Letter from the Editor

By Felix Alvarado October 14, 2014

In less than three weeks Texans will go to the polls to elect everyone from the Governor on down.  Conventional wisdom says that we Latinos will not be a factor in who wins but a factor in who loses.  What makes the TEA Party so powerful is not that they are a large part of the constituency but that they vote in large numbers.  Political power is in the ballot box. 

A hundred years ago Mexicans appeared suddenly in the Metroplex.  This was an unforeseen event.  Through the years many attempts have been made to rid the country of these Mexicans.  We are still here.  Through the years we have become bi-lingual and bi-cultural.  That is who we are.  The heritage for most of us Latinos in Texas is Mexican.  As Mexicans we tell our story as it was before Hernan Cortez.  Quetzalcoatl is a major part of our history. 

Through the years we have also become proud Americans.  We have served our country honorably in peace and war. Unfortunately, some of our Latino soldiers suffer from the effects of war.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects too many of our veterans.  In the treatment of PTSD Washington cannot cut corners in treating our veterans. 

Many of us remember the disparate treatment that we received as Mexicanos even though we were Mexican-Americans.  Yes, we were classified as White, but we were treated like African-Americans.  The treatment extended to the public school system here in Fort Worth.  The school district had racially segregated schools for children of Mexican parents.  These Mexicans/Mexican-Americans paid a high price for our success.  Now we ask that a street be named after the most iconic Mexican-American figure of the civil rights era.  It is only appropriate. 

We congratulate Adrian Rodriguez, our Amigos-N-Progress.  Adrian won an at-large election as trustee of the Collin County College District Board.  Every year we have a Miss Señorita Pageant. We thank the participants and the sponsors that make this possible.  Stephanie Cabrerra has done a great job of representing the Latino community

As we go around we here all sorts of excuses as to why people do not vote.  It is time for someone to say “Ya Basta!!”  No more excuses.  Just go vote.  Political power comes at the Ballot Box.  Vote.