Would You Eat That?
Five ways to help Latino youth
¡Sonidos Mas Buenas!
Tasty Latin foods Page 2
NCLA conference news Pages 4-5
Breaking borders with Santa Cicilia Page 6
¿ Que pasó ? "Porque no nos conocen, Because they don't know us" Volume 1 Issue 2 May 2015
The Voice of Mexico’s Next Generation Name: Juan Cirerol Where He’s From: Mexicali, Mexico When He Started: 2010 Genre: Anarkocorrido For Fans Of: Johnny Cash, Los Inquietos del Norte, Los Macuanos Sounds Like: Emotional country-punk ballads for a generation in need of a representative voice By Alexis Stephens May 15, 2015
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magine ambling through the world with a 12-string guitar over your shoulder, dusty boots on your tired feet, having candid discussions with strangers about their lives, and then translating them into exquisitely beautiful and/or ugly songs. Juan Cirerol lives that life for real and crafts the most poignant folk ballads about everyday life in Mexico you’ll ever hear. The comparisons that have been made calling him this generation’s Johnny Cash might not be that much of an exaggeration. Just listen to his masterful ode to drinking your heartbreak away, “Eres Tan Cruel” or “Los Aguacates”: To understand the unique perspective that Cirerol comes from, it’s good to break down the compound word, anarkocorrido, that’s been used to describe his sound. Working backwards, a corrido is a traditional Mexican norteño ballad that romantically focuses on the daily life of the underclass, pain and oppression. Narcocorridos rose in popularity in the late 1980s/early 1990s as songs centering on the troubles and triumphs of the illegal drug trafficking industry. Anarcko- refers to the fact that Cirerol cut his musical teeth in the hard-living anarchist punk scene in Baja California before breaking out on his own. Cirerol has put out two beautiful albums in this style, Haciendo Leña (2009) and Ofrenda al Mictlan (2012). Each has circulated and elevated his reputation; he’s gone from playing from bar to bar across Northern Mexico to attracting one of the biggest crowds at Vive Latino this year. What’s apparent in these albums is that to understand Cirerol completely is to see him live. In his performances, his Texas-style guitar swells with his emotions as he becomes a full one-man band playing bass, rhythm and melody with his hands, seamlessly shifting between fluid harmonica playing and affecting singing. He can bring you to tears as his voice fluctuates between lovelorn howls to bitter and marbled groans. As his fame continues to grow locally, hopefully the non-Spanish-speaking world will recognize the universality of his artistry. Keep an eye out for this rsing star. 1
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations, NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/ immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families. Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC, serving all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country. It has state and regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, and San Antonio.
Would you eat that? One thing is for sure and that is if you’re Latino you proably have eaten foods your American friends never even thought of as possibilites for dinner. Check some of the tastiest ingredients that even you might be missing out on. After all, who doesn’t love a little tongue in their taco?
Tongue
Pig Ears
Guinea Pig
Just for the sake of easing you into this, let’s start with lengua, aka cow tongue! Packed with protein and vitamins, this body part, though often disregarded in the USA, is used throughout all of Latin America in recipes from stews to tacos.
Waste not, want not. Orejitas, as they are known in Latin America, are pig ears. Deep fried, pan fried, stewed, or made in escabeche, we eat these every which way. They can be a little gummy, but if cooked right, the ears are tender and succulent.
Yes, it looks a little frightening, but once you get over the initial shock and savor the tender charred meat of cuy, you’ll understand this Andean obsession! Usually prepared roasted, guinea pig is served as any pernil or roasted pork shoulder.
Iguanas If you’ve ever been to the Caribbean, you know that iguanas are everywhere, often straddling the road, causing potentially fatal accidents. But, iguanas are also part of the Latin American diet. Usually served grilled, iguanas are not unlike alligator or crocodile meat.
Grasshoppers Yep, grasshoppers. These tiny little guys are commonly eaten in Mexico, especially the state of Oaxaca. Available all year round, they’re most popular in summer and autumn months. Crunchy, smoky, high in protein and low in fat, chapulines can be dressed up with fine cheeses, dressed down in tacos, or eaten straight up as a quick snack.
