Are You Planning To Wear Your Hello Kitty Riot Gear?

It’s NATO week in Chicago and I don’t know about you but I’m planning on wearing my Hello Kitty riot gear. More than a decade ago, when I would participate in protests my mom would warn me not go. “Those things are dangerous and get out of control fast,” she would say. She would be appalled to know that I will be taking a shift with my co-workers to run a help desk for journalists downtown. My mom had good reason to fear large demonstrations where there would be police and military presence.

You see, when she was living in Mexico City she bought these cute blue shoes and decided to break them in on October 2, 1968. She wore them to work and on her way back she ended up taking a short cut home because her feet were killing her. She found herself in Tlatelolco plaza de las tres culturas in the middle of a demonstration.

In an instant, the demonstrators swallowed her up and it was at that moment that police officers and military surrounded the plaza and began shooting into the crowd. A quick thinking stranger pulled her under a bus. When she finally got home she had only one shoe on and no recollection of how she got home or what happened to the stranger that saved her life.

While the massacre at Tlatelolco is an example of a demonstration gone terribly wrong, this week all eyes will be on our beautiful global city. Chicago has a history of demonstrations from the peaceful immigrant marches a few years back to violence at the 1968 Democratic convention. It’s a mixed bag and perhaps it’s wishful thinking to visualize peaceful demonstrations between demonstrators and police given the history of the NATO summit.

If you are covering the demonstrations as a journalist, blogger, protester, or simply find yourself there out of curiosity and want to take a few pictures remember before you yell Chicago spring and get punched in the face or hit with a stick  here is what you need to know to stay safe.

1.    Let your family and friends know where you are going and check in with them frequently so they don’t worry. Make sure you are carrying identification.

2.    If you are a journalist or photographer try to go with a second person that will be your eyes and ears while you are capturing audio or taking photos. It’s easy to get sucked into the swirl of a large crowd.

3.    Be aware of your surroundings. If violence does occur make sure you are not near flying glass. Protect your eyes and head.

4.    If your smart phone is lost or taken will you remember important phone numbers? Write down important phone numbers and take them with you.

5.    Remember your fifth amendment right. If you don’t know it refresh your memory on this amendment…

6.    If you are detained and need legal assistance call the National Lawyers Guild hot line 312-913-0039

7.    Take a bottle of water with you. If someone peppers sprays you in the face you want to have access to water to wash it off your face. If you don’t have water with you make note of any public buildings or hotels in the area where you can go and use the bathroom to wash it off.

8.    If you need medical attention there will be street medics providing basic first aide.

9.    Use common sense

With this in mind, I’m off to build a battle ram made of cotton candy. Stay safe ladies!

Here are some more safety tips thanks to the Chicago Headline Club!

Additional Resources:

NATO Summit Reporting Help Desk…773-234-NATO

ACLU Report: Know Your Right to Protest in Chicago

Occupy Chicago!

Do you have NATO themed events planned? Share them…

Receive updates via cell phone at notifychicago.org

Photos Courtesy of:

Mujeres por la Democracia

Progress IL

12 Ways To Mother Your Inner Writer

My mom all smiles with me on her lap

Feliz día de las madres to all of you that are moms or soon-to-be moms! This mother’s day, I’m reflecting on how we can mother our writing self and nurture our creative writing pursuits.

Here is my top ten list on how to mother our inner writers

1. Carve out time for writing

2. Create writing meet ups with other writers

3. Disconnect from Facebook, Twitter and other social media

4. Evaluate your writing goals

5. Get out of your comfort zone and explore other creative genres

6. Take creative risks

7. Treat yourself to a new journal or packet of pens

8. Indulge in a good book! One of my favorites is “The Sound of Pen on Paper,” by Julia Cameron.

9. Organize a reading of your work

10. Treat your inner writer to a prickly pear margarita

11. Find new writing nooks in the city where you can plop down and crank it out. Here is one of my most recent finds…

12.  Pick up Poetry & Writer’s magazine and enter a writing contest

What are some ways that you spoil your inner writer? Let us know in the comment section.

