We Are All Latino

Emerging Latino filmmakers, Adam Schlachter, Anthony Nardolillo, Carlos Gallardo, Fanny Veliz, Iris Almaraz, Katrina Elias, Ruben Obregon, and Shawna Baca on their passion, being Latino and making films.

'I Am Joaquin' by Luis Valdez

I Am Joaquin marked the emergence of film as a distinct cultural and aesthetic practice within the Chicano Movement. In the film, Luis Valdez gives a dramatic interpretation of Rodolfo 'Corky' González's epic poem of the same name.

I Am Joaquin speaks of the struggles that the Chicano people have faced in trying to achieve economic justice and equal rights in the U.S.
Part 1

Part 2


Links:
I Am Joaquin/Yo soy Joaquín by Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales - Poem
Luis Valdez @ the Latino Indie Producers

Puerto Rico & Colombia - The World's Happiest Nations?

According to the World Values Survey, Puerto Rico is the world's second happiest nation. Yes! The people of La Isla del Encanto are filled with alegria -- even though their island nation is a 'commonwealth' of the currently unhappy USA. Coming in third on the happy meter is Colombia.
The photo above makes clear why the people of Puerto Rico are so smiley: they're actually Taíno gods and goddesses, catching rays and taking refreshing dips into the emerald green sea. And we know about Juanes, El Pibe, Shakira and Gabriel of Cartagena. What more proof do we need?

The Happy Ten:
No. 1: Denmark
No. 2: Puerto Rico
No. 3: Colombia
No. 4: Iceland
No. 5: Northern Ireland
No. 6: Ireland
No. 7: Switzerland
No. 8: Netherlands
No. 9: Canada
No. 10: Austria

Luis Valdez @ the Latino Indie Producers

MP3 of the Speech

American playwright, writer and film director Luis Valdez was the keynoter at the recent gathering of Latino independent filmmakers.

A great teacher and storyteller, Valdez weaves into his talk personal biography, historical vignettes as well as lessons for young Latino filmmakers -- and he does so with warmth and humor.

The introduction is by Moctesuma Esparza.

From Valdez' El Teatro Campesino website:

From the migrant labor fields to Broadway, Luis Valdez remains true to his original vision... performance that addresses the Chicano experience in America in a context meaningful to all Americans.

Valdez's credits include, founder & artistic director of the internationally renowned El Teatro Campesino, council member of the National Endowment of the Arts, and founding member of the California Arts Council. His awards include, Presidential Medal of the Arts, the prestigious Aguila Azteca Award, Governors Award of the California Arts Council.

Best known works:

Zoot Suit

La Bamba

Corridos

Valdez continues to work and mentor a new generation of theatre artists at El Teatro Campesino.

Puerto Rico Coined

The U.S. Mint unveiled the first U.S. coin with an inscription in Spanish, a quarter honoring Puerto Rico as the "Isla del Encanto" — or "Island of Enchantment."

This should set-off the English-only wingnuts on another round of Latino bashing. But hey, I'll gladly take as many of these lovely 'foreign' language coins as the cultural imperialists want to dump.

Entienden?

Links:

US Mint: The Enchanted Island Says ‘Bienvenidos’ To New Commemorative Quarter

Puerto Rico gets some change: US Mint unveils quarter with Spanish inscription

87MM Americans Uninsured Including 55% of Latinos

According to Americans at Risk: One in Three Uninsured, a new report from Families USA, a health advocacy organization, a staggering 86.7 million people were uninsured for some period of time during 2007-2008.

Adding to the nation's dismal record in this critical public policy area are the huge disparities among ethnic groups. For example, a disturbing 25.8% of Whites were uninsured, but a truly shameful 40.3% of African Americans, and a beyond shameful 55.1% of Latinos, were uninsured.

Oh...and some 80% of the uninsured were employed!

Families USA is releasing accompanying state-by-state reports. Here's a look at the disparities among Whites and Latinos in select states:

_______________Whites______Latinos
Arizona_________27.1%_______55.6%
California_______24.7%_______52.6%
Connecticut______19.4%_______48.3%
Delaware________23.1%_______60.8%
Florida__________30.2%_______54.4%
Indiana__________26.4%_______53.0%
Missouri_________27.0%_______47.1%
Nebraska________25.5%_______58.0%
Nevada__________26.8%_______58.7%
New Mexico______28.4%_______49.5%
New York________23.2%_______47.6%
Oregon__________29.3%_______66.3%
Pennsylvania_____24.6%_______46.5%
Texas____________29.2%_______60.4%

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez - A Brilliant Choice!

Thomas E. Perez, 47, has been appointed Assistant Attorney General by President Barack Obama. Maryland's Secretary of Labor, Perez is noted as an expert on minority voting rights and hate crimes.

