La Voz de Aztlan, October 27 1978
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, October 27 1978
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
10/27/1978
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00096
extracted text
Torres Dies
Porterville · Firm On
Waterbill Repayment
BY ALBERTO REYES
Last November, the daughter of 88year-old Rogelio Torres of Porterville
wondered why her father, s city water
and waste disposal bill was so high,
over $50 a month. Mr. Torres' son,
John, checked his father's small house
on Orange Ave. looking for a possible
leak which could 1 cause the bill to run
up. He found nothing. But he did find
something by checking City records.
According to Torres, the City of Porterville has been double-charging his
father on his bills for the past 20-years
amounting to at least $1800. Apparently the City had been charging the elder
Torres for an abandoned small house
on his property.
John Torres claims that city officials
admitted that they were wrong but refused to pay back the money because it
was "pol\cy.,, He acquired the services
of the California Rural Legal Assistance
in Porterville which filed court action in
Tulare County to force the city to pay
up.
Pictured above Is the Committee to Save Marcos Barrera
I
Str~ggle Conti~ues
For Barrera Case
A tardeada to raise legal defense
funds for the Marcos Barrera Committee will be. held Saturday in the Sanger Park.
La Asociacion cf1 Padres Mexicanos
de Sanger is sponsoring the fundraiser on behalf of six Chicanos who
have been sued by Lincoln School
Principal Sally Bakke·.
She claims she was slandered, was
caused emotional distress, and was
interfered with in her business when
the Committee members protested
the Sanger schools treatment of
five-year-old Marcos . Barrera last
January.
Marcos, who was diagnosed as
hyperactive by Sanger School District psychologist Dave Figueroa,
was placed In an enclosure that the
school calls "time-out" area.
But Sanger parents and residents,
mostly Chicanos, charged that
Marcos was "imprisoned" and
caused psychological harm as a
result.
The Marcos Barrera Committee
formed and took up Marcos' cause on
behalf of his grandmother, who
claims she was never informed of the
treatment. She is his legal guardian
and speaks only Spanish. The school
claims she was told through a translator.
After picketing both the Lincoln
School, where the incident took place
some three months prior to the Committee learning about It, and the district office, the Committee executed a
successful one-day boycott of the
Sanger schools.
Several heated meetings occurred
and the Committee called for the removal of Bakke, Marcos' kindergarten teacher Nona Wilken
and
Figueroa.
'
In apparent retaliation, Bakke filed
a defamation suit naming six persons
as defendants: Ralph Avila, Rudolfo
~arza, Jose Villareal, Jesus Sepulveda, Vivian Carrillo, and Alfonso
Hernandez, Jr.
The Committee has said it welcomes the suit because now the district will have to reveal information it
had kept private for legal reasons and
to protect Barrera's privacy.
Ralph Avila, committee spokesperson, said he is cont ident . the
Chicanos will win the case. Although
Fresno attorneys Robert Perez and
Roberto Rabago are representing
them free, funds are still needed for
basic court costs.
The tardeada in Sanger will have
several speakers, including the mayors of Parlier and Orange Cove.
Food will be sold.· and a benefit
drawing will be held. First prize is
$200.00, second is $100.00 and third
is $50. Ticket donation~ for the
drawing are $1.00 each.
It will be held at the Sanger Park
on Academy and Fifth Streets.
Academy can be reached by way of
Jensen Avenue (from downtown
Fresno or Highway 99) and from
Shaw Avenue (from CSUF). The park
is north of Jensen and south of Shaw.
MEChA Opposes
Proposition 6
After a lengthy- discussion over
Proposition 6 at their meeting yesterday, MEChA overwhelmingly voted
against the measure that would "discriminate against homosexuals."
MEChA president Priscilla Contreras said that Prop. 6 would "interfere with human rights." "We
believe that homosexuals have just
as much right to teach as others,"
she said.
The resolution passed was as follows:
Whereas, Proposition 6 (the Briggs
Initiative)
unfairly
discriminates
against homosexuals, and
Whereas, Proposition 6 is clearly
unconstitutional by limiting / freedom
of speech and association, and
Whereas, MEChA is concerned
with protecting human and civil
rights, and
Whereas, MEChA recognizes the
dangerous precedent set forth by
Proposition 6 in discriminating against other minority groups; therefore
be it
.
Resolved, MEChA supports the
"No on 6" campaign, and let it be
Resolved, Copies of this resolution
will be distributed to Chicano organizations.
·
·
In an interview with KMJ-TV news,
Torres called the City's action "a
bunch of bull" because he says there's
no reason for the city to hold on to
money that doesn't belong-to it in the
first place. He went on to say that his
father needed the money more than the
City.
The City of Porterville refused to
comment to Channel 24 saying that it
couldn't because the issue was in settlement stages. Torres says the City is
trying to offer less than his father was
· overcharged, which he can't understand. "Why negitiate for less money
when it's your money in the first place?
he asks.
But then a new twist, Rogelio Torres
died just a couple of weeks ago; without
seeing his money. He was a non-eng. lish speaking citizen. And why can't
the City of Porterville just pay-up, now
that the man is dead? We hear all the
time about government by and for "the
people?"
&A\ ,, __
Dlll 43W'A41f
La Voz de Aztlan
Oct. 27, 1978
City Council Divides
Minority Votes, says MAPA
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
The Fresno City Council, bowing to
the wishes of the Fresno Citizen Participation Committee, \rece11tly provided the city with six council districts. However, fair representatiQn
on the council, the aim of the move,
will still not be realized, according to
a Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) spokesman.
Thomas Nunez, MAPA president,
feels the plan is particularly detrimental to the Chicano community
since it further divides what could be
a solid voting block.
Under the districting plan, 1970
census tracts four and five, which
are largely Chicano populated, will
become part of a West Fresno district. West Fresno has been traditionally thought of as predominately
Black. However, Nunez theorized,
because of the new districting "if a
census were taken today you would
have just as many Chicanos as Blacks
in West Fresno.
"Chicanos cannot look at West
Fresno as Black Fresno any longer,"
Nunez said. Nunez asked, If the object of the districting was fair voter
representation on the council, why
was the Chicano vote diluted.
He noted that in Fresno certain
drawing . district lines, racial and
socio-economic factors should have
been considered, the Chicano lawyer contended. They were not.
Nunez and an associate requested
a meeting with the Fresno Citizen
Participation Committee before the
proposal wa~ aired in council chambers. However, the committee chose
not to meet with Nunez and succeeded in getting their proposal passed.
The new plan provides that council
members must now live in the district they are ostensibly representing.
How this provides for minority representation on the council is unclear.
since council members are still voted
for in at-large elections. Nunez believes that the feeling was that there
would be less interest In Anglos
running for office In largely Black or
Chicano districts, thereby allowing a
minority to get elected. "That's
politically naive," Nunez said,
"people will still vote for favorites."
The issue is now more philosophical than anything else, Nunez conceded. Although the city is now divided into districts, voting is still done
at large. The result, Nunez said, Is
that minorities can put up a candidate
continued on Pg. 4
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
LA VOZ de AZTL
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita ·spirit liVes thn.1 ·riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intraditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros slt
~.ld~~addle ·high atop their splr-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purctla.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
...L:L.._
-
L.!'--
-
_ J..J..~-
drills an1 routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
...1_.1.1,, _ _ _ ,_1
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are watc ·
that you want to do it very mu
It keeps you more interest€'.
also," she said.
Instructor Lopez said his u:
La Voz de Aztlan
f>age 2
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following
stories were written by four -La Voz de
Aztlan staff reporters after going to Los
Angeles to see Zoot Suit. Each person
was affected differently after seeing
the play, but all agreed that it was one
of t~e better experiences in their lives,
something they would not forget for a
very long time. What follows are personal accounts contributed by the four
offering insight into what the play was
about, who it was about, anq the circumstances surrounding the.action.
Oct. 27, 1978
Actors Encourage .
Chicano Writing Talent
· Sy PEDRO RA_MIREZ
Usually, if someone attends a play at
any theatrical house in the United
States, the.theme of the play does not
center on Chicanos. There have been a
few Chicano plays written and no Chicano play has been premiered in a
major theater house, except for Zoot
Suit.
Zoot Suit has been playing at t~e
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles
since August. ·
When people travel to Los Angeles,
it is probably because they want to see
something like Hollywood, a museum,
Disneyland, a basebaU or football game
or a play. But, the chance to see a Chicano play comes rarely .
Mike Gomez, a Chicano actor from
Texas plays the role of Joey Castro, a
gang member in Zoot Suit. He says
that the primary goal for Chicanos is to
encourage the creative Chicano to
write. "In order to stand firm in the
theatrical business, Chicanos must
begin to write plays that convey historical and contemporary experiences of
the Chicano," explained Gomez.
Gomez says there have been no good
movies or plays that depict the Chicano
in a good sensible role. "J think many
times our image as Chicanos is distorted because we have script writers who
want to portray the Chicano character
in one narrow aspect. The Chicano
taking _all day siestas an~ being lazy or
the Chicano as a thief and the Chicano
as a murderer are only a few characterizations. These characterizations, in a
sense, cripple the .Chicano because heis
~-
Portrayal of Woman
labeled with ster~types. Chican.os
must escape these stereotypes, and
again, will only do so by writing our
experience," Gomez points out.
Gomez says the character he portrayed would have had a totally different
image, if gone by a Anglo writer.
"Joey Castro is p_art of a gaag led by
Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez). Joey is a
Pachuco. Pachucos in a major movie or
play, was unheard of in the past because the pachuco was pictured as a
showoff due to his uniform and some·
one useless to society. Luis Valdez captures the true essence of the pachuco.
With Joey, he portrays him as a funny,
crazy person who has a lot of emotion.
Joey acts tough and knows it and enjoys the respect he recieves i due to his
tough image. Valdez depicts Joey as a
person, not some crazy scoundrel,"
explains Gomez.
The pachuco, as described in the
play, is an existpnti;ili-.t . A oerson who
seeks self-identification through the
world as it exists tor him. The pachuco
takes pride in what he is and seeks selfidentification because he rebells against assimilation.
Tommy Mace, a native New Yorker·,
and Tommy Roberts an Anglo pachuco
in the play, says he never heard of
pachucos. "I heard about auditions for
the play and it was there that pachucismo was introduced to me. I had to
portray a person who I never heard of
and had to speak a whole new different
language, Calo," sa1d Mace.
-Mace says that Luis Valdez depicts
the pachuco or Chicano in a unique
way. He lets you know the real problems that Chicanos go through. "I was
raised in New York, with the Puerto
Ricans, so the problems are similar."
explains Mace.
Mace adds, "I got a better perspective on what Chicano Life was. I got to
get a look at the Family structure and
how th'e y cope with problems. I was introduced to menudo and many other
Mexican dishes. Most importantly, I
got to know what pachucos were
about."
As an actor, you would think that
Mace had heard of pachucos and knew
about Chicanos in general, but he had!
not. This proves that many people in
American society are never told who
and what Chicanos are in this system .
The mass media and literature have
portrayed Chicanos misleadingly, but
now with Zoot Suit and many other
works that Chicanos are. going to
create, the situation will change.
Characte~s Are -S ymbolic of Chicanas
BY MARGARITA MARTINEZ
.
During the zoot suit riots, women as well as men, were the target of the crazed
When Della Is released fro~ reform school aQd becomes aware of what Is hapviolence against Chlamos In Los Angeles.
.
pening, she suddenly changeS and sh~ws what a woman can be when forced to. She
It Is only fitting that In the play, Zoot Sult, women play the courageous, Intelli- tells Henry she loves him, .but Is not willing to be stepped on.
.
.
gent, essential rol~ they have played throughout our history.
She gives Henry the ultirnatum of choosing her or alice. As she awaits a response, 1 feel what she must be feeling: suspense and fear of his decision. To
.The diverse roles they play·In Zoot Sult are symbolic of all Chi-.·
Della's relief, he chooses her.
,
·
Alice Bloomfield ls the "other woman". Her relationship with the boys turns out
The most touchlna and down-to-earth character In the olav is Delores Reyna
Henry's mother. She could be the woman we all know and love1 our motner She to be a special on.; for Henry. She loses Henry but she has to be given credit for
he_tps to solidify the family. She hurts, and a part of her dies when Henry is taK~n to sticking It out until the victory•
f
Lupe Reyna, Henry's sister, can also be anyone of us. In her I can see a part o
pnso~. We~ Identify with the anguish she feels because our own mothers have
felt this pain either for our brothers when they were In trouble with the police or for me. In one particutar scene, ~n a Saturday night she Is getting ready to go out. Her
ourselves when we left home either to attend college, to be married or whatever father reprimands her for wearing her skirt too short. In defense, she points out
reason. She was a strong and coura_geous woman when she suffered I cried for in that Henrv Is wearlno a zoot suit. Her father like manv of our fathers responds,
her, I saw my own mother.
.
·
'
"but he's a man". 1'm sure we've all hear.cl that ll~ at-one time or another. HowAnother character we can more closely Identify with was Della Barrios Henry's ever, oor parents, being who they are, we have to quietly go along with what they
girlfriend. She plays the role of a woman in love. At first she appears s~bservient
and the kind of woman almost everv man awaits for: devoted and beautiful. When sa~he other women in the play can be our friends, 9ur sisters, or even ourselves.
Henry qoes off to pr!son she ls deeP.IY_hurt. She Is sent to a reform school, but no- Like anyone else, they enjoy laughter and song. They are the faithful con:ipanio~ of
Some might see them as cholas, pachucas or even "cheap prostitutes, , as
th1ng hinders her drive to wait faithfully for Henry 1u ue released. Henry, typical ot the bo
many ~n, falls for Anglo Alice Bloomfield, the executive secretary of the defense the pr~ billed them. But In them Isa~ the revolutlonar)· zeal and commlttment
committee, not thinking of Della's sacrifices for him.
