a publication of the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center

May 2014 | Vol. 27 IssuE 4

san antonIo, tEJas

!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños!

Serenata a Rita VidaurriFriday May 23rd

Paseo por el WestsideSaturday May 3rd

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ATTENTION VOZ READERS: If you have a mailing address correction please send it in to lavoz@esperan-zacenter.org. 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 sub-stantially 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

VOZ 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.

In the April issue of La Voz I expounded on fracking and how it is all about the money. Liliana Wilson’s cover art, In the Name of Money, showed a dollar bill floating over the body of a young woman suggesting that even our children are disposable when it comes to making money. The extraction of petroleum, the wasting of fresh water, the pollution of air, the infusion of chemicals into the ground, the destruction of the landscape — are all part of the process of making

money while fracking. But, this happens in all types of extractions and business deals. The harm incurred is explained away by corporations who minimize the environmental and social harm caused. Seldom do we find a CEO taking responsibility for the harm they cause. Even more rare are people in power who reject the temptation to make more money.

In the pages of this issue of La Voz, we are introduced to people who have chosen to live their lives in a conscious manner serving others. Pepe Mujica, President of Uruguay, is known throughout Latin America as El presidente mas pobre del mundo. He is the rare head of state who has chosen to pursue an austere and simple life rejecting and even transforming the trappings of his presidency to serve the poor. He simply states: If I had many things, I would have to occupy myself with caring for them and would not be able to do what I really like. True freedom is the austerity to consume little. Read more about Pepe and his wife, Senator Lucía Topolansky on pages 7-10 in Spanish or English in the article written by Tarcisio Beal of Incarnate Word University.

The introductory article in this issue transports us on a dream journey that Margarita Elizarde shares with us as she reminds us that — As environmental activists, all of us have encoded within our cells a sacred memory that propels us to stand up and say no to the destruction of the Earth. Margarita, too, has chosen to live her life consciously. She and her partner live outside of San Antonio on a tract of land they hope to keep as a natural sanctuary. They farm and rescue animals often targeted for destruction by humans.

Bill Stitchnot’s article reminds us that May is Mental Health Month. He points out the connections between what has been happening in New Mexico, where an inordinate amount of people have been killed by law enforcement, and the lack of mental health services. The June issue of La Voz will follow up on this topic with a look at the prison system of the U.S. that serves as a holding tank for the mentally ill.

Another person who lived consciously recently passed into spirit in Del Rio, Texas. Alpha Hernández, who headed up the Texas RioGrande Legal Aide office could have chosen to be a high-powered, well-paid lawyer elsewhere but dedicated her life to improve her hometown. Her obituary written by her daughter, Teresa Hernández Reyna, shows that she made a big difference in her comunidad.

In May, the Esperanza celebrates two important events: the 5th anniversary of the Paseo Por El Westside (see p. 4 & 5) and the 90th birthday of singer, Rita Vidaurri (see p. 12 & 13). Both events are highlighted in this issue with photos and recuerdos. We look forward to seeing you at both community celebrations. Certainly, Rita will be expecting you!

As the summer nears, don’t forget to keep sending in those inspiring articles. They give us hope and keep us going. Gracias y Feliz Cumpleaños, Rita! - Gloria A. Ramirez, editor

La Voz deEsperanza

May 2014vol. 27 issue 4

Editor Gloria A. Ramírez

Design Monica V. Velásquez

Editorial AssistanceAlice Canestaro-García

Contributors Tarcisio Beal, Margarita Elizarde,

Teresa Hernández Reyna, Bill Stichnot

La Voz Mail Collective Terri Borrego, Yolanda Cedillo, Juan Díaz, Patricia De La Garza, Jessica González,

Ángela M. García, Raquel García, Gloria T. Hernández, Juan López, Kevin Maple, Ana Martínez, Arlene Martínez, Olivia Martínez,

Angelita Merla, Lucy & Ray Pérez, Mary Agnes Rodríguez, Vanessa Sandoval,

Guadalupe Segura, Argelia Soto, D. L. Stokes, Rose Turbeville, Inés Valdez,

Angelica Vargas, Isabel Velásquez, y MujerArtes

Esperanza Director Graciela I. Sánchez

Esperanza Staff Imelda Arismendez, Itza Carbajal, Ramona Corpstein, Marisol Cortez, J.J. Niño, René

Saenz, Melissa Ruizesparza Rodríguez, Susana Méndez Segura, Monica V. Velásquez

Conjunto de Nepantleras-Esperanza Board of Directors-

Brenda Davis, Araceli Herrera, Rachel Jennings, Amy Kastely, Kamala Platt, Ana Ramírez, Gloria A. Ramírez, Rudy Rosales,

Nadine Saliba, Graciela 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

is a publication ofEsperanza Peace & Justice Center

922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212210.228.0201 • fax 1.877.327.5902

www.esperanzacenter.org

Inquiries/Articles can be sent to:lavoz@esperanzacenter.orgArticles 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 publication. Letters with intent to slander individuals or groups

will not be published.

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center is funded in part by the NEA, TCA, theFund, Coyote Phoenix Fund, AKR Fdn, Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Fdn, Horizons Fdn,

New World Foundation, y nuestra buena gente.

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T i e r r a M e s t i z a : An Earth Memory

In the summer of 1982, la canicula, had arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. And with this wave came a prickly, sweltering heat harsher,

more penetrating, than the needles of the cool green nopal so common in these parts. This blanket of oppressive warmth showed no mercy for the tiny turquoise green-colored house of my youth. Instead, it seemed to smother our home in a tighter stifling web despite the green canopy of fresno, mesquite and ebano trees surrounding “la casita”.

I am in my mother’s makeshift room trying to escape the afternoon heat. It is a tiny room partitioned off from the rest of the house. “El cuartito” is a diminutive space offering my mother time for prayer, meditation and much needed rest. After thirty plus years of raising seven kids, my mother, with a practical wit and a rosary in hand, declared vehemently, “I’m going to make a room for myself towards the back of the house. There, I will be able to fart comfortably without anyone complaining and awaken to the song of my palomas first thing in the morning.” Needing that same comfort and escape, I lay down on the soft mattress worn down by age, yet enveloped with the floral citrus scent from my mother’s body. I turn the fan on full blast and proceed to close my eyes.

At twenty-two years old, the restless spirit of my youth feels suffocated more by the silence of the afternoon than the intense warmth of the day. Outside my mother’s bedroom window, the intermittent song of la chicharra, the soft cooing of las palomas and the blaring traffic from Highway 83 together seem to create a melodious serenade that soothes the constant loneliness and boredom that are my faithful companions.

I don’t remember ever going to sleep. It’s as though that memory of the afternoon had never been captured by the illusion of time. What I do remember though, is closing my eyes briefly before feeling submerged by a mysterious force which knotted my body with a fear of the unknown.

I thought I had opened my eyes if only to catch a glimpse of La Virgen de Guadalupe, a statue encased in a glass frame situated on the right wall of, “el cuartito”. But instead, my body had been transported to the front porch. Slowly descending the concrete steps that led to a carpet of green grass, I saw my mother raking a mass of fall leaves. She called out to me, “M’ija, ven ayudarme.” There was urgency in my mother’s voice that quickened my gait in order to reach her. Just as I was reaching the spacious green lawn, I peered to my left and saw a massive cyclone above a sunflower field next to our property. The wind picked up speed; the sky blackened and parted giving birth to an expansive cotton field.

