I think you might like this post from Cheerio Road.
Behind the Scenes: A Class Apart
Carlos Sandoval was riding the New York subway when he read an editorial in the New York Times commemorating the case, Hernández v. Texas. The case began in 1951 in the small town of Edna, where Pedro “Pete” Hernández murdered his boss in the parking lot of a cantina. At the behest of Hernández’s mother, San Antonio attorneys Gus Garcia and Carlos Cadena took the case. On January 11, 1954, they stood before the nine justices of the Supreme Court where they argued for the full protection of Mexican Americans under the 14th Amendment.
Award-winning producers, Carlos Sandoval and Peter Miller took a four-year journey into the past to make the documentary, A Class Apart which will air on PBS American Experience, Monday, February 23, 9 p.m. (Check PBS American Experience for local listings and Camino Bluff to organize your own viewing party the night of the show.)
Over the phone I talked with Carlos and Peter about going back in time to a place when Mexican Americans were categorized under “white”, and yet were not allowed to attend the same schools or serve on juries as their Anglo neighbors. They spoke about the challenges of telling the story of an invisible, yet courageous people and the full-circle journey of the case.
Chica Lit: When did you begin making A Class Apart?
Photo: Gustavo García, Pete Hernández and John J. Herrera at the Jackson County, Texas, Courthouse. Courtesy of Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers/ Texas A&M University.
Sandoval: There are three parts to that question. The very first filming that I did was at a conference on the case at the University of Houston in November 2004. I hired a local crew and interviewed people, including James Miranda, the original lawyer on the case who died about a year and a half ago. I used some of those interviews to put together our sample reel to seek additional funds. In May 2006, we really began the bulk of filming in Edna and the question became how do we find the people who knew about the case and also come up with archival material to be able to tell the story? We were very lucky because we did get the nephew of Pete Hernández and Victor Rodriguez who knew Pete and was there when the murder took place. It was guerrilla research that went on there.
Then it [became] about trying to find a partner on project.
Miller: It was at a party of filmmakers where I met [Sandoval]. He was telling me about this project and that he was looking to work with this with people who’ve done this before and I said, ‘How about me?’
I know a lot about history but never heard about the early Mexican American civil rights history and I thought, I should know about this. My passion and interest are in stories of people whose stories have been marginalized, or not been told. The telling of history is critically important in questions of justice. If the history of a people is legitimized, if it is told, it is an important part of achieving rights and standing in society.
The Hernández case has no transcript at the Supreme Court … nothing was written down on what was said on the day of the argument, no tape recording. There were no photos taken of lawyers in Washington; there were very few photos of anyone involved in the case. We had to piece together what happened in the Supreme Court that day with little scraps of information of what was an incredibly dramatic event that happened. At base of our story is invisibility; a community that’s invisible in eyes of Americans.
Chica Lit: Could you give us some historical background of the case?
Sandoval: [Pete Hernández] is no Rosa Parks. It’s not an easy civil rights case. This is a person who did in fact kill another man and there were consequences to that. The lawyers [Garcia and Cadena] were brilliant in realizing [the case] presented an opportunity despite the nature of the case to try to move forward on the constitutional rights of Mexican Americans. School segregation was on the way out; Mendez v. Westminster provided a precedent to desegregate schools in Texas. They were able to take out housing segregation.
But jury discrimination in Texas remained. At the that time, the Supreme Court already declared that you couldn’t discriminate jury selections with African Americans. The way Texas got away with it was that Texas said Mexican Americans were white, as long as there were whites on a jury you are tried by a jury of your peers. We were white when it was convenient for the state of Texas and that’s where the lawyers were very clever. [They argued] we may be white within the category of white but we’re treated as a class apart. That’s the argument that won the Supreme Court.
Chica Lit: What surprises did you find along the way?
Sandoval: The moment for me was when we were in Edna and we were told about a segregated cemetery. It remained on a de facto basis segregated. When we went to film, I was walking down a gully that divided the Latino community from the Anglo community. That for me was the most visible remaining symbol of the Jim Crow-like segregation that took place at that time and realizing that my parents or grandparents could’ve faced it, or I could’ve faced it.
Miller: We were having breakfast at this diner and talking to a waitress there about the case and the film. She said, ‘oh that’s really interesting’ and started telling us that there were still problems with the police and discrimination getting jobs. We asked, ‘Can we talk to you’ and she said said, ‘I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t live in this town if I talked about those things.’
