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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Politics

Immigrants and children of immigrants make up at least 15% of the 118th Congress

“…Children of immigrants, though, have increased their representation in Congress in recent years. Their share has increased from 10% (or 52 members) in the 115th Congress of 2017-18, when the Center began tracking this biographical information…”

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/02/28/immigrants-and-children-of-immigrants-make-up-at-least-15-of-the-118th-congress/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=9bf94bb349-PRC_WEEKLY_2023_03_04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-9bf94bb349-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

This Mexican Activist Is Helping Americans Defy Abortion Bans, Time Magazine Woman of the Year

“For Verónica Cruz Sánchez, the past year has felt like traveling back in time. Since 2000, Cruz’s feminist activist network, Las Libres, has transformed the experience of getting an abortion in Guanajuato, a deeply conservative Mexican state that had criminalized abortion in almost all circumstances. Cruz and her colleagues have worked to distribute misoprostol, a WHO-approved abortion pill, across Guanajuato, helping women feel confident in its safety, and inspiring similar networks in other Mexican states. But north of the border, the mood is more tense. “In the U.S., the women we see are terrified,” Cruz says. “They have very little knowledge about the pills.”…”

https://time.com/6259106/veronica-cruz-sanchez/

Politicians say they’ll stop fentanyl smugglers. Experts say new drug war won’t work

“…Even if China and Mexico were willing or able to help fight the cartels, stopping fentanyl smugglers would still be incredibly difficult.

The U.S. is actually seizing record amounts of fentanyl in drug busts, but the drug is so cheap to manufacture, the cartels just make more.

That doesn’t mean the fentanyl crisis is hopeless. According to Trone, a more promising strategy is to focus on reducing American hunger for drugs.

“That’s the only chance we’ve got,” he said. “Without the Mexican government’s help, without the Chinese government’s help, we can’t win [against the smugglers]. So we have to go on the demand side, work on all the things with education, work on treatment, work on prevention.”…”

https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/02/21/politicians-say-theyll-stop-fentanyl-smugglers-experts-say-new-drug-war-wont-work

UCLA alumnus’ friends, family urge release from wrongful detainment in Venezuela

“…Eyvin Hernandez, a double alumnus and a Los Angeles County public defender, went missing in late March 2022 following a vacation in Colombia after he accompanied a friend to the Venezuelan border, according to the LA Times. Martinez said Hernandez had no intentions of entering the country, but in April, he was confirmed to be arrested, charged with criminal association and conspiracy, and detained in Venezuela, according to NBC…”

https://dailybruin.com/2023/02/05/ucla-alumnus-friends-family-urge-release-from-wrongful-detainment-in-venezuela

 

To advance ‘North American Idea,’ fortify bond between Canada, Mexico, experts say

“…Canada could also be taking a more active role in working with Mexico to protect against some of the threats to democracy that exist in Latin American countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, Boehm added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s last day in Mexico City was dedicated entirely to reinforcing ties with Mexico, beginning with a speech to business leaders that portrayed Canada as a free-trade champion and a wise place to invest.

Already, foreign direct investment in Canada in the last year has fuelled the growth of electric vehicle manufacturing and critical minerals development that has created some 17,000 jobs, Trudeau told his audience…”

https://www.bradfordtoday.ca/national-news/to-advance-north-american-idea-fortify-bond-between-canada-mexico-experts-say-6411459

What’s behind the Mexican wave of optimism?

