La Voz - February 2021

February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1 San Antonio, Tejas

¡Nickie Valdez, Presente!

Un Nuevo Amanecer–A New Dawn

La Voz de
Esperanza

February 2021
Vol. 34 Issue 1

Editor: Gloria A. Ramírez
Design: Elizandro Carrington

Cover Photo: Deborah Myers

Contributors

Marisol Cortez, Susan Morales Guerra,
Tom Keene, Kayla Miranda, Cervando Martínez,

Julio Noboa Polanco, Rogelio Saenz, Yoania

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1 La Voz Mail Collective President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and
Vice-President Kamala Harris begin
The Collective is sheltering at home due to the
COVID-19 pandemic but will be returning when ¡Adelante con esperanza y acción!
Forward with hope and action!
their health and safety can be assured. Extra
funds are being raised to pay for folding La Voz ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it to lavoz@
esperanzacenter.org. If you want to be removed from the La Voz mailing list, for whatever reason, please let us
each month during this time. know. La Voz is provided as a courtesy to people on the mailing list of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.
The subscription rate is $35 per year ($100 for institutions). The cost of producing and mailing La Voz has
Esperanza Director substantially increased and we need your help to keep it afloat. To help, send in your subscriptions, sign up as a
monthly donor, or send in a donation to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Thank you. -GAR
Graciela I. Sánchez
VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are
Esperanza Staff 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
Elizandro Carrington, Kayla Miranda, recapturing the powers of alliance, activism and healthy conflict in order to achieve interdependent economic/
Paul Plouf, Kristel Orta-Puente, spiritual healing and fuerza. La Voz is a resource for peace, justice, and human rights, providing a forum for
Natalie Rodríguez, criticism, information, education, humor and other creative works. La Voz provokes bold actions in response
Imgard Akinyi Rop, René Saenz, to local and global problems, with the knowledge that the many risks we take for the earth, our body, and the
Susana Segura, Amelia Valdez dignity of all people will result in profound change for the seven generations to come.
Judit Vega, Rosa Vega

Conjunto de Nepantleras
—Esperanza Board of Directors—

Richard Aguilar, Norma Cantú, Yasmina Codina,
Brent Floyd, Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely,
Angie Merla, Jan Olsen, Ana Lucía Ramírez,
Gloria A. Ramírez, Rudy Rosales,
Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba,
Graciela I. Sánchez, Lillian Stevens

• 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.

La Voz de Esperanza
is a publication of

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center
922 San Pedro, San Antonio,
TX 78212
210.228.0201
www.esperanzacenter.org
Inquiries/Articles can be sent to:
[email protected]

Articles due by the 8th of each month

Policy Statements

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

or articles in La Voz will be considered for

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

The Republican-Made
Trump Monstrosity

by Rogelio Sáenz

Gasp! Horror! Unthinkable! the Capitol, telling them to march down the street and take back
This is not our country! the election that was stolen from them.

Afterwards, as his own congressional supporters publicly called

The reactions of countless Republican senators and representatives for Trump to demand that his supporters stop the violence and

who were interviewed shortly after Donald Trump thugs stormed their occupation of the Capitol, he finally put together a clip telling

the Capitol, as Congress was beginning to count the electoral votes his supporters to return to their homes, that he knows how much

that would culminate in the marking of President-elect Joe Biden they are hurt because their landslide victory was stolen from them

as our nation’s 46th president. With little resistance from police, through fraud, that they should not be playing into the hands of evil

rioters marched into the Capitol and halted the count, with con- Democrats, and that he loves them. No words of condemnation and

gresspersons being no actions to carry

led to areas where out his presidential

they were sheltered. obligations to protect

One protestor was the U.S. Constitu-

shot and died after- tion. Many people

wards. Three others interviewed, including

died from “medical some Republicans,

emergencies,” accord- agreed that Trump had

ing to law enforce- not gone far enough to

ment. Complete chaos dissuade his followers

and disgust. from halting the vio-

Despite the lence and occupancy LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1

surprise that Repub- of the Capitol. The

licans expressed, National Guard and

they are responsible police departments

for the escalation of from surrounding

what many political states eventually made

critics saw com- their way to the Capi-

ing. Throughout his tol and it was some

presidency, Repub- time after the start of

licans have enabled the 6 p.m. curfew that

Trump and stood Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, DC Mayor Muriel
by him as he has 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/José Luis Magana) Bowser imposed, that
consistently engaged police authorities

in unpresidential and unethical behavior with impunity that led to slowly pushed back the rioters. No visible arrests made even though

his impeachment with Republicans blocking his removal. Even it was clear that many rioters were in violation of the curfew.

after Trump soundly lost to Biden in the November 3 presidential Contrast these actions to the aggressive police tactics and

election, Republicans stood firmly with him despite the lack of any Trump sending in forces to deal with protestors marching against

evidence —including official recounts and court decisions— hint- the killing of George Floyd. Recall that Trump regularly describes

ing that there was any fraud and that Trump’s so-called “landslide these protests as “massive violence in our cities throughout the

victory” was stolen from him. On the morning of the congressional country.” Compare what happened in the Capitol this afternoon

counting of electoral votes, there were still 13 senators and 89 rep- with the police fatal shootings of too many unarmed Blacks and

resentatives who indicated that they would object to the counting Latinos. The events today were reminiscent of white armed rioters

of the electoral votes due to fraud. who stormed into the Michigan State Capitol to protest Governor

One more time, Trump stoked the fire of hate and violence in Gretchen Whitmer’s shelter-in-place mandate earlier this summer.
his rabid supporters that he spoke to gathered across the street from
3
Continued on Page 5

