Voces de Casa Maria

Fight for $15! Wednesday April 15, 2015

Casa Maria supports the Fight for $15 national effort to increase wages paid for workers across the country.

This is truly a moral issue.

$15 an hour for all workers, including fast food workers, would go a long way toward authentic economic development.

The Tucson action will join at least 200 cities around the US and the world holding similar events. Below is information about our local event.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 15

11:00 AM

ASSEMBLE at the intersection of Speedway and Campbell (we are hoping to occupy all four corners.).

MARCH west on the North Side of Speedway approximately one block to the McDonalds on that side of the street.

RALLY with speakers, striking Fast Food Workers, and perhaps a song or two. Following this rally, we will

PROCEED another block to the underpass under Speedway leading to the University of Arizona Campus.

REASSEMBLE on the UofA Mall, we will…

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Fight for $15! Wednesday April 15, 2015

Casa Maria supports the Fight for $15 national effort to increase wages paid for workers across the country.

This is truly a moral issue.

$15 an hour for all workers, including fast food workers, would go a long way toward authentic economic development.

The Tucson action will join at least 200 cities around the US and the world holding similar events. Below is information about our local event.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 15

11:00 AM

ASSEMBLE at the intersection of Speedway and Campbell (we are hoping to occupy all four corners.).

MARCH west on the North Side of Speedway approximately one block to the McDonalds on that side of the street.

RALLY with speakers, striking Fast Food Workers, and perhaps a song or two. Following this rally, we will

PROCEED another block to the underpass under Speedway leading to the University of Arizona Campus.

REASSEMBLE on the UofA Mall, we will then

MARCH West along the Mall to Old Main where another

RALLY will take place at 12:00. We will be joining Non Tenured Staff from both the UofA and Pima Community Colleges who are the low wage workers who teach the majority of classes at our educational institutions with unlivable wages and no benefits.

We will have signs and Banners. But please feel free to bring your own.

PARKING Information:

NORTH parking Lot, Our Savior Lutheran Church. Church on East side of Campbell North of Campbell. Turn on Mabel. Church requests that we park as close as possible to tennis courts and Mabel.

HIMMEL PARK. Park is one block South of Speedway on Tucson Blvd. There are two parking lots: One is just off Tucson. For the other, turn on 1^st Street, There is also a lot of street parking along 1^st Street East of Tucson. There is also legal street parking along 1^st and 2^nd Streets for one block West of Tucson. The walk from Himmel Park is approximately ½ mile. Flat. No hills.

STREET PARKING: As above.

Almost all streets South and West of Speedway have restricted parking. Streets North and East of Speedway have some restrictions.

Restrictions on Helen, Mabel, and Drachman end at Wilson. Wilson itself is unrestricted between Helen and Drachman. The walk is less than a half mile.

We recommend that the parking lot be left for folks who have health and walking issues and the rest of us park on the street.

MY BEEF WITH TESTING

testing

by Cesar Aguirre

Last night I was organizing things in my room when I ran across an article I was quoted in regarding standardized testing and parents’ right to opt-out http://tucson.com/news/local/education/more-parents-see-standardized-tests-as-harmful/article_489549a5-5dfa-5a7b-9324-1065d37866bc.html. The one thing I must say before I go on is that, despite what the title says, I am not against testing. I only have beef with standardized testing! Now, I can go on a rant and write a novel talking about all the reasons I am against standardized testing, but I’ll spare you the whole profit driven corporate machine using our kids as guinea pigs to “reform” our “broken” education system through more and more and more new tests. I would like to focus on what really matters. THE KIDS’ EDUCATION!!!

