David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs
The Latino cultural footprint is growing both in numbers and diversity. Immigration from countries other than Mexico and Cuba and increased migration from Puerto Rico is changing the face of the Latino presence in America.
The original inspiration for the celebration of Latino culture goes back to the appropriation of Mexican holidays such as September 16th Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo. More than that, Cinco de Mayo was converted into a commemoration that expressed the very essence of the Chicano message to the country.
Latino cultural celebrations in the second half of the 20th Century largely represented efforts to establish a presence in the national scene. It was important that the community no longer be the “forgotten minority.”
The Chicano Movement was able to achieve that presence by mobilizing its leadership to highlight the history of the land in America and its loss, the shortfall in justice and education, especially when it came to young people, and the discounting of farm labor, a basic industry for the Latino community. At the same time, the Movement’s efforts to heal the feelings of internal displacement, confused individual identity and distorted self-image were not as successful.
However, the arrival of large waves of Mexican immigrants helped to fill in areas where the Chicano Movement fell short. They not only reminded the Southwest Latino community of roots, but also came with a healthy sense of identity, national origins and traditions that many Americans of Mexican descent had lost.
The resulting sense of a more rounded cultural being established a firm foundation for serious involvement in the social and political affairs of the country. “Cultural authenticity” projected by Mexican immigrants became the basis for the vision of an offspring with a refreshed Latino image and heritage.
Since then, immigrant sentiments have become predominant in defining the Latino community. An example is the manifestation of the successful pressure to change the name of the National Council de la Raza, the most important national advocacy organization for Latinos. The new name selected, UnidosUS, came about because powerful Latino immigrant communities on the east coast do not identify with the term “la Raza,” an anthropological and educational concept associated with the Mexican Revolution.
Latino immigration patterns have changed and no longer include Mexicans in large numbers. At the same time, the Mexican border with the United States is alive with a heavy stream of immigrants from other parts of Latin America.
When the immigration pattern changed, Central Americans became the image of the new arrivals coming through Mexico to our southern border. Also, the major reason for coming to America changed to that of seeking asylum from dangerous conditions at home.
After that, other Latin Americans, principally from Venezuela seeking asylum, have become predominant. The Venezuelan exodus again brings more change to the character and face of the Latino community.
I have a colleague and close immigrant friend from Venezuela that brings to mind the tragic dismantling of what was a vibrant country and leader among the oil producing states in the world. He brings with him the academic credentials that also represents a microcosm of the brain drain afflicting his country.
I feel the obligation to account for my friend and what he brings to our Latino mix. There are other Venezuelan acquaintances that are part of an everyday service sector that make the community a better place to live. They, like other immigrants, join our traditional gatherings and celebrations. In the process, they add something from home countries.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
This weekend, Auraria Campus will host several celebrations across its 150-acre campus to kickoff Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), a month-long celebration of the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latine community that runs annually from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. “Being home to a rich mixture of culture, diversity and three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), the Auraria Campus is evolving into an epicenter of cultural events in the City of Denver,” said Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) CEO, Colleen Walker. “Our campus looks forward to hosting more multicultural events in years to come, which we consider the perfect platform for events in downtown Denver.” See below for a schedule of Auraria Campus’ Hispanic Heritage Month kick off events.
Thursday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m.
King Center-Recital Hall
Banda Filarmónica Sandunga de Santo Domino Tehuantepec Oaxaca, a 25-person group of young people from Oaxaca, Mexico who perform sounds and dances of Tehuantepec and the Istmo of Tehuantec.
Event is free-open to public
Friday, Sept. 15 5-9 p.m.
Tivoli Quad
Fifth annual Latin Fashion Week Colorado-A Oaxacan-inspired celebration of culture, diversity and inclusion that features more than 20 LOCAL fashion designers. The event is a unique immersive experience showcasing music, art, fashion and gastronomy from Latin America.
Fifth annual Latin Fashion Week Colorado-A Oaxacan-inspired celebration of culture, diversity and inclusion that features more than 20 INTERNATIONAL fashion designers.The event is a unique immersive experience showcasing music, art, fashion and gastronomy from Latin America.
