Oscar Rosales Castañeda

Jobs, Journalism, Justice

Contributing Writer

Oscar Rosales grew up in the Yakima Valley and works and resides in Seattle.

Articles by Oscar Rosales Castañeda

The historical impact of institutional violence in Central Washington

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | August 28, 2024

Notes from El Noreste

Beginning in 2025, the Sunnyside School District in Central Washington will move from an at-large electoral process to a by-district voting structure, to ensure compliance with the Washington Voting Rights Act. This change was brought about by a legal challenge filed by the ACLU of Washington on behalf of Empowering Latin Leaders & Action (ELLA) in April of this year. This agreement was publicized Aug. 12. ...

Community memory and community resistance

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | July 24, 2024

Notes from El Noroeste

On July 17, the U.S. Department of the Interior established the Blackwell School National Historic Site as the newest U.S. National Park. The historic site, located in Marfa, Texas, houses the Blackwell School, which was built in 1909 and was in operation until its doors were shuttered in 1965. The historical significance of the site comes from the fact that it is one of the few remaining remnants of the segregated “Mexican schools” that operated throughout the American Southwest. ...

Scapegoating of asylum seekers at the southern border

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | June 26, 2024

This month continues with a roller-coaster-esque tenor in migrant policy formulation. In the first half of June, we saw the announcement of a restrictive policy that echoes the tonality seen from previous administrations. As the second half of the month arrived, a policy aimed at normalizing the status of migrant spouses of U.S. citizens was pushed forth in an executive order. ...

Poor progressive allyship and projection of ‘brown voice’

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | May 22, 2024

Notes from El Noroeste

Late last month, a rally organized by labor leaders from San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California called for support from the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors (the equivalent of a county council) to push forth a pro-labor candidate. What would normally not even register for many outside of California has rippled nationawide in the last two weeks. At the root are allegations aimed at Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas from San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council member Brigette Browning of overt racism and linguistic mockery. ...

Placing marginalized communities on the redistricted map

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | March 27, 2024

Notes from El Noroeste

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik adopted a new Washington legislative map as of mid-March, ending a process started in 2020. The task fell to Lasnik after Washington’s Secretary of State Steven Hobbs was sued in 2022 when the state’s Redistricting Committee produced a preliminary map that left much to be desired. ...

Our archaic immigration policies take center stage amid yet another election

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | February 28, 2024

Notes from El Noroeste

On Feb. 15, the Pew Research Center published a report on Americans’ view of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Those who were surveyed overwhelmingly fault the government for how the situation has been handled. The report is especially timely, as on Feb. 3, a convoy from Virginia converged on a Texas ranch near the border. Participants attending the event had “Trump 2024” banners at full display and proclaimed “Take Our Border Back” as a slogan in support of embattled Texas Gov. Greg Abott’s efforts to militarize Texan lands along the Rio Grande. ...

Moving beyond symbolic inclusion and systemic compliance

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | January 24, 2024

This month I have been preoccupied with making sense of the implications interconnected with local Latinx histories. This surfaced in part because I am teaching a course on local histories, but also because earlier this month the King County Council added two Latinx members, Teresa Mosqueda and Jorge Baron. Both are the first Latinx council members ever elected to their positions. ...

There’s tension in Texas

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | December 27, 2023

Notes from El Noroeste

As 2023 comes to a close, Texas caps off yet another tumultuous news cycle and leaves many of us scratching our heads in sheer awe of poorly framed and researched anti-immigrant policy.

The Lone Star State’s governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 4 into law on Dec. 18. This bill is crafted in a similar mold as Florida’s SB 1718 and its predecessor, Arizona’s SB 1070, and is just as divisive as it is poorly fashioned. ...

The ripple effects of COVID-19, structural inequality and collective trauma

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | November 22, 2023

Notes from El Noroeste

Early this month, the American Psychological Association (APA) released the findings of its annual survey of stress in America, which provides a glimpse into the current situation as it relates to psychological well-being. The overarching theme of the report relates a sense of collective toxic stress that reverberates in the aftermath of the national public health emergency connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, declared over by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 11, 2023. ...

Warfare, deportation and the failure of political bipartisanship

By Oscar Rosales Castañeda | October 25, 2023

As much as I try not to dwell on national politics in D.C., given the clownish nature of congressional action, I think it is important to understand some of the policy stances that have bubbled up to the surface. These stances certainly reflect the current edifice of global concerns, namely war in Palestine and in Ukraine. The funding of perpetual war is one project that requires congressional intervention. ...

Jobs, Journalism, Justice

The historical impact of institutional violence in Central Washington

Community memory and community resistance

Scapegoating of asylum seekers at the southern border

Poor progressive allyship and projection of ‘brown voice’

Placing marginalized communities on the redistricted map

Our archaic immigration policies take center stage amid yet another election

Moving beyond symbolic inclusion and systemic compliance

There’s tension in Texas

The ripple effects of COVID-19, structural inequality and collective trauma

Warfare, deportation and the failure of political bipartisanship

Sept. 4–10, 2024

Sept. 11–17, 2024

Sept. 11–17, 2024