FWD: Ken Burns PBS WWII show will not show chicanos or latinos.

[msedano]

Maybe you've already heard the pedo on this. I'm just now getting wised up via the following email.
=========

No Latinos Ken Burns WWII Documentary
Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:49 am (PST)
For your information.
Gus Chavez

Hi, all,
Another busy week for many who are trying to avert the exclusion of Latinos in the Ken Burns World War Two documentary and there are several developments to report.

Please disseminate this email widely -- the more people voice their concern, PBS is getting the message that this problem will not go away and that it must be dealt with.

First off -- Burns will be speaking in San Francisco On March 1 and 2 -- screening a part of The War.. . If you know of people who might watch it and bring up the issue... Please advise. It would be helpful to contact Gus Chavez at guschavez2000@ yahoo.com to get an idea of what approach might be most helpful and effective. See http://www.docfilm. sfsu.edu/
The rest of us would be very interested in hearing about it.

Meetings this week with PBS:
This week, Paula Kergers, the CEO of PBS, had two visitors asking about the Burns Documentary: Lionel Sosa, one of two Latino PBS board members, and Alex Nogales, CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Both were told that it is too late, that the production is wrapped up. My response: I cannot accept, that more than six months out, this cannot be remedied. And I am personally willing to help them find the resources to do it.

Upcoming meetings with PBS: I have requested a meeting with Kergers. It will be me, Gus Chavez, and another person from the Northeast. We've proposed early March -- the sooner the better. Kerger's office welcomed the meeting and said it would be important to include the heads of programming and content as well. Please feel free to email me with any material I should share with them. I'll send them packets beforehand (short, because they may not look through them) and I'll bring them material as well.

ORGANIZATIONAL INVOLVEMENT:

1. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) board of directors is sending invidual letters to several PBS officials, the sponsors, NEH, etc. One board member told me, when she called with questions, that this is personal for many of the board members -- they all had relatives in WWII.

2. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is looking into the matter, trying to find the most productive and effective manner to proceed.

Media attention/blogs

1. Marisa Treviño , a freelancer in Dallas, has an item about it in her Tuesday blog at http://latinalista. blogspot. com

2. El Diario/La Prensa in New York is running an editorial on it -- not sure when.

3. The Carlos Guerra column from the San Antonio Express-News was reprinted in the Austin American-Statesman on 2-13 and it made many others aware..

Letters from Individuals (READ ALL THE WAY DOWN-- there are a few):

1. Paul Espinosa, the documentarian now living in Phoenix and teaching at ASU, sent a letter to Kathryn Galan, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, suggesting that NALIP take a position.

2. Gus Chavez, the lead organizer of this effort, sent an email to various listservs, thanking supporters of this effort for their activities and says:
Submit all correspondence, including attachments of articles and
Op-Editorials, to
Paula Kerger, PBS President & Chief Executive Officer
PBS Office of the Corporate Secretary
2100 Crystal Drive,
VA 22202-3785
or email your correspondence to:
corporatesecretary@ pbs.org

Please send copies of your correspondence to members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) from your district as well as other elected officials who know of the Mexican American/Latino World War II experience.
We need everyone to participate and assist with this national effort.

3. Mario Longoria, of San Antonio, sent the local PBS affiliate, KLRN, an email, registering his concern and asking that it NOT AIR the Burns documentary. Many people, including me, were cc'd both Mario's and KLNRn's Senior Vice President of Telecommunication , Charles Vaughn's response, which was "we would do a tremendous disservice to the public we serve – the whole public in South Central Texas – if we decided not to air the Burns film. I am also confident that because of the work that is going to be invested in our local documentaries, KLRN will prove to the people of South Central Texas that we know and respect the diversity of our population and we went to extraordinary lengths to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of all those who served in WWII and who reached out through KLRN to tell their stories."

4. Armando Rendon, of Kensington, CA, emailed Paula Kerger. One excerpt from his letter: " Ms . Kerger, this is a misdirected venture; putting the series on public television stations will undermine and contradict the very nature of public service."

