Latina Lista~Oklahoma Citytag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//242008-12-01T21:52:26ZA Viewpoint on Anything and Everything From a Latina Perspective.Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.01-beta2Placing the tilde over the eñetag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.38282008-12-01T21:38:03Z2008-12-01T21:52:26ZBy Wilie Quinoñes A diversely talented local company is rising to the challenge of the changing marketplace with an abundance of hard work and creativity As the Hispanic population increases across the country, most companies are realizing that an effective...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
A diversely talented local company is rising to the challenge of the changing marketplace with an abundance of hard work and creativity
As the Hispanic population increases across the country, most companies are realizing that an effective bilingual marketing campaign is not a luxury but a necessity. This new territory can be frightening for the majority of them who have no knowledge of Hispanic culture or preferences. In steps Enye Media, a full service, Hispanic owned advertising and public relations agency. By excelling at creating effective advertising campaigns and taking them from concept to the finished product, Enye makes it easy for companies to reach the Hispanic market and do so effectively. It’s a dynamic and motivated group, that draw on a wealth talent to offer a staggering list of services, inspired for the most part by the needs of their clients.
The Enye team
The name Enye is an acronym that stands for Eclectic Network of Young Entrepreneurs and also draws upon the phonetic spelling of Spanish character ñ which signifies that Enye knows a thing or two about the Hispanic market.
Creative Forces
Robert Ruiz is the principal force behind the original idea for Enye Group (9 years) and Enye Music (6 years). He also has interests in FrontRow Technologies, a company that sells and distributes tickets for different types of events. FrontRowFans.com is a ticket donation program, for non-profit organizations. Ruiz is a computer software engineer and business consultant with more than 10 years of experience. As a software developer, Robert has done work for companies such as Southwest Research Institute, Alcatel, IBM, Ford Motor Company and Mazda USA. He actively participates in different community organizations, including the Human Rights Commission. He’s originally from San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Oklahoma as a National Merit Scholar.
“Within the Enye family we get totally involved in each and every project, giving individual attention to our clients. Each project presents its own challenges, which is precisely what separates us from our competitors,” says Robert. “Our only mission, from the moment we commit to working with each client, is to develop a product that is different from any advertising campaign offered by others. Our creative team is proud to create original themes, innovating ideas, everything custom-made,” Robert points out.
“Imagination is our limit, each client is like a blank canvas, where his or her product will become a masterpiece”, adds partner Ricardo Sasaki; who has 17 years experience in advertising on an international level. Ricardo Sasaki co-founded Enye Media in 2006 along with Robert Ruiz, and joined the Enye Music family in 2008 with a goal of supporting and unifying production and promotion for the company. He also co-owns ProAudio S.R.L. in Bolivia, South America, where he excelled as an audio engineer and creative specialist for clients such as Price Waterhouse Cooper, Samsung, Coca-Cola and many more. He was born in San Francisco, California, lived the majority of his life in Bolivia, until he settled in Oklahoma. He has been a recipient of several honorary awards, including three gold and one platinum records. He’s an established artist with his Bolivian rock band Octavia, working under Sony Music International. Ricardo was educated at the Conservatory of Music and Audio Engineering in San Francisco, California.
“The best thing about my job is that I’m doing something creative, but I have also accomplished something few people accomplish. I really enjoy my job, I have been an artist since birth,” says Ricardo. “I like the simple things in life, but what really encourages me is the challenge to be creative, every single day,” adds Ricardo. In fact, to be able to manage his creativity even better, Ricardo joined forces with Robert to create their own recording facility, Ares Studio. When it began, they produced four demos and two full projects in only one month. To solidify its commercial worth, Enye Media also joined forces with Saxum Communications, a public relations agency that also offers advertising, graphic design, event planning, administrative services and educational conferences.
Partners for life
While Robert was attending college at OU he met a charming girl named Wilmari, who a short time later became his wife, and serves as Director of Operations for ENYE. Wilmari began her civil engineering studies at the University of Oklahoma on three consecutive scholarships. Two of the scholarships were academic merit based. According to Wilmari, during the last school year a tornado destroyed her parents’ home. Since she did not have a place to call home and she and Robert were already engaged to be married, they decided to speed up the process. They returned to Texas, where Robert was working for a company called Alcatel USA in Plano, Texas, and then for IBM in Houston. “It was then we decided to start a family. The experience that Robert acquired at IBM inspired him to visualize the future creation of his own company.
