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DH is notorious for having big, deep ditches that are easy to get stuck in. Amid all the complaining about how treacherous the ditches were from out of neighborhood visitors, I usually just smiled and said "Yeah. They may not be the nicest to look at, but at least it never floods here." So, I was pretty surprised to find that, although it was only about 2 hours of heavy steady rain last Friday, my ditches were flooded & much of the sidewalk leading to my house too. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the street expansions. Were new flood areas the trade off for wider streets, or is there another culprit I am missing? For the record, I had to travel down Westhiemer to get home from work that day and it is NOT ready for any real raining to take place. I saw manholes fly up from flooding at intersections and San Jacinto Street looked more like San Jacinto River!
To continue on with the Eco-Friendly mindset that this past Earth Day set, OurDHStreets is taking this opportunity to introduce you to our Original Jardin series. A small group of local activists have joined knowledge, time, and efforts to create a garden that features foods that are/were indigenous to the Mexica People (The 7 Warriors) and have opened the gates to us in an effort to share & trade information that they are learning and to promote backyard organic gardening to all gente. In conjunction, OurDHStreets will be giving you updates through interviews, vids, and pictures on the progress of the garden & connect it to bigger eco/political-conscious efforts in Houston. Enjoy!
Please feel free to ask questions, leave comments, &/or advice for our learning gardeners.
WHY AN ORIGINAL JARDIN? Several reasons. We've all seen what is happening in the grocery stores due to the current economy. Prices are going up and the quality of the produce available is going down. We are paying more for less and with many people now living under the constant pressure that they might lose their jobs..Well, it just adds more anxiety to our daily lives. We have land that is good to plant on and the reasons why not to ran out. The time has come to start planting. Not relying on 'the man' for our basic needs will get us to a more secure place. Having knowledge about the land and how plants grow will ensure that if/when prices inflate even more, we will still have access to foods we use regularly and conveniently out of our yards. Health-wise, if you are part of the process of creating it, you know what is inside of it. No additives, chemicals, non-pronounceables. WHY THE 7 WARRIORS? The 7 Warrior plants were the major crops of the Mexica (Pre-Spanish Inhabitants of Aztlan). The incredible thing about these foods is that they grow well together; Meaning, the environment created by each one directly and healthily affects the other. This makes them easy to grow with proper care. The 3 sister crops (corn, beans, squash) provide the necessary vitamins and nutrients to sustain the human body and the remaining 4 crops add in any missing elements. This makes for a healthy and more eco-friendly environment all in all- for yourself and the Earth. WHAT PHASE IS THE ORIGINAL JARDIN IN NOW & WHAT'S NEXT? The jardin came to be in a volunteered backyard that was not being used and was covered in high sprays of grass - seriously, the shortest activist was about a foot away from not being able to see anything back there! On March 7th, the yard was mowed and the top layer of grass was removed. Since then, the grass was mowed and the top layer removed, the soil was flipped and roots taken out, rows created, and maize planted. Last week marked about a month & a half since the project began and small developing maize leaves have begun to sprout in all but one row- that has been reserved for beans. For now, we are watering and watching the maize take root & develop strong stems and as that develops we will be moving into the bean & squash phase of the project. Right now the jardin is semi-private, but as the crops and food manifest, so will our ability to reach out to the community to partake in the care and the amazing food that the jardin will provide.
Check back to watch the progress on the Original Jardin in DH- Houston & to find knowledge for starting your own organic garden.
