Texas Civil Rights Review

Author: mopress

  • Ramsey and Irma on the Passing of Lovelia Perez

    Dear Friends:

    Ramsey’s health continues to improve slowly…

    I was given the strength and knowledge to care
    for my huband from Lovelia Perez, one of Ramsey’s best
    friends (during the early 70s), and former Raza Unida Party
    activist. Lovelia remained with me by telephone every
    morning, noon, and night providing love, courage, compassion,
    and the medical knowledge needed to help my husband survive
    a very grave illness.

    Lovelia Perez demonstrated the most unselfish act of placing
    others before herself. Her beautiful heart and giving spirit
    will never be forgotten. Lovelia (Mama Love) Perez, 66, of Austin, died
    Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005, in Austin. She was born Nov. 20, 1939, in
    McCulloch County, to Nemesio Perez, Sr. and Francisca (Aguirre) Perez.
    She was a registered nurse and was Poly Spiritual. She attended SMU,
    received a bachelor of science in nursing from the Texas Women’s
    University in Denton and received a masters degree from South West
    Texas State University in San Marcos. Survivors include her mother, Francisca Perez of San Angelo; a son,
    Carlos Gonzales of Austin; a daughter, Driana Gonzales, also of Austin;
    and two sisters, Estela Perez Santos and husband, Manuel, of San Angelo
    and Berta Perez Linton, also of San Angelo. She was preceded in death
    by her father; and two brothers, Nestor and Nemesio Perez, Jr. The
    family requests memorials be made to The Christopher House in Care of
    Hospice of Austin. Her obituary can be accessed online.

    Lovelia Perez was an angel sent by God to teach us real love and
    compassion, and to help save a man whose message she embraced and
    shared with others. In a letter to Ramsey she wrote, "Some people want
    to talk about La Raza, but I tell them they cannot discuss La Raza
    without you. Whether they like it or not, you are our history — our
    hero. Have you done research as to how manmy times people have used
    your name on their books or their articles? We have won the war of the
    tortilla. HEB makes tortillas better than some Mexicanos, and that
    includes me. We have won the color war. It’s okay now to have a pink,
    purple, or green house. We have made progress in the food and language
    wars, but it’s the spiritual war that we are so behind in."

    We dedicate the poem below to our dear friend, Lovelia Perez.

    –Irma Muniz (Nov. 27, 2005)

    ———————————-

    VOYAGE

    I languish in this world of woe and tears.
    Bleak is my exile, heavy are my shackles and chains
    on this day of remembrance in the darkness
    of this medieval dungeon.

    I rest my eyes and soul.

    I voyage to a far and distant land that was ours long ago.
    Here I gaze into the colors that are not rare to me.
    As I journey further with the spirits of this land,
    I reach the clearing of the dark jungle;
    I can envision the temples of Huitzilopotli and Quetzacoatl.

    The day is August 13, 1521. There stood Cuauhtemoc,

    he who is pure, who died in war for us,
    he who lives close to the sixth sun — the valiant Mexika

    (me-shee-ka) warrior.
    What a magnificent sight it was, for he lives

    in the house of the sun, a place of wealth and joy.

    He, like a fine burnished turquoise, gave his heart.
    It arrived at the place of the sun where it will germinate,
    once again to blossom into the Rising of the Sixth Sun.
    When I gazed into the eyes and heart of Cuauhtemoc
    I could sense the consciousness of our Mexika birth-soul.

    I perceived the pride and dignity of my native ancestors

    within me — the sixth sun rose.

    I walked with Cuauhtemoc up the temple steps that reached
    the heavens.
    I was in the shadow of our past, present and future of our
    beloved Aztlan.
    I witnessed the suffering, sorrow, pain, misery, hunger,

    and sacrifices on that ancient historical day.

    But as I voyaged further into what is above us, Topan,

    and in the region of the dead, Mictlan,
    the winds from the four directions of the universe sang a
    sweet song to my heart and I rejoiced when I gazed into

    the faces of our destined heroes in my dreams.
    For you see, when I’m in the realm of my forefathers and

    ancestors, I fear nothing and take pleasure in their

    presence of this sixth sun.