Telling Stories Through The Vagina Monologues

“To say women’s stories out loud solidifies your commitment to advocate for women.” – Norma Seledon, Director of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues

Ensemble of the Vagina Monologues

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Norma Seledon, Director of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues presented by Mujeres Latinas en Acción. Norma started off as one of the actors in the show and then moved on to direct it. What struck me about the monologues was when she mentioned Mujeres Latinas en Acción is the only organization in the city presenting The Vagina Monologues in Spanish.

Norma has been working with a group of women on the monologues and guiding them through the rehearsal process. The ensemble includes friends, sisters, mothers and daughters from the community. “The Vagina Monologues are a transformational experience for the audience but especially the women that perform the monologues.

“We get few women that have any acting experience and most of the women are fearful of doing anything on stage but something inside them brings them and they are excited to be there.” While the audience that comes to see the show is primarily women there are men who come to the show also to learn and try to understand these issue because, “you can’t do this type of advocacy without male participation,” says Norma.

The Vagina Monologues are powerful stories that connect and create conversation between the women in the audience and those performing the monologues. According to Norma, “I think women already have a notion that they have something say but I think many don’t realize is that they also have something to learn about themselves because when you personalize these issues it kind of becomes a part of you especially when you act things out to say out loud women’s stories is transformational and solidifies your commitment to advocate for women.

Norma is no stranger to working with women. She is a former domestic violence counselor and also developed a leadership program at Mujeres Latinas en Acción and a recipient of a Vagina Warrior award for her work with women. Professionally, Norma has moved away from directly working with women but she still does a lot of volunteer work with women in the community. When asked why she does the work she does with women Norma says, “It’s always gratifying and a privilege to witness women’s transformations whether they are participating in a leadership program or rehearsing for The Vagina Monologues.

The Vagina Monologues will be performed this Thursday, April 26, In Spanish and Friday, April 27^th in English. For more information Mujeres Latinas en Accion The Vagina Monologues 773.890.7656

Ensemble in photo includes:  Front row (L to R):  Samantha Caballero, Queli Tellez, Madelynn Martinez Second Row (L to R): Vanessa Robledo, Rocio Robledo, Selene Gonzalez, Eva Tellez, Liz Villarreal Back Row (L to R):  Norma Seledon, Nancy Martinez, Alheli Herrera, Kendy OlaguezNot pictured:  Maria Martinez

Maria Hinojosa On Media & Mentorship – Interview Part 2

Journalist Maria Hinojosa

Last month, journalist Maria Hinojosa was generous enough with her time to let us interview her about being a Latina in media. In case you missed the first part of her interview, you can still read the post Meet Media Maker Maria Hinojosa on our site.

At some point, you may have heard or seen Maria on National Public Radio’s Latino USA, CNN or PBS Frontline.  I am excited to share this interview with you is because Maria is a media trailblazer opening doors for the next generation of Latinas in media.

A decade ago, if you had asked me to name Latinas in Chicago media I would probably have shrugged and not have been able to name any. Today, I’m happy to say that I’m noticing more Latinas in media telling stories using a variety of platforms ranging from print, radio to blogging. This week we are happy share part two of our interview with Maria Hinojosa. If you enjoy the interview let us know or please share it to your networks on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.

DP: What was the moment you realized you were going to be a journalist?

MH: I think it was when I got hired at National Public Radio in 1985 and being the first Latina hired to work at a network. Probably six months into that when I realized I’m at these editorial meetings and I’m coming up with ideas and people like what I’m saying and I’m producing this stuff yeah I think I can do this and that really was the moment when I said I need to have my own voice because at the point I was producing for other people and when I realized I wanted to be a journalist and could be I also Around that time when I realized I needed to own my own voice and tell my own stories.

DP: What are your tips for emerging Latinas in media?

MH: They should trust their voices, not give up and find their elders and mentors because they will need them but more than anything. I want them to honor and hold on to their experience as Americans, immigrants, and Latinas because this is in fact one of these crucial moments where how we define ourselves and who defines us is so important.  I also want them to keep on believing that they have the power, words and tools to define themselves and to tell these stories.

