damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo, and today the san francisco international arts festival is back on your "comunidad del valle." [music] [music]

damian: we begin today with the monthly visit by the consulate of mexico in san francisco. maria elena arenas is the consul de protección for the office. consul welcome back to "comunidad del valle." maria elena: thank you very much, damian. good morning to your audience and i'm so glad to be here with you this morning. damian: thank you for being here. talk about the departamento de protección, what does your office do? maria: okay, our protection department enforces the program initiated by the mexican government to give legal advice to everybody, every mexican in our subscription. as you may remember damian, we cover 13 countries here in the bay area all the way to the north and also we cover the state of hawaii. so what we do here is that we provide legal advice on immigration affairs, work affairs, family law, criminal

law, administrative law. so i have a team of five people that can advise anybody who calls and who comes to the consulate. some of the services damian, that we have more required, it's the help that we can provide for immigration affairs. we have a pool of five attorneys who can give advice, but also who provide free representation to everybody that qualifies. for example, we have a lot of people who are victims of crime and they might be eligible to receive an immigration relief. so everybody's welcome to come, and especially damian this month of march from the 18th to the 22nd, we're gonna have the whole week, we're gonna have events here at the consulate, we're

gonna have talks. we're gonna have five attorneys here giving free advice. we're gonna have probably call center attending, or taking your phone call, taking the questions from the people, and we're here to serve, everybody who wants to come to our office also is free to come. no appointment is needed to receive our legal services. remember, it's from march 18 to the 22nd, five days of free legal advice. it's easy, we are here, we're here to help you. damian: and that's the whole week. the semana de asesorías legales. so any legal advice you're there. and it's important to know consul, that any immigrant who is of mexican descent, can go to your office and find out what their rights are 'cause there are rights that they have. maria: yeah, that's correct. we start usually you know, providing immigration advice, but also we have information or we give advice to people so they

know what their rights are, but also we compel them to obey the law, to follow the law, "do not get in trouble, don't drink and drive." we invite, you know, immigration attorneys, we invite family attorneys, we invite labor attorneys, everybody who can give us an advice and who can guide our people to live a better life, to make a better life. everybody is invited here, everybody is gonna be here, and we are waiting for our people to come, now. there is no need also to wait till the week of 18, we can start helping you right now. we can start since today. you don't need an appointment to come to the consulate, you don't need an appointment to come to the protection department. we are here to serve to our community. damian: okay, yeah, it's important to be available that

week, but like you said, you're available from here with any of that legal advice. the consulado is located on folsom street in san francisco. we're gonna show you that website for more information, find out about the semana de asesorías legales. legal affairs week. we'll be back with the consul here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us.

damian: we're back with consul maria elena arenas. she's the consul de protección for the consulate of mexico in san francisco. now you also have, you want people to get the credentials for the upcoming elections in mexico. maria: yes, damian. as you know this year we also have presidential elections on the road to achieve you know, the vote, the most important vote of people here in the united states. we are still accepting people without appointment from 7:30 to 11:30, from here till the 20 of february. anybody who might need their voter registration card, they

don't need an appointment. come from 7:30 to 11:30 and you're gonna get a spot. so just make sure that you bring with you a proof of nationality, which can be your birth certificate, your declaration of nationality. also you need to bring an id with a picture and a proof of address. your bank statement or an electricity bill. anything that can prove that your address. just make sure that you come without appointment for the 20th of february, which is the last day to register. now, if you already have your voter registration card, you can register at votoextranjero.mx where there are all of the requirements and that is the number where you are going to activate your voter registration card once that you receive it. now, on the july the 2, just to for you to be informed, there

are gonna be three ways to vote. the first one is through internet by mail post. you're gonna receive your electoral ballot on the mail, and also in 20 consulates, we're gonna have windows. we're gonna have an electoral jury on this on the 2 of june. so take advantage, come to the consulate with that appointment from here till the 20 of february, and we'll see you in the 2 of june so you can vote. damian: and again, if you haven't registered by tuesday the 20 of february, then you don't qualify, you have to do it now. maria: yes, you have to do it now, we are open. we have a huge team that we have you know, put together so we can receive more applications. everybody is invited to come and register and do what is right, vote.

