LUPE leaders paving road to strong colonias

Donna – The road to strong communities is paved by strong leaders. LUPE leaders Manuela Luna and Rosie Tijerina are paving the way for strong colonias in Hidalgo County Precinct 1.

Rosie Tijerina has been fighting for 10 years to get streets fixed in her Donna-area colonia Goolie Estates. The unpaved roads caused dust to go into people’s homes, causing health and nuisance problems for colonia residents. Recently that fight bore fruit.

Residents of Serenidad: “Turn on the switch in our colonia!”

Prizes for bingo event at colonia Serenidad. The lotería night provided a way for more colonia residents to learn about the campaign for streetlights in the colonia.

Residents of colonia Serenidad have lived in the dark for 14 years. But these days a small group of leaders have been on a roll working alongside LUPE towards positive change in their community.

Earlier this month Serenidad organized a “lotería night” in an effort to encourage more neighbor participation in LUPE’s house meetings about public lighting.

“We had a lot of prizes, food and we had a lot of fun,” said colonia resident Aurora Martinez. “We would like to organize another with LUPE and everyone will be invited.”

Serenidad is following in Buena Vida’s footsteps, a colonia in precinct 3 who recently organized a lunch date with Dr. Mona Parras, Assistant Chief to Commisioner Jose Flores, who has promised five streetlights in Buena Vida’s colonia come January.

residents

Maria Lourdes Garcia, LUPE leader and Buena Vida resident, makes it simple and clear: “It is very important to be consistently in the meetings with LUPE, support one another, and going to the Commissioners Court also influences these great victories.”

As house meetings in Serenidad grow in quantity, Mona Parras will be receiving invitations to attend meetings in the near future. Residents have made it clear that the plan to increase people power in their colonia has been initiated. Now is the time for precinct 3 to share the wealth and “turn on the switch” in their constituents’ communities.

“The union is very important in order to move forward,” says Rosi Salinas, resident of Serenidad. “We support other colonias a whole lot and hopefully we also will receive the same support of Buena Vida and surrounding colonias in order to come out of this darkness together.”

$122 million in disaster recovery funds to benefit low income Valley residents

Planners meet with colonia residents to plan their ideal colonia. The team of community planners played a major role in getting colonias included in the LRGVDC outreach plan.

Thanks to an organized effort from colonia residents, along with LUPE and the Equal Voice Network, residents from across the Rio Grande Valley will receive assistance for housing damage repair that was caused by hurricane Dolly in 2008. The federal government disaster recovery program is distributing $122 million to help residents, taking into account to prioritize the lowest income families.

Residents from colonias in Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties filled to capacity the three public hearings hosted by the LRGVDC (Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council) in Weslaco. After a well organized effort in the public hearings, major shifts from the LRGVDC’s outreach contractor were evident in their outreach map as many of the colonias were added for prioritization. Prior to the public hearings many colonias that were flooded and damaged were being excluded from prioritization by that contractor, but the residents’ presence and strong voices shifted that and proved to be another example that when neighbors organize with LUPE, they will see results.

We are now studying the requisites of the applications for assistance to better help educate and consult residents in the application process. We are still in the process of learning the specific qualifications for housing repair. If your house was damaged by hurricane Dolly, communicate with your organizer to find out if you can receive assistance.

Fight for streetlights in 10 Hidalgo County colonias carries into the new year

Thanks to the organizing of LUPE committees, including more than 40 colonia leaders and 300 of their fellow residents, County Commissioners have promised to install streetlights in 10 area colonias.

Colonias that have been promised light include Indian Hills East and Indian Hills West in Precinct 1; Bar 4 in Precinct 2; Colonias El Flaco, La Homa Meadows, Buena Vida, Eduardos 2 and Mi Sueño in Precinct 3; and San Cristobal in Precinct 4. Colonia organization ARISE has organized with LUPE members to secure lighting in colonia Muniz, also in Precinct 4.

“We’re very grateful for the money that has been acquired for the lights. Now for the most important part: the installation.”

Colonia residents organizing with LUPE, like Maria Martinez quoted above, secured the commitment as a result of their weekly delegations to the County Commissioners Court, and individual meetings with Commissioners and their representatives. Plans for the installation are on the books. However, they have been repeatedly pushed back, most notably in Precinct 3 where the commitment to install the lights was made and funds were secured in July of this year.

Most of the colonias have been waiting years for public lighting. One colonia in Precinct 3, Colonia el Flaco Chiquito, has been without light since its founding in the mid 80s.

