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La Voz de Aztlan CSU, Fresno Chicano/Latino Newspaper March 12,1985 Chicanas fulfill their duty Forum: By Pat Reyes Staff Writer The tapping sounds of typewriters could be heard from the basement of the St. John's Catholic Church near downtown Fresno. Inside, Lilly Torres and Rosemary Moreno, founders of the project deligently work helping people who are trying to immigrate into the United States, by assisting them in completing required immigration application forms. Their office is a basement room furnished with only the bare necessities of a paper copier, two desks, two typewriters, two filing cabinets, two telephones and folding chairs for the clients to sit on. Hanging on the bare walls are two calendars and a map outline of Mexico. After 16 months since its opening, El Concilio's Immigration Project is in full force helping primarily Mexican nationals who are eligible, immigrate into the United States. The project is funded by the community and by immigrant clients who donate what they can. El Concilio, a local non-profit umbrella group of Chicano clubs andNprganizations and sponsors of the project, donated most of the office furniture. November 1, 1983, marked the beginnings of the project that sparked some controversy within the community. Torres and Moreno were both employees of the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission. It was one of their duties to help people fill out forms. When a considerable amount of time was spent with people who began crowding the office for help in completing their immigration papers, Torres and Moreno saw the demand for such a service. But the E.O.C. board of commissioners did not approve their idea for this type of project and requested that they stop assisting immigrants in filling out and filing forms with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. With a combined total of 25 years of working with E.O.C, the two ladies resigned, only to begin the Immigration Project sponsored by El Concilio. Torres and Moreno began assist- ing immigrants during their employ- ment with E.O.C. and this became a controversial issue within the local community. Torres said they were being accused of practicing immigration law and could be liable. But Torres says they only did the necessary paperwork. She said it is not a difficult process, and that on the average, most of her clients cannot read or write English. "It didn't take much more for an attorney or a layperson, graduated out of eighth grade, to fill out a form," she said. Torres said the controversy, which she believes developed from local immigration consultants and attorneys who charge for their services, has led Torres and Moreno to work at becoming accredited in immigration law. She said if they are accredited, this will allow them to represent their clients in court. Although the project relies only on donations from the clients and local groups, aid does not charge any fees; however, there are certain costs involved in filing certain papers. Currently though, Torres said, "If a person wants to immigrate to this country, we tell them if they're eligible or not. We're like the ears and eyes for the attorney." •see Chicana, page 6 CYC Challenges Dropout Rate By Ben Zayas Staff Writer With an alarming 55% dropout rate among Fresno area Chicano students it is evident that major steps must be taken in reducing this frightening statistic. Meeting the challenge is the Chicano Youth Center also known as Dickey's Playground, located in downtown Fresno. The CYC, which is funded by Fresno City Parks and Recreation Department's Youth Development Program, offers a variety of sporting and social activities as well as counciling and tutorial services. CYC Director Alfonso Hernandez feels that the Youth Development Program's chief endeavor is to bring Chicano youth to the "mainstream" of society. "Most of the kids are 'non-mainstream' students that are neglected by the school system," he said. "Here we offer projects that are relevent to the youth. We want them to feel like a part of the institutions they attend." Hernandez said that 1many Chicano youth are neglected by their families and that education may not be a big priority in the household. Many come from single-parent families on fixed incomes and in this environment the transition to adulthood can be a difficult one. "About half (of the Chicano youths) are in and out of juvenile hall. These are the youths we want in our programs," he said. Make no mistake, the CYC is not •see youth, page 7 Theology By Ben Zayas Staff Writer The chronological course of religion has shown that new sects of belief sometimes emerge of an oppressed people, those persecuted by the imposition of ill-contrived ideals and their strong armed enforcement by tyrants and satrapies. The most recent emergence has spread throughout