In the article Daniel Hernandez Jr. says that allowing parents to opt-out may have unintended consequences, like the school losing out on funding (which has me contemplating the matter this year since we have half the resources and programs at Ochoa as we did just 3 or 4 years ago due to lack of funding. Opting my kids out of testing could drop us below the 95% mark required to secure state funding. Sounds a little like state sponsored extortion to me!). He also said that because they have been preparing for the Common Core (and the new tests that come with it) parents being able to opt their children out of standardized testing could “[pull] the rug out from under students, teachers and parents because what we’ve been preparing for will no longer matter.” This is where my beef comes in. Like I said before I am not against testing, nor am I against standards. It is important to have standards and expectations for our students and a way to measure them. Standardized tests are not a good measure. What Hernandez’s comment really means is that they have been teaching to these new tests created for Common Core so if the students don’t take the test then what they have been learning is pointless.

Teachers’ pay, classroom funding, enriched learning opportunities, promotions to the next grade level and even schools remaining open all depend on the test scores. The stress on young children to perform as early as kindergarten is unhealthy. It also creates a class of superiority among students who do better on testing, and lowers the self-esteem of children who struggle. Why do we have an educational system that only focuses on test scores?

To better understand what is going on let’s take a look at test scores of children who come from wealthy, privilaged families. Good luck with that because the truth is that most wealthy families send their children to private schools where there is little to no focus on standardized test scores. Read about it here http://wapo.st/1aFBvSN. If all this High-Stakes standardized testing is what is going to fix our “broken” education system then why is it not happening in the most prestigious institutions? Why are we not looking at what the best schools across the country, and around the world, are doing to improve education?

The goal of High-Stakes standardized testing is not to improve education. The truth is that it is a tool being used to dismantle public education. It puts our poor, brown and black youth at a disadvantage while creating an illusion of failure in our public school system in order to privatize education. There has been a lot of research done on the negative effects of High-Stakes standardized testing, but it is constantly dismissed by politicians and swept under the rug so only well-educated parents understand how bad it is. Sadly it is those same parents who have the means to find better educational opportunities for their children, while our barrio schools and youth are hung out to dry.

The answer is not to remove our children from public schools but to stand up against the bureaucracy and politics that are destroying our public school system. Let’s hold high standards and expectations for our kids and put trust in our teachers to evaluate and asses our students based on each individual child and where they need to be. Our children are all different, there is nothing standard about them, so why try and fit them in a standardized bubble? The educators know best so let’s let them do what they are trained to do…educate!

____________________________

Por Cesar Aguirre,

Anoche estuve organizando las cosas en mi habitación y me encontré con un artículo en el que yo había hablado sobre los exámenes y el derecho de los padres a negar que sus hijos tengan que dar el examen http://tucson.com/news/local/education/more-parents-see-standardized-tests-as-harmful/article_489549a5-5dfa-5a7b-9324-1065d37866bc.html. Una cosa que debo decir antes de continuar es de que a pesar de lo que dice el título, yo no estoy en contra de los exámenes. ¡Solo tengo problemas con los exámenes estandarizados! Ahora, puedo seguir y desvariar y escribir una novela que habla sobre todas las razones por las que yo estoy en contra de los exámenes estandarizados, pero les ahorrare hablar sobre las corporaciones preocupadas en obtener ganancias las cuales utilizan a nuestros hijos como conejillos de india para “reformar” nuestro “descompuesto” sistema educacional a través de más y más nuevos exámenes. Me quiero enfocar en lo que en realidad importa. ¡LA EDUCACION DE LOS HIJOS!!!

En el artículo, Daniel Hernández Jr. Dice que el permitirle a los padres a decidir que sus hijos no tomen el examen podría tener consecuencias no intencionadas., como el que la escuela pierda financiamiento (lo que me tiene a mi este año contemplando este asunto ya que tenemos la mitad de recursos y programas en Ochoa comparado con hace 3 o 4 años, debido a la falta de financiamiento. El optar por que mis hijos no sean examinados nos podría poner por debajo del 95% requerido para asegurar financiamiento estatal. ¡Me suena como a una pequeña extorción patrocinada por el estado!). Él también dice que debido a que se han estado preparando para el examen Common Core (y los nuevos exámenes que vienen con ello) los padres que optan por sacar a sus hijos de los exámenes estandarizados, podrían estar “[jalando] la alfombra por debajo de los alumnos, maestros y padres, ya que ellos han estado preparándose y trabajando en esto, lo cual ya no importaría.” Esto es con lo que tengo problemas. Como dije anteriormente, no estoy en contra de los exámenes, ni los estándares. Es importante tener estándares y expectativas para nuestros estudiantes y una forma de medirlas. Los exámenes estandarizados no son una buena medida. Lo que el comentario de Hernández en realidad significa es de que han estado enseñando para estos nuevos exámenes creados para el Comon Core, entonces, si los estudiantes no toman el examen entonces lo que han estado aprendiendo no tiene sentido.

