July-August 2022 La Voz

July / Aug / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 San Antonio, Tejas

Santa Niña de Uvalde by Liliana Wilson

Verano de tragedias/Summer of tragedies

This Texas summer of 2022 has been full of tragedies. On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting

took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen students and two teachers

were killed and 17 others wounded by a teenage gunman wielding an automatic rifle. Despite

immediate calls for Governor Abbott to call an emergency legislative session to review gun

La Voz de laws, the plea fell on deaf ears—unlike the actions taken in New York state after a mass
Esperanza
shooting directed at African Americans killed 10 people in Buffalo on May 14th. By June 7th
July/Aug/Sept 2022
Vol. 35 Issue 5 New York had passed new gun and hate crime legislation that included raising the age to pur-

Editor: Gloria A. Ramírez chase semiautomatic rifles. A package of 10 bills addressing gun-related issues from red flag
Design: Elizandro Carrington
statutes to the ability to buy body armor were all signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Not
Cover Art: Liliana Wilson
so in Texas. If nothing else, our Governor enables mass shootings. Rudy Rosales and Tarcisio
Contributors
Beal address the Uvalde massacre & violence in the U.S. in this issue of La Voz.
Tarcisio Beal, Antonio Cabral, Edward
Guadalupe Acuna Lucio Cody Jr, Joseph De In San Antonio, 53 migrants in a tractor trailer were found dead on June 27th as they were
León, Natalia Hinojosa Hecker, Rodolfo Rosales,
being transported through Texas. The migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras suf-
Yoly Zentella
focated in the trailer whose air conditioner was not functioning. Antonio Cabral writes about
La Voz Mail Collective
these horrific deaths, the worst in migrant history.
...is sheltering at home due to COVID-19 but
will return when it is safe. Extra funds are being On June 24th the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

raised to pay for the folding of La Voz. returning the issue of abortion access to the states giving Texas

Esperanza Director the right to enact a “trigger law” that will ban all abortions

Graciela I. Sánchez from the moment of fertilization. Forget a woman’s right to

Esperanza Staff make decisions regarding their own bodies. Now each state is

Elizandro Carrington, Kayla Miranda, in charge of a woman’s right to abortion no matter the circum-
Paul Plouf, René Saenz, Imane Saliba, Susana
stance—whether endangering the mother’s life, whether the
Segura, Amelia Valdez, Rosa Vega
pregnancy is a result of rape, whether health concerns affect the
Conjunto de Nepantleras
—Esperanza Board of Directors— fetus or mother or whether it is a child who has been impreg-

Richard Aguilar, Norma Cantú, Brent Floyd, nated as a result of incest or rape. Reproductive freedom is no
Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Jan Olsen,
Ana Lucía Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, longer a woman’s right. Throughout the U.S. there was imme-
Rudy Rosales, Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba,
diate response with protest marches, rallies and actions. In San
Graciela I. Sánchez, Lillian Stevens
Antonio, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo led an effort to District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo
• We advocate for a wide variety of social,
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • economic & environmental justice issues. pass a resolution recognizing abortion services as a health care addresses a crowd protesting the
right for people. San Antonio’s District Attorney Joe González decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as
• Opinions expressed in La Voz are not indicated that his office would not investigate and prosecute protestors who hold signs listen.
necessarily those of the Esperanza Center.
persons seeking abortions. How harsh the implementation of
La Voz de Esperanza
is a publication of new abortion laws will be, remains to be seen. It could mean

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center the prosecution of women seeking abortions as well as health
922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212
210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org officials and others who might be seen as assisting someone

Inquiries/Articles can be sent to: to get an abortion. At stake are many more personal practices
[email protected]
that involve sexual relationships, reproductive health, & gender
Articles due by the 8th of each month
affirming care. As Justice Clarence Thomas strongly hinted “In
Policy Statements
future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substan-
* We ask that articles be visionary, progressive,
instructive & thoughtful. Submissions must be tive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence,
literate & critical; not sexist, racist, homophobic, and Obergefell.” These rulings refer to the right to contracep- Photos by Michael Marinez
violent, or oppressive & may be edited for length.
* All letters in response to Esperanza activities tion, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. Early indications show that the ruling

or articles in La Voz will be considered for eradicating Roe may affect Republicans efforts to retain control of Congress but only if people

2 publication. Letters with intent to slander take to the streets and to the polls in mid-term elections.
individuals or groups will not be published.
This summer issue of La Voz covering July/August/September is a result of staffing

problems that the Esperanza has experienced recently. We hope to be back on track. We’ve

lost many artists, activists and allies this summer that we shall honor in our November issue

with Literary Ofrendas. –Gracias, Gloria A. Ramirez, editor of La Voz

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VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are
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
recapturing the powers of alliance, activism and healthy conflict in order to achieve interdependent economic/
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
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.

Uvalde: A Legacy Of Colonialism In Texas

by Rodolfo Rosales, Ph.D. 1917 when they were given citizenship but not the right to vote;
for Asians, it was the Chinese who were first brought to the US
This panel presented at the 2022 LULAC National Conven- as cheap labor in the construction of railroads to the west but not
tion was in honor of the community of Uvalde where the death allowed to bring their families nor own property. From an histori-
of their 19 children and two of their dedicated teachers occurred. cal perspective, it underscores the brutal intent of the colonization
I know that I speak for most Tejanos that the Uvalde tragedy that was undertaken to establish this nation as a white nation as it
strikes deep into our hearts and souls. Moreover, given the pro- took different forms and shapes throughout the land and through-
miscuous access and ownership of guns, the tragedy in Uvalde out history.
was unavoidable depending on anyone who for whatever reason
they harbor to kill innocent children. What is more painful is The goal of this panel is to refocus on the neglect of education
that we are faced with a policy made by the conservative lead- in Texas and in particular the virtual suppression of education in
ers whose goal is to undermine the self determination of com- poor communities which tend to be Tejano and which is hidden
munities and the elimination of the Constitutional protection of below the tragedy that has occurred. Today, if we do not address
privacy that is found, according to most constitutional scholars, it we will continue to live under a policy that takes rights away,
in the ninth amendment: does not protect or extend them; that aims at erasing history, does
not tell it; destroys identity, does not reaffirm it
The enumeration in the Constitution,
of certain rights, shall not be construed To begin the story of Texas, we must go back to the nine-
to deny or disparage others retained by teenth century when the imperial ambitions of the US in the
the people. Southwest, (referred to as “Manifest Destiny”) set the US on
a course leading to the Mexican American War. In this context
the historical narrative of Mexicans in the Southwest, both US

Credit: Sam Owens / San Antonio Express-News A memorial at Robb
Elementary School in Uvalde,
Texas, honors the 19 children LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •
and two teachers slain in a
shooting massacre May 24.

† Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 † Uziyah Garcia, 10

† Layla Salazar, 11 † Jayce Carmelo

† Maranda Mathis, 11 Luevanos, 10

† Nevaeh Bravo, 10 † Maite Yuleana

† Jose Manuel Rodriguez, 10

Flores Jr., 10 † Jailah Nicole

† Xavier Lopez, 10 Silguero, 10

† Tess Marie Mata, 10 † Amerie Jo Garza, 10

† Rojelio Torres, 10 † Alexandria“Lexi”

