Gloria

Dear Gloria,

You left the valley with so much work to be done.
I understand, some of us leave and some of us stay.

Con Cariño,
Noemi

limon agrio

change my name to limon
small, efficient
sour to the taste
pick me when green
not ripened on the tree
change my name
black limon,
boiled
let me become

Beat a Woman? Play On! Beat a Dog? You're Gone

http://www.alternet.org/story/60488/
Beat a Woman? Play On! Beat a Dog? You're Gone
By Sandra Kobrin, Women's eNews

National Football League superstar Michael Vick is in trouble, serious
trouble. Federal prosecutors charged the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback
with animal
abuse for his role as the alleged leader of a dog-fighting ring and, after
denying it for months, Vick pleaded guilty on Monday. He faces stiff sentencing.

He's in big trouble with the NFL too, which has said he might never play
professionally again. According to Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL's
Player Association, "the practice of dog-fighting is offensive and completely
unacceptable."

I just wish the NFL had the same outrage toward spousal abuse and other forms
of domestic violence. But they don't. Not by a long shot.

Scores of NFL players as well as players from the National Basketball
Association and Major League Baseball have been convicted of domestic
abuse, yet they
play on with no fear of losing their careers. Most pay small fines, if that,
and are back on the field immediately.

The message is clear. Beat a woman? Play on. Beat a dog? You're gone.

What could possibly account for this bizarre situation?

Part of it is that it's the dog days of August -- the notoriously silly
season for news -- so the Vick story has attracted tremendous press
attention. But
it's been all over TV as well during the past four months, since Vick's
indictment in April.

Animal Lobby Attacks
The anti-animal abuse lobby, meanwhile, is going after Vick with all four
paws.

PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which received almost $30
million in contributions last year, according to its Web site, and other
animal rights organizations are demanding a boycott of companies that
continue to
sponsor Vick and are bombarding the NFL with letters demanding a no-tolerance
policy when it comes to cruelty to animals by football players.

On blogs, the outrage continues on sackvick.net and other sites, with
comments like "lets give #7, 7 to life," or "lets make Michael Vick
into dog food."

A cottage industry of anti-Vick merchandise is out there. You can buy a chew
toy for your dog in with a likeness of Vick, a "hang Vick" hat or even an
eye-for-eye justice T-shirt that says "Stick Vick in the Pit."

Vick has already lost most of his sponsorship deals worth millions of dollars
and he deserves to lose a whole lot more.

But the disproportionate punishment of Vick -- while athletes who commit
violence against women are let off the hook -- has to be wondered at.

Might it be that domestic violence and spousal abuse is so pervasive in
sports that it's simply too costly for leagues to suspend so many men?
What would
happen after all if those poor dear teams couldn't fill their rosters?

Numbers Are Astounding
The number of athletes arrested for domestic violence or spousal abuse is
astounding.

A three-year study published in 1995 by researchers at Northwestern
University found that while male student-athletes are 3 percent of the
population, they
represent 19 percent of sexual assault perpetrators and 35 percent of
domestic violence perpetrators.

There are even Web site chronicles that treat the steady stream of offenders
as if it were a joke. Check out badjocks.com or playersbehavingbadly.com.
Maybe then again, don't. It's enough to make you sick.

Roger Goodell, the new NFL commissioner, has made it his mandate to crack
down on athletes who misbehave.

In April Goodell introduced a new conduct policy that stiffens penalties and
holds franchises responsible when their players get into trouble.

Just recently Goodell suspended the Tennessee Titans' troubled player Adam
"Pacman" Jones for the 2007 season.

Jones had been arrested five times since he was drafted by the NFL in 2005
and has been involved in 11 separate police investigations. Most recently,
during what amounted to a brawl at a strip club, he grabbed a stripper
and banged
her head into the ground. He will not be paid during his suspension and must
apply for reinstatement.

Spousal Abuse Gets a Pass
But no one has been suspended in the NFL for spouse abuse or domestic
violence, even though they've been arrested and convicted.

The NFL Players Association's Upshaw said in a statement: "We believe the
criminal conduct to which Mr. Vick has pled guilty today cannot be
condoned under
any circumstances."

I say the NFL's indifference to the acts of domestic violence by other
players cannot be condoned under any circumstances.

Major League Baseball, meanwhile, isn't any better in punishing spousal
abusers.

Last summer Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Brett Myers assaulted his wife on
a public Boston street and was charged with assault and battery. Major League
Baseball did not penalize him, shrugging it off as an off-field incident. Are
they saying a player needs to abuse his spouse during a game to get
sanctioned? If so, just how does that work?

Don't expect anything better from the National Basketball Association.

Jason Kidd of the NBA's New Jersey Nets pleaded guilty to spousal abuse in
2001.

Was he punished by the NBA? No.

The Sacramento Kings' Ron Artest was suspended last season for 72 games for
fighting in the stands. In March he was arrested for domestic violence. For
that he got what amounted to a hand slap; an immediate two-game suspension and a
$600 fine for a player who makes several million a year.

