rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 23, 2009 19:04:10 GMT -7
I am surprised at the gross level of ignorance displayed by Jaime A on his blog regarding the march for Cesar Chavez this Saturday. I have grown so accustomed to his inconsistency that I rarely read the thing anymore. But I was pointed to this entry in particular by someone who sees it as exclusionary, and I agree.
He issues a "challenge" to "Latino Elected Officials" in particular, telling them they should bring their children to this march in order to demonstrate their appreciation for what Cesar Chavez did for Latinos-for them
He says, in part:
"Okay Latino Elected Officials, I basically called you out to show up to this event this weekend commemorating the life of Cesar Chavez. There is a Marcha this weekend, be there. Cesar Chavez and people like him all over the Southwest made it possible for people like you to serve in office and represent our people. He also made it possible for people like me to be a pain in people like you's ass."
He is currently behaving much like a very uninformed "pain", to be quite frank. This causes me some consternation, given his most recent post as a writer for The Newspaper Tree, which is owned by Keith Mahar.
Here is one issue: In challenging Latinos, he excludes others. Other people who benefited from the lessons Chavez taught, from his presence in their lives, in their homes. He appears to be doing so by virtue of skin color. This is wrong and it is not what Cesar Chavez supported. Chavez supported equal rights for all people, most particularly the farmworkers who were exploited for decades until Cesar and his friends fought so diligently, tirelessly for their right to be treated with dignity, and regarded as equals in society. I would have thought that one who claims to have been so close to Chavez would understand the importance of non-discriminatory language.
While challenging these Latino officials to come and bring their children to this event in celebration of La Causa, he says he will bring his camera so that he can take their pictures, and he jokes that he will also note those who are absent.
I'd like to know if in addition to this, Jaime will include a celebratory speech for Cesar Chavez, in which he describes his support of local politicians who currently support, or are members of the Paso Del Norte Group, which has been criticized for its efforts to gentrify Downtown and South El Paso in the name of "progress".
Keith Mahar supports the Paso del Norte Group. In order to further the interests of this group, the local media panders to the "progress" ideal in "cleaning up" Downtown and the Segundo Barrio...which is the message many politicians continue to disseminate. Even as they declare the original plan "dead" while, oddly, plans proceed apace even in this current economic climate.
This group has strong ties to William Sanders, whose son-in-law Robert O'Rourke sits on city council. O'Rourke's votes on issues related to his father-in-law's business interests have been the subject of debate for some time now. Sanders is head of a mildly confusing group of realty/collaborative interests under the name of Verde Realty.
In celebrating Cesar Chavez's legacy of equality, the legacy of defending those marginalized by big business, and of defending the farmworkers- many of course who have close ties to South El Paso, Jaime's own support of those who work to gentrify Downtown is something worthy of equal notice.
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 23, 2009 19:10:19 GMT -7
I forgot to mention, you can find more of Jaime A's efforts to establish himself as a political somebody on his "Lionstar Blog". Just google him.
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Post by crystal on Apr 24, 2009 5:39:13 GMT -7
Didn't this city have a holiday for Cesar Chavez not long ago? I feel bad because I don't remember the date. I looked for some mention of it on lionstar's blog but didn't see any so maybe it hasn't happened yet? Does anyone know?
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Post by Tim Collins on Apr 24, 2009 5:51:22 GMT -7
Didn't this city have a holiday for Cesar Chavez not long ago? I feel bad because I don't remember the date. I looked for some mention of it on lionstar's blog but didn't see any so maybe it hasn't happened yet? Does anyone know? His birth day was recently
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 24, 2009 12:03:12 GMT -7
Going forward
what does this mean?
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Post by webrunner on Apr 24, 2009 13:20:38 GMT -7
What does what mean?
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Post by matthew on Apr 24, 2009 13:34:33 GMT -7
I think he's mostly an ass and largely irrelevant (of course the same could be said of me). That said, "Latinos come" doesn't mean "Gringos stay home".
I don't get the pro-PDNG vibe from him regardless of his employer. Short of a Lozano-esque 180, the only angle I can see him taking for PDNG is to go after the "slumlords" and I doubt that would be effective in promoting the agenda.
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 24, 2009 16:59:18 GMT -7
you know the thing with this guy is this--I think he does support the PDNG line, because he supports their reps and because of his stance when he talks the "progress" line
if you talk to a lot of the farmworkers and residents in the barrio, the most certainly want progress and they want a voice in what happens to their properties, their lives in the barrio
Abeytia doesn't sound much like them when he speaks to Ortega, Escobar or the others whose version of "progress" excludes these critical voices
Matthew, I don't think you are "irrelevant" at all-I've seen your posts on other boards, and the fairness you look to speaks highly of you
I see you in that light here as well.
I do kind of pick up a "this is for us, not them, step up!" vibe to his post and I'm quite familiar with the perspective. I'll readily confess, half the time I have no issue with it because I understand its source, but I know this is also biased and exclusionary. It's wrong. I remember, not all of the faces at the marches were brown, or black. A good number of them were white This march is about Chavez and his work, it's about dignity for the farmworkers and La Causa, but I think it's also about the dignity of inclusion, and I hope there are faces of all colors there.
