La Voz de Aztlan, October 17 1988
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, October 17 1988
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
10/17/1988
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00178
extracted text
LA V OZ DE AZTLAN
Mcnday, October 17, 1988
California State University, Fresno
Carlos Fuentes
Change and Development affect Latin America
BY JOHANNA MUNOZ
Staff Writer
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes notes trend toward independence in a
recent -lecture at CSUF.
"Our path now is to travel to
interdependence without sacrificing our
independence, the task is large but so are
the opportunities."
Carlos Fuentes, the second speaker in
the Univesity Lecture Series, spoke to a
Fuentes spoke of a new emerging
packed auditorium on Tuesday, September Latin America and suggested that these
27th. Fuentes, currently a professor at coun~es are demanding their rightful
the Kennedy Institute of Harvard, is noted place m the world, and not vice-versa.
as one of the foremost scholars of Latin
American affairs. His lecture entiteld
However. the reality in Latin America
"The Crisis of Culture in Latin America," is a growing population with little
was well received.
resources. What docs Latin America look
Fuentes began his lecture by like in the 21st century? According to
reminding us that Latin America is an Fuentes there is a population explosion.
heterogeneous society composed of a The population has doubled to 400
variety of traditions and ethnicities. million today and will double the
Moreover, the premise of his lecture was population of the U.S. by the year 2000:
that in order to understrand Latin a population where more than half is 15
American culture one must first realize years old or less. a population hungry for
that old and new coexist. It is this jobs. education and social services.
coexistence that defines the fundamental essentially a population with great needs
aspects of the culture.
that are not being met.
In contrast, Fuentes argues that we
The capacity of Latin Americans to be
themselves and to address the are also seeing a state of cooperation
international community will be put to occurring within the Latin American
the test between now and the year 2000. countries themselves. As an example,
In this test. the U.S. must create a new Fuentes described the Mexican earthquake
policy based on rationality, consultation of 1985 where the community was able
and mutual respect. "The U.S. must no to work together to pull out of this crisis.
longer exert dominance, but seek
The picture Fuentes painted of Latin
cooperation. The U.S. should promise
non- intervention, and we promise the America, and Mexico in particular, was
U.S. security and give each other pretty and colorful. However, it was just
that a pretty picture. The reality of the
cooperation," he stated.
Now, more than ever Latin America is situation is one of ekctoral fraud,
achieving a greater degree of diplomatic government abuses, and little given to
uiiily. According to Fuentes we are stabilize the economy.
heading towards a "post-Yalta period." A
On a positive note though, Fuentes did
period where the world is "no longer
address
the democratization beginning to
dominated by two superpowers. but a
world where a wealth of options offered occur in Latin America. And, perhaps
by the diversity of culture and national this positive note is much greater than all
experiences can tell the superpowers that the negative. That is, we may yet see a
their armed influences continue to be free and just society for all in Latin
paramount, but this is no longer true of America and, as important, a Latin
their economic-perfect political ex- America taking its rightful place as a
world leader.
amples."
Modem Aztecas bleed a nation
Tlatelolco: Twenty Years Later
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
October 2, 1968 is the day in Mexico
that the modem "Aztecas," embodied in
the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party),
sacrificed
v1cums
to
Huitzilopochtli (the Aztec god of war.)
They felt his war-like face against them
as they began to preach and believe in a
new religion; democracy.
Democracy had never been a part ot the
modem Aztecas world, even after the
1910 Revolution. Political power was
consolidated in the hands of the few, and
the PRI eventually symbolized Mexico in
such
fashion.
Taking the role of the high Aztec priest,
the PRI ripped open the flesh of the
impoverished. Alas, even the reformist
leadership of Lazaro Cardenas could not
save them.
Tlatelolco, was that sacrificial alter.
October 2nd was the day Huitzilopochtli
cried for victims. There, the sacrifices
began at 6 p.m., when flares appeared in
the sky and the meeting was about to
come to a close. The students, who
preached an end to the violence of the
government and its granaderos, forgot that
underneath the flesh of the PRI was the
soul of the modem Azteca who was not
:uraid to sacrifice his own nation.
Throughout the student movement, the
students themselves had formed brigades
to educate and unite the people to the six
points of their demands. More than
anything, fear, as much as courage, made
them determined to hold a dialogue with
the government of Diaz Ordaz (I 964-70).
But Ordaz only ignored the demands of
his people. The PRI deliberately turned a
deaf ear to the six point petition. drafted
by
the
CNH
(National
Strike
Committee). Among the more significant
points the CNH asked for was the
liberation of all political prisoners and the
disbandment of the granaderos. They also
asked for Cueto, the brutal chief of
police. to be fired for his brutal Gestapo
methods.
Thousands of arrests began in the
summer before Tlatelolco. Billy clubs
beat down the people while the faces of a
nation were tom open.
All summer they were arrested and
stripped naked, only to have their bodies
burned with electrical shocks to the head
and rectum. The female students were
raped by the granaderos who were the
conquistadores resurrected.
Mexico became a nation possessed, as
the army occupied Santo Tomas Campus
and University City. The universities
became the target of a political entity
unwilling to yield. Yet, the government
could not remove the mask. for to hold a
dialogue with its people meant eventual
democratization for the nation. If that
happened the modem Aztecas (PRI) would
lose their authority and all the sacrifices
would eventually have to end.
Barbarous Mexico. Aztec Mexico. A
Mexico possessed by a heritage it did not
fully understand.
In a few weeks modem Mexico would
host the Olympics. Once again Mexico
was a mother to foreigners and a
stepmother to Mexicans. It has been that
way since the conquest, the lndians
represented the other Mexico, the Mexico
That is why at 6 p.m .• the lights of a that must remain hidden... as Tlatelolco
helicopter flashed overhead as the crowd must remain hidden. The government
looked up. The hopeful students shouted never assumed responsibility. Mexican
newspapers recorded about twenty to
for the people not to panic.
"They are only trying to scare us, don't twenty-five deaths. But, there was too
much blood smeared on that alter, the
move!"
blood of a nation.
At that moment, dum-dum bullets flew
through the air, ripping open flesh much
quicker than the old sacrificial knives had
Later 325 deaths were reported by the
ever done. Faces darted in every direction, Guardian. a British newspaper. Among
blood filled the square of La Plaza de las those murdered were Professor Leonardo
Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco. Pregnant Perez Gonzalez; Leobardo Lopez Arreche,
bodies were dismembered with bayonets and Ana Maria Regina Teucher, twenty
and bullets. Children were gunned down
like common criminals by the army. Old
men and women died that night. Bullets years of age and a first year medical
hailed through the air sixty minutes student; as well as hundreds of others.
straight, tearing everything in their path.
An unsuspecting Mexico panicked, only
Although it has been twenty years
to be cornered and gunned down by its since Tlatelolco bled, the bullets continue
to echo through the air. One can still hear
own army.
them. The tragedy of October 2. 1968
The following morning the alter was will continue until Mexico is truly
clean, Tlatelolco belonged to the "other democratized. When Cuauhtemoc finally
Mexico" that Octavio Paz wrote of. returns to see his nation redeemed.
Rather than risk that, the modem
Aztecas risked Tlatelolco. They chose to
sacrifice its young, they chose to disturb
its citizens, they chose to stain their own
credibility.
Page 2
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
:Showdown '88
PERSPECTIVE
repl!s~lica
!emocra1
D
•
•
In November YOU make the choice
LEITER TO THE EDITOR
GLSA supports UFW
grape boycott
Editor,
BUENAS TARDES mis amigas y
amigos
I am Peter Robinson, the recently
elected President of the Gay Lesbian
Student Alliance here on this campus. We
are here in support of MECHA and the
efforts of the United Farm Workers of
America.
DID you know: farmworkers are
virtually unprotected from pesticides
hazards under current state and federal
laws?
DID you know: agriculture is among
the most dangerous occupation in this
country today, measured in terms of workrelated injuries and death?
DID you know: some California table
grapes are considered one of the most
dangerous foods available for public
consumption?
California farmworkers labor under the
worst conditions of any worker in the
United States today. Over 25% of these
workers are minors. Many rights enjoyed
by most other workers are specifically
denied the farmworker included are labor
Jaws, health laws, safety laws, and
minimum wage laws. Only twelve years
ago, did the United Farm Workers win the
historic rights to organize and bargain
collectively.
Led by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm
Workers have been actively campaigning
for an enforced ban on five highly toxic
pesticides from the California grape
fields. Pesticides are toxins, sometimes
cancer-causing deliberately put into our
environment and foods. By nature, they
Please see LEITER, page 4
Albert Robles • Edit.or
Lisa Y. Flores - Assistant Editor
·Hector Atnezcua - Photo Editor
Staff Writers: Hector Amezcua,James I. Corrosco,Matty·B. Duran,
Johanna.Munoz, Marty Rivera
Photographer: Angel de Jesus
· Graphi_
c5.(production: Lisa Y. Flores
,, ,., La Voi'de Aztlan is 00 insert
of
the Daily Collegian, under a seperate
· ·editori•al staff. Opinions expressed in La Voz dctnot necessarily '·
·
·reflect. those
of
the Dai{yColfegian.
. . . · ·... ·.
. -:-.••:-:
·-:
-.
.-.
-
The "H" Word
BY EDUARDO LOPEZ
The Daily Californian
UC Berkeley
If I had a dollar for every time I've
heard or read aie term "Hispanic" lately,
I'd be a rich Chicai10. In reality I am a
poor Chicano - a somewhat politically
aware person of Mexican descent living in
the United States.
Everybody seems to be discovering
that Latinos actually exist within the
artificial boundaries of these United States
and have something worthwhile to offer.
Latinos - people of Latin American
descent - are now "in," but as far as I'm
concerned, we've always been in.
A.long wit.11 the hype comes ~ subtle
message that Latinos are to spicy for Mr.
and Mrs. Wonderbread, the people who
cor.sume mass media as a daily staple, so
we have been labeled with a thoroughly
homogenizing term - Hispanic.
The "H" word (I cannot physically
speak the wofd as it leaves a horribly
bland taste in my mouth) is just .another
in a series of assimilation devices to
blend Latinos more easily into the Great
American Melting Pot.
These Cultural Cuisinarts include the
intolerant English Only Movement, shortterm political appointments, and yes,
ev::n McDonald's Chicken McFiesta Latin
A;nerican Coin Giveaway!
GUEST
COLUMNIST
This last McCulturally Insensitive
media blitz repeats the stereotype that
Latin American money is as worthless as
the people that produce it Market values
aside, just imagine if your legal currency
was being given away as a promotional
toy to sell ground up, re-formed flavorless
gobs of chicken entrails. Would you brag
about it?
English-Only's purpose is to rob
Latinos of their culture by "haciendo
menos" the Spanish language. ("haciendo
menos" means literally "making less" or
approximates
demeaning
and/or
trivializing. I couldn't think of a better
~e.rrn in English.)
l shouldn't be narrow-minded here. Any
ianguage carries _culture, and that is a
threat to the one-dimensional view of the
English Only Cultural Police. By
removing "foreign" tongues from this
country, they hope to instill a whitebread
ethnocentrism that will unite us all in
one big happy lump of Cream of Wheat
As for political tokenism, the election
season appointment of Dr. Lauro Cavazos
to · a virtually perpetual term in the
cabmet post of Secreia.ry of Education making him the highest ranking "H"
person next to Colombian coffee picker
Juan Valdez - is obviously aimed at
convincing "H" voters that the out-oftouch Reagan/Bush administration has
turned over a new leaf.
Previously, the only "H" people
Reagan ever wanted in his cabinet were
the maids cleaning Nancy's kitchen. Bush
has displayed his cultural sensitivity not
only by hanging out with murderous
The "H" word is a misnomer, an
application of a wrong name or epithet to
some person or thing. It is inaccurate for
several reasons. First, what it describes
should be scrutinized. "H," at least in the
dictionary I looked in, states: "l)
belonging to Spain, its language or
people. 2) Spanish."
The last time I was called "Spanish"
Wu3 when some old lady thought she was
doing me a favor.
"No, my parents are from Mexico," I
said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She was pitying
me, not apologizing.
"H" emphasizes the European roots of
Latinos and dismisses the vast Indian
heritage we posess. I guess the more
European you are, the whiter you can
pretend to be. I cannot deny my Spanish
background but I think the last 500 years
er so hav~ ornv""n thr~ !~~Hin America has
produced its own unique and quite valid
cultures.
This wealth of diverse Latin American
cultures is targeted for homogenization in
the United States by the "H" word. From
Puerto Ricans to Peruvians, Chicanos to
Chileans, this great variety of peoples are
all lumped into one big generic package.
1 think we should call it "Beige Wrap."
That should not only help assimilate us
but could conceivably make us very
marketable. Imagine, any politician could
walk imo a supermarket and pick up a
few "H's" for his or her next rally! Just
look for us between the yellow wrap
"Chili with Meat" and the generic "Taco
Shells Formed by the Mechanical
Compression of Plastic By-Products."
The creation of this ccrm for "official"
North American usage can be traced to the
1970 Census Bureau under the fair-minded
Nixon Adminstration. I believe that
because of the flourishing radical Chicano
movement in the country, and other
revolutionary movements in Latin
America, the "H" word was a neutralizing
term acceptable to the Establishment.
The purpose was to associate Latinos
here with Latinos abroad. In that Vietnam
era when many were protesting the
faraway war, government schemers may
have looked ahead 10 to 15 years to
possible U.S. intervention against
revolutionary governments in Latin
America.
If we could not identify with our
brothers and sisters throughout the
hemisphe1e in struggle domestically, we
might not object to aggression in say,
Central America, and might even be
convinced to fight for the Red, White and
Blue. And plus, the U.S. Army proved it
had a fantastic affirmative action program
during the Vietnam conflict which assured
that disproportionate amounts of Chicano
and black soldiers were slotted for
frontline action and death. Even now the
demand in Central America is great for
bilingual killing machines!
"H" is -:i•JL bilingw.J • iL's ii1 .1:mglish.
this subtly conveys to "H's" that the
Spanish language is out: English is in.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Advertisers realize the positive impact (at
least in their bank accounts) of Spanish
language advertising. Jesus, even
Madonna sings in Spanish!
Which brings me back around to what's
in. Diversity is in. Sameness is out. The
last thing this country needs is yet
another di verse people swallowed up by
Mr. and Mrs. white-sponge bread. It needs
variety, it needs to become more openminded and accepting, not more
homogenous and bland. So if you feel
you're in danger of becoming just another
Wonderbreadsandwich, my only adviccis-
Nicaraguan Contras, but by calling his
half-Mexican grandchildren, "the little .
brown ones."
