el semanario

14 mayo 2009

El Semanario

THE WEEKLY ISSUEEl Semanario

14 mayo 2008

News for Colorado’s Latino Community www.elsemanario.net

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Aprenda más en DepresiónEsReal.org

Es cosa de la cabeza. Es solo mal humor. Es una debilidad personal. Son solo algunos de los conceptos erróneos comunes sobre la depresión. ¿La verdad? La depresión es una verdadera enfermedad médica que puede ser tan debilitante como otras enfermedades graves. Como el cáncer, puede ser mortal. Y como la diabetes, tiene una base biológica. Pero igual que otras enfermedades potencialmente mortales, puede tratarse. Por eso hay veradera esperanza para todos los que la padecen.

Fundación Psiquiátrica Americana | Alianza de Apoyo para la Depresión y el Trastorno Bipolar | Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos UnidosSalud Mental América | Alianza Nacional sobre Enfermedades Mentales | Asociación Médica Nacional | Liga Urbana Nacional

Entonces, ¿por qué algunos dicen eso sobre la depresión?

3064-DIR_NEWS_9_63X12_46_SPAN_FINAL.indd 4 4/14/08 2:58:59 PM

14 mayo 2009

El Semanario Commentary / Commentario

Volume No. XVIIII Issue 26

CONTENTSCommentary/ComentarioComentarioComentarioComentarioComentario

Community/CommunidadCommunidadCommunidadCommunidadCommunidad

Features/CaractéristiquesCaractéristiquesCaractéristiquesCaractéristiquesCaractéristiques

Education/EducacíonEducacíonEducacíonEducacíonEducacíon

Economy/EconomiaEconomiaEconomiaEconomiaEconomia

THE WEEKLY ISSUE / El SemanarioP.O. Box 460428Denver, CO 80246303 / 672-08003030 / 298-8654 FAXWWW.ELSEMANARIO.NETAdvertisingAdvertising@[email protected]@aol.com

President / CEO - PublisherChris M. FresquezEditorToni C. FresquezManaging EditorCristina E. FresquezAccount ExecutivesAnthony Fresquez

Copyright 2009 THE WEEKLY ISSUE / El Semanario, Inc. All Rights Reserved

ReportersMagdalena GallegosMiriam E. MadridRobyn G. MayerColumnistsRamon Del CastilloRoberto RodriguezPatricia Gonzales

c

Circulation / [email protected]

As the Republican Party continues to be soundly rejected by the U.S. elector-ate at the polls, some of its leaders have decided that the Party of Lincolnneeds an extreme makeover. Actually, they appear to believe that the GOP

simply needs to change its image, as opposed to fundamentally changing the partyitself.

Translated, this means that it has been determined by some GOPers that it’sGuns, Gays & God message has to change. On the other hand, many others seemto think the new message has to include: Go home! Enter the National Council fora New América (NCNA); its primary objective seems to be to determine whetherthe party traditionally identified as in touch with the rich and traditionally identifiedas a war party, will also become a European-style anti-immigrant party. Leadingthe effort of this council are oldies-but-goodies: Jeb Bush, John McCain, MittRomney and Eric Cantor.

Thiscouncilappears to bemedia saavy – or appearsto be cognizant that a shiftin that ultra-nationalistic directionhas the potential to change notsimply the GOP’s narrative, butthe national narrative itself. Those from this council are up against the likes ofRush Limbaugh-Lou Dobbs and Dick Cheney and other extreme right wing forceswho fear that the nation – not simply the GOP – is in danger of leaving its nationalnarrative behind, a narrative consisting of myths and legends that have been part ofthe national psyche and character since its founding.

Arguably, the Limbaugh-Dobbs-Cheney wing of the American political spectrumis correct; the Old America they cling on to or want to cling on to no longer exists.And yet, the truth is, the narrative that the council longs for – which views Américaas the beacon of the world, as the land of truth, freedom and liberty and justice forall – has also always been a [religious] myth.

That narrative has always downplayed genocide, land theft and land removal,slavery, segregation and legalized discrimination. It nowadays downplays borderwalls, racial profiling and an ever-expanding racialized prison system. That narrativehas also downplayed the notion of empire and militarism, instead converting theseimperial projects with the notion of a God-given right to “civilize” or dominate theworld. This is the idea of Providence and Manifest Destiny. It is what drove ourrecent president, George W. Bush in his war against the Arab and Islamic world; hewas on a mission from God. This is why U.S. and international laws were easilyignored or discarded; he was answering to a higher authority.

In this sense, both wings are similar; both want to promote Great Americanmythologies. Engrained into the national psyche is that this is a “nation of immi-grants.” With the browning of América, some within the GOP rightly fear that aDobbs-immigration obsessed nation – which clamors for 2,000 miles of militarizedwalls along the U.S./México border – will drive New Americans away from theRepublican Party. This is where the struggle over image takes place, though it isdifficult to discern a difference. The Dobbs wing is brazenly anti-immigrant, thoughit is always insistent that they are only anti-illegal immigrant – not anti-immigrant.