Finish reading Placing the tilde over the eñe]]>
Beyond HB 1804tag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.38092008-11-23T04:33:24Z2008-11-23T04:44:02ZBy Willie Quiñones A look at the Republican Senator who continues to challenge the controversial legislation while many are reluctant to speak out. Senator Harry E. Coates (Source: El Nacional) When many people think of politicians, they imagine them as...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
A look at the Republican Senator who continues to challenge the controversial legislation while many are reluctant to speak out.
Senator Harry E. Coates
(Source: El Nacional)
When many people think of politicians, they imagine them as self-serving, insincere and often arrogant. But when you meet someone like Senator Harry E. Coates, the experience of such meeting may easily change your opinion. His abundant simplicity, his human disposition and charisma speak volumes. He appears intent on defending human rights, to see justice equally imposed, to create a realization among his colleagues of an urgency to encourage laws, ordinances and statutes that benefit minorities, which will positively impact the State’s economy and guarantee human rights equality. These seem to definitely be his reasons for occupying a political position the Oklahoma Senate.
Senator Coates, elected in 2002, represents District #28, which is comprised of Lincoln, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties. Professionally, the Senator owns a construction consulting firm that contracts heavily with Wal-Mart. He also possesses degrees from Oklahoma City University, Southwestern College, University of Central Oklahoma and Southwest Technical Institute. Coates is originally from Seminole and is an active member of several professional and civic organizations. He actively serves on the committees of Veterans and Military Affairs, Tourism, Wildlife, Business, Labor, General Government Appropriations Committee and Transportation.
A staunch position
Coates strongly believes that discriminatory immigration law is economically impairing the State and marginalizing an entire community. “I know many horror stories of people who have been persecuted, abused and exploited, just because they’re members of minority groups,” says Coates. He adds that he’s been accused of supporting and defending minorities for personal reasons, for his own personal gain. He strongly defends his political position with an emotional energy that makes one realize just the opposite.
Coates expresses his worries about immigration reform, language and citizenship laws in Oklahoma. He firmly states that we are creating situations that morally and economically damage the social and cultural fabric of Oklahoma.
“Injustice is injustice, be it against Hispanics, Asians, African Americans or any other group, my convictions will never change. The creators of HB 1804 never took into consideration the negative repercussions and the devastating impact this law would have on the state of Oklahoma. Many of my colleagues lack political vision,” says Coates. “When I heard Randy Terrill’s rhetoric and ambitions regarding HB 1804, he mentioned that his intention was to push this piece of legislature as far as it would go,” says Coates.
“According to him, he had no intentions of letting religious organizations, minority or community leaders pressure or intimidate him. But Terrill lacked vision, and showed an evident lack of common sense when he created this immigration law. He then added more insult to the Hispanic community and many other minorities, including the Native American tribes in the State, when he created his “English Only” proposal.
It was then that I introduced an amendment to repel his obscure intentions.” Coates adds. “The motives behind these immigration laws and other legislative immigration reforms were mainly generated to build animosity between Republicans and Democrats. When certain individuals created and manipulated a lie for a period of time, the citizens started to believe it. This is what Randy Terrill and his anti-immigration proposals did. But his plans backfired, when Democrats declined to promote such proposals,” says Coates openly.
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Seeing discrimination for the first time
The Senator, who comes from a family of 7 children and grew up on a farm, says that when he was young, poverty and necessity united them in body and soul. “When we were kids we were very active in things related to God and education. Our school was mainly comprised of Native American students. We were treated with great respect and much affection, contrary to the stereotype that many had created for Native Americans,” says Coates. “I still remember one time when as a family, we went to a restaurant and one sign grabbed my attention, it said: ‘Blacks are not welcome here’, I felt moved, confused and very sad. I did not talk at all on our way back home. Later, my father sat us all down and explained segregation to us.
