This Blog is D.C.-Bound!

Yes, I'm going to be one of those crazy people you see on teevee at the inauguration freezing my desert-rat tail off. We're having low/mid-70 weather here and that will certainly not be the same environment I find when I step off the plane Friday night at National Airport.

Still, I. Can't. Wait.

I passed up the opportunity to go to the convention in Denver last August and promised myself that if Obama won, I would definitely be present at the inauguration. I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that it all shook out the way I hoped. It was bizarre to have the person I voted for actually win the presidency!

That being said, I've never considered President-Elect Obama a savior figure, as some on the right would characature. One of the biggest things that earned my respect during his campaign was his call to empowerment of the people. I honestly feel that the new activist base he's tapped in to must hold him and all power brokers accountable to the ways the policies of the government affect us all in the streets. There has been such a disconnect, especially over the past eight'ish years, that unless that whole relationship is repaired and mutual respect given back to The People (La Raza Cosmica...ahem), the democratic system in the U.S. will be forever tainted.

I'm honored, and frankly borderline giddy, for this moment in history.

The day after the inauguration I will be joining other human rights activists in the nation's capital for a show of solidarity.

A New Day for Immigration

We are living in a historic moment of change.

The election of Barack Obama has given the country renewed hope for just and humane immigration reform and worker justice.

On January 21st, we will celebrate a new America. We want to transform our society so that workers don't have to fear raids, families stay together, and no one lives in the shadows. We want workers to have the freedom to organize and demand fundamental change. Everyone in this country must be entitled to dignity and due process. Our country must welcome the contributions and cultures of immigrants from all over the world, and celebrate the vitality they bring to our country.

In our new America, we work together to rebuild our economy based on solutions that put the needs of workers, tenants and homeowners at the center of policy making. We need to heal the wounds wrought by 8 years of punitive immigration policies, end the raids, unjust deportations, and neighborhood sweeps that have terrorized immigrant communities and separated our families.

Join us on the first day of the new administration to celebrate this historic moment, and to renew our commitment to realizing just and humane immigration reform.

full details at A New Day For Immigration

I'm also planning to party while I'm in D.C. (who wouldn't?).

On Sunday I will be attending the 2009 Latino Inaugural Gala featuring a slew of amazing musical artists like War, Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Lila Downs, Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony and others. I bought a ticket last week and then learned today that I won a raffle through Voto Latino for a pair of tickets at their invitation, so I will be able to bring my friend that I'm staying with for the week. Very excited for it and very appreciative to the generosity and hard work of the good people at Voto Latino who continue their work to empower and engage voters to participate in the civic process.

I'm also planning on going to the Netroots Nation YES WE CAN Party on Monday night, rendevousing with several friends that I've met online and some in real life as an extension of my blogging. As you can see, it will be a busy week of networking, celebrating, marching and living!

Stay tuned...

Liveblogging the "Dos Centavos" Latino Blogger Panel

Live from Austin, Texas in Room 19 at Netroots Nation. This post will be updated as the session goes. I'll finalize it afterwards with all kinds of linky goodness.

Matt Ortega, Moderator:

Two questions he gets the most 1) who are the latino bloggers and 2) what are they writing about?

The perspective you'll get is on a more human level. Don't cover polls or horserace politics so much, but rather on the people and how many communities are affected. Many wear the cultura on their sleeve in the writing and design of sites.

Regarding immigration, we are trying to point out that it is more than a "latino issue" - it affects many different communities.

Panelists are giving introductions. Information for all of them is here.

Discussing how our communities care about many issues, like education, healthcare, the war in Iraq, immigration, etc. just like the greater community, but it affects us in a specific way. Drop out rates, lack of latinos in college, women and the abuse seen in ICE detentions, are some examples.

Question: What brought you to blogging?

Mynor Rodriguez: ironically, it had nothing to do with being a latino, but rather speaking out to bigger civil rights issues that affect many communities. "sometimes you have punch a bully in the face" - in 2003 budgets for prevention were cut and it affected communities.

