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Discovery Reading and Poem in Boston Review

May 15, 2013 by erikalsanchez

I’m so honored to have been chosen along with such talented women for the Discovery/”Boston Review” Contest. Here are two pictures from that incredible night as well as my poem published in the Boston Review.

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Julia Guez, Eileen Myles, Raena Shirali, Timothy Donnelly, Erika L Sánchez and Catherine Blauvelt

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Quinceañera

Summer boredom flutters its
sticky wings. You guzzle
cooking wine, gag on the old whiskey
you find in the pantry.
In the warmth of your bedroom,
you pierce your navel
with a safety pin, slice
the skin you hide beneath
your billowy dresses. Glitter-eyed
in the murky dance clubs,
you snort blow until the dregs
trickle down your throat and
shock your sluggish heart.
You dance in the frenetic
lights, the untz untz vibrating
your face and skull until
morning. But everywhere,
the pain suckles you. Everywhere,
you hold its lumpy head to your breast
like a saint. A fat man in a basement
tattoos a scraggly moon
on your hip, anything to smother
the soft and constant vertigo, to stitch
a spirit so riddled with leeches.
Some evenings you brim
with the sky’s quiet bruising—
colors as beautiful as the spilled
brains of a bird. Such a fucked
holiness, you think. Weeping,
you read Walt Whitman—the blow,
the quick loud word,
the tight bargain, the crafty
lure. You hold a mirror to study
your tender socket. May we eat
and drink in remembrance
of the body. Oh how the salt sings.
One morning you cut your hair
slowly then shear it altogether.
Whether that which appears
so is so, or is it all flashes
and specks? In that slurry
of August, the silence climbs you
like a man until you hear
the meaty flaps of God inside you.

Posted in poetry | Tagged , , |

Article on CPS Closures on NBC Latino

May 12, 2013 by erikalsanchez

(AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)(AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Chicago school teachers fear for their students

by Erika L. Sánchez

1:10 am on 05/12/2013

Maria Trejo, Elev8 director at Ames Middle School in Chicago, says that her school, which was recently in danger of becoming a military school, will not be closed or made a welcoming school. Ames boundaries, however, will be reconfigured for the upcoming school year. This change will increase their enrollment by 300-500 students.

Trejo says that safety is everyone’s number one concern. “Now that the list is out, parents are very concerned because the kids will have to be transported through gang territories,” she says. A newly formed organization called The Logan Square School Facilities Council (LSSFC), Trejo adds, is also pressuring CPS to come up with a safe passage plan.

When Chicago Public Schools made the very controversial decision this past March to close 54 public schools, many pointed out that black and Latino students would be the hardest hit. Nine out of ten students potentially affected by school closings this year are black and eight of the schools that are scheduled to be closed and incorporated into other schools have over 20 percent Latino enrollment.

Chicago Public Schools has argued the schools that are being closed have been losing students as a result of the population changes in the city. Last month, it also also announced that it will be investing $155 million in welcoming schools to provide children with the resources they need. Despite the justifications, the announcements of the closures were initially met with protests and boycotts throughout Chicago.

The most recent school hearings, however, have been sparsely attended. Community leaders believe that some people are simply burned out at this point. The list of schools being closed will not be official until May 22nd, but many parents, community organizers, and school officials are already preparing for the upcoming changes.

Chicago Public Schools has announced that that each welcoming school will have a dedicated safety plan tailored for its specific needs. They’ve partnered with CPD to make sure each plan  considers neighborhood conditions, the distance between schools, and an analysis of other safety risks such as busy streets and intersections. They will also provide individual support strategy plans based on the distinct needs of students, families and communities.

RELATED: Chicago’s decision to close 54 schools elicits strong reactions

Cristina Carreto, Family and Community Engagement Manager for Pilsen and Little Village, also says safety is at the top of everyone’s list. “We’re working hard with CPD [Chicago Police Department] to make sure the transition runs smoothly,” she says.

