DIVERSITY IS DISCOVERY!
By Beth Donahue

Do you believe in God? Are you going to make me cluck like a chicken? Did you go to school or did you just read a book? Can I bring my attorney with me? These are some of the questions I have been asked in the last 5 years. I am a hypnotherapist. That word strikes terror in the hearts of many. I haven’t figured out what else to call myself because that is what I do. I am a therapist who uses hypnosis to help people solve problems such as quitting smoking, losing weight, reducing pain, or resolving other personal issues. I also work with corporations to provide stop smoking and weight loss group programs. Ministers or parishioners at several churches have told me that I was more than welcome to come to service but I would not be permitted to join because of my profession. I have tried to volunteer for several groups but was not accepted because I was a hypnotist.

I recently attended a meeting of the American Association of Training and Development on how to incorporate diversity into training programs. Diversity is the appreciation and/or understanding of individual differences whether ethnic, cultural, religious, health/handicapped. Diversity also includes different physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, educational backgrounds, functional responsibilities, and age as well as other characteristics. During the 21st century, two-thirds of all work force entrants will be women, minorities, and immigrants. The face of the American workplace is changing; less white males, more females, Hispanics, Asian and Black, and hopefully a few more hypnotherapists.

In Europe people expect lectures. Americans expect individual and proactive learning workshops. In some cultures if you are male you do not shake hands with women. Health care professionals should be aware that some Muslim women may want the placenta after their baby is born because it is their belief that all body parts must be buried. In some Asian cultures there is a healing practice where the edge of a coin is rubbed against the skin of a sick person and when the coin becomes warm the illness is believed to be purged from the body.

In many Latin American countries confidence and trust must be built first before doing business. Latin Americans may ask what your parents did, where your family came from, or how you feel about certain issues. When you are known on a more personal basis you can proceed to business mat-ters. In Chile eye contact is very important. Standing in a grocery store Chileans may observe your clothes, posture, how you speak, what you are buying, and many other small details about you, much like putting a puzzle together. In the United States we like to “cut to the chase” and do business first. In the United States we may stand next to a person and not even be aware of them. Different cultures, customs, and personal values.

Hypnosis, much like acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy, and other forms of alternative medicine can be of great benefit, whether used alone or in conjunction with traditional medicine. Some fear alternative medicine because it is not the “norm.” As a hypnotherapist I may be perceived as someone who has cats, candles, and crystal balls while working in a dark, damp room with a light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

When meeting people of different cultures, races, sexual preferences, handicaps, or individuals who speak with an accent, worship differently, or use alternative health care please ask questions with an attitude of non-judgmental curiosity. I am more than happy to provide information on what I do, what hypnosis really is, and how it might help. I am sure other diverse people would be just as willing to share information when asked in a non-judgmental way. Our lives can all be enriched by discovering what our own individual prejudices are and then eliminating them. In this way we can be more open, understanding, and accepting of other’s values, customs, and culture as our world and workplace grows smaller. Diversity is discovery.

Beth Donahue is a clinical hyp-notherapist and counselor in private practice and can be reached at (505) 248-9700 or via e-mail at NMWBethDonahue@aol.com.

THE INNER YOU
REACTIONS TO DONATION PLEAS
by Marilyn J. Walker, Ph.D.

If you are like me, pleas for donations affect you in various ways. Pleas involve more than money. Tools, clothing, furniture or anything else we no longer want can find use in a number of places. Some organizations send trucks to pick it up. That’s good, but I’m going to confess some of my typical reactions and you can see how like me you are.

Compassion for anyone in need, especially orphaned, abandoned, neglected or abused children.

Frustrated and a bit resentful that there are so many pleas so often.

Appalled when I read of a scam: donated moneys going into the pocket of a criminal; or when monies meant for starving children is reported as having gone to bureaucrats or tyrants instead.

Glad my unused stuff can be used by someone, somewhere, and glad to be rid of it. Glad that I can give a little money sometimes.

Guilt that I can’t or don’t give more to a good cause.