Pork Feet Latinos do not waste food, that’s for sure! We work with what we’ve got and make it delicious. Case in point: patitas. Pork feet add great flavor to whatever you cook them with. In Puerto Rico, they are commonly boiled with chickpeas and spices and served with rice. Hearty, meaty, and saucy, it’s just what the doctor ordered on a gloomy day.
Chistes | Jokes ¿Has oído el caso de ese fugitivo que secuestró un autobús de turistas japoneses? Have you heard about the case of that fugitive who held hostage a busload of Japanese tourists? La policía tiene 5.000 fotos suyas. The police have 5,000 pictures of him. Hay tres clases de personas: There are three kinds of people: las que saben contar y las que no. those who know how to count, and those who don’t. El doctor llama por teléfono a su paciente: The doctor calls his patient by telephone:
2 ¿ Que pasó ? | May 2015
- Vera, tengo una noticia buena y otra mala. “Vera, I have good news and bad news.” - Bueno... dígame primero la buena. “Well then, . . . tell me the good news first.” - Los resultados del análisis indican que le quedan 24 horas de vida. “The results of the analysis indicate that you have 24 hours left to live.” - Pero, bueno, ¿eso es la buena noticia? ¿Entonces cuál es la mala? “Well, that’s the good news? Then what’s the bad news?” - Que llevo intentando localizarle desde ayer. “That I have been trying to reach you since yesterday.”
Un sociado del NCLR An associate of the NCLR NCLR.org Editor: Patrick H Hernandez Contirbutors: The National Council of LA Raza Publisher: Good Stuff Printing For information about subscriptions, job opportunities, or how to contribute information, donations, or time: Contact, Patrick H Hernandez, 1352 Calle 13, Boone IA, 50036.
¿ Que pasó ?
Un día sin reír es un día perdido
Por: Pilar Jericó | 07 de abril de 2015
“No he trabajado ni un día en toda mi vida. Todo fue diversión”. Thomas
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sí de simple y así de difícil a la vez. Sonar el despertador, madrugar, escuchar quejas de jefes o clientes, cenar mientras saboreas las ‘agradables’ noticias del informativo, fregar… y a dormir. ¿Te resulta familiar este tipo de día? Visto así no parece que haya mucho espacio para reír a carcajadas. Ahora bien, reconozcamos algo. Por muy ajetreada que sea nuestra agenda, seguro que es posible en 24 horas encontrar ese momento y esa situación para sonreír o hacer más agradable la vida a los demás. Muchas veces, esperamos al fin de semana para relajarnos y para reírnos en compañía de los nuestros. Pero es un error, aunque sea solo por una cuestión estadística. Dos días de sonrisa en comparación a cinco laborales serios es demasiado tiempo perdido. Así pues, un lunes puede ser un gran día para reír. ¿Por qué no? El trabajo nos evoca a algo serio. De hecho, el origen de la palabra “trabajo” proviene de un instrumento de tortura (casi nada) o el término negocio significa en latín “no ocio”. Con este punto de partida, no parece que haya mucho espacio para la distención. Pero, ¿qué pasa si cambiamos las reglas? “No he trabajado ni un día en toda mi vida. Todo fue diversión”. Thomas Albert Einstein le escribió una carta a su hijo y le recomendó que hiciera lo que hiciera, no olvidara de ponerle pasión, que disfrutara con lo que hiciera. Esa había sido la clave de su aprendizaje del gran genio y que, además, confirma la ciencia. Cuando estamos de buen humor, según estudios de la Universidad de Harvard, somos más productivos en el trabajo. De hecho, realizamos progresos en el 76% de los días en los que estamos contentos. A este respecto, otro estudio, esta vez de la Universidad de Ohio, concluye que un buen estado de ánimo de los agentes comerciales a los que observaron su comportamiento durante tres semanas fue sinónimo de un crecimiento del 10% en sus ventas con respecto a los vendedores malhumorados. También la Universidad de Amsterdam, junto con la de Nebraska, analizó 54 reuniones de empleados en dos empresas alemanas. Se observó que de los encuentros distendidos que añadían el componente humor-risa, salían propuestas e ideas mucho más constructivas. Y como las empresas lo saben, se afanan en generar espacios donde las personas se sientan bien y trasmitan emociones positivas… Incluso conozco el caso de una compañía en donde, por iniciativa de los propios empleados, en el departamento de atención al cliente, han colocado espejos. De manera que antes de coger una llamada, se miran y ven si están sonriendo. Son conscientes que la sonrisa llega aunque sea a través del teléfono. Esto no quiere decir que antes de ir al trabajo escuchemos todos los chistes que corren por la red y martiricemos a nuestros compañeros, ni que hablemos como Chiquito de la Calzada o que lo confundamos con el sarcasmo o el humor a costa de otros. Como decía Shakespeare, “puede uno sonreír y sonreír… y ser un canalla”. El mejor humor comienza con uno mismo y para eso, necesitamos dejar de sentirnos “tan importantes” y desarrollar la empatía inteligente. En definitiva, el humor ayuda en el ámbito laboral y personal. Genera un sinfín Continued on page 5
May 2015 | ¿ Que pasó ? 3