While we are hopeful that installation will not be stalled again, Precinct 3’s response to other requests for streetlight projects necessarily gives us caution. Precinct officials have avoided committing to the use of CDBG funds annually for streetlight installation. Precinct representative Mingo Villarreal insisted that “sometimes it is not possible.”

“The rationale of Mingo,” says LUPE leader Sergio Narvaez, “is as follows: for a colonia that has been in the dark for 24 years, waiting 2 or 3 more years is not long.”

But for colonia residents, another night in the dark means another night worrying about the safety of their children, crime seeking refuge in their dark neighborhoods, car accidents for lack of adequate lighting, and other perils.

For those reasons, the only acceptable response to Precinct 3, according to Antonia Garcia, Linda Vista resident and leader of LUPE, is “Sí, se puede!”

“We have joined with LUPE, and they have taught us that yes, it can be done!”

Ensuring that the installation takes place in all four precincts will be part of our continued work in 2012.

LUPE creative writing

Chapbook of creative writing projects produced by LUPE members, UTPA students and LUPE staff. Click on image to open the chapbook in PDF format.

Here are a couple of pieces produced by the creative writing class, in which LUPE members participated in our Alton office this fall semester. The pieces were combined into a chapbook titled “Testimonios de Nuestra Frontera.” The chapbook can be read in its entirety here.

Analizo y pienso en por que…

Si los hombres tienen corazón para ayudar al prójimo
Si los hombres se quitan el sombrero ante una mujer
Si los hombres nos abren la puerta del automóvil
Si los hombres nos regalan flores
Porque no quieren entender la igualdad de derechos de la mujer?
En lo personal, me gustaría que en mis país, ciudad, y comunidad fuéramos un solo equipo, una sola iglesia, para que juntos pudiéramos introducir una materia en todo nivel educativo en donde se les ensene a los niños el valor de igualdad.
***
I think and wonder why…

If men have the heart to help others,
If men remove their hat before a woman,
If men open the car door for a lady,
If men give us flowers,
Why don’t they want to understand
Women have equal rights?
Personally I would like to see that in my Country, City, and Community, we are a single team, a single church, so that together we can introduce a subject matter at all levels of education where children are taught the value of equality.

Matilde Díaz

I am Adali

I am from Central American and destiny and life decided it this way. At times, certain people have not looked at me well, but this is how God decided it, I can’t do anything about that. For those who don’t know it, when a Central American enters Mexico, he is an illegal and there begins his hard life. When I entered Mexico, I was happy, but at the same time I was scared. I knew that during the trip my life would get totally hard. The further I went, my thoughts were changing and inside of me, I wished I would die or return to Honduras. I wanted to arrive in the U.S. when I took the first train; I thought I was going to die. I got on Monday; traveled Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The little bit of food I had, finished on Tuesday. I went Wednesday and Thursday without eating or drinking anything. When I got off the train, I couldn’t walk. I think that if I had stayed on the train one more day, I would have died. But, I didn’t know that I still needed 11 more trains. The whole trip takes 12 trains. When I arrived here, my life changed in different ways. With pain in my heart, I had to leave my family behind, but when I got here, their life changed too. Because, now, I can give them help in the best possible way. Things have gone well for me here. I have a good job, I live well, I don’t have much, but I don’t lack the essentials. I am learning English and I know I will do it. I have a great teacher!! It is something that being here, I can achieve. For me, this is a real and beautiful experience, just to have the opportunity to be here. I have many dreams and I know I will achieve them.

Adali Rodriguez

Read the chapbook “Testimonios de Nuestra Frontera” as a PDF file here.

LUPE members honored for their creative writing in “Testimonios desde la frontera” graduation ceremony

Alton creative writing students and teachers pose at graduation ceremony.

For the last three months, LUPE members taking English and Citizenship classes in Alton have had the opportunity to develop their creative writing skills every Monday and Wednesday after their normal classes. This month their efforts were honored with a graduation ceremony and certificate of completion of the class.

Students from the University of Texas at Pan American gave instruction to members on how to use poetry and narrative to write about life experiences, their experience crossing the border and their ideas of social justice.

In a nursery called the world were a pine tree and a palm. The pine dreamed of decorating a beautiful garden. The palm of adorning the entrance. The pine dreamed of growing tall. The palm dreamed of reaching him. When the two talked, they had the same ideals. The time seemed short when they talked. The pine never realized she fell more in love every day. The pine grew very tall, and of the palm he forgot. Tempest and storms came and took the pine. The palm in her world, was very well planted. Hurricanes and storms, could not do anything to her. Today the palm looks very nice. Caring for and giving shade to her two small palms. - Matilde Diaz

Though many in the immigrant community have not finished their formal education, they still have the creativity and experiences that make for powerful literature. And through their classes with UTPA students, members demonstrated their ability to learn forms and technique in creative writing to express that creativity and those experiences.

