ILLEGAL PETE'S NATIONAL CALL-IN-WRITE-IN EVERY DAY INDEFINITELY

MEChA de University of Arizona

Dec 12, 2015 — ILLEGAL PETE'S NATIONAL CALL-IN WRITE-IN INDEFINITELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, ESPECIALLY DURING FINALS & HOLIDAYS AT THE UA
520) 352-1340 - EXTENSION #7 for owner's assistant.
Petition update: Keep petition going and call and share
MEChA de University of Arizona
Dec 12, 2015 — Call and give your thoughts to Tucson's Illegal Pete's Restaurant: 520) 352-1340 - EXTENSION #7. When you call, be respectful, but also, be creative. Talk as long as you want. Also, write them at their website and do the same on their facebook page. Feel free to call their other locations. If they change numbers, check websites, etc.
Tucson: 876 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85719
https://www.facebook.com/IllegalPetesTucson/?fref=ts (inbox mssg from here)
E contact: http://illegalpetes.com/contact/
Catering: http://illegalpetes.com/catering/ (all locations)

* If you live in Tucson, feel free to go inside, but do not spend a dime.

Boulder
(303) 444-3055 - 1124 13th ST. | BOULDER, CO 80302
(303) 440-3955 - 1447 PEARL ST. | BOULDER, CO 80302

Denver
(720) 287-5233 - 270 S. BROADWAY | DENVER, CO 80203
(303) 623-2169 - 1530 16TH ST. #101 | DENVER, CO 80202
(303) 771-2277 - 5312 DTC BLVD. #400 | GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO 80111

Denver University
(720) 974-2198 - 1744 E EVANS AVE. | DENVER, CO 80210

FT. Collins
(970) 999-3051 - 320 WALNUT ST. | FORT COLLINS, CO 80524

PETITION UPDATE: https://www.change.org/p/pete-turner-owner-of-illegal-pete-s-illegal-pete-s-mexican-restaurant-change-name-or-shut-it-down/u/14575554

National Call in Thurs & Fri Dec 10 & 11

https://www.change.org/p/pete-turner-owner-of-illegal-pete-s-illegal-pete-s-mexican-restaurant-change-name-or-shut-it-down/u/14556382

National Call-In Today 3pm til closing

MEChA de University of Arizona

Dec 10, 2015 — ILLEGAL PETE’S NATIONWIDE CALL- IN - THUR 3PM DEC 10

At 3pm MST (2pm PST) please begin calling the Tucson location. 520) 352-1340. Call and give your thoughts about the name; just be respectful, but also, be creative. Talk as long as you want. Also, write them at their website and do the same on their facebook page. Feel free to call their other locations. Tucson Grand Opening Thurs: 5pm- til late, and Fri at 7am. Continue the calls Fri morning.

Tucson: 876 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85719
520) 352-1340
https://www.facebook.com/IllegalPetesTucson/?fref=ts (inbox mssg from here)
E contact: http://illegalpetes.com/contact/
Catering: http://illegalpetes.com/catering/ (all locations)

* If you live in Tucson, please show up to the protest prior to 5pm as that’s when restaurant will open.
Boulder
(303) 444-3055 - 1124 13th ST. | BOULDER, CO 80302 |
(303) 440-3955 - 1447 PEARL ST. | BOULDER, CO 80302 |
Denver
(720) 287-5233 - 270 S. BROADWAY | DENVER, CO 80203 |
(303) 623-2169 - 1530 16TH ST. #101 | DENVER, CO 80202 |
(303) 771-2277 - 5312 DTC BLVD. #400 | GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO 80111 |
Denver University
(720) 974-2198 - 1744 E EVANS AVE. | DENVER, CO 80210 |
FT. Collins
(970) 999-3051 - 320 WALNUT ST. | FORT COLLINS, CO 80524 |

Our Sacred Maiz is our Mother poster now available

Our Sacred Maiz is our Mother poster:http://peacesupplies.org/products/our-sacred-maiz-is-our-mother-poster/
The message of the book and poster resonates because it comes from somewhere profound… from a place of ancestors. Its message:”We are people of maíz. This is where we come from. This is what we are made of. This is who we are.” Most Indigenous peoples from maíz–based cultures instinctively understand this message.
Also, for the poster, is a special trilingual message that peoples from this continent understand all too well: They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds.
To order the book by Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, ask for it at your local bookstore or call 1-800-621-2736 or visit: UAPress:http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid2497.htm

When a Racist Restaurant Opens on the Edge of Campus, What Is a University's Responsibility?

