Willie Velasquez was a voting rights pioneer, and is one of three Latinos to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom.   When I tell this story to children, they cry and cheer -- and want to vote. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/willievelasquez/the-boy-made-of-lightning For more information: http://www.wix.com/ anabarbararenaud/willie

I've been invited to read in NYC/CUN Y next Monday, September 27th in the evening. Haven't been to NYC in a few years -- since the Intl PEN Festival when I met writers from all over the world. Africa; Japan; Germany. A birthday present from Raquel Ruiz (who's writing a book on women and boxing). Right now I"m finishing a children's book on the life of Willie Velasquez, that's right the Voting Pioneer that NYC isn't interested in, but I know I know it will sell. It's called "The boy made of lightning." Today I worked getting out the vote on the Southside...for County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson. Too many people don't want signs or want to be bothered by voting. The Tea Party hype, like some nasty worm,has infested enough brains so that people are ashamed of Obama because he hasn't changed things fast enough -- spending money, etc. If you hear this enough, you start believing it. The calls to the ego by the conservativ...

Everything we have is because of them and others like them: Rudi "Flaco" Rodriguez, fifteen years old, went to jail in Del Rio, Texas during the marches. Andrea Velasquez, a college student on scholarship at OLLU, organized Chicano teatro, marched in St. Louis with Cesar Chavez, organized the first Chicana newspaper El Rebozo and went to the Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles. Artists David Gonzalez and Jose Esquivel aimed to be the pintores of protest as they wanted America to see that Chicano arte was vital, American, art. This was the Chicano Movement, and the Central (Enchilada) Library is - delicately and diplomatically - featuring the Chicano Movement for Hispanic Heritage Month titled Chicano Renaissance. Yesterday at the first panel hosted by San Antonio's most prominent and brilliant Chicana scholar, Antonia Castaneda, maybe 25 people were in attendance. He who has the power tells the story, verdad? A teacher asked where are the books on the Chicano Movement? Th...