Fifty years [after the case], we’re talking to people in the same town who don’t want to talk about discrimination around them because they’re afraid of the repercussions.
Paulina Rosa testified in the trail to establish the pattern of discrimination in order to prove jury discrimination. [Her child, who was an American citizen, could not attend the white public school.] To me, making these movies is about meeting the folks who dealt with that stuff. It’s one thing to talk to the leaders or great orators who argued before the Supreme Court. But to talk to the mother who lived in a tiny town where they’d kill you at night if you’re out – for [Rosa] to get up and do that – meeting people like her makes this work worthwhile.
Chica Lit: How have audiences reacted to A Class Apart?
Sandoval: I’ve been touring with the movie in Texas for about a week. The response has been overwhelming. It’s almost, with some of these screenings and Q&A’s, a revival meeting because people are bearing witness to the discrimination they personally experienced. Or we hear, ‘my abuelo or abuelita told me about this and I didn’t realize this existed or how bad it was.’
Last week, the Texas state legislature read a proclamation about the film. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied [Hernandez] the 14th Amendment. That court is in the same building where the proclamation was read.
A Class Apart will air Monday, February 23rd at 9 p.m. on PBS. Check your local listings at www.pbs.org/americanexperience, and then plan a viewing party with your friends, classmates and family at Camino Bluff Productions.
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Sign of the Times
If you came here looking for the entry I posted earlier this week about a certain blogger who attacked another author, I have taken it down. She removed the attack from her blog and out of respect for that gesture, I’m doing the same.
Thank you for your comments, although I disagree with those which cut down her work. She is a truly gifted author, one whom I admire and respect. Her quotes are on my book covers and I’m honored by her generosity and support. But real friends speak up when they see the other standing at the edge, or doing something that is ultimately self destructive.
The conversation is now over and its time for us to get back to doing good work. The day after I posted my response to the attack, I found this quote while having lunch with my husband. I’d like to share it with you:
“Keep in mind that our community is not composed of those who are already saints, but of those who are trying to become saints. Therefore let us be extremely patient with each other’s faults and failures.” – Mother Teresa
I’m Going
Here are some events that I thought y’all would want to know about this month. Unless calamity strikes, I’ll be there, too. (As a civilian, not signing books.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFMulbZ7X8E&hl=en&fs=1]
LOS CAMPEONES DE LA LUCHA LIBRE (The Champions of Mexican Wrestling)
DATE: Thursday, Feb 5, 2009
TIME: 7:30 P.M.
WHERE: The Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
FYI: Los Campeones at MySpace
Masked mayhem ensues when a team of wrestling heroes is caught in the middle of a struggle between a gang of barbarians right out of Mad Max and a legion of monsters inspired by the golden age of Mexican horror films. A Spanish-language version of this film just ran in theaters throughout Mexico, but we’re proud to present the first ever public screening of an English-language print on 35mm.
PEN ON FIRE: A SPEAKING SERIES WITH T. JEFFERSON PARKER
DATE: Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009
TIME: 7 P.M.
WHERE: UCI Student Center
FYI: Pen On Fire
Barbara DeMarco Barrett will host a launch party for T. Jefferson Parker’s new book, The Renegades. She’ll discuss Jeff¹s new book, he’ll read, take questions, and sign books. There will also be refreshments. This launch party also heralds “Pen on Fire: A Speaking Series,” which intends to bring literary events to Orange County on a monthly basis.
JULIETA VENEGAS
DATE: Thursday, Feb 19, 2009
TIME: 7:30 P.M.
WHERE: USC Bovard Auditorium
FYI: USC Arts
Experience an intimate evening of conversation and music with Julieta Venegas.
Julieta Venegas is a Mexican singer, instrumentalist and songwriter who performs an eclectic blend of Spanish-language rock and pop. She started playing music at the age of eight, when her parents first had her take piano lessons. Music grew to be her passion, eventually leading her to become a vocal artist and songwriter. Before embarking on her solo career, Venegas collaborated with bands in Tijuana and Mexico City. Her first album, Aqui, emerged in 1998 as a collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla.
