La Voz de Aztlan, April 13 1970
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, April 13 1970
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
4/13/1970
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00010
extracted text
The Second Annual Chicano
Youth Conference was held March
25 through March 30. The purp
Cl) of it was to unify Chicanos fr:~
throughout the nation and discuss
~ methods in which to implement
El Plan Esplrltual de Azt1a
Cl) which was written at last year~
conference, Workshops were held
Cl) to that effect in different areas of
..... involvement.
The Conference began on Wectnesday, March 25, with a welcome
by Corky Gonzales, leader of the
Crusade for Justice. Regis tration
was also taken care of on that
date.
The next day workshops were
Cl) begun, Workshops offered ineluded Community Control, Politics, Economic factors, Security
Cl) Education, Health and Welfare'
~ and Anti-War and Draft. On Fri~
.._. day, workshops on Art and Chicano Artists, Literature, Drama
and Communicat ions were held,
Saturday was devoted to discussion of the Independent Political
Party. Several films were also
shown. They were: •1 Am Joaquin," "West-Side Story," "Sept.
Monday night's police action.
16th," and •Battle of Algiers." on
During the Chicano march, five
the last day of the conference,
Chicano representatives met with
Sunday, the Congress of Aztlan
police officials and gave them five
met for the first time. Delegates
On April 6, 1970, Ronald Reamen, shouted to the crowd in POLICE PROTEST MARCH
demands for immediate police
from all over the nation were
gan addressed 100 persons at a
English to disperse, yet about
consideration. The demands are:
present and many topic s were
Last Wednesday afternoon apfund-raising dinner held at the
65 per cent of the Chicanos there
1. dropping charges of "susdiscussed.
Hacienda Motel. It was evident
did not understand what was being proximately 100-150 Chicanos
picion of trespas:;ing• and *reDuring the conference, enterthat the governor neither wanted
said to them because they do not peacefully marched in front of
fusing to disperse when ordered
tainment was provided every
to see nor hear the voice of the
the Fresno Police Department
speak English.
to do so" against the six people
night by El Teatro Urbano andEl
Chicano students andcommunity.
After attempts were made to protesting the arrest of six men
arrested last Monday night;
Teatro Popular de la Vida y
The crowd of 75 to 80 Chi move the demonstrators, the during Governor Ronald Reagan's
2. publicly apologizlng to the
M uerte. The Crusade for Justice,
canos stayed in the ramp of the
manager gave word to the police- dinner at the Hacienda Motel last
Chicano community for unneceswho were the sponsors of the
Las Vegas Room carrying a few
men to do their thing. It was at Monday night, April 6.
sary physical force used against
conference, also provided us with
huelga signs and shouting such
this time that the police began
The arrested men were part of Chicano:; last Monday night;
three meals a day and housing
terms as •Raza Power,• •Chito push the demonstrators with a Chicano group picketing against
3. ending all physical force in
for the time we were there.
cano Power," and •cesar Chavez
the billy clubs not caring ifthere Reagan during his recent Fresno
an •unn c ssary and arbitrary
The students from FSC who atfor governor," plus a few venwere women and children in the visit. According to the Hacienda
manner" agalnst Chicanos;
tend d the conference would like
didos for Philip Sanchez.
crowd. There was no violence Motel management, the Chicanos
4. bringing charges against the
to commend Corky Gonzales and
The manager of the motel,
on behalf of the d monstrators were told to leave th mot 1 Haciend
1otel manag r "for his
his taff at the rusade for Jususing a loud speaker and backed
u11til a 53-year-old woman, Con- area. When they refused, police
racist attack• leading to Monday
tice for all the work that was put
by at least 11 uniformed policeception Espinoza, was pushed by were called in to break up the
night's violence;
into the conference to make it a
one of the cops and hit with a Chicano pickets.
5. having the polic departbilly cluh.
Witnesses at 1onday night's
ment start a program wiping out
Her son, Joe, jumped in to pro- troubl e charged the police used
racism in the department. This
tect her from the blows. The boy unnecessary force in breaking up
program would be er ated in cowas arrested along with five the group.
operation with the Chicano comothers on charges of suspicion
The six men arrested Monday
munity through meetings.
of trespassing and refusing to night were Gene Guzman, 23;
The Chicano repre~entat1ves
disperse. Then the officers pro- Richard Yirikian, 23; Gabriel
were told by police officials that
ceeded to press the group through Martinez, 27; Abran C. Quevedo,
the first two demands had been
the doors. It was not until this 24; Lawrence Casteneda, l!J; and
given to the district attorney's
incident that the people became a 1 7 -year-old youth.
office. The following two demands
angry and took steps to protect
The Wednesday march. which
McClatchy Newspapers Service
had to be handled through the prothemselves.
started at noon and lasted about
SACRAMENTO-Lorenzo Paper channels (police and district
This coverage was done by a five and a half hours, was countino a spokesman for the Chiattorney's office), and the last
Chicana at the scene of the in- ter-demonstrated by a handful of demand was currently impossible
can~ Organization for Political
cident. Note the different stories police supporters who marched
Awareness of Sacramento, bas
because of a financial and persontold by the news media.
across the street backing the
criticized two Republican leaders
nel shortage.
for saying action against a Santa
Clara County superior judge by
the State Judicial Qualifications
EL TEATfiO
Commission means the legislaCAMPESINO NAC'IONAL
ture will drop a move to impeach
DE AZTLAN
the jurist.
Thursday, April 16th
The commission this week recpresents
om mended Superior Judge Gerald
"DOS ARTISTAS CHICANOS•
s. Chargin be censured for what
featuring
it termed "improper and inexBAKER HALL
JESTER BROS.
cusable" remarks made from th e
APRIL 25th
Esteban Villa y Ricardo Fabela
EXPECTATIONS
bench
during a juvenile cou~t
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Products of the barrios del
STATICS
hearing involving a youth of MexiEveryone is invited to attend.
Val le de San Joaquin
can descent.
Attackin g Assembly Speaker
at the RAINEOW BALLROOM
Robert T. Monagan of San Joa-50 separate works of Artfrom 8 a.m. 'til 2 a.m.
quin Countv and Assembly Rules
Tickets: $2.00
Committee· Chairman Eugene
Chappie of El Dorado County for
1447 N . Van Ness
indicating impeachment of Cha_rProceeds wil I go to scholarship
Apr i I 15 to May 23
gin now is unlikelr, Patino said:
for minoritv students.
1-5
dailv
"The commission's report admitted that Chargin's remark s
have brought the judicial off~ce
Introductory Lecture in
into disrepute. This, acco rd ing
to the Constitution. is ground s fo~
impeachment. To allow th~ m_il n
action taken bv the commis sio
to substitute · for impeachment
Film of MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
would be a travesty of justice, • •
spea•king at the Harvard Law Forum
"The remarks by Monagan and
Chappie, as well as the action
taken bv the commission, verify
April 15th
7:30 P.M.
that pe~ple do not stand equal
) These flights are open to students, Faculty, Staff Employees I ]
;i
before the eyes of the law in th e
101
Industrial
Arts,
FSC
)
and their immediate familv.
I u
o,__ z ct u W
country.•
-~~~~~-=--=r-tzrs:f1E=W¥-.;.~-.....
-The Fresno Bee
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TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
. editoria l·
Vietnam
"They Shoot Horses, Don't
They?" Yes, and they also shoot
human beings. What about it?
What has happened to the voices
who have spoken out against the
horrors of the Vietnam war?
There are so many questions.
When will out people start demanding answers from our country's leaders and administration,
and from ourselves?
1. While funds for education,
ant~-poverty and other agonizing
human needs here at home are
slahsed back, why do we continue to spend billions each month
on war and "defense-re 1 ate d
areas"?
2. While we still rally our
people against "the diabolical
threat of communism,"whydowe
keep supporting a puppet regime
in South Vietnam that locks up
dissenters, squelchs free speech
and refus es plans for provisional,
repr esentative government? Kind
of strange set up to merit our
democr acy ' s backing.
3. While recent events inLaos
and Cambodia have rev ea 1 ed
long-hi dden, but beautifully camouflaged involvements in these
countries , what happened to the
protest aga! nst "other Vietnams"
for many more years (and sons)
to come?
4. While our ~n er gi es are
scattered here in Fresno over
very serious problems, as at
Fresno State College, does that
dissipate our concern over an ongo.i ng and on-bleeding war which
has already claimed thousands of
lives , including a high percentage of Chicano and Black young
men.
5. While zealous Americans
are parading for un-smogged air,
beer can-free roads and litterless hi ghways, what about the
killing of human lives?
6. While our high-priest president tells us that we can't pull
out now, lest thousands of persons be slaughtered, why are we
blinded by his pacifying gestures
of periodic troop withdrawals in a
magic
• can't-tell-you" timetable? And all the while, thousands of human beings are killed
and mai med every week in this
war? To prevent a slaughter?
What do we do about it? Hope
for an end? Clutch our security
blanket? Switch the TV channel?
"Pass me a beer, please?"
Sorry to sound to negative,
and I realize that pointing builty
fingers at others doesn't help,
unless I point at myself, too.
But I'm convinced there are alot
of people who want to save what's
good and beautiful in our country. Lots of people are trying.
They're aware of the injustices
of this war, but they don't know
what to do. No one has all the
answers, but I'd like to ask your
ideas. You can bring them to a
short meeting on this issue this
Monday night, 7:30 at the First
Methodist Church (M and Tuolomne Streets). Or I'd appreciate
hearing from you.
Fr. David Carriere
816 Pottle Street
Fresno 93 706
Victory for
Recently the State Supreme
Court of California passed a 6-0
ruling that Spanish-speaking people of California did not have to
meet the English-literacy requirement.
Associate Justice Raymond L.
Sullivan held •citizens who can
read Spanish have access to
enough publications in their own
language to form independent and
issues and candidates."
He also held that •an English
literacy requirement in the State
Constitution vi o 1 ate d the U.S.
Const' ution when applied to citizens literate in Spanish and qualified to vote in all other respects."
It is estimated that in Fresno
letters
El Teatro
Querida Raza
Theater i; a weapon in the
st ruggle for social justice. It
is becoming increasingly evident
that the Raza is responding to
th e many uses of teatro in barrios throughout Occupied Mexico.
El Teatro Campesino and La
Raza Studies (Fresno State College) are therefore inviting you
~nd /or your group to participate
ln the first annual FESTIVAL
NACIONAL DE TEATRO CIBCANO.
There will be major and minor
performances by several of the
established companies. During
the day, workshops will be held
demonstrating all of the practical techniques for creating life
images of our people on stage.
Playwrighting, acting, set construction, make-up and costumes, lighting, direction and improvisations are some of the
workshops to be offered by Chicanos already in this creative
part of the movement. Those
teatros already in existence, or
just coming together, may benefit
by meeting and exchanging concepts and techniques with other
groups.
The aim is to develop as many
teatros as possible, which lay
their base in the barrio com munity and are largely self-supporting. The Festival hopes to
eradicate some of the deadly
regionalism that have plagued
our people for too long. Nothing
is quite so beautiful or powerful
or transcendent as La Raza exploring its own alma through
theater. It is, in fact, one of the
direct means to create Aztlan.
In addition to teatro, there will
be workshops on music and filmmaking. Films will be shown
throughout the festival. Chicano
art will also be on display. Sleeping and eating accommodations
will be provided.
Over the years, we of El Teatro Campesino have shared a
dream: to create a national Chicano theater company, capable of
expressing the humor and anguish, as well 'as the anger and
revolutionary spirit of La Raza.
Either way, national or barrio,
the teatro is now una arma mas
en la lucha de nuestro pueblo.
The Festival will be held in
Fresno, May 8-10, 1970. Bring
your teatro, your family, your
carnales, or just yourself - but
come! Por la Raza todo, duera
de la Raza, nada. CHICANO
POWER!
Par un teatro del pueblo,
Luis Valdez, director
El Teatro Campesino
Omar is the Crazy Gypsy. Omar is the whistler
of tunes. Omar is the dreamer of stoics, of nightingales, of moons, of bellies, of stars, and of death.
Omar is the poet of sonnambular beginnings ••.
amazed by his own trickery at finding the right
words to say to the virgin. Omar is the claimer
of bodies ••• undertaker of America. Omar is
the son of Aram the happy money man. Omar is
the repairman of corazones. Who is Omar?
For those who know Omar he is a man
without guile, drirJ<ing comp~nion listener of
Mexican discos, tripster, frien •.'. But, who is
that other (and the same) Omar who comes
alive in the NI• of these po ms?
The omar of these po ms is first of all
I onely. Lonel y, with an abysm~I l one I ines;
not bound by psychol og i cal theories. The
loneliness of Omar is ad p, metaphy si cal
Ion lin ss. It is th Ion l i n
of on who
translates into cosm ic anc.J univ r al t r ms
the existential d pa i r of th
hicano in th<
soutt1wcst. Lik Om r ay, " a di tin t pa cng r in who know what tra i n.•
Omar, tl1c p • r onna in t h
po m , wa
born in ~obstown. Wh r i Rob town ?
Omar say s it is in T
mr
w1.
have al I I i v d ther e.
, wl
Llorona is .•. or so th
av."
town, wher e "Anita' lirotf1 "r has a c n r sional .•. and thC'v wouldn't
r vc him ••• "
Robstown, wher w Ngo lo the rosar at
San Antonio and pray.•
If we look al thes e phrases, only a , hicano
would have exp rienccd such a r al itv and xpress cJ it thus. "A I ittl town," un puebl ito,
is wh re we were al I born, and even if th nam
of it has th word town-I ike in Hobstown-we
still have to repeat it in saying "'little town.•
The kind of awareness of separateness expressed
in the I ives, "Mother ... why do they look at us
like that. All of these reflect the uniqu experience of the Chicano, and his bicultural self.
In NM EXI CO age four," again we find the same
bi cultural self as Omar contemplates the painted
walls-the same walls that "crumble and fall" in
Crazy Gypsy-of a cementary in Saltillo. The dog
that barks at doctors and pol icemen. But more
importantly the •torn hair and blood .•• on the
paving stones• that make it possible for Omar
to say "'how ugly the air smells (que feo huele).
The •hingry beggars," the •leaky rooftops,•
the "'stoic I eaves of autumn," and
•sighs of love
as deep
as pig grunts
silenced by their masters.•
Omar, in his loneliness, weaves a tapestry of
far out symbol ism and concrete imagery, The
River, where the 11 orona is "or so the people say,"
becomes alive, "a friend and a great
comforter." and the same River is,
"an asylum
where people
knit dreams,
a child's clothing for the sky.''