Edmundo Rocha: researcher by heart, noticed that alot of blogs would post snippets of articles and comment. Interested in seeing what was behind a story, what caused certain things. Got more involved with ePluribusMedia, doing some background research on various stories. People were talking about healthcare, but not about how bad it was in the sense of the hispanic community. "I am one of the statistics" - of people who don't have coverage. Trying to get role models out there. We got sucked in to the immigration debate with the Sensenbrenner Bill (HR4437). Nonprofits in the barrios were being targeted in his area.

Marisa Treviño: wanted to get a Latina perspective out there. After the immigration bills came out, we got sucked in. Question: do you see gender barriers? Answer: very elitist attitude when it comes to Op/Ed boards. Thankful for the blogosphere, because we are able to write in our voice, and not something that may be expected from a mainstream sources. There are some big blogs out there that could probably use more diversity. As far as writing, doors are opening more in the blogosphere than in the traditional media.

Question: do you believe the internet is colorblind?

Edmundo Rocha: it depends on your blog name. If you go by XicanoPwr, then that's not being blind. It depends on how you approach stuff. Follow-up question: do you think it should be colorblind? Progressive movement is inclusive.

Mynor Rodriguez: it's difficult when you're typecasted. You are limited by the greater blogosphere on your credibility when you want to talk about different topics.

Matt Ortega: human nature feature going on here, where people are organizing and being attracted to others who have similar interests and backgrounds.

Marisa Treviño: we are reaching a point in the latino blogosphere where we are asking "do we want to be bloggers who are latino or latino bloggers". It's something I ran in to in mainstream journalist. Wanted to just be a family columnist, but the editor said that he didn't have a 'latina columnist' - at first it put me in a corner, only comment like that, but you end up learning that all issues have an impact on the latino community. not represented very much in traditional media or the blogosphere.

Edmundo Rocha: I started out general. Wanted to use research skills on the inside stories, background. Asks why links were always sent out to the same people.

Matt Ortega: Perceptions of latinos as homogenous group. If you just listen to the panelists today, you see that we are very diverse within our own community. Mexicans and Cubans, etc. Thinks a lot about backgrounds. We have black latinos, asian latinos, etc. When the 2008 Election gets talked about, it's like we are talked about as one big group. Will we all vote one way or the other? Never gets talked about how anti-war we are, often patriotic, many serve in the military. Many come from disadvantaged communities, and one way to get an education is to join the military.

Mynor Rodriguez: The first casualty of the Iraq War was a latino. Many of our values are the same, religion has a lot to do with it. But we are a very diverse people. We've been lumped in, for better or worse. Cubans are going to be different because they have a very different American experience. Mexicans who have been here and had the border cross them have a different view of this country. Salvadorans in New York, etc. Perhaps that's what we need to do with our blogs, to give that perspective.

Marisa Treviño: That's a good point, but there is some type of pride involved when we see a latino/latina from any group win an Olympic event, for example. We'll take credit!

Edmundo Rocha: taking credit can also being dangerous. Alberto Gonzales is an example. How far do we take credit? We have to ask hard questions like do we have to censor our voices in order to be able to get on the media. How do we bring in the community as a whole.

Matt Ortega: focus of a lot of the latino blogosphere is on detention centers, the marches, many things that fell through the cracks of the greater media. Many latino bloggers worked to get the information out. What are your thoughts in getting the content out to pick up steam?

Marisa Treviño: The reason that many of our blogs exist is out of frustration. It is often a response to what we see is not receiving notice from the mainstream press. When first started, would write the post, email the person she wrote about it. Linking is important, people who have empathy on what we're writing about. Most of the blogs I read, deal with issues that are frustrating us all. That common bond, if you will.

Mynor Rodriguez: Mentions Markos being a latino. Mixed-race American. Platforms where we have such an audience like DailyKos. Opinion-makers, politicians, etc. finally gotten to the point where people are paying attention. Traditional media has failed us the seven years. We've taken it upon ourselves to get the news out.