Chicanas have when fighting for something they believe In.
La Voz de Aztla~
Oct. 27, 1978
Americaris
A~ .My House
Cuando no era el probation offi~r
Era el councilordel la ·escuel,
La jura or some long haired
Lostlamb, marlc chick offering
Us the world so she could write
Her thesis.
But my dismal world was so
much brighter! My past was
the old barn across the canal
that housed a lechusa that
screeched at night scaring
the children porque era la
anima de la comrade de mi grama.
Jose Montoya
Chicano Play ·coal:
Re-identificatiorl of Pachuco
By EL VIA RUIZ
The pachuco stands center stage in
the prestigiuos Mar~ Taper Forum
theater located in downtown Los Angeles. He runs his fingers slowly over
his pencil thin moustache and then tilts
his stylish hat over one eyebrow as he
eyes his audience with a defiant gaze .Former Fresrian and CSUF professor
Luis Valdez beams silently· to himself
as he watches his creation come to life
on stage. Valdez is the author and director of the Zoot Suit.
Thirty-five years ago, the pachuco
was not standing on a stage recreating
his life to middle and upper-class audiences but was alive and living in the
streets of downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, Valdez was asked to write
a play for the theater and he immediately began work on his 10-year-old idea
of a theatrical performance on the
pachuco. The play Zoot Suit then
emerged·as the first chicano play by a
Chicano writer to perform at such a
professional level of theater.
Valdez is founder and director of El
Teatro Campesino, a Chicano theater
group which was first recognized for
their performances stressing the
causes of the farmworkers. Four members from El Teatro are currently involved in Zoot Suit.
· ."'.
"We (El Teatro) wanted to work on a
new level of theater, even _though our
roots are in the barrio," Valdez said.
"For 13 years we performed in the
barrio and with Zoot Suit we had the
opportunity to work at this new level of
professionalism."
According to Valdez, the spirit of
Zoot Suit was to make a professional
production using professional actors
and dancers. All -the talent used in the
play was not Chicano•.
"There isn't any level in American
Society that we, as Chicanos, don't belong in. We are in a process of growth
and we should expand to other levels of
performance," Valdez asserted.
~
With the opportunity to direct and
write a major theatrical production
Valdez.chose to focus on the pachuco of
the barrios. · Zoot Suit is based on the Sleepy
Lagoon Murder Case of 1943 and the
Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940's. The play
recreates the Sleepy Lagoon case
through the use of documents, transcripts, letters and newspapers of the
period.
The Sleepy lagoon case was a mass
murder triat in Los Angeles in 1943 in
which 17 Chicano youths were convicted of the m,urder of another Chiomo
youth. These convictions ultimatly led
to increased tension between the barrios and t~e rest of Los Angeles which
followed with the infamous Zoot Suit
Riots.
Chicano youth wearing a Zoot Suit
were cafled Zoot Suiters and groups of
white service men started a "clean up"
campaign to get these so-called Zoot
Suiters off of the street.
.
~
The Los Angele_s City Council went
so far a_s to proclaim anyone found
wearing a Zoot Suit would be arrested
and jailed for thirty days.
·
"J chose to write _a bout Sleepy Lagoon and the .[iots .because it was the
most outstandTng_murder case in U.S.
history," Valdez said. "This made a
national ~mpression in the media and
the country got a negative image of the
Chicano."
According to Valdez, this ne2ative
image promoted in the · media during
the 1940' s is the basis· for the stereotyped image of the Chic~no today.
"Zoot Suit is also important because
it centers on an urban reaJity as old as
35 years ago. It "Shows that Chicanos
have been around for quite some time,"
Valdez said.
Valdez claims Zoot Suit has hit a sore
spot in the , American consciousnes's
· view of the oachuco.
"Most people didn't think of the
pachuco. Many Anglos are hearing him
for the first time," Valdez said. "There
has been an obvious change in con-
sciousness of the American people who
have seen Zoot Suit. It creates an emotional change in people."
· Daniel .Valdez, Luis' brother, plays
Henry Reyna, the lead character. in
ZOQt Suit. He echos Luis's feelings
about the Chicano and pachuco image.
According to Daniel, Zoot Suit allows
the audience to "'.come inside Chicano
reality."
"The play goes through a re-identification of the pachuco image," Daniel
said. "There is a distinct pride in Chicano culture and identity and th,is shows
in the play."
According to Daniel, the pachuco is
viewed by society as un-American.
"This is wrong," he said, "when the
pachuco is more American than apple
pie itself."
Daniel said Zoot Suit has accomplished its goal of bringing out the reality
that the pachuco is still alive. "He
is still living in the streets of every
barrio in the country,'~ said.
Many people have expressea meir
views on Zoot Suit being a world premiere in a prestigious setting as· the
Mark Taper Forum, and see that as
Chicanos invading foreign territory.
"We feel Chi~no theater is just as
worthy as any other theatrical groups,"
Valdez said. "Tbe real triumph here is
that a Chicano p)ay· is _blasting the roof
ofa place like the Forum ."
With Zoot Suit; the Forum has experienced the greatest. demand for tickets ·
in its 12-year history and every perfor~
mance of its August 15-0ctober 2 run
was sold-out. The demand for more ·
performances caused it to continue its
run at another Hollywood theater, the
Aquarius, until mid November.
Valde_z is currently looking forward
to a full-scale production of Zoot Suit on
Broadway in New York.
"Broagway is a national forum and I
believe that Chicanos should register
on this forum," Luis said. "It's also
encouraging that three are a lot of
producers in Hollywood that are interested in doing the film of Zoot Suit."
11
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita spirit lives thru riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intra.ditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros sit
~Jd~saddle ·high atop their spir-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purcha.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
.A.L -
-
'-..LS.-
-
-
~
- . 1 --
-J --..t. .. , _
drills and routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
____,.J
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are wa.tc ;
that you want to do it very mu~
It keeps you more intereste,
also/' s he said.
Instructor Lopez said bis '
La Voz de Aztlan
Page 4
Oct. 27, 1978
CSUF Pinto Program
Education Seen As .Alternative To Crime ·
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
Beyond gray ·prison walls the exconvict 's world is seemingly full of
pitfalls, all designed to land him
back behind bars. A return to crime
and prison is inevitable for many.
Yet there Is an alternative. The
Pinto Program at California State
University, Fresno, named after the
peopJe it helps, provides ex-offenders
with the- opportu.o!ty to achieve academic rather than criminal success.
It places him in college, an environment that may break the back-toprison cycle.
Tony Garduquez, coordinator of
the program, explained that Pinto
translated from Spanish means painted or marked. It's a name the convict
gave himself, not accepting the labels
society conferred upon ~im such as
ex-con, ex-offender or jailbird. And
in light of the affect of a prison
record, the name is appropriate.
"When a judge sentences someone to
prison ... it 's a life sentence," Tony
said, because the guy "is marked for
life."
Tony doesn-'t claim to remove this
stigma, but what he does do, th.rough
th program, is provide anyone with a
prison or jail record an alternative to
the streets.
"I make it as easy as I can for them
to understand," Tony said. "I tell
them to compare this rnstitution
(colleg·e) with the one they came
from. If they survived there, they can
survive here. They have the tools."
To get into the program, which is
part of the Educational Opportunity
Chicana.s Set Activities
Las Adelitas, an active socio-political
power on campus since 1969, is a stuent organization of Chicana women
who are involved in educational, political, and community awareness activities. Las Adelitas also sponsor cultural
holiday programs, help local political
campaigns, deal with Chicana issues,
as well as meeting the needs of Chicana women.
The Adelitas plan to have an Initiation Night to be held at 7:30 this evening at 1025 W. Griffith, between Ashlan and Dakota off of West Avenue. All
Chicanas are encouraged to attend. For
more information call 222-6482.
Also, Las Adelitas are in the process
of planning the second annual Halloween Dance on Oct. 31, 1978. According to Adelita Diana ·salas, the dance
last year was a success. "Many people
showed up with the most 'a toda
mad re' costumes. Prizes were given
away for the most funniest, scariest,
and most original. The La Raza Studies
faculty judged the costumes, so you
could Just imagine the chismes that
were going around!!!" she said.
This year, Freddy's Royal Chicano
Band de Sacramento will provide the
music for the dance to be held in the
upstairs cafeteria.
Chicano votes Divided
continued from Pg. 1
nldeally, a candidate should be voted
on by the district he will represent,•
said the MAPA president.
Nunez and others are currently
looking into the legal aspects of atlarge elections. And he vows that if
a law suit is warranted, "then we'll
do it."
representing their views, but he/she
·still has to win election city-wide.
Particularly for minorities this Is
quite a handicap as attests the recent
primary election. Not one minority
candidate got enough votes for
qualifiC--.tion jn the general elections.
Chicano Facu_lty and Supportive Staff Associati~n recently an·
noun_ced the wmners of their scholarships. Pictured above left
to r,ght: lsatJ:el Mejorado, CFSSA Scholarship ChairptH"Son ·
.
~a:,~el 0/gum, CFSSA Vice President; Eddie Varrela, Presi:
, Margaret De la Cruz, scholarship recipient; Frank Sierras, Sgt. at Arms.
Program (EOP) at CSUF, a Pinto
must meet minimum requirements.
He or she must have a high school
diploma or equivalent, they must fill
out a myriad of admissions and financial aids forms, must provide an autobiographical statement and letters of
recommendations.
Tony explained that these requirements serve as a self-screening process. If the Pinto does not want to
make the effort to follow through on
the procedures, it's doubtful that
he/she will succeed in school.
"We' re not in the business of setting anyone up for failure,• said the program coordinator.
After ali the paperwork
submitted, the Pinto meets with a committee comprised of Tony, a Pinto student, and someone from either the
EOP or financial aids department.
If the Pinto is currently serving time.,
then Tony has no qualms about
taking the committee to prison for
the interview.
Once in the program, orientation
and academic and career advisement
Is provided the Pinto. The career
advisement is necessary, said Tony,
because it 's a fact of I lfe that felons
are ineligible for many jobs. He
added,
"Outright discrimination
against a Pinto is the only legal form
of discrimini!tion."
The duration of the adjustment
period to college depends largely on
how long the Pinto has been out of
ls
prison. The Pinto, on campus as in
the community, must deal with stereotypes. One of them, especially for
the Chicano Pinto, is that he is a
rnember of a gang . " Not all Chicanos
coming out of prison are members of
La Nuestra Familia, ,,- Tony said.
Nonetheless, It's a prevalent attitude. ·
But much of the Pinto's campus
difficulties stem from interpersonal
relationships. "Their past experiences affect the attitudes of their
peers, " Tony said. And one Pinto
added, "Once you tell them where
you came from, from that point on
you' re somehow different."
Its Ironic, Tony pointed out, that
the same money that keeps a man in
prison also funds the Pinto program.
And actually it's quite a bargain .
"It costs more than $10,000 a year to
keep a man in prison," the coordinator reflected, "It costs about $3,000 to
keep him in school."
But Tony does not measure the
success of the program on keeping
the Pinto in school or even graduating him. He measures the success
by how effectively he has broken the
back-to-prison cycle.
Approximatley 40 Pintos have
participated in the program since
Tony took on the coordinator job
three years ago. Tony is assured of
the program's success. He knows
where most of the 40 Pintos are ... and
it's not back In prison.
CSUF Office Provides
Employment
The CSUF Student Employment (SE)
3) Position--Spanish T~tor. (teaching
office on campus is 'offering services
2 females ages 7 and 10 to learn
to currently enrolled students who are
Spanish).
looking for skilled or unskilled part- . Qualifications--Know how to speak
time jobs .
Spanish.
'Services consist of orientations, job
Pay--Open.
counseling, and helping students with
Hours--To be arranged.
problems they may be having with
4) Position--lnventory Control Clerk
their employer.
(bookkeeping job)
Jobs available are listed under seven
Qualif ications--Good with math and
different categories: part time, tutorable to operate 10-key machine by
ing jobs, internships, summer jobs,
touch.
temporary jobs, domestic jobs, and
Pay--$3.75 an hour.
education jobs.
Hours--20 hrs. a week.
According to Geri Castro, SE super5) Postion--Assorted Duties for Dentvisor, an average of 800 students a ·
ist(such as janitorial and yard work,
month use the services available . So
and typing and filing).
far, there have been positive comments
Qualifications--Type40wpm.
from the students.
Pay--$3.50 and hour.
Listed are a few of the many job
Hours--Monday-Friday, 5-7 p.m .
openings available at the student em6) Position--Engineering Technician
ployment off ice.
(surveying, drafting, and construction
staking).
1) Position--Test Grader (grading
Qualification--Engineering major.
real estate exams . Objective tests, key
Pay--$4.50 an hour.
to use).
· Hours--16 hrs . a week--arranged.
Qualifications--Must be 18 yrs. old
For further information contact the
or over.
student employment office, 8:30Pay--$3 an hour.
4:30 p .m. (Monday-Friday), in the
Hours--Tuesdays
&
Wednesdays,
Joyal Admrnistration Bldg. Phone
6:30-9:30 p.m. ·
number is 487-.2703 .
2) Position--$anta Claus PhotographCastro commented, HI encourage and
er (take pictures of children on Santa's
lap).
.
invite all students who haven't been
into the student employment office, to
Qualifications--Experience
with
a
come and investigate what services we
camera.
offer . The staff is friendly and interestPay--$3 an hour.
and
ed in helping students in their career
evenings
Hours--Arranged,
search."
weekends .
