La Voz - December January 2023

Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 San Antonio, Tejas

Adelante con Esperanza en 2023

As 2022 ends and the New Year of 2023 begins, I would like to thank all of our readers

and supporters who have made La Voz de Esperanza continue to be a viable publication for

the progressive community of San Antonio. In this issue, there are many returning writers.

La Voz de Tarcisio Beal, professor emeritus of Incarnate Word writes on the Supreme Court and its
Esperanza
tainted history. The new year will be an interesting one as we watch rulings come down from
Dec 2022 | Jan 2023
Vol. 35 Issue 8 the Supreme Court that may take us back to days in back alleys and street beatings. Hopeful-

Editor: Gloria A. Ramírez ly not! Rogelio Saenz reminds us in a succinctly bilingual way that the Hispanic population
Design: Elizandro Carrington
is now a majority and what that might portend for us as Latinos if we are mindful voters. At
Cover Art: Liliana Wilson
the same time David Rodgers, also a Chicano, but from New Mexico gives us a lesson using
Contributors
a Calavera about the prescribed burns that occurred in New Mexico forests this summer and
Tarcisio Beal, Julio Guerrero, Rogelio Sáenz,
Rosemary Reyna-Sánchez, David Rodgers, the historical lessons those fires are steeped in. Again, we have the Latino community in a

Clarissa Rojas, María Salazar, historic conflict with the U.S. government over contested lands that were originally granted

La Voz Mail Collective to the people of New Mexico. ¡Y, ay vamos! David also offers his calaveras in both Spanish

...is sheltering at home due to COVID-19 but and English. In the new year, we would like more bilingual articles and entries to La Voz.
will return when it is safe. Extra funds are being
Also in the new year, 2023, I would like to see more women writing for La Voz de Esper-
raised to pay for the folding of La Voz.
anza and will make it my mission to bring out more feminist voices to balance out the issue.
Esperanza Director
The final story in this issue of La voz is El Árbol, a lotería story by Julio Guerrero who
Graciela I. Sánchez
makes the connection between a tree and humanity, something that we can often make if we
Esperanza Staff
open up ourselves to it and are careful of not becoming dependent on technology.
Angel Cantú, Sherry Campos, Elizandro
Carrington, Kayla Miranda, René Saenz, Sadly, as the year ends, four members of our community passed in December leaving a void

Imane Saliba, Susana Segura, but also leaving memories of individuals that filled our lives with meaning—individuals who
Amelia Valdez, Rosa Vega
left legacies that will continue to impact our gente and our work. As the year ends, we thank
Conjunto de Nepantleras
—Esperanza Board of Directors— you, again, for your love and support and look forward with hope for the New Year. ¡Un Fe-

Richard Aguilar, Norma Cantú, Brent Floyd, liz Año Nuevo lleno de Esperanza y Amor! Have a Happy New Year full of Hope and Love!
Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Jan Olsen,
Ana Lucía Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, —Gloria A. Ramirez, editor
Rudy Rosales, Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba,
Gracias Buena Gente, Staff and Supporters for
Graciela I. Sánchez, Lillian Stevens making the 2022 Dia de los muertos a success!

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • • We advocate for a wide variety of social,
economic & environmental justice issues.

• Opinions expressed in La Voz are not
necessarily those of the Esperanza Center.

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Inquiries/Articles can be sent to: VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are
[email protected] 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
Articles due by the 8th of each month 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
Policy Statements 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
* We ask that articles be visionary, progressive, dignity of all people will result in profound change for the seven generations to come.
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.

ODE TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS,

by Rosemary Reyna-Sanchez The best memories were going
to ‘Apa and ‘Ama’s house for
It was fascinating grow- Christmas. During the day we’d
ing up in the 1950’s and 60’s. get together to make tamales, then
at night we’d enjoy eating them
– Songs from that era while aunts and uncles would
were special and had a dance polkas in the living room
true meaning of love! bumping into each other because
it was so small. What a joy to hear
– Having a soda or an their laughter and contentment
ice cream, OMG was a with just a simple radio having a
special occasion! wonderful time with each other.
They’re gone now to the Great
– If we received a whole Ballroom in the Sky, ‘Ama, ‘Apa,
quarter, we’d run down Tias y Tios and some Primos.
to the neighborhood
“Tiendita” and buy It’s time for our generation to
penny candies then go instill these good times to the young
to the neighbor’s house and show them the true meaning of
and share them! Love. LOVE CONQUERS DEATH,
LOVE CONQUERS ALL! Happy
– Occasionally, we’d sit around at night and Holidays!
share scary stories like La Lechusa (½ winged
owl and ½ woman), The Donkey Lady (½ Recently the Donkey Lady has been the subject of artwork
donkey and ½ lady), and of course the classic and a podcast by Marisela Barrera and La Llorona is the
La Llorona. Heaven forbid if you had to go to subject of various movies.
the outhouse in back of Abuelita Maria’s house
at night! You had to watch out for “El Cucuy”!

Loretta Lynn, Country Music Queen LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •

When I worked in the fields with my mom and dad, Coal Miner’s daughter connected to a family of Mexican-

we always had the radio playing on our way to the onion American Farmworkers on their way to cut out weeds

fields. Early mornings, before the sun cracked, we’d sit from the beet or onion crops with a sharp backhoe.

in the cab of my dad’s red Chevy pick-up truck listening Well, on this day, from the cab of a red Chevy pick-

to static music, usually country cuz that’s all that came in up truck to a cabin in Butcher Holler, thank you for the

over the airwaves. When Loretta Lynn came on, my dad memories & the music.

would reach over with his calloused hands to turn up the

volume. My mother would not protest. In fact, she’d tap Rest In Peace,

her hand and nod her head to the rhythm. I swear, I could Coal Miner’s Daughter.

hear their hearts sing in perfect harmony with “we were Loretta Lynn, Presente!

poor, but we had love” or “all day long hoin’ corn.” East- —María Salazar,
ern Oregon & Kentucky both seemed like home to me. October 4, 2022

Hearing Loretta Lynn followed up by Freddy Fender

was a sign of a good day’s hard work. Somehow that

April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022 3

We Are the Revolution
An Exhibition on the
Life and Legacies of Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez

Written by Clarissa Rojas, UC Davis Assistant Professor of Chicano/a Studies

In what ways do we lutionary era. She

honor and memori- grew acquainted

alize our ancestors? with the revolution-

For many Chicanx/ ary imagination at

Latinx peoples a young age. She

the response is we often recalled how

remember them. her father shared

We remember them stories of a victori-

often. We continue ous Zapata riding

to live with them, into the capital on

as it were. Although his horse con los

Disney tried to campesinos. And

copyright Día de los the fervor of her

Muertos, honoring revolutionary desire

and conviviendo was awakened; she

con our ancestors is wanted to make a
Betita at her Desk. Photo taken in Betita’s home in the Mission District of San Francisco in 2002 by Janis Lewin. ©Janis Lewin revolution “right
not something we

do just once a year…it is the way we live en las Américas. Many live here!” Born in 1925, Betita came of age in Washington, D.C. where

in deep and conscientious connection to all dimensions of life—most she encountered white supremacy in the all-white school she attended

importantly the spiritual and emotional realms which are given utmost and where she witnessed her dark-skinned father face repeated deri-

reverence throughout a variance of Indigenous cosmologies in the sion and exclusion. At age 16, she wrote a manifesto expressing her

