elguerito-blog - Tumblr blog

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Today I found out that the USC Halloween shooter was given 40 years to life for his crime. My first reaction was, “omg, that’s a long time. his life is over.” The emotion I felt was distant and dulled because I was already mentally filing it away as another sad story of a young black male throwing...

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Aussie Builders surprise public with loud empowering statements in new Snickers Australia Ad.

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privileged folks are literally so used to never being called out on their bullshit that when they finally are, they think it’s harassment

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Just added this poster to my online store. 

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Me checking my final grades on the internet:

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Our prison population figures are a total embarrassment. Next time some conservative wants to talk about the debt ceiling and the need to cut Medicare, tell them that Medicare only costs us roughly $400 billion to provide medical care to the elderly. If they want to start cutting something, tell them to have a look at our prison system. We spend over $600 billion to incarcerate citizens. 

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On the morning of September 4, 1957, fifteen-year-old Dorothy Counts set out on a harrowing path toward Harding High, where-as the first African American to attend the all-white school – she was greeted by a jeering swarm of boys who spat, threw trash, and yelled epithets at her as she entered the building.

Charlotte Observer photographer Don Sturkey captured the ugly incident on film, and in the days that followed, the searing image appeared not just in the local paper but in newspapers around the world.

People everywhere were transfixed by the girl in the photograph who stood tall, her five-foot-ten-inch frame towering nobly above the mob that trailed her. There, in black and white, was evidence of the brutality of racism, a sinister force that had led children to torment another child while adults stood by. While the images display a lot of evils: prejudice, ignorance, racism, sexism, inequality, it also captures true strength, determination, courage and inspiration.

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last year in college...getting shit done

so my last year at UCLA is around the corner. i transferred there just about a year ago and i exceeded beyond my own wildest expectations. i thank many profe's, T.A.'s, fellow students, parents, family, friends, and kind strangers that pointed me in the right direction.

however, with applying to grad school, full time load, working part time, and an internship - i really hope i haven't bit off more than i can chew. that is, ive told myself (specifically this past Spring 13) that i would never overwhelm myself like that again, but i feel i might be doing that again this quarter. i just look at my syllabus for this Environmental Studies class and it looks like that takes the grand prize for an eloquent amount of work (field work + pop quizzes + 6 papers + surveying) in just one fucking class. i tell myself that i can pull off another productive quarter and succeed again, but who knows. i know i cant possibly be burning out this early in my college trajectory, but i hope i come across some good people who I can support and vice-versa, build that community in these tough times and classes coming up.

i also feel guilty since i will be taking a hiatus from an organizing space ive dedicated a good 2 years of my life to. i hope i dont regret stepping away and i pray they dont see me as a jerk/selfish fuck for stepping out while i try to figure my own stuff out. ill do my best to help when i can.

i have to remember to always take care of myself and remember to smile and appreciate the moments when someone takes 5 minutes to talk with me or invites to lunch or shares a laugh with me.

good luck to anyone starting a big part, continuing a significant part, or ending a phase in your life. paz y abrazos from east el lay.

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You need to realize that the way you are feeling now will not be permanent.

(r.h.)

damn...this came just at the right moment. i needed this.

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this.

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Lulu Martinez has “come out countless times—as undocumented, queer and as a working class woman of color.” Lulu has also interacted and fought alongside many different peoples, including IYJL and other undocumented youth across the continent. Including as being a part of the #BringTheHome campaign where she was placed in solitary confinement by private detention officials and the Obama administration. Please consider donating & sharing.

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Asian American and Pacific Islander poverty is on the rise. And it can’t be ignored. According to a new study by the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, the AAPI poor population grew faster than most other ethnic groups from 2007 to 2011, increasing by 38% to over 2 million. The demographic study, "Spotlight: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poverty," brings attention to communities in need, busts harmful model minority stereotypes and broadens the conversation about what it means to be AAPI in America. Here are some key highlights from the study:

AAPI Poverty is Growing Dramatically: From 2007 to 2011, the number of AAPIs living below the federal poverty level increased by more than half a million.    - This 38% increase can be broken down into a 37% increase for Asian Americans (AAs) in poverty and a 60% increase for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPIs) in poverty.   - In comparison, the general poverty population grew by 27% during the same time period, with the Hispanic/Latino poverty population growing by 42% and the African American poverty population growing by 20%. The AAPI Poor Population is Concentrated: Over 50% of all AAPI poor live in 10 metropolitan areas (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Honolulu, Seattle, San Jose, Houston, Sacramento, and Philadelphia). No other racial/ethnic poverty population is as concentrated in as few places. Approximately 30% of all AAPI poor live in only 3 metro areas (New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco). AAPI Poor Disproportionately Face High Housing Costs: The 20 highest cost housing markets in the country contain almost half of all AAPI poor. No other racial/ethnic category has as high of a proportion of its poor population in these markets (closest is Hispanic/Latino at 27%). The AAPI Poor Population is Diverse: From 2000 to 2010, the US Census identified AAPI populations in poverty for 22 separate ethnic groups. The largest single group is non-Taiwanese Chinese at almost 450,000, followed by Asian Indian at over 245,000 and Vietnamese at 230,000. Hmong have the highest poverty rate at 27%, followed by Bangladeshi at 21% and Tongans at 19%. 

