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

THE ART OF DEFUNDING

An examination of the forces that caused

City Council to deny taxpayer money to

the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.

San Antonio Current
November 6-12, 1997

by Dianne Monroe

It's the opening night of "Out at the Movies," the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center sponsored event that became a lighting rod for controversy during this year's city arts budget battles. The Guadalupe Theater is filled to capacity. Outside, the local media have set up cameras. Graciela Sanchez, executive director of Esperanza, steps out to speak, surrounded by a circle of friends and supporters. The somber tone has been set by the news that the city of San Antonio has cut Esperanza's funding for 1997 from $62,531 to zero.

But the story behind the defunding of the Esperanza Center and the film festival it has sponsored for six years cannot be told in sound bites. It is a story of how a convergence of odd political bed-fellows led to the defunding of an organization with a reputation for blunt speech on controversial issues.

It's a story that mirrors national events with a unique San Antonio flavor. Its ingredients include: a self-acknowledged campaign on the part of individuals on the Christian right, a vocal group of gay men who have actively opposed the Esperanza Center for several years, and a largely new City Council with a back-to-basics emphasis that echoes themes of the Kay Turner mayoral campaign.

What is Esperanza?

"Esperanza" is Spanish for "hope." The Esperanza Center describes its approach to arts programming as multi-issue, linking questions of race, class, gender and sexual orientation. Frank discussions of these often controversial topics sometimes overlap with arts programs in its brightly painted, sun-filled building on San Pedro Avenue. And that overlap is the underlying cause of much of the controversy surrounding Esperanza today.

Esperanza was presenting arts programs before it began receiving city funding seven years ago. During its last review by the city, Esperanza was ranked first in the multi-disciplinary category among all the organizations applying for funds. Many of Esperanza's programs specifically benefit San Antonio's low-income communities and at-risk youth.

Among Esperanza's art programs now threatened by a lack of funds are: MujerArtes, a cooperative art studio for women living in San Antonio's low-income communities; the Youth Media Project, a program to empower local inner-city youth through the creative use of media; and the Other America Film Festival, reflecting current political, economic, and social conditions affecting peoples in the Americas.

According to its vision statement, "The people of Esperanza dream of a world where everyone has civil rights & equal opportunity, where the environment is cared for, where cultures are honored and communities are safe. The Esperanza Center advocates for those wounded by domination and inequality -- women, people of color, lesbians & gay men, the working class & poor. We believe in creating bridges between peoples by exchanging ideas and educating & empowering each other. We believe it is vital to share our vision of hope..."

While that vision may sound universally appealing, Sanchez is afraid there are words in the statement with which some find fault. "Ultimately, I think that is why we were attacked; it's the vision that we have," says Sanchez.

Part one: Opening Night
Part two: Over the Line
Part three: "We're just His instruments"
Part four: Is it homophobia?
Part five: A National Trend
Part six: Equal Protecton