The Mexican American Legislative Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives not only blasted SBOE, but they also brought out Texas’ first official state Historian to back them up.
Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fisher of San Antonio said Wednesday the board had become a “national circus” amid fiery debates over proposed new curriculum standards that will dictate what students in Texas learn over the next decade.
Jesus F. de la Teja, a Texas history professor tapped to review the board’s proposals, said members are promoting a “romantic” and male-dominated view of history that ignores the state’s multicultural heritage.
Dr. de la Teja is also a Professor of History at my alma mater, Texas State – San Marcos.
It’s not the first time the White House has honored the labor leader, but every recognition assures Americans that Cesar Chavez indeed does have a place in American History. As today’s Cesar Chavez Proclamation reads:
“The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being, but it is also the most true to our nature,” Cesar Chavez once said. Since our Nation’s earliest days of independence, we have struggled to perfect the ideals of equal justice and opportunity enshrined in our founding documents. As Cesar suggests, justice may be true to our nature, but as history teaches us, it will not prevail unless we defend its cause.
Few Americans have led this charge so tirelessly, and for so many, as Cesar Chavez. To this day, his rallying cry — “Si se puede,” or “Yes, we can” — inspires hope and a spirit of possibility in people around the world. His movement strengthened our country, and his vision lives on in the organizers and social entrepreneurs who still empower their neighbors to improve their communities.
Yes, some of us would also like a Cesar Chavez Holiday, but United Farm Worker’s President Arturo Rodriguez put it in perspective:
Cesar Chavez has been honored in hundreds of communities across the nation. His birthday is an official holiday in 11 states. But the best way to honor Cesar is by helping the farm workers to whom he dedicated his life, and by using our lives to serve others less fortunate than us.
Chavez’s son Paul added:
It was epitomized by the words from my father’s 1972 fast in Arizona, “Si Se Puede!” (“Yes We Can”), which have been adopted by activists worldwide.
But my dad was also convinced we have a moral duty to give ourselves selflessly for others in a cause that’s bigger than we are. He said, “Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own.”
That’s how a man with an eighth grade education who adopted a life of self-imposed poverty nonviolently challenged, and overcame, one of the richest industries in California and in the process inspired millions to social and political activism.
Some of you may have seen DosCentavos and associates raising funds for this student from the Kingwood area. A former student of my sis, Toni, at Kingwood College, Krys is finishing up another year at the University of Houston as a Terry Scholar. He recently returned from a trip to Washington, DC where he represented U of H at the Model Arab League competition (he also represented UH in 2009). Well, now, he gets another honor to represent Texas undergrad students.
A University of Houston Honors College student has been appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as the student representative to the Undergraduate Advisory Committee of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Krystafer Redden, a sophomore majoring in political science and history, says he’s ready for the challenge.
“My primary job is to serve as the sole student voice on the committee and I feel that’s extremely important,” Redden said. “It’s intimidating, scary – perhaps terrifying – once one realizes that it’s not just about you; it’s not just about your university; it’s about students in every public college and university across the state, which is a huge group of people.”
The Undergraduate Advisory Committee provides recommendations to the board regarding the direction of undergraduate education in Texas. Redden applied for the position and later was appointed by Perry. His two-year term begins in June. He will travel to Austin at least twice a semester and will be a non-voting member of the committee.
While he anticipates working with the office of UH President Renu Khator, Redden will speak for undergraduates in all Texas public institutions of higher education. He already is aware of some concerns.
“For example, the ability of universities across the state to pursue research opportunities both for undergraduates and their faculty in terms of increasing research dollars and output. There also are concerns with keeping academically competitive students here in the state of Texas,” he said.
Redden was urged by Professor William Monroe, dean of the Honors College, and Elwyn Lee, UH vice president for student affairs, to submit his name for consideration.
“The University of Houston is proud that Krystafer will be representing undergraduates in Texas,” Lee said. “He is representative of the high-caliber student at UH and will be a smart voice and advocate for undergraduates who want the best education they can have in order to serve their communities, cities and state.”
Monroe echoes those remarks, saying Redden’s talents will serve him well in this position.
“Krystafer is a perfect choice. He has worked hard to become informed on the issues and has developed into an able communicator,” he said. “Most importantly, he is a passionate advocate for undergraduate education.”
Redden’s professional goals may include politics or law school, but he’s hopeful that his appointment as a spokesperson for Texas undergraduate students leaves a lasting impression.
“I hope to be able to say that undergraduate education in the state of Texas has improved,” he said.
Ruben Alonzo is a native of my hometown of Crystal City, TX. An honors graduate of CCHS, Ruben headed off to MIT to study economics. Now, a Junior, Alonzo applied for this great honor and he informed me today of his selection. I could give you his whole story, but the article does a good job on this. Some extraneous knowledge for you, though, is the fact that he’s also the nephew of State Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas, and the Alonzo Family one of the families which has done much to put our little town on the map. And it just so happens that my sis, Toni Medellin, spoke at his graduation. Here’s the article from MITNews.