Unraveling
Trump’s Scheme
to Steal the Election

by Julio Noboa Polanco

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1• EDITOR’S NOTE: This article written by Julio from his vantage than an hour in line to vote in person, whereas Black and Latinx
point in Costa Rica was submitted long before the events of January voters would take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours or more. All this
6th at the Capitol building and illustrate a clear trajectory ending in was done in conjunction with the historic and perennial gerry-
the violent insurrection that took place there. mandering and a myriad of other measures taken to disenfran-
chise minority voters since the Voting Rights Act was abrogated
It is quite common when faced with a complex situation with and the floodgates of voter suppression were opened again.
uncertain results for us to have a Plan B just in case our Plan A
doesn’t work. In the case of Trump and the Trumpers who sus- PLAN B Reverse the Results
tain his egomaniacal delusions, it has become clear to us now that
they did indeed have an entire alphabet of Plans to approach the Despite all the attempts at voter suppression, the Democratic
recent presidential election and win at all costs. candidate won by at least 7 million votes. Having lost the elec-
tion, we all witnessed the numerous failed attempts by the
The following is a brief overview of what the Trump Admin- Trumpers to reverse the results of a free and fair election. It was
istration and the GOP intended to do either as it occurred or as a difficult to keep track of at least 60 bogus court challenges that
carefully planned strategy. were spawned by the Trumpers, all without any merit, rejected
by courts in every state up to and including the Supreme Court
PLAN A Win the election of the land. Even when trusted GOP election officials with an
ounce of integrity and courage admitted defeat, among them
by whatever means necessary, using a variety of tactics. Some GOP attorneys general and even governors, the Trumpers
were very obvious like the blatant removal of mailboxes and sought to insult and disparage them as disloyal.
sorting machines to debilitate and destroy the efficacy of the The above two plans did not pan out for the Trumpers, but
US Postal Service. At the same time unleashing propaganda unfortunately for our nation and for our democracy, the follow-
questioning without evidence the validity of mail-in votes. They ing three plans thus far are in full gear and will infect our body
knew that Democratic and minority voters, would rely more on
mail-in ballots than most Republicans. Other blatantly obvious politic like a malignant cancer for decades to come. These are:
tactics was the deliberate and massive reduction of specific
polling places whereby a typical White voter would take less

Rioters carry a barricade up the steps in an
effort to force their way into an entrance to
the Senate side of the Capitol on January
6, 2021. Photo Credit: GreenPeace

4

PLAN C Discredit the Election Results cal adversaries. Beyond simply targeting their enemies with LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1
weapons of mass destruction in the hands of maniacs, these
This massive propaganda campaign is closely associated with a Thugs even plan such insurrectional activities as kidnapping
barrage of radical right-wing media spreading outright disin- the Democratic Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer and
formation featuring Q-Anon, Newsmax, and all the internet and holding her hostage for a trial of treason. The Michigan State
radio minions that echo chamber their incredible conspiracies. house was in fact closed down by the threats of these Thugs
That the election was stolen has now become a fundamental be- and nobody in the state administration even attempted to
lief of millions, as well as of the vast majority of Republican voters bring in the police or the national guard to protect the Electors
as reported in some opinion polls. The unmasked hundreds who who were to gather there and perform their democratic duty.
gather in DC and in cities throughout the nation tightly gripping All of this can be summarized as an attempt to utilize fascist
their signs and guns doggedly hold onto this fallacy which not ideology and tactics similar to those used by Hitler, Musso-
only threatens the legitimacy of the Biden-Harris victory and their lini, Franco, and Pinochet in the past and today by Duque of
entire administration, but also that of our own democracy. Colombia, Bolsonaro of Brazil and Duterte of the Philippines.
That Trump is an incorrigible sexist, racist and narcissist is
PLAN D Disinformation for Dollars indisputable but beyond his personal rot is the undeniable fact
that he and his enablers and supporters, however they present
While the mainstream media attention is focused on the en- themselves, are fascist by nature and intent. Beyond the many
tire election controversy as well as the pandemic vaccine and actions that reflect their fascist ideology, the very fact that their
related news, Trump is raising millions of dollars to help fuel his most despised enemy happens to be the openly anti-fascist,
blatant lies and disinformation from a variety of donors large Antifa Movement speaks volumes for who they really are.
and small. These funds can be used to pay down campaign
debts, court costs, or for his envisioned 2024 campaign. That As citizens of this republic we ignore or underestimate to our
there is an untapped potential for fund-raising among the own incalculable harm, the depth of political ignorance and de-
mass of bigots and ignoramuses in our nation was clearly evi- pravity that Trump and Trumpism has generated among millions
dent when the young Kenosha Killer easily raised the 2 million of Americans. It is a cancerous social disease that will infect our
for his bail. nation for decades to come. It will require a massive effort in
public re-education to bring millions back to a belief in science,
PLAN E Threats of Violence in reason, and in verifiable truth, if we are to avert a national
descent into division, distrust and decay.
The normalizing and energizing of a durable cadre of Thugs
who openly advocate violence against their perceived politi- BIO: Julio Noboa Polanco, former member of the Esperanza
board, is a retired freelance writer living in Costa Rica with his
wife, Elsa, also a former Esperanza boardmember.

Monstrosity not assembled to put down such force, again giving them leeway
Continued from Page 3 and the benefit of the doubt.

Ultimately, it is white supremacy that has al- While Republicans have defended and enabled Trump to carry
lowed Trump to refuse to acknowledge the fact out his dastardly deeds with impunity, not only have many of them
that Biden soundly defeated him and that has lost their integrity and soul —yes, Ted Cruz, you are one of these
given Trump impunity for his unethical and law- major figures— but they are sacrificing their own political party,
breaking behavior with Republicans refusing to as Trump himself stokes internal divisions. As an example, while
hold him accountable. Trump rioters took over the Capitol, Georgia —a traditional red
state— saw its voters elect two Democrats over Republicans in
It is also white supremacy that resulted in police officers runoff elections for the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, putting both
providing little resistance against white self-proclaimed “patri- the Senate and House under Democratic control. Mitch McConnell
ots” who took over the Michigan State Capitol and U.S. Capitol, will soon be the minority leader of the Senate.
but that led to a white police officer killing a 12-year-old Black
youth, Tamir Rice, who was playing with a pellet gun outside Republicans have created the Trump monstrosity. Although
of a recreational center in Cleveland. A mob of white rioters some are tiptoeing away from Trump now while many others are
is given leeway and accommodation, but zero tolerance for still firmly at his beck and call, all Republicans cannot feign open-
people of color, even a child. The suggestion that the police were mouthed surprise and disbelief about what happened today in the
outnumbered relative to the Trump mob is consistent with this Capitol. They bear responsibility. Many will eventually go down
view—even though Trump and his thugs loudly proclaimed that with Trump come re-election time. Was it worth it?
violence would take place, the appropriate level of authority was
BIO: Rogelio Sáenz is professor in the Department of Demog-

5raphy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is a regular

contributor to Latino Rebels.

