April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3 San Antonio, TejasJesse Louis Jackson Sr.Oct. 8, 1941 —Feb. 17, 2026¡Presente!
La Voz deEsperanzaApril 2026Vol. 39 Issue 3Editor: Gloria A. RamírezLayout: Elizandro CarringtonCover photo: Library of CongressContributorsDean Baker (Common Dreams), Tarcisio Beal, Mary Solano Cabral, Julia Conley (Common Dreams), Eve Ensler, Anel I. Flores, Susan M. Guerra, Julia Neumann (TAZ), Teresa Gutierrez, Barack Obama, Susan Strawn Esperanza DirectorGraciela I. SánchezEsperanza StaffSherry Campos, Arabella Chávez, Elizandro Carrington, Kayla Miranda,Nonye Okoye, René Saenz, Imane Saliba, Susana Segura, Rosa VegaConjunto de Nepantleras—Esperanza Board of Directors—Rachel Jennings, Marivel Dávil, Dennise Frausto, Amy Kastely, Sylvia Mendoza, Ana Lucía Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, Rudy Rosales, Lilliana Saldaña, Nadine Saliba, Graciela I. Sánchez• 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 Esperanza Peace & Justice Center922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.orgInquiries/Articles can be sent to:[email protected] due by the 8th of each monthPolicy 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 publication. Letters with intent to slander individuals or groups will not be published.Weary I wonder how I would hold upwould I hold up whennews of the next bomb,of others hating me, my children my grandparents and parentsmy language, my rice and spicethe way I dance and laughthe news of bombs againthe news of fires, burnt skinof my friends, even the best onesthe news of bombs again and again,again loud, explosive flesh of my neighborand her dog, her goat, the roosterdisappeared, the rabbit without legs, earsno one can hear the bomb, the next one and the next one, deafness still does not promise silencecries are amplifiedthe scream of the next one, the next oneeach day is no promise, no promise no promise that this and any war will stopthe warring does not stop, the promise of peace, unfinished, keeps returning returns to aid our breathing,cures nothing, does nothing leaves nothing but a memoryof a time, a vision to live without war.—Smguerra 2026EDITOR’S NOTE: La Voz de Esperanza continues to exist because buena gente, like you, care about what is happening around us here in San Antonio and throughout the world. Your thoughts and words matter—and if you care to share, write to [email protected] Together we can make this a better world. BIO: Susan M. Guerra from San Antonio, Texas is a co-founder of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. She now resides in Norway and continues her activism for justice and peace as consultant, writer and facilitator for NGOs and Municipalities.2VOZ VISION STATEMENT: La Voz de Esperanza speaks for many individual, progressive voices who are gente-based, multi-visioned and milagro-bound. We are diverse survivors of materialism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, classism, violence, earth-damage, speciesism and cultural and political oppression. We are recapturing the powers of alliance, activism and healthy conflict in order to achieve interdependent economic/spiritual healing and fuerza. La Voz is a resource for peace, justice, and human rights, providing a forum for criticism, information, education, humor and other creative works. La Voz provokes bold actions in response to local and global problems, with the knowledge that the many risks we take for the earth, our body, and the dignity of all people will result in profound change for the seven generations to come.ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it to [email protected]. If you want to be removed from the La Voz mailing list, for whatever reason, please let us know. La Voz is provided as a courtesy to people on the mailing list of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. The subscription rate is $35 per year ($100 for institutions). The cost of producing and mailing La Voz has 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. -GARLA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•Mourners gather on March 3, 2026 for the funerals of some of about 175 people—mostly schoolchildren—killed in a February 28, 2026 U.S. Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran. Photo: Getty Images. www.commondreams.org/news/kennedy-iran-school-massacre
Honoring Jesse Jackson, Who Helped Create the America Trump Wants to DestroyBy Dean BakerFeb 18, 2026 - Beat the Press, reprinted in Common DreamsJackson’s “rainbow coalition” helped open the doors for Blacks, Hispanics, Arab and Muslim Americans, and the LGBTQ community while sharing a powerful populist economic message at the height of Reaganism. It would be hard to overstate Jesse Jackson’s importance in opening up American politics and society, not just to Black Americans, but also to Hispanics, and the LGTBQ community. It is probably difficult for younger people to imagine, and even old-timers like myself to remember, how bad discrimination was in the not very distant past.When Jackson ran the first time in 1984, and even the second time in 1988, there was not a single Black governor in the United States. There had been no Black governors since the end of Reconstruction. There were also no Black senators.The only Black person to serve in the Senate since Reconstruction was a Republican, Edward Brooke, who was elected in Massachusetts. When Carol Mosley Braun got elected to the Senate from Illinois in 1992, it was widely noted that she was first Black women to be elected to the Senate. She was also the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate.It wasn’t just in politics; Blacks were largely excluded from the top reaches in most areas. I recall when I was a grad student at the University of Michigan in the 1980s. There were just two Black tenured professors in the whole university. There was a similar story in corporate America.This was a period of serious upward redistribution and the losers, as in most people, were not happy campers. Jackson spoke to those people.Jackson’s campaign didn’t turn things around by itself, but it certainly helped to spur momentum for larger changes. Back then people seriously debated whether a Black person could be elected president in the United States. Jackson’s campaign raised that question in a very serious way.Barack Obama (the second Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate) answered that question definitively two decades later. While President Obama is obviously an enormously talented politician, without Jackson’s campaigns it is hard to envision Obama ever having been a serious presidential contender.And Jackson was serious about a “rainbow coalition.”He also helped open the door for Hispanics, for Arab and Muslim Americans, and for the LGBTQ community. At a time when there were no openly gay or lesbian members of Congress, and even liberals were afraid to be associated with anyone who was openly gay, Jackson stood out in offering a welcome mat.Jackson also pushed a powerful economic message. At a time when Ronald Reagan was busy cutting taxes for the rich and cutting back social programs, and trade was devastating large parts of the industrial Midwest, Jackson was advocating a populist agenda that focused on building up the poor and the working class. His message resonated with many white workers who felt abandoned by the mainstream of the Democratic Party, and even many farmers who were devastated by the over-valued dollar in the early and mid-1980s.There is a bizarre revisionism that has gained currency among people who pass for intellectuals that says the baby boomers grew up in a Golden Age in the 1970s and 1980s. The unemployment rate averaged over 7% from 1974 to LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•3Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) waves to guests after being interviewed by Rev. Jesse Jackson at Operation Rainbow Push on March 12, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
1992. The median wage actually fell from 1973 to the mid-1990s. This was a period of serious upward redistribution and the losers, as in most people, were not happy campers. Jackson spoke to those people.I had the opportunity to work in Jackson’s campaign in Michigan in 1988, and I still remember it as one of the high points of my life. Even though Jackson had vastly outperformed anyone’s expectations in the early primaries (probably even his own), he was not taken seriously in the Michigan race. Most of the pundits considered it a race between the frontrunner Michael Dukakis and Congressman Dick Gephardt, who had strong union support. As it turned out Jackson handily beat both, getting an absolute majority of the votes cast in the state.In my own congressional district, which centered on Ann Arbor, all the party leaders lined up for Dukakis. The Jackson campaign was composed of a number of people who worked in less prestigious jobs, like salesclerks and custodians, and grad students like me. It really was a multiracial coalition.We managed to totally outwork the party hacks. First, because it was a caucus and not a primary, it meant that people would not go to their regular precincts to cast their votes. We made sure that our supporters had a neatly coded map that told them where their voting site was.Also, since it was a caucus and not a primary, the state’s usual rules on being registered 30 days ahead of an election did not apply. We had a deputy registrar at every voting site who would register people who had not previously registered.We also made a point of having all our workers knocking on doors on election day and offering to drive people to the polls who needed a ride. The Dukakis people were all standing around the voting sites, handing out literature with their big Dukakis buttons, apparently not realizing that anyone who showed up had already decided how to vote.I remember talking to a reporter late that night after the size of Jackson’s victory became clear. Up until that point, there had been numerous pieces in the media asking, “What does Jesse Jackson really want?” as though the idea that a Black person wanting to be president was absurd on its face.I couldn’t resist having a little fun. I pointed out that with his big victory in Michigan, Jackson was now ahead in both votes cast and delegates. I said that I think we have to start asking what Michael Dukakis really wants.Anyhow, the high didn’t last. The party closed ranks behind Dukakis, and he won the nomination. He then lost decisively to George Bush in the fall. His margin of defeat was larger than in any election since then.All the gains of the last four decades are now on the line, as Donald Trump and his white supremacist gang look to turn back the clock. We have the battle of our lives on our hands right now.But Jesse Jackson was a huge player in the changes that created the America that Donald Trump wants to destroy. He had serious flaws, like any great political leader, but for now we should remember the enormous impact he had in making this a better country. BIO: Dean Baker is the co-founder and the senior economist of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). The author of several books, he also has a blog, “Beat the Press,” where he discusses the media’s coverage of economic issues. For his full biography go to: bit.ly/dean-baker. For more articles go to commondreams.orgThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International LicenseIn 1984, and then again in 1988, Jesse didn’t just speak to black folks. He spoke to white folks and Latinos and Asian Americans and the First Americans. He spoke to family farmers and environmentalists. He spoke to gay rights activists when nobody was talking to gay rights activists, and blue-collar workers. And he gave them the same message: that they mattered, that their voices and their votes counted. He invited them to believe. He invited us to believe in our own power to change America for the better. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•4Former President Barack Obama speaks during a memorial service for late civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, in Chicago, March 6, 2026. Photo credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Yanar Mohammed Feminist Icon, Murdered in IraqShe fought for the rights of Iraqi women, queer people, and marginalized communities. Now Yanar Mohammed has been shot dead in broad daylight in Baghdad. By Julia Neumann / TAZ“I am so proud to be ‘just’ a feminist,” Yanar Mohammed said in the documentary I Am the Revolution. “Because what revolution could they possibly make that is stronger than the revolution of women?” On Monday, March 2, 2026, the Iraqi feminist was shot dead outside her apartment in Baghdad.According to her Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, two armed men on motorcycles opened fire on her at around 9 a.m. She died later in a hospital. It remains unclear who killed her. So far, no group has claimed responsibility—and Iraqi authorities have not commented.Yanar Mohammed was born in Baghdad in 1960. She studied at the University of Baghdad until 1984 and earned a master’s degree in architecture in 1993. That same year, she left Iraq with her husband and young son. They moved to Canada.Beginning in 1998, she founded the Defense of Iraqi Women’s Rights (DIWR) in Canada, which she led in 1998, 1999, and 2002. The organization opened a women’s shelter in Iraq that, according to her, saved hundreds of women from so-called “honor killings.” After the U.S. invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Mohammed returned to Iraq. In June 2004, her group was renamed the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) and began working on the ground. She opposed both the U.S.