A Bias Set in Stone

Meet Craig Stone. Since June of 2013, he has been the Program and Education Coordinator at the Brownsville Historical Museum (1 and 2), an institution dedicated to "preserve, educate, and promote the history, heritage, and cultural arts of Brownsville exhibitions." However, I am disappointed to inform you that Mr. Stone is also an active member of the 6th Brigade in the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, meaning that he holds a view on the American Civil War that does not coincide with historical facts.

This does not sound like a man who should be considered a reliable educator or museum coordinator, but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's take a look at the evidence.

I recommend you read my last few articles on the festering Confederate presence in Brownsville. In the first, I present the history surrounding the Civil War and the short-lived rebellion that was the Confederate States of America, with historical quotes from relevant figures and documents, while the second points out the injustice our museum committed by promoting the glorification of the confederate movement but disregarding Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, a man whose words and actions were used to liberate rather than oppress, the day after.

Long story short: Northerners grew concerned with the South's reliance on African-Americans for slave labor. The South became defensive. Physical conflict. The South decided to form their own nation so they could do as they pleased, keeping slaves. The North denied their secession, defeated the South, and outlawed slavery, paving the way for racial equality. The 1902 SCV Constitution states that the group's purpose is "to instill into [their] descendants a proper veneration for the spirit and the glory of [their] fathers, and bring them into association with our Confederation." In reality, they attempt to justify lingering bits of racist memorabilia as cherishable historical pieces of nostalgic and educational value, and they are very defensive about their stuff.

On December 19th, 2015, Brownsville citizen, Antonio Castillo, started a petition to remove the Jefferson Davis Memorial, a physical manifestation of outdated bigotry on public display, from Washington Park. Two days later, Stone shared a counterpetition on his Facebook page, urging people to oppose its removal.

His cause is supported by James Mills, Vice President of Brownsville Historical Association's Board of Directors, who told The Brownsville Herald "we have a lot of dark history in the past" and that "we can reinterpret it today but it doesn't change the past." He thinks "it is important that it stays there in Washington Park." This statement shows that Mills either does not understand that there's a difference between acknowledging and glorifying these dark times or simply does not respect people of a different color.

Also speaking for the memorial is Eugene Fernandez, Old City Cemetery Coordinator, who very passionately expressed how he would defend it from "these bandy-legged upstarts." I don't know what he means either, but that "scratching and scraping" he mentioned sounds like a physical threat.

Favoring a twisted version of history over fact undermines Stone's credibility as an educator and museum coordinator. Glorifying those who fought for the right to oppress others strips him of any respectability as a human being. His activity on social media is consistent in showing his southern pride, even going so far as spreading revival propaganda!

He is as much a representative of Confederate racism and stubbornness as the Jefferson Davis memorial, and, in order for Brownsville to progress, they must both be removed from their current positions as soon as possible.

- Juan Fidencio Treviño II

Cameron County Democratic Chair Campaign Kick-Off

I had the pleasure of meeting Amber Medina on Martin Luther King Day at Washington Park earlier this month. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much more than introduce myself before returning to taking photos of the other attendees. However, I was able to attend her Campaign Kickoff, hosted by the Half Moon Saloon in downtown Brownsville, on Thursday, January 28, 2016.

Right after my evening class at UTRGV, I made my way to the bar and, upon arrival, found myself surrounded by attorneys, city officials, and hopeful candidates. Some of them were probably all three. For a guy whose idea of a good time is hiding away in his room to have a Netflix marathon or listen to music, spending a couple of hours among strangers with prestige and a sense of purpose was very disorienting yet exhilarating.

Not even a minute after I arrived, Medina noticed my father and I checking the place out and walked over to greet us. We quickly caught up, asking how each other has been since the MLK event, and she informed us that there was free food and drinks. I'm not much for alcohol, but I did enjoy a few chicken salad croissants and powdery cookies while I was there.

After eating, I was able to ask Medina a few questions about her time as the Cameron County Democratic Chairwoman. I'm grateful to report that she never resorted to what I call "politician fluff" as she answered my questions. For every mention of the abstract idea of positivity, she quickly followed up with a concrete action that would work toward the education and involvement of the community.

In the time that you've been in office, what would you say have been some of your accomplishments? What are you proud of?

