Author name: Buffalo Latino Village

WE MUST INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY! A MESSAGE TO OUR LATINO COMMUNITY

Honest and loyal representation in our community is going to cost money, to sustain, maintain, and grow our communities. One of the major problems we have in our communities is that we don’t invest in our candidates, and we don’t vote! Do you know what happens when we don’t supply our support to our candidate/s running for office? The interest groups, and people outside our communities, take the advantage and opportunity to invest, donate, contribute, and support them. By the time our candidates get elected to office, they no longer belong to our community. The people that invested in them get the goodies and the right to control them. They got him or her elected — not us! The next time your local candidate comes to you for help, do the right thing for your people, yourself, and your family: Register to vote – this is a must in our democracy. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain! Research your candidate, find out about what your candidate stands for, and look at his or her experience with the community. Contribute If you like what you find out, contribute what you can, $5, $10, $15, etc., and if you can, give more. Get the word out to your friends and family to support your candidate and encourage them to donate what they can to help him, or her get elected.  If you have the time, get involved directly by working with the committee working to get him or her elected. There is so much you can do for the candidate, just by volunteering one to three or four hours per day or for the whole week. The little time you give your candidate can turn out to be beneficial to you and our community. If we do all these things, the candidate becomes a product of the community, becomes your candidate, and not of the political machine, not of the outside interest groups.  American politics is very serious, and the sooner we realize it, the sooner we can grow and advance the future of our community — socially, educationally, and economically. Look at the political principle of this city: “You have to pay to play, and it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well folks, let’s stop the political abuse, and let us begin to develop our own “game in the interest of our people, our children, and our youth. REGISTER, EDUCATE YOURSELF, AND LEARN ABOUT WHO’S WHO IN YOUR COMMUNITY…  Remember, when you say that you’re not interested in politics, that in itself is a political statement. Help, and join those that are working to bring respect and quality representation to your community. Do your homework and find out what groups in your community are truly looking out for your interest, not for themselves. Too many people in our community complain and cry about government service, but are not registered, voters. We need to grow and develop, we need to be creative, and imaginative, work to make our young people proud of their Puerto Rican Roots, their Dominican Roots, their Cuban Roots, their Latino Roots… We must carve out a piece of the action for our community. All other communities have their territory, their commissioners, their elected officials, and their countless businesses and services. We too are entitled to have a dream, but that dream must be carved out by us, not outsiders. We can use their support, but not their handouts. Help your leaders! Help yourself! Register to VOTE! Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Community Education Entertainment Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics LATINO COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE INEQUALITY AND CULTURAL ISOLATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO March 25, 2023/No Comments LACK OF COLLEGE SERVICES FOR LATINO STUDENTS: This is in response to a story by UB Spectrum reporter, Kayla Estrada, Read More “GETTING VERY LITTLE FOR THE WHOLE,  BUT GETTING A LOT FOR THE FEW” WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2023 January 25, 2023/No Comments While I might appear to be biased and selective, I strongly feel the four people in the photo are the Read More The Isaías González-Soto Branch Library (formerly Niagara Branch) is a member of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System December 25, 2022/No Comments When the Hispanic Heritage Council (HHC) moved to rename the Niagara Branch Library several years ago, with the support of Read More Load More End of Content.