-British occupation and sectarian Islamist groups, advocating for secular democracy.One of the 100 most influential women in the world —Mohammed viewed the government formed in 2003 critically, arguing that it was “based on divisions along confessional, ethnic, and gender lines.” In a speech before the UN Security Council in 2025, she warned against handing power to extremists. Supporting women, she argued, is a form of preventing extremism.Her organization supported women with disabilities as well as AfroIraqi, Turkmen and Yazidi families. Mohammed stood in solidarity with queer people and was active in leftist circles, serving until her death as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Alternative.“In Iraq, I see myself as an important voice for the rights of Iraqi women,” Mohammed once said. In 2018, the BBC included her on its list of the 100 most influential women in the world.She repeatedly received death threats. In 2004, she received two explicit threats from the Islamist group Jaish al-Sahaba in connection with her work on gender equality.First defamation, then murderThe Iraqi government tried several times to shut down her organization. In Iraq, she worked as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Al-Mousawat(Equality). After just three issues, she said, she received a summons because she had rejected the LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•5Yanar Mohammed speaking at the United Nations in 2015. Photo: Xinhua/imago
mandatory veiling of women in Baghdad. At one point, she had to leave the country after an arrest warrant was issued against her on allegations of human trafficking—an accusation she rejected.In 2022, she said: “The government begins with defamation campaigns, then follow court proceedings, and if that doesn’t work, they abduct and kill them.” Human rights researcher Raz Salayi wrote that the lack of prosecution of previous assassination attempts had enabled such violence.Corruption in Iraq allows militias to carry out political murders. According to reports, the feminist had returned from Canada only days before her killing. This has led to speculation that she was under surveillance and that the attack was targeted.The director of I Am the Revolutionwrote: “They killed the woman, but not the movement. The revolution lives on in every woman you saved.”BIO: Julia Neumann currently located in Beirut and focuses on stories from West Asia and North Africa. She is knowledgeable about intersectional feminism, racism, orientalism and post-colonial studies, which plays an important part in her journalistic work. Working for vairous media outlets, she follows a constructivist approach in reporting.NOTE: This obituary on Yanar Mohammed was first published in Portside on March 4, 2026 (bit.ly/yanarobit).“Yanar was a warrior for women’s freedom. She understood that imperialism, patriarchy, war, occupation, and fundamentalism all feed violence against women. She risked everything to protect women in Iraq. She built shelters when it was dangerous to even speak about women’s rights. We will continue her fight.”— V (formerly Eve Ensler), playwright, activist, founder of V-Day and One Billion Rising LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•6Credit: Matthew Peyton for Getty Images Picture: Yanar Mohammed, head of the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), during an event in Baghdad where she was assassinated the next day. KirkukNow
DONATION DRIVE FOR CUBABy Teresa Gutierrez, HOLAWhy should the people of San Antonio send material aid to Cuba?This is a question a recently formed solidarity group that focuses on Cuba, HOLA (Hands Off Latin America) is answering.Conditions in the U.S. are dire. Incomes struggle to catch up with the rising cost of housing, gas, food and healthcare. Gun violence continues to disrupt society. The rise of mysterious hangings of Black men evokes the legacy of slavery. And above all, the scenes of ICE thugs rounding up mainly brown people, the gruesome detention centers and the murders of innocent people indicate a new period of aggression. None of this takes place in Cuba.So why worry about Cuba? Why donate money and aid to send to Cuba? There are endless reasons. One reason is that Cuba represents the future.Its society looks like the kind of society the people here must struggle to build. There are no billionaires sucking up resources. Health care is free. There is no huge student debt—because education is free. And, the UN declared Cuba the number one country in the world fighting climate change!Furthermore, Cuba is an example of profound solidarity with people around the world. While the U.S. drops bombs abroad, Cuba sends doctors. It established a medical school where people from around the world can study free of charge!For the example Cuba has set forth, the US has imposed an economic blockade for over 60 years that has meant shortages and suffering for Cubans.Yet throughout Cuba’s 67 years of freedom from voracious capital, it has won the hearts and minds of millions around the world and the loyalty of its people.These are just a few examples of why Cuba must not only be defended but exemplified. If the U.S. was like Cuba, there would be no genocide of Gaza. No bombs dropped on Iran. No interference in the internal workings of foreign nations. There would be no ICE.The U.S. wants to destroy the example set by Cuba. This is why the progressive movement must work to assure Cuba survives this latest assault.At this moment, the U.S. government is attempting to strangle the Cuban revolution even more. It is the worst attempt by the U.S., ever.On January 29, Trump issued an executive order to block oil for Cuba. Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said, “The U.S. is trying to trigger a humanitarian catastrophe”.Trump’s order declared Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat,” with no proof whatsoever. He warned that punitive tariffs on states that deliver fuel to Cuba would be imposed. His intention is to suffocate Cuba, which relies on oil for 80 percent of its electricity.The United Nations stated that this was a “serious violation of international law,” an “extreme form of economic coercion with extraterritorial effects….”