Some of the things we've done have been to just bring openness and transparency to the office. What we did for the first time, in 2014, was have forums for the public, and for every office that was contested in the primary, we'd hold a forum with every single candidate, one in Brownsville and one in Harlingen, so that we could have the public attend and be informed on who they could vote for and which Democrat they felt was the best qualified. 

In addition to that, we've really tried to bring positivity and raise awareness on the elected officials and the good things that they're doing. 

Right now, messaging is very important. Everyone operates on sound bites, blogs, online news, everything like that. 

We started a media committee. From that, we've started a new magazine, "RGV Voter's Voice", and we've put out our first issue last December.

She had me hooked at the words "openness and transparency," and everything she said after that only reinforced my view that this was a woman who was passionate about making progress.

So, you're really working to make all this information about voting and about the candidates accessible to the public. Now, what are some of the plans you'd want to act on if you keep the Chair?

What we hope to do is engage the community and let them know what their elected officials are actually doing for them, and that not everything is negative. 

We want to continue working with the high schools in registering voters. We've had some success in some of the school districts, but we need to work on others. We've already started to open communications with our elections administrator to see if he could help us with that. We obviously want to reach all of our high school students and get them registered to vote as election code requires. 

And as always, always, we want to get people out to vote. Right now, it's not just a county problem. It's not just a state problem. It's a national problem, and we're looking into what we can try to do about that.

Back in 2013, when she was elected into her current position, Medina said that "two of her top priorities will be to address the county’s notoriously low voter turnout and create a more energized, organized and effective party." It's safe to say that she's kept herself occupied in addressing these issues, and she's done so effectively.

If re-elected, Amber Medina's energy will continue to power the Democratic Party in a way no other candidate vying for her position can. She has the experience necessary to lead Cameron County to greatness, and her current projects lend credibility to the plans she has for the future. Her campaign revolves around the idea of being an open book. Now that you've read my review, I suggest you check her out for yourself.

This is my endorsement. I will vote Amber Medina for Cameron County Democratic Party Chair.

The MLK Day Event Created by the People

Antonio Castillo

On Monday, Jan. 18th, 2016, I had the pleasure of joining Antonio Castillo and his family for a breezy afternoon at Washington Park to commemorate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. With the program coordinator for the Brownsville Historical Association, Craig Stone, busy celebrating his neo-confederate holiday, Castillo planned the MLK Day event on his own and invited people via Facebook, emails, and word-of-mouth.

"Several teachers expressed interest in coming, but could not because of school duties... I expected it to be a small turnout," Castillo said. BISD marks Martin Luther King Day as a half-day for students and as a full work day for faculty and staff.

Over the next 2½ hours, people arrived and learned about the meaning of the Davis monument and the importance of King's actions. A few elected officials and candidates also joined us to show their support in our event's remembrance of King and spoke to us about their positions on local issues.

Dr. Osbert Gamaliel Haro Rodriguez III (left) - Candidate for Texas State Senator District 27

Amber Medina (center) - Cameron County Democratic Party Chairwoman

Sheila Garcia Bence (center) - Candidate for Cameron County Court at Law #4

Eddie Trevino (2nd from left) - former Mayor of Brownsville / Candidate for Cameron County Judge

Sheila Garcia Bence's team and information table

The most unexpected part of the afternoon, however, was listening to John Young's firsthand account of participating in a civil rights rally led by King himself. This man's passion for social justice shined through his voice, facial expressions, and body movements.

He enthusiastically recounted how he witnessed a group of King's supporters making their way down a nearby street and decided to join in their peaceful protest. As he and the group marched, people mocked and shouted vulgarities at them nonstop from the sidelines. At some point, the local police tried to control the group with violence, which Young reenacted by swinging his arms as if shoving someone to the ground and pummeling relentlessly. Still, the movement continued, conveying their purpose without stooping to aggression, while the onlookers spewed their hate.

He then told us how there were times in which society had come across another injustice, and people around him would ask "Where is Martin Luther King when you need him?" After hearing that question so many times, he realized that there was a more important question to be asked. "Why am I not Martin Luther King?"

The truth is that there was only one Martin Luther King Jr. Though he is most well-known as a civil rights activist, his speeches and books touched on other topics our textbooks may not have mentioned such as the ignored voices of the poor, the dangers of capitalism, the consideration of democratic socialism, and the unnecessary preference of military action and violence. The man had followers to share his ideas of peaceful social reform and act on his behalf, and this is where you and I come in.