Author’s Note: As environmental activists all of us have encoded within our cells, a sacred memory that propels us to stand up and say no to the destruction of the Earth. When we garden, paint, protest, write, recycle or sin, we are dreaming the Earth into a new consciousness. It is one where we do not see ourselves as being separate from the Mother. I am a dream traveler who has discovered a world that is immeasurable, timeless and without boundaries. As I bear witness to the destruction of our sacred home, I remember to listen to the voices of our ancestors. It is from this wisdom that I write this dream journey.

by Maria Margarita Elizarde

Todo va cambiando, va cambiando…Bendiceme Madre Tierra, todo va cambiandoSantistima Tierra a ti regreso, a ti me entrego

Mestiza eres, Mestiza serasTierra Morena, Tierra Santa

Asi es, Asi será, Tierra Mestiza…

—Yucatecan Folk Song

Multitudes of people are laboring under an uncompromising sun bearing down on their stooped, brown backs. Many of these people are recognizably my ancestors, friends and relatives. Rivers of sweat from their bodies shimmered under the overbearing sun forming huge pools of water which quenched the thirsty black earth. The high winds return as the Earth greedily sucks up the torrential waters from my people. Suddenly, without warning, she bursts open revealing a raging massive lake whose waters looked ominous and foreboding.

In the middle of that immense lake was a tiny island with two miniature pyramids standing unprotected by the violent winds. One of the pyramids was constructed from wooden sticks and was quickly destroyed by the high winds. The other one stood green and firm withstanding the blustering storm. Just as the events of my vision ended, I suddenly felt my heart beating wildly with an incessant fear that there was more to come!

Without warning the tornado that was hidden from my peripheral vision inched closer to me faster than a blink of an eye and I felt my body thrust into its whirling winds. At that moment, I felt I had lost total control, my body was suspended into an indigo blue sky and being taken forcefully far away from my home. I did not want to leave my family and everything I had known and cherished. In that brief instance, I decided to try and jump

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into the ragged waters. But, as I looked down into the stormy waters, I saw a thick, ropelike vine with dry leaves hanging from my solar plexus. I knew then that if I hurled myself into the murky waters, my survival would be questionable. My umbilical cord was forever severed from my home.

I landed in what seemed to be a day care center in Africa. Many children of diverse cultures were being cared for by African elders. I noticed that the children wore the ancient faces of their ancestors, calm and deep like the ocean bottom. Spherical balls of different colored lights were being bounced back and

forth between the children. Each time a particular child caught a luminescent orb, she or he, would squeal with an infectious laughter which permeated their surroundings as waves of light. As I stood there watching the children, I felt their joyous energy in the consciousness of each cell in my body. This blissfulness was light, airy, and bubbly and was not controlled by human emotion. It had an intelligence of its own. Then….I was no more, nothing….

All that remained was a beautiful, dark Womb of Truth: profoundly silent and still, spacious beyond the blue sky…energetic, unfathomable, faceless, nameless…not bound by

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 9am-3pm@ Rinconcito de Esperanza, 816 S. Colorado

¡Gratis! FreeFamily Event!Join us as we celebrate the 5th annual Paseo por el Westside on

Saturday, May 3rd at the Rinconcito de Esperanza at 816 S. Colorado from 9am to 3pm. The Paseo celebrates the historic Mexican roots of the Westside of San Antonio with a neighborhood walking/talking tour and a variety of activities for all ages. When the Paseo

began in 2010, Westside residents were organizing to save the “pink building” at 1312 Guadalupe. The Maldonado building was ultimately saved from demolition and restored. In the past 4 years there have been events and artists that return to perform each year: Las Tesoros de San Antonio: Beatriz Llamas (La Paloma del Norte), Rita Vidaurri (La Calandria), Blanquita Rodríguez (Blanca Rosa), and Janet Cortez (Perla Tapatia) will grace the stage once again to sing traditional Mexican songs; Don Jacinto Madrigal, herbalist, returns with a plática on plantitas and their medicinal uses and, of course, Enrique and Isabel Sánchez will present a workshop on pan dulce, its origins and the names of each pastry. As always, food and drinks will be part of the celebration.

Award-winning videos and historical research about the Westside and its history will also be presented throughout the day. Inside the Casa de Cuentos, buena gente will be able to sit and share their stories as we record and document family recuerdos. Anyone with photos from the 1880s to 1960s is encouraged to bring them so they can be scanned for Esperanza’s En Aquellos Tiempos Fotohistorias archives and possibly used for our Fotobanner project in the Westside.

Traditional games are also a part of the Paseo. These have included playing “canicas”, throwing “trompos”, balancing on “zancas”, playing “loteria”, flying “papalotes or huilas”, making “cascarones” y más. In the past four years performers have included: Carmen Tafolla, now the outgoing poet laureate of San Antonio; accordeonist, Eva Ybarra y su conjunto; Ester García, formerly of the Carpa García in the 1930s and Fabiola Torralba who portrayed Emma Tenayuca. There have been many others performers throughout the Paseo’s history including youth from J.T. Brackenridge and Tafolla Middle School. The 2014 Paseo showcases new performers and musicians as well! Join us in this the 5th Paseo. It promises to be as educational and entertaining as the past 4 years!

Organizations collaborating with the Esperanza Center on the 5th Annual Paseo are the Westside Preservation Alliance, City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Anto Cultural Arts Center, the Westside Development Corporation and the San Antonio Conservation Society among others. For more information please call the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center at 210.228.0201 or check www.esperanzacenter.org v

tierra mestiza cont’d

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thought, yet compassionate and liberating…The vision ended when my ordinary consciousness and an

anxiousness returned to remind me that I needed to call my parents in order to tell them that I was safe. As I climbed up a small hill to try to retrieve a phone from the daycare’s office, I saw the turquoise colored house in the far distance. La casita is alive and animate! She shakes, swells and pulses with the humidity of the air, giving birth to hundreds of white doves flying in a spiral shape into the blue sky.

Darkness descended upon me again. Was I dead or alive?

For what seemed like an eternity to me, I tried prying my eyes open but they were clamped down shut like two oyster shells. Finally, I am successful in opening them. Yes, I was back in that old familiar space exhausted not from the heat of the day but from that timeless memory of long ago. v

Bio: Margarita is an environmental activist and retired bilingual educator who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley. Her dream memory is part of Frackaso: Portraits of Extraction in Eagle Ford and Beyond on exhibit at the Esperanza through August.

¡Vengan, enjoy a day of música, films, photos, games, food, historic tours, y más!

¡Gratis! FreeFamily Event!

tierra mestiza cont’d

A t the close of her senior year of high school, Alpha Hernández received a rare and undeserved grade of B in a typing class. She and

the teacher both knew she was a candidate for valedictorian, but this was Del Rio High School in 1965. It had not been consolidated with San Felipe High School so Alpha was one of very few “Mexicanas” in her class who had achieved high enough to break the norm. It was no secret that the teacher favored another student (who happened to be white) for the honor. Alpha appealed to the teacher for fair treatment, to receive the grade she deserved, but to no avail. Although they both knew what she had rightfully earned and what was at stake, the teacher did not budge. Even as a girl in high school, Alpha did not take injustice lying down. She went to the school

administrat ion and showed

her work with no

mistakes. Alpha could not be denied and went on to become the first ever non-white, and certainly the first Mexican American woman, valedictorian of Del Rio High School.