“It is not just crippling the economy,” Cuba’s Health Minister told the Associated Press, but threatens “basic human safety. There are reports of frequent blackouts, shortages of cooking gas, and dwindling supplies of diesel that power the nation’s water pumps.”There are more shortages of medicine, a spike in infant mortality, all because of Trump’s policy to stop aid. Cuba’s Health Minister, Dr. Portal, said that 5 million people in Cuba living with chronic illnesses could face disruption of medications or treatments.Then, in a signal that Trump’s aggression may not be just economic, on February 25, an attempt to militarily infiltrate Cuba occurred. A boat with about 10 Latino Trumpites tried to enter Cuba illegally. Thankfully, Cubans stopped it. The boat had onboard assault and sniper rifles, Molotov cocktails, night vision equipment, bayonets, and more indicating that an economic assault could become a military one.This undeclared war by the U.S. must stop. Cuba must survive so that it can continue to inspire all those who struggle for a better world.The people of the U.S. must do their part and donate funds or aid. San Antonio should join the chorus of voices who say, “Cuba si, Bloqueo no”!Regular working people are stepping up by bringing material aide to send on the next trip to Cuba in April by HOLA. Medical and school supplies that can fit into bins that have been dropped off at locations in San Antonio (@holasatx) will be accepted as will funds that will buy needed materials. Also, if you have connections with medical facilities or solar panel companies DM us. We can coordinate with the @nationanetworkoncuba caravan. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•7
Christian Nationalism vs. Christian ValuesBy Tarcísio BealThe crises faced by American society today, now magnified by the war against Iran, highlights the constant attempt by conservative Christian groups which insist that the solution to our national, sociopolitical ills is to bring “Church and State,” together—a practice that has failed throughout the ages. In fact, it has led to the manipulation of wealth and power by the State and the betrayal of even the most sacred Christian principles. The ultimate betrayal of Christian principles by millions of white Americans was their acceptance of black slavery. Christian voices were seldom heard contradicting U.S. policy throughout most of the 19th century as the U.S. set out to expand its power. American expansionism across the world began in the 1890s with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley leading the United States into the conquest of the Spanish empire that included most of Latin America and also the over 7,000 islands of the Philippines. A 1892 campaign poster with the photos of McKinley and Roosevelt under the American flag, assured the voters that “The American Flag has not been planted in foreign soil to acquire more territory, but for humanity’s sake.”Already in 1900, President McKinley explained to some Methodist pastors why he was recommending the annexation of the Philippines: “The truth is I didn’t want the Philippines and when they came to us as a gift from the gods, I did not know what to do about them... And one night it came to me this way:1. that we could not give them back to Spain—that would be cowardly and dishonorable;2. that we could not turn them over to France or Germany—our commercial rivals in the Orient—that would be bad business and discreditable;3. that we could not leave them to themselves—they were unfit for self-government and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there, worse than Spain’s was; and4. that there was nothing left for us to do and to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace to do the very best we could by them as our fellowmen for whom Christ also died and I told him (our map-maker) to put the Philippines on the map of the United States.” 1Now, usually American Presidents do not need to justify their actions, especially if they follow the Constitution and the principles of Democracy. It is well known that President Donald J. Trump has gotten himself involved in many controversies and, in order to keep his popular support, he has been claiming to be a Christian, even when governing in a wholly unchristian manner, totally centered on himself and his power. In fact, 83% of the evangelicals voted for him in the 2024 election, and several evangelical leaders and pastors have echoed their support. One loud supporter of Trump has been Pat Robertson, mentor of the “Club of 700” and of the “Christian Broadcasting Network.” In his defense and praise of MAGA’s ultra-conservative holders of power and wealth, Robertson called their critics, namely, the Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian pastors, “the spirit of the Antichrist.” He also denies LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•8Wikimedia Commons: Campaign Poster from United States presidential election, 1900 campaign of incumbent President William McKinley and his choice for second term Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt
the reality of poverty in the nation with a totally unhistorical statement like this: “When the poor improve their life conditions, it is because there is a high-class reformer who is moving them.”Robertson also stated that the killing of 58 Americans in Las Vegas, NM (October of 2017), during the final night of a country music festival was “God’s retribution for the intense and common disrespect of Americans for President Trump.”2 We must note, however, that although 83% of the evangelical vote went for Trump, a large number of them now seem to be seriously reviewing their political positions in view of their Christian faith. We do not need to elaborate on how Trump’s presidential actions supported by a Republican party that has often ignored or contradicted not only the Constitution, but also the most basic Christian and democratic values of the U.S. What is also tragic is the silence and lack of courage and loyalty to the Gospels of the thousands of preachers who entertain their faithful with shows of bands and choirs of music while their sermons ignore the reality of poverty and unchristian actions of the federal administration.Prayer without action and the courage to speak the hard truths about our socio-political reality, and to exhort the faithful to follow the example of Jesus now has no meaning. Separation of church and state does not mean that Christians must remain silent when so many of the state’s actions contradict the example of Jesus and facilitate racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination against women and the LBGTQ community: and even