RSS Feed

May, 2006

  1. Blacks, our bodyguards?

    May 15, 2006 by elenamary

    I sent Charles to blogdeser (blog that is) specifically to the reposting of an article “Why Blacks Should Join Browns in the Immigration Fight“. Charles and I have daily conversations about us interacting as black and white, and, black and brown. I sent him the article and received the following response (which he told me I could post here):

    Groups of all kinds try to align themselves with the American black
    struggle/experience, When they feel “sat upon”. What has this gotten the black community: Nothing.

    Gay rights, women rights, and now immigration rights all try and find support from arguably the most influential group of people in western culture, the American black. And still we are at the bottom of the totem pole; gays have moved on, women groups have moved on, and some black people feel this issue will move on without them too.

    But its very ironic that these groups call support to rally around their issues but when something happens to/in the black community no one calls…no one rallies…(i.e.: Kanye speaks out about bush (people let him go it alone), Bill O’Reiliy gets and major company to drop Ludacris because of an opinion (people let him go it alone))

    When people need help they call the “heavy” or the “muscle”, this is what the American black is; the “bodyguard” for issues: You call him and he adds weight to what your saying, but you don’t have to pay him much to do it…

    Now there are quite a few things I disagree with in his email, but I think his view is an interesting one.

    As an aside, Saturday night while cooking, I cut my finger, burnt another finger and spilled lemon juice into an open wound. After dinner I was sitting on Charles’ lap and he was playing with a lighter and accidentally set my hair on fire. I have A LOT of hair, it is thick and very long. He accidentally set the bottom of my hair on fire and it quickly ran up my back (not sure if it was the hair gel made that made my hair more flammable). Our friend started to scream, I heard Charles let out an “Oh Shit” as he started to beat my back/beat the flames out. I still smell like burnt hair.

    Category personal | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Apartment Hunting

    May 12, 2006 by elenamary

    Charles, Miles and I went apartment hunting today. I am working full time and taking a full course load and so I asked them both to go on their own to look at apartments. However, today I was free in the late afternoon and was able to go with them. We arrived promptly at the third apartment of the evening and waited for the landlady who arrived 20 minutes late. While we were waiting another couple was waiting as well. They were looking at the apartment and their friend the future third roommate was unable to come. I learned this about them because I heard them telling the landlady. It was terribly stereotypical. Miles walked in front of me and Charles behind me when I heard the landlady ask the white couple “who are those people?” referring to the three of us. Before the couple responded she clutched her purse and asked Miles “What are you doing?” Miles politely informed her that we were her 5 o’clock. She nodded and we all followed her into the house. She sent the couple to explore a room on their own and then us asked us to follow her to one of the other bedrooms. Once in the other bedroom she told us that she thought the three bedroom home would be too small for us. Though she never said that to the other couple that had told her there would be three of them as well. The tension or rather her nervousness around Miles and Charles was also uncomfortable. I am curious how many more times this is going to happen.

    Today I went to Southern Ohio (South West of Dayton) with Olgita. Olga’s hand therapist found a doctor willing to help Olga get a burn wound mask for her face that Children’s Hospital had estimated at $20,000. It is a funny looking mask. All plastic with a space for her eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Today the took digital images of her head and will create the mask and deliver it next week. She will have to wear it 24 hours a day for at least a year. Charles was very supportive as I think he picked up on my concern of her being made fun of. He told me that most of her time is going to be spent with family and people that love her, who aren’t going to ask her why is she wearing that thing. And he thinks all the little black boys in her class in the fall will be really into her mask since a lot of basketball players wear them. Who knows…but at least it is only temporary and will help prevent further scaring.

    Category Latinos, Ohio | Tags: , | No Comments

  3. Per Readers Request

    May 4, 2006 by elenamary

    For those of you who requested that I set up a pay pal account for the Gonzalez family, you can find one below. HOWEVER, the account is set up to go to my bank account because they fear getting a bank account and having it on the internet. I think this is understandable since they aren’t at all familiar with the internet let alone pay pal, and of course don’t trust banks. So, if you do donate money, I can give you the family’s phone number and you can verify with them that they did indeed get the money and what the spent it on. Or if you like I can give you their physical address and you can send the money directly to them and again I can give you their phone number. Or if you’d like to send “stuff” I can let you know what kinds of things like bottles of saline solution, cotton bandages, shirts with buttons that can be easily be put on and taken off around wounds and casts.

    or try this link

    If any of you think of anything else I should add, please let me know.
    Thanks to those of you who recommend I do this.

    Category personal | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Turning 6 & 16

    May 1, 2006 by elenamary

    Almost two months ago I emailed many of my readers, most of my friends, and told anyone who would listen, that my friends needed help. I wrote about a group of friends of mine who were in a terrible car accident just south of San Diego. My friends were trying to come to Ohio.