A white-owned Mexican restaurant called "Illegal Pete's" will open in December at the doorstep of the University of Arizona. A growing debate surrounds the restaurant's opening - a debate that could ultimately touch every university in the country.

In this case, the proposed restaurant is just one block from the main entrance to the university, and it is precisely where the campus pep rallies take place before the big games. Because of the restaurant's location, its opening has ramifications that go beyond legal or real estate questions. Yet, at the moment, the university is remaining neutral on this matter. But is neutrality possible when the school's primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the university community?

This controversy involves the question: Are universities responsible for the conduct of tenants in adjoining university villages - which are the heart of university life - whether they own the property or not? In this case, this question is particularly relevant as the owner of this restaurant appears to be locating his liquor establishments near college campuses.

In this case, the opponents of the restaurant are arguing that the university's responsibility in creating a safe space for its students, staff, faculty and workers includes not simply freedom from physical harm, but also freedom from psychological harm that can occur from repeated exposure to anti-Mexican mockery and bigotry. The opponents, led by the student group MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlan), have begun a petition, demanding that the owner either change the name of the restaurant or shut it down.

FOR THE REST OF THE COLUMN, GO TO: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33662-when-a-racist-restaurant-opens-on-the-edge-of-campus-what-is-a-university-s-responsibility

Also, please watch & share video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO2JCJSy5ME

TUCSON/ARIZONA ALTERNATIVE 2016 SPRING BREAK

March 11-13 Tucson Book Festival
March 14 Revolutionary Book (Banned books) Day:Several sites proposed
March 15 Theater/Filmfest Day (Pima Community College proposed)
March 16: proposed: all day immigration activities: Derechos Humanos and the Binational Migration Institute
Operation Streamline, the border, Eloy immigration detention center
March 17 = All day Indigenous Knowledges Gathering (Global Justice Center)
https://www.facebook.com/indigenousknowledgegathering…
March 17 eve reception): National Association for Ethnic Studies
March 18-19: National Association for Ethnic Studies Conf.
http://ethnicstudies.org/           https://www.facebook.com/groups/5760800764/

March 18-20 National MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan) Conference:https://www.facebook.com/TucsonMecha2016?fref=ts

• Some of the topics expected to be covered in these conferences: The border and its affects on Indigenous peoples, Mexicans and Central American peoples, particularly youth and women, the 2020 Census Bureau; the attack and spread of Ethnic/Raza/Indigenous Studies; violence against people of color; hate in the 2016 electoral campaigns.

BROWN PEOPLE MAKING NOISE: Dehumanization, denigration and wanton killings.

Police Abuse in Black & White V: Not Counting Mexicans & Indians

BROWN PEOPLE MAKING NOISE:
Dehumanization, denigration and wanton killings. A censored story examining why media projects the world in black and white and why it is harmful, particularly when examining issues of violence. Please read story, share, post and also see this updated version of this 15-minute video that accentuates this point.

THE VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G2ZAwKOCKA&feature=youtu.be

THE STORY
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/…/roberto-rodriguez-uncensore…

ILLEGAL PETE’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT: CHANGE NAME OR SHUT IT DOWN

Please sign, share and post.
https://www.change.org/p/pete-turner-owner-of-illegal-pete-s-illegal-pete-s-mexican-restaurant-change-name-or-shut-it-down?recruiter=2095191&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

A 5th edition of this 15-minute video: Police abuse in Black and White: Not counting Mexicans or Indians. Was not going to do any more editions, but was compelled to so as a few more cases came to light. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=101530614622457

This was a work in progress, done for Oct 22, 2015 National Day of protest against police brutality. The material is so violent and traumatic that it is no longer a work-in-progress. This is the final edit (4th). The hope is that people come to understand that the violence on this continent against Black-Brown-Indigenous peoples can be traced to 1492, though all the violence here is intense, and most of it is from 2014-2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd1aN0luh_4

POLICE ABUSE IN BLACK & WHITE: NOT COUNTING MEXICANS OR INDIANS: For Oct 22, National Day against Police Brutality, I reworked this video and it is now 15 minutes. Feel free to watch and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hOjmgPY9xI

FOR THOSE THAT CELEBRATE THIS DAY: Here is my contribution to this day...Even if we commemorate it as Indigenous Peoples' Day, we should be cognizant that the horrific violence that Columbus brought with him continues to this very day. This is not hyperbole and solely about the past. Please watch and if you agree, please share and feel free to comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBn_ne_L8_Y&feature=share

This is also a reminder that if you trace your heritage to the arrival of 3 ships... something is seriously wrong...