El salario de los maestros, el financiamiento de los salones, las oportunidades de aprendizaje, las promociones al siguiente nivel e incluso el que las escuelas permanezcan abiertas, todo depende de los resultados de los exámenes. El estrés en los jóvenes en tener que responder desde tan temprano como en kínder no es saludable. También crea una clase de superioridad entre los estudiantes que tienen mejores resultados en los exámenes, y una autoestima baja en los niños que tienen dificultades. ¿Por qué tenemos un sistema educacional que solo se enfoca en los resultados de los exámenes?

Para entender mejor lo que está ocurriendo, veamos los resultados de los exámenes de niños que vienen de familias ricas, privilegiadas. Buena suerte con eso, porque la verdad es que la mayoría de las familias ricas envían a sus hijos a escuelas privadas donde hay poco o ningún enfoque en los resultados de exámenes estandarizados. Lea sobre esto en http://wapo.st/1aFBvSN. ¿Si todos estos exámenes estandarizados, de gran importancia, son los que van a componer nuestro “descompuesto” sistema educacional, entonces porque esto no está ocurriendo en las instituciones más prestigiadas? ¿Por qué no estamos viendo lo que están haciendo las mejores escuelas a través del país y del mundo para mejorar la educación?

La meta de estos exámenes de “gran importancia” no es mejorar la educación. La verdad es que es una herramienta utilizada para desmantelar la educación pública. Pone a nuestros jóvenes pobres, hispanos y afro americanos en desventaja mientras que crea una ilusión de fracaso en nuestro sistema educativo público para poder privatizar la educación. Existe bastante investigación sobre los efectos negativos de los exámenes estandarizados de “gran importancia”, pero los políticos no le ponen atención, y lo cubren para que solo los padres con una buena educación puedan entender lo malo que es esto. Lamentablemente son estos mismos padres, los que tienen los recursos para encontrar mejores oportunidades educativas para sus hijos, mientras que las escuelas en el barrio y los demás jóvenes son abandonados.

La respuesta no es sacar a sus hijos de las escuelas públicas, pero el levantarse en contra de la burocracia y la política que está destruyendo nuestro sistema escolar. Tengamos altas expectativas y estándares para nuestros hijos y pongamos la confianza en nuestros maestros para que ellos evalúen individualmente a los estudiantes. Todos nuestros hijos son diferentes, no hay nada estándar en ellos, entonces ¿porque tratan de ponerlos a todos en una burbuja estandarizada? Los maestros saben lo que es mejor, entonces dejémoslos que hagan lo que han sido preparados para hacer… ¡educar!

OUR GOVERNOR IS AN ARROGANT MAN- and he has a lot of nerve

OUR GOVERNOR IS AN ARROGANT MAN- and he has a lot of nerve

By Brian Flagg,

This week he went to an elementary school in Phoenix, and talked about the importance of early childhood development and all day kindergarten and then, with a straight face, says there is no money for these things.

Same thing with funding for higher education.

At the Board of Regents meeting yesterday he said that he would work with the regents to create “a sustainable long-term business plan that addresses the needs of students and the business community that depends on their success.”

But he also said he would do nothing to restore the $99 million he and the Legislature cut in University funding last month, that on top of funding reductions in prior years.

This guy and his Republican buddies in the Legislature are hell bent on the destruction of public education.

Make no mistake, the money is available. This isn’t Bangladesh or Somalia. The governor and his buddies gave it away to mostly rich people thru seemingly endless tax cuts and the prison-industrial complex.

