culture

Cesar Chavez’ Legacy Remembered at Prayer Breakfast

Stockton, CA — “…Bless the workers and bless those who are in power…” said Stephen Blair, Bishop Dioceses of Stockton as he blessed the field workers and working families.  The blessing was during the Cesar Chavez Prayer breakfast during the morning of March 26, 2016.

Annually the Mexican Heritage Center and Gallery hosts a breakfast in observance of “Cesar Chavez’ birthday and to honor the hard work of field workers with a prayer,” explained Gracie Madrid, President of the Mexican Heritage Center and Gallery (MHC&G); adding, “often young people think of Cesar Chavez as the boxer, not the civil rights activist who built a movement for field worker rights.”

“My parents wanted us to live here [In the U.S.] because they wanted a better future for us…” Explained Roberto Valdes Sanchez artist exhibiting at MHC&G, and keynote speaker.  Valdez remembers learning about Cesar Chavez in 1983, “To me he is the most influential leader in U.S. History… He did more for Latinos than any other person in the history of the United States.”

Jose Lopez, Youth Programs Coordinator of the Diocese of Stockton remembers Cesar Chavez when he saw him in south Stockton’s McKinley Park. “He told us, ‘newborn puppies open their eyes during the first 3 days and when will you do it?’ those words will forever be remembered, because he was inviting us to wake up and to fight for our rights,” Chavez’s words are, “embedded well and are very important.”

For Tatiana Garcia, 11th grade student at Venture Academy the conversation and the art, hits close to home. “My family has been working on the fields, Cesar Chavez’s work impacted our family as well as many other,” Garcia appreciated the program and Valdes’ art.   “He has a lot of talent.   I am impressed by his pencil work.”

MHC&G is open all year with different monthly exhibits by artist, community members and educational programs.  The Gallery is located at 111 S. Hunter Street, Stockton, CA  95202.

STOCKTON, CA – Representatives from local organization met at El Concilio in downtown Stockton, on Wednesday, August 8^th to discuss Latino challenges in the community and the possible creation of a Latino statewide agenda. Continue reading →

I Have a Voice: Danny Thomas Dunne Ruiz

Dunne-Ruiz is a retired police officer from Tracy, author of the Blue Mexican, a novel published in 2009 and currently works as English teacher at San Mary`s High School and the San Joaquin Delta College.

What started as a part time job at the Tracy Police Department, for the young Dunne-Ruiz turned into a police career of twenty years.

“I went from a dispatcher to a patrol man, to detective sergeant.”

Continue reading →

“¡Todos a Votar!” (“Let’s Vote!”) National Tour Makes its First Stop in Stockton

STOCKTON, CA- Stockton is the first stop of the national campaign ¡Todos a Votar! (Let`s Vote) tour to register and mobilize Latino voters.

Led by six national Latino advocacy groups, ¡Todos a Votar! Campaign kickoff was held on Thursday, July 26 at the Comision Honorifica Mexicana, “La Jamaica” and is expected to travel to four cities and five other states.

The 2012 presidential election could be one of the most important for Latinos because the political party debates are polarizing issues close to home, such as jobs, taxes, immigration and health care.

“We will decide who will be elected president of the United States and who will be running the congress…  we will also make sure that the issues that we care about are placed on the agenda,” said Eliseo Medina, Service Employees International Union International Secretary Treasure.

Vanessa Maciel and Adriana Granados, two volunteers of Mi Familia Vota, walk through the streets of Stockton encouraging people to cast their vote.

Labor rights leader, Eliseo Medina

Through the door to door campaign Vanessa Maciel (23) and Adriana Granados (14), two of the thirty volunteers in Stockton, are determined to increase the Latino voter turnout in the San Joaquin County.
Are you registered to vote? is the question that Maciel and Granados continuously  ask as they walk through the streets of Stockton, hoping to register as many new voters as they can.

 
“I am Latina…I really want to get out there and help,” said Macias. “I been a volunteer for two weeks…the message I want to get out is to encourage the community to vote.”
The goal of the campaign is to nationally register 650,000 new voters, – two thousand of them in the San Joaquin County.
For the labor rights leader, Medina, this November the election will also determine whether 1.2 million dreamers and eleven million workers, will legalize their immigration status.The Latino electorate is not a “sleeping giant,” says Arnulfo de la Cruz, California State Director of “Mi Familia Vota,” one of the national participating Latino advocacy groups.

