You are invited to a showing of the movie “Dolores” at Benson Auditorium, Pitzer College (1050 N. Mills Ave.) in Claremont at 3 PM on Wednesday, February 28. It is open to the Public and Free of Charge. Organized by Rural and Urban Social Movements class.
I would like to ask you, if you have not already, to become a member of the Latino and Latina Roundtable. Atttached is the membership application that you can send in.
The membership dues for one year are $25.00 for individuals and $10.00 for students, retirees, and low income individuals. Your dues help to sustain our organizing and advocacy efforts. As you know, our organization has always been a volunteer organization that is primarily sustained through membership dues and a yearly fundraiser. Only until recently, have we rented an office and hired an executive director which bring forward new fundraising challenges. All the work of our organizational, community development, and immigrant rights committees are carried out by community-based organizers who have emerged out of the civil rights and human rights movements. We are continually motivated through our practice of an “abundance mentality” where we continue to see the outcomes of our efforts in training and developing new leaders in our communities. In supporting our organization through your membership, you are helping to sustain the inspiration and efforts of our members in organizing an annual Cesar Chavez breakfast and Pilgrimage march; in advancing our collaboration with area schools and colleges, as part of the College4All Coalition in implementing a school-to-college pipeline; in implementing educational forums and workshops on voter, ballot initiative, and immigrant rights; in advancing our efforts to support workers and unions in our region; and in ensuring our ongoing participation in numerous coalitions on social justice and quality of life issues.
Jose Zapata Calderon
President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable
We are urging your support of our upcoming Latino and Latina Roundtable retreat by asking you to attend this most important meeting this Saturday, February 10 and also to invite others who might be interested in becoming members of our organization. Remember, the retreat begins at 9 A. M. and will be held in our new office at the Village in Pomona (1460 E. Holt Ave., Entrance #3, Room 6. This is your opportunity to help decide the priorities for the organization in the next year — and look forward to your participation.
PRESENTATION AT LATINO AND LATINA ROUNDTABLE AND NAACP CELEBRATION OF COLLABORATION – AND OPENING OF SOLIDARITY CENTER
It is so exciting to have all of you here today in advancing our common efforts in bridge-building, coalition-building, and creating collective spaces – such as the one we are experiencing today – to advance spaces and places that are examples of the kind of just and equal world that we want to live in.
Every one of you here deserves a big applause for creating that type of social change advancement in Pomona – Please give yourself a big applause. It was not that long ag- December 5th, 2014 when the Latino and Latina Roundtable and the NAACP Pomona Valley Branch walked together, chanted together, and raised our voices in a Pomona Peace Walk of over 200 diverse participants – that made their way from city hall to the Village area on East Holt Avenue where we showed the film “Cesar’s Last Fast.” This was a real beginning of our crossing bridges – and indeed we crossed bridges that day in sharing our solidarity with a 120-mile, seven day march from Ferguson, Missouri to Jefferson City in support of Michael Brown. Some of the marchers of all nationalities crossed borders that day in carrying pictures of 43 Ayotzinapa students from Mexico (whose forced disappearance is still being protested today). Since that time, we have not stopped in collaborating – building bridges from forums and actions to get at the structural foundations of violence – to other marches such as a a Cesar Chavez Pilgrimage with the primary themes “Black Lives Matter” and “Remember Ayotzinapa;” – together in carrying out voting rights forums, ballot initiative forums, candidate’s forums, – and voter registration – voter turn-out campaigns – in the streets of Pomona and the region; to supporting our union brothers and sisters – farmworkers in Salinas, dining hall workers at Pomona College, UFCW workers and warehouse workers, nurses and service workers and health for all — to a “Journey for Justice” Rally at Pomona city hall in honor of an exemplary leader that we all remember and support — Julian Bond; to a march of 1500 students at the Claremont Colleges (where Jeannete and I were the keynote speakers) – as part of national demonstrations protesting a growing campus climate of exclusion and calling for our working together, as we are doing today, to root out the seeds of racial, class, gender, and sexual oppression. We have been there together, brothers and sisters, in supporting our immigrant and refugee communities – together in No Ban No Walls Rallies in LaVerne in Claremont, and at the Ontario airport – Together, brothers and sisters in — Passing a Pomona Unified School District school board a resolution “Regarding the Board’s Commitment to Ensure All District Campuses are Safe Zones and Safe Havens”; Together in coalition-building to Pass an ordinance with the Pomona City Council to implement the California Values Act, SB 54; Together – in continuing to partner as Part of a College for All statewide coalition to endorse and actively implement California State Senate Bill 1050 to create a kindergarten-to-college pipeline of educational opportunity and success for our underrepresented students – particularly those from low income, English language learner, and foster youth backgrounds. Together – in supporting local businesses, schools, colleges, and unions to advance a local economy that invests in the health and well-being of our communities.