Central America as proponents of Liberation Theology seek to free its people from the grip of poverty, hunger, disease, i.e.,—colonialization. At a recent discussion held at the CSUF college union on this subject, panelists Brenda Sanchez, Jennifer Colby, and Father Gomez gave insight to the growing problems in Central America and the subsequent appearance of Liberation Theology. Sanchez, a refugee from El Salvador, is in exile from a country in turmoil. Through an interpreter, Sanchez told of her harrowing exodus from that country with her baby and several other Salvadorians. A» ineoher of the .Christianifiiei dent Movement of El Salvador, Sanchez received money from the Lutheran church to come to the U.S. The Lutheran churches in the U.S. and England are active proponents of the Liberation Theology movement According to Sanchez, the government in El Salvador is corrupt and murderous, making life for the poor "campesinos" a nightmare. The campesinos work the land 12 hours a day for $2, not nearly enough to feed their families. The country of El Salvador is divided into states that are owned by powerful families concerned with the preservation of wealth, not the welfare of the campesinos and their families. Sanchez said those that protest the lack of food, wages, or medical and welfare programs are killed, no questions asked. Even the church in El Salvador, which donates food, clothing, and other aid to the poor and homeless, has come under attack from the Sal- vadorian military. Sanchez said that U.S. armaments are being supplied by the Reagan Administration to El Salvador that are used to kill her people. She does not hold the American people responsible for this tragedy as she feels we have been misinformed by our government. To Brenda Sanchez and those like her that have suffered from the exploitation of their native homeland, Liberation Theology is the faith that God will have mercy on the poor and oppressed and lead them to refuge. Panelist Jennifer Colby of the World Student Christian Movement •see forum, page 8
Object Description
Title | 1985 La Voz de Aztlan |
Alternate title1 | La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno) |
Alternate title2 | La Pluma Morena; Chicano Liberation |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, California |
Publication Date | 1985 |
Description | Published twice monthly during the school year. |
Coverage | Vol. 1, no. 1 (May 5, 1969) - vol. 24, no. 3 (May 7, 1992) |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals |
Format | Print newspaper |
Language | eng; spa |
Description
Title | Mar 12 1985 p 1 |
Alternate title1 | La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, California |
Publication Date | 1985 |
Technical Information | Scanner: Image Access Bookeye 4. Software: OPUS FreeFlow software. Scanned 400 dpi; bit depth 24; TIFF. |
Language | eng; spa |
Full Text | La Voz de Aztlan CSU, Fresno Chicano/Latino Newspaper March 12,1985 Chicanas fulfill their duty Forum: By Pat Reyes Staff Writer The tapping sounds of typewriters could be heard from the basement of the St. John's Catholic Church near downtown Fresno. Inside, Lilly Torres and Rosemary Moreno, founders of the project deligently work helping people who are trying to immigrate into the United States, by assisting them in completing required immigration application forms. Their office is a basement room furnished with only the bare necessities of a paper copier, two desks, two typewriters, two filing cabinets, two telephones and folding chairs for the clients to sit on. Hanging on the bare walls are two calendars and a map outline of Mexico. After 16 months since its opening, El Concilio's Immigration Project is in full force helping primarily Mexican nationals who are eligible, immigrate into the United States. The project is funded by the community and by immigrant clients who donate what they can. El Concilio, a local non-profit umbrella group of Chicano clubs andNprganizations and sponsors of the project, donated most of the office furniture. November 1, 1983, marked the beginnings of the project that sparked some controversy within the community. Torres and Moreno were both employees of the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission. It was one of their duties to help people fill out forms. When a considerable amount of time was spent with people who began crowding the office for help in completing their immigration papers, Torres and Moreno saw the demand for such a service. But the E.O.C. board of commissioners did not approve their idea for this type of project and requested that they stop assisting immigrants in filling out and filing forms with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. With a combined total of 25 years of working with E.O.C, the two ladies resigned, only to begin the Immigration Project sponsored by El Concilio. Torres