5. Carlos Munoz, Jr., of Berkeley, CA., also emailed Kerger and sent along a column he wrote about Mike Carillo, a WWII hero from San Angelo, TX, who served honorably, but whose contributions were never acknowledged. He closes with: Mike Carrillo served the nation with pride and put his life on the line, like other WW II Latino veterans who served the nation with courageous distinction. Latino soldiers earned a disproportionate number of combat medals and other decorations, but their sacrifices and contributions have been largely overlooked.

In Iraq today, Latinos are once again putting their lives on the line to prove their loyalty to a nation that does not honor them away from the battlefield. Many will return home to be treated like second-class citizens at best, and, at worst, as foreigners in their own land.
They deserve better.

6. James B. DeLong of Seattle, called Florentine Films in Walpole, NH, and had a conversation with someone there. He then wrote a letter to Burns at that address:
Florentine Films
P.O. Box 613
Walpole, N.H. 03608

That's about all I have for now.
hasta la semana proxima --
Maggie

[EFerrari]

1. I'm sorry if I'm being stupid, but what is the Burns doc?

[msedano]

2. ken burns has been lionized on pbs for his documentaries

on the US civil war, on jazz and the blues, on other stuff. evidently he's done a ken burns piece on world war II with nary a mention that a bunch of mexicans and latinos fought the war, died in the war, got congressional medals of honor in the war. i'm just getting notice of the documentary, but evidently these people who sent the email have been following its development. i'll dig into the issue a bit more this week.

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/
http://www.pbs.org/thewar/

[msedano]

3. A couple of WWII era poems acknowledging what PBS/Ken Burns won't.

http://labloga.blogspot.com/2007/02/because-i-do-hope-to-turn-aged-eagles.html

[EFerrari]

5. When we die in American wars, we die invisibly unless we tell the story

ourselves. It will be the same with this last "war".

My friend told me the story of one of the earliest "terror" deaths in Iraq. Un soldadito de El Salvador. His killers forced him to put a grenade in his mouth. There was nothing, not a ripple, in the press. Terrible.

[EFerrari]

4. THAT Ken Burns! His piece on jazz was outstanding.

What a disappointment this is.

[msedano]

6. that ken burns' jazz piece ignored

latin jazz. think back on it. or pull out your cd.

the pbs audience was depraved of such latin jazz hits as perry como's "mama loves mambo" or, for shame, ricky ricardo singing "babalu". or the fabulous immortal dean martin singing "mañana is good enough for me". or the chanteuse doris day, "que sera sera". or... or...

if i don't laugh about this caca i'll grow morose and start watching television just so i can cuss it out.

right, that ken burns.

[EFerrari]

7. Thinking back, you're absolutely right. Mofo!

My brother used to play with Poncho, did the sax work for "Mambo Kings" and backed Ronstadt on her latin albums, so triple shame on me. My bro is right in the center of this pic. He's cute, isn't he? :)

[msedano]

9. nah, no shame. thanx for the babalu album...

i didn't want to mention burns' other standard selective histories of latino non-existence. (no latinos in the civil war, yet a spanish surname won the medal of honor. and the jazz thing. did you have latinos in his beisbol epic?) heck, for all i know, burns did a documentary on mexican food and didn't feature any latina latino cooks, puro taco bell and the frito bandido. coming from a family that had a lot of military, being a vet myself, i'm offended that pbs and burns don't feel the need to recognize our service, nor acknowledge the blood we spilled in europe or the pacific. your carnal is tan chulo in that foto. adds a new dimension to my listening, next time that sax blows i'll say to myself, "self, you've communicated with that vato's sis" and probably hear all sorts of nuances in the notes. then i'll think, what does the vato have against facial hair?

[EFerrari]

10. Once, the guys where on some talk show and the host turns to my

brother and says, "so, how does it feel to play in a latin group?" and Geno (Eugenio) just smiled at him like the polite guy that he is. Because when he played with Merle Haggard, no one came up to him and asked, "so, how does it feel to be playing with a bunch of rednecks?'

lol

[Lost-in-FL]

8. What a load...

Here's some links from the "65th Infantry Regiment" the only HISPANIC SEGREGATED unit in the US ARMY History.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)