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DAY OF THE DEAD

El Día de los Muertos no es el Halloween mexicano, como algunos creen. Es una celebración mexicana y de muchos pueblos de Mesoamérica (Centro América y Belice), en la que honramos a nuestros muertos. Esta celebración indígena, se adaptó a la conmemoración católica del Día de todos los Santos y el Día de los Fieles Difuntos. Estados Unidos ahora se ha convertido en uno de los países en los que se celebra y conmemora este por la afluencia de las comunidades mexicanas y latinas. La celebración del Día de los Muertos fue declarada como Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad en 2008 por la UNESCO, por ser una tradición que mantiene con el tiempo. Históricamente, esta celebración se realiza desde antes de la llegada de los españoles y poco se adaptó a las tradiciones católicas, como otros rituales que celebran la vida en las culturas indígenas. Hay datos y registros que dictan que esta celebración era muy propia de los mayas, de los purépechas y de los totonacas, grupos indígenas que se asentaron en México y Centro América. Cada país tiene su forma de conmemorar el Día de los Muertos. En El Salvador, la gente se reúne en familia para visitar la tumba de sus familiares que ya no están. Todo el día, comparten entre música y comida, recuerdos o pláticas. Los cementerios están llenos de muchas familias que llegan para pasar el día ahí y sentirse cerca de su difunto. La celebración que más connotación tiene afuera de los países latinoamericanos, es la celebración de este día en México. Un día antes del 2 de noviembre, las familias preparan su Altar de Muertos en casa, con la foto de sus difuntos y se decora con papeles de colores. En las mesas se coloca comida, bebidas, dulces, frutas o todo lo que su difunto gustaba comer o beber en vida. La creencia, es como bien lo retrata la película Coco, que ese día nuestros difuntos pueden cruzar el puente de regreso a este mundo y pasar unas cuantas horas alrededor de su familia, degustando sus comidas o bebidas favoritas. El objetivo de esta tradición es recordar a quienes ya no están en este mundo. Por eso, recientemente, algunas instituciones sociales, incluyen en sus altares una parte especial a los migrante que murieron en su camino por México, especialmente. Con la inclusión de los migrantes en sus altares, los mexicanos intentan que se reconozca el peligro al que se exponen los migrantes en su viaje, que se compara con el viaje que las almas de los difuntos tienen que pasar antes de llegar al sitio donde descansan en paz. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics DAY OF THE DEAD November 25, 2019/No Comments DAY OF THE DEAD El Día de los Muertos no es el Halloween mexicano, como algunos creen. Es una celebración Read More TRUMP LOGRA FRENAR LA LLEGADAD DE MAS IMMIGRANTES A ESTADOS UNIDOS October 25, 2019/No Comments TRUMP LOGRA FRENAR LA LLEGADAD DE MAS IMMIGRANTES A ESTADOS UNIDOS Poco a poco Trump logró su objetivo: frenar la Read More FRIDA KAHLO NO ES REFERENTE DEL FEMINISMO March 25, 2019/No Comments FRIDA KAHLO NO ES REFERENTE DEL FEMINISMO Cada 8 de marzo, se conmemora la lucha feminista de las mujeres. También Read More

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THE PEOPLE’S MACHINE

THE PEOPLE’S MACHINE An organization founded by Christian Parra, a young and energetic Latino from the Bronx, who is now living in Buffalo, NY, and working with the PUSH agency.  The “People’s Machine” is a multi-ethnic group composed of individuals, independent of their affiliations, who have gotten tired of politicos making promises they have not kept – improving our communities! They say that one must be part of the “old boys’ network” to be heard. Well, we must stop that! The People’s Machine is focused on real community service, it works to support and elect people that understand and support the Machine’s agenda. The organization is well represented, their membership included Puerto Ricans/Latinos, African, Asian, white, and others who are committed to “positive community change” – to endorse and support candidates that believe in our people’s plan; they must respect and support our needs, and we will hold them accountable. It has been a long wait, for united and organized community voices, especially those most affected by political policies that are not reflective of their needs and concerns. The “Machine” is saying in effect, “if you say you represent, we better see the goods! We are holding you to real representation. We are here to do our part, help change the narrative, a narrative usually controlled by the politicos.” I’ve been around a long time, me, Lucy Velez, an elder in my community, always advocating for the west side community for over forty (40) years, the couple of years living near the Peace Bridge, which severely compromised my heath and breathing, as well as an accident at a church, which added complications to my recovery. I know about public policy representation! I lived it and continue to live it. Our local political parties are not addressing our needs, and their slip is showing. You have disenfranchised our voices, and you tried to dilute our vote, in the past and present, by unfair reapportionment lines, cutting and dividing our communities. That politico machine has stifled our people. But that must change! The “People’s Machine” will make the change happen. This is how we are working to change the narrative: We will interview, endorse, and support candidates seeking city, state, and national office. The candidates must commit and pledge to support the People’s Machine’s “Community Plan for improvement and representation. We are an independent machine, we are not, in any shape or form, affiliated with any agency or organization. We are a people’s association, with members from all walks of life, ethnicity, and religion orientation. We are inclusive, not exclusive. We are solely driven by people community power and need. Just like the Sun, we are the new source of energy, fully sustainable and equity driven to be a part of the changes we need to see! For too long, our communities have been left-out of the “Buffalo Renaissance.” We know our community have a few “sellouts”, but we are awake, able to see what’s going on, whose getting goodies without accountability. That shall change. We are tired of “pay to play”, we are tired of “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”  We are fighting for our communities’ survival. Join us! Contact me at sistervelez@gmail.com. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports THE PEOPLE’S MACHINE November 24, 2019/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More WE DID IT! CLIMATE JUSTICE PROTECTION ACT PASSED IN ALBANY July 24, 2019/No Comments WE DID IT! CLIMATE JUSTICE PROTECTION ACT PASSED IN ALBANY New York is finally taking back its role as a leader of Read More WEST SIDE GIRL GIVES NYC CLIMATE CHANGE TESTIMONY June 24, 2019/No Comments WEST SIDE GIRL GIVES NYC CLIMATE CHANGE TESTIMONY (A public testimony by PUSH member, Luz Velez, before the Assembly Standing Read More

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