    It is this transformation and reformation of my indigenous

    Mexika spirituality I long to know — an ancient history

    concealed and denied for 500 years.
    Yet within me does the rage of thousands build for the many

    sorrows, hardships, and sacrifices my forefathers endured.

    There is no rest for my soul (Mexicayotl) until the

    manifestations of the rising of the sixth sun appears
    among our people.

    My Mexika brothers and sisters, all my world is caged

    and confined yet my spiritual birth-soul runs free.

    "Wait, Cuauhtemoc, for I am coming."

    Ramsey Muniz/Tezcatlipoca

    Solitary Confinement
    August 13, 1999

    ———————————

    "It is not true, it is not true
    That we have come
    To live here,
    We came only to sleep
    Only to dream…"

    CANTARES MEXICANOS
    1904, 17r.
    Facsimile Ed. Mexico City: Antonio Penafiel

    http://www.freeramsey.com

  • Austin Passes Anti-Minuteman Resolution Unanimously

    Austin, Texas (Dec. 16, 2005) The Austin City Council yesterday
    approved unanimously a resolution opposing the activities of the
    Minutemen and other similar groups. The resolution cites concern over
    untrained civilians taking immigration law into their own hands,
    activities which may encourage discrimination and racial profiling.

    The resolution directs the City Manager to report any vigilante activities to the City Council. The resolution was an initiative of the American Friends Service
    Committee (AFSC) and the Coalition for Justice and Dignity in Austin, a
    diverse coalition of immigrant and advocacy organizations. Fifty-eight
    allied civic, faith and labor organizations were signatories to this
    effort.

    "We are pleased that Council recognized the dangers of vigilante groups
    posturing as nothing more than neighborhood watch groups, and took
    proactive action to diffuse any potentially violent situation," said
    Yvonne Montejano of the AFSC.

    The Minuteman Project and other vigilante groups say they are
    protecting this country’s borders. Human rights organizations point out
    that vigilante groups frequently use fear, intimidation and violent
    tactics in their efforts to "secure" borders.

    "These groups are providing simplistic answers to our nation’s
    social, economic and political difficulties and many politicians are
    jumping on the Minuteman bandwagon to distract the public from major
    budget and employment problems," said Montejano.

    Yesterday, U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner
    (R-WI) introduced anti-immigrant legislation that would make the entire
    undocumented population, including 1.6 million children, felons by
    their unlawful presence in this country. The House Judiciary Committee
    is also considering the construction of a fence in parts of California,
    Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to stop the flow of migrants.

    The AFSC strongly opposes these anti-immigrant measures and instead
    calls for an examination of the roots cause of migration, which it
    maintains are primarily due to free trade and globalization policies.

    ——-

    The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization
    that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social
    justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the
    belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to
    overcome violence and injustice.


    Note: press release received via email, Dec. 16, 2005–gm

  • Hispanic Orgs Write Bush against 'Mean-Spirited' Immigration Proposals

    Dear Mr. President:

    The undersigned national Latino organizations write to express our
    extreme disappointment with the Statement of Administration Policy
    (SAP) issued yesterday supporting the "Border Protection,
    Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005" (H.R.
    4437). This bill defies any attempt at serious or effective immigration
    reform, which you yourself acknowledged is urgently needed. Your SAP is
    baffling in light of recent statements made by RNC Chairman Ken
    Mehlman, which correctly
    point out that the House Republican proposal overreaches in ways which
    are harmful to the country and which will alienate the Latino
    community.
    Your support of H.R. 4437 is inconsistent with the very principles for immigration reform that you have put forward.
    The impact of H.R. 4437 on the Latino community would be
    devastating. This bill is excessively harmful to American
    families,
    businesses, and communities as well as immigrants. Among its many
    appalling provisions: it criminalizes 11 million undocumented workers;
    it subjects family members, employers, religious institutions, and
    others to criminal penalties under broadened definitions of smuggling,
    harboring, and transporting; it expands expedited removal and mandatory
    detention; and it creates an unworkable employer verification system
    that will
    displace millions of workers and disrupt the economy. All of these
    provisions will have a far-reaching impact on the entire Latino
    community, yet none would solve our very real immigration problems.
    H.R. 4437 does not put us on a path toward comprehensive immigration
    reform; rather it stymies
    constructive debate and is an affront to those who are truly
    interested in solutions.

