La Voz - November 2022

November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 San Antonio, Tejas

Artwork: Cecilia Sánchez Duarte

Calaveras y Literary Ofrendas, 2022

The 23rd edition of Calaveras y Literary

Ofrendas of La Voz de Esperanza celebrates,

in print, the annual celebration of Days of

La Voz de the Dead. Días de los Muertos honors our
Esperanza
dearly departed with visits to their grave
November 2022
Vol. 35 Issue 7 sites, the making of altars and ofrendas in

Editor: Gloria A. Ramírez their honor and the gathering of families in
Design: Elizandro Carrington
Cover Art: Cecilia Sánchez Duarte remembrance of ancestors and those recently

Contributors deceased. Of late, Día de muertos also means

Carolyn Atkins, Tarcisio Beal, Jacinto Jesús processions, parades and elaborate displays
Cardona, Anita Cisneros, Nephtalí De León,
Hope Garza, Tammy Melody Gomez, Mildred or exhibits with calaveras and calacas danc-
DeLong Hilbrich, Rachel Jennings, Roze Livar,
Cathy Marston, Mona Lisa Montgomery, Amada ing in city streets and towns throughout
Nuñez, Imane Saliba, Jeanie Sanders, Christina
D. Soto, Carmen Urquijo-Ruiz, Eva Urquijo- Mexico and, now, in the U.S. La Voz celebrates yearly with calaveras—satirical poems that
Ruiz, Martina Urquijo-Ruiz, Rita Urquijo-Ruiz,
Enrique Sánchez, Jackie Velez, Mary Younger warn of the wily Katrina’s quest to kill off any and every one—death being the great equal-

La Voz Mail Collective izer. We include tributes to those who have passed with literary ofrendas: poems, stories, art-

...is sheltering at home due to COVID-19 but work, or photos. This year we have had a number of Esperanza friends and supporters who
will return when it is safe. Extra funds are being
passed in recent months that we did not get to eulogize in the pages of La Voz. In pages 4
raised to pay for the folding of La Voz.
and 5 we pay tribute to some of these recently departed loved ones from our community. In
Esperanza Director
addition, this year, I dedicate the issue to Mr. Enrique Sánchez who has written calaveras for
Graciela I. Sánchez
La Voz since we started printing them in 1999. He has been our most loyal and prolific ca-

laverista who earned the moniker, Don Calaveras. Now in his nineties, Enrique has slowed

down, but still managed to write one calavera. Gracias to Enrique, gracias to la Doctora Rita

Urquijo-Ruiz who conducted a workshop online on Calaveras resulting in a slew of calav-

eras being sent in and gracias to all the calaveristas and artistas who contributed to this very

special November issue of La Voz de Esperanza. Un gran abrazo to all.

—Gloria A. Ramirez, editor of La Voz

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • October 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • Esperanza Staff Gracias Don Calaveras, Enrique Sánchez

Angel Cantú, Elizandro Carrington, Calavera for 2022
Kayla Miranda, René Saenz, Imane Saliba,
Susana Segura, Amelia Valdez, Rosa Vega Tengo flojera
No quiero escribir hoy
Conjunto de Nepantleras ¡Animo! Más animo!
—Esperanza Board of Directors— Ando perdido, a donde voy?
Me gritan ¡Has calaveras! ¡Más calaveras!
Richard Aguilar, Norma Cantú, Brent Floyd, Tanto insisten
Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Jan Olsen, Aqui les va una, nomas una
Ana Lucía Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, Ya pasé los noventa, ¡Ten cuidado!
Rudy Rosales, Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba, No me he caido todavía,
¡Estoy amolado! ¡Bien amolado!
Graciela I. Sánchez, Lillian Stevens me falta poco y que algo después?
¡Levantate y sigue adelante! Que caray!
• We advocate for a wide variety of social,
economic & environmental justice issues. —Enrique Sánchez aka “Don Calaveras”

• Opinions expressed in La Voz are not ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it to lavoz@
necessarily those of the Esperanza Center. esperanzacenter.org. If you want to be removed from the La Voz mailing list, for whatever reason, please let us
know. La Voz is provided as a courtesy to people on the mailing list of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.
La Voz de Esperanza The subscription rate is $35 per year ($100 for institutions). The cost of producing and mailing La Voz has
is a publication of substantially increased and we need your help to keep it afloat. To help, send in your subscriptions, sign up as a
monthly donor, or send in a donation to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Thank you. -GAR
Esperanza Peace & Justice Center
922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212 VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are
210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org gente-based, multi-visioned and milagro-bound. We are diverse survivors of materialism, racism, misogyny,
homophobia, classism, violence, earth-damage, speciesism and cultural and political oppression. We are
Inquiries/Articles can be sent to: recapturing the powers of alliance, activism and healthy conflict in order to achieve interdependent economic/
[email protected] spiritual healing and fuerza. La Voz is a resource for peace, justice, and human rights, providing a forum for
criticism, information, education, humor and other creative works. La Voz provokes bold actions in response
Articles due by the 8th of each month to local and global problems, with the knowledge that the many risks we take for the earth, our body, and the
dignity of all people will result in profound change for the seven generations to come.
Policy Statements

* We ask that articles be visionary, progressive,
instructive & thoughtful. Submissions must be
literate & critical; not sexist, racist, homophobic,
violent, or oppressive & may be edited for length.
* All letters in response to Esperanza activities

or articles in La Voz will be considered for

2 publication. Letters with intent to slander
individuals or groups will not be published.

Through Love We Visit Our Ancestors

We have been thrown on this bus And have drawn Dia de los Muertos

like rotten fruit. My abuelita is asleep images on the striped paper

on my shoulder making little puffing I cradle I uncovered in my purse.
my abuelita with my arms,
sounds as if she were running. turn my face toward her, take in The Sun comes up just as the
Just looking at her makes me smile. the smell of my country in her hair. ‘metal can’ we ride in has found a city.
She has always been my home, The warmth from the Sun makes my
my safety even as we ride through “Juanita,” my abuelita has said over abuelita stir. Her magic body turns
the night on this damn bus. toward the light and she smiles.