Americas. Much ancestral wisdom that guides traditional medicina, commitment to “destroy hatred and prejudice.” Betita lived a nearly

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • such as the healing practices of curanderismo, render the material as century-long life joyously writing, researching, editing, and move-

constituted by the spiritual and emotional—made possible by col- ment building as she embarked on journey after journey to galvanize

lectivities of energías/energies. I humbly invite you, with joy in my social transformation. “There’s a reason to keep going,” she said,

heart, to join me in centering the spiritual and emotional sabiduría “gains are made through struggle and the heart just insists on it, it’s

that recognizes the continuity and interconnectedness of being as we the simplest thing, the heart just insists on it.”

honor and grow to know the life Betita’s heart-centered wisdom and way of being in the world was

and legacies of Elizabeth “Betita” deeply endearing to those around her--she often extended a gener-

Martínez. ous, nurturing disposition while offering a contagious smile, comedic

My Tía Alma once spoke to wit, and uproarious laughter. Betita also wielded a poignantly precise

a church filled with so many of pen to edit and deliver the sharpest—and historically informed and

us gathered to mourn the loss of astute—analysis, critique and strategy—on paper and at organizing

her son, our beloved primo (Al) meetings. At age 12, Betita ex-

Fonso. She said, “remember the pressed in her journal her desire

Clarissa Rojas, author, & Betita Martinez. best of what you loved in him and to become a writer to effec-
Mission District, San Francisco, 2003. tively communicate with others.
Photograph courtesy of Clarissa Rojas that will live in your hearts.” Our Betita served an impactful time
ancestors live through the gift of on the editorial staff at Simon

memory. What will you choose

to remember of your loved ones? What will you choose to remember and Schuster and later edited

of Betita? These are some of the ways Betita lives: in our embodied several movement publications,

selves, in our corazones, and in our deeds. Betita lives through our including the leading Chicana/o

connection to her in images and words/palabras. Here we testify to and antiwar movement newspa-

how she lived and loved, and to how she was loved by her relations, pers El Grito del Norte and War

and Betita was so loved. She inspired generations to commit to the Times. She wrote and edited 9

work of social justice and fighting injustice everywhere! With this ex- books in total and penned doz-

hibit we extend an offering, una ofrenda in words and images, a story ens of essays. A complete list of

to guide the journey into remembering our beloved Betita. We invite her works can be found in this

you to bear witness to a glimpse of some of the ways Betita Taught recent Bibliography.

Us We Are The Revolution. My dear friend and former

4 Elizabeth “Betita” Martínez was a revolutionary. Born to a father roommate, Nancy Marmolejo Betita and her father Manuel Guillermo
whose life was shaped by the Mexican Revolution, Betita was reared shared with me her impression Martínez at her graduation from

on the vibrant aspirations de los tiempos revolucionarios, the revo- of Betita at the Mission Anti- Swarthmore College in 1946. Courtesy
Tessa Koning-Martinez

Displacement Coalition meetings in the 1990’s. “She was so patient,” bility of change. Betita shared the following story time and again but LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •
she said, “she listened to the rage young people felt and didn’t rush to I first heard it when I was an undergraduate in the 1990’s at UC Santa
conclusion or action, she Cruz where she joined Angela Davis in a joint talk and conversation
just listened calmly and on building coalitions among people of color. She said:
eventually offered an
idea or two.” I also recall THE SEVEN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS who
her presence at organiz-
ing meetings as a strong, sat down at that Woolworth’s lunch counter at the first
calm and patient pres-
ence.` I remember she sit-in, April 1, 1960, had no idea they were going to start
asked lots of questions
to deepen our analysis a huge movement, a nationwide movement. No idea.
toward a more thorough
and thoughtful assess- They just did it. They got ketchup thrown on them and
ment of the situation
and the strategies that were beaten, arrested. But they took a chance. There has
might prove effective. In
hindsight her leadership to be some of that spirit today. Let’s experiment, we don’t
style of that era reminds Viva Betita, Favianna Rodriguez, Screenprint, 25”
me of a combination of x 19”, 2010. have to have all the answers; we certainly don’t have to
the Zapatista leadership approach mandar obedeciendo, the practice of
leadership that follows (does not dominate nor seek to dominate), and have the ideology down, you know, the whole package.
a Freirean praxis of concientización whereby a group gains an under-
standing of the conditions of their oppression and most importantly, the But let’s see some things that are wrong and try to change
sense of themselves as capable of potentiating the transformation of
the conditions that oppress them. And that is how Betita forged time them and take risks.
and again new generations of social change makers.
Betita was fed by the spirit of rebellion and resistance; she came
As Lorgia García Peña recently shared, “we are not born but nur- alive in the streets—she loved a good protest. There is a creative
tured into rebellion.” Betita tended to our potential as young activists. and experimental sensibility in the air during a protest—especially
She recognized the skills and strengths of our contributions. When she a spontaneous one—you don’t know what will happen, but you just
first got to know me she said, “you talk like a writer, you are a writer.” know something has to be done! There are so many historic examples
It wasn’t a question. And I grew to believe her. In the eyes of Betita we to reference, but one that comes to mind is one of the moments that
were powerful, and she helped us see that in ourselves and helped us birthed the queer justice liberation movement when Sylvia Rivera,
believe that about our efforts to effect social transformation. In part be- Marsha P. Johnson and many more mostly Black and brown trans and
cause Betita believed that we, as young people of color, could change queer folks fed up with police violence rioted at the Stonewall bar in
the world, we came to believe we could! One of the many lessons I 1969, and similarly at the Compton’s Cafeteria riots in San Francisco
learned, and I am still learning from Betita is to nurture our relations, in 1966. Marsha P. Johnson later said: “History…happens because
to build relationships, to struggle through the difficulties and disagree- people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the
ments, to bear witness to the magic of the people right in front of you. moment, but those moments are cumulative realities.” There are times
Betita frolicked across generational, racial, sex and sexual difference when you just have to do something and there are times when histori-
with a keen intimacy; I am sure I am not the only one who felt the cal conjuncture uplifts the potential of your protest toward a greater
near 50-year age difference between us dissolve time and time again. probability for change, as we also witnessed more recently during the
Who else had this experience? Maybe it was that her engagement with Black Spring of 2020 when the Black lives matter movements, the
you made you feel so seen, so alive. I know I am but one of many, of protests over the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony
hundreds across the span of continents and centuries who smile with McDade joined the public outcry over racial injustice in COVID
an abundance of gratitude for having crossed paths with Betita. risk and casualties. Betita encouraged everyone to take action for the
change they want to see in the world. Her books and her writing serve
Indeed, Betita’s life was an arc that changed the course of social as a testament to the brilliant and spirited resistance of people of color.
justice history in the Americas.
The story of Betita is the story of us as Chicanx peoples, in par-
She traversed the Civil Rights Movement, working the frontlines ticular. It is the story of trying to make sense of who we are when the
of the Freedom Summer and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating social landscape does not reflect who we are. Betita learned the art of
Committee (SNCC), feminist movements, the Chicana and Chicano kaleidoscoping early on, of adjusting color and surroundings until she
movements, multiple anti-war movements, socialist movements, was able to see herself, to be herself, until the histories and entrap-
movements to end police violence, anti-colonial movements and ments of colonialism, white supremacy and heteropatriarchy were
more. Betita participated in the early moments of many movements refracted into oblivion in her revolutionary imagination. And she was
when creative energies and a sense of limitless possibilities comingle free. Free to organize, free to dream, free to write. Free. Gone were the
with fierce dedication and a kind of historical synchronicity. Betita 30 foot border walls, the detention centers kidnapping babies, the bul-
was instrumental to the emergence of many movements, in part due to lets finding Black and brown bodies, the sizzling trunks cajuelas stack-
her willingness to experiment and try new things. She often took fly- ing migrant sardine bodies breathing their last hope is not enough.
ing leaps of faith—to move across country or countries, to join a new Betita knew that so toiled the midnight oil she did. Dreaming up
movement, to try a new strategy, to run for governor of California, schemes and new paths to be. Free. Betita. Wanted to be free. Betita.
for example. One of the lessons Betita imparted was through her call Your story is our story Betita. Betita taught us we are the revolution.
to take risks, “to experiment.” If you don’t do anything, nothing will
change, but if you try something, you might come closer to the possi- Perhaps Angela Davis said it best, “(Betita’s) ideas always served
as a kind of model for the best kind of activism, the best kind of
feminism, the best kind of anti-racism.” ¡Gracias Betita! ¡Gracias
Betita! ¡Gracias a todas las abuelitas! We will continue your long
struggle for justice until all our peoples can live freely, leading heart
centered lives that care and nurture our peoples, our wellness, our
children and our futures.

