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Migrant News
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Teen Producers Projects Helps Bring Out the Vote
Author :: Ethan van Thillo
Date :: Thu 10/30/2008 @ 10:05
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SAN DIEGO, CA - In the midst of economic downfall and other
prominent political issues, it is important now more than ever to become
involved in the voting process. Local teens are helping spread the word on
civic engagement through videos they created with MEDIA ARTS
CENTER SAN DIEGO’s Teen Producers Project in partnership with The County of San
Diego Registrar of Voters.
Youth from the Filipino, Spanish, and Vietnamese
communities produced three short documentaries entitled “My Life, My
Vote – Civic Engagement Through Voting,” to educate their communities
about the empowerment to be gained and the service to be given through
participation in the democratic process. The videos are in the community’s
specific languages with subtitles in English.
read article
The County of San Diego Registrar of Voters’ Michael Vu explained how this
project developed from an idea to a reality.
“'My Life, My Vote' was an idea that came from the staff within our
Language Services Division,” said Vu. “With the partnership of MEDIA
ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO and the Teen Producers Project, they
made this idea into three tangible and effective documentaries.”
MEDIA ARTS CENTER SAN DIEGO’s Executive Director, Ethan van
Thillo explains the importance of getting the students of the Teen Producers
Project involved in this project.
“Voting is an important part of our duty as citizens,” said van
Thillo. “By getting the Teen Producers Project involved, we are not only
educating the community about the benefits of voting, we are also preparing
youth to become more vocal in their community.”
Vu emphasized the importance of reaching out to these communities where
English might not be their native language. He stated that voting is important
for all citizens, especially for those whose voices aren’t being heard because
of language barriers.
“We hope that this project will contribute and generate more awareness
among the Spanish, Filipino and Vietnamese communities about the importance of
civic participation,” said Vu, “Especially as we are on the heels of
the Presidential General Election.”
The films will be premiered at the 7th Anniversary Teen Producers
Project Celebration and Student Scholarship Fundraiser on October 22nd
at 5:30pm – 9:00pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art – downtown (110 Kettner
Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101). In addition to screening the documentaries, the
celebration will include live music, a guest appearance by Hollywood writer and
comedian, Rick Najera, complementary drinks, appetizers, and a dessert bar,
complements of Azucar Cuban Bakery in Ocean Beach.
There will also be a silent auction featuring a Disneyland vacation package,
a football signed by the 2007 Chargers, roundtrip flights to Mexico, and local
art among other items.
For 7 years, the Teen Producers Project has helped get at-risk teens off the
street and back into the community through film production and education. The
program is a chance for the students to prove to themselves that they are able
to create something and gives them ambition to reach further in their lives.
“The goal of the Teen Producers Project is to create a generation
of smart, educated youth that are deeply involved with their community,”
said van Thillo. “ 'My Life, My Vote' is a perfect example of trying to
achieve this goal through media education.”
“My Life, My Vote” was funded by The County of San Diego Registrar of Voters.
Visit www.sdvote.com for more information
about how to register.
For more information on the videos or the upcoming screening, call (619)
230-1938 or visit www.mediaartscenter.org.
The Teen Producers Project is made possible by
Best Buy, California Arts Council, The Stuart Foundation, Las Patronas, Bank of
America, The Bravo Foundation, and the City of San Diego Commission for Arts
and Culture.
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María Chávez Honored as KPBS 'Local Heroes'
Author :: Nathan Botts
Date :: Mon 09/22/2008 @ 10:01
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Original Article From SDSUniverse
By Nancy Worlie
To recognize outstanding leaders who have made a difference within the Latino community, Union Bank of California and KPBS honored six San Diego Latinos with Local Hero of the Year Awards on Sept. 17.
About the event
The celebration recognizes heroes for their exceptional commitment and contribution to San Diego’s Latino community through art, business, community activism, education and social services.
"Each year, I have the unique opportunity to meet an outstanding group of individuals," said Doug Myrland, KPBS general manager. "We are honored to be a part of this event and promote the accomplishments of these local heroes to the San Diego community on KPBS TV, radio and KPBS.org."
read article
Honorees recognized
Several local heroes were recognized at the event, including:
- Maria L. Chavez, executive director, Migrant Education Program Region IX, for her commitment to education. She has dedicated her life and career to working in education with migrant students and their families.