Every vote counts

…..and not voting is a vote

by Kayla Miranda

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1• I remember the first election after my 18th birthday. It was Bush During the last city election in 2019, only 101k San Antonio
vs Kerry. With my voter registration card in hand, I stood in line residents voted for city elections. Our city is made up of 1.2 mil-
for 25 minutes in order to cast my vote. When I finished, I walked lion residents and there are 782k registered voters: about 13% of
back to my truck feeling like I was a part of something important. SA voted.
I had done my civic duty and I remember letting the pride of that
moment wash over me. Since then, I have cast my vote in every Mayor Ron Nirenberg won . . . . . . . by 2k votes
election with the knowledge that while my singular vote may not
be the deciding factor, it is part of the foundation to bring my D1 Trevino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 4k votes
chosen candidates closer to victory. Sometimes they won,
sometimes they lost. But the outcome was never a D2 Sullivan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by 200 votes
result of my inaction. I cast my ballot. 
D3 Viagran . . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 1k votes
In 1776, when the people of the colonies grew
tired of unjust taxes by the King, they created the D4 Gracia. . . . . . . . . . . . . .by about 600 votes
Declaration of Independence and started a revo-
lution. That revolution created our country. And D5 Gonzales . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 2k votes
while there are many things that need to change,
the fundamental sentiment of that Declara- D6 Havrda . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 1.5k votes
tion still rings true: “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that D7 Sandoval . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 4k votes
they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, D8 Pelaez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 3k votes
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to
secure these rights, Governments are instituted D9 Courage . . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 2k votes
among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed.” In simpler words, we, the D10 Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by about 6K votes
people, elect our officials to create a government for us.
We give them the power to be our voices. To decide our laws and These are incredibly small margins. We have the
policies. And what WE GIVE, WE can take away.  ability to make real change in this city. But only if
we stand up and take it. 
The 2020 presidential election was historic. Never had so
many people cast their ballots. Never had any candidate received  When I look at candidates, I do as much research
so many votes. And NEVER had any U.S. President behaved so as possible. I select my ballot choices based on who I
ungracefully. What has occurred since is an embarrassment for believe will make decisions close to what I would decide
all and a slap in the face of democracy. The riot in the capital on if I was in the position—people with similar beliefs and
January 6, 2021 was nothing short of an act of treason and a bitter policies, that align with my needs. I am in District 5. We have the
man’s attempt at becoming a dictator. If you take anything away most essential workers, the highest COVID numbers, the lowest
from this election, it;s that every single vote counts. If you chose income individuals and the most vulnerable population. I don’t
to stay silent, if you chose to allow others to decide for you, then want an outsider who recently moved here to be my champion in
you’re just as guilty as those who put people like President Trump city council. I want someone who grew up here, shares not only
in power. By not voting, you are casting a vote.  my values, but my struggles—someone I will see in the neighbor-
hood or at the grocery store, someone I can talk to that wont be
Presidential elections are not the only elections. In five short dismissive or inaccessible, someone that knows what it’s like to
months on May 1, 2021, San Antonio holds its mayoral election. live, struggle and thrive in Distrive 5. The only candidate that fits
We as a city, as puro San Antonio residents, have the opportunity that criteria for me is Teri Castillo. She has fought by my side for
to choose our local officials. If you think this has no effect on housing justice. She was a teacher at Lanier, she is active in the
you, you’re sorely mistaken. Everything you see in the city is community, and a passionate advocate for the people of D5. When
covered by at least one department—from roads to parks, schools you look at your ballot, I hope you find the candidate that best
to stores, homes or apartments. For example, the zoning com- suits you and your community. Not the richest people or those with
mission has the power to change the lot your local grocery store personal ambitions, but people just like you. 
is on into a multi-family lot and developers can then build a 4 I have so much hope for this coming year. After all the hard-
story apartment complex. Every decision on a city level is made ship that 2020 brought us, it is time to recover, recoup, heal from
eventually by the city council after going through several other our wounds. The only way to do that is to be sure that the people
we give our voices to share our ideals. We need to show up in mass
6 departments. It is just as important as who is our president. Let to our local election like we did for our presidential election. Let’s
me show you just how close the numbers are.  show the city that we will be heard.

BIO: Kayla Miranda, a housing justice advocate organizing in the
Westside of San Antonio resides at the Alazan/Apache Courts.

NOTE: The Esperanza does not endorse candidates. Candidate pref-
erences stated in this article are the author’s own opinion.

 and if I am brave I will

 why can’t you just let me do this go through transitions to the running of waters
in my own wasteful and wicked way
bring the trash to the mailbox in a whirl of self-absorption the innate soul of each creature.
chuck the mail into the garbage bin
work counter clockwise it is i  
and forget to do first things first
  it is i i fancy a champagne
this is me don’t you see
who sows seeds in late spring it is i a fizzle

indoors try without the fuss
germinates for canteloupe and acorn
to do the right thing of knowing which way
squash
just when i’ve got and i do, the cork grows
a million other things
tasks here at the wrong times and i follow the tail of laughter
and tasks everywhere
there is not a moment of peace this talent is not one of mine god has given me
time
to consider wars with irak   to pop your way
and the bin laden ghosts
of terror is what everyone i, to tell the truth, this is the old i have buried
wants to get rid of
and we sit here in the doing of spirit of the original
lesser or higher
susan
meaning
  work sanna
that in the circum-essential world to be
we are placed here, ants on the globe the susanna
to do the artist  
small acts of great intention
that is me for the in a world where i LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1
not the writer of exquiste scientifics life of me, have but a small portion of
nor novels which change importance
the world or any and write
thing without a worry i can think of no other way
chat at the wrong times on the phone
turn at the wrong exit signs books and poems to be important

in no hurry except to

to mean act

absolutes because you are so
important to me
  universe, earth
people, innocents
my drive is to dream sons and daughters
on the road of fathers and mothers
long lost friends
a new path

up to mama’s
mountain

nest with the unknown, near ones

come  home dear ones

closer to the body of me i open for all

and listen, birds in a cage.