Calpolli Teoxicalli Statement re The Doctrine of Discovery

RACISM IN AMERICA

These are different kinds of racism in the United States, in this case, against brown peoples. There are many kinds and here are but a few examples:

Saturday Night Live: The kind that excludes: In all its years, SNL, which has launched many careers, has had a virtual “no Brown people need apply” policy. It is said that outside of white actors in “brownface,” no comics of Mexican origin have ever been employed by SNL and only 2 Latinos – with non-Latino sounding last names (meaning it was difficult to know they were Latinos) have been hired there in all its 40+ years. The racism there is so extreme and so normalized that it doesn’t even turn up as a topic either on google or google scholar.

Hollywood: The kind that invisibilizes: Chris Rock noted last year that Hollywood as a whole is racist, and even more specifically against Mexicans because they are virtually shut out the industry, this amid millions of brown peoples in its immediate surrounding: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/12/03/chris-rock-hollywood-racist-against-mexicans-there-slave-state-in-la/

Jay Leno & other comics: The kind that dehumanizes: The racism he pedaled throughout his career was the kind that made people comfortable. His racist jabs, under the guise of humor, dehumanized migrants/Mexicans virtually on a nightly basis, which had the effect of normalizing that dehumanization. His “humor” was so effective that he has many defenders that to this day claim he was simply telling “jokes.” Many other comedians did the same, but none were as influential as he. Read: Did you call in Mexican: http://www.academia.edu/178553/Did_you_call_in_Mexican_The_racial_politics_of_Jay_Leno_immigrant_jokes

Sheriff Joe Arpaio: The flagrant kind: His racism is akin to Alabama’s Sheriff Bull Conner, an unrepentant bigot and segregationist. His flaunting of his intentional racial profiling policies against Mexican migrants led to him to lose in a federal civil rights case and actually, I believe he has lost many, many more court  cases:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/19/sheriff-joe-arpaio-arizona-bull-connor and an update: http://www.kpho.com/story/29867963/arpaio-asks-court-to-put-brakes-on-racial-profiling-case

Law Enforcement abuse: The violent and deadly kind: Most people in the country are familiar with the brutality against Blacks in this country, though it is highly unlikely they are aware to what extent outside of the few dozen cases that have been highlighted in the media this past year. During this same time, hundreds of Brown peoples have also been brutalized and killed by law enforcement throughout the country, generally outside of the eye of mainstream media. Here is one case that symbolizes this blindspot by the mainstream media, the case of Luis Rodriguez out of Moore, Oklahoma. His last words were: “I can’t breathe,” which can be heard at the beginning of the tape. Akin to virtually all cases against Black-Brown-Indigenous peoples, no charges were filed against the five officers involved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy66quF0pek

The Mass media: The kind that dehumanizes and disrespects: Media types have for decades referred to migrants without documents as “illegals,” “wetbacks” and “anchor babies,” seemingly unaware of the dehumanizing effect of the denigrating terms.

Census Bureau: The demographic [genocide] kind: When the Census Bureau continues its throwback practices of, in effect, forcing brown peoples to identify as “Hispanics” – a name that invisibilizes their Indigenous background and that emphasizes the people that colonized the Americas. Also, their practice of imposing a white identity on brown peoples also manifests when hospitals/morgues issue birth and death certificates, again, denying the indigeneity of brown peoples: http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Hispanic-may-be-a-race-on-2020-census-4250866.php

Education-Ethnic Studies: The silencing kind, Arizona style: The disappearance of the history of brown peoples in this country. This is true nationwide, but in Arizona, right wing politicos actually created a “law” (HB 2281) that, in effect, bans not just books, but  worldviews that do not comport with Greco-Roman views and values. The primary target was Raza/Mexican American Studies and the Indigenous curriculum and philosophy it was based on (In Lak Ech-You are my other Me and Panche Be-To seek the Root of the Truth. This silencing is little different from the Inquisitional priests of the 1500s that staged auto de Fes (book burnings) that made illegal the possession of Indigenous books and knowledge: http://indigenouscultures.org/nakumjournal/banning-the-aztec-calendar-indigenous-maiz-based-knowledge-at-the-heart-of-tucsons-mexican-american-studies-curriculum-and-conflict  HB2281 is still being challenged in the courts.