I wonder if they call him "the Great
White Grandfather?" This vice-presidential
Archie Bunker hopes to win "H" hearts
and minds with this endearingly repulsive
label. Labels speak. Misnomers mislead. get the H---out!
La Voz de Aztlan
Monday, October 17, 1988
Page 3
Carlos·Santana Perspective And Viewpoint
BY HECTOR AMEZCUA
Staff Writer
After a two and a half hour delay,
legendary musician Carlos Santana
arrived in Fresno. Upon his arrival he
granted La Voz de Aztlan a private
interview. In the following text, Carlos
shares some of his thoughts about his
music, his experience as an international
figure, and the impact of mus;c ir.
changing society.
A croud of six thousand Santana fans
gathered on the opening night of The
Fresno Fair. The concert was a complete
delight to the croud who at the rythm of
Black Magic Woman screamed "Viva
Santana. We love you."
"I grew up in Tijuana doing what Los
Lobos were doing in the movie, playing
in a club," refering to a scene from the
movie "La Bamba".
"I went to Tijuana two days ago.
Everywere their are new clubs in Tijuana
playing loud disco music that is just
pounding. Like most of the things they
do in San Francisco, playing rap music or
modem music.
And we have the
mariachis walking around on the street~
saying: 'You want a song Mr.? Five
dollars a song.' And then you see the
little kids following there parents with
guitars."
"Because to look at the faces of the
mariachis competing against this music,
is a real challenge. Y si no nos fijamos,
if we don't look out for each
other........ .look what happened to the
American Indian. This is what their
trying to do to us."
f
''I'm
not
very
nationalistic.
~ Nationalism is another word for racism.
I'm more universal, humanitarian, y a
ayudar a quien nesecite. Porque asi
perdieron los indios Americanos, they
stayed with their own tribe, and then
when they wanted to unite it was too
late."
"For right know I like to think that
it's important that we comunicate with
one another more as we come more
Carlos Santana elecrifies audience with new and old band members.
ciosely together. I want to do a concert in
San Quentin, para mis hermanos
Chicanos, Negros, y blancos. I want to
play for them, and I hope that Time
magazin~ and Life magazine don't show
up, because I don't need publicity. I do it
because I feel that they need to hear
something that my music has. I like to
think that I give the man and woman who
ever listens, a conviction, and a dare to
dare. To be the best that you can be."
"I like to hear that my music has more
(to it) than just dancing."
"I've been praying ....... para ir a Mexico
tengo desde el sentent.a y tres ...... that I
haven't been there. El ano pasado, Dios
me concedio ir al este de Berlin. The
other side of the wall, y tocamos en
Moscu, Rusia el cuatro de Julio. Si yo
puedo tocar aya porque no puedo
tocar...... across the border. "
"I like to hear my
. ... "
music
-Carlos Santana
nobody trained the hippies to go out there
and put their heads behind a cane."
"I'm talking about things that are long
lasting, your children and my children
can benefit. I'm not talking about putting
Santana on a Good Year blimp."
Santana said refering to Cesar Chavez,
"I identify with what he is doing.
A
lot of times I can't be there in person, but
in spirit he knows that I'm there, ai1d also
I already (promised) him and Daniel to do
a concert hopefuly this year. The only
thing that I'm committed to is that I want
to do the last one in San Quentin. That's
the most important for me right now,
because I saw their eyes, and I saw what
they're going through.
They're just
victims of bad parents, bad things, but
they're children like anybody else and they
need a ray of hope. I want to go down
there and play Cloud Nine."
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
BY DENICE A. RIOS
The Fresno Bee
1988
Some Hispanic college students m~y
find their pocketbooks a little heavier
nex.t year if an ambitious scholarship fund
drive planned by a handful of local
organizers is successful.
Fresno Friends of the National
Hispanic Scholarship Fund will hold a
black-tie dinner on Oct 27 with the
hopes of raising $100,000 for Hispanic
students in Fresno and Madera counties.
It is by far the largest scholarship
program ever offered to local Hispanic
students, said Al Alarcon, a Fresno
businessman who is in charge of putting
the event together.
It also means, in a sense, that Fresno
has gained respectability thorughout the
nation because of the tremendous
Hlspanic market the area reprsents.
Traditionally, fund-raising events for
the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
have been held in larger cities such as Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Houston and New York.
But the half-million Hispancis who
live in this area make it the 10th-largest
Hispanic market in the nation, and their
estimated billion dollars in annual buying
power has allowed Fresno to flex more
of its market muscles.
Those numbers Alarcon said, are what
attracted representatives of the NHSF to
Fresno.
The NHSF was incorporated in 197 5
and gave its first awards a year later. More
than 6,000 students have received $3.2
million in scholarships since then.
Corporate donations play a large part in
the program's success. Anheuser-Busch is
playing a key role locally, as it has done
in other areas, said Angie Rios, who is in
charge of media relations for the local
fund-raising effort.
"I think Fresno has been ready for
something like this for a while." Rios
said. "The Hispanic populatin can take a
lot of pride in that. It's a positive, and a
real good progressive move for Fresno.
David Mendoza, a member of the
Fresno and Hispanic Chambers of
commerce, also is working with the
Fresno-Madera scholarship drive. He said
falk of the program began a year ago, and
in January the plans for a major event
began to gel.
"The main thing is the size of the
money we're going after," Mendoza said.
"Most scholarships-$200 to $300- offered
to students at today's expenses are less
!han ~ drop in the bucket A $5,000
scholar:sip is more in tune to
profesionalism."
Tickets for the dinner will start at $100
per person and go up from there. The top
tickets is $5,000 for a table of 10. Those
contributors will be acknowledged at the.
dinner and become honorary local board
members. They also will be listed as part
of the Chairman's Circle in a yearbook,
as well .as receiving a full-page color
advertisement in the publicaiton.
Money from the yearbook also will go
toward the scholarhsips, which will be
available only to underrgraduate and
graduate students form Fresno and Madera
counties. And while top sutdents are
strong candidates, they wont' necessarily
have a lock on obtaining the
scholarships.
Alarcon and Mendoza said that many
conditions facing students can affect grade
point averages. They said a student with a
C average who works hard in school and
has a full-time job has just as good a
chance of receiving a scholarship as a nonworking A student.
Mendoza and Alarcon said it's
important to offer Hispanic students
Some hope for their future. Many don't
have the money to continue their studies
in college and some don't recieve financial
support or encouragement at home, they
said.
Since 1980, the number of Hispanic
students going on to higher education has
been improving, Mendoza said, "but the
numbers are low when you look across
the board."
The two businessmen are hoping to
attract support from everyone in the
community, not just Hispanics students
who complete college are likely to go on
to professions in which they can benefit
the entire community.
The two said it's import.ant for students
to know the community supports them.
"We want to tell these kids, 'We are
.h~~11ing an eye on you and we want to
show you we're committed for you to
continue school so we can help send you
to college,' " Alarcon said.
Several committees need volunteers to
help organize October's gala dinner,
which will feature major celebrities. A
man and woman of the year also will be
selected for their contributions to local
education, Alarcon said. The wi..R.ners will
be honored at the dinner.
Alarcon hopes the scholarship drive
will be an annual event. Anyone
interested in the committees or more
information may call 225-2337 or 4851320.
Page 4
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
A Personal Account
"Occupied America" Author Addresses CSUF
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
When I first saw him he appeared
Caucasian.
There
was
nothing
conspicuous about his appearance, there
had been nothing about him that
suggested to me, that he had authored
"Occupied America", a bleeding chronicle
of the struggle of La Raza in the United
States. Was this the man whose pen bled
page after page? And yet, it must have
been, for, I had never seen him before,
and in such instances one should expect
anything. At that point I wouldn't have
been surprised to have seen a man who
resembled Fidel Castro walk out on stage
to lecture us.
I had been seated in the middle of the
first row, directly in front of the podium,
thinking only of the interview assuming I
had the tenacity to ask for it at all?
Although I had never seen him before,
here was a man who did not look like
Rodolfo Acuna to me. I surmise I
expected a bourgeois tie to crawl down
his torso, or perhaps my perplexity
stemmed from the fact that he hadn't worn
a suit at all? But I knew my irritation was
due to his fair complexion. He hadn't
worn the bronze skin that I equated with
"Chicanismo". Although I knew that
there were fair-skinned Chicarros, I had
just expected him to resemble Cesar
Chavez or the poor Chicanos who lived
in the barrios where I was from.
As the lecture was about to coin111ence,
Dr. Flores hugged him. My doubts were
soon dispelled, and at that instant I knew
he was Rodolfo Acuna, author of
"Occupied America".
"You always have to go against the
current, even if the current is wrong", he
began.
As the lecture progressed, Dr. Acuna
spoke of the loss of unity, when groups
like LULAC (League of United Latin
American Citizens), had rejected the
Chicano workers, and had patronized the
students. Although they had started from
the Latino, money ultimately separated
them from us. Just as most of the
professors separted themselves from us.
Dark and light had ~erely . become
abstracts, and that tragic schism has
always divided us as a race. Bec~u~e of
that we lost the Southwest dmded,
instead of united. Unity c.ould have made
us str?nger once our nat~on ~d beco~e
occupied. It_ was that disunity that had
allow~ the invaders _to occupy our hearts
and bramwash our mmd_s.
.
As a result, we received cold: cuttI~g
stares in the supermarkets. This racist
attitude attempted to isolate us from the
Anglo-Saxon world, which was the
United States of America. Although,
we've lived among them all these years,
our divergent histories had always
separated us. Its not the way we wanted
it, it was just the way Southwest
Ameri..;a was. A parent who had
always_ preferred her adopted children _than
the ch1fdren she bore out of the pamful
"Chi!!gac!a".?_~_at had c~eated us. . .
These were the-feelings we €amed mto the universi~es with u~, it was these
scars we earned all our lives as a race. It
w~ these feelings that Dr. Acuna w_as
trymg to educate us t?. When he said,
"we shoul~,?ev~r use history as a weapon
for hatred. Tius hatred could very well
destroy us, and those around us.
As he spoke, this fact frustrated him.
This was the great dilemma for most of
us, we could become overwhelmed by
such feelings and destroy ourselves with
this anger, or the anger would never
manifest itself, and we would never
advance as a race. I believe this is what he
meant when he said we must become selfcritical. It is only .through self-criticism,
that one h ready to change the world in a
positive way. It is only through a
thorough analysis of history, that we can
change the institutions that asphyxiates
us all.
Because of our asphyxiation as a race,
it it imperative that "we", Chicanos and
Mexicanos analyze our history, as an
exorcism from a past that has stigmitized
us with feelings of inadequacy, we share
as a race. This low self-esteem has
brainwashed us into believing that we
should be grateful to work in the fields
for meagerly wages. It has kept some of
us from opening our mouths. It has made
us apologetic for "affirmative action". It
msF
NATIONAL
HISPANIC
SCHOLARSHIP
FUND
has made us feel like the "invaders", in a
nation that had been robbed from us only
a century earlier. That is why when a
colleague had asked Dr. Acuna "why we
haven't made it as a race", he rebutted,
Upon uttering that on 'tage Dr Acuna
began to hurt once agai~. Even tlrrough
that pale face, he was one of us. Moreso
than the dark-skinned Chicanos who
a aled
the Protestant God
ppe
to
'
while he shoved La Virgen de Guadalupe
and his history into the mud. Dr. Acuna
represented every one of us dark and light
alike. He was our shield against racism.
Alone, on the stage m corduroys and
tennis, he was the historian, who had and
would reveal the truth, as he had done in
"Occupied America" and through
numerous lectures nationwide.
After the lecture, he had admitted to me
that he had become more angry, even
cynical. At this point in his life, he was
looking for- reasons to be thrown. out of
the university at Northridge, where he
taught. Not being invited to his sister's
parties for throwing "intellectual pedos"
had been the beginning. Escalating, I
surmise with the student movement in
1968, when black students had kidnapped
a racist assistant coach until the
LETTER
institution would listen. It had been these
cries that had created a Black Ethnic
Studies and Chicano Studies Departments
at Northridge.
Although, others looked to him as a
beacon of change, his pale eyes spoke of
~eariness, impatien~e, sinceri~y and utter;
bitter fr..!~L--;:;.~1a~. P.::~ fr..!:;trat1on seemed
to surge from the Chicano You!h_ of today
who had forgotten the sacnfices and
suffering of a wearied generation. He
spoke of the counter-revolutionary Mecha
organization who has become just another
social club. After his sacrifices, he was
filled with disbelief, at those he called the
"nineteen-year old mocosos." These were
the young arrogant engineering majors
who refused to join even Mecha, because
they were afraid of risking their future
security cicarances.
It was this youth, that seemed to break
his impregnable spirit. A million white
oppressors I'm sure he could face, but, it
was_ . "us" the bronze student whether
dark -or light, who bad broken 'his heart.
Because he needed to remind us who we
were, not Sally Smith or Fred Jones, but
Gregorio
Cortez
and Julianna Martinez, who only decades
earlier had been tu!J "no dogs or
Mexicans allowed."
Chavez, representing the United Farm
Workers of America, spoke openly
supporting the passage of federal
Continue from Page 2
are poisons. Most often, these pesticides antidiscrimination laws regarding sexual
are systemic; which means the residue is orientation.
Today, in unity with public interest,
inside the product and can not be washed
environmental groups, and other campus
off.
In 1967, the United Farm Workers organizations, the Gay Lesbian Student
obtained a ban on DDT in certain parts of Alliance openly endorses MECHA and
California. It took five years until the the efforts of the United Farm Workers.
Environmental Protection Agency banned We encourage your involvement and
the use of .DDT nationwide, in 1972. participation.
: . .
,
Today, Dr. Marion Moses, associated
In closing, the words· of Cesar Chavez'
with the Environmental Protection "It will take our combined energy and
Agency, estimates at least 33% of all i:if[uen..,e ...to change the cycle of
pesticides used on Californias crops are poisions...destruction, and death that
either proven or suspected of causing threatens...people and... (the) world".
cancer. At the present time, many.
"Together, all things are possible"
Californians are unknowingly purchasing
GRACIAS a todos por su tiempo y
attencion.
crops laced with poisons and toxins.
Exactly one year ago, October 11,
1987; at the March on Washington DC
Peter Robinson
for Lesbian and Gay Rights; Cesar
GLSA President
The Fresno Friends of the
National 'Hispanic Scholarship Fund
cordially invite you to attend
''AN EVENING TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE"
To Promote Hispanic Higher Education
Thursday, October 27, 1988
A Black Tie Dinner
at the
Centre Plaza Holiday Inn
2333 Ventura Street Downtown
Fresno, California
~
For infonnation on NHSF and the dinner, please call (209) 225-2337.
