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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston center named for pioneering Latino couple is dedicated
Donna Johnson grew up on the same Evanston block as the nine children of Dr. Jorge and Luz Maria Prieto, who were honored in Evanston Saturday as a community center was named for them. 'The Prieto family home was the gathering place where everyone was welcome,' said Johnson, a longtime former Evanston resident who is now the mayor of Libertyville. 'The Prietos provided a clear example of the kinds of things we need to admire in this country and practice in our value system – inclusion, service, family and prayer.' Johnson was among a half-dozen speakers who celebrated the Prietos as Evanston marked the official naming of the Dr. Jorge and Luz Maria Prieto Community Center, 430 Asbury Ave., on July 19. 'This is not just the dedication of a name on a building,' she said. 'It is far more important than that. It is the continuation of a legacy of two wonderful people whose lives not only impacted the lives of their nine children and grandchildren, but my life and that of so many in this community, Chicago and Mexico.' Dr. Jorge Prieto, who served as president of the Chicago Board of Health in the 1980s and also as a Cook County Hospital department head, was celebrated as a generous physician who treated members of the community regardless of income, opened health clinics in Chicago and traveled to California to treat migrant workers. 'He was a quiet, unassuming man who nonetheless found himself at the forefront of medical, immigrant and workers' rights causes,' said his 2001 Chicago Tribune obituary. 'He became an icon for a generation of Mexican-Americans living in Chicago, a city that at the time barely recognized their existence, let alone provided for it.' On Saturday, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss called the naming of the community center a 'joyous occasion.' 'This is a wonderful moment to celebrate a family that did so much for the health and welfare of the community and did so much for the integration of Evanston,' Biss said. 'They paved the way for Latino families to come to Evanston.' Biss said the 14,500-square-foot community center, which will provide recreation such as pickleball courts and drop-in play areas, is a much-needed facility where youth and the rest of the Evanston community can gather. 'This sense of community is what makes Evanston so great,' he said. 'I'm excited about what the facility is going to be and remain for the citizens of Evanston.' Jeanne Fox, former head of the Evanston Mental Health Board, said Luz Maria Prieto served as the petite but powerful leader of the city's efforts to diversify its staff to begin to accommodate the needs of Latino residents. 'She was an eloquent, passionate speaker,' Fox said. 'She spoke about the needs of Latino residents. In 1975, Evanston had no one in city services who spoke Spanish.' After appealing to the City Council at three consecutive meetings, Evanston found the funding to hire a Latino outreach coordinator, she said. 'I was assigned to help her accomplish her goals,' Fox said. 'There were many challenges to overcome, but there were many successes, too. Today, many of the services that were achieved are part of regular city services.' Two of the Prietos' children thanked Evanston for the dedication. One of the couple's sons, Dr. Jorge Prieto, Jr. agreed with other speakers that his parents did not choose their actions for their own benefit, but rather to improve the lives of others. 'They would never have sought this honor themselves, for their goals were never personal rewards or wealth,' Prieto said. 'They abhorred those who would benefit from the suffering of others. They sought to eliminate the inequities that led to that suffering.' His parents were exiled from Mexico by a 'corrupt' president, Prieto said. His father grew up in Texas and California during the Depression, he said. 'He experienced life firsthand as an impoverished immigrant,' Prieto said. 'When my parents first moved to Chicago in the middle of the last century, this young Mexican couple experienced the discrimination that was so prevalent then and unfortunately still exists. They moved to Evanston because they sought better opportunities for their growing family.' Daughter Luz Maria Prieto shared a story of her father providing medical treatment to a man who could not afford to go to a doctor. 'For our family, this story captures how my family worked as a team and my father practiced medicine,' Prieto said. 'He believed everyone deserved medical care regardless of their income.'