Carreto says that the elementary schools in her predominately Latino neighborhoods– Cardenas and Castellanos– will be the welcoming schools while nearby Paderewski, located in a predominately African American community, will likely be closing. “I think their concern is the integration of students with a different background,” she says. “We want to start building these relationships with each other. We want to build that gradually.” Carreto says that they are also beginning to plan bullying and culture workshops. They are also considering summer picnics, carnivals, tours for students and parents, and setting up pen pals between the three schools. But they hesitate to implement any measures until the school closure is certain.

RELATED: 54 Chicago schools to close, opponents say minority students will be affected the most

Student transitions and safety are not the only concern. Trejo believes that the added distance between home and school will prevent many parents from becoming engaged in their children’s education, especially because most are busy working parents.

Alivette Alicea, who has two of her five children at Ames, says she’s hopeful about the changes.

“We have the faith that it’s going to be good for us because we’re underutilized,” she says. She’s also glad that the principal is having an open house and tours for students and parents. “That’s awesome because not all of the other schools do that. If we could bring more parents to get involved, it would be great for students.”

Posted in nonfiction/articles | Tagged , , , , |

Article on Jeb Bush on NBC Latino

May 12, 2013 by erikalsanchez

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is believed to be someone who would appeal to Latino voters nationally. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is believed to be someone who would appeal to Latino voters nationally. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

“Honorary Hispanic” Jeb Bush could woo Latino voters but questions persist

by Erika L. Sánchez

12:09 pm on 04/28/2013

There is no doubt that Jeb Bush has recently increased his national profile. In addition to heavily promoting his new book Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution,” this past Wednesday Bush gave a speech in Dallas titled “Restoring America’s Promise: The Leadership Required and the Policy Changes that are Needed.” Earlier this month his brother George W. Bush told Parade magazine that he hoped Jeb would run for president in 2016.

Bush hasn’t announced any plans to run, but many say he would be the right Republican candidate to lure Latino voters again. In the last election, presidential candidate Mitt Romney received only 27 percent of the Latino vote, which was markedly lower than President George W. Bush’s support in 2004 with 44 percent and John McCain’s 31 percent in 2008. A recent poll from Latino Decisions also found that 69 percent of Latino voters describe the GOP as hostile or indifferent to Latinos.

“His affinity, his relationship with the Latino community, and his wife being Mexican has really helped him understand issues important to Latinos,” says political strategist Vincent Casillas. “He will definitely have more opportunities to engage in a conversation. His background will get Latinos to listen, but not necessarily trust him. Every candidate has to earn that trust. The general population has become very suspect [sic] of politicians. The narrative they believe is that politicians will say what they need to say to get elected.”

RELATED: Jeb Bush’s new book “Immigration Wars”: No path to citizenship

Bush’s Latino wife and children and his integration of Latino culture in his political life have earned him the title of “honorary Hispanic” in some circles. Republicans like Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart believe this makes him a perfect candidate for the 2016 election.

But Casillas is skeptical of this classification. “The honorary Hispanic label is slowly losing its charm as the Latino voter becomes more and more sophisticated,” Casillas says. “We’re not just looking for someone who knows the issues, we want a representative who will advocate for those issues.”

Sylvia Manzano, senior analyst at Latino Decisions, believes that Jeb Bush does have a sense of legitimacy and authenticity. “We know that he knows us. He gets it. He doesn’t have to be taught who these communities are. He does it from a sincere place. His wife and children have shaped and [improved]  the way he’s been able to communicate,” Manzano says. She believes Bush’s ability to joke in Spanish and use subtext specific to Latinos can work in his favor. “I don’t know if you win votes just based on that. But what it does do is open a door,” she adds.

RELATED: Jeb Bush will co-chair Republican Hispanic leadership conference

During the 2012 GOP primary, Latino Decisions polled Latino voters on Jeb Bush’s favorability rating. At that time, he polled very well in Florida, but was mostly unknown outside of the state.