damian: that's right, do what is right. any final thoughts consul, before we let you go today? maria: well damian, thank you very much to your community, to your audience for hearing us. just remember that if you're in trouble, we also have an emergency line. the number to call is (650) 501-7915. if you have an emergency, we have that line 24/7. we're here to help, remember. damian: all right, thank you so much. maria elena arenas is the consul de protección for the consulate of mexico in san francisco. thank you for being with us here on "comunidad del valle." maria: gracias damian. thank you so much. damian: thank you. gracias a usted. again, there on folsom street, the consulate here in san francisco, there is a web address for more information. you do have until tuesday if you haven't registered or your family members haven't registered for the elections in mexico. up next here in "comunidad del valle," the san francisco international arts festival. yes it's back, you wanna stay with us.

damian: hello, san francisco international arts festival is here. rebecca flores is with acción latina, she joins us now here on "comunidad del valle." welcome to the show. rebecca flores: thank you so much for having me. damian: thank you for being here. well, tell us about yourself and tell us about acción latina. rebecca: so my name's rebecca flores. i'm from fresno, california. my mom and dad came to the us from mexico and el salvador, and i work here at acción latina as the cultural arts manager. damian: and talk about you're an artist as well, talk about your form of art. rebecca: yeah, so i consider myself a storyteller, and mainly because i write fiction and i also make these large scale sculptures. and the beautiful thing about sculptures is that when you make one and you put it into the real world, into space, it takes up so much of your eye that you have to contemplate it, you have to think about it, you have to wonder what kind of story is being told with it, and i love stories so much. so being able to weave words and writing with a giant sculpture

helps me tell the story of how i became an artist, of how my parents influenced so much of my work. damian: you and i were talking off camera and you found out that i like chisme, and i found out that you like chisme, talk about if you will, about you know, being able to use that as an asset in your line of work. rebecca: oh my gosh, that's a really good question. i think chisme are words, stories, and when you use it for art, you rely on your memory. and a lot of us know that our memories aren't always the most accurate. and that's where art starts to play into it. that now you can put in what you imagine to be the truth or what you imagine not to be real at all. and when you use chisme like that, you get to use your memories and you get to create a new reality for you. something that may have happened in the past or can happen in the future, can now be used for a short story, a movie, a

screenplay, a sculpture, dance, theater. it all starts to come together. and that's why i'm super excited to be a part of this year's sf international arts festival because it brings in just that more than 50 artists, more than 50 groups are coming together in social justice groups like marimba--neblinas del pacifico, flamenco groups from all over the world are coming here to sf, to the mission district so we can unite together in a night of social justice and really share our work and our ideas with all of you. damian: and it's a week and a half of free events. some events are ticketed but it's just a whole gamut of things that are happening in the mission district in that first week and a half of may. rebecca: yeah, so we'll be activating acción latina. we'll be activating community music center. we'll be activating medicine for nightmares. the bookstore here on calle 24,

we'll also be activating, el -- balmy alley. all the wonderful spots in the mission district. damian: and we have some video from past years. and again, when we talk about international, it is international. it doesn't involve just the united states and latin america, we're talking about an international flavor here that you're bringing. rebecca: yeah, groups from all over the world are coming, which is really good because i think right now in our time, all of us are wondering about how we can come together, how we can unite, and how we can listen to each other and really work together to make a good future. one that our kids can grow up in, one that our families are supported in, and one that we are imagining and creating art in. and that's the beautiful thing about the sf international arts festival. that it wants it wants to bring artists to do just that. damian: and i mean, do you think that you are able to learn things from other artists who come and maybe they'll learn some things from you as well?