Papagayo-A family event connecting participants beyond borders beginning with a 5K run and followed up with a day of music, dance, food and culture.
Que Pasa? is compiled by La Voz Staff. To submit an event for consideration please email attractions@lavozcolorado.com with Que Pasa in the subject line by Friday at 5 p.m.
Public comment is sought on Black Hills Colorado Electric’s Transportation Electrification Plan, known as the Ready EV Plan, in Proceeding 23A-0244E, during an upcoming public comment hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m.
Black Hills Energy provides service to approximately 100,000 customers in 24 counties, including the City of Pueblo, Cañon City, Cripple Creek, and Rocky Ford among others. The Ready EV Plan highlights include:
Ready Electric Vehicle (EV) programs
With a three-year budget for Ready EV, subject to a 150 percent budget flexibility cap.
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) rebate program.
A new rebate that encourages customers to charge their EVs during off-peak periods.
A Customer Communication and Education Strategy.
Meeting Details
Black Hills Colorado Electric’s Application for Approval of its Ready EV Plan.
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, beginning at 4:30 p.m., and continuing until concluded but no later than 6:30 p.m.
Virtual meeting, via Zoom. You must register here to participate.
Requests for language accommodations should be made at least one week prior to the event by completing the Language Access Form. Requests can also be made directly by contacting Holly Bise at 303.894.2024 or holly.bise@state. co.us.
The public is invited to view the hearing via the PUC’s livestream channel on You Tube. In addition, members of the public can submit written comments through the Commission’s E-Filing System at https://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/efi/EFI.homepage, via our online comment form, by emailing dora_puc_website@state.co.us, or by mailing comments to Colorado Public Utilities Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202. Members of the public can also call 303.869.3490 to leave oral comments (English and Spanish options). Regardless of the option selected, please reference Proceeding No. 23A-0244E in your public comment so that it can be included in this Proceeding.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Wyoming and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by flooding on June 15, 2023. Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding in Natrona County.
Colorado Governor
Governor Polis issued an Executive Order to ensure disaster funding remains available for five fires from 2020, and to encumber additional funding for the Lefthand Fire in Boulder County from 2020. The Executive Order amends the duration provisions for funding for five fires from 2020, including the Grizzly Creek Fire in Garfield and Eagle Counties, Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County, Mullen Fire in Jackson County, East Troublesome Fire in Grand County, and Calwood Fire in Boulder County.
Denver Mayor
Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) announced Denver’s first-ever Legacy Business program designed to protect and strengthen long standing small, locally owned businesses. This pilot program is modeled after other successful cities’ implementation of Legacy Business designations including San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX. The program will be launched as a pilot for its first year.
At least 2,681 people were killed and 2,501 others were injured because of an earthquake that struck Morocco. The quake had a magnitude of 6.8 when it hit and villages of clay and mud brick bult have been destroyed. Ambulances, rescue crews and soldiers are working to help assist with emergency response efforts as of Monday.
Sudan meets with Eritrea
Sudan Military Leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, where he is scheduled to meet with President Isaias Afwerki. The two are expected to discuss bilateral issues, the situation in Sudan, and other matters of mutual interest. In 2021, the Sudanese military seized power in the country in a coup.
Asia
Kim Jong Un introduces new nuclear weapon
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un participated in a ceremony to showcase a submarine capable of launching nuclear weapons. The submarine is named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean naval officer and historical figure. Kim called the submarine one of the navy’s main tactics of “underwater offensive.” There is some skepticism about how effective the weapon will be.
Japan rocket heads for moon
Last week, Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a Moon lander. It was the fourth launch attempt the country has made this year after previous attempts failed because of bad weather. The lander is expected to attempt a Moon landing February and if successful, Japan would become the fifth country to land on the Moon. India recently made history by successfully landing a spacecraft near the south pole of the Moon.
Europe
Spain coach resigns
Luis Rubiales has resigned as president of the Spanish Football Federation after kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup Final. Hermoso said the kiss wasn’t consensual and she filed a legal complaint. Rubiales said he can’t continue his work and also resigned from his position as vice president of UEFA’s executive committee. He added that he hoped his departure would boost Spain’s joint bid with other countries to host the 2030 World Cup.