Supermarkets: The Cultural kind: You walk into a national supermarket and come across a special aisle labeled: Hispanic food. When you go down the aisle you realize that 99% of the food is actually Mexican, and more specifically, Indigenous. The foods usually are corn, beans, squash, chile, nopales (cactus) and many other foods that are Indigenous to this continent, not Spain or Hispania.

Fraternities and sororities: The making-fun-of-Mexicans kind: White students dressing up like Mexicans for “Fiestas,” Halloween or Cinco de Mayo is traditional on U.S. college campuses. Of course, when called out on it, they always retort that they were either honoring (the way American Indians are honored by the Redskin football team) or were unaware that dressing like Mexicans is a form of disrespect. Of course, these groups are equal opportunity bigots as this is also generally directed at African Americans and American Indians:http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/racist-sorority-party-photo-stirs-outrage-181258221.html

Donald Trump: The fascistic kind: There are few precedents for his brand of racism, at least in this country.  He seems to embody every kind of racism listed above, and more. He is not the first politico to call for a 2,000-mile wall, nor is he the first to call for the overturning of the 14th amendment, which guarantees birthright citizenship. Also, he is not the first to call for the mass deportation of migrants and their citizen children (according to him, whether it is 11 or 30 million) akin to Operation Wetback. Almost all right wing politicians in Arizona have called for those measures over the past 10 years:  http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2015/07/31/donald-trump-sheriff-joe-arpaio-russell-pearce-mass-deportation-operation-wetback/30921801/

Conclusion

What makes Trump unique is that he truly is buffoonish, whom people want to dismiss and not take him serious, yet, no one is even close to him in the Republican primaries. He does resonate with many in this country who are not even capable of recognizing that their views are racist. Another thing to remember is that many within the Republican Party actually hold very similar views on immigrations, sans the vitriolic language: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/08/24/this-chart-explains-how-trumps-stand-on-immigration-is-hurting-the-republican-party/

Arizona on Fire: A Media and Civilizational War

The 9th Circuit court recently ruled re the constitutionality of the anti-ethnic studies hb 2281 legislation. It rendered a split verdict. One aspect of the case is set for trial re whether there was racial animus involved by the state and whether there was disparate impact. Here is a chapter from a book in which the 1st question is answered. It was actually written seeral years, but becomes relavant as a result of this decision. The book was published in the Canary Islands (The full text is below, though it begins with my chapter: Arizona on Fire: A Media and Civilizational War:
http://cuadernosartesanos.org/2014/cac58.pdf#page=61

Not Counting Mexicans and Indians, Part II

Recognizing Genocide and Moving Toward Liberation: Not Counting Mexicans and Indians, Part II

The mass media continues to discuss instances of police violence in this country as aberrations, bypassing the larger systems that drive them. This line of thinking actually contributes to the national crisis we are living - a crisis that goes beyond "human rights abuses." We are dealing with crimes against humanity, specifically perpetrated against the Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples and communities of this country.

Also see Part I: "Not Counting Mexicans or Indians": The Many Tentacles of State Violence Against Black-Brown-Indigenous Communities 

The common threads here are dehumanization and impunity; as Professor Otto Santa Ana notes in Brown Tide Rising: "Only humans have human rights." It is this dehumanizing force that permits such egregious violence against the Black, Brown and Indigenous communities of this nation to occur, and to occur without accountability. We can see this phenomenon at work not simply on the streets, but also in the courts and in the prisons, dehumanizing institutions that have become, in effect, warehouses for people of color.

