MAA Application 2010-11

Here is the application for Mestizo Arts & Activism 2010-11. Download and fill out and you can email back to mattb@mestizoarts.org or print it out and drop it off to Mestizo Coffeehouse (in the Citifront apartment complex at 600 n. and 600 w. ). You can also email mattb@mestizoarts.org if you would like a .doc version of the app.


MAA App 10-11 Lighter Logo

MICA mini-golf fundraiser at the Salt Lake Art Center

Hey all you golf pros and MICA supporters (even if you're no good at golf like me). Time to come out and help support MICA and MAA through the "Contemporary Masters" mini-golf fundraiser being hosted by the Salt Lake Art Center. The Salt Lake Art Center has commissioned 18 local artists to create a hole for the mini-golf course, and Tuesday, July 6th for a mere $10 you can come and play the course and help support MICA. All proceeds from Ticket sales to go benefit MICA programming, specifically MAA. So bring your families, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. etc. for a great, affordable night of fun that also benefits an amazing organization.

Here's a little more information about the event:

Time to get your game on! Grab some friends and come to the only miniature golf course in downtown Salt Lake City. The 337 Project and Salt Lake Art Center commissioned 18 contemporary artists to design 18 fully playable miniature golf holes! The show is called Contemporary Masters and local Latino artist Jimmy Lucero designed one of the holes. The Art Center is opening the exhibit to a local nonprofit Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts (MICA) on TUESDAY July 6th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm for a fundraiser.

For only $10 ($5 for kids) you will get to play 18 holes of miniature golf as well as enjoy the whole museum. All proceeds will go towards supporting MICA-sponsored after school art and social activism programs for teens on the West Side. It's a pretty inexpensive way to have fun and help others. There will be food, posters, and cards for purchase. The catch is that we have to sell the tickets in advance so stop by Mestizo Coffee House (601 West North Temple) to purchase tickets or email Mary.Lucero@utah.edu and she will reserve them for you at the door.

For more info about the mini-golf exhibit, check out the Contemporary Masters blog.

Mestizo West Side Arts Festival

We're excited to soon be celebrating the 2nd anniversary of MICA, and this year, to really celebrate, we're going to throw a block party: Saturday, July 10th, 11:00 am-10:00 pm. Check out more info about the Mestizo West Side Arts Festival at the website.

And if you're interested in helping out and volunteering, fill out the volunteer form at this link.

Upcoming "Labeled" community dialogue in Ogden and Provo

Wow, what a great event last friday night at Mestizo Coffeehouse. Thanks to the poets, musicians, youth filmmakers, panelists, and everyone who attended. It was a great evening of dialogue and discussion about media representations of youth of color. If you missed out, don't despair, we're having two more community dialogues this week, Thursday night in Ogden and Friday night in Provo:

Thursday, May 20th 6- 8 pm
The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

Friday, May 21st 6-8 Pm
U.V.U Ragan Theater
800 W. University Pkwy, Orem


Check below for fliers and more info regarding Ogden event:

Labeled : Telling Our Own Story
A Film & Dialogue about Media Representations of Youth of Color

Thursday, May 20th 6- 8 pm

The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

Join us to engage in an evening of spoken word performances and discussion with young people about how the stereotypes perpetuated by the media impact youth of color and our communities.

Invited speakers include scholar Matt Bradley, former Ogden Councilman Jesse Garcia, Brown Beret activists Daniel Argueta and Isaac Girón, & youth activists/artists.

Refreshments will be served. All are welcome !

The Marshall White Community Center
222 28th Street, Ogden

For more information contact Yamila Martínez at: y.martinez@utah.edu or (801) 867-5072

This community dialogue is made possible with support from the Utah Humanities Council.

"Labeled" Community Dialogue this Friday!!

For directions to Mestizo, see the post below.

Community Discussion on Media Representations of Youth of Color

For directions to Mestizo, click here for a google map, or use the map below. Remember, the North Temple Viaduct is down, so you have to access North Temple by 2nd South or 3rd North.


View Larger Map

This community dialogue is made possible with support from the Utah Humanities Council.

Thank you!

With its twists and turns, the 2010 legislative session came to its end. We would like to give a special thanks to our senators and representatives for taking time to speak out on our behalf. We realize that taking part in the session is time consuming and of course mentally and physically exhausting. Thanks for your contributions and efforts to make our communities a better place to live in.