In January, the Houston City Council responded to an outcry they say they've received from neighborhood activists, making it illegal to park cars in your yard. However, the City did not budget what it would cost to implement this ban and it seems it will fall into the hands of the neighborhoods & their Civic Clubs to handle. If Denver Harbor residents want to be part of this crackdown on parked cars, they must "opt in" to the ban by applying to the Department of Planning & Development. The current application requires civic clubs to pay for first-class mailings to every property owner that would fall under the parking ban. This issue concerns me. First, as has already been the commentary of many politicos, is that it is unfair to less wealthy neighborhoods to have to pay for postage, envelopes, and signs to notify the neighborhood of the changes. For example, Sharpstown, has more than 6,800 homes. Informing all the owners through a first-class mailing would cost at least $3,000. But, to take it further, my thought is that Denver Harbor falls under the 'less wealthy' neighborhood category, and the little money our Civic Club is able to muster with the little representation we get from the City Council*, should be fused to focus on things that are more troubling in our area. How about putting that money toward after school programs or into our area schools? It is disturbing to myself to think that thousands of dollars worth of neighborhood dues could be spent to eliminate cars being parked on our private yard property, when things like the dropout rate, teenage pregnancy stats, continued black/brown violence, and poor education standards remain the same or grow here. I am all for keeping our streets, yards, and homes clean, but I'm not for investing money into a problem that is mediocre in comparison to other issues that we could face and fix for the future betterment of our gente and our barrio. | In truth, I have yet to hear what the Denver Harbor Civic Club is saying about their status on this ban, but as I am concerned & if you would also like to know, our Civic Club meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:45pm in the Senior's Center at Denver Harbor Selena Quintanilla-Perez Park (6402 Market Street Houston, TX 77020). Meetings are open to the public to come listen & to voice your opinions. Also, If you have any questions regarding neighborhood streets, roads, policing, trash pickup, traffic enforcement, the fire station, the library, the parks, or other concerns, please feel free to e-mail the President of the Denver Harbor Civic Club - Mrs. Anna Gonzales - president@dhcc.ws.
When I hear 'Cesar Chavez', I recall that he was the only frame of reference for so-called Hispanic pride that was offered me in middle or high school. He fought for laborers' rights to organize & unionize & while I don't agree (personally) with all his ideals, I can appreciate his lucha for those that toil & struggle; Especially now, where we are seeing so many lose their jobs due to poor $$ investing and spending by our government. With Dolores Huerta, he formed the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement, which continues his legacy today. Houston's Cesar Chavez event will consist of a parade & celebration starting @ the Sellers Bros parking lot on Cesar Chavez & ending @ Hidalgo Park on Magnolia's Ave Q. This event mirrors many that will be going on throughout the Nation this weekend to commemorate Cesar's life. It's a great opportunity to make the presence of our gente known in this East End area- just by our partaking in the parade.
For more info on the Tejano Association for Historical Preservation, visit them here For more info on Cesar & the work of UFW go to www.ufw.org
Si Se Puede!
P.S. Further your knowledge of original people that fought for rights on various fronts in the United States- A few names to note: Dolores Huerta, Assata Shakur, Corky Gonzalez, Emma Tenayuca, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal. Start there.
Full-Time Mom /Wife/DH Resident/ Founder of Celebrations R Us
It's hard to visit Leann's Celebrations R Us shop and not start to think of the coming Spring & Summer parties that her customizable items can be used for. Located not far from Scroggins Elementary in Denver Harbor, Leann carved out a work area out of the home she keeps with her husband & two sons. Creative ideas & being party-planning savvy, Leann meets with people by appointment to get them set up with custom invitations, party favors, & (if called for) a costumed character for their event. April will mark 1 year that Leann became her own boss & her business began establishing itself within the DH community. I felt very welcomed sitting down with Leann in her shop to discuss Celebrations R Us & how she thinks Denver Harbor residents can begin to reconnect & feel safer in their own streets.
D- Tell me about your business. L-I do personalized invitations, party goods, mint books, candy bars & I am also in the costume entertainment business for all occasions; Meaning, we have costume characters that will come to your party and play games with kids, dance, give out prizes, organize for birthday cake singing, and provide a present to the birthday boy or girl.In all aspects of my business I try to budget out reasonably so that I can provide things at a good price because I'm aware of people's money situations.
D- What inspired you to start your own business & why in Denver Harbor? L-My children. For their parties, I would rent character costumes and organize games and just seeing their faces after having such a great time really inspired me. Once I had my younger child, I was really driven to be closer to both of my sons. Plus, I wanted to create something that can turn into a family business. I have always lived in DH, so it was easy and natural to start here. I also feel like people grow up here, leave, and then talk down about the neighborhood. But, if people stay and become invested in it, the community could be nicer or have the things they say they leave the neighborhood for. D- What would you say is a specialty service that you provide compared to other places & which of your items is your favorite? L- One of the great things about us is that you can get most of your party items in one place. I provide packages set up in that way and offer discounts based on what you order together. Before going full time with the business, I would just do candy bar favors. So, they are my favorite because they leave alot of room to be creative and can be used in a variety of ways. Some people have come to me to do candy bars for fundraisers or as thank you's for their events, for example.
