Chicano Art and Ocasio-Cortez?
A weekly newsletter covering Mexican American news, politics, and culture.
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TARIFF TUSSLE: WAR WITH MEXICO?
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed confidence last week that a potential tariff war with the United States can be avoided, despite recent threats from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to impose sweeping trade penalties on Mexico and Canada.
In a statement earlier, Trump announced that upon taking office on January 20, he would implement a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada unless those countries took stronger action to curb illegal drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl, and address the flow of migrants across the U.S. border.
Mexico is the United States' largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $400 billion in the first nine months of 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
MEXICAN AMERICAN HISTORY GETS A NEW HOME
San Antonio is set to host the nation’s first Mexican American Civil Rights Museum, a major milestone in the recognition of Mexican American history. However, officials are still in the process of determining the exact location for the museum, which will be situated somewhere west of downtown.
On Friday, the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) revealed five potential sites along the inner West Side, identified through a detailed feasibility study and input from local communities.
The museum will aim to highlight the pivotal role Mexican Americans played in the civil rights movement and bring attention to significant historical moments that have often been overlooked, according to MACRI Executive Director Sarah Zenaida Gould.
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PRESIDENT IN 2028? POLITICAL RUMORS SWIRL
Democrats are still grappling with the fallout of Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to President-elect Donald Trump, but their focus is already shifting to the 2028 presidential race.
As speculation mounts about who could lead the party in the next election cycle, one name is gaining increasing attention: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The congresswoman from New York has become a prominent figure in Democratic circles, with strategists considering her as a potential catalyst for party reform and a revitalizing force to energize the progressive base.
Former Trump official Monica Crowley cautioned Republicans on Friday not to underestimate Ocasio-Cortez, and suggested the young lawmaker could be a formidable candidate in 2028.
THE EAST L.A. CHICANO WHO CAPTURED 1,500 ENEMIES
Guy Gabaldon grew up in a difficult time and place: the Great Depression years in the East Los Angeles barrios. His family was poor, but he didn’t notice it, saying, “we always had beans and tortillas.”
The boy helped the family make ends meet shining shoes in the hazardous streets of East L.A., where he developed survival skills.
“Fighting in the Pacific tropical jungles and living in the East Los Angeles ghettos had a lot in common —you had to be one step ahead of the enemy, or adios mother!”
At the age of twelve, Guy became friends with a Japanese family, the Nakanos. The Nakanos took him as a son. There he learned to speak Japanese, an ability that would save his life six years later.
THE CHICANO ART OF JAKE PRENDEZ
Since the rise of the Chicano Movement in the late 60s and early 70s, Chicano artists have used a variety of mediums to express historical counter-narratives, encourage political activism, and educate communities.
Unsurprisingly, Chicano artists have continued this legacy of Chicanismo into today’s contemporary artistic and political movements—taking the moment to express political autonomy, cultural solidarity, and pride in being of Indigenous descent.
Among the many artists continuing this proud legacy is Jake Prendez, a 45-year-old Chicano painter hailing from Seattle, Washington.
Prendez has received notable attention for his popular series of oil-paintings and digital artwork with the specific focus of celebrating themes relating to Chicano and Indigenous culture, social justice, pop culture, and satire.
BIDEN HAS LAST LAUGH… BEFORE EXITING STAGE LEFT
President Joe Biden signed a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday, asserting that the felony charges against him were politically motivated.
The announcement came after months of speculation and contradictory statements from both the president and his press secretary regarding the possibility of a pardon.
Hunter Biden, 53, was convicted in June on three felony charges related to his 2018 purchase and possession of a firearm, after it was revealed that he had concealed his drug use during the transaction.
In September, he also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, avoiding a trial.
AMERICAN HOMEBOY - NOW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY!
The hit movie AMERICAN HOMEBOY is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray!
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