† Eliahna “Ellie” Aniyah Rubio, 10

Amyah Garcia, 9 † Alithia Ramirez, 10

† Eliahna A. Torres, 10

† Annabell Guadalupe † Irma Garcia, 48

Rodriguez, 10 † Eva Mireles, 44

† Jackie Cazares, 9

What we face today is the rise of a white supremacy move- citizens and nationals from Mexico, is set in an historical context 3
ment that has infested the Republican party. This is not something where White settlers rushed into the ceded territories from Nuevo
that was brought on by Trump. What we must realize is that Mexico to California. Texas, at this time, was an independent
white supremacy is a legacy that we have inherited from a brutal republic who then opted to be annexed to the United States. This
past of conquest, colonization, and genocide which was not only set the stage for a violent clash over land by white settlers and
institutionalized but was practiced in the highest courts of our na- long-established Tejano communities.
tion. For Native Americans it was a genocidal conflict that ended
in reservations, most no better than concentration camps; the first A virtual race war was waged reaching its peak between 1910
Black community was brought over in 1619 as chattel slavery, and 1920. More important this was a race war that involved local
then after a bitter civil war that ended slavery in 1865, their labor actors from town to town and region to region. This is impor-
was controlled through a Jim Crow Order which was a virtual tant to note because it tells us a bit about the colonization that
apartheid system that lasted through the 1950s; for Puerto Ricans was established by the white settlers. The period between 1910
it was through a process of disenfranchisement dating back to and 1920 was a particularly brutal period when Tejanos were
criminalized and harshly policed by an intersecting regime of

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • vigilantes, state police, local police, and army soldiers exacerbat- landscape. Through the 21st century, school districts throughout
ing the exclusion of the Tejano community throughout Texas. Texas have been dominated by White landowners in their schemes
The violence was over land, but it was also a cultural genocidal of elections to control school boards with the state board of educa-
clash between White settlers who insisted upon establishing their tion ensuring an education that minimizes or outright erases the
property rights and narrative over and to the exclusion of the history of Blacks and Tejanos throughout Texas.
long-established Tejano communities.
Sadly, in the order of human communities, diversity has not
By the 1920s thousands of Mexican/Tejanos had been killed been seen as a human condition but that of a hierarchical order
by White ranchers, the infamous Texas Rangers (called “los Rin- of privilege. In the United States we are faced with the challenge
ches” by those familiar with their brutality), and federal troops. that diversity does not mean hierarchy or privilege but of the full
The result was a system of colonization that was institutionalized potential of humanity – indeed, not so different for the rest of
from small town to small town, including Uvalde, to include seg- plant and animal life on the planet.
regated communities in the larger cities. Histori-
cally, this isolated the Tejano from civil society In Texas, then, we must address this hier-
and made it very efficient to exclude their com- archy of privilege by dislodging the colonial
munity from an equal education. By localizing network that exists to maintain a status quo that
the method of colonization, by putting the power we inherit from the past. In conclusion the dis-
in the hands of local settlers. It also isolated lodging of this colonial order occurs in two key
Tejano communities from each other undermin- places. The first is the community where we can
ing any possible political mobilization. More build a sensitivity to each other in the celebra-
importantly, it imbedded a white supremacy that tion of our culture and well-being. The second
has lasted to this day. occurs in the classroom with teachers who are
trained and retrained to teach to the commu-
The intense violence against Mexican Ameri- nity and not to a corporate order, to politically
can communities has led to a monolithic view of educate community persons to engage in school
these communities as dirty Mexicans, greasers, board politics, to challenge a state board that is
lazy, criminal as well as the characterization dominated by White elites, and to elect politi-
of immigrants as invaders, making it easier to cal representatives who stand by an agenda of
exclude them without further ado. Segregation education that is and from the community.
continues, with entire towns segregated from
quality education and decent health care, and it At the risk of sounding ridiculous, a free
was not until 1969 that the Texas Law banning and open education is key to the freedom of the
Spanish in Public Schools expired. For Tejanos mind, to the unshackling of an imagination that
the legacy has been, as La India Maria stated “ni can lead to a profound human future.

de aquí, ni de allá.” Bio: Rodolfo Rosales born and raised in

Bringing us to the present, the segregation of San Antonio, Texas received his BA from St.

schools continues unabated. Does this mean that Mary’s University and his MA from Trin-

we do not have our share of doctors, professors, ity University. He went on to the University

teachers, nurses, business professionals? We do Dr. Rodolfo Rosales was one of the of Michigan at Ann Arbor to receive his
but at what expense? As well, in the midst of this panelists at presentation honoring Ph.D. As a member of the Ford Foundation
turmoil one of the ways that Tejano communities Uvalde at Lulac’s 2022 National Fellows, he is a Senior Scholar at the Ford
resisted was to establish mutualist societies to Convention. Foundation/National ReC. He was appointed
ensure that their children were taught about their to the faculty in the Political Science De-

culture and their history. This legacy has been well documented by partment at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he is

Guadalupe San Miguel. now retired as an Associate Professor. Dr. Rosales’ studies have

However, it does mean that those families that are caught focused on community empowerment and will debut his fourth

in the web of this institutionalized colonialism are left with little book as editor of Making Citizenship Work: Culture and Com-

or no resources to further their education. This institutionalization munity. Social and Political Thought Series (Routledge Press,

is reflected in the poor school districts that dominate the Texas August 24, 2022).

A Panel on Uvalde and Our Struggle for a More Perfect Union:
A Call to Civic Engagement.

The Panel was presented on the 29th of July at the LULAC national convention in honor of the tragedy
in Uvalde. In this panel the legacy of colonization was addressed in the distribution of educational op-
portunities to communities of color in Texas. Colonization means that it is not simply individual racial
discrimination but the exclusion of communities; the erasure of a people in the teaching of history
as well as the quality of teaching afforded because of lack of resources along community lines. Dr.
Rosales focused on the legacy of colonization in Texas. Dr. Emilio Zamora measured the costs of being
poor and Mexican in Texas during the 20th century. Dr. Angela Valenzuela ended the session by offer-
ing a review of current legislative proposals. In this issue of La Voz we included Dr. Rosales presenta-

4 tion. View all the panel presentations posted at: bit.ly/FB-angelaV

The Second Amendment, Politics And
Violence In America

by Tarcísio Beal

Ten years after the massacre of 20 first graders and 6 school where gun violence has been substantially reduced. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •
employees at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Con- The NRA convention held in Houston during the weekend of
necticut on December 14, 2012 and the ensuing horrors of many
more mass shootings since, including the recent slaughter of 19 the Uvalde school massacre showed that what their supporters
children (9 and 10-year olds) and two teachers at Robb Elemen- glorify is the killing power of their weapons and the profits they
tary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24th of this year, the wide- can earn. Then you hear their statements of regret for the chil-
spread shock of the public is still being downplayed by those who dren’s deaths, as if their killings were not facilitated by their own
are ultimately responsible for these atrocities. attitudes against responsible gun legislation that would limit the
use of weapons of mass destruction and set limitations on the use
How could the nearby presence of 379 police and security of weapons. Ex-President Donald Trump, the Texas Governor and
forces, including some standing right next to the closed doors Attorney General and some Republican legislators even voiced
of the classrooms where the children and teachers were being ridiculous commentary stating that the solution to tragedies like
gunned down, do nothing for more than an hour to stop the car- the mass slaughter of Uvalde’s children and teachers is to have
nage?!? If the authorities who ultimately bear the blame for this more good guys with guns to bring down the bad guys with guns.
tragedy, say they regret the loss of the children and teachers, they Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, said as much.
still are not acknowledging their own responsibility for failing to
enact real gun legislation and establish policies and means to pre- Banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines could
vent future similar tragedies. They have even issued false reports greatly help, but it will not be enough; raising the age of the gun
about what happened at Robb Elementary. In fact, in 2021, the buyer to the age of 21, if it still leaves the door open to other kill-
Governor, the Lieutenant-Governor, the Attorney General, and the ers; and expanding background checks through red flag laws that
Republican legislators of Texas did the opposite, greatly facilitat- place suspects under surveillance makes little difference in many
ing tragedies like that of Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School and, cases. The more guns are sold, the more killings will occur!
not surprisingly, earning praise from the National Rifle Associa-
tion. What Congress passed recently, which has been advertised At the bottom of it all, however, lies the misreading, abuse,
as “effective reform”, was definitely not so—and was appropri- and manipulation of the Second Amendment that was ratified on
ately labeled “bull...t” by Rock star John Mellencamp, for it did December 15, 1791 and includes the shortest text of all amend-
not fully limit the purchase of AR-15s, powerful military-like ments in the Constitution:
weapons. Still, it was criticized by the NRA because it cut down
on gun-makers’ sales’ profits. Given the multiplication of the vic- “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of
tims of guns, including children and youth, Congress should come a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall
to its senses and adopt the kind of legislation enacted in Australia, not be infringed.”

