Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano to receive Luis Leal Award
‘Reporter, author, columnist and food writer Gustavo Arellano has covered California’s fastest growing — and now biggest — ethnic group for the past two decades. His coverage of the complex influences of Mexican-American culture on the Golden State and beyond has ranged widely from weekly satire to long-form investigations — a body of work that will be honored by UC Santa Barbara’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature…”
Peso Pluma, Karol G, Gaby Moreno, Natalia Lafourcade & More Latin Winners at the 2024 Grammys
“…There, Peso Pluma, who was not nominated for the 2023 Latin Grammys, became a Grammy-winning artist when he received the award for best música mexicana álbum (including tejano) for Génesis.
The Mexican star was not there to accept his golden gramophone for the set — which shook the music world with hits such as “Rosa Pastel” with Jasiel Núñez and “Lady Gaga” with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H and…”
https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/2024-grammys-latin-winners-list-1235597719/
Aging in disadvantaged neighborhoods may worsen age-related cognitive problems, especially among Mexican Americans
“…A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, and other institutions analyzed data from 1,614 participants age 50 years or older in the Health and Aging Brain Study — Health Disparities. More than half of the participants identified as Mexican American, with the rest non-Hispanic White, and were on average age 66. To measure cognition, the researchers examined performance on cognitive tests assessing memory, language, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning. Neighborhood disadvantage of each participant’s current residence was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index, which uses indicators of poverty, education, housing, and employment….”
The Mexican American
“I had gone through school from the first grade through law school speaking English, learning at an early age that Spanish was not to be used in school. Then, as I started my law practice, my first clients were Spanish speaking. I had to try and relearn the language we had spoken at home when I was an infant. Soon, young Chicano teachers and students challenged the Los Angeles District’s racist tactics of stripping children of their heritage, language, and culture. The accusation and the public debate that followed caused many of us to ask “What am I?”…”
https://www.languagemagazine.com/2024/01/16/the-mexican-american/
[Event] Mexico Summit on Anti-Corruption & Compliance Program
‘ACI’s Mexico Summit on Anti-Corruption & Compliance Programs returns on March 13-14, 2024 in Mexico City!
Given the uncertainty with the looming Presidential election, as well as increased U.S. enforcement focus on Mexico and the region, this conference is the best opportunity for industry in Mexico to network and gain the latest best compliance practices…”
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/event-mexico-summit-on-anti-corruption-5765129/
Mexican professional dancer reunites with his mom after more than 20 years separated
“Daniel Zapata Colón had not seen his mother since he was a young boy in Acapulco, Mexico. She had left for the U.S. in 1999, hoping the move would lead to a better life for her son.
“I had to build a future for him and that was why we decided to come,” Araceli Colón, Daniel’s mother, told Telemundo Arizona in Spanish.
But their more than 20-year separation came to an end last week when Daniel, a professional dancer, came to the U.S. to compete in a Latin dance championship. It was also the perfect opportunity to stop by Phoenix, where his mother lives, and give her the hug he had long yearned for…”
Immigration: USC experts available to discuss America’s most polarizing topic
“There’s a dichotomy in the visibility of Latinos, being hyper-visible in some aspects while remaining invisible in other dimensions of our society,” said Natalia Molina, distinguished professor of American studies and ethnicity at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“The influence of Latino culture is widespread, exemplified by a recent Pew Foundation study indicating that approximately 1 in 10 U.S. restaurants serve Mexican food. This study emphasizes the active role of Latinos in shaping American culture, not merely being shaped by it,” she said….”
https://today.usc.edu/immigration-usc-experts-available-to-discuss-americas-most-polarizing-topic/
Ag experts laud trade between U.S., Canada and Mexico
“…Salmonsen was joined by embassy officials from Mexico and Canada in lauding the trade relationship among the three countries during AFBF’s annual convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 21.
“There are more things that make us alike than make us different,” said Brenda Martinez Vegara, a trade specialist with the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. “It’s very important for us to learn from each other.”…”
Views on the importance of language to national identity
“…Opinions are strongest in Hungary, Indonesia and the Netherlands, where 96% say speaking the most common language is important, and at least six-in-ten say it is very important. High shares echo this sentiment in Brazil and Kenya, where around three-quarters or more say it is very important. Even in the U.S. – where people are the least likely to place importance on speaking the most common language –…”
Experts Warn of High Sargassum Seaweed Levels in Mexico, Caribbean and Florida
“…The sargassum mass is “nearly five times larger” than the mass discovered last year and could arrive by February and last through October.
