[logo sonoro] [música dinámica] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Bienvenidos a una edición más de Adelante.

Soy Patricia Gómez.

Y hoy tenemos un programa con información vital para nuestra comunidad.

Nos acompañan la representante estatal Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, quien habla sobre una legislación clave para los Dreamers, Donna Spars de la Liga de Mujeres Votantes, y el artista cerámico Tony Macías.

Quédense con nosotros que empezamos ya.

[logo sonoro] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Comenzamos con un tema de suma importancia para nuestra fuerza laboral.

Muchos jóvenes bajo el programa DACA enfrentan barreras legales para ejercer sus profesiones.

Para hablar de la ley 759 que otorga licencias ocupacionales a beneficiarios de DACA, recibimos a la representante estatal Sylvia Ortiz-Velez.

[music] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Sylvia, welcome to Adelante.

Thank you so much for being with us.

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Thank you for having me, Patricia.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: A successful bill that is going to open the door for the Dreamers in Wisconsin.

Can you tell us about the journey to this signature of Governor Evers?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Thank you for asking.

And firstly, I have to thank the team that got the work done, the bipartisan team for all of us in Wisconsin.

That is former Representative Mako, Representative Kitchens, Senator James, Representative Amaad Wagner, Senator Cory Tomczak, Senator Tim Carpenter, the Common Council President Jose Perez, and Justin Morales, Tony Gonzalez, and John Schultz, and J.J.

Sherman, as well as Adam Peterman.

What it took was a team of people.

We worked very hard.

We were very strategic and we were very thoughtful, making sure that we were very intentional about how we messaged and how we approached, making sure that people were educated about what this bill is and what it isn't.

But what the bill does, it's a pragmatic and necessary change to our occupational licensing laws.

We have a group of people here who are very well vetted, authorized to work in the United States, except for they're not able to practice in the fields they've been trained in.

We have over 200 fields that these opportunities now that are available can be fulfilled.

The impacts are real and they're, right now, they're tangible.

There are people in our state who have left our state and there are people in our state who are currently studying and they had no guarantee that they would actually be able to get licensed.

And the people that I thank the most is our Dreamers that never gave up dreaming.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What areas of specialties are going to benefit?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: There are so many, but let me just say some of the most ones that maybe have the most impacts when we think about it.

Obviously our medical professional field and all of the different licenses that are required for nursing and including mental health, which I believe will make a great impact, our realtors, our plumbers.

The list goes on and on and on and many of our trades and quite frankly, when you think about the investments that we have made as a state and many of our neighbors growing up with us, went to the same high schools, same grade schools, it really is a no brainer for us not to lose talent right now to other states.

We have people that are, we have well qualified people and then they can't get a license.

These are unnecessary barriers.

I'm grateful to the assembly, the Senate and our governor for a scene that this is a better way for Wisconsin for all of us.

And we have as a state the authority to do this and the challenges that we face were many.

And when we think about the negative imageries of people that immigrated here to our country, the value of that has been really diminished unfairly in so many ways.

This is not an immigration bill.

This is a bill that fulfills our workforce needs.

It makes common sense, but the many challenges that we face were, you know, first, you know, there's two bodies.

We have a house and we have a Senate.

Everybody kind of knows in our state the Senate kind of is the hardest part.

But certainly the house is, you know, is a challenge as well.

So dealing with these outside issues of immigration at the national level, I think one of the most important things was to understand that this is about Wisconsin.

This is about putting Wisconsin first.

This is about doing what's best for Wisconsin.

And this is what's best for Wisconsin.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: So what is now, when do we expect to see the benefits of this drain of brains that was happening to us because the lack of responses in our legislation?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Well, I am hopeful.

And we're going to continue dreaming.

And we're going to continue working towards a better future for us all.

There's only, I think, 20 or so states that have occupational licensing.

Perhaps they can look at what we did here in Wisconsin and try to see how they can as well work towards a better future for their state and a better future for us all.

As a nation, I'm hoping that we can continue to have the discussions and take action, making sure that it's going to be of value to all of us that we provide them a pathway to citizenship.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What are the numbers, the estimated numbers of recipients who are going to benefit from these license that are now available in Wisconsin for them?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Right now there is an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people, you know, meeting all the requirements.

What's unknown is the opportunities that we have as a state to also attract the talent that we need for our workforce from other states that quite frankly don't have these opportunities.

If we want them to stay here in our state, we should offer them in-state tuition.

And I think that that is very practical as well.

We need to be pragmatic and I think that that's something that we can hope to expect.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: We have in-state tuition for a very short time.

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: We did 18 years ago for a two-year period.

That was the last time.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Sylvia, what can you tell us regarding taxes?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: Many of these people already have been contributing to our tax base, but now they can contribute more.

They can contribute more in state taxes and that helps us with all of our services that we provide the people.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Have you heard from them?

Have you heard from the people who were there for the signing by Governor Evers of this new law?

SYLVIA ORTIZ-VELEZ: And it was a very emotional moment as it was for all, it was so meaningful for all of us.

But absolutely I have heard from people then, I've heard from people before that.