This right to bear arms was instituted because of the threat
against the young American Republic by the many British loyalist
armed groups who refused to recognize its independence. To say

Floyd Mendoza’s mural dedicated to victims of the Uvalde shooting was
unveiled Monday, June 13, 2022, in Pasadena, Texas.

5

ve and Minister of Gun Violence for the Presbyte-
rian Church – “incidents involving guns kill more
than 120 lives.” (cf. Alejandra Molina, Religion
News Service-San Antonio Express-News, June 5,
2022, F1). During each of the weekends of June
3-5 and of June 10-12, there were dozens of mass
killings across the country.

Research published by the Southern Poverty Law
Center (The Year in Hate and Extremism 2021, pp.
44-61) exposes the many undemocratic, nazi-fas-
cist, racist, and wedded-to-violence organizations
that have multiplied enormously, especially in the
last decades while the legal authorities do little or
nothing to stop them. Their numbers alone should
alarm every true American patriot: there are today in
the USA 733 Hate Groups and 488 Anti-govern-
ment Groups for a total of 1221, thus identified:

Hate & Anti-government Groups

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • SOURCE: Southern Poverty Law Center - www.splcenter.org/hate-map 733 Hate Groups: 18 Ku Klux Klan groups
(two in Texas); 54 Neo-Nazi; 98 White Nationalist, inclu-
that the Founding Fathers intended it to be interpreted as it now ding a publisher of Third Reich Books, an Aryan Network,
is by gun lovers, and even by some American courts today, is Georgia’s American Nazi Party, and Columbia, S. Caroli-
placing precedence of individual freedom over human life and na’s Fight White Genocide; 17 Racist Skinhead groups,
social peace. In the late 18th century, the killing power of guns 9 Christian Identity (anti-Semitic), including one with
was minimal in comparison to what it is today when one single the title of “Church of Israel;” 16 New Confederate; 18
weapon can kill dozens of people within minutes. Anti-Immigrant; 65 Anti-LGBTQ; 50 Anti-Muslim; 61
Anti-Semitic, including Nation of Islam with three locations
The Second Amendment, just like every constitutional right, across the USA; 295 General Hate, including 7 locations
must be interpreted in line with the current realities, something with the name of the House of Israel and 49 called Israel
the Supreme Court emphasized in 1913. It is totally false to say United in Christ;
that the Second Amendment must be enforced literally as if the
Founding Fathers would justify the prejudices, the racism, the 488 Anti-Government Groups: 92 Militias which offer
terrorism, and the mass violence of today’s America. gun and field training exercises; 75 Sovereign Citizens who
interpret law their own way and claim to be exempt from its
Underneath and behind all the violence that has been multi- standard meaning; 52 Conspiracy Propagandists, including
plying during the last two decades lies the inaction on the part of the John Birch Society with 23 locations; 3 Constitutional
the nation’s public authorities, especially in the States controlled Sheriffs that claim that only the counties, not the state nor
by Republicans and in the Senate, where their blind partisanship the federal government, have the right to control land; 266
and resistance to dialogue has thwarted every needed reform Anti-Government General groups with 49 locations. Sour-
and quashed our democratic ideals. The universal right to vote, ce: bit.ly/year-hate
authentic dialogue, and constant major reforms to deal with the
social problems, all central elements of a true democracy, have The rise and multiplication of many of these violent, hateful,
been abysmally lacking since 2016. Violence and racial prejudi- antisocial, antigovernmental organizatons have been swelling
ces are organized and carried out by a growing white minority ever since Donald Trump became President and the Republican
which refuses to recognize and respect the basic human rights of Party began betraying everything that Abraham Lincoln stood
Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, Asians, Muslims, and Jews, and died for. Under the leadership of Mitch McConnell, the U.S.
and that glorifies “White Supremacy” as the only legitimate face Senate has practically shut down dialogue with the Democrats
of America. Today 54% of the the violence sweeping our society and the GOP embraced the antidemocratic crowd with the mani-
is connected with the Nazi-like ideology of white supremacists. pulation of lies, distortions, and the worship of power and control.
Meanwhile, a large segment of the media, led by Fox News and
Tucker Carlson, keeps spreading lies, distortions, and antidemo- How much better off would the nation be today if McCon-
cratic maneuvers, playing up the agenda of MAGA idealogy, the nell and the GOP had not blocked the removal of the egomaniac
extreme right wing that threatens the very soul of the U.S. Now President of the USA, and not gone along with his “Big Lie,” the
Fox News has decided, since June 7th, not to air the revelations totally irresponsible claim that the 2020 election was stolen by
of the House Commitee that exposes those responsible for the Ja- the Democrats!!! McConnell has commented that the problem of
nuary 6th assault on Capitol Hill, of which Fox News was aware mass murders is a mental one, not one due to guns. Never in U.S.
during its early stages. history has a congressional leader failed so miserably to deal with

Meanwhile, the epidemic of gun violence has doubled from Continued on Page 10
30 incidents in 2019, to 40 in 2020, to 61 in 2021, and the drea-

6 dful count will certainly be much higher before the end of 2022.
“Every single day” – notes the Rev. Deanna Hollas, a Texas nati-

La Pasionaria: the Passion and Legacy
of Activist Emma Tenayuca [part I]

by Natalia Hinojosa Hecker

Editor’s note: The following article is a two-part series looked back upon Mexican-American history, they re-discovered

researching the question: What is Emma Tenayuca’s legacy and and celebrated her contributions. While she was forgotten, Emma

how could she have impacted the Chicano movement without be- Tenayuca’s groundbreaking activism on behalf of Mexican Amer-

ing acknowledged? La Voz includes this article as part of the icans in the early 20th century created a blueprint for organizing

celebration of Latino Heritage Month in September and the up- strategies that made the Chicano movement successful.

coming Raza Unida reunion, a high point of the Chicano move- Emma Tenayuca was born on December 21, 1916 in San

ment. It will take place in San Antonio in September. Antonio, Texas. She had strong Texan roots: her mother, Benita

On a chilly Febru- Hernandez Zepeda, was a

ary morning in 1934, descendant of the Zepeda

a sixteen-year-old girl family that helped found

stands proudly in front San Antonio during Spanish

of a cigar factory in San rule in 1685, and her father,

Antonio, Texas, along- Sam Tenayuca, was an

side one hundred other Amerindian Southern Texan.

women, mostly poor Emma was the eldest of

and Mexican-American eleven children, and (due to

like herself. They are economic hardship) was sent

protesting the factory’s to be raised by her grandpar-

low wages and unsani- ents. Her grandfather was

tary working conditions, a carpenter, a hardworking

demanding justice. The man and devout Catholic.

girl, a high school senior, She grew up on the West- LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •

feels a sense of unity and side- an integrated and

empowerment; a thrill impoverished community-

runs through her as she The Brackenridge High School debate squad above with Emma Tenayuca far right. Below, she is where the church was the
realizes that, together, she pictured on the team front row 2nd from the right. The squad competed successfully throughout point of union amongst her

and the women are mak- Texas. Source: Dept. of Speech, La Remata Yearbook, 1934 (not part of original article). Black, German, Italian, and

ing an impact, forcing the powerful factory owners to listen to Mexican neighbors.

their demands. She shouts protest slogans, and the voices of the Tenayuca’s family was interested in politics and civil rights.