listen —Susan Morales Guerra

quietly Background photo: Maridalsvannet water 7
reservoir in in Maridalen, Oslo, Norway

Mary “Nickie” Valdez—

September 10, 1940 –

“The passion [for activism] is the passion annual International Women’s Day March that began in the 90s in
– you’re either in it or not.” —Nickie Valdez
San Antonio and have now taken place for 30 years with Nickie

and her partner Deb being part of it early on.

Such were At the national level, Nickie joined in the work of the

the words National Organization of Women and became involved with

that Nickie local LGBTQ organizations connected to work at the national

spoke in de- level like HRCF. An early experience that taught

scribing her Nicky the power of bridging communities oc-

dedication to curred when the conference, A Sense of Belong-

her work as ing, took place in San Antonio in 1976

an LGBTQ bringing such notables from the gay

activist in the lesbian community as Morris Kike,

San Antonio Del Martin (Daughters of Bilitis), and

community Rep. Elaine Noble (the first openly gay

and in her person elected to statewide office as a

pursuit of representative in the Massachusetts

acceptance General Assembly). The confer-

and equal- ence was to take place at the

Nickie and Deb at an early International Woman’s ity in the Oak Hills Country Club,
Day March in San Antonio. Catholic Church
but at the last minute the

through her work with Dignity USA and Dignity San Antonio that doctors asked that it not be held

never waned despite repeated rejections by the faith community there. Consequently, the Ella

and innumerable clergy. Nickie prevailed winning over clergy, Austin Community Center

institutions and multiple communities in her fight for social and opened its doors for the con-

spiritual justice. ference. Time and again, the

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1• Nickie was in her early 20s when she was carted off down- LGBTQ community would Lifetime Activist Award
come up against resistance in presented to Nickie in
town and put in jail for being a lesbian. The SAPD vice-squad their efforts to come togeth- 2007 for Esperanza’s
er but they were welcomed 20th anniversary made
regularly raided gay bars with paddy wagons arriving to round elsewhere, often by people by MujerArtes.

up men and women who were then separated and carted off to

jail charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. If you had a civil of color communities.

service job—at Kelly, for example—you could wind up losing By the 90s, LGBTQ orgniza-

your job for simply being at a gay bar. These experiences began tions abound in San Antonio and

Nickie’s trajectory as an LGBTQ activist. Nickie found herself involved

Nickie realized early that her life’s work was to fight for with groups such as SALGO (San

social justice and civil rights in the name of her community—the Antonio Lesbian Gay Organiza-

LGBTQ community. The fight to validate LGBTQ people led her tion) which focused on social awareness and education

to fight to change laws such as the sodomy laws of Texas (21.06) and then, later SALGA (San Antonio Lesbian Gay

that would take decades to change. Assembly) that existed from 1990 to 1998. SALGA

Nickie’s first experiences in organizing were focused on doing was organized to bring together lesbian and gay

work with the Gay Switchboard and the Free Clinic in the early organizations, businesses, and individuals and

1970s. Her earliest grassroots activism found her involved in the defend the human and civil

first gay march in 1976 downtown at rights of the LGBTQ com-

Travis Park. About fifty people showed munity. Nickie was also the first chair

up and marched up Presa to Commerce of the San Antonio Equal Rights Political

to Hemisfair Plaza. People on the streets Caucus, later known as the Stonewall

were surprised. Some stared, others ap- Democrats. And, Nickie was also part of

plauded. A few joined in. In the end up the Esperanza Center since its inception

to 75 folks gathered for that rally. A few in 1987. In all of the LGBTQ docu-

anti-gay folks threw eggs close to Alamo mented archives (many of which are at

Plaza. That March would set the stage Nickie and her lifelong partner and wife, Deb Meyers
who celebrated life together for over 35 years.
8 for many marches to come including the

—¡Siempre, Presente!

– December 25, 2020

UTSA), Nickie Valdez’s name figures prominently. was to help
Through the years as attitudes changed, Nickie’s activism
people recog-
became more focused on civil and domestic rights—issues that
Nickie advocated for that included marriage equality. She and nize that they

Deb Myers, her life partner obtained a marriage were created
license at the Bexar County Courthouse in June
in the image
2015. Valdez and Myers had met through Dig-
nity in 1985 and were joined in a holy union and likeness of
in 1989. Finally, in 2015 they were legally
married. Nicky noted then that with part- God, and God
ner benefits, health insurance, adoption
rights, inheritance rights and many other loved them
such issues remaining unresolved for the
LGBTQ community that “We are not yet just as they are
in a safe space and need to continue working
on things.” created.” As a
Nicky’s life’s work has been grassroots
activism—getting together in kitchens result of her te-
to write letters, participating in marches,
demonstrations and getting attention nacity, Nickie
for issues at hand. She considers
herself one of the lucky ones who celebrated Nickie and Deb together with friends at the Esperanza’s
didn’t get burned out—but, her Dignity San anniversary celebration.
true passion was as Co-founder Antonio’s 40th
and president of Dignity San
Antonio. She reached out to anniversary after being outsted from St.Ann’s Catholic Church
gay Catholics about God’s
Word as early as the mid- when Bishop Flores was no longer in charge. Dignity celebrated
1960s, a few years before the
national DignityUSA organiza- their 40th at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, one of many non-Cath-
tion formed in 1969. A lifelong
Catholic, Valdez helped establish olic venues that gave refuge to Dignity SA through the years.
the Dignity San Antonio chapter
in 1976. At her passing, Nickie’s tenacity won out. Her remains were
In her lifelong quest to find a
place to worship as out LGBTQ processed out of the Oblate Chapel where her Celebration of

people in the Catholic Church, Nickie and her Life was held. Three priests co-celebrated the mass which is the
partner, Deb ran up against roadblocks time and
again. Going from one Catholic student center soul of the Catholic faith —something she never allowed anyone
to another and from one church to another and
from community space to community space to take from her. Her passing was also noted on a national level,
they settled in until
not only by Dignity USA but also in an extensive article in the
someone would come
along and demand their outster. National Catholic Reporter.

