Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 21

Section eL'Tiiuramsiil Tuesday, November 14. 1978, Lansing, Michigan Philosophy often sets MUMs apart Latinos seek, get support f- V- I I yK ij (ys r- By TRUDY WESTFALL Staff Writer Sometimes it's tough enough just being a woman. But when you're a minority woman, the obstacles can seem twice as great. "The culture tells us to stick to traditional roles, don't go so fast," says Delia Villegas Vorhauer, new chairman of Mujeres Unidas de Michigan, a Latina women's organization. "BUT WE'RE not causing change, we're reacting to it," she added.

"We offer support for women who are emerging into different roles. You don't have to negate your traditional role entirely to grow yourself." That's a philosophy that often sets MUMs apart from other women's groups. Begun in 1975 as an outgrowth of a statewide conference for Latina women "the first time Latinas in any number got together to seek mutual support," Ms. Vorhauer said), MUM emerged with a core group of about 20 out of some 50 members that's been "very effective ever since. "Other chapters formed statewide but none are able to organize and be as effective as this chapter," Ms.

Vorhauer said. "We have a wealth of women to draw on. "WE NEEDED support in personal growth and development which required change," the higher education consultant to the Michigan State Department of Educa- tion continued. "And change isn't easy when you do it alone. We needed support for those who wanted to go on with education or get a job.

We needed to identify ourselves within the broader role of the women's movement." In a Latino community that numbers close to 30,000, Mujeres women share a common culture and language. "And because we are a minority group, we share a great deal of discrimination from other groups," Ms. Vorhauer noted. "This is the glue that holds us together. "When you talk about minorities, many times women are left out.

And when you talk about women, minorities are left out. We saw ourselves as Latina women and felt we could do both effectively." SOMETIMES SUFFERING from a lack of direction in its early years, the group is "learning now to pick and choose," Ms. Vorhauer said. "But as things come up we immediately move on it we don't necessarily go project by project." One project set for the coming year, however, is a statewide Latina conference late in the spring. "We will focus on what we know now are some of the needs," Ms.

Vorhauer explained, including a look at the bicultural family. "THEIR PROBLEMS are tremendous and no one ever speaks on it," Ms. Vorhauer said. "And I believe in the next 20 years, the bicultural family will be the role model." Workshops will also address how to organize politically and deal with non-traditional professions, the changing roles of men and women in the culture and how to analyze a job and understand fringe benefits. "The overall theme is the role of the woman within the context of the family," Ms.

Vorhauer explained. MUMs hopes to be able to tie it in with the Mexican American National Association, a group of nationally known Washington, D.C., based Latina activist women which is considering Lansing as the site of its annual conference. Education, a "key to a lot of things," Ms. Vorhauer said, continues- to be a major goal of MUMs. And in the political arena, the organization has representation on the Michigan Women's Commission, the Ingham County Women's Commission, and members sitting on other boards and commissions including the YWCA board of directors.

Six Latinas were delegates to the International Women's Year conference in Houston last fall including Ms. Vorhauer who served as vice-chairman of the delegation. "Some Latino community leaders (men) don't feel Mujeres should be involved in politics, and others are supportive," Ms. Vorhauer siad. "We do feel the pressures by parts of our community to stick to traditional roles." if 4 4 I- -1 5 StoH Photo by BRIAN BURO Rev.

Jacob Stauffer prepares turkeys for banquet Rain water or snow for turkey Cooking influenced by his mission work CULTURAL AND community activities mean participation in various ethnic festivals and a cookbook coming out around Christmas time good way to preserve culture," Ms. Vorhauer explained). "The Midwestern Latina is very different," she continued. "It's a struggle to maintain culture. We're isolated here and need each other I guess that isolation has made us strong.

"If we can help our women manage a life style better, that's our role. Whatever our members are, we support it." OTHER NEWLY elected officers are: Maria Velasquez; vice-chairman; Barbara Soriano, secretary; Carrie Guzman, treasurer; and Suzanna Cadena, representative at large. Delia Vorhauer: a struggle to maintain culture BY THELMA HARNETT Staff Writer Can you imagine using rain water as the liquid when roasting your holiday turkey or snow, when rain water is not available? Rev. Jacob Stauffer, 716 Georgia, Williamston, a former missionary to Algeria, does. He learned this style of cooking from a French woman while on the mission field.