DP: What role has mentorship played in your life and how has it impacted you?

MH: Well I wouldn’t say I’ve had an actual mentor. Maybe, I wish I would have. I didn’t find the right person to be a “mentor.” What I do have are elders, some are Latinas and some aren’t, who have come before me and who I turn to for support. I take very seriously the notion of what a mentor is and the role that requires and consistency and I haven’t really had that officially.  What I’ve had is “sistahs” who’ve been there for me and who are there to pick me up when times are bad and who allow me to understand historical context.

Without them I could not do it there’s no doubt about that because there are lots of ups and lots of downs. You have to have people who have a cool head and see the forest through the woods. I’m a little jealous of younger women who can actually have mentors because there wasn’t anyone doing this for me.  I was the first Latina at NPR, CNN and just five years ago the first Latina correspondent on PBS and just recently the first Latina to anchor Frontline. Even now, I’m still trying to break through because there haven’t been many Latinas who I could turn to and say guide the way. This is why I take the role of mentoring so seriously and imparting information and experience to young Latinas as often and authentically as I can.

DP: What trends are you seeing in terms of women and media?

MH: I think it’s another one of these moments where there is struggle around media because more women are stepping forward in the mainstream media or outside of the mainstream media pushing to have these stories told. We are kind of building our own space both within the mainstream media and outside of it. The reason why I sound hesitant, is because while we are doing amazing things like websites and information but at the same time we are still in the process of this shift where more of the mainstream media needs to understand that reporting on gender issues really matters but I don’t think a lot of the mainstream media sees it that way.  Like with Latinos we are in the same kind of space it’s a struggle right now it’s not an easy one and there is resistance because everything in our country right now is changing.

DP: Do you think Latinos continue to be invisible in media, politics and different sectors despite the increase in population released by the U.S. Census?

MH: Unfortunately yes, but that is our challenge for the next decade. It’s really important to understand at what point do we stop being invisible? I was giving a speech to educators and we were at a downtown hotel at a breakfast and I said to them “you know the people you walked by as they cleaned your room or served us breakfast and you didn’t really look at them, well all of their kids are the ones going to your community colleges so actually you really need to see them and need to talk to them and understand who they are because they are here. There’s that part of it and I think the other part of it is Latinos themselves need have to be willing themselves to see other Latinos and they have to be able to put other Latinos forward and point out the ones that are invisible and not be afraid to say those kinds of things.

DP: Final thoughts you would like to share?

MH: We really have to support each other as Latinas and find ways to do it in small or big ways because we really need each other. I  also think that we have to be the spirit of hope because we have a tendency to be very blue but what we don’t’ recognize is that we can also be very hopeful and joyous. in the midst of the struggle coming in the next decade we must find the joy because it’s something we should be happily adding to the mix of this country.

Listen to Maria Hinojosa on National Public Radio’s Latino USA

Watch Maria Hinojosa on One-on-One

Watch Maria’s Hinojosa’s Lost In Detention

Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_Hinojosa

Keep the conversation going and tell us what you thought of this interview with Maria by posting in the comments section.

This project is supported by the Local Reporting Awards

La Buena Vibra: Building community with alternative medicine

“We are all healers. We all have it in us and it comes from the divine or whatever you want to call it we are all vessels for healing.” -Isabel Garcia, Reiki Master Teacher,RMT

Isabel Garcia, Reiki Master Teacher,RMT

When I first heard about the meditation circle it intrigued me just like the Tibetan Buddhist temple near my home.  I’ve always been too shy to go in, but sometimes, when I walk by I peek in and everyone is in meditation, chanting or banging on a brass bell. There is a giant statue of a green Buddha smiling tranquilly at me. I’ve always liked the idea of meditation but haven’t done it because I have trouble sitting still. It wasn’t until I read Eat, Pray, Love and decided to explore the Sri Gura Gita that was mentioned in the book. I was so curious about it I even downloaded the English PDF version of the Sri Gura Gita. When I got the Facebook event invite I hesitated because I wasn’t sure how I felt about meditating with other people. I decided to go and experience first hand the  meditation circle and if others could benefit from it.