5NOTE: Visit the full online exhibit at: bit.ly/betita-taught/ Article foot-

notes and resources available on request: [email protected].

Latinos, the largest population in Texas

By Rogelio Sáenz

Earlier this year in mid-September, the U.S. Census Bureau reported lation was 17 compared to 29 for the white population. Today the median

that what was expected for much time is now reality. The Latino popula- ages are 30 and 42, respectively. In both periods, the Latino population
was 12 years younger than the white population. Currently, among the
tion is now larger than the white population in Texas. Over the last
four decades, demographic projections have indicated that this day would Texas white population, there are more persons 65 and older than there are
arrive. I began studying the demography of the Latino population in 1980. less than 18 years of age. Among the Latino population, there are 4 per-
At that time, it was a long look into the future that our people would out- sons less than 18 years of age for every 1 person 65 and older. Moreover,
during the last five decades the rapid growth of the Latino population was
number whites in the state sometime in the 21st century.
also due to high birth rates and a large volume of international migration.
The growth of the Latino population during the last six decades has
The future will bring a state population that will still be increasingly
been impressive. In 1960, there were approximately 4.5 whites for every
Latino and less so white. Unfortunately, even though the demographic
1 Latino in Texas. Over the course of time, the number of Latinos in the
Texas soared from 1.5 million in 1960 to 11.9 million in 2021—in essence vigor of Latinos has been obvious over the last half century, we have not
received the proper respect nor the recognition given the importance of
in 2021 there were 8 Latinos to every 1 Latino person living in the state
in 1960. On the other side of the ledger, in 2021 there were fewer than 2 our people for the future of Texas. Regrettably, our growing numbers have
not translated to political power in the state and communities. We will
whites for every 1 white individual in 1960.
need to press forward in our struggle to gain political power and proper
The percentage share of the Texas population that is Latino climbed
representation in the state. I
from 16.2% in 1960 to 40.2% Latino and White Populations in Texas, 1960-2021 hope you are committed and
in 2021 while the percentage
energized to do this task. Start
that is white fell from 71.6%
by making sure that you are
to 39.4%, respectively. What a
registered to vote and cast your
demographic transformation!
vote in every election.
Why did the Latino popula-

tion grow so much more rap-
idly than the white population?

There are a series of factors
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • BIO: Rogelio Sáenz is
professor in the Depart-
Population in millions
that are responsible for this ment of Demography at the

demographic transformation. University of Texas at San

Most fundamentally, the youth- Antonio. This article ap-

fulness of the Latino population peared originally in Span-

played an important role in the ish in La Voz de Austin.

increase of Latinos. In 1960 the

median age of the Latino popu- Year/

Latinos, la población más grande en Texas

By Rogelio Sáenz mediana de la población latina era 17 en comparación a 29 entre la po-
blación blanca. Hoy las edades medianas son de 30 y 42, respectivamente.
El 15 de septiembre la Oficina del Censo reportó que lo que se ha En ambos periodos, la población latina es 12 años menor que la población
esperado por mucho tiempo se ha actualizado. La población latina ya blanca. En este momento, entre la población blanca, hay más personas de
es más grande que la población blanca (anglosajona) en Texas. Por 65 años y mayor que jóvenes menos de 18 años. Entre la población latina,
las últimas cuatro décadas proyecciones demográficas han indicado que hay cuatro personas de menos de 18 años por cada una persona de 65 años
este día llegaría. Yo empecé estudiar la demografía de la población latina y mayor. Adicionalmente, durante el último medio siglo, la población
en 1980. En ese entonces era una mirada larguísima que nuestra gente latina creció rápidamente debido a una tasa de fecundidad alta y una canti-
sobrepasaría a la población blanca en Texas algún tiempo en el siglo XXI. dad de migración internacional alta.

El crecimiento de la población latina durante las últimas seis décadas El futuro traerá una población estatal que es todavía más latina y me-
ha sido impresionante. En 1960 había aproximadamente 4.5 personas nos blanca. Desafortunadamente, aunque la fuerza demográfica de latinos
blancas por cada una persona latina en Texas. Durante el curso del tiempo, ha sido obvio durante los últimos 50 años, no hemos recibido el respeto ni
el número de latinos en el estado elevó de 1.5 millones en 1960 a 11.9 mil- el reconocimiento dado la importancia de nuestra gente sobre el futuro de
lones en 2021—es decir que en 2021 había 8 latinos por cada una persona Texas. Lamentablemente, nuestros números crecientes no se han traducido
latino en 1960. Por otro lado, en 2021 había menos de 2 blancos por cada al poder político en nuestro pueblo. Tendremos que fuertemente participar
una persona blanca en 1960. en nuestra lucha para ganar el poder político y la representación propia en
el estado y nuestras comunidades. Ojalá que este comprometido y energi-
El porcentaje de la población de Texas que es latino subió de 16.2% en zado para cumplir esta tarea. Comience asegurándose que este registrado
1960 a 40.2% en 2021 mientras el porcentaje que es blanco cayó de 71.6% para votar y vote en todas las elecciones.
a 39.4%, respectivamente. ¡Que transformación demográfica!
BIO: Rogelio Sáenz es profesor en el Departamento de Demo-
¿Por qué creció la población latina tan rápido comparado con la grafía en la Universidad de Texas en San Antonio. Este ensayo
población blanca? fue originalmente publicado en La Voz de Austin.