New report highlights need for policies and programs that build on resilience of young Latinos
The new report, “Resilient Latino Youth: In Their Own Words,” can be found at www.nclr.org.
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ASHINGTON, D.C.—At a noon forum today focused on Latino youth, Dr. Patricia Foxen, Deputy Director of Research at NCLR (National Council of La Raza), introduced her recently authored study, “Resilient Latino Youth: In Their Own Words,” which focuses on the stories of young, second-generation American Latinos who struggled to cope with poverty, discrimination or disengagement but overcame those obstacles to become productive, contributing members of society. The discussion—led by NCLR experts in Latino youth, demography and community programs—emphasized the need for policies and programs that can help Latino youth achieve greater gains in education, careers and overall quality of life. “Anyone familiar with the Latino community knows how remarkably resilient Hispanics are, including young Latinos,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR. “What we learn from this report is that while resilience is a complex, often innate quality, there is no doubt that it can also be taught or nurtured. It is therefore critical for us as a country to look at, and invest in, community and school programs and public policies that foster resilience so that these young people can achieve their full potential.” The report follows recent research by various organizations highlighting the hardships faced by children whose parents are undocumented and those who live in poverty in the United States. According to Foxen, while she saw resiliency in the Latino youth she interviewed, the role of community organizations and adult mentors was critical to their well-being. “The young people I spoke with showed a remarkable ability to overcome challenges and turn their lives around, but they all emphasized that this would have been impossible without the adults who ran after-school programs and served as mentors to them. The guidance and support that adults can provide to young people at risk is literally lifesaving, and we must make sure that youth today have that after-school program or mentor looking out for them,” Foxen said.1
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
4 ¿ Que pasó ? | May 2015
NCLR experts at today’s forum concluded that five points could serve as a starting point to concentrate resources and efforts on improving opportunities for this vital segment of our population.
Tap into the natural resiliency of Latino youth. Resilience traits among second-generation Latino youth include individual attributes such as optimism, perseverance, social skills, empathy and a strong willingness to give back to their communities; family and cultural traits such as responsibility and solidarity toward the extended family; and community factors such as the presence of adults and mentors who can guide and support youth in difficult environments and through the challenging moments of adolescence. Help their families escape poverty. One-third of Latino children are in poverty today; poverty tends to continue for generations and is the basis of many other problems these children experience. Their families need living wages and affordable housing. Implement policies such the “REDEEM Act,” which promotes rehabilitation rather than criminalization of youth, and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Common Core State Standards so that schools will better meet the needs of Latino students and improve the graduation rate of this critical group. Latinos are graduating from high school at higher rates than in past years (73 percent), have the lowest high school dropout rate in recent history (12.7 percent) and are enrolled in higher education in record numbers (37.5 percent). Only 51 percent of Latino college students, however, will earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Fund culturally appropriate, holistic programs that support positive youth development
and mental health, reinforce learning in school and workforce skills and introduzce students to new interests and technologies. For youth and families living in poor immigrant neighborhoods, community-based interventions such as the NCLR Escalera Program provide critical support to youth and their parents. Through mentoring and other programs, Escalera promotes career exploration, skills and leadership development, personal development, academic support and overall well-being. Provide mentors who can help youth become ready for a successful, productive future. “Community-based organizations like Gads Hill Center in Chicago provide critical supports to help youth overcome adversity usually rooted in poverty, discrimination, inadequate education and violent neighborhoods,” said Maricela Garcia, Chief Executive Officer, Gads Hill Center, who spoke at today’s forum. “To increase chances to build resilience, children must develop a sense of hope that comes from caring adults. The role of mentors is very powerful in the life of a child. When youth develop strong self-esteem and socioemotional competencies, they do well in school and in life.”