Meditation Circle
We meet at Biblioteca Popular, an independent bookstore in Pilsen, I plop down on  a chair, notice that in the center of the room there is a small table with a picture of Green Tara, known as the Buddha of enlightened activity, and  incense burning.

“The reason I come is because I felt the need to start connecting to other people who share similar beliefs and prayers,” says Jenine Arteaga, a Humboldt Park resident, that makes the trek to participate.  ”It’s a step forward in my spiritual path. It definitely builds community and allows us to connect with people from different parts of the city.  It’s a good spiritual community to be part of.” 

However, benefits of mediation include:  Stress relief, improved concentration, awareness of posture and breathing, reduced anxiety, relaxed nervous system, decreased muscle tension, increased productivity, and released  emotional toxins. So, if you are participating in meditation and energy healing should you stop going to your doctor? Isabel gets this question a lot. The answer is no. You need to keep seeing your doctor to monitor your health. “Spiritual energy healing is going to change your vibration only and replace negative energy with healing energy,” says Isabel.

Mantras

The mantras are chanted in the ancient Sanskrit language originating in India and is believed to be the language of energy. Each mantra is associated with the each chakra of the body. We begin our first chant dedicated to Ghanesh a deity worshipped in Hindu sects of India and Nepal. My tongue stumbles over the chant. Everyone is in deep meditation,  I squirm in my chair trying to focus and keep up with the chant.

Om Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat…

“Letters of Sankrit light up different parts of our chakras and energy shifts when you chant,” says Isabel. Her favorite chant is the Gaya Tri because it seemed to keep being mentioned in meditation books and she has chanted it ever since. In a nutshell, the chant itself means enlightment of yourself and all beings. We chant this for a really long time until my chattering-monkey mind quiets and I  find myself in a focused and relaxed state.

prayer beads

As we chant, I notice that some people have what looks like rosaries. After the meditation session, I inquire about them and discover they are Mala prayer beads. In meditation the prayer beads are used as a healing tool and help you keep count of your mantras with 108 beads. The large bead, known as the Meru, absorbs the energy of the mantras. This tool helps anchor your thoughts and helps you focus. You can also wear your prayer beads that have absorbed the energy of the mantras around your neck.

La Buena Vibra

After our meditation session, Isabel and I go next door to taquería El Milagro to talk about the work she is doing in the community. Isabel is wearing her mala around her neck near her heart chakra. She orders a taco de puerco slathered in green salsa and when I see the color of the salsa the image of green Tara floats into my mind. We begin to chat  and I discover that the meditation circle was born when Isabel’s friends started asking her how to meditate.

These days with so many people struggling in this economy stress levels are high and some people have even begun to normalize high levels of stress. What people don’t realize is that if you don’t know how to manage or release stress it often leads to health complications. With so many requests for a meditation circle she couldn’t say no to sharing healing knowledge with the community.

“I’m humbled by the way people are receiving it and by the way they are benefiting from it and their dedication to it,” says Isabel.

Between sips of champurrado, I asked Isabel how she knew she was a healer? “When I was eight years old I was talking to my sister and I told her that everything we needed to heal ourselves is on the planet” says Isabel.  But it was not until she became an adult that Isabel accepted her gifts as a healer and her life changed. She quit her 9 to 5 job to focus on her healing work and develop a stronger spiritual self.

“Some of the challenges of being an energy healer is that people don’t take it seriously or don’t understand it.” I asked Isabel about the best way to advocate for healers and she said, “Share your experience with others about this type of healing.”

Healing Sessions For Survivors of Sexual Assault

Isabel also mentioned that she has started organizing healing sessions for women that are survivors of sexual assault. Her healing sessions for survivors of sexual assault come at a time when according to the Centers for Disease Control 1 in 5 American women report being sexually assaulted. The last session she did in February included counselor Emily Robison, Sexual Abuse Crisis Counselor of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago. The goal of the healing session was to create a safe space to come together and mediate. and create a stepping-stone for these women on their journey to personal healing. The need is so tremendous that this month Isabel is organizing more healing sessions  for women in the Pilsen neighborhood.