At the moment, the historic and brutal violence against Brown-Indigenous peoples remains under the radar of this nation's corporate media, the nation's conversations and its psyche. (This is not to say, of course, that police violence against Black communities should receive less attention; in fact, it should receive much moreattention, as should violence against Brown and Indigenous communities.) A particularly brutal and abhorrent case near Tucson, Arizona, helps to illustrate this attitude and relationship.

On Feb. 19, a police officer intentionally rammed his fast-speeding police vehicle into an armed and wanted suspect, Mario Miranda Valencia, from behind, sending him hurtling through the air. The suspect survived. After the incident, Marana Police Chief Terry Rozema stated that the maneuver by officer Michael Rapiejko, actually saved the suspect's life, apparently believing that the confrontation would not otherwise have resulted in Valencia's survival. It strains credulity that such a violent maneuver is deemed lawful ... and life-saving. For the rest of the article, go to: 

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30954-not-counting-mexicans-and-indians-part-ii-recognizing-genocide-and-moving-toward-liberation

"Not Counting Mexicans or Indians":

I am reposting this at the top because it is the one article that people keep asking about and looking for over the past several months. Please share.

"Not Counting Mexicans or Indians": The Many Tentacles of State Violence Against Black-Brown-Indigenous Communities

"They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds." - Popul Vuh

* VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK/BROWN-INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES: Normally, I don't add a commentary to what  I write, but I feel a need to here. What I wrote is part of a 65-page article/chapter about violence against Black-Brown-Indigenous Peoples, literally tracing this systemic and epidemic violence to 1492. Here it is condensed, and the opening is a little different from what I originally wrote. In the original, all the deaths from the past few months are at the top. Also, here, I am attaching the photo alluded to at the beginning. 

PLEASE POST/FORWARD AND SHARE THIS FAR AND WIDE, ETC.

Between my eyes, I bear a scar in the shape of a "T" that I received on March 23, 1979, on the streets of East Los Angeles. It functions as a reminder that my skull was cracked, but more importantly, that I did not remain silent and that I won two police violence trials, for witnessing and photographing the brutal beating of a young man by perhaps a dozen sheriff's deputies.

These events are seared into my memory because of how I remember them. After coming back to consciousness, amid violent threats, I was handcuffed and left facedown on the cold street, bleeding profusely from my forehead. While in shock and unable to even lift my head, in my own pool of blood, amid flashing red and blue lights everywhere, I could see many dozens of officers giving chase and arresting everyone in sight. What I also witnessed in the reflection of my own blood was everything that I will relay here. For this lengthy article regarding violence against the Black-Brown-Indigenous communities, please go to:

http://truth-out.org/news/item/28921-not-counting-mexicans-or-indians-the-many-tentacles-of-state-violence-against-black-brown-indigenous-communities

From Truthout: Time to Commemorate Cinco de Mayo With Sobriety Runs

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/30515-time-to-commemorate-cinco-de-mayo-with-sobriety-runs

PLEASE SHARE AND START PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR'S CINCO:

Taking Back Cinco de Mayo
By Roberto Rodriguez (Dr. Cintli)

The weekend is coming up and you are looking forward to Cinco de Mayo, but this year, knowing that this is when many people denigrate Mexican people, you are determined not to insult Mexican people. What to do?  Here’s a simple guide:

#1: Do not attempt to dress up or speak like a Mexican.

#2: Do not confuse this day with September 16 or Mexican Independence day. That day celebrates independence from a tyrannical Spain.

#3: Do not associate liquor/alcohol with this date and do not call it “Drinko de Mayo.”

#4: Do not refer to Mexicans in a derogatory manner.

#5: Do not refer to Mexicans as Spanish people (Spanish people come from Spain), and also, do not come to think that everyone that speaks Spanish is Mexican.

#6: Do not ever refer to Mexican food as “Hispanic” food; virtually all the food labeled as such is Indigenous to this continent, not from Europe.

#7: Do not put on or attend a Mexican-themed party for Cinco de Mayo, if it involves the above.

Ok… but now, you still want to honor Mexicans. This gets tricky. Read #1-7 again, but if you insist, here are some suggestions:

#1: Vow to yourself that you will hereafter see and treat everyone, especially migrants, as full human beings, with corresponding full human rights.

#2: Support immigration reform legislation only if it treats migrants as full human beings, with corresponding full human rights.

