Esperanza Peace & Justice Center

a n d p u b l i c f u n d i n g

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Index of information about Esperanza's Funding Cut

STATEMENT BY AMY KASTELY
Esperanza Board member, Professor of Law
September 18, 1997

We would like to thank the many, many people -- the many organizations and individuals -- who have called and sent faxes and mail in support for Esperanza over the past few days. The Council's action against Esperanza has put San Antonio in the spotlight of national attention regarding censorship in the Arts and the new Conservative attack on the Arts. We have been surprised at the number of organizations that are considering not coming to San Antonio for conferences and other gatherings because of the City Council's mistreatment of Esperanza and the arts.

We are gratified at the breadth of support expressed for Esperanza -- from the Mexican-American community, both locally and nationally; from the Black community, both locally and nationally; from the arts community, from union workers, and government employees, from religious groups, and neighborhood organizations and many, many individuals who share Esperanza's commitment to building connections among different groups, to our vision of a world in which there is equal opportunity and mutual respect among people, in which every group can live and flourish, proud in their culture, their arts, and their communities.

We have been targeted because we do not exclude anyone -- because we offer support to groups whose art is unsupported elsewhere, to women, to lesbians and gay men, to immigrants, and to the poor. We have been the target of a misinformation, hate-filled campaign by those who insist that we must exclude, that we must hate, in order to be legitimate. This campaign has been waged throughout the nation, and government leaders in some other places have stood strong against the call to hatred -- people throughout our communities and throughout the nation know that it can be done -- it is possible to resist the call to persecution and prejudice. But our City Council has failed.

The Council has lacked the courage to tell the people of San Antonio why Esperanza was targeted. Why we were stripped of the right to be judged fairly, on the merits of our programming by the citizens panels who gave us a number 1 rating. 100% of our funding was cut, while the City Council increased the funding to the Sports Foundation by approximately 50%. Why the Council allowed homophobic hatred to echo through the halls of City Council in a way that one writer to the Express-News said would never have been allowed if directed against African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, or Jewish Americans. The Council has displayed shameful disrespect for the lesbian and gay community, effectively disenfranchising them from representation by the Council and from participation in the cultural life of San Antonio.

The Board of Directors of Esperanza is actively considering litigation to remedy the extreme violations of Free Speech, Equal Protection, and fair government. We have been targeted because of our vision, because we refuse to exclude anyone from active cultural life, and because of the Council's cowardly submission to the politics of hate. With Esperanza, with hope, we will work for a better day.

What do you think? E-mail us at esperanza@esperanzacenter.org.