Catholic Church honors family who hid Jews from Nazis
The Catholic Church hosted a beatification Mass in Poland to honor the Ulma family who were murdered by Nazis for sheltering Jews. Around 30,000 people attended the service, and it was the first time an entire family has been beatified. The mass was led by Pope Francis’ envoy, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro. The Pope described the Ulmas as a “ray of light.”
Latin America
Neymar becomes Brazil’s all-time leading scorer
Brazil soccer player Neymar has passed Pele as Brazil’s male all-time to scorer. The forward scored two goals in a recent victory over Bolivia. He was presented with an award for passing Pele’s record by his country’s soccer federation after the game. Neymar said he never imagined reaching the record and added that he is no better than Pele or any other player for Brazil’s national team. Pele passed last December and scored 77 goals in 92 games.
Mexico nears electing first woman president
Mexico appears to be ready to elect its first ever female head of state after former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was confirmed as the governing party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election. She will face off against Xóchitl Gálvez and is a close ally of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum said being the country’s first woman president would be historic for Mexico.
North America
Grand jury recommends charging three U.S. senators
A Georgia special grand jury recommended charging one current U.S. senator and two others as they investigate whether former President Donald Trump and his allies broke the law in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election. Among those who the jury voted to recommend indictment against include Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and former Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. All of these current and former senators defended their actions.
Police search for escaped prisoner
Police in Pennsylvania are searching for Danelo Cavalcante who was serving a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao. He escaped the Chester Country Prison on Aug. 31 by crab walking in between two walls. A ring doorbell camera caught an image of a man believed to be Cavalcante early Sunday morning. He has been on the run for 12 days.
For most Americans, Labor Day signifies the end of summer and the start of school. Though, that is changing since in much of the country thousands of schools are already in session days or even weeks before the first Monday in September.
But the origins of Labor Day have nothing to do with the end of summer or start of school. They have nothing to do with calendar events but everything to do with the quality of life for millions of men, women and even young children who, in an earlier day, were part of America’s workforce.
In 1882, two New York unions organized a one-day strike to address the excessive hours workers were spending on the job and away from their families. Back then, six-day weeks, sometimes seven, averaging 70-plus hours were common.
That same year New York City held the first Labor Day. Five years later, Colorado joined a handful of other states and set aside a day to honor workers. As momentum grew—and government and business realized giving workers a day off had unintentional positive benefits—they could spend their earnings—most states joined in. President Cleveland officially signed the Labor Day bill into law later that year.
Of course, while Labor Day has as its genesis an air of goodwill toward workers, its dedication as a national holiday did little to erase the eternal conflict between labor and management, the people who work the jobs and those who own the companies.
On March 25, 1911, New York City witnessed one of the most horrific labor-management catastrophes when a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory.
When the fire began, it trapped workers on the eighth floor of the building. Escape for many was impossible because even the most basic safety regulations had been ignored, including keeping doors locked to prevent workers—mostly immigrant teenaged girls—from taking breaks.
Elevators failed almost immediately. Other escape routes— exit doors—were locked preventing so many others from reaching stairways. Fire escapes could not handle the exodus. It was labor’s day of infamy.
The fire’s toll included 49 workers who either burned to death or suffocated from the smoke, another 48 died by jumping from the building and 36 were killed when they fell into the elevator shaft.
A grand jury failed to indict the owners on manslaughter charges. Adding to the pain of so many families, a court ruled that management pay only $75 for each worker death. But despite failing to hold responsible the companies’ two owners, it did spur reform in both worker safety and fire code regulations.
Colorado, too, has its own infamous legacy of labor management conflict, none more painful than 1914’s Ludlow Massacre, a bloody assault on a mostly immigrant group of miners and their families, including infant children.
Unrest percolated during what has become known as the Colorado Coalfield War. Miners, many newly arrived immigrants, were working excessive hours in unsafe conditions for low pay. Confrontations, even armed conflict, between workers and management boiled over. But it was nothing compared to what happened April 20th at a miners’ camp just south of Walsenburg.