Yet Romney’s views are very similar to Dobbs. In fact McCain, always touted asa moderate on immigration, buckled under extreme right wing pressure during his2008 presidential bid.

In that sense, is that what this New América will look like – made up of peoplewho believe that dehumanization is as American as apple pie?

The tragedy is that those within the GOP that believe in the Old and NewAmérica, all continue to cling to the belief that the United States has the inherentright to war on the world. The only difference is that some believe that this rightcomes direct from God, whereas the others believe it is simply a cultural or evengenetic right – due to American exceptionalism.

The real question is whether Democrats bring different views on this topic.Some are quick to note that on the issue of the national narrative, there is little orno difference between the parties. These same observers are quick to note thatPresident Barack Obama is but the latest steward – with melanin – for themilitary-imperial interests that control the nation.

While true that change does not occur overnight, there is little doubt that whoeveris at the helm does make a difference. Yet, what we do know is that positive changegenerally comes from the bottom. Whether one president can change the nationalnarrative is another matter.

Roberto “Dr. Cintli” Rodríguez can be reached at: [email protected].© 2009 Column of the Américas

Guns, Gays, God, & Go home!Roberto ‘Dr. Cintli’ Rodríguez

Is that what this New América will look like –made up of people who believe that

dehumanization is as Americanas apple pie?

Guns, Gays, God, & Go home! - Roberto ‘Dr. Cintli’ RodríguezMéxico: U.S. epidemic of profiteering - Laura CarlsenPart 2 of 2Hearing on broken windows policing needed- Lisa M. Calderón,

Servicios: Mental health comfort zonePart 2 of 4

Tradition of honoring Madrinas continues

Empowering youth to succeed in life

YouthBiz has beenproviding Denver area

youth with job skillstraining that has

positively changed thelives of over 2,500

youth.

One year later, advocates remain hopeful

As we approach theone year anniversary ofthe raid on theAgriprocessors plant inPostville, IA, thenation reflects on thetragic events of lastMay and what we’velearned from thefamilies andcommunities that bearthe brunt of ournation’s brokenimmigration policy.

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México: U.S. epidemic of profiteeringCommentary / Commentario

Laura CarlsenPart 2 of 2

Smithfield, a U.S. livestockcompany, has had more than itsshare of legal problems stemmingfrom its operations in the UnitedStates. Most recently it announceda decision to reject a $75 milliondollar settlement on claimsbrought in Missouri by residentscomplaining of the stench. OnAugust 8, 1997 a federal courtjudge in Virginia imposed a

$12.8 millionfine onS m i t h f i e l dFoods for vio-

lation of the CleanWater Act. In

September of 1999 an appealupheld the ruling.

In 1994, the year NAFTAwent into effect, Smithfield

established the Perote, Veracruzoperations with the Mexicanagrobusiness AMSA(Agroindustrias Unidas de MéxicoS.A. de C.V.). In 1999 itbought the U.S. company Carroll’sFoods for $500 million andbegan rapid expanision of itsoperations in Perote.

Banking on Disease Livestocktransnationals are not the onlyeconomic interests involved inpreserving the dangerous situ-ation that led to this epidemic.In an article entitled “An epi-demic of profiteering”, she notesthat the epidemic means bigbusiness for the pharmaceuticalcompanies who hold patents onanti-viral medicines. “Shares inGilead rose 3%, Roche 4% andGlaxo 6%, and that’s only thebeginning.”

Also to blame is neoliberalglobalization and its impact onhuman health. Ribeiro has in in-teresting theory on why México

City is the focal point of thevirus. “People living in the city—and in a way the city itself—suf-fer from a depressed immunologi-cal system. Especially for thepoor, the lack of public services,water and health services, stressand poor nutrition means thatpeople die not only from increasedcontagion but also from lowdefenses here.”

México’s grand experiment insink or swim neoliberalism in-cluded privatization and erosionof health systems and basic ser-vices. Mexican health policyexpert Gustavo Leal told theCIP Américas Program that “thenotorious delay in the responseof the federal government canbe attributed in part to the de-centralization of healthcare pro-moted by international financeinstitutions such as the WorldBank. “This broke down thechain of command and the flowof information,” Leal said.

Tellingly, the health care networkthat has responded most vigor-ously to the Mexican swine fluepidemic has been the MexicanSocial Security Institute (IMSS),an institute that conservativesand the same IFIs have been try-ing to privatize for years. Armiesof IMSS healthcare professionalsare attending to cases andreporting from the field through-out the country.