The UTPA students, working with MaryRuth Chen and the Mexican American Studies Program, plan to continue the creative writing class at the Alton office during the summer months.

Public lights in the colonias? With LUPE, it can be done!

Residents of colonia Linda Vista pose after asking County Commissioners for public lighting.

Through education and preparation, LUPE leaders are gaining the confidence and knowledge to speak to their elected officials, and tell them that, when it comes to their colonias’ needs, they won’t take no for an answer.

The presentation of Maria Guadalupe Pruñeda at the beginning of November in the Commissioners Court started a conversation on public lighting with Mingo Villarreal, assistant of Precinct 3 Commissioner Joe Flores, who told the residents of Linda Vista that “there is no money.”

After studying the Hidalgo County Community Development funds, LUPE leaders did not give up. “The rationale of Mingo is as follows: for a colonia that has been in the dark for 24 years, waiting 2 or 3 more years is not long. But we did not go to hear that,” said LUPE leader Sergio Narvaez.

All LUPE leaders who continue participating in the monthly trainings learn how the distribution of economic resources functions. “You get the budget every year,” said Antonia Garcia, Linda Vista resident and leader of LUPE. “Why not give a percentage for public lighting each year since it is a necessary priority of the constituents of precinct 3?”

While the precinct has found federal grants to install solar lights in area colonias, precinct officials have avoided committing to use CDBG funds annually for streetlight installation. Mingo Villarreal insisted that “sometimes it is not possible.”

Armed with knowledge from LUPE’s CDBG funds workshops, Antonia Garcia responded, “We have joined with LUPE, and they have taught us that yes, it can be done!”

Residents organizing with the Equal Voice Network win $14 million for drainage improvements in Hidalgo County colonias

Residents of Curry Estates meet with Marlene Chavez of TRLA and Daniel Diaz of LUPE to learn about county drainage projects in their area.

At last Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting, Hidalgo County agreed to devote at least $14 million of Hurricane Dolly Disaster Recovery funds to colonias.

The victory came as a result of the work of ARISE, LUPE, TOP, Proyecto Azteca and the rest of the Equal Voice Network’s housing and drainage team, who have organized with colonia residents whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Dolly.

Colonia residents’ demand that disaster recovery funds go to colonias was backed by Texas Low Income Housing and Texas Apple Seed, who insisted that funding colonias was an absolute requirement for use of the federal funds.

In contrast to their original proposal, which included only one colonia, the county shifted $6.8 million to provide drainage for at least 10,000 people inside 30 colonias in the Delta, north of Peñitas, and in and near Hidalgo Park. The shift also means, instead of bypassing colonias, the several million dollars of the regional projects will now benefit colonias.

The specific colonias to be served are:

• Delta area: Bernal, Bernal Heights, Bar #3, Olivarez #9, Olivarez #7, Olivarez 18,Tiejerina Estates, Chapa North, Chapa South, Mesquite Acres, Acre Tract, Puesta Del Sol, Olivarez #4, Olivarez #10, Sunrise Hill;
• North of Peñitas; Puerta Blanca, Daniel Ozuna, Reina, Ramona;
• South of Pharr: Hidalgo Park, Los Ranchitos 1-3, Las Milpas, Las Fuentes, Las Brisas del Sur, Beto’s Acres, Las Haciendas, Palo Verde, H & B, Villas del Valle, Southfork Estates.

Additionally, the next $4.5 million available to the county must be spent for colonias.

This victory rests upon all of us putting our unique skills together: LUPE, ARISE, and TOP creating a county-wide issue by meeting their individual commissioners and holding community meetings with county and Economic Development Association / Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council staff; LUPE’s regular presence at commissioners court; Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s help with technical back up; John and Maddie’s insistence and support to fund colonias as an absolute requirement; and Proyecto Azteca’s intensely keeping up with all involved to move forward.

Civic participation continues in colonia Muñiz

Precinct 4 Rep Humberto Garza addresses residents of colonia Muñiz at the colonia meeting organized by LUPE and ARISE

Colonia residents from election precinct 43, where a community-initiated and directed effort to get out the vote was held during the 2010 midterm elections, received backpacks with school supplies thanks to their participation in the GOTV campaign.

