 Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino |
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December 2005
December 2nd | Listen to the program
LIMITS TO VOTER REGISTRATION BY NON-PROFITS - The U.S. House of Representatives approved an initiative that puts non-profits in a dilemma: they either stop voter registration and civic participation promotion among low-income communities, or they lose federal funding. Those affected claim that the initiative is a blow to civil rights of the poor. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez files the report, narrated by Maria Eraña.
THE FOUR BOULDERS - The National Museum of the American Indian, repository of the largest collection of cultural and historic objects from the First Americans, opened its doors at the National Mall on the fall equinox, a time of traditional festivities that pay tribute to the earth. Large boulders located at the four cardinal directions are a reminder of all of the indigenous peoples of the hemisphere. This is the second installment of our series on the First Americans.
December 9th | Listen to the program
MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE - Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a measure that would have insured nearly 1 million California children. If the initiative had been approved, California would have followed the lead of Illinois and twenty other states that undertook similar measures to insure the most vulnerable. Children advocates vow to lobby for the initiative in the upcoming 2006 legislative process. In the meantime, uninsured families struggle to pay emergency and medical visits for their kids. In the first of a two part series, Ruben Tapia shares the story of two such families in Los Angeles.
THE FIRST AMERICANS - The rise of an indigenous president in a Latin American country, a Cheyenne Indian in the U.S. Senate, growing Indian movements in Bolivia and Mexico attest to the emergent political power for American Indian peoples in the hemisphere. This political reawakening is spawning new initiatives in areas such as Indian law and rights, Tribal sovereignty and self-determination and Indian literature. This is the third report of our series on the First Americans.
December 16th | Listen to the program
HEALTHY URBAN GROWTH - California’s Central Valley took an unprecedented step in the history of the nation’s air pollution legislation: it will impose fees on developers to halt the smog created by new commercial and residential complexes. Concerned over the rate of urban sprawl and fearing that the valley will become another Los Angeles, air quality authorities will demand that developers create tree-lined streets, paths for pedestrians and bicycle routes to avoid pollution. Alma Martinez was present at the public hearing in Fresno and shares details.
WE ALWAYS SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE - Centuries of opression and prohibition have wiped out dozens of American Indian languages from the continent and more are in danger. This report of our series on the First Americans, features Indigenous leaders thoughts on the debasting effects of globalization. The report narrates the fight of Indian communities to resist persecution, as they struggle to maintain their mother language and pass on the wisdom of their grandparents. Tiburcia Yocupicio is the narrator.
December 23rd | Listen to the program
PATIENT IN THE SHADOWS - In the state of Washington, public alarm arises after news spreads that a high-ranking public health official planned to turn a tuberculosis patient over to immigration authorities. After being alerted, the immigrant patient abandoned the location where he was kept under quarantine and went into hiding. Sara Shakir files the report.
MY SOUL - For centuries, American Indian communities have been forced to integrate, assimilate into the dominant society and deny their cultural identity. But a new generation is intensely searching for their lost identity, reconnecting to their past, and connecting with their communities. Tiburcia Yocupicio narrates the fourth report of our series on the First Americans.
December 30th | Listen to the program
HMONG NEW YEAR - The International Hmong New Year, the largest festivity celebrated by Hmongs world-wide concludes this weekend in Fresno, California. The celebration originated in Laos, located in Southeast Asia, during times of rest and family unification. Refugee farmers brough the tradition to the U.S. where it has become a multitudinous spectacle in which Hmongs from all over the world come together and where the traditional Kahti-ah meets modern hip-hop. Alma Martinez attended the festival and files the following report.
HEALING SONGS - American Indian healers draw on the wisdom of their ancestors to keep the spirits of their peoples alive and give strength to younger generations. Through song and ceremony, American Indian communities cleanse their souls, maintain good health and provide healing to the rest of the world. Tiburcia Yocupicio files this feature report, the last of a special series on the First Americans.