    As you know, leaders from both political parties have
    acknowledged the need to address our immigration problems in a
    comprehensive manner and are working on realistic, rational immigration
    reform legislation.

    However, House Republicans have provided this shortsighted and
    mean-spirited bill which is intended to appear tough on immigration
    without resolving our nation’s immigration problems. Only a
    comprehensive approach that provides a path to citizenship for current
    undocumented immigrants, creates new legal channels for future flows of
    needed immigrants, reduces family immigration backlogs, and protects
    worker rights will reduce undocumented immigration and bring order to
    our immigration system.

    We are shocked and saddened by your Administration’s statement of
    strong support for H.R. 4437. It is difficult to understand how you
    will explain your posture on this legislation to the Latino community,
    which is following this debate very closely. We urge you to withdraw
    your support for H.R. 4437 and get back on the path toward
    comprehensive immigration reform.

    Sincerely,

    League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
    Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
    National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
    Educational Fund
    National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

  • DREAM Act: Waking up to Immigration

    Each year, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from our nation’s high
    schools. Brought by their parents as young children, many have grown up
    in the United States, attended U.S. K-12 schools, and share in our
    American culture and values. Some have little memory of their homeland
    or their native language. Like their U.S.-born peers, these individuals
    share the same dream of pursuing a higher education. Unfortunately, due
    to their immigration status, they are typically barred from many of the
    opportunities that currently make a college education affordable –
    in-state tuition rates, state and federal grants and loans, private
    scholarships, and the ability to work legally to earn their way through
    college. In effect, through no act of their own, they are denied the
    opportunity to share in the "American Dream." If passed, the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien
    Minors (DREAM) Act,” S. 2075, a bipartisan federal proposal led by
    Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar
    (R-IN), would facilitate access to postsecondary educational
    opportunities for immigrant students in the United States who currently
    face barriers in pursuing a college education. The “DREAM Act” would
    also allow hardworking immigrant youth who have long resided in the
    U.S. the chance to adjust their status, enabling them to contribute
    fully to our society.

    The “DREAM Act” was introduced in the U.S. Senate in November
    2005. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) is the sponsor of the bill, and the
    lead Republican cosponsors are Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Richard
    Lugar (R-IN). The Senate Judiciary Committee must now consider and
    approve the “DREAM Act” before the bill can be considered for a vote by
    the full Senate. Similar versions of this bill garnered significant
    support from both Democrats and Republicans last Congress when it was
    approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 16-3 bipartisan vote.
    In addition, last year, 48 senators and 153 representatives signed on
    in support of the “DREAM Act” and its companion bill in the U.S. House
    of Representatives. The House version of the “DREAM Act”, which has
    been championed by Representatives Chris Cannon (R-UT), Howard Berman
    (D-CA), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), currently awaits
    reintroduction.

    NCLR Position


    The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
    urges passage of the “DREAM Act,” S. 2075. The “DREAM Act,” which
    provides a path to U.S. citizenship for hardworking and talented
    immigrant students who have been raised in the U.S., is critical to
    improving the pipeline from high school to college and providing
    meaningful employment for Latinos.

  • New Evidence of African Genesis: The White Skin Mutation

    Although precise dating is impossible, several scientists
    speculated on the basis of its spread and variation that the
    mutation arose between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago. That
    would be consistent with research showing that a wave of
    ancestral humans migrated northward and eastward out of
    Africa about 50,000 years ago.

    –Rick Weiss, Washington Post (Dec. 15, 2005)