SPP: Integrated Risk Manage-ment or Integrated Risks? It’sironic and inexcusable that themost integrated region in theworld responded so poorly to therecent epidemic. One of the mainselling points for the extensionof NAFTA into the Security andProsperity Partnership (SPP) wasthat a working group was pre-paring integrated response toepidemics that would make all

NAFTA unleashed the

spread of industrial live-stock farms in México by

creating investment incentives fortransnational companies to re-locate operations there. The “raceto the bottom” -where companiesmove production to areas where

environmental and health restric-tions and enforcement are low, isexemplified in livestock farming.

See CARLSEN,page 5

Hearing on broken windowspolicing needed

LETTER’S

Open letter to Denver CityCouncil Members Jeanne Robb,Doug Linkhart, Carla Madison,Michael Hancock:

Representatives of the FixBroken Policing Campaignmet with those of you

named above months ago anddiscussed the economic hardshipimposed on African Americanand Latino community memberswho were racially profiled underthe City sanctioned and Denver

Police Department implemented“broken windows” policing strat-egy.

Each of you told us that youwould speak to your colleagueson the City Council aboutaddressing this issue. To date,we have not had any specificcommitment from you to movethis issue forward. However,when there is a shameful story inthe mainstream media about anIraq war veteran’s car beingseized and then excessively finedunder the new controversialimpound law, City Council mem-bers are tripping over them-selves to grant a hearing in an at-tempt to remedy the “unintendedconsequences” of this punitiveand overly-broad law that a ma-jority of Denver voters wronglyapproved.

Yet, since 2005 when brokenwindows was unleashed uponcommunities of color without anycivil liberties safeguards or anyadditional anti-bias police train-ing for white officers patrollingcommunities of color, we haveyet to have a similar proactiveresponse from Denver City Coun-cil. The economic costs oncommunities of color have placedan enormous financial strain onfamilies already struggling inthis difficult economy. For ex-ample, my 19-year-old son’s caris permanently parked in ourgarage because we can no longerafford the $600 a month insurance

costs due to the many tickets hereceived after being racially pro-filed and ticketed for minor,pretextual violations. He is nota gang member, but a collegestudent whose car he is still pay-ing for but can’t afford to drive.

Therefore, we have movedfrom requesting to DEMAND-ING that the Denver City Councilprovide the same avenue it hasprovided to those impacted bythe impound law debacle: a hear-ing on broken windows policingand the ordinance that enactedthe Citizen Oversight Board(COB) which has no authorityand no accountability. We havebeen to the COB, IAB, OIM, DPDand the Mayor’s office trying tofind justice. All of these entitiesare directing us to the DenverCity Council as our elected repre-sentatives who are supposed to beresponsive to our concerns.

We are pressing for a hearingnow as law enforcement gearsup to crack-down on youth ofcolor during the summer months.We anticipate an increase incommunity complaints againstthe police as more people of colorare stopped for DWB – Driving(or Walking) While Black/Brown.We await your timely responsewith the date for the hearing. Lisa M. Calderón,Denver INCITE! Women of ColorAgainst Violence The Fix BrokenPolicing Campaign

The epidemic means big businessfor the pharmaceutical companieswho hold patents on anti-viralmedicines...

14 mayo 2009

El Semanario Our Community / Nuestra Communidad

Servicios: Mental health comfort zoneBy Robyn G. MayerPart 2 of 4

Since its inception, mentalhealth services have been apart of Servicios de la Raza.

For nearly four decades, theagency has been licensed as amental health facility, providingculturally relevant support to theurban, working-class Latino com-munity in North Denver and be-

poverty level. Some people pay$25 per session, or whateverthey are able to afford. Someclients’ services are paid by Med-icaid.

Gonzales explained that theorganization has grants pendingat this time that would increasethe case manager’s half-timestatus to full time and to add apart-time pediatric psychiatrist.Gonzales is also aiming for a

research into the needs ofunderserved communities and toresurrect a substance abuse pro-gram.

He explained that the mentalhealth program provides aunique service because people arecomfortable coming to Serviciosde la Raza. In general, Latinosand low-income people his-torically have engendered an ex-treme distrust of governmentalagencies and hospitals forseveral reasons, such as culturalcompetency, language barriersor legal status. “They feel com-fortable here because it’s anenvironment that’s extremelynonthreatening. It’s like family.”

Constantine says it is morerewarding working at Serviciosthan in a private practice becausethe entire agency works as a teamwith the clients and because theclients are an inspiration.

“I’m really amazed at theclientele here because most ofthem live independently andmany of them work. I am alwaysastounded at their strengthamidst an ongoing health situa-tion,” stated Constantine.

She described an 11-year-oldclient who “very much neededto break the rules,” so she invitedhim to paint on her wall as a partof his therapy. Because he is very

much into environmental con-cerns, he painted a picture of theearth on the wall in her office,along with a recycling symboland the words “Save our world”and “Gaia.”