This is the story of the 65th Infantry Regiment, the only Hispanic-segregated unit in U.S. military history. This unique regiment with a long and honored tradition has been the source of pride to many Puerto Ricans for more than 100 years. From its inception as a volunteer regiment in 1899 through its participation in World War I, World War II and the Korean Conflict, the men of 65th Infantry Regiment served with distinction. Mandated by Congress to be a segregated unit comprised primarily of Puerto Ricans with mostly continental officers, the 65th went on to demonstrate their military prowess in Korea and earned the respect and admiration of their fellow soldiers and the military authorities, including General Douglas MacArthur. During the Korean War, the 65th was sent to battle on the front lines and participated in nine major campaigns. In spite of the overwhelming number of Chinese forces and harsh climate conditions, the 65th proved themselves to be fierce warriors. They were nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" from the word Borinquen, the name the native Taino Indians called Puerto Rico. As U.S. soldiers, the Puerto Ricans were thrown into a foreign culture and language that many times responded with prejudice and discrimination. Some barely spoke English. Despite these impediments, many Puerto Ricans met the challenge and persevered. They served with distinction, made valuable contributions to the war effort, and earned well-deserved praise and commendation for their struggles and sacrifices. The 65th received a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and two Republic of Korea Unit Citations. Although still under research, to date, individual members of the unit have been awarded 9 Distinguished Service Crosses, 163 Silver Stars, 562 Bronze Stars and 1,014 Purple Hearts. For a small island, it also suffered tremendous casualties disproportionate to its population.



http://www.prsoldier.com/

http://www.valerosos.com/

[EFerrari]

11. "continental officers"?

Like this Continental?

[Lost-in-FL]

14. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :spray: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

"Would you care for a glass of sham-pan-ya?"

http://www.pistolwimp.com/media/57888/

[EFerrari]

12. I sent the OP to the L.A. Greens. They have a big list and a big network.

[EFerrari]

13. Also, I emailed Gus Chavez and suggested that he contact

Amy Goodman's producers at DemocracyNow. This is right up their alley.

[msedano]

15. maybe it's just me and handful of malcontents

the biggest rise the issue gets from gente is the jazz conecta. and someone said he left out the latinos in baseball. another fellow says he's gonna watch it if ira hayes and the dineh code talkers are covered as "raza enough" (they're not).

so what the heck, i shouldn't open my mouth. life is full of ironies. i should simply accept it if the JLo movie about the women of juarez has only one mexican actor and move on.

"Plot follows off-the-shelf narrative arc in which a hard-bitten journalist, usually a U.S. citizen, finds spiritual redemption and self-awareness by exposure to suffering in a developing nation. Hack heroine here is Lauren Adrian (Jennifer Lopez, of Puerto Rican descent), an ambitious Chicago-based newspaper journalist whose editor (Martin Sheen) insists she write something about the Juarez murders. Lauren insists she barely speaks Spanish, but, on the promise she'll get the foreign correspondent gig when she gets back, off she flies.

In Juarez, she hooks up with former lover and one-time colleague Alfonso Diaz (Spain's Antonio Banderas), whom she used to work with in El Paso, Texas. Diaz is now the editor of fictional paper El Sol de Juarez, which persists in reporting the murders despite persecution by the authorities who want Diaz to shut up and stop rocking the boat.

Lauren's path crosses with that of Eva (Mexican star Maya Zapata, the only Mexican thesp in a leading role here), a young Mexican woman who was brutally raped in pic's opening reel by a bus driver (Ireneo Alvarez) and a man with a distinctive scar (Rene Rivera) who, thinking her dead, buried her in the desert. In a striking sequence, she rises from her shallow grave and walks home to her shanty town, and later decides the only way to stay safe is to seek sanctuary at El Sol."
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932825.html?categoryid=2478&cs=1

http://www.desertblood.info/id2.html

Let's hope Amy Goodman finds the story interesting.

[EFerrari]

16. Here's hoping.

This whole being made invisible thing is just weird if routine. There are too many ghosts around here already.

Edit: Like the children in the shrubbery. :)

[EFerrari]

17. Is there an update on this? I plan to go to the screening.Thursday.

If I get into trouble, I'm giving you as my reference. :evilgrin:

[msedano]

18. there's a meeting of some sort in DC upcoming

thanks for asking... btw, mention my name in sheboygan, it's the greatest little town in the world...


i got word of this via email monday and posted in la bloga the following (la bloga is sick right now and links don't work): http://labloga.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 27
Being ignored and being not ignored, ignorance is still not bliss. But Chick Lat Lit has possibilities.