Still, Nickie held fast to her spiritual In San Antonio, Nickie was honored time and again in recent LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1
quest and her belief in being accepted
by the Catholic Church saying, Dignity years, most notably as San Antonio’s Peace Laureate in January
is my heart and my soul. Rejection and
expulsion did not deter Nickie from her 2019, an honor bestowed by the peaceCENTER. She shared the
mission to be accepted as a whole hu-
man being in the Catholic Church. Her honor with Rebecca Flores, former state director of the UFW and
partner, Deb, recalled, “Her whole call
Patricia S. Castillo of the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative. In 2007, the Espe-

ranza Peace and Justice Center recognized Nickie for a lifetime

of activism in the LGBTQ community as part of Esperanza’s 20th

anniversary celebration. She was to live life another 14 years add-

ing to her lifetime of activism.

Nickie was preceded in death by her 16-year-old son, Robert

Nicklaus Valdez Minor, a Central Catholic High School student

who was killed by a drunken driver in 1988. She leaves behind

her beloved Deb, her family and many, many friends and allies

who will keep her spirit of love and generosity alive.

The Esperanza staff, board and Buena
Gente extend our deepest condolences to
all who loved Nickie and hold her in high
esteem. Nickie Valdez, Rest in Power!
Donations to Dignity USA in memory of
Nickie can be made at: dignityusa.org/
content/ways-give or mail to: DignityU-
SA, PO Box 376, Medford MA 02155.

QEPD/RIP

92019 San Antonio Peace Laureates included Nickie

Valdez of Dignity (center), Rebecca Flores of the UFW
(left) and Patricia Castillo of the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative.

Mi vida como inmigrante

de Venezuela a Perú

por Yoania 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yoania’s story is a rare look at an immigrant siempre
woman’s experience as she travels from her home in Venezuela tratando
throughout Latin America looking for work to sustain her family at de ahor-
home. She settles in Peru finding work washing dishes in a factory rar dinero
cafeteria ultimately working as a cashier/manager while selling cof- en todo.
fee and chocolate in the streets at night. The people she meets along Llegamos a
the way respresent the best and worst of humanity, but she strives to la frontera de
be at her best knowing that she represents her beloved country. Ecuador (largas
filas) y allí estuvi-
Salir y dejar a mi familia no fue nada fácil, Mi nombre es Yoania mos como 2 horas para
sellar pasaporte. 
y tengo 39 años. Soy Venezolana y casada, madre de dos hijos.
Al entrar a Ecuador, nos dividimos en varios grupos porque
Tuve 36 años viviendo en mi país: 20 años casada, nunca trabajé, allí teníamos que tomar un vehículo para 4 personas llevándonos
al terminal de Quito donde salían los buses hasta Tacna, Perú.
sólo me dediqué al hogar como ama de casa. Tomé la iniciativa Llegamos al terminal de Quito y allí pagábamos para utilizar el
baño. En el mismo grupo había una chica,Venus, viajando sola
de salir de mi país para ayudar a mi familia económicamente ya y nos comunica a ver si ella podía quedarse con mi amiga y yo.
Decidimos aceptarla. Ahora eramos tres chicas juntas rumbo a
que la situación cada vez estaba más difícil—antes, con el sueldo Tacna. Alli tuvimos que comprar otro pasaje para Lima (capital
de Perú)—un recorrido de aproximado 2 días. Llegamos a Perú
de mi esposo nos alcanzaba para costear todos los gastos aparte de noche y nos hospedamos en un hostal—las tres en una sola
habitación (tratando de ahorrar lo más posible). En esa hostal
de darnos pequeños lujos (restaurantes, ropas y otras cosas). Un estábamos en la habitación y una de las chicas dice que va a

día mi esposo me comunica que se quiere retirar de su trabajo ducharse primero
y cuando entra a
para irse a otro país y de allí enviarnos dinero porque ya su la ducha ve a la
ventana y había un
sueldo no alcanzaba para mucho. Aterrada por su decision, con- hombre espiándola.
Ella grita y salimos
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1• versando, yo le propongo que por qué no irme yo—ya que si el todas y nos dimos
cuenta de que era el
se retira contamos con ese sueldo. Le dije mejor yo me voy—así conserje el que nos
espiaba (nuestra
sigues trabajando y mientras que yo consiga trabajo estamos algo primera experiencia
fatal). Salimos con
tranquilos porque nuestras maletas
e insultamos al
tienes tu sueldo, y conserje el que
negó todo. Nos
así fué. Me costó fuimos a otro hostal
y alli nos quedamos
mucho la decisión, hasta que amaneció. Caminamos todo el dia y al final de la tarde
conseguimos una habitación muy humilde donde había un solo
súper asustada y baño para 9 personas. La habitación era de pared madera, techo
de zinc y una sola cama chica. Nos tocó dormir algunas noches en
nerviosa tomé ese el piso solo con cartones y unas sábanas delgadas. Yo pasé mucho

riesgo y emprendí

mi viaje con una

amiga .