Respect and admiration for those dedicating their lives to worthy causes. I have five grandchildren attending Albuquerque public schools and am keenly aware of the teachers and educational staff who continue to work with children for altruistic reasons. Not only are they underpaid, they must participate in fundraising just to have enough supplies to do their jobs.

Embarrassed when I receive a certificate, award or something for donating. Giving money or goods ordinarily requires no sacrifice, only the time to write a check or fill a bag. I’m certain it wasn’t enough to help much, given the enormity of the need.

Suspicion that regardless of how much we give, the problems in the world and in our own community will proliferate. Thinking this way, though, can make us shut out all those pleas, toss them, and focus solely on feathering our own nests.

I would like to share an observation. Of all the people I know, those who give the most priceless gift of all – their time – are the most gratified about their donations, whether singly, or as members of a group. I’m not referring to pride that comes from recognition, I mean the inner glow that comes from having done something worth-while.

Most of us have heard the adage, “If you really want something done, ask the busiest person you know.” Interesting, isn’t it? If each of us were to mark on our calendars exactly how we spend our time, most of us would find that we engage in unfulfilling activities on a regular basis. We stare at news that isn’t uplifting, play computer games to avoid whatever needs to be done, or chat on the phone to re-hash the same old things.

I challenge you to consider community programs you deem worthwhile, particularly the schools. If you are willing to redistribute your time to volunteer for even one hour a week – since you do have the time – you will discover that inner glow that comes from lighting only one little candle in the darkness.

Dr. Walker is Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, and spent many years as a management consultant and clinical psychologist. She is now a writer living in Albuquerque.

Breaking Stereotypes, Nurturing A Legacy,And Selling Cars
By Michelle Miller Allen
Photos by Kyle Zimmerman

Annette DiLorenzo-Thayer certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype she laughingly describes. “I wanted to dress in costume for the cover of this magazine, you know, the stereotypical car dealer–plaid pants, patent leather shoes – but they wouldn’t let me.”

Instead, Annette is a dynamic, petite, blonde with the tan of an avid outdoors-woman, and lots of devilish laughter in her blue eyes.

Annette’s grandfather is a first generation Italian, and her grandmother was Irene C de Baca; the family has its roots in New Mexico. Annette relates, “Our fourth or fifth great grandfather came with Coronado and the conquistadors who helped settle the state, so my grandmother tells me. Her family is from Romeroville outside of Las Vegas. We are a minority dealer for the GMC store and we are applying for minority status for this store also.”

Her grandfather started the dealership in 1957. He relocated from Santa Fe, where he was working at a dealership, to Albuquerque to start Quality Pontiac at Second and Lomas. Within five years he built a new store at Lomas and University.

The second generation of this family business–Annette’s father and uncle–acquired the Quality Jeep store at Lomas and Pennsylvania which is now mainly operated by the third generation, Annette, her brother David, who is chief financial officer, and cousins Vince, general sales manager, and Paul, new car manager. The family business has progressed from the original Pontiac dealership to include Cadillac, Buick, and GMC dealerships. “We have two franchises, Jeep Chrysler and Pontiac GMC, a huge used car super center and a satellite lot in Los Lunas,” says Annette.

Annette started in the family car business part time, working summers driving a parts truck. After college, she drove the service department shuttle, moved to sales, worked in the office, and did warranty receivables. From there she moved into customer relations. After a 3-month sabbatical to backpack through Europe in 1992, she came back renewed and focused on customer service, with a goal of becoming a Chrysler Five Star dealer. She was promoted to Director of Operations. “DOO means, actually, ‘DIA’, I Do it All. I do whatever it takes, I transfer cars to the back for service, I write service, I answer the phone and I take complaints.

'Not my job’ isn’t in my job description. I take compliments any day, but let me know if there’s a problem so I can deal with it. I’m a team player; we do lots of cross-training, because it’s so important to things keep flowing.”

“I was interested in this issue of New Mexico WOMAN, as it is about transformations,” explains Annette. “My dad is trying to retire, although he’s still a dealer principal, and we’re trying to grow it as a third generation business now.