Porterville · Firm On
Waterbill Repayment
BY ALBERTO REYES
Last November, the daughter of 88year-old Rogelio Torres of Porterville
wondered why her father, s city water
and waste disposal bill was so high,
over $50 a month. Mr. Torres' son,
John, checked his father's small house
on Orange Ave. looking for a possible
leak which could 1 cause the bill to run
up. He found nothing. But he did find
something by checking City records.
According to Torres, the City of Porterville has been double-charging his
father on his bills for the past 20-years
amounting to at least $1800. Apparently the City had been charging the elder
Torres for an abandoned small house
on his property.
John Torres claims that city officials
admitted that they were wrong but refused to pay back the money because it
was "pol\cy.,, He acquired the services
of the California Rural Legal Assistance
in Porterville which filed court action in
Tulare County to force the city to pay
up.
Pictured above Is the Committee to Save Marcos Barrera
I
Str~ggle Conti~ues
For Barrera Case
A tardeada to raise legal defense
funds for the Marcos Barrera Committee will be. held Saturday in the Sanger Park.
La Asociacion cf1 Padres Mexicanos
de Sanger is sponsoring the fundraiser on behalf of six Chicanos who
have been sued by Lincoln School
Principal Sally Bakke·.
She claims she was slandered, was
caused emotional distress, and was
interfered with in her business when
the Committee members protested
the Sanger schools treatment of
five-year-old Marcos . Barrera last
January.
Marcos, who was diagnosed as
hyperactive by Sanger School District psychologist Dave Figueroa,
was placed In an enclosure that the
school calls "time-out" area.
But Sanger parents and residents,
mostly Chicanos, charged that
Marcos was "imprisoned" and
caused psychological harm as a
result.
The Marcos Barrera Committee
formed and took up Marcos' cause on
behalf of his grandmother, who
claims she was never informed of the
treatment. She is his legal guardian
and speaks only Spanish. The school
claims she was told through a translator.
After picketing both the Lincoln
School, where the incident took place
some three months prior to the Committee learning about It, and the district office, the Committee executed a
successful one-day boycott of the
Sanger schools.
Several heated meetings occurred
and the Committee called for the removal of Bakke, Marcos' kindergarten teacher Nona Wilken
and
Figueroa.
'
In apparent retaliation, Bakke filed
a defamation suit naming six persons
as defendants: Ralph Avila, Rudolfo
~arza, Jose Villareal, Jesus Sepulveda, Vivian Carrillo, and Alfonso
Hernandez, Jr.
The Committee has said it welcomes the suit because now the district will have to reveal information it
had kept private for legal reasons and
to protect Barrera's privacy.
Ralph Avila, committee spokesperson, said he is cont ident . the
Chicanos will win the case. Although
Fresno attorneys Robert Perez and
Roberto Rabago are representing
them free, funds are still needed for
basic court costs.
The tardeada in Sanger will have
several speakers, including the mayors of Parlier and Orange Cove.
Food will be sold.· and a benefit
drawing will be held. First prize is
$200.00, second is $100.00 and third
is $50. Ticket donation~ for the
drawing are $1.00 each.
It will be held at the Sanger Park
on Academy and Fifth Streets.
Academy can be reached by way of
Jensen Avenue (from downtown
Fresno or Highway 99) and from
Shaw Avenue (from CSUF). The park
is north of Jensen and south of Shaw.
MEChA Opposes
Proposition 6
After a lengthy- discussion over
Proposition 6 at their meeting yesterday, MEChA overwhelmingly voted
against the measure that would "discriminate against homosexuals."
MEChA president Priscilla Contreras said that Prop. 6 would "interfere with human rights." "We
believe that homosexuals have just
as much right to teach as others,"
she said.
The resolution passed was as follows:
Whereas, Proposition 6 (the Briggs
Initiative)
unfairly
discriminates
against homosexuals, and
Whereas, Proposition 6 is clearly
unconstitutional by limiting / freedom
of speech and association, and
Whereas, MEChA is concerned
with protecting human and civil
rights, and
Whereas, MEChA recognizes the
dangerous precedent set forth by
Proposition 6 in discriminating against other minority groups; therefore
be it
.
Resolved, MEChA supports the
"No on 6" campaign, and let it be
Resolved, Copies of this resolution
will be distributed to Chicano organizations.
·
·
In an interview with KMJ-TV news,
Torres called the City's action "a
bunch of bull" because he says there's
no reason for the city to hold on to
money that doesn't belong-to it in the
first place. He went on to say that his
father needed the money more than the
City.
The City of Porterville refused to
comment to Channel 24 saying that it
couldn't because the issue was in settlement stages. Torres says the City is
trying to offer less than his father was
· overcharged, which he can't understand. "Why negitiate for less money
when it's your money in the first place?
he asks.
But then a new twist, Rogelio Torres
died just a couple of weeks ago; without
seeing his money. He was a non-eng. lish speaking citizen. And why can't
the City of Porterville just pay-up, now
that the man is dead? We hear all the
time about government by and for "the
people?"
&A\ ,, __
Dlll 43W'A41f
La Voz de Aztlan
Oct. 27, 1978
City Council Divides
Minority Votes, says MAPA
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
The Fresno City Council, bowing to
the wishes of the Fresno Citizen Participation Committee, \rece11tly provided the city with six council districts. However, fair representatiQn
on the council, the aim of the move,
will still not be realized, according to
a Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) spokesman.
Thomas Nunez, MAPA president,
feels the plan is particularly detrimental to the Chicano community
since it further divides what could be
a solid voting block.
Under the districting plan, 1970
census tracts four and five, which
are largely Chicano populated, will
become part of a West Fresno district. West Fresno has been traditionally thought of as predominately
Black. However, Nunez theorized,
because of the new districting "if a
census were taken today you would
have just as many Chicanos as Blacks
in West Fresno.
"Chicanos cannot look at West
Fresno as Black Fresno any longer,"
Nunez said. Nunez asked, If the object of the districting was fair voter
representation on the council, why
was the Chicano vote diluted.
He noted that in Fresno certain
drawing . district lines, racial and
socio-economic factors should have
been considered, the Chicano lawyer contended. They were not.
Nunez and an associate requested
a meeting with the Fresno Citizen
Participation Committee before the
proposal wa~ aired in council chambers. However, the committee chose
not to meet with Nunez and succeeded in getting their proposal passed.
The new plan provides that council
members must now live in the district they are ostensibly representing.
How this provides for minority representation on the council is unclear.
since council members are still voted
for in at-large elections. Nunez believes that the feeling was that there
would be less interest In Anglos
running for office In largely Black or
Chicano districts, thereby allowing a
minority to get elected. "That's
politically naive," Nunez said,
"people will still vote for favorites."
The issue is now more philosophical than anything else, Nunez conceded. Although the city is now divided into districts, voting is still done
at large. The result, Nunez said, Is
that minorities can put up a candidate
continued on Pg. 4
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
LA VOZ de AZTL
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita ·spirit liVes thn.1 ·riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intraditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros slt
~.ld~~addle ·high atop their splr-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purctla.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
...L:L.._
-
L.!'--
-
_ J..J..~-
drills an1 routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
...1_.1.1,, _ _ _ ,_1
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are watc ·
that you want to do it very mu
It keeps you more interest€'.
also," she said.
Instructor Lopez said his u:
La Voz de Aztlan
f>age 2
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following
stories were written by four -La Voz de
Aztlan staff reporters after going to Los
Angeles to see Zoot Suit. Each person
was affected differently after seeing
the play, but all agreed that it was one
of t~e better experiences in their lives,
something they would not forget for a
very long time. What follows are personal accounts contributed by the four
offering insight into what the play was
about, who it was about, anq the circumstances surrounding the.action.
Oct. 27, 1978
Actors Encourage .
Chicano Writing Talent
· Sy PEDRO RA_MIREZ
Usually, if someone attends a play at
any theatrical house in the United
States, the.theme of the play does not
center on Chicanos. There have been a
few Chicano plays written and no Chicano play has been premiered in a
major theater house, except for Zoot
Suit.
Zoot Suit has been playing at t~e
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles
since August. ·
When people travel to Los Angeles,
it is probably because they want to see
something like Hollywood, a museum,
Disneyland, a basebaU or football game
or a play. But, the chance to see a Chicano play comes rarely .
Mike Gomez, a Chicano actor from
Texas plays the role of Joey Castro, a
gang member in Zoot Suit. He says
that the primary goal for Chicanos is to
encourage the creative Chicano to
write. "In order to stand firm in the
theatrical business, Chicanos must
begin to write plays that convey historical and contemporary experiences of
the Chicano," explained Gomez.
Gomez says there have been no good
movies or plays that depict the Chicano
in a good sensible role. "J think many
times our image as Chicanos is distorted because we have script writers who
want to portray the Chicano character
in one narrow aspect. The Chicano
taking _all day siestas an~ being lazy or
the Chicano as a thief and the Chicano
as a murderer are only a few characterizations. These characterizations, in a
sense, cripple the .Chicano because heis
~-
Portrayal of Woman
labeled with ster~types. Chican.os
must escape these stereotypes, and
again, will only do so by writing our
experience," Gomez points out.
Gomez says the character he portrayed would have had a totally different
image, if gone by a Anglo writer.
"Joey Castro is p_art of a gaag led by
Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez). Joey is a
Pachuco. Pachucos in a major movie or
play, was unheard of in the past because the pachuco was pictured as a
showoff due to his uniform and some·
one useless to society. Luis Valdez captures the true essence of the pachuco.
With Joey, he portrays him as a funny,
crazy person who has a lot of emotion.
Joey acts tough and knows it and enjoys the respect he recieves i due to his
tough image. Valdez depicts Joey as a
person, not some crazy scoundrel,"
explains Gomez.
The pachuco, as described in the
play, is an existpnti;ili-.t . A oerson who
seeks self-identification through the
world as it exists tor him. The pachuco
takes pride in what he is and seeks selfidentification because he rebells against assimilation.
Tommy Mace, a native New Yorker·,
and Tommy Roberts an Anglo pachuco
in the play, says he never heard of
pachucos. "I heard about auditions for
the play and it was there that pachucismo was introduced to me. I had to
portray a person who I never heard of
and had to speak a whole new different
language, Calo," sa1d Mace.
-Mace says that Luis Valdez depicts
the pachuco or Chicano in a unique
way. He lets you know the real problems that Chicanos go through. "I was
raised in New York, with the Puerto
Ricans, so the problems are similar."
explains Mace.
Mace adds, "I got a better perspective on what Chicano Life was. I got to
get a look at the Family structure and
how th'e y cope with problems. I was introduced to menudo and many other
Mexican dishes. Most importantly, I
got to know what pachucos were
about."
As an actor, you would think that
Mace had heard of pachucos and knew
about Chicanos in general, but he had!
not. This proves that many people in
American society are never told who
and what Chicanos are in this system .
The mass media and literature have
portrayed Chicanos misleadingly, but
now with Zoot Suit and many other
works that Chicanos are. going to
create, the situation will change.
Characte~s Are -S ymbolic of Chicanas
BY MARGARITA MARTINEZ
.
During the zoot suit riots, women as well as men, were the target of the crazed
When Della Is released fro~ reform school aQd becomes aware of what Is hapviolence against Chlamos In Los Angeles.
.
pening, she suddenly changeS and sh~ws what a woman can be when forced to. She
It Is only fitting that In the play, Zoot Sult, women play the courageous, Intelli- tells Henry she loves him, .but Is not willing to be stepped on.
.
.
gent, essential rol~ they have played throughout our history.
She gives Henry the ultirnatum of choosing her or alice. As she awaits a response, 1 feel what she must be feeling: suspense and fear of his decision. To
.The diverse roles they play·In Zoot Sult are symbolic of all Chi-.·
Della's relief, he chooses her.
,
·
Alice Bloomfield ls the "other woman". Her relationship with the boys turns out
The most touchlna and down-to-earth character In the olav is Delores Reyna
Henry's mother. She could be the woman we all know and love1 our motner She to be a special on.; for Henry. She loses Henry but she has to be given credit for
he_tps to solidify the family. She hurts, and a part of her dies when Henry is taK~n to sticking It out until the victory•
f
Lupe Reyna, Henry's sister, can also be anyone of us. In her I can see a part o
pnso~. We~ Identify with the anguish she feels because our own mothers have
felt this pain either for our brothers when they were In trouble with the police or for me. In one particutar scene, ~n a Saturday night she Is getting ready to go out. Her
ourselves when we left home either to attend college, to be married or whatever father reprimands her for wearing her skirt too short. In defense, she points out
reason. She was a strong and coura_geous woman when she suffered I cried for in that Henrv Is wearlno a zoot suit. Her father like manv of our fathers responds,
her, I saw my own mother.
.
·
'
"but he's a man". 1'm sure we've all hear.cl that ll~ at-one time or another. HowAnother character we can more closely Identify with was Della Barrios Henry's ever, oor parents, being who they are, we have to quietly go along with what they
girlfriend. She plays the role of a woman in love. At first she appears s~bservient
and the kind of woman almost everv man awaits for: devoted and beautiful. When sa~he other women in the play can be our friends, 9ur sisters, or even ourselves.
Henry qoes off to pr!son she ls deeP.IY_hurt. She Is sent to a reform school, but no- Like anyone else, they enjoy laughter and song. They are the faithful con:ipanio~ of
Some might see them as cholas, pachucas or even "cheap prostitutes, , as
th1ng hinders her drive to wait faithfully for Henry 1u ue released. Henry, typical ot the bo
many ~n, falls for Anglo Alice Bloomfield, the executive secretary of the defense the pr~ billed them. But In them Isa~ the revolutlonar)· zeal and commlttment
committee, not thinking of Della's sacrifices for him.
Chicanas have when fighting for something they believe In.