Up until then, I did not know that skin color or language would make us so different,” Coates adds. He says that his father, with an authoritarian voice, told them that they should treat everyone the same, no matter what origin, ethnic roots or social status. Coates says it was his first lesson in social justice. He not only learned many things about human beings, but knew this also served as a point of inspiration to realize that one person can make significant changes. “I am here for causes such as social injustice, abuse and exploitation against a fellow human being. I’m trying to do what’s necessary to change the way we view ourselves, the way we relate to one another,” the Senator says.
Words with no action, are just…words
Coates says that he has often found himself alone in the fight against discrimination. “I have never attacked those who enforced immigration laws in the State, such as the police department, the district attorney, Drew Edmondson and others. I believe they are simply following State law. But it is my opinion that governor Brad Henry is wrong or perhaps misinformed about the immigration laws and amendments and its impact on our State,” says Coates.
He adds that some community leaders have put their faith in a few politicians, such as Republican Shane Jett, Chamber Representative for District 27. “I won’t take anything away from his talents as a politician, nor his ambition or education. He’s an ambitious young man, but to be able to help the community, he needs much more than just a nice speech…
Continue reading Beyond HB 1804]]>
Infant mortality high among Latinostag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.37352008-10-25T21:44:28Z2008-10-25T23:23:56ZLocal editorial OKLAHOMA CITY — According to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission, the level of education and financial income are interrelated. According to figures from the organization, educational levels, economic situation and even the ethnic factor...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
The figures are proof that when these factors improve, conditions equally improve for the young. Edd
Rhoades, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health in the City says that the study is of great importance for the City, giving an idea to the State in which direction to move.
Oklahoma is ranked as the 34th in the nation in general health and ideal conditions based on education and income. A 13.7 percent of children in the City, are considered adequately healthy. A 5.3 percent of them living in high-income households. The study also compares the effect of education and infant mortality where Oklahoma is ranked number 40. The level of infant mortality in the state is 7.6 per
1,000 births.
But in mothers with little or no formal education the level is 9.2 per 1000 births. In families where young people do not graduate from high school, the numbers indicate 4.5 times the chances of a mediocre health in children.
The figures also show that Hispanics are 3.5
times more likely to have mediocre personal health compared to the non-Hispanic population. Furthermore according to Rhoades, 57% of all births in the City last year were through Sooner Care, a state Medicaid program.]]>
Mexican Consul says that working together on the immigration issue is beneficialtag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.28132008-05-17T16:55:44Z2008-05-17T16:56:58ZLocal editorial Noticias.nacional@coxinet.net Andrés Chao, Mexican Consul, said on his recent visit to Oklahoma City, that the state should look for ways to solve the growing problem of illegal immigration. He commented that there should exist solutions that benefit both...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
Local editorial
Noticias.nacional@coxinet.net
Andrés Chao, Mexican Consul, said on his recent visit to Oklahoma City, that the state should look for ways to solve the growing problem of illegal immigration. He commented that there should exist solutions that benefit both countries.
He emphatically rejected the notion that the immigrants come to the United States to import poverty and misery. He said that Mexico also suffers because of the absence of the labor of its young people who emigrate looking for a better future in this country.
Also, he showed concern for the large number of human rights violations against minority groups on the part of the American nation.
“One of our objectives is to protect and defend Mexican nationals who live in this jurisdiction,” said Chao, who established a consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas a year ago.
“We are very preoccupied by the adverse situations that our citizens face in this nation, with the absence of immigration reform that in turn has driven different states to create their own laws,” added Chao.
The Little Rock consulate, which is the 47th nationally, serves Mexican citizens in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Chao reunited with various local and state officials recently, among them the mayor and chief of police. Next month, he plans a meeting with the Tulsa County Sheriff.
“It made things worse when local law enforcement officials got involved and are forced to interpret federal immigration laws. If the Latino community is aware that the police are ready to arrest them and deport them then there is created an animosity against the local authorities. This is precisely what is happening now in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” commented Chao. “It’s because of this that we insist in working together to build trust within the Latino community,” he said.