- Carmen and Henry Delgadillo, founders, Friends of Scott Foundation, for their commitment to social services. After losing their youngest son, Scott, to cancer, the Delgadillos founded the Friends of Scott Foundation to provide resources to help ensure other children and families battling cancer.
- Evelyn Díaz Cruz, theater arts assistant professor, University of San Diego, for her commitment to the arts. Díaz Cruz is a theater artist and educator with experience in writing, directing and acting.
- Mery Lopez-Gallo, community affairs director, Univision Radio, for her commitment to community activism. She is the producer and host of "De Viva Voz," a program that has empowered the Hispanic community with important information for the last decade.
- Lidia S. Martinez, corporate community affairs manager, Southwest Airlines, for her commitment to business. She now serves as Southwest’s corporate community affairs manager for both its Hispanic and non-Hispanic markets in California, the Pacific Northwest, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Celebrating local heroes
For 11 years, KPBS and Union Bank of California have been honoring unsung heroes in San Diego during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Honorees are selected for demonstrating a high level of commitment and community participation.
The program will be televised at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30 on KPBS-TV.
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Celebran victoria sobre obstáculos
Author :: Norma de la Vega - Mi Enlace
Date :: Sun 09/07/2008 @ 03:33
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Original Story Location: Mi Enlace
27 de junio de 2008 13:22 PST
A Grecia Lima le tocó hablar en dos graduaciones esta semana. Su mensaje, sin embargo, fue el mismo: No dejes que alguien te aleje de tu sueño. Con pasión y dedicación, todo se puede.
La estudiante mexicana dio el mensaje de despedida el domingo pasado en la Universidad de California, San Diego a nombre de unos 700 estudiantes que terminaban sus licenciaturas.
Grecia llegó a los Estados Unidos a los 13 años, oriunda del Estado de México.
En la ceremonia, Marye Anne Fox, rectora de la universidad, presentó a Grecia. Dijo que ella consiguió un gran logro por ser la primera en su familia en concluir la universidad.
Dos días más tarde Grecia protagonizó otra ceremonia, la graduación de la preparatoria de los estudiantes del Programa de Educación Migrante en el Centro de las Artes de Escondido.
Es un programa que ayuda a los hijos de campesinos a lidiar con todos los retos sociales, médicos y económicos para que puedan concentrarse en sus estudios.
Grecia fue parte de ese programa y estaba ahí para agradecer a la gente que le enseñó a creer en sí misma con el clásico “sí se puede”.
read article
Dijo que sin esa ayuda no hubiera llegado a la universidad.
Grecia se recibió a los 20 años. Llevó una carrera contra el reloj.
Estudio la licenciatura de estudios internacionales en economía en tres años.
¿Por qué tanta prisa?
Grecia no calificó para recibir ayuda financiera federal o estatal. Recibió becas privadas, pero no lo suficiente para pagar todos los gastos universitarios.
Todos en su familia se sacrificaron. Mientras iba a la universidad ella trabajaba 30 horas por semana como niñera.
“No quería que les saliera más caro a mis papás”, dijo esa noche a unos 200 estudiantes de preparatoria, hijos de inmigrantes, y sus padres.
También hablaron otros estudiantes que ya están en la universidad.
Uno de ellos fue con su madre indígena. Dijo que ella no sabe leer ni escribir en español.
Contó que cuando se graduó de la primaria su mamá le cosió un traje de manta que le causó pena, “pero me lo puse”.
Dijo que para el almuerzo su madre le preparaba tacos dorados, cuando los demás llevaban sándwiches. “Yo también quería mi sandwich.”
Dijo que con el tiempo aprendió que era diferente a otros estudiantes pero tan valioso como cualquiera de ellos.
Fue una noche linda.
Al estilo latino, padres y estudiantes llevaban sus mejores galas.
Festejaron sus logros, pero sobre todo dieron gracias porque ese programa les está enseñando a cambiar sus vidas a través de la educación.
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Immigrant Farmworkers Get Legislative Support
Author :: La Prensa - San Diego
Date :: Wed 09/03/2008 @ 12:04
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Pro-union California farmworkers received a boost from the California State Senate this week. By a 23-15 vote, lawmakers approved a measure August 18 that will allow workers to opt for union representation via an automatic check-off system refereed by a neutral mediator agreed to by labor and employers. Sponsored by California Assemblyman Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), the bill, AB 2386, also permits workers to participate in traditional state-run ballot booth elections if they so desire.
read article
Pro-union California farmworkers received a boost from the California State Senate this week. By a 23-15 vote, lawmakers approved a measure August 18 that will allow workers to opt for union representation via an automatic check-off system refereed by a neutral mediator agreed to by labor and employers. Sponsored by California Assemblyman Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), the bill, AB 2386, also permits workers to participate in traditional state-run ballot booth elections if they so desire.