NHSF - Fresno, 547 W. Shields, Fresno, California 93705
Mcnday, October 17, 1988
California State University, Fresno
Carlos Fuentes
Change and Development affect Latin America
BY JOHANNA MUNOZ
Staff Writer
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes notes trend toward independence in a
recent -lecture at CSUF.
"Our path now is to travel to
interdependence without sacrificing our
independence, the task is large but so are
the opportunities."
Carlos Fuentes, the second speaker in
the Univesity Lecture Series, spoke to a
Fuentes spoke of a new emerging
packed auditorium on Tuesday, September Latin America and suggested that these
27th. Fuentes, currently a professor at coun~es are demanding their rightful
the Kennedy Institute of Harvard, is noted place m the world, and not vice-versa.
as one of the foremost scholars of Latin
American affairs. His lecture entiteld
However. the reality in Latin America
"The Crisis of Culture in Latin America," is a growing population with little
was well received.
resources. What docs Latin America look
Fuentes began his lecture by like in the 21st century? According to
reminding us that Latin America is an Fuentes there is a population explosion.
heterogeneous society composed of a The population has doubled to 400
variety of traditions and ethnicities. million today and will double the
Moreover, the premise of his lecture was population of the U.S. by the year 2000:
that in order to understrand Latin a population where more than half is 15
American culture one must first realize years old or less. a population hungry for
that old and new coexist. It is this jobs. education and social services.
coexistence that defines the fundamental essentially a population with great needs
aspects of the culture.
that are not being met.
In contrast, Fuentes argues that we
The capacity of Latin Americans to be
themselves and to address the are also seeing a state of cooperation
international community will be put to occurring within the Latin American
the test between now and the year 2000. countries themselves. As an example,
In this test. the U.S. must create a new Fuentes described the Mexican earthquake
policy based on rationality, consultation of 1985 where the community was able
and mutual respect. "The U.S. must no to work together to pull out of this crisis.
longer exert dominance, but seek
The picture Fuentes painted of Latin
cooperation. The U.S. should promise
non- intervention, and we promise the America, and Mexico in particular, was
U.S. security and give each other pretty and colorful. However, it was just
that a pretty picture. The reality of the
cooperation," he stated.
Now, more than ever Latin America is situation is one of ekctoral fraud,
achieving a greater degree of diplomatic government abuses, and little given to
uiiily. According to Fuentes we are stabilize the economy.
heading towards a "post-Yalta period." A
On a positive note though, Fuentes did
period where the world is "no longer
address
the democratization beginning to
dominated by two superpowers. but a
world where a wealth of options offered occur in Latin America. And, perhaps
by the diversity of culture and national this positive note is much greater than all
experiences can tell the superpowers that the negative. That is, we may yet see a
their armed influences continue to be free and just society for all in Latin
paramount, but this is no longer true of America and, as important, a Latin
their economic-perfect political ex- America taking its rightful place as a
world leader.
amples."
Modem Aztecas bleed a nation
Tlatelolco: Twenty Years Later
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
October 2, 1968 is the day in Mexico
that the modem "Aztecas," embodied in
the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party),
sacrificed
v1cums
to
Huitzilopochtli (the Aztec god of war.)
They felt his war-like face against them
as they began to preach and believe in a
new religion; democracy.
Democracy had never been a part ot the
modem Aztecas world, even after the
1910 Revolution. Political power was
consolidated in the hands of the few, and
the PRI eventually symbolized Mexico in
such
fashion.
Taking the role of the high Aztec priest,
the PRI ripped open the flesh of the
impoverished. Alas, even the reformist
leadership of Lazaro Cardenas could not
save them.
Tlatelolco, was that sacrificial alter.
October 2nd was the day Huitzilopochtli
cried for victims. There, the sacrifices
began at 6 p.m., when flares appeared in
the sky and the meeting was about to
come to a close. The students, who
preached an end to the violence of the
government and its granaderos, forgot that
underneath the flesh of the PRI was the
soul of the modem Azteca who was not
:uraid to sacrifice his own nation.
Throughout the student movement, the
students themselves had formed brigades
to educate and unite the people to the six
points of their demands. More than
anything, fear, as much as courage, made
them determined to hold a dialogue with
the government of Diaz Ordaz (I 964-70).
But Ordaz only ignored the demands of
his people. The PRI deliberately turned a
deaf ear to the six point petition. drafted
by
the
CNH
(National
Strike
Committee). Among the more significant
points the CNH asked for was the
liberation of all political prisoners and the
disbandment of the granaderos. They also
asked for Cueto, the brutal chief of
police. to be fired for his brutal Gestapo
methods.
Thousands of arrests began in the
summer before Tlatelolco. Billy clubs
beat down the people while the faces of a
nation were tom open.
All summer they were arrested and
stripped naked, only to have their bodies
burned with electrical shocks to the head
and rectum. The female students were
raped by the granaderos who were the
conquistadores resurrected.
Mexico became a nation possessed, as
the army occupied Santo Tomas Campus
and University City. The universities
became the target of a political entity
unwilling to yield. Yet, the government
could not remove the mask. for to hold a
dialogue with its people meant eventual
democratization for the nation. If that
happened the modem Aztecas (PRI) would
lose their authority and all the sacrifices
would eventually have to end.
Barbarous Mexico. Aztec Mexico. A
Mexico possessed by a heritage it did not
fully understand.
In a few weeks modem Mexico would
host the Olympics. Once again Mexico
was a mother to foreigners and a
stepmother to Mexicans. It has been that
way since the conquest, the lndians
represented the other Mexico, the Mexico
That is why at 6 p.m .• the lights of a that must remain hidden... as Tlatelolco
helicopter flashed overhead as the crowd must remain hidden. The government
looked up. The hopeful students shouted never assumed responsibility. Mexican
newspapers recorded about twenty to
for the people not to panic.
"They are only trying to scare us, don't twenty-five deaths. But, there was too
much blood smeared on that alter, the
move!"
blood of a nation.
At that moment, dum-dum bullets flew
through the air, ripping open flesh much
quicker than the old sacrificial knives had
Later 325 deaths were reported by the
ever done. Faces darted in every direction, Guardian. a British newspaper. Among
blood filled the square of La Plaza de las those murdered were Professor Leonardo
Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco. Pregnant Perez Gonzalez; Leobardo Lopez Arreche,
bodies were dismembered with bayonets and Ana Maria Regina Teucher, twenty
and bullets. Children were gunned down
like common criminals by the army. Old
men and women died that night. Bullets years of age and a first year medical
hailed through the air sixty minutes student; as well as hundreds of others.
straight, tearing everything in their path.
An unsuspecting Mexico panicked, only
Although it has been twenty years
to be cornered and gunned down by its since Tlatelolco bled, the bullets continue
to echo through the air. One can still hear
own army.
them. The tragedy of October 2. 1968
The following morning the alter was will continue until Mexico is truly
clean, Tlatelolco belonged to the "other democratized. When Cuauhtemoc finally
Mexico" that Octavio Paz wrote of. returns to see his nation redeemed.
Rather than risk that, the modem
Aztecas risked Tlatelolco. They chose to
sacrifice its young, they chose to disturb
its citizens, they chose to stain their own
credibility.
Page 2
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
:Showdown '88
PERSPECTIVE
repl!s~lica
!emocra1
D
•
•
In November YOU make the choice
LEITER TO THE EDITOR
GLSA supports UFW
grape boycott
Editor,
BUENAS TARDES mis amigas y
amigos
I am Peter Robinson, the recently
elected President of the Gay Lesbian
Student Alliance here on this campus. We
are here in support of MECHA and the
efforts of the United Farm Workers of
America.
DID you know: farmworkers are
virtually unprotected from pesticides
hazards under current state and federal
laws?
DID you know: agriculture is among
the most dangerous occupation in this
country today, measured in terms of workrelated injuries and death?
DID you know: some California table
grapes are considered one of the most
dangerous foods available for public
consumption?
California farmworkers labor under the
worst conditions of any worker in the
United States today. Over 25% of these
workers are minors. Many rights enjoyed
by most other workers are specifically
denied the farmworker included are labor
Jaws, health laws, safety laws, and
minimum wage laws. Only twelve years
ago, did the United Farm Workers win the
historic rights to organize and bargain
collectively.
Led by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm
Workers have been actively campaigning
for an enforced ban on five highly toxic
pesticides from the California grape
fields. Pesticides are toxins, sometimes
cancer-causing deliberately put into our
environment and foods. By nature, they
Please see LEITER, page 4
Albert Robles • Edit.or
Lisa Y. Flores - Assistant Editor
·Hector Atnezcua - Photo Editor
Staff Writers: Hector Amezcua,James I. Corrosco,Matty·B. Duran,
Johanna.Munoz, Marty Rivera
Photographer: Angel de Jesus
· Graphi_
c5.(production: Lisa Y. Flores
,, ,., La Voi'de Aztlan is 00 insert
of
the Daily Collegian, under a seperate
· ·editori•al staff. Opinions expressed in La Voz dctnot necessarily '·
·
·reflect. those
of
the Dai{yColfegian.
. . . · ·... ·.
. -:-.••:-:
·-:
-.
.-.
-
The "H" Word
BY EDUARDO LOPEZ
The Daily Californian
UC Berkeley
If I had a dollar for every time I've
heard or read aie term "Hispanic" lately,
I'd be a rich Chicai10. In reality I am a
poor Chicano - a somewhat politically
aware person of Mexican descent living in
the United States.
Everybody seems to be discovering
that Latinos actually exist within the
artificial boundaries of these United States
and have something worthwhile to offer.
Latinos - people of Latin American
descent - are now "in," but as far as I'm
concerned, we've always been in.
A.long wit.11 the hype comes ~ subtle
message that Latinos are to spicy for Mr.
and Mrs. Wonderbread, the people who
cor.sume mass media as a daily staple, so
we have been labeled with a thoroughly
homogenizing term - Hispanic.
The "H" word (I cannot physically
speak the wofd as it leaves a horribly
bland taste in my mouth) is just .another
in a series of assimilation devices to
blend Latinos more easily into the Great
American Melting Pot.
These Cultural Cuisinarts include the
intolerant English Only Movement, shortterm political appointments, and yes,
ev::n McDonald's Chicken McFiesta Latin
A;nerican Coin Giveaway!
GUEST
COLUMNIST
This last McCulturally Insensitive
media blitz repeats the stereotype that
Latin American money is as worthless as
the people that produce it Market values
aside, just imagine if your legal currency
was being given away as a promotional
toy to sell ground up, re-formed flavorless
gobs of chicken entrails. Would you brag
about it?
English-Only's purpose is to rob
Latinos of their culture by "haciendo
menos" the Spanish language. ("haciendo
menos" means literally "making less" or
approximates
demeaning
and/or
trivializing. I couldn't think of a better
~e.rrn in English.)
l shouldn't be narrow-minded here. Any
ianguage carries _culture, and that is a
threat to the one-dimensional view of the
English Only Cultural Police. By
removing "foreign" tongues from this
country, they hope to instill a whitebread
ethnocentrism that will unite us all in
one big happy lump of Cream of Wheat
As for political tokenism, the election
season appointment of Dr. Lauro Cavazos
to · a virtually perpetual term in the
cabmet post of Secreia.ry of Education making him the highest ranking "H"
person next to Colombian coffee picker
Juan Valdez - is obviously aimed at
convincing "H" voters that the out-oftouch Reagan/Bush administration has
turned over a new leaf.
Previously, the only "H" people
Reagan ever wanted in his cabinet were
the maids cleaning Nancy's kitchen. Bush
has displayed his cultural sensitivity not
only by hanging out with murderous
The "H" word is a misnomer, an
application of a wrong name or epithet to
some person or thing. It is inaccurate for
several reasons. First, what it describes
should be scrutinized. "H," at least in the
dictionary I looked in, states: "l)
belonging to Spain, its language or
people. 2) Spanish."
The last time I was called "Spanish"
Wu3 when some old lady thought she was
doing me a favor.
"No, my parents are from Mexico," I
said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She was pitying
me, not apologizing.
"H" emphasizes the European roots of
Latinos and dismisses the vast Indian
heritage we posess. I guess the more
European you are, the whiter you can
pretend to be. I cannot deny my Spanish
background but I think the last 500 years
er so hav~ ornv""n thr~ !~~Hin America has
produced its own unique and quite valid
cultures.
This wealth of diverse Latin American
cultures is targeted for homogenization in
the United States by the "H" word. From
Puerto Ricans to Peruvians, Chicanos to
Chileans, this great variety of peoples are
all lumped into one big generic package.
1 think we should call it "Beige Wrap."
That should not only help assimilate us
but could conceivably make us very
marketable. Imagine, any politician could
walk imo a supermarket and pick up a
few "H's" for his or her next rally! Just
look for us between the yellow wrap
"Chili with Meat" and the generic "Taco
Shells Formed by the Mechanical
Compression of Plastic By-Products."
The creation of this ccrm for "official"
North American usage can be traced to the
1970 Census Bureau under the fair-minded
Nixon Adminstration. I believe that
because of the flourishing radical Chicano
movement in the country, and other
revolutionary movements in Latin
America, the "H" word was a neutralizing
term acceptable to the Establishment.
The purpose was to associate Latinos
here with Latinos abroad. In that Vietnam
era when many were protesting the
faraway war, government schemers may
have looked ahead 10 to 15 years to
possible U.S. intervention against
revolutionary governments in Latin
America.
If we could not identify with our
brothers and sisters throughout the
hemisphe1e in struggle domestically, we
might not object to aggression in say,
Central America, and might even be
convinced to fight for the Red, White and
Blue. And plus, the U.S. Army proved it
had a fantastic affirmative action program
during the Vietnam conflict which assured
that disproportionate amounts of Chicano
and black soldiers were slotted for
frontline action and death. Even now the
demand in Central America is great for
bilingual killing machines!
"H" is -:i•JL bilingw.J • iL's ii1 .1:mglish.
this subtly conveys to "H's" that the
Spanish language is out: English is in.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Advertisers realize the positive impact (at
least in their bank accounts) of Spanish
language advertising. Jesus, even
Madonna sings in Spanish!
Which brings me back around to what's
in. Diversity is in. Sameness is out. The
last thing this country needs is yet
another di verse people swallowed up by
Mr. and Mrs. white-sponge bread. It needs
variety, it needs to become more openminded and accepting, not more
homogenous and bland. So if you feel
you're in danger of becoming just another
Wonderbreadsandwich, my only adviccis-
Nicaraguan Contras, but by calling his
half-Mexican grandchildren, "the little .
brown ones."
I wonder if they call him "the Great
White Grandfather?" This vice-presidential
Archie Bunker hopes to win "H" hearts
and minds with this endearingly repulsive
label. Labels speak. Misnomers mislead. get the H---out!