According to Chao, many of the problems of some of the law enforcement officials is that they have created a prejudicial idea in their minds, in terms of immigration status, unfortunately most of them don’t know the laws or immigration reforms. He says that some of the problems arising from Tulsa seem to be of a racial nature. Others are not sensitive to issues of immigration and in some cases it is simply discrimination.
Chao also believes that the federal government should improve work programs for immigrants in the nation. “It’s a question of numbers. This country has the markets and we have the manpower. These two matters go hand-in-hand. Both countries have to solve this issue because there are costs and benefits to both sides,” concluded Chao.]]>
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council Rejects Proposal: “English-only” is not favorable for Native American citizens of the state.tag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.27842008-05-06T12:38:17Z2008-05-06T12:42:49ZBy Noticias.nacional@coxinet.net The Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council stated that it firmly opposes the legislation that will declare English as the official state language. The council passed a resolution, during their monthly meeting, rejecting this proposal. The Creek Nation Council...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
By Noticias.nacional@coxinet.net
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council stated that it firmly opposes the legislation that will declare English as the official state language. The council passed a resolution, during their monthly meeting, rejecting this proposal.
The Creek Nation Council follows closely behind the actions of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians who passed a similar proposal in their last session held on April 9th. This proposal passed the House last week, if approved by the Senate, it will be sent to the State Secretary who will recommend a state vote.
The author of the proposal, Representative Randy Terrill, says that the proposal will prohibit the state of Oklahoma from utilizing state funds for programs like driver’s license tests in languages other than English.
According to Republican Terrill, the measure will exclude Native American languages as it will protect them. Terrill ended by saying that this amendment to the law is similar to laws already approved in 30 other states.
(Article translated by Rosario Guerra)
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English-Only Proposal is challenged one more timetag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.27452008-04-21T20:00:50Z2008-04-21T20:06:06ZBy noticias.nacional@coxinet.net More than a dozen Hispanic community leaders in Oklahoma City have decided to challenge the English-Only proposal. It is a controversial and complicated issue that, in addition to the immigration problems, causes social tension in the state. “We...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
By noticias.nacional@coxinet.net
More than a dozen Hispanic community leaders in Oklahoma City have decided to challenge the English-Only proposal.
It is a controversial and complicated issue that, in addition to the immigration problems, causes social tension in the state. “We don’t need a malevolent legislature that changes the image of our city or our state, converting it in a place of regressive intolerance.” said Jim Langdon, president of the Hispanic group, Justice and Community Center of Oklahoma.
“We should have a sign in the city limits saying “Not-Welcome." On the other hand the “Welcome to Oklahoma” sign will need a small sign saying welcome only if you are like we are," Langdon added.
The proposal, co-endorsed by the Republican representative from Moore, Oklahoma, Randy Terrill, is part of an amendment to Bill 1804, and will soon capture great attention in the House of Representatives.
“Opposite to the ill-intended HB 1804, this English message, will be directed to the citizens only, not to the illegal aliens, but to the citizens that are not fluent in English," says Pam Maisano public director of the organization Conference of Churches from Oklahoma.
“We definitely shouldn’t make life more difficult than what it already is for our Hispanic citizens," concluded Maisano. At least we know that in one way or another, Hispanics are in the mouth of the state politicians and in the minds of the candidates to the United States presidency.
(Translation by Rosario Guerra)]]>
The English-only proposition is picking up speedtag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.27142008-04-07T18:35:18Z2008-04-07T19:26:29ZBy Ivan Contreras The Government Transportation Committee meeting, held last Wednesday at noon, lasted a little more than an hour but passed a favorable opinion on the initiative to make English the official state language. As is the custom in...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
By Ivan Contreras
The Government Transportation Committee meeting, held last Wednesday at noon, lasted a little more than an hour but passed a favorable opinion on the initiative to make English the official state language. As is the custom in both chambers and in the entire assembly, when they are cooking up an amendment and the content corresponds to a pre-established agenda, more than looking for consensus, they steam roll their way to flatten the remains of all rights, even international (rights).
President Guy Liebmann categorically denied the different civil organizations present at the meeting the opportunity to express their opinions.