promote the superiority and social domination of the “White Race.”The present war/”Operation Epic Fury,” which has targeted the Iranian leadership over the issue of nuclear power, again exposes the U.S. political leadership´s thirst for world political and economic domination now. Its presence in the Middle East involves no less than 14 nations plus Iran in an effort to control trade and commerce, especially that of oil. The present shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has skyrocketed the price of oil and other commercial goods within our society. No surprise, then, that the MAGA clan is not happy with a war that threatens its profits.The war, which started with the killing of multiple high-ranking Iranian officials is presently targeting Iran´s nuclear capabilities and continuing with bombings that devastate the country’s population. The first major bombing killed 168 elementary school children and 14 of their teachers. The American and Israeli war against Iran has not only turned the many small middle eastern nations into economic chaos, but also magnifies the nuclear power of the Soviet Union.As usual, the U.S. President and his associates and supporters will offer all kinds of excuses intended to placate their critics that will surely reignite the debate about what actually makes a nation Christian. So, will Christian leaders, bishops, pastors and preachers address the issue of church-state relationship now that the “epic fury” of the Iran war is gripping the nation? They should never rely on imperial Mckinleyism to justify any abuse of life and human dignity. The Christian sense of moral leadership needs to stand up and consistently defend human dignity. But there´s hope of a wakeup. Some Catholic bishops, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Protestant leaders are beginning to do just that.BIO: Tarcisio Beal, professor emeritus in History at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio has a Doctorate in Theology (STJ -Sacred Theology Licentiate) and has written 5 books on the History of Catholicism, including one in Spanish (“Sigan al Hombre”). Footnotes are available from [email protected] VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•9 President Trump received the remains of six soldiers who died in an Iranian drone attack in a solemn event that took place at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on March 7.
While Praying to ‘the Lord,’ Hegseth Threatens ‘Most Intense Day of Strikes’ in Iran“Pete Hegseth is a very dangerous person. He’s a white Christian nationalist and has the arsenal of the United States government at his disposal.”By Julia Conley, Common Dreams, Mar 10, 2026President Donald Trump’s top defense official appeared resolute Tuesday in pushing for continued chaos in the Middle Eastern country—and intensified concerns that the Trump administration is waging a religious “crusade” against Iran by praying at a press briefing.After telling reporters that Tuesday would “be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” Defense Secretary Hegseth bowed his head in prayer and said he was “drawing strength from Psalm 144.”“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,” said the defense secretary, who has backed Trumps’ assertion that the Department of Defenseis called the Department of War. “May the Lord grant unyielding strength to our warriors, unbreakable protection to them and our homeland, and total victory over those who seek to harm them.”Hegseth and Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, made no mention of efforts to return to diplomatic talks, which were reportedly making significant progress toward a deal on Iran’s nuclear program late last month when the US and Israel began bombarding Iran—striking civilian infrastructure including schools and healthcare facilities and killing more than 1,300 people so far, according to Iranian officials.Hegseth said Trump has “maximum options” to conduct the war and it is up to the president to determine whether “it’s the beginning, the middle, or the end” of the conflict, which has spread to Lebanon and other countries while the administration’s explanation of its objectives in Iran have shifted.The defense secretary’s religious display came a week after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said it had received more than 100 reports from noncommissioned officers who said commanding military officers have spoken about the war on Iran as though it’s a religious conflict.The Pentagon has long-established rules prohibiting proselytizing within its ranks, but MRFF president Mikey Weinstein said commanders have appeared “especially delighted with how graphic this battle will be, zeroing in on how bloody all of this must become in order to fulfill and be in 100% accordance with fundamentalist Christian end-of-the-world eschatology.”Hegseth has prayed at military briefings previously and invited Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson to preach at the Pentagon.On Monday, MS NOW‘s Ali Velshi posited that without a clear objective or the support of a majority of the American public, observers are left wondering whether the religious displays of Hegseth and military commanders make clear what the goal of attacking Iran is: a religious battle led by Christian nationalists.“It wasn’t that long ago that groups in parts of the Middle East invoked extremist interpretations of Islam to justify violence against the West... But that religious extremism did not arise in a vacuum. Crucially, it was sustained by a political bargain,” wrote Velshi. “Something eerily similar is now unfolding right here at home, and it has been building for some time.”He continued: More than two centuries after the framers warned about the dangers of merging faith with political power, we are now seeing a version of that same dynamic take hold at the highest levels of American government. It’s not just creeping in; it is actively shaping how this war is being understood and justified—from those advising the president to military commanders briefing troops before their deployment. […]The US military was never meant to fight for a religious prophecy. In fact, the founding fathers were so concerned about the line between church and state—which includes the military—that they included it in the Bill of Rights.But today, under Trump, Hegseth, and the Christian nationalist movement that surrounds them, that line is being erased in real time.The price of that erasure will be paid for with the lives of innocent civilians abroad. It may be paid for with the lives of innocent civilians here at home. And it will surely be paid for by American soldiers, sailors and airmen and women, many of whom are being told they are carrying out God’s command.At The Guardian on Sunday, David Smith emphasized how Hegseth has combined “bombastic” threats—asserting that Iranian leaders “are toast” and bragging that “we are punching them while they’re down” as evidence emerged that the US was behind a strike on a girls’ school—with his displays of Christian nationalist beliefs.