LATIN TIMES MAGAZINE- 1st Qtr; 2008 Volume 7 No. 1 | Page 9

International Day Against Human Trafficking Event Held in St . Petersburg , FL

Recently , an important event was held to raise public awareness of the serious problem of human trafficking , modern-day slavery . The event was held on Friday , January 11th at the Scientology Life Improvement Center at 336 1st Ave . North .

Latin Times

Participates In The Great American Teach In
What a wonderful way to spend your day !
En la comunidad
November 15 , 2007 , was the Great American Teach It in Tampa Bay . Jolie Gonzalez , publisher of the Latin Times Magazine participated at Farnell Middle School in Tampa , FL ., where her son Nikko Gonzalez attends , and is in the 7th grade . Latin Times would like to say “ Thank you ” to the students at Farnell who were very intelligent , attentive and respectful . A BIG Thank you to Ms . Yamel Arronte , a great friend and a wonderful teacher !
Though very little is reported in the media , the human rights abuses of slavery continue to be a major problem all over the world , even in the United States . The purpose of this event was to bring awareness to this horrible crime against humanity .
The hard-hitting video NOT FOR SALE was shown to all attendees . Based on a book by David Batstone , the movie was produced and directed by Robert Marcarelli .
The film crew traveled over 120,000 miles across five continents investigating the modern slave trade and shot undercover footage of trafficking operations . The crew also captured on film the spirit of those dedicated defenders of human rights working in the field to emancipate the victims . Through personal interviews and startling footage , NOT FOR SALE tells the story of these heroes in an effort to inspire other people to follow their example and ignite a global antislavery movement .
The event was sponsored by the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking . For more information and to find out what you can do to stop human trafficking , see www . stophumantrafficking . org . The event was co-sponsored by Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay , an independent non-profit group , with the purpose to educate people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace . Information : www . youthforhumanrights . org . Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay is sponsoring the Human Rights Walkathon on March 1st , beginning at 9am in North Staub Park , St . Petersburg . Information : www . humanrightswalkathon . org .

Heart Disease : Too Big of a

Secret to be Kept

By : Lissette C . Negron

At the age of 46 , Santa Negron was a relatively healthy Latina .

Santa had yearly check ups , went to see her family physician at any sign of illness and even walked in an annual Charity Race . Yet on April 4 , 2006 Santa died of a massive heart attack . It was sudden and very quick . Her mistake was not knowing that heart disease ran in her family . This bit of knowledge could have saved her life .
As Latinos we are a proud people . Our business is generally our own . What we perceive as our downfalls are kept quiet . After my mother ’ s death , I learned that two of my maternal uncles have pacemakers , another had a stent put in , and an aunt of my mother ’ s died of a heart attack as well . Those little secrets that were kept even within our own family were detrimental to my mother ’ s health .
According to the American Heart Association , heart disease is America ’ s number one killer and stroke is number three . In retrospect , the warning signs were evident . My mother experienced sudden fatigue , occasional loss of breath and discomfort in her back . However , those were aliments that could have been affiliated with her job as a daycare teacher . The severe chest pain and loss of feeling in her left arm did not come until it was too late .
Women can experience a heart attack in a different manner than men . Therefore , it is imperative that you educate yourself about all the warning signs , and when it comes to family “ bochinche ”, it ’ s ok to talk about when it can save your life . Letting la familia know when Tio or Tia had a surgery and what kind can be helpful . Log into the American Heart Association ’ s website at www . americanheartassociation . com for more information .
February - april 2008 | LATIN TIMES MAGAZINE 9