Artest pled no contest to the domestic violence charge and was sentenced 100
hours of community service, a 10-day work project and mandated extensive
counseling. The NBA did nothing here too. Maybe if he had committed the
transgression on national TV -- as with the fan brawl -- more would
have happened.

Maybe if he'd hurt a dog he would have been benched for the season.

Sandra Kobrin is a Los Angeles based writer and columnist.

(c) 2007 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/60488/

--
Noemi "hermana, resist" Martinez
http://www.hermanaresist.com

Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence-
Alice Walker

still crazy

I am still crazy
still alive
it was not you, black shoe
you with your hechizos
and your hexes
el trabajo
no trabajó

-pues aqui estoy.


I am still crazy, creative, fine
here, your daggered words don't find me.
Here, I've dyed my hair red again.
Here, we are alive, fed, well.
I am still here,
words still loud, breathing.

The words flow now,
they are not stagnant
pooled, like unchanged water
around the black hole that you are.
They are not afraid to be written
They are not struggling
for breath, or bruised
not on the floor, under your shoe
they flow like a river
happy, with tears
laughing with friends
they are not hidden
behind pursed lips,
they are not words
pounded out by fists.
After Winter,
reborn, renewed.
I am still crazy
sane, here.

¡Gloria Presente! UTPA Library Display

Contact: Noemi Martinez noemi@hermanaresist.com

Location: The University of Texas - Pan American; Library Lobby; 1201
University Dr; Edinburg, TX

When: September 15th-October 19th.

Stay tuned for details on a special reading of Gloria's work on
September 26th, the anniversary of her birth.



Join us as the Gloria Anzaldua Legacy Project present a display
honoring the life and writing of Gloria Anzaldua, critically acclaimed
international writer who passed away in 2004. Gloria was born and
raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She received her BA from Pan American
University in Edinburg and then went on to become one of the best
cultural theorist and social activist of her generation, drawing
always from her Chicano/Mestiza roots. Her work continues to be read
and studied in universities world wide and continues to be the
foundation for writers and activists today.

Gloria's cultural children, Lina Suarez, Noemi Martinez and Daniel
Garcia Ordaz, invite community members to learn, discover & pay
homage to Gloria Anzaldua, an icon in Chicana and feminist literature
-born & raised in the Rio Grande Valley. Anzaldua is an
internationally acclaimed cultural theorist and writer who inspired
generations of writers to blend their words with activism and
redefined feminist, queer and Chicana/o writings.



As the author of Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Anzaldúa
played a major role in shaping contemporary Chicano/a and
lesbian/queer identities. And as editor or co-editor of three
multicultural anthologies, she played an equally vital role in
developing an inclusionary, multicultural feminist movement.
Anzaldúa's writings have been included in over 100 anthologies to
date. Her works greatly impacted a wide variety of academic
disciplines, including (but not limited to) American studies,
Chicano/a studies, composition studies, cultural studies, ethnic
studies, feminism and feminist theory, literary studies, queer theory,
and women's studies. (bio by Ana Louise Keating)

Location: The University of Texas - Pan American; Library Lobby; 1201
University Dr; Edinburg, TX

When: September 15th-October 19th.

Stay tuned for details on a special reading of Gloria's work on
September 26th, the anniversary of her birth.

Also available will be the zine "This Bridge we Call Home: Finding
Gloria" dedicated and inspired by Gloria. The first zine devoted to La
Mera Nepantera, created by the folks she influenced, from the place
she grew up in-the borderlands.

If you would like to read some of her work or a piece inspired by La
Mera Nepantlera, or would like to lend an item or art piece for the
display, get in touch with Noemi at noemi@hermanaresist.com or Lina at
lina.suapri@gmail.com.

For ideas on the the Gloria display visit the inventory page of the
Gloria Anzaldua Altares Collection that is housed by the Special
Collections and Archives, University of California Santa Cruz ---

visit this page.

The Gloria Anzaldua Legacy Project promotes the writing and life of
Gloria- it is the brainchild of and directed by Lina Suarez and part
of CAFE Revolucion.
--

Hermana, Resist: The Poetry Collection

I will be self-publishing my first collection of poetry in September of this year. It'll be a a collection of poems from 2000-2007. Here is a sample of the cover, done by the talented artist Nicole Licea.

I am accepting donations for the printing costs and pre-orders with donations too!
It'll cost $6-7 plus $1.50 shipping in the US.

If you donate, let me know if you'd like a copy (I'm sure you will).
Ya'll can email me if you have any questions -
noemi.mtz (a) gmaildotcom.

Dinner For Two

I have not tried one recipe
from the cookbook you gave me.
I finger through it some days.
The foods- elaborate experiments
you thought I'd make
when I became a vegetarian.

It's just like you
to give me something
of little use,
like flowers that die
when I needed seeds
to take root,
plants in soft dirt,
clay to form words.