“Pete Hegseth is a very dangerous person,” Janessa Goldbeck of Vet Voice Foundation told Smith. “He’s a white Christian nationalist and has the arsenal of the United States government at his disposal and a permission slip from President Trump to deploy carnage wherever he wishes against whomever he wishes.”BIO: Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams whose work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Check: www.commondreams.orgLA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•10General Dan Caine, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance participate in the dignified transfer of US Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington at Dover Air Force Base, March 9, 2026. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Tax on arena tickets would be a win-winBy Susan StrawnBexar County’s arena vote last November was expensive, divisive and close. While funding for a new Spurs arena narrowly passed, the voting patterns make the equity issue difficult to ignore.Analysis by Trinity University associate professor Christine Drennon shows the measure failed by roughly 8% in City Council District 2, where the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs’ outgoing home arena, is located on the East Side.It also lost in Districts 3 and 6, and was virtually tied in District 5. Those districts represent residents who experience the consequences of fiscal trade-offs most directly -- public safety response times, street maintenance backlogs, drainage needs, and parks and libraries stretched thin.The highest margins in favor of the arena came in Districts 8 and 9. The turnout in District 9, the city’s wealthiest, was almost four times that of District 5, the city’s poorest.The strongest support came from wealthy enclaves outside the city such as Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills and Olmos Park, where the “for” vote exceeded 75%.Those numbers highlight a mismatch between political support and fiscal exposure: These residents do not pay city of San Antonio property taxes or rely on the general fund or bond debt for their police and streets.County-only voters are on the hook for $311 million. City voters, by contrast, are being asked to pay not only for an estimated $800 million public subsidy but also the projected $220 million to $250 million in infrastructure costs -- streets, drainage, utilities, site work and other improvements -- plus an estimated $60 million from existing property tax for the arena site.The plan also redirects dollars that would otherwise strengthen core city services or fund infrastructure, including property tax growth in the Hemisfair Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, known as a TIRZ. Arena rent and ground lease payments that otherwise could go into the deficit-stricken general fund are being funneled to pay for arena construction.And now the other shoe has dropped. City Council is proposing to raise property taxes and stormwater fees to make up for the taxpayer money needed to fund arena infrastructure.The closeness of the election should give city leaders pause, not only because of the equity divide but because the Spurs’ campaign relied heavily on representations that “only tourists will pay” and that city property taxes wouldn’t be used.Voters may well balk at being asked to pay higher taxes to fund a billion-dollar bond -- 25% arena-related -- even if the pot is sweetened with other projects.There is a better option: an admissions tax. Under Chapter 334 of the Texas Local Government Code (the state “venue statute”), cities and counties may finance qualifying “venue projects,” including professional sports facilities, using voter-approved revenue sources.Hotel and car rental tax are two statutorily authorized sources -- these are the funds county voters approved in November. But authorized revenue sources also include an admissions tax.An admissions tax is simple: People who attend events help pay for the facility through their ticket purchases. It is also clean from a public-finance perspective: It creates a dedicated revenue stream that can be pledged to repay venue bonds.That is exactly the type of cost alignment San Antonio should want: The venue is funded by venue users, whether they are city residents or not.There’s precedent for using this tax: Fort Worth financed part of its arena and rodeo grounds through a 10% admissions tax. Many other NBA cities also use ticket taxes as a general revenue source, including Denver (10%), Indianapolis (10%), Chicago (9%), Cleveland (8%) and Philadelphia (5%).A recent study on the possible implementation of such a tax in Detroit found that the taxes do not reduce ticket sales or put an undue burden on ticket sellers or large resellers, who are accustomed to collecting them.While Texas law requires that the tax be used to support bonds for venue construction and not as a general revenue source, the potential income is substantial.On Spurs tickets alone, a 10% admissions tax could reasonably be expected to generate well over $10 million per year. Concerts, playoffs and other high-demand dates could double that. The statute also permits a parking tax, up to $5 per vehicle, that would increase revenue further.That revenue could replace a substantial amount of the current financing sources. If the arena plan does not depend on capturing rents and on leases, those dollars can instead flow to the city’s general fund, supporting citywide priorities.If an admissions tax replaced TIRZ or project financing zone (state hotel tax) money, those funds could pay for infrastructure, reducing or eliminating the need to ask taxpayers to support a general obligation bond. TIRZ funds could also support TIRZ policy priorities, including affordable housing. An admissions tax requires voter approval. But it is unlikely that an arena-related vote can be avoided. If the city later turns to an infrastructure bond to pay arena-adjacent costs, that, too, will require voter approval. The difference is that an infrastructure bond will be a LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•11 Continued on Page 12Originally published by the Express-News as an OpEd, February 8, 2026
