost more stressful not to have insurance on the chance of a sudden illness or catastrophe. According to the Census Bureau, the number of people without health insurance rose from 45.7 million in 2007 (a high number as it is) to 46.3 million in 2008. Between 2007 and 2008, a million people dropped or were dropped
by private health insurance; at the same time, the number covered by government health insurance increased by 4.4 million, and those who had employment-based health insurance declined by 1.1 million. Many families are finding themselves in an ineligible gap, with budgets too tight to afford private health insurance and too “prosperous” to qualify for public assistance. Health reform will change this over the next five years as implementation kicks in, but what do these families do in the mean time, besides cross their fingers and look both ways – twice?
Keogh to the rescue This is where Keogh Health Foundation steps in. Keogh (www.keoghhealthfoundation.org) connects individuals to health resources and programs, with a focus on women and children working toward self-sufficiency. www.latinopm.com
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“Do a little. It means a lot.” It’s the organization’s motto and evocative of the life of its founder, Karlene Arnold Keogh. She established Keogh in 2003 with her late husband Kevin Keogh, inspired by her own experiences as a working, single mother. Karlene’s story is unfortunately similar to many women’s stories. She left an abusive marriage in the late 1970s, 5-year-old daughter in tow, and moved to Phoenix from Germany with only a few dollars. With help from her father, she landed a job as the first female salesperson at an insurance company; within six months, she was receiving accolades. In May 2000, she opened her own insurance brokerage firm, which she sold, yet still runs the employee benefits department. Today Karlene is passionate about Keogh’s mission and involved with many organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation and others, all in gratitude for those who helped her when she needed it most. Since its inception, Keogh has assisted more than 114,000 Arizonans secure affordable healthcare. The organization assists people who have never considered or don’t know if they even qualify for programs such as AHCCCS, and help them apply for assistance. For families who earn above 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), they refer them to other nonprofit health organizations, such as community health centers that use a sliding fee scale. Keogh’s most-used service is Health-eKids, an outreach collaboration to inform, educate and enroll low-income families in public programs. Educational programs to community groups, human resources and other professions are offered, too, like Insurance 101, Tough Times Seminar, and Pregnant and Uninsured to keep them informed about community resources. Keogh also connects community organizations to resources and each other. Presently in the middle of a name change, the nonprofit will soon be called the Keogh Health Connection. “Connection better describes what we do,” says Keogh’s executive director Allen
Gjersvig. “By dropping foundation from our name, we are also removing some of the confusion of people thinking we are primarily a grant-making organization.” In this sluggish economy, Keogh’s services are more critical than ever. Standing “at the interface between private insurance and public health plans,” Keogh Health Connection is in the right place at the right time. Felipa Garcia couldn’t agree more. One day when Keogh’s program manager Claudia Maldonado was at Longfellow presenting a health insurance seminar to parents, Felipa encouraged her to return on a regular basis, which Claudia’s been doing for the last two years. Felipa knew it was an ongoing need for parents baffled by private insurance options. It was only after talking with Claudia about her own challenges that Felipa realized she was one of those parents. With Claudia’s guidance, Felipa was able to enroll her two younger children in the KidsCare program. She pays a monthly premium set on a sliding scale, and her kids now have health, dental and vision coverage – and she has peace of mind. “I’m at ease,” says Felipa. “It’s nice. I just keep paying my premium.” And paying a premium gives Felipa a sense of responsibility instead of feeling completely reliant on assistance. She’s grateful for it. “Keogh has helped my family so much. Just being able to get affordable health insurance is a big help.”
Other healthcare options Perhaps you’ve got your fingers crossed right now, hoping you don’t get sick or hit by a bus. Have you looked at all your options? Sliding fee schedule clinics (SFS) are one of many options for uninsured Arizonans on the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) website. Several Arizona SFS health service sites offer discounted fees to those without health insurance. A sliding fee schedule is used by providers to determine eligibility based on gross family income and federal poverty guidelines, and the percentage of billed charges the uninsured client
will be responsible for paying. A list of participating health service sites by county can be found at www.azdhs.gov. HealthCare Connect is an alternative way for lower-income, uninsured residents in Maricopa County to access affordable health care. Members pay an annual enrollment fee of $50.00 per person ($100.00 maximum per family) and low fees at time of service. They must be Maricopa County residents; have an income between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level ($18,310 to $45, 757 for a family of three), and must not qualify for any state or employer-based health coverage. Find more information at http:// healthcareconnect.org. COBRA has been extended, allowing individuals who were laid off through the end of May 2010 to qualify for a subsidy, putting the cost at $398 per month (instead of $1,137) for family coverage, and $144 per month (instead of $410) for individuals to maintain their health coverage. They can receive it up to 15 months instead of nine months. COBRA is also temporarily available to employees whose hours were reduced and eventually eliminated; that is, continuous health coverage is not a requirement. To qualify, an individual must have had hours reduced from September 1, 2008 to May 31, 2010 and been laid off from March 2, 2010 to May 31, 2010. Employers’ health insurance programs should have relevant information.
