Voices Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Casa Maria Soup Kitchen

Yo’ Daily Star, What’s your beef with H.T. and TUSD?

Casa Maria February 26, 2014

3 min readby Cesar Aguirre As I looked at today’s headlines I could not help but feel somewhat discouraged and deflated, which was the total opposite of how I felt last night. Yesterday I spent my day at the Strategic Planning Session, an all-day discussion to begin the planning of the future of TUSD. Afterwards I felt full of hope and optimism because for the first time I felt that the broader Tucson Community was finally being asked to be part of the rebuilding of the district. This morning’s headline on the front page of the Arizona Daily Star read, “Ground is

FAMILY, FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS OF CASA MARIA AND THE TUCSON BUS RIDERS UNION PLEASE JOIN US ON WED. FEB. 19TH AT 4PM AT CITY HALL TO SAY NO TO FARE INCREASES!

Casa Maria February 14, 2014

< 1 min readCome to city council to say NO TO FARE INCREASES! The city should not balance the city’s budget on the backs of the Bus Riders in this, the 6th poorest city in the United States. Come Join the Tucson Bus Riders Union on Feb. 19th and get your official membership card and a Tucson Bus Riders Union T-shirt. There will be mouth-watering food and raffles for free monthly bus passes. Also, please check out Brian’s Op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star on the subject to be better informed (http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/brian-flagg-tucson-has-a-moral-imperative-not-to-raise/article_821ed785-8e70-5a71-8fe8-d484f718a827.html).

BEING ON TV WAS FUN, NOW LETS GET REAL ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION

Casa Maria February 7, 2014

2 min readby Cesar Aguirre Yesterday I was on AZ Illustrated talking about poverty. This is a very deep issue to discuss in an eleven minute interview. We weren’t even able to scratch the surface. The bus riders’ issues are very important to me and I was able to talk a little about how fare increases would afflict those who depend on Sun Tran for their daily transportation needs, many of whom live in poverty, but what I am really passionate about is public education. After a Bus Riders Union meeting last night I grabbed the paper and found a very interesting

CESAR AGUIRRE ON TV

Casa Maria February 4, 2014

4 min readWatch conscious rap artist Cesar Aguirre, single father of two and the pride of Casa Maria, on AZ Illustrated on channel 6 Wednesday night, February 5th at 6:30. He’s going to talk about poverty along with former mayor Tom Volgy. This is his story. by Cesar Aguirre As a child growing up on Tucson’s south side I never realized how poverty would affect my future and life as an adult. I was very lucky to live in a two parent household. Many of the kids in my neighborhood were being raised by single parents or grandparents. I can remember overhearing

BUS RIDERS PRESENCE AT MLK MARCH A SUCCESS

Casa Maria January 20, 2014

2 min readby Cesar Aguirre It was a warm, bright morning as Mayor Rothschild spoke to a large crowd at the U of A mall, along with many other politicians including Karen Uhlich, Regina Romero and Richard Fimbres. There we were, right up front, with two large Tucson Bus Riders Union banners. As we listened to them speak about justice, equality and human rights, a new hope began to arise that we could possibly work with our all-Democrat City Council members to insure that fares are not increased, routes are not cut, and that there be a true, transparent public process in

Stories of Liberation: Gabriella Dominguez

Casa Maria January 12, 2014

2 min readby Kassandra Six years ago, Gabriella Dominguez stopped by Casa Maria in need of a dozen tortillas; this visit prompted her six-year volunteer endeavor at Casa Maria. Gabriella, a Nogales Sonora native, along with her two children moved to Tucson nine and a half years ago when her paycheck in Nogales didn’t cut it anymore. In Nogales, Gabriella held a position in human resources and studied “Lic. Administracion de Expresas.” Marriage troubles and financial struggles motivated her move to Tucson where she temporarily lived with her brother and cleaned homes. Later, she applied for a position at Food City on Sixth

Fight For 15! Tucson’s Contribution to the National Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour

Casa Maria December 6, 2013

< 1 min readby Cesar Aguirre & Brian Flagg On Thursday Dec. 5, Tucsonans joined with approximately 200 other cities to stand in solidarity with fast food workers (McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King). The majority support families and find it impossible to make ends meet at minimum wage. This action was at noon at the McDonald’s at Speedway and Alvernon, and was organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU), with a little help from us here at Casa Maria. It was a cold and wet day, but the energy level was high. We brought hot coffee, sandwiches and donuts. There were lots of uptight

Rasquacho Art

Casa Maria November 18, 2013

2 min readby Kassandra Manriquez Pancho Medina, the Minister of Culture at Casa Maria calls his art gallery, The Rasquacho Gallery. The gallery is built into his home alongside many of his art pieces displayed from room to room. Rasquacho is a term often used to describe somebody who is low-class, poor, disrespectful or dirty. An example of this might be someone who repaints his or her car using a bottle of spray paint. The term rasquacho is versatile; it can be used as an adjective, verb or noun. It can even be exaggerated; rasquachon (big rasquacho). “It means a way of

Pancho Medina Honors a Nacozari Hero

Casa Maria November 7, 2013

2 min readby Kassandra Manriquez Maquina 501 is a corrido that jogs Pancho Medina’s memory of his father and is the inspiration behind his Dia de los Muertos altar. Pancho Medina is the Minister of Culture at Casa Maria as well as a local artist and activist. Over a century ago, Jesus Garcia, a railroad brakeman was killed near the village of Nacozari, Sonora as he saved the village from a train loaded with dynamite that caught fire. Without Garcia, the fatalities in the village would have been numerous. In his honor, the song Maquina 501 is sung. Jesus Garcia was a

Happy Birthday Cindy

Casa Maria October 11, 2013

3 min readby Kassandra Manriquez Riding the yellow school bus home from school, I often fantasized about how I would look behind the wheel of a yellow Volkswagen buggy or a Nissan 350Z. And despite my delusion and multiple failed driving exams, my parents bought me a car, complete with a Hello Kitty steering wheel cover. It was so cute and I was so happy. I had always assumed this was every 15-year-old girl’s dream coming-of-age celebration. I was wrong. Less than 24 hours before Cindy Escalante and her mother Maria spoke in front of 300+ community members at a candidate forum,

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