Her academic prowess and tenacity in pursuit of justice proved to be prophetic. She would go on to become a defender of the poor and disenfranchised and, as eloquently put by the director of her firm, David Hall, a leader in her community and in all of Southwest Texas. She went to UT-Austin, where she was a founding member of the Mexican American Student Association and graduated with a B.A. in Latin-American Studies in 1969. After short stints as a social worker in Texas , a job counselor in California and an internship in Washington D.C., she went to law school, graduating from the UCLA School of Law, receiving her Juris Doctorate in 1976 and fulfilling her mother’s dream of pursuing higher education. She was licensed in California and in Texas and was admitted to practice law in the Western District of Texas, US Tax Court, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the USA. She worked for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles for a year, and then jumped at the opportunity to open a new Texas RioGrande Legal Aide (TRLA) office back home in Del Rio.

In 1977 the Legal Services Corporation under Board Chair, Hilary Rodham, was expanding into every county in the country. As part of that expansion, Alpha served a brief apprenticeship in Crystal City, then

moved to Del Rio as soon as her father, the Del Rio Parks Superintendent

Felix A. Hernández, remodeled an office building for her. One

of her earliest projects was desegregating Del Rio

schools and instating bilingual education

(monitoring the implementation of

the order by Judge William Wayne Justice in US v. Texas, 342 F. Supp. 24 [E.D. Tex. 1971],

spelling out detailed instructions on how to implement an effective desegregation plan, including bilingual education).

Early on she realized that a legal services lawyer is most effective when working directly with client community leadership, and she labored for over three decades with those leaders to create a legacy of community-based organizations including: Buena Salud ( a health clinic), Amistad Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center, Casa de la Cultura (a cultural arts community center in the San Felipe Barrio), Familias Unidas de Val Verde County, Inc. (a self-help housing program), Project N.I.N.O. (a children’s benefit organization) and the Adobe Association of Del Rio (a sustainable adobe building initiative). There can be no doubt that residents of Del Rio are in a better place because of Alpha’s effective work with these groups.

Alpha also litigated several significant cases and argued at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (only one step below the US Supreme Court) more times than anyone in TRLA. One of the most important cases was Hernández v. Cremer, which she ultimately won before a split panel in the Court of Appeal 913 F.2d 230 (5th Cir. 1990). She represented Carmelo Hernández, a US citizen who had been born in Puerto Rico. He was denied reentry into the US after a trip to Mexico because the INS inspector thought that Puerto Rican birth certificates were inherently suspicious. Hernández spent 46 days in Mexico, working sporadically for one meal a day; he lost his job in Houston, his apartment, his clothing. Alpha won an injunction, affirmed on appeal, that revised the way INS officers must process re-entry cases at border ports-of-entry. After Hernández, inspectors must treat voter registration cards as probative evidence of citizenship.

She protected women from sex discrimination at work. Estrada v. City of Eagle Pass instructed city leaders on the perils of sex discrimination and opened jobs to women, including that of City Manager. She worked with several TRLA colleagues to establish federal recognition for the Traditional Tribe of Kickapoo in

Alpha Hernández ¡Presente! by Teresa Reyna 1947-2014

cont’d on p. 8

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W hat is happening in Uruguay might set in motion some fundamental changes in governmental, social, and religious circles all around the world. The irony is that it is not coming out of the example and statements made by Pope Francis who has asked for

a Church of inclusiveness and compassion, but instead, from a head of state who does not invoke religious motives to explain what he is doing and how he lives. I am referring to José Mujica, otherwise known as Pepe Mujica, President of Uruguay. When asked who he is, he answers this way: “I am an old activist of the 1950s, with many defeats on his back, one who wished to repair the world and who, along the years, has become more humble and is now trying to repair a little bit of something.”

As a young man, Mujica was involved with the MNL (Movimiento Nacional de Liberación) and helped organize the Tupamaros, a guerrilla group fighting Uruguay’s oppressive dictatorship. He was arrested and tortured. “First,” he says, “I was happy enough if they gave me a mattress. I lived for a long time in a small, narrow room and learned to walk through it from corner to corner.” Today, he lives a simple life in a small house in the countryside. When people say he is poor, Mujica denies it:

“I am not poor! Poor are those who believe I am poor. I have a few things, the minimum, for sure, but enough to make me rich. I want to have time to dedicate myself to what motivates me. If I had many things, I would have to occupy myself with caring for them and would not be able to do what I really like. True freedom is the austerity to consume little. I live in a small house, so I can dedicate my time to what I truly value. Otherwise I would need a maid, that is, someone intervening inside the household. If I possessed many things, I would have to watch over them so they would not be stolen. No, a house with 3 rooms is enough. We keep it clean, my old woman and I, and that’s all. Then we have time for what truly drives me. Truly, we are not poor.”

As President of the country, Pepe Mujica receives $12,500 dollars a month, but gives away 90% of that, which means that he lives on $1,250 ($25,824 Uruguayan pesos). He distributes the

AN URGENT NEED: EXAMPLE FROM THE TOP

UNA NECESIDAD URGENTE: EJEMPLO DESDE ARRIBA

L o que está pasando en Uruguay podría poner en marcha algunos cambios fundamentales en los círculos gubernamentales, sociales y religiosos de todo el mundo. La ironía es que esto no viene como resultado del ejemplo y de los pronunciamientos del Papa

Francisco sino de un Jefe de Estado que no invoca motivos religiosos para explicar lo que hace y como vive. Me refiero a José Mujica, conocido como Pepe Mujica, Presidente de Uruguay. Cuando le preguntan quién es él, Mujica responde: “Soy un viejo activista de la década 1950, que tiene muchas derrotas en sus cuestas, que quiere concertar un poco del mundo y que, a través de los años, ha quedado más humilde y ahora busca reparar un poco de algo.”

Como joven, Mujica participó en el MNL (Movimiento Nacional de Liberación) y ayudó a organizar a los Tupamaros, un grupo de guerrillas que luchaba contra la dictadura opresiva de Uruguay. Él fue capturado y torturado. “En el principio —dice él— me conformaba si me dieran nada más que un colchón; por mucho tiempo viví en un cuarto pequeño y estrecho y aprendí a caminar a través de él de punta a cabo.” Hoy Mujica vive en una pequeña casa en el campo. Cuando algunas personas dicen que él es pobre, él lo niega:

“No soy pobre. Pobres son las personas que creen que soy pobre. Cierto, tengo algunas cosas, lo mínimo, pero el suficiente para hacerme rico. Quiero tener el tiempo para dedicarme a lo que me da motivación. Si tuviera muchas cosas, tendría que ocuparme en cuidarlas y no podría hacer lo que realmente me gusta. Verdadera libertad es la austeridad de consumir poco. Vivo en una casa pequeña. De manera que puedo dedicarme a lo que realmente tiene valor.”