La Voz de Aztlan
Monday, October 17, 1988
Page 3
Carlos·Santana Perspective And Viewpoint
BY HECTOR AMEZCUA
Staff Writer
After a two and a half hour delay,
legendary musician Carlos Santana
arrived in Fresno. Upon his arrival he
granted La Voz de Aztlan a private
interview. In the following text, Carlos
shares some of his thoughts about his
music, his experience as an international
figure, and the impact of mus;c ir.
changing society.
A croud of six thousand Santana fans
gathered on the opening night of The
Fresno Fair. The concert was a complete
delight to the croud who at the rythm of
Black Magic Woman screamed "Viva
Santana. We love you."
"I grew up in Tijuana doing what Los
Lobos were doing in the movie, playing
in a club," refering to a scene from the
movie "La Bamba".
"I went to Tijuana two days ago.
Everywere their are new clubs in Tijuana
playing loud disco music that is just
pounding. Like most of the things they
do in San Francisco, playing rap music or
modem music.
And we have the
mariachis walking around on the street~
saying: 'You want a song Mr.? Five
dollars a song.' And then you see the
little kids following there parents with
guitars."
"Because to look at the faces of the
mariachis competing against this music,
is a real challenge. Y si no nos fijamos,
if we don't look out for each
other........ .look what happened to the
American Indian. This is what their
trying to do to us."
f
''I'm
not
very
nationalistic.
~ Nationalism is another word for racism.
I'm more universal, humanitarian, y a
ayudar a quien nesecite. Porque asi
perdieron los indios Americanos, they
stayed with their own tribe, and then
when they wanted to unite it was too
late."
"For right know I like to think that
it's important that we comunicate with
one another more as we come more
Carlos Santana elecrifies audience with new and old band members.
ciosely together. I want to do a concert in
San Quentin, para mis hermanos
Chicanos, Negros, y blancos. I want to
play for them, and I hope that Time
magazin~ and Life magazine don't show
up, because I don't need publicity. I do it
because I feel that they need to hear
something that my music has. I like to
think that I give the man and woman who
ever listens, a conviction, and a dare to
dare. To be the best that you can be."
"I like to hear that my music has more
(to it) than just dancing."
"I've been praying ....... para ir a Mexico
tengo desde el sentent.a y tres ...... that I
haven't been there. El ano pasado, Dios
me concedio ir al este de Berlin. The
other side of the wall, y tocamos en
Moscu, Rusia el cuatro de Julio. Si yo
puedo tocar aya porque no puedo
tocar...... across the border. "
"I like to hear my
. ... "
music
-Carlos Santana
nobody trained the hippies to go out there
and put their heads behind a cane."
"I'm talking about things that are long
lasting, your children and my children
can benefit. I'm not talking about putting
Santana on a Good Year blimp."
Santana said refering to Cesar Chavez,
"I identify with what he is doing.
A
lot of times I can't be there in person, but
in spirit he knows that I'm there, ai1d also
I already (promised) him and Daniel to do
a concert hopefuly this year. The only
thing that I'm committed to is that I want
to do the last one in San Quentin. That's
the most important for me right now,
because I saw their eyes, and I saw what
they're going through.
They're just
victims of bad parents, bad things, but
they're children like anybody else and they
need a ray of hope. I want to go down
there and play Cloud Nine."
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
BY DENICE A. RIOS
The Fresno Bee
1988
Some Hispanic college students m~y
find their pocketbooks a little heavier
nex.t year if an ambitious scholarship fund
drive planned by a handful of local
organizers is successful.
Fresno Friends of the National
Hispanic Scholarship Fund will hold a
black-tie dinner on Oct 27 with the
hopes of raising $100,000 for Hispanic
students in Fresno and Madera counties.
It is by far the largest scholarship
program ever offered to local Hispanic
students, said Al Alarcon, a Fresno
businessman who is in charge of putting
the event together.
It also means, in a sense, that Fresno
has gained respectability thorughout the
nation because of the tremendous
Hlspanic market the area reprsents.
Traditionally, fund-raising events for
the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
have been held in larger cities such as Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Houston and New York.
But the half-million Hispancis who
live in this area make it the 10th-largest
Hispanic market in the nation, and their
estimated billion dollars in annual buying
power has allowed Fresno to flex more
of its market muscles.
Those numbers Alarcon said, are what
attracted representatives of the NHSF to
Fresno.
The NHSF was incorporated in 197 5
and gave its first awards a year later. More
than 6,000 students have received $3.2
million in scholarships since then.
Corporate donations play a large part in
the program's success. Anheuser-Busch is
playing a key role locally, as it has done
in other areas, said Angie Rios, who is in
charge of media relations for the local
fund-raising effort.
"I think Fresno has been ready for
something like this for a while." Rios
said. "The Hispanic populatin can take a
lot of pride in that. It's a positive, and a
real good progressive move for Fresno.
David Mendoza, a member of the
Fresno and Hispanic Chambers of
commerce, also is working with the
Fresno-Madera scholarship drive. He said
falk of the program began a year ago, and
in January the plans for a major event
began to gel.
"The main thing is the size of the
money we're going after," Mendoza said.
"Most scholarships-$200 to $300- offered
to students at today's expenses are less
!han ~ drop in the bucket A $5,000
scholar:sip is more in tune to
profesionalism."
Tickets for the dinner will start at $100
per person and go up from there. The top
tickets is $5,000 for a table of 10. Those
contributors will be acknowledged at the.
dinner and become honorary local board
members. They also will be listed as part
of the Chairman's Circle in a yearbook,
as well .as receiving a full-page color
advertisement in the publicaiton.
Money from the yearbook also will go
toward the scholarhsips, which will be
available only to underrgraduate and
graduate students form Fresno and Madera
counties. And while top sutdents are
strong candidates, they wont' necessarily
have a lock on obtaining the
scholarships.
Alarcon and Mendoza said that many
conditions facing students can affect grade
point averages. They said a student with a
C average who works hard in school and
has a full-time job has just as good a
chance of receiving a scholarship as a nonworking A student.
Mendoza and Alarcon said it's
important to offer Hispanic students
Some hope for their future. Many don't
have the money to continue their studies
in college and some don't recieve financial
support or encouragement at home, they
said.
Since 1980, the number of Hispanic
students going on to higher education has
been improving, Mendoza said, "but the
numbers are low when you look across
the board."
The two businessmen are hoping to
attract support from everyone in the
community, not just Hispanics students
who complete college are likely to go on
to professions in which they can benefit
the entire community.
The two said it's import.ant for students
to know the community supports them.
"We want to tell these kids, 'We are
.h~~11ing an eye on you and we want to
show you we're committed for you to
continue school so we can help send you
to college,' " Alarcon said.
Several committees need volunteers to
help organize October's gala dinner,
which will feature major celebrities. A
man and woman of the year also will be
selected for their contributions to local
education, Alarcon said. The wi..R.ners will
be honored at the dinner.
Alarcon hopes the scholarship drive
will be an annual event. Anyone
interested in the committees or more
information may call 225-2337 or 4851320.
Page 4
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
A Personal Account
"Occupied America" Author Addresses CSUF
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
When I first saw him he appeared
Caucasian.
There
was
nothing
conspicuous about his appearance, there
had been nothing about him that
suggested to me, that he had authored
"Occupied America", a bleeding chronicle
of the struggle of La Raza in the United
States. Was this the man whose pen bled
page after page? And yet, it must have
been, for, I had never seen him before,
and in such instances one should expect
anything. At that point I wouldn't have
been surprised to have seen a man who
resembled Fidel Castro walk out on stage
to lecture us.
I had been seated in the middle of the
first row, directly in front of the podium,
thinking only of the interview assuming I
had the tenacity to ask for it at all?
Although I had never seen him before,
here was a man who did not look like
Rodolfo Acuna to me. I surmise I
expected a bourgeois tie to crawl down
his torso, or perhaps my perplexity
stemmed from the fact that he hadn't worn
a suit at all? But I knew my irritation was
due to his fair complexion. He hadn't
worn the bronze skin that I equated with
"Chicanismo". Although I knew that
there were fair-skinned Chicarros, I had
just expected him to resemble Cesar
Chavez or the poor Chicanos who lived
in the barrios where I was from.
As the lecture was about to coin111ence,
Dr. Flores hugged him. My doubts were
soon dispelled, and at that instant I knew
he was Rodolfo Acuna, author of
"Occupied America".
"You always have to go against the
current, even if the current is wrong", he
began.
As the lecture progressed, Dr. Acuna
spoke of the loss of unity, when groups
like LULAC (League of United Latin
American Citizens), had rejected the
Chicano workers, and had patronized the
students. Although they had started from
the Latino, money ultimately separated
them from us. Just as most of the
professors separted themselves from us.
Dark and light had ~erely . become
abstracts, and that tragic schism has
always divided us as a race. Bec~u~e of
that we lost the Southwest dmded,
instead of united. Unity c.ould have made
us str?nger once our nat~on ~d beco~e
occupied. It_ was that disunity that had
allow~ the invaders _to occupy our hearts
and bramwash our mmd_s.
.
As a result, we received cold: cuttI~g
stares in the supermarkets. This racist
attitude attempted to isolate us from the
Anglo-Saxon world, which was the
United States of America. Although,
we've lived among them all these years,
our divergent histories had always
separated us. Its not the way we wanted
it, it was just the way Southwest
Ameri..;a was. A parent who had
always_ preferred her adopted children _than
the ch1fdren she bore out of the pamful
"Chi!!gac!a".?_~_at had c~eated us. . .
These were the-feelings we €amed mto the universi~es with u~, it was these
scars we earned all our lives as a race. It
w~ these feelings that Dr. Acuna w_as
trymg to educate us t?. When he said,
"we shoul~,?ev~r use history as a weapon
for hatred. Tius hatred could very well
destroy us, and those around us.
As he spoke, this fact frustrated him.
This was the great dilemma for most of
us, we could become overwhelmed by
such feelings and destroy ourselves with
this anger, or the anger would never
manifest itself, and we would never
advance as a race. I believe this is what he
meant when he said we must become selfcritical. It is only .through self-criticism,
that one h ready to change the world in a
positive way. It is only through a
thorough analysis of history, that we can
change the institutions that asphyxiates
us all.
Because of our asphyxiation as a race,
it it imperative that "we", Chicanos and
Mexicanos analyze our history, as an
exorcism from a past that has stigmitized
us with feelings of inadequacy, we share
as a race. This low self-esteem has
brainwashed us into believing that we
should be grateful to work in the fields
for meagerly wages. It has kept some of
us from opening our mouths. It has made
us apologetic for "affirmative action". It
msF
NATIONAL
HISPANIC
SCHOLARSHIP
FUND
has made us feel like the "invaders", in a
nation that had been robbed from us only
a century earlier. That is why when a
colleague had asked Dr. Acuna "why we
haven't made it as a race", he rebutted,
Upon uttering that on 'tage Dr Acuna
began to hurt once agai~. Even tlrrough
that pale face, he was one of us. Moreso
than the dark-skinned Chicanos who
a aled
the Protestant God
ppe
to
'
while he shoved La Virgen de Guadalupe
and his history into the mud. Dr. Acuna
represented every one of us dark and light
alike. He was our shield against racism.
Alone, on the stage m corduroys and
tennis, he was the historian, who had and
would reveal the truth, as he had done in
"Occupied America" and through
numerous lectures nationwide.
After the lecture, he had admitted to me
that he had become more angry, even
cynical. At this point in his life, he was
looking for- reasons to be thrown. out of
the university at Northridge, where he
taught. Not being invited to his sister's
parties for throwing "intellectual pedos"
had been the beginning. Escalating, I
surmise with the student movement in
1968, when black students had kidnapped
a racist assistant coach until the
LETTER
institution would listen. It had been these
cries that had created a Black Ethnic
Studies and Chicano Studies Departments
at Northridge.
Although, others looked to him as a
beacon of change, his pale eyes spoke of
~eariness, impatien~e, sinceri~y and utter;
bitter fr..!~L--;:;.~1a~. P.::~ fr..!:;trat1on seemed
to surge from the Chicano You!h_ of today
who had forgotten the sacnfices and
suffering of a wearied generation. He
spoke of the counter-revolutionary Mecha
organization who has become just another
social club. After his sacrifices, he was
filled with disbelief, at those he called the
"nineteen-year old mocosos." These were
the young arrogant engineering majors
who refused to join even Mecha, because
they were afraid of risking their future
security cicarances.
It was this youth, that seemed to break
his impregnable spirit. A million white
oppressors I'm sure he could face, but, it
was_ . "us" the bronze student whether
dark -or light, who bad broken 'his heart.
Because he needed to remind us who we
were, not Sally Smith or Fred Jones, but
Gregorio
Cortez
and Julianna Martinez, who only decades
earlier had been tu!J "no dogs or
Mexicans allowed."
Chavez, representing the United Farm
Workers of America, spoke openly
supporting the passage of federal
Continue from Page 2
are poisons. Most often, these pesticides antidiscrimination laws regarding sexual
are systemic; which means the residue is orientation.
Today, in unity with public interest,
inside the product and can not be washed
environmental groups, and other campus
off.
In 1967, the United Farm Workers organizations, the Gay Lesbian Student
obtained a ban on DDT in certain parts of Alliance openly endorses MECHA and
California. It took five years until the the efforts of the United Farm Workers.
Environmental Protection Agency banned We encourage your involvement and
the use of .DDT nationwide, in 1972. participation.
: . .
,
Today, Dr. Marion Moses, associated
In closing, the words· of Cesar Chavez'
with the Environmental Protection "It will take our combined energy and
Agency, estimates at least 33% of all i:if[uen..,e ...to change the cycle of
pesticides used on Californias crops are poisions...destruction, and death that
either proven or suspected of causing threatens...people and... (the) world".
cancer. At the present time, many.
"Together, all things are possible"
Californians are unknowingly purchasing
GRACIAS a todos por su tiempo y
attencion.
crops laced with poisons and toxins.
Exactly one year ago, October 11,
1987; at the March on Washington DC
Peter Robinson
for Lesbian and Gay Rights; Cesar
GLSA President
The Fresno Friends of the
National 'Hispanic Scholarship Fund
cordially invite you to attend
''AN EVENING TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE"
To Promote Hispanic Higher Education
Thursday, October 27, 1988
A Black Tie Dinner
at the
Centre Plaza Holiday Inn
2333 Ventura Street Downtown
Fresno, California
~
For infonnation on NHSF and the dinner, please call (209) 225-2337.