“We sometimes color outsidethe lines a little bit,” she com-mented. “People need to getpast the words and get to adeeper level.” So she uses fingerpaints, clay and other alternativesto connect with her clients. “It’ssubterranean. It’s preverbal, espe-cially if you talk to someonewho has preverbal trauma. Youcan talk to them all day and it’snever going to heal them.”

Constantine also attributessuccess to Servicios’ nonjudg-mental attitude towards their workwith the community.

“You don’t have the bigotry,the biases [at this agency]. Theword psyche means soul. So,what people are physically, etc.,you leave it all behind, and it’svery good to be working withpeople who are not judgemental.”

Servicios de la Raza is locatedat 4055 Tejon St. in Denver. Formore information, contact 303/458-5851 or visit www.serviciosdelaraza.org. For their 24-hourcrisis line, call 303/458-7088.

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Using alternative therapies, such as painting, the mental healthspecialists at Servicios de la Raza are better able to communicateand connect with their clients.

yond. Although the organization’smental health program is small insize, its ambitions are boundless.

“The mental health program iscalled the flagship of Serviciosbecause it has been here fromthe beginning,” explained CarolineConstantine, the Mental HealthUnit Manager at Servicios, who isone of three employees in theunit which also includes a psychia-trist and a case manager. Morestaff is needed, she said, to beable to meet the demands of thecommunity.

Servicios is seeking grants tofund more staff in the mentalhealth program because theagency is under staffed andunable to handle all those whoseek mental health services fromthem. Up to a dozen people aweek are left without servicessimply because the staff doesn’thave the time to handle all thecases.

Rudy Gonzales, ExecutiveDirector of Servicios, said thatfunding is in the works to increasethe hours of the three employeesin the mental health unit so theyare able to see more clients.

“That’s what Rudy is workingon nonstop, around the clock,”Constantine said of his search forgrant money. “Everybody partici-pates in writing grants. It’s defi-nitely a team effort.”

Constantine, a licensed pro-fessional counselor, said abouthalf of the program’s 50 clientsare indigent or living at or below

developer to write grants for theentire agency and to perform

North Americans safer. In fact,this was one of the few publicallyannounced activities of thesecretive working groups thatprimarily devote their activitiesto making it easier for theSmithfields and Tysons to dobusiness throughout thecontinent.

The SPP North American Plandeclares that it provides a frame-work to accomplish the follow-ing:• Detect, contain and control anavian influenza out-break andprevent transmission to humans;• Prevent or slow the entry of anew strain of human influenzainto North América;• Minimize illness and deaths;and• Sustain infrastructure and miti-gate the impact to the economyand the functioning of society.

The Plan supposedly establishedmechanisms to coordinate actions,monitor outbreaks, and superviseanimal farms.

México despite being a poorcountry with greater risk of dis-ease, had not received the tech-nology needed to immediatelyanalyze flu strains so had tosend samples to the CanadianHealth Ministry and the Centerfor Disease Control (CDC) inAtlanta for analysis. About a

week was lost in this process.Moreover, as mentioned the CDCdidn’t respond quickly or effec-tively.

Where was this plan whenPerote was reporting illness and alocal epidemic way back in March?Has this group done serious re-search on the risks of industriallivestock production? Why didthe CDC take nearly a week torespond to reports of the Mexi-can epidemic?

The answers lie in what Davisrefers to as the “global politicalclout” of the livestocktransnationals. Another hint canbe found in this phrase fromthe SPP announcement: “Centralto the Plan is a North Americanapproach that undertakesmeasures to maintain the flow ofpeople, services, and cargoacross the borders during a severepandemic while striving to protectour citizens.”

As is the case with all ofNAFTA, the top priority is busi-ness as usual. While closing theborders is not the answer, an in-vestigation into the root causesof the epidemic must lead to afull accounting of the risks ofglobalization and industrial farm-ing. Poor countries with poorhealth run the greatest risks andyet the current system gives their

concerns short shrift and littleresources.

A misplaced priority on profitsover human health in the contextof a globalized world led to thisepidemic and its possibilities be-coming the world’s latest pan-demic.

Laura Carlsen is director of theAmericas Policy Program inMéxico City, where she has beenan analyst and writer for two de-cades. She is also a Foreign PolicyIn Focus columnist.

© 2009 Laura Carlsen

CARLSEN, from page 4

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Send name, address, phone to:[email protected] orEl Semanario, POB 460428, GlendaleCO 80246-ATTN Jurassic GardensWeekly contests end each Fridaybeginning May 15, winners will becomtacted by phone and/or email

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Tradition of honoring Madrinas continuesBy Magdalena Gallegos

Ten years ago, five women— Lena Archuleta, DoraValdez, Lucy Aandahl,

Esther Lubin and Juanita Putnum— all widows formed a grief sup-port group to offer counseling towomen who had losses in theirlives. They found a perfect placefor their support group meetingsat Centro Bienestar San Jose at St.Joseph’s Parish. Sister AliciaCuaron, a dear friend of theladies and also founder andExec. Dir. of the Centro andBienestar Family Services,welcomed the group with openarms.

