Swapmeet Chronicles

New Orleans Trip: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Wed, 29 May 2019 04:54:00 +0000

Some photos from my trip to New Orleans last October. Most of the photos are from the St Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and the Beauregard-Keys House. New Orleans was like no other and some of my favorite things about it was the rich, deep rooted history, the amazing architecture, rod iron work, PLANTS all over! and the food of course.

Vintage Post Cards: Disneyland

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Wed, 29 May 2019 04:24:00 +0000

I found these vintage postcards at a local thrift shop. The set above is Disneyland possibly in the 1960s or 1970s. I was captured by the top card because it reminded me of my first visit to Disneyland in the late 1980s when they still had the "Matterhorn Mountain" with the baskets flying through it.

East LA House

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Tue, 28 May 2019 23:40:00 +0000

Random house shot in East LA

Hello 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 04:44:00 +0000

I miss my blog---I did not post one time like I said I would one year ago around this time. A lot has changed. I am used to the Instagram and facebook posts that do not require much work, but I did enjoy the thought that was put into a blog post. I am now a full-time student in social work graduate program which leaves even less time. However, all that is probably an excuse lol.

Have all the ideas for a blog post been taken up? Sometimes it seems like things have been repeated over and over or played out. But lets see what I can figure out.

Blogging 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:46:00 +0000

I started blogging on here in 2007, oh how time flies. I slowed down like four years ago I would say due to more use of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I think microblogging took over and less people looked to blogs. It's not necessarily a good thing, it just gets readers lazy. I want to come back to blogging and devote at least one blog post a month. I know I can do it I just need the drive again. I have ideas flowing in my head and its time to let them out.

Thanks Friends!

Saturday, July 27, 2013: Savage City Apocalyptic Art @ Bauhausu Long Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 05:03:00 +0000

Check out this event Saturday, July 27, 2013 at Bauhausu in Long Beach great art, music, fashion, drinks and more!
1950 E 4th Street, Long Beach, Cali
www.bauhausulongbeach.com

United Wilmington Youth Foundation Restoring Historical "El Mercadito Market" Mural

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 03:49:00 +0000

The decaying historical mural that adorns the exterior of El Mercadito "Maravilla" market on L and Hyatt streets in Wilmington is finally getting a restoration by members of the United Wilmington Youth Foundation and community volunteers.

The current owner "Jorge" has occupied the store for the past 33 years. Around the same time in 1979 the mural was painted by Javier Moreno and Mario Falcon. Moreno passed away four years ago and the whereabouts of Falcon are unknown. However, their significant mural has became a cultural historical landmark loved by the community. A much needed restoration of the mural has been necessarily for years. The mural has suffered damage from the past decades of gang warfare in the area. Graffiti and age on the mural have caused some of the original parts to become distorted and worn down.

Old photographs of original mural are used in restoration

(Defaced) Jose Maria Morelos Mexican Revolutionary for Independence

Emiliano Zapata and images of gang truce for peace

Restoration day 4

History of El Mercadito
The building of El Mercadito has been standing in the same place for 113 years. It has gone through about 4 different owners and renovations. The first business was a small gas station then it was turned into a market. Jorge explains, the first two owners were of American decent. As the community and demographics started to evolve the market was centered around the Hispanic community. Inside the market there a carneceia and kitchen where people can buy homemade menudo, pupusas, and other antojitos.

Food and Fresh Meat Counter

Original Refrigerators 60-years-old and Still Going

Although I never lived in area, the neighborhood holds significant memories for me. In the 1970s and into the 1990s my parents and family went to church down the street at Holy Family Catholic Church or better known as Sagrada Familia. The mural on the market was always something I looked at and never forgot as we drove past on L street on the way to mass. 20 years later its no wonder that mural means so much to the community. The impact of the colorful mural captures the spirit of a by-gone era with its cultural pride and message of peace but will continue to impact the newer generations within.