"IT TENDERIZES the turkey and makes the white meat moist and tasty," he said, as he was preparing five large turkeys to serve about 125 guests at the recent annual fall banquet of Greater Lansing Child Evangelism Fellowship. The event took place at First Baptist Church of Okemos. Stauffer is in charge of the custodial service and also does visitation work for the church among the people in the Extended Care Facility in Okemos. and those in other nursing homes who are related to families of the Okemos Church. The clergyman, who is frequently called upon to cook for Christian events, said he uses a quart of rain water to bake his turkey in, or heaps it with clean snow, and when the bird is almost done, he draws off the liquid and browns the turkey.

WHILE HE said he catches the rain water in clean pans and is careful to gather only very clean snow, when he uses that, he recalls how one family in Algeria caught the rain as it poured off the roof top. However, he there are hardly any trees and no birds there. Another tip in the preparation of turkey, offered by Stauffer, is to save the excess broth from the roasted turkey, freeze it, and use it, instead of water, to moisten the bread for dressing when you bake your next turkey. Staufferwho with his familyserved 15 years four terms on the mission field under the sponsorship of the Evangelical Baptist Mission, was expelled in 1971 by the Algerian government because of the Moslem philosophy there. Concluded on page C-3 He studies puzzling disorder Gourmet Cooking One delicacy of Rome i I 4 1 4 J-TMJ Working with autistic children is challenging, heartbreaking and puzzling.

Very little is known about the disorder, but one researcher is pursuing what he hopes may be an answer. By GEORGE ESPER BOSTON (AP) Imagine living in a world of echoes, your mind beleaguered by disconcerting sounds that defy meaning. Imagine trying to find the source of those sounds, to make sense of them. Researchers wonder whether this may describe the disordered world of autistic children those who seem to withdraw into themselves, unable to communicate, learn, speak or otherwise relate to the world around them. DR.

WILLIAM Condon, director of human communications research at Boston University Medical School, is trying to fit some of the pieces of this puzzle together by studying body motions in relation to sound. "The hope," he says, "is that by understanding what seems to be an autistic child's distorted view of the world, we may be able to correct for it and give him a better relationship to the world in which he exists, because he seems so much out of contact with it." There are, by conservative estimate of the National Society for Autistic Children, at least 100,000 children in the United States with this disorder and probably a lot more undiagnosed. AUTISM OCCURS in about five out of every 10,000 births and is four times more common in boys than girls. Concluded on page C-2 over the seasoned chicken. Be careful not to brush the seasonings away.

Place the chicken halves, skin side down, in a broiler pan. Set the broiler about six inches from the heat. The exact distance will depend upon the characteristics of your stove. When browned, in about 20 minutes, turn and brown the other side. As soon as you turn the chicken, mix one-half cup minced onions and two tablespoons minced parsley together.

When the chicken has broiled for about 10 minutes on the second side, spoon the onions and parsley over them. Finish broiling until done, about more. ARRANGE THE chicken on a hot serving platter and keep warm. Set the broiling pan over direct heat. Add one-half cup dry vermouth and bring to a slow boil.

Cook for one minute, dissolving the brown particles from the pan. Spoon this sauce over the hot chicken on the platter. Dish up and eat immediately. Serves four. With this, Julienne potatoes are good, or buttered noodles.

Serve tiny green peas and a tossed salad. I would select a red Frascati as the wine to serve. This Italian wine is observed more often than any other wine in the restaurants of Rome. It is produced in the By PAUL GRAVES Gannett News Service I look back some years ith a great deal of nostalgia to a period when we lived in Rome, Italy. Among the many things to be remembered with pleasure were the early afternoons spent at lunch at a restaurant called Mario's on the Via Pinciana, near the Borghese Gardens.

As time passed, we became good friends with Mario. The better the friendship, the better the food seemed to taste. THE CHEF had a wonderful way with deviled chicken, Polla Alia Diavolo. Small broilers are hard to find. Most markets limit their offerings to broiler-fryers what weight from three pounds upward.

If this is the case, get the smallest that you can find. The smaller they are, the better for broiling. Split two broilers (two pounds each) down the back. They will be neater if the backbone is cut out. Rub one-half tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes between the palms of your hands quickly to release the essence.

Rub the chicken halves with two tablespoons salt and the pepper. DRIZZLE ONE-FOURTH cup olive oil Dr. William Condon works with films of autistic children i.