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Published March 15, 2023 On a Friday evening in downtown Sunnyside, 20 or so women, most of them mothers and grandmothers and all Hispanic, sat inside a narrow classroom. Notepads, binders and writing utensils rested on their desks. The women were discussing topics that are as taboo as they are a part of their daily life — sexism and machismo. Their heads turned toward the back of the room to Teodora Martinez, who is part of ELLA, a group that organized the class. “How many of you have been in an airplane,” she asked in Spanish, “when you’re sitting there about to take off and they start going through safety guidelines, whose mask do they tell you to put on first, especially when you have kids with you? Maria Magaña, one of the women in attendance, responded: “In our church, they taught us to put the mask on our husbands first. … We were told they’re our second half. We can have more kids, but we are bonded to our husbands, we are taught to
We don't have to wander too far from home before encountering tremendously talented Chicanas, whom are sharing their gift of voice and art with the rest of us. ELLA had the privilege of attending a Chola Vida poetry night several weeks ago and we were blown away with the level of artistry presented to us. Their honest and open portrayal of them as women, mothers, cholas, Chicanas, artists, and as activists was so moving that we had to connect with them to see how we could work together. Chola Vida, led by our community's own Madeline Alviso Ramirez, is a group of chingona cholas with the goal of educating the community about chola life and chola art. They are working against the grain in what the mainstream art community considers "art", challenging the notion that cholas aren't legitimate artists, poets and writers. In just one encounter with these dynamic, highly innovative, highly creative Chicanas, it's hard to believe that anyone would question their legitimacy, but these ladies do encounter pushback from those gatekeepers that insist
There is no better working environment than that of like-minded Latinas who share the same principles of making a positive impact and reducing racism, sexism, and homo/transphobia in our shared communities. There is empowerment just being in the presence of other strong Latinas who make it their life’s mission to help improve the living conditions of others around them. There are many approaches to working towards social justice and it seems that every little bit of that progressive work should be looked upon with collective respect and appreciation. But often, the good intentions of those who dedicate their time and effort to social justice work are met with skepticism and suspicion by the very community of people they’re trying to help. We refer to the most extreme cases of this as the “crabs in the bucket” mentality, “if I can’t have it, neither can you”. This is even more troubling when that mentality comes from other Latinas, particularly our Latina elders. Generational differences have often caused riffs within local social justice movements. It seems more
"CHINGONA" By Melanie Vigil-Gutierrez aka Chicana 702 with Chicano Poet Society “Ok so you fell on your face! You’re just going to sit there and bleed? Cry and analyze your steps Is that really what you need? Get up! Stop crying! Dust yourself off Speak no word about How you fell! Why you fell! Just dust yourself off! Don’t be mad there is no one to blame! You may have tripped over your pride Just watch your next steps So you don’t ever repeat the same! No one is going help you up But that’s because God believes you’re strong enough to do it alone. No need to call for help You’re a Chicana Woman full grown! It’s ok that you’re hurt That only means you have a heart But that’s a temporary pain It only feels ripped apart But if you stop crying and take a deep breath You will hear it’s still beating strong and in rhythm deep in your chest! In fact you are ok Ten more steps and that fall will be
There are so many heroic Latinas that lived and died dedicated to serving our communities and deserve recognition on our Dia De Los Muertos alter. We chose to honor several of these courageous and selfless Latinas today. Jovita Idar (19985-1946) Jovita Idar, born in Laredo, Texas, was a civil rights activist, teacher, nurse, suffragist and journalist. As the editor to her family's publication, La Crónica, Idar exposed much of the injustices committed against Mexican Texans, including lynchings, segregation and the poor conditions faced by students in schools. She was often a target of the Texas Rangers, whom made several attempts to forcefully shut down the publication, eventually ransacking the office and destroying the printing presses. In 1911, Idar founded La Liga Feminil Mexicaista, a feminist organization that provided education to children, helped the wounded during the Mexican Revolution, encouraged women to vote, and advocated for the rights of Mexican Americans. She valued education so much that she was known for saying, "when you educate a woman, you educate a family." Berta Cáceres (1971-2016) Berta Cáceres
https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/biden-supporters-celebrate-in-downtown-yakima-point-to-importance-of-latino-native-voters/article_7c0d37e8-2022-524b-8709-f2b9586b3e9e.html The first part of the rally Sunday in downtown Yakima was a dance party. Blue balloons flew around the ground of Millennium Plaza. A soundtrack of disco hits blared from a speaker as participants bobbed their heads, danced and roller-skated. Among the about 40 people celebrating in downtown Yakima was Aileen Kane, 67, 14th Legislative District chair for the Yakima County Democrats. “It was a manifestation of the power people of color hold in their hands,” Kane said, crediting their votes for helping Joe Biden and Kamala Harris get elected. [caption id="attachment_879" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dulce Gutierrez - Photo by Evan Abell Yakima Herald Republic[/caption] About 30 minutes into the rally, the dance tunes transitioned to “Hail to the Chief,” and the event shifted to a call for action. Sunday’s event, a celebration of the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, was also deemed a victory for communities of color and the progress made getting Latino and Native residents to vote. “This election should prove how important your vote is,” said
Yakima Herald Republic - Guest Editorial Guest Opinion: Ninfa R. Gutierrez The high rate of Covid-19 infections among the Latino population in Yakima County didn't take me by surprise! Knowing well that poor dissemination of news in Spanish still exists, it was just a matter of time before we would see the adverse effects on our community. KDNA 91.9 FM Public Radio is a Spanish language station where I've worked as a volunteer for 40 years. My work consists of producing community programs and sharing information of interest for the advancement of our farmworker community. I have interviewed politicians and representatives of state agencies covering different issues on healthcare, employment, unemployment, education, housing, citizenship, etc. In late January, those of us that are bilingual Spanish/English began hearing about the Coronavirus and how rapidly the virus was spreading. Since then, there has not been a single day that we don't learn something new about COVID-19. However, when compared to the rate of speed the English-speaking communities receive information, monolingual Spanish communities are still lagging in getting this