NHSF - Fresno, 547 W. Shields, Fresno, California 93705
LA V OZ DE AZTLAN
Mcnday, October 17, 1988
California State University, Fresno
Carlos Fuentes
Change and Development affect Latin America
BY JOHANNA MUNOZ
Staff Writer
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes notes trend toward independence in a
recent -lecture at CSUF.
"Our path now is to travel to
interdependence without sacrificing our
independence, the task is large but so are
the opportunities."
Carlos Fuentes, the second speaker in
the Univesity Lecture Series, spoke to a
Fuentes spoke of a new emerging
packed auditorium on Tuesday, September Latin America and suggested that these
27th. Fuentes, currently a professor at coun~es are demanding their rightful
the Kennedy Institute of Harvard, is noted place m the world, and not vice-versa.
as one of the foremost scholars of Latin
American affairs. His lecture entiteld
However. the reality in Latin America
"The Crisis of Culture in Latin America," is a growing population with little
was well received.
resources. What docs Latin America look
Fuentes began his lecture by like in the 21st century? According to
reminding us that Latin America is an Fuentes there is a population explosion.
heterogeneous society composed of a The population has doubled to 400
variety of traditions and ethnicities. million today and will double the
Moreover, the premise of his lecture was population of the U.S. by the year 2000:
that in order to understrand Latin a population where more than half is 15
American culture one must first realize years old or less. a population hungry for
that old and new coexist. It is this jobs. education and social services.
coexistence that defines the fundamental essentially a population with great needs
aspects of the culture.
that are not being met.
In contrast, Fuentes argues that we
The capacity of Latin Americans to be
themselves and to address the are also seeing a state of cooperation
international community will be put to occurring within the Latin American
the test between now and the year 2000. countries themselves. As an example,
In this test. the U.S. must create a new Fuentes described the Mexican earthquake
policy based on rationality, consultation of 1985 where the community was able
and mutual respect. "The U.S. must no to work together to pull out of this crisis.
longer exert dominance, but seek
The picture Fuentes painted of Latin
cooperation. The U.S. should promise
non- intervention, and we promise the America, and Mexico in particular, was
U.S. security and give each other pretty and colorful. However, it was just
that a pretty picture. The reality of the
cooperation," he stated.
Now, more than ever Latin America is situation is one of ekctoral fraud,
achieving a greater degree of diplomatic government abuses, and little given to
uiiily. According to Fuentes we are stabilize the economy.
heading towards a "post-Yalta period." A
On a positive note though, Fuentes did
period where the world is "no longer
address
the democratization beginning to
dominated by two superpowers. but a
world where a wealth of options offered occur in Latin America. And, perhaps
by the diversity of culture and national this positive note is much greater than all
experiences can tell the superpowers that the negative. That is, we may yet see a
their armed influences continue to be free and just society for all in Latin
paramount, but this is no longer true of America and, as important, a Latin
their economic-perfect political ex- America taking its rightful place as a
world leader.
amples."
Modem Aztecas bleed a nation
Tlatelolco: Twenty Years Later
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
October 2, 1968 is the day in Mexico
that the modem "Aztecas," embodied in
the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party),
sacrificed
v1cums
to
Huitzilopochtli (the Aztec god of war.)
They felt his war-like face against them
as they began to preach and believe in a
new religion; democracy.
Democracy had never been a part ot the
modem Aztecas world, even after the
1910 Revolution. Political power was
consolidated in the hands of the few, and
the PRI eventually symbolized Mexico in
such
fashion.
Taking the role of the high Aztec priest,
the PRI ripped open the flesh of the
impoverished. Alas, even the reformist
leadership of Lazaro Cardenas could not
save them.
Tlatelolco, was that sacrificial alter.
October 2nd was the day Huitzilopochtli
cried for victims. There, the sacrifices
began at 6 p.m., when flares appeared in
the sky and the meeting was about to
come to a close. The students, who
preached an end to the violence of the
government and its granaderos, forgot that
underneath the flesh of the PRI was the
soul of the modem Azteca who was not
:uraid to sacrifice his own nation.
Throughout the student movement, the
students themselves had formed brigades
to educate and unite the people to the six
points of their demands. More than
anything, fear, as much as courage, made
them determined to hold a dialogue with
the government of Diaz Ordaz (I 964-70).
But Ordaz only ignored the demands of
his people. The PRI deliberately turned a
deaf ear to the six point petition. drafted
by
the
CNH
(National
Strike
Committee). Among the more significant
points the CNH asked for was the
liberation of all political prisoners and the
disbandment of the granaderos. They also
asked for Cueto, the brutal chief of
police. to be fired for his brutal Gestapo
methods.
Thousands of arrests began in the
summer before Tlatelolco. Billy clubs
beat down the people while the faces of a
nation were tom open.
All summer they were arrested and
stripped naked, only to have their bodies
burned with electrical shocks to the head
and rectum. The female students were
raped by the granaderos who were the
conquistadores resurrected.
Mexico became a nation possessed, as
the army occupied Santo Tomas Campus
and University City. The universities
became the target of a political entity
unwilling to yield. Yet, the government
could not remove the mask. for to hold a
dialogue with its people meant eventual
democratization for the nation. If that
happened the modem Aztecas (PRI) would
lose their authority and all the sacrifices
would eventually have to end.
Barbarous Mexico. Aztec Mexico. A
Mexico possessed by a heritage it did not
fully understand.
In a few weeks modem Mexico would
host the Olympics. Once again Mexico
was a mother to foreigners and a
stepmother to Mexicans. It has been that
way since the conquest, the lndians
represented the other Mexico, the Mexico
That is why at 6 p.m .• the lights of a that must remain hidden... as Tlatelolco
helicopter flashed overhead as the crowd must remain hidden. The government
looked up. The hopeful students shouted never assumed responsibility. Mexican
newspapers recorded about twenty to
for the people not to panic.
"They are only trying to scare us, don't twenty-five deaths. But, there was too
much blood smeared on that alter, the
move!"
blood of a nation.
At that moment, dum-dum bullets flew
through the air, ripping open flesh much
quicker than the old sacrificial knives had
Later 325 deaths were reported by the
ever done. Faces darted in every direction, Guardian. a British newspaper. Among
blood filled the square of La Plaza de las those murdered were Professor Leonardo
Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco. Pregnant Perez Gonzalez; Leobardo Lopez Arreche,
bodies were dismembered with bayonets and Ana Maria Regina Teucher, twenty
and bullets. Children were gunned down
like common criminals by the army. Old
men and women died that night. Bullets years of age and a first year medical
hailed through the air sixty minutes student; as well as hundreds of others.
straight, tearing everything in their path.
An unsuspecting Mexico panicked, only
Although it has been twenty years
to be cornered and gunned down by its since Tlatelolco bled, the bullets continue
to echo through the air. One can still hear
own army.
them. The tragedy of October 2. 1968
The following morning the alter was will continue until Mexico is truly
clean, Tlatelolco belonged to the "other democratized. When Cuauhtemoc finally
Mexico" that Octavio Paz wrote of. returns to see his nation redeemed.
Rather than risk that, the modem
Aztecas risked Tlatelolco. They chose to
sacrifice its young, they chose to disturb
its citizens, they chose to stain their own
credibility.
Page 2
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
:Showdown '88
PERSPECTIVE
repl!s~lica
!emocra1
D
•
•
In November YOU make the choice
LEITER TO THE EDITOR
GLSA supports UFW
grape boycott
Editor,
BUENAS TARDES mis amigas y
amigos
I am Peter Robinson, the recently
elected President of the Gay Lesbian
Student Alliance here on this campus. We
are here in support of MECHA and the
efforts of the United Farm Workers of
America.
DID you know: farmworkers are
virtually unprotected from pesticides
hazards under current state and federal
laws?
DID you know: agriculture is among
the most dangerous occupation in this
country today, measured in terms of workrelated injuries and death?
DID you know: some California table
grapes are considered one of the most
dangerous foods available for public
consumption?
California farmworkers labor under the
worst conditions of any worker in the
United States today. Over 25% of these
workers are minors. Many rights enjoyed
by most other workers are specifically
denied the farmworker included are labor
Jaws, health laws, safety laws, and
minimum wage laws. Only twelve years
ago, did the United Farm Workers win the
historic rights to organize and bargain
collectively.
Led by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm
Workers have been actively campaigning
for an enforced ban on five highly toxic
pesticides from the California grape
fields. Pesticides are toxins, sometimes
cancer-causing deliberately put into our
environment and foods. By nature, they
Please see LEITER, page 4
Albert Robles • Edit.or
Lisa Y. Flores - Assistant Editor
·Hector Atnezcua - Photo Editor
Staff Writers: Hector Amezcua,James I. Corrosco,Matty·B. Duran,
Johanna.Munoz, Marty Rivera
Photographer: Angel de Jesus
· Graphi_
c5.(production: Lisa Y. Flores
,, ,., La Voi'de Aztlan is 00 insert
of
the Daily Collegian, under a seperate
· ·editori•al staff. Opinions expressed in La Voz dctnot necessarily '·
·
·reflect. those
of
the Dai{yColfegian.
. . . · ·... ·.
. -:-.••:-:
·-:
-.
.-.
-
The "H" Word
BY EDUARDO LOPEZ
The Daily Californian
UC Berkeley
If I had a dollar for every time I've
heard or read aie term "Hispanic" lately,
I'd be a rich Chicai10. In reality I am a
poor Chicano - a somewhat politically
aware person of Mexican descent living in
the United States.
Everybody seems to be discovering
that Latinos actually exist within the
artificial boundaries of these United States
and have something worthwhile to offer.
Latinos - people of Latin American
descent - are now "in," but as far as I'm
concerned, we've always been in.
A.long wit.11 the hype comes ~ subtle
message that Latinos are to spicy for Mr.
and Mrs. Wonderbread, the people who
cor.sume mass media as a daily staple, so
we have been labeled with a thoroughly
homogenizing term - Hispanic.
The "H" word (I cannot physically
speak the wofd as it leaves a horribly
bland taste in my mouth) is just .another
in a series of assimilation devices to
blend Latinos more easily into the Great
American Melting Pot.
These Cultural Cuisinarts include the
intolerant English Only Movement, shortterm political appointments, and yes,
ev::n McDonald's Chicken McFiesta Latin
A;nerican Coin Giveaway!
GUEST
COLUMNIST
This last McCulturally Insensitive
media blitz repeats the stereotype that
Latin American money is as worthless as
the people that produce it Market values
aside, just imagine if your legal currency
was being given away as a promotional
toy to sell ground up, re-formed flavorless
gobs of chicken entrails. Would you brag
about it?
English-Only's purpose is to rob
Latinos of their culture by "haciendo
menos" the Spanish language. ("haciendo
menos" means literally "making less" or
approximates
demeaning
and/or
trivializing. I couldn't think of a better
~e.rrn in English.)
l shouldn't be narrow-minded here. Any
ianguage carries _culture, and that is a
threat to the one-dimensional view of the
English Only Cultural Police. By
removing "foreign" tongues from this
country, they hope to instill a whitebread
ethnocentrism that will unite us all in
one big happy lump of Cream of Wheat
As for political tokenism, the election
season appointment of Dr. Lauro Cavazos
to · a virtually perpetual term in the
cabmet post of Secreia.ry of Education making him the highest ranking "H"
person next to Colombian coffee picker
Juan Valdez - is obviously aimed at
convincing "H" voters that the out-oftouch Reagan/Bush administration has
turned over a new leaf.
Previously, the only "H" people
Reagan ever wanted in his cabinet were
the maids cleaning Nancy's kitchen. Bush
has displayed his cultural sensitivity not
only by hanging out with murderous
The "H" word is a misnomer, an
application of a wrong name or epithet to
some person or thing. It is inaccurate for
several reasons. First, what it describes
should be scrutinized. "H," at least in the
dictionary I looked in, states: "l)
belonging to Spain, its language or
people. 2) Spanish."
The last time I was called "Spanish"
Wu3 when some old lady thought she was
doing me a favor.
"No, my parents are from Mexico," I
said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She was pitying
me, not apologizing.
"H" emphasizes the European roots of
Latinos and dismisses the vast Indian
heritage we posess. I guess the more
European you are, the whiter you can
pretend to be. I cannot deny my Spanish
background but I think the last 500 years
er so hav~ ornv""n thr~ !~~Hin America has
produced its own unique and quite valid
cultures.
This wealth of diverse Latin American
cultures is targeted for homogenization in
the United States by the "H" word. From
Puerto Ricans to Peruvians, Chicanos to
Chileans, this great variety of peoples are
all lumped into one big generic package.
1 think we should call it "Beige Wrap."
That should not only help assimilate us
but could conceivably make us very
marketable. Imagine, any politician could
walk imo a supermarket and pick up a
few "H's" for his or her next rally! Just
look for us between the yellow wrap
"Chili with Meat" and the generic "Taco
Shells Formed by the Mechanical
Compression of Plastic By-Products."
The creation of this ccrm for "official"
North American usage can be traced to the
1970 Census Bureau under the fair-minded
Nixon Adminstration. I believe that
because of the flourishing radical Chicano
movement in the country, and other
revolutionary movements in Latin
America, the "H" word was a neutralizing
term acceptable to the Establishment.
The purpose was to associate Latinos
here with Latinos abroad. In that Vietnam
era when many were protesting the
faraway war, government schemers may
have looked ahead 10 to 15 years to
possible U.S. intervention against
revolutionary governments in Latin
America.
If we could not identify with our
brothers and sisters throughout the
hemisphe1e in struggle domestically, we
might not object to aggression in say,
Central America, and might even be
convinced to fight for the Red, White and
Blue. And plus, the U.S. Army proved it
had a fantastic affirmative action program
during the Vietnam conflict which assured
that disproportionate amounts of Chicano
and black soldiers were slotted for
frontline action and death. Even now the
demand in Central America is great for
bilingual killing machines!
"H" is -:i•JL bilingw.J • iL's ii1 .1:mglish.
this subtly conveys to "H's" that the
Spanish language is out: English is in.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Advertisers realize the positive impact (at
least in their bank accounts) of Spanish
language advertising. Jesus, even
Madonna sings in Spanish!
Which brings me back around to what's
in. Diversity is in. Sameness is out. The
last thing this country needs is yet
another di verse people swallowed up by
Mr. and Mrs. white-sponge bread. It needs
variety, it needs to become more openminded and accepting, not more
homogenous and bland. So if you feel
you're in danger of becoming just another
Wonderbreadsandwich, my only adviccis-
Nicaraguan Contras, but by calling his
half-Mexican grandchildren, "the little .
brown ones."
I wonder if they call him "the Great
White Grandfather?" This vice-presidential
Archie Bunker hopes to win "H" hearts
and minds with this endearingly repulsive
label. Labels speak. Misnomers mislead. get the H---out!
