Hermanos de East Austin Work Toward El Mañanaby: bnvalencia |
| (Thanks to the Hermanos de East Austin and Blanca Valencia for this Easter themed post! – promoted by Katherine Haenschen)
Easter is originally a religious holiday. But even for those who are not religious, Easter is a great time to celebrate new beginnings. The idea of an egg symbolizing this holiday is in itself a testament to this; the egg represents new and emerging life, the hope of Tomorrow. Whether it is a religious affiliation, a sense of love and family, or simply an optimistic perspective, we celebrate the hope of Tomorrow. While we know that Tomorrow is not guaranteed, we continue to work toward it. On Saturday, March 31, 2012, Hermanos de East Austin (a voter registration and activist group founded by Jose Velasquez) celebrated the birth of Cesar Chavez. What is fascinating about Cesar Chavez was not his Civil Rights activism or his willingness to put his life on the line for the cause; it was that he did it with el mañana, Tomorrow, in mind. He saw what mañana looked like and knew that the hope of Tomorrow depended on what was done today. More than a birthday celebration, the Hermanos Cesar Chavez celebration and the marches that day were a remembrance of our call to action-protect Tomorrow by doing something today! The unveiling of the Tejano Monument at the State Capitol last week was an important step on the path towards improving el mañana. The Tejano Monument is an acknowledgment of the untold stories of Texas. In this way, we can begin to confront a complicated and painful past and move forward to make el mañana better. After all, how can we make el mañana better without acknowledging and understanding our past and present? With that, I encourage you to take this Easter holiday, and every day from here on out, as an opportunity to learn about our past and present, and look toward the future. New beginnings are coming. What are you doing for your mañana? What are you doing for OUR mañana? |
