Fast 4 Education in 24th Day

please post this on the site ASAP.

please forward, URGENT!
It is now day 24 of the fast,
It is obvious to everyone that the fasters are losing weight. They
rotate from taking naps in the shade, being wheeled to the restrooms
in the capitol building, and sitting in contemplation, writing their
thoughts, reading letters of support and responding to them. On day 22,
After a busy and extra sunny day flyering the memorial day parade in
downtown sacramento (With the help of a dozen dedicated Community
members who joined us at 9:30 am on a holiday), the day only seemed to
just begin.
We were blessed with the presence of a Danza Azteca group from
Sacramento and an extremely large group of committed students and
community members at the 6pm vigil. A number of families brought out
their children and neighbors and afterwards, we broke out into an
organizing committee in an effort to flyer about the massive SPEAK-
OUT! we are planning for this Thursday June 3rd from 12-2pm on the
South Steps of the capitol. These same people signed up to flyer and
speak at the vast majority of Sacramento Elementary, Middle and High
Schools, Churches, Community centers and Farmers Markets.
With the help of an amazing crew of Sacramento artists and community
organizers (namely Andrea "YaYa" Porras and the De Los Reyes Family)we
have landed the support of local and national artists.
At 8pm, the fasters left the vigil and made an appearance on-stage at
the Talib Kweli concert, making an announcement about the SPEAK-OUT!
and asking for donations.
As I arrived at the church we are staying at, I noticed a familiar
bright pair of smiles and gratefully greeted Dolores Huerta (Ex-School
Teacher,Co-Founder of the United Farm Workers of America and mother of
ELEVEN), and her youngest daughter Camila Chavez.
The rest of the evening was a reportback/planning meeting/ and prayer
circle. She spoke of her days of fasting with Cesar Chavez and her
experience with coordinating Medical Help and support for these
actions. She re-inforced the righteousness of the Fast4Education and
its more focused set of demands and pledged her support of the
remaining three fasters. In particular, she acknowledged the need for
more legislative support and the power of celebrity endorsements.
Recognizing the immense sacrifice these young people are making she
spoke in an encouraging, compassionate and personal tone i have never
before seen her use (to me, she usually says the greatest things but
in a matter of fact way, understandable for such a incredibly busy
living legend). She did remind them that this is just one of the
first battles to regain some semblance of a respectable education
system (not her words) and that the fasters must not jeopardize their
health. Jessica Vasquez,Israel Haros-Lopez, and Cesar Cruz listened
closely but could not agree to end the fast until more decisive and
definite action was taken to ensure a new structure that could
establish an equitable public education funding-system.
In response to this, Dolores spoke of the rolling fast that provided
much needed publicity for Cesar's fast against pesticides. With
little encouragement, Dolores agreed that she would begin to fast when
Jessica Vasquez (the smallest of the three fasters who has already
lost nearly twenty pounds) decides to break her fast. Dolores spoke
of organizing a rolling fast that would be a relay of sorts with
participating fasters including Hollywood supporters and State
Legislators alike. She concluded the night by committing to cancel
her Tuesday plans to spend the day meeting with top legislators within
the State Capitol and pressuring them to support the fasters by
backing certain legislation and urging the phantom governor to meet
with the fasters. She ended the meeting by having us all join hands
and pray together, in her own beautifully powerful words and those of
the traditoinal Our Father and Hail Mary (Catholic prayers). The
evening was topped off by a water drum and a handful of beautiful
prayer songs from supportive community members.
On day 23...
True to her word, Dolores made three visits to the fasters and
countless trips around the floors of the Capitol. When i visited the
office of State Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (patron saint to the
fast4education) numerous staff people from numerous legislative
offices were congregating to discuss the fast and what was being done
to support them. They even spoke of creating a listserve specifically
to address the Fast. The word was out that an Assemblymember
(goldberg i think) had drafted a resolution and numerous other
legislators were already planning on signing-on, urging the Governor
to meet with the fasters and fulfill his promise of providing
California's children with a valid and quality education.

The buzz was loud enough that several Senators and Assemblypeople came
down to the South Side lawn where our camp remains (from 10am-530pm).
The list of visitors includes Assemblyman Koretz, Majority Leader
Dario Formmer, Assemblyman Mervdyn Dymally, Assemblywoman Nicole
Parra, Senator Tom Torlykson, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock amongst
numerous others . Coincidentally, one of the first African American
students to integrate into the previously segregated schools of Little
Rock Arkansas 50 years ago, made a surprise appearance after she had
heard of the heroic efforts of the fasters. At a reception later that
night honoring her, she read a poem written for her by Israel Haros-
Lopez, an after school program coordinator in East Oakland's Urban
Promise Academy Middle School (and one of the fasters).
The resolution and the refined demands of the Fast4Education have been
received with much support and endorsements but the governor remains
earily silent and absent in this collective plea for revision in
public education spending structures.
Dolores Huerta has committed to speaking at the SPEAK-OUT this
thursday (flyer available at the fast4education.org website) and has
volunteered her assistant's help with outreach.
The HUNGRY 4 EDUCATION solidarity fast has already gathered the
committments from statewide supporters of the fast and will begin at
6pm Wednesday at our south side vigil(june2), the 24th day of the fast
and will last 24 hours when it will break at 6pm after the SPEAK OUT!
(details on both events are on the website)


No word has yet to be heard from the governor and one of his aides
(Rose Perk?) spoke to a supporter over the phone stating that the
governor's office had not heard much about the fast, had no definite
plans to meet with the fasters and had only received ONE CALL
regarding the fasters. These statements leave many questions...The
main question being will this "education governor" allow the fasters
to continue?

please support, spread the word , urge your representatives to urge
the governor to meet with his fasting constituents.
-in solidarity
Julio Magana-Saludado
510-448-9469 (pager)
510-282-1514 (viviana's cell)