i mean, it's gonna be kind of a meshing of blending of ideas here. rebecca: yes, i'm excited to learn how to dance, learn how to get my cumbia steps in, learn how to get down, and also learn about how nueva canción and music and theater always seem to find a way to bring people in community and bring them together and bring them here. damian: all right, well again, this is the san francisco international arts festival. it's happening beginning of may through the middle of may. and we do have a website for you so you can log on and find out more. again, some of the events are free and some of them require a ticket, but there it is. so there's a website for more information. we'll be back with the san francisco international arts festival here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us.

damian: we're back with rebecca flores here on "comunidad del valle," she's with acción latina. we're talking about the san francisco international arts festival here on "comunidad del valle."

and again, this is a week and a half, right? i mean, you're gonna have events going nonstop in the mission. rebecca: yeah, it's gonna be a festival. folks can come down to the mission, go to medicine for nightmares and catch my sculpture show playground. folks can come here at acción latina to the juan r. fuentes gallery and catch a group photo exhibition called first exposure, award-winning journalist from sf state. folks can go to community music center and catch neblinas del pacifico. folks can go to balmy alley and see all the beautiful art that is here in the mission district is gonna be a hoop. damian: i mean, that's why when the great thing about art is that art is kind of all encompassing. you're talking about music, you're talking about the visual art, you're talking about performing art un poquito de todo. rebecca: un poquito de todo. and it's trying to weave in all of us are artists trying to survive in this world, trying to make art that people can relate to, that people see themselves in. art that speaks to social justice, that brings together

the minorities, the migrant, and the disenfranchised. all are welcome at our art shows come through, come see them, especially go to playground at medicine for nightmares, that's where i'm gonna be at and i'm really excited to see you. damian: all right. you know the bay area itself is such a blend, a mix of different cultures from all over the world, and that's exactly what you're bringing here to the festival. how important is it that we celebrate not only salvadorian culture, mexican culture, but also from india, from argentina, from other parts of the world? rebecca: it's super important that we go and we commune with each other, because then we learn how to talk to each other, then we learn how to listen to each other, then we can hear each other. i grew up in a multicultural family. like my dad is from el salvador, mi mamá es mixteca de méxico, and they met here in the united states and me and my sister grew up here. and so i grew up listening to two sides of two different stories.

and i thought it was really beautiful how we could come in one place and be a family together. and that's how i see my role in art. is when i blend it in with words and i blend in with sculpture, and i come in with some video, and i just kind of like put it into like a big giant soup, it's sort of a story of how i came to be as a mexican salvadorian american. and i think when we all integrate with art like that, when we all see art that is different, that is new, that is exciting, that is also music and dance and old school and things that we're used to seeing, we see a new part of the story and we see how all of us continue to tell the same story of how beautiful our culture is, of how vibrant and green and purple and red it all is. and it's a beautiful thing to be able to witness and also be. so come and see all the latino music that is gonna be at the international arts festival here in san francisco. you won't want to miss it at all. damian: all right yeah, now it's happening for a week and a

half, beginning of may. any final thoughts rebecca, before we let you go. rebecca: my final thought is you're beautiful, you're amazing, and we wanna see you at the sf international arts festival. damian: all right, that's a good sales pitch. thank you so much for being on the show. we'll see you out there. rebecca: see you soon. damian: gracias. again, the san francisco international art festival that's happening the first week and a half of may. you wanna log onto the website and find out more about the events. again, some are free, some are ticketed, but various venues all around the mission district will have some sort of art form to present during this festival. well, if you wanna get ahold of us here on "comunidad del valle," you want to send me or find me on instagram, my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. if you wanna send me an email, there's an email on the screen as well. we thank you for sharing another part of your sunday with us here on "comunidad del valle," we're gonna leave you with another very, very important interview, and then we'll see you back here again next week, buenas tardes. damian: when, when it comes to latinos in education in silicon valley, they're getting the grade of a d that's a d

