2006.04.14: April 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Chile: Obituaries: Advocacy: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Advocate Rosemary Cubas (RPCV Chile)
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Chile:
Peace Corps Chile :
The Peace Corps In Chile:
2006.04.14: April 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Chile: Obituaries: Advocacy: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Advocate Rosemary Cubas (RPCV Chile)
Advocate Rosemary Cubas (RPCV Chile)
Her activism began in earnest right after she got out of college - she joined the Peace Corps. She served in Chile and other South American countries for two years. In 1968, she worked with New York Mayor John Lindsay on the Human Rights Commission. In 1972, she left the American Friends Service Committee for two years to work among the poor minorities she was representing in her job. She was a seamstress in several garment factories, where she became an organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. During lunch breaks, she taught the women their rights for overtime wages. Mrs. Cubas was fired from four factories, said her sister Yvette Raymond.
Advocate Rosemary Cubas (RPCV Chile)
Rosemary Cubas, 62, advocate
By Gayle Ronan Sims
Inquirer Staff Writer
The fight is over for Rosemary Cubas, 62, of North Philadelphia, a warrior who battled for affordable housing and decent neighborhoods for the city's poor. She died April 5 of pancreatic cancer at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Newark, N.J., Mrs. Cubas earned a bachelor's in political science in 1965 from the College of St. Elizabeth's in Morristown, N.J.
Her activism began in earnest right after she got out of college - she joined the Peace Corps. She served in Chile and other South American countries for two years. In 1968, she worked with New York Mayor John Lindsay on the Human Rights Commission.
In 1970, she came to Philadelphia to work for the American Friends Service Committee. She lived in Strawberry Mansion.
In 1972, she left the American Friends Service Committee for two years to work among the poor minorities she was representing in her job. She was a seamstress in several garment factories, where she became an organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. During lunch breaks, she taught the women their rights for overtime wages. Mrs. Cubas was fired from four factories, said her sister Yvette Raymond.
"Rose filed four successful wrongful-dismissal complaints with the National Labor Relations Board for each firing," her sister said.
Mrs. Cubas returned to the American Friends Service Committee in 1974. She worked for the community relations unit and helped found the Third World Coalition within the committee. The coalition helps national and international organizations work together and share resources.
"The coalition combats racism, unfair labor practices, fights for peace issues - especially for people of color. We work mostly in African American, Asian and Latino communities," said Darryl Jordan, who became director of the Third World Coalition when Mrs. Cubas retired in 2000.
"Rose was active in many neighborhood coalitions during the time she worked here," Jordan said. "She used to call them her 'after-5' jobs."
Mrs. Cubas moved to North Philadelphia in 1972. In 1981, she married Angel Velez, a shipper for Arch Sewing Machine Co. "I supported her 100 percent," Velez said. "But I stayed out of the picture."
In addition to her job at the American Friends Service Committee, Mrs. Cubas spearheaded a 1982 sit-in to try to keep the Community Legal Services at Seventh Street and Girard Avenue open after the branch was closed for lack of funds. In 1983, she helped organize a giant rally in Washington with the Delaware Valley Coalition for Jobs.
The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations honored Mrs. Cubas in 1987 as chairwoman of the Workers Rights Committee of the Puerto Rican Alliance and secretary of Pennsylvania Jobs With Peace.
Mrs. Cubas founded the Community Leadership Institute, which worked closely with the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition. In February, she spoke before the coalition about the housing needs of the poor.
"I always looked over my right shoulder for her in City Council whenever we were dealing with housing issues," City Councilman Juan Ramos said Wednesday. "Rose believed in helping the poor. She fought for fair housing for three decades. She was a very special person."
In addition to her husband and sister, she is survived by stepsons Tuti Velez and Wandi Velez; a grandson; another sister, Evelyn Trapasso; a brother, Edward Raymond; and several nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass was held Monday. Burial was Tuesday.
Donations may be made to the American Friends Service Committee, Third World Coalition, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia 19102.
Contact staff writer Gayle Ronan Sims at 215-854-4185 or gsims@phillynews.com.
When this story was posted in August 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| Gates charity races to spend billions Warren E. Buffett’s gift of $31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation means that for tax reasons, starting in 2009, the foundation must distribute $3 billion annually, or a little more than twice what it distributed last year.
PCOL Comment: The Foundation says that "preventing the spread of HIV is the most durable long-term solution to the AIDS epidemic, and a top priority for the foundation." Peace Corps Volunteers and Returned Volunteers have been doing just that in AIDS Education for the past 15 years. Why not consider a $100M annual contribution to the Peace Corps to put 2,500 additional volunteers in the field to expand AIDS education worldwide? |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| Changing the Face of Hunger In his new book, Former Congressman Tony Hall (RPCV Thailand) says humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism. An evangelical Christian, he is a big believer in faith-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Members of Congress have recently recommended that Hall be appointed special envoy to Sudan to focus on ending the genocide in Darfur. |
| PC will not return to East Timor in 2006 Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that at this time, the Peace Corps has no plans to re-enter the country in 2006. The Peace Corps recently sent a letter offering eligible volunteers the opportunity to reinstate their service in another country. |
| Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress. |
| Vasquez testifies before Senate Committee Director Vasquez testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. He has been the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. PCOL Comment: Read our thanks to Director Vasquez for his service to the Peace Corps. |
| Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
| RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Chile; Obituaries; Advocacy
PCOL32461
81