damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad de valle." i'm damian trujillo and the qr code again that you see at the bottom of your screen is so that you can register to vote. it takes you directly to the office of the secretary of state. no more excuses. latinos need to vote.

on the show today, la raza historical society on your "comunidad de valle." ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ damian: and we begin today with the monthly visit by the consulate of mexico here in san jose. with me is ambassador alejandra bologna back on "comunidad de valle." welcome back to the show. alejandra bologna: thank you so much for having me. damian: thank you for being here. we have a couple of topics here to discuss, but let's first what's happening tomorrow? tomorrow's labor day. you have the semana de labor, tell us about your labor week at the consulado. alejandra: yes, we had last week the whole week information with different organizations regarding the rights of labor rights. it doesn't matter what is the status of the people that is

working, they have rights. and it's common to see some violations on the labor force. so that's why it's important to communicate to our people what are the rights, what they need to do or where they need to go to review their own situations. and if it's a case, just act. damian: and your office, even though tomorrow is labor day, you are addressing labor issues year round every day of the year. alejandra: yes, of course. it's part of the programs that we have here at the consulate to protect our community. it's to give the most information they need to have a better life here in the place that they select to live. so that's why it's important for us to connect with the different

organizations that gave them the information they need to have no abuse on the rights or in another activities. so, we have always a personal staff that could endorse any situation or any suspect violation of laws. we can endorse them with lawyers and also with some attorneys or the different organizations that follow up also these issues. damian: and it's great to know because i do get a lot of calls in the newsroom just about these same issues. semana de la labor. now you're also having, there's a couple of tips around the screen in español. so, folks and find out what the services you're providing during that week and actually all year round, but also fiestas patrias is around the corner. tell us about the festivities. alejandra: oh, yes, september is our national month. september 16 is the independence day.

the--it's sometimes is confused with mayo, cinco de mayo, but not. our national day it's september 16 and the day before at night, we will have, well, the whole day on sunday, we will have a lot of activities here in san jose in city hall. and we will have the traditional ceremony of the cry. you know, this ceremony is unique. it's a unique way to celebrate our independence day. what happened is the call that curre hidalgo make for star independence from spain. and he sang a bell in a church and that was the beginning of the independence fight. so what we do it's all around the world in any mexican presentation around the world or in the different cities

or states. and the president they gave the grito, they--we do this ceremony that it's a protocol ceremony and it's really emotive to hear and to see the response of the people in this way to celebrate our national day. but at the same time, it's time to share with the community, our traditions, dancing, music, and food. damian: do you get chills when you do the grito? do you get emotional when you do the grito? alejandra: oh, yes, of course. it's indescriptive emotion during it. it's really a very unique ceremony and you have the flag and you have the people down and you invoke the different heroes that we have in the fight of independence. so it's really, it's really unique sensation for us.

damian: yeah, well, we're lucky to have you here in our area to be able to do this each and every year. thank you so much, ambassador alejandra bologna, the consul general of mexico in san jose. thank you so much. alejandra: thank you. damian: all right. damian: and again, the consulate of mexico in san jose is here on enzo drive. you can log on to their website for more information. find out more about the labor rights that they advocate for on behalf of the mexican nationals and also about el grito, the cry for independence by mexico, the celebration, the annual celebration. up next here on "comunidad del valle," la raza historical society giving out their annual la raza awards. stay with us.

damian: la raza historical society is holding its annual awards ceremony. rosanna alvarez is back on "comunidad de valle" to talk about this great event. welcome back to the show, rosanna. rosanna alvarez: thank you for having us, damian. it's a pleasure to be here and share a little bit more about our work as la raza historical society of santa clara valley

and to share more about the honorees for the third annual dinner and celebration that we will be having in honor of four major giants for their work and dedication to community. damian: yeah, tell us, first of all about the la raza historical society for those who might not be aware of your organization. rosanna: sure, la raza historical society of santa clara valley aims to preserve, collect, exhibit, and advocate for the history and contributions of la raza here in santa clara valley, which is san jose, santa clara county, and then the broader valley all the way up from pockets of san francisco down into hollister. and then a part of our work also includes disseminating that history and that knowledge in partnership with families, schools and community in both english and spanish. because again, in order to keep creating change, and learn by example, we have to be aware and know about the examples that