“We [Latinos] are working one to three jobs, we are taking care of the children, we are up early, so we are not sleeping; we are an ignored block,” said De la Cruz. “I don’t think candidates and the political infrastructure do enough to reach Latino voters.”

“Political campaigns have limited money, so they will spend it on people who always vote to try to convince them to vote for them,” explains De la Cruz.  “They will not go out to a Barrio (neighborhood) where there’s Latinos not participating to try to engage them to vote.”

With 30 volunteers in Stockton and 25 Modesto, the campaign plans to triple the number of volunteers as the election gets closer.

The ¡Todos a Votar! National Tour will next travel to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego, to eventually reach Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Colorado.

According the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), in California, New Mexico and Texas, at least one in five voters will be Latino.

“These are all states where the Latino vote will play a decisive role,” said Medina. “Democracy works best when we all participate.”

Contact Dennise Rocha, Info@bilingualweekly.com

California Senate approves “Anti-Arizona” TRUST Act

Sacramento, CA – The State Senate approves Assembly Bill (AB) 1081 (Ammiano) on Thursday July 5^th, California’s TRUST Act, by a vote of 21-13. Continue reading →

Delta Fusion Meets at the River

STOCKTON, CA — “Meet Me at the River” was the theme for the second annual Delta Fusion Pageant, held at Stockton’s Victory Park during the morning of Saturday June, 30^{th. Continue reading →}

CA Walkers Get Lesson on Social Justice in Stockton

STOCKTON, CA- Sixteen students from Santa Clara University (SCU) took a 257 mile stroll through the State of California for a class on Social Justice and the arts.  They began in Ocean Beach on June 14^th and their path took them through Stockton on June 19^th — their destination Yosemite.  Father Dean from St. Mary’s church connected with the fifteen students that made it to Stockton and he created a full itinerary of various educational opportunities in hopes that they learn about issues facing Stockton and the Central Valley. Continue reading →

Community Celebrates Mother’s Day

STOCKTO, CA- In celebration of mother’s day —one of the major holidays in the Latino culture— a group of women gathered at Kennedy Park on Thursday, May 10^th. Continue reading →

Civic Auditorium locks out youth group peace message effort

Fathers and Families of San Joaquin at the Cinco de Mayo Parade

Stockton, CA — In an effort to give free financial literacy courses and personal finance development programs to impoverished minorities in San Joaquin; Leandro Vicuña elaborated a Free Financial Literacy Workshop at the Stockton Civic Auditorium — a program offered by Sus Finanzas.  “100 to 150 persons attended the workshop during its peak,” explained Vicuña. Continue reading →

Cinco de Mayo Continues to Grow in San Joaquin

San Joaquin County, CA — Stockton’s traditional Mexican-American Cinco de Mayo parade continues its growth since the mid 1970’s inception. Continue reading →

Opinion: Why I am Mexican and actually like Cinco de Mayo

By Sandra Barrios

With Cinco de Mayo come “the persinados” [the faithful] who get angry about it the celebration being yet another excuse for drinking, and the hardcore “I-know-all-my-history” Mexicans who criticize others for not knowing how Cinco de Mayo became a celebration. Continue reading →

Cinco de Mayo Parade Winners

STOCKTON, CA –  Sunday May 6, 2012 the Coalition of Mexican American organizations (COMA) held their annual Cinco de Mayo parade in Downtown Stockton. COMA hires a professional judges association, Pacific COast Judges Association, to judge the parade and give awards to the best parade entries with the theme of ‘Peace in the Valley.’ Continue reading →

Cinco de Mayo Parade’s First Annual King and Queen Pageant

San Joaquin County, CA — “Being bilingual gives me the ability to communicate in the workforce and it allows me the opportunity to understand my roots and background,” explained Gabriela Fernandez who was crowned Queen of the Cinco de Mayo Parade Pageant 2012. Continue reading →

International Run Crosses Stockton

STOCKTON, CA- Five runners stopped through the streets of Stockton on their way to Alaska as they participate in the Peace and Dignity Journey of 2012. Continue reading →

Handing Traditions to upcoming generation

STOCKTON, CA – Fathers and Families of San Joaquin hosted, “The Boys and Men of Color Summit” at the University of the Pacific on Friday, April 20^th. Continue reading →