Legendary Chicana Feminist Martha P. Cotera Wins the Ohtli Award

It pleases me beyond measure to share with you my statement on the legendary, first-published Chicana feminist, independent scholar and archivist, Martha P. Cotera.  In a beautiful ceremony on Wednesday of this past week, Consul General of Mexico Pablo Marentes accorded her the Ohtli Award which is the highest award given to those who have dedicated the greater part of their lives opening pathways to people of Mexican origin.

If you want to get a glimpse at what will undoubtedly go down in history as a classic statement on being a Chingona—which Martha undoubtedly is—you'll want to link to this blog post titled, "Are you a Chingona?  Check out this video to see if you are!"  And then view this video, "FemBeat: Chingonas," where Martha explains the term better than anyone ever has.

In a moment of reflection in my class this week on the difficult times that racialized and minoritized peoples experience in a world of white supremacy, I asked them about their onus and responsibility to such things in life and career.  

I didn't say this, but should have: Martha exhibits that what must be done if we are to make a positive difference in others' lives and how doing so, equates to a life lived abundantly.

Felicidades, Martha!  Congratulations!  Thank you for being you.  The world is a much better place because of you.

-Angela Valenzuela

#Chingona

#ChicanaFeminism

#VivaLaMujer

MARTHA P. COTERA

Martha is also a Chicana feminist icon to generations of Chicana activists and scholars in the United States. Since the 1960s, she and Juan were active in the Chicano movement; Martha focusing on recruiting and developing women, and in documenting their  role within the movement. She is best known for her books, Diosa y Hembra, and Chicana Feminist, the first and best histories of Mexican American women.  Her writings also include more than 10 other books, and hundreds of essays and articles on civil rights, feminism, and on Mexican and Mexican American history and bibliography.

Ohtli Medallion

Wednesday's Program

In Austin, Martha has been involved in founding the most important women’s organizations. As  the founder  and first president  of the Mexican American Business and Professional Women of Austin, under her leadership, the organization established MAP (Medical Assistance Program) in Austin, the state’s first city/county wide public health program for the uninsured, also the Center for Battered Women and the Rape Crisis Center (now SAFEPLACE), and led in establishing the Austin Commission for the Status of Women.  She is also a local founder of the Austin Women’s Political Caucus, the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, the Latina PAC, Latinas en Acción, and Women for Good Government.  Martha has worked on successful political campaigns which elected the first Latinas to political office in Austin, including Amalia Rodriguez Mendoza, District Clerk, Margaret Gomez, Travis County Commissioner, Dolores Ortega, Travis County Treasurer,  Lena Guerrero, State Representative, Gina Hinojosa, State Representative, and Delia Garza, City Councilwoman.

In the cultural arts Martha has provided similar leadership, especially since 1974, working on building the multi-million dollar Mexican American Cultural Center, one of the few in the nation.  She is also a founding member and currently active in Nuestro Grupo, which instituted Academia Cuauhtli, a language and cultural arts academy held in the Center, which successfully participated in establishing Ethnic Studies in Texas. She has similarly supported academic programs at UT as founding member of the Center for Mexican American Studies in 1972 and the Department of Mexican American and Latino Studies, and has served for the past 50 years in oversight committees to ensure equity for Mexican Americans and other Hispanics at UT; unfortunately, even with decades of advocacy and service with the Austin Independent School District, equity in the district, as in UT, is still out of reach.

            Martha believes that the women and men in the Hispanic community are Austin’s richest asset, and  that their skills, cultural heritage, values and hard work will help the community prevail and lead this city, state and country. To advance this goal, Martha has collaborated with the Consulado and with others to pass resolutions and ordinances like the Sanctuary City, the MBE/WBE and Fair Housing, Bed Tax Ordinance, and Bond issues for our arts institutions because she believes that it is only just, that all who pay taxes in Austin, should all benefit from our tax dollars.  She is a tireless champion of our vulnerable communities and is never afraid to speak or take action.   She is not all MACRO, she is also a MICRO activist, devoting hours daily helping immigrants navigate the system to legalize their status and to reunite with their families. Esa Martha es toda una OHTLI, abre caminos, si no se puede con cuidadito, y esmero, pues los abre por que los abre, a fuerza de bulldozer.  

Martha Cotera es una fuerza de la naturaleza, de acciones heroicas. Ella cosecha energía del sol y la luna porque está ocupada día y noche, luchando a favor de la causa de la justicia social de manera grande y pequeña. Una vez, después de ayudar a resolver un problema muy grande y difícil, me sentí tan aliviada que expresé mi sentido de gratitud y admiración haciendo referencia al Gandalf, desafiante de la edad, del Señor de los Anillos en un texto, diciendo: "Martha, ¡Gracias!  