harder sell after voters were told explicitly and repeatedly that “no property taxes” would be used for the arena and while they are still tasting the bitterness of higher taxes.A ticket-based admissions tax is the simplest way to honor the pledge made to residents. It places more of the cost on arena users, reduces reliance on property taxes, and keeps more of the city’s rents, leases and tax growth available for the general fund.The close vote was a warning. San Antonio still has time to improve the deal.Build the arena -- but fund it the way Texas law intended: with ticket revenue, not property-tax diversion.BIO: Susan Strawn is an attorney living in San Antonio who served as a prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice and has been active in local politics. Reprinted with permission of the author. What is a Democracy: A Lesson from Brazil By: Mary Solano CabralWhen Far-Right Jair Bolsonaro was elected Brazil’s president in October 2018, President Trump called him to congratulate him saying publicly that they were “very, very true to each other.” Later he referred to Bolsonaro as “The Trump of the Tropics” and when Bolsonaro was sworn in on January1, 2019, Trump tweeted “the USA is with you.”Throughout his tenure as Brazil’s president, Bolsonaro followed the governing blueprint of President Trump: He cancelled or reduced social services for working families, intimidated the media that dared to criticize him, and he threatened democracies in Central and South America.After losing re-election in 2022, Bolsonaro encouraged his supporters to carry out a coup to overthrow the election of Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. On January 8, 2023, when his coup failed, Bolsonaro encouraged insurrection that resulted in his supporters storming government buildings. Labor unions and community groups then organized massive daily protests of working-class families demanding that Bolsonaro be prosecuted.In September 2025 the Brazilian Supreme Court finally ordered Bolsonaro’s arrest. He was charged with plotting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. He’s currently in jail in Brasilia.Donald Trump has perpetrated worse violations than Bolsonaro, but he continues with absolute power. He has trashed the U.S. Constitution and violated international laws repeatedly and he is now viewed internationally as the world’s Pirate for his plans to take over Gaza and rule it through a puppet government appointed by him and his partner Benjamin Netanyahu who has ruled over Israel as Prime Minister for 18 years. Netanyahu is a fugitive since November 2024 when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against him. The ICC charged him with war crimes and crimes against humanity specifically for using starvation as a war method by his bombing and starving of Palestinian men, women and children. Trump also has been condemned by the international community not only over Gaza but also for ordering the murder of alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and for many other violations of international law like kidnapping the democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro. Since February 28, 2026, Trump and Netanyahu have been bombing Iran and other countries in the Middle East. Again, Trump never bothered to obtain Congressional approval for his war as required by the U.S. Constitution. He continues treating Congress as an insignificant body of politicians who must serve him or get out of his way as he continues dismantling social programs for seniors and impoverished families while dropping bombs and missiles on innocent Iranians including a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing over 150 little girls.All these disgraceful actions by Trump continue daily while he prepares his armed goons in ICE and other police agencies and racist supporters to invalidate the election results of November 2026 and November 2028 which he may lose.The lessons from Brazil as to how a democracy should function are clear. We must demand that Congress take definitive action. We must remember that “democracy” does not mean simply having elections but that its origin is “Demos” (people) and Kratos (power or rule) meaning that in a democracy the people rule so they have the power to control how they are governed daily and not simply to vote every two or four years and then remain quiet.BIO: Mary Solano Cabral holds a BA and MA in education and interdisciplinary science from Texas State University and has taught students at all levels from elementary to college. She has also been a lifetime social justice activist. LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•12Tax On ArenaContinued from Page 11President Trump with Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil
FundRaising 2026, Save the Dates!Since 1987, Buena Gente of Esperanza have shown abundant generosity. Every time Esperanza has called to address an urgent or long term need, you have responded. Buena Gente bring money orders to the office, send checks by mail, donate via PayPal, are monthly donors, give through Donor Advised Funds, make a legacy gift in their will, and find many ways to contribute in order to make Esperanza Happen! Even vehicles and property have been donated to the Esperanza! Throughout the year, in 2026 there will be special days of giving: Mark these dates on your calendar and give when you can. Heartfelt thanks. Ruben Ramon Reyes, age 84, was born to Manuel and Elida Reyes in Matamoros, Mexico, on September 19, 1941. He loved oldies-but-goodies music, a good joke, and dancing. He especially enjoyed watching old western movies.Ruben proudly served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, earning the Parachutist Badge and the Good Conduct Medal. His parents were so proud of his service that they renamed the family business M&E Grocery at 816 S Colorado St. after him. It became Ruben’s Ice House, a popular Westside hangout. Now under the ownership of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, the Ice House has since been converted into the Museo Del Westside, dedicated to preserving the heritage, culture, and pride of the Westside.After his military service, Ruben dedicated 35 years to the United States Postal Service, from which he retired. In addition to his parents, Ruben was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 24 years, Guadalupe R. Reyes. He is survived by his children, grandchildren; and his great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings who will cherish his memory and continue the legacy of Ruben’s Ice House, now the Museo Del Westside. The family humbly requests donations be made to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center at www.esperanzacenter.org in memory of Ruben. Que en paz descanse. ¡Ruben Reyes, presente!Ruben R Reyes September 19, 1941 – January 28, 2026GIVE OUT Day on June 4th!in celebration of LGBTQ+ persons and recognition of Pride Month!Big Give San Antonio starts on September 23rd!a citywide effort supporting local non-profitsGiving Tuesday starts December 1st!a global effort to embrace the season of giving in December To donate to the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, contact Richard Aguilar, FundRaising Organizer at 210-228-0201 or [email protected]. And check www.esperanzacenter.org for updates.¡Todos Somos Esperanza!LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•13Ruben’s Ice House Museo Del Westside