#3: Support the DREAM movement, in particular, Scholarship A-Z. This group gives out scholarships to DREAM students, that is, students who were brought to this country without proper documentation as infants or children, and who currently have a difficult time going to college due to exorbitant tuition. To do so, go to: http://www.scholarshipsaz.org/wp/

#4: Read El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition, by UCLA Professor, David Hayes Bautista (University of California Press). Here, you will learn why this day is honored and celebrated by Mexican Americans.

#5: Support the right to teach Ethnic Studies in K-12 schools, everywhere, but especially here in Arizona.

#6: Treat others, the way you would like to be treated. In the Maya language, this is known as: In Lak Ech- Tue res mi otro yo-You are my other me. It is a concept found in all cultures.

#7: And finally, support or take part in the 2nd annual Cinco de Mayo 5K Sobriety Run/Walk on May 2 at the Valenzuela Center this year in Tucson, led by Calpolli Teoxicalli (Teoxicalli@yahoo.com). The run/walk are being held in protest of the hijacking of Cinco de Mayo by the liquor and alcohol industries and to raise awareness of the high rates of alcoholism in these communities. For more information on this run, being sponsored by the Mexican American Studies Department at the University of Arizona, write to: run4cincodemayo@gmail.com.

This year, you now have the option to do something different on Cinco de Mayo… and yes, dishonoring should never occur at anytime of the year, and the honoring of Mexican peoples and Mexican American culture should not be relegated to a once-a-year event.

Rodriguez, an assistant professor in Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona, can be reached at: XColumn@gmail.com


* See you Sat morning 8a.m. at the valenzuela center in south tucson.

Celebrate true tradition of Cinco de Mayo

http://tucson.com/news/opinion/column/guest/celebrate-true-tradition-of-cinco-de-mayo/article_85850170-3a67-5599-86e6-59c6d82e8836.html

Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion

submitt

Roberto Rodriguez -- Credit: submitt

54 minutes ago  •  By Roberto Rodriguez Special to the Arizona Daily Star

0

Celebrate another way

For information on the Cinco de Mayo 5K sobriety walk/run and healthy food festival Saturday, email run4cincodemayo@gmail.com

Virtually every Mexican with any sense of pride cringes this time of the year because, once again, the Cinco de Mayo season is upon us. It is that time of the year in which society gives itself permission to gratuitously insult Mexicans.

For this, we can thank the alcohol and liquor industries that have converted this most special of days into what has become a monthlong drinking advertising campaign.

Yet, we are now beginning to see a different way of celebrating Cinco de Mayo, a way that honors, rather than dishonors Mexican people and their culture.

Talk to most anyone taking part in these “ Drinko de Mayo festivities” at one of the Mexican-theme parties and you will get someone wearing a sombrero, a serape, huaraches, and of course, a fake mustache — standing next to cactus or a donkey (piñata) — to say the celebration has something to do with Mexican Independence. This usually is part of the media interview that we all have become accustomed to.

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day; that is Sept. 16. Instead, May 5 celebrates the defeat by a ragtag army of indigenous forces — led by Texas-born, general Ignacio Zaragoza — of a much larger and invading French army in the battle at Puebla, Mexico, in 1862. If one actually wants to learn about this celebration, read “El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition” by UCLA Professor David Hayes Bautista (University of California Press).

For many years, it was a genuine holiday on both sides of the border, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. But it has degenerated into drinkfests. As such, people have been protesting this hijacking for a generation, but to no avail … until now.

One reason for this protest is that when this hijacking took place, the education component was dropped. At the same time, in many communities where this “celebration” is most heavily promoted and exploited by these industries, this is also where alcoholism is rampant.

There is another reason why people object to this commercialization. It is when these industries also most promote negative stereotypes. In Google Images, if one Googles the term Cinco de Mayo or Mexican party costumes, the results will confirm this. In addition to the stereotypical images already alluded to, for such theme parties, gangbangers or immigration officers are now also part of the standard repertoire.

These industries are comprised of multibillion-dollar corporations and they have a vested interest in cashing in on what often becomes a two-weekend affair, and when you consider the promotion behind it, an entire month. So it does not seem realistic the situation will self-correct anytime soon.

At the University of Arizona, students from several of the Mexican American studies classes have found a different way to celebrate: they are putting on the second annual Cinco de Mayo 5k sobriety walk/run and healthy food festival at the Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave, on Saturday. This year, similar runs are also taking place in Denver and Denton, Texas.

