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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California school test scores: Amid gains in English and math, ethnic gap widens
California students’ scores in English and math rose from last year to this spring, with gains spanning gender, race, language and socioeconomic differences, test results released Wednesday show.
However, the encouraging news in the annual state test scores was tempered by a harsh reality: Overall, fewer than half of students statewide — 49 percent in English and just 37 percent in math — scored proficient.
And alarmingly, the wide gap in performance between Asian and white students on one hand and black and Latino students on the other remains unrelenting, despite years of focused efforts and a recent infusion of state funds to close it…
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Retooling the Ph.D.
For generations, the path of a doctoral candidate in the humanities has been clear: collect your sheepskin and go directly to academia. But a tight job market for those graduates is leading universities across the country to rethink that model. Now, a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will help UC Santa Barbara explore ways to create new post-doctorate options for its humanities students…
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‘I’m Latino and I Don’t Speak Spanish’: Young Men Talk About Identity
Am I Hispanic enough? Am I American enough? This is the dilemma that many Latinos face at some point in their lives, whether they are 1st or 5th generation.
Part of this is the tension in answering people’s assumptions, expectations and yes, stereotypes that exist about what “constitutes” a Hispanic. And these assumptions come from both inside and outside the Latino community.
We spoke to three young men who have different upbringings and unique backgrounds. Yet they have one trait in common: their love for their roots, and their candor at some of the challenges they have while trying to explain their cultural identities…
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Young Latina Poet’s Ode to Her Heritage Goes Viral
Xochitl Morales may be young, but she learned early to use her voice to highlight her community and culture. Through poetry, the sixteen year old demonstrates what it means to be a Mexican American. Her video poem, titled “Latino-Americanos: The Children of An Oscuro Pasado” addresses her cultural identity.
The video went viral and has been shared widely on Facebook and other social media, as well as by Latino sites. The poem is a response to Donald Trump’s comments about Mexicans in the U.S. “My culture is important, although it wasn’t always accepted. This poem is a call to action, it a reminder to never forget where you come from” Morales said…
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Sarah Robles Wins The First U.S. Weightlifting Medal since 2000
RIO DE JANEIRO – Less than 10 seconds separated Sarah Robles from a personal goal and a historic performance. That was her coach’s message to her heading into her final lift on Sunday at Riocentro – Pavilion 2.
“I said to her, ‘Do you want to be on the medal stand? This is your opportunity,’” said Tim Swords, Robles’ coach. “’This is five seconds against the rest of your life.’ I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ You gotta bring it now, and you gotta go for it. Just five seconds of your life. This is going to change your life. Five seconds.’”
A lift of 160 kg. after five grueling lifts, each one heavier than the last, gave Robles her first Olympic medal, a bronze in the +75 kg. weight class. It was Team’s USA first medal in women’s weightlifting in 16 years.
Robles lifted a combined 286 kg., including 126 kg. in the snatch and 160 kg. in the clean and jerk. She finished 21 kg. behind China’s Suping Meng, who took home the gold medal…
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PolitiFact: Pell Grants helping half of Latino students
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016
Proposed education appropriations legislation from the Republican-controlled U.S. House would cut Pell Grant funding next year by $1.3 billion.
Despite the overall funding cut, Pell Grant maximum amounts are due to rise in the 2016-17 award year to $5,815 from $5,775. Pell Grants, started by Congress in 1972, are awarded to financially needy students who haven’t yet earned a bachelor’s or professional degree.
The proposed funding “cut” is because some — such as U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who chairs the House subcommittee that drafted the legislation — says the Pell Grant program has been running a surplus for years and that money would be better spent elsewhere…
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Chicano Movement for Beginners
M Montoya – 2016 – books.google.com
As the heyday of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s to early 70s fades further into
history and as more and more of its important figures pass on, so too does knowledge of its
significance. Thus, The Chicano Movement For Beginners is an important attempt to stave …
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The Devil is Loose: Drownings, shootings, high-speed accidents, immigrants in labor-the life of a border paramedic
For the paramedics in Laredo, Texas, the only event more concerning than a Dallas Cowboys’ loss is a fight night. Saturday, May 7, the eve of Mother’s Day, was fight night. Throughout the afternoon, the cemeteries were full of people carrying flowers to their mothers’ tombstones, bright tributes laid down in the searing heat. That evening, much of the town gathered around flat screens to watch the Mexican champion Canelo Álvarez and a British contender named Amir Khan slug it out for the middleweight title. Not many were rooting for Khan…
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Without Change, African-American and Latino Families Won’t Match Current Average White Wealth for Centuries
WASHINGTON – If current federal wealth-building policies remain in place, it will take the average African-American family 228 years to amass the same amount of wealth that white families have today and it will take Latino families 84 years to reach that goal, according to a new report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).