and Moreno began assist- ing immigrants during their employ- ment with E.O.C. and this became a controversial issue within the local community. Torres said they were being accused of practicing immigration law and could be liable. But Torres says they only did the necessary paperwork. She said it is not a difficult process, and that on the average, most of her clients cannot read or write English. "It didn't take much more for an attorney or a layperson, graduated out of eighth grade, to fill out a form," she said. Torres said the controversy, which she believes developed from local immigration consultants and attorneys who charge for their services, has led Torres and Moreno to work at becoming accredited in immigration law. She said if they are accredited, this will allow them to represent their clients in court. Although the project relies only on donations from the clients and local groups, aid does not charge any fees; however, there are certain costs involved in filing certain papers. Currently though, Torres said, "If a person wants to immigrate to this country, we tell them if they're eligible or not. We're like the ears and eyes for the attorney." •see Chicana, page 6 CYC Challenges Dropout Rate By Ben Zayas Staff Writer With an alarming 55% dropout rate among Fresno area Chicano students it is evident that major steps must be taken in reducing this frightening statistic. Meeting the challenge is the Chicano Youth Center also known as Dickey's Playground, located in downtown Fresno. The CYC, which is funded by Fresno City Parks and Recreation Department's Youth Development Program, offers a variety of sporting and social activities as well as counciling and tutorial services. CYC Director Alfonso Hernandez feels that the Youth Development Program's chief endeavor is to bring Chicano youth to the "mainstream" of society. "Most of the kids are 'non-mainstream' students that are neglected by the school system," he said. "Here we offer projects that are relevent to the youth. We want them to feel like a part of the institutions they attend." Hernandez said that 1many Chicano youth are neglected by their families and that education may not be a big priority in the household. Many come from single-parent families on fixed incomes and in this environment the transition to adulthood can be a difficult one. "About half (of the Chicano youths) are in and out of juvenile hall. These are the youths we want in our programs," he said. Make no mistake, the CYC is not •see youth, page 7 Theology By Ben Zayas Staff Writer The chronological course of religion has shown that new sects of belief sometimes emerge of an oppressed people, those persecuted by the imposition of ill-contrived ideals and their strong armed enforcement by tyrants and satrapies. The most recent emergence has spread throughout Central America as proponents of Liberation Theology seek to free its people from the grip of poverty, hunger, disease, i.e.,—colonialization. At a recent discussion held at the CSUF college union on this subject, panelists Brenda Sanchez, Jennifer Colby, and Father Gomez gave insight to the growing problems in Central America and the subsequent appearance of Liberation Theology. Sanchez, a refugee from El Salvador, is in exile from a country in turmoil. Through an interpreter, Sanchez told of her harrowing exodus from that country with her baby and several other Salvadorians. A» ineoher of the .Christianifiiei dent Movement of El Salvador, Sanchez received money from the Lutheran church to come to the U.S. The Lutheran churches in the U.S. and England are active proponents of the Liberation Theology movement According to Sanchez, the government in El Salvador is corrupt and murderous, making life for the poor "campesinos" a nightmare. The campesinos work the land 12 hours a day for $2, not nearly enough to feed their families. The country of El Salvador is divided into states that are owned by powerful families concerned with the preservation of wealth, not the welfare of the campesinos and their families. Sanchez said those that protest the lack of food, wages, or medical and welfare programs are killed, no questions asked. Even the church in El Salvador, which donates food, clothing, and other aid to the poor and homeless, has come under attack from the Sal- vadorian military. Sanchez said that U.S. armaments are being supplied by the Reagan Administration to El Salvador that are used to kill her people. She does not hold the American people responsible for this tragedy as she feels we have been misinformed by our government. To Brenda Sanchez and those like her that have suffered from the exploitation of their native homeland, Liberation Theology is the faith that God will have mercy on the poor and oppressed and lead them to refuge. Panelist Jennifer Colby of the World Student Christian Movement •see forum, page 8 |