The objective of the event is threefold: 1) to protest that linkage between this special day with liquor and alcohol; 2) to protest the commercialization of this day; and 3) to protest the annual mocking of Mexicans. The event also seeks to educate, celebrate and promote healthy living, while learning about and celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

Roberto “Dr. Cintli” Rodriguez is an assistant professor in Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona. Contact him at XColumn@gmail.com

Letter of support re write-in candidacy

I write this letter in regards to  Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez for the position of Chair of the NACCS Board of Directors. Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriquez is and has been  a strong community activist, advocate for the Chicano community, Chicano studies and  has made important major and historical  contributions to the Chicano Movement, Raza community, fight for justicia  and continues to be a great example to others as an hombre who does not lie down to injustice on the streets, on the media, or as a powerful Chicano studies educator. Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriquez is a major leader and historical figure in our movimiento and nuestro comunidad, and I would strongly encourage to consider Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriquez for  Chair of the NACCS Board of Directors.

Gracias,
Armando Lawrence,
Director
Los Angeles Indigenous Peoples Alliance
armandolawrence13@yahoo.com
2168 S. Atlantic Blvd #247
Monterey Park, CA 91754

FINAL 24 HOURS: INSURGENT WRITE-IN CANDIDACY FOR CHAIR ELECT

PLEASE SHARE. INSURGENT WRITE-IN CANDIDACY FOR CHAIR ELECT (Roberto Rodriguez) for the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. If you want to know why I have been remanded to a write-in candidacy, please go to: http://drcintli.blogspot.com/

I am running because I believe:

• we are in a critical time in the movement to spread Raza/Ethnic/Indigenous Studies nationwide, particularly at the community college and K-12 level. Scholars within the organization should be at the complete service of our communities, including developing and creating the curriculum for this nationwide boom.

• the Raza Studies community, as we have learned in Arizona (by being attacked collectively), is one large family. As such, our organization should reflect this, opening up membership to all who are part of this large family. This includes community educators, K-16 students, parents, teachers and scholars.

• the organization should also widen its scope, akin to what Tucson’s UNIDOS youth organization proposed in 2013; that we should teach Mexican American Indigenous Studies, and within it, all the other Ethnic Studies disciplines, including Gender and Women’s Studies, LGBT Studies and Middle Eastern Studies…. so that we can learn about each other as we struggle together. (http://drcintli.blogspot.com/…/a-call-for-mexican-american-…)

• the focus of next year’s conference should examine the relationship between the organization, our communities and Indigeneity, locally, nationally and internationally. As part of this, the organization, along with MEChA, MALCS and all the Calpolis (Kalpulis) and Peace and Dignity should hold a summit to examine the Census Bureau’s attempt to force a Hispanic [racial] identity upon us in 2020.

• the organization should be a full-fledged human rights organization, at the service of our communities. For example, we as a body should be at the forefront of producing the research that will be helpful in mounting legal challenges to stem the epidemic violence against the Black-Brown-Indigenous communities of this nation, including along the 2,000-mile border. (http://truth-out.org/…/28921-not-counting-mexicans-or-india…)

• the organization should always be open, transparent and democratic and always accountable and responsive to the membership. It should always have open and competitive elections, always with choices as opposed to hand-picked unopposed candidates. The membership should lead and decide whereas the leadership should carry out the wishes of the body. The organization should be moved in this direction, beginning with changes to the by-laws this year, and going fully into effect in 2017.

• The organization should also be at the forefront of scholarship promoting discussion and dialogue within the discipline via its own top-notch, refereed academic journal.

* The election goes through 9 a.m. pst. Tues April 14.

Re ELECTIONS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHICANA AND CHICANO STUDIES

THIS LETTER WAS POSTED TO THE NACCS PAGE THIS MORNING. ELECTIONS END TOMORROW, TUES APRIL 14, 9AM PST

We are writing you with respect to the nomination of Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez for position of chair of the NACCS Board of Directors. Dr. Cintli has been one of the most visible and stalwart advocates for Chicana/o Studies over many years.He is visible at every event, protest, conference, meeting, seminar, and any other venue that advocates for Chicana/o Studies. Recently,Dr. Cintli has been a critical member of two California-based organizations that have been key to the advancement of ethnic studies: Raza Studies Now and Ethnic Studies Now, both organizations count AMAE members as participants. Given Dr. Cintli’s well-earned reputation in the community as a scholar, writer, professor, and activist, we respectfully ask for a response to the following questions contained in the attached letter.