Brownsville for Bernie Sanders

We can be those people, doing our best to improve everyone's living conditions, no matter the time or issue. We can honor people like Martin Luther King Jr. by emulating his desire for progress and achieving it through peaceful means. We can accomplish great things by working in numbers and acting civilly.

Rafael Collado and family with a MLK children's book held in front of the offensive Jefferson Davis monument

"This was the result of only a few days of planning. Imagine if the city or museum planned it for several months." I commend Antonio Castillo for his noble efforts in organizing this event of commemoration and hope that the Brownsville Historical Association is taking notes. Martin Luther King Day should be acknowledged with an official city event that everyone can attend and enjoy. 

Emancipation from Old Ways

HISTORY LESSON TIME!

In the mid-1800s, the US was growing, with different halves of the country driving business in different ways. While the North had industrial and manufacturing stuff going well for them, the South relied on slave labor to tend to their cash crops of the time. An official latitude line was set in 1820 to ensure that both halves could continue their work, however it was carried out, in peace. 

By the 1830s, northerners were growing concerned that slavery was steadily creeping westward to new territories. This led to people speaking up, proposing another idea, abolishing slavery. This made many southerners upset and defensive.

"In 1854, the U.S. Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which essentially opened all new territories to slavery by asserting the rule of popular sovereignty over congressional edict." Basically, if most people in a territory were pro-slavery, even if that territory was above the latitude line established in 1820, the government had no power to keep them from utilizing it. Slavery had the power to spread anywhere people wanted it.

This congressional decision led to conflict. Bleeding Kansas was a violent confrontation that arose as slavery supporters rushed to Kansas in an attempt to spread the use of their source of labor and ran into abolitionists who wanted to keep slavery out of the territory.

The overwhelming acceptance of slavery in the South allowed the Supreme Court to deny Dred Scott emancipation in 1857, after it was stated that "because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue" for his freedom. Aside from this, attacks by abolitionist groups, like John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859, only added to the tension.

With the inauguration of the anti-slavery president Abraham Lincoln in 1860, seven southern states seceded from the United States to form the Confederates States of America, so they could continue utilizing their slave labor without worrying about the government interfering with their business.

Long story short from here on out: USA vs. CSA cost hundreds of thousands of people their lives, but racial equality won! It won on paper, anyway. People were still jerks for many years. Fortunately, all that is behind us!

...

You've got to be kidding me.

I know that, in "An Introduction," I said I wanted "to inform my readers of the positivity our city has to offer." My post on the vegan picnic was exactly that. It was a great way to start off this blogging journey! This post, however, is something I wish I did not need to type, something I thought should be unnecessary in this day and age, but it is an important issue to address nevertheless.

I could go on about all the bigotry and injustice that continues to plague our progressing society just about anywhere and everywhere. However, I must express my disgust in discovering that there are people who embrace these horrendous Confederate ideas right here in Brownsville... Even more shocking was the news that these guys, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, will be holding a public event the day before Martin Luther King Day.

"But Juan!" you may interject. "Look at the Wikipedia page for those guys. It specifically says that don't want to stir up 'any feeling against the North.'"

I see your Wikipedia reference, and I raise you these two gems:

Article II, Sec. 9 of the Constitution of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans... 

As well as an excerpt from the "What is the SCV?" page.

Their goals include "[instilling] into [their] descendants a proper veneration for the spirit and the glory of [their] fathers" and "perpetuating the ideals that motivated [their] Confederate ancestor[s]."

Some, like Mr. Ricky E. Pittman, Bard of the South, may argue that it was a power struggle which sparked the Civil War. Even if it is partially true, this explanation overlooks an important detail.

The question is: How would the South have maintained itself without having to report to the US government?

Ready for the answer? It would have maintained itself through slave labor, treating other humans like property, overworking them, abusing them, viewing them as lesser beings because of a difference in skin color. This is an ideal being celebrated by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

It is one thing to acknowledge the existence of something, but to celebrate it, to hold it in high regard and close to our hearts is something else entirely.

We must not allow this neo-confederate group to celebrate those who fought against human rights. If we remain silent on this issue, we spit on the graves of those who were unfairly forced into a life of hard labor, poor living conditions, and overall mistreatment.

I hope you readers will speak against this event. Inform your family about this. Share the news with your friends. Call up a city official and politely express your disappointment! Politely, I said!

Let people know you do not want your Brownsville's name to be associated with such a cruel and outdated, not to mention long outlawed, idea.