El salario de Mujica como Presidente es de $12.500 dólares al mes, pero él retiene solamente 10%, por lo tanto vive con $1,250 ($25,824 pesos uruguayos). El 90% es distribuido a pequeñas empresas que construyen casas populares. “Este dinero me basta – dice Mujica – y hay que bastar porque otros Uruguayos viven con menos.”

by/por Tarcísio Beal

cont’d on p. 8 continua en p.9

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remainder among small enterprises that work in building popular housing: “This money is enough for me and it has to be, because other Uruguayans live with less.” At 77, he wears the same clothes and enjoys the same friends he had before being elected President. Other than his farmhouse, his only patrimony is an old, light blue Volkswagen with an estimated value of $1,000 dollars. For official transportation, he uses a Chevrolet Corsa. His wife, Senator Lucía Topolansky, also donates most of her income to the needy.

If you drive a few miles from Montevideo, already on an unpaved road, you come to a field of acelgas (chards, a kind of beet) and see a small house, and a police car and two guards, the only signs that someone important lives there. That is the residence of President Mujica. During his 13 years in prison, he spent some time in an old dungeon that has been turned into a shopping center. The area also has a 5-star hotel. It is the Prado barrio, home of old mansions belonging to Uruguay’s aristocracy.

There, one also finds the Suárez y Reyes Residence of the nation’s Presidents. It is where José Mujica was supposed to live, but he has not spent a single night there. A palace built in 1908, in French architectural style, it is used only for meetings and for work. Mujica loathes the ceremonial and the privileges of his office. He believes that Presidents should not have more than others: “A small house with a zinc ceiling is enough. What kind of intimacy would I have in the house if three, four maids walked back and forth all the time? Do you think that’s life?”

Mujica loves animals and has some on his small farm. He likes to recount how his

female dog, Manoela, which has been with him 18 years, lost a paw while accompanying him through the fields. On May 24, 2012, by orders from Mujica, a homeless woman and her son were housed in the presidential palace which the President does not use. The woman stayed at the palace until an institution had room for her and her son. At the start of this winter, Mujica has placed the Suárez Y Reyes residence at the disposal of the homeless. In July 2011, he sold the presidential Summer residence at Punta del Este for $2.7 million dollars. Uruguay’s State Bank bought it and it’s being turned into offices and a cultural space. Mujica also ordered that all the money is to be invested in the construction of popular housing and the financing of an agrarian school in Punta del Este.

Now, would it not be wonderful if other heads of state and ecclesiastical authorities followed the example of Pope Francis and President Mujica? Salvador Sánchez Ceren, the new President of El Salvador, is an admirer of Mujica and intends to follow his example. Too many Catholic bishops, however, not only dress like medieval princes, but also live in comfort and even luxury while a large number of the faithful struggle to make a living. The luxurious and authoritarian lifestyle of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, Germany, was so scandalous that it angered German Catholics. After it was revealed that he was spending $20 million dollars to renovate his diocesan center and residence like a Caesarian palace, the Vatican had to intervene. Another clergyman who loves luxury is Newark’s Archbishop John Myer. His new palatial residence holds

Eagle Pass, and, in Cuellar v. TEC, established the principal in unemployment insurance hearings that merely filing a controverting affidavit does not give the employer an automatic win. And Alpha played a major role in protecting Hispanic Voters in Val Verde County from

an onslaught of votes from military officers who had passed through or had yet to arrive at Laughlin Air Force Base, but were no longer or had never been county residents. Their votes had elected a Klansman to the county commissioners court; he was forced to withdraw when his Klan activities in Germany came to light during the litigation in Casarez v. Val Verde County. After the program merger in 2001, Alpha became the manager of the immigration practice area team. She and Luis González, her paralegal who died in December 2013, carried on a robust immigration practice for TRLA under the highly restrictive rules of LSC and TAJF. Their compassion and advocacy stabilized and improved the lives of hundreds who sought to make their homes in the US.

Alpha also fought and won an effort to protect Sierra Blanca from becoming a toxic sludge waste site. After the flood of 1998, she was able to win the fight to keep the Casa de la Cultura open when it was under threat of closure. Most recently, she worked to ensure the future of Del Rio by defeating an attempt by SAWS to pipe such severely high volumes of water from the San Felipe Springs to San Antonio that the springs would have been critically compromised and Del Rio would not have survived. All this went on while successfully fighting to keep her office open in efforts to ensure proper defense of the chronically underrepresented in Del Rio and in Southwest Texas even in the face of branch closings and reductions in force at TRLA. The community recognized her for these and many more victories by naming her Woman of the Year at the 2011 International Women’s Day Conference.

Her achievements would not have been possible without the love and support of her family and community. Alpha was born January 23, 1947 in Del Rio, TX, to Felix and Maria Hernández, baptized and raised at El Principe de Paz United Methodist

“I am an old activist of the 1950s, with many defeats

on his back, one who wished to repair the world and who, along the years, has become more humble

and is now trying to repair a little bit of something.”

—Pepe MujicaPresident of Uruguay

Alpha Hernandez cont’d from page 6

An Urgent Need cont’d from p.7 . . .

cont’d on p.10

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Church. There she served as Youth sponsor for 22 years and served on the Board of Ministries as President, on the United Methodist Church Rio Grande Conference and on the Board of Higher Education, always guiding and encouraging youth to work to achieve academically and instilling a love of service to the community in the young people she worked with at church and beyond.

Alpha ended her battle with cancer at her residence in Del Rio Friday, March 28, 2014, at the age of 67. Left to cherish Alpha’s memory are her husband, Rodolfo Felipe Reyna and her children, Teresa Tonantzin Hernández Reyna and Rodolfo Cuauhtli Hernández

Reyna, her mother, Maria G. Hernández, her brother Felix G. Hernández III of El Paso (wife Estela and children David and Monica), her brother Apolonio Hernández of Del Rio (wife Julia and children Apolonio, Pauline, Jose and Patricia), her sister Diana H. González of Del Rio (husband Angelo González and children Carmen, Angela, Ben and Bethany) and her sister Denise Hernández of Del Rio (husband José David Pérez and children José Francisco and Juan David). She is predeceased by her father, Felix A. Hernández, her nephew, Felix C. Hernández and her great-niece, Sarah Hernández.

The family thanks the following persons for the loving care they provided Alpha during her illness: Dr. Amy Lang, Sara Perales, Marie Perales Morin and Carmen Gonzalez, RN. Donations in memory of Alpha’s life and work may be made to Casa de la Cultura, 302 Cantu St., Del Rio, Texas 78840. v

A los 77, Mujica aún se viste en la misma ropa y tiene los mismos amigos de antes de ser elegido Presidente. Además de su pequeña hacienda, su único patrimonio es un viejo, azul-claro Volkswagen valorizado en unos mil dólares. Para su transporte oficial, él usa un Chevrolet Corsa. Su mujer, Senadora Lucía Topolansky, también regala la mayor parte de su salario a los necesitados.

Si usted viaja de carro unas pocas millas de Montevideo, ya en una entrada sin pavimentación, usted llega a un campo lleno de acelgas y ve una pequeña casa y un carro de policía con dos guardas, las únicas señales que alguien importante vive allí. Es la residencia del Presidente Mujica. Durante sus 13 años en prisión, él pasó algún tiempo en un viejo calabozo ahora transformado en un centro comercial. El área tiene también un hotel de cinco-estrellas. Allí esta el barrio Prado donde se encuentran las mansiones antiguas de la aristocracia Uruguaya.

