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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Membership of the 117thCongress: A Profile Updated April 14, 2021
“…Hispanic/Latino American Members There are 54Hispanic or Latino Members in the 117thCongress, 10.0%of the total membership and a record number.29Forty–sevenserve in the House, including two Delegates and the Resident Commissioner,and 7in the Senate. These numbers include two House Members who are also of Asian descent, and two House Members also of African ancestry; these Members are counted in both ethnic categories in this report. Of the Members of the House, 34are Democrats (including 2 Delegates) and 13are Republicans(including the Resident Commissioner). Fourteen are women, including the Resident Commissioner. Of the seven Hispanic Senators (three Republicans, four Democrats), one is a woman. By comparison, approximately 35 years ago in the 99thCongress (1985–1986), 14 Hispanic or Latino Members served in Congress. All 14 were male Members of the House…”
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46705
Machine finds tantalising hints of new physics
…”Dr Paula Alvarez Cartelle, of the University of Cambridge, was one of the scientific leaders behind the finding. She commented: “This new result offers tantalising hints of the presence of a new fundamental particle or force that interacts differently with these… particles…”
My Child’s Egg Donor Is Latin American. Does That Make Him Latino?
“…I am the parent of a child who was conceived via in vitro fertilization and surrogacy using the sperm of a Caucasian man and a donor egg from someone who is half Colombian and half Central American. My spouse and I are professionals and both Caucasian, so (knock on wood) our son will most likely not encounter financial hardships. May we in good conscience check “Latino/Hispanic” on his college application?…”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/magazine/egg-donor-latin-american.html
Examining the Demographic Compositions of U.S. Circuit and District Courts
“…For instance, across all Article III U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals, people of color make up just 20 percent of all sitting judges and 27 percent of active judges. In all, African Americans comprise 10 percent of sitting judges and 13 percent of active judges, while Hispanic judges make up about 7 percent and 9 percent of sitting and active judges, respectively. Asian Americans comprise an even smaller proportion of the lower federal courts: Only 2.5 percent of active judges and 4 percent of sitting judges are Asian American. American Indian judges and those belonging to more than one race or ethnicity each make up about 1 percent or less of the lower federal judiciary…”
Meet Daniela
“…Daniela Santiago Martinez (guitar), 18, hails from Del Valle, Texas and is a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She studies guitar with Matthew Cochran at Interlochen Arts Academy and has also studied music through the organization Austin Soundwaves. Daniela is part of the Draylen Mason Fellows Program which is a full scholarship initiative of Austin Soundwaves designed to help further the musical and personal development of high school musicians. In addition to playing classical music, Daniela loves playing Regional Mexicano music, especially Mariachi and Corridos…”
https://fromthetop.org/musician/daniela-santiago-martinez/
The five ‘Status Pending’ immigration attorneys honored by MABA.
“…MABA, the Mexican American Bar Association, is an organization and network of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals committed to the advancement of Latinos in the legal profession and the empowerment of the Latino community through service and advocacy. At the event, the organization recognized these attorneys for their ongoing work on behalf of migrants and their families…”
Gabriela Garcia’s ‘Of Women And Salt’ Connects Two Mother-Daughter Stories
“We are force. This sentence threads through the winding stories of generations in the new book “Of Women And Salt.” It’s Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel examining the history of two families, one Cuban, one Salvadoran, who come to the U.S. at different times and under different circumstances. Gabriela Garcia joins me now to talk about her book. Hi there…”
Knowing When It’s Time To Leave Your Job, According To A Google Alum
“Once a year, America acknowledges the egregious pay gap in which Latinas earn just 67 cents for every dollar a non-Latinx white man makes. It’s time we interrogate this fact year-round. The L-Suite examines the diverse ways in which Latinx professionals have built their careers, how they’ve navigated notoriously disruptive roadblocks, and how they’re attempting to dismantle these obstacles for the rest of their communities. This month, we’re talking with Google alum and founder of Eliment and Company, Eliana Murillo, about overcoming cultural pressures to stay in job, when it’s time to leave your full-time gig, and setting yourself up for success.,,”
Mexico’s real COVID-19 death toll now stands at over 321,000
“MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s government acknowledged Saturday that the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic now stands above 321,000, almost 60% more than the official test-confirmed number of 201,429.