Between the Pages with Berta Platas
I’ve interviewed quite a few actors and writers in my day; some famous, some you’d see on the screen and wonder where you’d seen him or her before. Before some interviews I get a little nervous, like the one I did with Oscar Nunez of The Office and this Q&A with my Friday Night Chicas and Names I Call My Sister pen pal, Berta Platas. When you really respect someone, you don’t want to look stupid by asking stupid questions.
But Berta gives good interview and even better story. Her latest release, Lucky Chica is about values, how Rosie values herself, her family and her heart. It made me happy for my friend and it made me pretty damn proud to be included in the same company with her.
Please welcome Berta Platas!
Chica Lit: What inspired the idea for Lucky Chica and how long did it go from manuscript to published novel?
Berta: I play the lottery with my dad and we have fun scheming what we’ll do with all the loot if we win. So many people get excited about the lottery that I thought it would make a fun novel. I started plotting it while I was writing Cinderella Lopez, and then devoted myself to it after turning that book in. A major rewrite, at my editor’s suggestion, set it back a bit, but I figured out a way to make her ideas work, and they’ve certainly made it a better book.
Chica Lit: The first act in Lucky Chica shows Rosie’s dismal and hardscrabble existence. It was painful reading it because it brought memories of my college years. Did Rosie pop out of your head complete, or did it take time for her to develop into a full-fledged character?
Berta: I knew Rosie from the first. The Buford Highway area in Chamblee and Doraville, on the outskirts of Atlanta, have a very dense concentration of immigrants. It’s the place where folks start, where everyone speaks your language. Here, you either acclimate, then move up, or you start a business and are happy surrounded by folks just like you, or you feel stuck forever. I wanted Rosie to feel stuck, but optimistic. It’s hard to be optimistic forever. and the story starts when she’s at the end of her good attitude.
Chica Lit: How much research went into your book?
Berta: A lot! I studied past winners of huge lottery prizes, not just the ones you hear about who go wild and lose everything, but the ones who make good choices and live happily ever after. I found out about the types of people who prey on lottery winners, what the best advice is if you win a big prize like this, and what resources can offer dependable advice. Did you know that there’s a “Sudden Wealth Institute”? It’s a group of financial planners that help those who come into big money, whether it’s a lottery win, an inheritance, or an insurance settlement. They help you find the best tax advantages and make wise choices with money management. For a fee, of course!
Chica Lit: I know that you’re a marketing exec by day and novelist by, well, when you make the time to write. But do you keep a tape recorder or notebook on hand when you’re away from your book … ahem, do you sneak writing in at the office?
Berta: I have a digital recorder that my husband gave me. It’s so cute! It’s so complicated! I never could figure the little darling out. So I take notes. I carry my AlphaSmart with me and write whenever I can, aided by a chapter outline that lets me know exactly what’s coming up next in my book. As for sneaking writing at the office – never! My office mates know I’m an author, and I want to keep the two realms totally separate. At lunchtime I write on my Alphie, or longhand. At night, when my brain is fried, I can just transcribe what I wrote when I was fresher. Close to deadlines, I write at night, too, fried and all.
Chica Lit: Your next book is a complete departure from “chica lit.” What can you tell us?
Berta: I also write a humorous young adult urban fantasy series with my friend and longtime critique partner, Michelle Roper. The first trilogy is very popular and a critical success, and we recently sold a second trilogy, making it an official series! It’s set in Renaissance Faires, and follows Keelie Heartwood, a California teen who is uprooted and sent to live with her absentee dad when her mom dies in an accident. She soon discovers that her father is not human, and that she too has magical abilities. Kids as young as nine have read it, and we have a lot of adult fans, too.
I just got an email from a twelve year old who read Lucky Chica and reviewed it on Flamingnet.com, a review site for kids. I would never have thought of this book as young adult material, and it made me think hard about how books are marketed to children. I can see teens enjoying this book, it just never occurred to me to market to them. Twelve seemed a little young, though.
[Editorial note: Dude, tell me about it! A 13 year-old read Hot Tamara after reading the Red Hot Read excerpt in Cosmo magazine.]
Chica Lit: And finally, have you ever won the lottery and do you think you’d make the same mistakes that Rosie did?
Berta: I’ve never won more than $57 dollars at a time on the lottery, but it’s fun to play, as long as you don’t go crazy. I certainly wouldn’t make Rosie’s mistakes. My dad and I have a PLAN!