Hay una serie de factores que son responsables por esta transfor-

6 mación demográfica. Fundamentalmente, la juventud de la población
latina jugó un papel importante en el crecimiento latino. En 1960 la edad

We The Supreme Court, Human And
Constitutional Rights In America

By Tarcisio Beal

No one doubts that ASSOC. JUSTICE ASSOC. JUSTICE ASSOC. JUSTICE they thus de-
the Supreme Court Neil M. Gorsuch Brett M. Kavanaugh Ketanji Brown stroyed about
of the United States 400 at this
(SCOTUS) plays a ASSOC. JUSTICE Jackson time. It was a
central role in the Amy Coney Barrett fearful sight to
American political

system. Its function see them frying

in upholding the in the fire and
rights and freedoms the streams of
enshrined in the blood quench-
Constitution cannot ing the same,
be underestimated. and horrible
It not only passes

judgement on many was the stink

important cases, but ASSOC. JUSTICE ASSOC. JUSTICE and scent
also sets the pattern Clarence Thomas Samuel A. Alito, Jr. thereof; but the
for the entire judicial victory seemed
system. That means ASSOC. JUSTICE CHIEF JUSTICE ASSOC. JUSTICE a sweet sacri-
that federal and state Sonia Sotomayor John G. Roberts, Jr. Elena Kagan fice, and they
judges are supposed

to follow the guide- The Supreme Court as composed June 30, 2022 to present. Nine Justices make up the current Supreme Court: gave the praise
lines set up by the
one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., is the 17th Chief Justice to God who LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •

SCOTUS to validate of the United States, and there have been 104 Associate Justices in the Court’s history. Credit: Fred Schilling, had wrought so
the ideals of the Con- Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States wonderfully for
them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands
stitution. That’s why the selection of its judges is central to preserv-

ing our democratic system. However, the record of the American and give them so speedy a victory over so proud

political system shows that the SCOTUS has often failed miserably

in upholding basic human and political rights by either prolonging, and insulting an enemy.

justifying, or exemplifying the utmost disregard for basic human Wow! In 1732, the British Gal. Jeffrey Amherst advised one of
and political rights. To a large extent, for better or worse, the Court his lieutenants to destroy the Amerindians in this disguised manner:
has often made decisions tied to partisanship, reflecting the mindset
and the desires of powerful politicians in control of the Congress You will do well to try to inoculate the Indians by
and the Presidency. The early victims of the inaction or decisions of means of blankets in which smallpox patients have

the SCOTUS have been mostly Native Americans and Blacks, then slept, as well as by every other method that can

Catholics, and, lately, Jews and Asians. We should note, however, serve to extirpate this execrable race. I should be

that the record of American history also points to dozens of promi- very glad if you scheme of hunting them down by
nent defenders of the human and civil rights of all its citizens.
dogs could take effect.
Mistreatment and utmost violence against Native Americans
were already present on the so-called “Manifest Destiny,” the We must point out, however, that already in late 18th century,
concept that European, white supremacy was willed by God, a some of the Founding Fathers called for fair and humane treat-
concept now resurrected by archconservatives. The Pilgrims who ment of the aborigines. In 1764, Benjamin Franklin lamented
settled in New England’s Plymouth Plantation were Puritan or the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by Scot-Irish settlers of
Calvinist believers in white superiority. William Bradford, a leader Pennsylvania (A Narrative of the Late Massacres in Lancaster
of the Pilgrims who, in 1637, burned down a village of the Pequot County): “But our frontier people call themselves Christian! They
Indians and killed all survivors, thus reported the massacre: [the Indians] would have been safer if they had submitted to the
Turks!” In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, convinced that the Indians
Those who escaped the fire were slain with the would be treated fairly, said the following: “It may be regarded as

sword, some hewed to pieces, others run through certain that not a foot of land will ever be taken from the Indians

with their rapiers, so as they were very quickly without their own consent. The sacredness of their rights is fell by
dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived
7all thinking persons in America as much as in Europe.” George

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • Washington’s 1795 Seventh Annual Message to Congress, without their consent.” Nevertheless, when, up to 1976, 3,400
noted that the government’s protection of the Indians from the Native-American women were sterilized without their consent,
violence and lawlessness of the frontiersmen was insufficient: the SCOTUS did nothing.
“The frequent destruction of innocent women and children, who
are chiefly the victims of retaliation, must continue to shock On the issue of slavery, the record shows constant viola-
humanity.” But things did not turn to the better for the Indians, tion of the most basic human and civil rights. President Andrew
with the Supreme Court giving the worst justification for the Johnson, a South Carolinian democrat and Abraham Lincoln’s
bloody conquest of the West, to the point of saying that white Vice-President, was unbelievably racist. His well-known expres-
supremacy was part of God’s plan or of manifest destiny: Here’s sion was “Damn the Negroes!” He vetoed the creation of the
what it said in its 1832 case Caldwell v. Alabama: Freedman’s Bureau and the 14th Amendment, which granted
citizenship and the right to vote to the black men, but was over-
When we contemplate the change which has been ridden by Congress in June 1866. In 1857, the SC’s Dred Scott’s
decision facilitated the denial of the basic human and civil rights
brought in this once savage wilderness in which we of African Americans by the States by authorizing the use of
state law against federal law, the opposite of the Judiciary Act
see our happy political institutions and the religion of 1789. In the Judiciary Act of 1859, Roger Taney, head of the
Supreme Court and a former slaveowner, spelled out the position
of the Bible displaced their barbarous laws and of the Court’s majority:

wretched superstitions… are we not compelled to Slaves have not and can never be citizens of the US

admit that the Superintending Providence of the because they have always been regarded as of an

Being that first formed the earth is to be seen in this inferior order, so far that they have no rights that

mighty change?” the white man is bound to respect. Besides – he

In 1867, as the onslaught against the Western Indians got added – when the Constitution was adopted, blacks
underway, Gal. John B. Sanborn wrote the following to the Secre-
tary of the Interior: were regarded as beings of an inferior order, so

