Raul Ramos y Sanchez's Blog, page 23
March 7, 2011
On the Radio Today
I will be on the radio today on KPFK in Los Angeles with the host of Strategy Session, Antonio Gonzalez.* We'll be discussing my novels and how they relate to the heated immigration debate and the often misunderstood Latino identity. Strategy Session is a widely respected, in-depth program on politics and policy. Hope you can join us.
KPFK Strategy SessionWeekly show on politics and policyhosted by Antonio Gonzalez*
Monday, March 7, 20114:30pm Pacific Time - 7:30pm Eastern Time
Listen LiveOnline at http://www.kpfk.org/listen-live.htmlOn the air in Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM
*Antonio Gonzalez is President of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, the largest and oldest non-partisan Latino voter participation organization in the U.S.founded in 1974.
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KPFK Strategy SessionWeekly show on politics and policyhosted by Antonio Gonzalez*
Monday, March 7, 20114:30pm Pacific Time - 7:30pm Eastern TimeListen LiveOnline at http://www.kpfk.org/listen-live.htmlOn the air in Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM
*Antonio Gonzalez is President of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, the largest and oldest non-partisan Latino voter participation organization in the U.S.founded in 1974.
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February 26, 2011
CNN en Español interview with subtitles
Here is the English-subtitled interview on CNN en Español with anchor Juan Carlos Lopez that aired February 23, 2011 on DirectoUSA's "Latino en America" segment.
TRANSCRIPT
CNN en Español - DirectoUSA
Aired February 23, 2011
JCL:
Speaking about the experiences of many Hispanics in the nation today, we have an interesting story about an author … a marketing expert, a man who knows the United States and the Latino community and also hosts a website that documents the immigrant experience in the United States. Joining me from Los Angeles is Raul Ramos y Sanchez, the author of a trilogy of books.
Raul, let's talk about your books. The first is America Libre. The second, which I have in my hands, is House Divided. This book paints a fascinating panorama about Hispanics and their future in the United States. Where did the idea for this trilogy arise?
RRS:
The trilogy began when I was working on a public television film that, unfortunately, I was not able to find the funding to produce. But I had a lot of research that I had gathered from professors and so I looked for another way to communicate this research. So I began with a novel. That novel took a direction completely different than the film. And that was the foundation of the books. From the beginning, I imagined it as a trilogy because I felt it was a story that would take generations to evolve.
JCL:
When one reads House Divided, your most recent book, the protagonist is Mano Suarez, a decorated military veteran who is part of the Hispanics in the United States interned inside U.S. cities and not permitted to leave because they want to create their own nation.
RRS:
Yes, the story centers on Manolo Suarez and his family. The time is the near-future, a time when many social trends we are seeing now have gotten much worse. During the course of the story, Mano changes from a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army to the point where, by the end of the first book, America Libre, Manolo has been transformed from a loyal third-generation citizen who barely speaks Spanish to a rebel with the goal of creating a Latino nation within the borders of the United States. How that type of transformation could happen is the social theme that is the foundation of the books.
JCL:
You host an Internet forum called MyImmigrationStory.com. How have your books been received and how is the debate within that forum at a time when immigration continues as a topic of discussion where many immigrants feel their support is not accurately represented.
RRS:
It's horrible. The site gives one the opportunity to hear from immigrants in their own voices. These are people who are suffering under this immigration system that in reality does not work — it does not allow people who want to come here and who want to work, to contribute to society. Moreover, in many corners of the country these immigrants are treated like criminals and demons, which is actually quite the opposite of reality.
At the same time, I feel the image portrayed in many parts of the media is that Latino and immigrant have become the same word. For that reason, my books, America Libre and House Divided, show how that hatred directed toward undocumented immigrants could become a force for the radicalization of all Latinos. And that's part of the story. The books imagine a future where what's going on in the country now evolves into something similar to what's happened with the Basques in Spain, the Balkans, the Chechens in Russia—in other words, an ethnic conflict. Because we have a situation brewing in this country that could become very similar and I want to give a warning so that it does not happen. And also show how it's possible we could get from here to there.
