I’ve learned that if you share your vision with people, it’s more likely to become a reality. Here goes…

Two and a half years ago, I ran into friend that I met while studying en el DF in 2001. She looked so different from the woman I met because her hair was at least 9 inches longer than when I met her. When I mentioned it to her, she told me that she was going to cut it and donate it to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients that undergo chemotherapy. Instantly, I jumped on the bandwagon for a good cause.

As some of you may have noticed, I have been growing my hair longer than usual with the intent to cut it. On October 30, 2005, I took the leap and cut off 11 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. http://www.locksoflove.org/

I made my donation in the name de la Senoras Ramona, two abuelitas who I never met but whose cancer-realted deaths left deep scars on their familias. It was so liberating to free myself of all the hair that was weighing me down. I encourage all of you to donate. After all, it’s just hair and it costs us nothing to grow out.

My new hairdo is cute but it took me about two weeks to get used to it. Now that my neck is always cold, I realize that I should have probably waited until after winter. Many people have commented that my new haircut makes me look more professional. With that in mind, I envision myself in New York City next summer 2006 working with a dynamic organization on immigation or labor issues. I believe that if you share your dream with people, it will become a reality. Ok, now I am just going to sit back and let a job come to me… I know it’s not as easy as sippin’ margaritas at the beach but I would greatly appreciate advice on getting an awesome legal job in the big apple. And once I get it, I am gonna need help finding a place to live. I’ll keep you updated.

IN A TIME OF GIVING,
GIVE NUEVA VIDA (NEW LIFE) TO LATINAS WITH CANCER!!!

These holidays we have made it easier for you to help women in our community who have to confront the words “usted tiene cancer” (you have cancer) far from friends in a foreign environment and often in poverty. These are the many ways you can donate to Nueva Vida and help us provide lifesaving services for Latinas with breast, cervical, ovarian and other cancers.

1. MAKE DONATION IN HONOR/MEMORY OF SOMEONE NEAR AND DEAR. When you donate directly from our website www.nueva-vida.org through Network or Good it will ask you for your dedication. We will list your dedication on our website too.

2. DONATE ONLINE. Use our links to Pay Pal, Network for Good directly from our Nueva Vida website www.nueva-vida.org; or look for our name in Catalogue for Philanthropy

3. SEND A GIFT CERTIFICATE. You can send one on behalf of the women at Nueva Vida through Catalogue for Philanthropy.

4. DONATE BY MAIL to 2000 P St. NW, Suite 740. Washington, DC, 20036

5. SEND A PRESENT FROM OUR STORE. Your item(s) will include a card indicating how proceeds from this item will be used. Click here to see more items and purchase directly through our web site www.nueva-vida.org

Since 1996, Nueva Vida has helped thousands of underserved and uninsured Latino women and their families overcome their personal crises through cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

DONATE TODAY! YOUR DONATION WILL BE PUT AT USE INMEDIATELY TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF LATINAS WITH CANCER

In my class of 15 students, mostly sophomores and juniors, I teach defendant’s rights focusing on the 4th amendment (rights against unreasonable search and seizures), 5th amendment (right against self-incrimination and Miranda rights), 6th amendment (right to counsel), and 8th amendment (cruel and unusual punishment). We focus on students’ rights in schools such as the first amendment right to wear a black arm band (or other non-disruptive activity) as a silent protest against the Vietnam War (Tinker v. Des Moines, one of the signature cases we discussed.)

My students call me Ms. Ortiz, which is way weird but my co-teacher and I agreed that we wanted to have a foundation based on respect. When we tried to call them by their last names, they excersiced their democratic rights to vote and vetoed our plan. Mad props to all the teachers out there; being in front of students is a humbling experience. Even the students in the back corner that you think never pays attention or the student who is constantly talking to his neighbor are listening and making sure you check yourself, before you wreck yourself. Discipline is so difficult with these teenagers because just as quickly as they get riled up about an issue, they forget about it and hold no hard feelings. Good lesson to relearn, don’t dwell on the small stuff. With other students it seems impossible to get them to care about anything themselves or their futures.

Challenge extended… challenge accepted!

It’s been a long time coming but below you will find the second year of the Chronicles of the Chicanita Trying to Make It in DC. After a tiumphant summer long stay in the Bay Area, la chicanita sends her warmest regards to all of you in cyberspace. Mil apologies for the six month hiatus but your favorite chronicles are back with new issues, pictures, and access to la Chicanita.

Long Days of Summer
In past years, the phrase “long days of summer” always evoked images of lazy afternoon BBQs or walks at the beach, a day at the county fair or other summertime hang out. For Summer 2005 the long days of summer referred to the 12 hour work days.

As a judicial intern for the only Democrat on the California Supreme Court and only the second chicanito to serve on the high court, I spent my summer commuting everyday from San Jose to San Francisco and back. The train ride was very pleasant and gave me the opportunity to read, nap, and work on NLLSA Conference preparation. But the commute made my 8-9 hour work days into 12 hour ordeals. Commuting sucks but it was so much better than having to drive and be on the road for 2 hours every day. A big yay for reliable public transportation!