almost an f, that's according to research by the hispanic foundation of silicon valley. well, now some powerhouse agencies are coming together to do something about it. dr. lisa andrew is the president and ceo of the silicon valley education foundation to talk about something called the east side education initiative. dr. andrew, welcome to the show. dr. lisa andrew: oh thank you. so happy to be here. damian: thank you for being here. such an important topic. i wish we had the entire show to talk about it. but, you know, when ron gonzalez mentioned the letter grades at the unveiling back in june, he said that if he had this report card, he wouldn't hide it from his parents because it was that bad. it's ugly, a d is ugly. dr. lisa: oh, very much so and unacceptable. i mean, there is no reason why in this valley, in this city, our education system should be getting any kind of letter grade like that. no, no reason. damian: so at the end of these sessions, and we have breakout sessions during that day, and i think a lot of people

think, well, now what and you know, nothing much is gonna happen out of it, but you're making sure you and other folks are making sure that something is done about it. tell us about that. dr. lisa: yes for sure. so a few years ago we developed a collective impact with a couple of other nonprofits called the east side education initiative. the silicon valley education foundation came together with the hispanic foundation of silicon valley and leaf, another nonprofit organization in the santa clara county office of ed. and we all got together and decided how can we lift the latino community here in san jose? what is that going to take so that we have long lasting sustainable economic mobility for the students in east san jose? so we got together and the research is there on what needs to be done and put together an initiative

and then sought funding. and we were able to launch at the beginning of last year, in january of 2023. this initiative is actually two-prong. the first prong is the short term funding for supplemental services that the school districts in east san jose cannot afford. the much more important prong is the long-term funding solution that the state of california must address so that the students in east san jose can thrive, that they can become the workforce of silicon valley, and that we can secure an economically mobile future for them. damian: because right now we're not guaranteeing that, right? right now by what we're offering our children, we're guaranteeing that we're going to need to import the brain power and the people power to do what needs to be done in silicon valley. dr. lisa: absolutely, absolutely. so here's what happens damian. the students in east san jose, get a per pupil funding per year from the state.

so a student say in the mount pleasant school district, because of their zip code, they would get about $11,000 per year per student. there are other students in other zip codes of santa clara county where their district gets $24,000 per year for them. so the students don't even start out with an equal playing field. then you add on top of it, yes, the state and the, and the federal government gives us money for english language development, they give us money so that students who are living in poverty or below the poverty level have extra services, but that doesn't even catch them up to what other school districts are getting per pupil per year. so this perpetuates, perpetuates, and perpetuates. while money can't solve everything, we do know that money buys resources, money buys things, it buys people, it buys access.

and currently the students of east san jose are not getting the money that they deserve as other students in santa clara county are getting so that they can have access and opportunity to the kind of future that we want for students in california. damian: we wanna play a trailer in our next segment. you have a 20 minute documentary, 24 minute documentary. we're gonna play one minute of the trailer in our next segment. but what you just said you can see why it's easy for people's blood to boil. dr. lisa: yes, yes, as it should, as it should. i know that most people walking around here in santa clara county are not aware of this. and we are definitely not advocating that money be taken from these higher funded districts, absolutely not. what these higher funded districts have been able to build and to provide for their students, we just want that in every school in santa clara county. this needs to be a priority of our state so that no matter what

zip code, no matter what school you go to, you as a student are going to have access and opportunity to the same sort of future, the same sort of college experience, the same sort of career experience, again, so that the students of silicon valley can become the workforce of silicon valley. damian: well, you're doing some fantastic work there and you made an important point that i want to get into that in the next segment. but folks who might be interested, this is called the east side education initiative. it's been around for about a year now. this is put on by the silicon valley education foundation, the hispanic foundation of silicon valley, and also leaf. there is a website for the silicon valley education foundation, east side education initiative. [music] [music]

[music] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] male: we seek the direction of the sun. darkness far darkness near. the giver of life, light. ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [speaking in native language]

(light music) - [trace] 25 years of the idc, and no better place to celebrate it than right here at purina farms. there he goes, sensational sounders (crowd cheering) once again does it. the green flag falls at the texas motor speedway. dogs from the central us compete in the purina pro plan. 15 miles of uninterrupted beaches,