La Voz de Aztla~
Oct. 27, 1978
Americaris
A~ .My House
Cuando no era el probation offi~r
Era el councilordel la ·escuel,
La jura or some long haired
Lostlamb, marlc chick offering
Us the world so she could write
Her thesis.
But my dismal world was so
much brighter! My past was
the old barn across the canal
that housed a lechusa that
screeched at night scaring
the children porque era la
anima de la comrade de mi grama.
Jose Montoya
Chicano Play ·coal:
Re-identificatiorl of Pachuco
By EL VIA RUIZ
The pachuco stands center stage in
the prestigiuos Mar~ Taper Forum
theater located in downtown Los Angeles. He runs his fingers slowly over
his pencil thin moustache and then tilts
his stylish hat over one eyebrow as he
eyes his audience with a defiant gaze .Former Fresrian and CSUF professor
Luis Valdez beams silently· to himself
as he watches his creation come to life
on stage. Valdez is the author and director of the Zoot Suit.
Thirty-five years ago, the pachuco
was not standing on a stage recreating
his life to middle and upper-class audiences but was alive and living in the
streets of downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, Valdez was asked to write
a play for the theater and he immediately began work on his 10-year-old idea
of a theatrical performance on the
pachuco. The play Zoot Suit then
emerged·as the first chicano play by a
Chicano writer to perform at such a
professional level of theater.
Valdez is founder and director of El
Teatro Campesino, a Chicano theater
group which was first recognized for
their performances stressing the
causes of the farmworkers. Four members from El Teatro are currently involved in Zoot Suit.
· ."'.
"We (El Teatro) wanted to work on a
new level of theater, even _though our
roots are in the barrio," Valdez said.
"For 13 years we performed in the
barrio and with Zoot Suit we had the
opportunity to work at this new level of
professionalism."
According to Valdez, the spirit of
Zoot Suit was to make a professional
production using professional actors
and dancers. All -the talent used in the
play was not Chicano•.
"There isn't any level in American
Society that we, as Chicanos, don't belong in. We are in a process of growth
and we should expand to other levels of
performance," Valdez asserted.
~
With the opportunity to direct and
write a major theatrical production
Valdez.chose to focus on the pachuco of
the barrios. · Zoot Suit is based on the Sleepy
Lagoon Murder Case of 1943 and the
Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940's. The play
recreates the Sleepy Lagoon case
through the use of documents, transcripts, letters and newspapers of the
period.
The Sleepy lagoon case was a mass
murder triat in Los Angeles in 1943 in
which 17 Chicano youths were convicted of the m,urder of another Chiomo
youth. These convictions ultimatly led
to increased tension between the barrios and t~e rest of Los Angeles which
followed with the infamous Zoot Suit
Riots.
Chicano youth wearing a Zoot Suit
were cafled Zoot Suiters and groups of
white service men started a "clean up"
campaign to get these so-called Zoot
Suiters off of the street.
.
~
The Los Angele_s City Council went
so far a_s to proclaim anyone found
wearing a Zoot Suit would be arrested
and jailed for thirty days.
·
"J chose to write _a bout Sleepy Lagoon and the .[iots .because it was the
most outstandTng_murder case in U.S.
history," Valdez said. "This made a
national ~mpression in the media and
the country got a negative image of the
Chicano."
According to Valdez, this ne2ative
image promoted in the · media during
the 1940' s is the basis· for the stereotyped image of the Chic~no today.
"Zoot Suit is also important because
it centers on an urban reaJity as old as
35 years ago. It "Shows that Chicanos
have been around for quite some time,"
Valdez said.
Valdez claims Zoot Suit has hit a sore
spot in the , American consciousnes's
· view of the oachuco.
"Most people didn't think of the
pachuco. Many Anglos are hearing him
for the first time," Valdez said. "There
has been an obvious change in con-
sciousness of the American people who
have seen Zoot Suit. It creates an emotional change in people."
· Daniel .Valdez, Luis' brother, plays
Henry Reyna, the lead character. in
ZOQt Suit. He echos Luis's feelings
about the Chicano and pachuco image.
According to Daniel, Zoot Suit allows
the audience to "'.come inside Chicano
reality."
"The play goes through a re-identification of the pachuco image," Daniel
said. "There is a distinct pride in Chicano culture and identity and th,is shows
in the play."
According to Daniel, the pachuco is
viewed by society as un-American.
"This is wrong," he said, "when the
pachuco is more American than apple
pie itself."
Daniel said Zoot Suit has accomplished its goal of bringing out the reality
that the pachuco is still alive. "He
is still living in the streets of every
barrio in the country,'~ said.
Many people have expressea meir
views on Zoot Suit being a world premiere in a prestigious setting as· the
Mark Taper Forum, and see that as
Chicanos invading foreign territory.
"We feel Chi~no theater is just as
worthy as any other theatrical groups,"
Valdez said. "Tbe real triumph here is
that a Chicano p)ay· is _blasting the roof
ofa place like the Forum ."
With Zoot Suit; the Forum has experienced the greatest. demand for tickets ·
in its 12-year history and every perfor~
mance of its August 15-0ctober 2 run
was sold-out. The demand for more ·
performances caused it to continue its
run at another Hollywood theater, the
Aquarius, until mid November.
Valde_z is currently looking forward
to a full-scale production of Zoot Suit on
Broadway in New York.
"Broagway is a national forum and I
believe that Chicanos should register
on this forum," Luis said. "It's also
encouraging that three are a lot of
producers in Hollywood that are interested in doing the film of Zoot Suit."
11
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita spirit lives thru riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intra.ditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros sit
~Jd~saddle ·high atop their spir-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purcha.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
.A.L -
-
'-..LS.-
-
-
~
- . 1 --
-J --..t. .. , _
drills and routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
____,.J
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are wa.tc ;
that you want to do it very mu~
It keeps you more intereste,
also/' s he said.
Instructor Lopez said bis '
La Voz de Aztlan
Page 4
Oct. 27, 1978
CSUF Pinto Program
Education Seen As .Alternative To Crime ·
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
Beyond gray ·prison walls the exconvict 's world is seemingly full of
pitfalls, all designed to land him
back behind bars. A return to crime
and prison is inevitable for many.
Yet there Is an alternative. The
Pinto Program at California State
University, Fresno, named after the
peopJe it helps, provides ex-offenders
with the- opportu.o!ty to achieve academic rather than criminal success.
It places him in college, an environment that may break the back-toprison cycle.
Tony Garduquez, coordinator of
the program, explained that Pinto
translated from Spanish means painted or marked. It's a name the convict
gave himself, not accepting the labels
society conferred upon ~im such as
ex-con, ex-offender or jailbird. And
in light of the affect of a prison
record, the name is appropriate.
"When a judge sentences someone to
prison ... it 's a life sentence," Tony
said, because the guy "is marked for
life."
Tony doesn-'t claim to remove this
stigma, but what he does do, th.rough
th program, is provide anyone with a
prison or jail record an alternative to
the streets.
"I make it as easy as I can for them
to understand," Tony said. "I tell
them to compare this rnstitution
(colleg·e) with the one they came
from. If they survived there, they can
survive here. They have the tools."
To get into the program, which is
part of the Educational Opportunity
Chicana.s Set Activities
Las Adelitas, an active socio-political
power on campus since 1969, is a stuent organization of Chicana women
who are involved in educational, political, and community awareness activities. Las Adelitas also sponsor cultural
holiday programs, help local political
campaigns, deal with Chicana issues,
as well as meeting the needs of Chicana women.
The Adelitas plan to have an Initiation Night to be held at 7:30 this evening at 1025 W. Griffith, between Ashlan and Dakota off of West Avenue. All
Chicanas are encouraged to attend. For
more information call 222-6482.
Also, Las Adelitas are in the process
of planning the second annual Halloween Dance on Oct. 31, 1978. According to Adelita Diana ·salas, the dance
last year was a success. "Many people
showed up with the most 'a toda
mad re' costumes. Prizes were given
away for the most funniest, scariest,
and most original. The La Raza Studies
faculty judged the costumes, so you
could Just imagine the chismes that
were going around!!!" she said.
This year, Freddy's Royal Chicano
Band de Sacramento will provide the
music for the dance to be held in the
upstairs cafeteria.
Chicano votes Divided
continued from Pg. 1
nldeally, a candidate should be voted
on by the district he will represent,•
said the MAPA president.
Nunez and others are currently
looking into the legal aspects of atlarge elections. And he vows that if
a law suit is warranted, "then we'll
do it."
representing their views, but he/she
·still has to win election city-wide.
Particularly for minorities this Is
quite a handicap as attests the recent
primary election. Not one minority
candidate got enough votes for
qualifiC--.tion jn the general elections.
Chicano Facu_lty and Supportive Staff Associati~n recently an·
noun_ced the wmners of their scholarships. Pictured above left
to r,ght: lsatJ:el Mejorado, CFSSA Scholarship ChairptH"Son ·
.
~a:,~el 0/gum, CFSSA Vice President; Eddie Varrela, Presi:
, Margaret De la Cruz, scholarship recipient; Frank Sierras, Sgt. at Arms.
Program (EOP) at CSUF, a Pinto
must meet minimum requirements.
He or she must have a high school
diploma or equivalent, they must fill
out a myriad of admissions and financial aids forms, must provide an autobiographical statement and letters of
recommendations.
Tony explained that these requirements serve as a self-screening process. If the Pinto does not want to
make the effort to follow through on
the procedures, it's doubtful that
he/she will succeed in school.
"We' re not in the business of setting anyone up for failure,• said the program coordinator.
After ali the paperwork
submitted, the Pinto meets with a committee comprised of Tony, a Pinto student, and someone from either the
EOP or financial aids department.
If the Pinto is currently serving time.,
then Tony has no qualms about
taking the committee to prison for
the interview.
Once in the program, orientation
and academic and career advisement
Is provided the Pinto. The career
advisement is necessary, said Tony,
because it 's a fact of I lfe that felons
are ineligible for many jobs. He
added,
"Outright discrimination
against a Pinto is the only legal form
of discrimini!tion."
The duration of the adjustment
period to college depends largely on
how long the Pinto has been out of
ls
prison. The Pinto, on campus as in
the community, must deal with stereotypes. One of them, especially for
the Chicano Pinto, is that he is a
rnember of a gang . " Not all Chicanos
coming out of prison are members of
La Nuestra Familia, ,,- Tony said.
Nonetheless, It's a prevalent attitude. ·
But much of the Pinto's campus
difficulties stem from interpersonal
relationships. "Their past experiences affect the attitudes of their
peers, " Tony said. And one Pinto
added, "Once you tell them where
you came from, from that point on
you' re somehow different."
Its Ironic, Tony pointed out, that
the same money that keeps a man in
prison also funds the Pinto program.
And actually it's quite a bargain .
"It costs more than $10,000 a year to
keep a man in prison," the coordinator reflected, "It costs about $3,000 to
keep him in school."
But Tony does not measure the
success of the program on keeping
the Pinto in school or even graduating him. He measures the success
by how effectively he has broken the
back-to-prison cycle.
Approximatley 40 Pintos have
participated in the program since
Tony took on the coordinator job
three years ago. Tony is assured of
the program's success. He knows
where most of the 40 Pintos are ... and
it's not back In prison.
CSUF Office Provides
Employment
The CSUF Student Employment (SE)
3) Position--Spanish T~tor. (teaching
office on campus is 'offering services
2 females ages 7 and 10 to learn
to currently enrolled students who are
Spanish).
looking for skilled or unskilled part- . Qualifications--Know how to speak
time jobs .
Spanish.
'Services consist of orientations, job
Pay--Open.
counseling, and helping students with
Hours--To be arranged.
problems they may be having with
4) Position--lnventory Control Clerk
their employer.
(bookkeeping job)
Jobs available are listed under seven
Qualif ications--Good with math and
different categories: part time, tutorable to operate 10-key machine by
ing jobs, internships, summer jobs,
touch.
temporary jobs, domestic jobs, and
Pay--$3.75 an hour.
education jobs.
Hours--20 hrs. a week.
According to Geri Castro, SE super5) Postion--Assorted Duties for Dentvisor, an average of 800 students a ·
ist(such as janitorial and yard work,
month use the services available . So
and typing and filing).
far, there have been positive comments
Qualifications--Type40wpm.
from the students.
Pay--$3.50 and hour.
Listed are a few of the many job
Hours--Monday-Friday, 5-7 p.m .
openings available at the student em6) Position--Engineering Technician
ployment off ice.
(surveying, drafting, and construction
staking).
1) Position--Test Grader (grading
Qualification--Engineering major.
real estate exams . Objective tests, key
Pay--$4.50 an hour.
to use).
· Hours--16 hrs . a week--arranged.
Qualifications--Must be 18 yrs. old
For further information contact the
or over.
student employment office, 8:30Pay--$3 an hour.
4:30 p .m. (Monday-Friday), in the
Hours--Tuesdays
&
Wednesdays,
Joyal Admrnistration Bldg. Phone
6:30-9:30 p.m. ·
number is 487-.2703 .
2) Position--$anta Claus PhotographCastro commented, HI encourage and
er (take pictures of children on Santa's
lap).
.
invite all students who haven't been
into the student employment office, to
Qualifications--Experience
with
a
come and investigate what services we
camera.
offer . The staff is friendly and interestPay--$3 an hour.
and
ed in helping students in their career
evenings
Hours--Arranged,
search."
weekends .
Torres Dies
Porterville · Firm On
Waterbill Repayment
BY ALBERTO REYES
Last November, the daughter of 88year-old Rogelio Torres of Porterville
wondered why her father, s city water
and waste disposal bill was so high,
over $50 a month. Mr. Torres' son,
John, checked his father's small house
on Orange Ave. looking for a possible
leak which could 1 cause the bill to run
up. He found nothing. But he did find
something by checking City records.