Michael Sedano

Payback is not sweet. Last week, after I'd gotten word that PBS has funded Ken Burns to ignore Chicano and other Latino soldiers in PBS/Burns' seven-part film essay on World War II, I got an email from MoveOn.org begging my support for PBS against some cretin in Congress who wants to cut off funding for PBS. I used to sign that petition in knee-jerk reaction time. I no longer find myself moved by MoveOn's plea. Not that I support the ignorant rightwing pendejos who want to foment culture war, but I figure if PBS intends to ignore me, I shall now ignore PBS and its supporters on grounds that the WWII series shows PBS' true colors. (I have word that a meeting of some sort will take place between raza activists and PBS representatives in Washington DC on March 6, to discuss the Burns series. I’ll update you if there’s anything to report.)

[EFerrari]

19. I have MoveOn stories, too. But that's another thread.

(How you can be a top down grassroots organization challenges my cognitive skills.)

Well, I'll check in after the screening tomorrow.

[msedano]

20. i wonder if ken burns doctored the voice track already

so you're sitting at the screening, the fighting across italy by the 442d nisei batallion has gone on for 20 minutes. the narrator's voice intrudes..."and so these valiant japanese-american warriors, their parents and grandparents rotting in the concentration camps of northern california and frozen idaho, demonstrated their true colors, their loyalty to the red, white, and blue by shedding their blood and winning unprecendented numbers of decorations including three congressional medals of honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat." music swells. "oh, and there were a bunch of mexicans fighting at the same time." music down. fade to brown.

[msedano]

21. Update: Latina Latino Reps Meet with PBS. PBS: tough luck.

LATINO REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH PBS PRESIDENT
ON LATINO EXCLUSION FROM KEN BURNS’ WWII DOCUMENTARY

The President of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Paula A. Kerger, met on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 with representatives from the Latino community at their headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia to discuss their concerns and recommendations about the exclusion of Latinos from producer Ken Burns’ forthcoming documentary on World War II.

Representing the Latino community at the meeting were Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of the University of Texas at Austin; Gus Chavez of San Diego; Marta Garcia, co-chair and founder of the New York Chapter of the National Hispanic Media Coalition; Angelo Falcón of the National Institute for Latino Policy; and Ivan Roman of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

PBS was also represented by PBS Board member Lionel Sosa, Senior Vice President/Chief TV Programming Executive John F. Wilson, Chief Content Officer John L. Boland, and Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations Jan McNamara.

The PBS position on this issue at this point is:

· The Ken Burns 7-part documentary, 6 years in the making, is completed and cannot be changed. The idea of PBS telling him to make changes to include Latinos would violate Burns’ artistic independence.
· PBS is putting resources to promote local programming by its 348 member stations around this documentary, the best of which they plan to promote at the national level. They are willing to work with the Latino community to make sure that the Latino involvement in WWII is addressed in this way.
· PBS may be willing to facilitate a meeting between Ken Burns and representatives of the Latino community to discuss this issue, as well as the Latino role in this future productions.

The Latino community representatives made the following points:

· The exclusion of Latinos from Ken Burns documentary is an insult to our community and nothing short of delaying the release of this film until it is edited to include Latinos is acceptable.
· We are willing to meet directly with Ken Burns as an independent producer to discuss our concerns.
· Why, if this documentary took six years to complete, did no one at PBS flag this problem of Latino exclusion earlier?
· There is a clear pattern of the neglect of Latinos in all of Ken Burns projects, so why hasn’t PBS been sensitive to this problem earlier?
· We have given Ms. Kerger one week, until Tuesday, March 13, 2007, to formally respond to us in writing.

For further information on this issue, please contact:

Gus Chavez
Latino Community Development and Education Advocate
San Diego, California
***
guschavez2000@ yahoo.com

[EFerrari]

22. Amy Goodman reported this story today. I'm so glad Gus

contacted her. Maybe she will have him on. :toast:

[EFerrari]

23. Maggie Rivas Rodriguez kicking @ss on Amy Goodman

this morning.

Go, hermanita.

lol

EDIT: Omigod, Burns lied to the press and said that Jazz duly noted the contributions of Latinos. What a jerk.