The legislative session was a great learning experience for the students of West High School. We went through the process with our friend and mentor Dr. Matt Bradley and the help of various students from the U of U. They were very accessible to all of our needs and we all greatly appreciate that.

Of course, the session had its ups and downs. Negative comments were said, although they didn't affect our judgment towards our opinions and the legislative law. We remain MAA!

Miscarriage/abortion murder bill passes, by Alexis Clover (West High School)

A bill sponsored by Representative Carl Wimmer that passed amends the Utah Criminal Code to describe the difference between abortion and criminal homicide of an unborn child and to make it possible to put a woman on trial for killing an unborn child. This bill was created in response to the Utah case that happened in May 2009 when a 17-year-old girl paid $150 for a man to beat her while she was seven months pregnant. People worried about the original bill because, for example, if a pregnant woman falls and miscarries, she could have been put on trial. The bill was amended so that an abortion means that the woman either has to be prescribed a prescription by the doctor to abort the fetus or she has to go to a physician to abort the fetus through surgery. The definition of criminal homicide of an unborn child says that the woman has followed through with a reckless act with the intentions of terminating the fetus.

The government affairs director for the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Marina Lowe told The Salt Lake Tribune, "I also don't think it solves the underlying problem. The question we need to be asking ourselves as Utahns is how did we get here in the first place." I couldn’t agree with her more in the fact that this bill is not doing anything to prevent pregnancy. I think that we need to be more proactive and work more on preventing these issues. To me going about it this way is harder and definitely a longer process, rather than focusing on contraception. If women, especially teenagers had easier access to contraception like birth control this wouldn’t be a problem. However, the governor signed the bill on March 8, 2010, after the House of Representatives and the Senate passed it.

Health Care for Children of Legal Immigrants defeated in Senate, by Sindy Curiel (West High School)

An uninsured family tried a series of home remedies to help their sick daughter without having to pay high medical costs. When they finally took their daughter to the emergency room at Primary Children's Medical Center, they were told that the problem was severe and that she could possibly lose her leg. After massive surgery and treatment, the leg was saved. Treating the leg sooner would have been a lot easier and a lot less costly if the girl had access to insurance and a primary physician.
Senator Luz Robles sponsored a bill during the recent legislative session that would have given healthcare to legal immigrant children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. The bill didn't make it out of the Senate, even though it would help families who are living in the U.S. legally. "This is truly not an immigration issue," Senator Robles. "This is a healthcare issue and these families are playing by the rules." Physician Charles Pruitt also spoke at a Senate hearing in support of the bill, and said, "I see firsthand the results of failure to support financially our children of Utah."
Because the bill did not pass, there are a lot of children that need medical attention but can't get the help they need. I believe that the reason this bill did not pass was because Luz Robles is known to help immigrants and people automatically just assumed that was the issue she was going for. Everyone needs to recognize that we are all humans that deserve every right to get the medical help that we need.

Rally At The Capitol Steps (Nelson Medina & Adriana Rodriguez)

Positive and hopeful were the emotions that one man had when I spoke to him in the crowd of people wearing “STOP HJR24” t-shirts. The large number of community members and students who decided to gather on the steps of the Capitol building on Thursday showed that people are aware of what is happening on the Hill and how the decisions of lawmakers affect our communities.

The rally, “Still We Rise,” was titled after an inspirational poem by Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise,” to show that our communities are strong and full of bright minds and culture, in spite of how the some legislators portray us. Not all of us are delinquent troublemakers. Asaeli Matelau, a member of the Brown Berets and one of the organizers of the rally, spoke out on how difficult it is already for people of ethnic backgrounds to reach higher education. Matelau said that it was hard enough for him to make it to college, but on top of that, this bill would make it even harder by limiting resources for those who need additional funds so that they can obtain a better education. HJR24 would have affected any program that receives funding from the state that is directed towards youth of color, any program that is gender-specific or that helps underrepresented groups. The bill died at the end of the session because Rep. Curtis Oda (R-Clearfield) didn’t have enough votes to pass the constitutional amendment.