In addition to his sterling academic credentials (Harvard, Brown, Kennedy School of Government), Perez was a professor at the Maryland University School of Law, a federal prosecutor for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Perez is credited with taking on some of the toughest civil rights cases, including a hate crimes case in Texas involving a group of white supremacists who went on a deadly, racially motivated crime spree.

However, the appointment is not without controversy. NCLR and Southwestern Mexican American groups are unhappy that their favorite, former MALDEF legal expert and LA Mayor Villaraigosa advisor, Thomas Saenz, didn't get the coveted assignment. Janet Murguia fears that the choice of Perez over Saenz raises questions about Obama's commitment to immigration reform.

But Perez is the son of Dominican immigrants who fled the Trujillo dictatorship in the 1960's for the short summers of Buffalo, New York. He's also served on the board of the National Immigration Foundation and the Baltimore-based CASA Maryland, a pro-immigrant service organization.

In short, the selection of Perez is a brilliant move by Obama. Perez' credentials are unimpeachable -- making it difficult for the wingnuts to oppose him, while bringing to the administration a fresh perspective on civil rights from an advocate of Latino and immigrant heritage.

Links:
Thomas Perez - wiki
Md. labor secretary's selection for Justice post riles some
Maryland official tapped for U.S. civil rights post
Uphold voting rights
LULAC Applauds President Barack Obama’s Nomination of Tom Perez For The Department Of Justice Civil Rights Division

Sugar Pathways: A Documentary Film on the Migration of Boricuas to the Virgin Islands

Award-winning filmmaker Johanna Bermúdez-Ruiz new film, Sugar Pathways, is a documentary about the unwilling migration of Puerto Rican families from Vieques to the U.S. Virgin Islands between the 1920s and the '60s.

The film recounts the migration stories of the families through personal interviews, new and archival footage, and historic documentation.

"[Sugar Pathways chronicles] the cultural contributions of Puerto Ricans to St. Croix, their migration process from the 1920’s to the1950’s, and the resulting cultural synthesis that marked the inevitable path to multicultural world of the 21st century.” USVI Senator Wayne James

The film's Gala Premiere was held in St. Croix on Saturday, March 21, 2009, at the Government House in Christiansted. Earlier on March 6th, Bermúdez-Ruiz presented the film at the Ateneo Puertorriqueño in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Bermudez-Ruiz, a Puerto Rican born on St. Croix, attended Antioch College, earning a bachelor of arts degree in documentary and film studies. Bermudez-Ruiz has produced, directed, written numerous films including the award-winning Vieques: An Island Forging Futures. She is the owner of CANE BAY FILMS, LLC. Virgin Islands (U.S.).

Related: Crucian Fimmaker Destined for Greatness
U.S. Bombs Explode Hope in Vieques
Film documents migration from Vieques to V.I.

Photo: Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz and her father, Juan Bermudez, at The Government House.

Meet Helen Ubiñas: Courant Columnist and Blogger (Notes from Hel)

My new favorite columnist/blogger is Helen Ubiñas of the Hartford Courant! Why? Because she's given Chris Dodd, the powerful U.S. Senator from Ct. a well-deserved cocotazo -- something the media bigwigs have failed to do.

Dodd has sought to evade any responsibility for his role in the AIG bonus scandal even though he runs the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. But Ubiñas will have none of it! She rightly skewers the silver-haired, life-time pol in her column, There's No Bonus For Lies, Sen. Dodd.

So, who is this amazing Latina? Here's a short bio:

Helen Ubiñas was born in New York and received her bachelor's degree from Boston University. She began her career in journalism in 1994 when she started with the Hartford Courant as a City Desk reporter and has held a number of positions there since, including Town reporter, features reporter, lifestyles and specialties reporter.

Since 2000, Ubiñas has been a columnist as well as a blogger (See Notes from Hel.).

She has been awarded a number of honors, including being a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists and a member of a team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news, both in 1999.

In 2004, Ubiñas was a member of a team awarded the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award for public service. In 2005, she was a finalist for her column writing for both the National Headliner Award and the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award. She was also a finalist for the Howard Scripps Foundation National Journalism Award for commentary in 2006 as well as a first place winner for her column writing from the New England Associated Press News Executives Association.

In 2008, she was awarded The John S. Knight professional journalism fellowship at Stanford University.

Photo: Stanford University

Something's Moving

Survivors of a U.S. boarding school for the Lakota are breaking the chain of trauma in order to heal their spirits, their community and the country.

Take Action with the Dakota-Lakota-Nakota Human Rights Advocacy Coalition

Related:
The Porto Rican Indians of the Carlisle School