Please send responses to: ExecutiveDirector@amae.org

AMAE
MALDEF Building
634 S. Spring St.
Suite 602, LA, CA90014

1. It has come to our understanding that Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez has been nominated as a candidate over the past years but has continually been found ineligible? We simply ask why this is so and how this
accords with the bylaws of NACCS?

2. We ask why is it that the chair-elect runs unopposed each year?

3. Finally, we ask if it could be possible to extend voting privileges to all paying members during the election cycle and to extend the cutoff date to April 14th.
We appreciate your time and consideration of these questions. We look forward to your written response.

Sincerely,
Antonio J. Camacho
Executive Director, AMAE
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at ExecutiveDirector@amae.org
AMAE
MALDEF Building
634 S. Spring St.
Suite 602, LA, CA 90014

INSURGENT CANDIDACY FOR CHAIR ELECT

For the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies:

I continue to mount an insurgent write-in candidacy for the position of chair-elect, a position I have been nominated for 3 years in a row, but ruled ineligible or passed over 3 years in a row by the organization’s board. I don’t want to further explain or comment as to why I have had to take this course of action (go here if you do want to read why: http://drcintli.blogspot.com/), but simply to leave a reminder that the election goes through 9a.m. past, Tues April 14.  To vote, go to http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Candidate2.asp.

A Letter to the National Association for Chicana & Chicano Scholars

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CHICANA AND CHICANO STUDIES: CIVILITY, DEMOCRATIZATION & ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

April 3 - Day 4 of NACCS Elections

I am dumbstruck by the conference’s theme of civility and its relationship to the organization’s election. To put it mildly, in its purported quest for, or in the name of, diversity, the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies has ironically become not simply undemocratic, but uncivil toward its own membership as well. The organization has devolved to the point where candidates for the highest office(s) run unopposed. By any measure anywhere, that is not the definition, nor the hallmark of, free, fair, democratic and competitive elections. Advancing but one candidate for an election is the anti-thesis of this definition, and this is part of an intentional policy that crept into the organization’s culture over the past several years. This is especially poignant, considering that in my case, I have been nominated, but deemed to be ineligible to run for chair-elect not once, but several times, based on reasons outside of the by-laws. This is referred to as receiving “una gran patada.” Remanding me to the status of an invisible write-in candidate is folly or farce, at best. But that’s not all folks.

A second critical feature that points to the undemocratic nature of the organization is the intentional disenfranchisement of much of the membership. The cut-off date for voter eligibility was March 22. I was given the green light for a write-in candidacy on March 29. I asked the NACCS board and leadership to permit members who pay their dues during the March 31-April 14 period to be eligible to vote. I sent in that request on March 31. On April 2, I received a message from the chair, declining my request, without explanation. This creates the opposite of optimum conditions for competitive elections. Perhaps when candidates were running unopposed in the past, maybe this didn’t matter, but it does matter when the elections are competitive.

A third critical feature of a democratic election is clarity and transparency. Members have been asking the board about the above, but to no avail, receiving thank yous… but no actual explanations. On top of this, all information regarding the election was taken down March 31 and it has not gone back up. They have not explained the reason for this. My own opinion is that eliminating choices and disqualifying candidates for reasons outside the by-laws… well you can draw your own conclusions.

Please continue to write to them and ask them to respond to the questions raised here, or any question you may have by posting to the NACCS FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/naccs/

The minimum that should be expected is that the board respond publicly to letters from the membership on its official website or its FB page,

The letters I have posted, including this one, which includes NACCS contact info, can be found on their FB page and also at my page: (http://drcintli.blogspot.com/). Feel free to contact me if you have questions though best is to post them at the NACCS FB Page.

I do believe the era of the DEMOCRATIZATION of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies has begun.

Thanks and Sincerely
Roberto Rodriguez (Dr. Cintli)

Mexican American Studies, University of Arizona
520-271-6796 - XColumn@gmail.com