came before us. damian: and la raza historical society has started something that is just amazing and it's appropriate and it's long and coming. and that's as you mentioned, honoring those who kind of trail blazed for us. we have an image of those receiving the--your la raza awards last year. tell us about these four great recipients. rosanna: yeah, these four great giants who have, you know, they are, they are four distinguished individuals that represent the heart and soul of our latino community. these giants are going to be recognized for their meaningful and significant contributions, each of their respectful--respective fields as leaders and outspoken advocates here in santa clara valley and beyond. this year's honorees include rose amador, olga talamante, al camarillo, and bob nuñez. gigantes indeed. damian: they really are. and i don't know where to start because bob nuñez is like you mentioned the gigante too, but i mean, al camarillo, he--i don't

want to say invented, but he started the teaching of chicano history. i don't know if it's the founding of chicano studies, but the teaching of chicano history at colleges and universities. rosanna: yeah, and he's been a tremendous force in terms of also documenting those histories and writing about them and publishing them consistently and has been a mentor to several folks, not just locally but beyond, you know. and he's extensively published in terms of authoring, editing, co-editing. i think the last count we had was seven books including chicanos in a changing society from mexican pueblos to american barrios and chicanos in california, a history of mexican americans. so, he is still very much present and being of service to community and creating waves and educational institutions at places like stanford, but also by way of the work and heart that he puts into our stories and into educating community,

having an impact beyond the immediate valley here of ours. damian: yeah, and not to be outdone is olga talamante. another giant, as you mentioned, with the chicano latina foundation. rosanna: definitely olga talamante is a force, definitely a force, and constantly present and shows up for chicanas and latinas and has had a major hand in the development of the chicana latina foundation, serving as executive director for several years, if not decades and now serving as vice president of their board from what i understand. and olga, her story is near and dear because i lived gilroy for 13 years and to learn that her story is also anchored in gilroy. her family migrated from mexico to gilroy. they worked in the campo. they were part of her activism includes organizing in support of the united farm workers union and she is well regarded and

well respected and in the mid '70s, you know, this is one of those not so fun but fun facts to learn about this powerful part of her history when she was a political prisoner in argentina. and as a result of a successful grassroots campaign, she was released after spending 16 months in prison. and to be able to hear from her directly at this dinner, feels like such a gift to us and to community and knowing that she has also done so much work. not just for the chicano latino community more broadly, but for the lgbtq community. and for you know, being a force in the political landscape. and holding folks accountable, including herself and how she leads by example. damian: well, what a great event again, we've been showing the information on when it's gonna air. i don't want to get into the rose amador. i wanna get into her in our next segment, rose and i mean, bob nuñez because just a bunch of great--let's show you the information so that if you're interested in attending the

la raza historical society, la raza awards, it's this coming saturday at the mexican heritage plaza in san jose. there is the web address for more information. we'll be back and we'll talk about the rose amador and bob nuñez on "comunidad de valle". ♪♪♪

damian: we're back with rosanna alvarez of la raza historical society of santa clara valley here on "comunidad de valle." the other two recipients. let's talk first about rose, rose amador, what a jewel. rosanna: definitely a jewel in our community. and then from just being a producer, host of native voice and making sure that within that latino experience that the native voice is also present and heard and active and has that example of women of influence. you know, she has been featured as one in the women of influence

business journal. she has served on president clinton's initiative on race and poverty task force back in that administration. she served as grand marshall for the gi forum in parades that have had so much meaning for community. and the list goes on and on and over four decades being at the helm of conxión to community a well loved organization in san jose that has, you know, an impact on the broader community at large, knowing that she was born into a life of activism. and her story continues to be a rich tapestry of family history, personal dedication, and love of community. and so, her leadership has definitely impacted so many of us and it is a joy and an honor and a privilege to be able to celebrate her as she continues to do this work. damian: absolutely. and then bob nuñez from education to let us a round table just nonstop. rosanna: right, serving as superintendent, you know,

becoming--creating the victor garza public internship program, making a difference in milpitas unified, and you know, showing up in different pockets of education and establishing the nuñez community foundation. again, right? decades, 40 years of experience in education and government leadership from preschool to community college. so, the span of the impact that that has on folks' lives and on families lives here in santa clara valley obviously doesn't go unnoticed and unfelt. and i believe he was the first vice president of the san jose silicon valley naacp. and that organization, you know, i think he might have led that for nearly a decade from what i understand. and then again, having used that and served community as a council member and vice mayor of milpitas, and championing efforts to boost civic engagement, supporting minority owned businesses.