JCL:
What is the next step? How does the trilogy end? And when I was reading the book, I saw this as a film. Will we see this in a movie theater?
RRS:
Well, we're in the process to see if we can make a deal that will make that possible. The third book is called Pancho Land. That's the name the soldiers facing the Latino rebels give them. Because all soldiers give their enemies nicknames, like Charlie in Viet Nam or Krauts for the Germans, the soldiers call the Latino insurgents Panchos. By the third book, the Panchos hold their own territory which remains in dispute. I don't want to say more about the book. But I will say that, at the end, we find a peaceful resolution and an outcome that I hope most people would see as positive.
JCL:
Thank you, Raul. Author Raul Ramos y Sanchez joins us from Los Angeles
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TRANSCRIPT
CNN en Español - DirectoUSA
Aired February 23, 2011
JCL:
Speaking about the experiences of many Hispanics in the nation today, we have an interesting story about an author … a marketing expert, a man who knows the United States and the Latino community and also hosts a website that documents the immigrant experience in the United States. Joining me from Los Angeles is Raul Ramos y Sanchez, the author of a trilogy of books.
Raul, let's talk about your books. The first is America Libre. The second, which I have in my hands, is House Divided. This book paints a fascinating panorama about Hispanics and their future in the United States. Where did the idea for this trilogy arise?
RRS:
The trilogy began when I was working on a public television film that, unfortunately, I was not able to find the funding to produce. But I had a lot of research that I had gathered from professors and so I looked for another way to communicate this research. So I began with a novel. That novel took a direction completely different than the film. And that was the foundation of the books. From the beginning, I imagined it as a trilogy because I felt it was a story that would take generations to evolve.
JCL:
When one reads House Divided, your most recent book, the protagonist is Mano Suarez, a decorated military veteran who is part of the Hispanics in the United States interned inside U.S. cities and not permitted to leave because they want to create their own nation.
RRS:
Yes, the story centers on Manolo Suarez and his family. The time is the near-future, a time when many social trends we are seeing now have gotten much worse. During the course of the story, Mano changes from a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army to the point where, by the end of the first book, America Libre, Manolo has been transformed from a loyal third-generation citizen who barely speaks Spanish to a rebel with the goal of creating a Latino nation within the borders of the United States. How that type of transformation could happen is the social theme that is the foundation of the books.
JCL:
You host an Internet forum called MyImmigrationStory.com. How have your books been received and how is the debate within that forum at a time when immigration continues as a topic of discussion where many immigrants feel their support is not accurately represented.
RRS:
It's horrible. The site gives one the opportunity to hear from immigrants in their own voices. These are people who are suffering under this immigration system that in reality does not work — it does not allow people who want to come here and who want to work, to contribute to society. Moreover, in many corners of the country these immigrants are treated like criminals and demons, which is actually quite the opposite of reality.
At the same time, I feel the image portrayed in many parts of the media is that Latino and immigrant have become the same word. For that reason, my books, America Libre and House Divided, show how that hatred directed toward undocumented immigrants could become a force for the radicalization of all Latinos. And that's part of the story. The books imagine a future where what's going on in the country now evolves into something similar to what's happened with the Basques in Spain, the Balkans, the Chechens in Russia—in other words, an ethnic conflict. Because we have a situation brewing in this country that could become very similar and I want to give a warning so that it does not happen. And also show how it's possible we could get from here to there.
JCL:
What is the next step? How does the trilogy end? And when I was reading the book, I saw this as a film. Will we see this in a movie theater?
RRS:
Well, we're in the process to see if we can make a deal that will make that possible. The third book is called Pancho Land. That's the name the soldiers facing the Latino rebels give them. Because all soldiers give their enemies nicknames, like Charlie in Viet Nam or Krauts for the Germans, the soldiers call the Latino insurgents Panchos. By the third book, the Panchos hold their own territory which remains in dispute. I don't want to say more about the book. But I will say that, at the end, we find a peaceful resolution and an outcome that I hope most people would see as positive.
