Chihuahua Power
Yo Quiero DINKY o No Quiero DINKY?
 IT'S THE LATEST CONTROVERSY to rock the Latino
community! The debate over Dinky, the famous little Chihuahua
who utters, "Yo quiero Taco Bell," in that company's
latest ad campaign has become the talk of the community as people
argue over whether or not he is offensive to Mexicans. A former
mayor of Clearwater, Florida thinks so and has called for a boycott
of Taco Bell over the ads.
Gabriel Cazarez, the leader of this boycott and the head of
a Florida chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens
(LULAC), claims that the ads are demeaning to the Latino community
and are a definite "hate crime that leads to the type of
immigrant-bashing that Hispanics are now up against."
Cazarez argues that, "Mexican Americans are treated like
dogs, they have to work like dogs, and now they're being portrayed
as dogs."
Brent Wilkes, the National Executive Director of LULAC, clarified
that Cazarez' opinions do not represent those of the national
organization. "He (Cazarez) was in no way speaking on behalf
of the national organization, These statements were only the
opinions of one member of LULAC and not a position taken by the
organization."
A Taco Bell spokeswoman said the ads do not depict the dog
in a negative or derogatory way, but instead show him to be "cool
and hip."
According to the Los Angeles Times,
Dinky's voice is provided by Latino actor, comedian and voice-over
artist, Carlos Alazraqui. He says that, "Maybe if it was
a big, tough dog, nobody would object. The problem could be that
the dog just isn't macho enough."
Write to us and let us know what you think. Is Dinky offensive
to you? E-mail your opinion to us at qvworldwide@aol.com.
Boricua in the House!
Emanuel Xavier talks about his experiences in his new book,
"Pier Queen"
 "Pier Queen"
is the first collection of poetry by 26-year old Nuyorican poet/writer,
Emanuel Xavier. The book is a reflection of his experiences growing
up QV and Latino in the suburbs of Brooklyn and in the many
houses of New York's legendary West Side Highway piers.
Divided into two categories, "Banjee Realness,"
and, "Butch Queen in High Heels," the poetry in Xavier's
book is sometimes harsh and cutting, yet each poem is brilliantly
full of the vivid color and realities of love, sex, drugs, racism,
homophobia, and all-around street attitude.
Emanuel Xavier is yet another example of a Latino who
has empowered himself by using his mind and writing talents in
a raw and powerful way. For his work, he has won the "Nuyorican
Poets Cafe Grand Slam" and currently runs a series of monthly
gatherings featuring QV and lesbian poets of color at A Different
Light Bookstore in New York.
"Pier Queen" is available from Koen Book Distributors
(606-235-4444) in the East Coast and Alamo Square Distributors
(415-863-7410) in the West Coast.
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