The labor impasse had gone on long enough for magnate John D. Rockefeller, Jr., owner of Pueblo’s CF&I and scores of coal mines across the state. Their labor fed the furnaces of his company the fuel to manufacture the steel a hungry and growing nation badly needed.
Governor Elias M. Ammons and the National Guard seemed to have the unrest under control, despite occasional hotspots that resulted in confrontation, including some fatal.
Quelling the violence often meant bringing in strike breakers, a decision that proved heartbreaking and, ultimately, historically fatal. In the end, strikebreakers and militia engaged miners, the former using machine guns, the miners fighting back with whatever means available.
There are varying estimates on casualties with some as high 55 women and children counted as dead. But in the end, major reforms on mine safety and improved wages were enacted. The United Mine Workers purchased the site of the massacre where a memorial stands today. It can be seen from the roadside of Interstate 25.
Photo courtesy: Denver Public Library
Shown above, Plumbers Local #3, Labor day on September 6, 1887
On March 15, 1887, Colorado’s Sixth General Assembly passed a law designating the first Monday in September as a holiday honoring workers becoming the second state to create an official labor holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed legislation that made Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894.
The Pueblo steel mill was also the focal point of another Colorado labor impasse. In 1959, the United Steelworkers of America called a strike that shuttered the Pueblo mill for 110 days. New technology was poised to eliminate thousands of steel jobs nationwide. The union wanted worker protection. The strike created an economic depression in Pueblo and other cities.
When an agreement could not be reached, President Eisenhower intervened by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act forcing union workers back. It appeared the company had won. But with an election year approaching and some behind the curtain nudging in Washington, management and union finally ironed out a new working agreement resulting in higher wages and better health and pension benefits for workers.
Labor and management tensions, while nowhere near the fever pitch they once engendered, continue today. Over the last several months, a number of high-level strikes have been averted, including one with FedEx. But a number of others are on-going or threatened. Perhaps the most visible impasse is currently being waged in the entertainment industry. Also looming is a potential work stoppage by the United Auto Workers.
An estimated 160,000 Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild are demanding new contracts from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. They want job protection especially in an era of artificial intelligence that threatens to erase many jobs.
The strike has all but frozen new movies and television shows from production. The SAG-WGA strike began on May 2nd but there is no end in sight.
Despite the struggle for more equitable working conditions, including sometimes painful sacrifices, the story of Labor Day in America is often a mystery, particularly to younger people. For many, it has simply become a day of leisure and end-of-summer sales.
But for the leisure of millions as well as the bargain prices at so many stores, the sacrifices have been many and accompanied by an unimaginable cost in both blood and treasure.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has died at the age of 75.
Photo courtesy: BillRichardson.com
Richardson passed in his sleep at his Massachusetts home, according to a statement from his organization, The Richardson Center. His political career included time as a U.S. Congressman in northern New Mexico, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton. Richardson became governor of New Mexico in 2002 and also dedicated his post-political career to securing the release of American detainees in other countries.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that Richardson seized every chance to serve and was determined to do good for his country, New Mexico, and Americans around the world.
“Few have served our nation in as many capacities or with as much relentlessness, creativity, and good cheer. He will be deeply missed,” Biden said in the statement.
Richardson is responsible for the release of numerous hostages and American servicemen in North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, and Sudan. Among those who he helped get release from foreign countries include American journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison and Taylor Dudley, a man who crossed the border from Poland to Russia. He also met with Russian officials shortly before the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed and worked on the cases of WNBA player Brittney Griner and Navy veteran Michael White.
Some of his notable global work included working to free American workers held by Saddam Hussein and traveling to North Korea in 2007 to recover the remains of American servicemen who were killed in the Korean War. The prior year, he persuaded Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to release Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Paul Salopek.
Richardson once described being New Mexico’s governor as “the best job I ever had.” During his two terms, he was the country’s only Hispanic governor and signed legislation that repealed the death penalty — after previously supporting capital punishment. He called signing the legislation “the most difficult decision in my political life.”
