What To Witness

Alaina Chester

The performing arts series in Athens has a fall filled with diverse entertainment! The first major play to start off the year will be Metamorphoses, running from October 2-12. This contemporary classic by Mary Zimmerman is rich in imagery and poetry while being choreographed around a pool of water. This is a must see event.

The theatre is having a great upcoming show but there is always a Must-See playing in a movie theatre at the Athena Grand. Lee Daniels’ The Butler has dominated the box office for weeks. I saw this historical drama three weeks ago and it is still being discussed among great new releases. The movie is about an African American man named Cecil Gains who over many years was witness to large events while working as a butler in the White House during the 20^th century. It goes through the historical events of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the Freedom Riders and Black Panther socialist organization. It’s a remarkable film that not only inspires but also opens eyes. Around the end of the film, the character Cecil narrates that change takes to long in this world. It makes you think about how we as individuals can help positive change speed up.  

Ruben Salazar

Dushuan Headd

 

From September 15 through October 15, the United States of America recognizes the Latinos in our country with National Hispanic Heritage Month. Their contributions cannot be overlooked and while many people deserve to be recognized, I would like to recognize one person in particular. As a minority looking to make it in the journalism field, I have a deep appreciation for those who have come before me and Ruben Salazar certainly fits the mode. 

Born in Mexico, 1928, Salazar would move to El Paso, Texas as a youth and would serve in the US Army for two years upon graduating from high school. He would then go on to graduate from Texas Western College in 1954 with a degree in journalism. Displaying some of the same courage it took him to enter the army; he would work as an investigative journalist, covering some of the most risky assignments. As an example of his courage, he once upon of time posed as a nomadic to get arrested while he investigated the poor handling of prisoners in the El Paso jail. Separating himself from others, he would get his big break starting in 1959 where he would work for the Los Angles Times. 

At the Los Angles Times, Salazar early on in his career with them would serve as the foreign correspondent, covering the 1965 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic, the Vietnam War, and the Tlatelolco massacre. Upon returning to the US in 1968, he would begin to cover the Mexican-American community, in particular East Los Angles, an area not given much attention by the media with the exception of crimes. His pieces would be critical to the Los Angles government’s treatment of Chicanos. 

 In 1970, Salazar would leave the Times and became a news director at a Spanish television station in Los Angles called KMEX. There he would investigate allegations of police officers planting evidence to incriminate Chicanos and the July 1970 police shooting of two unarmed Mexican nationals. In August, he would cover the National Chicano Memorial March organized to protest the lopsided number of Chicanos killed in the Vietnam War. The nonviolent march ended with a rally, a rally Salazar would not make it out of. He would be found with a shot in his head from short range with a tear gas projectile.

 His death could have passed by as an accident for a lot of people if it wasn’t for the events that led up to his death. Salazar had been warned by police officers against chasing stories concerning the Latino civil rights struggle, saying that his actions were dangerous and advised him to stop. Days before he was killed, he met with members of U.S. Civil Rights Commission to express his concern that the police might target him. Though Salazar was a citizen who died at the hands of law enforcement, no criminal charges were ever filed against the deputy who killed him or against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. President Nixon’s Department of Justice declined to investigate the shooting.  

Though probably wrongly killed, Salazar’s legacy is one that is hard to follow. His legacy includes being the first Chicano journalist to cover the Mexican-American community in East Los Angles while working in general circulation media, interviews of President Eisenhower, Cesar Chavez, and Robert F. Kennedy, the Robert F Kennedy Journalism Award, and having the park he was killed in renamed after him in his honor. Though all these accolades are great, the biggest and most impressive thing about the legacy he leaves behind is in my opinion the courage and poise he demonstrated. No matter the risk, he did what his heart told him was right. Salazar just wanted to report on the truth within his community and with a journalism degree; Salazar understood that he had a platform to do just that. As a black man, I understand the trials and tribulations people such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X went through, so looking at Salazar’s troubles, I feel for him and inspire to always report the truth no matter the cost, just as he had done so courageously.

