Members of the Satélite Newspaper were prohibited to distribute their publication that featured Miss Mexican Fiesta 1990-91 on the front page with a one piece polka-dot swimsuit at the three-day festival in late August.
According to sources at the WHSF, MF generates thousands of dollars in revenue during the three-day fest at Summerfest, compared to what is awarded as scholarships to students.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 10, 2021
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - This August will mark the 31st Anniversary of the infamous case that made national news regarding a civil lawsuit claim filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 1991 regarding a decision made by Mexican Fiesta organizers to prohibit the distribution of the local Satélite Newspaper at the three-day Fiesta on August 1990 at the Summerfest grounds.
Mexican Fiesta (MF) organizers released information to the local mainstream media, the Milwaukee Journal now the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that they would be prohibiting the Satélite Newspaper, Vol. 6, No. 4, August 1990 that featured Miss Mexican Fiesta Adriana Tostado 1990-91 in a one piece polka-dot swimsuit on the front page of the Satélite Newspaper from being distributed at the Fiesta.
When H. Nelson Goodson, the Managing Editor and Ricardo Gracia, Founder and Editor-in-Chief from Satélite Newspaper (the plaintiffs) attempted to distribute the issue of the newspaper at the Mexican Fiesta event, they were escorted out of the festival grounds. Both Goodson, Gracia and GGG Satélite Corporation filed a lawsuit on June 24, 1991 against (defendants) the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee World Festival Inc. who operates Summerfest, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Council 9900 (Mexican Fiesta, Inc.), Oscar Cervera and Joseph Ochoa claiming that they violated their First Amendment right and that Summerfest grounds are considered a Public Forum.
On June 12, 1992, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William D. Gardner ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Judge Gardner found that Summerfest grounds during Mexican Fiesta is considered a Public Forum established by government designation...The city government created the grounds to be a place where the public could gather and experience the ethnic and cultural diversity of the community.
The plaintiffs First Amendment right to freedom of expression were violated when the defendants banned distribution of Satélite and the other articles on the Summerfest grounds during Mexican Fiesta, Judge Gardner ruled.
Years later, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Council 9900 (Mexican Fiesta, Inc.), began to operated as 501C(3) non-profit organization. As 501C(3) non-profit organization, Rodolfo "Rudy"Martinez was the first President for LULAC Council 9900 who was awarded the three-day slot weekend by the City of Milwaukee and Bo Black from Summerfest to operate Mexican Fiesta, which was successful and profitable.
When Martinez finish his term, new LULAC Council 9900 officials were elected and several new LULAC Councils were started by UMOS.
Eventually, business individuals witnessed the profit generated by Mexican Fiesta and decide to a take over with the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, which continued as a non-profit organization with the current LULAC Councils 342 and 343.
Today, Mexican Fiesta provides a certain amount of scholarships and LULAC national matches the amount of scholarships offered by WHSF.
MF draws more than 80,000 festivalgoers per year. Last year, MF was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MF volunteers are the back bone of the WHSF's success.
WHSF who was affiliated with Wisconsin LULAC Councils 319 and 322 and the LULAC National says, it had given out over $1.2M in prior scholarships, but none were ever given to DREAMers until 2014 after Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) exposed the lack of scholarships awarded to DREAMers (DACA). About 100 scholarships are awarded every year, according to WHSF.
The WHSF hasn't made its generated revenues public after the three-day festival and no information is made available regarding any investments made from profits, since awarded scholarships are limited per year.
990's IRS filing tax forms from 2001 to 2021 for Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation https://tinyurl.com/4x6h53mn
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