“My dad and uncle were great partners; they had the right balance. My uncle was sales oriented, my dad very organized, the behind-the-scenes guy and number-cruncher. When my uncle was killed in an accident five years ago, we all instantly had to reevaluate the direction of the business, what our future would be without him, and how everything was going to change. Not only were we grieving as a family, it was very unsettling for the store.

“So, the last five years, we’ve been transforming. Typically third generation family businesses have a 10 percent survival rate. They get too big, and the new generations move on to other careers.

How did “a girl” end up in the family’s male-dominated business? “I was my dad’s first son, and I’m the only granddaughter. I was the first one in the family to graduate from college, and I was always very competitive, trying to prove myself. I came into a very male-dominated industry, and I had no idea how difficult it would be.” Annette has had to fight more than a few stereotypes as a car dealer.

“I was 23 in 1989 and thought I was invincible when I started working in sales. I had a triple whammy to deal with: youngest on the floor, a woman, and the boss’ kid. But my dad let me fend for myself. He stepped back and stayed out of it. Which was good. It’s how I learned and proved myself.

“I went through lots of emotions that first year—anger, resentment, betrayal, guys took advantage of me because they thought they could. But I kept thinking, ‘I am as good as you if not better, I know I’m smarter, and I work more efficiently.’”

Annette DiLorenzo-Thayer says that the car business is about learning to deal with people. She points out that when a customer walks into a car dealership, their expectation is that it’s not a good situation, that the sales person is going to try to take advantage of them, they won’t get enough for their car, etc.

“People want to be told the car is going to change their life. Well, I can’t tell them a car is going to change their life. You can buy a car from me, but I’m not going to sell you a car. Tell me what you need, and hopefully, I will find what you want.

“Instead of going to school for English and economics I should have gone for psychiatry and psychology because, inevitably, if I get a complaint, be it an employee or a customer, it’s really about something else. ‘My car is in the shop and you said you’d fix it today and you don’t have the part and what am I gonna do because my kid’s sick, I just lost my job, I’m getting divorced, my husband’s out of town, my wife is on jury duty...’ ”

Although Annette emphasizes that you have to have a thick skin to be a woman in this business – and that it can be done – it’s not really the thick skin that she feels is a woman’s greatest asset for selling cars.

“If you’ve got a good idea, talk to other people in business, find out how they got started. Taking a step is huge but you gotta use the other foot to move forward.” She advises women not to be afraid, but to get out there and try, question authority, and ask questions.

“If I could have half my sales force be women, I would. Women still want to help, they want to make it better. It’s not about the art of the deal so much for a woman, it’s about making the deal happen. Women are good sales people and I don’t think they give themselves enough credit for that.”

Annette’s love of the car industry doesn’t stop at Quality Jeep. In 2003 she was president of the Albuquerque New Car and Truck Dealers Association. They brought the first New Mexico New Car Show to the state in April. It turned out to be the most successful and largest attended event held at the Convention Center. “The factories brought in some cool concept cars. People were excited. The show benefited the state. For ‘05 we hope to include something for kids, like children’s IDs, and possibly test tracks for kids to drive mechanical cars.”

She is currently New Mexico chairperson for the National Dealer Election Action Committee, represents Bernalillo County dealers for the N.M. Automobile Dealers Association, is on the N.M. Dealer Advertising Review Committee, and serves on the N.M. Automobile Dealers Association Workers Comp board of trustees.

Like many successful businesswomen, Annette has found that interests, habits, and discipline from her childhood and teen years have impacted her work. She remembers when schoolmates’ parents would help them sell Girl Scout cookies or in gymnastics, World’s Finest Chocolate. I remember my dad saying absolutely not, I’m not taking this stuff in for you. If you want to sell it you come down and sell it. So I had to meet everybody, introduce myself, and go thru the whole thing. Now I’m the same way with my employees who bring in cookies, ‘No! I want to see your kid!’”

Annette was a gymnast and a runner in school. She feels that her involvement in sports taught her discipline and how to manage time at a very young age. She continued running track at University of New Mexico. This activity has been important in her development in other areas of her life.

“If I’m stressed, I go outside and run, or get on my mountain bike. I can run, think about a problem, and about the time my feet start to hurt, I stop thinking about the problem, focus on my feet and the problem’s gone.”