And finally, together today – to be together in this sacred space right here – in collaborating to build a visionary and united leadership of all generations and of all backgrounds to advance positive outcomes for good jobs, health care, education, and quality of life. That is why we are here today – in Solidarity -together — to celebrate how far we have traveled down this justice road – and to make a commitment today to keep on a walking, keep on a talking – walking down this freedom road.
The Latino and Latina Roundtable invites you to it’s annual membership retreat.
The Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley and the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP invite the community to an open house on Saturday, February 3, 2018, starting at 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM. The open house well be at the Solidarity Center in Indian Hill Village, Room 6, 1460 E. Holt Ave., Pomona, California. Entrance 2 is closest entrance to the Center. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Asked to describe the event, Donald Martens, a member of the joint planning committee said,“We’re going to have a party!” Angela Sanbrano, Vice-President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable will be emcee of ceremonies. The program features brief presentations by Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval; Jeanette Ellis-Royston, President of the Pomona Branch of the NAACP; Dr. Jose Calderon, President of Latino and Latina Roundtable; and other community leaders. Rosa Martha Zarate, an organizer and Musician who has given concerts in Central and South America as well as in Portugal and the United States, will sing social movement songs from her recent recordings. The youth choir from the Macedonia Baptist Church will perform. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
The event celebrates the many joint achievements of the sponsoring groups and the recent opening of the Solidarity Center. The Solidarity Center provides office space for both the Latino and Latina Roundtable and the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP as well as a common meeting area. Over the last few years the two groups have cosponsored many activities including the 2014 Michael Brown peace march and the ongoing effort to monitor the implementations of the College Readiness Block Grant. While looking to the future, presenters will highlight these and other activities.
For more information contact Jeanette Ellis-Royston: email jrellisroyston1@verizon.net or call 909 764-7833 or e-mail Katherine Cabrera, the director of the LRT, at kcabrera@latinolatinaroundtable.org
Additional information on the Pomona Valley Branch of the NAACP can be found on their website, http://www.naacp-pomona-valley.org/.
Additional information on the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona
Valley can be found on their website, http://www.latinolatinaroundtable.org/
Website: www.josezcalderon.com
INVITATION TO LATINO AND LATINA ROUNDTABLE (ONE OF THE BRONZE SPONSORS) OF THE ANNUAL POMONA INLAND VALLEY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMEMORATION
PLEASE JOIN US for our 2018 36th Annual Pomona Inland Valley Martin Luther King Jr Project event on January 14th, 2018 @ 6pm Youth Social Awards and Community Awards program at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Pomona (600 N. Garey Ave.). The program will include Continue reading
This year for my birthday, I would like for you to give the gift of becoming a member (or to renew your membership for 2018) of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley. Attached is the Continue reading
Members of the audience attending the Dec. 18, 2017 Pomona City Council meeting break out in applause after the City Council approved an ordinance ensure the implementation of SB 54, the so called “sanctuary state” legislation, in the city. Photo by Monica Rodriguez/ Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.POMONA >> Hundreds passed on a chance to address the Pomona City Council Monday night and simply asked that their names be read into the record as being in support of an ordinance guaranteeing the city will comply with state legislation some have called the “sanctuary state” law.
Pomona City Clerk Eva Buice read the names — more than 300 of them — into the record before some 40 speakers, about 30 calling for approval of the ordinance and another 10 opposing it, spoke before the city council.
