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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1996)
I hi P oru a n i ) O bsi rvi r • N ovember P agi 20, 1996 Through our own eyes Por nuestros propri os ojos Alexandra Lopez, youth photographer from Forest Grove High School. "I feel like a different person when I 'm taking pictures-a little more experienced. “ In a time where life seems in creasingly fragile, it is d ifficu lt for anyone to stand tall. We w ill all be knocked down. G row ing up in such real and underprivileged w orlds, it is inconceivable to imagine finding the strength that these young adults find each and every day. The young pho tographers in straight shooting face their world with a sensitivity that, at many times, seems too perceptive. They are co nscio usly aware o f the failures o f our society. "F lo o d in g our darkroom s with clearly seen photographs o f m agical and beautifully truthful images, these students remind us o f the power o f photography as an art. It is an art o f looking at our world. W hile anyone can take a picture, only these young adults could have made these photo graphs. O nly these young adults could have evoked these dream like scenes o f oppression, or their undying love for fam ily in a single image. We are all privileged to learn from their work. “ A ll o f us involved, the students and the mentors, had to reach out towards each other’s worlds. The understanding and strength gained is in e x p lic a b le . T h e re latio n sh ip s formed and photographs created in this program are testament to the extreme value o f our society w orking together ” Adam O g ilv ie , Mentor and Coordinator. Each spring. S tra igh t Shooting provides,a small group o f voting people from six counties w ith an o pp ortu uitv to learn photographic skills and develop selfesteem, allow ing them to explore and find expression through the use o f a camera. C ontact: J e ff Nunn. Project C o o rd in a to r. Oregon Commission on C hildren and Families in Salem (5(13) 373-1283. In our own words En nuestras proprias palabras bv S tekanie F llV I lS I was born in Fresno, C alifo rnia, w hich is located in the San Joaquin V a lle y. M y parents both came from the States. M y mom, M aggig pardo, was born in E l Paso, Texas, and my dad, V ir g il Pardo, was born in San Jose, C alifo rn ia. M y grandparents all came from M e xico . M y m o m ’ s parents are Genardo and Gregoria Magdaleno. They had eight kids, including my mom. A ll were born in M exico except for the two youngest, who happen to be my mom and T ia (aunt) Sicorrio. M y d ad ’ s parents, M oses and A n gela Pardo, had four kids o f their own together. M oses (who is the oldest), Phil, V ir g il (m y dad), and the youngest, M arisha. A ll have c h il dren o f their own. M> parentsgrew up know ing noth ing other than w orking in the fields. I am very grateful for not having to grow up w orking in the fields. M y parents had someth ing greater in m ind planned for us in our future. They wanted us to grow up like any other Am erican kid s, to have the same chances and advantages o fan y other. Therefore, they brought us up with only what they knew best and what they were taught. I often think to m yse lf how lucky I am to be liv in g in the States, with all the advanced technology and educa tion given in schools today. Because in M exico today its not like it is here. Not all kids ge, to go to school. I f you do. you are considered lucky. Most kidsjust end up working in the fields, starting at a very young age. My Stefanie Fuentes grandma Angela never attended school until her fifth grade year because she had to work in the fields, helping her fam ily make a living. Often time I forget where I come from and all the advantages I have that m y parents never had and I end up taking advantage o f them. Not because I ’m ungrateful, but because I forget how lucky I am to be liv in g in the United States. I see young teen agers w alkin g around like they have so many problems and worries around them, but in reality they don’t. I bet if they were to take a trip to Juadis, M exico, and saw how the H ispanic teens live, they would be so grateful for what they have that their whole attitude would change, espe c ia lly the way they look at life. I think they would appreciate their parents more. T o d ay as I look around at other ethnic fam ilies, I realize something unusual, that w e’re all alike in some w ays, yet w e’re all different in many other ways, such as our beliefs, ho l idays, birthdays, and many other ways. For instance, when holidays come around our whole fam ily gets together in one house and makes enchiladas, tacos, mole, tamales and all sorts ofother foods. We sit around together, adults in one room and the kids in another, just having fun and talking away. I grew up know ing nothing other than this lifestyle stated in this arti cle. I was brought up in a sm all town in Northern C alifo rn ia. We ended up m oving because our neighborhood got so bad that there was a k illin g ju st behind my house. Soon after that it started getting worse as the days passed by. So my parents had no other choice but to move the fam ily to another town. We all piled in a car and moved to San Jose, C alifo rn ia. It was weird having to move to a whole new city and probably 10 times as big as Fres no. W e all started school within the first week we moved and my dad had to find a job . M y mom had to stay at home not w orking because o fso little jo b opportunities. We d id n ’t last too long in San Jose, either. A gain our neighborhood was getting bad. It got so bad that my parents w ouldn't let my little sisters play outside. Not to mention our