According to Torres, the City of Porterville has been double-charging his
father on his bills for the past 20-years
amounting to at least $1800. Apparently the City had been charging the elder
Torres for an abandoned small house
on his property.
John Torres claims that city officials
admitted that they were wrong but refused to pay back the money because it
was "pol\cy.,, He acquired the services
of the California Rural Legal Assistance
in Porterville which filed court action in
Tulare County to force the city to pay
up.
Pictured above Is the Committee to Save Marcos Barrera
I
Str~ggle Conti~ues
For Barrera Case
A tardeada to raise legal defense
funds for the Marcos Barrera Committee will be. held Saturday in the Sanger Park.
La Asociacion cf1 Padres Mexicanos
de Sanger is sponsoring the fundraiser on behalf of six Chicanos who
have been sued by Lincoln School
Principal Sally Bakke·.
She claims she was slandered, was
caused emotional distress, and was
interfered with in her business when
the Committee members protested
the Sanger schools treatment of
five-year-old Marcos . Barrera last
January.
Marcos, who was diagnosed as
hyperactive by Sanger School District psychologist Dave Figueroa,
was placed In an enclosure that the
school calls "time-out" area.
But Sanger parents and residents,
mostly Chicanos, charged that
Marcos was "imprisoned" and
caused psychological harm as a
result.
The Marcos Barrera Committee
formed and took up Marcos' cause on
behalf of his grandmother, who
claims she was never informed of the
treatment. She is his legal guardian
and speaks only Spanish. The school
claims she was told through a translator.
After picketing both the Lincoln
School, where the incident took place
some three months prior to the Committee learning about It, and the district office, the Committee executed a
successful one-day boycott of the
Sanger schools.
Several heated meetings occurred
and the Committee called for the removal of Bakke, Marcos' kindergarten teacher Nona Wilken
and
Figueroa.
'
In apparent retaliation, Bakke filed
a defamation suit naming six persons
as defendants: Ralph Avila, Rudolfo
~arza, Jose Villareal, Jesus Sepulveda, Vivian Carrillo, and Alfonso
Hernandez, Jr.
The Committee has said it welcomes the suit because now the district will have to reveal information it
had kept private for legal reasons and
to protect Barrera's privacy.
Ralph Avila, committee spokesperson, said he is cont ident . the
Chicanos will win the case. Although
Fresno attorneys Robert Perez and
Roberto Rabago are representing
them free, funds are still needed for
basic court costs.
The tardeada in Sanger will have
several speakers, including the mayors of Parlier and Orange Cove.
Food will be sold.· and a benefit
drawing will be held. First prize is
$200.00, second is $100.00 and third
is $50. Ticket donation~ for the
drawing are $1.00 each.
It will be held at the Sanger Park
on Academy and Fifth Streets.
Academy can be reached by way of
Jensen Avenue (from downtown
Fresno or Highway 99) and from
Shaw Avenue (from CSUF). The park
is north of Jensen and south of Shaw.
MEChA Opposes
Proposition 6
After a lengthy- discussion over
Proposition 6 at their meeting yesterday, MEChA overwhelmingly voted
against the measure that would "discriminate against homosexuals."
MEChA president Priscilla Contreras said that Prop. 6 would "interfere with human rights." "We
believe that homosexuals have just
as much right to teach as others,"
she said.
The resolution passed was as follows:
Whereas, Proposition 6 (the Briggs
Initiative)
unfairly
discriminates
against homosexuals, and
Whereas, Proposition 6 is clearly
unconstitutional by limiting / freedom
of speech and association, and
Whereas, MEChA is concerned
with protecting human and civil
rights, and
Whereas, MEChA recognizes the
dangerous precedent set forth by
Proposition 6 in discriminating against other minority groups; therefore
be it
.
Resolved, MEChA supports the
"No on 6" campaign, and let it be
Resolved, Copies of this resolution
will be distributed to Chicano organizations.
·
·
In an interview with KMJ-TV news,
Torres called the City's action "a
bunch of bull" because he says there's
no reason for the city to hold on to
money that doesn't belong-to it in the
first place. He went on to say that his
father needed the money more than the
City.
The City of Porterville refused to
comment to Channel 24 saying that it
couldn't because the issue was in settlement stages. Torres says the City is
trying to offer less than his father was
· overcharged, which he can't understand. "Why negitiate for less money
when it's your money in the first place?
he asks.
But then a new twist, Rogelio Torres
died just a couple of weeks ago; without
seeing his money. He was a non-eng. lish speaking citizen. And why can't
the City of Porterville just pay-up, now
that the man is dead? We hear all the
time about government by and for "the
people?"
&A\ ,, __
Dlll 43W'A41f
La Voz de Aztlan
Oct. 27, 1978
City Council Divides
Minority Votes, says MAPA
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
The Fresno City Council, bowing to
the wishes of the Fresno Citizen Participation Committee, \rece11tly provided the city with six council districts. However, fair representatiQn
on the council, the aim of the move,
will still not be realized, according to
a Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) spokesman.
Thomas Nunez, MAPA president,
feels the plan is particularly detrimental to the Chicano community
since it further divides what could be
a solid voting block.
Under the districting plan, 1970
census tracts four and five, which
are largely Chicano populated, will
become part of a West Fresno district. West Fresno has been traditionally thought of as predominately
Black. However, Nunez theorized,
because of the new districting "if a
census were taken today you would
have just as many Chicanos as Blacks
in West Fresno.
"Chicanos cannot look at West
Fresno as Black Fresno any longer,"
Nunez said. Nunez asked, If the object of the districting was fair voter
representation on the council, why
was the Chicano vote diluted.
He noted that in Fresno certain
drawing . district lines, racial and
socio-economic factors should have
been considered, the Chicano lawyer contended. They were not.
Nunez and an associate requested
a meeting with the Fresno Citizen
Participation Committee before the
proposal wa~ aired in council chambers. However, the committee chose
not to meet with Nunez and succeeded in getting their proposal passed.
The new plan provides that council
members must now live in the district they are ostensibly representing.
How this provides for minority representation on the council is unclear.
since council members are still voted
for in at-large elections. Nunez believes that the feeling was that there
would be less interest In Anglos
running for office In largely Black or
Chicano districts, thereby allowing a
minority to get elected. "That's
politically naive," Nunez said,
"people will still vote for favorites."
The issue is now more philosophical than anything else, Nunez conceded. Although the city is now divided into districts, voting is still done
at large. The result, Nunez said, Is
that minorities can put up a candidate
continued on Pg. 4
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
LA VOZ de AZTL
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita ·spirit liVes thn.1 ·riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intraditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros slt
~.ld~~addle ·high atop their splr-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purctla.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
...L:L.._
-
L.!'--
-
_ J..J..~-
drills an1 routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
...1_.1.1,, _ _ _ ,_1
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are watc ·
that you want to do it very mu
It keeps you more interest€'.
also," she said.
Instructor Lopez said his u:
La Voz de Aztlan
f>age 2
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following
stories were written by four -La Voz de
Aztlan staff reporters after going to Los
Angeles to see Zoot Suit. Each person
was affected differently after seeing
the play, but all agreed that it was one
of t~e better experiences in their lives,
something they would not forget for a
very long time. What follows are personal accounts contributed by the four
offering insight into what the play was
about, who it was about, anq the circumstances surrounding the.action.
Oct. 27, 1978
Actors Encourage .
Chicano Writing Talent
· Sy PEDRO RA_MIREZ
Usually, if someone attends a play at
any theatrical house in the United
States, the.theme of the play does not
center on Chicanos. There have been a
few Chicano plays written and no Chicano play has been premiered in a
major theater house, except for Zoot
Suit.
Zoot Suit has been playing at t~e
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles
since August. ·
When people travel to Los Angeles,
it is probably because they want to see
something like Hollywood, a museum,
Disneyland, a basebaU or football game
or a play. But, the chance to see a Chicano play comes rarely .
Mike Gomez, a Chicano actor from
Texas plays the role of Joey Castro, a
gang member in Zoot Suit. He says
that the primary goal for Chicanos is to
encourage the creative Chicano to
write. "In order to stand firm in the
theatrical business, Chicanos must
begin to write plays that convey historical and contemporary experiences of
the Chicano," explained Gomez.
Gomez says there have been no good
movies or plays that depict the Chicano
in a good sensible role. "J think many
times our image as Chicanos is distorted because we have script writers who
want to portray the Chicano character
in one narrow aspect. The Chicano
taking _all day siestas an~ being lazy or
the Chicano as a thief and the Chicano
as a murderer are only a few characterizations. These characterizations, in a
sense, cripple the .Chicano because heis
~-
Portrayal of Woman
labeled with ster~types. Chican.os
must escape these stereotypes, and
again, will only do so by writing our
experience," Gomez points out.
Gomez says the character he portrayed would have had a totally different
image, if gone by a Anglo writer.
"Joey Castro is p_art of a gaag led by
Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez). Joey is a
Pachuco. Pachucos in a major movie or
play, was unheard of in the past because the pachuco was pictured as a
showoff due to his uniform and some·
one useless to society. Luis Valdez captures the true essence of the pachuco.
With Joey, he portrays him as a funny,
crazy person who has a lot of emotion.
Joey acts tough and knows it and enjoys the respect he recieves i due to his
tough image. Valdez depicts Joey as a
person, not some crazy scoundrel,"
explains Gomez.
The pachuco, as described in the
play, is an existpnti;ili-.t . A oerson who
seeks self-identification through the
world as it exists tor him. The pachuco
takes pride in what he is and seeks selfidentification because he rebells against assimilation.
Tommy Mace, a native New Yorker·,
and Tommy Roberts an Anglo pachuco
in the play, says he never heard of
pachucos. "I heard about auditions for
the play and it was there that pachucismo was introduced to me. I had to
portray a person who I never heard of
and had to speak a whole new different
language, Calo," sa1d Mace.
-Mace says that Luis Valdez depicts
the pachuco or Chicano in a unique
way. He lets you know the real problems that Chicanos go through. "I was
raised in New York, with the Puerto
Ricans, so the problems are similar."
explains Mace.
Mace adds, "I got a better perspective on what Chicano Life was. I got to
get a look at the Family structure and
how th'e y cope with problems. I was introduced to menudo and many other
Mexican dishes. Most importantly, I
got to know what pachucos were
about."
As an actor, you would think that
Mace had heard of pachucos and knew
about Chicanos in general, but he had!
not. This proves that many people in
American society are never told who
and what Chicanos are in this system .
The mass media and literature have
portrayed Chicanos misleadingly, but
now with Zoot Suit and many other
works that Chicanos are. going to
create, the situation will change.
Characte~s Are -S ymbolic of Chicanas
BY MARGARITA MARTINEZ
.
During the zoot suit riots, women as well as men, were the target of the crazed
When Della Is released fro~ reform school aQd becomes aware of what Is hapviolence against Chlamos In Los Angeles.
.
pening, she suddenly changeS and sh~ws what a woman can be when forced to. She
It Is only fitting that In the play, Zoot Sult, women play the courageous, Intelli- tells Henry she loves him, .but Is not willing to be stepped on.
.
.
gent, essential rol~ they have played throughout our history.
She gives Henry the ultirnatum of choosing her or alice. As she awaits a response, 1 feel what she must be feeling: suspense and fear of his decision. To
.The diverse roles they play·In Zoot Sult are symbolic of all Chi-.·
Della's relief, he chooses her.
,
·
Alice Bloomfield ls the "other woman". Her relationship with the boys turns out
The most touchlna and down-to-earth character In the olav is Delores Reyna
Henry's mother. She could be the woman we all know and love1 our motner She to be a special on.; for Henry. She loses Henry but she has to be given credit for
he_tps to solidify the family. She hurts, and a part of her dies when Henry is taK~n to sticking It out until the victory•
f
Lupe Reyna, Henry's sister, can also be anyone of us. In her I can see a part o
pnso~. We~ Identify with the anguish she feels because our own mothers have
felt this pain either for our brothers when they were In trouble with the police or for me. In one particutar scene, ~n a Saturday night she Is getting ready to go out. Her
ourselves when we left home either to attend college, to be married or whatever father reprimands her for wearing her skirt too short. In defense, she points out
reason. She was a strong and coura_geous woman when she suffered I cried for in that Henrv Is wearlno a zoot suit. Her father like manv of our fathers responds,
her, I saw my own mother.
.
·
'
"but he's a man". 1'm sure we've all hear.cl that ll~ at-one time or another. HowAnother character we can more closely Identify with was Della Barrios Henry's ever, oor parents, being who they are, we have to quietly go along with what they
girlfriend. She plays the role of a woman in love. At first she appears s~bservient
and the kind of woman almost everv man awaits for: devoted and beautiful. When sa~he other women in the play can be our friends, 9ur sisters, or even ourselves.
Henry qoes off to pr!son she ls deeP.IY_hurt. She Is sent to a reform school, but no- Like anyone else, they enjoy laughter and song. They are the faithful con:ipanio~ of
Some might see them as cholas, pachucas or even "cheap prostitutes, , as
th1ng hinders her drive to wait faithfully for Henry 1u ue released. Henry, typical ot the bo
many ~n, falls for Anglo Alice Bloomfield, the executive secretary of the defense the pr~ billed them. But In them Isa~ the revolutlonar)· zeal and commlttment
committee, not thinking of Della's sacrifices for him.
Chicanas have when fighting for something they believe In.
La Voz de Aztla~
Oct. 27, 1978
Americaris
A~ .My House
Cuando no era el probation offi~r
Era el councilordel la ·escuel,
La jura or some long haired
Lostlamb, marlc chick offering
Us the world so she could write
Her thesis.