George Lopez

Zahara Pruitt

 

George Lopez was born in Mission Hills, California on April 23, 1961. Abandoned at an early age by his mother, he was raised by his grandmother, who paid him little attention. Using his troubling childhood for material, he was able to create a successful stand up comic career for himself by the 1980s. Since his transition to movies and television, he has appeared in over twenty-five movies and television shows. He even has a self entitled television show that is currently in syndication and had a talk show, Lopez Tonight that was canceled after a meager two seasons. George Lopez is also a published author with books I’m Not Gonna Lie…And Other Lies You Tell When You Turn 50 (2013) and Why You Crying?: My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter (2005). Lopez also hosted a radio show in Los Angeles in 1999. Lopez also has a genetic disorder causing his kidneys to deteriorate. Due to his condition, he received a kidney transplant from his wife in 2005. He has also appeared in many charity events over the years and has his own charity, The Ann and George Lopez Foundation. Lopez understands the importance of giving back to the community that has given him so much, rather life lessons or comedic material. He has found a way to overcome adversity and be a positive influence in the lives of many.

Jennifer Lopez

Alaina Chester

Dancer, actress and music artist Jennifer Lopez is one of the most idolized Latinas in pop culture. She has not only dominated billboard charts, while also being a successful actress. One of her most memorable, golden globe nominated, and breakthrough roles, was the lead in the major motion picture, Selena. 

Jennifer Lopez is from the Bronx New York. Her family opposed of Jennifer’s aspiration in the entertainment industry because they believed it wasn’t an industry for Latinos to be successful. Despite her family’s disapproval, Lopez quit college and went to pursue her dreams.

Jennifer Lopez auditioned for the role of Selena Quintanilla-Perez and the film released in 1997. She portrayed the Mexican-American (Tejano) music artist to perfection. Taking in not only the role of the renowned star but her performance actions and stage presence. Jennifer was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress. Although she didn’t win the award, she won much more. She proved her mother wrong and broke through in the industry with a role that would inspire all Latinos and Mexican-Americans forever. It’s an unforgettable movie about triumph and the first Mexican-American music artist to win a Grammy and leave her mark on the history of American music charts.  

Selena Quintanilla

Ke' Asha Reed

Selena Quintanilla was born April 16, 1971 in Lake House, Texas to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla. Selena began singing at the age of three and at the age of nine, her father, Abraham, formed a group including Selena and her siblings named Selena y Los Dinos. The group started singing in a family owned restaurant and shortly after they moved to Corpus Christi, Texas and performed all over the city. Over the next few years, Selena began to gain a following and in 1985 she recorded her first album. In 1989, she was signed to Capitol/BMI and one year later In she released her debut album Ven Commigo, which was the first Tejano album released by a female to reach gold status. Her album Selena Live earned Selena her first Grammy and in 1994 Selena and her band won six Billboard awards, including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year for, “Como La Flor”. She was at the peak of her career, and that point she was being referred to as “The Queen of Tejano Music”.  During that time, a woman by the name of Yolanda Salvidar approached Selena’s father about starting a fan club. When her father agreed, Yolanda became the president of the club. As Yolanda and Selena grew closer, Selena gave her more responsibility. Yolanda began to manage Selena’s fashion boutiques located in Corpus Christi and San Antonia, Texas. In 1995, Selena was set to release her first English album. Unfortunately, she would not live to see that day. In early 1995, the Quintanilla’s found out that Yolanda Salvidar was embezzling money from Selena’s fan club and they fired her. Weeks later, on March 31^st, Selena went to meet Salvidar at a local Days Inn motel to get financial records from her. Salvidar had been refusing to handover the records, and the two got into an argument. In the midst of the argument, Salvidar pulled a pistol from her purse, pointed it at Selena, and shot her in her right shoulder. She was rushed to the hospital, but doctors were not able to save her. She died at the age of 23, just two weeks from her birthday. Her death made a huge impact. Her funeral held over 60,000 fans and the same year she was inducted into the Latin Music Hall of Fame. April 16^th is now “Selena day” in Texas. That summer, Dreaming of You, her first English album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first Hispanic artist to do so. It was also the second highest debut after Michael Jackson’s HIStory. In October 1995, Yolanda Salvidar was charged with first degree murder, and sentenced to life with eligible for parole in 30 years. Selena’s legacy still lives on; she has sold 60 million records world-wide, making her one of the best selling artists of all time. She is commemorated with a life sized statue in Corpus Christi and a Selena museum. In 1997, Warner Bros. released a film based on her life which starred Jennifer Lopez.

Sources: Biography.com, Selena: The Movie