“Mexico’s economy was relatively robust in 2022, while its equity market comfortably outperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

In many ways the backdrop for 2023 looks considerably less favourable, yet there is optimism regarding Mexico’s outlook. Amid increased geopolitical concerns and a fundamental shift in global supply chains, Mexico stands to be a potential winner…”

https://www.schroders.com/en/us/professional-investor/insights/equities/whats-behind-the-mexican-wave-of-optimism/

As ‘Three Amigos’ meet in Mexico, experts call on leaders for North American vision

“With Canadian and Mexican manufacturers added in the 11th hour to Biden’s plan to encourage the sale of climate-friendly electric vehicles, there will be room to talk about more familiar irritants like trade disputes and U.S. protectionism…

…As a country that’s not immune to the influences of irregular migration and the flow of fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border, Canada will need to be part of that conversation as well, one that’s widely expected to dominate the agenda…”

https://www.sootoday.com/national-news/as-three-amigos-meet-in-mexico-experts-call-on-leaders-for-north-american-vision-6349468

 

I’m Mexican American. But the LA City Council audio leak reminded me that I’m Oaxacan too

“…I felt lightheaded as if I’d stood up too quickly as I processed their words. “Tan feos,” she said. So ugly. A prominent Mexican American had invoked stereotypes about a group that, for so long, has been among the most marginalized in Mexico, a country that has long refused to acknowledge systemic colorism and racism.

As shown in a transcript, then-Councilmember Gil Cedillo followed Martinez’s comments by saying, “I’m glad they’re wearing shoes.” Former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera casually mentioned his mother used to call Oaxacans “Indios,” or Indians, a word often used not as an identifier but spat as an insult.,,”

https://www.starbeacon.com/region/im-mexican-american-but-the-la-city-council-audio-leak-reminded-me-that-im-oaxacan/article_c9a32aa1-5ccb-5667-80c2-92c13ac9545b.html

Millions of Americans have left the country. Where are they going, and why?

“..After the 2004 reelection of George W. Bush, the 2020 election of Joe Biden and the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Google search interest in moving to Canada spiked. It happened again in June, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade. According to recent Gallup polls, as many as 15 percent of Americans say they want to leave the country permanently, and even more say they would consider expatriating under the right circumstances…”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/23/american-emigrants/

‘Emma Tenayuca Memorial Way’ first step in new effort to honor Mexican-American legacy in San Antonio

“…Tenayuca led the 1938 pecan-shellers’ strike of nearly 12,000 mostly Mexican-American workers. The strike protested unjust wages and horrible working conditions, and it is still the biggest in San Antonio’s history. Her niece and nephew, Sharyll Teneyuca — who spells her last name differently — and Dennis Campa, were present at the announcement and spoke about who Tenayuca was…”

https://www.tpr.org/government-politics/2022-11-30/emma-tenayuca-memorial-way-first-step-in-new-effort-to-honor-mexican-american-legacy-in-san-antonio

First look: Latino consultants launch bipartisan news aggregation site

“A pair of Latino consultants — one Democrat and one Republican — is launching a new website focused specifically on curating news about Latino voters.

The big picture: Latino.vote aims to be a RealClearPolitics or Drudge Report-like aggregation source for any news about Hispanic voters, a growing bloc whose political power is being closely tracked amid recent shifts in voting behavior.

With Lack of Opportunities for Mexican Doctors, Should They Join the Export Revolution?

“The outlook is pretty dim for doctors working in Mexico. The job market offers limited opportunities for health professionals in the country, who believe that only through policy support from the federal government, things will then turn positive.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador got grilled in early May after announcing the hiring of 500 Cuban health professionals to be enrolled into the ranks of the country’s public health system. López Obrador claimed it as a necessary measure to combat Mexico’s deficit of health specialists, but doctors and universities argued otherwise, pointing to the long lines of unemployed nationals who wait for a shot at working in one of the country’s several public health institutions..”

https://nearshoreamericas.com/with-lack-of-opportunities-for-mexican-doctors-should-they-join-the-export-revolution/.

Mexican American superhero saves Ukrainian civilians in comic book issue

“For the better part of a decade, the Mexican American superhero created by Héctor Rodríguez has helped immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border fight Mexican cartels, corrupt officials and human traffickers.