A research group, Sargassum Monitoring, said the seaweed mass could reach the northern Antilles in around three weeks before landing on beaches in the Dominican Republic in March…”
The Mexican American
“I had gone through school from the first grade through law school speaking English, learning at an early age that Spanish was not to be used in school. Then, as I started my law practice, my first clients were Spanish speaking. I had to try and relearn the language we had spoken at home when I was an infant. Soon, young Chicano teachers and students challenged the Los Angeles District’s racist tactics of stripping children of their heritage, language, and culture. The accusation and the public debate that followed caused many of us to ask “What am I?”…”
https://www.languagemagazine.com/2024/01/16/the-mexican-american/
About 1 in 10 restaurants in the U.S. serve Mexican food
“Mexican culture is widely established in America’s restaurants. Some 11% of restaurants in the United States serve Mexican food, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from SafeGraph, which curates information about millions of places of interest around the globe, and the user review site Yelp.
Although especially common in California and Texas, Mexican restaurants are found in a large majority of counties in the U.S. Some 37.2 million people in the U.S. trace their ancestry to Mexico, making Mexican Americans by far the largest Hispanic origin group in the nation…”
Key facts about Hispanic eligible voters in 2024
“Latinos have grown at the second-fastest rate of any major racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last presidential election. An estimated 36.2 million are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020. This represents 50% of the total growth in eligible voters during this time.
Every year, about 1.4 million Hispanics in the U.S. become eligible to vote…”
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/10/key-facts-about-hispanic-eligible-voters-in-2024/
SWE’s Second Virtual Event in Mexico: Fostering Women’s Professional Development
“SWE Mexico held a “Strengthening the Network” virtual event series which took place on 14, 21, and 28 Sept. 2023, consisting of two-hour sessions each day. A testament to the growth of networking in Mexico, there were 577 registrants from industries all over Latin America.
Five companies participated in the event: Cummins, PepsiCo, John Deere, Honeywell, and ABB. Two leading universities, La Salle University and UACJ (Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez), also participated. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about SWE, create connections, acquire significant knowledge and share experiences across various STEM fields with fellow Spanish-speaking participants…”
https://alltogether.swe.org/2024/01/swe-mexico-virtual-event/
Mexican American family launches food truck in Lewisville
“…Sol Muniz and his wife, Karla Delgado, opened La Callejera food truck on Thanksgiving Day. “We figured what better way to give thanks than to work on the opening of our food truck. We actually had a good day,” Muniz said.
The family moved to the Triad from Palm Springs last June to be closer to Delgado’s mother and stepfather. “We wanted to give our kids a better life, better schooling,” Muniz said.
“California had gotten so expensive,” Delgado said. “And my mom was always saying, ‘You should move here and get a food trailer’ – so we did!”…
Former San Clemente Columnist Remembered for Political Activism, Valuing Connections
“On Saturday, Jan. 6, family and friends gathered in Downey to celebrate the life of Herman Sillas Jr., a man of many talents who impacted numerous fields, particularly Mexican American activism, during his professional career.
Among his accomplishments, Sillas authored a long-running column in the San Clemente Sun Post News, titled View from the Pier, and a book called View from the Pier: Stories from San Clemente, in addition to many poems. He later wrote View from the Pier for the SC Times…”
World US, Mexico agree to strengthen efforts to curb record migration
“…Following a visit to Mexico by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the countries said they would seek to strengthen a sponsorship initiative for Venezuelan, Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants and look to tackle the root causes of migration…”
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-mexico-keep-border-crossings-open-lopez-obrador-says-2023-12-28/
Biden, Mexico’s president agree more border enforcement needed
“MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart agreed during a call on Thursday that more enforcement at the border between their countries is needed, the White House said, as record numbers of people trying to cross have disrupted trade.
Top U.S. officials – including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Homeland Security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall – will travel to Mexico in coming days to meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the issue, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing with reporters…”
https://www.reuters.com/world/mexican-president-speak-biden-thursday-migration-eyed-2023-12-21/
Texas’ new border law will hurt children and taxpayers, experts say
“…Abbott is spending millions on the border in the name of public safety, but there has been little impact on drug flow or crime rates, wrote Democratic El Paso County Commissioner David Stout. The new law will require Texan taxpayers to fund expansive new criminal infrastructure to account for the estimated 88,000 additional arrests per year, Stout explained, costing at least $162 million in El Paso County alone. Texas should instead focus on “investing in immigrants, and in the trade and cultural exchange opportunities,” Stout suggested, citing studies showing that both documented and undocumented immigrants contribute to lower rates of crime and higher rates of entrepreneurship than native-born Texans…”
https://www.semafor.com/article/12/19/2023/texas-migrant-sb4-law-impact-children-taxpayers
A Philly dance group is helping Mexican American children connect to their roots
“Andrea Garcia was a professional folklore dancer in her native Mexico. But, after moving to Philly in 2016, she became a domestic worker. As a way to help her three kids connect with their Mexican identity and take a break from electronics, she cocreated Ñuuxakun in 2021. The dance group offers a bilingual and bicultural experience for kids in South Philadelphia, and has developed a following over the last year, with several forthcoming holiday performances…”
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-dance-group-nuuxakun-20231216.html