For a mighty nation like us to be carrying a war with a few inferior that the white did not have to respect.
struggling nomads, under such circumstances, is a spectacle most
humiliating and injustice unparalleled, a national crime most In 1873, Francis A. Walker. Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
revolting, that must, sooner or later, bring down upon us or our spelled out the routine mistreatment of Native Americans:
posterity, the judgment of Heaven.” ‘
There is no question of national dignity, be it remembered,
The slaughter of the Indians turned into gradual extermi- involved in the treatment of savages by a civilized power. With
nation during the 19th century, especially in the West after the wild men, as with wild beasts, the question is merely of what is
1848 discovery of gold in California. The native population of the easiest and safest.
region went from 100,000 in 1848 to 30,000 in 1859, and by
1900 had been reduced to just 10,000. If an Indian stole a cow to Now, despite the efforts of the republicans to ease the dreadful
feed his starving family, both he and his whole family were conditions of African Americans during Reconstruction, the dem-
killed. Hunger also killed tens of thousands of the Plains’ Indians ocrats’ recovery of full power in the South spelled doom for them,
because the white invaders were advised by the military to in some States all the way to 1964. Gradually the Klu Klux Klan,
slaughter the buffalo and the bison, the two main sources of food born in Mississippi in 1866, began functioning as an unofficial
for the area natives. The SC itself was justifying the mistreatment gang of the Southern democratic party, using violence to prevent
of the Amerindians across the South and the West, despite the republicans from voting and targeting mostly African Americans.
findings of the 1867 Report to the Presidential Commission of The Klansmen, who quickly raised their number to more than
Indian Affairs: “The history of the government connections with 60,000, constantly defied the 1870 Force Act and the 1871 KKK
the Indians is a shameful record of broken treaties and unfulfilled Act and spread all over the Southern and Southwestern States,
promises… a sickening record pf murder, outrage, robbery and carrying out the bloodiest violence against black people all the
wrongs.” Then, in 1869, the Court denied the territorial rights of way into the 20th century. From 1889 to 1910, eleven Southern
the Native-American tribes in its US v. Lucero case, a justifica- States imposed laws of mandatory segregation between blacks
tion of one of its most disgraceful decisions: and whites. Yet the voice of the SCOTUS was not heard at all.
When democrat President Woodrow Wilson (1912-1920) failed to
The idea that a handful of wild, half-naked, thiev- protect black officeholders who were being dismissed from their
ing, plundering, murdering should be dignified jobs because of their color, the Court said nothing. Wilson even
with the sovereign attributes of nations, enter into argued that segregation for blacks was in their “best interest.” He
solemn treaties, and claim a country five hundred also imposed segregation even in the Armed Forces, a practice
miles wide by one thousand miles long as theirs in that lasted until 1952. In 1898.The Court also supported a number
fee simple, because they hunted buffalo and an- of political actions of the federal government. In 1898, it legiti-
telope over it, might do for beautiful reading in mized Grover Cleveland’s efforts to destroy the labor unions by
Cooper’s novels or Longfellow’s Hiawatta, but is sending federal troops against the 150,000 railroaders of the Pull-
unsuited to the intelligence and justice of this age man Strike which had started in 1894.
or the natural rights of mankind.
It was only in 1967 that the SCOTUS nullified the segrega-
Still, the congressional Ordinance of 1877 recommended that tion laws of 16 Southern States and finally legalized inter-
“the “The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the racial marriages. More than once did the Supreme Court make
the wrong decision, then later reversed itself. In 1890, in Plessy
8 Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them

v. Ferguson, ex-President

it decreed that Donald Trump,

“separate but have rejected the

equal” schools constitutional

for whites and right of abortion

blacks was by declaring

constitutional; Roe v. Wade

then, in 1954, it unconstitution-

declared the op- al and reinforc-

posite, and even ing the States’

instructed school power to impose

boards to start further restric-

desegregation tions. Only

“with all deliber- congressional

ate skill.” legislation will

The SCOTUS restore the con-

also disliked stitutional rights

President of women to

Franklin Delano their own body,

Roosevelt’s which will now

New Deal happen only if

programs of the the democrats

1930s and was gain a substan-

anti-labor to the tial majority in

point of ruling, American Progress (1872) by John Gast is an allegorical representation of the modernization of the new west. Columbia, a both Houses of
in 1933, that personification of the U.S., is shown leading civilization westward with American settlers. She’s shown bringing light from Congress and
the National east to west, stringing telegraph wire, holding a book, and highlighting different stages of economic activity and evolving the present GOP
Labor Relations forms of transportation. This belies the fact that indigenous people were massacred at will and buffalo exterminated. gets out of its

Act was unconstitutional. It reversed itself in 1937, however, present undemocratic nightmare.

because of widespread popular reaction. Then also in 1935, as The Court has also been very slow in deciding between 7,000

FDR was working with Congress to get the country out of the to 8,000 appeals against the death penalty, partly because it takes 6

Great Depression (1.5 million homeless, 39% hungry), the Court votes to deny appeals from the lower courts LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •

decided that the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 was On May 23, 2022, in Shinn v. Ramírez, Clarence Thomas

also unconstitutional. In 1938, it declared unconstitutional the wrote the justification of the SCOTUS’s denial of the death

Agricultural Adjustment Act, which was designed to help job- sentences of David Martínez Ramírez and Barry Lee Jones, both

less farmers. locked in Arizona’s death row. The State Supreme Court argued

The SCOTUS’s inaction or disregard for civil rights continued that “innocence is not enough to throw out Jones’ conviction,”

into the 1950s and for rest of the 20th century. In 1953, the Eisen- although his defense attorney did a very poor job. Actually,

hower Administration canceled the 1934 Indian Reorganization despite the fact that at least three of the present SCOTUS judges

Act and adopted “Termination,” which took away tribal control are Catholics who are supposed to oppose the death penalty, the

of Indian affairs; and between 1973 and 1976, 3,400 Native- Court has frequently okayed its practice.

American women were sterilized without their consent, but Court Finally, at a time when pollution of the environment is

said nothing. Yet, in 1954, it declared as unconstitutional the threatening the health of our society, with the USA contributing

“separate but equal” clause of the “Brown v. Board of Education” a great deal to the poisoning of the planet, the Supreme Court of

case. However, thanks to the efforts of Martin Luther King and of the United States has failed miserably to do its part in saving the

the NAACP and the support of LBJ and the democrats, the Court nation from natural disasters. It let Nixon’s 1992 restrictions on

ruled as fully constitutional the monumental Civil Rights Bill of clear air regulations to stand so as to accommodate big business.

1964. But, in its 1992 “Freeman v. Pitts” case, it was still justify- Now, in 2022, it has remained silent about the unconstitutional

ing old practices by allowing Atlanta’s suburban school boards to decisions of the lower courts. For example, the rulings of the

refuse desegregation. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon on the ex-President’s

Women’s rights is another area where the Supreme Court has illegal storage of hundreds of high-security documents in his

been contradicting itself. Although the majority of judges had Mar-a-Lago’s mansion and golf club should have prompted the

been chosen by President Richard Nixon, the Court ruled, in the SCOTUS’s immediate action, yet the constitutional farce contin-

1973 “Roe v. Wade” case, that “women’s rights include the right ues despite the efforts of the Department of Justice.

to control their own body.” BIO: Tarcisio Beal is professor Emeritus of History at the Uni-
Then, in 1989, in “Webster v. Reproductive Health Ser- versity of the Incarnate Word. [Note: Sources used for this article
can be obtained from [email protected]]
vices,” it confirmed “Roe v. Wade,” but allowed the States to
impose all kinds of restrictions. It did the same in the 1992 with

the “Planned Parenthood v. Casey” case. But now, in 2022, 9
the majority of the Supreme Court judges who were chosen by