At the beginning of the event, the Brown Beret leaders unrolled The Student Bill of Rights--a Bill of Rights that high school and college students worked together to create. A Bill of Rights that stretched from the top of the Capitol building stairs all the way to the bottom where anyone and everyone could sign their names. By signing the Bill of Rights, people showed that they are supporting a positive future for all youth.

Apart from the Bill of Rights, everyone enjoyed watching the different dance performances. The diversity of culture made the performances even better. Along with the dances, community members performed at the top of the stairs. They played instruments and sang beautiful songs that fit our cause.



Lastly, young poets expressed themselves through their art of writing. Poems and spoken word pieces were shared by many during the open mic, and the opportunity was given to say anything anybody felt like they wanted to say. One person who spoke strongly was Jarred Martinez, who is also a leader of the brown Berets and an organizer of the Rally.

Along with Rep. David Litvack (D-Salt Lake City), many people were pleased to hear that HJR24 would most likely go no further in this legislative session. Because of the lack of vote for HJR24, the bill remained circled and died. Litvack told me he believes that it is possible that this bill will come back next year and that this debate is not over. The difference will come in the November elections when the newly elected officials take office.

This fight could go either way next year but this peaceful gathering shows that our communities are involved and are capable of coming together to show our concerns. Although HJR24 failed this year, we must stay unified for next year so that again we will rise.

Vote Possible for Anti-Affirmative Action Bill Today

Representative Curtis Oda (R-Clearfield) is likely to bring up House Joint Resolution 24 today--the last day of the legislative session. HJR24 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate affirmative action in state bodies such as public schools and universities. Many community and student groups oppose this resolution because it would target any program or scholarship that relies on state funding to support ethnic groups, women and any underrepresented group.
University of Utah professor and community advocate Theresa Martinez said that she finds this "a very disturbing piece of legislation." Along with a coalition that opposes the bill, she thinks it would be harmful because it would affect public funding for specific ethnic groups, such as the Spanish language anti-tobacco campaign and the breast cancer awareness campaign directed at American Indians. If the bill passed it would also impact gender-specific programs that receive state money to operate, like the Womens Resource Center at the University of Utah. Dr. Martinez said that she would hate to see these incredible programs jeopardized.
There will be a student rally opposing the bill and recognizing student rights today at the Capitol from 3-5 p.m. At this time, students will unveil a Student Bill of Rights.

Sex Education Bill Stalls in Committee, by Nelson Medina

Are teachers telling their students everything they need to know about sex?

Some people believe that teaching students abstinence is the answer. Others think that students should know that facts--they do not think that telling students that they should wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse is effective. Students are not always informed about being safe and using contraceptives, and because of that, Utah has high rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, which are usually transmitted during sex.

So, is the answer to make contraceptives a required part of the Utah reproductive education curriculum? That is what Senate Bill 54 suggested before reaching a standstill in committee, without even a vote. This bill, titled "Health Education Amendments," would modify the requirements in health classes. A general discussion of contraceptives with its benefits and limitations would be included in selected instructional materials about human reproduction. But some people thought this would liberalize the system, reported The Salt Lake Tribune.

Bill sponsor Senator Stephen H. Urquhart (R-St. George) told me that he thinks the committee didn’t fully understand the bill. He said fear and uncertainty were getting in the way of some legislators even being able to talk about the bill. His reason for sponsoring the bill was for the benefit of clarifying the health education curriculum. Previously, Sen. Urquhart had been involved in the Expedited Partner Therapy Treatment bill, which really opened his eyes to how much disease there is in Utah. He said he thought Utah was doing something wrong in health education. Sen. Urquhart found out that not all teachers teach contraceptives because they think it is illegal. His goal with SB54 was to clarify the curriculum and unify what is taught in the classrooms.

I also spoke with Emma Waitzman, a senior at my school, West High. She is very involved in the process at the legislature and lobbying for better sex education. Emma believes that students have the right to learn about sex. She was surprised when speaking to different people at the committee hearing of SB54 because of how uninformed they were. Emma told me that some people said things that were completely untrue about the bill because they were ignorant and did not take the time to understand what the bill would really do for students. Emma and group members are holding a protest on Saturday, March 6, to speak out on this issue.