Abuelita is restless and moving and over “time is traveling with us Then she remembers where we are,

in her sleep. Her beautiful gray on this bus as are the dead souls of “Juanita, how can we celebrate the dead

mane of hair has been twisted loose. our ancestors. The weight of our when we have nothing?” LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •

It cascades across my arm like heritage holds us together. We should I pull from my purse the flowers made
a treasure. Her sleeping face be constructing an ofrenda so our dead from gum wrappers and place then
carries lessons of survival. loved ones can gather. How will we in her lap, the orange candy follows
do this?” These words of concern and then the drawings for Dia de los
We make no stops on this traveling coffin. strike at my heart. Muertos,
People have vomited across the aisle
auIlonnloodkkonoikonnwgotounbttarhtciheskeiersawstaeimrnaotdeuso..nwITdhhaooetupmmrehiyiaetsgaimsdhnsoa’.stotafnthoemen.BuItdtrihassvahcveoelevedemdor.eeaAsddnleos’tonflk,otnIhwoeuewnsretsrwaefrrhetohtismleedwsgfhhureeomrmselwewapreattrpapsehrscan,Abfhureoermlhitaahnejdursmeiypnesseuxcpcoiuatenldmdbedlnoitnw.dTnthhceelalSpiguphnint.g
a half eaten box of orange candy. —Jeanie Sanders

Las calaveras de San Antonio

En este pueblo hay muchas calaveras pero tienen que buscar en todos los altares, 3
Hay de todas clases: bonitas, feitas, aquellos altares con tantos recuerdos de familiares.
pobres, riquitas, tristes y alegres. Si aquella calaca le gustaban los taquitos de carne—
Hay muchas calacas por todo San Anto: hay que buscar el altar con aquellos taquitos de carne!
bailando por las calles y tambien llorando Y que no se les olvide aquella cervecita: la Lone Star
siempre buscando a ese ser amado, y la Perla, aunque tengan que ir hasta Ft. Worth ,
y parece que nunca se encuentran, ¡O mandar traerla.!
será por eso que siempre andan rodando.
Pero, tambien hay unas que si se encuentran, —Mildred DeLong Hilbrich

OfrendasLiterary

Bobby Byrd 1942-2022 Urvashi Vaid 1958-2022

Poet, co-founder of Cinco Puntos Social change/civil rights activist, lawyer, author, femi-
Press in El Paso, TX with his nist, community builder, leader of LGBTQ community
wife, Lee, loving husband and organizations, wife of political humorist, Kate Clinton,
father. Lover & tireless advocate and beloved friend and colleague.
of the borderlands community.
“Urvashi Vaid was a leader, a
“Bobby was a one-of-a-kind, and warrior and a force to be reckoned
you just have to be thankful that with… She was also a beloved col-
you had the time with him. He was a community within league, friend, partner and someone
one man.” —Joe Hayes, author La Llorona: The Weeping we all looked up to—a brilliant,
outspoken and deeply committed
Woman, published activist who wanted full justice and
in 1987 by Cinco equality for all people.”
Puntos Press — Kierra Johnson, National LGBTQ
Task Force
To read the article go
to: bit.ly/tx-hwy-byrd To read the article go to: npr/3gcTBCo

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • Dudley Brooks 1932-2022 Gretchen Glasscock

Farm boy with a “de- 1940-2022
fined sense of justice”,
adventurer, pacifist/ Creative entrepreneur
anti-war “conscien- and vintner known as
tious objector” during the “wine goddess of
the Korean War, Texas”, traveler, friend,
craftsman, collec- adventurer, prolific
tor, social justice writer, web publisher,
and mental health business leader, epicure-
advocate, cultural arts an, mentor, high school
aficionado, devoted editor of La Reata at St. Mary’s Hall and
partner and friend beloved wife of Carla Salinas for 38 years.

When I met Dudley in Los Angeles on July 22, 1968, I was smitten by his Gretchen was a well educated woman who
easy-going nature, his gentle manner, and twinkle in his eyes. I knew that
we were destined to become partners, comrades, never stopped learning, teaching others
and best friends, and then it came to pass... Dud-
ley was my anchor, the lighthouse that guided through her writing, advocacy, mentoring,
me to the safety of home. He was my shining star
and when I look up at the heavens at night, The and wise counsel. A fierce advocate and
North Star twinkles brightly and I know he is
looking down at me, bringing me peace and tran- brilliant entrepreneur, publisher, she was the
quility. He will forever live in my heart of hearts.
foremost of the Texas wine industry, cre-
4 —Tomás Ybarra Frausto
Topper, Dudley’s beloved dog ated Advancing Women, an online publica-

tion, developed and wrote about web-based

businesses, as well, before that became the

standard practice. We will dearly miss and

love you, my friend of 25 years plus.