Download and read the full report here. For further information, go to the National CAPACD website.

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"It's about time that a social movement and people start putting demands on lawyers to break traditional analysis," Spector said. "We're taught precedent and that if there is no precedent, we don't proceed with it. The good attorneys are the ones who are always pushing the envelope. Pushing the envelope is a good thing."

Awesome quote, good article.  where there are no spaces, some will be created no matter what. #dream9

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summer, July 2013

Well today was productive.

I volunteered at a leadership conference for my community organization that im interning at, East L.A. Community Corporation, they focus alot on community preservation, helping folks in the community buy homes, supporting tenants, informing them of their rights, and my personal assignment - fighting gentrification.

the leadership conference was mostly older folks, all Latina/o - mostly those who spoke Spanish. As I talked with these older people, these folks are those who you quickly dismiss on the bus or walking as those people who "are on their way out". but they're not, they have so much knowledge and are aware of community cultural wealth that exists in the neighborhood.

They also know wassup when it comes to inter-ethnic racial tensions, this one woman described her reactionary experiences in MacArthur Park where there's a lot of Salvadoran-Mexican animosity and how they clashed alot when different ethnic groups would compete for space in order to sell their food (street vending) and make a living. If these people had been given their rights in their home countries or here in the U.S., the right to an education of literacy and writing with a diploma, they can straight up solve some of society's problems. it just made me proud to come from where I am, Boyle Heights, and never to dismiss someone's experiences, because chances are is that they can teach you street smarts and enlighten you on lived experiences that will effectively frame societal circumstances way better than your white professor did in that 3 hour lecture.

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finishing my first year of ucla

As a transfer student, I knew shit was going to be all over the place.

Commuting from East L.A. to the Westside was one of the tougher things to become acclimated to during this year. I remember being very afraid of the uncertainty around my potential to succeed at this kind of level. It was tough, at times it just all seems like a blur. I dedicated all the hard work to my parents. When they arrived from Mexico in the 70s, that's all they ever did - just work. I told myself it was okay to sacrifice going to student org meetings, social workshops, and even lunch with classmates cause in the end, getting that A was going to lead to better things.

But honestly, even though it felt like an eternity, this whole year seems kind of surreal. Like I was at orientation in August and now its fucking June, that's it - I'm a senior. I don't know why things went by so fast. If it wasn't school, it was work, if it wasn't work, then it was taking care of family, and so on and so forth.

Not to sound arrogant as well, I do feel proud of myself. I exceeded my own expectations on how I would handle meeting professors and doing research programs. It was intense. And while there is 'always a bigger fish' doing grander things than you and whatnot, I think did great my first year.

Today in the AM, I went to drop off my last final, it was cloudy - a gloomy mood. Everyone was either doing finals or gone home. I saw all the chairs getting set up for graduation and people walking with their cap & gowns. I can't help but feel bitter that they got to experience 4 years of "the college experience" and here I am just doing this and doing that and BAM - I'm a senior. I'll still be commuting next year, but I defintely try to make my life similar to that of how a 21-year old's life should appear (whatever that means)

Finally, part of me just feels like I should just shut the fuck up. That there are hundreds of people who would do anything to be at UCLA, that there are many parents who got accepted and would love to go, but can't since they already have too many commitments. Undocumented students that would kill to have the financial aid I do and wouldn't mind missing out on a lot of things if it meant having shit normal for them.

to be continued....

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For those considering law school, the institution does not teach critical thinking for the most part, but how to regurgitate and apply established law to relevant facts. It does not teach creativity, courage, passion and compassion, but often tries to kill or downplay these traits. Law school does not teach one how to represent a client, but rather how to avoid ending up in front of a disciplinary committee. There is another thing that law school can never teach: life experience. And if you have unique life experiences that help you relate to the persons you are supposed to represent, you have more to give than anyone else in the room. In short, there was little to miss. While the legal profession is not lacking in the number of unemployed law school graduates looking for jobs, it is sorely lacking in the number of people who can truly claim to understand discrimination and represent marginalized communities.

Perna Lal, co-founder of DreamActivist.org and immigrant rights activist.

Full post here: http://prernalal.com/2013/05/juris-doctor/