This week on Fronteras:
- Stress in families often leads to child abuse and neglect.
- Immigrant families often suffer an additional amount of stress (0:00).
- And Fiesta is coming to a close this weekend in San Antonio. Some people believe the 11-day celebration carries racial undertones (13:48).
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Care For Child Abuse Survivors
A 2016 case of child abuse and neglect in San Antonio shed light on something very dark and dirty but not much of a secret.
A 3-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy were discovered in a backyard by police officers. Their hands and feet were bound so tightly, they could hardly move. Six other children were discovered inside the home without supervision. This is among the more than 174,000 cases of child abuse and neglect investigated by the state each year.
Bexar County has the fourth highest number of confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in the state, with more than 15,000 cases investigated in 2017 — and 5,500 cases confirmed. That’s an increase of nearly 1000 from 2016.
Diana Ochoa-Johnson, chief clinical officer with The Children’s Shelter in San Antonio, and Susana Rivera, a licensed professional counselor in Laredo, joins us to discuss the issues. Also, the Children’s Shelter is hosting its inaugural South Texas Trauma-Informed Care Conference May 10 & 11 in San Antonio. Rivera will be one of the presenters.
Fiesta: ‘This Was A Celebration Of The Defeat Of The Mexicans’
Fiesta is an 11-day celebration in San Antonio that honors the heroes of the Alamo and the defeat of the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto. What began as a simple parade around the Alamo in 1891 has expanded to several parades, and more than 110 events that give San Antonians a reason to party.
But the transition from commemorating Texas’ road to independence is a long and complicated one, especially when considering the racial implications behind Fiesta.
FRONTERAS EXTRA | San Antonio 'A City Of Cosmic Crossroads'
Mexican-Americans were essentially excluded from participating in the early days of Fiesta. While, over the years, the annual tradition has morphed into a Mexican-American themed event — with mariachis, a variety of foods, and decorations made with papel picado — San Antonio writer, journalist, and filmmaker John Phillip Santos spoke to Texas Public Radio’s Jack Morgan about Fiesta’s controversial beginnings.
Norma Martinez can be reached by email at norma@tpr.org and on Twitter @NormDog1