JCL:
Thank you, Raul. Author Raul Ramos y Sanchez joins us from Los Angeles
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February 23, 2011
National TV Interview on CNN en Español Today
Today, Wednesday February 23rd
6pm Eastern Time - 3pm Pacific Time
Hope you can catch my TV interview about HOUSE DIVIDED with anchor Juan Carlos Lopez on:
CNN en Español's DirectoUSA
It runs in a segment called "Latino en America" in the second half hour.
DirecTV Channel 419
Dish Network Channel 859
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6pm Eastern Time - 3pm Pacific Time
Hope you can catch my TV interview about HOUSE DIVIDED with anchor Juan Carlos Lopez on:
CNN en Español's DirectoUSA
It runs in a segment called "Latino en America" in the second half hour.
DirecTV Channel 419
Dish Network Channel 859
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February 14, 2011
An American's Letter to Egypt
Today, I'd like to post an essay by friend Randy Rogers, songwriter, newspaper columnist, and small-town boy living in Minden, Louisiana.
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An American's Letter to Egypt
by Randy RogersI hope I speak for most Americans when I say how very proud we are of you, Egypt. Many of us watched on TV as your men, women, and children poured into the streets and, without firing a shot, fought and won your freedom from tyranny. We don't have your pyramids and our culture is not as old as yours. It was just a couple hundred years ago that we kicked out our tyrant. It's not been easy since then. We've fought wars, home and abroad, and are still fighting them to protect ourselves and the beliefs that we hold to be self evident. So now that you've found freedom, Egypt, what do you plan to do with it? How do you plan to protect it? Some in your neck of the world don't appreciate the freedoms we extend to women. How do you plan to handle that? You'll soon begin the process of writing a constitution. When it came time to write our constitution, our founding fathers didn't want to just give lip service to freedom. They put it in writing. The preamble to our constitution begins with "We the people." That's because we believe that we granted ourselves freedom first and, as long as they behave themselves, only loaned it to the government. It was never the other way around. Human nature being what it is, we put in place a system of checks and balances to make sure that absolute power doesn't corrupt absolutely. Many an elected official has been voted out of office because, somewhere along the line, they decided to put "me" ahead of we, the people. Freedom cannot just be the absence of tyranny; it must exist in a climate of tolerance. America is a nation founded on tolerance. Believing in the notion that ours is a government of laws, and not of men, is what sustains us.As guaranteed in the first amendment to our constitution, here are our five freedoms:Speech – our people have the right to speak freely without government interference.Press – our press has the right to publish news, information and opinions without government interference. Religion – our people have the right to practice, or not practice, any faith without government interference.Petition – our people have the right to petition their government in favor or against any policy they see fit.Assembly – our people have the right to peaceably gather in public, join, and associate with groups and organizations without interference from the government.Great Britain's Former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, once said about America that you can sum up the worth of a country by seeing how many people want to get in rather than out. For all our shortcomings, every day, people come to our country seeking a better life for their families. At the base of our Statue of Liberty it reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." She is our beacon of freedom. Egypt, now that you breathe free, what will serve as your beacon? Will you lift your torch to all regardless of race, gender, creed, or color? Will you be a nation of exclusion or tolerance? Congratulations, Egypt. You now have the freedom to be either.