Now Mexico’s refusal to criticize Russia or support Ukraine has prompted the comic book creator to send “El Peso Hero” to war-torn Ukraine…”

https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/1091199402/mexican-american-superhero-saves-ukrainian-civilians-in-comic-book-issue

The Quad: Chilean president-elect reflects political power of young progressives

“On March 11, 36-year-old Gabriel Boric will be sworn into office as the youngest president in Chile’s history. A member of the millennial generation, Boric has garnered media attention with his young age and activist past.

His win signifies what some political scientists have referred to as the “marea rosa” – or pink tide – a trend toward left-wing governments and away from neoliberal economic policies in democratic nations across Latin America..”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/03/09/the-quad-chilean-president-elect-reflects-political-power-of-young-progressives.

Mexican President accuses US of acting in bad faith

“Mexico, Feb 23 (Prensa Latina) President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is misinformed about the assassinations of journalists in Mexico or is acting in bad faith…”

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/02/23/mexican-president-accuses-us-of-acting-in-bad-faith/

 

Can Mexico turbocharge pandemic nearshoring by US firms?

“…Encourage more US firms to move businesses they have offshored to China and Southeast Asia closer to home.“Some of our members have been successfully nearshoring to Mexico for several years,” Aburto told Al Jazeera. “About 5 percent of our members had taken up nearshoring prior to the pandemic.”

How Effectively Is Mexico Fighting the Covid Pandemic?

“… Like other populist regimes, Mexico’s federal government has refused to face reality and has instead downplayed the magnitude of the crisis while accusing adversaries of exaggerating it for political purposes. This bodes ill both for overcoming the pandemic and for Mexican democracy, as the attempt to generate an alternative narrative perpetuates Mexico’s poor management of Covid-19—now irrefutably one of the most deficient in the world, with a death rate of 252.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. The federal government’s release of the corrected pandemic figures, however, is good news. The revised data is consistent with the death toll for Mexico City, published a few months ago by different groups of experts, who sounded the alarm on the underreporting of deaths from Covid-19. It is encouraging that decades of investments in independent information systems financed by Mexican taxpayers, such as those of INEGI and the National Council for the…”

https://www.thedialogue.org/analysis/how-effectively-is-mexico-fighting-the-covid-pandemic/

 

SC campaign highlights culture, traditions of Hispanic Heritage

“Every day during Hispanic Heritage Month, an SC agency is sharing details about food, music, historical figures, and yearly festivities from Latin American countries…”

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/community/south-carolina-campaign-highlights-hispanic-culture-traditions/101-ac55c4e3-f4a5-4070-82ef-a3666ea0d0ab

 

The new Latino landscape The swift growth of U.S. Latinos is reshaping big states and small towns. Meet the faces of a new era.

“…Hispanics accounted for over half of the nation’s population growth in the last decade. This is not just reflected in larger cities, but in mountain towns, Southern neighborhoods and Midwestern prairies.  “The Latino population has been dispersing across the United States for years — a reflection of where the nation’s population is moving and where opportunities are located,” said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center…”

https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/new-latino-landscape/

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With PBS Wisconsin

“Every year since 1988, Congress has recognized Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighting the impact of Hispanic Americans on our nation and recognizing five of our Central American neighbors who celebrate their independence in September.PBS Wisconsin pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have enriched American society and culture with these programs airing in September and October on PBS Wisconsin and on the PBS App on your phone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV, other digital TV devices and many Smart TVs…”

https://pbswisconsin.org/article/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month-with-pbs-wisconsin/

 


  

Poem
“…And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while…”

T.S. Eliot
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Mexican American Proarchive Annual Report for 2022

The American Community Survey is an annual survey administered by the federal government to help local officials and community leaders and businesses understand the changes that take place in their communities. It includes percentages of our population’s graduate school attainment and the employment of Mexican Americans in various occupations.  These important factors influence the allocation of federal resources. Mexican American Proarchives uses the data provided by the American Community Survey to better understand how Mexican Americans compare to the general population.

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