We the people need to stand up, organize, and fight back.

Now is the time.

Cananea, una ciudad minera con ganas

Nota Editorial por Brian Flagg: Muchas de la gente a quienes servimos diariamente en Casa Maria son de Mexico, incluyendo la region de Cananea. Nosotros en Casa Maria entendemos la necesidad de compartir historias de la madre tierra.

Este es el comienzo de una serie de artículos de Cananea escrito por Gilberto Contreras Morales.

Por: Gilberto Contreras Morales

Siendo primera generación Xican@, viviendo entre fronteras no era algo fuera de lo común. Mis padres se movieron a los Estados Unidos un año antes de que yo naciera. Mi familia y yo hacíamos 3 horas por viaje 2 veces a la semana para regresar a Cananea por años. Durante todos estos años, las historias que me decían se trataban de la mina.

La ciudad de Cananea no tiene un pasado callado. Es el lugar en donde nació la Revolución Mexicana. La huelga de 1910 en la mina de Cananea encendió la mecha que enrabio la nación a rebeldía.

En tiempos pasados, los mineros estaban peliando pago razonable y 8 horas de trabajo por dia. Ellos querían ser pagados iguales que los gringos. Los mineros comenzaron la huelga y prendo la nación para demandar cambio.

Ahora, Cananea esta viendo el mismo deseo de protestar como en el pasado.

En 1990, la mina de Cananea fue vendida a Grupo Mexico, una compañía notoria que tiene muchas minas de oro, plata, cobre, y piedras preciosas en Mexico y en los Estados Unidos. Cuando una mina se vende, en Mexico, hay una cláusula que demanda el 5% de lo pagado por la mina ser repartido entre los mineros.

El previo dueño de la mina, Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, tomo ese dinero, y se dio fuga. El encontró refugio en Canada.

Los mineros tienen el derecho del dinero robado. Tomo 15 años para que los mineros verificaban que Napo fugo con todo ese dinero. En el 2005, crecieron cansados y decidieron con huelga.

En el comienzo de la huelga, nadie entraba a la mina. Por dos años, no había nadie por la mina.

Muchos de la huelga tenían familias, casas, y pagos de servicios. La meta que querían establecer es que tan importante son los mineros para la mina. Esta demostración de los mineros fue en intento para agarrar mejor sueldo. Como en el pasado.

Los Mineros entendían que la mina de cananea es la mas grande proveedora de cobre en toda la nación. La empresa estaba perdiendo dinero y tiempo lo mas que los mineros estaban en huelga.

Ha sido una década desde el comienzo de la huelga. La mina nomas ha podido restaurar 50% de mineros de cananea. En una ultima chanza de tratar de restablecer la mina, la empresa trajo trabajadores del sur para trabajar por menos pago y mas horas por dia.

La ciudad, apenas poblado por 60 mil gentes, ha visto un brinco enorme en población por la misma razón.

Gente de cananea han dicho que la ciudad ha cambiado, visualmente y en el sentido del medio ambiente. El clima ha cambiado de una ciudad callada y agradable, a una que la gente tiene miedo en caminar por las tardes. Cananea, desde que comenzó la huelga, ha visto violencia, soldados y militar, y una contaminación del Rio Sonora.

La mina ha ofrecido dinero a residentes de unos de los mas barrios viejos de cananea. La empresa necesita esas tierras para expandir la mina. Eso aterroriza la nivelación del barrio donde mi bisabuela y familia todavía vive.

Ha sido una década dura para cananea, y no parece ver fin.

Cananea, A Mine Town that Fights

Editorial Note by Brian Flagg: Many of the people we serve daily at Casa Maria are from Mexico, including many from the Cananea region. We at Casa Maria feel the need to tell stories from the homeland.

This is the first of a series of articles on Cananea written by Gilberto Contreras Morales.

By: Gilberto Contreras Morales

As a first generation Xican@, living between borders was something normal. My parents moved to the United States a year before I was born. My family and I made the 3 hour trip twice a month to Cananea, Sonora for years. Throughout these years, the stories that were spread about the town were about the mine.