Salimos a vivir

nuestra historia el

día 27 de abril de

2017. Viajamos

5 días por tierra:

tomamos un bus

de Caracas para

Mérida y de Mérida Yoania con sus dos hijos/Yoania with her two children.
uno directo a la

frontera con Colombia (sin hacer paradas). Ahí firmé pasaporte

de allí y tomé un bus hasta Ecuador. Todos los que íbamos en el

bus eramos venezolanos de diferentes ciudades—reíamos, nos

apoyabamos con comida, en el bus dormíamos, utilizábamos el

10 baño y se hicieron algunas paradas donde aprovechamos de hacer
nuestras necesidades, ducharnos algo y comer algo mejor, pero

frío. Estuve deprimida algunos días pero siempre con la energía Es fácil y se que lo harás bien pero entrarás a las 7 a.m. y luego

de que lo estaba haciendo era para mi familia, luchando por ellos, te vienes acá a las 11 a.m. No quiero a otra persona acá—te

y así lo hice. Me tocó vender en la calle, en los semáforos y nunca quiero a ti. Le digo—Acepto, pero si en una semana yo no logro

me sentí avergonzada y a pesar de que no estaba acostumbrada a aprender busca a otra chica. Me dice, Ok. Al día siguiente fui

esa vida, fué una experiencia muy diferente. Conocí la realidad de a la planta de comida (eran como 7 peruanos chef, ayudantes de

la vida, pero también conocí buenas personas trabajando allí. cocina y cada uno tenía su puesto asignado). La chica que iba a

Un día una chica venezolana que conocí me habló de un tomar las vacaciones, más joven que yo, pero cariñosa, me ex-

trabajo y me dice que era para repartir cómida y lavar platos en plicó todo y se puso a la orden para todo. Cuando veo bajan varios

un comedor de obreros. Sin pensarlo lo hice. Fuí a mi entrevista chicos (4) todos venezolanos que vivían allí y ya al verlos me

y me contrataron a prueba. Servía comida, lavaba platos y me sentí más a gusto. Al siguiente día me tocó hacer mi trabajo como

toco limpiar el sitio de trabajo. Nunca me sentí avergonzada de encargada de esa planta. Lo tuve que hacer sola ya que la chica

hacerlo, a pesar de que estaba acostumbrada a otra vida distinta. no volvió mas. Esto fué un gran reto para mi. Fué una experiencia

Los hombres en diferente día a dia y me

todos lados me decían hice amigos de todos.

muchas cosas (piropos, Así cambió el ambiente

picada de ojos, invitar a de trabajo y bueno me

salir) pero yo no estaba quedé como encar-

en esa de buscar hom- gada por varios meses

bres—solo fuí en este ya que la chica no quiso

viaje a trabajar por mi regresar porque estaba

familia. El mismo día embarazada. Yo asumí el

de prueba la encargada cargo y aparte iba para

del comedor (Peruana) algunas obras a cobrar.

me dice que pasé la Me gané al personal de

prueba y ahora tenia trabajo tanto peruanos

que ir a otro lado (otra como venezolanos, allí

obra). Conversamos hice mi familia. En la

sobre el pago, horarios calle vendí café, choco-

y me dió la dirección. late caliente y me tocó

Al dia siguiente, bien afrontar y aguantar ese

temprano, me fui al Yoania con sus compañeros de trabajo en Peru./Yoania with her coworkers in Peru. mundo, aprendí de todo

lugar indicado, con el un mundo muy diferente a

horario de 11 a.m. a 4 p.m. Sólo fue repartir comida y luego lavar lo acostumbrado para mi. Gente buena y otra no tanto. Yo siempre

y dejar todo limpio. Al llegar estaba la encargada y me entregó la me porté con humildad. Quería dejar nuestro país (Venezuela) en

vestimenta de seguridad y me indicó que debía bajar 6 pisos para alto, vengas de donde vengas. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1

llegar al sótano donde habían hombres de todos colores, tamaños, Tambien, tuve experiencias con la chica que se unió con

aspectos. nosotras. Quedé viviendo con ella y le brinde mi confianza pero

Mis compañeros, dos chicos peruanos de entre 23 y 20 años, la final un día yo salí a trabajar y al regresar una mala sorpresa:

me vieron con cara de enemigo pero yo los saludé normal. Para La chica me robó el dinero que tenía ahorrado. La otra chica

mi asombro me dice la encargada—hoy tu harás cobro. Me sentí que había viajado conmigo se enamoró y se fue con su enamo-

impactada y nerviosa al ver las largas filas de hombres deses- rado. Gracias a Dios que tenía varias amistades peruanas que me

perados por comer con gritos y habladurias por todos lados. Muy ayudaron con dinero. Entonces decidí emprender otro rumbo y

nerviosa acepté ese reto. La chiquilla peruana me veía como conocer a otro país… Chile. Pero, ese es otro cuento.

que me quería matar porque me dieron su puesto de trabajo. No me comunicaba mucho con mi familia y amistades por lo

GRACIAS A DIOS PORQUE SOLO LE DOY GRACIAS A cual decidí día a día enviarles una imagen para al menos dar-

EL. Mi trabajo de ese dia salió excelente. Cuando terminamos les de entender que los tenía presentes, no quería preocuparlos

me enseñaron como cerrar y cuadrar el día y todo salió chévere! contándoles como me sentía, ya era sufiente con la situación que

Entonces la encargada me dijo—los chicos limpian todo, tu pasaban en sus vidas.

trabajo de ahora en adelante será solo cobrar… Mi primer día Decidí arriesgarlo todo por algo mejor para mi familia y esta

allí me dieron una laptop y 385 mil soles y me dijieron—mañana experiencia me enseñó a valorar más la vida, mi familia, las per-

regresas a esta misma hora. Llegaba a casa tipo 5 de la tarde y de sonas, las amistades. Lo material solo es material. La vida es her-

alli salía por la noche con la chica que vivía con nosotras a vender mosa—vivela y disfruta cada instante. Me siento valiente, guer-

café. Pasaban los dias, y poco a poco me gané a mis compañeros rera, luchadora, en todo terreno. Esta experiencia me hizo ser más

de trabajo e hicimos un buen equipo. humana y agradecida de cada persona que me brindó apoyo y

