Lugging little more than their clothing, four Hispanic children rushed toward a green 1978 Bonneville to continue their race across Texas. They were evading immigration and law enforcement authorities for fear of being separated from one another and their only caretaker, an adult brother who is also an illegal immigrant.
And then the director shouted, “Cut!”
It was another scene in Pasadena resident Baldemar Rodriguez’s first feature film, El Nacional. He is the director, a lead actor, co-pro
Read more…
A Magic Valley lawmaker is serving on a new state task force to improve Hispanic education in Idaho. Republican Bert Brackett of Rogerson says a 3-year plan should attempt to build on programs already in place, and target other groups of students who struggle.
Brackett admits the state doesn't have money to pour into new initiatives or programs, and he says the task force may have a greater chance of success with a plan that doesn't single out just one group of students. READ FULL STORYRead more…
For Cicero resident Leticia Franco, a single mother, a typical day includes working as a part-time cashier, caring for her 10-year-old son, and preparing for the GED exam she hopes to take this summer and that, once passed, will bring her closer to her long-term dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Franco, 27, took another important step toward achieving her goals earlier this year when she signed up for financial counseling sessions as part of a pilot program, Mujer Avanzando, that's aimed a
Read more…
The call came from out of the blue. Come to the hospital quickly, said a friend of Crystal Trinidad, then 14.
Lupe Morin, Crystal’s grandmother, rushed to the ER, where she found her granddaughter lying in bed, her wrists already bandaged. She had gouged them earlier with a sharp object, trying to commit suicide.
“That’s when I discovered everything that was going on,” Morin said. “Crystal was tired of seeing her mother depressed, of moving from house to house. ... They were very poor, and my
Read more…
POLITICO recently published a couple of articles that painted a pretty bleak picture of the prospects of the GOP winning back Hispanic voters (“Republicans Sound Alarm on Hispanic Voter Gap,” May 18; “RNC Hiring Chafes Top Hispanics,” May 20). I was quoted in both articles and felt it necessary to expand on my remarks and add some observations.
While it is true that many Hispanic Republican leaders are anxious to see progress on efforts to regain lost ground among Hispanic voters, this should
Read more…
For years, AIDS advocates predominantly geared their outreach programs to gay, white men.
With Latinos and blacks now accounting for the majority of new cases, AIDS advocates say they face cultural hurdles in retooling their outreach efforts.
“HIV for a long time didn't affect other subcultures of our population so, there weren't education messages,” said David Brinkman, executive director of the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs. READ FULL STORYRead more…
United Way of Greater Toledo currently employs eight Latinos who work at the social service agency in a variety of capacities. Here are brief biographies of the eight, along with some personal insight into the work they perform for United Way and the community.
Milva Valenzuela Wagner
Milva Valenzuela Wagner serves as United Way’s Director of Major Gifts. She cultivates and develops relationships with donors and potential donors in order to enhance individual gifts, both annual and planned. Sh
Read more…
The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court prompted discussion about our use of “Hispanic,” “Latino” and related terms. It’s not a simple issue, and I consulted with a number of reporters and editors here who offered good counsel.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
• While both “Latino” and “Hispanic” are generally acceptable, some people have a strong preference. We should respect those preferences as much as possible in referring to individuals and groups; reporters and
Read more…
Organization tries to leap hurdles to double its ranks of Hispanic Boy Scouts
The smells of roasting jalapeños and buttery pancakes swirled together in the Tinley Park forest preserve campsite as mothers chattering in Spanish prepared breakfast for the boys in Cub Scout Pack 3345.