“I saw firsthand his passion for politics, love for America, and unflagging belief that, with respect and good faith, people can come together across any difference, no matter how vast. He was a patriot and true original, and will not be forgotten,” Biden said in the statement.
Outside of his political and diplomatic work, Richardson started The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which focuses on conflict resolution and prisoner release, and the Foundation to Preserve New Mexico Wildlife with actor and conservationist Robert Redford. He also served as Chairman of Freedom House, a private nonpartisan organization that promotes democracy and human rights worldwide and served on the boards of the National Resource Defense Council and United Way International.
Richardson’s contributions to the country and humanitarian rights are admirable and his legacy is worthy of celebrating.
The CU Buffs for years have been a shell of what they once were in the 80’s and 90’s. Once a powerhouse and often lumped into conversations with great college teams like Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Miami, the Buffs began to fall off the national NCAA map in the late 90’s and their fall continued through 2022 when they won a single game last season.
Colorado was once third in college football for having the most active players in the NFL. In the 80’s Colorado gained it’s elite football program notoriety under Bill McCartney who led the Buffs to first National Championship in 1990 when they defeated Notre Dame 10 – 9.
After years of sub-par mediocrity from the program they once were, Colorado’s athletic director said enough, and made one of the most controversial decisions in CU Buffs Athletics history, he reached out to a man well known among the football community for his tenacity and determination.
Shortly after the end of CU’s dismal season the University of Colorado hired Coach Deion Sanders (Coach Prime) to try and bring the schools football program back to its once elite status.
Photo courtesy: CU Buffs Football Instagram
On Saturday the Coach Prime led CU Buffs were on primetime television in Dallas Fort Worth to face last season’s runner up to the National Championship, Texas Christian University. In the weeks leading up to the game critics and sports writers blogged, podcasted and shared their thoughts about how Coach Prime’s unorthodox approach by practically overhauling the entire team was the biggest mistake by any coach in history.
Vegas agreed as they had the Buffs as three touchdown underdogs heading into Saturday’s game. But Coach Prime and his newly developed squad of young talent were out to show the world why they were wrong about Coach Primes approach.
In front of millions of viewers across the country, the CU Buffs went out and out-worked and out-hustled a team that was supposed to beat them by three touchdowns. The result was much different than anyone expected. CU struck first with a touchdown, added 10 more in before the half and went on to defeat TCU 45 – 42 in what many are calling one of the biggest upsets in College Football.
To add insult to all of Coach Primes nay-sayers, his son Shedeur Sanders broke a school record by throwing for over 500 yards in a single game. Additionally, Saturday’s game was the first in school history to feature four receivers with over 100 yards receiving.
Wide receiver Travis Hunter is in talks for the Heisman after just one game with 11 receptions for 119 yards and one interception. We can’t leave out Coach Prime’s other son Shilo Sanders who led the team in tackles (9 tackles, 1 assist).
This week CU will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers to hopefully rekindle an old rivalry. Both organizations are similar in that both have first year coaches who are looking at turning their football programs around. Last week Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule debuted in his first game where he lost a close one to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
This week coach Rhule looks to get his first win over the newly ranked CU Buffs in a hostile environment for Corn huskers fans and faculty.
As September arrives, the smell of roasting green chile is permeating the air in cities and towns all around Colorado. It’s an unmistakable fragrance in the same way the scent of vanilla or chocolate is unmistakable. And now, this sweet, smoky aroma is filling the air on street corners, outside grocery stores and even along Colorado roadsides. The giant roasting drums, roaring as they spin, create the unique aroma that chile lovers wait for each fall.
A good portion of the crop—the best, actually- –say people like chile farmer Dalton Milberger, comes from Pueblo. In fact, as southern Colorado agriculture goes—a region with some of the state’s best farm produce—Pueblo’s chile may sit atop the pyramid of most recognizable crops. It’s not by accident. Pueblo has not missed the opportunity to showcase this very popular fruit—and yes, chile is techni- cally a fruit because it contains seeds.
