On Jan. 6, I sat in front of the television to watch the counting of the electoral votes that would declare the winner of the 2020 Presidential election. Historically, this parliamentary procedure is a rather dull and uneventful process, but this year an ominous cloud hanged over this particular event. Perhaps sparks might fly and […]
Posted inVoices
Musings on the Year 2020
As the year 2020 drew to a dramatic conclusion, the country finds itself amid political turmoil and a pandemic at its peak. However, like everyone else, I cling to that often fleeting but persisting, Hope: Hope, the overpowering and obstinate lure to stay alive, engaged, and moving forward. The year 2020, as the three previous […]
Posted inNews
We tried to tell y’all
The angry mob brought pitchforks, erected a scaffold complete with noose on the capitol grounds, breached the Capitol building itself and beat a cop to death with a fire extinguisher. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had just issued a city-wide curfew for 6 pm. “Essential workers, including healthcare and media, are exempt.” As I left […]
Posted inPodcasts
The Making of a Candidate: Alex Lee
eltecolote · The Making of a Candidate: Alex Lee This episode features Alex Lee who was elected for State Assembly – Assembly District 25. He is the youngestAsian American, first openly bisexual, and first Gen-Z Legislator in California history. The Making of a Candidate is a miniseries focused on local candidates who are fighting the […]
Posted inPhoto
Photo Essay: Mission Toy Drive
Members of the Latino Task Force hold a toy drive in the Mission on Dec. 12 to supply families with gifts for this holiday season. The toys will be distributed Saturday Dec. 19 at the annual Miracle in The Mission. Photo: Benjamin Fanjoy
Posted inBooks
Central American author smashes borders, one children’s book at a time
From the separation of families to the caging of children at the border, the Trump administration has become distinctly known for its brutal, xenophobic and militarized response to migration from Central America. But for scholar, professor and children’s author Dr. Oriel MarĂa Siu, there is a deeper understanding of this country’s legacy of government sponsored […]
Posted inNews
Q&A with SF hip-hop group TRUpeople: Do you keep it TRU?
As we continue to shelter in place in an attempt to defeat COVID-19, this year’s 39th Encuentro del Canto Popular will be celebrated virtually on Dec. 27. The opening act for this year’s Encuentro will feature the San Francisco-based urban conscious hip-hop group, TRUpeople. El Tecolote sat down for a virtual interview with TRUpeople’s three […]
Posted inVoices
No Politics at the Dinner Table
Why is everything so political these days? Everything is politics. The idea of keeping politics separate, in its own isolated sphere, is antiquated. Leaving politics out of sports, your conversations, your relationships, is a fallacious pipe-dream. Our idea of the realm of politics, has vastly surpassed the true definition of the word. As long as […]
Posted inNews
Remembering Luisa Moreno
Labor leaders aren’t the most recognizable figures in American culture. If you handed the average worker a picture of president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, I bet they wouldn’t be able to distinguish him from the next mustachioed Pennsylvanian man. Those of us in the Latinx community know of Cesar Chavez or Dolores Huerta as […]
Posted inObituaries
Tribute to Juan Gomez Quiñones: Jan. 28, 1940—Nov. 11, 2020
Juan Gomez Quiñones was that once-in-a-generation intellectual giant, visionary, scholar, poet and activist. He died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Nov. 11, 2020. He was 80 years old. He was born in Parral, Chihuahua on Jan. 28, 1940. His family moved to California when he was an infant and was raised […]