That is why Omar tel Is us so much
about dreams, ''child's clothing for the sky."
Omar has the tenderness of the child.
~c scP.s himself writing songs to hi
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dead mother / .. or shedding rears with the songs
of Pedro lnfante ••• or living with •Aram, his
dog and his thirteen year old wife.• because
•I'm his son.•
There is a degree of surreal ism in Omar's
highly personalized juxtaposition of images.
But we can't allow that superficial surreal ism
to distract us from the deeper reality of the poems
poems. In Cold Rain, we might be tempted to
let •a world of oysters and dreams,• •the
belly of hemorrhaged nightmare,• the •panthers cl owing at the wind,• and the •pretty
artichoke smiles,• distract us from the
presentation of the personna as a •callous
guardian of a utopian of sorts.•
Omar w .aves his poetry, s I famused at
his •own trickery• but always mindful of
the umbilical cord of words" that ties
him to
irgin, •a vi ion, arose in an
aft
· 1 nee,•
ame virgin tha
leeps
th t
where
ang
ncognnv "turni
from
uros i • b ca
•they
r eat psy chiatr
who cur s
r,i't;,
r y f ew m n in Omar'
is A ram, P dro Infant ,
< u tzalco ti , ortez, u ami o Phil, th
d ad M ,cican in Vi tnam, Bob with his
• j wish llutlcrflys, and Guevara. Inst ad
th r ar pl nty of worn n.
Th re is his mother, either going to
pray at San Antonio, or th dead mother h
sings to. There is th virgin, "'in a world of
oyst rs and dr ams.• The fearless girls telling
him their troubles, his "loneliness bottled up
in their tommies.• There is Madame Ungerum,
with "'the kingdom and the andurfum ••• •
There is his drunk gypsy girlfriend. The women
who make "'love pugnaciously in rooms around
alleyways• and N fat women in a corner• selling tacos. There is La Llorona, the •dense .••••
female companionship,• and •the lungs of a
young girl.''
Consistently the women are not concretely indentified, while the men are. The men are
individuals with names, whi I e the women remain
anonymous, background to the drama on stage.
These are not al I the poems Omar has written,
but nearly everything is here. This vision of social
reality of the Chicano, is here, entire.
Here we find the "horrible pain that
keeps me silent,• •the roads as empty
containers ••and the neighbors ••• working
in hell for low pay,• the blood and the
dreams.
And, at the end, we find Omar
•sonador de las estrellas,• "en el abrigo
de la ilusion," Or, as he would say in the
I ast I ines of Guevara, Guevara,
«with a smel I as fresh
as yesterday's fallen snow."
By El iezar Risco Lozada
and
Guillermo Martinez
Palomares
at
Educational institutions were
created for the purpose of providing knowledgeable men - skilled
men - to develop communities,
politically, economically and soThe Student U n 1 on rP.cently
cially. From developing comsponsored Dr. UvaldoPalomares,
munities, the maintenance and
a specialist in communication
improvement
of these communiand sociology, as their speaker.
ties was deemed of highest imDr. Palomares attended Shafportance. In better, or perhaps
ter College where he received his
simpler words, educational instiBachelor of Arts degree. He retutions were created in order to
ceived his masters at San,Diego
assure the establishment of utoState and the final degree, his
pias for mankind,
doctorate, from the University of
But is such illusionary thinking
Santa Cruz.
real?
Is it waht exists today?
In his speech he dealt with the
Have
there
not in fact been estabChicano or Mexicans or whatever
lished
educational
institutions
they wish to be called. He made
which create chaos and confuit very clear that he did not come
sion? Institutions which in reality
to Fresno State College to dismerely create a mirage of autocuss the problems of the minoripia
for a· chosen few, at the cost of
ties or specifically the Chicano,
mechanizing and robotizing the
but to talk about the problems of
majority.
the majority which in turn are
An what of the uotpian communthe main causes for the problems
ities which were to spring forth
of the minorities.
and blossom over the entire
When communicating with a perworld?
Do we have such communson - child, man or woman - one
ities? What about those commust, in order to be understood
munities which are maliciously
deal with them at their level, not
and purposely made inoperative
one's own.
and as such are incapable and
The misunderstandings between
unable to develop into productive,
the majorities and the minorities
self-sustaining
and self-directis that the majority has been trying entities? Where is the master
ing for years to do what they think
plan today?
is best for the people without
The questions are not being
putting themselves in their posimade
in a vacuum but are directed
tion.
at attempting to find an answer
He gave a very good example
to what exists today, to what
of that kind of situation.
(whether we like it or not) is
While working with some Chireality.
cano children in San Jose, he
Too long have Chicanos had to
noticed that upon asking a chavaface
the barrios and colonias
lito (little boy) to say something
which were economically and
nice to someone in the group that
politically dead. By way of findwould make the person feel good,
ing a solution to revive our comthe chiconito said he would give
munities, many of us have looked
the little girl across from him a
to educational institutions as a
popi-wheely-bike.
means to an end. Out the door is
The little girl wasn't at all
locked and remains so. Schools
happy. He was disappointed. He
administrators, and faculties re~
thought everyone would be happy
fuse to deal with Chicanos refuse
with a popi-wheely-hike.
to give us those tools which will
This is how the majority of
enable us to build our utopias.
r eople think they want to do someThe only answer we have rething nice for others which they
ceived when we knoc-k on the door
think is best. Best in their eyes
is our walking papers, so thus we
but not in the eyes of other perhecome another statistic. Ansons.
other number to be added to the
He is presently involved tn a
dropout rolls, another figure to
communication project which he
add to the lowest median educafeels ls the only way to help the
tion group, another unemploychildren of America grow up
ment problem, and another less
without the blinders this generabody to work with our communil ,n has. Blinders which keep
ties as a so-called •agitator."
p,ople from seeing beyond themBASTA! We have had enough.It
s Ives.
is time that the education system
At the end of his speech he
starts to work toward its own
opened a question and answer
objective and toward the reason
period. One specific question was
for its creation. Wherever you go
asked by several people. •what
in the Southwest, the cry is the
are the people of today supposed
same and the battle is the same.
to do while this other idea you
The schools must meet our eduh .... ve so much faith in comes
cational needs. The educational
a 1out? His only answer was that
instuti
people will not get anywhere
institutions must learn what the
through violence and that this is a
word •relate" means. And it
survival period in which we are
must strain itself to the limits
living. A person like him can only
to accomplish the goals itself
hope that t!-i ough his kind of work
sets forth. And we as Chicanos
a better result in the cup-coming
will use every means we have
generations will result.
available to use to accomplish
Because of the split audience
such a task.
which consisted of students and
Students today are going to batparents, there was a slight distle on school grounds. Students
agreement on his tactics ofhelpare using those means to which
ing solve the communication
the educational system will reproblem, therefore after his twospond. And these means are •out
hour speech he invited interested
of the accepted context of negoper sons to stay and talk with him.
tiation."
In East Los Angeles, Chicano
high school students have walked
out for the last two years. In
Denver, elementary, junior high,
and high school Chicano students
F Jrn 2 BR across from dorms
have walked out. In Del Rio
c rpeted, a/cond. $135 for 2
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Diego, wherever you turn, Chicano students are recognizing the
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'6Q Corvette 427, Silver w/Black
Chicano students in Woodlake
ir $4800. 264- 7865.
Hanford, Corcoran, and Fresn~
recognize their need for an eduFemale student wants rmmate
cation and have demonstrated for
in 2 bdrm apt. near Cedar &
a truly adequate and meaningful
Mr:Kinley. $55 mly. 251-9147
education.
FSC
'1
i
Kerman Chicanos'We must have our education'
Chicano students in Kerman
have also realized the importance
of a relevant education - the kind
of education which they can use
to develop their own barrio the kind of education which can
be used to make the Kerman
Chicano community an economically and politically independent
community.
But the efforts of some Chicano
students for such an education
have been frustrated. One particularly active Chicana student,
Raquel Escamilla, has been expelled from Kerman High School
for supposedly being disrespectful to the high school principal.
What is never mentioned as perhaps a possible reason for expulsion is the fact that Raquel
has been organizing Chicano students for more active participation in school. And the first
chance that Dr. English, the high
school principal, had to expell
her, he did so. When Raquel and
her mother requested an open
hearing on the expulsion, the
School Board ( composed of four
farm growers and one funeral
director) refused to listen. The
Chicano Parents and Students
Organization then formed. Parents together with their children
decided that this kind of treatment was not only inhuman but
out-of-date.
On March 31, a Kerman school
board meeting was held and this
time it was supposed to be a
public, open hearing. Yet when the
Chicano parents and students arrived, they we re locked out of the
building. •This is not an open
meeting." What is distressing to
see is that in a countr)' where
participation in dec·ision-making
is sought, that the School Board
in Kerman finds it necessary to
hold closed. private meetings at
hours such as G a.m. or 12 noon
when mo t parents cannot attend.
Friday, Chicanos in Kerman
decided that they h d had enough
and demonstrated the entire day
in front of Kerman High. The Chicano community in Kerman is
making the decision. And that decision is that they will demonstrate until Raquel is back in
school. They will d monstrate
and picket until all students can
return to school without the threat
of punishment, And they will
demonstrate, picket, and take
whatever action until they receive the kind of education which
is valid for the Chicanos of
Kerman.
i Viva El Teatrol
1
El Teatro campesino Nacional de AZTLAN, presents the first Annual National Chicano Theater
Festival.
Dates: May 8-10, 1970
Sponsored by: El Teatro Campesino
La Raza Studies (Fresno State College)
M.E.C.H.A.
(Fresno City College)
Place: Fresno, California
Activities will consist of performances by teatro
groups from California, the Southwestern United
States, and even from New York. Workshops will
be available in music, playwriting, improvisation
and movement, staffing and direction, film making,
voice control, and costumes and props. Some of
the participating groups will be:
Teatro Urbano - San Jose, California
Teatro de los Actos - Oakland, California
Teatro Frontera - San Diego, California
Teatro Bilingue - El Paso, Texas
Los Reveladores del Tercer Mundo - New York
The festival will be open to Chicanos interested m
various aspects of the performing arts as applied
by Chicano theater. The participating fee ($25.00)
will cover food and lodging for three (3) days,
access to workshops of his choice, plus tickets to
the major evening performances.
All applications must be received no later than
May 2, 1970. All participants must register Thursday, May 7, 1970, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
An opportunity to take part in a side-by-side living
experience with teatro members; to share their
vitality and personal experiences is yours at this
first Annual National Chicano Theatre Festival.
For more information write to:
TEATRO FESTIVAL
P, o. Box 2302
Fresno, California 93720
Phone: (209) 485-3892
Pesticides
By Manuel Fernandez
A few months ago I wrote an
article on pesticides, "Peril or
Provider," hopi.1g to give people
who have not had any technical
training in the field a more
elaborate picture of the industry.
In this article I commented
that agriculture depended heavily
on
th e s e plague- preventing
chemicals. I also stated that as
poisonous as some of these were
they have strict regulations a~
to their use that must be followed
to the letter. I also made the point
that most injuries were caused by
carel ssness and misuse rather
than the actual chemical,
To prove my point, I recently
went home for Easter vacation
and ran across a very interesting article. In it I read of two
agriculture pest control firms
that were suspended for 90 days
with a three year probation. One
was the Valley Air Co., Inc. of
Brawley, and the second company
was the Warner Crop Dusters,
Inc., of Santa Maria. They were
10,000 Chicanos Dead
•
1n
Chicano Draft Committee at FSC
and others. The Teatro Campesino provided entertainment
throughout the afternoon.
The next Chicano Moratorium
is scheduled for May 5 at Sacramento. These are part of a series
of moratoriums being held
thr~ughout the Southwest building
to a National Chicano Moratorium
to be held on August 29, 1970, in
East Los Angeles. Many thousands of Chicanos are expected
to attend this event.
-Graciela Solis
/::1 • MANCHESTER MALL
12 ~
ANTON ION l's
arrm~~a
~n.JRl Ha IU[II
0-'DOl:ltm ~
,H~IH~ll llii ~
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All Sizes
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Assorted Colors
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CANVAS BAG
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for carrying
BOOKS
WHITE, NAVY & STRIPES
BELL BOTTOM
TROUSERS
only
VIETNAM
On Saturday, April 4, the Brown
Berets, Fresno Chapter, in conjunction with a few other local
groups, held Fresno's first Chicano Moratorium. The purpose of
the Moratorium was to emphasize
the number of Chicanos who have
died in the hellpits of Vietnam.
There were almost l.000Chicano
students, pa rents and Berets
from all over the Valley involved
in the march from Dickey Playgrounds to Roeding Park.
The group held a rally at Roeding Park for approximately three
and a half hours and listened to
various speakers , including the
Prime Minister of the Brown
Berets, David Sanchez, Catarino
Hurtado. leader of the 1 o cal
Brown Berets, Fay Alec of the
suspended for spraying highly
toxic pesticides in a negligent
manner and causing injuries to
persons within the area.
•There can be no excuse for
carless or improper application
of pesticides," State Agriculture·
Di rector Jerry Fie 1 de r said.
"The rules and regulations are
clear and must be followed to the
letter. 'Safety Flrst' must be
everybody's motto in applying
these chemicals."
AIR FORCE
SUN
GLASSES
349
up
229
NAVY
895
PEA COATS
&UP
NAVY SHIRTS
ALL
SIZES
195
DESERT
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SHOES
595
G.I. FIELD
JACKETS
495
Most comp I ete stock of
Jackets -
and sizes in
the Valley.
WAR SURPLUS DEPOT
602 Broadway
237-3615
OPEN SUNDAYS
Youth Conference was held March
25 through March 30. The purp
Cl) of it was to unify Chicanos fr:~
throughout the nation and discuss
~ methods in which to implement
El Plan Esplrltual de Azt1a
Cl) which was written at last year~
conference, Workshops were held
Cl) to that effect in different areas of
..... involvement.
The Conference began on Wectnesday, March 25, with a welcome
by Corky Gonzales, leader of the
Crusade for Justice. Regis tration
was also taken care of on that
date.