Now in its 29th year, the Pueblo Chile and Frijole Festival is set to kick off September 22-24 along the city’s historic Union Avenue. From its meager roots to today, the festival has grown each year. Last year’s celebration brought in more than 150,000 visitors, a full third of whom came from “out of the city or state,” said Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Vice President Donielle Kitzman.
Photo courtesy: VisitPueblo.com
Kitzman almost gushes over the Pueblo chile, comparing it to a movie star or celebrity. It’s “sexy and fun and spices everything up,” she said recently in a Pueblo Chieftain interview adding, “It brings everyone together because we can all agree it tastes great.”
Despite the growing fame of Pueblo’s popular pepper, every year around this time, it has to share the spotlight with its equally famous and, perhaps, better known brethren, New Mexico’s Hatch chile.
Like Colorado, the Land of Enchantment’s chile has its own license plate but New Mexico has gone one better. It has actually passed legislation—an official law!!!—making the state the first to have its own official state aroma. Yes. The smell of roasting Hatch chile is codified into New Mexico state law.
“Chile is tied into nearly every aspect of New Mexico life,” New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, said in Travel and Leisure Magazine. The Hatch chile, said the Governor, it is woven into “our culture to our economy.” Indeed, last year’s crop weighed in at 53,000 tons.
By comparison, the Pueblo Chile Growers Association grows and harvests somewhere between 700-800 acres of chiles each season. It has no firm figures on the crop’s annual tonnage. But it swears that what it doesn’t have in quantity it more than makes up in quality. Especially its MiraSol variety, Pueblo’s ‘belle of the ball’ green chile.
The MiraSol gets its name because it’s a unique variety of chile that actually grows upward facing the sun. In Spanish, the term literally means ‘looking at the sun.’
Milberger Farms has taken its chile and blended it into salsa, sausage and even fudge. It also ships out of state. It also sells to Whole Foods which, in turn, sells Pueblo chile in a handful of Rocky Mountain states.
With the pandemic no longer ‘the ghost at the banquet,’ Pueblo is planning its biggest ever Chile and Frijoles Festival. This year’s festival will also include a two-night hot-air balloon lighting. Each will take place along the city’s River Walk. The festival will also include a record 200 or more vendors.
Pueblo, said Kitzman, has done its homework in getting the word out about its big fall festival. It’s also gotten a helping hand from the state’s Department of Agriculture via a marketing survey. The survey’s results show that 61% of respondents had heard of Pueblo chile, nearly double the figure from 2016. Only one in ten taking the survey had never heard of Pueblo’s crown jewel fruit.
Both tasty and healthful, the chile is a favorite around the world. Chiles kick up the flavor of foods without adding fat, they increase metabolism, are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, preserve foods, are linked to gastrointestinal health, aid in the prevention of heart diseases, cancer, asthma, and allergies, and are even used to control pain. No wonder chiles are the most widely grown seasoning in the world! Ranging from mild and sweet, to very hot.
David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs
We are about to enter Latino Heritage Month that celebrates and offers a view of unique traditions that are the artifacts characterizing honor, pride and courage of a people that are becoming more and more indispensable to America. The annual celebration is coming amidst what the media is calling “culture wars” that describes radicalized political actors that feel the loss of portions of their own heritage.
Heritage and culture tend to be lumped together because they are somewhat related and yet there is a difference.. Heritage is “something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth…”
Culture “is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior…and norms found in human societies, as well as knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of individuals and groups.” For most of us, when we think of culture we think of “symbols, language, norms, values and artifacts.”
When we put the two together we see the legacy of physical artifacts” like monuments and “intangible attributes of a group or society inherited from the past. Cultural heritage is a concept which offers a bridge between the past and the future with the applications of particular approaches in the present.”
For me, culture is something I cannot deny and still keep my identity as a social being. It is the most important part of how I see myself and how I manage my humanity.
On the other hand, heritage is a matter of choice or revision. As I navigate life, I employ elements of my culture that can help me along the way or choose not to use those things in my past that, I feel, hinder my progress.