    Two women, both single mothers passed away in the car accident. Everyone else in the car suffered injuries. My little Olgita, pictured above, broke both her legs, one of her knees and all the fingers in one of her hands, fractured her wrist, and had serious burns to her face and hand. Right now, staying with me is a young boy, Sofo, who I was told at first was 12 but found out only the night before his arrival, is actually 15. His mother passed away in the accident, and as such he was left orphaned. We are working with attorneys to figure out what we can do in Sofo’s case.

    Olgita is healing pretty rapidly especially compared to her mother. Olgita went to the doctor five times in four days this past week. She has to see hand specialists, surgeons, orthopedic specialists, wound treatment specialists and physical therapists. She has been really good about going to the doctor. At first she was very freighted because after the car accident she spent the first two weeks by herself in the hospital without contact with anyone in her family. As such, when we would first go to the hospital she would cry in fear that she was going to be abandoned.

    Sofo is doing well and while he will have permanent burn scares on his arm his bones have healed.

    Both Sofo and Olgita have birthdays coming up. Olgita will be turning six on Saturday and Sofo will be turning sixteen on Monday.

    I have to say this whole experience has been very hard for me. The first two days when they arrived in Ohio were very hard. About 13 of them total arrived in two days, all in small groups except Sofo who arrived alone. And all of them without sufficient clothing, food or bedding. That was hard. It isn’t to say I haven’t seen people hungry before, but these people seemed dependent on me. Yes, me the unemployed student. But hey, at least I have my mother and all my bones, skin, and senses.

    Category Latinos, Ohio, personal | Tags: , | No Comments

  5. Across the nation peeople discuss the May 1st mobilization

    May 1, 2006 by elenamary

    Cindylu of Lotería Chicana struggles on whether to participate in the boycott and what influenced her final decision. Un día sin una hija/nieta de inmigrantes

    Why May 1st Matters at Migra Matters a blog dedicated to “A Progressive Discussion on US Immigration Policy and Practices”

    Irish Voices provides A discussion on immigration from the perspective of Irish undocumented immigrants in the US

    Big Brown Girl struggles with her role as a Latina Teacher on May 1st.

    On immigration, an LGBT rift? Andrés Duque looks at the discussion on immigration from the perspective of both the LGBT advocacy community and immigrant advocacy community. He offers discussion on LGBT/Immigration here, here, here, here, and here.

    Chicana on the Edge weighs her decision on whether or not to go to work on Monday.

    Daily Texican links to his brother’s extremely eloquent article on why he will boycott on May 1st .

    Lucio of Fighting Words offers his view on the immigration rallies of the last few weeks.

    Agustin del Flor y Canto encourages readers to stand up for human rights.

    Roni of Goddess Musings offers up advice to her readers “So those of you here in Chicago, take May 1st off. Grab yourself 2 signs and spend the whole day yelling to “The Man” in the streets. Good luck, stay safe, and grab a mug of hot tea to soothe that throat of yours too.”

    Gustavo     gets readers to join in a rally in Porterville, California.

    Latina Lista is so on top of the rallies on May 1st and everything that has been leading up to it….I can’t begin to link to all the entries

    Los Blogueros en Washington DC con su post Un día sin inmigrantes: 1 de mayo

    Autor Luis Rodríguez offers his perspectiva May 1 – Boycott and Demonstrate for Immigrant Rights

    Pancho and his family get ready for some rallies: “I am a Public Servant, Yale Grad, Proud Product of AZ Public Schools, Daughter of Immigrants, and I support Pathways to Citizenship.

    Abdul-Halim of Planet Grenada has all kinds of articles on Muslim, black and Latino viewpoints on immigration. I recommend going to his blog and using the search engine to find what interests you (too many articles to post here).

    Luis Moreno at Sin Fronteras new site
    We Recognize May 1st As A Day Of Struggle To Build An Organized Revolutionary Working Class Consciousness

    May Day, 2006: review, books, memoir, fiction, journal, poem “La Bloga contributors forgo our usual format to contribute short pieces relating to today’s immigration protests throughout and beyond Aztlán. We remind U.S. residents, including those whose “papers” are less than four hundred years old, that May Day’s roots lie in the U.S. of 1886. If mexicano participation in this American holiday reaches historic proportions today, the reasons may lie in history”

    Vivir Latino covering the rallies and immigration discussion from all kinds of perspectives.

    Cyberazteca at XISPAS informs on May 1st mobilization

    Xoloitzquintle is conflicted on what to do on May 1st as a professor of an immigration seminar .

    Xicano Power “El Gran Boicot” – La Raza, Silent No More! and MAY DAY – El Gran Boicot (Live Blogging)

    Migrations a blog focused on immigration law by immigration attorney Yvette Lopez-Cooper.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 2 Comments