But my dismal world was so
much brighter! My past was
the old barn across the canal
that housed a lechusa that
screeched at night scaring
the children porque era la
anima de la comrade de mi grama.
Jose Montoya
Chicano Play ·coal:
Re-identificatiorl of Pachuco
By EL VIA RUIZ
The pachuco stands center stage in
the prestigiuos Mar~ Taper Forum
theater located in downtown Los Angeles. He runs his fingers slowly over
his pencil thin moustache and then tilts
his stylish hat over one eyebrow as he
eyes his audience with a defiant gaze .Former Fresrian and CSUF professor
Luis Valdez beams silently· to himself
as he watches his creation come to life
on stage. Valdez is the author and director of the Zoot Suit.
Thirty-five years ago, the pachuco
was not standing on a stage recreating
his life to middle and upper-class audiences but was alive and living in the
streets of downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, Valdez was asked to write
a play for the theater and he immediately began work on his 10-year-old idea
of a theatrical performance on the
pachuco. The play Zoot Suit then
emerged·as the first chicano play by a
Chicano writer to perform at such a
professional level of theater.
Valdez is founder and director of El
Teatro Campesino, a Chicano theater
group which was first recognized for
their performances stressing the
causes of the farmworkers. Four members from El Teatro are currently involved in Zoot Suit.
· ."'.
"We (El Teatro) wanted to work on a
new level of theater, even _though our
roots are in the barrio," Valdez said.
"For 13 years we performed in the
barrio and with Zoot Suit we had the
opportunity to work at this new level of
professionalism."
According to Valdez, the spirit of
Zoot Suit was to make a professional
production using professional actors
and dancers. All -the talent used in the
play was not Chicano•.
"There isn't any level in American
Society that we, as Chicanos, don't belong in. We are in a process of growth
and we should expand to other levels of
performance," Valdez asserted.
~
With the opportunity to direct and
write a major theatrical production
Valdez.chose to focus on the pachuco of
the barrios. · Zoot Suit is based on the Sleepy
Lagoon Murder Case of 1943 and the
Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940's. The play
recreates the Sleepy Lagoon case
through the use of documents, transcripts, letters and newspapers of the
period.
The Sleepy lagoon case was a mass
murder triat in Los Angeles in 1943 in
which 17 Chicano youths were convicted of the m,urder of another Chiomo
youth. These convictions ultimatly led
to increased tension between the barrios and t~e rest of Los Angeles which
followed with the infamous Zoot Suit
Riots.
Chicano youth wearing a Zoot Suit
were cafled Zoot Suiters and groups of
white service men started a "clean up"
campaign to get these so-called Zoot
Suiters off of the street.
.
~
The Los Angele_s City Council went
so far a_s to proclaim anyone found
wearing a Zoot Suit would be arrested
and jailed for thirty days.
·
"J chose to write _a bout Sleepy Lagoon and the .[iots .because it was the
most outstandTng_murder case in U.S.
history," Valdez said. "This made a
national ~mpression in the media and
the country got a negative image of the
Chicano."
According to Valdez, this ne2ative
image promoted in the · media during
the 1940' s is the basis· for the stereotyped image of the Chic~no today.
"Zoot Suit is also important because
it centers on an urban reaJity as old as
35 years ago. It "Shows that Chicanos
have been around for quite some time,"
Valdez said.
Valdez claims Zoot Suit has hit a sore
spot in the , American consciousnes's
· view of the oachuco.
"Most people didn't think of the
pachuco. Many Anglos are hearing him
for the first time," Valdez said. "There
has been an obvious change in con-
sciousness of the American people who
have seen Zoot Suit. It creates an emotional change in people."
· Daniel .Valdez, Luis' brother, plays
Henry Reyna, the lead character. in
ZOQt Suit. He echos Luis's feelings
about the Chicano and pachuco image.
According to Daniel, Zoot Suit allows
the audience to "'.come inside Chicano
reality."
"The play goes through a re-identification of the pachuco image," Daniel
said. "There is a distinct pride in Chicano culture and identity and th,is shows
in the play."
According to Daniel, the pachuco is
viewed by society as un-American.
"This is wrong," he said, "when the
pachuco is more American than apple
pie itself."
Daniel said Zoot Suit has accomplished its goal of bringing out the reality
that the pachuco is still alive. "He
is still living in the streets of every
barrio in the country,'~ said.
Many people have expressea meir
views on Zoot Suit being a world premiere in a prestigious setting as· the
Mark Taper Forum, and see that as
Chicanos invading foreign territory.
"We feel Chi~no theater is just as
worthy as any other theatrical groups,"
Valdez said. "Tbe real triumph here is
that a Chicano p)ay· is _blasting the roof
ofa place like the Forum ."
With Zoot Suit; the Forum has experienced the greatest. demand for tickets ·
in its 12-year history and every perfor~
mance of its August 15-0ctober 2 run
was sold-out. The demand for more ·
performances caused it to continue its
run at another Hollywood theater, the
Aquarius, until mid November.
Valde_z is currently looking forward
to a full-scale production of Zoot Suit on
Broadway in New York.
"Broagway is a national forum and I
believe that Chicanos should register
on this forum," Luis said. "It's also
encouraging that three are a lot of
producers in Hollywood that are interested in doing the film of Zoot Suit."
11
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita spirit lives thru riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intra.ditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros sit
~Jd~saddle ·high atop their spir-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purcha.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
.A.L -
-
'-..LS.-
-
-
~
- . 1 --
-J --..t. .. , _
drills and routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
____,.J
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are wa.tc ;
that you want to do it very mu~
It keeps you more intereste,
also/' s he said.
Instructor Lopez said bis '
La Voz de Aztlan
Page 4
Oct. 27, 1978
CSUF Pinto Program
Education Seen As .Alternative To Crime ·
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
Beyond gray ·prison walls the exconvict 's world is seemingly full of
pitfalls, all designed to land him
back behind bars. A return to crime
and prison is inevitable for many.
Yet there Is an alternative. The
Pinto Program at California State
University, Fresno, named after the
peopJe it helps, provides ex-offenders
with the- opportu.o!ty to achieve academic rather than criminal success.
It places him in college, an environment that may break the back-toprison cycle.
Tony Garduquez, coordinator of
the program, explained that Pinto
translated from Spanish means painted or marked. It's a name the convict
gave himself, not accepting the labels
society conferred upon ~im such as
ex-con, ex-offender or jailbird. And
in light of the affect of a prison
record, the name is appropriate.
"When a judge sentences someone to
prison ... it 's a life sentence," Tony
said, because the guy "is marked for
life."
Tony doesn-'t claim to remove this
stigma, but what he does do, th.rough
th program, is provide anyone with a
prison or jail record an alternative to
the streets.
"I make it as easy as I can for them
to understand," Tony said. "I tell
them to compare this rnstitution
(colleg·e) with the one they came
from. If they survived there, they can
survive here. They have the tools."
To get into the program, which is
part of the Educational Opportunity
Chicana.s Set Activities
Las Adelitas, an active socio-political
power on campus since 1969, is a stuent organization of Chicana women
who are involved in educational, political, and community awareness activities. Las Adelitas also sponsor cultural
holiday programs, help local political
campaigns, deal with Chicana issues,
as well as meeting the needs of Chicana women.
The Adelitas plan to have an Initiation Night to be held at 7:30 this evening at 1025 W. Griffith, between Ashlan and Dakota off of West Avenue. All
Chicanas are encouraged to attend. For
more information call 222-6482.
Also, Las Adelitas are in the process
of planning the second annual Halloween Dance on Oct. 31, 1978. According to Adelita Diana ·salas, the dance
last year was a success. "Many people
showed up with the most 'a toda
mad re' costumes. Prizes were given
away for the most funniest, scariest,
and most original. The La Raza Studies
faculty judged the costumes, so you
could Just imagine the chismes that
were going around!!!" she said.
This year, Freddy's Royal Chicano
Band de Sacramento will provide the
music for the dance to be held in the
upstairs cafeteria.
Chicano votes Divided
continued from Pg. 1
nldeally, a candidate should be voted
on by the district he will represent,•
said the MAPA president.
Nunez and others are currently
looking into the legal aspects of atlarge elections. And he vows that if
a law suit is warranted, "then we'll
do it."
representing their views, but he/she
·still has to win election city-wide.
Particularly for minorities this Is
quite a handicap as attests the recent
primary election. Not one minority
candidate got enough votes for
qualifiC--.tion jn the general elections.
Chicano Facu_lty and Supportive Staff Associati~n recently an·
noun_ced the wmners of their scholarships. Pictured above left
to r,ght: lsatJ:el Mejorado, CFSSA Scholarship ChairptH"Son ·
.
~a:,~el 0/gum, CFSSA Vice President; Eddie Varrela, Presi:
, Margaret De la Cruz, scholarship recipient; Frank Sierras, Sgt. at Arms.
Program (EOP) at CSUF, a Pinto
must meet minimum requirements.
He or she must have a high school
diploma or equivalent, they must fill
out a myriad of admissions and financial aids forms, must provide an autobiographical statement and letters of
recommendations.
Tony explained that these requirements serve as a self-screening process. If the Pinto does not want to
make the effort to follow through on
the procedures, it's doubtful that
he/she will succeed in school.
"We' re not in the business of setting anyone up for failure,• said the program coordinator.
After ali the paperwork
submitted, the Pinto meets with a committee comprised of Tony, a Pinto student, and someone from either the
EOP or financial aids department.
If the Pinto is currently serving time.,
then Tony has no qualms about
taking the committee to prison for
the interview.
Once in the program, orientation
and academic and career advisement
Is provided the Pinto. The career
advisement is necessary, said Tony,
because it 's a fact of I lfe that felons
are ineligible for many jobs. He
added,
"Outright discrimination
against a Pinto is the only legal form
of discrimini!tion."
The duration of the adjustment
period to college depends largely on
how long the Pinto has been out of
ls
prison. The Pinto, on campus as in
the community, must deal with stereotypes. One of them, especially for
the Chicano Pinto, is that he is a
rnember of a gang . " Not all Chicanos
coming out of prison are members of
La Nuestra Familia, ,,- Tony said.
Nonetheless, It's a prevalent attitude. ·
But much of the Pinto's campus
difficulties stem from interpersonal
relationships. "Their past experiences affect the attitudes of their
peers, " Tony said. And one Pinto
added, "Once you tell them where
you came from, from that point on
you' re somehow different."
Its Ironic, Tony pointed out, that
the same money that keeps a man in
prison also funds the Pinto program.
And actually it's quite a bargain .
"It costs more than $10,000 a year to
keep a man in prison," the coordinator reflected, "It costs about $3,000 to
keep him in school."
But Tony does not measure the
success of the program on keeping
the Pinto in school or even graduating him. He measures the success
by how effectively he has broken the
back-to-prison cycle.
Approximatley 40 Pintos have
participated in the program since
Tony took on the coordinator job
three years ago. Tony is assured of
the program's success. He knows
where most of the 40 Pintos are ... and
it's not back In prison.
CSUF Office Provides
Employment
The CSUF Student Employment (SE)
3) Position--Spanish T~tor. (teaching
office on campus is 'offering services
2 females ages 7 and 10 to learn
to currently enrolled students who are
Spanish).
looking for skilled or unskilled part- . Qualifications--Know how to speak
time jobs .
Spanish.
'Services consist of orientations, job
Pay--Open.
counseling, and helping students with
Hours--To be arranged.
problems they may be having with
4) Position--lnventory Control Clerk
their employer.
(bookkeeping job)
Jobs available are listed under seven
Qualif ications--Good with math and
different categories: part time, tutorable to operate 10-key machine by
ing jobs, internships, summer jobs,
touch.
temporary jobs, domestic jobs, and
Pay--$3.75 an hour.
education jobs.
Hours--20 hrs. a week.
According to Geri Castro, SE super5) Postion--Assorted Duties for Dentvisor, an average of 800 students a ·
ist(such as janitorial and yard work,
month use the services available . So
and typing and filing).
far, there have been positive comments
Qualifications--Type40wpm.
from the students.
Pay--$3.50 and hour.
Listed are a few of the many job
Hours--Monday-Friday, 5-7 p.m .
openings available at the student em6) Position--Engineering Technician
ployment off ice.
(surveying, drafting, and construction
staking).
1) Position--Test Grader (grading
Qualification--Engineering major.
real estate exams . Objective tests, key
Pay--$4.50 an hour.
to use).
· Hours--16 hrs . a week--arranged.
Qualifications--Must be 18 yrs. old
For further information contact the
or over.
student employment office, 8:30Pay--$3 an hour.
4:30 p .m. (Monday-Friday), in the
Hours--Tuesdays
&
Wednesdays,
Joyal Admrnistration Bldg. Phone
6:30-9:30 p.m. ·
number is 487-.2703 .
2) Position--$anta Claus PhotographCastro commented, HI encourage and
er (take pictures of children on Santa's
lap).
.
invite all students who haven't been
into the student employment office, to
Qualifications--Experience
with
a
come and investigate what services we
camera.
offer . The staff is friendly and interestPay--$3 an hour.
and
ed in helping students in their career
evenings
Hours--Arranged,
search."
weekends .
Porterville · Firm On
Waterbill Repayment
BY ALBERTO REYES
Last November, the daughter of 88year-old Rogelio Torres of Porterville
wondered why her father, s city water
and waste disposal bill was so high,
over $50 a month. Mr. Torres' son,
John, checked his father's small house
on Orange Ave. looking for a possible
leak which could 1 cause the bill to run
up. He found nothing. But he did find
something by checking City records.
According to Torres, the City of Porterville has been double-charging his
father on his bills for the past 20-years
amounting to at least $1800. Apparently the City had been charging the elder
Torres for an abandoned small house
on his property.
