MAS Texas Talk

Quick Update on So Much Happening to Defend Ethnic Studies in TX!

by Tony D on 03/13/14

You need to know that there is definitely an attack on Ethnic Studies being orchestrated nation wide.

            3 major Chicano states are in a struggle: Arizona, California, and Texas.

            This fall Tucson students and teachers are taking their case to the 9^th District Court of appeals to defend every American’s Freedom of Speech and overturn AZHB2281.  You can get updates at www.saveethnicstudies.org This will be a huge moment in history. The nation will know that Chicanos stood up for everyone’s freedom of speech.

            Also, right now, in what we thought of the bastion of Chicano Studies-California, Ethnic Studies is under attack via privatization, and a sophisticated use of Donut-legislation meant to encircle and intimidate professors, defund departments, and dismantle Ethnic Studies.

            By studying the tactics of the Far Right Republican Party in Arizona, we have been able to score major victories in the Texas, the home of the Librotraficante Movement.

            Of course, History is on our side.

            Right now, 51% of 5 million Texas Public School students are Hispanic.

            Texas-sized school district Houston ISD consists of over 270 schools. That’s just one of the 1,200 school districts in the state.

            Needless to say there are thousands of Librotraficantes in Texas.

            In March of 2013, we organized a state-wide coalition to stop Texas SB1128 and HB1938 which would have effectively dismantled Mexican American History in colleges.

            Last fall, that same coalition inspired the Texas State Board of Education  (TX SBOE) to add Mexican American Studies to the list of courses to be approved for implementation in high schools.

            The next phase of that campaign comes to head this April 9 in Austin, Texas. To get more info visit: www.Librotraficante.com

            The Republican chair of the TX SBOE is blocking a vote on that curriculum.

            We are pushing to make her let the vote happen.

            We must not let the Republican Party shut down Mexican American History.

            We need all of our friends and allies to stand with us to implement this course option that would deliver Texas into a multicultural, multimedia educational system that will revitalize the American Dream for all of our young.

            Every spring, the Librotraficantes seem to take on an oppressor.

            If we can all unite to deliver Texas then we can support our familias in all other states as well.

            Democracy needs to be rebooted every 40 or 50 years.

            This time, the duty has fallen on the broad shoulders and broader imaginations of our people.

            Without a doubt, we shall come through.

            Viva Los Librotraficantes!

 

Thanks for keeping up with all the action celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of the Librotraficante Caravan. Don’t forget Nuestra Palabra: Latino

Writers Having Their Say turns 16 in April.

For faster updates, tune into the NP Radio Show #NPRadio Tuesdays 6p-7p Houston, TX 90.1 FM KPFT www.kpft.org. Also, follow @Librotraficante & @MASTexas on Twitter and Facebook.

More and more huge news as we deliver Texas to the a new era of education and the American Dream.

 

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Phone Conference Minutes

by Tony D on 02/18/14

Action Items for Tejas Foco Thursday Planning:

(Note, I’ll post updates and information such as this on the www.MASTexas.org blog or one of the pages on the website. I’ll also create a shortened link for texting or multimedia convenience.)

 

We know that working with the hundreds who will convene at the Tejas Foco, we shall add tens of thousands more to our cause.  This is our time.

 

MAS Texas Strategy meeting:
Thursday, Feb. 20 2014. 2-5pm,
Live Oak Hall, Rm. 115 Northwest Vista College
NACCS Tejas Foco

 

 

 

Notes from Phone Conference for MAS Texas Tuesday Feb. 18, 2014, 1pm - 2:30 PM

·      Working in conjunction with TACHE-whose conference is during the same days. Thoughts on that: http://bit.ly/1gBa2jK

 

·      NACCS Tejas Foco Resolution regarding MAS April 9.

 

·      Appealing to National NACCS for a resolution.

 

·      Pressure for MAS Vote April 9.

·       

·      Create a list of the major Cesar Chavez Day Parades, from largest attended and most media coverage to smallest.

 

·      Get Ruben Cortez to visit as many as possible and also create a  presentation team to hit the ones that he cannot get to.

 

·      We should target all 15 TX SBOE Districts; however, the following are 2 Republicans who we feel can be inspired to vote for MAS:

 

·      TX SBOE District 15 Amarillo:  Marty Rowley (R)-District 15, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3419

 

·      SBOE Member District 14 Sue Melton-Malone (R) Waco, TX http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3738

 

·      1 Republican is for MAS should it come up for a vote: SBOE Member District 9,  Thomas Ratliff http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3713

 

·      We are going to try to reach Dolores Huerta to appear at the SBOE day of testimony April 9, in Austin. Who has some ways to reach her?

 

·      Our campaign will focus on TX SBOE  Chair Barbara Cargill Republican-Tea Party, from the Woodlands, District 8,  as she is the one blocking the vote on MAS, and also was part of the SBOE when they struck or demoted Chavez, Huerta, MLK from the books.  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3723

 

·      We should begin first series of calls during Tejas Foco, especially during major plenairies where folks can get their smart phones out and call email and tweet. #MASTexas

 

·      Attached is the call sheet for all TX SBOE Members. Ruben Cortez is the rep who is pushing this cause hard for us.

 

·      Thursday at Tejas Foco. we can devise a week by week play by play, blow by blow run down.

 

 

 

Phone Conference notes:

 

 

March 31: CEsar Chavez Birthday

 

 April 4 is the release of Cesar Chavez Film.

 

As a template for our strategy, Ruben Cortez offered the example of his campaign to oppose vouchers.  He allied with Texas Association of School Boards, as well as other large groups.  26 calls can make a difference.

 

MALDEF, Mexican American Caucus are on board. Ruben Cortez spoke to them. They conveyed that they will get all the Hispanic State Reps to sign and get as many republican reps as well.