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump's latest manufactured crisis has Los Angeles in its grip
Advertisement And it's hard to imagine them voting to trample local local enforcement. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up But then this administration has been just spoiling for a confrontation — especially in Los Angeles, with presidential advisers like And the president threw gasoline on the fire. Even as more demonstrators took to the streets, Advertisement Now there is no excuse for violence on the streets of any American city — and burning Waymo robot-driven cabs is hardly a good image for those with legitimate concerns about tactics used by immigration forces. The initial demonstrations were touched off by immigration raids at a garment factory and But throughout the weekend there was also no evidence that state and local police were incapable of dealing with the situation without the unasked-for federal intervention. In fact, some These are not the LA riots of 1992 in the wake of the verdict acquitting police officers of beating a Black man, Rodney King. Some Trump has long been the master of the manufactured crisis — the kind he has repeatedly used to justify broad use of executive powers. The president had barely finished taking the oath of office, when he declared a crisis at the border, requiring an Then there was the declaration of an equally nonexistent In April, with the Advertisement But by calling out the National Guard in California, on his own initiative and under false pretenses, Trump has entered new and more dangerous territory. 'The people who are causing the problems are bad people, they are insurrectionists,' Trump The president has not yet invoked the Insurrection Act but instead is using a section of the US Code on Armed Services ( That certainly explains Trump's escalating rhetoric and that of his administration, but it is an allegation that at the end of the day would have to be proven in court. 'Federal law enforcement officers were attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals waving foreign flags because Governor Newsom was too weak to protect the city,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt Those 'foreign flags' were evidence not of an 'invasion' but for many Mexican-Americans in LA, But for this administration there is no detail that can't be used to distort the truth. 'Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion,' Advertisement Sure, Trump has long had it in for California, threatening to But the truly horrifying thing about Trump's current move is that it could happen to each and every state in the nation — or, more likely, to each and every Democratic state, especially when truth is so irrelevant to the Trump administration and facts are so fungible. The other danger is that having normalized the deployment of troops during manufactured crises, Trump will feel empowered to use them in even more forceful or aggressive ways if and when the nation faces actual crises. California's political leaders will not be fighting this battle on behalf of the rule of law alone. It's our fight too, and it won't be the last. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cinco De Mayo is next week. Check out the deals at Moes, Barberitos, and others in Georgia
For many, Cinco De Mayo is a day for margaritas, salsa, and tacos. Here are deals that you can score in Georgia. Deals range from places all over Georgia at Moe's Southwest Grill, Barberitos, QDOBA, and more. Here is what we know. When is Cinco De Mayo 2025? Cinco de Mayo is on Monday, May 5, 2025. May 5 is celebrated every year by Mexican-Americans and people of Mexican heritage to recognize Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire in 1862. Georgia Cinco De Mayo deals and offers 2025 La Carreta is coming to The Ridge, hopefully by Cinco de Mayo. They will be in the location of the former Pepper's Landing. According to The Krazy Coupon Lady and the Fast Food Club, here are seven places in the state expected to have deals and discounts: Moe's Southwest Grill : With any entree purchase, you can enjoy a free side of queso on May 5. The Moe Monday offer will also be available, a $7.99 burrito or bowl, with chips and salsa. Barberitos: With any entree purchase, you can enjoy a free small queso. Chronic Tacos : With any in-app $20 or more purchase, rewards members can score $5 off. QDOBA: For Cinco De Mayo, QDOBA is focusing on catering specials, like the Hot Bar and Taco Kits. Surcheros : All rewards members will earn 5x points with any purchase made on May 5. Chipotle: Although not yet confirmed as of Monday, watch for a free delivery offer at Chipotle on Monday. Taco Bell: Taco Bell will most likely offer an in-app exclusive like five tacos for $5 on Cinco de Mayo. Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@ This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia Cinco De Mayo deals and offers next week
Time Out
06-05-2025
- Time Out
Jonathan Mendez is helping put New York's Mexican community on the map
Jonathan Mendez, known on social media as Brooklyn Jon, made a name for himself online in the early 2020s when he began documenting New York City's little-known lowrider scene. This year, when the new administration doubled down on its campaign against Mexican-Americans— most recently by attempting to ban narcocorridos, a genre of Mexican music —Mendez felt a calling. In recent months, the tone of his social media channels have taken on a decidedly more confrontational tone: In addition to documenting New York's lowrider scene, some of his most viral videos have been of protests. This sense of defiance is coming at an important time for a community that can sometimes feel fragmented. When it comes to the ubiquitous Latin presence in New York City, you don't often hear about Mexicans: Unlike the West Coast and southern states like Texas, which boast their own blended cuisines (Tex-Mex) and globally recognized subcultures (Chicanos, Tejano music), there aren't many well-known cultural pillars of New York's more than 330,000 Mexicans. Part of it might be due to the lack of one singular neighborhood where the community can congregate, a fact that's complicated further by rapid gentrification. In the place of a Chinatown or Little Italy, there are pockets of Mexican communities all over, from East Harlem and Bushwick to Sunset Park and Corona, Queens, among others. Sometimes, the thriving and disjointed Mexican presence in the city is referred to affectionately as 'Puebla York,' a nod to the state from which many of those immigrants arrived from. Mendez grew up in the Puebla York neighborhood of Sunset Park, where he learned to be proud of his heritage. His earliest memories of Mexican culture, like so many kids who grew up stateside, were of the cumbais and bandas his mom played while she cleaned the house on Sundays. Every morning, Mendez would walk down the street to order coffee and Mexican pastries at their local panaderia called Las Conchitas Bakery. 'Even though I was born and raised out here, anyone who asks me where I'm from, I always say Mexico,' Mendez tells Time Out. 