and again, serving as this example that cuts across sectors. and continuing to serve as coach of la raza roundtable of california. damian: well, what a long list and you can see why. let's talk now that if you, we can rosanna about the importance of the title. we're not calling it the latina leaders award, the hispanic leaders award. this is la raza award. rosanna: right, la raza. and some folks, you know, they hear that and, and they get scared because they think that it just means a very particular type of person or pocket of our community, but we use it very inclusively. and in this situation, la raza is the term that we use to be inclusive of the multi racial roots of peoples from predominantly spanish speaking pockets of our community. but that also means we're acknowledging our indigenous roots. it also means we're acknowledging that there is a history that chicanos have impacted. but in addition to that, it's inclusive because there is also

a history that multiracial folks from among our communities have impacted as well, from our puerto rican relatives to our salvadorian relatives. and so that history has been shaped throughout the different decades by all of us and our love for each other. how we show up with heart for our communities fiercely to advocate for more just and equity amongst us. damian: that's wonderful. and again, this is music, food, and honoring our legends. rosanna: yes. join us. damian: yeah, absolutely. any final thoughts, rosanna before we let you go on "comunidad de valle." rosanna: just thinking about, you know, showing up to celebrate these four giants and their legacy and the impact they've had on so many of us in our communities and that your support of this event will also allow us to continue to carry forward that work and make sure that these stories are known,

not just in our schools, but in our community at large. and things that we do in addition to this include publishing our stories, doing educational outreach and partnerships with local schools and organizations to develop materials that will help us better teach, not just ethnic studies, but ourselves in community with community and other events like celebrating women's heritage at history park in collaboration with other organizations and hosting the first local chicana or local women owned car show in this region. allowing us to develop more online archives so that we can be aware of this history and celebrate it daily. so, this day allows us to do that big and in ways that we can give folks their flowers while they're here with us and to continue to cultivate those seeds to share that with the community at large beyond the event itself. damian: yeah, and some of them are passing the torch to us.

rosanna, some of them are not ready for only that for one. they're still going and the--they're still going. rosanna: and we need them and it's all fair and good and, and so helpful to those of us so that we can learn for their example amongst us because they have been tremendous mentors alongside the work they continue to do. damian: thank you so much, rosanna. i can't wait when you're on that list because it's merited. thank you so much for the celebration of our la raza heroes. rosanna: thank you. damian: thank you very much. and again, this is happening this coming saturday, september 7 at the mexican heritage plaza, the school of arts and culture right here in san jose. there is the web address for more information, the la raza awards by the la raza historical society of santa clara valley. well, if you want to get a hold of us here on "comunidad de valle" you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. we'll get into that in our next segment. we'll be back with a little more sana azteca on "comunidad de valle," stay with us.

damian: well, if you want to get a hold of us on "comunidad de valle" you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. there is also my email address. you can email me with any show ideas that you might have. well, we thank you for sharing another part of your sunday right here on "comunidad de valle." we were about to celebrate hispanic heritage month of the great lineup that we have for you. remember that the qr code that you will see at the bottom of the screen from now until election day is so that you will be able to register to vote right here directly on "comunidad de valle." it'll take you straight to the secretary of state's office in sacramento. we're gonna leave you with, we leave you with a little bit of danza and we'll see you back here again next week. ♪♪♪

[speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] ♪♪♪ speaker: we salute the directions of the sun, stars, the air, the giver of life, light. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

[speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] speaker: our thanks to mother earth. that mother who takes care of us, that mother one day we will return to. to return back to nature, to the earth-- ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] ♪♪♪ speaker: --of the east, of the west, of the north, of the south, the four directions-- the four elements, the four stances, the four seasons. to give thanks for creation-- ♪♪♪

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