Where Were All The Wanna-Be's?

I went to city council today expecting a Cesar Chavez Day proclamation from the Mayor and Council. 

There was a resolution about Cesar Chavez Day, which really ended up being much more about Rep Limon than a Cesar Chavez. Not her fault by the way. The language was about the academy.

But at a time when we have all this buzz about the Hispanic Cultural Center, I simply can't get over the fact that there was basically no proclamation for Cesar Chavez and what is worth, none of the activist community was present. 

Yep, all those wanna-be all-of-sudden-I-think-I'm-a-Brown-Beret like that Hobbit that escaped the Shire Hector Montes were freaking AWOL today.

Oh yeah, talking all that crap and he doesn't show up today. He has time to call members of council and bitch and moan about me being on the Hispanic Cultural Committee, plenty of time on his hands to trash a fellow Chicano, but can't make it today. 

He has plenty of time to consult with political candidates, but none to show up today.

No one from LULAC. No one from the LULAC that doesn't like the other LULAC. No one from MACI. No one from Tejano Democrats. 

Sad. And we wonder why we are raising a generation of our youth that have no connection to the struggles of the movement.

Hell Tejano Dems have been on a letter writing kick lately. If they can write about the damn elections administrator, then should damn well write a letter complaining to council about a lack of a proclamation. 

Not a single Latino-based organization was present. Not one. 

But let there be something that gives raza a chance at personal recognition and a forum to fight with each other and the line "Latino leaders" goes around the corner. 

This is almost as bad as the time some idiot at El Paso Community College thought it was a good idea to serve grapes at the Cesar Chavez festivities a few years back.

Maybe the nay sayers are right. A town that is 80% raza and no one shows up for Cesar Chavez Day? Maybe no one will go to an Hispanic Cultural Center.

There is a Marcha for Cesar Chavez in Segundo Barrio tonight. Maybe one ir two elected officials show up. Maybe. You know who will show up? Candidates running for office. I've never seen any of them at a function for Chavez before but they at least will show up tonight.

What is wrong with us raza? It's our fault we are raising a generation that is out of touch with its history. We don't celebrate our own cultural. We can't expect white people to do it for us.

One last thing in this rant. What the hell is wrong with us here in this town that we think it's a good idea to name the wrong stuff after the right people? I know this isn't going to be popular but I'm gonna say it anyway. Why are the schools for screw ups the schools we name after people like Cesar Chavez and Raymond Telles? We should name our schools for the gifted and talented after them, not the troubled youth.