Funny thing is that while I was writing Rosie’s story, my family was going through some painful financial times, and I found that Rosie was making some really smart choices, money-wise. I had to rip all of that up! What was I thinking? It would have been a very different book. Frankly, it would have been a snore!
Check out Lucky Chica (hint: it makes a great Valentine’s Day girlfriend gift!)
Can’t Get Enough of Lizz Wright
I’m on deadline and falling behind AND I’m starting a new story that will be a mystery (let the killing begin!). So if I blog again this week, it will either be the result of a miracle, or I’ll be throwing myself on the sword of procrastination.
BUT first I have to share this with you. Lizz Wright is magical, haunting, sensuous, sublime … I’m running out of adjectives here so you’ll have to see for yourself.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6NiZitg9l8&hl=en&fs=1]
Between the Pages with Misa Ramirez
The next time you look up the word persistence, Misa Ramirez’s name should be listed in the definition. If you’re complaining about having to do a third draft, pay attention to what happens when you’re willing to do six years worth of rewriting.
Please welcome, Misa Ramirez and her tough-talking and tough-walking heroine, Lola!
Chica Lit: What inspired the idea for Living La Vida Lola and how long did it go from manuscript to published novel?
Misa: It has taken six years, three agents, and about 1,000 revisions to bring the book to publication, but it made it, and Lola’s here to stay!
I started writing it right after I had my fifth (and last) baby. We had just moved to the Sacramento area, I wasn’t teaching at the time, my husband was in a wheelchair from an Achilles Tendon injury, and I HAD to get out of the house! I started going to a local coffee shop with a friend and we’d do little writing prompts. During one of them, Lola came to me as a character. The more prompts we did, the more Lola and her family and background developed.
She came to me as a Latina, I think, because I wanted to write about someone like my own children. Someone who straddled the lines of being American, but who embodied and embraced her family’s culture at the same time. I want her to find her balance, her identity, and her true self over the course of the series. No small order for anyone!
And then there’s the romance element. Love makes it all worthwhile and I wanted Lola to find love. Or at least the hope of love. =)
Chica Lit: Did Lola pop out of your head complete, or did it take time for her to develop into a full-fledged character?
Misa: I knew immediately that Lola would be a PI since I wanted the book to be a mystery. And I knew that I wanted her family to be a big and important part of her life. I wanted to delve into the interpersonal relationships that might exist in a traditional Mexican family (like my husband’s) if one of the daughters wanted to be a private investigator and buck the expectations her parents had for her.
It took a long time for Lola to fully develop, but now that she has, I love her! She’s got her principles and morals and her goals. She’s a black belt in kung fun, loves yoga, and won’t let anything get in her way. But she’s got weaknesses, too. She’s soft and feminine, but tough. She describes herself as Xena, Warrior Princess, with an occasional Cinderella moment thrown in.
Chica Lit: How much research went into your book?
Misa: About 18 years worth!!!! All the time I’ve been married to my husband–observing, being part of, loving, and absorbing his culture. My biggest goal in writing Lola was to make her an authentic person. I never want to misrepresent myself as a Latina, and I always want to be true to the beauty of the culture and all that means based on my experiences as the wife of a Mexican American man. So, lots of research, but just from living!
The mystery details of the book did require researching the process of becoming a PI, what the rules are, details about tattoos, particularly self-done tattoos, visiting the state Capitol and getting a private tour by my brother-in-law who works under the Treasurer. Things like that. All of it has been pretty fun.
Chica Lit: Do you like being a writer? What do you NOT like about being a writer?
Misa: I love being a writer, especially now that I’m not teaching anymore. I have dedicated time to write and it doesn’t encroach on time with my kids. At least not as much! I love that my kids, husband, and parents are so proud of me. I love that I’ve modeled the hard work and determination to pursue a dream, and I’ve reached my goal. I think that’s invaluable.
Things I don’t like about being a writer? Hmm. Probably the nervousness that I’m feeling over doing book signings! Writing is so solitary, and you live in your imagination so much, that to go out and speak about your books is daunting!
Chica Lit: When do we get the next Lola adventure?
Misa: The next book, tentatively titled Dead Girl Walking will be out a year from now. After that will be Bare Naked Ladies, the third book in the series. In it, Lola’s case takes her to a nudist resort. Yikes! I’ll tell you about the research for that one another time!
