BY CARLA HINTON
The Oklahoman
Published: April 10, 2009

A car horn blared, but it did not drown out the wails of several young women as they watched a large wooden cross placed upon the back of a man robed in white.

Within the courtyard of Little Flower Catholic Church, a timeless story was unfolding.

Little Flower’s youth group Wednesday carried on the Easter season custom of Via Cruces, or "Way of the Cross.” It is a tradition in Hispanic communities, often drawing crowds of parishioners preparing their hearts for Good Friday, and the subsequent Easter Sunday.

"I want my kids to have the same traditions that I did. I want them to learn about Jesus,” Lizet Lopez of Midwest City said as she stood outside the church, 1125 S Walker.

"We used to do it all the time in Mexico. It is a good visual for her to see,” said Lopez, gesturing to her daughter, Ariana, 5.

Biblical figures like Pontius Pilate, Roman soldiers and the disciples who slept while Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane came to life in the Via Cruces. About 75 people arrived for the beginning of the drama, but the crowd had grown to about 175 by the time Jesus, portrayed by Jorge Villezeas, 16, walked slowly out of the courtyard bearing the cross on his back.

A guitarist softly strummed several songs as the crowd sang words reflective of the somber scenes before them. A narrator speaking Spanish served as a guide, but most of the people gathered seemed to know the story of Jesus’ walk to Calvary.

The drama came to its climax in the church’s Guadalupe Center. When hammering noises reverberated loudly, children quickly gathered at the front of the center to watch Jesus being nailed to the cross.
Juan Cabrera, a transitional deacon at the church, said Little Flower parishioners request the Via Cruces every year during Holy Week.

Continue reading "Event at Little Flower Catholic Church serves as reminder of sacrifice" »

Filed 17 de Abril, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

The Norman Transcript
By Ron Jenkins

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A joint resolution proposing a statewide vote on making English the official language of Oklahoma has cleared a Senate Committee over objections it is unneeded and mean-spirited.

The vote was 9-6 Wednesday for the constitutional amendment, introduced in the House by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, the principal sponsor of an anti-illegal immigration bill that is being challenged in federal court.

Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, is sponsoring the official English resolution in the Senate.

He said it would save taxpayer dollars because government agencies would not have to provide materials in Spanish or other languages.

Sykes rejected arguments that the resolution is unconstitutional.

The Senate also has passed rival legislation proposing a law to acknowledge English as the "common language" of Oklahoma.

The author of that legislation, Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, said the Terrill-Sykes resolution is flawed because it attempts to define federal law in one section.

Sen. Judy Eason-McIntyre, D-Tulsa, said the bill is not needed and is aimed at giving Republicans a wedge issue for the 2010 elections.

"You are selling hate," she said.

The Rev. Luis Carlos Sanchez of Tulsa, speaking for a Hispanic rights group, said it benefits everyone to allow Spanish-speaking people to take driver's tests in Spanish while they are integrating into society.

The measure, which passed the House on a 66-32 vote, now goes to the Senate floor for consideration.

The resolution contains an exclusion for members of American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, but several tribal leaders have still spoken out against it as divisive, while endorsing the Anderson plan.

Supporters of the Terrill-Sykes resolution said it would prevent the state from having to provide taxpayer-funded services in a language other than English, but includes some exceptions, such as in the area of public health.

Similar proposals have been passed in more than 30 states, Terrill said.

Filed 6 de Abril, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

By RON JENKINS
Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma lawmakers have a choice this year: English as the "official" language of the state versus English as the "common" language.

Two measures addressing a touchy subject for many Oklahomans -- communications with their government -- are going through the legislative process.

Their sponsors are conservative Republicans, but their views are miles apart on the issue.

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, is back with his proposal for a vote of the people on establishing English as the official language of state government.

Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, thinks Terrill's plan is unconstitutional and has offered his "common language" alternative.

"I'm not a big proponent of my bill, but I think it is better than what Rep. Terrill has proposed," Anderson says.

Terrill refers to Anderson's plan as "meaningless."

The two legislators debated the issue last week before the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee.

It was friendly territory for Terrill, who drew financial support from members of the conservative group in his re-election bid and was championed for his sponsorship of House Bill 1804, the state's tough anti-illegal immigration bill.

Charlie Meadows, chairman of the OCPAC, said he wanted to bring the two together to see if they could find some common ground and to explain their differences.

Meadows also disclosed that years before he had been a member of the U.S. English organization, which tried in vain to get an official English bill through Congress.

A third party in the debate are leaders of American Indian tribes. Chiefs of the five Civilized Tribes recently went on record for a second time against Terrill's legislation.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith called it "intolerant, close-minded and mean-spirited."

"To me, it's not what Oklahomans are about as a people," Smith said. "We are warmhearted and accepting."

Smith said he thinks Terrill's legislation is specifically aimed at Hispanics, but "the biggest class of citizens who do not speak English as their first language are Indians, Native Americans."