 Tú eres Gandalf, el gran mago, que ha venido a la Tierra Media para mejorar la vida de todos.  Como Gandalf, Su espíritu es cálido y enérgico.  Su intelecto y discurso son agudos, dando voz a los que no tienen voz. Una verdadera Chingona!  Y mas que todo, mi amiga linda y querida.  Gracias por ser quien eres.  Emilio y yo y todos de la comunidad, Nuestro Grupo, Academia Cuauhtli, te admiramos en abundancia. Gracias por la alegría y la plenitud que traes a nuestras vidas.

Translation: Martha is a force of nature, of heroic stock.  She harvests energy from the sun and moon because she's busy day and night, fighting the cause for social justice in ways big and small.  Once, after helping to solve a very big and difficult problem, I felt so relieved that I conveyed my sense of gratitude and admiration by referencing the age-defying Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings in a text, saying, "Martha, thank you!  You're Gandalf, the great wizard, who has come to Middle Earth to make life better for all.  Her intellect and speech are sharp, giving voice to the voiceless.  A true Chingona!  And most of all, my dear friend and beloved friend. Thank you for being who you are. Emilio and I and all of the community, Nuestro Grupo, Academia Cuauhtli, admire you in abundance. Thank you for the joy and fulfillment you bring to our lives!

We are very fortunate to have Carlos González Gutiérrez as our new consul general from Mexico here with us in Austin, Texas.  I know him personally.  We could not be more fortunate.  He'll be making some important changes.  This is part of what is at play between our two countries and the very important role that Texas plays in this regard:

"We trade annually about $200 billion, which is twice the amount of [trade between] the U.K. and the U.S. It’s three times what Mexico trades with California, and our prosperity depends on Texas and Texas’ prosperity depends on Mexico. My job is to make sure that awareness of that contribution is widespread. My job is to make sure that people who love Mexico and believe in this relationship contribute their talents and resources to strengthen that relationship."

Bienvenido a Tejas y a Austin/ Welcome to Texas and Austin, Consul General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez!

Angela Valenzuela

New Consul Takes on Mexico's Texas Diaspora

• by Julián Aguilar
• June 24, 2015

Enlarge Photo by Consulado General de México en Austin

Consul General Carlos González Gutiérrez

California has more Mexican immigrants living within its borders than Texas. But in the Lone Star State, the Mexican community is much more diverse. That's just one takeaway from Mexican Consul Carlos González Gutiérrez. After one month at the helm of Austin's 75-year-old consulate general's office, González, who served most recently as his country's consul in Sacramento, discussed the challenges and benefits of being a Mexican national in the capital city.
The following is an edited and condensed transcript of the interview.
The Texas Tribune: How was the consulate’s office in Austin selected? Is it based on how many Mexican nationals are in a city?
Carlos González Gutiérrez: The consulate of Mexico in Austin has been here since 1940. We have 50 consulates all around the United States; 11 of them are in Texas.
The responsibility of this consulate general, like any other consulate, is to promote and protect the rights of our nationals in our jurisdictions, promote its interests, and to promote the image and the prestige of Mexico. Because we are in the capital city, a particular responsibility of ours is to follow up and monitor and inform our government about public policies that are designed at the Capitol and the governor’s office that will have an impact on Mexicans living in Texas. We also ensure that we are able to transmit to elected and appointed officials our positions in a transparent and clear way.

TT: Do most people that arrive at the consulate have complaints about the way they are treated? Why do most people come here?
CGG: The most basic, and perhaps most important, service we can provide is documentation services. We provide travel documents such as passports or ID documents, like consular IDs. We also provide birth certificates and powers of attorneys so people don’t have to go to Mexico to conduct a commercial operation. I can act as a civil judge abroad, and according to Mexican law I can marry people. Besides that, there is a protection department. Our responsibility is to provide legal protections to Mexicans in dire straits. We help them with advice, make sure they understand their legal situation, and sometimes we are able to provide them legal counsel, or we refer them to trusted sources of legal counsel. We visit prisons, we visit hospitals. Like any other consulate in the world, we have strong immigration advice for people who live here on an irregular migratory status.
TT: Do you ever speak to state officials about state immigration policies, like the debate to eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented students? Do you testify or meet with the governor’s staff or other lawmakers on those issues?
CGG: Yes, on almost a daily basis. I do not testify. I am a diplomat, a representative of a foreign government. Even if I were invited to a hearing, it would not be appropriate for me to testify in front of another sovereignty.
TT: That’s according to Mexican law?
CGG: Yes, it’s our policy.
TT: So you meet behind closed doors with officials?
CGG: What I do is transmit the position of my government on different issues. The U.S.-Mexico relationship, in particular the Texas-Mexico relationship, it’s unique in terms of its intermestic character. “Intermestic” is a concept that tries to define a relationship in which the line that divides the domestic policy and its foreign policy is blurred. There are many areas of policy that are designed and implemented with a domestic policy focus. But nevertheless, they have an impact across the border. So on the one hand, it’s our responsibility at the consulate to let the Mexican government know in Mexico City what the priorities are here. But on the other it’s also in the interest of Texas’ decision makers and, of course, for Mexico to have an active consul in Austin and an active consulate general that is able to transmit with transparency and clarity what are positions are.