Casillas believes that flip-flopping on immigration will be especially hard for Bush to overcome. “Latino voters will find it very hard to trust him,” he says. “The pathway to citizenship to us is not negotiable.”

Manzano, however, doesn’t believe this will necessarily be a problem if he chooses to run for president. “I’m not sure how much immigration will play out in 2016,” she says. “It depends how the bill goes over this summer. In any case, he’s somewhat distanced from it.” Manzano points out that health care, another important issue right now, will also be resolved by 2016. “It’s hard to say what issues will be on the table,” she says. “It’s a little premature to be thinking about it.”

But Casillas believes Latinos are already looking towards 2016. “I think that the community hopes for a Latino president have increased. We aren’t looking for an honorary Hispanic. Our expectations have risen beyond that,” he says.

Posted in nonfiction/articles | Tagged , , , , |

Article on Immigration Reform on NBC Latino

May 12, 2013 by erikalsanchez

People participate in a protest march that organizers said was an attempt to get the U.S. Congress to say yes to immigration reform on April 6, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)People participate in a protest march that organizers said was an attempt to get the U.S. Congress to say yes to immigration reform on April 6, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Will immigration reform lead to mass flow of illegal immigration? Experts say no

by Erika L. Sánchez

6:39 am on 04/13/2013

2013-04_2256330_NBCLatino-ImmigrationNation_640x90_v1It’s the million dollar question, the one many are afraid to ask when it comes to immigration reform. What will happen at the border once the bill actually passes? Some fear that granting a path towards residency will create a mass flow of people trying to enter the country illegally

The Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigrant think tank, published an article claiming the United States’ southwest border has seen a 500 percent  increase in border apprehensions. According to the United States Border Patrol Statistics, however, the total apprehensions between 2011 and 2012 only increased by 7.2 percent.

“If they do pass legislation, it’s a very long process. It’s not falling in line with the fears,” says Jose D. Villalobos, political science professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Villalobos says this kind of coverage of the border is new, though the idea of immigration reform is not. “After Obama instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, there hasn’t been any news coverage of anything becoming unstable,” he says.

Linda Bosniak, professor of law at Rutgers University, says it’s hard to believe that anyone’s behavior would be affected by the passing of the immigration bill. “Any legalization will require a person to show they’ve been here for a couple of years,” Bosniak says. She points out this was the case in the 1986 amnesty, which required applicants to have resided in the United States since 1982. This stipulation made one-third of the undocumented population automatically ineligible.

According to the Associated Press, an anonymous aide claims that the bipartisan immigration bill would bar anyone who arrived in the U.S. after Dec. 31, 2011 from applying for legal status and ultimately citizenship. It would also require applicants to have a clean criminal record and show enough employment or financial stability that they’re likely to stay off welfare. These conditions could exclude hundreds of thousands of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

“This is a one-time deal. This is not a rolling amnesty or legalization,” Bosniak says. “The concern is that undocumented immigrants will want to cross the border, but it’s been 27 years since the last amnesty. Back in 1986, opponents were making the same arguments that people are making today. The rates did increase in the 90s, but that was a function of many factors. There was no indication that the prospect of amnesty would play any part of it.”

A study analyzing the long-term impact of the 1986 amnesty also found there was a decline in the number of border apprehensions in the fourteen years after it was enacted.

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, professor of economics at San Diego State University, believes the circumstances have completely changed since the previous amnesty. She points out that in the 1980s, the Mexican economy was suffering while the U.S. was expanding and growing.

Not only have the economic conditions changed, Amuendo-Dorantes says that the U.S-Mexico border has also undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 27 years, which would discourage people from trying to cross the border illegally. According to a report from the Migration Policy Institute, the U.S. government spends more on its immigration enforcement than on all other principal criminal federal law enforcement agencies combined. In 2012 it spent nearly $18 billion dollars on border security.

