The traditional Spanish empowerment chant "Si, se puede!" ("Yes, we can!") rung a little truer Friday as New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow told a crowd on the steps of City Hall that he would push for an ordinance criminalizing wage theft.
New Orleans has become ground zero in a national effort to protect mostly Hispanic day laborers after recent surveys found about 80 percent of them have been stiffed on promised wages in the New Orleans area, mostly after finishing jobs rebuild
Read more…
Much has already been written about President Obama’s nomination of federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court, but not much has been substantive or meaningful to the American public, which may live under her judicial rulings for decades.
I (as any Latino or non-Latino should) am waiting for a comprehensive scrutiny of her views, professional background and qualifications before weighing an opinion on her suitability for the highest judicial office in the land.
One thing
Read more…
World War II was a turning point for the United States, and the war had an impact on U.S. Latinos just as much as other groups.
It has been estimated that anywhere from 250,000 to as many as 750,000 Latinos and Latinas served in the armed forces during World War II.
After the war, more Latinos, including veterans, took active political roles to press for crucial improvements. WWII veteran Joe Bernal, whose story is featured in the exhibit, served first in the Texas House and later in the Texas
Read more…
When two Democratic state senators, Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, joined Republicans on the Senate floor Monday to kick off their surprise takeover of the chamber, almost every other Democratic senator in the room walked out in anger, shock or disgust.
But as Mr. Espada stood to be sworn in as the new president of the Senate, several other Latino lawmakers, all members of the Assembly, filed into the room and stood behind him, beaming like proud parents.
“There are over two million L
Read more…
Texas A&M may soon welcome the largest freshman class in the nation.
8,200 students are slated to begin class this year, about 100 more than last year. This will be the largest freshman class in the university's history and will push the overall enrollment to an all-time high.
More than 26,000 applied for admission into the university this year.
A&M officials attribute the jump in enrollment to the university's reputation as a "best value" institution.
Texas A&M University released the foll
Read more…
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…