Outside is also important to her husband, Murray Thayer, a contract and real estate attorney. “We are weekend warriors,” she laughs. They go mountain biking together, snowshoe, ski, hike, and generally play well together, to balance their careers and personal lives.

Annette feels that the car business is a great business where you can meet lots of people, make a lot of money, make long-lasting friends, and have lots of laughs. “It’s become such a litigious society, why can’t we just try laughing a little,” she says.

Being born into a family business, has she any regrets about her career path?

“It’s my legacy, why should I give it up? I can represent the women in my family who took a different path, and I can be the one in the business who helps it grow. And I tell you, they are my biggest cheerleaders,” Annette grins. “I can’t imagine not doing it.”

Michelle Miller Allen is a freelance writer living in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, author of the novel Journey From the Keep of the Bones (Amador Publishers, 2003 COVR Award #1 Runner-Up), Hunger in the First Person Singular (Amador 1993, winner New Mexico Press Women’s Zia best Book Award) and president of Green Phoenix Productions.

Women on the web
Web Resources on Hispanic Women
by Geraldine Mosher

Previously available on Hispanic women. Luckily more research is being done, and the Internet is a great place to find information on this subject.

Check out womenshistory.about.com/od/
hispanicwomen. This website has links to articles about famous and notable Hispanic women plus others less well known. These famous Latinas range from Aida Alvarez (first Hispanic woman to head the Small Business Administration) to Nydia Velazquez (first Puerto Rican woman elected to the United States Congress).

Go to oeop.larc.nasa.gov/hep/hep-links.html to learn about Hispanic women in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. One example is Antonia Novello, the first woman and the first Hispanic to become the Surgeon General of the United States.

Information on the Hispanic-American Hall
of Fame is at www.unbeatables.com/
HHeroes.html.

Check out www.hispanicwomen.org to find out about the Hispanic Women’s Corporation (HWC), a non-profit organization providing
up-to-date information on the issues and events within Latin American communities throughout the nation. HWC believes that Latina women have unique social and cultural challenges and opportunities. The organization strives to empower Hispanic women to serve as an effective voice for the community.

At www.onlinewbc.gov/docs/market/
hispanic_ent.html you’ll find the article “Women Effectively Serving Hispanic Women Entrepreneurs,” written by the staff of Mi Casa Resource Center for Women, a Colorado nonprofit organization. Mi Casa assists low-income Hispanic women and youth to gain self-sufficiency through education and employment pro-grams. In 1993, Mi Casa developed Project Success for the Denver Department of Social Services to provide entrepreneurial assessment, and case management. In addition, Mi Casa developed a training package and manual to assist other communities in providing development services to low-income Hispanics.

An article by John Burke (www.bankrate.
com/brm/news/biz/thumb/20020913a.asp) provides statistics that Latinas lead new-business growth in the U.S. He states, “Hispanic females lead the parade of a growing number of businesses owned by minority women. . .” The number of businesses owned by women of color exceeds all women-owned firms and the national average.

There are an estimated 1.2 million businesses owned by women of color in the United States. Hispanic women own almost half a million of the firms. African American women are next in the ownership ranks. “Latinas on the Rise” is the title of information located at www.advancingwomen.com
/hispanic.html. It states that “Latinas are no longer on the fringes of power, but in the white hot center.” The site covers the following categories: entertainment, literature, art, food/restaurants, politics, business/ marketing, and lifestyles.

Happy surfing!

Geraldine Mosher is a computer consultant and trainer, as well as a freelance writer. Her business is Your Computer Tutor, (505) 296-4042. She is also the owner of Top Quality Publications. Check out her website at www.topqualitypublications.com.

MARAVILLA
National Hispanic Cultural Center: September 17-30, 2004

MARAVILLA (Wonderment) is a fourteen-day celebration of Hispanic arts – featuring the Grand Opening of the stunning new Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts (REDCPA) – presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center and its Foundation. A variety of events and activities are scheduled during the two weeks of MARAVILLA, September 17–30, 2004. The celebration will include star-studded concerts and receptions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, family and community events, presentations by nationally-known Hispanic actors, producers, and writers, viewing of internationally-acclaimed films, and performing arts workshops.