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • A Fire In Our Forest A Calavera for the US Forest Service
Una Calavera a la Floresta -*
by David Rodgers
In Northeastern New Mexico, the U.S. Forest Service set fire The services of the US Forest Services were imposed over the local wisdom
for centuries some say, suffocated by a supremacy of lies,
with a“prescribed burn”in an area of the forest that went out of alleging that they lack the capacity of self governance
control within minutes of having administered the prescription. having lived in these lands for countless generations.
That was on April 6 and when it was finally contained on August
21, the wildfire had scorched over 341,735 acres. The area is The US Forest Services was imposed upon common lands,
roughly the triangle between Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Taos. even though they had been maintained as such by the Land
Grants.
This from a Google search for prescribed burn:“A prescribed fire It’s an attack upon our culture, against our historical inheritance,
is a planned fire intentionally ignited by park managers to meet was the answer to the press by a Mora commissioner.
management objectives. A wildfire is an unplanned fire caused by
lightning or other natural causes, by accidental (or arson-caused) New México’s largest forest fire in history was set on purpose,
human ignitions, or by an escaped prescribed fire.” Huh? termed “ Prescribed Burn,”
that burnt 341,327 acres in 4 months and 15 days,
School children here know that from March through June displacing thousands, causing billon$ in losses.
you don’t light a match outside because of the strong winds. Lo-
cal wisdom that is acquired over time with years of observation, The lament that rages from the guts of the smoking rubble,
strongly cautioned the use of fire this year because unusually is the voice of the ancestors that have given in life, as in death,
strong and chaotic winds were expected. their Land that gave them Life and Honor,
ancestral land of those who identify you
The U.S. federal government, unquestionably at fault, has sent when in the polished mirror they see themselves.
in FEMA yet because New Mexico is primarily a Land Grant state, They don’t speak your culture, they don’t respect your integrity,
FEMA’s mission is at odds with the realities of Land Grant issues. they believe that they must impose upon you
their culture of bureaucratized office suits
Land Grants were given to people since 1598 to encourage to mold you, according to their benevolent grandiosity.
settlement in the north by both the Spanish king and then the Creating lists of foreign expectations,
Mexican government (1821-1846). The lands were and still as foreign as lighting a fire in public
are used for growing crops, keeping herds of cattle and sheep, in New México during March, April, May or June,
hunting and gathering wood for cooking and building materials. homegrown geniuses that can’t be computerized
It’s a way of life in Northern New Mexico. Over the centuries it’s with quantitative tables of accountability,
become an integral aspect of the local Culture. FEMA’s mission without fear of being mistaken for being confused
interprets this historical way of life as a business so denies the for having a human content.
claim and sends them to get a federally subsidized loan and
put up their land as collateral, instead of the arsonist paying for For those who have lost so much, including everything,
all the damages that they caused. FEMA also has denied many recognizing their loses, their suffering,
claims because the people built their own homes—in many may it transform into a recovery of the damages caused.
cases their grandparents built them—and therefore have no
mortgage payment history as proof of ownership. The provision The empty promises, as the flames advanced with the dawn,
of the Land Grants from Spain are protected by the Tratado de while the water wells remain full of sludge
Córdova which ended all of Spain’s colonial occupation on Turtle — or something akin to the official promises.
Island in 1821, plus the Tratado de Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848
which formalized the theft and occupation of the northern half We only want respect, justice and equality in treatment,
of México by U.S. they’ve burnt our Freedom, because without Land there is no
Freedom.
La Lumbre en Nuestra Floresta — bit.ly/la-lumbre— The US Forest Services was imposed upon common lands,
is a documentary that depicts the voices of the victims of the even though they had been maintained as such by the Land
escaped prescribed fire. Grants.
—David Rodgers

10

* Imposed upon the Land Grants** Un Fuego en Nuestra Floresta LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •
- Impuesta sobre Las Mercedes**
por David Rodgers
Los servicios de la Floresta fueron impuestos sobre la sabia local En el noreste de Nuevo México, el Servicio Forestal de
por siglos alegan los unos, sofocados por supremacía de mentiras,
alegando que carecen de la capacidad de auto gobernarse EEUU prendió un incendio con un“fuego recetado”en un área
habiendo vivido en estas Tierras por incontables generaciones. del bosque donde se perdió el control minutos después de
habérsele administrado la receta. Eso fue el 6 de abril y para
La Floresta fue impuesta sobre las tierras comunales, cuando estuvo al fin bajo control en el 21 de agosto, el fuego
aunque se mantenían como tal por Las Mercedes. arrasador había quemado más de 341,735 acres. El área es más
Es un ataque contra nuestra cultura, contra nuestra herencia histórica, o menos el triángulo entre Santa Fe, Las Vegas y Taos.
fue la respuesta a la prensa por una comisionada de Mora.
Una búsqueda por Google para“fuego recetado”no da lo
El incendio más grande en la historia de Nuevo México fue adrede, siguiente:
denominado “Incendio Prescrito”
quemó 138,130 hectáreas en 4 meses y 15 días, “Un fuego recetado es un fuego planificado intencio-
desplazando miles, causando billone$ en pérdidas. nalmente prendido por gerentes del parque para lograr los
objetivos de la gerencia. Un fuego arrasador es un fuego no
El lamento que ruge desde las entrañas rojas de los escombros, planificado causado por relámpagos u otras causas naturales,
es la voz de los ancestros que se han entregado en vida, como en por accidente (o por un incendiario humano, o por un fuego
muerte, a su Tierra que Vida y Honor les dio, recetado fugado.”¿Qué?
tierra ancestral de quienes te identifican
cuando en el espejo un pulido reflejo ven. Niños de escuela aquí saben que de marzo a junio no se
No hablan tu cultura, no respetan tu integridad, prenden fósforos afuera debido a los vientos fuertes anuales. La
creen que tienen que imponerte sabiduría local que se adquiere a lo largo del tiempo con años de
su cultura de oficinistas burocratizados observación, advirtió enfáticamente contra el uso de fuego este
para moldear, según su benévola grandiosidad. año debido a las corrientes fuertes de viento que se anticipaban.
Creando listas de expectativas ajenas,
tan ajenas como prender fuego en público El gobierno federal, sin duda culpable, envió a FEMA pero
en Nuevo México durante marzo, abril, mayo o junio, porque Nuevo México principalmente es un estado de Mercedes,
genios autóctonos que no se computarizan la misión de FEMA es incompatible con las realidades de las
con contabilidades de tablas cuantitativas, características de las Mercedes.
sin temor de ser equivocado por ser confundido
por tener un contenido humano. Para animar el asentamiento en el norte Mercedes fueron
otorgadas al pueblo desde 1598 tanto por los reyes españoles
Para los que tanto, incluso todo, han perdido, como después por el gobierno mexicano (1821-1846). Las
reconociendo sus pérdidas, su sufrimiento, tierras son y han sido utilizadas para crecer cosechas, mantener
que se les convierta en la recuperación de daños causados. vacas y ovejas, ir de caza y recoger leña para cocinar, calentar
y materiales de construcción. Es la forma de vivir en el norte
Las promesas tan vacías, conforme las llamas avanzaban de Nuevo México. Al pasar de los siglos se ha convertido en
por la madrugada, un aspecto integral de la Cultura local. La misión de FEMA
mientras los pozos de agua siguen llenos de lodo interpreta esta forma histórica de vida como si fuese un negocio
— o algo parecido a las promesas oficiales. y por eso niegan los reclamos y los mandan a pedir un préstamo
federal subsidiado poniendo sus tierras como garantía, en vez de
Sólo queremos respeto, justicia e igualdad de tratamiento, que el incendiario pague por todos los daños causados. FEMA
nos han quemado nuestra Libertad, porque sin Tierra no hay Libertad. también ha negado muchos reclamos porque la gente construyó
La Floresta fue impuesta sobre las tierras comunales, sus propias casas—en muchos casos los abuelos las construy-
aunque se mantenían como tal por Las Mercedes. eron—y por lo tanto no hay evidencia de pagos de hipotecas
como comprobante de der dueños. Las provisiones de las
* aka, US Forest Services, USDA (known to the local as La Floresta) Mercedes por España están protegidas por el Tratado de Córdova
The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), manages que terminó toda ocupación colonial española en Isla Tortuga en
public lands in national forests and grasslands. 1821, además del Tratado de Guadalupe-Hidalgo en 1848 que
formalizó el robo y ocupación del norte de México por los EEUU.
** Land Grants protected by the 1821 Tratado de Córdova ending the wars of
Independence from Spain; 1848 Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo ending the US invasion La Lumbre en Nuestra Floresta —
of México by ceding the northern half of her territory. bit.ly/la-lumbre— es un documental que muestra las voces de
las víctimas del fuego recetado fugado.