Pasado 15 días al fin un día de sábado que me tocaba ir a hacer ayuda en Perú—país con una cultura muy diferente a la mía, pero

la cobranza a la obra conocí a mi jefe. Me saluda y le doy el pago somos todos de la misma especie. No esperes que te lo cuenten y

y me dice—la encargada de la planta de comida se va de vaca- vive tu misma experiencia como una inmigrante, Recuerda que

ciones y yo quiero que tu la reemplaces esos días. Yo, asombrada, pase lo que pase siempre deja el nombre de tu país en alto. Con

le digo—Yo no sé nada de comida peruana y menos encargarme humildad siempre conseguirás cosas buenas y maravillosas. Esta

11de un comedor. No tengo conocimiento de eso. Ella me contesta— es una pequeña historia de mi vida como inmigrante.

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1•Esperanza Tiendita

Order Online

www.tiendita.esperanzacenter.org

then pick up at the
Esperanza Peace & Justice Center
922 San Pedro Avenue
Or call 210-228-0201
for an appointment to visit and shop for:

• T-Shirts, Books & CDs
• Jewelry (Feather, Filigree, Chakira)
• Zapotec Rugs
• Traditional Mexican Apparel

(rebozos, huipiles, blouses, woolens)

• Clay Arts (by Enedina Vásquez, Irene

Aguilar & Esperanza’s MujerArtes)

• Vintage Collections of Latin

American apparel & folk art

12

Luz at Midnight

by Marisol Cortez

Joel Takes a Node Tour, an excerpt

Headed out of the coastward-sloping sealands and back up toward the city again, they Cover art by David Zamora Casas LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1
stop at a Buc-ees nestled in the armpit of a highway on-ramp. While Sister Soledad runs
to the restroom, Joel stands in the middle of the store’s long rectangular space, in a place Climate change, love and
where Sister can’t possibly miss him, feeling lost with notebook and pen in hand. What a borderlands politics converge in Luz
waste of space, he thinks at first, before realizing the architectural design is intentional, as at Midnight, a new novel by Marisol
all design must be: it is a space meant to be filled with people. People in camo, shorts, and Cortez that tells a climate change
flipflops; people in t-shirts with funny slogans—Check Meowt, reads one, below a cool cat story unique to South Texas--belly
in sunglasses. An Indian family pulled by a white poodle on a leash. Rural youth with Skril- of the beast for boom and bust
lex undercuts and trans flag patches on their backpacks, some of whom will leave for the extraction—challenging regional
city and some who will stay. People passing through and people who live there. People to histories of environmental injustice
fill a perimeter lined with foam coolers stacked beneath taxidermied deer heads arranged to while weaving a universal story of
look like they are fighting antler to antler; with bagged road snacks weighing many pounds; love and longing.
with peanut butter fudge and Dippin’ Dots, kolaches and tacos, piles of smoked meat and
sausage, belts and belt buckles, pyramid displays of pickled okra and quail eggs. Monster Deeply embedded in the
soda fountains with 20 selections and a rainbow of flavor additives. It is amazing—incred- landscapes of South Texas, Luz
ible, in the sly double sense Sister had captured in her comments about the flows of money at Midnight tells the story of an
moving through the sealands of South Texas. Would I miss this at all? he wonders, imagi ill-timed love that unfolds in the
ing the collapse of civilization he has always assumed was imminent and inevitable. time of climate change. A genre-
hopping narrative that layers story
Back in the car once more, he feels exhausted from hard listening and careful response, with reporting, poetry, scholarship,
from shooting photos and taking notes. Beside him Sister chats on, but Joel’s attention and teatro, Luz ultimately questions
drifts. Out the window, lightning flickers within a gathering of thunderheads miles away, the nature of desire and power,
off in the distance some place where it may rain. He thinks of an interview he read not long asking: What throws us into the
before, with a clean tech capitalist interested in harnessing lightning power: a “lightning path of those we love, and what
farmer,” he called himself. A T. Boone Pickens kind of cat, a self-made West Texas entre- pulls us apart? What agency powers
preneur interested more in opportunities to be taken, markets to be cornered, than in ecolo- the universe—and do we have
gy as permanent economy. Anyway, who wanted permanent economy when you could have any agency of our own to create
volatility, when you knew how to surf the booms and busts of the Pecos desert with the best a different world from the one
of em? Heaven’s Plenty: that was the name of his start up. This guy was a born-again too. powerful others have planned for us?

Apparently, previous attempts to harvest lightning had all proved ill-conceived. Ap- Released in December 2020,
parently, thunderstorms were as powerful as atomic bombs, and strokes of lightning so Luz represents the first foray into
hot they could melt sand into hollow glass channels where they struck the ground. Appar- fiction (Cli-Fi) by FlowerSong Press,
ently, the intense heat, light, and voltage of a single stroke of lightning was so powerful it already recognized throughout the
could—at least theoretically—re-engineer matter at the atomic level, scrambling electrons U.S. Southwest for publishing the
so as to instantaneously form and reform reality. A carrot into a unicycle: poof! Heat and best in borderlands poetry. Go to
light into electricity and possibly into dollars, just maybe, plz? flowersongpress.com

But all that heat and light had proved difficult to capture. Earlier schemes had attempted the 13
obvious, constructing towers, industrial lightning rods essentially, which shunted energy away
to a storage device. Yet the ax of Tlaloc had proved too wily and unpredictable to be channeled
efficiently. Not only that, but by the time lightning struck ground there was little usable energy
to be captured. You’d have to construct dozens of towers to power a few lightbulbs for a year.