MARAVILLA begins on Friday, September 17 with a VIP reception that will include the NHCC and its Foundation’s National Advisory Board. The National Advisory Board is an impressive cadre of individuals who help the NHCC and its Foundation strategize about the NHCC’s future and its role as a national and inter-national center of Hispanic arts, culture, and humanities. Members include Carlos Santana, Rita Moreno, Clara Apodaca, Cheech Marin, Linda and Robert Alvarado, Henry Cisneros, Federico Peña, and many others. The reception is sponsored by Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratories.

MARAVILLA continues on Saturday with a Grand Opening Concert at the Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts. The concert, produced and directed by Dan Guerrero, will include performances by trumpet master Arturo Sandoval, tenor Daniel Rodriguez, and mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán. These stars will be joined by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the pop group Soluna, the Francisco Martinez Dancetheatre, flamenco guitarist Chuscales, Chicana diva Rebekah Del Rio, and the acclaimed flamenco dance troupe Yjastros. Following the concert, guests are invited for wine, dessert and coffee, and to dance under the stars. American Home is sponsoring the After-Concert Reception in the Wells Fargo Auditorium.

The first weekend of MARAVILLA concludes on Sunday with a Community Day and film screenings to kick-off Cine MAR-AVILLA. Community Day will include per-formances by national, regional, and local dance and musical groups on stages throughout the NHCC campus, featuring San Francisco-based barrio funk band Los Mocosos as the headline act. Children’s activities will include the popular Kid Zone play area, an interactive mural production, and opera and dance workshops led by top artists from the Grand Opening concert. Community Day’s featured co-sponsors are AARP, and Bank of Albuquerque. Cine MARAVILLA screenings on Sunday will include Roy E. Disney’s Oscar-nominated short film “Destino,” an animated love story created in part by Salvador Dalí and later finished and produced by Disney. “Destino” will be followed by a screening of Nancy de los Santos’ “The Bronze Screen,” a critically-acclaimed documentary that celebrates 100 years of Latino Hollywood history.

The first full week of MARAVILLA includes events from hip-hop to comedy to film. The week starts off with Hip-Hop Night on Tuesday, September 21, a night dedicated to showcasing the talent of young artists with a line-up of inspiring hip-hop, poetry, dance, and performance art. This evening will be presented in collaboration with Tricklock Company and National Poetry Slam Champion Danny Solis. Artists include Zimbabwe Nkenya, Echetal danza azteca, and the National Flamenco conservatory.

Wednesday will feature the MARAVILLA Member Art Evening, during which NHCC Foundation members and VIPs are invited to tour El Gran Torreón. In this cylindrical structure on the NHCC campus, New Mexican artist Frederico Vigil is creating what will be the largest concave fresco in the United States, covering approximately 4,500 square feet and reaching 41-feet high. The fresco depicts the history of Hispanics in the North American continent. Guests will also have the opportunity to view artwork from the NHCC’s permanent collection on display in the REDCPA. Thursday through Saturday nights, five Latina comics will come together to tape a live concert in the REDCPAAlbuquerque Journal Theatre. The Latin Divas of Comedy, a follow-up to the smash hit, Latin Kings of Comedy, is a live stand-up that’s raw, uncut, and unbelievably hilarious. On Friday night in Santa Fe, Coca-Cola is sponsoring a VIP reception at Governor Bill Richardson’s mansion featuring entertainment by the National Dance Institute.

Cine MARAVILLA continues on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26, joined by a Chick Lit/Flick Event on Saturday. Cine MARAVILLA, produced in collaboration with the College of Santa Fe, will present an impressive selection of award-winning films from top international festivals, classic films, and critically-acclaimed shorts and documentaries. Actors, writers, and directors will be in attendance to introduce their films and to participate in Q&A sessions after the screenings. The Chick Lit/Flick Event will include a reading of Playing with Boys by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, New York Times best-selling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club. A book signing and reception will follow. The event will also feature a screening of the Sundance award-winning film Real Women Have Curves with special appearances by writer Josefina Lopez and cast members America Ferrera, Ingrid Oliu, and Lupe Ontiveros.