The campaign in precinct 43 was one of 10 GOTV campaigns led by the Equal Voice Network of the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties for the purpose of raising the vote in low income and Latino communities.

The backpacks were distributed at a community meeting where LUPE and ARISE, both partner organizations in the EV Network, gathered residents of colonia Muñiz to discuss public lighting and redistricting with Hidalgo County Precinct 4 representative Humberto Garza. Colonia Muñiz and elections precinct 43 fall within County Precinct 4.

Young resident of colonia Muñiz models his new backpack. LUPE distributed backpacks as a thank-you to residents for their participation in GOTV campaign.

LUPE has been working for public lighting the in the colonias since 2005. Some colonias have been waiting for light for over 20 years.

LUPE members broke down the first barrier to public light for colonias when in 2005 the state legislature authorized counties to expend a portion of their community development block grant funds to install and maintain streetlights in colonias. A second hurtle was overcome when, as a result of LUPE’s organizing, in 2007 they authorized those same counties to collect a fee from colonia residents to pay for the electricity used by those streetlights. Now, LUPE has received support from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation to continue our push for public lights.

Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE) initiative of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation is correct when stating that “the childhood obesity epidemic facing the nation is a byproduct of years of neglect and disinvestment in communities that has undermined our children’s ability to eat well and be physically active.” Without streetlights at night, colonia children are denied safe conditions for outside play. Staying inside means being less physically active.

The distribution of the backpacks was a way to thank the residents of colonia Muñiz for their participation in the GOTV campaign. It also served to invite more residents of the colonia to continue their civic participation by joining the campaign for public lighting in their colonia.

LUPE leaders from colonia Muñiz with Humberto Garza and organizer Martha Sanchez.

Field Operations Director Garza told residents that when he first began working in precinct 4 at the beginning of this year, there was no money for projects like public lights in the colonia. But after Commissioner Joel Palacios decided to use engineers and other experts already on staff with the County instead of contracting the work out, the precinct was able to find the money. Together with federal grants for solar lighting, he said, colonia Muñiz should see public lighting soon.

To get involved with the campaign for public lights in the colonias, contact LUPE organizer Cristela Rocha at 787-2233 or 787-5557.

Have you had problems with public lighting in your neighborhood? Comment with your story!

Flooding meetings bring residents, elected officials to the same table

Colonia residents are raising their voice regarding flooding–and being heard by their elected officials.

In a meeting between elected officials and engineers specializing in drainage, colonia residents rose concerns with flooding in their San Carlos colonias that lasts days after rain, affecting the daily life of residents.

“Even with a light rain the area floods,” says Leticia Parra, resident of colonia curry estates. After a rain, both streets providing access to the colonia entrance flood.

Flooding reaches from the entrance of the colonia, up to 5 houses in. The water reaches up to her car door, says Bonnie Medina, who does health outreach with the Center for Housing and Urban Development – Colonias Program, housed at the San Carlos Community Center.

ARISE, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Proyecto Azteca, the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service and other members of the Equal Voice Housing Working Group were present at the meeting. Daniel Diaz and Martha Sanchez, led the meeting, one of a series of such gatherings called to establish for county officials the gravity of the drainage troubles that have afflicted colonia residents for decades.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Joel Palacios, Raul Sesin of the Hidalgo County Planning Department, Mario Garcia, Program Administrator for the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, and several engineers and county officials listened to the testimonies of the colonia residents.

Commissioner Palacios (bottom left) explains drainage projects to residents of San Carlos colonias

After residents of Colonia Curry Estates laid out their concerns, Commissioner Palacios and his team addressed them one by one, saying that Precinct 4 has the people and money to work on the projects. Part of the problem, however, is that the swells that are clogged and blocking drainage to newly constructed holding ponds may be located on private property.

Commissioner Palacios said that the county has an engineer that will find out who owns the swells. “The problem is, it’s against the law for the county to enter into private property,” he said. “The thing is we have people that can do all the work, so we won’t have to wait until funds come, or anything like that.”

“Right now for the mean time, Raul [Sesin] will work on that, and if they are the county’s, right away we can enter.”

Colonia residents told Commissioner Palacios that they will be persistent with their concerns. Leticia Parra assured him: “If you don’t take us into account, we’ll be back.”

The neighborhood meeting is one of a series of steps organized by Equal Voice Housing organizers and Mr. Mario Garcia, the Economic Development Program Director for the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council. The meetings are organized for the purpose of including colonia-related drainage projects in the regional plans developed by the LRGV Development Council and County.