La Residencia Suárez y Reyes de los Presidentes de la nación también se encuentra en El Prado. Es donde José Mujica debería residir, pero él no ha pasado ninguna noche allí. Un palacio construido en 1908 en estilo francés, se usa para reuniones y para trabajo. A Mujica no le gusta lo ceremonial y los privilegios presidenciales. Él cree que el Presidente no debe tener más que otros: “Un pequeño hogar con techo de zinc es lo suficiente. ¿Qué tipo de intimidad tendría yo si tuviera en la casa tres o cuatro sirvientas caminando de un lado al otro el día entero? Cree usted que eso es vida? “

A Mujica le gustan los animales y tiene algunos en su hacienda. La perra, Manoela, que ha estado con él por 18 años, perdió su

pata cuando lo acompañaba a través del campo. En el 24 de mayo de 2012, por orden de Mujica, una mujer sin hogar y su hijo fueron abrigados en el palacio presidencial que el Presidente no usa. La mujer dejó el palacio solamente después que una institución de caridad tenía lugar para ella y su hijo. Al principio de este invierno, Mujica puso la Residencia Suárez y Reyes a disposición de las personas sin hogar. En julio de 2011, él vendió la residencia presidencial de verano de Punta del Este por $2.7 millones de dólares. La compró el Banco del Estado de Uruguay y será convertido en oficinas y un espacio cultural. Mujica también ordenó que todo el dinero de la venta sea invertido en la construcción de casas populares y en el financiamiento de una escuela agraria en Punta del Este.

¿No sería maravilloso si otros jefes de estado y autoridades eclesiásticas siguieran el ejemplo del Papa Francisco y Presidente Mujica? Parece que Salvador Sánchez Ceren, el recién-elegido Presidente de El Salvador irá hacerlo porque ha declarado que su modelo es Pepe Mujica. Es triste ver a tantos obispos católicos viviendo como magnates medievales. El Vaticano tuvo que interferir recientemente en la diócesis de Limburg, Alemania, porque el Obispo Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst vive en lujo escandaloso y gastó casi $20 millones de dólares en su Centro Diocesano e residencia episcopal.

Otro que le gusta el lujo es el Arzobispo John Myer de Newark, Nueva Jersey, que construyó una residencia con 5 dormitorios, 3 hogueras, un baño caliente, dos ascensores, un garaje para 3 carros, una biblioteca y una

“Soy un viejo activista de la década de 1950, que tiene muchas derrotas en sus cuestas, que quiere concertar un poco del mundo y que, a través de los años, ha quedado más humilde y ahora busca reparar un poco de algo.”

—Pepe MujicaPresident of Uruguay

Un Necesidad Urgente continua desde p.7. . .

continua en p.10

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5 bedrooms, 3 fireplaces, a hot tub, two elevators, an in-door exercise pool, a library, a three-car garage, and a large outdoors swimming pool, all occupying a 7,000 feet area. Meanwhile, 28 per cent of Newark’s people survive below the poverty line. Dennis Sullivan, Bishop of Camden, NJ, is imitating Myer.

Pope Francis, who lives what he preaches and probably does not feel at ease in the comfort and the protocol of the Vatican, has been firmly speaking against the abuse and waste of the goods God bequeathed to all of his/her children: The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose (Evangelii gaudium, his encyclical of November 24, 2013).

The one per-centers, who in America control 65% of the nation’s resources, are in reality denying millions of their own people the basic means of a decent livelihood. Pope Francis asks for “a conversion of the central structures of the universal Church.” He also confirms what liberation theologians have been saying since the 1960s: “We understand reality better not from the center, but from the outskirts.” On May 27, 2013, while visiting a suburban parish north of Rome, Francis said that “we understand reality better not from the center, but from the periphery.” Then, on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2013, speaking to the Catholic priests of the world, he added: “This is what I am asking of you: to be shepherds with the smell of the sheep.”

Now, I fully agree with billionaire Ken Langone, owner of Home Depot: “Francis should ask the same thing of wealthy Catholics that he has asked of his clergy and bishops, namely, that they tone down their lifestyle.” On the other hand, Evangelii gauidum angered other one per-centers. Harry Binswager, owner of the nation’s largest glass manufacturing plant, argued in Forbes magazine, the “bible of capitalism,” that someone like billionaire Goldman Sachs “has done infinitely more for mankind than Mother Theresa.” Forbes’ Summer 2013 issue goes to the extreme of saying that the wealthy of the U.S. “deserve more veneration than all the saints canonized by the Church.” Thus he proves Pope Francis right: the worship of the golden calf has returned.

The fact that billions of human beings are hungry every day and live in infra-human conditions while a selfish minority keeps on abusing and wasting the resources of the planet is a crime that cries to the heavens. Gaudium et spes (Pope Paul VI, December 7, 1965) says it plainly: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, it is theirs.”

It is urgent that compassion and sharing be exemplified by those in positions of leadership and by every one of us. A society based on justice and solidarity will only become a reality when those who control power and wealth, both lay and clerical, begin to give the example. This was what our beloved Archbishop Patrick Flores did. Every authentic disciple of Jesus lives not as the owner but as the steward of the goods God has given to all his children. v

Bio: Tarcísio Beal, S. T. L., Ph. D. is Professor Emeritus of the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, where he taught History, Theology, and Languages for 37 years.

piscina interior para ejercicios, ocupando 7.000 pies de espacio. Esto cuando 28% de los habitantes de Newark viven bajo el nivel de pobreza. El Obispo Dennis Sullivan de Camden, Nova Jersey, sigue el ejemplo de Myer.

Nuestro Papa Francisco, que vive lo que predica y ciertamente se siente incomodo dentro del confort y ceremonial del Vaticano, viene hablando firmemente contra el desperdicio de los bienes que Dios dio a todos sus hijos e hijas: “La adoración del antiguo becerro de oro ha retornado de una manera nueva y despiadada con la idolatría del dinero y la dictadura de una economía impersonal que no tiene una finalidad verdaderamente humana (Evangelii gaudium, encíclica del Papa de noviembre 24, 2013).”

El uno por ciento de los americanos quiénes controlan más de 65% de los recursos nacionales están realmente negandole a millones de personas el mínimo necesario para vivir. El Papa Francisco pide una “conversión pastoral de las estructuras de la Iglesia universal.” También confirma lo que los teólogos de liberación han dicho desde los años 1960: “Entendemos la

realidad mejor no desde el centro, pero de la periferia.” Hablando a los sacerdotes de todo el mundo católico

en el 28 de marzo de 2013, dijo el Papa: “Esto es lo que estoy pidiendo de ustedes: que sean pastores con el olor de las ovejas.”

Totalmente estoy de acuerdo con el millonario Ken Langone, dueño de Home Depot: “El Papa debe pedir lo mismo de los católicos laicos que pide del clero y de los obispos, o sea, que simplifiquen su vida.” Por otro lado, Evangelii gaudium irritó a otros miembros del uno por ciento.Harry Binswager, dueño de una de las

mayores compañías de fabricación de vidro, escribiendo en la revista Forbes, la biblia del

capitalismo, argumentó que personas como el billonario, Goldman Sachs, “ha hecho infinitamente

más que Madre Teresa por la humanidad,” La edición de Forbes del Verano 2013 va al punto extremo diciendo que

los ricos de los Estados Unidos “merecen más veneración que todos los santos canonizados oficialmente por la Iglesia.” Esto demuestra que Papa Francisco tiene razón: “La adoración del antiguo becerro de oro ha retornado a nuestros tiempos.”