Ruben Alonzo, an MIT junior who wants to use his own escape from poverty as a model for improving the lives of at-risk youth through education, has been awarded a 2010 Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Alonzo, an economics major from Crystal City, Texas, is among approximately 60 students nationwide selected as winners of the $30,000 graduate scholarship. Awarded each year, the scholarships aim to find and recognize college juniors with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in public service.
Alonzo seeks to use his talent and skills to help address the U.S. high-school dropout crisis and to empower young students to become role models — issues with which he is all too familiar.
“Ruben’s story goes far beyond that of just an impressively informed and passionate student at MIT,” Professor Anne McCants, chair of MIT’s Truman Selection Committee, and Kimberly Benard, MIT’s program advisor for distinguished fellowships, wrote in their letter of nomination. “Ruben’s story is one about overcoming the odds of a background that suggested he would not, perhaps even could not succeed. What has put him at the top of our Truman Scholarship nominee cohort this year is the same drive that led him from the depths of poverty: an abiding reverence for education and dedication to helping others.”
Alonzo grew up in rural Zavala County, Texas, whose per-capita income of $10,034 in 1999 put it among the 25 poorest counties in the United States. Alonzo’s family still skirted the fringes of poverty despite his father’s job as a math teacher; to supplement their income, Alonzo and his family members worked as migrant farmers in North Dakota and Minnesota during the summer months. This was when Alonzo developed an appreciation for math; to help the time pass, his father promised him a few cents for every vegetable he picked. Very quickly, Alonzo learned to track and then to estimate how much money he could make over the course of a hot day in the sun. His father recognized Alonzo’s native quantitative skills and strove to encourage them.
Alonzo’s world was transformed dramatically when he was 14 and his father passed away. Before dying, Alonzo’s father told him to take care of his two sisters and mother, a pledge that he takes extremely seriously. His brother had already succumbed to the cycle of poverty and desperation in Zavala County and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for drug dealing. Alonzo and his sisters supported each other and clung to education as a way to rise above poverty. His older sister will graduate this year from Texas A&M in Ocean Engineering, and his younger sister just started her degree program at Texas A&M International University.
At MIT, Alonzo has maintained a solid 4.5 GPA while engaging in numerous activities focused on improving literacy among disadvantaged youths both locally and abroad. As a freshman, Alonzo was a founding member of Real Men Read, an organization that pairs strong male role models from MIT with struggling students from disadvantaged schools in Boston. The program inspired Alonzo to partner with friends to create Project LEAD (Leadership Enrichment and Ambassador Development), which provides both original programming and individual mentorship for underperforming youths in the Cambridge public schools. In the summer between his sophomore and junior years, Alonzo worked in Thailand, helping a school implement a new computer-based system for teaching math.
After he gets his MIT degree, Alonzo plans to serve in Teach for America for two years — preferably returning to the troubled Southwest Texas school system from which he graduated. Eventually, he hopes to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership before returning to the Southwest, where he wants to start a nonprofit that will help improve education.
“I made it this far because I had people who believed in me. They believed in me just like I believe in every single young student in America. I am dedicated to bridging the gaps between the academically/economically privileged and the disenfranchised,” Alonzo said. “Change has to start somewhere, and for me it starts back home. It starts in Texas. I am a community servant and a crusader for social change. The Truman Scholarship will open up doors for me to make this change possible.”
Well, now that George Will has given his national voice to the crazy, more bigoted side of the immigration debate, we can expect more of the right-wing’s “respected” pundits to join the crazies now that it is the “in” thing to do. Attempting to sound academic:
A parent from a poor country, writes professor Lino Graglia of the University of Texas law school, “can hardly do more for a child than make him or her an American citizen, entitled to all the advantages of the American welfare state.” Therefore, “It is difficult to imagine a more irrational and self-defeating legal system than one which makes unauthorized entry into this country a criminal offense and simultaneously provides perhaps the greatest possible inducement to illegal entry.”
Graglia wordsmiths his article to make an academic argument in support of the right-wing extremists who simply hate brown people.
If we recall, Graglia is best known for his criticism of Affirmative Action and other opportunity programs that have helped Black and Hispanic students gain access to higher education. Back in 1986, Reagan attempted to appoint him to a federal bench and failed. Even more importantly, he’s known for this line:
Graglia became controversial when he made a speech on UT campus in 1997 in which he said that “blacks and Mexican-Americans can’t compete academically with whites.”[4]
A few friends of Julia Maldonado, Democrat for the 308th District Court, held a fundraising reception in her honor at Ruby Tequila’s-Midtown. Along with the candidate, special guests included family members and her law office partner and fundraising chair Hootie Wilkins. A large crowd filled up the middle section of the restaurant to celebrate Julia’s amazing political trek during her first run for Judge. Maldonado thanked her supporters for the extra push given to the campaign after this successful event.