crowd join together to become a roar. The policemen approach, Growing up, she and her grandfather would go on walks to La
ready to arrest the strikers, but the girl is not afraid. She does not Plaza Del Zacate, a square in downtown San Antonio. The square
was the center for activity, where groups (mostly Mexican) would
know it, but this is the moment her life changes: young Emma
will become a great leader whose fight for justice will one day be gather and talk. Radios existed at the time, but were expensive,
the subject of history books, poems, museum exhibits, artwork, so Tenayuca would get her information by going to the plaza
and listening to the people around her. She would overhear bible
and even a Mexican-style corrido.
preachings, political conversations, and readings of newspapers
Emma Tenayuca, the American-born daughter of Mexican
about the latest news from Mexico. There was a growing anar-
immigrants, is one of the most significant labor organizers in
chist movement in Mexico during the 1920’s which spilled into
the 20th century, and the impact of her work left a blueprint for
her successors in the Chicano/a and labor movement for genera- San Antonio, and there was always talk about the movement. The
tions to come. Born into a society that treated Tejanos as second plaza was packed on the weekends, and anarchists took the op-
class citizens with few job opportunities and inhumane working portunity to speak to the crowds- an eager Tenayuca would listen.
One of these groups was the Magonistas, supporters of the
conditions, her inherent passion for justice and equality- inspired
Flores Magon Brothers.Ricardo, Enrique, and Jesús Flores Ma-
by anarchistas as well as the Finck Cigar Strikers- prompted
gon were Anarchists and advocates of radical reform in Mexico
her to lead the Pecan Shellers’ strike of 1938, one of the larg-
during the leadership of dictator Porfirio Diaz from 1876 to 1911,
est labor strikes in Texas. She galvanized Mexican-American
laborers (women in particular) to fight for their rights and speak known as the Porfiriato. They founded the newspaper “Regener-
ación” in 1900 to amplify the voices of those being exploited un-
out against systems of oppression, despite the risk of deporta-
tion. Due to her effectiveness, however, Tenayuca and her radical der Diaz’s policies. Ricardo and Jesús were imprisoned multiple
times, and then fled to Texas in 1904 and continued to publish
visions were greatly disliked by authorities, causing her to flee
their paper. They established the Mexican Liberal Party, a formal
Texas and move to California under an alias. She remained
7resistance organization, to challenge the Porfiriato. The brothers
unrecognized throughout the main years of the Chicano move-
ment, but, later, when Chicano students became academics and advocated land and labor reform in their writings, with an audi-

tions remained the same.

Almost one year later, the workers struck

again, now accompanied by sixteen-year-old

Tenayuca. In anticipation of assault from the

police, strikers placed one hundred of their

“most militant and fearless union mem-

bers” on the picket line. Their picket line

was broken up by sheriff’s deputies, and

two-thirds of the strikers were arrested-

including Tenayuca. The women were

particularly vulnerable because they

were Mexican immigrants, many of

them undocumented, so they faced the

Finck cigar strikers, 1933 additional risk of deportation. Depu-

ence of exploited workers in Mexico. ties invaded the homes of the workers,
Alongside Magonistas, the Wobblies (Industrial Workers of
using violence and making dehuman-
the World) grew in popularity. The movement was founded in
1905, and focused on unskilled laborers (factory workers, farm izing comments, and threatening to
workers, domestic servants), seeking to bring together all laborers
to create “one big union” and to get rid of the capitalist system. call immigration officials, even if
Wobblies were opposed to wage labor, and their goal was syndi-
calism (a system in which workers own the industries), in order to they were born in the United States.
bring the working class economic power and control. The group
rejected conventional collective bargaining and instead relied on The strike eventually collapsed, and
direct methods- strikes, boycotts, propaganda, and even violence.
although workers still refused to go
Tenayuca’s exposure to these radical groups kickstarted her
passion for activism and social justice. Once the Great Depres- back to work, the women were eas-
sion hit, her grandfather lost everything in the Wall Street crash
of 1929 and in the failure of the banks in 1932, which greatly af- ily replaced by the growing num-
fected her and her family. Five to six thousand banks closed their
doors. The capitalist system was collapsing, leaving millions of ber of unemployed Tejana women
Americans unemployed. In high school, she was a part of discus-
sion groups about the Great Depression, and she knew she needed in San Antonio who were desper- Emma Tenayuca by Melanie Cervantes from
to take action. ate for jobs.Although outwardly www.dignidadrebelde.com
a failure, the strike did succeed in
The Finck cigar strike prompted Tenayuca into action, and
was her official entrance into the labor movement. She had heard paving the way for Tejana laborers
about the strike from the newspaper, and was drawn to the move-
ment, as it was one of the first women-led strikes. Finck Cigar to fight for their rights.
company employed more than 500 workers by the 1930’s, mostly
Mexican women. The strike began as Ed Finck took over his fa- Inspired by the women of the the cigar strikes, garment work-
ther’s company. Working conditions were inhumane: girls earned
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • from $2-$7 per week, they were not allowed to change their ers at children’s clothing company Dorothy Frocks struck against
clothes when they went to lunch, they couldn’t take breaks for
over four minutes at a time, and because of economic crises, they their company shortly afterward. Tenayuca helped establish two
were subjected to speedup in the work. For every one cigar that
didn’t meet the standard, rollers had to roll three “penalty cigars” local International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU)
unpaid and Finck would sell these cigars regardless, labeling
them as as “imperfect,” a loophole to avoid paying the laborers. chapters, and assisted in the organization of the strike. The Texas
By 1933, labor complaints had risen, and workers went on strike.
garment industry was growing in the 1930’s, as more skilled
The first of the strikes, led by workers W. H. Ernst, Adela
Hernandez, Modesta Herrera, and E.J. Padilla, lasted for thirty Mexican women sought jobs. Over 15,000 Tejana needleworkers
days. The group unionized, and formed a local chapter of the
International Cigar Workers Union. Around one hundred strik- sewed for fifteen hours per day underpaid, which brought about
ers picketed the factory beginning at 6am every day, to ensure
that others wouldn’t take their jobs. The mayor of San Antonio protest. Shortly after Tenayuca’s involvement, she found herself
intervened, and proposed an agreement that Finck would improve
working conditions and rehire the strikers if the strike leader did at odds with the ILGWU leadership, feeling that they did not
not return to work. The union accepted, but Finck ignored the
agreement, only allowing a few strikers to go back to work while fully understand the needs of the Latino community.

8 most of the other protesters were dismissed, and working condi- The Tejana cigar and garment strikers received little support,

only from the Westside neighborhood and pro-union forces.