In our country, for example, our national heritage includes the notion that a particular group of people have governed the country since its founding because they were the established democratic majority. This century is seeing a demographic and political change that begins to challenges the idea.
A somewhat related and very visible example are the monuments to Confederate leaders in the American Civil War that are being removed which is causing great pain to many, especially in the South. There is also the matter of the names of military bases located mostly in the South that are being changed because, like the monuments, they represent rebellion and insurrection against the United States.
Finally, there is the matter of revising the history of slavery to include “positive outcomes” so that the institution appears more acceptable to the American conception of liberty. These artifacts represent an important cultural heritage conception to a significant number of people that see themselves as part of the political power structure.
The Chicano Movement had to navigate the cultural heritage road, especially when it was dealing with issues that make up identity. Activists learned that one cannot run away from culture or its history although they could emphasize those helpful cultural structures that provide strength for present and future efforts.
A great example is the epic poem I Am Joaquin when it states: “I was both tyrant and slave,” because it embraces cultural history and at the same time seeks to deny contradictions in manifesting the present and the future reality. For people, nations and groups, culture is a bundle of contradictions because it is the basic character of our humanity which carries the opposite nature of our common day and spiritual worlds.
I Am Joaquin provides an excellent lesson in how to approach our cultural heritage. It embraces historical truth as it seeks to transcend its limitations.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of laVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
Immigration, expansion and diversity of Latino culture
The Latino cultural footprint is growing both in numbers and diversity. Immigration from countries other than Mexico and Cuba and increased migration from Puerto Rico is changing the face of the Latino presence in America.
The original inspiration for the celebration of Latino culture goes back to the appropriation of Mexican holidays such as September 16th Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo. More than that, Cinco de Mayo was converted into a commemoration that expressed the very essence of the Chicano message to the country.
Latino cultural celebrations in the second half of the 20th Century largely represented efforts to establish a presence in the national scene. It was important that the community no longer be the “forgotten minority.”
The Chicano Movement was able to achieve that presence by mobilizing its leadership to highlight the history of the land in America and its loss, the shortfall in justice and education, especially when it came to young people, and the discounting of farm labor, a basic industry for the Latino community. At the same time, the Movement’s efforts to heal the feelings of internal displacement, confused individual identity and distorted self-image were not as successful.
However, the arrival of large waves of Mexican immigrants helped to fill in areas where the Chicano Movement fell short. They not only reminded the Southwest Latino community of roots, but also came with a healthy sense of identity, national origins and traditions that many Americans of Mexican descent had lost.
The resulting sense of a more rounded cultural being established a firm foundation for serious involvement in the social and political affairs of the country. “Cultural authenticity” projected by Mexican immigrants became the basis for the vision of an offspring with a refreshed Latino image and heritage.
Since then, immigrant sentiments have become predominant in defining the Latino community. An example is the manifestation of the successful pressure to change the name of the National Council de la Raza, the most important national advocacy organization for Latinos. The new name selected, UnidosUS, came about because powerful Latino immigrant communities on the east coast do not identify with the term “la Raza,” an anthropological and educational concept associated with the Mexican Revolution.
Latino immigration patterns have changed and no longer include Mexicans in large numbers. At the same time, the Mexican border with the United States is alive with a heavy stream of immigrants from other parts of Latin America.
When the immigration pattern changed, Central Americans became the image of the new arrivals coming through Mexico to our southern border. Also, the major reason for coming to America changed to that of seeking asylum from dangerous conditions at home.
After that, other Latin Americans, principally from Venezuela seeking asylum, have become predominant. The Venezuelan exodus again brings more change to the character and face of the Latino community.
I have a colleague and close immigrant friend from Venezuela that brings to mind the tragic dismantling of what was a vibrant country and leader among the oil producing states in the world. He brings with him the academic credentials that also represents a microcosm of the brain drain afflicting his country.
I feel the obligation to account for my friend and what he brings to our Latino mix. There are other Venezuelan acquaintances that are part of an everyday service sector that make the community a better place to live. They, like other immigrants, join our traditional gatherings and celebrations. In the process, they add something from home countries.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.