Mexico does little testing, and because hospitals were overwhelmed, many Mexicans died at home without getting a test. The only way to get a clear picture is to review “excess deaths” and review death certificates…”
El Museo Looks to Define ‘Latinx Art’ With a Major Survey
“…The show is El Museo’s first national survey of what it calls Latinx art, using the much-debated gender-neutral and (the museum argues) culturally embracing alternative to Latino or Latina, to describe artists of Latin American descent working primarily in the United States or the Caribbean. The museum’s original plan was to have the show coincide with, and reflect, two defining 2020 political events, the United States census and the presidential election. It missed both, but still looks plenty newsy. Immigration, racial justice and assertions of identity, ethnic and otherwise, are undying features of the national story. And the show is very much about them…”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/25/arts/design/triennial-el-museo.html
UC Berkeley shutting down rare pipeline for doctorates of color. Its supporters are fighting back
“Victor Rios spent much of his childhood in an Oakland neighborhood so violent it was labeled the “killing zone” because many people never made it out alive.He never met his dad. His mom, who washed dishes and sewed for a living, entered the U.S. from Mexico in 1987, bringing Victor, 10, and his brother Juan, 13, across the desert and up to Oakland. There, he said, adults drank openly and bullies beat him up. He joined a gang. He knew the inside of juvenile hall like his own bedroom. And he assumed he’d be “locked up or dead” by 18….”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/UC-Berkeley-shutting-down-rare-pipeline-for-15828740.php
Ricardo Lara: Insurance Commissioner for the State of California
“…Throughout Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s career, he’s always stood up for working families and against injustice, even when doing so was difficult or unpopular. Grounded in his East Los Angeles upbringing and raised by a factory worker and a seamstress, Ricardo has built a record on bringing people together around tough challenges and delivering results that improve people’s lives. As a graduate of LAUSD schools and a lifelong resident of Southeast Los Angeles, he knows first-hand the challenges facing the immigrant and working class communities…”
http://www.ricardolara.com/index.php/about-ricardo/biography
In My Words: Navigating feelings of isolation as a biracial Latina who doesn’t speak Spanish
“Being biracial has allowed other people to pick and choose my identity for me.Non-Latinos have always labeled me as white and treated me as such because I am “white-passing.” Latinos have generally viewed me as Mexican and considered me a part of the communityIt has been normal for non-Latinos to ask about my ethnic background and then be surprised that I am of Mexican heritage. “Really?” they would say. “I thought you were Asian or just a white girl.”…”
Some Houston leaders say Gov. Abbott’s decision to lift COVID restrictions puts Texans at risk
“…Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the decision puts Texans at risk of another surge.“What I see here is a premature and misguided discussion putting our community at risk and it’s unnecessary because we’re headed where we need to go,” Hidalgo said.She pointed out Harris County’s positivity rate is more than double the ideal level and 25 percent of ICU patients here have COVID…”
U.S. downplays possibility of sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Mexico
“WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Monday downplayed the prospect of sharing coronavirus vaccines with Mexico, saying it is focused first on getting its own population protected against a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans.,,”
Latimpacto launches first study into venture philanthropy in Latin America
“…Read more Latin America and impact investing: The future is right now
Three consultancies carried out the Latimpacto research: Pipe Social in Brazil, Compartamos con Colombia and Mexican think tank Ethos…”
Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity Furthers Diversity Efforts by Tracking California Companies With No Latino Board Representation
“WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Latino Corporate Directors Association and Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity, today released the Q4 2020 California Boardroom Equity Scorecard—a tool that gauges the impact of AB 979 by monitoring board composition by ethnicity and race. This information will allow Latinos and other underrepresented groups to measure the progress of their representation on California company boards…”
United States Visas: How to Work as a Mexican Programmer in Silicon Valley
“…More and more Mexican programmers are looking for a job opportunity in Silicon Valley , and in the United States in general. And the fact is that the most famous technological hub in the world offers ample possibilities to develop and grow professionally, in addition to salaries that range from 80 thousand dollars to more than one million dollars a year , depending on the professional’s experience…”
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/365914
Medical professionals discuss inequities in health care at UCLA symposium
“…David Hayes-Bautista, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, said he saw disparities in his early experiences in academia.”Hayes-Bautista said he felt discouraged to complete research on Latino health because when he was first hired as faculty, the dean at the time told him nobody would care about the findings of the study…”
Web Exclusive: Lozano Bar supports Latino lawyers with personal, professional resources
”…Lozano Bar Association leaders say it can be lonely being the only Hispanic or Latino lawyer in the room. Data from the American Bar Association shows that in 2020, lawyers who identify as Hispanic comprised just 4.6% of the U.S. lawyer population in 2020, compared to 4.7% who were Black, 2.1% who were Asian and 85.9% who were white…”