Edmundo Rocha: Detention centers were picked up. But conditions have not changed. Out at the Hutto facility, protests have been covered by us. We can put a human face on what's happening. Trad/media doesn't want to hear about immigrants being detained in vans without airconditioning, or 13 people sharing one bottle of water, women being stripsearched in front of men, having to use the bathroom with the door open. When I blog, I blog for them. No one is listening to them. The traditional media just writes their little thing. Goes back to balance, spoke to one gentleman who was afraid of talking because of fear of ICE. Didn't want his wife deported. Stories like these that need to be told. But what's the shelf life?

Matt Ortega: problems with disgusting comments at some of the progressive blogosphere when it comes to immigration/pro-migrant threads. Can't believe they call themselves progressives, broader implications. This issue has been tied to latinos, we don't grasp why these things happen. Many want to just put a stop-gap instead of solving issues. When we go out to the greater progressive blogosphere, it becomes difficult. "Illegals" get blamed for everything.

Mynor Rodriguez: Tactic of divide and conquer has been done for ages. Many Texas laws have been proposed to blame migrant and latino communities for all the ills. Stopped making arguments to them on a moral basis, they're not listening, but rather make pragmatic arguments at them. "How are you going to deport 12 million people when the government couldn't even evacuate New Orleans."

Edmundo Rocha: It's not just policy reform, it's about media reform. Nightly news has a narrative about crime that is racist. Names are Ortega, Rodriguez, etc. We are lumped in by the greater media. Public opinion is based on what people see, so we need reform our media.

Marisa Treviño and Mynor Rodriguez: Think it's a lost cause to get the traditional media to reform, but there are goals we can set to accomplish something. Push them on identifyiers: don't use "illegal". because they are not saying "people without papers", they are saying something far different.

Matt Ortega: New topic - Sees more latino faces getting involved in campaigns. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns are training many more community organizes. Hopes to see a new generation of latinos running for office and getting involved. Examples of City Councilman who won a race at age 22.

Before Q&A, want to let everyone know about www.LatinoNetroots.com which is a good aggregator. Other site is The Sanctuary. It's a pro-migrant site that was started by a group of latino bloggers. A place for people to come together and support one another without fear of racist and nativist comments.

Comment from the crowd: I'm Half Persian/Half Mexican - Two of the most forceful advocates in San Antonio for latinos is a white guy and another is a black guy. Looking around the room, there are many different people here, important that we have a seat at the table, a presence. We shouldn't be typecasted to talking about immigration, baseball and Catholicism. Hutto Facility is no different than Guantanamo.

Lisa from Mothertalkers: how close are latino pundits and public voices to the Democrats? We should have a presence in the way GOP puts latino faces on TV. It would solidify latinos as a constituency when someone like us is able to speak. We need to get Leslie Sanchez, other CHC members to be more presence.

Michael Signorile: we have to inter-connect. We have to work together on campaigns. An example regarding a coordinated attack on the word "illegal"

From the crowd: what are your thoughts on Bill Richardson's campaign and the fact that he may possibly be a vice presidential selection for Barack Obama?

Mynor Rodriguez: I believe he is one of the most qualified Americans to be President.

Matt Ortega: he is one of the most genuine people I've ever met in politics. Thinks he is qualified for any number of posts.

Comment from crowd: Regarding Bill Richardson, he has had problems in the past regarding the Wen Ho Lee. Same problems that migrants face.

Regarding Alberto Gonzales, we have to hold each other accountable, too.

Marisa Treviño: We are still at the point where we are very independent. We have to learn how to come together and support when we have a qualified candidate.

Matt Ortega: thankful to everyone for attending. Genuinely showing interest in what we are doing.

Mynor Rodriguez - wants to give a plug to Juan Garcia down in Corpus Cristi who has been able to build coalitions. Keep an eye on him.

[UPDATE] Matt Ortega has the video feed from the panel up at his blog.

Netroots Nation - Jueves Update

This morning after registering, I and my roommate made our way to the Scholarship Caucus with the peeps at Democracy for America. It was a basic chair circle meet and greet type thing with some amazing work being done. You can check out everyone's profiles and their affiliate organizations and blogs here.