The next day workshops were
Cl) begun, Workshops offered ineluded Community Control, Politics, Economic factors, Security
Cl) Education, Health and Welfare'
~ and Anti-War and Draft. On Fri~
.._. day, workshops on Art and Chicano Artists, Literature, Drama
and Communicat ions were held,
Saturday was devoted to discussion of the Independent Political
Party. Several films were also
shown. They were: •1 Am Joaquin," "West-Side Story," "Sept.
Monday night's police action.
16th," and •Battle of Algiers." on
During the Chicano march, five
the last day of the conference,
Chicano representatives met with
Sunday, the Congress of Aztlan
police officials and gave them five
met for the first time. Delegates
On April 6, 1970, Ronald Reamen, shouted to the crowd in POLICE PROTEST MARCH
demands for immediate police
from all over the nation were
gan addressed 100 persons at a
English to disperse, yet about
consideration. The demands are:
present and many topic s were
Last Wednesday afternoon apfund-raising dinner held at the
65 per cent of the Chicanos there
1. dropping charges of "susdiscussed.
Hacienda Motel. It was evident
did not understand what was being proximately 100-150 Chicanos
picion of trespas:;ing• and *reDuring the conference, enterthat the governor neither wanted
said to them because they do not peacefully marched in front of
fusing to disperse when ordered
tainment was provided every
to see nor hear the voice of the
the Fresno Police Department
speak English.
to do so" against the six people
night by El Teatro Urbano andEl
Chicano students andcommunity.
After attempts were made to protesting the arrest of six men
arrested last Monday night;
Teatro Popular de la Vida y
The crowd of 75 to 80 Chi move the demonstrators, the during Governor Ronald Reagan's
2. publicly apologizlng to the
M uerte. The Crusade for Justice,
canos stayed in the ramp of the
manager gave word to the police- dinner at the Hacienda Motel last
Chicano community for unneceswho were the sponsors of the
Las Vegas Room carrying a few
men to do their thing. It was at Monday night, April 6.
sary physical force used against
conference, also provided us with
huelga signs and shouting such
this time that the police began
The arrested men were part of Chicano:; last Monday night;
three meals a day and housing
terms as •Raza Power,• •Chito push the demonstrators with a Chicano group picketing against
3. ending all physical force in
for the time we were there.
cano Power," and •cesar Chavez
the billy clubs not caring ifthere Reagan during his recent Fresno
an •unn c ssary and arbitrary
The students from FSC who atfor governor," plus a few venwere women and children in the visit. According to the Hacienda
manner" agalnst Chicanos;
tend d the conference would like
didos for Philip Sanchez.
crowd. There was no violence Motel management, the Chicanos
4. bringing charges against the
to commend Corky Gonzales and
The manager of the motel,
on behalf of the d monstrators were told to leave th mot 1 Haciend
1otel manag r "for his
his taff at the rusade for Jususing a loud speaker and backed
u11til a 53-year-old woman, Con- area. When they refused, police
racist attack• leading to Monday
tice for all the work that was put
by at least 11 uniformed policeception Espinoza, was pushed by were called in to break up the
night's violence;
into the conference to make it a
one of the cops and hit with a Chicano pickets.
5. having the polic departbilly cluh.
Witnesses at 1onday night's
ment start a program wiping out
Her son, Joe, jumped in to pro- troubl e charged the police used
racism in the department. This
tect her from the blows. The boy unnecessary force in breaking up
program would be er ated in cowas arrested along with five the group.
operation with the Chicano comothers on charges of suspicion
The six men arrested Monday
munity through meetings.
of trespassing and refusing to night were Gene Guzman, 23;
The Chicano repre~entat1ves
disperse. Then the officers pro- Richard Yirikian, 23; Gabriel
were told by police officials that
ceeded to press the group through Martinez, 27; Abran C. Quevedo,
the first two demands had been
the doors. It was not until this 24; Lawrence Casteneda, l!J; and
given to the district attorney's
incident that the people became a 1 7 -year-old youth.
office. The following two demands
angry and took steps to protect
The Wednesday march. which
McClatchy Newspapers Service
had to be handled through the prothemselves.
started at noon and lasted about
SACRAMENTO-Lorenzo Paper channels (police and district
This coverage was done by a five and a half hours, was countino a spokesman for the Chiattorney's office), and the last
Chicana at the scene of the in- ter-demonstrated by a handful of demand was currently impossible
can~ Organization for Political
cident. Note the different stories police supporters who marched
Awareness of Sacramento, bas
because of a financial and persontold by the news media.
across the street backing the
criticized two Republican leaders
nel shortage.
for saying action against a Santa
Clara County superior judge by
the State Judicial Qualifications
EL TEATfiO
Commission means the legislaCAMPESINO NAC'IONAL
ture will drop a move to impeach
DE AZTLAN
the jurist.
Thursday, April 16th
The commission this week recpresents
om mended Superior Judge Gerald
"DOS ARTISTAS CHICANOS•
s. Chargin be censured for what
featuring
it termed "improper and inexBAKER HALL
JESTER BROS.
cusable" remarks made from th e
APRIL 25th
Esteban Villa y Ricardo Fabela
EXPECTATIONS
bench
during a juvenile cou~t
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Products of the barrios del
STATICS
hearing involving a youth of MexiEveryone is invited to attend.
Val le de San Joaquin
can descent.
Attackin g Assembly Speaker
at the RAINEOW BALLROOM
Robert T. Monagan of San Joa-50 separate works of Artfrom 8 a.m. 'til 2 a.m.
quin Countv and Assembly Rules
Tickets: $2.00
Committee· Chairman Eugene
Chappie of El Dorado County for
1447 N . Van Ness
indicating impeachment of Cha_rProceeds wil I go to scholarship
Apr i I 15 to May 23
gin now is unlikelr, Patino said:
for minoritv students.
1-5
dailv
"The commission's report admitted that Chargin's remark s
have brought the judicial off~ce
Introductory Lecture in
into disrepute. This, acco rd ing
to the Constitution. is ground s fo~
impeachment. To allow th~ m_il n
action taken bv the commis sio
to substitute · for impeachment
Film of MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
would be a travesty of justice, • •
spea•king at the Harvard Law Forum
"The remarks by Monagan and
Chappie, as well as the action
taken bv the commission, verify
April 15th
7:30 P.M.
that pe~ple do not stand equal
) These flights are open to students, Faculty, Staff Employees I ]
;i
before the eyes of the law in th e
101
Industrial
Arts,
FSC
)
and their immediate familv.
I u
o,__ z ct u W
country.•
-~~~~~-=--=r-tzrs:f1E=W¥-.;.~-.....
-The Fresno Bee
a.-
I:
0
'-I
a.-
>
&:
HACIENDA 6
-
Chicanos vs. Police
getting
married?
Chicanos vs.
Chargin
quality
wedding photography
at prices college
students can afford.
samples may be seen
by appointment.
for prices and
information please
call 255-0940
between 8:00 a.m.
and 12:00 noon.
DANCE
Chicano Draft
Workshops
ron parenti
photographer
5047 e. hedges ave.
fresno, calif. 93727
lfti?ope-~2~~~~~-l
I
l.iU /i
p.m.
ON€ WAY FlWM $135
Many
Jet _
C har"ter Flights
Summer & Fall
Fligbts to
1970
choose frond
IPhone i-4151 392-8513
,~~ g ~
• ~ ~
: j
J
:1 ~ !
~ For Schedules call or write... •
·! .
~i
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~ ~ ~i I
°'
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
. editoria l·
Vietnam
"They Shoot Horses, Don't
They?" Yes, and they also shoot
human beings. What about it?
What has happened to the voices
who have spoken out against the
horrors of the Vietnam war?
There are so many questions.
When will out people start demanding answers from our country's leaders and administration,
and from ourselves?
1. While funds for education,
ant~-poverty and other agonizing
human needs here at home are
slahsed back, why do we continue to spend billions each month
on war and "defense-re 1 ate d
areas"?
2. While we still rally our
people against "the diabolical
threat of communism,"whydowe
keep supporting a puppet regime
in South Vietnam that locks up
dissenters, squelchs free speech
and refus es plans for provisional,
repr esentative government? Kind
of strange set up to merit our
democr acy ' s backing.
3. While recent events inLaos
and Cambodia have rev ea 1 ed
long-hi dden, but beautifully camouflaged involvements in these
countries , what happened to the
protest aga! nst "other Vietnams"
for many more years (and sons)
to come?
4. While our ~n er gi es are
scattered here in Fresno over
very serious problems, as at
Fresno State College, does that
dissipate our concern over an ongo.i ng and on-bleeding war which
has already claimed thousands of
lives , including a high percentage of Chicano and Black young
men.
5. While zealous Americans
are parading for un-smogged air,
beer can-free roads and litterless hi ghways, what about the
killing of human lives?
6. While our high-priest president tells us that we can't pull
out now, lest thousands of persons be slaughtered, why are we
blinded by his pacifying gestures
of periodic troop withdrawals in a
magic
• can't-tell-you" timetable? And all the while, thousands of human beings are killed
and mai med every week in this
war? To prevent a slaughter?
What do we do about it? Hope
for an end? Clutch our security
blanket? Switch the TV channel?
"Pass me a beer, please?"
Sorry to sound to negative,
and I realize that pointing builty
fingers at others doesn't help,
unless I point at myself, too.
But I'm convinced there are alot
of people who want to save what's
good and beautiful in our country. Lots of people are trying.
They're aware of the injustices
of this war, but they don't know
what to do. No one has all the
answers, but I'd like to ask your
ideas. You can bring them to a
short meeting on this issue this
Monday night, 7:30 at the First
Methodist Church (M and Tuolomne Streets). Or I'd appreciate
hearing from you.
Fr. David Carriere
816 Pottle Street
Fresno 93 706
Victory for
Recently the State Supreme
Court of California passed a 6-0
ruling that Spanish-speaking people of California did not have to
meet the English-literacy requirement.
Associate Justice Raymond L.
Sullivan held •citizens who can
read Spanish have access to
enough publications in their own
language to form independent and
issues and candidates."
He also held that •an English
literacy requirement in the State
Constitution vi o 1 ate d the U.S.
Const' ution when applied to citizens literate in Spanish and qualified to vote in all other respects."
It is estimated that in Fresno
letters
El Teatro
Querida Raza
Theater i; a weapon in the
st ruggle for social justice. It
is becoming increasingly evident
that the Raza is responding to
th e many uses of teatro in barrios throughout Occupied Mexico.
El Teatro Campesino and La
Raza Studies (Fresno State College) are therefore inviting you
~nd /or your group to participate
ln the first annual FESTIVAL
NACIONAL DE TEATRO CIBCANO.
There will be major and minor
performances by several of the
established companies. During
the day, workshops will be held
demonstrating all of the practical techniques for creating life
images of our people on stage.
Playwrighting, acting, set construction, make-up and costumes, lighting, direction and improvisations are some of the
workshops to be offered by Chicanos already in this creative
part of the movement. Those
teatros already in existence, or
just coming together, may benefit
by meeting and exchanging concepts and techniques with other
groups.
The aim is to develop as many
teatros as possible, which lay
their base in the barrio com munity and are largely self-supporting. The Festival hopes to
eradicate some of the deadly
regionalism that have plagued
our people for too long. Nothing
is quite so beautiful or powerful
or transcendent as La Raza exploring its own alma through
theater. It is, in fact, one of the
direct means to create Aztlan.
In addition to teatro, there will
be workshops on music and filmmaking. Films will be shown
throughout the festival. Chicano
art will also be on display. Sleeping and eating accommodations
will be provided.
Over the years, we of El Teatro Campesino have shared a
dream: to create a national Chicano theater company, capable of
expressing the humor and anguish, as well 'as the anger and
revolutionary spirit of La Raza.
Either way, national or barrio,
the teatro is now una arma mas
en la lucha de nuestro pueblo.
The Festival will be held in
Fresno, May 8-10, 1970. Bring
your teatro, your family, your
carnales, or just yourself - but
come! Por la Raza todo, duera
de la Raza, nada. CHICANO
POWER!
Par un teatro del pueblo,
Luis Valdez, director
El Teatro Campesino
Omar is the Crazy Gypsy. Omar is the whistler
of tunes. Omar is the dreamer of stoics, of nightingales, of moons, of bellies, of stars, and of death.
Omar is the poet of sonnambular beginnings ••.
amazed by his own trickery at finding the right
words to say to the virgin. Omar is the claimer
of bodies ••• undertaker of America. Omar is
the son of Aram the happy money man. Omar is
the repairman of corazones. Who is Omar?
For those who know Omar he is a man
without guile, drirJ<ing comp~nion listener of
Mexican discos, tripster, frien •.'. But, who is
that other (and the same) Omar who comes
alive in the NI• of these po ms?
The omar of these po ms is first of all
I onely. Lonel y, with an abysm~I l one I ines;
not bound by psychol og i cal theories. The
loneliness of Omar is ad p, metaphy si cal
Ion lin ss. It is th Ion l i n
of on who
translates into cosm ic anc.J univ r al t r ms
the existential d pa i r of th
hicano in th<
soutt1wcst. Lik Om r ay, " a di tin t pa cng r in who know what tra i n.•
Omar, tl1c p • r onna in t h
po m , wa
born in ~obstown. Wh r i Rob town ?
Omar say s it is in T
mr
w1.
have al I I i v d ther e.
, wl
Llorona is .•. or so th
av."
town, wher e "Anita' lirotf1 "r has a c n r sional .•. and thC'v wouldn't
r vc him ••• "
Robstown, wher w Ngo lo the rosar at
San Antonio and pray.•
If we look al thes e phrases, only a , hicano
would have exp rienccd such a r al itv and xpress cJ it thus. "A I ittl town," un puebl ito,
is wh re we were al I born, and even if th nam
of it has th word town-I ike in Hobstown-we
still have to repeat it in saying "'little town.•
The kind of awareness of separateness expressed
in the I ives, "Mother ... why do they look at us
like that. All of these reflect the uniqu experience of the Chicano, and his bicultural self.
In NM EXI CO age four," again we find the same
bi cultural self as Omar contemplates the painted
walls-the same walls that "crumble and fall" in
Crazy Gypsy-of a cementary in Saltillo. The dog
that barks at doctors and pol icemen. But more
importantly the •torn hair and blood .•• on the
paving stones• that make it possible for Omar
to say "'how ugly the air smells (que feo huele).