La Voz de Aztlan
Monday, October 17, 1988
Page 3
Carlos·Santana Perspective And Viewpoint
BY HECTOR AMEZCUA
Staff Writer
After a two and a half hour delay,
legendary musician Carlos Santana
arrived in Fresno. Upon his arrival he
granted La Voz de Aztlan a private
interview. In the following text, Carlos
shares some of his thoughts about his
music, his experience as an international
figure, and the impact of mus;c ir.
changing society.
A croud of six thousand Santana fans
gathered on the opening night of The
Fresno Fair. The concert was a complete
delight to the croud who at the rythm of
Black Magic Woman screamed "Viva
Santana. We love you."
"I grew up in Tijuana doing what Los
Lobos were doing in the movie, playing
in a club," refering to a scene from the
movie "La Bamba".
"I went to Tijuana two days ago.
Everywere their are new clubs in Tijuana
playing loud disco music that is just
pounding. Like most of the things they
do in San Francisco, playing rap music or
modem music.
And we have the
mariachis walking around on the street~
saying: 'You want a song Mr.? Five
dollars a song.' And then you see the
little kids following there parents with
guitars."
"Because to look at the faces of the
mariachis competing against this music,
is a real challenge. Y si no nos fijamos,
if we don't look out for each
other........ .look what happened to the
American Indian. This is what their
trying to do to us."
f
''I'm
not
very
nationalistic.
~ Nationalism is another word for racism.
I'm more universal, humanitarian, y a
ayudar a quien nesecite. Porque asi
perdieron los indios Americanos, they
stayed with their own tribe, and then
when they wanted to unite it was too
late."
"For right know I like to think that
it's important that we comunicate with
one another more as we come more
Carlos Santana elecrifies audience with new and old band members.
ciosely together. I want to do a concert in
San Quentin, para mis hermanos
Chicanos, Negros, y blancos. I want to
play for them, and I hope that Time
magazin~ and Life magazine don't show
up, because I don't need publicity. I do it
because I feel that they need to hear
something that my music has. I like to
think that I give the man and woman who
ever listens, a conviction, and a dare to
dare. To be the best that you can be."
"I like to hear that my music has more
(to it) than just dancing."
"I've been praying ....... para ir a Mexico
tengo desde el sentent.a y tres ...... that I
haven't been there. El ano pasado, Dios
me concedio ir al este de Berlin. The
other side of the wall, y tocamos en
Moscu, Rusia el cuatro de Julio. Si yo
puedo tocar aya porque no puedo
tocar...... across the border. "
"I like to hear my
. ... "
music
-Carlos Santana
nobody trained the hippies to go out there
and put their heads behind a cane."
"I'm talking about things that are long
lasting, your children and my children
can benefit. I'm not talking about putting
Santana on a Good Year blimp."
Santana said refering to Cesar Chavez,
"I identify with what he is doing.
A
lot of times I can't be there in person, but
in spirit he knows that I'm there, ai1d also
I already (promised) him and Daniel to do
a concert hopefuly this year. The only
thing that I'm committed to is that I want
to do the last one in San Quentin. That's
the most important for me right now,
because I saw their eyes, and I saw what
they're going through.
They're just
victims of bad parents, bad things, but
they're children like anybody else and they
need a ray of hope. I want to go down
there and play Cloud Nine."
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
BY DENICE A. RIOS
The Fresno Bee
1988
Some Hispanic college students m~y
find their pocketbooks a little heavier
nex.t year if an ambitious scholarship fund
drive planned by a handful of local
organizers is successful.
Fresno Friends of the National
Hispanic Scholarship Fund will hold a
black-tie dinner on Oct 27 with the
hopes of raising $100,000 for Hispanic
students in Fresno and Madera counties.
It is by far the largest scholarship
program ever offered to local Hispanic
students, said Al Alarcon, a Fresno
businessman who is in charge of putting
the event together.
It also means, in a sense, that Fresno
has gained respectability thorughout the
nation because of the tremendous
Hlspanic market the area reprsents.
Traditionally, fund-raising events for
the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
have been held in larger cities such as Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Houston and New York.
But the half-million Hispancis who
live in this area make it the 10th-largest
Hispanic market in the nation, and their
estimated billion dollars in annual buying
power has allowed Fresno to flex more
of its market muscles.
Those numbers Alarcon said, are what
attracted representatives of the NHSF to
Fresno.
The NHSF was incorporated in 197 5
and gave its first awards a year later. More
than 6,000 students have received $3.2
million in scholarships since then.
Corporate donations play a large part in
the program's success. Anheuser-Busch is
playing a key role locally, as it has done
in other areas, said Angie Rios, who is in
charge of media relations for the local
fund-raising effort.
"I think Fresno has been ready for
something like this for a while." Rios
said. "The Hispanic populatin can take a
lot of pride in that. It's a positive, and a
real good progressive move for Fresno.
David Mendoza, a member of the
Fresno and Hispanic Chambers of
commerce, also is working with the
Fresno-Madera scholarship drive. He said
falk of the program began a year ago, and
in January the plans for a major event
began to gel.
"The main thing is the size of the
money we're going after," Mendoza said.
"Most scholarships-$200 to $300- offered
to students at today's expenses are less
!han ~ drop in the bucket A $5,000
scholar:sip is more in tune to
profesionalism."
Tickets for the dinner will start at $100
per person and go up from there. The top
tickets is $5,000 for a table of 10. Those
contributors will be acknowledged at the.
dinner and become honorary local board
members. They also will be listed as part
of the Chairman's Circle in a yearbook,
as well .as receiving a full-page color
advertisement in the publicaiton.
Money from the yearbook also will go
toward the scholarhsips, which will be
available only to underrgraduate and
graduate students form Fresno and Madera
counties. And while top sutdents are
strong candidates, they wont' necessarily
have a lock on obtaining the
scholarships.
Alarcon and Mendoza said that many
conditions facing students can affect grade
point averages. They said a student with a
C average who works hard in school and
has a full-time job has just as good a
chance of receiving a scholarship as a nonworking A student.
Mendoza and Alarcon said it's
important to offer Hispanic students
Some hope for their future. Many don't
have the money to continue their studies
in college and some don't recieve financial
support or encouragement at home, they
said.
Since 1980, the number of Hispanic
students going on to higher education has
been improving, Mendoza said, "but the
numbers are low when you look across
the board."
The two businessmen are hoping to
attract support from everyone in the
community, not just Hispanics students
who complete college are likely to go on
to professions in which they can benefit
the entire community.
The two said it's import.ant for students
to know the community supports them.
"We want to tell these kids, 'We are
.h~~11ing an eye on you and we want to
show you we're committed for you to
continue school so we can help send you
to college,' " Alarcon said.
Several committees need volunteers to
help organize October's gala dinner,
which will feature major celebrities. A
man and woman of the year also will be
selected for their contributions to local
education, Alarcon said. The wi..R.ners will
be honored at the dinner.
Alarcon hopes the scholarship drive
will be an annual event. Anyone
interested in the committees or more
information may call 225-2337 or 4851320.
Page 4
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
A Personal Account
"Occupied America" Author Addresses CSUF
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
When I first saw him he appeared
Caucasian.
There
was
nothing
conspicuous about his appearance, there
had been nothing about him that
suggested to me, that he had authored
"Occupied America", a bleeding chronicle
of the struggle of La Raza in the United
States. Was this the man whose pen bled
page after page? And yet, it must have
been, for, I had never seen him before,
and in such instances one should expect
anything. At that point I wouldn't have
been surprised to have seen a man who
resembled Fidel Castro walk out on stage
to lecture us.
I had been seated in the middle of the
first row, directly in front of the podium,
thinking only of the interview assuming I
had the tenacity to ask for it at all?
Although I had never seen him before,
here was a man who did not look like
Rodolfo Acuna to me. I surmise I
expected a bourgeois tie to crawl down
his torso, or perhaps my perplexity
stemmed from the fact that he hadn't worn
a suit at all? But I knew my irritation was
due to his fair complexion. He hadn't
worn the bronze skin that I equated with
"Chicanismo". Although I knew that
there were fair-skinned Chicarros, I had
just expected him to resemble Cesar
Chavez or the poor Chicanos who lived
in the barrios where I was from.
As the lecture was about to coin111ence,
Dr. Flores hugged him. My doubts were
soon dispelled, and at that instant I knew
he was Rodolfo Acuna, author of
"Occupied America".
"You always have to go against the
current, even if the current is wrong", he
began.
As the lecture progressed, Dr. Acuna
spoke of the loss of unity, when groups
like LULAC (League of United Latin
American Citizens), had rejected the
Chicano workers, and had patronized the
students. Although they had started from
the Latino, money ultimately separated
them from us. Just as most of the
professors separted themselves from us.
Dark and light had ~erely . become
abstracts, and that tragic schism has
always divided us as a race. Bec~u~e of
that we lost the Southwest dmded,
instead of united. Unity c.ould have made
us str?nger once our nat~on ~d beco~e
occupied. It_ was that disunity that had
allow~ the invaders _to occupy our hearts
and bramwash our mmd_s.
.
As a result, we received cold: cuttI~g
stares in the supermarkets. This racist
attitude attempted to isolate us from the
Anglo-Saxon world, which was the
United States of America. Although,
we've lived among them all these years,
our divergent histories had always
separated us. Its not the way we wanted
it, it was just the way Southwest
Ameri..;a was. A parent who had
always_ preferred her adopted children _than
the ch1fdren she bore out of the pamful
"Chi!!gac!a".?_~_at had c~eated us. . .
These were the-feelings we €amed mto the universi~es with u~, it was these
scars we earned all our lives as a race. It
w~ these feelings that Dr. Acuna w_as
trymg to educate us t?. When he said,
"we shoul~,?ev~r use history as a weapon
for hatred. Tius hatred could very well
destroy us, and those around us.
As he spoke, this fact frustrated him.
This was the great dilemma for most of
us, we could become overwhelmed by
such feelings and destroy ourselves with
this anger, or the anger would never
manifest itself, and we would never
advance as a race. I believe this is what he
meant when he said we must become selfcritical. It is only .through self-criticism,
that one h ready to change the world in a
positive way. It is only through a
thorough analysis of history, that we can
change the institutions that asphyxiates
us all.
Because of our asphyxiation as a race,
it it imperative that "we", Chicanos and
Mexicanos analyze our history, as an
exorcism from a past that has stigmitized
us with feelings of inadequacy, we share
as a race. This low self-esteem has
brainwashed us into believing that we
should be grateful to work in the fields
for meagerly wages. It has kept some of
us from opening our mouths. It has made
us apologetic for "affirmative action". It
msF
NATIONAL
HISPANIC
SCHOLARSHIP
FUND
has made us feel like the "invaders", in a
nation that had been robbed from us only
a century earlier. That is why when a
colleague had asked Dr. Acuna "why we
haven't made it as a race", he rebutted,
Upon uttering that on 'tage Dr Acuna
began to hurt once agai~. Even tlrrough
that pale face, he was one of us. Moreso
than the dark-skinned Chicanos who
a aled
the Protestant God
ppe
to
'
while he shoved La Virgen de Guadalupe
and his history into the mud. Dr. Acuna
represented every one of us dark and light
alike. He was our shield against racism.
Alone, on the stage m corduroys and
tennis, he was the historian, who had and
would reveal the truth, as he had done in
"Occupied America" and through
numerous lectures nationwide.
After the lecture, he had admitted to me
that he had become more angry, even
cynical. At this point in his life, he was
looking for- reasons to be thrown. out of
the university at Northridge, where he
taught. Not being invited to his sister's
parties for throwing "intellectual pedos"
had been the beginning. Escalating, I
surmise with the student movement in
1968, when black students had kidnapped
a racist assistant coach until the
LETTER
institution would listen. It had been these
cries that had created a Black Ethnic
Studies and Chicano Studies Departments
at Northridge.
Although, others looked to him as a
beacon of change, his pale eyes spoke of
~eariness, impatien~e, sinceri~y and utter;
bitter fr..!~L--;:;.~1a~. P.::~ fr..!:;trat1on seemed
to surge from the Chicano You!h_ of today
who had forgotten the sacnfices and
suffering of a wearied generation. He
spoke of the counter-revolutionary Mecha
organization who has become just another
social club. After his sacrifices, he was
filled with disbelief, at those he called the
"nineteen-year old mocosos." These were
the young arrogant engineering majors
who refused to join even Mecha, because
they were afraid of risking their future
security cicarances.
It was this youth, that seemed to break
his impregnable spirit. A million white
oppressors I'm sure he could face, but, it
was_ . "us" the bronze student whether
dark -or light, who bad broken 'his heart.
Because he needed to remind us who we
were, not Sally Smith or Fred Jones, but
Gregorio
Cortez
and Julianna Martinez, who only decades
earlier had been tu!J "no dogs or
Mexicans allowed."
Chavez, representing the United Farm
Workers of America, spoke openly
supporting the passage of federal
Continue from Page 2
are poisons. Most often, these pesticides antidiscrimination laws regarding sexual
are systemic; which means the residue is orientation.
Today, in unity with public interest,
inside the product and can not be washed
environmental groups, and other campus
off.
In 1967, the United Farm Workers organizations, the Gay Lesbian Student
obtained a ban on DDT in certain parts of Alliance openly endorses MECHA and
California. It took five years until the the efforts of the United Farm Workers.
Environmental Protection Agency banned We encourage your involvement and
the use of .DDT nationwide, in 1972. participation.
: . .
,
Today, Dr. Marion Moses, associated
In closing, the words· of Cesar Chavez'
with the Environmental Protection "It will take our combined energy and
Agency, estimates at least 33% of all i:if[uen..,e ...to change the cycle of
pesticides used on Californias crops are poisions...destruction, and death that
either proven or suspected of causing threatens...people and... (the) world".
cancer. At the present time, many.
"Together, all things are possible"
Californians are unknowingly purchasing
GRACIAS a todos por su tiempo y
attencion.
crops laced with poisons and toxins.
Exactly one year ago, October 11,
1987; at the March on Washington DC
Peter Robinson
for Lesbian and Gay Rights; Cesar
GLSA President
The Fresno Friends of the
National 'Hispanic Scholarship Fund
cordially invite you to attend
''AN EVENING TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE"
To Promote Hispanic Higher Education
Thursday, October 27, 1988
A Black Tie Dinner
at the
Centre Plaza Holiday Inn
2333 Ventura Street Downtown
Fresno, California
~
For infonnation on NHSF and the dinner, please call (209) 225-2337.