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An American's Letter to Egypt
by Randy RogersI hope I speak for most Americans when I say how very proud we are of you, Egypt. Many of us watched on TV as your men, women, and children poured into the streets and, without firing a shot, fought and won your freedom from tyranny. We don't have your pyramids and our culture is not as old as yours. It was just a couple hundred years ago that we kicked out our tyrant. It's not been easy since then. We've fought wars, home and abroad, and are still fighting them to protect ourselves and the beliefs that we hold to be self evident. So now that you've found freedom, Egypt, what do you plan to do with it? How do you plan to protect it? Some in your neck of the world don't appreciate the freedoms we extend to women. How do you plan to handle that? You'll soon begin the process of writing a constitution. When it came time to write our constitution, our founding fathers didn't want to just give lip service to freedom. They put it in writing. The preamble to our constitution begins with "We the people." That's because we believe that we granted ourselves freedom first and, as long as they behave themselves, only loaned it to the government. It was never the other way around. Human nature being what it is, we put in place a system of checks and balances to make sure that absolute power doesn't corrupt absolutely. Many an elected official has been voted out of office because, somewhere along the line, they decided to put "me" ahead of we, the people. Freedom cannot just be the absence of tyranny; it must exist in a climate of tolerance. America is a nation founded on tolerance. Believing in the notion that ours is a government of laws, and not of men, is what sustains us.As guaranteed in the first amendment to our constitution, here are our five freedoms:Speech – our people have the right to speak freely without government interference.Press – our press has the right to publish news, information and opinions without government interference. Religion – our people have the right to practice, or not practice, any faith without government interference.Petition – our people have the right to petition their government in favor or against any policy they see fit.Assembly – our people have the right to peaceably gather in public, join, and associate with groups and organizations without interference from the government.Great Britain's Former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, once said about America that you can sum up the worth of a country by seeing how many people want to get in rather than out. For all our shortcomings, every day, people come to our country seeking a better life for their families. At the base of our Statue of Liberty it reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." She is our beacon of freedom. Egypt, now that you breathe free, what will serve as your beacon? Will you lift your torch to all regardless of race, gender, creed, or color? Will you be a nation of exclusion or tolerance? Congratulations, Egypt. You now have the freedom to be either.
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February 11, 2011
A Tribute for Susana Chavez
A Tribute & Memorial in honor of Susana ChavezCiudad Juarez Artistand Activist
Saturday, February 127pm to 9pm
Eastside Cafe5469 Huntington Dr. N.Los Angeles, CA 90032
FeaturingGloria Alvarez, endy,Ofelia Esparza,Consuelo Flores,Adolfo Guzman Lopez,& moreFollowed by open mic
Please join artists and activists across the world in a solidarity protest against the injustices in Ciudad Juarez. Los Angeles poets speak out and mourn the loss of Susana Chavez, poet and Juarez activist who was tortured and murdered January 2011 in Chihuahua City, Mexico. She was the poet whose words "Ni Una Mas" are the banner activists have carried the past 17 years while seeking justice for women who have been brutalized in Ciudad Juarez. Read more here.
Read Susanna's blog.
For info: victoriadelgadillo@yahoo.com
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Saturday, February 127pm to 9pm
Eastside Cafe5469 Huntington Dr. N.Los Angeles, CA 90032
FeaturingGloria Alvarez, endy,Ofelia Esparza,Consuelo Flores,Adolfo Guzman Lopez,& moreFollowed by open mic
Please join artists and activists across the world in a solidarity protest against the injustices in Ciudad Juarez. Los Angeles poets speak out and mourn the loss of Susana Chavez, poet and Juarez activist who was tortured and murdered January 2011 in Chihuahua City, Mexico. She was the poet whose words "Ni Una Mas" are the banner activists have carried the past 17 years while seeking justice for women who have been brutalized in Ciudad Juarez. Read more here. Read Susanna's blog.
For info: victoriadelgadillo@yahoo.com
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February 10, 2011
Radio Interview - Pocho Hour Of Power on KPFK in Los Angeles
Nationally-syndicated cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, one of the hosts on the Pocho Hour of Power on KPFK in Los Angeles, has invited me to discuss my second novel HOUSE DIVIDED and its cautionary tale of an ethnic conflict spawned by repressive laws and right wing violence. You can listen on the air at 90.7 FM or online at the link below from anywhere. Friday, February 114PM Pacific Time - 7PM Eastern Time
LISTEN LIVE IN LOS ANGELES at 90.7 FM
LISTEN LIVE ONLINE FROM ANYWHERE
Click here
Hope you can join us!Raul Ramos y Sanchez
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February 8, 2011
The right says media is biased -- and I agree
The U.S. right is adamant in claiming a leftward bias in the mainstream media. But if you examine the racial presumptions inherent in much of the old media's reporting, you'll find a bias that more closely matches the nativist leanings of the far right.
A recent article from that bastion of the mainstream media the New York Times illustrates my point.
"Among Nation's Youngest, Analysis Finds Fewer Whites" examines elementary and pre-school enrollments by racial category and concludes that "white" children are now less than a majority of students.
Inherent is this report is the assumption that the United States is divided into four races: White, Black, Asian and Hispanic. But when we examine each of these categories, their absurdity because obvious.