rent was so high we barely had enough money to buy food with and with my dad the only one w orking it made things even harder, so we had to move (to O regon). When we moved this time it was different from all the rest, because my dad w asn’t able to come along with the fam ily W hile we were all in Portland liv in g with my I io (uncle) M oy, my dad was stuck in San Jose saving money for us so we could live in a house o f our own. When we moved, I was just starting my sev enth grade year at O ck le y Green M iddle Scho o l, and my dad d id n ’t come to live with us until the m iddle o f my seventh grade year. It was wierd not having him around for so long, and with only having a chance to talk to him for a couple o f minutes once a week. But once we were all a fam ily again liv in g in our own house it was like we had never been apart. I think that me liv in g as a H isp an ic-A m erican I make it out as to how I want to live and be known as. B e cause, most people, ifyou think high ly o f yourself, that’s what y o u 'll be and so on. I appreciate the things I have and the things I don't have. I don't w ish that I had them be cause I know that I don't have them for a reason, and that reason must be a pretty good one, too. In O u r O w n W o rd s (E n Nuestras P roprias Palabras) w ill be a regu la r feat u re o i l lie P ortland O bservador, o ffe rin g to H ispanic youth the o p p o r tun its Ioexpress th e ir thoughts and feelings— and to describe th e ir experiences— as a L a tin o in a p re do m in an t!) Anglo en viro nm e nt. The O bservador encourages o u r voting readers to subm it th e ir own w ritin g and a photograph and we w ill trv to fin d space in o u r pages fo r you. OCHA Conference promotes solutions Continued from B I ▲ was set to launch a Spanish-language version o f the w eekly as a result o f the unparalleled success o f their “ Selena’’ issue, w hich outsold every edition in the history o f People mag- ezine. She predicted that the new period ic a l would not lack for cosmetic adver tisements. Olmos 5 The highlight o f the da y’s events w as the appearance o f Edw ard James b lm o s as the noontim e keynote speaker Mr. O lm o s arrived to a packed house as the luncheon was getting under way. having just fin ished shooting the m ovie “ Selena" in fle x a sa t 3:00 a m earlier in the day, and he left im m ediately after his 40- iwinute talk to fly to A rizon a, where Several thousand people were w ait in g to hear him speak. i The theme o f Mr O lm o s’ speech ivas a call to recognize our similarities as diverse people, and to find solutions through education and in forging com mitments to work together. L o n g active in anti-gang efforts, Mr. O lm o s stated that “ V io le n ce is a health problem, not a ju d ic ia l prob lem ,” echoing the words o f Portland P o lice Bureau C h ie f C harles Moose, as was reported in the September 25 edition o f The Portland Observador. He urged the audience to find so lu tions to violence in strengthening com m unities. We are all different, but we are all alike “ It’s the fact that w e’re all different that makes us all the same," Mr. O lm os said. T o illustrate his point, he de scribed him self and his brown skin as the product o f an evolutionary m ixing o f all the races, red or indigenous, white or Anglo, yellow or Asian, black or African “ I am a brown-skinned m an , born o f tw o M e x ic a n parents.. .Part o f me is white, which goes back 500 years to the arrival o f the Spanish; part o f me is red, is indig enous, w hich go es b ack 40,000 years.... Before that 1 was ye I Io w, when we migrated from A sia, and before that I was Black, when we migrated out o f A frica.” Senor O lm os asked for a show o f hands o f all who had attended ele mentary school and high school in the United States and had received more than one h a lf hour o f education about M eso-Am erica over the course o f their schooling. A m ong the thou sand people in the room, only three or four hands went up. Mr. O lm os asked two o f them to describe how much education on the subject they had received. A man said "one hour” ; and. in one o f the many humorous moments of Mr. O lm o s’ talk, a woman in the dis tant back o f the room who had held her hand up said that she actually hadn't received any such sch oo ling, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to ex press her affection and appreciation for Mr. Olm os, which she proceeded to do. Be “smart selfish" In clo sin g, Mr. O lm os said that “ Everyone in this room is selfish. We are all selfish. I ’m selfish, too. But there are two kinds o f selfish people,” he said. “ There is a foolish selfish person and a smart selfish person. The foolish selfish person makes sure that everyone in his house is safe at night and then goes to bed. The smart selfish person first looks out o f the window and makes sure that the neighbor on his left is safe, and then checks on the neighbors on the right and across the street. Then he goes to bed, know ing that his neighborhood is safe, and his home and fam ily secure.” M r O lm o s urged each o f us to be more like that “smart selfish person,” and with that made his way slow ly to the exits besieged by admirers O C H A may be contacted at (503) 228-4131. B3 Christmas Toy Drive needs sponsors People can help a ch ild enjoy and celebrate this Christm as by do nating to Jefferson H igh Scho o l C lu b H is p a n o ’ s T h ir d A n n u a l Christm as T o y D rive. T h is com m unity project w ill en compass H ispanic parents, children and high school students who live near and around Jefferson H igh & O ck le y Green M iddle Scho o l lo cated in N .E . Portland. B y participating in the