—Adelfa Reyna, FB post

Ward Albro 1938-2022 José Francisco Treviño 1941-2022

Historian, writer, devotee of Chicano artist, sculptor, arts
Mexican culture and politics, educator, mentor, illustrator of
teacher and mentor to Mexican text books and bilingual curricu-
American students, traveler, lum, beloved husband of Modesta
beloved husband of Tot Albro, Treviño, father and grandfather.
friend, ally, colleague, “gringo
scholar with a Mexican heart.” “The spirit of Treviño’s artwork
does not pertain to the individual,
“…one of the white professors but consequently to the communi-
that supported the Mexican ty and its sacred traditions... The
American student movement indigenous concept that human-
during the 1970s. He also has ity occupies the land for a short
an impressive scholarly record period on borrowed time attests
that contributed to Mexican American history.” to the wide experience of artistic
— Emilio Zamora, former student at Texas A&I and expression that José Treviño has
currently a professor of history at UT-Austin manifested, as if in a quest to fulfill his earthly task of
expounding and redefining his talent to its utmost.”
To read the article go to: bit.ly/express-albro —Santa Barraza, contemporary Chicana/Tejana artist

Rosemary Catacalos La Pareja Mas Querida LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •
En el cementerio San Fernando numero uno, esta
1943/1944-2022
una pareja muy querida,
Texas Poet Laureate Todos los conocian como Don Margarito
(1st Latina named to
the post), educator, y Doña Cecilia,
mentor, builder of lit- Fueron un ejemplo para la comunidad,
eracy and community, Pero para la familia fueron todo ,
jazz lover, arts advo- Y lo siguen siendo ,
cate and administra- Los recuerdos de sus caras y sus cuentos del
tor, student of history,
folklore and mythol- pasado,
ogy, feisty and funny. Nos siguen consolando en los tiempos mas

One can always shine and be loved for the genius that is their respective dificiles de vivir,
creative discipline, but to dedicate many years of her life to support and Nunca se nos olvidará como nos querian en esta
strengthen literary arts organizations, to find funding to hire other indi-
vidual artists to work or to create workshops to strengthen and develop vida. —Mildred De Long Hilbrich
their skills or connect them to funding opportunities or other mentors,
well….that took away from her own artistic creations. But Rosemary 5
knew she couldn’t be selfish and think only of her artistic production. It
had to be about all of us growing, of strengthening and giving voice and
space to the many young people who needed to be seen and heard. Not
just one Latina poet laureate, but hundreds of us.

—Graciela Sánchez of the Esperanza at Rosemary’s celebration of life

OfrendasLiterary

Ofrenda: Merrie Joy Lehning, 1961-2022

by Cathy Marston, PhD You were serving 52 years for killing
You looked and sounded just like Janis Joplin – your abusive boyfriend in self-defense.
especially when you sang, “Me and Bobby McGee.” When will our state spend money to
We met on the Mountain View unit in January 2006;
and I last saw you on Murray sometime in 2014. PREVENT domestic violence – instead
You wrote my judge when I was ill. of spending it to TORTURE
We read each other Ms. magazine and battered women who lawfully defended
snippets from the political books – themselves?
anything to keep us going as feminists. The injustice system and the patriarchal
We worked on crossword puzzles. violence system:
I still can’t believe you knew “satrap!” which came first?
Which socializes people first into teaching us that
I got a letter from another incarcerated sister March 2022: accountability for wrongs means torturing people?
She said you refused your cancer treatments and died. Our new clemency process for survivors
You never even told me you’d been diagnosed! should have helped you, Merrie.
I will miss the birthday and holiday card you drew It is but a Band-Aid on the end product of domestic abuse
for me every year. in the home
I never knew when I got the birthday card in 2021 on top of the domestic abuse of our society.
that it would be the last. Thank you for being my friend and helping us create
that Band-Aid!

Mahsa Amini, rest in power!

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Iranian severely beaten and died as a result of police
woman named Mahsa Amini died in a hospital brutality— denied by Iranian authorities.
in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances. Amini’s death resulted in historic protests in
The Guidance Patrol, the religious morality Iran with many arrests and deaths. According
police of Iran, arrested Amini for not wearing to Iran Human Rights, as of October 17, 2022
her hijab properly. Police stated that she had at least 215 people had been killed as a result of
had a heart attack at the police station. Women the government’s intervention in the protests.
who were detained with Amini, said she was

Ramsey  Muñíz, Upon his moving on to Mictlán, 1942-2022

© Nephtalí  De León  and now his soul all our homelands

he dared to be immortal rises from the ashes shall be free!
in our minds of his cells
en la libre y en la pinta he’s free to roam  Tlazocamati
writing on our souls sin rejas ni paredes Thank you
con la tinta de su cora running for governor Carnalito Ramsey
con la sangre de su alma so many years ago may your soul
inspire our fire

que calma tan violenta while we La Raza that desire

tras la rejas plodded on that you left us

 no hubo quejas inspired by his dream like a tattoo clean and smart
at least not from his soul that dream to stand up for our freedoms
sus rezos los llevaba el viento his firebrand charisma a proud and independent
people
prayers that our homeland fed with ingots made of steel sovereign in our heart!

some day will be free he left us with his will

6 even if he was in chains that someday

Ghosted

I grew up in north Texas, area code 817
My parents bought a house, our piece of heaven,
But next door to us lived a Mr. and Mrs. Weir
Sadly, they were racist—yeah, that was quite clear

Las Palabras Escondidas Even as me and my sister were sweet and polite,
We were never ever gonna be white
The rule states Silence is Golden, We were not welcomed in their part of town,
But what did they know? With our long hair so black, and bodies soft brown
Cuando las escuelas quitaron las palabras
en Español so many years ago. When we had holy days off from Catholic school
They threatened to call the chota,
Como un cucuy, los educadores asustaron a los niños, gritando, —as if we had broken truancy rules.
“Aquí, Español no pueden hablar.”
“Vete para la oficina porque tenemos un problema, They called me the N word when I biked
—te vas para la casa o te voy a pegar.” —on the sidewalk in front of their home,
And though my parents shouted back at the Weirs,
Los principales fueron como un Grim Reaper, —I learned not to roam.
organizando la muerte de las palabras en español.
In hopes that in time, our Mexican heritage would die, So me and my sister avoided their yard
—by collecting las palabras and devouring los niños souls. —and their unfriendly gaze,
And those neighbors just spit out bigotry
Las brujas maestras hovering in the hallways —‘til the end of their days.
—focusing on the whispers of niños’ voices.
Rulers laid on their desks like first place trophies Yes, they died in that house and dwindled
—for swatting the hands and given no choices. —to spirit as ghosts
Never knowing that visitors would move in,
Playgrounds were silenced by las palabras forbidden. —they’d be forced to be hosts.
Joyful faces scared stiff with horror.
Crying, “No me siento bien y no puedo hablar!” When their house got categorized as new Section 8
A blanket of shame covered this country with sorrow. That really gave the Weirs something
—of substance to hate,

Father time has cleared the air en la muerte de la voz, Because subsidized houses are rented to LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •
—las palabras now open and free. —the poorest of renters
Gracias to our civil rights leaders fighting hard to be heard. Who are often black or brown, to the chagrin
La puerta está abierta para ti y para mí. —of racist dissenters.

