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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Latinos’ Views of and Experiences With the Spanish Language
“Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish: 75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. And most Latinos (85%) say it is at least somewhat important for future generations of Latinos in the United States to speak Spanish….”
Editorial: Mexico decriminalizes abortion while U.S. states want to criminalize it
“The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice decision decriminalizing abortion last week is a landmark ruling in a country that has historically outlawed the procedure with harsh penalties for the women who sought it and the healthcare professionals who provided it.
The ruling, which governs federal law in a nation of states, makes abortion legal in federal health institutions and requires the public health service to offer it. The decision does not automatically make abortion legal in all of Mexico (the way that the Roe vs. Wade decision had made abortion legal in all of the United States). But it could speed up a movement by Mexican states to legalize the procedure. Currently, 12 out of 32 states have decriminalized abortion…”
Opinion | Stepping into the world of investigative journalism as a Mexican American reporter came with challenges, but also many rewards
“I was destined to toil in the soil — even if my 10-year-old self would have rejected the idea. As a kid, I was determined to escape after-school and weekend weeding and raking alongside my father, a gardener who landscaped homes in Santa Barbara, California, where I was born and raised.
“Study and go to college,” my no-nonsense mom would say whenever I complained about getting up at dawn on Saturdays to work.
Mom worked as a housekeeper, and my sisters and I were expected to pitch in on both of my parents’ jobs. All I wanted was to bury my head in books. My favorite teacher, years later, recalled how he’d arrive at school in the morning to find my fifth-grade self patiently sitting outside the library waiting to check out another pile of books…”
Yahritza y Su Esencia: Mexican American Identity Is Complex
“By now, many have already heard hot take after hot take about the controversy surrounding Yahritza y Su Esencia, the Mexican American musical trio that specializes in the urban sierreño subgenre. Since the start of the controversy, Latinos, especially Mexicans, have endlessly scrutinized and reexamined how the sibling trio’s comments about Mexico reflect the often contentious topic of Mexican American identity. Many Mexicans have argued that Mexican Americans forget the “Mexican” part of their identity and instead choose to fully lean into — and sometimes weaponize — the “American” part. As a first-generation Mexican American, a part of me can’t help but agree…”
https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/yahritza-y-su-esencia-mexican-american-identity-is-complex/
Facts on Latinos in the U.S.
“There were 62.5 million Latinos in the United States in 2021, accounting for approximately 19% of the total U.S. population. In 1980, with a population of 14.8 million, Hispanics made up just 7% of the total U.S. population…”
https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheet/latinos-in-the-us-fact-sheet/
US Census breakdown: The largest racial group in each Bay Area county
“Newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau breaks down the largest racial group in each of the nine Bay Area counties. The data, released on Thursday in a report from the 2020 Census, is divided into subcategories, including age, sex and race.
The Bay Area’s population is 7,765,640, and the largest racial group is white people at 39.2% (3,047,707), according to the latest U.S. Census data. The region’s second-largest group is Asians at approximately 27.9% (2,171,656)…”
Mexican-American artist Angelica Contreras uses her artwork to explore identity, culture, and social justice
“One of the most pronounced differences between Southern California and Wisconsin are the winters, and for Angelica Contreras six years ago, that was what welcomed her to Madison. Although Contreras moved from Los Angeles, she grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico. After earning a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in art education, Contreras moved back to the United States and eventually ended up in Madison where she was able to connect with a community of artists…”
How Tajin Expands its Marketing Beyond its Mexican American Core Consumer
“Tajin, the Mexican company that produces several varieties of condiments consisting predominantly of chili peppers, lime and salt, entered the U.S. market in 1993. It has since obtained a considerable following among Mexican Americans. The brand also targets the overall U.S. population transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Portada interviewed Luis Alfaro, Brand Leader at Tajin USA…”
Black And Mexican Americans Displaced From Palm Springs, California, Neighborhood Seeking Reparations
“Lawrence W. McFarland grew up on a parcel of land on a Native American reservation in Palm Springs, California. One day, the family was told to leave their home. As a little boy, McFarland, his mother, and his brother packed their belongings and moved to Cabezon, California.
McFarland told The Associated Press that his childhood home had been burned down and destroyed.
“We thought they were just cleaning up some of the old houses,” McFarland said to The AP.