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 25, 2009 3:33:03 GMT -7
confession time: Web's post has me going, and since Snil and I have already been arguing about it behind the scenes, time to put it up for a more reasonable effort at discussion "Going forward". Is there a way to discuss sticky issues involving racism? Here's an example: I can see both sides of the coin-what should be in Abeytia's "challenge" to politicians? I started this thread because I was annoyed at the focus on Latinos .... yet I can see why Latinos feel strongly about the need to bear witness to the mistakes of the past. I was challenged on this, from opposite ends of the argument yesterday. One side argued that it's important to remember that racism still exists, that it's still something that holds us back. The other side argued that if we don't leave the mistakes of the past to the past, we won't defeat this monster. I see "whites" dig in and experience such difficulty discussing this that they refuse to engage in any type of debate. I don't want that to happen. I want to see the common ground here, I just don't always know how we can get it started because it seems that sometimes we don't even speak the same language. Hence my frustration with people who point to one group, rather than all of them, saying things like: "Show up and honor this civil rights leader-you owe him." At face value, I see the "point" being made, but isn't it closer to the truth to say we all owe him? We all come from ethnic roots--regardless of skin color. That said, the answer to part of your question, Snil, lies in the fact that sometimes it feels like letting go of the past means accepting a new reality which doesn't belong to us. Look at the post below.
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 25, 2009 3:40:07 GMT -7
one of the questions I was asked yesterday: why can't we get past this?
I think we can, but we cannot eliminate the need for activism. We still need it Snil.
I got this from the UFW recently
SB789 Passes CA State Senate on Lobby Day. Take the next step.
Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed today against three top officials of the defunct labor contractor company, Merced Farm Labor, in the case of 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez--who died of a heat stroke last May 16.
The UFW applauds the District Attorney's decision to prosecute this as the crime it was. It never should have happened. An innocent young girl never should have died due to grower indifference. (Click to read Maria’s story.)
However, violations occur every day and nothing is done. Last year five other farm workers died of heat related causes after Maria’s death. Complaints regarding lack of drinking water, shade and work breaks to make use of these simple but lifesaving measures are an everyday occurrence for farm workers. (Click to read farm worker stories.) Farm workers can’t afford to wait until such an audacious violation such as Maria’s finally causes the state to react.
That's why farm workers need this bill that will give then the means to protect themselves. It's why SB789 is so vital. SB789, CA Employee Free Choice Act for Farm Workers (Steinberg) will make it easier for farm workers to organize and help enforce the laws that California's government cannot enforce.
SB789 just passed the California state senate yesterday. It will next be heard in the state assembly and then go to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Please send your e-mail to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today and let him know that people all over the country will be watching him. It is time to pass SB789, a bill that will give farm workers the power to protect themselves.
Please take action today. Help protect the men and women who are in the fields working under the sweltering sun working to put food on our tables.
There is absolutely no way I can identify with these people. I cannot walk up to any one of them and tell them: it is time to lay down the struggle, because we are going to eliminate racism and you need to be part of the process.
All the same, I understand that in order to eliminate racism, we have to look for common ground. It should be that incidents like this make everyone want to change things.
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Post by Tim Collins on Apr 25, 2009 5:50:54 GMT -7
Quick gut reaction.
Where is the racism in this story? Economic exploitation yes.
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 25, 2009 6:09:36 GMT -7
I'll bite:
Economic exploitation is only part of the picture. Look at the links. This isn't just a matter of "racism", and it isn't just a matter of economic exploitatin. How many cans of worms shall we open?
Can we think in terms of empathy instead? Or shall we shoot straight for: "Hey, why wasn't she in school anyway? What business do kids have being out there in the first place?"
the vast majority of farmworkers are of Latino descent
I know: there's no such thing as "race". Yet, here is a visceral wound.
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Post by Tim Collins on Apr 25, 2009 6:13:30 GMT -7
I'll bite: Economic exploitation is only part of the picture. Look at the links. This isn't just a matter of "racism", and it isn't just a matter of economic exploitatin. How many cans of worms shall we open? Can we think in terms of empathy instead? Or shall we shoot straight for: "Hey, why wasn't she in school anyway? What business do kids have being out there in the first place?" the vast majority of farmworkers are of Latino descent I know: there's no such thing as "race". Yet, here is a visceral wound. You are making some pretty big assumptions here for a position I have not taken in the least. As for the links - what links? What makes you think there is no empathy here? Why are the vast majority of farm workers of latinos descent? You really think there is no such thing as race?
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Post by Tim Collins on Apr 25, 2009 6:43:29 GMT -7
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-gzKx3LJ0VEEdSMWPoZrb2n6cnQD97OEUEO0Maria De Los Angeles Colunga, the former owner of Merced Farm Labor; Elias Armenta, the former safety director; and Raul Martinez, a former supervisor, also were charged with one felony and two misdemeanor violations of the state labor code. OK above is a link and a small quote from the AP story. Look at the names of the principals in this murder. Now was their action the results of racism or making a buck? The burden is on you. Please explain how in THIS PARTICULAR CASE, which you have cited as an act caused by racism, demonstrates racism as the root cause. The victim(s) (survivors are victims as well), were Latino/Hispanic. The perpetrators of the violations of the laws in place to prevent this exploitation of workers were Latino/Hispanic. The lawmakers who wrote those protective laws were of all races. The prosecutors who brought the charges were most likely of all races. So where is the racism?
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Post by matthew on Apr 25, 2009 7:55:33 GMT -7
Too much 101 work to do here, and I don't have the patience. www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdfThat the corporatocracy is using a Milgram experiment with non-white actors doesn't make it any less racist. You could similarly argue that it was fellow Africans that originally sold the slaves.
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