The •hingry beggars," the •leaky rooftops,•
the "'stoic I eaves of autumn," and
•sighs of love
as deep
as pig grunts
silenced by their masters.•
Omar, in his loneliness, weaves a tapestry of
far out symbol ism and concrete imagery, The
River, where the 11 orona is "or so the people say,"
becomes alive, "a friend and a great
comforter." and the same River is,
"an asylum
where people
knit dreams,
a child's clothing for the sky.''
That is why Omar tel Is us so much
about dreams, ''child's clothing for the sky."
Omar has the tenderness of the child.
~c scP.s himself writing songs to hi
_!!~-..,,,
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Write or Call omce of
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Telephone:
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dead mother / .. or shedding rears with the songs
of Pedro lnfante ••• or living with •Aram, his
dog and his thirteen year old wife.• because
•I'm his son.•
There is a degree of surreal ism in Omar's
highly personalized juxtaposition of images.
But we can't allow that superficial surreal ism
to distract us from the deeper reality of the poems
poems. In Cold Rain, we might be tempted to
let •a world of oysters and dreams,• •the
belly of hemorrhaged nightmare,• the •panthers cl owing at the wind,• and the •pretty
artichoke smiles,• distract us from the
presentation of the personna as a •callous
guardian of a utopian of sorts.•
Omar w .aves his poetry, s I famused at
his •own trickery• but always mindful of
the umbilical cord of words" that ties
him to
irgin, •a vi ion, arose in an
aft
· 1 nee,•
ame virgin tha
leeps
th t
where
ang
ncognnv "turni
from
uros i • b ca
•they
r eat psy chiatr
who cur s
r,i't;,
r y f ew m n in Omar'
is A ram, P dro Infant ,
< u tzalco ti , ortez, u ami o Phil, th
d ad M ,cican in Vi tnam, Bob with his
• j wish llutlcrflys, and Guevara. Inst ad
th r ar pl nty of worn n.
Th re is his mother, either going to
pray at San Antonio, or th dead mother h
sings to. There is th virgin, "'in a world of
oyst rs and dr ams.• The fearless girls telling
him their troubles, his "loneliness bottled up
in their tommies.• There is Madame Ungerum,
with "'the kingdom and the andurfum ••• •
There is his drunk gypsy girlfriend. The women
who make "'love pugnaciously in rooms around
alleyways• and N fat women in a corner• selling tacos. There is La Llorona, the •dense .••••
female companionship,• and •the lungs of a
young girl.''
Consistently the women are not concretely indentified, while the men are. The men are
individuals with names, whi I e the women remain
anonymous, background to the drama on stage.
These are not al I the poems Omar has written,
but nearly everything is here. This vision of social
reality of the Chicano, is here, entire.
Here we find the "horrible pain that
keeps me silent,• •the roads as empty
containers ••and the neighbors ••• working
in hell for low pay,• the blood and the
dreams.
And, at the end, we find Omar
•sonador de las estrellas,• "en el abrigo
de la ilusion," Or, as he would say in the
I ast I ines of Guevara, Guevara,
«with a smel I as fresh
as yesterday's fallen snow."
By El iezar Risco Lozada
and
Guillermo Martinez
Palomares
at
Educational institutions were
created for the purpose of providing knowledgeable men - skilled
men - to develop communities,
politically, economically and soThe Student U n 1 on rP.cently
cially. From developing comsponsored Dr. UvaldoPalomares,
munities, the maintenance and
a specialist in communication
improvement
of these communiand sociology, as their speaker.
ties was deemed of highest imDr. Palomares attended Shafportance. In better, or perhaps
ter College where he received his
simpler words, educational instiBachelor of Arts degree. He retutions were created in order to
ceived his masters at San,Diego
assure the establishment of utoState and the final degree, his
pias for mankind,
doctorate, from the University of
But is such illusionary thinking
Santa Cruz.
real?
Is it waht exists today?
In his speech he dealt with the
Have
there
not in fact been estabChicano or Mexicans or whatever
lished
educational
institutions
they wish to be called. He made
which create chaos and confuit very clear that he did not come
sion? Institutions which in reality
to Fresno State College to dismerely create a mirage of autocuss the problems of the minoripia
for a· chosen few, at the cost of
ties or specifically the Chicano,
mechanizing and robotizing the
but to talk about the problems of
majority.
the majority which in turn are
An what of the uotpian communthe main causes for the problems
ities which were to spring forth
of the minorities.
and blossom over the entire
When communicating with a perworld?
Do we have such communson - child, man or woman - one
ities? What about those commust, in order to be understood
munities which are maliciously
deal with them at their level, not
and purposely made inoperative
one's own.
and as such are incapable and
The misunderstandings between
unable to develop into productive,
the majorities and the minorities
self-sustaining
and self-directis that the majority has been trying entities? Where is the master
ing for years to do what they think
plan today?
is best for the people without
The questions are not being
putting themselves in their posimade
in a vacuum but are directed
tion.
at attempting to find an answer
He gave a very good example
to what exists today, to what
of that kind of situation.
(whether we like it or not) is
While working with some Chireality.
cano children in San Jose, he
Too long have Chicanos had to
noticed that upon asking a chavaface
the barrios and colonias
lito (little boy) to say something
which were economically and
nice to someone in the group that
politically dead. By way of findwould make the person feel good,
ing a solution to revive our comthe chiconito said he would give
munities, many of us have looked
the little girl across from him a
to educational institutions as a
popi-wheely-bike.
means to an end. Out the door is
The little girl wasn't at all
locked and remains so. Schools
happy. He was disappointed. He
administrators, and faculties re~
thought everyone would be happy
fuse to deal with Chicanos refuse
with a popi-wheely-hike.
to give us those tools which will
This is how the majority of
enable us to build our utopias.
r eople think they want to do someThe only answer we have rething nice for others which they
ceived when we knoc-k on the door
think is best. Best in their eyes
is our walking papers, so thus we
but not in the eyes of other perhecome another statistic. Ansons.
other number to be added to the
He is presently involved tn a
dropout rolls, another figure to
communication project which he
add to the lowest median educafeels ls the only way to help the
tion group, another unemploychildren of America grow up
ment problem, and another less
without the blinders this generabody to work with our communil ,n has. Blinders which keep
ties as a so-called •agitator."
p,ople from seeing beyond themBASTA! We have had enough.It
s Ives.
is time that the education system
At the end of his speech he
starts to work toward its own
opened a question and answer
objective and toward the reason
period. One specific question was
for its creation. Wherever you go
asked by several people. •what
in the Southwest, the cry is the
are the people of today supposed
same and the battle is the same.
to do while this other idea you
The schools must meet our eduh .... ve so much faith in comes
cational needs. The educational
a 1out? His only answer was that
instuti
people will not get anywhere
institutions must learn what the
through violence and that this is a
word •relate" means. And it
survival period in which we are
must strain itself to the limits
living. A person like him can only
to accomplish the goals itself
hope that t!-i ough his kind of work
sets forth. And we as Chicanos
a better result in the cup-coming
will use every means we have
generations will result.
available to use to accomplish
Because of the split audience
such a task.
which consisted of students and
Students today are going to batparents, there was a slight distle on school grounds. Students
agreement on his tactics ofhelpare using those means to which
ing solve the communication
the educational system will reproblem, therefore after his twospond. And these means are •out
hour speech he invited interested
of the accepted context of negoper sons to stay and talk with him.
tiation."
In East Los Angeles, Chicano
high school students have walked
out for the last two years. In
Denver, elementary, junior high,
and high school Chicano students
F Jrn 2 BR across from dorms
have walked out. In Del Rio
c rpeted, a/cond. $135 for 2
Texas, in New Mexico, in Sa~
st are w/3 others $45, 439-6481
Diego, wherever you turn, Chicano students are recognizing the
Wanted to Rent-Auto-April 10to
vital need of education but even
May 10, Ph: 439-9696 aft. 5:30.
more important, they are recognizing and fighting for the kind of
'69 Norton Commando 750cc, I ike
education that best benefits themnew. Call 264-8196 after 7 p.m.
selves and their communities.
He~e in the San Joaquin Valley,
'6Q Corvette 427, Silver w/Black
Chicano students in Woodlake
ir $4800. 264- 7865.
Hanford, Corcoran, and Fresn~
recognize their need for an eduFemale student wants rmmate
cation and have demonstrated for
in 2 bdrm apt. near Cedar &
a truly adequate and meaningful
Mr:Kinley. $55 mly. 251-9147
education.
FSC
'1
i
Kerman Chicanos'We must have our education'
Chicano students in Kerman
have also realized the importance
of a relevant education - the kind
of education which they can use
to develop their own barrio the kind of education which can
be used to make the Kerman
Chicano community an economically and politically independent
community.
But the efforts of some Chicano
students for such an education
have been frustrated. One particularly active Chicana student,
Raquel Escamilla, has been expelled from Kerman High School
for supposedly being disrespectful to the high school principal.
What is never mentioned as perhaps a possible reason for expulsion is the fact that Raquel
has been organizing Chicano students for more active participation in school. And the first
chance that Dr. English, the high
school principal, had to expell
her, he did so. When Raquel and
her mother requested an open
hearing on the expulsion, the
School Board ( composed of four
farm growers and one funeral
director) refused to listen. The
Chicano Parents and Students
Organization then formed. Parents together with their children
decided that this kind of treatment was not only inhuman but
out-of-date.
On March 31, a Kerman school
board meeting was held and this
time it was supposed to be a
public, open hearing. Yet when the
Chicano parents and students arrived, they we re locked out of the
building. •This is not an open
meeting." What is distressing to
see is that in a countr)' where
participation in dec·ision-making
is sought, that the School Board
in Kerman finds it necessary to
hold closed. private meetings at
hours such as G a.m. or 12 noon
when mo t parents cannot attend.
Friday, Chicanos in Kerman
decided that they h d had enough
and demonstrated the entire day
in front of Kerman High. The Chicano community in Kerman is
making the decision. And that decision is that they will demonstrate until Raquel is back in
school. They will d monstrate
and picket until all students can
return to school without the threat
of punishment, And they will
demonstrate, picket, and take
whatever action until they receive the kind of education which
is valid for the Chicanos of
Kerman.
i Viva El Teatrol
1
El Teatro campesino Nacional de AZTLAN, presents the first Annual National Chicano Theater
Festival.
Dates: May 8-10, 1970
Sponsored by: El Teatro Campesino
La Raza Studies (Fresno State College)
M.E.C.H.A.
(Fresno City College)
Place: Fresno, California
Activities will consist of performances by teatro
groups from California, the Southwestern United
States, and even from New York. Workshops will
be available in music, playwriting, improvisation
and movement, staffing and direction, film making,
voice control, and costumes and props. Some of
the participating groups will be:
Teatro Urbano - San Jose, California
Teatro de los Actos - Oakland, California
Teatro Frontera - San Diego, California
Teatro Bilingue - El Paso, Texas
Los Reveladores del Tercer Mundo - New York
The festival will be open to Chicanos interested m
various aspects of the performing arts as applied
by Chicano theater. The participating fee ($25.00)
will cover food and lodging for three (3) days,
access to workshops of his choice, plus tickets to
the major evening performances.
All applications must be received no later than
May 2, 1970. All participants must register Thursday, May 7, 1970, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
An opportunity to take part in a side-by-side living
experience with teatro members; to share their
vitality and personal experiences is yours at this
first Annual National Chicano Theatre Festival.
For more information write to:
TEATRO FESTIVAL
P, o. Box 2302
Fresno, California 93720
Phone: (209) 485-3892
Pesticides
By Manuel Fernandez
A few months ago I wrote an
article on pesticides, "Peril or
Provider," hopi.1g to give people
who have not had any technical
training in the field a more
elaborate picture of the industry.
In this article I commented
that agriculture depended heavily
on
th e s e plague- preventing
chemicals. I also stated that as
poisonous as some of these were
they have strict regulations a~
to their use that must be followed
to the letter. I also made the point
that most injuries were caused by
carel ssness and misuse rather
than the actual chemical,
To prove my point, I recently
went home for Easter vacation
and ran across a very interesting article. In it I read of two
agriculture pest control firms
that were suspended for 90 days
with a three year probation. One
was the Valley Air Co., Inc. of
Brawley, and the second company
was the Warner Crop Dusters,
Inc., of Santa Maria. They were
10,000 Chicanos Dead
•
1n
Chicano Draft Committee at FSC
and others. The Teatro Campesino provided entertainment
throughout the afternoon.
The next Chicano Moratorium
is scheduled for May 5 at Sacramento. These are part of a series
of moratoriums being held
thr~ughout the Southwest building
to a National Chicano Moratorium
to be held on August 29, 1970, in
East Los Angeles. Many thousands of Chicanos are expected
to attend this event.
-Graciela Solis
/::1 • MANCHESTER MALL
12 ~
ANTON ION l's
arrm~~a
~n.JRl Ha IU[II
0-'DOl:ltm ~
,H~IH~ll llii ~
~~ana
ll~''IUI' II HUI II
75c MATINEES
SPECIALS
.
NYLON
WIND BREAKERS
All Sizes
95
Assorted Colors
1ll 2 P.111.
SH.' llell.
3
CANVAS BAG
9 5(
for carrying
BOOKS
WHITE, NAVY & STRIPES
BELL BOTTOM
TROUSERS
only
VIETNAM
On Saturday, April 4, the Brown
Berets, Fresno Chapter, in conjunction with a few other local
groups, held Fresno's first Chicano Moratorium. The purpose of
the Moratorium was to emphasize
the number of Chicanos who have
died in the hellpits of Vietnam.
There were almost l.000Chicano
students, pa rents and Berets
from all over the Valley involved
in the march from Dickey Playgrounds to Roeding Park.
The group held a rally at Roeding Park for approximately three
and a half hours and listened to
various speakers , including the
Prime Minister of the Brown
Berets, David Sanchez, Catarino
Hurtado. leader of the 1 o cal
Brown Berets, Fay Alec of the
suspended for spraying highly
toxic pesticides in a negligent
manner and causing injuries to
persons within the area.
•There can be no excuse for
carless or improper application
of pesticides," State Agriculture·
Di rector Jerry Fie 1 de r said.
"The rules and regulations are
clear and must be followed to the
letter. 'Safety Flrst' must be
everybody's motto in applying
these chemicals."
AIR FORCE
SUN
GLASSES
349
up
229
NAVY
895
PEA COATS
&UP
NAVY SHIRTS
ALL
SIZES
195
DESERT
TYPE
SHOES
595
G.I. FIELD
JACKETS
495
Most comp I ete stock of
Jackets -
and sizes in
the Valley.
