The amazing Elizabeth (or Betita) Martinez has been a longstanding fixture in Chicana studies and activism. The following videos show her back in 2008 on a TV show called Freedom is a Constant Struggle (Um, awesome? Why aren’t there more shows like this?).
There are three clips to watch, but all of them are equally good, and really lend a very good introduction to Chicana feminism, for those who aren’t well versed.
For some, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. I know I have been taking advantage of the warm weather and feeling how the summer heat burns away through winter depression and doubt. Others, take the day, a holiday set aside to remember those who have lost their lives in the name of the United States. I have flipped through the television watching flags placed on the graves of fallen soldiers.
I count myself as among the somewhat lucky, that with a few family members in the military, I have not lost anyone. So maybe that’s why my memorial day will not be the same as yours. My mind will not wrap itself in red white and blue when so many soldiers who die do so because they were promised a piece of ownership over the U.S. flag via coveted citizenship or residence for their familias.
I will light candles for los muertos hoy, pero I do that everyday. Maybe of equal importance is lighting candles for those who are still alive and struggling with the choices that appear before them. Today, Free Speech Radio News is highlighting a report that they did on military recruitment in Brooklyn. Hearing young people of color speak about how their options are presented to them is nothing new for me. I, like the youth featured in the report, see military recruiters in the busy subway stations. I walk by, holding my three year old daughter’s hand, feeling a little more than helpless as a mouth “don’t do it” to the young people being sweet talked. I make loud comments as I walk to catch my train to work about how youth are being manipulated.
Earlier this week, Jeffrey Conroy, convicted this April of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime in the killing of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero, received the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison this afternoon at criminal court in Riverhead, N.Y.
I have written numerous times about the horror that happened against Lucero and how it is indicative of a growing anti-Latino sentiment in the United States, that now is slowly becoming legalized through laws like Arizona’s recently passed SB1070.
Puerto Rican political prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres, who has served 30 years for his work supporting Puerto Rican independence, was granted parole last week. He is expected to be released in July and live in Puerto Rico.
Two Puerto Rican political prisoners remain in U.S. custody. Oscar López Rivera, who this month will mark his 29th year in prison, is not scheduled for release until 2023; and Avelino González Claudio, who this month will be sentenced to a term not to exceed 7 years.
Via / National Boricua Human Rights Network
Today thousands of people are expected to converge on the Arizona State Capital in a National Day of Action Against SB1070 called by The National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Puente.
The demands behind the event are urging President Obama to:
We urge President Obama to:
1. Reassert the federal government’s exclusive control over immigration law by making clear that state and local police do not have the inherent authority to enforce immigration law.
2. Immediately suspend and terminate all police-ICE partnerships, including 287(g) agreements and the so-called ‘Secure Communities Initiative.”
3. Direct the Department of Homeland Security to refuse to take custody of anyone charged with violating provisions of SB 1070.
Here’s Isabel Garcia‘s call to action:
¡Alto Arizona! Isabel Garcia from Barni Qaasim on Vimeo.
Isabel Garcia, Pima County Public Defender and Derechos Humanos member speaking out against Arizona’s SB1070. Sign the petition at altoarizona.com and come to the National Day of Action in Phoenix, AZ on May 29, 2010.
On Friday, April 23rd, Governor Jan Brewer joined the ranks of George Wallace and others like him who sought to gain political advantage by encouraging hatred and bigotry. And while Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio may have written themselves into the history books by supporting this repugnant law, they will appear as nothing more than a footnote. Indeed, this chapter of history will be written by the millions of immigrants who assert their place in the American story like all others who came before them. This chapter will be written by a new generation of fearless leaders, like the thousands of high school students who walked out in Phoenix and Tucson, and the nine brave leaders who sacrificed their freedom to prevent and protest the enactment of an unjust and unconstitutional law. It will be written by all of us.
Arizona’s immigrant community is organizing and preparing to mount the political, legal, and economic pressure needed to restore constitutional protections to the state. They need the nation’s help to change the federal policy that allowed for the formation of SB 1070. The simple fact is that the President of the United States has the moral authority and legal obligation to intervene and put an end to SB 1070.
We will try and update throughout the day. If you are participating in the event and want to share your experiences, fotos, and/or videos please leave a comment below or feel free to email us at info@vivirlatino.com
This goes out to all of those Latinos comfortable in their privilege, all of those who say that the “legal” Latinos have nothing to worry about, all of those who are offended when they are called Mexican.
Whew. This story takes the “I can’t tell you people apart” logic to a new level. A man born in Puerto Rico (for the uninformed–that means he’s a US citizen) was recently detained for three days and threatened with deportation–to Mexico.
From Huffington Post:
Eduardo Caraballo, a U.S. citizen born in the United States, was detained for over three days on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.
Despite presenting identifying documents and even his birth certificate, Caraballo was held by federal immigration authorities over the weekend and threatened with deportation, according to an NBC Chicago report. He was only released when his congressman, Luis Gutierrez — a vocal supporter of immigration reform — intervened on his behalf.
Now, we here at VL have been told repeatedly that the SB 1070 legislation is not racist. And that if on the off chance that a legal person *is* pulled over, that person has nothing to worry about. Because all you need to do is show your documents and everything will be ok. Right?
But what happens when the word of person producing the documents is brown? What happens when the person producing the documents is considering inherently illegal? Inherently devious and untrustworthy?
There are no papers official and legal enough to prove to people who don’t want to hear it that indeed, you are legal. We only have to look at President Obama for proof of that.
So what are those of us who are illegal no matter what papers we have to do? Are we supposed to trust the system? Just trust that people who will never and have never had their legality center on a piece of paper will “do the right thing” when *their own paper work* proves them wrong?
I did not really support Al Sharpton’s idea of “Freedom Walkers” flocking to Arizona to show support for those protesting SB 1070. Encouraging a whole troop of people to go to Arizona and spend money on food, a place to stay, etc, after boycotts were announced seem counter intuitive and directly conflicting organizers desires within the state.
But then I saw this report, detailing how hate groups and white supremacist organizations are flocking to Arizona:
And now I have to wonder if maybe the job of the Freedom Walkers needs to not so much be to march and protest, but to act as observers/documenters for those citizens of Arizona who grow a little unsafer with every skinhead that comes to town.
Over the last two days, both the U.S. Senate and President Obama have shown where they really stand on pushing immigration reform and the message is as clear as a highway sign.
Three amendments to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act are expected to be debated on today on the Senate floor at 10 am and could be voted on as early as today. All three emphasize “border security”.
According to the NCLR, those amendments are the:
Cornyn Amendment #4202, which adds enforcement personnel, 3,300 new detention beds, and the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border.
McCain Amendment #4214 to add 6,000 more National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kyl Amendment #4228, which fully funds Operation Streamline at the U.S.-Mexico border.
All of these amendments further militarize the U.S.-Mexico border and further criminalize the undocumented.
People are being urged to call their Senators in opposition and to urge therm to reject these amendments.
And remember when Obama said he supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform?
Seriously gente, you need to be over at post pomo nuyorican homo for updates on the University of Puerto Rico student strikes. Marisol has connections and testimonios from students and people who are living this reality right now. The latest post Marisol has is about police brutality towards student protesters.
Marisol writes:
Members of the police department have gotten into quite of bit of hot water since screen grabs of their facebook pages and status updates have started to surface in the media. The officers have been boasting about beating students or complaining about the lack of opportunities to brutalize students.
Some examples:Alexander Luina: “Por fin puedo dar un macanazo en esta bendita huelga, despues de 12 dias.” (“Finally, after 12 days I can use my baton in this damn strike.”)