We've been hearing from people for years about the lost opportunities, the sacrifices that they have made, and the value they want to give to our state.

And I'm so grateful that now they have the opportunity and that we have the opportunity to benefit from the talent that they have.

I would like to say, we have all been on this journey together and we've been on quite a journey.

And many things have happened.

We've had our ups and downs.

But never give up hope.

Let's make sure that we stay humble and that we make sure that we continue to care about each other moving forward together in a positive manner.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: La representante Ortiz-Vélez y los esfuerzos por la equidad profesional en Wisconsin, una conversación necesaria para el futuro económico de nuestras familias.

[música] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Nos acompaña Donna Spars de la Liga de Mujeres Votantes, del condado de Milwaukee, para hablarnos de una nueva iniciativa, Unite and Rise 8.5.

[music] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Donna, tell us about this initiative in which you are working.

DONNA SPARS: Okay, a little context.

About a year ago, the National League declared a constitutional crisis.

And the reason they did that was because it had been 87 days since Kilmar Abrego García had been sent to CECOT Prison in El Salvador and the Supreme Court had requested of the executive branch that they return him to this country and that had not happened.

There had been unconstitutional actions by the administration prior to that event and of course many times subsequently.

So the League determined that they needed to put another initiative in place to activate voters in ways that we haven't necessarily done before.

The 8.5 comes from, there's a lot of historical research.

There's a number of researchers that have done research over the past 100 years looking at how governments move from Democratic to authoritarian.

And what they found was that if you can engage 3.5% of your adult population in nonviolent resistance, then you have a very good chance of your country not becoming authoritarian.

And 3.5% in our country means 8.5 million voters.

So that's where the 8.5 comes from.

So the League's initiative was to, yes, to get people, accelerate our work in terms of helping people register to vote, getting out the vote, but also to encourage involvement in other areas such as protests, to increase the engagement of citizens with their legislators, to make phone calls, to write, to let our legislators know what we want as citizens and frankly as their bosses.

And also to engage in general boycotts and a lot of other activities.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What is the context for these initiatives?

Is this national?

Is this concern particularly different in Wisconsin?

DONNA SPARS: I don't think it's particularly different in Wisconsin, but there are many things that are happening nationwide in terms of challenges to women's right to vote and there's an initiative going on right now, a federal legislation that's called the SAVE Act.

That legislation would require that anybody who registers to vote be able to demonstrate that they're a citizen of this country.

And the stated reason for the legislation is to prevent undocumented people from voting, which is vanishingly rare.

The real reason for this legislation is to prevent people from voting.

It's a voter suppression bill.

What it requires is that people bring a document that would be a birth certificate, a passport, naturalization papers.

The research shows that only, that 10% of adults do not have these papers readily available.

That affects heavily people of color and also people who are poor, who move a lot.

They tend to lose their papers and it also heavily affects women.

Women who have changed their names and whose names then don't match what's on their birth certificate.

If they don't have a passport, it's going to be difficult for them to vote.

So the League, we're asking people to contact their senators.

Contact Senator John, Ron Johnson, contact Senator Tammy Baldwin and ask them to vote against the SAVE Act.

It's not necessary and it will make it hard for people to vote.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What would you tell to those who support the SAVE Act?

DONNA SPARS: What I would say is that even some of the most conservative organizations, such as the Heritage Foundation that have looked into the issue of undocumented immigrants have found that it is so, so small.

And what I would also say as a poll worker and as a taxpayer that I see what goes into administering elections and as a taxpayer it's hard for me to think why would I justify having to change all those procedures.

All of that software, all of the voter roles and things like that in order to be able to account for people's citizenship when it's not necessary.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: How are things going regarding probably these grassroots efforts that your initiative may be facing?

DONNA SPARS: When the League National and the League Milwaukee started it, it was around summer of last year.

And the response nationwide and in our own general community has been very positive.

Many people who are concerned about our democracy and about our Constitution and want to become involved, sometimes they need direction.

They say, "What can I do?"

And if you give them instances of things that they can do usually move ahead and actually do something.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What is your reaction because you are mentioning who are the most vulnerable in front of these laws that are moving so fast in the legislative system where people are still not being able to grasp the consequences of these bills?

DONNA SPARS: I think a lot of people are under the belief that a slide into autocracy cannot happen here and that's simply not true.

It can happen just about anywhere.

And there's been plenty happening in our country that has let us down this path already.

There have been so many actions that have been unconstitutional and there are a lot of people fighting them in the courts but the court processes typically take a while.

And then in the meantime, things happen.

The country keeps moving along.

In terms of, I guess, waking people up to the knowledge that it's important to do something, there's a hundred years of historical evidence that we, the people, can make a difference and that we can make a difference by using our voice, by using the rights that we've been given in the Constitution to peacefully protest, to contact our legislators, to show up for things like May Day where we will be joining with the immigrant community to stand side by side and say, you are neighbors as a resident of this country, enjoy certain rights, and we're going to stand up alongside you for those rights.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Some research by the Pew Research Center and other important research centers are bringing numbers that state that these voters who supported this administration are not happy anymore.

Where do you see what is the future of this movement?

