NEWSLETTER Issue 5 MARCH 2011 Message from the National President Vivian Ortiz It is an honor for me once again to be part of an organization that is dedicated to serving the Hispanic community; an association promoting the civic and cultural participation of Puerto Rican and other Latina women in their economic, social and political life in the United States and Puerto Rico. I want to thank so many NACOPRW members who have been so giving of their time and energy. As the New Year begins we reflect on the past year; the challenges that help us grow, the triumphs for which we are grateful and the opportunity we have to plan for the future. As the year ensues we know you are working on exciting and valuable activities for the local Puerto Rican and Latino communities in your region. We are proud of the work you do and thank you for upholding our mission and vision and adhering to the bylaws that guide us. Our 38th Annual Convention and Training Conference will hopefully be held in Puerto Rico where we hope to renew our cultural bonds and engage young Latinas and friends to strengthen the leadership ranks of women as we explore new avenues for our growing community to make lasting contributions to our society. We hope to continue these efforts as we celebrate our 2011 Leadership & Training Conference en La Isla Del Encanto. Please be sure to start planning your attendance to our 38th annual National Training Conference and Convention! Members and friends will once again be able to sign up for Jewels to be posted in the program as a way to support the event. We also appreciate any other ways you can help us with the planning and most of all, talk to others about coming so that we can have a significant number to engage in dialogue with our sisters in the island. Please say “presente” as we plan the event, and check out our website for more information: www.nacoprw.org. Vivian Ortiz, National President NACOPRW Co-Hosts with Chapman University Reception for Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, Sylvia Mendez
At a reception held in the Capitol Visitors Center, we celebrated the recognition of our nation of the importance of the 1946-7 California case that for the first time desegregated schools in California, eight years before the Brown decision. This Mendez v. Westminster, a prelude to the landmark Brown decision, was a suit brought by Sylvia’s father and mother, he a Mexican American and she (Felicitas) a Puerto Rican. We are proud of the historical significance of this civil rights suit and have been supporting Chapman University’s efforts through Anaida Colon and Sandra Robbie who made a film on the Mendez v. Westminster case that has given saliency to this important contribution of Latinos to the civil rights movement. Sylvia, your sisters are proud of your family’s contributions. Well deserved honor.
National Hispanic Leadership Agenda Lillian Lopez-Rodriguez re-elected to a second term as Chair. She presides the Hispanic Federation. Brent Wilkes, Vice Chair, is the Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) “ Diana Sen, Secretary, is President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and Al Zapanta, Treasurer, is President and CEO of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. NACOPRW is a member of NHLA and is represented there by the National President and the President of the DC Metro Chapter.
The Advocacy Corner NACOPRW has been very concerned with threats about repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act and consequences regarding implementation of the law. Repeal would brake progress and make the vulnerable Hispanics lose benefits when insurers cancel or cap coverage and would make it impossible to get affordable insurance for those who are not covered. By 2014 discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions would be gone. We must not allow the Patient’s Bill of Rights that allows the worst abuses to end to be eviscerated. We must not allow the doughnut hole, the gap in coverage of medicines to further threaten the health of seniors.
Indiana Immigration Bill An Arizona-style immigration law, Senate Bill 590 would require police officers to verify the citizenship and immigration status of people stopped if they have “reasonable suspicion” the person may be in the country without authorization. The measure also prohibits in-state tuition, scholarships and financial aid for college for undocumented immigrants. Legislation like this is perking through various state legislatures, including Maryland. The U.S. Justice Department has sued Arizona in federal court to stop implementation of its law and a decision is pending before the federal appeals court in San Francisco.
UN Women Agency Launched The new agency created to promote gender equality and advance women’s rights was created on January 1. Its goals include fostering women’s equality, reducing violence against women, empowering and providing greater opportunities for women worldwide. The new agency will partner with Member States to develop and implement policies to promote women’s advancement. The Executive Director of the agency is famed former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, who indicated “This is a time of great promise. We have a historic opportunity to accelerate the achievement of what champions of gender equality have worked towards for years.” Right on, Michelle, we are with you. Femicides Rampant in Puerto Rico
Newspapers in Puerto Rico have been exposing the incredible rash of violence experienced by women in Puerto Rico. In the first month of 2011 five femicides had been reported already. Ninety-eight per cent of jailed people are men in their middle years abusive of their female partners and the Department of Corrections indicates there are 324 cases going through the tribunals which are electronically supervised. One hundred and fourteen of those are jailed for assassinating their female partners.
