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,”
Read More…

admin

Fronteras: New digital portal makes hard-to-find heritage Mexican American artwork more accessible

“…Museums, curators and art students use search engines and databases to access information on art works dating back hundreds of years.

But searches on art works by communities and cultures of color are often limited by an English, Eurocentric lexicon. Searches using Spanish words as common as “piñata” may yield few or even inaccurate results on Mexican American art.

Two professors on opposite sides of the U.S. created a digital portal that aims to fill that disparity…”

https://www.tpr.org/podcast/fronteras/2022-08-26/fronteras-new-digital-portal-makes-har

Report: Cuban Doctors Brought to Mexico Work in Slavery Conditions

“…A REPORT by the NGO Prisoners Defenders assured on Thursday that the members of the Cuban medical missions, which include 650 health professionals sent to Mexico, work in conditions of “slavery” and that 80% of their salaries are stolen by the authorities of the regime…”

https://elamerican.com/report-cuban-doctors-brought-to-mexico-work-in-slavery-conditions/

How to come to Canada through CUSMA If you are American or Mexican, you may be eligible for a work permit under CUSMA.

“…American and Mexican citizens do not require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada, so applications for a CUSMA work permit can be done at any Port of Entry or at a Visa office.

There are four categories of temporary work covered under CUSMA:

University of California offers admission to record-high number of California first-years as out-of-state admits decline

“..California students offered freshman admission are more diverse this year as well. Students from underrepresented groups increased to 43.8 percent of admitted California freshmen (37,377), up 2.5 percent from last year (36,462). This year, Latino and Latina students again make up the largest ethnic group among California admitted freshmen at 37.3 percent (31,763), about the same as last year’s 37 percent (31,220). African American students increased from 5.5 percent of admitted students in 2021 (4,608) to 5.7 percent (4,855) this year. While American Indians make up a small but growing proportion of admitted students, offers to these students increased by 36 percent, a gain of 136 students…”

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-offers-admission-record-high-number-california-first-years-out-state-admits-decline

 

Mexico, US collaboration pave way for 2026 World Cup

“…Daniela Solis of C.F. Monterrey celebrates after defeating the Portland Thorns in penalty kicks in a semifinals matchup of the Women’s International Champions Cup at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. (Sean Meagher/The Oregonian via AP)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Forward Daniela Solis is the personification of an ever-growing connection between soccer in the United States and Mexico — one that’s only going to intensify as the 2026 World Cup looms.

Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game against Liga MX counterparts, an expanded Leagues Cup competition next year and a series of women’s exhibition matches this summer all aim to bridge the border…”

https://apnews.com/article/womens-soccer-entertainment-sports-united-states-41ce6355367bc0d55a8fa72e887887d1

August 16, 2022 SmileCon reflects ADA’s core values of diversity, inclusion

“…The Houston metropolitan area is home to the nation’s fourth-largest Hispanic/Latino population at more than 2.7 million people. More than 1.6 million immigrants and 70,000 refugees call the Houston area home, mostly from Hispanic/Latino countries and also Asia and Africa…”

https://www.ada.org/publications/ada-news/2022/august/smilecon-reflects-adas-core-values-of-diversity-inclusion

 

Mexican professionals provide health care in tragedy in Cuba

‘ “As part of the aid provided by the Mexican Government to deal with the damage caused by the fire at the Supertanker Base, 10 medical professionals from Mexico’s National Defense Secretariat arrived in Matanzas on Sunday,” Cuban Public Health Minister Jose Angel Portal said.

“Upon receiving them in Matanzas, we updated them on the situation in the province, exchanged experiences for the care of this type of injuries and explained the organization of the National Health System,” Portal wrote on his Twitter account…”

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/08/08/mexican-professionals-provide-health-care-in-tragedy-in-cuba/

 

‘Representation is critical’ | Hispanics in the labor force

“…The report shows Hispanics remain overrepresented in certain occupational fields, locally, with 66% in farming, fishing, and forestry; 46% in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; and 36% in construction.

Even though Hispanics are still overrepresented in service jobs, they now make up 10% of workers in management positions, nationally. That’s up from 5% in 2000. More of them are also getting into business ownership…”

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/community/race-and-culture/hispanics-labor-force-growth-in-the-us/103-1f55d55c-fde3-40e4-abbd-86173ff9e34a

83 Latinx-Owned Businesses to Shop Right Now and Always

“…While finding Latinx-owned businesses can sometimes mean scouring the Internet or doing endless research, we have made it easy by compiling an extensive list of some of our favorite brands that all celebrate Latinx communities and culture. Shop Latinx-owned food brands that sell coffee, Pinole (an Aztec super food), nut butter and more delicious items. Or, purchase your next facial cleanser and haircare products by some Latinx-owned beauty brands. From all natural product lines like Tata Harper to nail polish by Lights Lacquer, these unique brands are the perfect addition your beauty collection. And of course, who could forget the closet? We have also included Latinx-owned fashion brands that feature everything from sustainable clothing brands to chic swimwear.,,’