I’m A Healer, Now What?

If you are interested in learning to heal others or if your gut feeling tells you that you already are but you’re not sure what to do next Isabel suggests you talk to other healers, ask for guidance, take classes that focus and develop your skills and as the saying goes, “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Recently Isabel participated in a supervised Nunye, which is a 32 hour vow of silence with no food or water.  In the near future Isabel plans to start giving Reiki workshops for people interested in energy healing.

I ask Isabel what her thoughts are on a medical model  that brings together Latina healers and doctors under one roof working side by side and if a model like that could ever exist in Chicago? She says, “A clinic that that treats the whole human being (physical, mental and spiritual) would help people tremendously. I think people are ready for a medical model like that in Chicago.” While this type of healing isn’t for everybody what is certain is that when women create their own spaces it builds and strengthens community.

Keep the conversation going and tell us in the comment section what your experiences have been with alternative healing or western medicine.

Contact Isabel Garcia for more information on the meditation circle or healing sessions.

FACEBOOK PAGE – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Isabel-C-Garcia-RMT/24157458921712

or via elsolthesun@gmail.com / 312-730-7710 /  http://elsol.weebly.com

Resources

Read more on benefits of mediation….

Learn more about Tibetan Buddhism..

This project is supported by the Local Reporting Awards, The Chicago Community Trust, Community News Matter initiative. Get the full scoop on The Reportera Series.

April 2012: Victoria Martinez

Welcome poetry month!  Get your poems ready and bring them with you to the next Proyecto Latina because we want to hear them.  Then you are welcome to chime-in on the collaborative poem we are creating in response to the work of our featured artist Victoria Martinez, who is exhibiting a new body of work at Cobalt Studio in April.  Excited to integrate poetry into her work, Victoria is providing pieces of cloth for this activity that will be pieced together to create an exquisite corpse.  As for the Chisme Box–she will be front row, center and provide kudos and a high five if your chismes are in haiku format!

When: Monday, April 16, 2012
Where: Cobalt Studio, 1950 W. 21st St.
Time: 7 p.m.

Victoria Martinez is an interdisciplinary artist from Pilsen who received her BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is also a teaching artist who will be collaborating with youth from Yollocalli Arts Reach to create a soft sculpture installation to be exhibited at The Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University this summer.

Suicide and the Silence that follows

Last November, I added my mother's name to an interactive ofrenda for Day of the Dead at Mattie Rhodes Gallery in Kansas City.

Last September I placed a call to speak to suicide survivors.  I chose to tackle a personal topic that carries a heavy social stigma as part of our Reportera Series.  I was not sure if anyone would respond—I knew firsthand that it was a private issue for most families and probably even more so in Latino communities. My grief still raw—I was determined to figure out a way to dissect the source of my most disempowering life experience. The call was followed by a level of silence and I chose to do what I have occasionally done in writing and reporting–sometimes you just have to wait and let the story unfold at its own pace.

A close friend that has recently dealt with this very issue in her life, expressed wonder as to how I could be so open about it.  So, I thought maybe it was a good starting point for me to explain why I chose to talk about becoming a suicide survivor on a public platform?

First, a story about my mom:

As a teen, I once accompanied my mother to a friend’s apartment.  Her friend was overweight, tired and unable to reach her feet and properly care for them.  As a result, she had festering calluses and they were a source of a lot of pain.  My mother took a plastic pan, filled it with warm water, poured Epson salt and had her friend soak her feet.  She then sat across from her friend, spread a towel on her lap and proceeded to take each swollen and battered foot and began to slowly massage it, slough away the rough skin and offer words of encouragement.

At the time,  a squeamish youth, I watched in quiet horror but in retrospect I recognize that my mother was providing her friend with the gift of love and care.