Informe destaca la necesidad de políticas y programas que construyan sobre la resiliencia de los jóvenes latinos
“Cualquiera que esté familiarizado con la comunidad latina sabe que la capacidad de sobreponerse a situaciones límite de los hispanos es extraordinaria, incluyendo los jóvenes”, dijo Janet Murguía, En el foro de hoy se concluyó que hay cinco puntos que podrían servir como punto de partida para concentrar los recursos y esfuerzos que se necesitan para mejorar las oportunidades para este segmento vital de nuestra población Aprovechar la resiliencia natural de la juventud latina. Los rasgos de resiliencia entre los jóvenes latinos de segunda generación incluyen atributos individuales como el optimismo, la perseverancia, las habilidades sociales, la empatía y una voluntad fuerte para retribuir a sus comunidades; los rasgos familiares y culturales como la responsabilidad y la solidaridad hacia la familia; y los factores de la comunidad como la presencia de adultos y mentores que pueden guiar y apoyar a los jóvenes en entornos difíciles y en los momentos desafiantes de la adolescencia. Ayudar a sus familias a escapar de la pobreza. Un tercio de los niños latinos vive hoy en la pobreza; la pobreza tiende a continuar por generaciones y es la base de muchos otros problemas que viven estos niños. Sus familias necesitan salarios dignos y viviendas asequibles. Implementar políticas como la “ley REDEEM”, que promueve la rehabilitación de los jóvenes en lugar de la criminalización, la reautorización de la Ley de Educación Primaria y Secundaria y los Estándares Comunes del Estado para que las escuelas satisfagan mejor las necesidades de los estudiantes latinos y mejoren los índices de graduación de este grupo crítico. Hay más latinos graduándose de la preparatoria ahora que en los últimos años (73 %), tienen el índice de abandono escolar más bajo de la historia reciente (12.7 %) y están matriculándose en la escuela superior en cifras récord (37.5 %). No obstante, sólo el 51 % de los estudiantes universitarios latinos obtendrá un título universitario dentro de seis años.
Un fondo culturalmente apropiado, los programas integrales que apoyen el desarrollo positivo y la salud mental de los jóvenes, reforzar el aprendizaje escolar y las habilidades de la fuerza laboral así como presentar a los estudiantes nuevos intereses y tecnologías. Para los jóvenes y las familias que viven en los barrios de inmigrantes pobres, intervenciones comunitarias, tales como el Programa Escalera del NCLR proporcionan apoyo crucial a los jóvenes y a sus padres. A través de la tutoría y de otros programas, Escalera promueve la exploración de profesiones, desarrollo de habilidades y liderazgo, desarrollo personal, apoyo académico y el bienestar general. Proporcionar mentores que puedan ayudar a que los jóvenes se preparen para un futuro exitoso y productivo. “Las organizaciones comunitarias como Gads Hill Center de Chicago proporcionan apoyo crítico para ayudar a los jóvenes a superar el infortunio radicado en la pobreza, la discriminación, la falta de educación y la violencia en los barrios”, dijo Maricela García, directora ejecutiva de Gads Hill Center, que habló en el foro de hoy . “Para aumentar la posibilidad de aumentar la resiliencia, los niños deben desarrollar un sentido de esperanza que proviene de los adultos que los cuidan. El papel que juegan los tutores es muy poderoso en la vida de un niño. Cuando los jóvenes desarrollan una autoestima fuerte y aptitudes socioemocionales, les va bien en la escuela y en la vida”.
