Vida Newspaper, Volume 21, Issue 6 - March 1993

Vision Created from Frustration VIDA/Edith Viramontes During Diade laFamiliaon February 21 , about 500 parents participated in the mass, picnic and some decided to share their talent. Asking which song is a favorite, Cuarteto Los Galanes performs for the parents. Ganas Attempts to Gain Recognition By Analee Zelaya In 1991 Jaime Escalante founded Mo vimien to Juvenile de Ganas, a national organization that seeks to motivate and sup¬ port Hispanic student into per¬ forming better in school. Last semester with the help of sophomore Angela Fajardo and second in charge of Ganas’ na¬ tional chapter, Ganas was intro¬ duced to our school. In helping to get Ganas es¬ tablished at LMU, Angela sought the assistance of all interested students. Among the students who devoted their time and ef¬ fort in order to get Ganas off the ground was Patrizia Gealogo. In fact, Patrizia was so dedicated that she soon found herself on Ganas board of directors. However, this move dis¬ pleased the president of Ganas’ national chapter, according to LSOB to be on Campus By Araceli Loredo The Latin-active-chart- jumpin’ hip-hoppers - A Lighter Shade Of Brown (LSOB) will be performing at Regents Terrace March 18 during Convocation hour. Frank Lozano from POWER 106 will be introducing LSOB. This two-man crew, Rob¬ ert Guiterrez - One Dope Mexi¬ can (ODM) and Bobby Ramirez - Don’t Try To Xerox (DTTX) ex¬ pect great success from their sec¬ ond LP “Hip Hop Locos”. After 250,000 copies of their 1st release - “Brown and Proud” - were sold, success is sure to continue. “Brown and Proud” peaked at #179 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart and #5 on the Billboard Heatseeker’s Chart. ODM comments on “Hip Hop Locos”. “Our lyrics have matured. We are out to show the hip hop community that we write dope lyrics and rap different styles. We are musically stron¬ ger and we still party!” LSOB educates as well as entertain. “When people look at us, they don’t see two black guys, they don’t see two white guys, they see two Latin guys, and each one of us is a lighter shade of brown,” states LSOB as its phi¬ losophy. This event is sponsored by ASLMIJ in conjunction with Community School Visit-Day. Angela, as she would feel that she was “contradicting her stan¬ dards” in having someone other than a Latino on the board, as Patrizia is a Filipina. Ganas’ national chapter refuses to recognize LMU’s Ganas as part of their chap ter .This move aroused shock and upset. Angela states, “I be¬ lieve in Ganas; however, I can’t tolerate the fact of omitting people.” Patrizia declares, “I under¬ stand what the national chapter has to say.” She too does not believe in limitations, especially when as a Filipina, not many organizations are open to her. LMU’s Ganas, in an at¬ tempt to override this decision is in the process of sending a letter to the national chapter, which Patrizia hopes will make them “think twice and be more open- minded.” If the national chapter is still reluctant to accept Ganas, then it will cease to be affiliated with it, but will become an LMU organization. By Jesus F. Jauregui There is a new vision being created in East Los Angeles. An image being formed from frus¬ tration and anger, but also from hope and optimism. Tired of the slow rate with which problems are being addressed within the community, several young men and women have banded together to start the redevelopment pro¬ cess from within. Committed to the uplifting of La Raza, these individuals have been meeting every Friday to develop a strate¬ gic initiative to confront the prob¬ lem s within the community. The group is comprised mainly of students, from differ¬ ent college campuses, originally from the East Los Angeles area. As member Kenny Varela states, “The fact that we are from differ¬ ent campuses means that we will all bring different ideas and views to the group. We will be a better representation of the community and we will have more resources to act from.” The group has not adopted a formal name as of yet, but as one of the members, Juan Tino Torres, states, “The focus right now should not be on the name. That’s just superficial. We are concentrating on the issues we will be dealing