El hecho que billones de seres humanos pasan hambre y viven en condiciones infra-humanas en cuanto que una minoría egoísta continua a abusar y a desperdiciar los recursos del planeta es un crimen que grita a los cielos. Gaudium et spes (Evangelii gaudium, 7 de diciembre, 1965) lo expresa claramente: “No compartir nuestra riqueza con los pobres es robar de ellos y destruir sus medios de ganarse la vida. Los bienes que tenemos no son nuestros sino de ellos.”

Una sociedad basada en justicia y solidaridad solamente se convertirá en realidad cuando los dueños del poder e de la riqueza, eclesiásticos y laicos, empiecen a dar el ejemplo. Fue este ejemplo que nos dio nuestro querido Arzobispo Don Patricio Flores. Todo auténtico discípulo de Cristo vive no como dueño sino como administrador de los bienes que Dios dio a todos sus hijos e hijas. v

Bio: Tarcísio Beal es Profesor Emérito de la Universidad del Verbo Encarnado en San Antonio, Texas donde enseño Historia, Teología, y Lenguajes por 37 años.

An Urgent Need cont’d from p.8 . . . Un Necesidad Urgente continua desde p.9. . .

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It’s May again — Mental Health Month.

Let’s see how we have progressed since last May. An article by Fernánda Santos and Erica Goode in The New York Times on April 1st, headlined Police Confront Rising Number Of

Mentally Ill Suspects. On March 16th, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico were trying to arrest James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man with a history of mental illness who appeared to be suffering from a psychotic break. The authors wrote “(he). . . was living in a different reality”. His last words to the police were, “Keep your word. I can keep you safe. All right? Don’t worry about safety. I’m not a (expletive) murderer, all right? It’s fine. I’m not gonna harm you. I’m not gonna harm you.” The police shot and killed him. They claimed he pulled out two knives and threatened their lives. The shooting, videotaped by an officer’s helmet cam, was released by the Police Department. Having watched the video, it appeared that he was complying with orders to lay down when he was shot. He was fired at 6 times.

According to the writers, the FBI is beginning an investigation into the death. Fernánda Santos wrote that, in all, 23 civilians have been fatally shot and 14 others have been wounded by the Albuquerque police since 2010. This has prompted a broader federal investigation into the department’s use of force. The victims have been of various backgrounds. The first, Kenneth Ellis III, 25, was an Iraq war veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was shot at a gas station parking lot while holding a gun to his head in January 2010. He had been pulled over by the police over suspicions of driving a stolen vehicle.

Many in Albuquerque were not happy. Demonstrations over the string of fatal shootings by police became so heated over the weekend of March 30-31 that officers in riot gear lobbed tear gas at an unruly crowd. The governor of New Mexico and Albuquerque officials urged calm on Monday, April 1st, reassuring a jittery public that investigations were underway. “Albuquerque is going through a tough time, and they’ll figure it out through the investigation,” Gov. Susana Martínez said at a news conference after the killing of James Boyd. “We want that to be thorough,” she said. “We want confidence in the investigation, but I just don’t want to see anyone.”

The Albuquerque Police Department is just one city. What we are seeing is that because of a lack of mental services, a growing number of people “are coming in contact with the criminal justice system, sometimes with deadly consequences.” The authors continue, “ In towns and cities across the U.S., police officers find themselves playing dual roles as law enforcers and psychiatric social workers. County jails and state prisons have become de

facto mental institutions . . .” Santos & Goode, April 2014). Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive

Research Forum, a Washington-based nonprofit that released a 2012 report calling for minimizing the use of force by police in situations involving mental illness, noted, “I think that this issue hits every city, every part of the country where you have people who are walking on the street who normally would have been under some kind of treatment or institutionalized.”

We have heard this before. I started out my May 2013 La Voz article with “Advocates say the USA’s mental care system is broken.” As I have written before, the prison system functions very much as a successor to our closed-down mental institutions. In 2009, Dr. Jacques Baillargeon and colleagues at the University of Texas – Galveston, described the situation as a “national public health crisis”. In an article entitled Criminals Need Mental Health

Care, from Scientific American (March 1, 2014), Robert Byron writes, “Most defendants with mental illness end up incarcerated — studies reveal that the bulk of all prisoners have at least one mental disorder.” We’ve heard all of this before and nothing seems to have changed. I’m going to take another perspective in trying to describe the suffering of the mentally ill vs incarceration. This year, Bob Whitley and Benjamin Henwood, wrote an article in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal an article that juxtaposes the circumstances of the mentally ill with the Jeffersonian concept of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” In short, the mentally ill really don’t enjoy these rights.

Life: The authors write, “Evidence suggests that the right to life, in its most basic definition, has been violated for people living with a severe mental illness.” They have a lower life expectancy than the mean. They have a poor diet, substance abuse, lack of exercise

by Bill Stichnot

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and the effect of psychotropic medication. They have a lower quality of life, often living in poverty, discrimination and have poorly funded mental health facilities. Of course, the biggest evidence of a lack of right to life is the killing of mentally unstable people by law enforcement.

Liberty: Whitley and Henwood write, “ The liberty of people with severe

mental illness has always been infringed upon both by their over representation in the jail and prison population and in continued widespread use of involuntary psychiatric institutionalization. Their over-representation is, in large part due to misdemeanors or factors associated with untreated mental illness. Involuntary commitment and institutionalization is also prevalent here. Once a person’s involuntary

inpatient commitment is finished, the same person is then involuntarily sent to an outpatient setting.” Another example is the crime (mental disorder) of child sexual abuse. While I do not believe a child sexual abuser deserves special treatment, they do deserve appropriate treatment. Most abusers are sentenced to prison (not a psych hospital) for years. Then when their time is served, instead of being paroled, they are

Another Year p. 11 cont’d

When one thinks of elder artists who have continued their careers into advanced ages, one thinks of musi-cians like Pablo Casals who com-

posed and played his cello into his 90s or artists like Picasso who painted through his 80s. In San Antonio, Texas we have our own treasure, Rita Vidaurri, who will turn 90 on May 22, 2014 and continues to sing in vintage form. Rita will sing to her “querido San Antonio” along with guest performers at a birthday serenata sponsored by the Esperanza on Friday, May 23rd at the Guadalupe Theater.

A decade ago in May 2004, the Esperanza Center celebrated Rita’s 80th birthday outdoors at the Plaza Guadalupe with hundreds of her admirers attending. At that time, Rita released a new CD, Rita Vidaurri, La Calandria. She called it her last CD. Not so! As part of her 90th birthday

Rita will be releasing a new CD of her favorite songs and jokes!Actress, musician and businesswoman, Rita Vidaurri was born on May 22, 1924 in a

tiny house on San Antonio’s West Side in the 600 block of el Callejón de Montezuma. Her father, Juan Vidaurri, owned a gas station at the corner of Guadalupe and Brazos where the

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center now stands. He kept a punching bag in his shop where the dynamic Rita learned to box and work on cars. She attended the local neighborhood

school, “La 21,” now J.T. Brackenridge. She also attended Lanier High School . Her mother, María Jesúsa “Susie” Castillo, regularly took her to sing at

nuecerías and carpas, popular vaudeville tent shows, like the Carpa García y La Cubana. Rita and her sister, Queta, would often perform together for fifty cents in the 1930s during the Golden Age of Mexican vaudeville. Little by little, she and Queta began to tour the small towns of Texas singing. It was then that Rita became known as La Voz del Campo. When Queta stopped singing, Rita started taking guitar lessons that her mother paid for at 50 cents a lesson.