Time-the residual effect
can't measured by scientific methods
and can't be seen but
we are as one
even now
when I sense your
brooding thoughts
100 miles away
when I haven't seen you
in ten years.

Walk Your Way to Enlightenment

Walk Your Way to Enlightenment

In walking meditation, the primary object of attention is the process
of walking itself. In other words, to sharpen awareness and train the
mind to concentrate, you pay close attention to the physical act of
walking, the way you take one step after another.

Practicing walking meditation encourages the development of
mindfulness in ordinary daily life. If you can learn to establish
awareness during walking meditation—that is, while you are physically
moving with your eyes open—then it won't be difficult to arouse that
same wakeful quality during other activities, such as eating, washing
dishes, driving, or, of course, practicing yoga. Your meditation will
begin to permeate your entire life.

If, while walking, you become aware that your mind has wandered away,
clearly note the distraction and gently but firmly bring your
attention back to your steps. Experiencing the simplicity and peace of
being with one step at a time—with nothing else to do and nowhere to
go—can be liberating.

Mindful Nature Walking (One Step at a Time)
http://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/773_1.cfm?ctsrc=nldn

Meditation Finder
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/toc_9_static.cfm?ctsrc=nldn

--
-

zines & AMC

When I went to the AMC this year, I meet up with a few women from ABUNTU, (http://iambecauseweare.wordpress.com) a women of color and survivor led collective. They "generate strategies and actions that prevent, disrupt, transform and heal sexual violence." I attended the Caucus of Women of Color Bloggers and they were in attendance, and along with the other mujeres there, it was awesome and inspiring while we learned the different forms of media we were using to not only change ourselves, but change the world, as Gloria Anzaldua says. Alexis and Lex also run brokeandbeautiful press (http://brokenbeautiful.wordpress.com), where they have zines available for free on the subjects of survivors, domestic violence, sexual assault. Their press, according to their site, is based on the basic assumption that love, knowledge and inspiration are renewable resources for revolution that we produce together everyday. When I first started wanting to do writing to heal workshops in my community I came across their site and their super helpful and one of a kind worksheets and zines that are available in PDF format to download. Others are available for a small donation. Ones to check out are: Wrong is Not My Name: A Tribute to Survival Via June Jordan; Wishful Thinking (because you make the world so much brighter); Emergency Broadcast a workbook on creative activism and Moral Revolution:A Zine on Creating an Ethical World Together created by Kriti Sharma and inspired by Sarah Hoagland.

At the AMC, Johanna who writes the zine Sisu, Nadia who writes the zine No Snow Here and I (I write the zine Hermana, Resist) led a panel on Women of Color Zinesters. It was an intimate and small group and I have to thank the AMC for making it possible and all the strangers who donated so that the WOC zinesters and bloggers could travel to Detroit. The group was mostly comprised of people who had never done a zine and hopefully they left enthusiastic on having their voices heard and using zines as the medium. While there, I forgot to mention a comp zine that I had put on the back burner because of the few entries. Afterwards, we talked about those attending could submit to The MAIZ Chronicles (http://www.hermanaresist.com/maiz.html) and we'll give it another shot. Interestedly, Alexis from brokeandbeautiful press said she had been putting out zines before she knew they were called zines, so their zines are not well known in the zine community because she mostly gave them away for free in her area, Durham and the Triangle area, North Carolina. I run a distro for zines by women of color and have had it "closed" for some time now because of the lack of zines being put out by WOC. Maybe, just maybe I'll see some new zines trickle in.

I've also been trying to give exposure to zines in my local community. I have these two suitcases I got at the thrift store for about $3 each and I've packed them tight with about 200 zines. This is my traveling zine library. I have shoe boxes here and there filled with another 100 or so zines and might get a third suit case. Suddenly there's an interest in zines here, with folks wanting me to speak to their classes on zines and collaborations between different community groups and how to make zines to reach a wider audience. Hortencia Armendariz (horticulturelandia@gmail.com) is putting out a zine, Domingo Siete, and she is on her fourth issue. In it, she interviews locals who are community building on the grassroots level. In it you'll read about the local community supported agriculture, the Critical Mass we have in our area and the run ins they've had with cops and cars, who tried to run over them and intimidate bike riders, and a group of young punk activist kids called the Valley Peace Alliance. All in all, the zine community is changing, growing and leads me to believe there is still some hope for zines. What I like about zines, and we discussed this at the WOC making zines panel, is that they are low cost, accessible and how they can be used as a revolutionary tool.

creation

the silence started at 8
right when the sun was setting
it grew from the yellow dusk
tasting the edges
growing black.
18 degrees below the horizon
there were no words
smelled like spilled beer,
sewing skin together
a piece from 2002,
with no color.

Further back,
sundown at 5, 1981
light started scattering
bouncing off dirt and smoke
left no words
that a five year old would understand.

Fast forward it's 1985
learning to trip on forbidden words
learning to stay quiet,
learning not to speak.