Important Dates

Restoration will continue until June 28, 2013
Cupcake and lemonade sale Saturday June, 22 2013 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Youth essay writing contest deadline August 23, 2013 prize $1000 email UWYF for rules on the contest info@uwyf.org
Revealing and celebration September 7, 2013 more details will be posted

Volunteers and supplies are welcome! please stop by Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m

United Wilmington Youth Foundation is a non-profit organization started in 1992 by Santos Trani in order to empower youth in Wilmington to contribute in the community positively and avoid gangs. The non-profit was revived last year with a new set of energetic youth and mentors ready to start making changes in the community. Follow them on Facebook here

Photo Re-cap: Legends Car Show By The Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:49:00 +0000

Legends Car Club in San Pedro, held its annual fundraiser last week ending the summer at Point Fermin with a classic car show. The whole month of July I been going up to the park for Music by the Sea, so this show was a must see to end my summer. Enjoy the pictures.

More Pictures after the jump!
TURN ON THE MUSIC TO LOOK AT PICTURES!

Little Brother

Custom Engraving

My friends, what car did you like the best? if you do not know the make and model at least describe it. Participation appreciated...

Peace,

DJ

LA Weekly: Sight UPN

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:38:00 +0000

I have to give it up to Sight Upn who just got featured in this week's LA weekly. He was always a very anonymous and definitely one of the humblest cats I know. He went through a lot in the graffiti world, so check out this rare interview with him .The article also features Sand One, Vyal, Man One and Rime.

Los Angeles' War on Street Artists

My first time picking nopales

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:27:00 +0000

Before my family had plenty of yard space we lived in a crumby apartment on 14th street in San Pedro. I written a few stories about that time, so if you like to look back at those days check out my "Tales from 14th Street series"

Not having a yard in the 80s and 90s meant we could not grow our own plants and vegetables. Nopales were also not as abundant in the grocery stores during those days. Mexican foods were around but it was not as accessible. My parents somehow found a "huerta" (orchard) of nopales growing wild on the side of a canyon near Hernandez Ranch and Reina Park in San Pedro. I remember as a kid I would go with my dad once every few weeks to pick nopales from the huerta. My dad was always ready to climb the steep hillside with his pail and knife. I just would stand near the top and watch him cut fresh nopales, but since I was a kid I was not able to do it myself. In 1995 they moved to the house they are currently living in and they didn't need to go to the huerta anymore since they planted nopales here themselves.

I remembered the huerta recently and decided to make a field trip to see how it is today. My parents decided when we got there that they are not in the greatest shape anymore to be climbing the steep hillside so I decided to take the chance. Here are photos from the trip.

Sign that greets the entrance to nopale canyon

walk way to the nopales behind a quiet neighborhood

trail towards the nopales

view from top of the canyon

Parents trailing behind

The picture does no justice on how steep it is

Another view from the top

I climbed down the steep embankment its not as easy as it looks

near the bottom of hillside

gully I never noticed at the bottom of canyon it used to be full of trash back in the days

The hurrta was kind of dry but I got a good dozen nopales!

I could not take the espinas off my dad is a pro at that

But I did grill them with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder

Peace,

"Made in LA" Public Opening Saturday, June 2, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:52:00 +0000

(Post I wrote on the Slanguage Blog)

The time has come and it will be on and popping this summer as Slanguage takes over LAXART starting this weekend! In honor of the take over we are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Slanguage opening its doors to the community and art world. Mario Ybarra jr and Karla Diaz started their vision in 2002 as young artists out of graduate school. Their creative space not only been a foundation for them, but a stepping stone for many emerging local artists to discover their talents.
Slanguage has came a long way since 2002 we have seen and been though goodtimes and bad, but we managed to stay afloat with the support of all the resident artists, visiting artists and community.
Please take the time and support 10- years of hard work for all the artists who have helped us make this happen. “This is a takeover” will feature what Slanguage has done best. It will showcase 10-years of art archives, programming, work-shops, performances and much more!