Right outside of our gathering space in the hallway was this amazingly powerful display:

kossack kainah created this display with the handwritten names of all the fallen service men and women in Iraq. Powerful stuff, especially when you think about how much longer of a hallway they would need if all the casualties from this war-of-choice were able to be quantified.

After I spent a few minutes there, I walked outside where chaos was ensuing Texas-style. A live country artist was performing for a growing crowd of people, awaiting the arrival of Gov. Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic Party. I joked earlier that today is Howard Dean Appreciate Day at Netroots Nation, and really, that's the truth. He's like the pied piper for many of these bloggers, they'd follow him straight out to sea.

Dean is a great speaker, and I think he's doing worthy work to transform the Democratic Party; but I also see the need for party bosses to do more to craft their message in a way that doesn't make White America the default mode of operation. His comment that they have different sets of pictures available in case an activist is walking a neighborhood that doesn't quite look like the photos they were given, made me bust out in laughter at the ridiculousness of the way it sounded to my ears.

Lordy, lots of work to do!

Coming up: Blogs United Caucus and the Latino Caucus (which, incidentally, is scheduled for the same time as the Black Caucus; we may have to do some political jujitsu and combine the groups to show some solidarity)

More Later...

Checking In From Netroots Nation

I arrived about 11pm last night at the hotel in downtown Austin. Right outside the main lobby was this bus, which was begging to be defiled. We managed to control ourselves and behave. All bets are off for the rest of the week, though. jejeje

For those of you in Twitterdom, I'm trying to put up regular tweets here. Also, you can see all the posts coming from participants by checking out the #NN08 tag.

The good thing about conferences like this is when you meet people who say things like "I hate politics," followed by announcing that they are the field director for a presidential campaign for overseas voters in Asia. Terri has asked that if we know overseas voters, send them to VoteFromAbroad.org so they can get information on how to register and get more involved in the civics of this country from beyond its borders.

Alright, will be checking in later. Hasta tarde, blogamig@s

On the Eve of Netroots Nation

I'm almost done packing for my trip to Austin, Texas for the Netroots Nation convention, which was made possible by a scholarship through Democracy for America (the obligatory commercial, heh). I've already talked about three sessions that I'm looking forward to, outlined in this post, but I wanted to take a moment to discuss some thoughts that have been stewing in my head and heart the past couple of weeks.

The greater progressive blogosphere still has a lot of work to do in order to reach out and respect bloggers of color and so-called "single-issue bloggers". I've already heard some language touting how scholarship recipients are diverse and intended to add brown voices and faces to the crowd in Austin. While I think that's a worthy goal, and I'm certainly greatful for the selection and opportunity to attend, comments like that send an immediate shiver down my spine.

We need to get to a point where our voices and viewpoints are not just incorporated but given trust and responsibility for portions of the program at events like Netroots Nation - given input and leadership roles, you know, as colleagues. It still feels more like a handout, like we're just being asked to assist and assimilate instead of being seen as an integral part of what progressive blogging is all about.

I understand that a big part of it is the differences in mission. Netroots Nation, which has a different name this year, is still organized like Yearly Kos was in the past, just with a different title. DailyKos' mission is partisan in nature and while our goals largely overlap, they don't always do so due to many Democrats who hold offensive positions to many people of color and "single-issue bloggers". As someone who has written extensively on immigration issues over the past few years, I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to crosspost entries at DKos, but hold off because I don't want to deal with the onslaught of comments from posters that don't understand where I, or many people that I deal with everyday in my community, come from.

That being said, it is a two-way street. I consider it my responsibility to build coalitions and relationships with groups and people that will ultimately bring about a more just and humane society. If anyone or any group is willing to listen and embrace what I have to say on these things, then I consider it a blessing to be there. As a Xicano, when I write about immigration issues, I do so with a family and community background that has a complicated relationship with border policy, often hostile, in addition to receiving the same flack from nativists who forget that Mexicans are indigenous to "their" country. I can no more ignore that part of my thinking when I write than I can bleach my skin. Not that I'd ever want to, being morenito is a blessing. jejeje.