"Terrill's bill divides people; Anderson's bill acknowledges our commonality," he said.

Terrill said he was "perplexed and confused the tribes would be opposed to this particular proposal because it exempts tribal languages."

The lawmaker said 30 other states have established a form of "official" English, but his plan would be the "strongest" proposal among the states.

Anderson said Terrill's plan is different from other official English measures because it contains a provision that "tries to define what is and what is not federal law. I'm not sure of any state that has done that."

He said it is unlike other state laws that contain express exclusions for federal law.

Anderson said lawmakers must be careful not to create confusion for state agencies that administer federal funds.

He also referred to an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling in 2002 invalidating a state question that would have prohibited the use of non-English languages in state government. The state court said the proposal violated free speech rights.

"Free speech protects all speech, not just those who speak in English," Anderson said.

Terrill characterized Anderson's arguments as "legal mumbo-jumbo that keeps us from doing what we ought to do."

He said he was convinced his plan is constitutional.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said last week he did not yet have a position on the issue and he did not know if the GOP caucus would have one.

Terrill said he would push hard for his plan, with the help of national groups that support the official English argument.

He said he was not impressed with Anderson's legal arguments, saying the Enid senator "perhaps got his law degree from Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Ward."

Earlier, Anderson said he brought his bill in an effort to find a workable solution to the issue. He said he decided on the phrase, "common language," after talking to tribal leaders.

"Neither my bill nor his will create one job in Oklahoma or help us solve our budget crisis. The reason I'm bringing my bill forward is to get this issue off the table so we can get focused on what's truly important in Oklahoma."

Filed 1 de Marzo, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation that would ask voters to make English the official language of Oklahoma's state government will get a debate and vote on the state House floor.

Two bills by Moore Republican Randy Terrill were approved in House committees today and sent on to the full House for consideration.

Terrill's bills aim to prevent the state from providing taxpayer-funded services in any language other than English. That would eliminate such needs as publishing driver's license tests in multiple languages.

Representatives of the Latino Community Development Agency and American Civil Liberties Union spoke out in opposition to the bills. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith has also opposed similar measures.

Any constitutional amendment to make English the state's official language would be subject to a statewide vote.

Filed 22 de Febrero, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

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Oklahoma schools see increase in Hispanic students
Associated Press - January 28, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Education Department says the number of Hispanic students in Oklahoma schools rose by 3,461 during the 2007-08 academic year.

Total student enrollment in the state increased by 3,056 from October 2007.

State Superintendent Sandy Garrett says because of the increase in Hispanic students there will be an effort to hire more bilingual teachers.

Garrett says the Education Department will also ask the legislature for more money to train teachers in other languages and the help students make the transition into classes after a move.

Filed 30 de Enero, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)

By The Associated Press
Published: 1/12/2009 6:34 PM
Last Modified: 1/12/2009 6:34 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY — Poverty and a growing population of minority students, including non-English speaking Hispanics, are presenting major challenges to public schools in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, a state school official said Monday.

Sandy Garrett, state superintendent of public instruction, released the statistics during a meeting of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education. The chairman of the panel is Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, a first-term senator and former president of Oklahoma State University.

Garrett said whites now make up only 22 percent of the student population in Oklahoma City. Hispanics are the biggest minority at 40 percent, followed by blacks at 30 percent, American Indians at 5 percent and Asians at 3 percent.

In Tulsa, whites total 34 percent of the school district population, the same as blacks, with Hispanics at 20 percent, Indians at 11 percent and Asians at 1 percent.

More than 80 percent of students in both districts qualify for free or reduced lunches because of their families' low income levels.

Statewide, whites make up 57 percent of the population of all of the 534 school districts, a big drop since 1990, when the white population was 74 percent.

Garrett and Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson appeared before the budget panel to present performance reviews of their systems. The committee is conducting a series of meetings in preparation for the Feb. 2 beginning of the Oklahoma Legislature.

The state school chief again stressed her preference for expanding the school year and the school day to improve the education of Oklahoma students.

She said excessive testing to meet state and federal mandates is leaving little time for teachers to teach, suggesting that some testing chores in some subjects could be handled at the local level.

Garrett advocated adding five days to Oklahoma's 175-day school calendar a year ago, but the proposal never became law because of budget restraints.

Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, suggested that adding 30 minutes to the school day may be something that could be done in a tight budget year, but said steps should be taken to make sure the extra time is not wasted on areas that do not improve students' education.

Johnson presented the committee figures showing administrative costs had declined as a percentage of the higher education budget, while more students were graduating from colleges and universities.

Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, said he continues to get complaints about the growing cost of college education in the state.

Senators asked Johnson to provide the committee with figures on the rise in student costs from 2000 to 2008, the average administrative cost per student for that time period and the increase in salaries of college administrators.

Filed 20 de Enero, 2009 | Permalink | View Blog Reactions | Comments (0)