The city of Cananea, Sonora does not have a quiet past. It was the birth place of the Mexican Revolution. The strike of 1910 at the Mina de Cananea sparked the match that enraged a nation to riot.

Back then, the mineros were fighting for equal pay and 8 hour work days. Los Mineros wanted to be paid as much as the gringos were. They began to strike and it sparked a nation that demanded change.

Now, Cananea is seeing the same desire to protest as it has in the past.

In 1990, the mine was sold to Grupo Mexico, a notorious company that has many gold, silver, bronze, and other precious stone mines from around Mexico and the US. When a mine is sold, there is a clause in Mexico that states that 5% of the amount paid for the mine goes straight to the workers.

The previous owner of the mine, Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, took that money, got caught doing so, and crossed borders. Twice. He was spotted in Canada shortly after the money vanished.

The miners felt that they were entitled to that money. It took a decade and a half for the miners to verify rumors of Napo spending all that money in Canada for them to realize the money was truly gone. By 2005, they grew tired and decided to strike.

At the beginning of the strike, the mine was at a stand still. For two years, no one was working in the mine. No workers, no revenue, no nothing.

Many of the strikers had families, mortgages, and bills. The goal they wanted to accomplish was to establish how important the miners are to the company. This demonstration by the miners would be an attempt to earn a pay raise. Same as before.

Los Mineros knew that La Mina de Cananea is the largest supplier of copper in all of Mexico. The company was losing valuable time and money the longer the miners were on strike.

It has been a decade since the strike began and the mine has only hired back less than 50% of willing and/or desperate workers. In a desperate attempt to repopulate the mine, the company brought workers from southern Mexico to work at less pay and more hours. Los Mineros who were willing to work and who were brought to Cananea work 12 hour work days.

The mine town, barely populated by 60 thousand people, has seen a major increase in population because of the shipped workers.

People from Cananea have said that the town has changed, both visual and the environment. The climate has changed from a quiet and quaint mining town, to one where it’s at one’s own risk to walk out at dusk. Cananea, since the strike began, has seen violence, a militarized state of mind and a massive chemical spill into El Rio Sonora.

The mine has continually offered money to residents of the oldest Barrio in Cananea; Cananea Vieja. They need the land to expand the mine. This threatens to erase in the name of profit the barrio where my grandmother and family still live.

It has been a rough decade for Cananea, and it is no where near done.

The Holy Father Confronts Arms Dealers on Easter. What would he think of Tucson?

By Brian Flagg,

“In an Easter peace wish, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.”

Decrying the plentitude of weapons in the world, Francis said: “And we ask for peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who earn their living with the blood of men and women.” (AZ Daily Star April 16, 1015)

If you choose to be real, you gotta admit the Tucson economy is based first and foremost on war, missiles and preparation for war.

The three major employers are Raytheon, Davis Montain Air Force Base, and the University of Arizona, who like most large universities educates bomb makers and does research for the government and other bomb making enterprises.

A recent article by David Querio in Biz Tucson said, “Raytheon, the world’s largest missile manufacturer, builds missiles for just about everybody except rogue nations. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines bear missiles from Tucson as do militaries of 40 countries. Any time you hear about Tomahawk, Sidewinder or Stinger missiles, they were designed and manufactured in Tucson by Raytheon. Since 1954 the company has produced and delivered more than one million missiles.”

Does the Holy Father really mean what he says? Do not we in Tucson collectively earn our livings with the blood of men and women?

AZ TEACHERS STRUGGLE

PHOTO: Fernanda Echavarri, AZPM From article: Ethnic Studies Monitoring Puts Stress on TUSD Teacher — PHOTO: Fernanda Echavarri, AZPM
From article: Ethnic Studies Monitoring Puts Stress on TUSD Teacher

by Cesar Aguirre

Now-a-days a teacher’s job is tougher than ever. Between preparing students for new tests, new standards and the so called accountability of “high stakes” testing, larger classes and fewer resources for struggling students, funding cuts at the state level and the day to day struggle of making sure their students have everything they need, (many times paying for materials and basic needs like paper towels and tissue out of their own pocket, which probably contains more money that jingles than folds considering their meager salaries) one might wonder why anyone would choose this profession.