Las historias de antes no eran fábulas. Fijate, when you’re a bigoted ghost, your voice
Pon atención, a tu abuelo y abuela, a sus palabras —no longer matters.
Truth be told and truth of our old. Your racist fences and borders and kingdoms
Manden las calaveras para tras, ya son las horas. —have fallen in tatters,

So, next time, cuando juegues la lotería, So, Weirs, you are trapped Caspers in the house
O miras a los niños jugando en paz. —you used to live in alone,
Recuerda que la guerra está finalizando. But now you share it with Mexicans—so joyous,
Ganamos la libertad, ya las calaveras no pueden más. —so loud, they can’t hear you moan.

—Mary Younger And though you try to haunt them,
—you don’t scare them anymore,
As they dance to cumbias and Bad Bunny,
—they cannot hear your steps on the floor.

Mean ol’ Weirs, you’re doomed now as ghosts
—in a biracial casa,
Though you tried, when alive, to scapegoat
—and get rid of Raza.

Artwork: José Pulido Get over it, wake up and smell
—the homemade empanada,
Because in the afterlife, racist ghostly opinions
—no valen nada.

*TL/DR: Racist ghosts live next door to my mom. 7

—Tammy Melody Gomez

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •
cios
No book bans Artwork: Brandon Maldonado
8
“Ladrona de Azúcar”

Estaba la Catrina leyendo muy tranquila Que te vayas de este mundo
—sus libros de poesía Y nunca regresarás
cuando, ¡puf!, aparece la envidia pelona Ladrona de azúcar
queriendo borrar de nuestra memoria Comiendo mi comunidad
toda nuestra bella historia.
Mordida por mordida
Se levantó la huesuda muy apresurada Comenzando con deditos
A defender sus carnales censurados Tragando pies y piernas
Los mandó muy lejos con sus pendejadas de mis Tíos y Abuelitos
No book bans, necios y malcriados
Ya no puedo verte
No book bans, libros escrito por mi gente me quitaste ya mi vista
no bans en mi cuerpo ni en mi mente Ladrona de azúcar,
políticos cabezudos tu tiempo está contado Yo quería ser Artista
en noviembre saldremos a votar
—y tú serás esfumado. Y todo porque como
Mis Tortillas y Papitas
La calaca flaca se los llevará Mi “Ice-Creen” y Mi Pan Dulce
bailando y cantando al más allá Y también Mis Galletitas
A ustedes cabrones nadie los recordará
Ya basta con Metformen
—Anita Cisneros c/s ¡Aguila! Covid & diabetes are out to get you, gente. ¡Cuidense! Con Ozempic y Farxiga
Quisiera ser saludable
MAGA Ne Troll Around and Find Out Y quitar mi medicina

Aye, these cyberstalking fanboys, As she sneaks up and lingers Que La muerte ya te llevé
You talking, mocking, fanboys Plotting to fuse together your fingers Y que te comas tu misma
Bombarding social media pages A ver cómo te sientes
Pero, La Muerte, she sees you and rages She'll drag you away —Jackie Velez Cuando se caen tus dientes
Into oblivion you will stay!
Troll away, my friend Never again will you stalk Ya no voy a darte
For it will be your end Your cybering, she will stop Ningún solo dedito
Voy a ponerme en dieta,
Aunque tenga apetito

Vete, Diabetes, Vete

Marjorie Taylor Greene Artwork: Celeste De Luna Vete de este mundo
Que te lleven las calacas

Mean old Marjorie Taylor Greene. Que te vayas de vagabundo

Planning, plotting insurrection. —Roze Livar
Aiming guns without compunction.
Squirreliest mess I’ve ever seen. *Gracias a Don Roberto L. y
Lourdes B., por su ayuda
Mean old Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Christian nationalist bigot.
MAGA Meister
For raw hate, her mouth’s a spigot.
9
She spews such bile—man, it’s obscene. George Hernández
(and sycophants & cohorts)
Mean old Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Friend of non-whites and queers you’re not. A.K.A Media Marketing Blitz Big Spenders
May Satan take you where you’ll rot. Bexar County Hospital District C.E.O
At Hell’s presser, go to be seen. Land scraper and brick and mortar hospital builder

— Rachel Jennings

Doing whatever it take$$$$$

Whose huge salary, perks and bonuses upend

—and depend on constant construction

A house-of-cards costing millions and millions

—while desecrating nature

Los Votantes Shrinking ACTUAL medical care for indigent folks
Build- with-enough-$$$$$- and-they-will-come??