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ASHINGTON, D.C.—En un foro dedicado a la juventud latina que se llevó a cabo al mediodía, la Dra. Patricia Foxen, directora adjunta de investigación del NCLR (Consejo Nacional de La Raza), presentó su estudio más reciente titulado “Resilient Latino Youth: In Their Own Words” (La resiliencia de la juventud latina: en sus propias palabras). Este estudio se enfoca en las historias de esos jóvenes hispanos de segunda generación que lidiaron con la pobreza, discriminación o desvinculación y que superaron esos obstáculos para convertirse en seres productivos que contribuyen a la sociedad. En el debate –dirigido por expertos del NCLR sobre juventud latina, demografía y programas comunitarios– se enfatizó la necesidad de políticas y programas que puedan ayudar a que los jóvenes latinos alcancen mayores logros en su educación, profesión y en la calidad de vida en general. “Cualquiera que esté familiarizado con la comunidad latina sabe que la capacidad de sobreponerse a situaciones límite de los hispanos es extraordinaria, incluyendo los jóvenes”, dijo Janet Murguía, presidenta y directora general del NCLR. “Lo que hemos aprendido de este informe es que la resiliencia es una cualidad compleja y frecuentemente innata, no obstante, puede enseñarse y nutrirse. Por lo tanto, es fundamental que como país cuidemos e invirtamos en programas escolares y comunitarios, así como en políticas públicas que fomenten esta cualidad para que estos jóvenes puedan aprovechar todo su potencial”. El informe es una continuación de una investigación reciente realizada por varias organizaciones, para destacar las dificultades que enfrentan los niños cuyos padres son indocumentados y aquellos que viven en la pobreza en los Estados Unidos. Según Foxen, aunque percibió resiliencia en los jóvenes que entrevistó, el papel de las organizaciones comunitarias y de los mentores fue fundamental para su bienestar. “Los jóvenes con los que hablé mostraron una capacidad extraordinaria para superar obstáculos y cambiar sus vidas. No obstante, todos enfatizaron que esto hubiera sido imposible sino hubieran podido contar con los adultos a cargo de los programas para después de la escuela y los que fueron sus mentores. La guía y el apoyo que los adultos proporcionan a los jóvenes en riesgo es literalmente un salvavidas y debemos asegurarnos de que hoy tengan esos programas de después de la escuela o mentores cuidándolos”, dijo Foxen.1
Un dia sin rier es un dia perdido Continued from page 3
de beneficios: Mejora la salud, la capacidad respiratoria, reduce la hipertensión, fortalece el corazón, elimina el estrés y la depresión, frena el insomnio, mitiga el dolor… y además ayuda en gran medida a encontrar pareja. Para Eduardo Jáuregui, autor del libro ‘Amor y humor’, el segundo es uno de los fundamentos principales del arte de amar. Si alguien nos hace reír nos caerá mejor y nos atraerá más y, en el ámbito de la pareja, además, mejora la comunicación, el respeto y la confianza. No está mal. ¿A qué esperamos? ¡Animemos esas caras tan serias! 1 May 2015 | ¿ Que pasó ? 5
Thinking Outside the Borders La Santa Cecilia, a Band With a Message By LARRY ROHTER | May 1 2015
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OS ANGELES — They began as buskers on downtown Olvera Street here, immigrant and working-class Latino kids singing “Besame Mucho” and “Sabor a Mí” for tourists. So when the members of the band La Santa Cecilia took to the stage of the Staples Center five weeks ago to receive the Grammy Award for best Latin rock or alternative recording, they had come a lot further than just a couple of miles. In that moment of triumph, they didn’t forget their roots, dedicating their win to “the more than 11 million undocumented people that live and work really hard in this country, and that still need to lead a more dignified life.” That gesture was only appropriate, since it was a song about the plight of those immigrants, “El Hielo,” that had made La Santa Cecilia’s debut major-label CD, “30 Dias,” a hit in the first place. This week, the group is releasing its second CD for Universal, called “Someday New.” It’s an eclectic mixture of original material, traditional songs and covers sung in Spanish and English, meant to get listeners dancing and thinking at the same time, embracing a modern sensibility while also evoking the old. The band is also the only Latin group scheduled to play at the Bonnaroo festival later this spring. “We feel like we are returning a bit to the styles that inspired us, to our roots, with this one,” the group’s lead singer, Marisol Hernández, known as La Marisoul, said in a recent interview here, switching back and forth between English and Spanish, sometimes in the same sentence. “I feel like ‘Someday New’ is where our heart is — with traditional music, but our interpretation of that.” As a meeting place for the interview, the band chose a restaurant on Olvera Street where Ms. Hernández first sang professionally. Her father, Jesús, still runs a souvenir shop on the street, the center of a historic district where this city was founded, and all four of the core members of the band are a familiar presence there: As they took a visitor on a tour, they were greeted by vendors and restaurant workers with calls of “Felicitaciones, chicos” (“Congratulations, guys”). The members of La Santa Cecilia, named for the patron saint of music and founded at the end of 2007, were raised here fully bilingual and bicultural. They cite a dizzying array of music that influenced them, growing up: Nirvana, Santana, Rush, punk rock and reggae and, on the classic Latin side,
