damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today a new exhibition at the mexican museum. mexican masks on your "comunidad del valle." ♪ damian: we begin with the new mexican consul general here in san jose, alejandra bologna. we're honored to have her join us here on "comunidad del valle." and rodrigo navarro is the consul of protection here for the consulate of san jose. welcome to the show. alejandra bologna: thank you so much. damian: our audience hasn't met you. introduce yourselves, tell us about you, where you come from, and maybe your vision for the consulate. alejandra: of course, i'm very glad to be back in california because about ten years ago, i left this extraordinary state. and i'm really excited to work at the consulate and to continue

working with our community. we have a strong community, a very large community here in all counties that we have in our jurisdiction. and there are a lot of important programs that we need to do. and first of all, our first aim is to help them and introduce them in their rights. because nevertheless, the condition in which they come here, we need to respect and be worried about their rights. damian: and one of those rights and the fact we're celebrating that week is labor rights week, derechos laborales, and that's where you come in, consul rodrigo. tell us about the role and what we're doing this week for labor rights. rodrigo navarro: yeah, during this week, have the 11th edition of our labor rights week. it's an event of the council that's throughout all the country in the united states, 50 office. we promote labor rights for all the people working in this

country, regardless of their immigration status. so, we're paying attention to any wrongdoing by their employers, trying to catch up with all those cases where they won't--are not paid by overtime, when they are being denied from justice, probably they were injured during their labor journey, and they didn't have access to justice or to work compensation. so, basically we're focusing on those rights. we're promoting these events not only this week, but throughout all the year. and our message is if you are working in this country, it doesn't matter if you have papers or you don't. in spite of your immigration status, you can come to the consulate, you can come to the government, and you can report any wrongdoing by your employer so we can help you, provide an attorney, provide assistance, and put you in the wrong--in the right direction to for justice. damian: all right, and so every consulate in united states has this labor rights week, but as rodrigo said,

this is year-round. if you have an issue with labor with your employer, you can go to the consulate and find out, what are my rights? alejandra: yes, it is very important to us to people can feel confidence and come to us to any situation they feel that could be a violation of the rights. this week, the main name, it is the value of your work. it doesn't matter what kind of work they are doing, all works are important for us. and it's good that they know that nevertheless their condition could be a violation, and there's a consulate and there's a group of different organizations that can help them. damian: all right, we have about a minute and a half. what message do you want to get across? rodrigo: yeah, basically what the consul general just mentioned, the value of your work. so, if you're working in this country, the work you're doing for all of the community is not oversight.

everybody's paying attention to what you're doing for your family, for your community, but for this country. and the government of the united states and the government of mexico is paying attention to that. it's not only about the consulates. both governments, the united states government federal level and the mexican government, is paying attention that any employer around the country is respecting the rights of the immigrant community working on the fields, on the constructions, or wherever you can imagine. the mexican community is working really hard. the hispanic community has given too much to this country, so we need to protect their rights, and we need to know that it doesn't matter if i have papers or not. in spite of my immigration status, i have the right to have access for justice. damian: all right, and we're talking again about workers comp, overtime. if you're--you know somebody who's maybe not getting paid any of that, then that's where you can come for more help. but the consulate is located on enzo drive here in south san jose. if you want more information, there is their web address. you can log on and find out more about their labor rights week. it's really year-round. senora consul, any final thoughts before we let you go?

alejandra: yes, of course. let me just say that we have also cases of people that has the h2a visas, h2b visas, and they could be also suffering some violations. so, we invite all people to come, all workers to come to us because it's very important they're respectful of their rights. nevertheless what they are doing, it's very important for us to attend them. and just see it's--we are in a productive chain, so it doesn't matter if they are in the field or whatever, they need--they have--it has to be respect time for resting, food, the one that it was said in the contract, and other different situations that are need to be respected in their contracts. damian: yeah, well, thank you so much for that information, and welcome to the bay area. alejandra: thank you so much. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle," changes

to the wic program. you'll want to stay tuned, stay with us. sleep number 360 smart bed.st sale of the year on a can it help keep us asleep? yes, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. it's the last chance to save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. plus 0% interest for 36-months. ends labor day.