Tenayuca joined the League of United Latin American Citizens

(LULAC) during the strikes, but quickly left the organization

as they made limited efforts towards helping the workers, and

chose to focus on preparing children for learning English in

school and getting Mexican-born documented residents to apply

Tenayuca in Bexar county jail

for citizenship. LULAC denied membership in their Addressing cultural, social and LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •
organization to foreign-born Mexicans. LULAC’s economic issues that unified
approach towards achieving rights for Mexican Mexicans residing in San An-
Americans was cultural and political assimila- tonio and Mexican Americans,
tion, whereas Tenayuca believed all were Tenayuca’s “Mexican Question”
members of the community in San Antonio essay can be seen as the first
and that only radical methods would help Chicano manifesto.
get them full participation The Catho-
lic church opposed the strikes as well, Still, many details on her work for the Communist party and
with the priests expressing that “every other labor union activities remain unknown; that time of her life
union is a communist union,” a broad was painful and humiliating for Tenayuca to talk about in interviews:
response to the anti-Catholic persecu- in an interview conducted by historian Dr. Jerry Poyo, when he
tion in Europe. asked her about Communism, she avoided the questions. Tenayuca
Tenayuca learned that both the understood that native born Mexicans were treated differently from
church and many other institutions had American born Mexicans, and saw this discrimination play out for
little interest in defending workers’ other groups- Blacks and Jews as well. She also acknowledged the
rights. Feeling betrayed by her religion issue of colorism, a concept not yet widespread She was elected as
and disagreeing with the approaches chair of the Communist Party of Texas in 1939, and the Communist
of other organizations, she turned to the nominee for the United States Congress in 1938 and 1940. She grew
one group that was eager to help Mexican to be an important figure and was well-known in San Antonio, but
workers in San Antonio: the Communist her prominence didn’t reach its peak until she lead the Pecan Shell-
Party. She began working with the Unemployed ers’ strike.
Council, which turned into the Workers Alliance Bio: Natalia Hinojosa Hecker is a rising senior at Horace Mann
School in New York City. This paper was a culmination of a research
of America (WAA), an extension of the Communist project for her Voices of Protest History class. She loves visiting her
party at the “neighborhood level.” Tenayuca saw the poverty grandparents in San Antonio, and she hopes that one day there will
in San Antonio’s Westside first-hand, which motivated her to be a street named after Emma Tenayuca that she can visit as well!
take action. People lived in rundown shacks and slums, with
an alarming rate of malnutrition and disease. There was also 9
an influx of migrant families so the area was overcrowded. Many
were unemployed and had difficulty finding jobs. With the WAA,
Tenayuca helped organize hunger marches, protests, and demonstra-
tions, writing letters and telegrams to officials to shine a light on the
injustice and discrimination towards the Westside and the Mexican
American community in San Antonio at large, as well as to fight
harassment from US immigration service. She rallied
Mexican workers through speeches, in public parks (including
the square where she went with her grandfather), at farmers’ mar-
kets, and going door to door, street by street in the neighborhood
to give them the confidence to organize and fight for their rights.
She protested the unequal distribution of Work Projects Admin-
istration (WPA) jobs, the removal of Tejano families from WPA
relief roles, and the abuse towards Mexican workers by police.
She also fought for a higher minimum wage and petitioned WPA
officials in Washington DC, to investigate discriminatory practices
of local agencies. In 1936, she organized the Confederation of
Mexican and Mexican American Workers alongside activist W. H.
Ernst, a wing of the organization Confederación de Trabajadores
de México. By spring of 1937, Tenayuca became the general
secretary of over ten Workers Alliance chapters and had officially
joined the Communist party.
The Communist party in San Antonio was small but active since
1930, with around forty members of a variety of races and ethnicities.
Tenayuca joined the party as she believed they offered the best strate-
gies for helping San Antonio’s underprivileged Mexican-American
workers. She married fellow Communist Homer Brooks in October of
1937, and he drew her deeper into the party. In 1939, she and Brooks
wrote an analysis of the situation of Mexican-Americans, titled “The
Mexican Question in the Southwest,” which was found in Commu-
nist publication. The study stated that efforts should be directed: (1)
Against economic discrimination--extra-low wages; expropriation of
small land holders (2) For educational and cultural equality ... (includ-
ing) the use of Spanish as well as English in the public schools (3)
Against social oppression--for laws making illegal the various forms
of Jim Crowism and (4) Against political repression.”

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • The Second Amendment Havoc wreaked at
Continued from Page 6 the U.S. Capitol
Building on January
the threat to democracy; never has a Party sought the support of 6, 2021 included:
a popular base by spreading lies and false accusations against its burned and stomped
critics, by manipulating the facts, by refusing to engage in true American flags,
dialogue and by resorting to all sorts of antidemocratic politics. shattered windows,
Since 2021, Republican legislators have proposed more than 360 and vicious attacks
vote-suppressing bills in 47 States, still insisting on the “Big Lie.” on police officers.
Photo by Marco
The 733 Hate Groups listed above provide plenty of evidence Verch, Creative
that our society is contaminated by a large number of organiza- Commons License
tions and individuals who threaten its very soul. It is more than 2.0.
time that all responsible Americans form a united front to save
the nation from a major, bloody confrontation with those who sman who brought his own gun to a meeting of the House of Re-
wish to destroy it. At the bottom of it all lies a worship of presentatives. We must alert the American public by exposing the
violence that dominates even some sports. American football, governors, congressmen, and major groups that have for too long
for example, is so dangerously violent that 95% of its retired prevented effective control of guns. Lobbyism, that is the control
quarterbacks end up suffering or dying from brain injuries. Then of Congressmen by billionaires and by powerful organizations
there are some forms of wrestling and of boxing that are basically with money and power must be abolished because it makes a
an awful display of violence upon the human body. The televised mockery of the democratic system.
program called “Monday Night Raw” stands as an example of
the most violent, no-rules confrontations between males versus Finally, it was heartwarming to see the ongoing solidarity of
males and/or females versus females, projecting the ugliest of the thousands of Texans towards the families of the victims of the
spectacles which is wildly applauded by crowds. Robb Elementary tragedy in Uvalde. Among them has been San
Antonio’s Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller who has become
The worship of violence has become quite widespread during fully involved in the healing of the survivors and of the families
this last decade, setting up a climate for evil, and terroristic acts of the victims. He went well beyond consoling the victims and
that are facilitated by the lack of control of deadly weapons standing by their grieving families and courageously denounc-
under the excuse that their possession is a legitimate constitutio- ing the lack of preventive measures and the worship of killing
nal right. Thus freedom is turned into a supreme value, making weapons, noting that “guns are treated as idols.” Yes, peace and
human life expendable. Hence the recently-voiced, ridiculous brotherhood will reign supreme only when the sacredness of
solution that we can deal with a person armed with a bad gun by every human life takes precedence over a selfish concept of indi-
having another person holding a good gun; or by militarizing our vidual freedom and as the central value of a truly Christian and
schools, hospitals, churches, synagogues, restaurants, marketpla- democratic society.
ces, etc. The majority of the Republican congressmen and gover-
nors, instead of emphasizing the sacredness of human life, exhibit BIO: Tarcisio Beal is professor Emeritus of History at the Uni-
a strong devotion for guns and a blind, ahistorical interpretation versity of the Incarnate Word. [Note: Sources used for this article
of the Second Amendment, as shown by the Republican congres- can be obtained from [email protected]]

What you going to do big boy

What you going to do big boy Preacher Jacksons slamming Women Brown people at our open border
What you going to do today Good book in his hand Need to get their ass back home
Mullah Omar cut a video Predators, animals, invaders, killers
Your mommas gone to Vegas Took the head right off that boy Gonna take our jobs rape our women
With that keno player nick
Daddy’s off to Nashville Black people show your gratitude The day you turned 18
Gibson on his hip You were happily relocated Locked and loaded AR’s waiting
Emmitt Till’s open coffin showed 30 rounds per magazine
Sister Susy left for Hollywood The white man’s righteousness You’ll need it for the school
Gonna be a big screen star
Brother Billie’s in Alaska Supreme Courts lost its reverence What you going to do big boy
Prepping for the end Politics set the course What you gonna do today
Barrett Gorsuch Kavanaugh
The flames are getting hotter Unleashed the right wing Kraken There's nothing I can tell you
Your country’s gone to hell You gonna go ahead and kill today
Extremist on the right side What you going to do big boy
Gonna take our nation down What you gonna do today —Edward Guadalupe Acuña Lucio
No rapists here our Guvnor says Cody Jr
What you going to do big boy Texas women need not worry
That unexpected baby growing Bio: Edward Cody Jr. is a Vietnam
10 What you gonna do today In your belly Gets to stay veteran and a member of Voces Cosmi-
What you going to do big boy cas, a poet’s group in San Antonio.
What you gonna do today

Otra tragedia más para San Antonio

by Antonio Cabral uno de los periódicos que publicábamos los que luchábamos para ob-

tener Justicia y Dignidad. Pueden abrir cada edición y leer como estaba

Todo el día hoy y noche y durante varios días en adelante, aumentará San Antonio durante esas décadas. Hoy, oficialmente ha sido declarada

y será más visible la hipocresía de parte de gobernantes locales y los la ciudad con más pobreza. Tenemos esa reputación desde hace décadas;

medios de comunicación locales. Estarán dándose golpes de pecho ahora tenemos, además, la reputación que aquí quedan los cadáveres de

algunos y otros, alegando que es culpa de los migrantes que arriesgan sus humanos que luchan por vivir…como humanos.