The original focus of the grief

counseling meetings was toreach out to older widows in thecommunity, but eventually theservices began attractingyounger women who were alsofacing losses and tragedies intheir lives. The founders contin-ued in their role to nurture andensure the personal and spiritualdevelopment of the womenwho attended their support group.Rita Flores Wallace, an artistand dancer became active withthe group, and although she wasnot a widow, she wanted to giveof her artistic talents.

Bienestar Family Servicesmoved to a new facility at San JuanDiego, fine years ago, at theformer Sacred Heart grade school

building at 2830 Lawrence St.One of the first notable events

was an awards brunch entitledLas Madrinas, a creative idea bySister Cuaron. The first awardeesincluded the founders —Archuleta, Valdez, Lubin, Aandahland Flores Wallace. (Putnum hadleft the group) — honored themfor outstanding commitment andservice to women in the commu-

include adult education classes,personal development and familysupport services.

Three Madrina Awards will bepresented this year, the firstgoing to Pat Cortez, a Wells FargoSenior VP, is being awarded forher influence as a rep of WellsFargo in donating more than$4 million and 125,000 volunteerhours by team members to

nity. In our culture,Madrina means God-mother, who watchesover and protects theirGodchildren ensuringtheir personal and spiritual development.

The MadrinasAwards now includesthe spirit of the com-munity honoring thewomen chosen forthese awards exemplifythe spirit of giving totheir communities.

The fifth annual trib-ute to “Las Madrinas”will be held this Sunday, May 17,at Centro San Juan Diego from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. An early birdMercado (market) will begin at10:30 a.m. benefiting theBienestar programs which

thousands of nonprofit organiza-tions.

The second recipient is Elsa

See MADRINAS,page 10

14 mayo 2009

El SemanarioEl Semanario

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Empowering youth to succeed in lifeBy Cristina Frésquez

Although there are manyjob skill readiness trainingprograms available,

YouthBiz has created its ownniche as a unique organizationthat makes it stand out from therest. Founded in 1992 by a localactivist and eight inner cityyouth, YouthBiz has been pro-viding Denver area youth withjob skills training that has

development. YouthBiz Advancedprovides youth with peer-to-peerlearning and hands-on trainingwith course work on topics thatinclude: financial literacy, businessplanning, budgeting, start-upfinancing, among other skills.YouthBiz Leaders allows youthto explore careers of interest,apply basic skills learned inreal-world settings, developspecialized leadership skills andprepare for life beyond high-

can apply to be aYouth Leader. TheYouth Leaders areinvolved in notonly peer-to-peerteaching, but alsothe curriculumplanning, programd e v e l o p m e n t ,mentoring, etc.,”explained García-Ulibarri.

YouthBiz cur-rently serves 400local youth from44 differentmiddle and highschools fromthe Denver metroarea. The organi-

YouthBiz recently had a gradua-tion from its YouthBiz Basics pro-gram at La Academia.

“It gave me a lot more self-con-fidence and I don’t feel so shy

members of soci-ety, but it is alsobuilding characterand esteem amongthese youth.

“At the gradua-tion, I looked overand I saw myMom cry, and Iknew that she wasso proud of me,”revealed Dickson. On Saturday,May 16th YouthBizwill celebrate its3rd annual,“Bubbles at theBiz” at TheOther Side ArtsGallery (1644

Staking boundaries in both East Denver and West Denver,YouthBiz has extended valuable opportunities to youth acrossthe city.

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zation distributed a record-number of youth incentives, with260 refurbished computers dis-tributed and $150,865 in cashearned by youth trainees.

Platte St). There will be live andsilent auctions, music andappetizers. Tickets: $40/indivi-dual and $70/couples. Proceedsfrom the auction will supportyouth development programsthat will serve over 400 localyouth. To Donate Auction Itemsor for information contact DianaLópez-Atencio at [email protected] or 720/974-5102.For more information or to apply

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YouthBiz graduate Sade Dickson receivedhonors for her participation in theextraordinary life skills program and “itgave me a lot more self-confidence” shesaid.

positively changed the lives ofover 2,500 youth.

“Our programs are about ensur-ing that the students in the neigh-borhood understand the impor-tance of completing high school,thinking seriously about theircareers, continuing their educa-tion, and having the skills to doso” commented YouthBiz Execu-tive Director, Sonya García-Ulibarri.