Public Opening

Saturday, June 2, 2012

12 p.m to 3 p.m.

2640 S. La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310-559-0166

Visit the Slanguage Blog for more info on the show and workshops for the whole summer or http://www.madeinla2012.org/

Dona Junta

The Heart of the Harbor is Beating

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:38:00 +0000

A walk down a familiar street....Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington, each time I walk this street I spot something I did not notice before. Enjoy the walk.

Ticket booth at old Granada Theater now a church

C & C Liquor with an apartment on top possibly the owners place

The signage is pretty 1960s 1970s

Lobo taking a bath! he used to live behind Slanguage but he moved to a different bar

Fonts from the hood

Doorway one

The last pay phone on earth

They don't even want to advertise here

Graphic Design studio been here since the 70s.....nice doorway too

A peek into Amelia's Dance Club..They even got a disco ball

Engine blocks made into sculptures

Thank you for hanging in there more city beauty to come

Peace

DJ

Fish Fried Graffiti

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:53:00 +0000

South Central walking tour

Jay Novello: Mr. Meriweather!

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:19:00 +0000

Who remembers Mr. Meriweather on the The Seance episode of I Love Lucy? I loved his characters when he appeared on the show. He came mind yesterday while I was watching "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" in class. When actor/director John Waters came on I kept trying to figure out who he resembled. At night I remembered that John Waters looked like Mr Meriweather! Of course I had to do some research on him because his persona on the screen was great. Something about his frail-like eccentric character was captivating.
After some research I found out the Mr. Meriweather was played by Italian American actor Jay Novello. Jay was actually born Micheal Romano in Chicago in 1904 to Italian immigrants. He had quite an impressive acting career in television and film. Here is his profile on IMDB

"The Seance" with Mr. Meriweather

Jay Novello (photo from Great Old Movies Blog)

John Waters

Can you see the resemblance?

Jay Novello as Mr. Beecher in "The Sublease"

Other memorial characters enjoyed were Mr. Hickox played by Charles Lane and Mr Littlefield played by Gale Gordan.

– Staten Island Ferry (1956) … Passport Clerk
– The Business Manager (1954) … Mr. Hickox
– Lucy Tells the Truth (1953) … Casting Director
– Lucy Goes to the Hospital (1953) … Mr. Stanley

Mr. Alvin Littlefield / Mr. Littlefield

– Ricky Asks for a Raise (1952) … Mr. Littlefield
– Lucy's Schedule (1952) … Mr. Alvin Littlefield

Anyhow, I know am not the only one who likes these classic characters! is there any from I love Lucy you loved or even hated?

Till next time,

DJ

Check out these great sites...
Sources: Lucy Fan Great Old Movies Blog
Jay Novello arglebargle

Bow-Tiki Boutique Saturday, February 11, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:44:00 +0000

Music by John Tirado and DJ Jessie Trejo
322 Elm Ave Long Beach Ca 90802

MAKE'n NEWZ: Neman Marcus x Christian Louboutin x LoveGalo

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:19:00 +0000

MAKE'n NEWZ: Neman Marcus x Christian Louboutin x LoveGalo

check out link

TV Cafe is Closing Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Well it is official the old TV Cafe will be closing it's doors this Sunday at midnight. The cafe opened its doors in 1987 and maintained a very retro 1950s facade. The exterior had various hand painted signs and a giant hamburger,drink and fries on the roof. The menu had everything from hamburgers to tacos, malted shakes and slices of pie. There were lots of old fashioned looking booths with tons of frames and memorabilia showing celebs and national events. A variety of old video game machines and ping pong machines adorned the back room.Today's this place could seem a bit cheesy, but as a history lover I enjoy these types of places. I can't say I was a regular, but I been their many times to get a drink or a late night plate.

TV Cafe in its prime photo courtesy of their Face Book page

I stopped in last night just to say bye and eat some fries....