D- So, you grew up in DH. What can you say about the changes that have come with time here? L- I used to walk from one side of the neighborhood to the other and feel safe because I felt like these were my streets. Everybody knew each others families. We'd have festivals in the parks here, people would come out, but the city don't do that anymore. It's not like it used to be. I feel that if we had similar events, the people would know each other more personally & feel safe again.
Leann plans to expand her costume character selection in the next months and hopes the Springtime weather & Summer get-togethers will help her business become more successful. She wants to see Denver Harbor residents pull together more and more as a community. I think Leann's energy and pride in our DH streets are the types of things that will cultivate amazing results for her & all the people she will come across through her hard work. If you have a special event coming up, do yourself a favor and check out:
Celebrations R Us 713-671-1149 www.myspace.com/leann_celebrations_r_us celebrationsrus2008@yahoo.com
The free Telemundo Houston Health Fair will be held from 7:00 a.m. until noon on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Tejano Center's Raul Yzaguirre School for Success 2950 Broadway, Houston, TX 77017.
The fair will offer free cholesterol and diabetes screening, mammograms, dental and eye exams, vaccinations, and information about the Texas Childrens Insurance Program (CHIPS). Harris County Hospital District, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Childrens Hospital and many other medical institutions will be on hand to offer important free health information. Contact Virginia Salazar at 713-640-3704 for details.
Realizing it had been a good few weeks since we’d had good enough weather to go out & enjoy the outdoors, I decided to take a walk around SelenaQuintanilla-PerezPark, aka DenverHarborPark yesterday. The place was packed with Little Leaguers practicing with their coaches, gente throwing around footballs & kicking around soccer balls, fruit/raspa vendors doing their thing, and babies to teens strolling around the various trails just making their rounds and taking in the energy giving Sun. I heard music bassing from passing cars & outdoor radios & watched all the familiar faces smiling & regenerating due to the beautiful day.
I took a seat under a city-provided covered table area & got to thinking about the essence of the park & about the Tejano star Selena, after who the park was re-named following her tragic & untimely death in 1995.
Selena oozed Tejanismo; from her perfect-fit & sequined outfits, her ‘Chola-esque’ makeup, to the Tex-Mex sound of her musica. She became a home grown idol to Mexican girls & all colored mujeres throughout the Nation due to her youth, energetic performances, strong voice, and the full figured body she wore so comfortably. Tejano music had a very male-centered history until Selena hit the scene in the 80’s and by 1987, the Tejano Music Awards named Selena Best Female Vocalist- an award she dominated for the next seven years. Many Houstonians I know can brightly recall having the opportunity to meet Selena at festivals in the early stages of her career & especially watching her do her thing at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in February 1995- a performance that solidified her popularity by drawing about 65,000 fans to the infamous Astrodome- more than any performer that year.
March 31st, 2009 will mark 14 years since Selena passed & I can still remember hearing the news from my best friends mom after being picked up from McReynoldsMiddle School. Both me and my friend told her mom to quit jiving because April Fools Day was not till tomorrow, but once home watching the news coverage showing many teenage girls weeping in disbelief over the loss of their queen.
So, with all of that knowledge and all these memories, I reflected on how the City Council renamed Denver Harbor Park to commemorate & celebrate such an amazing & missed mujer & how beautiful it was to have a day in the park to reflect on life, great Tejano music, and the history, pride, and Tejanismo that oozes from Denver Harbor residents, like it did from Selena.
DH is notorious for having big, deep ditches that are easy to get stuck in. Amid all the complaining about how treacherous the ditches were from out of neighborhood visitors, I usually just smiled and said "Yeah. They may not be the nicest to look at, but at least it never floods here." So, I was pretty surprised to find that, although it was only about 2 hours of heavy steady rain last Friday, my ditches were flooded & much of the sidewalk leading to my house too. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the street expansions. Were new flood areas the trade off for wider streets, or is there another culprit I am missing?