“The border enforcement today isn’t the same as in 1986. It’s increased exponentially, especially after 9/11. Every person who is captured is prosecuted. Back in 1986, it was a capture and release policy. The consequences are tough– if you make it. The risk of losing your life is significant. Even if you make it through the border, you live in fear.”

Though some fear that immigration reform will encourage undocumented immigrants to break the law, some experts believe that immigration would actually reduce crime. Scott Baker, a doctoral candidate at Stanford Department of Economics, believes that immigration reform could reduce crime nationwide by as many as 50,000 fewer crimes per year. In studying  the effects of the 1986 amnesty, Baker found that drops in crime of approximately 1-4 percent were associated with one percent of the population being legalized. In examining the labor market and employment data, he concluded that crime could be attributed to greater job market opportunities among those legalized by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Bosniak believes that those against immigration are more concerned will allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the country after breaking the law than they are fearful of an influx of people at the border. “I think opponents are unhappy with the prospect of people to be rewarded for violating the rules,” she says. “It’s the notion that legalization would function as a reward for ‘bad behavior’.”

Posted in nonfiction/articles | Tagged , , , |

Article on Latina Wage Gap on NBC Latino

April 23, 2013 by erikalsanchez

The Latina wage gap is worse for immigrant women. (Getty Images)The Latina wage gap is worse for immigrant women. (Getty Images)

Latina gender wage gap is even harsher for immigrant women

by Erika L. Sánchez

12:00 am on 04/20/2013

It’s no secret that Latinas are the hardest hit by the gender wage gap. A recent analysis from the National Partnership for Women and Families showed that Latinas are paid 55 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men  in the nation’s top 50 metro areas. Although wage disparities exist at all career levels for Latinas, immigrant women are especially susceptible and are considered the least economically secure population in the United States.

Currently, there are approximately 5.4 million undocumented immigrant women living and working in the United States who must work the lowest-paying jobs because of their immigration status. In 2011, 208,000 Latina women worked in jobs paying below the federal minimum wage compared to 172,000 Latino men.

Research shows that a woman’s average lifetime earnings are more than $434,000 less than a comparable male counterpart over a 35-year working life. This means very difficult financial choices for women of color, who are more likely to be the breadwinners that than their white counterparts.

RELATED: On Equal Pay Day, concern over Latina wage gap

“When women are not paid enough, it affects their families, particularly the education of their children,” says Claudia Williams, research analyst at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

She says that this lack of financial security also means that they are less likely to save for retirement.

Williams believes that immigration reform would improve women’s economic circumstances. If they are subject to abuse, they would also be able to move to another job. Not only are undocumented Latinas underpaid, they must often work in hostile environments. Women in agribusiness, for instance, experience high levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence at work and their undocumented status makes it very difficult for them to challenge these conditions or look for other jobs

Iliana Guadalupe Perez, 25, an independent contractor who helps educate other undocumented immigrants to find her kind of work, says that though her sales and marketing contracting has certain benefits, such as flexibility and a fairly high hourly rate, it’s not what she wants to do in the long run. “This has nothing to do with what I’ve studied,” Perez says. “My degree in math was useless. I couldn’t even get an interview. This is not my ideal situation.” Perez, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education and a Masters in Economics, says her dream job would be working in the U.N. or the World Bank

Another disadvantage is in her line of work, Perez says, is that she’s unable to get tenure, which would result in pay increases over time. Not only that, she points out that undocumented people don’t have the option of insurance, retirement funds, or investment funds.

Perez also feels that immigration reform will significantly improve the financial status of Latinas. “It will give a lot of Latinas the opportunities to use their skills. A lot are educated but are limited to their potential. A Social Security number would allow people to explore new avenues for employment.”

RELATED: New figures show Latina women hit hard by wage gap

Ann Garcia, an immigration policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, says that the Paycheck Fairness Act and immigration reform would help close the wage gap for Latinas and improve the economy. “When you legalize workers, you offer them citizenship. Taking the worker out of the economic sidelines would cause a rise in productivity and wages that would create a great ripple effect in the economy,” says Garcia.