Anel I. Flores Wins NACCS Tejas Foco 2026 Book Award for FictionSAN ANTONIO, TX — Anel I. Flores, queer, trans, Xicanx author, visual artist, educator, and activist, has been named the recipient of the 2026 NACCS—Tejas Foco Book Award for Fiction for her acclaimed novel Curtains of Rain (Jaded Ibis Press, July 2025). The award, presented by the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Tejas Foco, honors exceptional works of fiction that illuminate the Chicana/o/x experience.Curtains of Rain is a bilingual, genre-bending novel set in a South Texas border hometown, following protagonist Solitaria Gaviota-Alaniz as she navigates the landscapes of memory, identity, chosen family, environmental racism, and cultural survival. Rooted in authentic representation of working-class borderlands communities, the novel weaves Spanglish-speaking characters and the rich ecology of South Texas—esperanza flowers, anacua trees, the Rio Grande—into a deeply human story of return and reckoning.“This recognition from NACCS—Tejas Foco means everything,” said Flores. “This novel was written for and about our communities on the borderlands—the queer Latinx families, the elders, the young people finding their way home. To have that work honored by scholars and activists who understand the urgency of these stories is a profound gift.”Flores brings over 30 years of experience in education and community organizing to her literary work. She is a Mellon Foundation Fellow, a NALAC Catalyst for Change Fellow, and has been a member of the Macondo Writers Workshopunder Sandra Cisneros for over two decades. She is the founder of La Otra Taller Nepantla and San Antonio’s Queer Voices multidisciplinary performance festival. Other literary works include the Lambda Literary Award-nominated Empanada: A Lesbiana Story en Probaditas, the edited anthology Jota: A Queer Anthology of Voces, zines Behind the Bookbag, Fea and Les Maestres. Curtains of Rain is available through Jaded Ibis Press. Anel urges readers to purchase from independent booksellers nationwide. Flores is currently on an active reading tour, with upcoming appearances at universities and literary festivals across Texas, California, and New York.For media inquiries, interview requests, or to arrange a reading or workshop, contact Jaded Ibis Press at [email protected]. Contact: Anel I. Flores | [email protected]: A Queer Latina y Latinx AnthologyEdited by Rita E. UrquijoRuiz, Anel I. Flores & T. Jackie CuevasJOTA: A Queer Latina y Latinx Anthology published by FlowerSong Press is a landmark collection of over 70 queer writers and artists. Building on the foundation of Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About(1991) and Compañeras (1987), JOTA shares a new addition to the queer Latinx literary and artistic canons with stories, poems, essays, plays, art, and music. JOTA arrives at a critical moment when political systems threaten queer communities once again-yet contributors now have more tools to resist. We will resist! JOTA’s movement promises to illuminate generational shifts from fear and silence to bold and brazen declarations of identity, honoring the radiant visual and written stories of our ancestors of the LA VOZ past, present, and future.de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•14
Check individual websites, FB and other social media for information on community meetings previously listed in La Voz. For meetings and events scheduled at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center check: www.esperanzacenter.org or call 210.228.0201.AnunciosApril 2026Remember your tax deductible giftsYour donation supports the Esperanza! go to: www.esperanzacenter.org/Donateor send check to:Esperanza Peace & Justice Center922 San Pedro Ave • SA, TX 78212Become a Monthly Donor!Raton Award to:Lindsey GrahamSubmit nominations for the Ratón Award for the next issue of La Voz: [email protected] called for airstrikes on Lebanon, a small still recovering nation from being bombed by Israel in 2024 and currently being bombed by Israel again, since the US started bombing Iran. Graham has received more than $1 million from pro Israel interest groups. And he’s leading a campaign against what he refers to as “illegal immigrants”, spewing hate and lies against people of color.15LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • March 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 2•or call210-228-0201to donateYour donationhelps us advocatefor you.Support the Esperanzawww.esperanzacenter.org/donate
For details go to: https://bit.ly/sac-100April 27-30, 2026Theme: Lost and FoundReflecting on the 100th anniversary of San Antonio CollegeLiterary events, speakers, workshops, performances y más.*April 29th: Dale Shine: Preserving and Building Community6-8pm at the Nursing & Allied Health Center (NAHC), Rm 218With Graciela Sánchez, Esperanza Peace & Justice Center &Petra Mata, Fuerza Unida and sudents of Somos La Gente.NACCS 2026 Resistance and Re-existence | Resistencia y Re-existenciaConference Dates; April 1-4, 2026Location: Yanaguana, (San Antonio, Tx) / Information at: www.naccs.orgJoin us for:NACCS Noche de CulturaApril 3rd, 7:30pmRinconcito de Esperanza, 816 S. ColoradoMúsica, Comida, Cultura y PuestosPerformances by Panfilo’s Güera, Conjunto Heritage Taller and LlamativaHaven’t opened La Voz in a while? Prefer to read it online? Wrong address? TO CANCEL A SUBSCRIPTIONEMAIL [email protected] CALL: 210.228.0201SAC’s AnnualMulticultural ConferencePlática w/Melba Martinez, granddaughter of Arcadio and Maria Martínez, owners of Speedy’s on Brazos & Guadalupe St. Come share your memories! 2nd Saturday ConvivioApril 11, 202610-12Paseo Por El WestsideNon-Profit Org.US PostagePAIDSan Antonio, TXPermit #332LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • April 2026 Vol. 39 Issue 3•ESPERANZA PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER922 San Pedro San Antonio TX 78212210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org