The Vegan Picnic at Dean Porter Park

My sister became a vegetarian a little over four months ago, and the entire family felt the effect. The first few weeks were somewhat chaotic, since we were used to following the routine of eating meat in just about every meal. As time passed, we started buying more fruits for snacking, looking up recipes that we could all enjoy, and hunting for some ingredients that we had actually never used before. I'm glad to report that we survived and have actually been able to embrace these changes. However, we soon found out that my sister's switch to vegetarianism was only a step toward eventually going vegan.

My parents and I had only a general idea of what veganism was.

"That's kind of like being a vegetarian, right?" or "It's just another diet people like to try."

Yes and no.

According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, a vegan is "a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also: one who abstains from using animal products (as leather)."

Veganism is not confined to the contents of your plate. Vegans do not eat, wear, or use any items made with animals or animal byproducts. The most common reason for going vegan, to my knowledge, is to raise awareness on animal rights. Some people find the treatment of animals being led to their deaths cruel and unnecessary. Others argue that veganism is better for the environment, stating that resources, like water and vegetation, are used less efficiently in maintaining livestock as a food source rather than when they are consumed directly. Other reasons include protesting the poor conditions in which slaughterhouse workers must work or changing up one's diet solely for personal health. Regardless of one's cause, if done correctly, going vegan can be beneficial for both your body and the world.

Now that words have been defined and reasons have been explained, onto the experience!

My sister had been invited to a vegan picnic, organized by one of her friends, at Dean Porter Park. I expressed my interest. "Cool!" I liked the thought of her spending time away from her family of raging carnivores and hanging out with like-minded people. I had never heard of anything like this happening in Brownsville before, but she showed me how events like that had been done by many others. A YouTube search for "vegan picnic" brought up a long list of videos, showing people preparing food, setting up at the location, and welcoming the arriving guests. The more my sister showed me, I started thinking that an open-invitation vegan picnic wasn't such a farfetched idea, even in a city where you can smell the carne of two or three nearby cookouts almost anywhere. Though I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go at the time, I was excited that someone was trying to make this a thing in Brownsville!

Wednesday came along, January 6th, and, despite the light afternoon drizzle, it felt like a pleasant day for a picnic. I was even more excited now, knowing that I'd be able to attend. My sisters and I arrived at the park at around 5pm, where four other people were already hanging out under the pavilion.

Over the next couple of hours, the group grew to a total of thirteen attendees, not a bad number for the first ever picnic. I had the pleasure of meeting the hostesses, Amanda Nolan and Miros Davila, and enjoyed the amazing veggie sushi, rice balls, bowtie pasta and potato salad, and a variety of fruits (shown above). The group was buzzing with conversation the entire time as we occasionally reached across one another for seconds or thirds. By 7:30pm, we were headed home, as the sun had set a while back, having enjoyed the food and the company.

I certainly hope to attend another vegan picnic. Fortunately, Amanda has said she'd like to plan another one! She notes that mentioning you're a vegan "is difficult when you don't have support or anyone to share your experiences with them," so she hopes to find more locals who can contribute to future events.

"...I also just want to raise awareness in general. I want non vegans to feel welcome as well and encourage them to become more aware of what they're putting into their bodies and how that affects them and the world around them. I mostly just want to create a positive environment where people are free to discuss the issue and also see that vegans don't just eat lettuce."

This is, indeed, a noble cause.

For all I know, Amanda could be pioneering the movement herself. Then again, there may be a number of vegans living among us already, keeping to themselves because no one has attempted to unite everyone through community events like an open-invitation picnic. What I am certain of is that her aspirations of educating others on environmental and nutritional awareness have the potential to power her in achieving the goal of introducing a fresh view on veganism in Brownsville.

An Introduction

My name is Juan Treviño, and I'm from Brownsville, Texas, a city you've probably never heard of unless you're from the Rio Grande Valley. At the time of this typing, I'm one semester away from graduating with a BA in English, and I hope to continue my education in Journalism and Political Science so I can make a difference in my community. That will be years and years of more school, so, for now, I will use this blog to keep Brownsville bright.

I hope to inform my readers of the positivity our city has to offer, from covering city events, interviewing people of interest, and reviewing places that have added value to my Brownsville experience. I also want to encourage people to become active in their communities if they do not see the progress they've been waiting for. It's a somewhat intimidating task, but I hope to do a great job at it and have you along for the ride.

Until the next post