According to the Center for American Progress, immigration reform that would legalize the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. would add a cumulative $1.5 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, over 10 years.

Garcia says that American workers and undocumented immigrants would see a huge rise in income and that the boost in wages would be bigger for woman than men. “It would provide improved economic outcomes through increased legal protections, better investments in education and training, higher paying jobs, economic mobility. It would also easier for people to start their own business,” Garcia says. “If we can have economic actors earning more, consuming more, and paying higher taxes, the economy would see a serious amount of growth.”

Posted in nonfiction/articles | Tagged , , , , |

Interview with Gay Chicana Activist on NBC Latino

April 23, 2013 by erikalsanchez

Leti Gomez has been fighting for LGBT issues all her life.

Leti Gomez has been fighting for LGBT issues all her life. (Photo Courtesy by Patsy Lynch)

Gay Chicana who pushed back against discrimination and invisibility, empowers young Latinas


by Erika L. Sánchez 

12:00 am on 04/07/2013

Letitia Gomez began her activist work in the late 70s as a student at the University of Texas. During that time, she says she began to notice the injustices around her. “Until I went to UT, I wasn’t really aware of some of the blatant discrimination and racism that had occurred in Texas against Mexican-Americans,” Gomez says. “And then when I came out as a young Chicana in Houston, in a predominately white gay community, I ran across discrimination even within the gay community. It was really about pushing back against that discrimination and invisibility to some extent.”

Then in 1987, only 10 days before the march on Washington for gay and lesbian rights, Gomez moved to Washington, D.C. Since then, she has served on the board of several organizations including ENLACE: DC Metropolitan Area Latino Gay & Lesbian Coalition, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association, and the Latino Civil Rights Task Force. Most recently, Gomez is on the board of Many Voices, an organization that is working with African-American ministers to educate them about LGBT issues, and La Trenza Leadership, an organization that promotes education, self-esteem, and leadership for young Latinas. Gomez is also the co-chair and one of the founders of the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization (LLEGO).

On Friday March 29th,  The Latino GLBT History Project (LHP), a D.C.-area organization that documents and archives the history of LGBT Latinos, honored Gomez at its second annual Women’s History Month celebration, ”Mujeres en el Movimiento.”

“I was very touched and honored. It’s the first time I’ve been recognized and honored by a group of mujeres Latinas, so that was very special to me,” Gomez says. “It was really great for me to see so many young women there.”

She says that one of the biggest challenges in her career has been raising money for the kind of activism she’s devoted herself to, which is mostly run with the help of volunteers. Recently, however, she says she has seen an improvement. “There’s more awareness among philanthropic organizations and even corporate America about supporting organizations that promote anti-discrimination,” Gomez says. “That’s made it easier for activists today, but it’s still a largely volunteer effort.”

Some of the challenges, she believes, are cultural as well as economic. “I may be totally wrong, but I think we haven’t taught our community about charitable giving. And the reality is that people live paycheck to paycheck and it makes it harder to spare the additional dollars for a charity.”

Gomez says that some of the major obstacles that LGBT Latinos face today are also largely economic. “Even with all of the great work that’s been done on marriage equality and immigration reform, I still think that for LGBT Latinos, there still might be economic inequity,” Gomez says. “There are still states and jurisdictions where we can be fired for being gay, and you could also be denied housing.”

In response to a recent study about the large number of same-sex households in her hometown of San Antonio, Gomez says, “I can imagine that there are barriers to living a full-out life in a state that doesn’t recognize their relationships and that might make it hard if you are an immigrant to be fully in the community and have some economic justice.” She points out that Latinos have high unemployment and that an LGBT identity might be an added barrier.