What this guy was doing with his vast oil and gas wealth, then, was piloting a method
for harvesting power in the clouds, before lightning touched ground. Cashing out his big
coal for big renewables. He had engineered a special balloon for it, a drone you could
launch during thunderstorms. He was also working with the UT Permian Basin Department
of Meteorology to devise a program that could predict the formation of rare, especially
powerful kinds of lightning, like the elusive positive lightning which seemed to strike out
of the blue, forming not from the bottom of a thunderhead but from its positively-charged
cloud top, traveling horizontally for long distances before striking the ground. Because
this bolt traveled so far before flashing, it accumulated huge amounts of voltage. The trick
was to collect not upon striking but right before. It wasn’t guesswork, it was science. All it

Continued on Next Page

Luz at Midnight BIO: Rooted in San Antonio, Marisol Cortez walks
Continued from Previous Page between artistic, activist, and academic worlds as a
writer, editor, and community scholar. She is also the
required for success was enough time and money. author of I Call on the Earth (Double Drop Press,
Joel likes the eccentric ones. This guy, and the scientist from Japan ev- 2019), about the displacement of the Mission Trails
Mobile Home Community and is co-editor of Decel-
eryone had been talking about a few years back, who had experimented with eration (deceleration.news) Contact: mcortez.net.
water and demonstrated that emotions could shape the fate of water molecules.
Love and gratitude caused it to freeze in perfect formation. Anger and heavy
metal music created distorted, asymmetrical flakes. There was the guy who had
mailed him a letter at the Volt office the other week, about a device he’d invent-
ed that converted atmospheric pressure directly into electricity—no fuel at all!
He’d taped that one above his desk at work. I KNOW for a fact my machine
does NOT violate any of the laws of physics and I Can prove that in Court!

And then there was this node business. Moving tons of earth to uncover
ancient moon rocks and distill their metals chemically, to process pure ores
into the promise of carbon-free electrons. The dream of all work and no
waste. Tlaloc’s fertile rains without his killing floods.

Yeah, you couldn’t make shit like that up. As Sister drives on still pointing
and talking, he gathers it all in his head like a snowball, rolling and patting it
into shape, into story.

Goddess Moment Hablando de Amor

This single mother of seven Te Quiero
wets the corn-flour, works it into a ball,
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1• pats it flat and round, ¿Cómo te quiero?
lays it on the hot and ready griddle, Como a los nopales de San
flips it with bare fingertips,
one after the other, Luis Potosí.
heaps them onto a warmed plate, ¿Cuanto te quiero?
and offers them to us. Como hay fresas en

—Tom Keene and Muse Guanajuato.
¿Desde cuando te quiero?
Desde que cosechan aguacates en Uruapan.
¿Hasta cuando te quiero?
Hasta que se acaben los pinche charales de Janitzio.
¿Porqué te quiero?
Porque me dejas fumar mi puro en la cama.

— Cervando Martínez

Mi mujer es un mamey?

Mis amigos del Caribe y otras partes de America Latina
me han dicho que mi mujer es muy Hermosa,

“como un mamey” he oido.

Pero yo, no siendo del Caribe o de la Zona tropical no he
conocido muchos mameyes en mi vida.

Por eso, yo la consider como algo mas conocido a mi. Mi

14 mujer para mi es un mango.
— Cervando Martínez

Notas Y Más Give an end-of-year
tax deductible gift
February 2021
Give to the Esperanza in spirit of solidarity so
Community meetings and art events are currently on hold due we can continue to speak out, organize and
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Check websites, FB or fight for our communities for another 30 Years.
call 210-228-0201 for virtual meetings and arts programming Your support is needed NOW more than ever!
each month. www.esperanzacenter.org
Thank you for your gifts!
Toma Mi Corazón XXIX Send donations to Esperanza

La Peña’s 29th Annual Fundraiser Esperanza Peace
Saturday, February 13, 2021 And Justice Center

La Peña’s annual event features a virtual 922 San Pedro Avenue
silent auction of artful hearts and art San Antonio, Tx 78212
created by artists, youth and community.
To sign up as a monthly donor,
Create an account now at Parrot Resting Call 210.228.0201 or
www.32auctions.com/users/new by Anna Marie
to bid on the hearts. There will be Sánchez Varela email: fundraising @esperanzacenter.org
no on-site bidding.
Corazón sin Fronteras Visit www.esperanzacenter.org/donate
Preview hearts by Amado M. Peña, Jr. for online giving options.
February 1-12
before the auction date ¡Mil Gracias!
while observing Covid-19
protocols by wearing a mask
and keeping social distance.

La Peña Gallery hours are M-F, 8am-5pm | Sat. 8am-3pm
227 Congress Avenue, Austin TX | www.lapena-austin.org

Did you miss an Adan Medrano’s LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1
Esperanza event? “Don’t Count the Tortillas!”

Noche Azul Villancicos y June 19, 2020
Canciones Decembrinas
15
Visit Esperanza’s video Dec 26, 2020
archive at:

youTube.com/
EsperanzaCenter

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • February 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 1

Noche Azul Radio Esperanza – San Antonio
in Casa Sessions
96.5 KEPJ-LPFM-San Antonio

is dedicated to providing social justice organizing and
community expression. Radio Esperanza is a platform
for local news, music, podcasts, and programs produced
and presented by women, people of color, the LGBTQ

community, the working class and the poor.

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

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

Check
www.esperanzacenter.org and
FaceBook.com/esperanzacenter
for Upcoming Concerts

Truly Texas Mexican, a video documentary

by Adan Medrano

In his new documentary, Truly Texas Mexican, tacos, femi-
nism, and cultural resistance, Adán Medrano traces the food
heritage of the Texas-Mexico borderlands filming in mu-
jeres’ kitchens from the Rio Grande Valley up to San Anto-
nio exposing a centuries old cooking legacy that lives in
the comida casera of Tex Mex cooking.

Inspired by Medrano’s book, Truly Texas Mexican,
A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes (2014), the film will
premiere on March 1st and will air on some PBS stations.

Medrano visited the Esperanza in June 2019 with a plática
and demonstration for his book, Don’t Count the Tortillas!
For more check: trulytexasmexican.com. To support the
making of this film go to Go Fund Me at: tiny.cc/truly-tex