Chapter News DC Metro Chapter The DC Metro Chapter is also collaborating with a coalition of women’s groups led by NOW-Md. to coordinate grassroots support for legislation that would result in the state of Maryland enshrining a statue of Harriet Tubman in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. Carmen Delgado Votaw spoke at a press conference organized by the sponsor of the legislation, State Assemblywoman Susan Lee. Hearings on the legislation have been scheduled for February 23.
Indiana Chapter
Miami Chapter
Miami also participated in the 3 Kings Day event with a little twist where they also had 3 Queens represented. On Sunday March 27th, they will holding their annual Alicia Baró Achievement Award banquet honoring Extraordinary Puerto Rican Women of Distinction.
Northern Illinois Chapter
Philadelphia Chapter December 2010 - January 2011-Collected funds for and Sponsored Three Kings Day for Centro Musical, Philadelphia, PA February 3, 2011-NACOPRW Philadelphia Chapter Board Induction Ceremony
SoCAL Chapter in Orange County hosted its 11th annual event “Christmas Parrandas” on December 4th in the Los Angeles County area. This event included traditional Puerto Rican food and bomba music. Three homes were selected to be hosts for this event.
De Aqui y de Alla New Hispanic Members of Congress Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl.)
First Latina Governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez The 51-year old Martinez served as Doña Ana, County District Attorney, for four terms in Albuquerque. She hails from Las Cruces and although elected as a Republican, she used to be a Democrat and graduated from the University of Oklahoma law school in 1986. She also served the Children, Youth and Families Department of New Mexico. She has said she opposes Arizona-style immigration laws. She is already being talked about as a possible Vice Presidential candidate. National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) They bemoaned the fact that since the Kennedy Center Honors were begun in 1978, only two Latinos have received their prestigious awards: Placido Domingo in 2000 and Chita Rivera in 2002. In 32 years, 160 artists have been honored by lifetime achievement awards excluding outstanding artists like Rita Hayworth, Fernando Llamas, Ricardo Montalban, Celia Cruz, Anthony Quinn, Raul Julia, Fernando Bujones, Kathy Jurado, Lalo Guerrero, Jose Ferrer, Luis Bunuel and Jose Limon. The organization submitted names of current Latino artists that could merit the award in literature, music, dance, and acting.
Puerto Rico Has Highest Prevalence of Asthma in the World The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that tens of thousands of children in the island suffer from asthma and that Puerto Rico has one of the highest asthma prevalence rates in the world. Children there are nearly 300 percent more likely to have the respiratory ailment than white non-Hispanic children in the continental United States. In the United States, Puerto Ricans have also been hit hard by asthma. Their attack rate is 2.5 times higher than for whites. Asthma is transmitted by mites, dust and spores unleashed by heavy rains that affect the 4 million population of the island. Despite decades of research, no one knows why Puerto Ricans are afflicted so much by this disease.
CREANDO LIDERATO Y preguntamos… ¿Cómo crear liderato? Entonces realizamos nuestra responsabilidad… Y nos entregamos a nuestra responsabilidad y nace el fruto… Es el fruto listo para la batalla… No te detengas, siempre hay algo nuevo que aprender.
NACOPRW Board of Directors Executive Committee Presidents/Delegates: Deborah Lopez, President, Chicago Enoelia Vega, President, Indiana Elizabeth Baez, President, Miami Vilma Colom, President, Northern Illinois Maria Teresa Centeno,President, NY Manhattan Quetcy Lozada, President, Philadelphia Minerva Machado, President, Socal Anna M. Rosario, President, D.C. Metro Sonia Collazo, President, Tampa |
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