Happy 30th to the Prison Show
A very happy anniversary to one of my local heroes Ray Hill, the producer and host of KPFTs Prison Show. Ever since I arrived in Houston and became enthralled with this radio show and the service it provides to families of “alsaditos,” I have been a big fan. Here’s one reason:
Ray Hill was the stand-in groom, and for the wedding he draped a sport coat over his radio station T-shirt. The real husband-to-be couldn’t make the ceremony. He was in Huntsville, serving 10 years for dealing drugs. Compounding the bride’s wedding-night jitters was the worry that her ex-husband wouldn’t approve and might make trouble.
As Prison Show volunteers gathered around a tiny wedding cake in the staff room of KPFT (90.1 FM), Justice of the Peace Dale Gorczynski, seated in an adjoining studio, intoned the familiar wedding words.
Nearly 10,000 people, many of them inmates, listened as Hill, a long-time Houston gay and prison provocateur, gave a proxy promise to love and honor, then sealed it with a peck on the bride’s cheek. It was his 12th radio marriage in a broadcast career spanning decades.
And then there’s this.
“What I hope I’m doing,” said Hill, “is helping them deal with the guilt and the shame that makes them worse, helping them to become better people. … Convicts think they are monsters just like everyone else does. If they’re listening to me, they’re going to hear me telling them they have good and bad points and that I hope they will exploit the good points to become a useful members of society.”
Get Your Census In!
Latinos cannot and must not be undercounted. Every one of us.
HD-127 Republi-Drama
Remember how Huberty accused Curling of giving a lot of “green” to Gene Green? Well…
“If Dan wants to argue that Republican voters support the Huberty tax hike, then he is free to make that case,” said McCord. “However, I would be surprised if the voters in those elections knew that, while Dan was pushing for a tax increase, the school district was also spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a law firm and various associations to lobby the Legislature for increased spending.”
The release also made the claim that Huberty “gives more than 50 percent of his campaign contributions to Democrats.
Wow! Who IS the real Democrat running as a Republican???
Better yet, support the only candidate who will fight for our schools, our teachers, our college and universities, and our children…Joe Montemayor.
CESAR CHAVEZ DAY!
We’ll be celebrating Cesar Chavez’s Birthday this weekend at the Tejano Historical Preservation group’s Cesar Chavez Parade.
TEJANO ASSOCIATION FOR HISTORICAL PRESERVATION WILL BE HOSTING AND CELEBRATING THE 11TH ANNUAL CESAR E. CHAVEZ PARADE THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010 AT 10:00 AM.PARADE LINE UP WILL BEGIN AT 9:00 AM BEGINNING AT 601 NORTH CESAR CHAVEZ BLVD AND ENDING AT HIDALGO PARK 7000 AVENUE Q IN HOUSTON, TEXAS 77011, FESTIVITIES TO FOLLOW AT 11:00 AM IN THE GAZEBO.
Here’s a photo montage featuring Little Joe’s “Viva Cesar Chavez”
I completely agree with Mayor Parker’s plan to unload what would otherwise be an empty eyesore in Greenway Plaza--the old Compaq Center.
Some on City Council have a point: It’s worth a lot more, especially after a $80 million renovation paid for by the lessee. Considering how the deal was structured, the financial challenges faced by the city this year, and the fact that there’s someone that actually wants the place, then it should be unloaded.
The sale would end a 30-year lease signed in 2001 by Joel Osteen, the leader and pastor of Lakewood, which has the largest congregation in the United States. The megachurch made a lump-sum $11.8 million prepayment for the lease of the building, which sits on 7 acres in the Greenway Plaza area along the Southwest Freeway.
Under the terms of the lease, Lakewood has an option in 2031 to extend the lease by an additional 30 years, paying $753,333 a year, beginning in 2034, for a total of more than $20 million. The church invested more than $80 million to renovate the facility.
The deal-breaker, though, should be the fact that there’s a non-compete clause with the Toyota Center.
Well, after continuous attacks from Susan Curling toward Dan Huberty, Huberty finally fired the silver bullet.
So why is she resorting to these tactics? It is simple. She does not want you to know who she really is. So instead, she resorts to attacking me in her win-at-any-cost campaign.
The facts are that Susan Curling has personally contributed over $5,000 to Democrat US Congressman Gene Green in the last ten years. Right before she decided to run for State Representative, she hosted yet another fundraising event for Gene Green. She even worked to defeat Governor Rick Perry by supporting Tony Sanchez.
OK–but Huberty did get the endorsement of a left-wing liberal Teachers union (TSTA), so it does beg the question: Who’s the real Democrat?
Huberty does defend his GOP record, though, including supporting the campaigns of Eric Story and Roy Morales. After all the hate-spewing in DC, why in the world would he want to admit to supporting these two? (Huberty’s e-mail below the fold).
Ruben Alonzo, an MIT junior who wants to use his own escape from poverty as a model for improving the lives of at-risk youth through education, has been awarded a 2010 Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