NHSF - Fresno, 547 W. Shields, Fresno, California 93705
Mcnday, October 17, 1988
California State University, Fresno
Carlos Fuentes
Change and Development affect Latin America
BY JOHANNA MUNOZ
Staff Writer
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes notes trend toward independence in a
recent -lecture at CSUF.
"Our path now is to travel to
interdependence without sacrificing our
independence, the task is large but so are
the opportunities."
Carlos Fuentes, the second speaker in
the Univesity Lecture Series, spoke to a
Fuentes spoke of a new emerging
packed auditorium on Tuesday, September Latin America and suggested that these
27th. Fuentes, currently a professor at coun~es are demanding their rightful
the Kennedy Institute of Harvard, is noted place m the world, and not vice-versa.
as one of the foremost scholars of Latin
American affairs. His lecture entiteld
However. the reality in Latin America
"The Crisis of Culture in Latin America," is a growing population with little
was well received.
resources. What docs Latin America look
Fuentes began his lecture by like in the 21st century? According to
reminding us that Latin America is an Fuentes there is a population explosion.
heterogeneous society composed of a The population has doubled to 400
variety of traditions and ethnicities. million today and will double the
Moreover, the premise of his lecture was population of the U.S. by the year 2000:
that in order to understrand Latin a population where more than half is 15
American culture one must first realize years old or less. a population hungry for
that old and new coexist. It is this jobs. education and social services.
coexistence that defines the fundamental essentially a population with great needs
aspects of the culture.
that are not being met.
In contrast, Fuentes argues that we
The capacity of Latin Americans to be
themselves and to address the are also seeing a state of cooperation
international community will be put to occurring within the Latin American
the test between now and the year 2000. countries themselves. As an example,
In this test. the U.S. must create a new Fuentes described the Mexican earthquake
policy based on rationality, consultation of 1985 where the community was able
and mutual respect. "The U.S. must no to work together to pull out of this crisis.
longer exert dominance, but seek
The picture Fuentes painted of Latin
cooperation. The U.S. should promise
non- intervention, and we promise the America, and Mexico in particular, was
U.S. security and give each other pretty and colorful. However, it was just
that a pretty picture. The reality of the
cooperation," he stated.
Now, more than ever Latin America is situation is one of ekctoral fraud,
achieving a greater degree of diplomatic government abuses, and little given to
uiiily. According to Fuentes we are stabilize the economy.
heading towards a "post-Yalta period." A
On a positive note though, Fuentes did
period where the world is "no longer
address
the democratization beginning to
dominated by two superpowers. but a
world where a wealth of options offered occur in Latin America. And, perhaps
by the diversity of culture and national this positive note is much greater than all
experiences can tell the superpowers that the negative. That is, we may yet see a
their armed influences continue to be free and just society for all in Latin
paramount, but this is no longer true of America and, as important, a Latin
their economic-perfect political ex- America taking its rightful place as a
world leader.
amples."
Modem Aztecas bleed a nation
Tlatelolco: Twenty Years Later
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
October 2, 1968 is the day in Mexico
that the modem "Aztecas," embodied in
the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary
Party),
sacrificed
v1cums
to
Huitzilopochtli (the Aztec god of war.)
They felt his war-like face against them
as they began to preach and believe in a
new religion; democracy.
Democracy had never been a part ot the
modem Aztecas world, even after the
1910 Revolution. Political power was
consolidated in the hands of the few, and
the PRI eventually symbolized Mexico in
such
fashion.
Taking the role of the high Aztec priest,
the PRI ripped open the flesh of the
impoverished. Alas, even the reformist
leadership of Lazaro Cardenas could not
save them.
Tlatelolco, was that sacrificial alter.
October 2nd was the day Huitzilopochtli
cried for victims. There, the sacrifices
began at 6 p.m., when flares appeared in
the sky and the meeting was about to
come to a close. The students, who
preached an end to the violence of the
government and its granaderos, forgot that
underneath the flesh of the PRI was the
soul of the modem Azteca who was not
:uraid to sacrifice his own nation.
Throughout the student movement, the
students themselves had formed brigades
to educate and unite the people to the six
points of their demands. More than
anything, fear, as much as courage, made
them determined to hold a dialogue with
the government of Diaz Ordaz (I 964-70).
But Ordaz only ignored the demands of
his people. The PRI deliberately turned a
deaf ear to the six point petition. drafted
by
the
CNH
(National
Strike
Committee). Among the more significant
points the CNH asked for was the
liberation of all political prisoners and the
disbandment of the granaderos. They also
asked for Cueto, the brutal chief of
police. to be fired for his brutal Gestapo
methods.
Thousands of arrests began in the
summer before Tlatelolco. Billy clubs
beat down the people while the faces of a
nation were tom open.
All summer they were arrested and
stripped naked, only to have their bodies
burned with electrical shocks to the head
and rectum. The female students were
raped by the granaderos who were the
conquistadores resurrected.
Mexico became a nation possessed, as
the army occupied Santo Tomas Campus
and University City. The universities
became the target of a political entity
unwilling to yield. Yet, the government
could not remove the mask. for to hold a
dialogue with its people meant eventual
democratization for the nation. If that
happened the modem Aztecas (PRI) would
lose their authority and all the sacrifices
would eventually have to end.
Barbarous Mexico. Aztec Mexico. A
Mexico possessed by a heritage it did not
fully understand.
In a few weeks modem Mexico would
host the Olympics. Once again Mexico
was a mother to foreigners and a
stepmother to Mexicans. It has been that
way since the conquest, the lndians
represented the other Mexico, the Mexico
That is why at 6 p.m .• the lights of a that must remain hidden... as Tlatelolco
helicopter flashed overhead as the crowd must remain hidden. The government
looked up. The hopeful students shouted never assumed responsibility. Mexican
newspapers recorded about twenty to
for the people not to panic.
"They are only trying to scare us, don't twenty-five deaths. But, there was too
much blood smeared on that alter, the
move!"
blood of a nation.
At that moment, dum-dum bullets flew
through the air, ripping open flesh much
quicker than the old sacrificial knives had
Later 325 deaths were reported by the
ever done. Faces darted in every direction, Guardian. a British newspaper. Among
blood filled the square of La Plaza de las those murdered were Professor Leonardo
Tres Culturas at Tlatelolco. Pregnant Perez Gonzalez; Leobardo Lopez Arreche,
bodies were dismembered with bayonets and Ana Maria Regina Teucher, twenty
and bullets. Children were gunned down
like common criminals by the army. Old
men and women died that night. Bullets years of age and a first year medical
hailed through the air sixty minutes student; as well as hundreds of others.
straight, tearing everything in their path.
An unsuspecting Mexico panicked, only
Although it has been twenty years
to be cornered and gunned down by its since Tlatelolco bled, the bullets continue
to echo through the air. One can still hear
own army.
them. The tragedy of October 2. 1968
The following morning the alter was will continue until Mexico is truly
clean, Tlatelolco belonged to the "other democratized. When Cuauhtemoc finally
Mexico" that Octavio Paz wrote of. returns to see his nation redeemed.
Rather than risk that, the modem
Aztecas risked Tlatelolco. They chose to
sacrifice its young, they chose to disturb
its citizens, they chose to stain their own
credibility.
Page 2
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
:Showdown '88
PERSPECTIVE
repl!s~lica
!emocra1
D
•
•
In November YOU make the choice
LEITER TO THE EDITOR
GLSA supports UFW
grape boycott
Editor,
BUENAS TARDES mis amigas y
amigos
I am Peter Robinson, the recently
elected President of the Gay Lesbian
Student Alliance here on this campus. We
are here in support of MECHA and the
efforts of the United Farm Workers of
America.
DID you know: farmworkers are
virtually unprotected from pesticides
hazards under current state and federal
laws?
DID you know: agriculture is among
the most dangerous occupation in this
country today, measured in terms of workrelated injuries and death?
DID you know: some California table
grapes are considered one of the most
dangerous foods available for public
consumption?
California farmworkers labor under the
worst conditions of any worker in the
United States today. Over 25% of these
workers are minors. Many rights enjoyed
by most other workers are specifically
denied the farmworker included are labor
Jaws, health laws, safety laws, and
minimum wage laws. Only twelve years
ago, did the United Farm Workers win the
historic rights to organize and bargain
collectively.
Led by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm
Workers have been actively campaigning
for an enforced ban on five highly toxic
pesticides from the California grape
fields. Pesticides are toxins, sometimes
cancer-causing deliberately put into our
environment and foods. By nature, they
Please see LEITER, page 4
Albert Robles • Edit.or
Lisa Y. Flores - Assistant Editor
·Hector Atnezcua - Photo Editor
Staff Writers: Hector Amezcua,James I. Corrosco,Matty·B. Duran,
Johanna.Munoz, Marty Rivera
Photographer: Angel de Jesus
· Graphi_
c5.(production: Lisa Y. Flores
,, ,., La Voi'de Aztlan is 00 insert
of
the Daily Collegian, under a seperate
· ·editori•al staff. Opinions expressed in La Voz dctnot necessarily '·
·
·reflect. those
of
the Dai{yColfegian.
. . . · ·... ·.
. -:-.••:-:
·-:
-.
.-.
-
The "H" Word
BY EDUARDO LOPEZ
The Daily Californian
UC Berkeley
If I had a dollar for every time I've
heard or read aie term "Hispanic" lately,
I'd be a rich Chicai10. In reality I am a
poor Chicano - a somewhat politically
aware person of Mexican descent living in
the United States.
Everybody seems to be discovering
that Latinos actually exist within the
artificial boundaries of these United States
and have something worthwhile to offer.
Latinos - people of Latin American
descent - are now "in," but as far as I'm
concerned, we've always been in.
A.long wit.11 the hype comes ~ subtle
message that Latinos are to spicy for Mr.
and Mrs. Wonderbread, the people who
cor.sume mass media as a daily staple, so
we have been labeled with a thoroughly
homogenizing term - Hispanic.
The "H" word (I cannot physically
speak the wofd as it leaves a horribly
bland taste in my mouth) is just .another
in a series of assimilation devices to
blend Latinos more easily into the Great
American Melting Pot.
These Cultural Cuisinarts include the
intolerant English Only Movement, shortterm political appointments, and yes,
ev::n McDonald's Chicken McFiesta Latin
A;nerican Coin Giveaway!
GUEST
COLUMNIST
This last McCulturally Insensitive
media blitz repeats the stereotype that
Latin American money is as worthless as
the people that produce it Market values
aside, just imagine if your legal currency
was being given away as a promotional
toy to sell ground up, re-formed flavorless
gobs of chicken entrails. Would you brag
about it?
English-Only's purpose is to rob
Latinos of their culture by "haciendo
menos" the Spanish language. ("haciendo
menos" means literally "making less" or
approximates
demeaning
and/or
trivializing. I couldn't think of a better
~e.rrn in English.)
l shouldn't be narrow-minded here. Any
ianguage carries _culture, and that is a
threat to the one-dimensional view of the
English Only Cultural Police. By
removing "foreign" tongues from this
country, they hope to instill a whitebread
ethnocentrism that will unite us all in
one big happy lump of Cream of Wheat
As for political tokenism, the election
season appointment of Dr. Lauro Cavazos
to · a virtually perpetual term in the
cabmet post of Secreia.ry of Education making him the highest ranking "H"
person next to Colombian coffee picker
Juan Valdez - is obviously aimed at
convincing "H" voters that the out-oftouch Reagan/Bush administration has
turned over a new leaf.
Previously, the only "H" people
Reagan ever wanted in his cabinet were
the maids cleaning Nancy's kitchen. Bush
has displayed his cultural sensitivity not
only by hanging out with murderous
The "H" word is a misnomer, an
application of a wrong name or epithet to
some person or thing. It is inaccurate for
several reasons. First, what it describes
should be scrutinized. "H," at least in the
dictionary I looked in, states: "l)
belonging to Spain, its language or
people. 2) Spanish."
The last time I was called "Spanish"
Wu3 when some old lady thought she was
doing me a favor.
"No, my parents are from Mexico," I
said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She was pitying
me, not apologizing.
"H" emphasizes the European roots of
Latinos and dismisses the vast Indian
heritage we posess. I guess the more
European you are, the whiter you can
pretend to be. I cannot deny my Spanish
background but I think the last 500 years
er so hav~ ornv""n thr~ !~~Hin America has
produced its own unique and quite valid
cultures.
This wealth of diverse Latin American
cultures is targeted for homogenization in
the United States by the "H" word. From
Puerto Ricans to Peruvians, Chicanos to
Chileans, this great variety of peoples are
all lumped into one big generic package.
1 think we should call it "Beige Wrap."
That should not only help assimilate us
but could conceivably make us very
marketable. Imagine, any politician could
walk imo a supermarket and pick up a
few "H's" for his or her next rally! Just
look for us between the yellow wrap
"Chili with Meat" and the generic "Taco
Shells Formed by the Mechanical
Compression of Plastic By-Products."
The creation of this ccrm for "official"
North American usage can be traced to the
1970 Census Bureau under the fair-minded
Nixon Adminstration. I believe that
because of the flourishing radical Chicano
movement in the country, and other
revolutionary movements in Latin
America, the "H" word was a neutralizing
term acceptable to the Establishment.
The purpose was to associate Latinos
here with Latinos abroad. In that Vietnam
era when many were protesting the
faraway war, government schemers may
have looked ahead 10 to 15 years to
possible U.S. intervention against
revolutionary governments in Latin
America.
If we could not identify with our
brothers and sisters throughout the
hemisphe1e in struggle domestically, we
might not object to aggression in say,
Central America, and might even be
convinced to fight for the Red, White and
Blue. And plus, the U.S. Army proved it
had a fantastic affirmative action program
during the Vietnam conflict which assured
that disproportionate amounts of Chicano
and black soldiers were slotted for
frontline action and death. Even now the
demand in Central America is great for
bilingual killing machines!
"H" is -:i•JL bilingw.J • iL's ii1 .1:mglish.
this subtly conveys to "H's" that the
Spanish language is out: English is in.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Advertisers realize the positive impact (at
least in their bank accounts) of Spanish
language advertising. Jesus, even
Madonna sings in Spanish!
Which brings me back around to what's
in. Diversity is in. Sameness is out. The
last thing this country needs is yet
another di verse people swallowed up by
Mr. and Mrs. white-sponge bread. It needs
variety, it needs to become more openminded and accepting, not more
homogenous and bland. So if you feel
you're in danger of becoming just another
Wonderbreadsandwich, my only adviccis-
Nicaraguan Contras, but by calling his
half-Mexican grandchildren, "the little .
brown ones."
I wonder if they call him "the Great
White Grandfather?" This vice-presidential
Archie Bunker hopes to win "H" hearts
and minds with this endearingly repulsive
label. Labels speak. Misnomers mislead. get the H---out!