What happened on Wednesday opens a free path for the legislature to make an amendment to the state constitution to make English the official and only language. This will tentatively happen next November.
One of the most vehement defenders of Oklahoma’s multiculturalism was Chad Smith, Chief of the Cherokee Tribe, who firmly rejected the legislators’ arrogant attitude.
When he was interviewed outside of the chamber, he said that the government has taken initiatives like these throughout the centuries, “First they took our land; and then they took black people as slaves, now the immigrants.”
With a moderate expression, the tribal chief stated that the amendments that the legislators should make are exactly the opposite: “They should approve an Intelligence Law of Oklahoma which stimulates creativity and cultural diversity.” He also expressed his indignation for the lack of respect of the members of the committee who denied his right to speak as Chief of State.
On the other hand, Ed Romo, president of LULAC, said that what happened in this meeting shows that the government is trying to massively control people through language. That was shared by Gloria Sly, Leader of the Cherokee Nation, who also said that this legislative group has blocked the right of speech. “The goal has been to establish a control that has been implemented against the natives during 500 years. In the case of our tribes they have not been able to do it because we have empowered ourselves, but they have isolated us in our reservations”, she explained. She also shared her thought that the state is trying to establish something like a ghetto with the immigrant community. “The purpose may be exactly that, if you don’t learn to utilize their language to do business and communicate.”
Language Police
Alice Anderton, from the Language Diversity Coalition, explained that all this has been a severe blow for cultural diversity, since Terrill’s argument does not to help anybody, because his idea of cultural assimilation is precisely to kill culture. We are going to fight by all possible channels: the Lower Chamber of Congress will be the next step; if the governor signs the law we will keep going before the State Supreme Court”, she promised.
Tina Peña, a journalist from Tulsa, was more specific saying that the government will turn into a “Language Police.”
What follows
The proposition to implement English as the only and official language of the state has been overcoming all difficulties that have been put in its promoters’ way. So much so that it has been approved by the Senate and now the next committee has agreed to it and the bill will be now transferred to the House of Representatives and if it is approved, it will go directly to the desk of Governor Brad Henry to be signed and turned into state law. It has not been officially announced when this process will take place.
(Translation by Rosario Guerra)
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The rug has been pulled from under Randy Terrilltag:www.latinalista.net,2008:/oklahomacity//24.26752008-03-25T12:55:42Z2008-04-05T01:16:27ZOrganized citizens speak out about the funding he obtained to be in his current position. By Ivan Colmenares Collaborator for El Nacional For the second time this year, a group of American citizens have undertaken a campaign to create awareness...Marisa Treviñohttp://www.latinalista.net
Organized citizens speak out about the funding he obtained to be in his current position.
By Ivan Colmenares
Collaborator for El Nacional
For the second time this year, a group of American citizens have undertaken a campaign to create awareness and speak out against the obscure actions carried out by the Republican representative for the District of Moore, Randy Terrill.
This time, on Saturday, March 14, they delivered flyers which condemn the evidence of political favors made by the congressman. According to them, this is reflected by the fact that thanks to his initiatives the big gas distributors have benefited from millions of dollars of tax cuts.
(Translated by Rosario Guerra)
In accordance with the statement made by Juanita Vásquez, member of the group Citizens Against Corporate Welfare, presided by M. L. Hayes, Terrill’s election campaign was financed in part by various companies such as, Energy PAC, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Conoco Phillips Spirit PAC and Chesapeake Energy, with contributions ranging from $350 to $4000.
The circulating flyer also states that, among his favors, the congressman is frustratingly attempting to have HB 1715 pass which would save his benefactors $31 million in tax cuts for the purchase of equipment.
Moreover, the flyer exposes the benefits which would be acquired for three additional years by the gas and natural gas distributors of $22.1 million and $159.7 million, respectively, thanks to the proposed HB 2411 and HB 1718, approved in March and May of last year.
“We are looking for more irregularities which surely the citizens of Moore are unaware of,” anticipates Vásquez. She added that the exposure will be constant because “people have a tendency to quickly forget.”
According to the interview, the purpose is to weaken the voter base for the congressman to prevent his reelection, adding that at the right time, they will reveal all the accumulated evidence to prevent him from causing more harm to society and Congress.