WAR SURPLUS DEPOT
602 Broadway
237-3615
OPEN SUNDAYS
The Second Annual Chicano
Youth Conference was held March
25 through March 30. The purp
Cl) of it was to unify Chicanos fr:~
throughout the nation and discuss
~ methods in which to implement
El Plan Esplrltual de Azt1a
Cl) which was written at last year~
conference, Workshops were held
Cl) to that effect in different areas of
..... involvement.
The Conference began on Wectnesday, March 25, with a welcome
by Corky Gonzales, leader of the
Crusade for Justice. Regis tration
was also taken care of on that
date.
The next day workshops were
Cl) begun, Workshops offered ineluded Community Control, Politics, Economic factors, Security
Cl) Education, Health and Welfare'
~ and Anti-War and Draft. On Fri~
.._. day, workshops on Art and Chicano Artists, Literature, Drama
and Communicat ions were held,
Saturday was devoted to discussion of the Independent Political
Party. Several films were also
shown. They were: •1 Am Joaquin," "West-Side Story," "Sept.
Monday night's police action.
16th," and •Battle of Algiers." on
During the Chicano march, five
the last day of the conference,
Chicano representatives met with
Sunday, the Congress of Aztlan
police officials and gave them five
met for the first time. Delegates
On April 6, 1970, Ronald Reamen, shouted to the crowd in POLICE PROTEST MARCH
demands for immediate police
from all over the nation were
gan addressed 100 persons at a
English to disperse, yet about
consideration. The demands are:
present and many topic s were
Last Wednesday afternoon apfund-raising dinner held at the
65 per cent of the Chicanos there
1. dropping charges of "susdiscussed.
Hacienda Motel. It was evident
did not understand what was being proximately 100-150 Chicanos
picion of trespas:;ing• and *reDuring the conference, enterthat the governor neither wanted
said to them because they do not peacefully marched in front of
fusing to disperse when ordered
tainment was provided every
to see nor hear the voice of the
the Fresno Police Department
speak English.
to do so" against the six people
night by El Teatro Urbano andEl
Chicano students andcommunity.
After attempts were made to protesting the arrest of six men
arrested last Monday night;
Teatro Popular de la Vida y
The crowd of 75 to 80 Chi move the demonstrators, the during Governor Ronald Reagan's
2. publicly apologizlng to the
M uerte. The Crusade for Justice,
canos stayed in the ramp of the
manager gave word to the police- dinner at the Hacienda Motel last
Chicano community for unneceswho were the sponsors of the
Las Vegas Room carrying a few
men to do their thing. It was at Monday night, April 6.
sary physical force used against
conference, also provided us with
huelga signs and shouting such
this time that the police began
The arrested men were part of Chicano:; last Monday night;
three meals a day and housing
terms as •Raza Power,• •Chito push the demonstrators with a Chicano group picketing against
3. ending all physical force in
for the time we were there.
cano Power," and •cesar Chavez
the billy clubs not caring ifthere Reagan during his recent Fresno
an •unn c ssary and arbitrary
The students from FSC who atfor governor," plus a few venwere women and children in the visit. According to the Hacienda
manner" agalnst Chicanos;
tend d the conference would like
didos for Philip Sanchez.
crowd. There was no violence Motel management, the Chicanos
4. bringing charges against the
to commend Corky Gonzales and
The manager of the motel,
on behalf of the d monstrators were told to leave th mot 1 Haciend
1otel manag r "for his
his taff at the rusade for Jususing a loud speaker and backed
u11til a 53-year-old woman, Con- area. When they refused, police
racist attack• leading to Monday
tice for all the work that was put
by at least 11 uniformed policeception Espinoza, was pushed by were called in to break up the
night's violence;
into the conference to make it a
one of the cops and hit with a Chicano pickets.
5. having the polic departbilly cluh.
Witnesses at 1onday night's
ment start a program wiping out
Her son, Joe, jumped in to pro- troubl e charged the police used
racism in the department. This
tect her from the blows. The boy unnecessary force in breaking up
program would be er ated in cowas arrested along with five the group.
operation with the Chicano comothers on charges of suspicion
The six men arrested Monday
munity through meetings.
of trespassing and refusing to night were Gene Guzman, 23;
The Chicano repre~entat1ves
disperse. Then the officers pro- Richard Yirikian, 23; Gabriel
were told by police officials that
ceeded to press the group through Martinez, 27; Abran C. Quevedo,
the first two demands had been
the doors. It was not until this 24; Lawrence Casteneda, l!J; and
given to the district attorney's
incident that the people became a 1 7 -year-old youth.
office. The following two demands
angry and took steps to protect
The Wednesday march. which
McClatchy Newspapers Service
had to be handled through the prothemselves.
started at noon and lasted about
SACRAMENTO-Lorenzo Paper channels (police and district
This coverage was done by a five and a half hours, was countino a spokesman for the Chiattorney's office), and the last
Chicana at the scene of the in- ter-demonstrated by a handful of demand was currently impossible
can~ Organization for Political
cident. Note the different stories police supporters who marched
Awareness of Sacramento, bas
because of a financial and persontold by the news media.
across the street backing the
criticized two Republican leaders
nel shortage.
for saying action against a Santa
Clara County superior judge by
the State Judicial Qualifications
EL TEATfiO
Commission means the legislaCAMPESINO NAC'IONAL
ture will drop a move to impeach
DE AZTLAN
the jurist.
Thursday, April 16th
The commission this week recpresents
om mended Superior Judge Gerald
"DOS ARTISTAS CHICANOS•
s. Chargin be censured for what
featuring
it termed "improper and inexBAKER HALL
JESTER BROS.
cusable" remarks made from th e
APRIL 25th
Esteban Villa y Ricardo Fabela
EXPECTATIONS
bench
during a juvenile cou~t
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Products of the barrios del
STATICS
hearing involving a youth of MexiEveryone is invited to attend.
Val le de San Joaquin
can descent.
Attackin g Assembly Speaker
at the RAINEOW BALLROOM
Robert T. Monagan of San Joa-50 separate works of Artfrom 8 a.m. 'til 2 a.m.
quin Countv and Assembly Rules
Tickets: $2.00
Committee· Chairman Eugene
Chappie of El Dorado County for
1447 N . Van Ness
indicating impeachment of Cha_rProceeds wil I go to scholarship
Apr i I 15 to May 23
gin now is unlikelr, Patino said:
for minoritv students.
1-5
dailv
"The commission's report admitted that Chargin's remark s
have brought the judicial off~ce
Introductory Lecture in
into disrepute. This, acco rd ing
to the Constitution. is ground s fo~
impeachment. To allow th~ m_il n
action taken bv the commis sio
to substitute · for impeachment
Film of MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
would be a travesty of justice, • •
spea•king at the Harvard Law Forum
"The remarks by Monagan and
Chappie, as well as the action
taken bv the commission, verify
April 15th
7:30 P.M.
that pe~ple do not stand equal
) These flights are open to students, Faculty, Staff Employees I ]
;i
before the eyes of the law in th e
101
Industrial
Arts,
FSC
)
and their immediate familv.
I u
o,__ z ct u W
country.•
-~~~~~-=--=r-tzrs:f1E=W¥-.;.~-.....
-The Fresno Bee
a.-
I:
0
'-I
a.-
>
&:
HACIENDA 6
-
Chicanos vs. Police
getting
married?
Chicanos vs.
Chargin
quality
wedding photography
at prices college
students can afford.
samples may be seen
by appointment.
for prices and
information please
call 255-0940
between 8:00 a.m.
and 12:00 noon.
DANCE
Chicano Draft
Workshops
ron parenti
photographer
5047 e. hedges ave.
fresno, calif. 93727
lfti?ope-~2~~~~~-l
I
l.iU /i
p.m.
ON€ WAY FlWM $135
Many
Jet _
C har"ter Flights
Summer & Fall
Fligbts to
1970
choose frond
IPhone i-4151 392-8513
,~~ g ~
• ~ ~
: j
J
:1 ~ !
~ For Schedules call or write... •
·! .
~i
:!J
~j~
~ ~ ~i I
°'
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
. editoria l·
Vietnam
"They Shoot Horses, Don't
They?" Yes, and they also shoot
human beings. What about it?
What has happened to the voices
who have spoken out against the
horrors of the Vietnam war?
There are so many questions.
When will out people start demanding answers from our country's leaders and administration,
and from ourselves?
1. While funds for education,
ant~-poverty and other agonizing
human needs here at home are
slahsed back, why do we continue to spend billions each month
on war and "defense-re 1 ate d
areas"?
2. While we still rally our
people against "the diabolical
threat of communism,"whydowe
keep supporting a puppet regime
in South Vietnam that locks up
dissenters, squelchs free speech
and refus es plans for provisional,
repr esentative government? Kind
of strange set up to merit our
democr acy ' s backing.
3. While recent events inLaos
and Cambodia have rev ea 1 ed
long-hi dden, but beautifully camouflaged involvements in these
countries , what happened to the
protest aga! nst "other Vietnams"
for many more years (and sons)
to come?
4. While our ~n er gi es are
scattered here in Fresno over
very serious problems, as at
Fresno State College, does that
dissipate our concern over an ongo.i ng and on-bleeding war which
has already claimed thousands of
lives , including a high percentage of Chicano and Black young
men.
5. While zealous Americans
are parading for un-smogged air,
beer can-free roads and litterless hi ghways, what about the
killing of human lives?
6. While our high-priest president tells us that we can't pull
out now, lest thousands of persons be slaughtered, why are we
blinded by his pacifying gestures
of periodic troop withdrawals in a
magic
• can't-tell-you" timetable? And all the while, thousands of human beings are killed
and mai med every week in this
war? To prevent a slaughter?
What do we do about it? Hope
for an end? Clutch our security
blanket? Switch the TV channel?
"Pass me a beer, please?"
Sorry to sound to negative,
and I realize that pointing builty
fingers at others doesn't help,
unless I point at myself, too.
But I'm convinced there are alot
of people who want to save what's
good and beautiful in our country. Lots of people are trying.
They're aware of the injustices
of this war, but they don't know
what to do. No one has all the
answers, but I'd like to ask your
ideas. You can bring them to a
short meeting on this issue this
Monday night, 7:30 at the First
Methodist Church (M and Tuolomne Streets). Or I'd appreciate
hearing from you.
Fr. David Carriere
816 Pottle Street
Fresno 93 706
Victory for
Recently the State Supreme
Court of California passed a 6-0
ruling that Spanish-speaking people of California did not have to
meet the English-literacy requirement.
Associate Justice Raymond L.
Sullivan held •citizens who can
read Spanish have access to
enough publications in their own
language to form independent and
issues and candidates."
He also held that •an English
literacy requirement in the State
Constitution vi o 1 ate d the U.S.
Const' ution when applied to citizens literate in Spanish and qualified to vote in all other respects."
It is estimated that in Fresno
letters
El Teatro
Querida Raza
Theater i; a weapon in the
st ruggle for social justice. It
is becoming increasingly evident
that the Raza is responding to
th e many uses of teatro in barrios throughout Occupied Mexico.
El Teatro Campesino and La
Raza Studies (Fresno State College) are therefore inviting you
~nd /or your group to participate
ln the first annual FESTIVAL
NACIONAL DE TEATRO CIBCANO.
There will be major and minor
performances by several of the
established companies. During
the day, workshops will be held
demonstrating all of the practical techniques for creating life
images of our people on stage.
Playwrighting, acting, set construction, make-up and costumes, lighting, direction and improvisations are some of the
workshops to be offered by Chicanos already in this creative
part of the movement. Those
teatros already in existence, or
just coming together, may benefit
by meeting and exchanging concepts and techniques with other
groups.
The aim is to develop as many
teatros as possible, which lay
their base in the barrio com munity and are largely self-supporting. The Festival hopes to
eradicate some of the deadly
regionalism that have plagued
our people for too long. Nothing
is quite so beautiful or powerful
or transcendent as La Raza exploring its own alma through
theater. It is, in fact, one of the
direct means to create Aztlan.
In addition to teatro, there will
be workshops on music and filmmaking. Films will be shown
throughout the festival. Chicano
art will also be on display. Sleeping and eating accommodations
will be provided.
Over the years, we of El Teatro Campesino have shared a
dream: to create a national Chicano theater company, capable of
expressing the humor and anguish, as well 'as the anger and
revolutionary spirit of La Raza.
Either way, national or barrio,
the teatro is now una arma mas
en la lucha de nuestro pueblo.
The Festival will be held in
Fresno, May 8-10, 1970. Bring
your teatro, your family, your
carnales, or just yourself - but
come! Por la Raza todo, duera
de la Raza, nada. CHICANO
POWER!
Par un teatro del pueblo,
Luis Valdez, director
El Teatro Campesino
Omar is the Crazy Gypsy. Omar is the whistler
of tunes. Omar is the dreamer of stoics, of nightingales, of moons, of bellies, of stars, and of death.
Omar is the poet of sonnambular beginnings ••.
amazed by his own trickery at finding the right
words to say to the virgin. Omar is the claimer
of bodies ••• undertaker of America. Omar is
the son of Aram the happy money man. Omar is
the repairman of corazones. Who is Omar?
For those who know Omar he is a man
without guile, drirJ<ing comp~nion listener of
Mexican discos, tripster, frien •.'. But, who is
that other (and the same) Omar who comes
alive in the NI• of these po ms?
The omar of these po ms is first of all
I onely. Lonel y, with an abysm~I l one I ines;
not bound by psychol og i cal theories. The
loneliness of Omar is ad p, metaphy si cal
Ion lin ss. It is th Ion l i n
of on who
translates into cosm ic anc.J univ r al t r ms
the existential d pa i r of th
hicano in th<
soutt1wcst. Lik Om r ay, " a di tin t pa cng r in who know what tra i n.•
Omar, tl1c p • r onna in t h
po m , wa
born in ~obstown. Wh r i Rob town ?
Omar say s it is in T
mr
w1.
have al I I i v d ther e.
