As Republican Presidential Campaign Kicks Off, How are Latinos Responding? – With less than two years to go before the 2024 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump has announced his candidacy for president by criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of immigrants at the border with Mexico. Republican lawmakers and governors have echoed Trump’s campaign message. Latino activists and members of Congress are kicking off this election season with new efforts to register Latino voters. José López Zamorano brings us the details from Washington.
California Native Americans and Farm Workers Unite on Water and Land – In the deserts of Southern California, an unprecedented alliance is forming to make better use of water in times of extreme drought. Organized farmworkers and Native American leaders are joining forces with a private nonprofit to serve communities deprived of clean water and find new ways to farm amid the threat of climate change. Maria Echaveste, head of the water management company Cadiz, says they are using new technology to harness the water that is being lost. The FIELD institute for farm workers will provide training on better soil and water management and alternative planting methods. Adonis Galarza is its coordinator. Finally, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla leader Tomas Tortez Jr. talks about what his tribe brings to the project.
The US-Mexico Border Treaty 175 Years Later: What Is its Significance Today? – 175 years ago, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican-American War, doubled the size of the U.S. territory, and forever changed the lives of Mexicans north of the Rio Grande. On this anniversary of the treaty, veteran Chicano intellectuals and activists reflect on the significance and validity of the treaty’s guarantees for the Mexican people in the occupied territories. Writer Armando Rendón, author of the seminal book Manifiesto Chicano, says the treaty is still a living document and puts his argument to the test by taking it to the United Nations Human Rights Council. In contrast, pioneering civil rights advocate Jose Angel Gutierrez asserts that lawsuits invoking the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo have not proven viable and suggests other avenues for seeking justice. You can listen to the full interview in the archives of Línea Abierta for Thursday, February 2nd at radiobilingue.org.