The mostly Mexican-American children, wolfing down their meal in the southern Cook County woods, represented what the Boy Scouts of America see as their new face after striving for nearly 100 years to embody painter
Read more…
TOP Ten signs your Dentist used to be a CholoBy Al Carloswww.LatinoLA.com10. When you need to be put under, a Homeboy knocks you out.9. Every time you tell him it hurts, he slaps you in back of the head and calls you a punk.8. Also does Tattoos.7. Chair goes up, back, side to side.6. When you ask him “Why a root canal?” he tells you he needs new 24’s for his bucket.5. Everyone leaves with gold bicuspids no matter what.4. Primers your face, bondos your fillings.3. While he is working on your moutRead more…
Pan-American, Ibero-American, USA National Weightlifting Championships taking place in Chicago June 4-7
CHICAGO-(June 3, 2009)-World Sport Chicago, the living legacy of Chicago 2016, is hosting more than 270 male and female athletes from 20 countries for the Pan-American, Ibero-American and USA National Weightlifting Championships taking place in Chicago from June 4-7 at the UIC Forum at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The event will help determine the athletes that go on to compete in
Read more…
Puerto Rican and various Hispanic groups are upset with the carrier, Spirit Airlines, for using a cartoon image of a ‘dark skinned’ Latina judge "Justice Ochita Supreme,” to promote their recent $8 ticket campaign, reports El Diario La Prensa. This was launched the day after President Obama named Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Madelyn Lugo, chair of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, who filed a complaint against the airline, said she understands that companies want to promote their p
Read more…
It has the makings of a telenovela: A handsome Cuban-American priest and TV personality caught cavorting with his girlfriend on a Florida beach. After much soul-searching, he decides to leave the Catholic Church for his love.
Even as many Americans scratch their heads and ask "Father who?" the saga of the Rev. Alberto Cutie has become a media sensation in the Latino community, both here and in Latin America.
"It's in all the papers in my country," said Costa Rican masseuse Karla Nolee, hersel
Read more…
When Luz Reyes moved to Central Oregon last year from Salem, she was surprised at the lack of diversity in the area.
"Wow, I'm the only bean in a field of rice," she said.
Though she found everyone welcoming at Central Oregon Community College where she studies nursing, she still felt a little left out.
"You're pretty much on your own in terms of diversity," she said.
Reyes, 20, is part of a growing population of Hispanics in Deschutes County who are changing the fabric of the area. From lib
Read more…
Hispanics in Massachusetts are less likely than whites to have visited a physician in the last year, according to a survey that was funded by the Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Springfield Republican reports. The survey also found that Hispanics were about twice as likely as whites to visit an emergency department for a non-emergency condition. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Attorney Luz Herrera hopes that Sonia Sotomayor, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, can get across the message that the Latino experience is already 'a part of the fabric of U.S. society.'
I made a pilgrimage to Compton last week in search of wisdom, to a little storefront with bars over the windows and a liquor-grocer next door.
Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court nominee, set me off on this quest with her oft-repeated observation that "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences
Read more…
The most attention-grabbing case of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's began when a Connecticut city rejected the results of a firefighter-promotion test because whites outscored blacks and Hispanics.
In the case, likely to be a hot-button issue at her confirmation hearings, city officials said they tossed the 2003 test results fearing bias lawsuits from minorities who did not qualify for elevation. Sotomayor endorsed New Haven's action. The terse opinion she joined appeared to minimize t
Read more…
By nominating a Hispanic theologian, Miguel Diaz, to become the US ambassador to the Holy See. President Obama is posing a serious challenge to the Catholic Church, according to a Time magazine analysis. The President is trying to woo Hispanic Catholics, the magazine suggests, and thereby pull them away from the influence of the Catholic hierarchy while solidifying the strength of the Democratic party among Hispanic voters. In a crass example of politicization of religion, Time claims: "The Ame
Read more…
By Al Carlos Hernandez, Contributing EditorPublished on LatinoLA: May 27, 200910. She's Latina, so she's used to being lied to by experts.9. Like other Justices, she already has the shoes and purse to match the gown.8. She hates baseball owners as much as the fans do.7. Grew up the Housing Projects, so the other Justices will be afraid of her and give her the best parking space.6. As a Catholic, she's used to listening to boring guys in robes.5. Highest ranking Latino in the history of the USA.4
Read more…
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, is thrilled to present the 2009 NCLR Annual Conference, “A New Era of Responsibility: Community, Unity, Purpose,” in Chicago, Illinois on July 25–28 at McCormick Place West.
This year, the NCLR Annual Conference will offer nearly 60 thought-provoking workshops along 12 tracks that range from Community Empowerment and Education to Policy and Workforce Development. N
Read more…