 

Keta and Juan attended the Mexican American School Board Association.

 

Mexican American School Board Association has agreed to approve the resolution for MAS. HISD board of trustee Manuel Rodriguez said he will push it with HISD.

 

Resolutions will be posted on the website: www.MASTexas.org either the blog post or the report card page.

 

We can also promote those resolutions via press releases and social media after that.

 

Local discretion is good, so that some schools with the right time, energy, and resources can design MAS from scratch. But that is not enough. State should develop this course.

 

 Link to this blogpost for mutlimedia and texting convenience: http://bit.ly/1nLCaAZ

 

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Coordinating TACHE and Tejas Foco Conference Dates

by Tony D on 02/18/14

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Phone Conference Agenda Tues Feb 18

by Tony D on 02/18/14

Phone Conference for MAS Texas Tuesday Feb. 18, 2014, 1pm - 2:30 PM

We must organize state wide to demand that Republcan TX SBOE Chair Barbara Cargill allow MAS to be voted on at the next SBOE meeting April 9 in Austin.


We must also pressure every GOP member to vote for MAS to be implemented once the vote is an action ite

Participants instructions:

Participant: When prompted, enter the assigned meeting ID, followed by the # 
key. Once connected to the live conference, every caller will be able to talk. 
Every caller will also have access to the touch tone commands listed below.

Moderator: Tony Diaz (AztecMuse@aol.com):

Tuesday Feb. 18, 2014. 1pm - 2:30 PM
Dial–in Number: (712) 432-1212
Meeting ID: 903-308-527

Goal: a.) Get updates on current status of M.A.S.
b.) What needs to be done for M.A.S. to be voted on for implementation in high schools at SBOE meeting April 9.
c.) Provide us with a framework to further flesh out at the meeting in San Anto Thursday Feb. 20.
d.) Provide us with a framework work to build statewide networks during the foco.


Outcomes:
1. Working in conjunction with TACHE-whose conference is during the same days.
2. NACCS Tejas Foco Resolution regarding MAS April 9.
3. Appealing to National NACCS for a resolution.
4. Organizers in far flung districts.
5. Multi pronged approach: 1.) Pressure for MAS Vote April 8. 2.) Let all schools know they can implement MAS on their own right now. 3.) Smooth out transferring credit for MAS courses at all levels.
 
We can kick off with SBOE Rep. Ruben Cortez and then round robin the other issues.

Invited Guests:

1. Texas State Board of Education Rep. Ruben Cortez
2. Tony Diaz, El Librotaficante
3. Juan Tejeda, Somos MAS
4. Keta
5. Angela Valenzuela
5. Trinidad Rodriguez
6. Beto
7. Juan Pedraza
8. Corina Gonzalez-Stout
9. Laura Acosta, Baytown, Texas.
10. Liana Lopez, KPFT
11. Bryan Parras, KPFT
12. Lupe Mendez, KPFT.
13. Emilio Zamora
14. Jesus Medel
15. Lorenzo Cano
16. Cliff Hudder
17. Diana Gonzalez, SWU
18. Sonya Herndandez, Student Activists
19. Leo Trevino, Student Activists
20. Guadalupe San Miguel
22. Agustin Loredo, Goose Creek ISD Board Member

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HAHMP will award $30,000 in scholarships to deserving Hispanic students

by Tony D on 02/12/14

HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC MEDIA PROFESSIONALS

 

 

NEWS RELEASE                                                            Contact:

Claudia Deschamps

Scholarship Chair, HAHMP

Deschamps Communications

(832)455-5144

Claudia@Deschampscommunications.com

 

 

HAHMP will award $30,000 in scholarships to deserving

Hispanic students

Scholarships will be awarded at the 28^th Annual HAHMP Sylvan Rodriguez

Scholarship Gala on April 5th, 2014

 

Houston, Texas, The Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP) will be offering more than $30,000 in scholarships to 10 Hispanic students majoring in journalism or communications.  Since its inception in 1986, HAHMP has awarded more than $330,000 in scholarships.

 

HAHMP is inviting high school seniors, college undergraduates and first-year graduate students who are pursuing careers as print, photo, broadcast or online journalists or in public relations, to apply for HAHMP scholarships.  Applicants must plan to attend as full-time students for the entire academic year in a community college or university that is within the United States or Puerto Rico.  Applicants must reside in the Greater Houston Area.

 

Students must fill out an application form and include school transcripts, family income (recent W2 forms), two letters of reference, a one-page resume and an autobiographical essay.  

 

This year, HAHMP will award 10 scholarships of $3,500 each. The application deadline is has been extended to March 14, 2014.

The scholarships will be awarded at the 28^th Annual HAHMP Sylvan Rodriguez Scholarship Gala on April 5th, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Downtown. 

 

For more information, please visit the HAHMP website at www.hahmponline.org. 

 

Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP)

 

The Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP) was created as a non-profit organization to provide support for Hispanics involved in the gathering and dissemination of news, to encourage and support the study and practice of journalism and communications by Hispanics, and to promote a fair and accurate portrayal of Hispanics in the media.  Membership is open to members of the broadcast and print media, public relations professionals and college students. HAHMP was founded in 1986 by a group of local journalists, among them Fernando Dovalina and Jo Ann Zuñiga of the Houston Chronicle, Elma Barrera of ABC Channel 13, Richard Longoria formerly of ABC Channel 13, Sylvan Rodriguez of CBS Channel 11 and Dianne Solis of the Wall Street Journal. HAHMP is the local affiliate of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).  In June of the year 2000, Houston served as the host city for the NAHJ annual conference.

Shortened link to this blogpost for easier social media use:

http://bit.ly/1esE0kN

 

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