So I go to a conference this week where I will be meeting up with quite a few people who I've interacted with online over the years. A mixing of worlds of sort between longtime friends in the Kos-centric world as well as a few of my fellow blogmig@s from the Sanctuarysphere. My fear is that I will be just another token brown face in a crowd of bloggers rather than someone who may be able to teach them a few things about how political policies affect people like me. Sort of sounds like a contradiction, eh? I like to think of it more as a conundrum. There is hope, however, that the discussions in the various caucuses, workshops and keynotes will be more resonant to that diverse world that I think we are all seeking in the end. The people who are responsible for this gathering are passionate and have made an effort to reach out, and I see an opening for future forward-movement in dialog.

The short gist of this post? It will be a great opportunity for some plática.

Netroots Nation Workshops I'm Anticipating

Some workshops I'm looking forward to liveblogging later this week at Netroots Nation in Austin, Texas.

• Examining the Maze of Injustice: Our Nation's Failure to Protect Indigenous Women From Violence

  Native American women are subject to much higher levels of sexual and domestic violence than any other women in the United States. Due to a confusing maze of tribal, state, local and federal laws, rapists and batters rarely face prosecution, regardless of the evidence against them. Perpetrators are aware that they can rape and brutalize, then often walk away with no consequences. This panel will explore what can be done to ensure equal protection under the law for Native American women and the role the Netroots can play in combating these injustices.
  

• Our "Dos Centavos": Strategies For Latino Bloggers

  Since 2006, the Latino blogosphere in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds--often spurred on by hateful anti-immigrant ordinances and laws considered by states and communities across the nation. Several of Texas' most prominent Latino bloggers will discuss strategies for communicating both with their Latino and non-Latino audiences and developing a blog that is a resource for progressive Latino activists.
  

• How to Win the Immigration Debate and Beat Back ICE's Emerging Police State

  Immigrants built this country and remain a vital part of our communities. Yet immigration has become a political hot potato in recent years. With Congress held hostage to a vocal minority of hard-line immigration restrictionists stirred up by right-wing websites and talk-radio, the Bush administration has launched a series of showy "crack-downs" that have divided working families and transferred billions into the hands of well-connected DHS contractors, but done nothing to reform a deeply dysfunctional immigration system. We can do better.

  Come by for a lively discussion of this vitally important issue with activists speaking from a variety of perspectives.

Oh yeah, and I heard Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and some congressional candidates will be lurking around the complex. Should be interesting!

What Would You Ask Speaker Pelosi?

Next week, I will have the opportunity to travel to Austin, Texas to attend the Netroots Nation conference, thanks to a scholarship from Democracy for America.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will be attending and doing an "Ask the Speaker" session with participants. I just submitted the following question for consideration by the moderators:

Madame Speaker:

Thirty miles to the north of Austin, in Taylor, Texas, is the T. Don Hutto prison facility that is serving as one of many holding tanks for migrant worker families in the U.S., including children. Is Congress preparing any action that would immediately halt the violation of human rights of the children and other prisoners at these sites, such as blocking of habeas corpus protections, access to medical care, and family unification? Will the Democrats on a national-party level be endorsing the recently passed resolution by the Texas Democratic Party, calling on the end to family detentions at sites like T. Don Hutto?

The text of the resolution is listed below:

RESOLUTION FOR ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION OF IMMIGRANT AND ASYLUM-SEEKING CHILDREN

WHEREAS border protection is important to the security of the nation as a whole;

WHEREAS immigration affects the economic and social well-being of both the United States and Mexico;

WHEREAS a private firm re-opened the T. Don Hutto Residential Facility in Taylor, Texas, for the purpose of detaining immigrant and asylum-seeking families who are awaiting immigration proceedings,

WHEREAS it is not appropriate to convert a medium-security prison and rename it as a family detention center where children are detained with their families and some children are separated from their families;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Texas Democratic Party add to its platform that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should consider all alternatives to the detention of immigrant and asylum-seeking families with children, and must reunite children with their families; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a child who is brought into this country by a family member shall not be subject to criminal sanctions, and the child's presence in the U.S. shall not be defined as unlawful.

linkage to vote for the topic

What would you ask the Speaker of the House if you had the opportunity?