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a33971854/latinx-owned-businesses/

Only two Latinas have been CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Why so few Hispanic women make it to the top

Banorte Chairman Carlos Hank González: Bank named ‘Most Honored Company’ in Mexico in Institutional Investor ranking

“MEXICO CITY, Aug. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The prestigious international publication Institutional Investor recognized Grupo Financiero Banorte as the “Most Honored Company” in Mexico in its “Latin America Executive Team” ranking, awarding the bank first place in key industry categories in 2022…”

https://www.yahoo.com/now/banorte-chairman-carlos-hank-gonz-110300074.html

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…”

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/05/02/latinos-experience-discrimination-from-other-latinos-about-as-much-as-from-non-latinos/

Erika Sánchez

“Early life and education

Sánchez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, is from Cicero, Illinois.[1] She has two brothers.[1] She grew up bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English.[2] She attended Morton East High School,[1] then the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude.[3] After college she traveled to Madrid, Spain to teach English with the Fulbright program and pursued poetry.[3] She then earned an MFA in poetry from the University of New Mexico.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erika_S%C3%A1nchez

Juan Toscano-Anderson parents: Meet mother Patricia Toscano and father

“Juan Ronel Toscano-Anderson is a Mexican-American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association.

He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Juan Toscano-Anderson parents: Meet mother Patricia Toscano and father

He was born to his father who is an Africa American and his mother Patricia Toscano who is a Mexican American. He was born on the 10th of April 1993 in East Oakland, California, United States and he is 29 years old.

His grandfather migrated from Michoacan, Mexico in the 1940s and settle in Oakland where he was raised. He started playing basketball at the age of eight years. His parents were homeless so he spent most of his nights sleeping in cars with his mother and sister. He belongs to the Mexican-African-American ethnicity and holds Mexican/American nationality…”

https://ghanafuo.com/juan-toscano-anderson-parents-meet-mother-patricia-toscano-and-father/

A Lot of Promise New fellowship covers graduate school costs for high-achieving, low-income and underserved students seeking master’s degrees from UCSB

“…The Promise Fellowship program responds to the University of California’s call to ‘Grow Our Own,’ meaning take advantage of the diversity of our undergraduate population to recruit them to graduate school and then to meaningful employment in California,” Rupp said. “Students like Michael and Elena have the potential to give so much back to the community. We hope to attract more committed donors so that we can expand the program over the next years.”

Elena Barragan, a sociology major who also will graduate this week, is the second fellow in the inaugural cohort. A first-generation college student, she grew up “living in poverty with a dream of becoming an elementary school teacher,” hoping to give younger generations a quality of education she felt she never had at that age…”

https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2022/020650/lot-promise?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A%20Lot%20of%20Promise&utm_campaign=June%207%2C%202022

 

Discover the Story of Ynés Mexía, the First Mexican-American Botanist and Environmentalist

“Although climate change has been a heated topic in recent years, the environmental movement has been a long-standing fight. One of the first people involved in the preservation of the Redwood trees in California was Ynés Mexía, a botanist who found her love for environmentalism in her 50s and is one of the most highly-renowned collectors of plant specimens in the U.S.

Ynés Mexía was born in Washington D.C in 1870 and, because of her father’s job as a diplomat, she moved quite a bit in her life, having lived in Philadelphia and Ciudad de México before moving to San Francisco in 1908. She struggled with many mental health challenges and experienced many hardships like her father’s death, the death of her first husband, and a brutal divorce from her second husband.,,”

https://belatina.com/ynes-mexia-first-mexican-american-botanist/

/us/veterans-community-activists-protest-roundabout-fear-changes-to-mexican-american-monument-

“…Community members, veterans and politicians gathered Monday for a 75th anniversary celebration near the 30-foot-high marble monolith , which was dedicated on May 30, 1947. But the relocation plan isn’t the only controversy around the monument. Even its name has long been in dispute . Vietnam War veteran Eddie Morin, 79, says the monument, inscribed with a dedication to veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, is known as the Americans of Mexican Descent Memorial. Morin’s father Raul Morin, a World War II veteran and author , is honored with a plaque, which is located on a separate small triangular plaza, directly south of the monument, across East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, named “Morin Memorial Square.” “It’s always been about venerating the efforts of…”

https://headtopics.com/us/veterans-community-activists-protest-roundabout-fear-changes-to-mexican-american-monument-26892275

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/.


  

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.

Read More…