(James Smart/Borderzine.com)

Drought record in El Paso

EL PASO — Lush alfalfa fields. Trees heavy with pecans. White cotton fields. Those sights may diminish next year if this year’s drought doesn’t let up soon. The Greater El Paso area has had more than 110 consecutive days without a trace of rain.

A mural with the most important character of Segundo Barrio can be found at E. Father Rahm Ave. (Azenett Cornejo/Borderzine.com)

Segundo Barrio: a ‘living history’ lesson

EL PASO — In the heart of El Paso is Segundo Barrio, a port of entry to the United States. It’s the first community people see when they cross the border from Juarez, Mexico. Located on the city’s south side, Segundo Barrio is home to more than 8,000 people, of whom 50.8 percent are U.S. citizens, 13.7 percent are naturalized citizens and 35.5 percent are non-citizens, according to City of El Paso statistics. Yolanda Chávez Leyva, chair of the University of Texas at El Paso history department, calls Segundo Barrio the “heart of the Mexican diaspora.”

“El Segundo Barrio is one of the most historic barrios in the United States,” Chávez Leyva said. “[It] grew out of the migration of mexicanos to the United States going back to the 1880s and it’s been the starting point for thousands of families across the United States.”

The neighborhood is “very important” to El Paso, she said, because it is where the urbanization of the city began.

A Campus Inside A Barrio Wrapped in a Metroplex

EL PASO — The future of Segundo Barrio is not white or brown, but green. Such is the view of Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, a health and human services organization that contends economic power will decide the fate of this historic neighborhood in south central El Paso. It is a decidedly pragmatic approach for a non-profit born in the grassroots movements of the 1960’s and grounded in social justice. A visit to the La Fe “campus” reveals an organization that appears to be thriving. In 1992, La Fe consisted of one health clinic, 65 employees and a budget of $3 million, mostly federal funds.

Borderzine.com to host second Multimedia Journalism Academy for college instructors at UTEP

EL PASO — Borderzine.com at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is set to host its second annual Multimedia Training Academy thanks to generous support from the Dow Jones News Fund. The $24,000 grant from Dow Jones News Fund provides scholarships to 12 journalism professors from Hispanic Serving Institutions across the country to attend the multimedia training academy at UTEP May 20-26.  After the week of hand’s on training in the latest digital tools for producing multimedia journalism, the professors will complete multimedia assignments in the field for posting on the Borderzine.com website. “The Dow Jones News Fund is delighted to partner for a second year with The University of Texas at El Paso and its Multimedia Training Academy,” said Rich Holden, executive director of DJNF. “I had the privilege of visiting last year’s program, and I was impressed with the facilities, the quality of training and the interest shown by all of the participants.