vidas y otros, ofrecerán como solución el pedirle a Dios que venga la paz. Total, hoy me desvelo escribiendo un ensayo para una revista sobre

los 53 humanos que fueron asesinados (eso fue, los pinten como los

Hipócritas todos pinten: Fue un asesinato masivo) en ese tráiler no muy lejos del centro

ctqÁebbtapcPAedfcslpaioaeedsoootuaaraamotbcffcbióunrrdlmnoerrrsp.taorauoxiiqcatediuSSmedcccgerosoaisuporalepaaemnaoaeecseoeáslldd.nrunanscnniop,sdaacó,reeLinoeltdAosaAasaoeoenpntsisaaeb,Zrrrrnset,o,nptntoysacueoldeasvdrlbltúehtacaaseoslcdcuoiidcrbdeaacvdofialnaeofcnfirnlgaeesoirlásuaztioieeir,vlraoaoetcnvlcoadsgieattarsUaconprdpeaearsnaodiisastsoáreniqleydm.sceneedseueSir,r.dumir,dlmetsesae.tahlaeeeeSdeoNeasdnC,ieenarndpriedcjlo.mceneeocueóerooedocabNrxsmelrgervnslosoilnpaaectovmaoqesqahrvnplr1lcausponNeesduuacamevrihm8msooesaenoeeyceuLso0pssriasBiacirmraeshes0nhaadltenqimemyvuesiasruraupoccáloudtseaorndimoouoseoqsee.aodlnvadbirnlmasLa:ulEuoodoaprdetcor,ceEnilocal,nsoseaoaeorl.acirebxCzngovsdumedanqLaelhgaaupsiaaltdciedúumunoipcjaouelteoanfqomoecoomis.rnnidendneaucol,it:¿ntjaaeeuradóaesergodnpPEliodssrdcaunanovrrouoecaolnnifaaecosleJrnóefmilaremld.-iScdauulsedsddnuugqa.Pviettlaádeomaes--ruanunoreúeosmsrneéráslsoAdz-o?as,e,nptooaAbnflitmaeocr,eitmcóhoeonmyridawoel etltoraoetdchfooieuusd5n3addidmemadigdmirnaeanSSntAsoa.sndPpAehraononttogbo:runGapi.looiQm.riaEumeAle.pdeRúinaabtpemlaliyícrzeozdleosldvspm(sc2ptltgpIllecloooiaefmeuuasaeeeeaa4nacsscáetrenrnríuunápphlvgasshroolemsaosaáYtdeaoleuo,lxeycanaesrlrlíorsiernnypoasáesrsidleaasnnoamlda,.glbsdaldenolsboni.dáfauaetdeeaionatoapLocvanjmeacxesnoamrloadoedgaado)rpczrdprndroracsooeoimiaalyaeoieosvímeolgmrnmaseosnerspopiastee.di;leeeartaosbtoouxanriCoranladmdnapio,dojtt“rnatoqeoraacqecmeesta(eorerrudaesroyurr,taeeemjjl,suceaeáaónéaev.pnsvsihdrzvsrgoYvtiaspiielasóneeiecdevainsaenaesnrrcsinoralaipnaltrvoaruecdargodonapárrespssasalloepásoonae”ousnordpcnde;osnv,sárqfmroeoplmt.ealrdbtlolueyomdoleoaledirersiaaepssnreesvetaortoqaieldss…smbqeeanpqeoruiteaecndqauearoouirceernaviunsdaaduellusevbnlo.tpíihsydr)ileaprateioteoeCs—aiíeeoorepancbms,ndnn…lnloroto…dreotenaaddeneoorssesnsooor-,sslsous LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •

los estados de la unión. Nunca ha cambiado desde los 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. Bio: Antonio C. Cabral es escritor y activista comunitario y
1990s;. Y aún muchas décadas anteriores. sindicalista de muchas décadas en San Antonio, Texas.

Para tener un mejor entendimiento los invito que vean el periodico,
El Pueblo de San Antonio, Texas: libguides.ollusa.edu/elpueblo nada mas ejemplomx.com/otra-tragedia-mas-para-san-antonio

Another tragedy for San Antonio

Summary in English for Otra Tragedia en San Antonio

The hypocrisy of government officials and local media becomes clearer For a better understanding of the situation, one only has to read 11
as the deaths of 53 immigrants found dead in a 16-wheel trailer in San articles through the decades at El Pueblo Newspaper of San Antonio,
Antonio, TX on June 27th becomes another tragic memory. Instead of Texas found at: libguides.ollusa.edu/elpueblo. For decades we’ve had
looking at immigration policies in the U.S. the migrants themselves are the reputation of being the poorest city in the U.S. and now we have a
blamed for their own deaths as politicians point fingers at each other. reputation as a place where bodies are left of human beings who were
simply seeking to live a better life.
San Antonio has become like the Mexican cities of Zacatecas,
Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez where fear reigns due to the great Nothing will change. Soon we will have more victims, more
number of shootings and bodies on the streets. Like the enslaved bodies abandoned that go unrecognized and unseen that pass like
peoples of Africa who arrived in ships, immigrants are brought to the ghosts and are quickly forgotten. The empire will continue destroy-
U.S. in buses, trucks, trailers and on foot only to encounter exploi- ing their country of orgin, spreading misery. It will continue forcing
tation and abuse of their human rights.
people to leave their land becoming slaves of the empire. The
San Antonio has always been the perfect city for all women will be taken by millionaires to be their servants 24 hours
types of criminals. A low level of education, low
wage jobs, and extreme poverty leads to few op- a day, youth will be used as roofers to carry the heaviest
tions for youth outside of criminal endeavors. The material and be paid the lowest of wages in the hottest
latest U.S. Census Bureau found that San Antonio of days, ( the reason why local workers do not accept
was the poorest of all cities in the U.S. with a compa- those jobs)—not even receiving wages enough to live
rable population. Nothing has changed since the 60s in poverty. The exploiters, however, do not suffer…
and decades before. there will be another army of working hands soon to
arrive. Que en paz descansen.

FNiorret, eth, aencdotnhteesFtoerdelsatnSdeorfviEcel
by Yoly Zentella

The Northern New Mexican counties (El Norte) of San Miguel eral Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promised much
during the early days of the fire, the criteria, exceptions, and loop-
and Mora recently experienced a devastating wildfire, destroying holes in their assistance policies make it doubtful that numbers
who lost their homes will be assisted, continuing an underlying
more than 300K acres of forested land, homes and agricultural emotional current in the community, fear of loss of land and place.

lands, displacing individuals, families and animals: livestock, Historically, El Norte has maintained a conflictual relationship
with the FS, because, simply put, the FS is considered the hand-
domesticated and wild. maiden of 19th century Manifest Destiny, the basis of colonization
in this area. The FS has functioned as a depository of confiscated
Intended to be a controlled burn, the fire began on April 6th of land including Nuevomexicano land grants and individual tracts.
La gente, has regarded this relationship with hostility, anger, and
this year. According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), controlled sadness not only because of the loss of land but also the slow ero-
sion of a way of life that of living off the land as did their ances-
burns are planned fires that help achieve forest health and reduce tors through sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, and the
harvesting of natural products such as wood, rock, and water. This
the threat of large fire events. “Controlled fire is used only under conflictual relationship has manifested in a variety of ways since
the annexation of the Southwest, including New Mexico, by the
appropriate conditions and appropriate sites. The Forest Service U.S. in 1848.