TT: How are you chosen for this office?
CGG: I am a member of the Mexican Foreign Service, and I have been for 28 years. I have reached the rank of ambassador, which is the top rank of a diplomatic career. I have been able to focus exclusively on Mexican communities in the United States. This is my vocation. This is the area I have been able to concentrate on in my professional career.
Previously I was the consulate general of Mexico in Sacramento. I was the executive director of the institute for Mexicans abroad in the foreign ministry. I have also had positions in the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the consulate general of Mexico in Los Angeles.
TT: Do you see that from state to state and city to city, the needs and services you provide are the same? Or do you think the Mexicans living here have different needs or concerns than they do in California?
CGG: When you talk about our diaspora, you cannot talk about the one Mexican community. You have to talk about the many Mexican communities in the United States. And that is not truer than in Texas. The diversity, the variety, the complexity of the many Mexican communities that coincide here makes my job very challenging and very fascinating. It goes from the Mexican undocumented worker that had to cross the border surreptitiously to the other extreme of a highly skilled Mexican national that lives in Austin because of the global hunt for talent. And in the middle you can think about many other possibilities and communities. The university also attracts a lot of brilliant Mexican students. It’s completely diverse.
TT: How long is your term here in Austin?
CGG: I serve at the please of the president. We are nominated by the president and then ratified by the Senate. Usually a traditional diplomatic tour of duty lasts between two and five years.
TT: Is that enough time to do what you want to do in Austin?
CGG: It better be. I have to start fast, and the foreign ministry is supporting this consulate very heavily. We are going to be moving to a building that is more appropriate for our needs. We are going to increase our infrastructure in terms of officers that are working at the consulate. Texas is Mexico’s most important partner in the United States. We trade annually about $200 billion, which is twice the amount of [trade between] the U.K. and the U.S. It’s three times what Mexico trades with California, and our prosperity depends on Texas and Texas’ prosperity depends on Mexico. My job is to make sure that awareness of that contribution is widespread. My job is to make sure that people who love Mexico and believe in this relationship contribute their talents and resources to strengthen that relationship.
TT: When President Obama announced the extension of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), this office started offering birth certificates to help people apply for the DAPA initiative. Did you change those policies after the immigration plans were placed on hold by the courts?
CGG: No, we are making sure that people understand that the traditional DACA services (announced in 2012) have not been canceled and that almost half of the population that could benefit from it still has not applied. So we have created new programs, such as a partial reimbursement that we are offering to Mexican nationals who come here and ask for help to apply. The fee is $465; we help them with $150 reimbursement once the process is finished. We are also making sure that people do not fall prey to unscrupulous attorneys or non-attorneys who want to take advantage of the confusion.
The most important challenge that I have is that Mexican nationals understand that we are here to help, that this is a house of services. When your migratory status is irregular ...
TT: How would you define “irregular”? You mean “undocumented”?
CGG: Yes, let’s be more clear. If you are undocumented and living in Texas, you could have been here for two decades as an undocumented immigrant. When you are living your life that way, you have a permanent feeling of vulnerability because you know you can be deported at any moment. So a particular challenge for the consulate is making sure Mexican nationals understand this office is not an authority from which they should keep a distance, but instead an office that is here to help. It’s an office that is staffed by professional, trained people that will help integrate them into U.S. society.
TT: Is this building considered Mexican soil, like an embassy? Can someone come here for protection? Is U.S. law enforcement allowed in here?
CGG: It has diplomatic and consular immunity. It’s not as if it is Mexican territory. If the unthinkable happened, we’d need to call the police. But there are certain procedures and protocols that according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations have to be followed. They cannot enter without an invitation from the head of the mission.
TT: Are you a member of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in Mexico?
CGG: No, I am not a member of any political party. I am a career diplomat and a Foreign Service official. Being a career diplomat allows me to work with whoever is elected president by the people of Mexico.
TT: Do you have an opinion in the recent nomination of Secretary Roberta Jacobson for the United States ambassador to Mexico?
CGG: Yes, I think that it’s one of the top-ranked diplomats that the United States has. Her nomination has been very well received in Mexico, and it shows clearly the top-priority status Mexico has for the president of the United States. And I am sure she will be welcomed with open arms in Mexico.