After listening to all comments, city council members gave unanimous final approval to the ordinance. The council had given it preliminary approval Dec. 11.
“People are living in fear. They are scared,” said Councilwoman Ginna Escobar, referring to residents of the city who are in the country without the necessary immigration documents.
Some people have tried to obtain the required paperwork, Escobar said, but it is one that is difficult to complete.
Addressing the fears of Pomona residents who are in the country illegally or who have family and friends without the necessary documents is of such concern to Pomonans that the issue has brought people together.
“More than ever, we are united with love and compassion,” she said.
Mayor Tim Sandoval said people don’t leave their countries because they have a desire to move out. They leave because they are facing situations that make it difficult for them to stay.
“They seek a better future,” Sandoval said.
Monday’s meeting was contentious even before it started. At times, opponents to the ordinance shouted “USA, USA, USA” while supporters sat in their seats and sang “De Colores,” a song that became an informal anthem of the United Farm Workers in the 1960s.
The singing prompted at least one of the outnumbered opponents to call out, “In English! This is America! This isn’t Mexico!” The audience members maintained their composure and continued to sing.
Later, an ordinance opponent and an audience member engaged in a shouting match.
This fall, immigrant-rights groups called on the city council to adopt an ordinance that would place city policies in line with the requirements set by Senate Bill 54, formally known as the California Values Act.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 54 into law in October with the legislation set to go into effect Jan. 1. Generally, the state law will prohibit California and local law enforcement from using their resources to carry out federal immigration-enforcement activities.This would include investigating, interrogating, detaining or arresting people.
“SB 54 correctly identifies that the enforcement of federal civil immigration law falls exclusively within the jurisdiction of the federal government,” according to a city staff report. “As such, no city department has any inherent authority or duty to investigate or assist in (the) enforcement of such federal law. Entangling state and local agencies with federal immigration enforcement programs diverts already limited resources and blurs the lines of accountability between local, state and federal governments.”
Pomona’s ordinance ensures the “city policy remains in conformity with state law on the issue, in particular, the requirement now under SB 54 that cities do not engage in immigration enforcement purposes except under specific circumstances” such as cases in which a judicial warrant was issued, the staff report reads.
Under the ordinance, the city “affirms” that requirements set by the state involving confidentiality of personal information, as is already done by the city, will be extended to include immigration enforcement actions, according to the staff report.
The city will also be prohibited from entering into agreements unless they are in compliance with SB 54, the staff report reads.
SB 54 will require police departments to submit a yearly report to the California Department of Justice with details of their involvement in any joint law enforcement task force. Under the city’s ordinance, Pomona’s city manager must provide the same information to the City Council when it’s submitted to the state, the staff report reads.
Pomona’s ordinance ensures that “neither the city nor any official, employee, agent or contractor of the city will be able to amend this stated city policy to make such policies out of compliance with this ordinance or SB 54,” according to the staff report.
In addition, Pomona’s city manager will be responsible for developing and implementing training materials for city personnel as they pertain to the requirements of SB 54, the city staff report reads. The city manager also will present a report to the council at least once a year on the status of training and compliance with the state legislation.
Before the council voted on the matter, one of the speakers referred to the undocumented as “criminals, rapists, they are law breakers,” to the displeasure of most of the audience.
Speaker Maria Valencia later said, “I’m a very hard worker. I’m not a criminal” and, she added, she’s a native of Mexico.
Robin Hvidston, of the Claremont-based We The People Rising, was among the 10 speakers who opposed the ordinance.
“We should have our local government support our federal laws,” she said. “The council should be helping the homeless, homeless Americans.”
Approving the ordinance will only send a message that will attract those participating in human trafficking and drug trafficking activities, she said.
Mayor Tim Sandoval said the ordinance wouldn’t have been established without the involvement of several groups including the ICE Out of Pomona Coalition and the Latino/Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
Council members listened to the public, including parents, children and local ministers. Sandoval said.
Adopting the ordinance sends a clear message, he said.
“This is your city, your community,” Sandoval said. “We don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome here.”