[FS] has identified areas where controlled fire can be used as a El Norte’s history is dotted with land theft schemes, efforts to sepa-
rate the land from the predominant Nuevomexicano inhabitants, some
management tool.” (fs.usda.gov). This policy looks good on paper, living on ancestral properties for generations. This theft, accomplished
at gunpoint or sanctioned by the courts, is glaringly evident in the
but as is often the case, the plan does not always match the reality 19th century (Carrigan & Webb, 2013; Ebright, 1994) when Manifest
Destiny, the right by some to dominate over others, served as a tool of
on the ground, that which la gente, local folk, experience daily, the U.S. colonial project of Westward Expansion in its acquisition of
land west of the Mississippi. As history shows, and is well documented
in this case years of severe dry weather conditions. A controlled by Ebright, this push to acquire territory occurred in the interest of
Anglo settlers and capitalists, to the detriment of Mexicans, living
burn during a time of little rain, limited snow, severe drought and in Mexico’s northern territories before the Mexican American War
(1846-1848), considered a provoked territorial war by some histori-
periodic high winds, some to 70 mph, is an act of stupidity, despite ans. It’s aftermath, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848, witnessed
Mexico’s loss of 50% of its territory to the U.S., including New
the expertise of the FS. Mexico, Arizona, Nevada. With the treaty, numbers of Mexicans were
challenged by the U.S. land courts as to property ownership (Ebright),
The April 6th fire, known as Hermit’s Peak became uncontrol- and in this way lost land inherited from their ancestors. Moreover,
during this time of Westward Expansion, the federal government
lable, spreading and creating the Calf Canyon fire, that began passed settlement mandates, like the Homestead Act of 1862, giving
land to settlers, in general Anglos, coming from other regions into the
April 9th. According to the Las Vegas Optic (May 27th, 2022),
Southwest. The gov-
“The fire began as a result of a dormant pile burn they conducted ernment also placed
confiscated land, for
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • in January” (lasvegasoptic.com). In the same article the FS also safekeeping, under
the jurisdiction of the
took responsibility for the Calf Canyon Fire. Yet, despite the FS, created in 1905 by
President Roosevelt,
admission, the physical destruction and emotional chaos caused part of the Federal
Forest management
by this catastrophe resurrected an underlying fear that despite scheme, circa 1876.
Much of the land
decades of it being swept under the rug, resurfaced -- the fear of placed under manage-
ment, was not only
continued loss of land and place in E l Norte. acres of private land,

This fear seems to have encouraged a rumor, that the fire was

deliberately set to flush out Nuevomexicanos from their ances-

tral lands and homes, making available the beautiful, rugged,

mountainous enclaves of El Norte to more monied folks coming

from Texas and California, many of them Anglos. These fears are

nothing new, land in this part of New Mexico has been an object

of contention, coveted for centuries, slowly changing hands from

land rich, cash poor Nuevomexicanos, those no longer able to

maintain their landed legacies, to developers, the real estate indus-

try, and well heeled folks, often outsiders.

The fires displaced

many, relocating Source: data.news-leader.com

them to shelters,

hotels, and homes

of relatives. This

forced exile brought

on despair, anxiety,

fear, and anger much

of it connected to not

being able to return

home, or rebuild after

the fires—for lack of

money or no insur-

12 ance. While the Fed-

but land grants, some thousands of acres. Land grants are tracts of fire column. Another is the sheriff’s office mandating evacua-

land given to settlers of the northern territories of what is now known tions, and going from door to door in fire threatened areas urging

as Mexico first by the Spanish people to leave. Some residents

crown circa 17th - 18th centu- Tierra o Muerte, the slogan, was revived during the Chicano movement in may have perceived this as
ries as reward for exploration New Mexico. bit.ly/guerilla-graphix forcefully being removed from
and settlement; this was before their homes. Moreover, the

Mexico’s independence from blocking of roads by the police

Spain. Land was also granted by because of dangerous wildfire

the Mexican government, after conditions -- burning/falling

independence to those settling the trees, choking smoke, low vis-

northern territories of the country, ibility, and fire fighting equip-

circa 18th - 19th centuries. ment on the roads -- made ac-

Much scholarship (Correira, cess to property in burning and

2013; deBuys, 1985; Ebright, surrounding areas impossible.

1994; Knowlton, 1973, 1985), For some, such actions painted

has focused on the corrupt an image of inaccessibility to

collusion between Anglo and property. Such scenarios com-

Nuevomexicano capitalists, bined with a history of violent

lawyers, surveyors, land devel- conflict over land -- very much

opers and the land courts in the wresting of land from its holders part of an oral tradition in El Norte -- contributed to a chaotic

after the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. After annexation, numbers situation of fear and anger.

of court cases challenged these practices with land grant heirs and By late July the fire is 94% contained, but the memory of the

activists pressuring the U.S. government to investigate the manner damage done by the fire is very much alive as one drives through

in which land was acquired by speculators, capitalists, and the gov- affected areas. Driving on State Road (SR) 94 West I pass col-

ernment. Challenges also took the form of confrontation between lapsed homes, charred vehicles, scorched earth, black skeletal

usurpers and Nuevomexicano residents of New Mexico. One ex- trees, and burn scars along mountain ridges. The little homes I

ample is the 19th century activism of las Gorras Blancas, known for have come to love for their simplicity are gone. I am reminded of

nighttime raids, cutting barbed wire fences erected by Anglo set- a war scene, of what was left of a town during the Bosnia war in

tlers and monied Nuevomexicanos, and setting properties on fire. the ‘90s, sans the corpses.

In the 20th century a prominent example is the Alianza Federal de These scenes are reminders of 3 months of anxiety, displace- LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •

Las Mercedes, whose spokesman was Reies Lpez Tijerina. Here, ment, anger, frustration, suspicion, blame, and of devastating emo-

the claims of land grant heirs, took form in the Alianza’s establish- tional drain. So much negative emotion to live with. Yet, the gente

ment in 1966, of the Republic of San Joaquín del Río Chama, a of El Norte is so very resilient, and I am overwhelmed by their

land grant under the control of the Kit Carson National Forest. This strength. A friend, stayed throughout the fire, he lived through the

takeover by heirs and activists ensued into a confrontation between huge clouds of smoke and orange flames coming over the mountain

Forest Rangers and Alianza members resulting in the National ridge his property faces. No water, no electricity, but he would not

Guard intervening and activists arrested. leave his place, his ancestral legacy. He tells me “this is where I

live, this is my home, I have nowhere to go.” He is not the only

Land justice was an important point who stayed and coped as best he could.
Along SR 94 there are still piles of corrugated roofing and
supported in the philosophy and activism
rubble, will the owners not re-build and if they don’t, why not?
of the Movimiento (Chicano Movement) There are still people that are displaced, where are they staying
in New Mexico. Heirs and activists have now? Rumor has it that the shelter in Las Vegas is closed. And
where is FEMA in all of this, what about the assurances they
continued to petition and pressure the made at the beginning of this catastrophe? What about the FS, did

Federal Government for the return of

lands. they manage to elude compensating the affected?
As in other areas of the world where native land is coveted,

Over the years, the expectation of recovering lost land has di- and native peoples engage in a continual tug of war with the

minished significantly; the issue becoming more complex with time government, the rich, and real estate developers over land, it is

as land is parceled to family members, sold to individuals, or placed those at the bottom of the social and economic rungs, the average

under the jurisdiction of the NFS. Now, 174 years after the Treaty of working person, the small farmer, those that barely subsists on an-

Guadalupe-Hidalgo, the issue appears swept under the rug. cestral land holdings, that bear the brunt of this territorial war. The

Considering the contentious history of land in El Norte, it is Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires are a reminder of a history of

not surprising that a recent wildfire caused by the FS, revived not land loss in this area, one that has not been forgotten. The stories

only historical memories of land theft, but also brought to the embedded in the fires are new, added pages, to the evolving book

surface the fear of theft by fire. Necessary actions taken by the on the struggle for land in El Norte.

firefighting crews and authorities may have added to the existing BIO: Yoly Zentella, a Chicana PhD researcher & writer focusing
fears of loss. One example, is the setting of backfires, - fires set
along the inner edge of a fireline to consume the fuel in the path on El Norte’s culture and attachment and loss of land and place. 13
of a wildfire, also used to change the direction of the force of the
lives in Las Vegas, NM. She is editor of La Plática del Norte.

The Angela de Hoyos Papers

Now Available at the Center for Mexican American Studies and Research
at Our Lady of the Lake University

By Joseph De León Throughout her artistic career, de Hoyos

worked with a variety of materials, such as

The Chicana poet, artist, songwriter copper, plaster, glass, and plastic.

and activist Angela de Hoyos left behind a In the fall of 2021, her husband Moises

prolific artistic and literary legacy in San donated materials related to her career as a

Antonio and South Texas when she passed Chicana author and artist to the Center for

away in 2009. Now her papers are available Mexican American Studies and Research

to scholars, artists, and the general public at Special Collections at Our Lady of the

the Center for Mexican American Studies Lake University, under the auspices of Dr.

