The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project is seeking volunteers to work with small groups to provide literacy training for this weekend’s monthly community meeting. The community meeting will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at Harrington Elementary…
Author: Amigos805.com
Frank X. Moraga is publisher / editor of Amigos805, providing information for and about the vibrant Latino community in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties — "Bringing cultures together by sharing information."
Latino Leadership Award profile: Alex Rivera
Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…
MusicaLatitudes presenting concert March 27 honoring César Chávez
Los Ministerios de Latinos y Latinas de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Pasadena y MusicaLatitudes is presenting “César Chávez: Por mis frutos me conocerán,” a concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 27 at Iglesia Presbiteriana de Pasadena, 585 E. Colorado Blvd.,…
Braceros — soldiers in the fields
World War II-era program has impact to this very day. Exhibit opens March 24. By Mariana Llamas-Cendon /Amigos805.com The Bracero Program had a profoundly personal impact on the life of Jose Alamillo. His father, grandfather and other family members left…
Social Justice Fund presents Teen Multimedia Contest
March 26 is the deadline to submit entries to the Teen Multimedia Contest being presented by the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, the organization reported recently. Open to teens 13 to 18 years of age, the winning work will…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Pilar Pacheco
Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…
Rio School District to hold Dual Immersion Academy information meeting March 22
Parents of incoming kindergarten students are invited to learn about the Rio School District’s Dual Immersion Academy at an information meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 at Rio Real Elementary School, 1140 Kenney St., Oxnard, the district reported in a media release. Open to students countywide, the Dual Immersion Academy begins in…
Guest column: Cosmic laws
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I’ll admit, I was not a normal adolescent. As a teenager growing up in a Los Angeles suburb, I would spend hours underneath the night sky. Or at least as “night” as it would get…
Castañeda presenting at event on March 20
Enedina Castañeda, a Santa Maria Valley educator and author of Del Puño y Mente de Una Mujer…Poemas,” will be among a group of women participating in the “Mujeres Con Valor” conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, March 20 at…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Lupe Murillo
Editor’s note: Amigos805 is presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the community.…
Oxnard, Port Hueneme students submit entries to Strawberry Festival
Forty-five teachers and 727 elementary school students from the Port Hueneme School District and Oxnard School District have submitted entries for the 28th Annual California Strawberry Festival Youth Art Design Contest, the organization reported this week. The winner will receive…
Luis Valdez ‘From the roots’ set for March 15 at CSUCI
The Chicana/o Studies Performance and Teatrics Lecture Series presents playwright, director and founder of El Teatro Campesino Luis Valdez during the program “From the roots: The flowering of El Teatro Campesino,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 at California State…
VCCF accepting proposals for farmworker housing grant
The Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund for Farmworker Housing is accepting proposals from local organizations to help alleviate the local farmworker housing crisis, the organization reported in a media release. The majority of the $135,000 available will go to projects…
Film screening, photo exhibit on Mexican Revolution set for March 16, 17 at CSUCI
A film screening and opening reception for the exhibit “Mexico, the Revolution and Beyond,” will be held March 16 and 17 at California State University, Channel Islands. The university’s history program will join the Mexican Consulate in the English-language screening…
UCSB Arts & Lectures honored for ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership
UCSB Arts & Lectures has been awarded the 2011 Association of Performing Arts Presenters/MetLife Arts Access Award for Engaging Underserved Communities in recognition of its ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! partnership, UCSB reported in a media release. ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!…
Guest column: Why did he paint?
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I was at home one day this past week, immersed in tasks (I tend to dive—headfirst—right into them) that I was knocking off my to-do list when my cousin Phil called. Phil and I grew…
Ruiz wins first bout at Golden Gloves Tournament
Andy Ruiz of Oxnard has won his first bout at the Southern Calif Golden Gloves Tournament held March 8 at the Lincoln Park recreation center in Los Angeles, Manuel Herrera reported in a media release. With a score of 5-0,…
Speakers sought for Moorpark College’s Multicultural Day
Moorpark College is seeking presenters for its annual Multicultural Day 2011 to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 12. The event, “Celebrating a Wealth of Culture,” presents an annual alternative day of instruction features insightful lectures, breathtaking performances,…
Immigration panel discussion set for March 9 in Thousand Oaks
The Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley will present a moderator-led immigration forum beginning with a reception at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Confirmed speakers include immigration attorney Gabriella Navarro-Busch;…
Enrique’s Journey author to speak March 9 at Moorpark College
Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique’s Journey, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, in the campus dining room. Enrique’s Journey, the 2010-11 One Campus One Book Selection, is about a teen who decides to pursue…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Joseph M. Medina
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
NBC News correspondent to talk at CLU
Miguel Almaguer, an award-winning national correspondent for NBC News, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, March 7 in Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Almaguer will discuss his experiences as a journalist and how he worked his…
Latino Links: Health Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While 99 percent of Latinos in California over the age of 50 are concerned about having access to affordable health care, only 34 percent believe they have the amount of coverage they need, according…
Guest column: Poverty and language
By David Magallanes / Guest Columnist I’ve lived around both English and Spanish all my life. I can’t help but feel that the Spanish language is much more conscious of poverty than is English. I believe that poverty is wired…
Lois Capps: House budget bad for California’s security