YouthBiz offers three sequentialprograms for youth participants.YouthBiz Basics allows youthto develop skills in areas oftechnology, communication,career readiness and leadership

going through an interview pro-cess, youth become partici-pants of a genuine workforceexperience. Programs offer fi-nancial incentives andsome programs offer a laptopcomputer upon programgraduation.

school. “Although the pro-

gram takes place afterschool and duringthe summer, it really ismore of an after schoolwork experience ratherthan an after schoolprogram where stu-dents earn financialincentives. The stu-dents are expected to

Hanna Burleson, aTier II graduate ofYouthBiz shared her experiences andsuccess with the program.

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emanmaintain the same

standards as a job –they have to showup on time, dress intheir work attire,complete assignedtasks and they areheld accountable,”explained García-Ulibarri.

After applying,

The organi-zation’s uniqueapproach to youth leadership de-velopment allows youth to learnskills on every level, beginningwith peer-to-peer teaching.

“This is something that makesour programs unique – they arepeer-to-peer programs, whichmean that youth who have suc-cessfully completed the program

In 2007, 100% of the youth ad-vanced to the next grade level;80% improved their grade-pointaverage; 58% increased theirschool attendance; and there wasa 75% decrease in office referralsand a 70% decrease in suspen-sions.

YouthBiz operates out of its mainbuilding (3280 Downing St.), butalso offers satellite courses at LaAcademia at the Inner City Par-ish. YouthBiz has also joinedforces with Urban Peak andServicios de la Raza to providecourses in computer fundamen-tals, entrepreneurship, small busi-ness development and career ex-posure to out-of-school and re-cently homeless youth.

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Shanita Lewis, a YouthBiz Tier II YouthSupervisor was recognized for heroutstanding leadership by the organization’sProgram Director Habakkuk Ammishaddai.

anymore,” explained SadeDickson, a 13-year-old stu-dent at La Academia and re-cent graduate of the program.“It’s a great program – notonly do you get paid, but youlearn things that are going tohelp you in thefuture – how tofill out an appli-cation, get ajob, get intocollege – somany skills.It’s a great op-portunity.”

G a r c í a -Ulibarri sharedthe success

story of Jessica,who joined whenshe was 15 years oldand was at thepoint of droppingout of high school.Once she joinedYouthBiz, she tookan interest in the

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Jhavone Davis of Art fromAshes dedicated anexceptional poem to the youthgraduates of YouthBiz.

YouthBiz screen printingbusiness (YouthInk) and deve-loped her artistic skills. This in-spired her to stay in school, bethe first in her family to graduatefrom high school and she is cur-rently a Sophomore at ColoradoState University as a graphic de-sign major.

Teaching these skills to youth isnot only making them productive

for a program contact 303/297-0212 or visit youthbiz.org.

Open Mon - Sat9am - 5pm

14 mayo 2009

El Semanario

Service trip to PineRidge Reservation

Educo Leadership Adven-tures’ Service is offering alearning trip for teens age

13-17 are invited to spend fromJune 7-19 on a South Dakotaadventure, where they’ll helpLakota people on the Pine RidgeIndian Reservation restoreimportant buffalo habitat, listento elders tell ancient stories, vol-unteer for other service projectsand hike and explore BadlandsNational Park.

sense of self and innate leadership.During the trip to Pine Ridge,

participants will work with theLakota people to restore landwhere younger tribe memberslearn about their traditionalheritage. The teens will also vol-unteer for other local serviceprojects, learn the remarkablehistory of the land, listen toancient stories passed downthrough generations and learnnative ways of the Lakota people.

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Youth can take the opportunity help Lakotapeople on the Pine Ridge IndianReservation restore important buffalohabitat.

Then for two days,participants will hike,backpack and explorethe multitude of land-scapes at BadlandsNational Park.

“Kids will work asa team each day onthis trip,” said SarahBlaser, Educo pro-gram director. “Ev-eryone will learn a lotof history and growto appreciate theLakota land. As withall Educo trips, therewill be loads of friend-

Fort Collins-based Educo Lead-ership Adventures, which hasoffered safe, fun outdoor-adven-ture programs around the worldfor 24 years, is offering the 13-day adventure into South Dakotaas part of its 2009 programlineup. Educo creates fun outdooradventures that challenge kids tostep outside their comfort zone,connect with new and unex-pected friends and discover their

ships and bonding while the kidshike, work and explore.”

The cost for the 13-day trip is$1,300, includes all food, equip-ment, lodging and transportationfrom Fort Collins, to destinationsin South Dakota. Camperships(financial aid) are available.To register or more information,970/494-0785 or www.educoadventures.org.

Escuela beginsenrollmentE

scuela Tlatelolco, a dual-language Pre-K through 12th

grade school, with over 39years experience in the Denvercommunity is now enrolling forthe 2009-2010 school year.Escuela Tlatelolco was namedone of Denver’s Top Schools by5280 Magazine in September2008 and was recognized forachieving strong results fromnontraditional curricula, smallclass size and strong parent in-volvement.