Get your copy of Misa Ramirez’s book at your favorite independent, or at my store!
The Power to Change Numbers
by Mary Castillo
The face of HIV and AIDS is not what most people think it is. White gay male has become black or Latina female. This Saturday, January 17th, Project Reina and AIDS Project Los Angeles will come together to defeat HIV/AIDS at RPM Fitness Studio.
The Center for Disease Control reported that women ages 13 to 26 account for 80% of new HIV cases in the United States (64% of all women living with HIV/AIDS are African Americans while 19% are white and 15% are Latina). AIDS is the leading cause for death in African American women between the ages of 25 and 34 years old, beating out heart disease and breast cancer.
When Actress Gina Ravera (The Closer and ER) first heard the numbers about the impact of HIV on black and Latina women – the San Francisco native is half Puerto Rican and black – her initial reaction was shock.
“I said, ‘oh my god that would’ve been me,'” she recalled. “I could’ve been a statistic.”
Determined to save the lives of these young women, Ravera organized and launched Project Reina, a 501c3 organization dedicated to reaching out with the message that they deserve to be cherished and adored. She has gathered her fellow actors Sydney Tamia Poitier (Knight Rider), Dania Ramirez (Heroes), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Teresa Randall (Randle and Girl 6), Lisa Vidal (Third Watch), and Angel Moore (ER) and made them Hermanas (sisters) in her cause.
[Editorial note: The author of this article is also a Project Reina hermana.]
“We function as big sisters giving young women information about life and sharing our experiences when we were their age,” she said. “It’s not just about AIDS prevention; it’s an acknowledgement that life is a gift and it’s your responsibility to do something with it.”
THE GAP
Getting the information to these girls is one of the biggest obstacles according to Dr. Rosa Solorio, assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
“There’s really a strong need for culturally specific interventions,” she said. “Latinas are just as likely to use family planning services as white girls but after they have been pregnant. This is a bigger issue than preventing pregnancy and these girls need a lot of education.”
Solorio pointed out that the major factors contributing to the female HIV epidemic are poverty (one in five Latinas and one of four African American women live in poverty), limited access to health care, substance abuse and high-risk sexual choices.
“We hear people say, ‘why can’t they just use condoms?’,” Solorio said. “Its much easier said than done.”
Many of the patients Solorio has seen are in relationships where the power difference tips in favor of the man, leaving women uncomfortable or afraid to require their partners to be tested and wear condoms.
But Ravera sees this fear akin to toying with death when 80% of female HIV patients contracted the virus from a high-risk heterosexual partner.
“When I was growing up the worst thing you could deal with was the shame,” she said. “Now you could die having sex with the wrong guy.”
THE BRIDGE
Ravera’s vision for Project Reina is to be the bridge between the medical community and adolescent girls. In her experience in talking with young teens, many have heard their teachers or counselors talk to them about HIV and AIDS. But it’s the classic case of in one ear and out the other.
But by leveraging her celebrity to speak to these girls in a language they can understand and in a way that doesn’t patronize or instill fear in them, Ravera hopes that they will make decisions that will protect and cherish their bodies and their lives.
“We’re not male bashing and we’re not putting anybody down,” Ravera said. “The reason why we’re giving information to these young girls is that they can lead us to the end of the AIDS pandemic.”
New Year’s Blog Tour – Introducing La Cholita
Photo by Brandon Showers
She lives on a quiet street in one of those indefinable parts of L.A., wedged between Hollywood and Silverlake. It took me two tries to find the address she’d texted me and just like a man, I was forced to call for directions. On the phone, La Cholita spoke with a youthful enthusiasm – not with an Eartha Kitt growl or a Mae West purr that one might expect upon seeing her photos.
When Cholita opened her front door, I was surprised to see that she wasn’t much taller than me. “You’re so tiny,” I couldn’t help but exclaim. She threw open her arms and she gave me a tight hug as if we were best friends who hadn’t seen each other since high school. She laughed. “I know. Everyone says that.”