La Voz de Aztlan
Monday, October 17, 1988
Page 3
Carlos·Santana Perspective And Viewpoint
BY HECTOR AMEZCUA
Staff Writer
After a two and a half hour delay,
legendary musician Carlos Santana
arrived in Fresno. Upon his arrival he
granted La Voz de Aztlan a private
interview. In the following text, Carlos
shares some of his thoughts about his
music, his experience as an international
figure, and the impact of mus;c ir.
changing society.
A croud of six thousand Santana fans
gathered on the opening night of The
Fresno Fair. The concert was a complete
delight to the croud who at the rythm of
Black Magic Woman screamed "Viva
Santana. We love you."
"I grew up in Tijuana doing what Los
Lobos were doing in the movie, playing
in a club," refering to a scene from the
movie "La Bamba".
"I went to Tijuana two days ago.
Everywere their are new clubs in Tijuana
playing loud disco music that is just
pounding. Like most of the things they
do in San Francisco, playing rap music or
modem music.
And we have the
mariachis walking around on the street~
saying: 'You want a song Mr.? Five
dollars a song.' And then you see the
little kids following there parents with
guitars."
"Because to look at the faces of the
mariachis competing against this music,
is a real challenge. Y si no nos fijamos,
if we don't look out for each
other........ .look what happened to the
American Indian. This is what their
trying to do to us."
f
''I'm
not
very
nationalistic.
~ Nationalism is another word for racism.
I'm more universal, humanitarian, y a
ayudar a quien nesecite. Porque asi
perdieron los indios Americanos, they
stayed with their own tribe, and then
when they wanted to unite it was too
late."
"For right know I like to think that
it's important that we comunicate with
one another more as we come more
Carlos Santana elecrifies audience with new and old band members.
ciosely together. I want to do a concert in
San Quentin, para mis hermanos
Chicanos, Negros, y blancos. I want to
play for them, and I hope that Time
magazin~ and Life magazine don't show
up, because I don't need publicity. I do it
because I feel that they need to hear
something that my music has. I like to
think that I give the man and woman who
ever listens, a conviction, and a dare to
dare. To be the best that you can be."
"I like to hear that my music has more
(to it) than just dancing."
"I've been praying ....... para ir a Mexico
tengo desde el sentent.a y tres ...... that I
haven't been there. El ano pasado, Dios
me concedio ir al este de Berlin. The
other side of the wall, y tocamos en
Moscu, Rusia el cuatro de Julio. Si yo
puedo tocar aya porque no puedo
tocar...... across the border. "
"I like to hear my
. ... "
music
-Carlos Santana
nobody trained the hippies to go out there
and put their heads behind a cane."
"I'm talking about things that are long
lasting, your children and my children
can benefit. I'm not talking about putting
Santana on a Good Year blimp."
Santana said refering to Cesar Chavez,
"I identify with what he is doing.
A
lot of times I can't be there in person, but
in spirit he knows that I'm there, ai1d also
I already (promised) him and Daniel to do
a concert hopefuly this year. The only
thing that I'm committed to is that I want
to do the last one in San Quentin. That's
the most important for me right now,
because I saw their eyes, and I saw what
they're going through.
They're just
victims of bad parents, bad things, but
they're children like anybody else and they
need a ray of hope. I want to go down
there and play Cloud Nine."
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
BY DENICE A. RIOS
The Fresno Bee
1988
Some Hispanic college students m~y
find their pocketbooks a little heavier
nex.t year if an ambitious scholarship fund
drive planned by a handful of local
organizers is successful.
Fresno Friends of the National
Hispanic Scholarship Fund will hold a
black-tie dinner on Oct 27 with the
hopes of raising $100,000 for Hispanic
students in Fresno and Madera counties.
It is by far the largest scholarship
program ever offered to local Hispanic
students, said Al Alarcon, a Fresno
businessman who is in charge of putting
the event together.
It also means, in a sense, that Fresno
has gained respectability thorughout the
nation because of the tremendous
Hlspanic market the area reprsents.
Traditionally, fund-raising events for
the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
have been held in larger cities such as Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Houston and New York.
But the half-million Hispancis who
live in this area make it the 10th-largest
Hispanic market in the nation, and their
estimated billion dollars in annual buying
power has allowed Fresno to flex more
of its market muscles.
Those numbers Alarcon said, are what
attracted representatives of the NHSF to
Fresno.
The NHSF was incorporated in 197 5
and gave its first awards a year later. More
than 6,000 students have received $3.2
million in scholarships since then.
Corporate donations play a large part in
the program's success. Anheuser-Busch is
playing a key role locally, as it has done
in other areas, said Angie Rios, who is in
charge of media relations for the local
fund-raising effort.
"I think Fresno has been ready for
something like this for a while." Rios
said. "The Hispanic populatin can take a
lot of pride in that. It's a positive, and a
real good progressive move for Fresno.
David Mendoza, a member of the
Fresno and Hispanic Chambers of
commerce, also is working with the
Fresno-Madera scholarship drive. He said
falk of the program began a year ago, and
in January the plans for a major event
began to gel.
"The main thing is the size of the
money we're going after," Mendoza said.
"Most scholarships-$200 to $300- offered
to students at today's expenses are less
!han ~ drop in the bucket A $5,000
scholar:sip is more in tune to
profesionalism."
Tickets for the dinner will start at $100
per person and go up from there. The top
tickets is $5,000 for a table of 10. Those
contributors will be acknowledged at the.
dinner and become honorary local board
members. They also will be listed as part
of the Chairman's Circle in a yearbook,
as well .as receiving a full-page color
advertisement in the publicaiton.
Money from the yearbook also will go
toward the scholarhsips, which will be
available only to underrgraduate and
graduate students form Fresno and Madera
counties. And while top sutdents are
strong candidates, they wont' necessarily
have a lock on obtaining the
scholarships.
Alarcon and Mendoza said that many
conditions facing students can affect grade
point averages. They said a student with a
C average who works hard in school and
has a full-time job has just as good a
chance of receiving a scholarship as a nonworking A student.
Mendoza and Alarcon said it's
important to offer Hispanic students
Some hope for their future. Many don't
have the money to continue their studies
in college and some don't recieve financial
support or encouragement at home, they
said.
Since 1980, the number of Hispanic
students going on to higher education has
been improving, Mendoza said, "but the
numbers are low when you look across
the board."
The two businessmen are hoping to
attract support from everyone in the
community, not just Hispanics students
who complete college are likely to go on
to professions in which they can benefit
the entire community.
The two said it's import.ant for students
to know the community supports them.
"We want to tell these kids, 'We are
.h~~11ing an eye on you and we want to
show you we're committed for you to
continue school so we can help send you
to college,' " Alarcon said.
Several committees need volunteers to
help organize October's gala dinner,
which will feature major celebrities. A
man and woman of the year also will be
selected for their contributions to local
education, Alarcon said. The wi..R.ners will
be honored at the dinner.
Alarcon hopes the scholarship drive
will be an annual event. Anyone
interested in the committees or more
information may call 225-2337 or 4851320.
Page 4
Monday, October 17, 1988
La Voz de Aztlan
A Personal Account
"Occupied America" Author Addresses CSUF
BY MATTY B. DURAN
Staff Writer
When I first saw him he appeared
Caucasian.
There
was
nothing
conspicuous about his appearance, there
had been nothing about him that
suggested to me, that he had authored
"Occupied America", a bleeding chronicle
of the struggle of La Raza in the United
States. Was this the man whose pen bled
page after page? And yet, it must have
been, for, I had never seen him before,
and in such instances one should expect
anything. At that point I wouldn't have
been surprised to have seen a man who
resembled Fidel Castro walk out on stage
to lecture us.
I had been seated in the middle of the
first row, directly in front of the podium,
thinking only of the interview assuming I
had the tenacity to ask for it at all?
Although I had never seen him before,
here was a man who did not look like
Rodolfo Acuna to me. I surmise I
expected a bourgeois tie to crawl down
his torso, or perhaps my perplexity
stemmed from the fact that he hadn't worn
a suit at all? But I knew my irritation was
due to his fair complexion. He hadn't
worn the bronze skin that I equated with
"Chicanismo". Although I knew that
there were fair-skinned Chicarros, I had
just expected him to resemble Cesar
Chavez or the poor Chicanos who lived
in the barrios where I was from.
As the lecture was about to coin111ence,
Dr. Flores hugged him. My doubts were
soon dispelled, and at that instant I knew
he was Rodolfo Acuna, author of
"Occupied America".
"You always have to go against the
current, even if the current is wrong", he
began.
As the lecture progressed, Dr. Acuna
spoke of the loss of unity, when groups
like LULAC (League of United Latin
American Citizens), had rejected the
Chicano workers, and had patronized the
students. Although they had started from
the Latino, money ultimately separated
them from us. Just as most of the
professors separted themselves from us.
Dark and light had ~erely . become
abstracts, and that tragic schism has
always divided us as a race. Bec~u~e of
that we lost the Southwest dmded,
instead of united. Unity c.ould have made
us str?nger once our nat~on ~d beco~e
occupied. It_ was that disunity that had
allow~ the invaders _to occupy our hearts
and bramwash our mmd_s.
.
As a result, we received cold: cuttI~g
stares in the supermarkets. This racist
attitude attempted to isolate us from the
Anglo-Saxon world, which was the
United States of America. Although,
we've lived among them all these years,
our divergent histories had always
separated us. Its not the way we wanted
it, it was just the way Southwest
Ameri..;a was. A parent who had
always_ preferred her adopted children _than
the ch1fdren she bore out of the pamful
"Chi!!gac!a".?_~_at had c~eated us. . .
These were the-feelings we €amed mto the universi~es with u~, it was these
scars we earned all our lives as a race. It
w~ these feelings that Dr. Acuna w_as
trymg to educate us t?. When he said,
"we shoul~,?ev~r use history as a weapon
for hatred. Tius hatred could very well
destroy us, and those around us.
As he spoke, this fact frustrated him.
This was the great dilemma for most of
us, we could become overwhelmed by
such feelings and destroy ourselves with
this anger, or the anger would never
manifest itself, and we would never
advance as a race. I believe this is what he
meant when he said we must become selfcritical. It is only .through self-criticism,
that one h ready to change the world in a
positive way. It is only through a
thorough analysis of history, that we can
change the institutions that asphyxiates
us all.
Because of our asphyxiation as a race,
it it imperative that "we", Chicanos and
Mexicanos analyze our history, as an
exorcism from a past that has stigmitized
us with feelings of inadequacy, we share
as a race. This low self-esteem has
brainwashed us into believing that we
should be grateful to work in the fields
for meagerly wages. It has kept some of
us from opening our mouths. It has made
us apologetic for "affirmative action". It
msF
NATIONAL
HISPANIC
SCHOLARSHIP
FUND
has made us feel like the "invaders", in a
nation that had been robbed from us only
a century earlier. That is why when a
colleague had asked Dr. Acuna "why we
haven't made it as a race", he rebutted,
Upon uttering that on 'tage Dr Acuna
began to hurt once agai~. Even tlrrough
that pale face, he was one of us. Moreso
than the dark-skinned Chicanos who
a aled
the Protestant God
ppe
to
'
while he shoved La Virgen de Guadalupe
and his history into the mud. Dr. Acuna
represented every one of us dark and light
alike. He was our shield against racism.
Alone, on the stage m corduroys and
tennis, he was the historian, who had and
would reveal the truth, as he had done in
"Occupied America" and through
numerous lectures nationwide.
After the lecture, he had admitted to me
that he had become more angry, even
cynical. At this point in his life, he was
looking for- reasons to be thrown. out of
the university at Northridge, where he
taught. Not being invited to his sister's
parties for throwing "intellectual pedos"
had been the beginning. Escalating, I
surmise with the student movement in
1968, when black students had kidnapped
a racist assistant coach until the
LETTER
institution would listen. It had been these
cries that had created a Black Ethnic
Studies and Chicano Studies Departments
at Northridge.
Although, others looked to him as a
beacon of change, his pale eyes spoke of
~eariness, impatien~e, sinceri~y and utter;
bitter fr..!~L--;:;.~1a~. P.::~ fr..!:;trat1on seemed
to surge from the Chicano You!h_ of today
who had forgotten the sacnfices and
suffering of a wearied generation. He
spoke of the counter-revolutionary Mecha
organization who has become just another
social club. After his sacrifices, he was
filled with disbelief, at those he called the
"nineteen-year old mocosos." These were
the young arrogant engineering majors
who refused to join even Mecha, because
they were afraid of risking their future
security cicarances.
It was this youth, that seemed to break
his impregnable spirit. A million white
oppressors I'm sure he could face, but, it
was_ . "us" the bronze student whether
dark -or light, who bad broken 'his heart.
Because he needed to remind us who we
were, not Sally Smith or Fred Jones, but
Gregorio
Cortez
and Julianna Martinez, who only decades
earlier had been tu!J "no dogs or
Mexicans allowed."
Chavez, representing the United Farm
Workers of America, spoke openly
supporting the passage of federal
Continue from Page 2
are poisons. Most often, these pesticides antidiscrimination laws regarding sexual
are systemic; which means the residue is orientation.
Today, in unity with public interest,
inside the product and can not be washed
environmental groups, and other campus
off.
In 1967, the United Farm Workers organizations, the Gay Lesbian Student
obtained a ban on DDT in certain parts of Alliance openly endorses MECHA and
California. It took five years until the the efforts of the United Farm Workers.
Environmental Protection Agency banned We encourage your involvement and
the use of .DDT nationwide, in 1972. participation.
: . .
,
Today, Dr. Marion Moses, associated
In closing, the words· of Cesar Chavez'
with the Environmental Protection "It will take our combined energy and
Agency, estimates at least 33% of all i:if[uen..,e ...to change the cycle of
pesticides used on Californias crops are poisions...destruction, and death that
either proven or suspected of causing threatens...people and... (the) world".
cancer. At the present time, many.
"Together, all things are possible"
Californians are unknowingly purchasing
GRACIAS a todos por su tiempo y
attencion.
crops laced with poisons and toxins.
Exactly one year ago, October 11,
1987; at the March on Washington DC
Peter Robinson
for Lesbian and Gay Rights; Cesar
GLSA President
The Fresno Friends of the
National 'Hispanic Scholarship Fund
cordially invite you to attend
''AN EVENING TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE"
To Promote Hispanic Higher Education
Thursday, October 27, 1988
A Black Tie Dinner
at the
Centre Plaza Holiday Inn
2333 Ventura Street Downtown
Fresno, California
~
For infonnation on NHSF and the dinner, please call (209) 225-2337.
NHSF - Fresno, 547 W. Shields, Fresno, California 93705