Lone interior, but it was like 2 a.m.

Can't go wrong with French fries sprinkled with pepper

Waffles with buttery love

Not sure why there is a sign for Carnitas Michoacan on their property but I am guessing the owners are either friends or the same owner???

If you want to grab a bite before they shut their doors the last day is Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ midnight. They are also selling everything in the building because it will be torn down.

Peace,

DJ

Grand Opening of Bow-Tiki Boutique: Friday, January, 27 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:47:00 +0000

Come join my friends at the grand opening of Bow-Tiki Boutique in Long Beach. Bow-Tiki specializes in turn of the century clothing and apparel as well as art, jewelry, and travel gear.

Grand Opening
Friday, January, 27 2012
7:00 p.m.-10.00 p.m.
322 Elm Ave, Long Beach 90802
Live DJ playing swing/jazz
Art work, wine, appetizers, and everyone is welcome to come dressed in your best turn of the century attire.
Follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bow-Tiki-Boutique/265386296851538

Watts Up: A Walk Through The City of Watts

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:43:00 +0000

The gardens of many of the families in Watts are filled with fruitful trees, corn stalks sky high and a wonderful array of vegetables and herbs.
Read the rest after the jump

On street level Watts has so much history and stories...if only those sidewalks could speak. In 1965 the first riot in Los Angeles was sparked with the arrest of a black man named Marquette Fry. Fry was arrested by white policemen after being found driving erratically on August, 11 1965. The encounter caused the already tense neighborhood to riot in protest against racial profiling and discrimination by police. The end result of the riots resulted in 34 people dead, and 1032 injured. Pieces of the city was also taken away with over 600 buildings damaged (Matei, Rokeach 302) When I did my drive-through the city last year with a fellow Wattero (Becerro) he explained that much of the history was destroyed. I was able to capture whatever stood today. Although, that era is long gone some of the relics of past destruction peak through the cracks.

white man's version of the Watts riots the aftermath original footage.

Amazing description by Kumasi of the Watts riots from a Black perspective...very moving
"That whole building is coming at you, brick by brick coming at your ass, the building, that is what we are throwing at you. The building, the bullshit, the rubble, the rubbish that we live in"......

Jordan's Hot Dogs

1330 E Imperial Hwy

Los Angeles, CA 90059

Best sandwiches in town

Need a motel with mirrors in the ceiling? well this fancy motel is the spot

Mirror Motel

1904 E 113th St

Los Angeles, Ca 90059

A well known neighborhood cafe that had been here since the 1960s..when I took the picture last year it was still open but word is this establishment is now closed.

Jordan's Cafe (closed)

11332 Wilmington Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90059

Pedestrian Bridge over Metro Blue line

The Watts Community Action Center WLCAC has been a place that has helped the community with resources, social services, education, and much more. This skate park was recently installed as upgraded efforts for local youth.

Photo from galley installation at the center

Graffiti Production across the street

"G" rides ain't a thing of the past here...

This alley was so interesting to me, it was like a magical garden shut down....the alley was no longer in use. Weeds overgrown and fenced off left this alley a forbidden zone. It seems like instead of cleaning it up the city rather have it shut down and forgotten. It was quite odd.

On a different occasion my friend Ani introduced me to a classic burger joint called "Hawkins House of Burgers" It was a humble joint with regular customers enjoying these big juicy burgers.

Hawkins House of Burgers
11603 Slater St
Los Angeles, CA 90059
(323) 563-1129

www.hawkinsburgers.com

Facebook Page

Twitter

Lone liquor store sign left... no liquor store or delicatessen in sight.

I only got to explore so much and definitely like to continue my journey documenting what I could of Watts.

Please feel free to comment if you grew up here, enlighten us with history, food reviews, or stories about this city.

Until next time good bye from Watts, California.