I saw this same friend at my mother’s funeral.  She offered her condolences and in her puzzled grief quietly inquired about the cause of her friend’s death.  Not many people had asked me directly, but because I knew she was my mother’s friend I decided to be honest.  When I told her my mother died by suicide she physically retreated in shock—as if it was a contagious plague or curse.  It was a reaction that initially caused me pain, then anger and finally sadness because it helped me realize that my mother’s community of peers—immigrant and working class—is not having an informed dialogue.  I suspect that its ingrained religious and cultural views that may prevent them to consider a more scientific view that concludes that suicide is the result of a mental or emotional disorder.  My mother suffered from depression and anxiety, pretty common conditions, one study found that one in five adults has a mental illness but these are topics that we don’t talk about.

Perhaps its a lack of understanding. I admit that my awareness of mental health prior to losing my mother was limited. I had misconceptions of mental illness, I thought it had to be extreme–think media imposed clichés.  But what resonates with me now is an aunt’s description of depression–subtle, silent and as toxic as carbon monoxide.  I now understand that mental health can be compromised by a spectrum of conditions and they can be obvious or illusive.

Something else that I recently discovered is that the suicide rate has risen steadily in the last ten years.  I was already familiar with  a study released some time back that revealed Latina teens were at higher risk, however the Centers for Disease Control does not differentiate between genders and reports that, “Native American and Hispanic youth [have] the highest rates of suicide-related fatalities. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9-12 in public and private schools in the U.S. found Hispanic youth were more likely to report attempting suicide than their black and white, non-Hispanic peers.”

According to the American Association of Suicidology, for each suicide there are an average of 6 survivors.  I don’t have enough fingers to count the people impacted by my mother’s death.   In the days that followed my loss, as non-functional as I was, I arrived to two conclusions: First, I needed therapy to help me cope.  Second, I would not let my mother’s suicide become an oppressive weight of shame to carry in addition to the grief.  It was a heavy load I saw many loved ones take on and I thought it was a disservice to her memory.  I still regret that it will be some time–if ever– before her friend learns to remember my mom as the caring friend she was and not how she died.

One of the greatest gifts that arrived into my hands, was a phone number to the LOSS program at Catholic Charities which provides support and resources for suicide survivors.  My therapist knows a lot about suicide—he’s a credible source as a survivor himself—and he gently explains and reminds me that, “People don’t chose to die by suicide—just like they don’t chose to die of cancer—it’s a disease that chooses them.”

Eventually–after placing my call to speak to suicide survivors–messages trickled into my inbox.  Some shared their own experience, and some offered encouragement.  These texts were quiet, virtual whispers that reminded me of the people that approached me in the days after losing my mom and shared their stories about suicide and mental health issues.  They were tid-bits of information that helped me understand that I was not alone—that there were a few out there that understood and shared my situation.  I got to sit down and speak with a couple of women and because of the sensitive nature of this topic I allowed and encouraged them to share terms of engagement—maybe, not the best journalistic practice but necessary in ensuring that I honor their stories–I will share a part of those conversations in futures blog posts.

Resources

Suicide Survivors
Chicago

• Catholic Charities / LOSS Program
  312-355-7283
• LGBTQ Survivors of Suicide – Center on Halsted
  773-472-6469
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  Chicagoland and Illinois Resources

What's it like to grow up in Little Village?

Early 90's: Primas and photobooth silliness at Ford City Mall.

Love in the time of Aqua Net and Crushed Cherries was a piece I wrote a few years back when my friend Diana Pando posed the question, “What’s it like to grow up in the Little Village neighborhood?”  I didn’t start off writing about love–it’s a theme that emerged as the piece evolved and I allowed the creative process to guide me on a journey that ultimately led me back to my youth.  Below is the segment that includes the radio edit of this story–it aired on Vocalo on WBEZ a couple of weeks back.

[mp3t track="http://www.vocalo.org/sites/default/files/media/vocalo-audio/1110/03-24%20Vocalo%20Hour%202%20Segment%20C%20(EDIT).mp3" title="03-24 Vocalo Hour 2"]

Did you grow up in Little Village?  Perhaps you grew up elsewhere but what was it like for you?  How does that story compare to what you read and see on the news and media?

You can share with us via the comments or drop us a line if you would like to guest blog.  Another avenue you might be interested in: Vocalo Storytelling Workshop is currently recruiting for a new group of storytellers deadline is April 16th.