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Contact:
Mark Lacy
(713) 521-3686
mark@houstonculture.org

http://www.houstonculture.org/media


October 2, 2005



Houston Institute for Culture presents a Day of the Dead
Altar for San Antonio Labor Activist Emma Tenayuca to
Raise Awareness of Issues on the US-Mexico Border

What	A Day of the Dead Altar for Emma Tenayuca A Free Educational Exhibit at Houston Institute for Culture Visitors are encouraged to donate items to Texas-Mexico border communities
When	October 15 through November 6, 2005 Hours: Wed - Fri, 4:00-8:00pm; Weekend, 2:00-8:00pm
Where	Houston Institute for Culture 5555 Morningside, Suite 204 (Rice Village, upstairs from Brian O'Neill's) 713-521-3686; info@houstonculture.org http://www.houstonculture.org
Cost	Free; Donations for Texas-Mexico border communities are encouraged

Press releases, public service annoncements and available photos are on line at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/media
http://www.houstonculture.org/photo



The Day of the Dead is approaching and Houstonians have a unique opportunity to participate and learn about the Mexican tradition.

Houston Institute for Culture will exhibit an altar for Emma Tenayuca to educate about the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, and to inform viewers about modern issues on the US-Mexico border. A second altar will raise awareness of increasing violence against women in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Visitors are encouraged to bring necessities (shoes, toothbrushes, over-the-counter medicines, food and clothing) to donate to people living in colonias on both sides of the US-Mexico border. They are also encouraged to bring stuffed animals to be given to children living in unincorporated areas on the border during the "Christmas in the Colonias" project.

"Darkness into Light: Following the Spirit", produced by San Rafael Films, will be shown at 7:00pm from Tuesday, October 25 through Thursday, October 27. The film's producer Patricia Collins will be on hand for discussion following the film screenings.


A Day of the Dead Altar for Emma Tenayuca

San Antonio native Emma Tenayuca was a pioneering activist involved with issues that resemble those of modern times: disparity of rich and poor, and substandard wages and working conditions of laborers and migrant workers.

In her formative years Tenayuca followed election politics of the U.S. and Mexico. She became a labor activist before graduating from high school. She was arrested at age 16 when she joined the picket line of workers on strike against the Finck Cigar Company of San Antonio in 1933.

Influenced by the causes of the Mexican Revolution and Texas gubernatorial candidate Ma Ferguson's position against the Ku Klux Klan, Tenayuca's work for labor issues and civil rights predated Cesar Chavez and the Civil Rights movement.

She founded two International Ladies' Garment Workers Unions, and organized strikes against San Antonio's large pecan shelling industry.

Tenayuca worked as an organizer and activist for the Workers Alliance of America and Women's League for Peace and Freedom. She lobbied the mayor of San Antonio to improve relief distribution for unemployed workers during the Great Depression.

In 1937 she organized protests of the beating of migrants by US Border Patrol agents.

Like many artists and activists (including Frida Kahlo and Woody Guthrie) who were concerned about poor workers as industries grew powerful, Tenayuca joined the Communist Party in 1937. She was scheduled to speak at a meeting of the Communist Party in 1939, when organized opposition rioted at San Antonio's Municipal Auditorium. She received death threats and was blacklisted in San Antonio. She briefly relocated to Houston before moving to San Francisco, California to pursue a degree in education.

Throughout her life Tenayuca was a vocal advocate for free speech and workers' rights, and a critic of many government policies. She was a dedicated student of political issues and processes. She expressed her belief in greater economic equality for citizens over expensive government relief programs.

In 1987, she told Jerry Poyo, with the Institute for Texan Cultures Oral History Program, "What started out as an organization for equal wages turned into a mass movement against starvation, for a minimum-wage law, and it changed the character of West Side San Antonio."

During Emma Tenayuca's 1999 eulogy, writer Carmen Tafolla read: "La Pasionaria, we called her, because she was our passion, because she was our heart -- defendiendo a los pobres, speaking out at a time when neither Mexicans nor women were expected to speak at all."


"Darkness into Light: Following the Spirit"

"Darkness into Light: Following the Spirit", produced by San Rafael Films, will be shown at 7:00pm from Tuesday, October 25 through Thursday, October 27. The film's producer Patricia Lacy Collins will be on hand for discussion following the film screenings.

From the 1840s through the 1990s, successive Mexican governments have sought to control and frequently to suppress the religious life of the Mexican people. Suppression became particularly bitter following the constitution of 1917.

The irresistible spirituality of contemporary Mexico plays against the dark years of struggle. Observances of the Days of the Dead, the revived processions of Corpus Christi, and the canonization of Juan Diego provide bright counterpoints.

The 56-minute documentary is narrated by Edward James Olmos. It was directed by Robert Cozens and produced by San Rafael Films, Patricia Lacy Collins and Robert Cozens. Production was sponsored by the Southwest Alternative Media Project (SWAMP) and the University of St. Thomas.

"Following the Spirit" is the third in the "Darkness into Light" series, which includes "Guadalupe, Mother of All Mexico" and "Semana Santa, San Miguel". It will air on Houston PBS, Channel 8, on Sunday, October 9 at 4:00pm and Wednesday, October 12 at 1:00pm.

Learn more at: http://www.sanrafaelfilms.com


Donations for Residents in US-Mexico Border Colonias

Visitors are encouraged to bring necessities (shoes, toothbrushes, OTC medicines, food and clothing) to donate to people living in colonias on both sides of the US-Mexico border. They are also encouraged to bring stuffed animals to be given to children living in unincorporated areas on the border during the "Christmas in the Colonias" project.

Please note: Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and over-the-counter medications should be wrapped in original packaging and have expiration dates no shorter than six months. Food items should be nonperishable and easily prepared. Shoes, clothing and stuffed animals should be new or gently worn.

Donors should be practical about the items they give; residents in colonias often do not have electricity, running water, air conditioning, or paved roads.

Learn more at: http://www.houstonculture.org/border/help


Educational Resources

As Day of the Dead nears, educational and feature materials will be provided at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico

Information about Emma Tenayuca can be found at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/tenayuca.html



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Houston Institute for Culture is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cultural education and awareness through cultural activities. Our goal is to provide free and low-cost events, services and classes for the community. The organization's sphere of interest is Houston, the regions that have affected Houston's cultural history and the international origins of Houston's diverse population.