Escuela Tlatelolco’s CirculoMontessori and Elementary pro-grams offer a dual-language(Spanish and English) Montessoriprogram for students in pre-school (beginning at age 3)through 6th grade. This programis one of the oldest in the areaand students at this level haveconsistently tested at or above

their developmental and gradelevel. While students at thislevel pay tuition, 99% of studentsreceive some type of scholarshipassistance making the programaffordable for to all families.

Escuela’s Senior Elementaryprogram for students in grades 7-9, blends Montessori elementsalong with an off-site experientialcomponent through a partnershipwith The Urban Farm.

The Upper School program, of-fers students in grades 10 – 12 abilingual, experiential academicprogram using oral presentationsand portfolios to evaluate studentperformance. Both the SeniorElementary and Upper School pro-gram are tuition free.

For more information aboutEscuela Tlatelolco please call 303/964-8993.

14

may

o 20

09El Semanario

HOW YOU GROW How do you reach the Nations

fastest growing market?

El SemanarioTHE WEEKLY ISSUE

Reaching over 50,000

+ Reader’s Weekly

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303/[email protected]

One year later, advocates remain hopefulBy Cristina Frésquez

Reflecting on the one-yearanniversary of the infa-mous Postville immigration

raid, faith and labor leadershosted a press call on Tuesday tohighlight the need for immigrationreform. Leaders discussed thelong term effects immigrationraids have had on their communi-ties and announced over 40 vigilsand services taking place nation-wide in commemoration of theMay 12th, 2008 Postville raid. Events around the country fea-tured ringing of church bellsand calls for worker justice,family unity and just and humaneimmigration reform. In Aurora,the American Friends ServiceCommittee hosted a vigil inconjunction with the nationalcommemoration.

The raid of Agriprocessors, Inc.,in Iowa, detained 389 people, in-cluding parents and underage chil-dren found working in thefactory. St Bridget’s Church inPostville has been caring for theneeds of dozens of families, in-cluding children, while they awaitthe resolutions of their cases.

“As we commemorate this an-niversary we stand in solidaritywith the 389 workers who weredetained, said Sister MaryMcCauley, BVM, Coordinator ofCommemoration Prayer Vigil andWalk for St. Bridget’s Parish inPostville. “We vigorously callfor comprehensive immigrationreform, just labor practices,family reunification and an endto raids.

We cannot permit what hap-pened in Postville, Iowa on May12, 2008 to happen to another townor group of people. It is our hope

that the tragedy of Postville willbring about a change in our immi-gration law.”

The Postville raid was one ofthe most extreme examples ofthe misplaced priorities of theBush Administration, whereprosecution of immigrant work-ers was prioritized over theenforcement of labor standardsand other criminal and civilviolations committed by plant man-agers and owners.

“The National Council of LaRaza believes our country canand should enforce its immigra-tion laws. But as with any set oflaws, our nation should enforcethem wisely and well,” said JanetMurguía, NCLR President andCEO. “We cannot continue totear families apart, undermine oursystem of due process, and wreakhavoc on communities likePostville, where children haveborne the brunt of the raid.”

Nationally, there are almost fivemillion children with at least oneundocumented parent, and it isestimated that for every two im-migrants detained as a result ofworksite raids, approximately onechild is left behind.

“The Postville raid has becomea nationwide symbol of what iswrong with our current immigra-tion policy and previous immigra-tion enforcement priorities. While the govern-ment’s actionsin the Agriprocessors raid showedan ugly side of América that Ihardly recognize, the response ofthe Postville community and itsneighbors showed the compassionand humanity that represents thebest of América,” said FrankSharry, Executive Director ofAmérica’s Voice.

Some policymakers, such as

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) under-stand the tragedy of the Postvilleraid and how it served as a posterchild for the nation’s brokenimmigration system. In the after-math of the raids and theirdevastating effect on the surround-ing Postville community, Rep.Braley called on the federal gov-ernment to focus on unscrupulousemployers, instead of just the un-documented workers.

Recent developments in the pastseveral weeks are leading thecountry closer to smart and ef-fective immigration enforcementstrategies, plus action on compre-hensive immigration reform. Thenews of the U.S. Supreme Court’sunanimous ruling on the BushAdministration’s immigrantworker prosecution strategyshows that the governmentdoesn’t have a blank check when

Last year’s raid sparked hundreds of protests across the nation.

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it comes to coercive enforce-ment. The Obama Administrationalso recently changed the focusof U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement (ICE) efforts toemployers who knowingly hireundocumented workers or com-mit other crimes, rather thanprioritizing the arrest and pro-secution of immigrant workers. And the President continues totalk about the need for compre-hensive immigration reform and

lay out his intention to work withCongress on legislation this year.