Special Collections at Our Lady of the Lake Aimee Villarreal where the collection is cur-

University. rently housed. The Angela de Hoyos papers

Born in Coahuila, Mexico, in 1924. She themselves consist of approximately five

was brought to the United States as a three- linear feet of printed, and digitally scanned

year old by her family. She graduated from documents, audio and video saved to CD

Fox Tech High School in 1947 with honors. and DVD spanning her entire career from

Her first published works appear in the the 1940s through the 2000s. Included in

1946 high school art book, In and Around the collection are original poetry, books by

the Alamo City. Throughout the 1950s she and about Angela de Hoyos, instructional

wrote Spanish language song lyrics for vari- pamphlets, royalty statements, and various

ous local artists, which were recorded on 12 Self portrait by Angela de Hoyos, 1953. publications in which she was featured. The

inch 78 RPM vinyl disks. She also designed dresses for female digital files contain photos of her paintings,

royalty for the Annual San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade. sculptures and block prints, dresses, and pottery, all which attest

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 • The 1960s through the late 1980s were a turning point in to an artistic and literary career for which posthumously gained

her artistic and literary career, when she became involved in the the sobriquet la Poeta del Pueblo.

burgeoning Chicano movement. Many readings of her literary In the Spring of 2022, the finding aid to the Angela de Hoyos

and poetic works were accompanied by artistic performances papers was published under the Our Lady of the Lake University

that were held at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center on the Library webpage for the Center for Mexican American Studies

Westside of San Antonio. Her husband Moises Sandoval, who

also ran his own publishing company, M&A Editions, recorded Angela de Hoyos’ most prominent
all of Angela’s events. Because Chicana/o writers were generally work, the poem titled, Arise Chicano,
excluded from mainstream publication outlets, they published was published in an anthology of her
their own works. M&A Editions published the poetry, essays poems by Backstage books. The poem
short stories, and artwork of an emerging Texas-based Chicana/o ends with:
literati. While they published the work of many aspiring writers,

the early works of Chicana literary stars such as Carmen Tafolla Arise Chicano!

and Norma Cantú can be found in some of the chapbooks. that divine spark within you

Angela de Hoyos’ body of work feature feminism, gender, surely says...Wash your wounds

and Chicana philosophy as prominent themes. Her career also and swathe your agonies.

had an international reach, as several of her works were translat- There is no one to succor you
ed and published in South America and Europe. Books by liter- You must be your own messiah
ary scholars were also published about her life and career, most

prominently that by Luis Arturo Ramos titled Angela de Hoyos:

A Critical Look, and The Multifaceted Poetic World of Angela

de Hoyos, by Dr. Marcela Aguilar Henson. The poet and author and Research. The papers are accessible in person by appoint-

Raúl R. Salinas, referred to her as the “spiritual den mother of ment at the Special Collections for the Center for Mexican

Chicano Letters.” American Studies and Research, located in the Our Lady of the

Her artistic output extended beyond literature and included Lake Convent, room 112. Throughout the summer the archive is

drawings and other artistic motifs that include flowers and open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Please

nature, buildings in the Spanish architectural style, sculptures, contact archivist, Joseph De León at [email protected].

as well as intimate family portraits. According to her husband, The archives can also be accessed at: bit.ly/hoyos-papers

Moises, her only self-portrait was made in 1953, and was

14 featured in many references to her literary and artistic works.

Notas Y Más Start your 2022
tax deductible gifts
July / August / September 2022
Give to the Esperanza in spirit of solidarity
Community meetings and cultural art events are again taking so we can continue to speak out, organize
place virtually due to continuing concerns about COVID. Check and fight for our communities for another
websites, FB or call 210-228-0201 for meetings and events 35 Years. Your support is needed NOW more
currently scheduled. www.esperanzacenter.org
than ever! Thank you for your gifts!
The Picture Your World features sustainable, recycled art Send donations to Esperanza

project from Green created from repurposed clothing that Esperanza Peace
And Justice Center
Spaces Alliance’s annual is transformed into a series of textile
workshop for children is tapestries, framed quilts and 922 San Pedro Avenue
honored to partner with the Witte paintings paying tribute to San Antonio, TX 78212
Museum to showcase its 2022 immigrants’ lives of sweat and tears.
Nature Photography Exhibition by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo’s To sign up as a monthly donor,
youth (ages 8-12 & 13-18). Photos The Euphoric Dance of the Call 210.228.0201 or
from youth ages 13-18 will continue Unconquered Mind features textured
on exhibit until October 16. Check oil paintings of Mexika dancers email: [email protected]
www.wittemuseum.org/exhibitions
Visit www.esperanzacenter.org/donate
Two new exhibits by celebrating the traditions of for online giving options.
artists Leila Indigenous dance ceremony continue
today. Check www.sanantonio.gov/ ¡Mil Gracias!
Hernández and Elizabeth Jiménez

Montelongo are on display through arts for more information.

December 30th at the Centro de Voices From the Holy Land

Artes gallery in Historic Market (VFHL) is seeking volunteer

Square, 101 S. Santa Rosa Ave. Leila technical expertise support. To LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •
Hernández’s exhibit, La Visa Negra help, contact them @ www.
2.5: Tendiendo los Trapitos al Sol voicesfromtheholyland.org/

The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center & Conocimientos Press present

Two Book Readings at the Esperanza

CROSSING BORDERS, These events are free and open to the public
BUILDING BRIDGES
Home, Where
A Journalist’s Heart in Latin America Memories Wait
To Be Remembered
By María E. Martin
~A TESTIMONIO~
Sept. 10 @ 6pm Growing Up On
San Antonio’s Westside
Author and Owner of
Conocimientos Press, by Teresa Villarreal Rodríguez
Josie Méndez Negrete,
will introduce the authors Sept. 16 @ 6pm

Esperanza, 922 San Pedro Ave, SA TX www.conocimientospressllc.com 15

Visit www.esperanzacenter.org or call 210.228.0201

www.Facebook.com/EsperanzaCenter

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July / AUG / Sept 2022 Vol. 35 Issue 5 •

Arte del Pueblo The attacks on and the defunding of Esperanza on September 11, 1997 did not
The Outdoor Public Art of San Antonio stop Monica from appearing at the Esperanza. COVID did! Come celebrate 40

by photographer, Frederick R. Preston years of fierce Queer Chicana Lesbiana Performance with her new solo show:
& Texas Poet Laureate, Carmen Tafolla,
Schiffer Publishing 2022 I’M SMoTniIcaLPLalacHiosERE

October 14 & 15, 2022

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center @ 7pm

Check FaceBook for Ticket Sales

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center Non-Profit Org.
922 San Pedro San Antonio TX 78212 US Postage
210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org PAID

San Antonio, TX
Permit #332

Fri. Sept 23, 2022 @ 7pm Haven’t opened La Voz in a while? Prefer to read it online? Wrong address?
TO CANCEL A SUBSCRIPTION EMAIL [email protected] CALL: 210.228.0201
Plaza Juárez, La Villita, downtown SA TX

MujerArtes Clay Cooperative

celebrates its 27th Anniversary with Lotería Del Westside

Opening: Saturday October 8th @ 6pm
Noche Azul Live! @ Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX
Exhibit continues until October 28th, M-F,10am-7pm
Please call to schedule a weekend viewing.
Sept. 24th & 25th
www.esperanzacenter.org / 210-228-0201
@ 8pm
September 11, 1997
at the Esperanza Esperanza’s art funding by the City of San
922 San Pedro Antonio was eliminated. We responded
SA TX 78212 with a lawsuit that we won in 2001. Look for
upcoming events regarding this important
www.esperanzacenter.org/ date. It’s been 25 years.
www.Facebook.com/EsperanzaCenter