'I just grew up with the culture.' In 2019, Mendez's life changed when he was invited to a motorcycle club in the Bronx, where he saw a group of lowriders cruising down the street playing West Coast oldies for the first time. Growing up in New York, lowriders weren't a common sight. The culture was created in Southern California in the 1940s as a way to show cultural pride in the face of racial hostility and segregation. Mendez was instantly enamored with the cars and the expression of pride they represented, and it was then when he began to document the scene for TikTok and Instagram. For the unfamiliar, lowriders are customized cars, usually with a lowered chassis. The best are known for their elaborate and expressive paint jobs and hydraulic suspensions that make the cars bounce up and down as if they're dancing. Keeping a lowrider requires an immense level of patience and maintenance. In West Coast Chicano communities, people gather to admire each other's lowriders and then go "cruising" for hours. In New York, there's a blossoming community that gathers at Bryant Park on Fridays, from which they take off and cruise around Times Square, met by awe from tourists and locals. But lowrider gatherings aren't just about admiring cars. 'There are all types of people, not just Mexicans, who started to get involved in the scene,' Mendez tells Time Out. He tells me the story of a Russian guy with a lowrider bike who always carries a Mexican flag. 'That's the thing with these lowrider events, it's not always to show the cars. They're an excuse to bring families together, have barbecues, and make people feel welcome in our community,' says Mendez. 'To me, lowrider culture represents unity.' If you want to check out the scene, Mendez suggests experiencing the Mexican Independence Day Parade that happens every September, where you'll see some of the most emblematic lowriders in full display. Recently, lowrider culture has taken on new meaning simply because the act of being 'visible' as Mexicans has taken on new meaning, too. A report by the Times documented the vibe shift in some predominantly Mexican neighborhoods, where people are feeling too scared to leave their houses and the streets have gone quiet. There's paranoia in the air, and an urge to become invisible. 'You can look a certain way, and based on that people will think you don't belong here,' says Mendez. 'Right now, I see people in our community panicking even to go to work.' As hard as times might feel, history has proven that communities only get stronger and more defiant in the face of adversity—After all, that's how the lowrider scene formed eight decades ago. If there's one place that exemplifies that growing unity right now, it's probably La Placita de Knickerbocker, a makeshift food hall where vendors, who face constant pushback from police, gather to sell their products. 'These vendors are used to always being in the streets and for them to get a real venue so they're not freezing in the cold is amazing,' says Mendez. Recently, he started going around and interviewing the business owners at La Placita. One of the vendors who organizes the event, Fidel Cortes, has a stand called Las Nieves Cortes, where he sells a type of Mexican icee. You'll also find tamales, atole, tacos and more. Before now, you didn't always see that sense of unity among Mexican New Yorkers, some of whom might have felt a sense of competition in a country that has continuously signalled that there's already 'too many' Mexicans. 'Sometimes, Mexicans have a lot of hate towards each other, because some might be selling the same product,' says Mendez. 'But I always tell people that you might sell the same product but it might not have the same taste.' Slowly, a realization is beginning to form that the sense of scarcity many immigrants are taught to internalize is an illusion—that 'too many' is a unit of measurement created by those bent on obscuring your humanity. For anyone who thought it was possible to purge our city or country of Mexicans, they should know that the community is organizing; talking to each other more than ever before and becoming a powerful cultural force bubbling just under the surface. It's only a matter before the valve makes way. 'I always get the question: 'Are there Mexicans in New York?' or 'How big is the community over there?'' says Mendez. 'And I tell them: Mexicans are everywhere.'
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Why do Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Here is a sneak peak into the history
Every year on May 5, colorful parades, lively music, and the scent of tacos and margaritas fill the air across the United States. Cinco de Mayo, often mistaken for Mexico's Independence Day, has become a widely celebrated event in the US, blending historical remembrance with modern festivity, as reported by Florida Today. But beyond the food and revelry, the day has deep historical roots and cultural significance — both in Mexico and among Mexican-American communities in the US. Also read: Vibrant Cinco de Mayo outfit ideas for women Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. On that day, a small and poorly equipped Mexican army, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, achieved a surprising victory over French forces — considered one of the strongest military powers at the time. The battle occurred in the town of Puebla, during the Second French Intervention in Mexico, and served as a powerful symbol of Mexican resilience and resistance, as reported by Cincinnati. Though the victory did not end the war, it became a source of national pride, especially because the odds were heavily against the Mexican troops. Interestingly, the holiday is not widely observed across Mexico today, except in Puebla where the battle is reenacted and celebrated with local pride, as reported by Florida Today. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo took on a new life, particularly among Mexican-American communities. It became a way to honor Mexican heritage, culture, and contributions to American society. Over the years, the holiday grew in popularity beyond Latino communities and has been embraced more broadly as a celebration of Mexican-American identity. The rise of Cinco de Mayo in the US was especially prominent during the Chicano Movement in the 1960s and 70s, as Mexican-Americans used the holiday to promote cultural pride and political visibility. Today, the holiday is both a celebration of heritage and a moment of unity — bringing people together across backgrounds to appreciate Mexican culture. In the US, Cinco de Mayo is marked with street festivals, concerts, folkloric dance performances, parades, and traditional Mexican food. Restaurants and bars offer themed menus and promotions, while schools and community centers use the day as an opportunity to educate students about Mexican history and culture, as reported by Today. While commercialisation has led some to associate the day primarily with discounted margaritas and party culture, many Mexican-Americans continue to use the occasion to highlight their heritage and share authentic cultural traditions with others.
