Latino Heritage website and a bit more

If the image above looks to you like it's in progress - you're right, it is.  

We are in the midst of re-thinking, revitalizing, and generally updating our website.  We're planning to unveil it in about 4 weeks or so.  

Why so long? 

The brief answer is because we are working with students.  They'll have a chance to gain experience with a "customer" and the outcome will benefit both our organization and the student.  It's a learning experience that should prove useful to the students and will look good on their resume.

We thank Otoño Luján, our former board president, for all the work he has done to help us get this far.  He had a lot on his plate last year and still found time to work on this project.

Our next planning meeting will be this coming Tuesday, May 1st, from 5:30-6:30.   We will begin promptly.  It will be at Madison Elementary School library.  Our 4/17 post includes a helpful map.

Please take a look at our 4/23 blog entry and think about how you might participate with preparation or presentation of our event. 

Planting Dreams/Sembrando Sueños

We covered a lot of topics at our first meeting including why our event is a called a jamaica. That's right, lower case "j". 

We'll be focused on the 1840s through 1860s in the San Gabriel Valley and in California. 

Our theme is Planinting Dreams/Sembrando Sueños

Community Grand Marshal is Mr. Abel Ramirez, owner of El Portal Restaurant

Doña Eulalia Award recipient is Pasadena Christian School

Please let us know the committee you'd like to serve on.  

2012 Committees and members*

as of April 19, 2012

Steering - LH board members and returning committee members

Sponsorship - raises financial and in-kind support
 Roberta Martinez,

Communications - sends notices of general planning meetings, updates contacts

Translations - translates materials

 Villa Parke,

Volunteers - recruits, trains, and coordinates on day of event

Cultural Historians - recruits and acts as liaison
 Roberta Martinez

Films - recommends, secures, and oversees

Raffle - recommends, secures items, and prepares for day of event

Exhibitors - recruits and acts as liaison
Villa Parke,

Entries - recruits and acts as liaison
Villa Parke, PUSD

Reading Area - recruits readers, selects books, and oversees area on day of event

Children’s activities - recruits leaders, selects activities, and oversees on day of event
Kathee Hennigan Bautista,

Performers - acts in conjunction with Steering Committee

Filming - coordinates with crew for filming
 Kevin Bruce

Decorations - coordinates preparation and decoration on day of event

Youth - recruits leaders, selects activities, and oversees area on day of event

VIP Reception - plans, coordinates and oversees area on day of event

Dignitaries - acts as liaison with elected and appointed officials, liaison on day of event

Recognitions - coordinates requests, oversees receipt of certs, coordinates distribution Catherine Haskett Hany

PR - sends out press releases, makes follow up calls

Printed Program - prices out and recommends source, orders, and delivers prior to event
Villa Parke,

Signage - lists signs needed (dimensions and sorts), orders, and deliveries prior to event

Logistics - coordinates and implements work for the day
David Azcárraga,

Production ­- coordinates needs, orders, and deliveries leading to the event
Kevin Bruce,

Staging - works with paid staff to coordinate staging of parade
Catherine Haskett Hany, Rosamaria Marquez

Establish internal communications - Wiki or other means
Martha Camacho, Sandra Gutirerrez, Javier Carbajal Ramos

* denotes committee member, not necessarily lead

 latinoheritage@mindspring.com 

NEWS News NEWS

Due to number of responses - our first general planning meeting for the 2012 Latino Heritage Parade & jamaica will take place at:

MADISON ELEMENTARY LIBRARY

The library is located across the street from the 

Madison Neighborhood Casita

805 N. Madison Avenue

Pasadena, CA  91103

Arrow denotes Casita

The library is on the SW corner of Buckeye and Madison.  

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Feel free to text me @ 626 272 4928 if you have questions.

Roberta

Taco USA and more at LA Plaza

Tuesday night Chief Operating Officer Gustavo Herrera stopped long enough to have his picture taken.  He and the  dedicated staff LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes has been presenting a wide variety of events.  In February they and MALDEF together recognized the experience of the Repatriated/Expatriated Mexicanos and Mexican Americans that went to Mexico primarily during the 1930s.  The plaque that was dedicated that day is a beautiful testament to their tribulations.  

In March they had a grand celebration commemorating Cesar E. Chavez.  Conjunto Los Pochos and printmaking.  This past week Gustavo Arellano, editor of the OC Weekly and writer of the Ask a Mexican column  had his first book signing for his new volume Taco USA at LA Plaza.

I understand that next month Dr. David Hayes Bautista will be involved with their Cinco de Mayo celebration.  Seems appropriate since his new book 

Cinco de Mayo - An American Tradition is recently released.  

Good luck Gustavo Herrera, Cindi Dale - Senior Curator,  and James Foster - La Tienda Godfather.  

Looks like you've got some busy, productive days ahead of you.

http://lapca.org/content/la-tienda

Grand Marshal in 2012 could be...

¡Qué suave siglo!

That was our theme for our first Latino History parade & jamaica in 1998.  Lalo was our unanimous choice to our first Grand Marshal because, as the Father of Chicano Music, we felt his music reflected the Mexican American Experience.  

He came to the parade in his Zoot Suit with his purple hat, looking pretty much as he does in this photo taken elsewhere with members of Los Lobos - Louie Pérez and David Hidalgo.

To learn more about Lalo check out Mark Guerrero, a musician in his own right, and a man who knows a lot of our musical history.

http://www.markguerrero.com/lalo_page_4.php

It was great to have Lalo as our First Grand Marshal.  

Any thoughts about who might be our Grand Marshal this year?   

Our focus is going to be about 1840 to 1860.  

2012 parade and jamaica planning meeting

We're about to have our first general planning for this year's event.  Please join us.