The actions undertaken by the Citizens Against Corporate Welfare are added to the proposals already in place by the different churches, merchants, some congressmen and various civic organizations which demand to countermand HB 1804, which already has numerous demands against it. Practically all of their demands have been declared “out of place” or mysteriously filed for an undefined period of time. ]]>
The Enye team
The name Enye is an acronym that stands for Eclectic Network of Young Entrepreneurs and also draws upon the phonetic spelling of Spanish character ñ which signifies that Enye knows a thing or two about the Hispanic market.
Creative Forces
Robert Ruiz is the principal force behind the original idea for Enye Group (9 years) and Enye Music (6 years). He also has interests in FrontRow Technologies, a company that sells and distributes tickets for different types of events. FrontRowFans.com is a ticket donation program, for non-profit organizations. Ruiz is a computer software engineer and business consultant with more than 10 years of experience. As a software developer, Robert has done work for companies such as Southwest Research Institute, Alcatel, IBM, Ford Motor Company and Mazda USA. He actively participates in different community organizations, including the Human Rights Commission. He’s originally from San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Oklahoma as a National Merit Scholar.
“Within the Enye family we get totally involved in each and every project, giving individual attention to our clients. Each project presents its own challenges, which is precisely what separates us from our competitors,” says Robert. “Our only mission, from the moment we commit to working with each client, is to develop a product that is different from any advertising campaign offered by others. Our creative team is proud to create original themes, innovating ideas, everything custom-made,” Robert points out.
“Imagination is our limit, each client is like a blank canvas, where his or her product will become a masterpiece”, adds partner Ricardo Sasaki; who has 17 years experience in advertising on an international level. Ricardo Sasaki co-founded Enye Media in 2006 along with Robert Ruiz, and joined the Enye Music family in 2008 with a goal of supporting and unifying production and promotion for the company. He also co-owns ProAudio S.R.L. in Bolivia, South America, where he excelled as an audio engineer and creative specialist for clients such as Price Waterhouse Cooper, Samsung, Coca-Cola and many more. He was born in San Francisco, California, lived the majority of his life in Bolivia, until he settled in Oklahoma. He has been a recipient of several honorary awards, including three gold and one platinum records. He’s an established artist with his Bolivian rock band Octavia, working under Sony Music International. Ricardo was educated at the Conservatory of Music and Audio Engineering in San Francisco, California.
“The best thing about my job is that I’m doing something creative, but I have also accomplished something few people accomplish. I really enjoy my job, I have been an artist since birth,” says Ricardo. “I like the simple things in life, but what really encourages me is the challenge to be creative, every single day,” adds Ricardo. In fact, to be able to manage his creativity even better, Ricardo joined forces with Robert to create their own recording facility, Ares Studio. When it began, they produced four demos and two full projects in only one month. To solidify its commercial worth, Enye Media also joined forces with Saxum Communications, a public relations agency that also offers advertising, graphic design, event planning, administrative services and educational conferences.
Partners for life
While Robert was attending college at OU he met a charming girl named Wilmari, who a short time later became his wife, and serves as Director of Operations for ENYE. Wilmari began her civil engineering studies at the University of Oklahoma on three consecutive scholarships. Two of the scholarships were academic merit based. According to Wilmari, during the last school year a tornado destroyed her parents’ home. Since she did not have a place to call home and she and Robert were already engaged to be married, they decided to speed up the process. They returned to Texas, where Robert was working for a company called Alcatel USA in Plano, Texas, and then for IBM in Houston. “It was then we decided to start a family. The experience that Robert acquired at IBM inspired him to visualize the future creation of his own company.
Finish reading Placing the tilde over the eñe]]>
Senator Harry E. Coates
(Source: El Nacional)
When many people think of politicians, they imagine them as self-serving, insincere and often arrogant. But when you meet someone like Senator Harry E. Coates, the experience of such meeting may easily change your opinion. His abundant simplicity, his human disposition and charisma speak volumes. He appears intent on defending human rights, to see justice equally imposed, to create a realization among his colleagues of an urgency to encourage laws, ordinances and statutes that benefit minorities, which will positively impact the State’s economy and guarantee human rights equality. These seem to definitely be his reasons for occupying a political position the Oklahoma Senate.