For children In 2008, there were 890,000 children under the age of 18 living in Arizona, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Of those children, 21 percent lived in poverty and 16 percent lacked health insurance. Medical Services Project (MSP) is a community project that addresses the above statistics directly: to increase access to health care for Arizona’s uninsured children. MSP provides access to health care for children from low-income families in certain communities who do not qualify (or are in the process of qualifying) for AHCCCS or KidsCare. It’s
a system of linkages between participating physicians who donate appointment slots for uninsured children from low-income families referred by public-health and school nurses. Children are referred to healthcare providers who have agreed to a predetermined fee of $5.00 or $10.00 as payment in full for each office visit, and can receive free diagnostic laboratory services, prescription medication and eyeglasses. Specialists have also joined MSP. The Arizona Department of Health Services fund the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to administer MSP. More information is available at www.azaap.net/project.asp or by calling project manager Anna Alonso at 602-989-9353. KidsCare enrollment has been frozen, unfortunately, since January 1 due to lack of funding, even though parents pay a monthly premium and the federal government subsidizes the program. Applications are still being accepted, regardless. The DES reviews the paperwork to see if the applicant qualifies for AHCCCS, and if not, but the children do qualify for KidsCare, they are currently being placed on the waiting list in date order. Go to www.azahcccs.gov for more information.
For women Well Woman Healthcheck Program offers breast and cervical cancer screening to qualifying women over the age of 40 whose household income is 101 to 250 percent of the current federal poverty level; who are uninsured or underinsured, and who are not eligible for ACHCCCS, Medicare or similar programs. Screening services include an annual office visit, clinical breast exam, mammogram, pelvic exam and pap smear. The program is part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCED) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administered through the Arizona Department of Health Services. To learn how to apply, call 1-888-257-8502 (American Cancer Society) or visit www. wellwomanhealthcheck.org.
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4515 S. McClintock Dr. #118 Tempe, AZ 85282
480-839-4346 Fax 480-755-2320 www.triaddx.com
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ÂĄ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
51
NO ONE… IS IMMUNE TO CANCER
www.swoncologycenters.com
Radiation Oncology Prostate Brachytherapy 2926 N Civic Center Plaza Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Tel: (480) 614-6300 Fax: (480) 614-6333
Radiation Oncology Thunderbird Medical Plaza Two 5310 W Thunderbird #108 Glendale, AZ 85306 Tel: (602) 978-0900 Fax: (602) 978-0912
Centro de Radioterapia Louis & Lucille Grado Republica de Peru #102 Fracc. Las Americas C.P. 20230 Aguascalientes, Ags 52 Latino Perspectives Magazine ¡ July 2010! www.latinopm.com Tel: 52(449) 910-6120
University of Minnesota Dept of Therapeutic Radiology and Radiation Oncology 420 Delaware Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 Tel: (612) 273-6700 Fax: (612) 273-8459 Chihuahua Oncology Center Hacienda del Valle 7120 Fracc. Plaza las Hacienda C.P. 31238 Chihuahua, Chih
GORDON L GRADO MD, FACRO, FACR, Medical Director
SOUTHWEST NATUROPATHIC MEDICAL CENTER Comprehensive individualized medical care for patients suffering from: %JBCFUFT 'BUJHVF .JHSBJOFT
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r 1BUJFOUT TFFO CZ TUVEFOU DMJOJDJBOT VOEFS TVQFSWJTJPO PG FYQFSJFODFE QIZTJDJBOT SFDFJWF TJHOJฤ DBOUMZ SFEVDFE SBUFT SBUIFS UIBO TUBOEBSE GFFT r 4UVEFOU %JTDPVOU GPS BMM TUVEFOUT BUUFOEJOH "46 6 PG " PS BOZ .BSJDPQB $PNNVOJUZ $PMMFHF r .FEJDJOBSZ EJTDPVOUT GPS BMM QBUJFOUT Physicians at the Naturopathic Medical Center are trained in: Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine, Botanical Medicine Environmental Medicine, Homeopathy Mind/Body Medicine, Nutrition Pediatrics, Physical Medicine Call for an appointment today Monday - Thursday 8:30 am - 8:30 pm Friday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Saturday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm 8010 East McDowell Road Suite 111 Scottsdale, Arizona 85257 Call 480.970.0000 or for more information www.scnm.edu/med-center-home.html www.latinopm.com
ยก July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
53
Release your inner Spiderman
RE O M S I
Take the gang to a rock-climbing gym near you
N U F THAN A
By Rosa Cays
BARREL YS! MONKE oF
Enroll Today! We fill up fast. valleyYMCA.org
for schedule and details email
summerdaycamp@vosymca.org or call
602.404.9622
Camps
The benefits of climbing
Full-Day Summer Camps
(Ages 5-12)
New! Half-Day Character Camps (Ages 5-12) Specialty Summer Day Camps (Ages 5-15)
Preschool Summer Day Camps
(Ages 3-5)
Adventure/Travel Camps
(Ages 11-14)
Counselor-in-Training Program (Ages 14-17)
10-627
54
Latino Perspectives Magazine
¡ July 2010!