, wl
Llorona is .•. or so th
av."
town, wher e "Anita' lirotf1 "r has a c n r sional .•. and thC'v wouldn't
r vc him ••• "
Robstown, wher w Ngo lo the rosar at
San Antonio and pray.•
If we look al thes e phrases, only a , hicano
would have exp rienccd such a r al itv and xpress cJ it thus. "A I ittl town," un puebl ito,
is wh re we were al I born, and even if th nam
of it has th word town-I ike in Hobstown-we
still have to repeat it in saying "'little town.•
The kind of awareness of separateness expressed
in the I ives, "Mother ... why do they look at us
like that. All of these reflect the uniqu experience of the Chicano, and his bicultural self.
In NM EXI CO age four," again we find the same
bi cultural self as Omar contemplates the painted
walls-the same walls that "crumble and fall" in
Crazy Gypsy-of a cementary in Saltillo. The dog
that barks at doctors and pol icemen. But more
importantly the •torn hair and blood .•• on the
paving stones• that make it possible for Omar
to say "'how ugly the air smells (que feo huele).
The •hingry beggars," the •leaky rooftops,•
the "'stoic I eaves of autumn," and
•sighs of love
as deep
as pig grunts
silenced by their masters.•
Omar, in his loneliness, weaves a tapestry of
far out symbol ism and concrete imagery, The
River, where the 11 orona is "or so the people say,"
becomes alive, "a friend and a great
comforter." and the same River is,
"an asylum
where people
knit dreams,
a child's clothing for the sky.''
That is why Omar tel Is us so much
about dreams, ''child's clothing for the sky."
Omar has the tenderness of the child.
~c scP.s himself writing songs to hi
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dead mother / .. or shedding rears with the songs
of Pedro lnfante ••• or living with •Aram, his
dog and his thirteen year old wife.• because
•I'm his son.•
There is a degree of surreal ism in Omar's
highly personalized juxtaposition of images.
But we can't allow that superficial surreal ism
to distract us from the deeper reality of the poems
poems. In Cold Rain, we might be tempted to
let •a world of oysters and dreams,• •the
belly of hemorrhaged nightmare,• the •panthers cl owing at the wind,• and the •pretty
artichoke smiles,• distract us from the
presentation of the personna as a •callous
guardian of a utopian of sorts.•
Omar w .aves his poetry, s I famused at
his •own trickery• but always mindful of
the umbilical cord of words" that ties
him to
irgin, •a vi ion, arose in an
aft
· 1 nee,•
ame virgin tha
leeps
th t
where
ang
ncognnv "turni
from
uros i • b ca
•they
r eat psy chiatr
who cur s
r,i't;,
r y f ew m n in Omar'
is A ram, P dro Infant ,
< u tzalco ti , ortez, u ami o Phil, th
d ad M ,cican in Vi tnam, Bob with his
• j wish llutlcrflys, and Guevara. Inst ad
th r ar pl nty of worn n.
Th re is his mother, either going to
pray at San Antonio, or th dead mother h
sings to. There is th virgin, "'in a world of
oyst rs and dr ams.• The fearless girls telling
him their troubles, his "loneliness bottled up
in their tommies.• There is Madame Ungerum,
with "'the kingdom and the andurfum ••• •
There is his drunk gypsy girlfriend. The women
who make "'love pugnaciously in rooms around
alleyways• and N fat women in a corner• selling tacos. There is La Llorona, the •dense .••••
female companionship,• and •the lungs of a
young girl.''
Consistently the women are not concretely indentified, while the men are. The men are
individuals with names, whi I e the women remain
anonymous, background to the drama on stage.
These are not al I the poems Omar has written,
but nearly everything is here. This vision of social
reality of the Chicano, is here, entire.
Here we find the "horrible pain that
keeps me silent,• •the roads as empty
containers ••and the neighbors ••• working
in hell for low pay,• the blood and the
dreams.
And, at the end, we find Omar
•sonador de las estrellas,• "en el abrigo
de la ilusion," Or, as he would say in the
I ast I ines of Guevara, Guevara,
«with a smel I as fresh
as yesterday's fallen snow."
By El iezar Risco Lozada
and
Guillermo Martinez
Palomares
at
Educational institutions were
created for the purpose of providing knowledgeable men - skilled
men - to develop communities,
politically, economically and soThe Student U n 1 on rP.cently
cially. From developing comsponsored Dr. UvaldoPalomares,
munities, the maintenance and
a specialist in communication
improvement
of these communiand sociology, as their speaker.
ties was deemed of highest imDr. Palomares attended Shafportance. In better, or perhaps
ter College where he received his
simpler words, educational instiBachelor of Arts degree. He retutions were created in order to
ceived his masters at San,Diego
assure the establishment of utoState and the final degree, his
pias for mankind,
doctorate, from the University of
But is such illusionary thinking
Santa Cruz.
real?
Is it waht exists today?
In his speech he dealt with the
Have
there
not in fact been estabChicano or Mexicans or whatever
lished
educational
institutions
they wish to be called. He made
which create chaos and confuit very clear that he did not come
sion? Institutions which in reality
to Fresno State College to dismerely create a mirage of autocuss the problems of the minoripia
for a· chosen few, at the cost of
ties or specifically the Chicano,
mechanizing and robotizing the
but to talk about the problems of
majority.
the majority which in turn are
An what of the uotpian communthe main causes for the problems
ities which were to spring forth
of the minorities.
and blossom over the entire
When communicating with a perworld?
Do we have such communson - child, man or woman - one
ities? What about those commust, in order to be understood
munities which are maliciously
deal with them at their level, not
and purposely made inoperative
one's own.
and as such are incapable and
The misunderstandings between
unable to develop into productive,
the majorities and the minorities
self-sustaining
and self-directis that the majority has been trying entities? Where is the master
ing for years to do what they think
plan today?
is best for the people without
The questions are not being
putting themselves in their posimade
in a vacuum but are directed
tion.
at attempting to find an answer
He gave a very good example
to what exists today, to what
of that kind of situation.
(whether we like it or not) is
While working with some Chireality.
cano children in San Jose, he
Too long have Chicanos had to
noticed that upon asking a chavaface
the barrios and colonias
lito (little boy) to say something
which were economically and
nice to someone in the group that
politically dead. By way of findwould make the person feel good,
ing a solution to revive our comthe chiconito said he would give
munities, many of us have looked
the little girl across from him a
to educational institutions as a
popi-wheely-bike.
means to an end. Out the door is
The little girl wasn't at all
locked and remains so. Schools
happy. He was disappointed. He
administrators, and faculties re~
thought everyone would be happy
fuse to deal with Chicanos refuse
with a popi-wheely-hike.
to give us those tools which will
This is how the majority of
enable us to build our utopias.
r eople think they want to do someThe only answer we have rething nice for others which they
ceived when we knoc-k on the door
think is best. Best in their eyes
is our walking papers, so thus we
but not in the eyes of other perhecome another statistic. Ansons.
other number to be added to the
He is presently involved tn a
dropout rolls, another figure to
communication project which he
add to the lowest median educafeels ls the only way to help the
tion group, another unemploychildren of America grow up
ment problem, and another less
without the blinders this generabody to work with our communil ,n has. Blinders which keep
ties as a so-called •agitator."
p,ople from seeing beyond themBASTA! We have had enough.It
s Ives.
is time that the education system
At the end of his speech he
starts to work toward its own
opened a question and answer
objective and toward the reason
period. One specific question was
for its creation. Wherever you go
asked by several people. •what
in the Southwest, the cry is the
are the people of today supposed
same and the battle is the same.
to do while this other idea you
The schools must meet our eduh .... ve so much faith in comes
cational needs. The educational
a 1out? His only answer was that
instuti
people will not get anywhere
institutions must learn what the
through violence and that this is a
word •relate" means. And it
survival period in which we are
must strain itself to the limits
living. A person like him can only
to accomplish the goals itself
hope that t!-i ough his kind of work
sets forth. And we as Chicanos
a better result in the cup-coming
will use every means we have
generations will result.
available to use to accomplish
Because of the split audience
such a task.
which consisted of students and
Students today are going to batparents, there was a slight distle on school grounds. Students
agreement on his tactics ofhelpare using those means to which
ing solve the communication
the educational system will reproblem, therefore after his twospond. And these means are •out
hour speech he invited interested
of the accepted context of negoper sons to stay and talk with him.
tiation."
In East Los Angeles, Chicano
high school students have walked
out for the last two years. In
Denver, elementary, junior high,
and high school Chicano students
F Jrn 2 BR across from dorms
have walked out. In Del Rio
c rpeted, a/cond. $135 for 2
Texas, in New Mexico, in Sa~
st are w/3 others $45, 439-6481
Diego, wherever you turn, Chicano students are recognizing the
Wanted to Rent-Auto-April 10to
vital need of education but even
May 10, Ph: 439-9696 aft. 5:30.
more important, they are recognizing and fighting for the kind of
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education that best benefits themnew. Call 264-8196 after 7 p.m.
selves and their communities.
He~e in the San Joaquin Valley,
'6Q Corvette 427, Silver w/Black
Chicano students in Woodlake
ir $4800. 264- 7865.
Hanford, Corcoran, and Fresn~
recognize their need for an eduFemale student wants rmmate
cation and have demonstrated for
in 2 bdrm apt. near Cedar &
a truly adequate and meaningful
Mr:Kinley. $55 mly. 251-9147
education.
FSC
'1
i
Kerman Chicanos'We must have our education'
Chicano students in Kerman
have also realized the importance
of a relevant education - the kind
of education which they can use
to develop their own barrio the kind of education which can
be used to make the Kerman
Chicano community an economically and politically independent
community.
But the efforts of some Chicano
students for such an education
have been frustrated. One particularly active Chicana student,
Raquel Escamilla, has been expelled from Kerman High School
for supposedly being disrespectful to the high school principal.
What is never mentioned as perhaps a possible reason for expulsion is the fact that Raquel
has been organizing Chicano students for more active participation in school. And the first
chance that Dr. English, the high
school principal, had to expell
her, he did so. When Raquel and
her mother requested an open
hearing on the expulsion, the
School Board ( composed of four
farm growers and one funeral
director) refused to listen. The
Chicano Parents and Students
Organization then formed. Parents together with their children
decided that this kind of treatment was not only inhuman but
out-of-date.
On March 31, a Kerman school
board meeting was held and this
time it was supposed to be a
public, open hearing. Yet when the
Chicano parents and students arrived, they we re locked out of the
building. •This is not an open
meeting." What is distressing to
see is that in a countr)' where
participation in dec·ision-making
is sought, that the School Board
in Kerman finds it necessary to
hold closed. private meetings at
hours such as G a.m. or 12 noon
when mo t parents cannot attend.
Friday, Chicanos in Kerman
decided that they h d had enough
and demonstrated the entire day
in front of Kerman High. The Chicano community in Kerman is
making the decision. And that decision is that they will demonstrate until Raquel is back in
school. They will d monstrate
and picket until all students can
return to school without the threat
of punishment, And they will
demonstrate, picket, and take
whatever action until they receive the kind of education which
is valid for the Chicanos of
Kerman.
i Viva El Teatrol
1
El Teatro campesino Nacional de AZTLAN, presents the first Annual National Chicano Theater
Festival.
Dates: May 8-10, 1970
Sponsored by: El Teatro Campesino
La Raza Studies (Fresno State College)
M.E.C.H.A.
(Fresno City College)
Place: Fresno, California
Activities will consist of performances by teatro
groups from California, the Southwestern United
States, and even from New York. Workshops will
be available in music, playwriting, improvisation
and movement, staffing and direction, film making,
voice control, and costumes and props. Some of
the participating groups will be:
Teatro Urbano - San Jose, California
Teatro de los Actos - Oakland, California
Teatro Frontera - San Diego, California
Teatro Bilingue - El Paso, Texas
Los Reveladores del Tercer Mundo - New York
The festival will be open to Chicanos interested m
various aspects of the performing arts as applied
by Chicano theater. The participating fee ($25.00)
will cover food and lodging for three (3) days,
access to workshops of his choice, plus tickets to
the major evening performances.
All applications must be received no later than
May 2, 1970. All participants must register Thursday, May 7, 1970, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
An opportunity to take part in a side-by-side living
experience with teatro members; to share their
vitality and personal experiences is yours at this
first Annual National Chicano Theatre Festival.
For more information write to:
TEATRO FESTIVAL
P, o. Box 2302
Fresno, California 93720
Phone: (209) 485-3892
Pesticides
By Manuel Fernandez
A few months ago I wrote an
article on pesticides, "Peril or
Provider," hopi.1g to give people
who have not had any technical
training in the field a more
elaborate picture of the industry.
In this article I commented
that agriculture depended heavily
on
th e s e plague- preventing
chemicals. I also stated that as
poisonous as some of these were
they have strict regulations a~
to their use that must be followed
to the letter. I also made the point
that most injuries were caused by
carel ssness and misuse rather
than the actual chemical,
To prove my point, I recently
went home for Easter vacation
and ran across a very interesting article. In it I read of two
agriculture pest control firms
that were suspended for 90 days
with a three year probation. One
was the Valley Air Co., Inc. of
Brawley, and the second company
was the Warner Crop Dusters,
Inc., of Santa Maria. They were
10,000 Chicanos Dead
•
1n
Chicano Draft Committee at FSC
and others. The Teatro Campesino provided entertainment
throughout the afternoon.
The next Chicano Moratorium
is scheduled for May 5 at Sacramento. These are part of a series
of moratoriums being held
thr~ughout the Southwest building
to a National Chicano Moratorium
to be held on August 29, 1970, in
East Los Angeles. Many thousands of Chicanos are expected
to attend this event.
-Graciela Solis
/::1 • MANCHESTER MALL
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On Saturday, April 4, the Brown
Berets, Fresno Chapter, in conjunction with a few other local
groups, held Fresno's first Chicano Moratorium. The purpose of
the Moratorium was to emphasize
the number of Chicanos who have
died in the hellpits of Vietnam.
There were almost l.000Chicano
students, pa rents and Berets
from all over the Valley involved
in the march from Dickey Playgrounds to Roeding Park.
The group held a rally at Roeding Park for approximately three
and a half hours and listened to
various speakers , including the
Prime Minister of the Brown
Berets, David Sanchez, Catarino
Hurtado. leader of the 1 o cal
Brown Berets, Fay Alec of the
suspended for spraying highly
toxic pesticides in a negligent
manner and causing injuries to
persons within the area.
•There can be no excuse for
carless or improper application
of pesticides," State Agriculture·
Di rector Jerry Fie 1 de r said.
"The rules and regulations are
clear and must be followed to the
letter. 'Safety Flrst' must be
everybody's motto in applying
these chemicals."