Though Gomez has been an LGBT activist for over 30 years now, she says her future goals are not limited to LGBT issues. “I’ve started to turn my attention to the plight of women in general. In my charitable giving, I include a number of women’s organizations, organizations that are not just helping women in the United States, but women around the world that are suffering poverty or violence,” Gomez says. “There’s still a lot of education we need to do not just here in this country, but all over the world about the value of women, and the need to respect women’s abilities, contributions, and intelligence.”

Posted in nonfiction/articles |

Article on Cesar Chavez on NBC Latino

April 2, 2013 by erikalsanchez

American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (formerly known as the National Farm Workers Association) Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) speaks at a rally, Coachella, California, mid to late 1970s. (Photo by Cathy Murphy/Getty Images)American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (formerly known as the National Farm Workers Association) Cesar Chavez (1927 – 1993) speaks at a rally, Coachella, California, mid to late 1970s. (Photo by Cathy Murphy/Getty Images)

Immigration reform revives Cesar Chavez’s icon status

by Erika L. Sánchez

6:39 am on 03/28/2013

The closest thing Latinos have to a national holiday is Cesar Chavez’s birthday on March 31st. Cesar Chavez’s birthday is already celebrated in ten states, and President Barack Obama not only has supported making it a national holiday, but recently named a national park on his behalf.

This week, children will be learning about the labor leader’s legacy in schools, and marches have been organized from California to Pennsylvania to honor the 86th anniversary of his birth and in support of immigration reform.

He has become the hero, the leader for Latinos pushing for immigration reform.

“He stood up and got people to believe in themselves,” says Paul Chavez, his son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

On March 23rd and 24th Chavez led marches  in Yakima, Washington and several California cities. Thousands of people– families affected by immigration reform, farm workers, and social activists– participated.

RELATED: Opinion: Cesar Chavez’s son on why the Colorado River must be saved

Chavez believes his father’s memory is thriving because of the ongoing immigration debate and country’s changing demographics. “People look for someone who they can relate to,” he says. He points out that his father, like many undocumented immigrants, came from humble beginnings and struggled throughout his life. But despite his hardships, he was able to lead and inspire.

Matthew Garcia, professor of history and author of “From the Jaws of History: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement,” says that although Chavez was a far more complicated man than he was given credit for, Latinos have built up Cesar Chavez’s legacy because of their need for a hero. “We need our Martin Luther King, too,” he says.

For Marcos Muñoz, a former United Farm Workers organizer, Cesar Chavez was a very inspirational figure who transformed his life. After immigrating from Coahuila, Mexico when he was 13 years old, Muñoz became a migrant worker in California where he earned two to three dollars a day. In 1965 he was picking grapes when a group of people called him in to an office. There, they told him about the strike and explained how the union would benefit migrant workers. One of the people in the group was Cesar Chavez. From that day forward, Muñoz was involved in the movement and traveled all over the country to educate people about the boycott and working conditions of migrant workers.

“We didn’t have hope in our lives. We were scared,” he says. “But I found faith. It changed my life and my way of thinking.”

Like Chavez, Muñoz also believes that the renewed interest in Cesar Chavez’s life may also be due to  the current immigration debate. “Things have gotten better in many ways, but it’s not enough. We have to do what he wasn’t able to finish,” he says.

Though Chavez has become a symbol for immigration reform, many point out that Chavez was not in favor of expanding immigration and believed that undocumented immigrants could pose a threat to unionized workers. Chavez and the UFWs even reported some undocumented immigrants to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

RELATED: Women launch effort to name a street after Cesar Chavez

Regardless of the complicated history, Chavez is still mobilizing Latinos 20 years after his death, including many young undocumented people who are looking for a leader, representative or symbol they can relate to.

“Now in these difficult times, with Latinos being victimized, it’s especially important to remember that we’ve been here for many years,” Chavez says. “We come and work in the most difficult conditions that other folks refuse to do, and yet we still have tremendous optimism in this great land.”

Posted in nonfiction/articles | Tagged , , , , , |

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