At the court, I worked on several high profile cases and was torn when asked to work on a death penalty appeal. While the staff attorneys had shared their different strategies for working on issues that were personally offensive, I still struggled knowing that my research and writing would help to keep a man in San Quentin’s death row. When I spoke to my judge about it, he explained that as an officer of the law and the court, we must follow the will of the people (Californians voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1978 after a hiatus) even if we are personally opposed.

My judge is from Lincoln Heights in L.A. and splits his time between LA and SF. It’s a pretty sweet deal which allows him to live and work in LA from Friday night to Wednesday morning and work in SF from Wednesday morning to Friday night. Imagine all the frequent flyer miles…

While at the court, I forged a friendship with one of the attorneys who is also a legal mystery writer. He introduced me to several attorneys in the San Francisco legal community, which I found to be a close knit community of activists. Hmmm, maybe I will return to the Bay or maybe I can work out a way to split my time like my judge.

Rookie Senator
Guess who is the newest member of the Senate? That’s right, yours truly is the newest member of the Senate (Judiciary Committee.) I am working with the distinguished and legendary Senator from Massachusetts, who is the last of three, politically savvy brothers that came onto the political scene in the 60’s. I work with the leading civil rights attorneys on the hill. In just the first couple of weeks, I had already researched and summarized hundreds of cases and files to prepare our Senator for the confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts, in his quest to reach his current position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

During the hearings, we were all glued to CSPAN and it came as quite a shock when I was asked to sit behind the Senator during one of the sessions, knowing full well that I would be on CSPAN (a life’s dream come true.) Some of the questions that I worked on were asked and skillfully dodged. Working on the hill was a great experience but I felt like working for an appeals court was too slow, whereas working for the Senate was too fast… I am the legal goldilocks, trying to find a legal position that is just right.

This time we find our heroine in cyberspace. After much resistance, a new star is born on the blog scene. Yes, dear subscribers, la chicanita invites you to check out her new blog at: cihuatl.com/chicanita

I am still working out the qinks so please be patient.

Cihuatl Citlali is the nahuatl phrase for mujer estrella. Many of you will remember from the 2001 Issue: Mexico DF that our chicanita related the legend of Quetzalcoatl (the plumed serpent) who was drugged by Tezcatlipoca, his otro yo (mirror image). Subsequently, he rapped a women in his drug induced madness and was exiled to Veracruz, where he tore out his heart and set it on fire. Being pure of corazón, it rose to the sky and became the brightest star of all. Quetzalcoalt’s corazón became Venus, better known as el Lucero de la Mañana. For that reason I call my blog Cihuatl Citlali.

In this issue, we celebrate 5 de Mayo. These DCers are crazy to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on 5 de Mayo. Chale. Remember homies, el 16 de Septiembre is Mexican Independence Day and 5 de Mayo commemorates la Batalla de Puebla in 1862, where Ignacio Zaragoza led a smaller and ill equipped army against Napolean’s French military. At the peak of the French Empire, a band of underestimated Mexicans made the French retreat, only to come back months later to take over the country and install Archduke Maximilian and Carlota for several years. But the battle is a regular David vs. Goliath victory. As the 1997 Cinco de Mayo Queen de Willow Glen High School, I felt it was my duty to regulate the info.

Suerte to you all in your personal endeavors!

In peace and solidarity,

Lucero

We have a family of birds living in our chimney, making our living room a mini concert hall. We all pitched in to purchase a new grill and hosted a carne asada last weekend. We cooked at least five different animals and a couple of vegetables. It was a major carnivorous reunion, followed by a three hour game of dominos. There was a wrestling match, lots of tequila shots, and brazilian passion fruit mousse, just another day in the life of a law student.

But even the sweet smell of BBQ and springtime cannot lessen the bitter taste of finals. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of year again, I am in the midst of finals. Start sacrificing the chickens (for carne asadas) and light the candles. But there’s a wonderful light at the end of this tunnel… an entire summer in the Bay Area. I’ll be working with an amazing judge in San Francisco. I’ll get to spend quality time with my family and to re-meet the Bay. I have not spent more than three weeks in San Jose since 1998. I am very excited about day long hikes, weekend camping trips, lots of dancing, and some kind of excercise since recently all I’ve been doing is sitting on my butt against Bush (no jogging). Plus, my brother, Carri (my fellow chicanita trying to make it), and I are in the process of writing a children’s book. And a trip to Napa Valley is in the works… life is good

I love to travel but the actual process of taking shuttles, boarding planes, and talking to random people can often take a toll on my spirit. In my return to DC from San Jose after Spring Break, I met Jim, a single father of two young children, whose wife left them due to drug addiction. He’s a middle class entrepeneur who was headed to Florida for a much needed vacation. When the East Bay Shuttle picked me up at 4:30am for my 7:00am flight, Jim was already in the front seat. I figured that I would sleep for an hour while the shuttel travelled to Oakland from San Jose but Jim felt like talking. He asked me my name and where I was travelling. I answered but did not engage him in conversation; an hour of sleep awaited. He was quiet for a couple of minutes before he asked me what I did in DC. He was curious about how I was paying for law school and I proceeded to discuss federal and private loans. He asked me if I worked and after I answered that I did not work, he proceeded to tell me that he had completed a year of law school but dropped out due to financial problems. “Poor Jim”, I thought.