6 ¿ Que pasó ? | May 2015
Ramón Ayala, Trio Los Panchos, Los Alegres de Terán, cumbia and boleros. The band members, all in their early 30s, describe their own sound as a guisado, or stew, blending all those influences into a savory bilingual mix. They cater to audiences who, like them, have “an iPod shuffle in their heads,” in the words of the percussionist Miguel Ramírez, an approach that makes their music hard to categorize and market. “I didn’t get it initially,” confessed Sebastián Krys, the band’s Argentine-born producer, who had previously worked with artists like Carlos Vives and Gloria Estefan. “Coming from the industry, my first reaction was: ‘This is great, but how do we make it fit?’ It took me a while to stop thinking, ‘What part of the record store would I put this into?’ Luckily for us, there are no record stores.” The group’s look is a similar grab-bag of styles. Ms. Hernández — who cites the Mexican actress turned singer Lucha Villa, the Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa and Janis Joplin as influences — favors hoop skirts and tutus in bright colors, and tops things off with retro black glasses trimmed with rhinestones, while her band mates have been known to don guayaberas or even mariachi attire. Though La Santa Cecilia has existed for a little more than six years, the band’s members have been working as musicians since they were teenagers. In various configurations, they have played bars, weddings, wakes and quinceañeras all over Southern California, as well as on the plaza at the end of Olvera Street; Mr. Ramirez and the bassist Alex Bendaña, born in Venezuela to Nicaraguan parents, have also played in salsa groups. That the band’s members should somehow become spokesmen for immigration reform was not in the original plan. “We called ourselves La Santa Cecilia because we wanted something that represented our faith in music, our dreams and what we could accomplish with music,” Mr. Ramirez said. “We didn’t have a political intention or agenda at the beginning of the band.” But that changed with the release a year ago next month of “El Hielo,” whose title contains a pun. “Hielo” is Spanish for “ice,” the initials of the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and the song, accompanied by a powerful video that soon went viral, offered a sympathetic portrait of Latino immigrants living in fear of deportation with “ICE running loose on these streets” and never knowing “when they
are going to grab us.” The issues “El Hielo” addresses were not just an abstraction to La Santa Cecilia. The band members are from immigrant families, including some relatives who, for a time, were in the United States illegally; the band’s accordion and requinto player, José Carlos, was also in that category until last year, when he was able to obtain a work permit and a Social Security card as a result of changes in immigration policy that the White House announced in June 2012. Until then, though, the band’s ability to travel and tour had been restricted by the fear that Mr. Carlos, taken to the United States when he was 6, would be apprehended by immigration authorities and deported. Band members hesitated to fly together, and when they traveled overland to Texas for shows, they always drove a route that kept them away from immigration checkpoints but added a day to their trip. “We did that for five years, there were like 10 times we went to San Antonio and Austin, where we had big followings, but last year we were finally able to drive near the border, and it was so quick,” Mr. Carlos said. “Man, for us to drive on the 10, we were so excited,” Ms. Hernández added, referring to Interstate 10, which runs close to the Mexican border when it reaches the Southwest. “To go to SXSW that way, it was the biggest deal.” Ms. Hernandez continued. “Someday New” re-establishes the band’s commitment to immigration causes through an unlikely vehicle, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The band has Mexicanized that Beatles psychedelic classic with norteño and son jarocho flourishes, and politicizes it onstage by telling audiences the story of how it came to be included in the group’s repertory. “We started traveling through California, through Bakersfield, Fresno, Salinas, all those places where you see the migrant workers and the strawberry fields, and we felt a crazy connection that turned the song into another meaning,” Ms. Hernández explained. “You pass through so many places, and you see the land being worked. So now, we just present the song and say it reminds us of all the hardworking people who are out there, cultivating your strawberry fields forever. Just don’t forget who they are and where they come from. 1
¡Ya Es Hora Ve Y Vota!