La Cholita is not her creator, nor is she exactly an alter ego. (She also asked me not to use her real name to preserve her mystique and no, I didn’t make her up.) Cholita is an extension if you will, of the 25 year-old Latina who grew up in Highland Park watching musicals from the 1930s and 40’s. As we talked in her hot pink living room, I saw glimpses of the platinum blonde vamp in the happy, energetic woman with freckles under her make-up. It’s hard and yet, wasn’t hard to imagine her wowing audiences in a sparkling costume and leaving them wearing a g-string and pasties. But I got to know the the phenomenon known as La Cholita.
All I Need Is The Girl
Photo by Mr.40 Chev
Six years ago, after her mom took her to a burlesque convention, La Cholita burst onto the L.A. scene as the first and only Latina dancer.
“I had a really hard time finding my way in,” she said. “It was like this secret society and when I’d ask friends who were doing it, they were very hush hush about how to get started.”
At that convention, she was dazzled by the burlesque queens, some who were still flashing their goods like they had when we were fighting the Nazis. Cholita’s only disappointment was that there were no Latinas.
“It seemed ridiculous to me because Latinas are the most sensual and passionate women in the world but we are also kind of conditioned to keep it all under wraps,” she said. “My disappointment quickly turned to enlightenment when I realized that’s it! This is what I am meant to do! All of those years singing, dancing and dressing up as a young girl was all in preparation for my ultimate calling: Burlesque Starlet.”
Cholita signed up for a burlesque class that again didn’t throw open the doors. But it did crack them open a little. All the students would have their chance to dance on-stage at The Derby in the retro-cool neighborhood of Los Feliz. Cholita realized everything was up to her – the choreography, costume and music – for her to stand-out among the veterans and new girls before a demanding audience.
“When my heel hit the stage, I knew it was right,” she said. “I couldn’t do anything else.”
The audience loved her and La Cholita, the burlesque starlet was born.
You Gotta Get A Gimmick
Photo by Mr.40 Chev
La Cholita made her official debut as a Lowrider Loca wearing her name crystallized in Old English across her corset. She’s appeared with a Dia de Los Muertos calavera mask painted on half her face, as an Aztec goddess and in a folklorico dress from Chiapas. (My favorite are her beaded pasties of the Mexican flag.) At the end of each number, she throws up an East L.A. sign – her signature move – and has a loyal following of couples, Latinas and cholos and old pachucos who love her for representing la raza.
But burlesque, with its roots in old school Hollywood glamor – many of the women boast looks clearly inspired by Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe and Jean Harlow – cast La Cholita as one of the bad girls.
“Some of the other dancers told me that my image wasn’t sexy, that the street element was too tough and my energy was too intense,” she remembers. “At first I felt bad but then I remembered that the reason I started was because I wanted to be different, I wanted girls to feel inspired, I wanted to represent a strong Latina and show that our curves are something to be proud of, that our culture is something to be proud of.”
Since then La Cholita has performed around the world, winning the coveted Miss Viva Las Vegas title in 2007 and appearing on Carson Kressley’s “How to Look Good Naked”, Telemundo and Eyewitness News. She’s danced for corporate clients Hornitos, Christina Aguilera and European surgeons. She now models for ChicanaWear Clothing, La Pachuca, Secrets in Lace, Stop Staring, Dainty Dames, Ignition, and My Lucky Girls Creations.
“I knew girls who gave up because they couldn’t make ends meet,” she said. “There were times when I was almost evicted and lost my power or water and had to hide my car from being repossessed. But I wouldn’t give up.”
Little Lamb
Photo by Mr.40 Chev
“I’ve always been an outsider,” Cholita said. “My childhood wasn’t all rainbows and lollipops.”
When she was grew up with her single, artist mom in Highland Park. She wasn’t brown enough for the chicano kids in her neighborhood, nor could she relate to the privileged kids in the private prep schools her mom enrolled her in. She didn’t form a relationship with her father until she was fourteen and he was dying of cancer.
“I was really awkward and I’d come home crying that I hated my chubby legs, curly hair and freckles and that I hated my mom for giving them to me.”
Cholita escaped her self-loathing through dance and acting lessons her mom scrapped to provide, and through the glamor of old movies. And yet, she was fascinated by the cholas she’d see hanging in her neighborhood and at the car shows where her uncles would proudly show off their lowriders.
“I remember seeing cholas on the street corners with their crazy nails and their hair teased and just that opulent, over-the-top look,” she said. “And yet, they were tough.”