White: People with similar phenotypes with origins from a vast number of countries speaking different languages
Hispanic: People with a vast variety of phenotypes with origins from Spanish-speaking countries
Asian: People with similar phenotypes from nations speaking different languages -- except for those from India who have completely different phenotypes but are still included as Asian.
Black: Anyone who has a single ancestor of Sub-Saharan African descent, regardless of any other ancestry -- except when the ancestor is from a Spanish-speaking nation, which then makes them Hispanic.
Reporting based on these racial assumptions is not only inaccurate, it also stirs irrational fears. And it is inherently racist.
At one time, Jews, Irish, Italians and even Germans were considered "non-white" in North America. Today, all these groups have lost their outsider status and have been transformed into "whites". Rather than report on scientific data which shows most racial differences are illusory social constructs, the mainstream media fuels commonly held misconceptions by dividing people into these arbitrary groups.
All of us fear change. Moreover, the idea "race" evokes powerful feelings. When you consider that the mainstream media continually churns out reports like these, it's little wonder we've seen a surge in a U.S. nativist movement and a growth in supremacist hate groups. Support for the Tea Party and for divisive laws like Arizona's controversial SB1070 are in large part fed by mainstream media reporting that is inherently racist.
Do I believe the editors and reporters at the New York Times are closet Nazis? I'll leave that kind of nuttiness to the birther wing of the GOP. However, I do believe the staff of most mainstream media sources have a huge blind spot when it comes to reporting on race. They are steeped in a mindset that divides the nation into arbitrary groups with little basis in fact.
So when the right claims the mainstream media is biased, I must reluctantly agree.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
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February 3, 2011
Will Arizona be flying the Stars and Bars soon?
Just when you think Arizona has gone too far in their journey into wing nut territory, they prove us wrong again.
The latest from Phoenix: SB 1433, a new piece of legislation that creates a panel which can decide which federal laws Arizona can ignore -- past or present. There was once a similar move adopted by several states. They called themselves the Confederacy.
More details here from the Tucson Citizen.
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The latest from Phoenix: SB 1433, a new piece of legislation that creates a panel which can decide which federal laws Arizona can ignore -- past or present. There was once a similar move adopted by several states. They called themselves the Confederacy.
More details here from the Tucson Citizen.
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February 2, 2011
Super Saturday February 5th - Three events in one day
I'm calling it Super Saturday, the busiest single day so far in my writing career.
As part of the launch of HOUSE DIVIDED, this coming Saturday February 5th, I will appear on two radio shows and hold a book signing/Q&A in one day.
We'll be discussing immigration reform, the effects of laws like Arizona's controversial SB1070 on relations between Latinos and the mainstream plus the often misunderstood Hispanic identity. I hope you can join us at any or all of these events.
7:00 AM Eastern TimeRadio Interview WVXU – Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati Edition hosted by Mark PerzelListen online
12:00 Noon Eastern TimeRadio Interview WEUS – Orlando, FloridaYo Soy Latino hosted by Jose Miranda (In English)Live call in show – 404-774-1085Listen online
2:00 PM Eastern TimeBook Signing & Q&A at Borders – Dayton, OH Location & driving directionsRaul Ramos y Sanchez
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Super Saturday February 5th - Three events in one day!
I'm calling it Super Saturday, the busiest single day so far in my writing career.
As part of the launch of HOUSE DIVIDED, this coming Saturday February 5th, I will appear on two radio shows and hold a book signing/Q&A in one day.
We'll be discussing immigration reform, the effects of laws like Arizona's controversial SB1070 on relations between Latinos and the mainstream plus the often misunderstood Hispanic identity. I hope you can join us at any or all of these events.
7:00 AM Eastern TimeRadio Interview WVXU – Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati Edition hosted by Mark PerzelListen online
12:00 Noon Eastern TimeRadio Interview WEUS – Orlando, FloridaYo Soy Latino hosted by Jose Miranda (In English)Live call in show – 404-774-1085Listen online
2:00 PM Eastern TimeBook Signing & Q&A at Borders – Dayton, OH Location & driving directionsRaul Ramos y Sanchez
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