Choking on gold bricks, Midas Hernandez

BE YOUR LEGACY NAME. – Carolyn Atkins

Greg Abbott Herschel Walker

Will Texans vote for Greg Abbott Herschel Walker, he of big talk, The Demise of DeSantis
simply out of stupid habit? fathers children out of wedlock.
Guns, guns—what does it matter? Family values his acts do mock. Does he need psychoanalysis?
Apathy is hard to shatter. When baby is born, see him balk. This fellow named DeSantis
Sending immigrants to Massachusetts
“It could,” Abbott said, “have been worse” Petty huckster, Herschel Walker, Does he have no conscience?
after the shooting. Texans’ curse— wrote a check for an abortion. Using people for his evil politics
always, always it does get worse. Pushed her—not choice but coercion. Spewing his hatred in the arena
The only escape is a hearse. Herschel Walker, Georgia Stalker. Here comes the one and only, La Catrina
Watching him huffing and puffing’
Katrina, take Abbott away. Satan, take that baller to Hell. and finally exploding from edema.
Let him hug his guns night and day. Let Herschel ring Katrina’s bell
In Hell with his friends he can play. and father her little minions. —Imane Saliba
Guns won’t keep their demons at bay. They’ll all have right-wing opinions.

—Rachel Jennings —Rachel Jennings

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •

Continued

Ritelena Se vendrá contigo Sela Y que me le escapo TEQUILA, BUCHANNA’S Y
Pa’ que te ponga una vela BACANORA, 
Estaba la Rita un día pensarás fuiste a la escuela ¡Achis! ¡Achis! Los mariachis  eso voy a tomar,
en la casa de Sofía pero estás ya con tu abuela dijo la Calaca un día y cuando vaya a SONORA
esperando el domingo cuando ella creía por ti... voy a brindar
pa’ casarse con un gringo Y para colmo te digo qué tú te adelantarías
tendrás que morir conmigo Lo siento mucho compañera, 
Te vino Gloria a invitar pues será ese tu castigo La Profe RITA le dijo que no te pueda llevar 
a la Parca hacer cantar si quieres sentir abrigo ¡mira CALACA maldita! a esa QUICEAÑERA 
y con rima declamar el día qué me quiera ir.... aunque te pongas a llorar.
hasta la risa soltar Ya con esta me despido Yo lo voy a elegir
y como siempre te digo Después nos ponemos de acuerdo 
Vuela, vuela mi escritora aunque te salga un gemido ¡Mira! ¡Mira! la CALACA le dijo, y contigo sí me voy,
vente ya para Sonora ¡soy la muerte, tu enemigo! qué respondona me saliste déjame ir a mi pueblo
aunque seas la oradora mándame otro inquilino a vestirme de sombrero y 
ya se llegará tu hora – Carmen Urquijo-Ruiz y diré que tú, te me fuiste con pantalón de cuero.
Hermosillo, Sonora
Oye CALACA imprudente A mi familia querida 
no me seas traicionera, de ti les he de platicar,
que a HERMOSILLO quiero ir, qué acompañarte no quería, 
a una QUINCEAÑERA. Y de ti, te me escapé 

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • El sol salió sin avisar Aquí me despido cantando,
matando mi lindo sueño MÉXICO LINDO Y QUERIDO
la Calaca lo apagó y por las calles voy gritando, 
volviendo todo sereno que de ti,  yo he huido.

– Amada Núñez             – Eva Urquijo-Ruiz
Las Cruces, New Mexico             Hermosillo, Sonora

La familia Urquijo-Ruiz

A Sonora llegaré pues te me has escapado, para que vaya a dar clases

dijo la muerte un día pero hoy ya no te salvas allá en un gran reservado

y con gusto me llevaré de algo tan esperado Aunque tú vendas seguros
a una muy grande familia Muy juntos a Adán y Eva Carmen yo te he de llevar,

Empiezo con la mayor, al cielo me llevaré, pues de muy grandes apuros

Olivia se llama ella, pues así como llegaron, te juro me has de sacar

pues me la quiero llevar con ellos me quedaré Aun estando contento
pa’ me haga una “paella” Aún cuando no estés cerca al Charly me llevaré,

Continuaré con Ramón hasta a ti he de llegar, pues ocupo mantenimiento

por ser un gran albañil, mi querido Luis Enrique ahí donde yo estaré

pues quiero que construya al panteón vas a ir a dar Muy contenta va la Parca,
una mansión para mí Hasta ti yo he de ir pues en el Jito llenó

También te llevo Martina mi muy querida Lupita su carruaje de la muerte

ya es hora de descansar pues allá en el camposanto, y una gran familia se llevó

10 ya no tendrás una tienda, te tengo una tumba lista – Martina Urquijo-Ruiz
pues te toca un funeral Hermosillo, Sonora
Sigues tú mi Raquelita A una gran Doctora Rita,
la muerte ya se ha llevado

OfrendasLiterary
Bertita’s Legacy 1901-1971

Ori & Tin Tin p’al dolor nunca se entrena, There is this beautiful lady Her legacy lives on in Dance
por dentro nuestra alma grita Diana Rosa is her name.  with Diana leading the cause,
La casa vacía y silencia, I’ll never forget the day she to raise her Abuelita’s stance
nos duele reconocerlo, Ni “handler,” ni “manager” alluded a claim to fame. in whom she saw no flaws. 
se ha quedado con su han encontrado consuelo
ausencia, extrañan aquel ayer, Her parents Raul and Rosita  Now ghosts of Berta’s students past, 
es tan difícil creerlo se reunirán en el cielo of the family Almaguer,  of this city of the Río, 
lived with them “Aunt” Bertita  dance joyfully, for sweet Diana,
Que los dos ya se hayan ido Por ahora las dos sueñan whose secret did not lay bare. The Jarabe Tapatío. 
a esos viajes eternos con sus “o seas” queridos
¡ay, cómo nos ha podido para que tanto no duelan, An unwed mother’s stranglehold —Mona Lisa Montgomery 
con nosotras no tenerlos! los imaginan dormidos felt Truth an Achillles heel.
Yet Bertita, Diana’s ‘buelita NOTE: Berta Almaguer founded the
Nuestros adorados perros Nos veremos algún día, is a fact no longer concealed. only municipal dance program of its
fueron eso y mucho más eso se lo prometemos kind in the U.S. in 1934.
comprensivos compañeros su amor será nuestro guía,
por toda la eternidad hasta que no despertemos