toy drive, you would be helping underprivi leged children, but more important ly reinforcing the sense o f g iv in g and sharing that we try to convey to y o u n g p eo ple. Je ffe rs o n C lu b H is p a n o m e m b e rs had th e ir fundraiser in September and raised $86.00. The money w ill be used to buy toys bu, it is not enough to buy sufficient toys for the c lu b ’s annual toy drive. W e need sponsors for Jefferson H igh School C lu b H isp an o ’s T o y D rive We are requesting financial assistance o f $50.00 so the group can buy toys priced around $5.00. The toy drive is scheduled from N ov. 10 to Dec. 10, 1996. W e w ill have a Fiesta N avidena on Dec. 10, 1996 at O c k le y G reen M id d le Scho o l One o f our members w ill dress up as Santa C la u s and deliver toys to the children Fo r information call 916-5180. We are more than happy to come to your o ffice to discuss this great en deavor. The members an xio u sly await your response. Coordinadora’ 96 an awakening B y M ary Ann Prado On October 12, a coalition o f citizens and prospective citizens, o f labor unions, com m unity and c iv il righ ts o rgan izatio n s, im m igrant rights and human rights group con vened in W ashington, D C . for the Latino and Immigrant Rights March. Thecoalition , Coordinadora’ 96, demanded a program c a llin g for human rights for all. equal opportu nities, free public education, access to health care, citizen police review boards, labor law reform, a $7.00 minimum wage, citizensh ip rights and amnesty for all A s part o f the Latin Am erica/ A s ia P a c if ic Y o u t h P ro g ra m ( L A A P ) o f Am erican Friends Ser vice Com m ittee, four youths jo u r neyed from Portland to W ashing- ton, D C . and participated in this landmark m obilization o f Latinos, imm igrants and others to show so l idarity and to let “ young voices be heard!" A s expressed by Le n g B ouasy- keo, a student from P .S .U . and Jonathan Frio lo , “ O ctober 12th was a day o f unity and justice." Other youth participants includ ed C e c ilia G iron and Ramon Najera. In essays submitted to the Portland O b se rvad o r, C e c ilia , L e n g and Jonathan shared their personal e x periences at the March and their feelings as im m igrants. For more information contact Latin Am erica/ A s ia P a c if ic Y o u t h P ro g ra m ( L A A P ) , 2249 E. Burnside. Port land, O regon 97232 (5 0 3 ) 230- 9427. Are You At Risk? Diabetes is a very serious d is ease, e specially for H isp anics. One our o f 10 H isp an ics has it. Even worse, diabetes affects one out o f 10 H isp an ics over age 45. Diabetes is a quiet k ille r and can cause serious problem s like blin d ness, heart disease and amputations. H a lf o f the people who have diabe tes do not know they have it. So far there is no cure. But there is good news: Y o u can control diabetes through diet, exercise and m edica tion. Y o u can im prove your health and the quality o f your life. Ask About DAR Th e Am erican Diabetes A s s o c i ation has a special program for H is panics called D A R . D A R stands for Diabetes Assistance & Resources and com es from the Spanish word for “to g iv e ” or “ to provide.” And g iv in g is at the heart o f the program Through D A R . we can give help and inform ation (in Spanish and E n g lish ) to you and your fam ily. We can answer your questions about diabetes or show you where to find A better the answers. The most excitin g part o f D A R is the Diabetes Hom e Health Party. Volunteers host sm all, inform al parties in your area for fam ily, friends and neighbors. Y o u eat great food that is healthy for people with diabetes. A trained Diabetes L a y Cou nselo r tells the group about d i abetes and where you can get help. It’s a fun way for you to learn more about diabetes from people in your own comm unity. Join Us The Am erican Diabetes A s so c i ation is your best source o f diabetes information. W e are the leading organization dedicated to the pre vention and cure o f diabetes. C a ll us and we w ill give you free information about diabetes. We can help you and your fam ily manage the disease. D o n ’tw ait. Diabetes is a danger ous disease. But D A R provides fun and useful w ays to help you beat it. C a ll your local Am erican Diabetes Association o ffice today. 'Cite (SJditdr Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 To the editor: We applaud your recent articles focusing on farm w ork issues and your editorial endorsement o f the consum er boycott our organization has pressed against N O R P A C Foods and W holesom e & Hearty Foods. We agree that all consumers have a responsibility to care about and take action on farm w orker issues. Y o u r editorial w hich makes that very point is tim ely and welcome. We also appreciate the Portland O bserver’s decision to expand cover age to focus on the gro w in g Latino population in North and Northeast Portland. T h is addition demonstrates the O bserver’s commitment to serving the com m unity and its e vo lv in g needs and populations. —L a rr y K leln m a n , Secreta ry Treasu rer Pin ero s y Ca m pesin o s I'n id o s del Noroeste Northw est Treeplanlers and Fa rm w o rkers United To the editor: It was truly an honor for Latina Style to take part o f this year’s O C H A conference M aria Elena H aw kins and other O C H A members did a tremendous jo b o rgan izin g a quality conference. Th e speakers, panelists and attendees were im pressive. Latina Style looks forward to gro w in g our relationship with the O C H A members and other H isp anics in the Portland area. —A n n a M aria A ria s, p u b lish e r o f L a tin a Style M agazine Call now to advertise in IP©IRTILAI» ©®8ERVAE>©R (503) 2M-0033