DONNA SPARS: Well, I think it takes many types of actions to get the attention of the government and of the people who support them including the businesses that support them.

One action is boycotts.

And because we vote with our pocketbooks in, and we say to these corporations, so you are supporting a government that is engaging in actions that we are not in support of and we are going to withdraw our financial resources until something changes.

Or for periods of time to make a statement like, for example, the Cyber Monday and the Black Friday boycotts.

Those are big shopping days.

So if people make sustained commitment to not shopping on those days, that makes a statement and it certainly did make a statement when Jimmy Kimmel was off air and he was brought on air because so many people removed their subscriptions from various services that covered his show.

And May Day on May 1st is another opportunity because one day of sustained amount of people not spending money makes a statement.

[música] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Informarse es el primer paso para el cambio.

Conocemos al artista Tony Macías a través de la cerámica.

Tony conecta con sus raíces y nos muestra cómo el barro puede convertirse en un lenguaje de identidad y cultura.

Esta es la historia de nuestro talentoso colega de the Arts Page, Adam Lilley.

[music] TONY MACIAS: I've always been about the process, and ceramics, it's a process.

Ceramics is one of the very few places that I allow myself to be more curious and ask the question, "what if?"

I discovered ceramics what was supposed to be my last year of college.

I went to UW-Parkside and I was studying psychology.

The semester that was supposed to be my last semester before my internship, I ended up being three credits short to be able to take that next step.

And they were liberal arts.

My academic advisor sort of put a little doubt in me and said, you know, it looks a lot easier than what it is.

Wheel throwing is pretty technical.

It's probably one of the most technical things in the making of ceramics.

I didn't know anything about wedging or preparing the clay or really what the wheel was.

And just sort of figured out, put the piece of clay on the wheel and there's these pedals, kind of like an accelerator.

And the clay flew off, unfortunately, the professor of the class, and as he was walking in, this thing kind of slammed into the side of his foot.

So he ended up being a bit expletive.

"What are you doing in my studio?"

and "Get out!"

with a lot of expletives in there.

And I couldn't even explain.

I took off and realized on my way out that on Monday morning, I had to show up with a slip and talk to him and say, "Hi, I'd like to take your class."

"I know it's a couple of weeks into the semester, but I really need this credit for my," and that's kind of how it started.

I was actually spending more time in the ceramic studio, so I ended up changing my major at that point and haven't really looked back since then.

I was trained as a functional potter.

I feel that it's kind of limiting when it comes to expression of an idea or of a concept, but art and making is about putting part of who you are in what you're making, and that's what connects to other people.

That chemistry to me is kind of a little bit like life.

You have an idea of what you want to do, let's say for a career, but through twists and turns of what life is about, you may not be able to get there.

And then you've got to figure something else out, right?

But whatever that is, how can I say it's more simply?

Life isn't really what we think it is.

It's an actuality and we've got to pay attention to the moment.

[music] TONY MACIAS: The House of RAD is about community and collaboration.

Today we are at the new House of RAD.

We're in the Menomonee River Valley.

We've doubled our space to take in more artists, which we already have a waiting list.

The name of my studio is Looking Wolf Studio.

My artwork at that point was really focused on my Mexican heritage and my Native American heritage.

u gmánitu wa yá ka, which basically means looking wolf in Lakota.

Right now I'm working on an untitled show for MOWA that's going to be at the Saint Kate.

I want to make very intricate individual pieces that when hung together almost become overwhelming at the sight of such a gathering.

As we would look at this composition we would sort of find individual pieces that would resonate with us, with each one of us.

That thing that we've forgotten that we're all made out of exactly the same thing.

It's just the composition that we're exhibiting which is what makes us unique, but not to the point of being better or worse than any of the other pieces in the composition.

The vessels that I chose to make, they're a little bit taller.

They've got a little bit more of a biomorphic shape.

They have a bit of weight to them.

I wanted to kind of make them feel a little bit more grounded.

I started learning about world religions, and one of the things that resonated with me was Buddhism.

Specifically Korean Zen Buddhism because enlightenment isn't the last stop to enlightenment.

So what if you're enlightened, but how do you help this world?

That's the enlightenment part when you can figure out how you help other beings.

I'm going to start out with a small circle in the middle made by coils and then I'm going to make tiny coils and I'm going to join them together and then surround that with another coil.

That's the premise here.

[music] TONY MACIAS: I've been teaching ceramics since about 1989.

I love teaching and people love the way I teach.

So what I teach is we're going to make shapes that are going to challenge the way you use your fingers and the tools that are accessible to you so that you can make any shape that you conceive.

You just have to understand how clay and you relate at the moment.

So again, it goes back to that Zen Buddhism idea of be present, be here now.

That's the beginning of enlightenment.

The next step is how do I use this to help others?

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: El talento local es el alma de nuestra ciudad.

Si desea ver más sobre la obra de Tony Macías, búsquelo en espacios como el House of RAD y en sus redes sociales.

[música] PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Nos despedimos invitándolos a que nos dejen saber sus comentarios al 414-297-7544 o en milwaukeepbs.org Soy Patricia Gómez, deseándoles paz y bendiciones.

[música]