YVS_10-627_AD_2.3542x9.8125.indd 1
By now, los chavalos are predictably so bored with long summer days, they’re ready to go back to school. But summer drones on and school doesn’t start for a few more weeks. What to do? How can you get them to say something other than “I’m bored” por enésima vez? Take them indoor rock climbing. Really. As a matter of fact, children as young as 18 months can climb at most facilities in the Valley; it comes naturally after all. The truth is, indoor rock climbing is achievable for all ages and physiques – you just have to want to do it – or at least be open to it. En serio.
What better way to kill tres pájaros? 1) Get some exercise; 2) get those bored juveniles motivated and away from the Wii, and 3), have fun. And no, Wii doesn’t count as exercise. Once you figure out it’s a matter of flicking your wrist instead of a full backhand swing, the calorie burning goes out the window. But not with rock climbing. Because the whole body is engaged, aerobics kick in, calories are burned and muscles are strengthened. Flexibility and balance also improve. Finger, arm and core strength increases fairly quickly, and as climbers progress and challenge themselves to more difficult climbs, shoulders, calves, hips and hamstrings get in on the act. And not only does rock climbing improve overall physical strength, balance, coordination and flexibility, it also hones mental acuity. Rock climbing can give your selfconfidence a foot up and it also builds trust, in yourself and your “belayer,” the
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person in charge of securing your rope as you move on the wall. Many rock-climbing facilities offer team-building programs, and teach coworkers to climb and safely support their fellow climbers. It’s understandable to have fears around climbing several dozen feet up a wall with no net below. Owners of rock-climbing gyms know this, too. That’s why they take every possible precaution to make sure their customers are safe, secure and know exactly what they’re doing before they even strap on a harness. Many gyms require you to watch an instructional video and/or get handson orientation from a staff climber, and all facilities require you to sign a waiver, as any fitness gym would do.
Kids love it – you will, too You’ve probably seen those portable rockclimbing walls at a school carnivals or fancy birthday parties, with kids of all ages –
parents, too – in line to take a thrilling turn. OK, so ascending a fabricated wall may not be the same thrill as scaling rock walls in Yosemite, but going to a climbing gym is a great start. You don’t even need Spiderman abilities – just show up and climb. You’ll find that staffers at just about any indoor climbing gym are climbing enthusiasts and happy to share their expertise. Classes, memberships and summer camps are also available at most locations. Once considered an extreme sport, rock climbing is becoming more popular by the day as more and more indoor, familyfriendly facilities pepper the Valley. As one gym’s website states, “Climbing is intended to be fun and something that grows into a great, healthy way of life.” So throw on a pair of comfortable shorts and a t-shirt, get the kids off the couch and go climb a wall.
Where to climb
Hours: Mon.-Wed.-Friday 3 to 10 p.m.; Tue.-Thu. 3 to 7 p.m. (members only: 7 to 10 p.m.); Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. $: $18 to $21 (including gear) or $52 for whole family More info: 480-502-9777 or www.azontherocks.com
Climbmax Climbing Gym, 1330 W. Auto Drive, #112, Tempe. Designed and built by and for climbers, with a dedicated children’s area and a two-story bouldering cave. Ages: no age limit – parents’ discretion Hours: Mon.-Wed.-Fri. noon to 10 p.m.; Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sun. noon to 7 p.m. $: Day passes $15 for kids 12 and younger; family day passes are $60 for two adults and three children, gear rental included. More info: 480-626-7755 or www.climbmaxclimbinggym.com
Ape Index, 9700 N. 91st Avenue, Peoria. Hardcore, fun, experienced climbers run this place, and want to teach you if you want to learn. Find out your ape index. Ages: 3 years and older Hours: Mon.-Fri. 3 to 10 p.m. (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment); Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. $: Day passes start at $13, plus gear rental More info: 623-242-9164 or www.apeindex.net
AZ on the Rocks, 16447 N. 91st Street, Suite A, Scottsdale. This family-friendly facility welcomes all levels; climb for free on your birthday. Ages: No age limit
Anchor: A fail-safe attachment point for protection. Belay: To secure the climber at the end of a length of rope. Bouldering: The practice of climbing on large boulders, typically close to the ground, so protection takes the form of crash pads and spotting instead of belay ropes.