with and the best possible solutions. If you dwell too long on what the name of the organization should be and crap like that, if you take that away you, if you take that away you are left with nothing.” Both Varela and Torres have been activists in the past. Torres, ex-graffiti tagger and now Chicano Studies/ Graphic arts major at Cal State Los Angeles, had relatives march in the 1970 Chicano Moratorum, and he ac¬ tively participated in the Moratorium’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. Varela, the organization’s Liason on Alter¬ native Lifestyle Issues, is in¬ volved in grassroots Chicano or¬ ganizations and is a member of ACT-UP and Queer Nation. One idea that has been voted on, and was passed, was the concept of an East Los Ange¬ les newsletter. Torres states, “For too long we have had the mainstream dictate what we read, how we should feel about what we read, and how to react afterward. It is time for the com¬ munity to have its voice heard.” The newsletter would fo¬ cus on issues relevant to the com¬ munity and offer feasible solu¬ tions to the problems. It would also offer articles on indigenous history, history of the Raza Move¬ ment during the 1960’s and 7 0’s, an open forum for readers to write-in and discuss issues, and exhibit poetry and artwork done by members of the community. The newsletter is also in the pro¬ cess of trying to network with the Chicano Press association to fur¬ ther expand its base of opera¬ tions. The organization will also be focusing on community beau¬ tification, calling an end to bar¬ rio warfare, organizing a group to work with tagging graffiti crews, and bringing quality edu¬ cation to the barrio. Torres reiterates, “It is time for the Raza to stop expecting crumbs to fall from the table of elites and stand tall, grab the Devil by the horns, and demand what is ours. We do the eating , breathing, buying, and dying in our community. We own the homes and businesses; we have a stake in all this. It’s is time to do what needs to be done.” If you are interested in helping out with the organiza¬ tion, write to: Raza Crusade (name pro tern) 627 S. Ferris Ave.. Los Angeles, CA 90022 or call: Jesus F. Jasuregui Tino Torres (213) 266-2588 (213) 269-4417 Por La Raza Todo, sin La Raza Nada! Arriba Hasta La Victoria. INSIDE TODAY’S VIDA Find out how far LMU has gone with the issue of cultural diversity. See Page 2 Mind-Fasting. What is it? Who does it? How can you be part of an artist’s experi¬ ence? See Page 3 Lighter Shade of Brown is coming soon. Find out more about who they are. See Page 4 Mes de la Raza Cosmica March 5 Art show reception for Nik Fernandez located at Von der Ahe Library at 6 :30p. m.- $p. m. Fernandez's art exhibition will last through March 31 < March ? United Latino Student, a Greater Los Angeles Chicano Latino business student network is sponsorifig its 3fd annual picn Ic at El Dorado Park in ; Long Beach. For ticket information ca| 582-36Q2 from March 3 “Non Violence in Los Angeles” featuring Dr, Glen smiley will be at 6p,m.-8p.m, in Sullivan Ipungeandsponsoredby the Theology Society and Political Science Association March l 5-1 7 The 2nd annual Raza Cosmica Book Festival by LoS Chaves del QuintoSol will be held near the Lair from 8a. m.-2p.m. • . . . March 15 “tribute to:: R Roberta Menchu Turn0 will be featured In Seaver 100. March 17 *($ Fte| trade Really Free”, a panelist in favor of the NAFTA LMU Professor Yongsun Paik : : and against AFUCI^ Labor organizer VIctorMimoz, wi II be held in the Macintosh Center at 6p.m. '•••• •■' : •: March 10 Community School Visit-Day will be in conjunction with a Lighter Shade of Brown who will •••г’;.--.; . be intrb^upedby FrarikLozanotrom Power 1 06 during Convocation Hour at Regents Terrace. "One YearLater: The L; A. Rebellion Contin uesH will be presented at the Bi Fd’s Nest at 7p.m. March2t-25 H ispanic for Law will have Law Week for students Interested In the legal field. March 22 At the Del ftey Room a Latina author, Roberta Fernandez, will be March 25-26 The Latino Overnight which Is an Introduction of LMU to prospective Latino students is: being sponsored by CLSS and Admissions Office. March 26 MEChA Formal For more information call CLSS office at (310) 336-761 a.