Bottoms Up !

cc photo of Flor de Jamaica courtesy of Omarsan on Flickr

Happy Summer Solstice everyone! I actually took a vacation in Cali by the ocean while my partner in crime was back here in Aztlan fighting the good fight! Well, still no update on that appropriation money for the Santa Rita Center. Never fear True Mexican will not give up on getting answers. We are just getting warmed up.

While on the beach and drinking lots of fermented blue agave, I started thinking about all the amazing plants we use in our culture and decided to do a little “Marta Sanchez” moment. We having been dealing with such intensity and before we start drilling candidates about why “Latinos” should vote for them I thought a bit of whimsy and a recipe might help.

Prove You're Worth the Latino Vote!

cc photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes on Flickr

In 1992, I helped lead a grassroots movement that proved the power of the youth vote. We proved, through Clinton's election, that grassroots organizing with youth could get a President elected. During Obama's campaign, the same strategy was used to get students voting and to try and win the Latino vote. It worked. However, with the 2010 election season running full speed, candidates seem to have forgotten how important the Latino vote is to their success. We are hoping to change that.

Are you Afraid?

It has been extremely quiet on our website after Vivi’s article on “Uncovering the Truth about the Santa Rita Center” What’s up? What’s going on? Are people having shame? Are you afraid? Well I am angry. We are getting no response from Democratic leadership. No response from Chicanos por La Causa. Vivi and I are going to take our next moves from the Zapatista playbook. Be watching for two extremely attractive women wearing brown sequined bandanas covering their faces putting up signs in your neighborhood. God forbid that you are an elected official with a big picture of Cesar Chavez covering your office walls or an agency with a mural of Cesar smiling down on you. Please respond to our request to call your US Representatives and others to complain about this. Please let us know if you get a response!

Your Stories: Papers Please, a Poem by Donald Larkin

Papers Please

Burning crosses and the canyon state
Brown eyed children and the laws of hate
There’s a bridge in Selma over deep deep waters.
Arizona, do you hate your sons and daughters?

Uncovering the Truth About the Santa Rita Center

The Santa Rita Center is where Cesar Chavez did his famous 24-day fast here in Phoenix.

In my naive mind, I thought the Santa Rita Center would be a community center with lots of pictures of Cesar Chavez and the Mexican-American political movement. Instead, I found a forgotten piece of American history with holes in the roof which let the rain pour in. I found the tiny room where Cesar fasted now holding cleaning supplies and junk. What broke my heart even more was to learn that Chicanos por la Causa (CPLC) have owned the property since 2007. How can an organization which holds a huge painting of Cesar being carted out of the Santa Rita Center after his fast, not have its renovation as one of its number one priorities? And with the looks of the center, it needs to be on the fast track to funding priority. I asked for Cesar's guidance and so began our journey.

Artist Frank Gonzales Even Turns Magazine Covers into Mexican Art

"I couldn't help myself," he said, "sorry M.I.A......well, it was going to get thrown anyway."

This is what he does with a sharpie and magazine cover. Wait until you see what he does with paint and a canvas. We'll be highlighting his work here soon. In the mean time, please visit his site and blog for his latest work. This was just too good not to pass on to the masses.

Enjoy

Beauty and the Bitch Reviews Our Cavavera Goat's Milk Soap

Here's a link to the great review. How very excited we were to get such a raving review from a site that does not give high fives very often. That chick is strict!

Calavera Goat's Milk Soap

Our goat's milk soap is hand milled with added Shea butter, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla and honey. The recipe is based on the traditional hot chocolate of the Aztecs minus the chili. While chili would add to the superb scent, it is too harsh for the skin. Besides smelling delicious, the soap does not have harsh chemicals and artificial additives.  Each calavera (skull) is about 4 ounces of soap which produces a lovely, rich lather. True Mexican makes no medical claims about this product or any of the ingredients discussed. Each 4-ounce skull is $6 including shipping.

Visit our store to order yours today.