John Torres claims that city officials
admitted that they were wrong but refused to pay back the money because it
was "pol\cy.,, He acquired the services
of the California Rural Legal Assistance
in Porterville which filed court action in
Tulare County to force the city to pay
up.
Pictured above Is the Committee to Save Marcos Barrera
I
Str~ggle Conti~ues
For Barrera Case
A tardeada to raise legal defense
funds for the Marcos Barrera Committee will be. held Saturday in the Sanger Park.
La Asociacion cf1 Padres Mexicanos
de Sanger is sponsoring the fundraiser on behalf of six Chicanos who
have been sued by Lincoln School
Principal Sally Bakke·.
She claims she was slandered, was
caused emotional distress, and was
interfered with in her business when
the Committee members protested
the Sanger schools treatment of
five-year-old Marcos . Barrera last
January.
Marcos, who was diagnosed as
hyperactive by Sanger School District psychologist Dave Figueroa,
was placed In an enclosure that the
school calls "time-out" area.
But Sanger parents and residents,
mostly Chicanos, charged that
Marcos was "imprisoned" and
caused psychological harm as a
result.
The Marcos Barrera Committee
formed and took up Marcos' cause on
behalf of his grandmother, who
claims she was never informed of the
treatment. She is his legal guardian
and speaks only Spanish. The school
claims she was told through a translator.
After picketing both the Lincoln
School, where the incident took place
some three months prior to the Committee learning about It, and the district office, the Committee executed a
successful one-day boycott of the
Sanger schools.
Several heated meetings occurred
and the Committee called for the removal of Bakke, Marcos' kindergarten teacher Nona Wilken
and
Figueroa.
'
In apparent retaliation, Bakke filed
a defamation suit naming six persons
as defendants: Ralph Avila, Rudolfo
~arza, Jose Villareal, Jesus Sepulveda, Vivian Carrillo, and Alfonso
Hernandez, Jr.
The Committee has said it welcomes the suit because now the district will have to reveal information it
had kept private for legal reasons and
to protect Barrera's privacy.
Ralph Avila, committee spokesperson, said he is cont ident . the
Chicanos will win the case. Although
Fresno attorneys Robert Perez and
Roberto Rabago are representing
them free, funds are still needed for
basic court costs.
The tardeada in Sanger will have
several speakers, including the mayors of Parlier and Orange Cove.
Food will be sold.· and a benefit
drawing will be held. First prize is
$200.00, second is $100.00 and third
is $50. Ticket donation~ for the
drawing are $1.00 each.
It will be held at the Sanger Park
on Academy and Fifth Streets.
Academy can be reached by way of
Jensen Avenue (from downtown
Fresno or Highway 99) and from
Shaw Avenue (from CSUF). The park
is north of Jensen and south of Shaw.
MEChA Opposes
Proposition 6
After a lengthy- discussion over
Proposition 6 at their meeting yesterday, MEChA overwhelmingly voted
against the measure that would "discriminate against homosexuals."
MEChA president Priscilla Contreras said that Prop. 6 would "interfere with human rights." "We
believe that homosexuals have just
as much right to teach as others,"
she said.
The resolution passed was as follows:
Whereas, Proposition 6 (the Briggs
Initiative)
unfairly
discriminates
against homosexuals, and
Whereas, Proposition 6 is clearly
unconstitutional by limiting / freedom
of speech and association, and
Whereas, MEChA is concerned
with protecting human and civil
rights, and
Whereas, MEChA recognizes the
dangerous precedent set forth by
Proposition 6 in discriminating against other minority groups; therefore
be it
.
Resolved, MEChA supports the
"No on 6" campaign, and let it be
Resolved, Copies of this resolution
will be distributed to Chicano organizations.
·
·
In an interview with KMJ-TV news,
Torres called the City's action "a
bunch of bull" because he says there's
no reason for the city to hold on to
money that doesn't belong-to it in the
first place. He went on to say that his
father needed the money more than the
City.
The City of Porterville refused to
comment to Channel 24 saying that it
couldn't because the issue was in settlement stages. Torres says the City is
trying to offer less than his father was
· overcharged, which he can't understand. "Why negitiate for less money
when it's your money in the first place?
he asks.
But then a new twist, Rogelio Torres
died just a couple of weeks ago; without
seeing his money. He was a non-eng. lish speaking citizen. And why can't
the City of Porterville just pay-up, now
that the man is dead? We hear all the
time about government by and for "the
people?"
&A\ ,, __
Dlll 43W'A41f
La Voz de Aztlan
Oct. 27, 1978
City Council Divides
Minority Votes, says MAPA
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
The Fresno City Council, bowing to
the wishes of the Fresno Citizen Participation Committee, \rece11tly provided the city with six council districts. However, fair representatiQn
on the council, the aim of the move,
will still not be realized, according to
a Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) spokesman.
Thomas Nunez, MAPA president,
feels the plan is particularly detrimental to the Chicano community
since it further divides what could be
a solid voting block.
Under the districting plan, 1970
census tracts four and five, which
are largely Chicano populated, will
become part of a West Fresno district. West Fresno has been traditionally thought of as predominately
Black. However, Nunez theorized,
because of the new districting "if a
census were taken today you would
have just as many Chicanos as Blacks
in West Fresno.
"Chicanos cannot look at West
Fresno as Black Fresno any longer,"
Nunez said. Nunez asked, If the object of the districting was fair voter
representation on the council, why
was the Chicano vote diluted.
He noted that in Fresno certain
drawing . district lines, racial and
socio-economic factors should have
been considered, the Chicano lawyer contended. They were not.
Nunez and an associate requested
a meeting with the Fresno Citizen
Participation Committee before the
proposal wa~ aired in council chambers. However, the committee chose
not to meet with Nunez and succeeded in getting their proposal passed.
The new plan provides that council
members must now live in the district they are ostensibly representing.
How this provides for minority representation on the council is unclear.
since council members are still voted
for in at-large elections. Nunez believes that the feeling was that there
would be less interest In Anglos
running for office In largely Black or
Chicano districts, thereby allowing a
minority to get elected. "That's
politically naive," Nunez said,
"people will still vote for favorites."
The issue is now more philosophical than anything else, Nunez conceded. Although the city is now divided into districts, voting is still done
at large. The result, Nunez said, Is
that minorities can put up a candidate
continued on Pg. 4
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
LA VOZ de AZTL
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita ·spirit liVes thn.1 ·riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intraditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros slt
~.ld~~addle ·high atop their splr-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purctla.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
...L:L.._
-
L.!'--
-
_ J..J..~-
drills an1 routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
...1_.1.1,, _ _ _ ,_1
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are watc ·
that you want to do it very mu
It keeps you more interest€'.
also," she said.
Instructor Lopez said his u:
La Voz de Aztlan
f>age 2
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following
stories were written by four -La Voz de
Aztlan staff reporters after going to Los
Angeles to see Zoot Suit. Each person
was affected differently after seeing
the play, but all agreed that it was one
of t~e better experiences in their lives,
something they would not forget for a
very long time. What follows are personal accounts contributed by the four
offering insight into what the play was
about, who it was about, anq the circumstances surrounding the.action.
Oct. 27, 1978
Actors Encourage .
Chicano Writing Talent
· Sy PEDRO RA_MIREZ
Usually, if someone attends a play at
any theatrical house in the United
States, the.theme of the play does not
center on Chicanos. There have been a
few Chicano plays written and no Chicano play has been premiered in a
major theater house, except for Zoot
Suit.
Zoot Suit has been playing at t~e
Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles
since August. ·
When people travel to Los Angeles,
it is probably because they want to see
something like Hollywood, a museum,
Disneyland, a basebaU or football game
or a play. But, the chance to see a Chicano play comes rarely .
Mike Gomez, a Chicano actor from
Texas plays the role of Joey Castro, a
gang member in Zoot Suit. He says
that the primary goal for Chicanos is to
encourage the creative Chicano to
write. "In order to stand firm in the
theatrical business, Chicanos must
begin to write plays that convey historical and contemporary experiences of
the Chicano," explained Gomez.
Gomez says there have been no good
movies or plays that depict the Chicano
in a good sensible role. "J think many
times our image as Chicanos is distorted because we have script writers who
want to portray the Chicano character
in one narrow aspect. The Chicano
taking _all day siestas an~ being lazy or
the Chicano as a thief and the Chicano
as a murderer are only a few characterizations. These characterizations, in a
sense, cripple the .Chicano because heis
~-
Portrayal of Woman
labeled with ster~types. Chican.os
must escape these stereotypes, and
again, will only do so by writing our
experience," Gomez points out.
Gomez says the character he portrayed would have had a totally different
image, if gone by a Anglo writer.
"Joey Castro is p_art of a gaag led by
Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez). Joey is a
Pachuco. Pachucos in a major movie or
play, was unheard of in the past because the pachuco was pictured as a
showoff due to his uniform and some·
one useless to society. Luis Valdez captures the true essence of the pachuco.
With Joey, he portrays him as a funny,
crazy person who has a lot of emotion.
Joey acts tough and knows it and enjoys the respect he recieves i due to his
tough image. Valdez depicts Joey as a
person, not some crazy scoundrel,"
explains Gomez.
The pachuco, as described in the
play, is an existpnti;ili-.t . A oerson who
seeks self-identification through the
world as it exists tor him. The pachuco
takes pride in what he is and seeks selfidentification because he rebells against assimilation.
Tommy Mace, a native New Yorker·,
and Tommy Roberts an Anglo pachuco
in the play, says he never heard of
pachucos. "I heard about auditions for
the play and it was there that pachucismo was introduced to me. I had to
portray a person who I never heard of
and had to speak a whole new different
language, Calo," sa1d Mace.
-Mace says that Luis Valdez depicts
the pachuco or Chicano in a unique
way. He lets you know the real problems that Chicanos go through. "I was
raised in New York, with the Puerto
Ricans, so the problems are similar."
explains Mace.
Mace adds, "I got a better perspective on what Chicano Life was. I got to
get a look at the Family structure and
how th'e y cope with problems. I was introduced to menudo and many other
Mexican dishes. Most importantly, I
got to know what pachucos were
about."
As an actor, you would think that
Mace had heard of pachucos and knew
about Chicanos in general, but he had!
not. This proves that many people in
American society are never told who
and what Chicanos are in this system .
The mass media and literature have
portrayed Chicanos misleadingly, but
now with Zoot Suit and many other
works that Chicanos are. going to
create, the situation will change.
Characte~s Are -S ymbolic of Chicanas
BY MARGARITA MARTINEZ
.
During the zoot suit riots, women as well as men, were the target of the crazed
When Della Is released fro~ reform school aQd becomes aware of what Is hapviolence against Chlamos In Los Angeles.
.
pening, she suddenly changeS and sh~ws what a woman can be when forced to. She
It Is only fitting that In the play, Zoot Sult, women play the courageous, Intelli- tells Henry she loves him, .but Is not willing to be stepped on.
.
.
gent, essential rol~ they have played throughout our history.
She gives Henry the ultirnatum of choosing her or alice. As she awaits a response, 1 feel what she must be feeling: suspense and fear of his decision. To
.The diverse roles they play·In Zoot Sult are symbolic of all Chi-.·
Della's relief, he chooses her.
,
·
Alice Bloomfield ls the "other woman". Her relationship with the boys turns out
The most touchlna and down-to-earth character In the olav is Delores Reyna
Henry's mother. She could be the woman we all know and love1 our motner She to be a special on.; for Henry. She loses Henry but she has to be given credit for
he_tps to solidify the family. She hurts, and a part of her dies when Henry is taK~n to sticking It out until the victory•
f
Lupe Reyna, Henry's sister, can also be anyone of us. In her I can see a part o
pnso~. We~ Identify with the anguish she feels because our own mothers have
felt this pain either for our brothers when they were In trouble with the police or for me. In one particutar scene, ~n a Saturday night she Is getting ready to go out. Her
ourselves when we left home either to attend college, to be married or whatever father reprimands her for wearing her skirt too short. In defense, she points out
reason. She was a strong and coura_geous woman when she suffered I cried for in that Henrv Is wearlno a zoot suit. Her father like manv of our fathers responds,
her, I saw my own mother.
.
·
'
"but he's a man". 1'm sure we've all hear.cl that ll~ at-one time or another. HowAnother character we can more closely Identify with was Della Barrios Henry's ever, oor parents, being who they are, we have to quietly go along with what they
girlfriend. She plays the role of a woman in love. At first she appears s~bservient
and the kind of woman almost everv man awaits for: devoted and beautiful. When sa~he other women in the play can be our friends, 9ur sisters, or even ourselves.
Henry qoes off to pr!son she ls deeP.IY_hurt. She Is sent to a reform school, but no- Like anyone else, they enjoy laughter and song. They are the faithful con:ipanio~ of
Some might see them as cholas, pachucas or even "cheap prostitutes, , as
th1ng hinders her drive to wait faithfully for Henry 1u ue released. Henry, typical ot the bo
many ~n, falls for Anglo Alice Bloomfield, the executive secretary of the defense the pr~ billed them. But In them Isa~ the revolutlonar)· zeal and commlttment
committee, not thinking of Della's sacrifices for him.
Chicanas have when fighting for something they believe In.
La Voz de Aztla~
Oct. 27, 1978
Americaris
A~ .My House
Cuando no era el probation offi~r
Era el councilordel la ·escuel,
La jura or some long haired
Lostlamb, marlc chick offering
Us the world so she could write
Her thesis.
But my dismal world was so
much brighter! My past was
the old barn across the canal
that housed a lechusa that
screeched at night scaring
the children porque era la
anima de la comrade de mi grama.