11

EL AÁRBOL

by Julio Guerrero Santa Barbara’s Moreton Bay Fig Tree located in Santa Barbara, California is believed to be the largest Ficus macrophylla in the United States.

I’ve always been awed by the beauty of trees, their robustness, LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • My last stop was with Bob and Lily, two sweet souls that
their web of branches, leaves and changing colors to the point of always looked after me. After a nice meal and inspiring con-
thinking there is a special connection between people and trees versation with them and two other guests, I said my good-byes
at least that was the case with me as far as I can remember. Even thinking about the long drive ahead of me. Lily asked for a favor
at the elementary school age, I used to spend what seemed like as soon as I got up. “Our two friends here, are going south too,
long hours on top of the tree in our backyard playing games and could you kindly give them a ride and drop them off in Santa
enjoying the view from the top. For all I know it was not as tall Barbara,“ said she. Typical of California lifestyle, arrangements
as I remember it but for my age and size then, it seemed like a were made right then as I wholeheartedly agreed to the request,
castle. Later on around 7, I was known for how fast I could climb besides I thought of it as good company to keep along the way.
a tree, there was only this other kid faster than me. Those are the
best memories of my childhood —Peter Pan had nothing on me. I The two friends were, I thought “an odd couple.” One, a
am sure I was not the only kid that fantasized building a house on young white hippie-looking guy and a “viejito,” an older Mexi-
top of a tree to live in. can guy whose language abilities didn’t seem to match. And, like
me, carried their life belongings in a couple of duffle bags .
Even now, somehow I pay special attention to songs that carry
a tree as the subject. For all these reasons, I’ll go as far as call- I really don’t remember but my sense tells me that instead of
ing it a spiritual connection because it’s occurred to me that we taking I-5, we took Highway 101 to Santa Barbara. It could have
should say a prayer when we see a tree cut down but then again, been the scenic road or the conversation but the six hour drive
it’s not as if they die altogether because they stay around in the didn’t seem long. We talked about one another, what we did, our
form of furniture, houses, utensils, toys, etc. work and general stuff. I told them I had just finished a radio
project for Cesar Chavez, other than that I was surfing my way
As I grew older I have learned to reconcile my connection through life trying to find myself and also the hard predicament I
to trees as a substitute for my father whom I never met hence, at was facing, they told me about their work with the homeless.
least in my mind trees represent all a father should inspire in me;
someone to play with, strong arms to hold me or swing from and As it turned out, these two men were not from San José but
a sense of strength, safety and protection from the rain or sun were actually from Oregon where they were part of a collective
under their shade. that fed the homeless regularly. The story went that Portland was
not too happy about their charity work claiming that it would
When my daughter was two, I would take her around the actually encourage homelessness instead of solving it. It also
block for a walk after dinner. As we passed by a pine tree I would didn’t help that their soup kitchen took place in the downtown
stop and tell her that trees are our friends, they care for us and we area which affected the tourism industry. As a result the city gov-
should hug them and care for them also. As much as I meant it, I ernment warned them that if they continued their activities they
doubt she understood any of that but it was always fun especially would be facing jail time, hence their journey to Santa Barbara
when I’d tell her to shake hands with the pine tree guiding her at the invitation of some friends where they hoped to revive their
hand to shake the limb knowing that water would fall over our soup kitchen to feed the local homeless community.
heads from an early afternoon shower. That she seemed to enjoy.
Mind you, this disparate pair looked to me more homeless
I remember in the early 80s I was in California in the middle themselves than someone in the business of feeding the poor, let
of a life crossroads between jobs and not a place to live wonder- alone making the trek of 1,000 miles south circumventing legal
ing what would I do next. The only thing in sight was a confer- adversities in pursuit of their mission in life; simply sharing with
ence in the Midwest I had been invited to, which I saw as a others the little they had.
possible place to land a job connection. So after making my last
rounds in San Jose, it was time to drive to Los Angeles where I’d As we were approaching Santa Barbara I asked for their
friends’ address so I could drop them off, but to my surprise their
12 catch my flight to the Midwest. answer was that they didn’t have an address. “Ok, a phone num-

ber, maybe we could call them and get their address” I suggested. can be with a beautiful wide tree top, they never grow taller than LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •
“No, our friends don’t have a telephone” was their response. 15 feet or so, but this one had to be qualified as a giant fig tree.
Later on I came to learn about the Australian Moreton Bay fig
I have done my share of traveling, sometimes even without tree being a key landmark for the locals in Santa Barbara.
much planning but I always know who to contact and have an
idea of where I’ll spend the night so although I wasn’t worried Another thing that impressed me although not surprised me
about their response, I was intrigued by their obvious carefree was the several dozens of homeless people under the tree as if
attitude. Arguing that I had to have a specific safe place where to seeking protection under a big natural umbrella. As I pulled over
leave them they told me “just drop us off at the fig tree” and parked, my two passengers didn’t waste any time working
their way out the door to join their new community, so I asked the
No more vague an answer could I have expected, so I insisted younger fellow.
“do you have names for your friends” figuring I could locate
them through public records but they looked at me as if I hadn’t Are your friends here?
understood, referring back to the fig tree as a meeting point with We don’t know, but we’re supposed to meet them here
their local connections. So I asked “where do I find this fig tree, Do you see them in the group?
do you know where it is?” I can’t tell, we’ve never met them before

By this time we are already in Santa Barbara off the freeway So, how would you know?
driving along some random street and still have neither idea Oh, we’ll know
where I am going or what to do with my passengers feeling a
strong sense of responsibility towards Bob and Lily since they I felt sorry for them so before he walked away I pulled out my
entrusted them to me. last ten dollars bill and gave it to him. As he said thanks he gave
me a small black book no bigger than a cell phone and told me
“Just ask directions for the fig tree to anyone” was their an- it was a copy of a hand written bible, so that I could deliver it to
swer to my state of confusion. So knowing and accepting I’d look Cesar Chavez.
stupid I slowed down and dared, asking a young man that was
jogging along, “Excuse me, can you please tell me how to get to As I drove away, I felt their aura stayed with me in the car
the fig tree?” To my surprise he said without blinking “sure, just and kept pondering on the whole experience as if in a daze. Here
go to the end of the street, make a right and follow the street all I was, worried about my personal well being, about what would
the way, you can’t miss it.” Still feeling like I was in a dream, I I do next without a job possibility in sight and no place to stay,
followed directions and lo and behold, there it was the biggest fig while these two men who had less than me, were more concerned
tree I could have ever imagined. Sure enough, impossible to miss. about giving to others in worse shape.