The California Democrat argued that a stronger representation system was needed in spite of union and health and safety provisions already on the books.
“AB 2386 offers a fair, secret ballot mechanism that helps farmworkers protect their rights under law,” Nunez said. Nunez’s bill was backed by the United Farmworkers of America (UFW), which staged a pray-in attended by hundreds of farmworkers at California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Sacramento office the same day as the State Senate vote.
According to UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, only 7 percent of California’s 500,000 farm hands are unionized. Rodriguez and other farm labor advocates have long contended that California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board favors employers and drags-out union elections to the disadvantage of organizing campaigns.
Several highly-publicized deaths of farmworkers from heat stroke contracted in the fields helped galvanize support for Nunez’s bill, with farmworker advocates arguing that the best way to protect worker rights and safety was for laborers to have a strong union. Since 2004, 15 farmworkers have reportedly succumbed in the Golden State to heat stroke. The two most recent deaths reported were those of Jorge Herrera, who died on July 31 while harvesting grapes, and 63-year-old Maria de Jesus Alvarez, who perished on August 2.
Most farmworkers in California are immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries, and many complain of bad working conditions. “The hardest thing is to work in the sun,” said Elias Perez, an immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico, who participated in the Sacramento protest. “Sometimes I feel half dizzy, especially when the temperature reaches 98 degrees.”
Assemblyman Nunez, who toured the state’s fields for three days this summer as part of a video documentary production, said he encountered workers earning less than the minimum wage and working 14 hours per day in the hot sun. “This is not possible,” Nunez added, “when we have approved laws here in (Sacramento) guaranteeing dogs and cats the right to be fed.” Endorsing the current system of ballot booth elections, some employer groups oppose the Nunez bill.
“This bill is an affront to the origins of democracy and to the privacy of the workers,” said Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League. After the State Senate vote early this week, Nunez’s legislation was scheduled to return to the California State Assembly for a concurrence vote and then to Gov. Schwarzenegger, who can either veto the measure or sign it into law.
Reprinted from Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico.
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Breakfast honors legacy of Cesar Chavez
Author :: Nathan Botts
Date :: Tue 04/01/2008 @ 03:06
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Events to recognize civil rights leader
By Hiram Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – When organizers put together the first Cesar E. Chavez commemorative breakfast, about 90 people showed up. Yesterday, the 10th annual breakfast at the San Diego Convention Center drew 1,500 guests.
“It's a great accomplishment, but our goal is not just in the numbers,” said Guadalupe Corona, one of the organizers. “Our goal is to be able to educate through the breakfast the values and the legacy that Cesar Chavez left us.”
This year that job fell to several people rather than one keynote speaker.
Human-rights activist Andrea Guerrero of the American Civil Liberties Union talked about the value of “acceptance of all people” and how the county needs to do a better job offering information in languages other than English during emergencies such as the October wildfires.
Educator Maria Chavez's topic was “celebrating community.” She spoke of the success of the countywide migrant education program she leads, which helps farmworkers and their children achieve their education goals.
read article
Estela de los Rios of the Center for Social Advocacy talked about the need for minorities to register to vote, while San Diego District Attorney Oscar Garcia, who heads the hate crimes unit and the Regional Hate Crimes Coalition, spoke about tolerance.
“Every year we hold educational contests with schools throughout the county where we ask students to present programs to us which embrace some of Cesar Chavez key principles; education, nonviolence, tolerance and diversity,” he said.
Chavez fought on behalf of farmworkers until his death in 1993. He co-founded the United Farm Workers and negotiated the first industrywide farm labor contracts.
California will honor the late civil rights leader on Monday with a state holiday, and organizers continue to push for a national holiday.
“This is a 'Sí, se puede' (yes we can) movement to honor one of the most important civil rights leader of the 20th century,” said Evelina Alarcon of the Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday Foundation.
Alarcon said 13 states have set aside days honoring Chavez.
Related activities are planned this weekend, including a parade starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow at 28th Street and Ocean View Boulevard. A Mass is planned for 6 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Barrio Logan.
 Hiram Soto: (619) 293-2027; hiram.soto@uniontrib.com
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Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080328-9999-1m28chavez.html |
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