Guest View

On Nov. 12, my wife Lucy and I attended the most powerful and impactful panel discussion ever. The constant theme was the importance of continuing the fight and struggle for social justice, equal rights, dignity and respect for all. The venue was Wheeler Auditorium...

California’s Latino community is experiencing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact. About 50 percent of the state’s more than 62,000 cases, and 33 percent of its total deaths are Latino, more than any other racial or ethnic group in California.

On Sunday, March 26, residents gathered at St. Catherine Church in Morgan Hill to receive educational information about immigrant rights. Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Steve Betando was asked to speak about the district’s stance on the national immigration discussion and what MHUSD is doing to help students and families. Here is a portion of that speech, which can be read in its entirety on mhusd.org.

While many know about the impact of February 1942’s Executive Order 9066 on Japanese-Americans in the U.S. in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, surprisingly few are aware that thousands of Italian-Americans were swept up in the same law that imposed various restrictions including unannounced warrantless searches and even incarceration on certain foreign-born residents. San Jose resident Chet Campanella, 86, was a child when he lived through the imposition of these harsh, discriminatory restrictions. Campanella gave a presentation on the impact of EO 9066 on Italian-Americans in Morgan Hill Feb. 11, at the annual membership meeting of Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans (FFNV). The meeting took place at the Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center. Sunday, Feb. 19, marked the 75th anniversary of EO 9066. Below is a short version of Campanella’s Feb. 11 presentation.