Sources:

Adam Matei, S., & Ball-Rokeach, S. (2005). Watts, the 1965 Los Angeles Riots, and the Communicative Construction of the Fear Epicenter of Los Angeles. Communication Monographs, 72(3), 301-323. doi:10.1080/03637750500206557
Havok, Ani Torres

News Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:19:00 +0000

The Harbor Area has been plagued with rumors about a serial killer after the murder of Cristy Alvarez last week. According to authorities, the rumors are false and Cristy's murder was the only recent incident in that area. However, there is still worry in the air because her killer is still on the loose. Last night I went to her memorial sight to leave a candle and it really was an eerie feeling. I just wanted to pay my respects even thought I did not personally know who she was. Her murder sparked me interest and concern in the community and people are coming together to mourn and help the family. Today there will be a fundraiser for her family at a private residence in Wilmington and tomorrow there will be a peace walk with the community and the Brown Berets from her memorial site to Banning Park.

Here is the Daily Breeze story about the murder

Fundraiser today January, 14 2012

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_19730735?source=pkg

Cristy Alvarez found near train tracks on L Street and Hyatt

The only other confirmed murder was in San Pedro when Eva Tice was stabbed on Christmas Eve on her way back from church.link

I hope these ladies rest in peace

In other news yesterday was the 44 year anniversary of Johnny Cash "Folsom Prison Blues" Geesh how time flies but in order to honor that rare moment here is Johnny. More on this story here

I also have to start a new book I promised to read like years ago I pulled it out of my bookcase

so its a start.

Revisiting Pelican Bay Art

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:37:00 +0000

This post was originally from 2007 when I first started the blog. However, I decided to re-vamp and revisit the old post . The majority of the art work was from inmates who were serving S.H.U time up at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City California.

"This is where the inmate eats, sleeps and exists for 22 1/2 hours a day. He spends the other 1 1/2 hours alone in a small concrete yard." NPR.org

In recent news:
July of this year Pelican Bay S.H.U and other supporting prisons in California went on a hunger strike in demand of proper living conditions and human rights. The following photographs consist of three different art shows from 2006-2007. One of the shows was curated by our very own Slanguage Studio Chinatown Gallery in 2006. The artwork was a collection of pieces and items gathered in correspondence by artist Dixi Swift . The other two shows where curated by small galleries in Long Beach and San Pedro by other organizations. As conditions and regulations have gotten harsher artwork like this has been hard to send home. For a minute Pelican Bay authorities started stamping mail with a big red stamp ruining some of the work. Other times the artwork never reached its destination and was destroyed. I am not sure the status of artwork today; nonetheless, this might be a last of its kind in this condition without authority alterations.

Insider Art Presents "Ballpoint Creations"

Controversial but thought provoking
Artists: Robert Tamayo, Jesus Gonzalez, Raymond Casares and Steve Carotan
Artist connect to their family and friends through Pelican Bay walls
Long Beach, California 2007

Check out the rest after the jump!

This next show was at the Slanguage in Chinatown Los Angeles, California June 2006. The premise of the show was displaying hand drawn artwork from inmates at Pelican Bay. Robert Tamayo was also featured in this show along with other artists.

The last set was an art show in San Pedro, California July 2007 and it was a mix of inmate artist from a variety of prisons in California including the SHU

Original Text: This color one is actually Not done with any colored pencils, crayons or markers THEY are not allowed to have that in the S.H.U but what they do is they soak magazines in water and squeeze the ink out then they use that to have color in their drawings, pretty creative thinking!

Peace,

Dona Junta

San Diego: Chicano Park

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:38:00 +0000

I finally got a chance to upload these photos form a recent trip to San Diego's Chicano park; a great use of urban space.

Lunch at this bomb fish taco spot...the micheladas were off the hook.

