Cesar Chavez Day

On the first anniversary of Cesar Chavez' death,
Dolores Huerta and Arturo Rodriguez are marching
in Sacramento at the end of a pilgrimage of 343 miles
retracing Cesar's march from Delano to Sacramento in 1966.

April 1994


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I was wrong for some reason I thought that the 15th was his b-day. It is today the 31st. this day is not only about him but the message, emotion he helped create in the Chicanos and Chicano Movement that continues to this day. Plus the people that made the movement go, thanks Dolores, and Jesse De la Cruz and the whole De la Cruz familia.

OLD School

one of my friends put this on myspace damn I still look like a dork almost 12 years later. From my first Homecoming back in high school 1994!

Even in Avenal

Back in 1996 I tried to lead a protest against Prop. 187 (anti immigrant bill) and then later against Prop. 209 in my high school. Sadly very few decided to join me so it was a silent protest for me and a few friends and some ditching of class. Now 10 years later the beast is around in a new round this time federally and an issue has again caught the fire and minds of our gente. Here from today's front page Avenal Progress, damn from Detroit to LA to DC. I'm so glad its spreading sometimes democracy can feel soo good!

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Students march against HR4437

Joe Santino/The Progress Students at Avenal High School demonstrate Tuesday morning. (March 29, 2006)

The Avenal High School student body staged a walkout at 11 a.m. Tuesday in protest of HR 4437.

Enrique Jimenez, one of the “committee of ten” that came up with the idea to march said, he thinks the law (HR 4437) is wrong.

“They want to criminalize everyone who supports illegal immigrants while trying to kick everyone out of the country that is illegal,” said Enriquez. “It is wrong.”

Some of the signs made by students said, “we’re not criminals,” “we’re helping our families,” “we did not cross the border, the border crossed us,” and “no to HR 4437.”

“Students were going to walk, were going to leave campus, but we wanted to make it a safe protest within the law,” Enriquez said. “We met with Dr. Mellor to see what we could do to avoid breaking any laws and get cited, and we talked with staff about leading a march that would be within the law.”

Enriquez said their priority was not only getting their message out, but the emphasis was also on safety. “We didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” he said.

“Everybody participated and we know what we had to do and it worked,” he said. “There was no violence and no tickets issued.”

“Before the march, students came to a couple of faculty members expressing their concerns about the ramifications of their impending action,” said Victoria Taylor, a teacher at the high school. “They asked how they could do a march and continue their education the same day, and do it within the law, and it worked.”

After the march around campus and a short rally, the student body split into a few groups and marched through the city - accompanied by staff - yelling USA, USA, USA.

They were noisy, but everything appeared to go well as they got their message out.

Joe Satino

(March 29, 2006)

Latinos get political!

I remember the debate for prop. 187 this is completely different, plus being on the federal level.

Update - I got this picture from the Latino Pundit who's blog is very good. Aplogies for not stating that earlier.