AIR FORCE
SUN
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up
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495
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and sizes in
the Valley.
WAR SURPLUS DEPOT
602 Broadway
237-3615
OPEN SUNDAYS
Youth Conference was held March
25 through March 30. The purp
Cl) of it was to unify Chicanos fr:~
throughout the nation and discuss
~ methods in which to implement
El Plan Esplrltual de Azt1a
Cl) which was written at last year~
conference, Workshops were held
Cl) to that effect in different areas of
..... involvement.
The Conference began on Wectnesday, March 25, with a welcome
by Corky Gonzales, leader of the
Crusade for Justice. Regis tration
was also taken care of on that
date.
The next day workshops were
Cl) begun, Workshops offered ineluded Community Control, Politics, Economic factors, Security
Cl) Education, Health and Welfare'
~ and Anti-War and Draft. On Fri~
.._. day, workshops on Art and Chicano Artists, Literature, Drama
and Communicat ions were held,
Saturday was devoted to discussion of the Independent Political
Party. Several films were also
shown. They were: •1 Am Joaquin," "West-Side Story," "Sept.
Monday night's police action.
16th," and •Battle of Algiers." on
During the Chicano march, five
the last day of the conference,
Chicano representatives met with
Sunday, the Congress of Aztlan
police officials and gave them five
met for the first time. Delegates
On April 6, 1970, Ronald Reamen, shouted to the crowd in POLICE PROTEST MARCH
demands for immediate police
from all over the nation were
gan addressed 100 persons at a
English to disperse, yet about
consideration. The demands are:
present and many topic s were
Last Wednesday afternoon apfund-raising dinner held at the
65 per cent of the Chicanos there
1. dropping charges of "susdiscussed.
Hacienda Motel. It was evident
did not understand what was being proximately 100-150 Chicanos
picion of trespas:;ing• and *reDuring the conference, enterthat the governor neither wanted
said to them because they do not peacefully marched in front of
fusing to disperse when ordered
tainment was provided every
to see nor hear the voice of the
the Fresno Police Department
speak English.
to do so" against the six people
night by El Teatro Urbano andEl
Chicano students andcommunity.
After attempts were made to protesting the arrest of six men
arrested last Monday night;
Teatro Popular de la Vida y
The crowd of 75 to 80 Chi move the demonstrators, the during Governor Ronald Reagan's
2. publicly apologizlng to the
M uerte. The Crusade for Justice,
canos stayed in the ramp of the
manager gave word to the police- dinner at the Hacienda Motel last
Chicano community for unneceswho were the sponsors of the
Las Vegas Room carrying a few
men to do their thing. It was at Monday night, April 6.
sary physical force used against
conference, also provided us with
huelga signs and shouting such
this time that the police began
The arrested men were part of Chicano:; last Monday night;
three meals a day and housing
terms as •Raza Power,• •Chito push the demonstrators with a Chicano group picketing against
3. ending all physical force in
for the time we were there.
cano Power," and •cesar Chavez
the billy clubs not caring ifthere Reagan during his recent Fresno
an •unn c ssary and arbitrary
The students from FSC who atfor governor," plus a few venwere women and children in the visit. According to the Hacienda
manner" agalnst Chicanos;
tend d the conference would like
didos for Philip Sanchez.
crowd. There was no violence Motel management, the Chicanos
4. bringing charges against the
to commend Corky Gonzales and
The manager of the motel,
on behalf of the d monstrators were told to leave th mot 1 Haciend
1otel manag r "for his
his taff at the rusade for Jususing a loud speaker and backed
u11til a 53-year-old woman, Con- area. When they refused, police
racist attack• leading to Monday
tice for all the work that was put
by at least 11 uniformed policeception Espinoza, was pushed by were called in to break up the
night's violence;
into the conference to make it a
one of the cops and hit with a Chicano pickets.
5. having the polic departbilly cluh.
Witnesses at 1onday night's
ment start a program wiping out
Her son, Joe, jumped in to pro- troubl e charged the police used
racism in the department. This
tect her from the blows. The boy unnecessary force in breaking up
program would be er ated in cowas arrested along with five the group.
operation with the Chicano comothers on charges of suspicion
The six men arrested Monday
munity through meetings.
of trespassing and refusing to night were Gene Guzman, 23;
The Chicano repre~entat1ves
disperse. Then the officers pro- Richard Yirikian, 23; Gabriel
were told by police officials that
ceeded to press the group through Martinez, 27; Abran C. Quevedo,
the first two demands had been
the doors. It was not until this 24; Lawrence Casteneda, l!J; and
given to the district attorney's
incident that the people became a 1 7 -year-old youth.
office. The following two demands
angry and took steps to protect
The Wednesday march. which
McClatchy Newspapers Service
had to be handled through the prothemselves.
started at noon and lasted about
SACRAMENTO-Lorenzo Paper channels (police and district
This coverage was done by a five and a half hours, was countino a spokesman for the Chiattorney's office), and the last
Chicana at the scene of the in- ter-demonstrated by a handful of demand was currently impossible
can~ Organization for Political
cident. Note the different stories police supporters who marched
Awareness of Sacramento, bas
because of a financial and persontold by the news media.
across the street backing the
criticized two Republican leaders
nel shortage.
for saying action against a Santa
Clara County superior judge by
the State Judicial Qualifications
EL TEATfiO
Commission means the legislaCAMPESINO NAC'IONAL
ture will drop a move to impeach
DE AZTLAN
the jurist.
Thursday, April 16th
The commission this week recpresents
om mended Superior Judge Gerald
"DOS ARTISTAS CHICANOS•
s. Chargin be censured for what
featuring
it termed "improper and inexBAKER HALL
JESTER BROS.
cusable" remarks made from th e
APRIL 25th
Esteban Villa y Ricardo Fabela
EXPECTATIONS
bench
during a juvenile cou~t
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Products of the barrios del
STATICS
hearing involving a youth of MexiEveryone is invited to attend.
Val le de San Joaquin
can descent.
Attackin g Assembly Speaker
at the RAINEOW BALLROOM
Robert T. Monagan of San Joa-50 separate works of Artfrom 8 a.m. 'til 2 a.m.
quin Countv and Assembly Rules
Tickets: $2.00
Committee· Chairman Eugene
Chappie of El Dorado County for
1447 N . Van Ness
indicating impeachment of Cha_rProceeds wil I go to scholarship
Apr i I 15 to May 23
gin now is unlikelr, Patino said:
for minoritv students.
1-5
dailv
"The commission's report admitted that Chargin's remark s
have brought the judicial off~ce
Introductory Lecture in
into disrepute. This, acco rd ing
to the Constitution. is ground s fo~
impeachment. To allow th~ m_il n
action taken bv the commis sio
to substitute · for impeachment
Film of MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
would be a travesty of justice, • •
spea•king at the Harvard Law Forum
"The remarks by Monagan and
Chappie, as well as the action
taken bv the commission, verify
April 15th
7:30 P.M.
that pe~ple do not stand equal
) These flights are open to students, Faculty, Staff Employees I ]
;i
before the eyes of the law in th e
101
Industrial
Arts,
FSC
)
and their immediate familv.
I u
o,__ z ct u W
country.•
-~~~~~-=--=r-tzrs:f1E=W¥-.;.~-.....
-The Fresno Bee
a.-
I:
0
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a.-
>
&:
HACIENDA 6
-
Chicanos vs. Police
getting
married?
Chicanos vs.
Chargin
quality
wedding photography
at prices college
students can afford.
samples may be seen
by appointment.
for prices and
information please
call 255-0940
between 8:00 a.m.
and 12:00 noon.
DANCE
Chicano Draft
Workshops
ron parenti
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fresno, calif. 93727
lfti?ope-~2~~~~~-l
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°'
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
. editoria l·
Vietnam
"They Shoot Horses, Don't
They?" Yes, and they also shoot
human beings. What about it?
What has happened to the voices
who have spoken out against the
horrors of the Vietnam war?
There are so many questions.
When will out people start demanding answers from our country's leaders and administration,
and from ourselves?
1. While funds for education,
ant~-poverty and other agonizing
human needs here at home are
slahsed back, why do we continue to spend billions each month
on war and "defense-re 1 ate d
areas"?
2. While we still rally our
people against "the diabolical
threat of communism,"whydowe
keep supporting a puppet regime
in South Vietnam that locks up
dissenters, squelchs free speech
and refus es plans for provisional,
repr esentative government? Kind
of strange set up to merit our
democr acy ' s backing.
3. While recent events inLaos
and Cambodia have rev ea 1 ed
long-hi dden, but beautifully camouflaged involvements in these
countries , what happened to the
protest aga! nst "other Vietnams"
for many more years (and sons)
to come?
4. While our ~n er gi es are
scattered here in Fresno over
very serious problems, as at
Fresno State College, does that
dissipate our concern over an ongo.i ng and on-bleeding war which
has already claimed thousands of
lives , including a high percentage of Chicano and Black young
men.
5. While zealous Americans
are parading for un-smogged air,
beer can-free roads and litterless hi ghways, what about the
killing of human lives?
6. While our high-priest president tells us that we can't pull
out now, lest thousands of persons be slaughtered, why are we
blinded by his pacifying gestures
of periodic troop withdrawals in a
magic
• can't-tell-you" timetable? And all the while, thousands of human beings are killed
and mai med every week in this
war? To prevent a slaughter?
What do we do about it? Hope
for an end? Clutch our security
blanket? Switch the TV channel?
"Pass me a beer, please?"
Sorry to sound to negative,
and I realize that pointing builty
fingers at others doesn't help,
unless I point at myself, too.
But I'm convinced there are alot
of people who want to save what's
good and beautiful in our country. Lots of people are trying.
They're aware of the injustices
of this war, but they don't know
what to do. No one has all the
answers, but I'd like to ask your
ideas. You can bring them to a
short meeting on this issue this
Monday night, 7:30 at the First
Methodist Church (M and Tuolomne Streets). Or I'd appreciate
hearing from you.
Fr. David Carriere
816 Pottle Street
Fresno 93 706
Victory for
Recently the State Supreme
Court of California passed a 6-0
ruling that Spanish-speaking people of California did not have to
meet the English-literacy requirement.
Associate Justice Raymond L.
Sullivan held •citizens who can
read Spanish have access to
enough publications in their own
language to form independent and
issues and candidates."
He also held that •an English
literacy requirement in the State
Constitution vi o 1 ate d the U.S.
Const' ution when applied to citizens literate in Spanish and qualified to vote in all other respects."
It is estimated that in Fresno
letters
El Teatro
Querida Raza
Theater i; a weapon in the
st ruggle for social justice. It
is becoming increasingly evident
that the Raza is responding to
th e many uses of teatro in barrios throughout Occupied Mexico.
El Teatro Campesino and La
Raza Studies (Fresno State College) are therefore inviting you
~nd /or your group to participate
ln the first annual FESTIVAL
NACIONAL DE TEATRO CIBCANO.
There will be major and minor
performances by several of the
established companies. During
the day, workshops will be held
demonstrating all of the practical techniques for creating life
images of our people on stage.
Playwrighting, acting, set construction, make-up and costumes, lighting, direction and improvisations are some of the
workshops to be offered by Chicanos already in this creative
part of the movement. Those
teatros already in existence, or
just coming together, may benefit
by meeting and exchanging concepts and techniques with other
groups.
The aim is to develop as many
teatros as possible, which lay
their base in the barrio com munity and are largely self-supporting. The Festival hopes to
eradicate some of the deadly
regionalism that have plagued
our people for too long. Nothing
is quite so beautiful or powerful
or transcendent as La Raza exploring its own alma through
theater. It is, in fact, one of the
direct means to create Aztlan.
In addition to teatro, there will
be workshops on music and filmmaking. Films will be shown
throughout the festival. Chicano
art will also be on display. Sleeping and eating accommodations
will be provided.
Over the years, we of El Teatro Campesino have shared a
dream: to create a national Chicano theater company, capable of
expressing the humor and anguish, as well 'as the anger and
revolutionary spirit of La Raza.
Either way, national or barrio,
the teatro is now una arma mas
en la lucha de nuestro pueblo.
The Festival will be held in
Fresno, May 8-10, 1970. Bring
your teatro, your family, your
carnales, or just yourself - but
come! Por la Raza todo, duera
de la Raza, nada. CHICANO
POWER!
Par un teatro del pueblo,
Luis Valdez, director
El Teatro Campesino
Omar is the Crazy Gypsy. Omar is the whistler
of tunes. Omar is the dreamer of stoics, of nightingales, of moons, of bellies, of stars, and of death.
Omar is the poet of sonnambular beginnings ••.
amazed by his own trickery at finding the right
words to say to the virgin. Omar is the claimer
of bodies ••• undertaker of America. Omar is
the son of Aram the happy money man. Omar is
the repairman of corazones. Who is Omar?
For those who know Omar he is a man
without guile, drirJ<ing comp~nion listener of
Mexican discos, tripster, frien •.'. But, who is
that other (and the same) Omar who comes
alive in the NI• of these po ms?
The omar of these po ms is first of all
I onely. Lonel y, with an abysm~I l one I ines;
not bound by psychol og i cal theories. The
loneliness of Omar is ad p, metaphy si cal
Ion lin ss. It is th Ion l i n
of on who
translates into cosm ic anc.J univ r al t r ms
the existential d pa i r of th
hicano in th<
soutt1wcst. Lik Om r ay, " a di tin t pa cng r in who know what tra i n.•
Omar, tl1c p • r onna in t h
po m , wa
born in ~obstown. Wh r i Rob town ?
Omar say s it is in T
mr
w1.
have al I I i v d ther e.
, wl
Llorona is .•. or so th
av."
town, wher e "Anita' lirotf1 "r has a c n r sional .•. and thC'v wouldn't
r vc him ••• "
Robstown, wher w Ngo lo the rosar at
San Antonio and pray.•
If we look al thes e phrases, only a , hicano
would have exp rienccd such a r al itv and xpress cJ it thus. "A I ittl town," un puebl ito,
is wh re we were al I born, and even if th nam
of it has th word town-I ike in Hobstown-we
still have to repeat it in saying "'little town.•
The kind of awareness of separateness expressed
in the I ives, "Mother ... why do they look at us
like that. All of these reflect the uniqu experience of the Chicano, and his bicultural self.