program, and this is part of it right here, the new wic card. with me here on "comunidad del valle," bertha gonzalez, she is a nutritionist with public health, and erica urena is with gardner health out here in the south bay. welcome to the show. so, who can tell me about these quick changes? what is going to be happening coming next month? erica urena: so, we've very excited because we're promoting our new wic card. this is happening september 3, so please come and visit our wic office because we have a new wic card. damian: and so this is a--i'm holding a miniature version of what you're holding here. erica: correct. damian: what's the difference? why should i do this? bertha gonzalez: the difference is like no more paper, no more checks with paper. and now we have a wic card, it's electronic, and that would be more easy for the participants because now with the check, the participants needs to buy everything they say in the check.

and if the participant lost the check, they lost completely. now with the new wic card, the participant decide what products they want to buy in what moment. and another thing, if they lost their card, they can call us and we can provide another card, so they don't lose the benefits. damian: uh-huh, makes a lot of sense. does this help simplify paperwork, just the streamlines and everything makes the process easier i would imagine. erica: it's easier going shopping because it's more convenient. you're on--those families on the go, it's like you go into the store, you don't have to buy all the items at once. you can just purchase one item, and you don't have to do the whole items, which before with the checks you had to get all the items in one check. damian: who qualifies for wic right now? erica: low income families that are in need. damian: just in--just in need? erica: in need, yes. damian: so bertha, you're with public health unit, a nutritionist.

how--i mean, i see a lot of fruits and vegetables on the card. how important is it that, you know, we encourage these families to go onto the nutrition side? bertha: we provide the best education to our families in order they make the best decision in one of the important point in our life, that is nutrition. we have had successful stories about all children's change the habits, and that is great. one of the things i love for my work is to see how the children smile and how the moms change all the habits just only because we provide the best information in education, in nutrition. damian: do these families know in advance that this change is coming? or i mean, that's why we're trying to get the word out obviously. erica: yes. most of our families know, but we want to get the message out so that our new families can come and join us for our new wic card. it is--like i said, it's very convenient, easy to use, and

it's here next week, september 3. damian: so, should families already have this at home, or is it in the mail, or how does that-- erica: no, they're going to be walking into our office and we'll be serving them with the wic card in the office. damian: oh, so they have to come in personally, physically to get this accomplished. does this make anything any--the work that you do, make it any easier for you? it just makes it easier for the client? bertha: okay, so the wic card came with an app the participants can put in their phone. and that would be easy because they can scan the products and they will be know if that product is available and it's advertised or no. so, that would be easy. that app can check this--the balance, can see the appointments. so, the wic card has a lot of change that will benefit all participants. damian: all right. well, again, if you want more information, this change is coming here next week. if you want more information, you can call or log on to the

wic services office. you can call, that's probably the fastest way 'cause these changes are coming, again, tomorrow, september 3. and so, we want to make sure that we're aware that you know about these changes. there's a number to call for information. we'll be back with public health and also with gardner health services, stay with us. erica: thank you. at aetna, we find that inspiring.ot game.

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♪ new sichuan hot chicken. for a heart breaking limited time only at panda express. starting tomorrow with the wic program here actually across the state. we're back here on "comunidad del valle" talking about that. now there--a lot of the community's fearful about this thing called the public charge. so, if you can explain to us what that is, what the fear is, and how this impacts wic if at all. erica: it does--the main message i want to give here is that it does not--wic is not included in the public charge, and for our participants not to be afraid to come

and ask for services. it is important to continue to receive our wic services and to continue serving our community. so, wic is here to provide for you, so please come. don't be afraid. wic does not--is not included in the public charge. damian: and so, public charge means proposal that if you're on some sort of public assistance, you may not qualify to become a legal resident or a citizen eventually. erica: correct, but wic is not included in the public charge. damian: do you get--do you get that question a lot from your clients? erica: yes, we do. damian: what does that say about the confusion that this is all causing? erica: it's alarming, it's scary for them, but it is something that we want to make sure we educate our participants on, informing them that wic is not included in the public charge. damian: and bertha, a lot of children are being cared for by their grandparents. you know, something may have happened, some circumstances with the parents of the children. so, what should grandparents know about do they qualify or should they apply?

