Richard R. Guzman – Page 84 – Arts, Diversity, Social Change…Faith

The Gateways Festival Orchestra: The Color of Concert Music

The event described below is part of a series of initiatives of the Anti-Racism Taskforce of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. See below for details. The color of concert music is white. Its gender: male. So goes the popular perception. To start a conversation on t.....continued>

Beauty in the Time of Pandemic

Below is a 3:30-minute video of a small but momentous occasion. My son Aaron—a wonderful musician and talented teacher and conductor—leading the Gage Middle School orchestra, Riverside, California. He’s been teaching there for 20 years and thousands of students. When he first got to Ri.....continued>

Pentecost Means No “Supremacies”

We celebrate the Church’s “birth” on Pentecost Sunday, the day the promised Holy Spirit arrived. This year we celebrated on May 20th, a Sunday where at my church—one of the most diverse in America—its large Filipino group took charge of the service. The VIDEO below sh.....continued>

Ornette Coleman: Lessons in Freedom (excerpt)

This is the first of 16 short excerpts from my radio series Voices and Freedoms: A History of Jazz. Based on my book of the same name, the series (and book) were produced at the University of Virginia in the nation’s Bicentennial Year. The show, syndicated by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting.....continued>

Ronald L. Fair: “We Can’t Breathe”

May 2020 Update: Another “I-Can’t-Breathe” incident. I could not watch the video of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020. But I heard it while my wife described to me what she was seeing: a police man with his knee on the neck of an already-subdued bl.....continued>

Songs by DAN GUZMAN: “CBS”

“CBS” (COOL BLACK SICKNESS) a song DAN GUZMAN co-wrote and performs with Brad Hoskins. Fat Cats, Moses in the desert with the Great I Am, bleeding seas, and things tumbling from the sky. Apocalyptic dread. Cool grooves. It not only sounds good—it&#.....continued>

VIDEO: Sen. Dick Durbin visits Emmanuel House

Update: IN APRIL 2018, EMMANUEL HOUSE MERGED WITH LONG-TIME PARTNER ORGANIZATION THE JOSEPH CORPORATION TO BECOME The Neighbor Project. THIS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES SERVED FROM AROUND 25 AT THE TIME OF SENATOR DURBIN’S VISIT TO NOW, IN 2020, A NUMBER APPROACHING 3000. WATCH A VIDEO.....continued>

Guzman for Aurora: The Parade

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Richard Guzman

The short VIDEO below shows highlights from the Guzman for Aurora contingent marching in Aurora’s Memorial Day Parade. At the end of this post look for details about joining us for the next parade: the July 4th parade.

The support for Rick Guzman’s run for Aurora mayor was overwhelming on Memorial Day: around 200 people marched, making it the parade’s largest group. Check out how surprised even the parade’s announcer was. “You guys roll deep,” he said. “I thought this was two units, but this is all Guzman for Aurora they tell me!” And he kept being surprised. As the group was finally all passing by, he spotted Rick’s wife and yelled, “Desiree, you guys really roll deep!”

But success doesn’t allow you to sit back. “The pressure’s on now,” Rick said. “The other candidates realize how much they have to step it up—so now we do too.”

Go to the Guzman for Aurora website to learn more about Rick’s candidacy, and go HERE to learn more about it on this site and be linked to a highlights VIDEO from Rick’s Kickoff Rally held in late April. It’s very short and shows a leading community activist, an appellate court judge, former fire and police chiefs, and the president of the Real Estate Association making persuasive cases for why Rick Guzman deserves your vote.

Then help us step up our game by marching with us in the July 4th parade! Here’s the plan:

1) The parade steps off at 10:00 a.m. on the 4th, so please plan to be there around 9:00 a.m. Right now our group is #70 of about 100 contingents.
2) Park at the new Aurora Public Library, 101 S. River St., in or near the large gravel parking lot.
3) Meet us on River St. just south of the library and just south of Jimmie Johns. The weather’s supposed to be nice, but visors, hats, sunscreen, and water might be good.
4) There will be about 100 Guzman for Aurora t-shirts. That took care of only half of us last time, however, so this time there will also be signs, paddles and other fun things to identify our group—plus if you can wear a white shirt, that will help too.

SEE YOU SOON!

Guzman for Aurora: More. Together.

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Richard Guzman

Note: On April 4th, 2017, Rick Guzman lost the mayor’s race by a razor thin margin. Go HERE for my first reflection on that event. We are proud of this political novice who, given no chance in the beginning, came from last place, outlasted political veterans with decades of name recognition, and nearly became Aurora’s 58th mayor. Since then he has, among other things, become executive director of The Neighbor Project, winning the Emerging Leader Award from the National NeighborWorks Association in 2023. Read about, and watch a video of the awards ceremony Here, and go to his talk “Every Person’s God-Given Ability to Contribute” for the best introduction to The Neighbor Project’s work.

Rick Guzman, my eldest son, is running for Mayor of Aurora, Illinois, the state’s second largest city. Go to the GUZMAN FOR AURORA website for more, and click on the large picture below to be taken to a short VIDEO. In 80 seconds, many prominent Aurora leaders make a persuasive case for why he deserves your vote. As of this update, the video has over 20,000 views. In addition to the leaders you’ll see in the video, Guzman has also gained the endorsements of Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Bill Foster, Labor, and the Daily Herald. Here are just three reasons why so many believe he’s by far the best choice to be Aurora’s next mayor.

♦ Development Money. Rick Guzman has brought more development money to Aurora in the last five years (over $70 million) than all other candidates combined have brought in the last dozen. Read about the millions brought in for the Aurora Arts Center and St. Charles Hospital.

♦ People Out of Poverty. He’s helped dozens of families move out of poverty through co-founding Emmanuel House. In 2016 Emmanuel House was named one of the “Top 100 Most Innovative” social change organizations in the world, and Rick was recognized as one of “the brightest minds and boldest leaders solving problems through innovation.”

♦ Leadership Style. The Daily Herald endorsement highlights his “thoughtful” style. He’s a proven leader who embodies his vision with solid accomplishments—not just rhetoric—and achieves these by being a brilliant collaborator and bridge-builder. His deep bi-partisan support includes Democrats like Mayor Tom Weisner, Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Bill Foster, as well as Republicans like Kane County Board Chair Chris Lauzen, Judge Peter Grometer, and Supervisor Rachel Ossyra. Start with the VIDEO below, then read more endorsements Here.

♦♦♦ Go to a Biographical Sketch of Rick Guzman and get more links to articles and videos about his candidacy, including how he’s using the Arts for Economic Revitalization.

Posted in Family, Social Change | Tagged Guzman for Aurora, Rick Guzman | Leave a comment

Categories