In NM EXI CO age four," again we find the same
bi cultural self as Omar contemplates the painted
walls-the same walls that "crumble and fall" in
Crazy Gypsy-of a cementary in Saltillo. The dog
that barks at doctors and pol icemen. But more
importantly the •torn hair and blood .•• on the
paving stones• that make it possible for Omar
to say "'how ugly the air smells (que feo huele).
The •hingry beggars," the •leaky rooftops,•
the "'stoic I eaves of autumn," and
•sighs of love
as deep
as pig grunts
silenced by their masters.•
Omar, in his loneliness, weaves a tapestry of
far out symbol ism and concrete imagery, The
River, where the 11 orona is "or so the people say,"
becomes alive, "a friend and a great
comforter." and the same River is,
"an asylum
where people
knit dreams,
a child's clothing for the sky.''
That is why Omar tel Is us so much
about dreams, ''child's clothing for the sky."
Omar has the tenderness of the child.
~c scP.s himself writing songs to hi
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dead mother / .. or shedding rears with the songs
of Pedro lnfante ••• or living with •Aram, his
dog and his thirteen year old wife.• because
•I'm his son.•
There is a degree of surreal ism in Omar's
highly personalized juxtaposition of images.
But we can't allow that superficial surreal ism
to distract us from the deeper reality of the poems
poems. In Cold Rain, we might be tempted to
let •a world of oysters and dreams,• •the
belly of hemorrhaged nightmare,• the •panthers cl owing at the wind,• and the •pretty
artichoke smiles,• distract us from the
presentation of the personna as a •callous
guardian of a utopian of sorts.•
Omar w .aves his poetry, s I famused at
his •own trickery• but always mindful of
the umbilical cord of words" that ties
him to
irgin, •a vi ion, arose in an
aft
· 1 nee,•
ame virgin tha
leeps
th t
where
ang
ncognnv "turni
from
uros i • b ca
•they
r eat psy chiatr
who cur s
r,i't;,
r y f ew m n in Omar'
is A ram, P dro Infant ,
< u tzalco ti , ortez, u ami o Phil, th
d ad M ,cican in Vi tnam, Bob with his
• j wish llutlcrflys, and Guevara. Inst ad
th r ar pl nty of worn n.
Th re is his mother, either going to
pray at San Antonio, or th dead mother h
sings to. There is th virgin, "'in a world of
oyst rs and dr ams.• The fearless girls telling
him their troubles, his "loneliness bottled up
in their tommies.• There is Madame Ungerum,
with "'the kingdom and the andurfum ••• •
There is his drunk gypsy girlfriend. The women
who make "'love pugnaciously in rooms around
alleyways• and N fat women in a corner• selling tacos. There is La Llorona, the •dense .••••
female companionship,• and •the lungs of a
young girl.''
Consistently the women are not concretely indentified, while the men are. The men are
individuals with names, whi I e the women remain
anonymous, background to the drama on stage.
These are not al I the poems Omar has written,
but nearly everything is here. This vision of social
reality of the Chicano, is here, entire.
Here we find the "horrible pain that
keeps me silent,• •the roads as empty
containers ••and the neighbors ••• working
in hell for low pay,• the blood and the
dreams.
And, at the end, we find Omar
•sonador de las estrellas,• "en el abrigo
de la ilusion," Or, as he would say in the
I ast I ines of Guevara, Guevara,
«with a smel I as fresh
as yesterday's fallen snow."
By El iezar Risco Lozada
and
Guillermo Martinez
Palomares
at
Educational institutions were
created for the purpose of providing knowledgeable men - skilled
men - to develop communities,
politically, economically and soThe Student U n 1 on rP.cently
cially. From developing comsponsored Dr. UvaldoPalomares,
munities, the maintenance and
a specialist in communication
improvement
of these communiand sociology, as their speaker.
ties was deemed of highest imDr. Palomares attended Shafportance. In better, or perhaps
ter College where he received his
simpler words, educational instiBachelor of Arts degree. He retutions were created in order to
ceived his masters at San,Diego
assure the establishment of utoState and the final degree, his
pias for mankind,
doctorate, from the University of
But is such illusionary thinking
Santa Cruz.
real?
Is it waht exists today?
In his speech he dealt with the
Have
there
not in fact been estabChicano or Mexicans or whatever
lished
educational
institutions
they wish to be called. He made
which create chaos and confuit very clear that he did not come
sion? Institutions which in reality
to Fresno State College to dismerely create a mirage of autocuss the problems of the minoripia
for a· chosen few, at the cost of
ties or specifically the Chicano,
mechanizing and robotizing the
but to talk about the problems of
majority.
the majority which in turn are
An what of the uotpian communthe main causes for the problems
ities which were to spring forth
of the minorities.
and blossom over the entire
When communicating with a perworld?
Do we have such communson - child, man or woman - one
ities? What about those commust, in order to be understood
munities which are maliciously
deal with them at their level, not
and purposely made inoperative
one's own.
and as such are incapable and
The misunderstandings between
unable to develop into productive,
the majorities and the minorities
self-sustaining
and self-directis that the majority has been trying entities? Where is the master
ing for years to do what they think
plan today?
is best for the people without
The questions are not being
putting themselves in their posimade
in a vacuum but are directed
tion.
at attempting to find an answer
He gave a very good example
to what exists today, to what
of that kind of situation.
(whether we like it or not) is
While working with some Chireality.
cano children in San Jose, he
Too long have Chicanos had to
noticed that upon asking a chavaface
the barrios and colonias
lito (little boy) to say something
which were economically and
nice to someone in the group that
politically dead. By way of findwould make the person feel good,
ing a solution to revive our comthe chiconito said he would give
munities, many of us have looked
the little girl across from him a
to educational institutions as a
popi-wheely-bike.
means to an end. Out the door is
The little girl wasn't at all
locked and remains so. Schools
happy. He was disappointed. He
administrators, and faculties re~
thought everyone would be happy
fuse to deal with Chicanos refuse
with a popi-wheely-hike.
to give us those tools which will
This is how the majority of
enable us to build our utopias.
r eople think they want to do someThe only answer we have rething nice for others which they
ceived when we knoc-k on the door
think is best. Best in their eyes
is our walking papers, so thus we
but not in the eyes of other perhecome another statistic. Ansons.
other number to be added to the
He is presently involved tn a
dropout rolls, another figure to
communication project which he
add to the lowest median educafeels ls the only way to help the
tion group, another unemploychildren of America grow up
ment problem, and another less
without the blinders this generabody to work with our communil ,n has. Blinders which keep
ties as a so-called •agitator."
p,ople from seeing beyond themBASTA! We have had enough.It
s Ives.
is time that the education system
At the end of his speech he
starts to work toward its own
opened a question and answer
objective and toward the reason
period. One specific question was
for its creation. Wherever you go
asked by several people. •what
in the Southwest, the cry is the
are the people of today supposed
same and the battle is the same.
to do while this other idea you
The schools must meet our eduh .... ve so much faith in comes
cational needs. The educational
a 1out? His only answer was that
instuti
people will not get anywhere
institutions must learn what the
through violence and that this is a
word •relate" means. And it
survival period in which we are
must strain itself to the limits
living. A person like him can only
to accomplish the goals itself
hope that t!-i ough his kind of work
sets forth. And we as Chicanos
a better result in the cup-coming
will use every means we have
generations will result.
available to use to accomplish
Because of the split audience
such a task.
which consisted of students and
Students today are going to batparents, there was a slight distle on school grounds. Students
agreement on his tactics ofhelpare using those means to which
ing solve the communication
the educational system will reproblem, therefore after his twospond. And these means are •out
hour speech he invited interested
of the accepted context of negoper sons to stay and talk with him.
tiation."
In East Los Angeles, Chicano
high school students have walked
out for the last two years. In
Denver, elementary, junior high,
and high school Chicano students
F Jrn 2 BR across from dorms
have walked out. In Del Rio
c rpeted, a/cond. $135 for 2
Texas, in New Mexico, in Sa~
st are w/3 others $45, 439-6481
Diego, wherever you turn, Chicano students are recognizing the
Wanted to Rent-Auto-April 10to
vital need of education but even
May 10, Ph: 439-9696 aft. 5:30.
more important, they are recognizing and fighting for the kind of
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education that best benefits themnew. Call 264-8196 after 7 p.m.
selves and their communities.
He~e in the San Joaquin Valley,
'6Q Corvette 427, Silver w/Black
Chicano students in Woodlake
ir $4800. 264- 7865.
Hanford, Corcoran, and Fresn~
recognize their need for an eduFemale student wants rmmate
cation and have demonstrated for
in 2 bdrm apt. near Cedar &
a truly adequate and meaningful
Mr:Kinley. $55 mly. 251-9147
education.
FSC
'1
i
Kerman Chicanos'We must have our education'
Chicano students in Kerman
have also realized the importance
of a relevant education - the kind
of education which they can use
to develop their own barrio the kind of education which can
be used to make the Kerman
Chicano community an economically and politically independent
community.
But the efforts of some Chicano
students for such an education
have been frustrated. One particularly active Chicana student,
Raquel Escamilla, has been expelled from Kerman High School
for supposedly being disrespectful to the high school principal.
What is never mentioned as perhaps a possible reason for expulsion is the fact that Raquel
has been organizing Chicano students for more active participation in school. And the first
chance that Dr. English, the high
school principal, had to expell
her, he did so. When Raquel and
her mother requested an open
hearing on the expulsion, the
School Board ( composed of four
farm growers and one funeral
director) refused to listen. The
Chicano Parents and Students
Organization then formed. Parents together with their children
decided that this kind of treatment was not only inhuman but
out-of-date.
On March 31, a Kerman school
board meeting was held and this
time it was supposed to be a
public, open hearing. Yet when the
Chicano parents and students arrived, they we re locked out of the
building. •This is not an open
meeting." What is distressing to
see is that in a countr)' where
participation in dec·ision-making
is sought, that the School Board
in Kerman finds it necessary to
hold closed. private meetings at
hours such as G a.m. or 12 noon
when mo t parents cannot attend.
Friday, Chicanos in Kerman
decided that they h d had enough
and demonstrated the entire day
in front of Kerman High. The Chicano community in Kerman is
making the decision. And that decision is that they will demonstrate until Raquel is back in
school. They will d monstrate
and picket until all students can
return to school without the threat
of punishment, And they will
demonstrate, picket, and take
whatever action until they receive the kind of education which
is valid for the Chicanos of
Kerman.
i Viva El Teatrol
1
El Teatro campesino Nacional de AZTLAN, presents the first Annual National Chicano Theater
Festival.
Dates: May 8-10, 1970
Sponsored by: El Teatro Campesino
La Raza Studies (Fresno State College)
M.E.C.H.A.
(Fresno City College)
Place: Fresno, California
Activities will consist of performances by teatro
groups from California, the Southwestern United
States, and even from New York. Workshops will
be available in music, playwriting, improvisation
and movement, staffing and direction, film making,
voice control, and costumes and props. Some of
the participating groups will be:
Teatro Urbano - San Jose, California
Teatro de los Actos - Oakland, California
Teatro Frontera - San Diego, California
Teatro Bilingue - El Paso, Texas
Los Reveladores del Tercer Mundo - New York
The festival will be open to Chicanos interested m
various aspects of the performing arts as applied
by Chicano theater. The participating fee ($25.00)
will cover food and lodging for three (3) days,
access to workshops of his choice, plus tickets to
the major evening performances.
All applications must be received no later than
May 2, 1970. All participants must register Thursday, May 7, 1970, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
An opportunity to take part in a side-by-side living
experience with teatro members; to share their
vitality and personal experiences is yours at this
first Annual National Chicano Theatre Festival.
For more information write to:
TEATRO FESTIVAL
P, o. Box 2302
Fresno, California 93720
Phone: (209) 485-3892
Pesticides
By Manuel Fernandez
A few months ago I wrote an
article on pesticides, "Peril or
Provider," hopi.1g to give people
who have not had any technical
training in the field a more
elaborate picture of the industry.
In this article I commented
that agriculture depended heavily
on
th e s e plague- preventing
chemicals. I also stated that as
poisonous as some of these were
they have strict regulations a~
to their use that must be followed
to the letter. I also made the point
that most injuries were caused by
carel ssness and misuse rather
than the actual chemical,
To prove my point, I recently
went home for Easter vacation
and ran across a very interesting article. In it I read of two
agriculture pest control firms
that were suspended for 90 days
with a three year probation. One
was the Valley Air Co., Inc. of
Brawley, and the second company
was the Warner Crop Dusters,
Inc., of Santa Maria. They were
10,000 Chicanos Dead
•
1n
Chicano Draft Committee at FSC
and others. The Teatro Campesino provided entertainment
throughout the afternoon.
The next Chicano Moratorium
is scheduled for May 5 at Sacramento. These are part of a series
of moratoriums being held
thr~ughout the Southwest building
to a National Chicano Moratorium
to be held on August 29, 1970, in
East Los Angeles. Many thousands of Chicanos are expected
to attend this event.
-Graciela Solis
/::1 • MANCHESTER MALL
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VIETNAM
On Saturday, April 4, the Brown
Berets, Fresno Chapter, in conjunction with a few other local
groups, held Fresno's first Chicano Moratorium. The purpose of
the Moratorium was to emphasize
the number of Chicanos who have
died in the hellpits of Vietnam.
There were almost l.000Chicano
students, pa rents and Berets
from all over the Valley involved
in the march from Dickey Playgrounds to Roeding Park.
The group held a rally at Roeding Park for approximately three
and a half hours and listened to
various speakers , including the
Prime Minister of the Brown
Berets, David Sanchez, Catarino
Hurtado. leader of the 1 o cal
Brown Berets, Fay Alec of the
suspended for spraying highly
toxic pesticides in a negligent
manner and causing injuries to
persons within the area.
•There can be no excuse for
carless or improper application
of pesticides," State Agriculture·
Di rector Jerry Fie 1 de r said.
"The rules and regulations are
clear and must be followed to the
letter. 'Safety Flrst' must be
everybody's motto in applying
these chemicals."
AIR FORCE
SUN
GLASSES
349
up
229
NAVY
895
PEA COATS
&UP
NAVY SHIRTS
ALL
SIZES
195
DESERT
TYPE
SHOES
595
G.I. FIELD
JACKETS
495
Most comp I ete stock of
Jackets -
and sizes in
the Valley.
WAR SURPLUS DEPOT
602 Broadway
237-3615
OPEN SUNDAYS