“The raids in Postville andacross the country will go downas a dark period in our nation’shistory,” said Mark Lauritsen,International Vice President ofthe United Food and CommercialWorkers International Union. “TheBush Administration’s heavyhanded enforcement tactics leftin its wake devastated communi-ties and broken families. Theydid nothing to fix our brokenimmigration system or to protectthe vulnerable men, women and

children who are exploited bybad employers.”

Murguía emphasized that theNational Council of La Raza’sefforts are aimed at findingpractical solutions to immigrationissues. “Restoring the rule oflaw to our immigration systemrequires systematic change andsmart enforcement strategies thatdo not blur the line betweeninnocent workers and those whomean us harm,” she said. “Weneed policies that protect families,children, workers, and ournation’s ideals.”

Economics / Economia

Holguin, and is being honoredfor her contributions of time, en-ergy and expertise to the BienestarFamily Svcs. As Senior ProgramOfficer at Rose Community Foun-dation, Holguin has been instru-mental in obtaining funding forseveral Bienestar Family Serviceprograms.

The third Madrina is PerlaGhelier, Market Dev. Mngr for

MADRINAS, from page 6

American Family Insurance whohas been a loyal financial sponsorand contributor for Las Madrinasevent since its’ inception.

The Corazon Award will begiven posthumously this year toBernard D. Martinez who servedon the Advisory Board forCentro San Juan Diego. Throughhis efforts with the LatinoEducation and Employment

Project, 216 individuals have beenassisted by the Bienestar FamilyServices Program in obtainingcertification and degrees theyneed to practice their professionsin the U.S.

Irene Ibarra will be presentedwith this year’s Rebozo Award,President & CEO of The ColoradoTrust, she has devoted hercareer to improving health for lowincome children, families andindividuals and developing policysolutions for complex healthproblems.

The 2009 La Estrella Awardwill honor David and NeriSimmons, for their work on im-migration. David has practicedimmigration law in Coloradosince 1986 and is active in pro-bono work and in communityeducation efforts Neri, a nativeof México is an active volunteerat Centro San Juan and herspecialty is teaching Citizenshipclasses for Spanish-speakingseniors who quality to take thecitizenship classes in Spanish,and assisted in the formation ofthe monthly Legal Night Clinic.

For more information and tick-ets call: Jennie Marquez, 303/295-9470 ext. 100.

14 mayo 2009

El SemanarioLEGALS

Classifieds / Clasificados

We Speak Your Language!THE WEEKLY ISSUE / El Semanario, is firmlyestablished as the largest, fastest-growing, most innovativeand involved bilingual publication in Colorado.

THE WEEKLY ISSUE / El Semanario’s dedication to qualityand community awareness has earned a unique status amongLatinos and our diverse readers, advertisers and community leaders.

Our news content is family oriented, stressing accomplishments,achievements, issues and interests of Colorado’s Latino community.Our editorial voice is independent, responsible and progressive – helping set a newagenda for public discourse.

Our clean, contemporary layout provides a showcase settingfor advertisers in all categories.

The unique environment delivers advertisers an unprecedented opportunity to reachAmerica’s fastest growing demographic group – in English and in Spanish

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Food with Integrity?Food with Integrity?


6 diciembre 2007

See COVER STORY......page 6See COVER STORY......page 6

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News for Colorado’s Latino CommunityNews for Colorado’s Latino Community www.elsemanario.netwww.elsemanario.net


13 diciembre 2007

News for Colorado’s Latino CommunityNews for Colorado’s Latino Community www.elsemanario.netwww.elsemanario.net Photo:

Court

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BlossomsBlossoms ShineShineHolidayHoliday


See COVER STORY, Page 4

Defending the Homeland

Photo:

Jay

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News for Colorado’s Latino CommunityNews for Colorado’s Latino Community www.elsemanario.netwww.elsemanario.net

10 enero 2008


Photo:

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31 enero 2008


P.O. Box 460428 • Denver, CO 80246Phone • 303-672-0800

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THE WEEKLY ISSUEEl SemanarioNo phone calls please.

Por culpa de un colchón, se pierden muchos sueños.Tu dinero nunca estará tan seguro bajo un colchón como

está en un banco asegurado por la FDIC. Esta agencia gubernamental protege el dinero que tienes depositado

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HELP WANTED

The Housing Authority of the City andCounty of Denver will receive sealedoffers for Request for Proposal for RFP09-038 Asbestos Abatement Services forPre-Demolition Of Buildings. See www.denverhousing.org (Business Opportuni-ties) or call 720-932-3070 for solicitation.

INTERSTATE HIGHWAYCONSTRUCTION, INC.

Requests sub bids and material quotes fromqualified DBE Subcontractors and Suppli-ers for the

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