The culmination of MARAVILLA will introduce the REDCPA’s 2004-2005 Opening Season. The season begins with the stage version of Zoot Suit, performed by playwright and artistic director Luis Valdez’ legendary theatre company, El Teatro Campesino. First produced by Valdez in 1978, Zoot Suit uses the Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the subsequent Los Angeles “zoot suit riots” to examine Chicano culture in the 1940s. Zoot Suit went on to become the first play by a Chicano playwright ever to be presented on Broadway. In addition to the stage play, Valdez also directed the film version of Zoot Suit, starring Edward James Olmos, which received the Golden Globe Award nomination for “Best Musical Picture.” Opening night of Zoot Suit will be Thursday, September 30 in the Albuquerque Journal Theatre of the Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts. Morgan Stanley will co-sponsor the opening night performance.

As a precursor to Zoot Suit’s opening night, a symposium and reception with Luis Valdez, Alice McGrath, and Lalo Guerrero will be held on Wednesday, September 29. Alice McGrath is a prominent civil right activist and former executive secretary for the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee. The songs of Lalo Guerrero, the “godfather of Chicano music,” are at the heart of Zoot Suit’s music.

The stunning, state-of-the-art REDCPA complex houses three venues, the largest being the 691-seat Albuquerque Journal Theatre, which incorporates the latest technology in theatre design. Its orchestra pit and shell, as well as its state-of-the art acoustics, make it an ideal venue for opera, symphonic music, and musical theatre. The 288-seat Bank of America Theatre, with its small thrust stage, is primarily dedicated to film and video but is also suitable for smaller musical performances and more intimate dramatic presentations. This new film and video theatre is intended to become a principal Albuquerque venue for Spanish-language films with broad audience appeal. The third venue, the intimate 97-seat Wells Fargo Auditorium, provides a superb environment for films, lectures, staged readings, and smaller theatrical productions.

MARAVILLA is part of the NHCC and its Foundation’s mission to identify, preserve, share, and enhance Hispanic arts and humanities at the local, national, and international levels. The NHCC, located on 51 acres along the historic Camino Real in the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, serves as a national focal point for the study, advancement, and presentation of Hispanic arts, culture, and humanities.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center is located at 1701 4th Street SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. For information on all events call (505) 766-9858 or (505) 246-2261.

From my Desk

Just for You!
by Jill Duval

Last year we explored a new concept. We created an entire issue of New Mexico WOMAN with articles by, for, and about Native American women. It was a huge success. We decided we should explore the concept further.

This month, in honor of National Hispanic Heritage month, our magazine is by, for, and about Hispanic women. It has been a wonderful experience and we are proud to bring you articles about many of the fine Hispanic women in our State, their vibrant organizations, and the rich lives they lead.

Honoring diversity is fun. It’s not about selecting a segment of the population once a year to placate them with a few banners and parades. It’s about getting to know one another bet-ter. It’s about learning about other cultures: their histories and their dreams. It’s about sharing food and family traditions. Some of my favorite family traditions have been adopted from the Hispanic culture since we moved here 30 year ago. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without posole anymore! And friends. Making new ones and reconnecting with women I had lost touch with through the years make this new venture even more special. And, of course, thank you to the great women who participated on our editorial board for this issue.

We will continue this exciting new tradition that we, at New Mexico WOMAN, are creat-ing, in February, when we celebrate our African-American women in another very special issue of our magazine. We are now creating our Editorial Advisory Board and invite you, our African-American sisters, to join us in the fun and rewarding process of creating another very special issue of New Mexico WOMAN, just for you.

The Great Gals on Our Special Hispanic Editorial Board: Maria Elena Alvarez, Kathy Chavez, Patricia Chavez, Stephanie Kozemchak, Edna Lopez, Raqui Martinez, Mary Molina Mescal, Agnes Maldenado, Maria Estela de Rios, Marie Sedillo, and Evangeline Sandoval Trujillo.