I believe the reasons are based in love and passion. Love for teaching, for our youth, our future and a democratic society. A passion for opening minds and creating critical thinkers to make our world a better place. I don’t think teachers go into education thinking, I hope one day my students create the next atomic bomb. Instead, it’s probably more along the lines of, I hope one day my students are able to prevent another world war and spread world peace. It’s the same love and passion that drive teachers like Jessica Mejia, a Culturally Relevant Curriculum (CRC) History teacher at Pueblo High School.

As if Jessica didn’t have enough on her plate our state’s bullies are at it again, attacking the Tucson Unified School District and the CRC. Jessica teaches history from a Mexican-American perspective. Though the state has not yet deemed the classes illegal like they did in 2011, which led to the dismantling of the extremely successful program in 2012 which was helping to close the achievement gap between Mexican-American and Anglo students, they are watching it closely.

Not only has the state dropped in to check on the CRC classes, they are also requiring the teachers of the classes to submit all curriculum, lesson plans, and assignments for the school year. Jessica spent 15 hours working during spring break in order to comply with the state’s demands. She has even had to have a substitute fill in for her in class so that she can submit the material on time. You can read more at (https://www.azpm.org/p/top-news/2015/4/1/60350-states-required-monitoring-of-ethnic-studies-puts-stress-on-tusd-teacher/). It is criminal that our state leaders demand so much from our teachers without funding and supporting them in their work.

I think today more than ever teachers are undervalued and definitely underpaid. We as parents must get involved, support our public schools and teachers, and fight for a better educational system. This is the only way to give teachers what they deserve while creating a better world for our kids. Meanwhile the educational revolution begins to build momentum I would like to recognize and thank all our hard working teachers across the district that go above and beyond to insure our children are getting the education they deserve. Thank you for all the little things you do that many times go unnoticed. You are not alone, we’ve got your back!

Susan Willis… A GREAT SOLDIER IN THE STRUGGLE FOR POOR PEOPLE, THE PLANET AND BUS RIDERS!

By Brian Flagg,

If you missed her letter to the editor in today’s Star (Holy Thursday, April 2, 2015) “US could help Mexico’s workers keep jobs”, check it out!

For 25 years she has helped organize the St. Pius Catholic Church’s one Saturday a month effort to bring hundreds of lunches to Casa Maria. They even have tuna sandwiches on wheat bread!

She has worked tirelessly on the issues of climate change and sustainability.

And not only did she help found the Tucson Bus Riders Union, she rides the bus almost every where she goes!

Casa Maria loves Susan Willis and would like to honor her humble, loving and prophetic service to our community.

YOU CAN’T HONOR CHAVEZ WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE AND MORE CHARITY…

By Brian Flagg,

Contrary to the op-ed in today’s Star, this is not how you honor Cesar Chavez.

He was a great labor ORGANIZER.

His work was rooted in the experience of oppressed Brown workers, specifically farm workers.

His life was about analyzing the power structure that oppressed his people and ORGANIZING to force politicians and rich people to do some justice.

Way too often charity and volunteerism are offered up to the rank and file of society as solutions to the scourge of poverty, racism and income inequality in the U.S.A.

Too often charity and volunteerism lead people to feel satisfied, like we are doing something about the injustice, while the truth is that it lulls people into accepting the grossly unjust status quo.

Let us get smart and become critical thinkers.

Let us get political.

Let us ORGANIZE among poor workers to force change, like SEIU is doing nationwide with the Fight for 15 Campaign ($15 an hour for all workers, including fast food workers).

VIVA CESAR CHAVEZ!

VIVA Councilwoman REGINA ROMERO for leading the fight to establish the Cesar Chavez Holiday in the City of Tucson!