Rita’s singing career began at the age of 12 years old when she began to enter singing contests at the Teatro Nacional in downtown San Antonio. When she won first place 18 times, she was asked to stop competing. One of her first big wins was a $50 prize at a contest sponsored by the H & H Café. In 1938, at age 14, she recorded “Alma Angelina” and “Atotonilco” on her debut 78 rpm single with

her sister for Bluebird Records. In lieu of royalties they received furniture for their mother who was to die a year later of TB at age 31. After her mother died, Rita continued

to sing but had to work at various jobs including arsenal weapons inspector in later years.

Serenata a Rita vidaurri on her 90th B i rthday

Friday, May 23rd @ guadalupe theater

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involuntarily committed to a psych hospital – for an indeterminate amount of time.

Pursuit of Happiness:Depending on the culture, pursuit of happiness can mean many things. In western societies, this means rewarding employment, successful domestic life, community involvement, enjoying hobbies, etc. Sadly, this is not the case for the

mentally ill. Whitley and Henwood write that many of these rights are systematically denied to these people. Homelessness is a problem. Over 35% of the homeless suffer serious mental illness. And, an estimated 80% of those severely mentally challenged are unemployed. This, despite the fact that 70% of the these people want to work. Stigma and discrimination are also factors that affect the pursuit of happiness with

individuals having problems being accepted in churches, clubs and other groups.

Bringing it all home, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, will help, there will be more assistance for the mentally ill. I just wanted to tell you what is happening this year. See you next May. v

Bio: Bill Stichnot, a long-time supporter of Esperanza is retired and living in Hawaii.

By 1941, Rita was a featured singer on José Dávila’s popular radio program, La Hora Anahuac. One of her earliest supporters, singer-songwriter Lorenzo Barcelata, saw her at the famed Teatro Nacional. He became her padrino giving her his own guitar and her songbird nickname, La Calandria, in 1943. Another enthusi-astic admirer, Mario Moreno, Cantinflas, convinced Rita’s father to take her to Mexico City.

There, Rita took the city by storm with actor-comedian, Ger-mán Tin Tan Valdés helping her land a job at El Patio Nightclub, the capital’s most elite venue. She was billed as La Última Sen-sación en Ranchera and began to share the stage with Jorge Ne-grete, Pedro Infante, Gloria Marin, Toña La Negra and other stars. Next, Rita appeared in films: Mexico en la Pantalla; Ay, Jalis-co, No Te Rajes; El Peñon de las Ánimas and El Tesoro de Pan-cho Villa. This established her as a stage and screen star and helped hone her stage presence incorporating her trademark jokes. If that weren’t enough, she entered and won a bathing suit and legs contest in 1946.

Rita became very popular through the mid ‘40s to the late ‘50s and became highly sought-after touring all of Mexico, Central and South America and the Carribean. She also toured Cuba with legends Celia Cruz, La Reina Azucar, and Olga Guillot, Queen of Boleros as well as with stars, Pedro Vargas, Trío Tariacuri, Lalo González, El Piporro and Cantinflas.

In the U.S. Rita performed in New York City with Eydie Gorme and Trio Los Panchos and at the famous Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles. In her own hometown of San Antonio, Rita was not as well known even though she was the official Jax Beer Poster girl in 1957.

By the early 1960s, Rita gave up her singing and agreed to marry her manager, Hillman Edward Eden, dedicating her life to being his wife and a mother to her three sons, Leo, Rogelio, Eduardo and her daughter, Linda.

Rita reappeared after many years reclaiming her fame when the Esperanza celebrated Lydia Mendoza’s birthday in 2001. She sang a song to her comadre, Lydia, on that day and the rest is history. At the time, Rita was working as a home health aid for elders close to the Esperanza Center. Her ties with the Esperanza led to the release of a new CD, “La Calandria Canta,” fifty years after she had recorded three albums and more than fifty singles en sus tiempos pasados.

As Rita entered her 80s, she reignited her singing career as part of Esperanza’s Arte es Vida program. Her re-entry into the spotlight inspired other elders: Blanca Rodriguez (Blanca Rosa), Beatriz Llamas (La Paloma del Norte) and Janet Cortez (Perla Tapatia) — all returned to the stage singing with Rita in a group called, Las Tesoros de San Antonio.

On October 29, 2004, Rita was inducted into the National

Hispanic Music Hall of Fame. In 2009, she was honored at Trinity University as part of the music department’s Legends of Texas Border Music Series. She has now won numerous awards and recognitions. Most recently, she wowed a crowd as she sang at the unveiling of the Lydia Mendoza Commemorative U.S. Stamp. Now revered as a living legend, Rita like other San Antonio legends Eva Garza, Lydia Mendoza, Gloria Rios and Rosita

Fernández, has won a place in our history and in our hearts.

On her 90th birthday Rita will be singing to “mi gente.” She will sing with pasión y fuerza. Not the passion of a young woman who is experiencing the innocence and ardor of first love, but the passion of a woman who has experienced a full and complete life that has included the loss of her parents, her husband, a brother, a sister and the death of her three sons — who died as adults, each tragically before their time. When one hears Rita sing Amor Eterno — we know that her love is one that transcends the limitations of our earth-bound life. v

Serenata a Rita vidaurri LA

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Amnesty International #127 info. Call Arthur Dawes @ 210.213.5919.

Bexar Co. Green Party: Call 210. 471.1791 or info@bexargreens.org

Celebration Circle meets Sundays, 11am@SA Garden Ctr., 3310 N. New Braunfels @ Funston Pl. Meditation: Weds @7:30pm, Quaker Mtg House, 7052 Vandiver. 210-533-6767.

DIGNITY S.A. gathers @ 5:15 pm, mass @ 5:30 pm, Sunday @ Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church, 1101 W. Woodlawn. Call 210.340.2230

Adult Wellness Support Group sponsored by PRIDE Center meets 4th Mondays, 7-9 pm @ Lions Field, 2809 Broadway. Call 210.213.5919.

Energía Mía meets as-needed for the time being. Call 512.838.3351.

Fuerza Unida, 710 New Laredo Hwy. See www.lafuerzaunida.org or call 210.927.2294

Habitat for Humanity meets 1st Tues. for volunteer orientation, 6pm, HFHSA Office @ 311 Probandt.

Proyecto Hospitalidad Liturgy meets Thurs. 7pm, 325 Courtland.

S.A. International Woman’s Day March & Rally Planning Committee organizes year-round. Call 210.262.0654 or www.sawomenwillmarch.org

Metropolitan Community Church services & Sunday school @10:30am, 611 East Myrtle. Call 210.472.3597

Overeaters Anonymous meets MWF in Spanish & daily in English. See www.oasanantonio.org or (210) 492-5400.

People’s Power Coalition meets last Thursdays. Call Marisol 210.878.6751.

PFLAG, meets 1st Thurs. @ 7pm, University Presbyterian Church 300 Bushnell Ave. Call 210.655.2383.

Parents of Murdered Children, meets 2nd Mondays @ Balcones Heights Community Ctr, 107 Glenarm See www.pomcsanantonio.org.