bertha: the message is like most of the children has medical or receive cash help. most of the childrens qualify for all program. and sometimes the grandparents, they don't know about it. or the families who take care temporarily or permanently the children, and sometimes it's like single moms, single parents because recently we see more dads too attending the appointments, and it's very important. like most of the dad community is qualified for all program. damian: okay, there is a social stigma, erica, people who qualify for wic, who are enrolled in wic. some might be embarrassed because they're in wic. some feel like they might be criticized because they're enrolled in wic. why should they not feel that way? erica: don't be afraid. especially with the new wic card, it's going to be a lot

more convenient, it's going to be like shopping with your own ebt, i mean card, your debit card. so, if you go into the store with your own card, you could just shop for your items. and it's something that it's convenient, like i said, easy to use, and no more waiting in line or people looking at you that you have wic checks. no, that's gone, so it's history. please come to our services and get our new wic card. damian: and we've been talking here on this show about how the economy in general has deteriorated and more people are trying to find help wherever they can. have you found that more people are applying for wic because of the economy and the way it is? erica: yes-- damian: especially the cost of living here in silicon valley. erica: definitely. we want to make sure that we are here to provide for those families that need wic. so, it is important to not be afraid and come to our office. damian: all right, and you want to say something? bertha: we are 3 agency with 15 office through

the santa clara county. and we have a flexible hours. some of the office opens saturdays, so we are here. damian: all right. well, again, this change starts tomorrow, so if you are enrolled in wic, you want to walk into one of those offices and make sure that you do get your card because it'll make things a lot easier for yourself and also for the agency. make sure that you get your funds and you get all those nutritious--nutritional items that you need. but more information, again you can log on, you can call the wic offices here in santa clara county. there is a number for more information. any final thoughts before we let you go? erica: thank you, just come and join our office, visit us soon. we're here to serve you. bertha: nutrition is one of the good points for all the families, and all childrens is our future. damian: all right, very good, very good point. thank you so much for the work you do. all right, and up next here on "comunidad del valle," the mexican museum and mexican masks. stay with us.

with me on "comunidad del valle" is bertha rodriguez with the mexican museum, and also is paula linares, a co-curator of this exhibition. welcome to the show. are we talking mexican masks, we're talking mil máscaras here? what are we talking about, mexican masks? bertha rodriguez: we're talking about 60, nearly 60 masks from the collection of the mexican museum that are in exhibit at the mexican consulate right now. damian: i think we do have some pictures of that. so, as a co-curator, what can you tell us, paula, about what we can experience if we go see these beautiful masks that we're showing here? paula linares: well, the mexican museum has a collection of more than 700 masks. and then from that collection, the museum invited juan coronel, who is an amazing curator, to select--make a first selection. and he selected 150 masks to put together a show for different places in the bay area.

and then after that, i was invited to select from that selection another 60 masks so we can actually put together a show at the mexican consulate. and then that's what you are about to see in this--in this special show. i guess what is important about it is that you can enjoy the different craft making of masks. it has a mask from each state of mexico, so you can be able to enjoy that. damian: what material are they made out of? paula: so, we have different masks. so, some of them are made of wood, others from leather, either papier-mache, right, that is paper. some of them are carved, other are like put together with different materials like glue or--yeah.