Ori, o sea, “Perrótoro” Porque ya es bien sabido,
con su pelo despeinado en el mundo y en cielo,
y su corazón de oro todavía no ha nacido
era feliz y entregado quien sepa amar más que un perro

Tin Tin, “Chipi,” o “Perrí” —Rita Urquijo-Ruiz
chiquito y alebrestado
en Hermosillo y aquí
fue animalito mimado

La felicidad eterna
les deseamos—Sela y Rita,

Taller De Calaveras LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •

Tres de octubre, la fecha era

con el Teatro de Esperanza

¡Hay Pelona, que vil eres! para hacer su calavera

Muerte por votación Matas bebés y matas mujeres venían con añoranza
Usas cuerdas y títeres
Asombroso es el mundo Muchos son tus marionetas Llegaron muchas personas
Y la muerte nos rodea a escribir calaveritas
La calaca no duerme Mal informados a votar y a decir cosas burlonas
Gente en sueño profundo No importa por quien
Ya derrumba las morales guiadas por la Profe Rita Una por uno agarró
Los impíos jalan cuerdas Y sus almas voy a cobrar
La calaca muy calmada Cuarenta y pico, las almas La maldita presuntuosa
Espera con su fea risa que por Zoom se congregaban sus poemas se comió
La gente está ganada y oían con mucha calma y se los llevó a la fosa

Calaca espera fuera Que todo caiga al suelo lo que la Profe enseñaba Del más allá van llegando
Los sitios de votación Muerte por votación ofrendas y otros poemas
¿Quién será el campeón? Calaca canta su De Illinois, de California, y Gloria va organizando
El que menos juicio tiene canción San Antonio y Hermosillo y apreciando cada tema
A volar todos sin para dárselas a Gloria
El que rompa las morales consuelo a la Parca dimos trillo Vuelen, vuelen ya sin pena
Y nos hunda más profundo
En el fango del pecado No publiquen este cuento “Ya verán, calaveristas,” calaveristas en turno 11
Calaca busca leales En oscuridad los tengo dijo Calaca ofendida ‘hora sí nadie les frena
Siganle asi como van “ahora sí se me alistan su camino al inframundo
Ya que al cabo los tengo. pues ya no tienen salida”
—Rita Urquijo-Ruiz

—Hope Garza

Democrats Or Republicans? -
Check The Record!

By Tarcisio Beal

With the mid-term elections coming up in November, it is urgent LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • provisions of the Black Codes, opposing the execution of the
that American voters make their choice based on facts and with Fourteenth Amendment, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and the Recon-
the intention of strengthening our democracy. The political stance struction Acts. The Southern democrats kept on violently resist-
of either the Republican or the Democratic Party has shifted back
and forth since the late 19th century. Today, Lincoln’s ideals are ing Reconstruction, including killing prominent Republicans,
best represented by the Democratic Party while the Republicans so, led by President Ulysses S. Grant, the Republicans decided
ceased being the Grand Old Party in 1878. to “pursue peace at any price.” From the 1850s to the 1870s, the
socio-political atmosphere was also intensified by discontent and
The Democratic Party emerged in the early 1830s under the prejudice against new European immigrants, especially against
leadership of President Andrew Jackson, the American Com- Catholics who were the usual targets of the Know-Nothing Party,
mander in the war against Great Britain (1814-1815). A former which merged with the Republican Party in 1856.
cotton farmer, he was pro-slavery and denied both Native and
African Americans their basic human and civil rights by grant- However, organized racist, and anti-Catholic violence was led
ing Southern slaveowners millions of acres of cotton-producing mostly by the Ku Klux Klan. Founded in 1866 in Tennessee and
lands by removing the Cherokees and other Southern tribes in still alive today, it went on a killing rampage, targeting espe-
the infamous 1830 “Trail of Tears.” His Vice-President John C. cially blacks and Republican leaders in the South, all the way
Calhoun elaborated the Theory of Nullification, defining the Union into the 20th century. Already in 1872, the Congress published
as a compact of sovereign States with the right to nullify federal 13 volumes of testimony of the Klansmen’s violence. Then, in
laws, thus justifying the South’s break with the Union. 1905, the KKK was glorified by the Baptist minister and legislator
Thomas Dixon in his novel The Clansman, mostly a glorification
The Republican Party began to take shape in the early 1850s, of the Klan and an attack on the Republicans in the South during
claiming faithfulness to Jefferson’s concept of a decentralized Reconstruction. The novel portrays the Klansmen as redeemers
government, but with a centralized economy and friendly rela- for attempting to rid the South of Negro blood. In 1915, Dixon’s
tions with big business, thus facilitating fraud. Abraham Lincoln, novel became the source of D. W. Griffiths’ popular film Birth of
a humble and eloquent man, attracted followers by his sincerity a Nation.
and directness in addressing the issues of his time, especially the
need to strengthen a Union with serious socially-divisive prob- The Republicans lost the disputed presidential election of
lems. He always sought dialogue with political opponents. In his 1876, but ended up securing the White House by betraying the
debates with the Democrat, Stephen F. Douglas, he presented Southern blacks through a deal with the Democrats: the new
popular sovereignty as the voice and the vote of the people as the President Rutherford B. Hayes, ex-Governor of South Carolina,
keys to decide the issue of slavery and the direction of the govern- ended Reconstruction and withdrew all federal forces from the
ment. Douglas accused him of “having accepted the black man South and Southwest, thus allowing the Democrats to take con-
as his brother.” Yes, Lincoln viewed slavery as blot on the nation, trol of the Southern States and stop the enforcement of the human
but preservation of the Union was his ultimate goal, so he was and voting rights of black Americans, including by nullifying
willing to go slowly in the relations between North and South, the 14th and 15th Amendments. The Republicans recovered the
choosing the South Carolina Democrat, Andrew Johnson, as his Presidency in 1920 and controlled the White House and Congress
running mate. until 1932. It was the worst of times for the country, particularly
for the poor. By 1932, 1 out of every 4 Americans was jobless.
In his inaugural speech (March 4, 1860), Lincoln assured In Chicago, the poor and hungry were forced to follow the city
the South he would not interfere with the existence of slavery. trucks to find food in the dumpsters. They were viewed as victims
Yet, his advocacy of at least some basic human rights for blacks of their own failures and were even denied access to Sunday
contradicted the Southern States’ desire to keep slavery as the church services.
basis of their economy and ultimately led to the Civil War and
Lincoln’s assassination. What particularly irritated Southern- The Democrats, led by liberals and cashing in on the most
ers at the start of the Civil War was the Union’s recruitment of unpopular and ineffective Republican administrations of the
some 300,000 blacks to serve in the army. On July 18, 1863, 600 1920s, recovered control of the federal government with Frank-
black soldiers of the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Army Infantry lin Delano Roosevelt (FDR-1932-1945). These Democrats were
attacked Fort Wagner, South Carolina, in an effort to prevent the quite the opposite of the old Southern pro-slavery party. One of
Confederate efforts to leave the Union. The Infantry lost no less the fierce opponents of FDR was Father Charles Coughlin, pastor
than 97 casualties. One of the survivors was the former slave, of the Little Flower Shrine of Royal Oak, Michigan. His radio
Sgt. William Harvey Carner, the first black African-American to program was immensely popular, attracting up to 34 million
earn the Medal of Honor. listeners. Enamored with the tyrannical ways of Hitler, Coughlin
waged an antisemitic campaign and even attacked FDR as “a Jew”
Andrew Johnson, the Democrat who became President after and a liar. Incredibly enough, the Catholic magazine America
(October 1939) defended his diatribes against FDR and the Jews
12 Lincoln’s assassination, was openly racist and favored the worst