I approached the site slowly still trying to make sense of what BIO: Julio César Guerrero earned a Master’s degree in both so-
was going on and was mesmerized by the majestic sight. The tree cial work and telecommunications at the University of Michigan.
looked like a huge mushroom resting in a small pie-shaped park. A prolific writer, he is currently working on a series of stories
I have seen many fig trees during my life and as healthy as they related to loteria cards.

José Esquivel 1935-2022 Paul Cohen1953-2022

Premiere Chicano artist & sculptor, Internationally recognized American
founding member of the Chicano art saxophonist, life partner and hus-
collective Con Safo, civil rights activ- band of Mexican singer/actor, Lila
ist, visionary and philosopher of Chi- Downs who was also producer and
cano thought, art historian, Fox Tech artistic director for her, and father
High School graduate, depicted scenes of two children. Formerly, a circus
of San Antonio’s Chicano barrio from performer, his 25 year plus collabo-
abuelitas watering their yards to the ration with Lila Downs resulted in
casitas of his beloved West Side and mentored young, up- Grammy award winning albums and
coming Chicano artists. innovative music styles.“

“He humanized the barrio, never sugar-coating nor glorifying No hay palabras que consuelen el dolor por el que estás
it,” —Santos Martínez, Chicano Studies educator pasando. Paul Cohen fue un ser único que te rodeó de amor
verdadero y eso es una bendición [“Dear Lila, there are no
“He not only honored our bicultural identities, our homes, words that comfort the pain you are going through. Paul Cohen
communities and social action but gave us voice and visibility.” was a unique being who surrounded you with true love, which
—Ellen Riojas Clark, UTSA profesora emerita is a blessing.] . –Singer, Eugenia León to Lila Downs:

José was one of the early advocates for Chicano arts in San NOTE: We shall always remember Paul for graciously facilitat-
Antonio and continued to contribute to our community through
his beautiful paintings, activism, and storytelling throughout ing Lila Downs’ concerts in San Antonio for the Esperanza
his entire life. He loved Centro and we loved him. —Centro
Cultural Aztlán Center that took place at Plaza Guadalupe (2004), Sunken Gar-

Read about José Esquivel at: bit.ly/Jose-Esquivel dens (2009), Laurie Auditorium at Trinity University (2012) and

at the Majestic Theater (2014). Our most sincere condolences

to Lila Downs and their familia. 13

The Peace Market was back and so were you!

Thank you!

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 • EDITOR’S NOTE: After a 2-year hiatus due
to COVID, Esperanza’s annual Peace Market/
Mercado de paz returned full force in 2022 for
its 34th year. For the last 2 years the Mercado
has either been online with only local vendors or
returned, as it did in 2021, as a mini mercado.
This year, we finally were able to welcome back
international vendors along with our locals.

14 Vendors, buena gente, staff, and shoppers—all
made 2022 a memorable year and, hopefully,
we are returning to the best years of Peace
Market, yet to come! ¡Gracias!

Notas Y Más Start your 2023
tax deductible gifts
December 2022 /January 2023
Give to the Esperanza in spirit of solidarity so we
Community meetings and cultural art events are taking place can continue to speak out, organize and fight for
virtually due to continuing concerns about COVID. Check our communities for another 35 Years. Your support
websites, FB or call 210-228-0201 for meetings and events is needed NOW more than ever! Thank you for your
currently scheduled. www.esperanzacenter.org
gifts!
Leila Hernández’s presented by the CARA MIA Send donations to Esperanza

La Visa Negra 2.5: Theatre on January 19-22, 2023. Esperanza Peace
And Justice Center
Tendiendo los Trapitos al Sol an For details visit
922 San Pedro Avenue
installation in tribute to guadalupeculturalarts.org San Antonio, TX 78212

immigrants’ lives and Elizabeth To sign up as a monthly donor,
Call 210.228.0201 or
Jiménez Montelongo’s The The Guadalupe
Euphoric Dance of the Cultural Arts Center email: [email protected]
Unconquered Mind with artwork announces the launch of
on Mexika dancers are on exhibit Visit www.esperanzacenter.org/donate
thru December 30th at Centro de its 41st Annual Tejano Conjunto for online giving options.
Artes gallery in Market Square. Festival en San Antonnio Poster
See: www.sanantonio.gov/arts Contest. Awards for the winners ¡Mil Gracias!
includes $2000 for the top prize.

Entries are due no later than 5pm

SAVE THE DATE! The on January 27, 2023. The 41st

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Annual Tejano Conjunto

Center will be celebrting Festival will take place on May

the 53rd Anniversary of 17-21, 2023. For info on it all go

the Crystal City, Texas walkout to: https://guadalupeculturalarts. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •

with the play, Crystal City 1969 org/tejano-conjunto-festival/

Pedro Rodríguez Viviana Valdez
Sandoval 1950–2022
1936–2022

Army veteran, Chicano Studies Bilingual and dual language elementary
professor, painter and founder/ school educator for 35 years. Mother,
director of the Guadalupe grandmother, wife, sister, sister-in-law,
Cultural Arts Center from 1983- friend and colleague. An avid reader,
1998. Passionate advocate for traveler, lover of the arts, music and
Chicano Arts building legacy dance, especially Chicano cultural arts.
programs like the Tejano Conjunto Festival, CineFestival and Raza Unida supporter, civil rights and social justice advocate
the Guadalupe Dance Company. Founding member of the Na- and Chicano movimiento activist. Vivana was pura raza.
tional Association of Latino Arts & Culture. Mentor and maker
of Chicana/Chicano Arts Leaders locally and nationally. Led My tía Viviana was a highly motivated bilingual educator
the preservation and restoration of the Guadalupe Theater and in a career spanning over three decades. I want to dedicate
established the Guadalupe as a major arts organization devoted this final weekend of performances to her memory. She
to Chicano, Latino and Native American arts and culture, in the fought diligently for our community through her activism,
City of San Antonio. her teaching career, and as an avid supporter of the arts.
I was fortunate to have her present at many, if not most, of
“In the 1980s, the political climate was fierce and Chica- my performances over the years and I’m sad that she will
not be sitting in the audience this time around. I am, how-
nos and Chicanas had to fight for every cent they could get ever, grateful to have made community in my time here in
Dallas [with the Cara Mia Theatre presenting Crystal City
their hands on for the community. Pedro was a guiding light 1969] and to be sharing this important piece of our history
with an amazing cast and crew. Viviana Present!
for our community… Pedro’s legacy will continue to live on —Nicolas Valdez, performance artist/musician

through the peope he influenced and within the walls of this

great institution.” — Cristina Balli, executive director 15

of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 Vol. 35 Issue 8 •

The 36th Annual

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March

Returns

Together We Can Be The Dream

Monday, January 16, 2023 | 10:00 AM

Go to City of SA website, bit.ly/mlk-a-2023, for more info

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

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