damian: and it's something that the mexican museum has in their vast vaults of mexin treasures? bertha: yeah, so we have a collection of almost 17,000 objects. and right now while our new building is under construction, we are selecting and curating different shows to take to different venues. we are collaborating with different galleries, museums, and other venues like the mexican consulate right now to bring these shows to the community since we don't have an exhibition space at the moment. damian: you say at the moment. in our video, we do have some artist renditions. tell us what's going to be beyond--what's in the future of the mexican museum? bertha: yeah, so right now, as i said, our new building is under construction, our new home. and it's going to be at the yerba buena gardens, yerba buena

arts district in san francisco. and we're expecting to have it done by the beginning of 2021. and we want to show not only californians, but like every visitor to san francisco our story, the mexican culture and latino culture. damian: was it kind of a no brainer to bring it to the consulate and make sure that everybody gets to appreciate fine art like this? paula: yes, actually it is the kickoff event for this initiative that is called museum without walls. so, with this event, we're starting like a lot of events are happening, activities. so, we're taking all the services of the museums and the collections to different places so the people can enjoy mexican

culture or latino culture, and that actually the museum can offer the service to the community as well. damian: how do you feel that you are able to bring this rich artwork to this area and be able to showcase it to this area? paula: well, i feel very proud. as you know, damian, i was born and raised in mexico, so every time that i see these kind of amazing artworks, i feel very proud about it. and i feel as well lucky, you know, to be able to put together this show and to be able to touch the different objects and be studying them. because each object has a different personality. and what i would like to invite the audience to see that in each object, to see their history, to see their past, to see their

culture, their heritage. and the mask is always an object that invites you to find a new face of yourself, or even your surroundings, or your context. damian: that's basically the mission of the mexican museum, right, is to make sure that you bring cultura, rich cultura to the region. bertha: exactly, yeah. damian: and talk about what else is upcoming. i mean, we have the mask exhibition, but i mean, once you have your new venue, this is going to be wide open. bertha: yeah, we have a vast collection. we have a very important collection of pre-colombian art that we're going to showcase there. we also have contemporary art, chicano art, mexican-american art, mexican art. so, it's a very rich collection that we just want to share, and

it's right now sitting there in our storage. and we are selecting and curating really good shows that we're going to showcase in there. something else that we are doing with the mask is that we selected a like a little show of ten masks that we are bringing to schools. and we are inviting the schools to have us there, and we're doing art activities with the students. damian: probably lucky that you have experts, curators like paula here who are able not only--i mean, you have your material, but then you have experts who know the material, who are able to exhibit it. talk about that luck, if you will, that you have with the mexicaseum. bertha: well, we have the luxury of collaborate with people like paula and also juan coronel rivera in mexico, and very important curators in mexico that are right now helping us to select good exhibitions and to select the

jewels that we have in our collection. damian: jewels is a perfect word. what do you want people to go home, when they come to the consulate and they see this exhibition: [speaking in foreign language]? what do you want them to go home with? paula: well, first of all, i want them to feel amazed by the originality of each piece. secondly, i bet that most of them have seen them, these kind of mask everywhere. perhaps in a magazine or a picture, or even you all come and say like, "well, i have kind of--i have one of those at home," right? because the masks has been an object that has been used in the mexican culture since the pre-hispanic. and it has a meaning, different meanings. but in the past was used for the gods, right? and then it has--with the time, it had a different connotation,

and it start getting related to carnival and to something to mock off about something, right? so, i invite you to come to the museum and be--enjoy, enjoy these amazing jewels and the craft making of mexican hands. damian: all right. well, more information, it's happening at the mexican consulate in san francisco. it's artwork by the mexican museum, it's through october 11, and there's a web address for more information. thank you for bringing cultura to our region. gracias. bertha: thank you, damian. damian: and now here's what's happening in your comunidad on que pasa. ♪

damian: and our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades. ♪ damian: and here's our contact information. you can follow me on twitter and on facebook at @newsdamian. also pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us on "comunidad del valle." we'll see you again here next week. next week, you don't want to miss supervisor blanca alvarado, former supervisor and former vice mayor of san jose. pasa usted, buenos dias. ♪ ♪herrrre come this hair is happenin'! they think normal pesticide treatments will stop us! nix ultra!!!

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