Senator Coates, elected in 2002, represents District #28, which is comprised of Lincoln, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties. Professionally, the Senator owns a construction consulting firm that contracts heavily with Wal-Mart. He also possesses degrees from Oklahoma City University, Southwestern College, University of Central Oklahoma and Southwest Technical Institute. Coates is originally from Seminole and is an active member of several professional and civic organizations. He actively serves on the committees of Veterans and Military Affairs, Tourism, Wildlife, Business, Labor, General Government Appropriations Committee and Transportation.
A staunch position
Coates strongly believes that discriminatory immigration law is economically impairing the State and marginalizing an entire community. “I know many horror stories of people who have been persecuted, abused and exploited, just because they’re members of minority groups,” says Coates. He adds that he’s been accused of supporting and defending minorities for personal reasons, for his own personal gain. He strongly defends his political position with an emotional energy that makes one realize just the opposite.
Coates expresses his worries about immigration reform, language and citizenship laws in Oklahoma. He firmly states that we are creating situations that morally and economically damage the social and cultural fabric of Oklahoma.
“Injustice is injustice, be it against Hispanics, Asians, African Americans or any other group, my convictions will never change. The creators of HB 1804 never took into consideration the negative repercussions and the devastating impact this law would have on the state of Oklahoma. Many of my colleagues lack political vision,” says Coates. “When I heard Randy Terrill’s rhetoric and ambitions regarding HB 1804, he mentioned that his intention was to push this piece of legislature as far as it would go,” says Coates.
“According to him, he had no intentions of letting religious organizations, minority or community leaders pressure or intimidate him. But Terrill lacked vision, and showed an evident lack of common sense when he created this immigration law. He then added more insult to the Hispanic community and many other minorities, including the Native American tribes in the State, when he created his “English Only” proposal.
It was then that I introduced an amendment to repel his obscure intentions.” Coates adds. “The motives behind these immigration laws and other legislative immigration reforms were mainly generated to build animosity between Republicans and Democrats. When certain individuals created and manipulated a lie for a period of time, the citizens started to believe it. This is what Randy Terrill and his anti-immigration proposals did. But his plans backfired, when Democrats declined to promote such proposals,” says Coates openly.
]]>
Seeing discrimination for the first time
The Senator, who comes from a family of 7 children and grew up on a farm, says that when he was young, poverty and necessity united them in body and soul. “When we were kids we were very active in things related to God and education. Our school was mainly comprised of Native American students. We were treated with great respect and much affection, contrary to the stereotype that many had created for Native Americans,” says Coates. “I still remember one time when as a family, we went to a restaurant and one sign grabbed my attention, it said: ‘Blacks are not welcome here’, I felt moved, confused and very sad. I did not talk at all on our way back home. Later, my father sat us all down and explained segregation to us.
Up until then, I did not know that skin color or language would make us so different,” Coates adds. He says that his father, with an authoritarian voice, told them that they should treat everyone the same, no matter what origin, ethnic roots or social status. Coates says it was his first lesson in social justice. He not only learned many things about human beings, but knew this also served as a point of inspiration to realize that one person can make significant changes. “I am here for causes such as social injustice, abuse and exploitation against a fellow human being. I’m trying to do what’s necessary to change the way we view ourselves, the way we relate to one another,” the Senator says.
Words with no action, are just…words
Coates says that he has often found himself alone in the fight against discrimination. “I have never attacked those who enforced immigration laws in the State, such as the police department, the district attorney, Drew Edmondson and others. I believe they are simply following State law. But it is my opinion that governor Brad Henry is wrong or perhaps misinformed about the immigration laws and amendments and its impact on our State,” says Coates.
He adds that some community leaders have put their faith in a few politicians, such as Republican Shane Jett, Chamber Representative for District 27. “I won’t take anything away from his talents as a politician, nor his ambition or education. He’s an ambitious young man, but to be able to help the community, he needs much more than just a nice speech…
Continue reading Beyond HB 1804]]>