Seafood Bar Mariscos La Cacho

3120 Main St, Chula Vista, CA 91911

(619) 422-2287

Happy Anniversary to Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:41:00 +0000

For my five year wedding anniversary I decided to make an early dinner to share with the familia. I used a recipe that my comrade Ritzy P over on LA East side gave me a while back. I added a bit of my twist to it and it came out pretty yummy. I also made a pasta recipe that my mom had gave me. Check out the recipe below

Happy anniversary to us!

Ingredients:

Baby Bok Choy
Fresh Ginger (minced)
Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Garlic (minced)
Sliced mushrooms
Ground Turkey
Garlic salt
pepper
Olive oil
soy sauce (to liking)
fish sauce (1) tsp

The bok choy leaves are already trimmed off this steam I would have more prep pictures but I decided to do this post half-way though my cooking =)

Mixture before the turkey...ginger smells so good

In a separate bowl season raw ground turkey with soy sauce, garlic salt, and pepper---set aside.
In a large skillet heat up olive oil and add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, bok choy. Saute for about 5 minutes or less until the bok choy is slightly withered. Mix in turkey and fish sauce-- you can also add half a cup of water or more to get the mixture from drying out. Cover and keep mixing until turkey is cooked thoroughly. Add garlic salt or salt to your liking, or add more soy sauce.

Mom's Cold Pasta

Cold Spaghetti
Red and Green Bell Peppers sliced
Purple onions sliced
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
Kraft grated Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning (dry)
Pasta seasoning (dry)
Shredded carrots
olive oil tsp
optional: sliced red bell pepper marinated in olive oil (from jar)
a few diced canned tomatoes (garlic, basil, olive oil flavor)

Toss the spaghetti first with balsamic vinegar dressing and olive oil. Add then the cut up vegetables, mix and get a good coat on everything. Mix pasta seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in small bowl. Add as much season and mix it in as desired..enjoy

Enjoy

Love,
Dona Junta

Documentary: Playground (Child exploitation in the U.S)

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:02:00 +0000

I ran into this trailer of Playground a documentary on child exploitation in the U.S on another blog and I found it relevant to my studies. I am currently finishing an upper division course in Child Abuse and Prevention as well as a Sociology of Sexual Behavior course in which we studied aspects of commercial sex. This documentary talks about the issues of child exploitation in the U.S which is to close for comfort. I seen the statistics that state there over 100,000 registered sex offenders in CA alone. Check out more about the film below.

DOCUMENTARY FILM “PLAYGROUND”
Sexual exploitation of children is a problem that we tend to relegate to back-alley brothels in developing countries, the province of a particularly inhuman, and invariably foreign, criminal element. Such is the initial premise of Libby Spears’ sensitive investigation into the topic. But she quickly concludes that very little thrives on this planet without American capital, and the commercial child sex industry is certainly thriving. Spears intelligently traces the epidemic to its disparate, and decidedly domestic, roots—among them the way children are educated about sex, and the problem of raising awareness about a crime that inherently cannot be shown. Her cultural observations are couched in an ongoing mystery story: the search for Michelle, an American girl lost to the underbelly of childhood sexual exploitation who has yet to resurface a decade later.
Executive produced by George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Steven Soderbergh, and punctuated with poignant animation by Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, Playground illuminates a sinister industry of unrecognized pervasiveness. Spears has crafted a comprehensive revelation of an unknown epidemic, essential viewing for any parent or engaged citizen.

Wise Latina: Expressions of her barrio known as Wilmington

noreply@blogger.com (Doña Junta) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:29:00 +0000

It is great how in the past few years the younger generation of Wilmington residents have been bringing the city to light from its usual forgotten past. This new generation cares about the community and wants to see it thrive. Organizations like Slanguage art studio, WECAN, The Wilmington Wire, have gave a voice to young artists and those concerned with community issues.

Anabell Romero is no exception this "Wise Latina" has been expressing her ideas and concerns as part of the Wilmington City Council and journalist.

Read her first blog post as community correspondent of San Francisco's NPR station, KQED.

Mi Barrio: Growing up in Wilmington