Toole Avenue, #450, Tucson. This place has a women-only climbing series and Kidz Klimb, time slotted for kids 12 and younger. First time lesson/orientation is $12 per person (under age 12 free). Ages: No age limit Hours: Mon.-Fri. 3 to 10 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 9-11 a.m. – Kidz Klimb, under 12 only, Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m. -8 p.m. $: $13 ($9 for kids under 12); $6 equipment rental (climbing shoes, harness, helmet); $30 Full first-time package (ages 12 and up) More info: 520-882-5924 or www.rocksandropes.com
Carabiner: Metal rings with spring-loaded gates, used as connectors. Rappel: The process of descending on a fixed rope. Also known as abseil. Scrambling: Nontechnical climbing. Top rope: To belay from a fixed anchor point above the climb.
Discovery Camp Ages 7-8
Explorer Camp
Ages 9-11
Challenger Camp Ages 12-16
Ecology Camp
Ages 7-16
Secret Agent Camp Ages 7-16
Teen Service & Leadership Entering Grades 10-11
Rocks and Ropes Climbing Gym, 330 S.
Climbing lingo
Camp Sky-Y
Counselors In Training (CIT) Entering Grades 11-12
Chauncey Ranch Lil’ Ranchers Ages 7-8
Ranch Camp Ages 9-16
Vaqueros
Ages 11-13
Cowboy Camp Ages 12-15
Advanced Cowboy Camp Ages 15-17
Counselors In Training (CIT) Entering Grades 11-12
Enroll Today and secure
Camp Sky-Y
800.660.1385
5725 S. Senator Hwy. Prescott, AZ 86303
your weeks!
Chauncey Ranch
valleyYMCA.org
928.632.7704
3027 Old Sycamore Rd. Mayer, AZ 86333 10-627
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¡ July 2010!
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3/9/10 4:37 PM
Pueblo Acoma: Sky City By Staff
Under a turquoise-blue sky and
into view. She shakes a gourd rattle with one hand and clings to her father’s leg with the other. Like the other harvest dancers in full traditional costume, the young girl is not fazed by curious visitors oohing and aahing. The open compound is now filled with dancers, every generation represented. With graceful precision, they dance to the rhythm of the drum. Each dancer carries a freshly cut pine branch; a fox pelt hangs off the back of every costume. No one in the crowd makes a sound. Reverence is a given on this most sacred of days.
San Esteban Feast Day Each year on September 2, the Pueblo of Acoma tribe celebrates San Esteban Feast Day, in honor of its patron saint, starting with mass at the San Esteban del Rey Mission, built in 1629 under the direction of Friar Juan Ramirez. The mission has been undergoing restoration since 2008. San Esteban del Rey Mission is designated a Save America’s Treasures site and one of 100 endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund. It is also the 28th – and first Native American site – in the United States to
Photos courtesy of acoma business enterprises
balmy temperatures, visitors begin jockeying for the best vantage point, preferably in the shade. There is a sense of anticipation in the air. Anytime now, the harvest dance will begin atop the 376-foot mesa, the perch of Pueblo de Acoma, or “Sky City.” A hush falls over the dusty divide between rows of adobe houses. The sound of a rattle can be heard coming up the street, then the steady beat of a drum. A small cloud of dust kicks up as one of the smallest members of the tribe, a little girl maybe 2 or 3 years old, comes
Kiva ladders atop Acoma Pueblo at the Sky City Cultural Center
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Latino Perspectives Magazine
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View of the Enchanted Mesa from Acoma Pueblo
be named a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. The highlight of the mass is the procession with the figure of San Esteban leading the way, followed by the pageantry and color of the harvest dance. The figure is taken to a small, covered hut where war chiefs and clan leaders of the tribe sit as people bring gifts of fresh fruit, water, bread and sweets and pay homage to the regaled saint.