Jose Montoya
Chicano Play ·coal:
Re-identificatiorl of Pachuco
By EL VIA RUIZ
The pachuco stands center stage in
the prestigiuos Mar~ Taper Forum
theater located in downtown Los Angeles. He runs his fingers slowly over
his pencil thin moustache and then tilts
his stylish hat over one eyebrow as he
eyes his audience with a defiant gaze .Former Fresrian and CSUF professor
Luis Valdez beams silently· to himself
as he watches his creation come to life
on stage. Valdez is the author and director of the Zoot Suit.
Thirty-five years ago, the pachuco
was not standing on a stage recreating
his life to middle and upper-class audiences but was alive and living in the
streets of downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, Valdez was asked to write
a play for the theater and he immediately began work on his 10-year-old idea
of a theatrical performance on the
pachuco. The play Zoot Suit then
emerged·as the first chicano play by a
Chicano writer to perform at such a
professional level of theater.
Valdez is founder and director of El
Teatro Campesino, a Chicano theater
group which was first recognized for
their performances stressing the
causes of the farmworkers. Four members from El Teatro are currently involved in Zoot Suit.
· ."'.
"We (El Teatro) wanted to work on a
new level of theater, even _though our
roots are in the barrio," Valdez said.
"For 13 years we performed in the
barrio and with Zoot Suit we had the
opportunity to work at this new level of
professionalism."
According to Valdez, the spirit of
Zoot Suit was to make a professional
production using professional actors
and dancers. All -the talent used in the
play was not Chicano•.
"There isn't any level in American
Society that we, as Chicanos, don't belong in. We are in a process of growth
and we should expand to other levels of
performance," Valdez asserted.
~
With the opportunity to direct and
write a major theatrical production
Valdez.chose to focus on the pachuco of
the barrios. · Zoot Suit is based on the Sleepy
Lagoon Murder Case of 1943 and the
Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940's. The play
recreates the Sleepy Lagoon case
through the use of documents, transcripts, letters and newspapers of the
period.
The Sleepy lagoon case was a mass
murder triat in Los Angeles in 1943 in
which 17 Chicano youths were convicted of the m,urder of another Chiomo
youth. These convictions ultimatly led
to increased tension between the barrios and t~e rest of Los Angeles which
followed with the infamous Zoot Suit
Riots.
Chicano youth wearing a Zoot Suit
were cafled Zoot Suiters and groups of
white service men started a "clean up"
campaign to get these so-called Zoot
Suiters off of the street.
.
~
The Los Angele_s City Council went
so far a_s to proclaim anyone found
wearing a Zoot Suit would be arrested
and jailed for thirty days.
·
"J chose to write _a bout Sleepy Lagoon and the .[iots .because it was the
most outstandTng_murder case in U.S.
history," Valdez said. "This made a
national ~mpression in the media and
the country got a negative image of the
Chicano."
According to Valdez, this ne2ative
image promoted in the · media during
the 1940' s is the basis· for the stereotyped image of the Chic~no today.
"Zoot Suit is also important because
it centers on an urban reaJity as old as
35 years ago. It "Shows that Chicanos
have been around for quite some time,"
Valdez said.
Valdez claims Zoot Suit has hit a sore
spot in the , American consciousnes's
· view of the oachuco.
"Most people didn't think of the
pachuco. Many Anglos are hearing him
for the first time," Valdez said. "There
has been an obvious change in con-
sciousness of the American people who
have seen Zoot Suit. It creates an emotional change in people."
· Daniel .Valdez, Luis' brother, plays
Henry Reyna, the lead character. in
ZOQt Suit. He echos Luis's feelings
about the Chicano and pachuco image.
According to Daniel, Zoot Suit allows
the audience to "'.come inside Chicano
reality."
"The play goes through a re-identification of the pachuco image," Daniel
said. "There is a distinct pride in Chicano culture and identity and th,is shows
in the play."
According to Daniel, the pachuco is
viewed by society as un-American.
"This is wrong," he said, "when the
pachuco is more American than apple
pie itself."
Daniel said Zoot Suit has accomplished its goal of bringing out the reality
that the pachuco is still alive. "He
is still living in the streets of every
barrio in the country,'~ said.
Many people have expressea meir
views on Zoot Suit being a world premiere in a prestigious setting as· the
Mark Taper Forum, and see that as
Chicanos invading foreign territory.
"We feel Chi~no theater is just as
worthy as any other theatrical groups,"
Valdez said. "Tbe real triumph here is
that a Chicano p)ay· is _blasting the roof
ofa place like the Forum ."
With Zoot Suit; the Forum has experienced the greatest. demand for tickets ·
in its 12-year history and every perfor~
mance of its August 15-0ctober 2 run
was sold-out. The demand for more ·
performances caused it to continue its
run at another Hollywood theater, the
Aquarius, until mid November.
Valde_z is currently looking forward
to a full-scale production of Zoot Suit on
Broadway in New York.
"Broagway is a national forum and I
believe that Chicanos should register
on this forum," Luis said. "It's also
encouraging that three are a lot of
producers in Hollywood that are interested in doing the film of Zoot Suit."
11
CINCO DE MAYO, 1978
PAGE 4
• •
'Las Escaramuzas' doing it with prec1s1on
Adelita spirit lives thru riding team
By ELVIA RUIZ
Staff Reporter
The eight girls dressed intra.ditonal Mexican charro uniforms
wearing large sombreros sit
~Jd~saddle ·high atop their spir-
Through fundraisers such as
bake sales and car washes, they
raised enough money to purcha.Se
Mexican-style side saddles. The
girls also handm~de their authentic-looking · riding uniforms all
.A.L -
-
'-..LS.-
-
-
~
- . 1 --
-J --..t. .. , _
drills and routines as El Albanico
(the 1 fan), El Reloj (the clock),
El Peine (the comb) and Las
Cruzadas (the crosses).
Lopez said Mexican audiences feel proud to see Chica.-
____,.J
participate, too," Lopez said.
The riding team encourages
girls to join the group if they
are willing to put their interests in this project. "The girls
practice twice a week and on
"It makes you feel so g
when the people are wa.tc ;
that you want to do it very mu~
It keeps you more intereste,
also/' s he said.
Instructor Lopez said bis '
La Voz de Aztlan
Page 4
Oct. 27, 1978
CSUF Pinto Program
Education Seen As .Alternative To Crime ·
By RICARDO PIMENTEL
Beyond gray ·prison walls the exconvict 's world is seemingly full of
pitfalls, all designed to land him
back behind bars. A return to crime
and prison is inevitable for many.
Yet there Is an alternative. The
Pinto Program at California State
University, Fresno, named after the
peopJe it helps, provides ex-offenders
with the- opportu.o!ty to achieve academic rather than criminal success.
It places him in college, an environment that may break the back-toprison cycle.
Tony Garduquez, coordinator of
the program, explained that Pinto
translated from Spanish means painted or marked. It's a name the convict
gave himself, not accepting the labels
society conferred upon ~im such as
ex-con, ex-offender or jailbird. And
in light of the affect of a prison
record, the name is appropriate.
"When a judge sentences someone to
prison ... it 's a life sentence," Tony
said, because the guy "is marked for
life."
Tony doesn-'t claim to remove this
stigma, but what he does do, th.rough
th program, is provide anyone with a
prison or jail record an alternative to
the streets.
"I make it as easy as I can for them
to understand," Tony said. "I tell
them to compare this rnstitution
(colleg·e) with the one they came
from. If they survived there, they can
survive here. They have the tools."
To get into the program, which is
part of the Educational Opportunity
Chicana.s Set Activities
Las Adelitas, an active socio-political
power on campus since 1969, is a stuent organization of Chicana women
who are involved in educational, political, and community awareness activities. Las Adelitas also sponsor cultural
holiday programs, help local political
campaigns, deal with Chicana issues,
as well as meeting the needs of Chicana women.
The Adelitas plan to have an Initiation Night to be held at 7:30 this evening at 1025 W. Griffith, between Ashlan and Dakota off of West Avenue. All
Chicanas are encouraged to attend. For
more information call 222-6482.
Also, Las Adelitas are in the process
of planning the second annual Halloween Dance on Oct. 31, 1978. According to Adelita Diana ·salas, the dance
last year was a success. "Many people
showed up with the most 'a toda
mad re' costumes. Prizes were given
away for the most funniest, scariest,
and most original. The La Raza Studies
faculty judged the costumes, so you
could Just imagine the chismes that
were going around!!!" she said.
This year, Freddy's Royal Chicano
Band de Sacramento will provide the
music for the dance to be held in the
upstairs cafeteria.
Chicano votes Divided
continued from Pg. 1
nldeally, a candidate should be voted
on by the district he will represent,•
said the MAPA president.
Nunez and others are currently
looking into the legal aspects of atlarge elections. And he vows that if
a law suit is warranted, "then we'll
do it."
representing their views, but he/she
·still has to win election city-wide.
Particularly for minorities this Is
quite a handicap as attests the recent
primary election. Not one minority
candidate got enough votes for
qualifiC--.tion jn the general elections.
Chicano Facu_lty and Supportive Staff Associati~n recently an·
noun_ced the wmners of their scholarships. Pictured above left
to r,ght: lsatJ:el Mejorado, CFSSA Scholarship ChairptH"Son ·
.
~a:,~el 0/gum, CFSSA Vice President; Eddie Varrela, Presi:
, Margaret De la Cruz, scholarship recipient; Frank Sierras, Sgt. at Arms.
Program (EOP) at CSUF, a Pinto
must meet minimum requirements.
He or she must have a high school
diploma or equivalent, they must fill
out a myriad of admissions and financial aids forms, must provide an autobiographical statement and letters of
recommendations.
Tony explained that these requirements serve as a self-screening process. If the Pinto does not want to
make the effort to follow through on
the procedures, it's doubtful that
he/she will succeed in school.
"We' re not in the business of setting anyone up for failure,• said the program coordinator.
After ali the paperwork
submitted, the Pinto meets with a committee comprised of Tony, a Pinto student, and someone from either the
EOP or financial aids department.
If the Pinto is currently serving time.,
then Tony has no qualms about
taking the committee to prison for
the interview.
Once in the program, orientation
and academic and career advisement
Is provided the Pinto. The career
advisement is necessary, said Tony,
because it 's a fact of I lfe that felons
are ineligible for many jobs. He
added,
"Outright discrimination
against a Pinto is the only legal form
of discrimini!tion."
The duration of the adjustment
period to college depends largely on
how long the Pinto has been out of
ls
prison. The Pinto, on campus as in
the community, must deal with stereotypes. One of them, especially for
the Chicano Pinto, is that he is a
rnember of a gang . " Not all Chicanos
coming out of prison are members of
La Nuestra Familia, ,,- Tony said.
Nonetheless, It's a prevalent attitude. ·
But much of the Pinto's campus
difficulties stem from interpersonal
relationships. "Their past experiences affect the attitudes of their
peers, " Tony said. And one Pinto
added, "Once you tell them where
you came from, from that point on
you' re somehow different."
Its Ironic, Tony pointed out, that
the same money that keeps a man in
prison also funds the Pinto program.
And actually it's quite a bargain .
"It costs more than $10,000 a year to
keep a man in prison," the coordinator reflected, "It costs about $3,000 to
keep him in school."
But Tony does not measure the
success of the program on keeping
the Pinto in school or even graduating him. He measures the success
by how effectively he has broken the
back-to-prison cycle.
Approximatley 40 Pintos have
participated in the program since
Tony took on the coordinator job
three years ago. Tony is assured of
the program's success. He knows
where most of the 40 Pintos are ... and
it's not back In prison.
CSUF Office Provides
Employment
The CSUF Student Employment (SE)
3) Position--Spanish T~tor. (teaching
office on campus is 'offering services
2 females ages 7 and 10 to learn
to currently enrolled students who are
Spanish).
looking for skilled or unskilled part- . Qualifications--Know how to speak
time jobs .
Spanish.
'Services consist of orientations, job
Pay--Open.
counseling, and helping students with
Hours--To be arranged.
problems they may be having with
4) Position--lnventory Control Clerk
their employer.
(bookkeeping job)
Jobs available are listed under seven
Qualif ications--Good with math and
different categories: part time, tutorable to operate 10-key machine by
ing jobs, internships, summer jobs,
touch.
temporary jobs, domestic jobs, and
Pay--$3.75 an hour.
education jobs.
Hours--20 hrs. a week.
According to Geri Castro, SE super5) Postion--Assorted Duties for Dentvisor, an average of 800 students a ·
ist(such as janitorial and yard work,
month use the services available . So
and typing and filing).
far, there have been positive comments
Qualifications--Type40wpm.
from the students.
Pay--$3.50 and hour.
Listed are a few of the many job
Hours--Monday-Friday, 5-7 p.m .
openings available at the student em6) Position--Engineering Technician
ployment off ice.
(surveying, drafting, and construction
staking).
1) Position--Test Grader (grading
Qualification--Engineering major.
real estate exams . Objective tests, key
Pay--$4.50 an hour.
to use).
· Hours--16 hrs . a week--arranged.
Qualifications--Must be 18 yrs. old
For further information contact the
or over.
student employment office, 8:30Pay--$3 an hour.
4:30 p .m. (Monday-Friday), in the
Hours--Tuesdays
&
Wednesdays,
Joyal Admrnistration Bldg. Phone
6:30-9:30 p.m. ·
number is 487-.2703 .
2) Position--$anta Claus PhotographCastro commented, HI encourage and
er (take pictures of children on Santa's
lap).
.
invite all students who haven't been
into the student employment office, to
Qualifications--Experience
with
a
come and investigate what services we
camera.
offer . The staff is friendly and interestPay--$3 an hour.
and
ed in helping students in their career
evenings
Hours--Arranged,
search."
weekends .