The Rape Crisis Center 7500 US Hwy 90W. Hotline: 210.349. 7273/210.521.7273 Email: sgabriel@rapecrisis.com

The Religious Society of Friends meets Sundays@10am @ The Friends Meeting House, 7052 N. Vandiver. 210.945.8456.

S.A. Gender Association meets 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 6-9pm @ 611 E. Myrtle, Metropolitan Cmty Church.

The SA AIDS Fdn 818 E. Grayson St. offers free Syphilis & HIV testing, 210.225.4715|www.txsaaf.org.

SA–NOW is back! Call 210.887.1753 or see womansa.com for info.

SGI-USA LGBT Buddhist group meets 2nd Sat. at 10am @ 7142 San Pedro Ave., Ste 117. Call 210.653.7755.

Shambhala Buddhist Meditation classes: Tu. 7-8pm & Sun. 9:30am-12:30pm, 257 E. Hildebrand Ave. Call 210.222.9303.

S.N.A.P. (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Contact Barbara at 210.725.8329.

Voice for Animals: 210.737.3138 or www.voiceforanimals.org for info

San Antonio’s LGBTQA Youth Group meets every Tuesday from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm at University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell Ave. See fiesta-youth.org

Organizations will be awarded dollar prizes based on district results, city-wide results and hourly results.

If you don’t have a credit card, or would like to just stop by, you can come to the Esperanza, 922 San Pedro, on May 6th

and we will register your cash or check donation.

We’ll also be uploading donation stories and pictures to facebook and twitter so please tune in, drop by and donate!!

By turning giving into a shared city-wide experience, we can significantly impact the future of San Antonio and collectively move our city forward.

The goals of The Big Give S.A. are to:• INVEST strategically in San Antonio nonprofits• DRIVE the community forward through collective impact• LEVERAGE giving with matching funds and prize incentives How can YOU help make The Big Give S.A. a success?Local giving days are driven by the energy of the community. The most important things you can do to help make The Big Give S.A. a success are to:• Make a gift on May 6.

• Like BigGiveSA on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @BigGiveSA

• Become a social media champion for your favorite participating nonprofit(s).

• Spread the word like crazy!

On May 6th the non-profit sector in San Antonio will be front and center – each organization attempting to bring in the

most amount of money within a 24-hour period.

We’re participating in this challenge and asking for your support by making a donation to

Esperanza on www.TheBigGiveSA.org!

LA V

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The San Antonio Four

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Notas Y Más Brief news items on upcoming community events. Send items for Notas y Más to: lavoz@esperanzacenter.org

or mail to: 922 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX 78212. The deadline is the 8th of each month.May 2014

The annual Sánchez Fuentes Lanier Schol-arship Dance on April 5th was a success. Thanks to all who attended and donated funds so that more students from the West-side can attend college. - Isabel Sanchez

The XVII World Congress of Criminol-ogy of The Int’l Society for Criminology will be held in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico at the Cintermex Congress Cen-ter on August 10-14 focusing on Gangs, Trafficking & Insecurity: Empowering the Community. | www.criminology2014.com

Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies invites submissions for a special issue on Transnational Feminism. Deadline: May 1st. | www.frontiers.osu.edu/submissions

EntreFlamenco San Antonio has shows at 8:30 pm on May 2nd & 3rd. | 210.842.4926 or www.entreflamenco.com

The Journal of South Texas is now ac-cepting submissions for its fall 2014 issue. E-mail Dr. Alberto Rodríguez at alberto.ro-driguez2@tamuk.edu and cc: jst@tamuk.edu with articles by May 15. The Journal seeks contributions about the social, politi-cal, military, economic & cultural history of So. Texas. | journalofsouthtexas.wix.com

The Julián Samora Research Institute at Michigan State Univ. is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a conference, Latinos in 2050: Restoring the Public Good, in East Lansing Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Call for pa-pers submission deadline: July 1st. Email to jsamorai@msu.edu. | 517.432.1317 or www.jsri.msu.edu/vents/25years.

Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society has just published its latest Call for Submissions, for our Fall 2014 issue! It can be read at: decolonization.org/index.php/des/announcement/view/433

NationMInside needs your help! Are you or a loved one formerly incarcerated? What can you tell us about how being formerly incarcerated impacts your employment opportunities? We want to support grow-ing efforts to address barriers to re-entry. Speak from the heart. Call (877) 410-4863 and record your story on our 24/7 answer-ing machine. Your story will help build a movement. | www.nationinside.org

Arundhati Roy’s new book from Haymar-ket, Capitalism: A Ghost Story, examines the dark side of democracy in contempo-rary India and shows how the demands of globalized capitalism have subjugated bil-lions of people to the most intense forms of racism and exploitation. Watch Roy discuss the book and India’s path towards totalitarianism on “Democracy Now!” | www.info@haymarketbooks.org

Portraits of Extraction in Eagle Ford and Beyondon exhibit through August 2014 @ Esperanza

Gallery Hours: M-F 10am-7pm | 210.228.0201

Jesus Alonzo’s

Jotos del Barrio Directed by Maria A. Ibarra

Weekends of June 6-8 • 13-15 • 20 & 22* Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 pm Sundays 3 pm

General Seating $12 Presale | $15 Door pre-sale tickets sold only through Thursday before each weekend perfomance

210.228.0201

Join cities around the world for a global call to action and

March Against Monsanto! SATUrdAY, MAY 24TH

@ Lion’s Field near Brackenridge Park, 2809 Broadway

FB Group: March Against Monsanto, San Antonio

International Workers day March

THUrSdAY, MAY 1, 2014 MARCH 6PM @ Plaza del Zacate

GATHERING 8PM @ SWU, 1416 E. Commerce FOR INFO: Call Joaquin at 210.413.8978

La Voz’s SA Four Series will continue in June. In the meantime . . .

S atu r day, M ay 24th @ Fatso’s Sports Garden 1704 Bandera Rd, San Antonio

Live music + moon bounce$8 BBQ Plate

*dates subject to change

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDSan Antonio, TX

Permit #332

la Voz de Esperanza922 San Pedro San Antonio TX 78212210.228.0201 • www.esperanzacenter.org

Haven’t opened La Voz in a while? Prefer to read it online? Wrong address? TO CANCEL A SUBSCRIPTION EMAIL lavoz@esperanzacenter.org CALL: 210.228.0201

la VoZ de ESPERANZA • May 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 4•

@1412 El Paso St, (210) 223-2585

Mother’s Day Exhibit & Sale

through Saturday, May 10th

10am-5pm, Freehandcrafted ceramics made to honor all women who have nurtured and advocated for their families, friends and community

COMMUNITY EVENT Sat May 3 @ Rinconcito, 816 S. Colorado | Free

¡Vengan, enjoy a day of música, films, photos, games, food, historic tours, y más! see p.4 for info

Wednesday, May 21st 7pm @ Esperanza | Free

READING & PLATICA Friday May 16th, 7 pm @ Esperanza

¡ Que viva la vida !

Plática & Book Signing with Josh Ruebner Nat’l Advocacy Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

www.shattered-hopes.com

An Evening with Ana Castillo, Carmen Tafolla and

Barbara Renaud González

Join us for our monthly concert series

Sat, May 17th 8pm @Esperanza | $5

Donate to the Esperanza on this day of S.A. Giving!

~ see p. 14 to find out how ~