Suddenly, he took a deep breathe and began to accuse me of being a parasite on society. His ignorant berate continued, “your people come here and just feed off my people who pay taxes and work hard. My grandparents came here in covered wagons but I can’t receive financial aid to enroll my kids in a private school because people like you steal this country’s resources.” The only things he knew about me where that my name was Lucero, that I was a law student in DC, that I did not work, and that I received financial aid. I was so mad that this man had chosen to release his frustration and ignorant racism on me at 4:30am. But there was no use in actually trying to have a conversation with him. I sat there and smiled, thinking that people like Jim were the reason that I was in law school. An affirmation and a moment of clarity in an otherwise uncomfortable, hate filled morning. My silence was like fuel to his fire. He then proceeded to tell me that I should drop out of law school because I was a horrible attorney if I could not even defend myself. His voice got higher and higher and I think he was about to really let me have it when Ralph, the shuttle driver, asked him to be quiet. Then, I turned to him and said, “Jim, I am going to pray that your children do not grow up to be ignorant racists like you. Have a great vacation.” Minutes later, Jim got off at the San Francisco airport.

Ralph turned out to be a Chicano and a Vietnam War Veteran who has to work because his benefits do not cover the high cost of living in the Bay Area. On the trip from San Francisco to Oakland, we laughed at Jim’s expense and Ralph encouraged me to be a strong advocate for people like him. Another sign that I am exactly where I need to be. This incident came after an enlightening conversation in my Constitutional Law class. While we were discussing school desegregation and affirmative action, many of my classmates actually said that racism did not exist anymore, that it was a thing of the past, the stuff of history books. Yet in my class of 90 students, there’s only 1 black man. When this fact was highlighted, people actually said, “see, the system is working.” I was awed beyond comprehension. Where did these people grow up? How scary that these are the future leaders of our country.

A couple of weeks ago, I seized the opportunity to attend an immigration conference at NYU Law School, which was my dream school. I drove up with a couple of 3L students who enlightened me on getting a job after graduation and some old school hip hop. When we arrived, I walked around NYC with my ex-co-worker Manuel, had dinner at a great Peruvian yummy restuarant called Pio, Pio, and watched Hotel Rawanda. We also visited central park to view Christo’s “The Gates.” The park was grey and frozen and the natives claimed that Christo’s orange curtains adorning the entire park brightened their view but frankly, I thought it made it look like a construction site. Installation art can often be criticized for a lack of astethic value but it was easy to be critical of this heavy priced event.

In a better calculated investment, I purchased a great skirt in Greenwich Village and had drinks at a chic bar in SoHo. I felt like one of the girls in Sex and the City. I look forward to the day when I will live in this city. I am not ready to settle down and commit to any one city just yet. As memorable and warm as my memories of LA will always be, as excited as I am of Mexico City, and as awed as I am of DC, I am not ready to plant some roots on either coast.

If you have not been to the NYC yet, come visit and we’ll take a short drive up north. Plus, you may hear some of these great comments during your visit:

OverHeard in NYC

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Thomas Jefferson. Life, Libety, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The 76ers and A.I. (Allen Iverson). The Constitution. The Liberty Bell.

The mention of Philly evokes thoughts of the city of brotherly love and the city’s historical importance in the birth of our democracy. A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure to visit some friends at Penn Law in Philly, the fifth largest city in the US. A short drive from mi DC casita, Philly lies between NYC and DC off the New Jersey Turn Pike.

The Latina/o Law Student Association at Penn Law hold an annual event entitled La Gran Fiesta, where they host students and practitioners for a dinner and dancing. This year’s theme was Latinos in the Judiciary and my judge was dinner keynote speaker. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet my colleagues in the northwest and many practitioners. Plus I danced a lot of bachata, dominican like merengue.

As I walked through the cobblestone streets, I imagined the fouding fathers debating and dreaming the future that I am living today. Ana (a chicanita from LA that I met at MALDEF last summer) and I walked from the trolley metro to Constitutional Hall where the Liberty Bell is housed. We also walked by the Museum of Art that was hosting a Dali exhibit, the only US engagement. After a light breakfast at Yum Yum donuts, the official sponsor of the city (there was a Yum Yum on every corner, I was floating while I thought about my wonderful trip and he peaceful drive that awaited me. As Ana and I were walking down a narrow street toward my rental car, a man walking toward us on a mean mission totally shoved me and I almost lost my balance. So much for brotherly love.

But I look forward to exploring Philly in future trips.