Her grandfather, a zoot suiter from the ’40s, also had an influence on her developing style. “He’d tell me all kinds of stories probably because I was the only person who listened to him. He used to tell me you could get into a fight or kill a man but you looked good doing it.”
She laughed and shook her head. “He always said in his day you had to represent.” She then mimicked him. “Cholos nowadays, they don’t got no style. In my day, I’d fuck a man up and still had a crease in my pants.”
He passed away last November and Cholita occasionally had to buck up when she talked of him.
“My biggest validation was when he came to my shows,” she said. “He really said he loved it.”
Some People
Photo by Mr.40 Chev
La Cholita not only dresses the part of the “fuck-you-up” chola, she also lived the life. In high school, she began running with gangsters and dabbling in drugs. When she started to see her friends getting shot and dying, she knew she had to get out of the life if she wanted to live.
“I weighed 98 pounds and when I look at my high school prom pictures-” She sucked in her breath. “I was barely there.”
Her mother taking her to the burlesque convention seemed to have opened an escape hatch.
“I was a 180 pounds when I started [dancing] and I’ve never felt more secure and more empowered.” Even though she’s getting naked before strangers on bars and theatre stages, the burlesque style of stripping is all on the dancer’s terms.
“I decide what people see and what they don’t,” she said. “What I thought was my flaws are what make me stand out.”
Ironically, corsets and fishnets are in her blood. Her grandmother on her father’s side was once a burlesque dancer.
“When [that side of the family] found out what I was doing, they-” she makes a slicing motion through the air. “They cut me off.”
Let Me Entertain You
Photo from Miss Viva Las Vegas Competition 2007
La Cholita’s L.A. appearances are family affairs with her mom, tios, tias, cousins and friends cheering her on. She’s backed by her own band and her fans come dressed to the nines to see her. Men treat her like a lady when they approach her after her performances. “I’ve never been treated more respectfully than ever in my life,” she says.
She has driven audiences into ecstasy just by taking off a glove. At a performance at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, she sent an elderly man to the hospital. Her friend once told her that she’s a force on stage.
“Every single time I’m standing in the wings, I’m nervous. I can barely hold it in. It’s like I’m being electrocuted in the inside,” she said.
As Cholita she doesn’t feel intimidated about anything. She can approach a cute guy and ask him out. The second her music comes on and she steps out under the lights, something takes over her. She doesn’t think about the moves. She gets off on the energy, feeding it and feeding off of it. She loves that she never knows what’s going to happen and that no number is ever the same as the last.
But in more intimate situations, when she’s with a guy, she admits, “I’m thinking, ‘oh now I have to take off my bra’ … ‘is the light hiding my cellulite from him?'” We laughed; I’m relieved that I have the same hang-ups as a woman who seduces audiences for a living.
“I’m more vulnerable as myself,” she said.
La Cholita sees no limit to the possibilities. She sees designing a line of clothing, creating her own one-woman show and modeling. Her dream is to dance in Paris and tour Mexico, especially to perform on the stage of the Juarez theatre in Guanajuato, where she visited with her grandfather.
“I’m not ready for that,” she said, pausing to think about returning to that theatre without him. “I am following my dreams, making things happen and representing where I’ve come from. I am very lucky and ever so grateful to have the support of mi familia.”
To see the complete gallery of La Cholita’s photos, her schedule of performances and more, visit her at VivaCholita.
Contest!
Sherri won Berta Platas’ drawing from yesterday’s blog … hurray!
The winner of my contest is Teresa Carbajal Ravet! Thanks EVERYONE for reading and getting to know La Cholita!
Welcome to 2009
Image: Victorian Woman Reading a Book from Art.com
On New Year’s Eve I clean my house. I wash all the dirty laundry, empty the trash cans and make sure that I have fixings to make black-eyed peas for New Years Day lunch. I even try to finish a book that I’ve been reading, too. After a day like that I typically wake up at midnight long enough to hear my neighbors shoot off fireworks and then go back to sleep.
Last year, I wrote two books, fifteen feature stories and completed two revisions. This year I’m starting with a New Year’s Blog Tour with my fellow NuncaSola writers.
Today, Misa Ramirez starts us off with a short story, “On The Seventh Day of Christmas.” You’ll be seeing her again later this month when I interview her about her new book, Living La Vida Lola.