Feast Day brings out vendors who line the dirt streets, selling everything from ornate Native American jewelry and fry bread dripping with honey to the new taste sensation among the children, sunflower seeds soaked in grape KoolAid, one dollar a bag. After the harvest dance, families open their homes and kitchens to whoever drops by. Since there is no electricity or running water atop the
Iconic Acoma pottery architectural feature
View of the front entrance of the Sky City Cultural Center
pueblo, water is brought in and propane fuels the stoves. Visitors are treated to fresh-baked bread, red chile posole, fresh fruit, and green chile stew with potatoes and corn, a local favorite. Sky City is sacred ground to the Pueblo of Acoma people. No cameras or recording devices are allowed during Feast Day. Although visitors are welcome most days of the year to explore the history and beauty of Acoma, the true significance of Sky City can be better sensed and better appreciated during the celebration of Feast Day. Acoma is about an hour drive from Albuquerque via I-40. Accommodations are available at the Sky City Casino Hotel. At the Huwaka Restaurant, guests can order off the menu or enjoy the buffet, which includes such New Mexico dishes such as – you guessed it – green chile and red chile posole. Many other attractions in the area can be explored, including the Sand Stone Bluffs and Ventana Arches at El Mapais, about 30 miles from Sky City, and Chaco Canyon, a two-hour drive from the ancient pueblo, the oldest, continuously inhabited community in North America.
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¡ July 2010!
Latino Perspectives Magazine
57
¡!
my perspective on: Serving our veterans
Proud to serve our veterans
For other views on diverse topics, visit our website at www.latinopm.com.
More perspectives
By Gabriel Pérez
58
This Fourth of July
we are thankful for the opportunity to share our thoughts on how we honor our veterans every day by providing high-quality health care. As the first Hispanic director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS), I’d like to focus on three areas: our access to health care, our measures in healthcare quality and our community relations. The word has gotten around that the VA delivers great health care. Last month, the Wall Street Journal stated, “For quality, it’s hard to top veterans’ health care … many studies and independent experts point to the Veterans Health Administration as among the best.” The growth in our services has been more than 5 percent this past year. In 2009, 72,403 unique veterans received care at the PVAHCS, a 5.58-percent rate of growth. The average national growth rate was 3.76. This large increase is due to Arizona patriotism, the growth of the Phoenix metro area, the economy, and the reputation of the PVAHCS. We are also broadening our services to veterans in the northwest Valley when we move our clinic from Sun City to Surprise later this year, with expanded dental, physical therapy, and audiology services. Under my leadership, we are enhancing avenues for our patient-centered model of care, which will improve our measures in healthcare quality. We produced an organizational strategic plan for this year, focusing on evaluation of present and future access points, improving customer service and our academic affiliation. This planning should give us an advantage as we begin this work. We met with the school dean of the new medical school in our community to hold education and research activities. We also met with staff at the ASU School of Public Health Management to facilitate student practicum experience at Phoenix VAHCS for Lean Six Sigma projects. Our accreditations and certifications have also improved. The PVAHCS received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer; a
Latino Perspectives Magazine
¡ July 2010!
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Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mammography certificate was received from the Office of the Under Secretary for Health, indicating certification for three years for our mammography unit; we earned a twoyear College of American Pathologists Laboratory and American Association of Blood Banks accreditation, and we were successfully reaccredited to practice our high quality of health care, awarded to us by the Joint Commission. Through these and other efforts of our staff, our quality measure scores are increasing. From July to September of last year, we increased our productivity, access, and performance measures from 64 to 82 percent. In particular, we demonstrated significant improvements in access wait times. We are on our way to being in the top ten VA facilities by not only meeting but exceeding our quality measures. We should have a strong presence not only in Phoenix but nationally as well. In so doing, I am honored to serve on several national and local boards that assist us in sharing good news about our VA. This includes my service as the national president and chairman of the board of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives; my appointment to the National Institute for Diversity in Health Management, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association; my appointment to the governor’s team to represent the state of Arizona at the 2010 “Returning Service Members, Veterans and their Families” Policy Academy sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. So as we honor and celebrate this patriotic time of year, I think it is important for the Phoenix community to know that the Phoenix VA Health Care System and its clinics are giving the best care to honor our nation’s veterans. If you want to learn more about our VA and what we do, please visit our website at www.phoenix. va.gov, and if you are interested in volunteering please call us at 602-222-6419. On this Fourth of July, please thank a veteran for their service to our country. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday. Gracias. Gabriel Pérez is the chief executive officer of the Phoenix VA Health Care System. He is responsible for the care of more than 75,000 veterans, 2659 employees, and managing a budget of $489 million dollars. He has over 42 years of hospital administration experience.
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