Dear NCLR Supporter: This week in Washington, senators will vote on a blueprint for how the federal government should spend our money. Instead of investing in our children and our economy, the Senate majority proposes to slash more than $3 trillion in 10 years from education, health, and housing priorities. Even worse, they are trotting out old, failed policy proposals that range from unworkable to just plain hateful.
Tell your senator: The Senate majority budget is anti-family, anti-immigrant, and anti-Latino. Vote NO. The Senate majority budget resolution would: • Repeal the Affordable Care Act, which now provides over four million Latinos with quality, affordable coverage • Freeze Pell Grants, putting college education further out of reach for millions of low- and middle-income Latino families • Cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, by more than onethird (about 35% of Latinos are eligible for SNAP) • Heap more cuts on top of sequestration, the across-the-board budget bludgeoning that has already hurt Latino communities disproportionately • Consolidate Medicaid and weaken the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), on which nearly 50% of Latino kids rely • Eliminate expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, leaving two to three million Latino working families at risk of falling into poverty • Weaken consumer protections and the dream of homeownership by dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac As if this wasn’t enough, it seems some conservative senators are going out of their way to hurt hardworking, taxpaying immigrant families and children. Tell your senators to stop this anti-Latino budget in its tracks. Sincerely,
Barbara Moreno Digital Specialist
¿Sabes nuestro himno? | Know Our anthem? Verso 1 Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora? lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer? sus estrellas sus franjas flotaban ayer en el fiero combate en señal de victoria, fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad. Por la noche decían: “Se va defendiendo!” Coro Oh decid! Despliega aún Su hermosura estrellada sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada? Verso 2 Sus estrellas, sus franjas, la libertad, somos iguales. Somos hermanos. Es nuestro himno. En el fiero combate en señal de victoria, Fulgor de lucha (Mi gente sigue luchando) al paso de la libertad (Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas.) Por la noche decían: “!Se va defendiendo!” Oh decid! Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada? English translation:
Verse 1 It’s sunrise. Do you see by the light of the dawn What we proudly hailed last nightfall? Its stars, its stripes yesterday streamed above fierce combat a symbol of victory the glory of battle, the march toward liberty. Throughout the night, they proclaimed: “We will defend it!” Chorus Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave above the land of the free, the sacred flag? Verse 2 Its stars, its stripes, Liberty, we are the same. We are brothers in our anthem. In fierce combat, a symbol of victory the glory of battle, (My people fight on) the march toward liberty. (The time has come to break the chains.) Throughout the night they proclaimed: “We will defend it!” Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave above the land of the free, the sacred flag?
¡It’s Time Go And Vote!
May 2015 | ¿ Que pasó ? 7
¿ Que pasó ? 1324 Calle 13 Boone IA, 50036
Torin H Hernandez 820 7th Ave N. Belmond IA, 500423
8 ¿ Que pasó ? | May 2015