A similar bill to SB54 is HB127 sponsored by Representative Lynn N. Hemingway (D-Salt Lake) but the bill has not even been assigned to a committee. Although there's only about a week left of the session, we hope this bill makes it through.

General Education Budget, by Nelson Medina (West High School)

Education budgets are among the most important topics that greatly impact students and their communities in Utah. Unfortunately, due to the economic status, this year is expected to be less convenient to the public school system. There will be less education funds for Utah schools in 2010 than there was this year of 2009. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, about $1 million dollars are expected to be cut from Utah’s education funds. This is a much smaller number than what was thought to be cuts only a few days ago. The original HB1 base budget called for a 12-13% budget cut. However, legislators backfield with available money from Utah's Educational Rainy day fund.The Rainy day funds is like a cushion that the state has. Money was set aside to help out when the state is in desperate need of it. Back up money in other words. Not all sates have rainy day funds and we are lucky enough to have one. If a state that is facing budget cuts such as the ones we are facing, and they do not have that money set aside, the impact would be more tangible. This $1 million dollar cut is about a 0.1% budget cut. Imagine 12%. Although this cut will not impact the schools as harshly as it would have previously, legislators say that we are not out of the water yet. That we have to prepare for the next year and that if you don’t feel the cut this year, you will in the next.

Currently in the funds there was about $270 million and $148 million of that could potentially be for education. Of the $194 million hole in the budget, $86.5million was taken out of the funds to help make up for money shortages not only for education but for other programs as well. This money is one time money meaning that it is not something that will be used every year. Taxes would be raised to fill the gap if legislators could not find alternative funds. That would only lengthen the recession that we are in.

The amount of money spent per student in Utah is $2,577 every year. This is called The WPU or Weighted Pupil Unit. If HB1 were to pass, the amount would drop to $2,487. $90 less than this year. Utah is ranked lowest in the country in per-pupil expenditures according to the EPE Research center. Although we are ranked very low, we are not ranked low in academic performance.

I interviewed two members of the Parent Teacher Association on the base budget bill and also, what they thought the cuts would mean for our schools and students. They do not like the bill and for good reason. Utah is already lowest in per-pupil expenditures and about 11,000 new students are expected for next year. That would mean that every class room would have more students and each student would get less one on one teacher interaction. Debi from the PTA thinks that our teachers are great and what the school lacks in money the teachers make up for with their caring for their students. They said that this was only the beginning for the bill. This only got the ball rolling and that the legislators were trying to find additional funds. Of course I spoke with Debi and Marilyn before legislators met on February 10 to discuss the budget once again.

How much money will be available in the end is still unsure but we can rest a little bit easier knowing that the public school budget cuts will not be as large as they were when the bill was first introduced.

Senate Passes Resolution on Combatting Gang Activity.

Senator Luz Robles (D- Dist. 1) said that Utah needs to bring a new perspective to gang activity that focuses on intervention, not only suppression. “It’s a community issue, not a bad people or a west side issue,” Senator Robles said.

The Utah Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 on Combating and Reducing Gang Activity on February 12 with a vote of 25-0-4. This resolution urges state and local governments to take comprehensive, collaborative, and communitywide approaches to combat and reduce gang activity. Senator Robles proposes doing this through counseling, the arts, sports, academics, and employment programs.

The resolution passed with a minor amendment, although harsher ones had been proposed. Senator Margaret Dayton (R-Dist. 15) had presented an amendment tying gang activity to illegal immigration. The amendment would have targeted undocumented immigrants using law enforcement to fight gang activity. Senator Dayton ended up voting for the resolution without her amendment.

“This is a community-based approach that is evidence based,” Senator Robles said.

This resolution must now be passed by the House of Representatives.

Welcome to the Mestizo Arts & Activism blog

We are an inter-generational group of students of diverse academic and ethnic backgrounds concerned about the community we live in. We are poets, painters, graffiti artists, musicians, dancers, Activists, student leaders, high school and university students, community organizers and researchers who work collaboratively. We use our research and personal experiences as a way of promoting social justice and of making our voices heard. We are inspired and motivated to create positive change by understanding and addressing the issues our communities face daily. Our goal is to make a difference and make the world a better place for everyone to live in through developing young leaders, creating unity within our community, informing the world about problems young people of color face and finding creative ways to solve them.