as Coughlin’s constitutional right to free speech. FDR brought the system is synonymous of Christianity.” Those who disagreed with LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •
country out of the Great Depression and created the contempo- Reagan were accused of being enemies of the State and friends of
rary Democratic Party, the opposite of the party that shaped the Communism. Dubbed the “Moses of the Potomac,” he gathered
Confederacy and that kept denying basic civil and human rights the full support of the Christian Right’s televangelists, especially
to African Americans at least until 1964. FDR’s “New Deal” set of Oral Robertson’s “Christian Coalition” and “Contract with Ameri-
the tone for contemporary America and was the only President ca,” which Robertson called “God’s Hand.” Reagan’s type of poli-
tics included the adoption of Milton Friedman’s free play of the
elected 4 times. market forces, no government control of the economy, total op-
In the 1950s, the Republican Party began to look more and position to abortion, insisting that a woman’s right place is in the
kitchen and, following Jerry Falwell’s “Moral Majority,” denial
more like the old Democratic Party of the South. The signal of of human rights to gays and lesbians. While the richest Americans
the American people’s rejection of modern republicanism was were raising their wealth by 30%, Reagan was denying the reality
already given in 1947 when the republican congressional major- of hunger in America and claiming that persons who were home-
ity voted to restrict the activities of the labor unions. Republican less were so by their own choice. His foreign policy toward Latin
President Dwight Eisenhower transferred 40 billion acres of oil America, formalized by Henry Kissinger and typified by Oliver
lands to the States and refused to stimulate a declining economy. North’s infamous “Contra Affair,” provided millions of dollars for
Then, in 1954, the republican majority adopted the “Termination” the worst Latin American dictators and their para-military gangs
policy which took away the self-governing authority of the Na- that killed hundreds of thousands of persons, including American
tive American tribal leadership. It is also well-know that between missionaries and leaders of the Catholic Church.
1948 and 1964, 4.5. million braceros were imported from Mexico
to help reduce the shortage of farming and other low-paying jobs, It was Reagan’s intervention in Central America that
under the condition they would return to Mexico at the end of
their labor contracts. Between 1953 and 1954, one million Chica- restarted the northward heavy flow of Latino immigrants
nos were deported back to Mexico.
toward the U.S., which persists to this day.
The strengthening of contemporary liberalism and some of the
best policies and actions of the federal government started with Some of the policies pursued by the Republicans today echo
the election of the Democrat John Fitzgerald Kennedy and cul- their troubled past, including doing anything to keep control of
minated with his successor Lyndon Baines Johnson. Under their the White House, as they did in 1876, pursuing anti-abortion and
leadership, the Democrats shaped what has been hailed as the LGBT policies, repeating some of the old goals of the Southern
“Great Society” which included the creation of the Peace Corps, Democrats by allying themselves with archconservative groups
the enactment of the National Wilderness Preservation System to that sponsor white supremacy and neo-Nazi goals. They are
control water and air pollution, the raising of the minimum wage, also following up on the example of George Bush who, in 1992,
and the Elementary and Higher Education Act that provide $1.3 imposed restrictions on clear air regulations in order to accom-
billion in aid to the schools and scholarships to the students. modate big business.

