Barred from Voting in Texas – Close to 600,000 registered voters in Texas could be rejected at the polls this November 4th, because of a law that requires all voters to present photo identification emitted by the state governmnet. Although a federal judge declared the law discriminatory, another court allowed its application in the coming elections. Trapped in limbo are people like César Romeo Villarreal, who don’t have the proper i.d. Joy Díaz visited Villareal and his mother in Austin and has this report.
Altar Celebrates Latino Neighborhood – Artist and educator Ofelia Esparza is a pioneer builder of altars, traditional offerings inspired by the indigenous traditions of Mexico. For many years, Esparza has built altars in California and other parts of the United States. During a festival of popular art in the Plaza del Mariachi in Boyle Heights, a symbolic Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, Esparza directed the construction of an altar by young people from the community. The youth shared their pride in their community and used the altar to express their concerns about displacement, because of the influx of new neighbors with higher incomes, and the rising cost of living in the neighborhood. Our correspondent in Los Angeles, Rubén Tapia, has the story. This feature is part of our series Raíces: Los Maestros: Stories about those who are passing on art to the next generation.