In 2021, Palm Springs City Council voted to apologize to former residents for the city’s decision to displace them during the 1960s. The Native American reservation known as Section 14 was the home of Black and Mexican families, the outlet reports…”
Chicano/a studies chair Aída Hurtado named a fellow of American Education Research Association
“…Hurtado is among 24 individuals named to the 2023 AERA Fellows Program which honors scholars for their exceptional contributions to education research. Her work has focused on intersectional feminisms, particularly the effects of gender on educational success. In a novel way, she has looked at educational achievement with a focus on Latinas and Chicanas, ultimately disproving the idea that traditional Latino families just want their children to get married and have more children…”
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.,,”
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/
Pasadena Mexican American History Association Honors “Rosie” and South Pasadena Police Detective
“Commemorating more than 25 years of service to Pasadena, the Pasadena Mexican American History Association Sunday celebrated two “local heroes,” as they honored 99-year-old Herlinda Ruiz, the oldest supporter member of the organization, and South Pasadena Police Detective Lieutenant Shannon Robledo, during a luncheon event at Mijares Restaurant, itself a long time supporter of the non-profit organization…”
HACR Partnership Helps Medtronic Develop Hispanic Talent
“Cultural aspects of leadership can be very different,” Vargas said. “I wouldn’t speak up as much as others or call attention to myself.”
Her role with Medtronic was her first American corporate job, coming after an eight-year career at a company in Switzerland. That shift made the Mexican-born professional unsure about how to navigate the corporate world. “The shift to working with people who didn’t understand me, my culture,” she said. “It was the first time I realized that I was different.”…
https://www.yahoo.com/now/hacr-partnership-helps-medtronic-develop-121500788.html
Business Mexico draws young American professionals working remotely
“…“They love the climate,” she said. “They love the people, the culture, the food, the beauty.”
“Yes, of course, safety can be an issue. … And when I say quality of life, I mean of course, we can’t avoid the fact that your dollar goes a long way in Mexico,” she added.
According to data from the U.S. Department of State, there are over 1.6 million U.S. citizens living in Mexico, but that number only includes people who have applied for legal residency, which some remote workers do not do.
Mexico City’s tourism agency said more than 1.9 million foreigners arrived at the capital city’s international airport during just the first half of this year. They spent almost $2 billion in hotel stays there….”
https://vigourtimes.com/mexico-draws-young-american-professionals-working-remotely/
Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month
“…The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.5 million in 2021, up from 50.5 million in 2010. The 19% increase in the Hispanic population was faster than the nation’s 7% growth rate, but slower than the 23% increase in the Asian population. In 2021, Hispanics made up nearly one-in-five people in the U.S. (19%) – the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is up from 16% in 2010 and just 5% in 1970…”
Does Culture Affect our Personality?
“…Loosely defined, culture refers to the shared values, beliefs and norms of a specific group of people. Culture, therefore, influences the manner we learn, live and behave. Because of this, many theorists believe that culture is an important shaper of our personality. One of the general assumptions asserting the effect of culture to personality is that people who are born and bred in the same culture share common personality traits…”
https://explorable.com/culture-and-personality
10 Fastest-Growing Jobs for Hispanic and Latino Americans
“…In the second quarter of 2020, the Hispanic and Latino unemployment rate was 16.7%, the highest unemployment rate in that period compared with those of white, Black and Asian Americans. More recently, in the second quarter of 2021, the Hispanic and Latino unemployment rate was 7.2% — 2.1 and 1.6 percentage points higher than the white and Asian unemployment rates, respectively, and 2 percentage points lower than the Black unemployment rate…”
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/10-fastest-growing-jobs-for-hispanic-and-latino-americans/
Latinos experience discrimination from other Latinos about as much as from non-Latinos
“…Latinos experience discrimination in different ways. In 2021, 23% of Latino Spanish speakers said they had been criticized for speaking Spanish in public, and 20% of all Latinos said they were called offensive names in the last 12 months. Sometimes, Latinos themselves discriminate against other Latinos or make racially insensitive comments or jokes about other Latinos…”
Fight Song Civil rights lawyer Jose Padilla champions the people of rural California.
‘Jose Padilla’s 40-plus years of “lawyering against power” began with a win before a skeptical judge—his father. After graduating from law school at UC Berkeley in 1978, Padilla, ’74, was poised to fulfill a promise he had made to the community leader who wrote him a recommendation for Stanford: He was coming home to the Imperial Valley, an expanse of sun-scorched scrubland snugged between San Diego and the Arizona border and transformed into prime farm country by the waters of the All-American Canal and the sweat of workers like Padilla’s grandparents…”