Cuts to port and border security endanger safety and hurt economy The seven month spending bill passed by the House last month would weaken California’s security by reducing funding for critical security grant programs, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, stated…
Das Williams: Help me balance the budget
Dear Friends, Last weekend we held our first town hall meeting in Ventura concerning the budget. The nonprofit, Next 10, demonstrated their California Budget Challenge, which allowed attendees to vote on Governor Brown’s proposals to balance the budget. The Ventura…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Fundi Legohn
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com While the DREAM Act failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress, Latinos going to the polls in 2012 are expected to remember the failed proposal and the inability by both parties to achieve…
Lacayo Institute receives $100,000 grant from Verizon
Verizon has presented a $100,000 grant to expand the Henry L. “Hank” Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies (HLI) at CSU Channel Islands, Richard R. Rush, university president, reported in a media release. “We are pleased to have an…
Destino accepting grant applications to prepare college students
Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund is accepting proposals from local nonprofits so it can distribute $57,000 in grants for programs to boost college preparedness for Latino youth in Ventura County, the organization reported recently in a media release. The deadline…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Art Hernandez
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Business/Finance Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The nation’s sluggish economy has had a significant impact on mortgage lending to Latinos, while the community is getting tax time help in Spanish. The Chicago Sun Times reports that lending to Hispanics plummets…
Guest column: The Mexican Experience of an American
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist Tonight I attended a rosary for the father of some friends that I have known for many years. These friends make up a large American family of Mexican origins with an honorable reputation in the…
Public continues to oppose changing ‘Birthright Citizenship’
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805 While Arizona Republican lawmakers ponder a variety of legislative bills aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigration in the state, a Pew Research Center Poll released Feb. 24 continues to show the American public…
Community celebrates Flor y Canto in Guadalupe
Poets, musicians and community members from San Luis Obispo and several neighboring counties took part in the Raza Speaks: Flor y Canto celebration held Feb 19 at the the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center in the city of Guadalupe.…
Latino Links: Political Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com The economy, immigration and other hot button issues continue to impact the perceptions Latinos have when supporting Republicans or Democrats, according to a recent poll. Meanwhile, in a demographic trend that could be repeated…
Rosary services set for Phillip F. ‘Phil the Barber’ Marquez
Rosary services for Phillip F. Marquez will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the San Buenaventura Mission, Ventura. Known as “Phil the Barber,” Marquez died at his home in Ventura on Feb. 15, after a brief illness with…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Carmen Guerrero
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Boys & Girls Club of Ventura seeks community speakers
The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura is seeking community leaders to “share their life experiences, skills, talents and what it takes to become contributing, happy citizens of the community” through the club’s twice weekly “Speakers Series,” Dr. Susanne Lammot,…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Javier Gomez
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…
Latino Links: Education Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com This is also a good time of year for Latinos to consider their educational options. Many organizations are accepting applications for scholarships and grants for would-be college students. www.hispanicprwire.com recently published the release “Tips…
Guest column: The craft of wishing
By David Magallanes / Guest columnist I’ve always enjoyed walking through a bookstore, perusing the books on the shelves, just as I used to do as a child when my father would take me with him to the Los Angeles…
Young Leaders Society presenting Prom Dress Project
The Young Leaders Society has officially launched the annual Prom Dress Project, a prom dress recycling program for underprivileged students. The deadline to drop off prom dresses is Feb. 27, reported the Young Leaders Society, a program of the United…
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia to be featured workshop leader
Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia, a Ventura County cinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, will be a featured workshop leader for the March 11 USC Women’s Conference “Express, Encourage, Inspire”. She will be joining a plastic surgeon and a nutritionist…
CSU Channel Islands develops programs to prepare future university students
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com After years of planning, which included proposals to build on land overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Ventura and on farmland near the California Youth Authority in Camarillo, it was with great relief and excitement…
MICOP seeking literacy tutors
The Mixtec Advisory Committee 2011 is seeking volunteers for its new community-wide literacy effort. “Many Mixtec adults were unable to complete significant schooling as children, and many are unable to write their names, addresses or basic information,” Margaret Sawyer, executive…
Rio Mesa’s Folklórico Club seeking donations
The Rio Mesa High School Folklórico Club is seeking donations to pay for costumes so the group can perform at the Rio Mesa Dance Show “Switch It Up,” on May 6, at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The club has previously…
Sister City Committee holding fundraiser Feb. 16
The Oxnard-Ocotlán Sister City Committee is presenting a fundraiser to benefit visitation programs between the two cities from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Yolanda’s Mexican Cafe, 1601 So. Victoria Ave., Oxnard. Yolanda’s will donate 20 percent of…
Latino Links: Health Trends
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805.com Maintaining a healthy heart and protecting yourself during the flu season are a couple of health trending reports released recently. In recognition of American Heart Month, Hispanicprwire.com recently released “Celebrating Healthy Hearts in the…
Latino Leadership Award profile: Elmelda P. Almanza
Editor’s note: Amigos805 will be presenting a regular profile of the winners of El Concilio Family Services’ 2011 Latino Leadership Awards, to be presented March 26 in Oxnard. The awards this year focus on educators who make a difference in the…