Opposition to the Great Society’s initiatives began to take As we can see, today’s Republican Party has often betrayed
shape already in the presidential campaign of 1964 led by the example of Abraham Lincoln who, were he alive today, would
archconservative Arizona’s republican candidate Barry Goldwa- be horrified by a Party that does anything to get support from
ter, who lost to the Democrat John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1960, big money and from its base, spreading lies and manipulations
gathering only 52 of 538 electoral votes. Goldwater preached and resorting to the new media technology to get the vote from
that the best government is the one that governs the least, that its misinformed supporters. No one in her/his wildest and most
promotes private enterprise, and that supports the free play of the pessimistic imagination could have predicted how un-American
market. The Republicans sought the collective support of both and antidemocratic the Republican Party would become after the
white Southerners and of middle-class blue-collar Northerners election of Donald Trump in 2016. Fortunately, some conscien-
who opposed economic aid to the urban poor and the enactment tious republican leaders are beginning to break away from the
of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that prohibited segregation in public “Trumpist” worship of power and control. For now, however,
accommodations. Richard Nixon appointed 4 Supreme Court a vote for many of the republican candidates across the States
judges who ultimately failed him by voting for abortion rights in could lead to a major threat to American democracy and to the
the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. He is mostly remembered, how- ideals of the Founding Fathers and of Abraham Lincoln.
ever, for the scandal of Watergate and for being the first President
forced to resign from office. Incidentally, the worst face of the old BIO: Tarcisio Beal is professor Emeritus of History at the Uni-
Southern Democratic Party also reappeared with Alabama’s Gov- versity of the Incarnate Word. [Note: Sources used for this article
ernor George C. Wallace who ran as a third-party candidate against can be obtained from [email protected]]
Richard Nixon and the Democrat, Hubert Humphrey, in 1968.
NO8V.
Far-right, undemocratic conservatism, referred today as
MAGA, emerged mostly during the Ronald Reagan presidency. 13
Making the most of a modernized TV, Reagan was a shrewd
speaker who often resorted to false statistics (cf. the “White
Papers” issued by the State Department and the White House)
to defend his policies. He could not even describe what kind of
Christian he was, but declared that the US was God’s favorite na-
tion, agreeing with William Murray (the infamous defender of the
Contras) that “one can make a strong argument that the American

ULTIMAS

The IconicTower Life Building inferno La Calavera Dandy Reminisces

Thirty floors up Back in the day I was a dandy
even went out with a girl name Candelaria
Once a beacon from afar—pride of SA boosters everybody called her la Candy
I was Señor Vogue drank the best brandy
No longer vaunted for workmanship so what if I was El Catrín slim as a tie pin
so what if I was a spiff a fashion-plate
Vacant unprofitable office space los barrio critics would be so lucky
as to be privy to my cuff link collection
Planned property tax loophole and real estate deal everything rhymes when you dress
to the nines
Boondoggle and profit windfall —Jacinto Jesús Cardona

Becoming housing for low income working folks

Win-win?? Here’s the Real Estate Deal:

Truth is there’s no way for residents holed up

—there to escape heatwaves

Beware the Catarina’s curse: Proyecto Tower “Life”? Norma Elia Cantú, PhD

May you never, ever get off the ground! En la gloria de Anzaldúa y más bien enpachucada…
la Dra. Norma Elia
—Carolyn Atkins was approached by a strange lady carnala, ¡simón que sí!
are you Ms. Elia Cantú? y la pelona chiflada
El Gran Valiente LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 • no la mandó a la fregada
pa´servirla, yo soy Elia,
Estaba una tarde el Valiente my full name is Norma Elia, soy no te enojes mi Normita
Parado con astucia - en su mente Cantú. te traigo una sorpresita
Luego oyó un trueno fuerte ¡ay tú! ni que fueras la del barrio, dime, dime, dijo Norma,
Y se le apareció La Muerte la tongolelele Cantú all excited

Le dijo Ella al Valiente le responde Norma Elia, it´s your travel reservation
“Pasame tu machete- ¡pos lávate la cola con shampoo! it’s an all-paid-for vacation…
No te creas el gran macho.” y muy wide abrió los ojos la Norma sin hestitation
El Valiente respondió mintiendo, she was kind of asombrada agarró un libro de Gloria
—“No-No- mi nombre no es Tacho.” pero más bien encantada y se nos fue la Normita
que la Norma ni asustada ¡con la mera Peloncita!
Se puso astuto el Valiente ‘Tacho’
Le dijo él, “Oyes y porque no buscas a Chacho?” —© Nephtalí De León
Respondió La Flaca, “Porque a él no le toca.”
Corrió el Valiente muy rápido a su troca.

La Flaca se apareció en el asiento
Y le dijo Ella, “No, no Tacho—como lo siento.
Ya te toca llevarme conmigo
Yo soy tu mas grande enemigo.”

En ese momento se abrió la tierra
Ella Gritó, “¡Adiós Tacho y FUERA!”
Tacho, el Valiente no gano esta batalla

14 ¡Su machete no le ayudó para nada!
—Christina D. Soto

Anuncios Start your 2022 LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 7 •
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El Mundo Zurdo Send donations to Esperanza

9th El Mundo Zurdo international Esperanza Peace
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Nov. 4, 2022 – Nov. 5, 2022 San Antonio, TX 78212

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Aztlan Libre Press announces the
publication of their debut novel email: [email protected]
La Quinta Soledad by Silvana Wood Visit www.esperanzacenter.org/donate
Silviana Wood is an 82-year-old award-winning playwright and writer from
Tucson, Arizona who has been working on this epic novel (617 pages) for the for online giving options.
last 20 years. Author Denise Chávez calls La Quinta Soledad "...a masterpiece!"
The National Book Launch for La Quinta Soledad will be held in Silvana's ¡Mil Gracias!
hometown of Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, December 10, 2022.
A San Antonio launch will be announced soon! 227 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
Pre-orders for the book at a discount now available at:

La Quinta Soledad

A Novel by Silviana Wood – Aztlan Libre Press

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See: aztlanlibrepress.com.

Undocumented Motherhood Conversations on
Love, Trauma, and Border Crossing, UT Press

A talk with author, Dr. Elizabeth Farfan-Santos

Monday, October 7 at 6 pm, Free!

Trinity University,
Holt Conference Center,
106 Oakmont Ct,
San Antonio TX

*organized by the Mexico, 15
the Americas and Spain (MAS)
Program @ Trinity

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