The Ever-Growing Gap: Failing to Address the Status Quo Will Drive the Racial Wealth Divide for Centuries to Come shows how the well-documented chasm between white household wealth and African-American and Latino household wealth will play out over a period of decades and even centuries if nothing is done to change the current scenario.
For instance, the report finds that by 2043, when households of color are projected to account for more than half the U.S. population, the racial wealth divide between white households and African- American and Latino households will have doubled from about $500,000 in 2013 to $1 million…
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Reyes appointed director of Southwest Hispanic Research Institute
Bárbara Reyes has been appointed director of the UNM Southwest Hispanic Research Institute (SHRI). Reyes, an associate professor of History, has research interests that include Chicano History, Southwest History, U.S. Immigration History, Gender and Comparative Women’s History, Race, Ethnicity, Cultural Studies. For additional information about her research visit her faculty website.
Reyes has served as interim director of SHRI for the last two years. Earlier this year, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) coordinated an internal, competitive search process with SHRI faculty affiliates. In consultation with the search committee and with feedback from SHRI stakeholders, Reyes was selected as director. She began her two-year term on July 1, 2016…
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Visiting artists celebrate Mexican heritage in West Chicago
Mexican artist Juan Chawuk works with teens from the West Chicago Library’s young adult council on a mobile mural that spells out the words “West Chicago.” Chawuk is one of two artists who were invited to take part in People Made Visible’s artist residency program this summer…
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Jobs Report: Latino Unemployment Rate Falls in July
July surpassed expectations for job growth in the U.S., and although the national unemployment rate stayed the same, the Latino labor force saw gains in job growth.
More than 255,000 jobs were added in July, which surpassed predictions of about 180,000 for the same month. The Latino unemployment rate fell from 5.8 percent to 5.4 percent, according to the National Council of La Raza’s jobs report.
The national unemployment rate stayed constant at 4.9 percent, the U.S. Department of Labor reported.
The number of employed Latino workers increased from 25.1 million in June, to 25.3 million. In July. Meanwhile, the number of Latinos available for work or not working dropped by about 100,000.
NCLR speculated Latino workers benefited from the addition of 45,000 hospitality jobs in July…
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Hispanic millennials make less, but save more
Most millennials are trying to save for retirement, but female and Hispanic millennials make less money than their counterparts and are more focused on everyday finances, according to new survey results released Wednesday by Wells Fargo.
The survey focused on how millennials plan for retirement. A $1-million savings goal is supposed to provide enough retirement funds for decades, according to Wells Fargo. While 64 percent of respondents said they don’t think they will ever save enough to hit that mark, nearly 60 percent have started stashing away money anyway…
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Latino Lessons
It’s a joke that probably dates back to the time of the Aztecs. Attempting to prove mental superiority, a poor schlub reveals a hilarious series of intellectual failings. In the Aztec version, that was probably some guy about to be sacrificed to Quetzalcoatl.
Or did the Mayans do that?…
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As population booms, so do Hispanic businesses
It only seemed natural that the Díaz family would go into business for themselves some day.
Father Ruben worked in horticultural for years. Sons Rafael and Ruben Jr. went to school to specialize in business and horticulture management.
In 2007, the three teamed up to create the Díaz Group LLC, a Chicago-area landscape and brick paving contractor.
The company has grown since then. Rafael now serves on the board of the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance. Other Diaz family members have joined the Diaz Group. Their services have been featured on HGTV.
The Díazes are typical of many Hispanic-owned businesses. They are often family-owned, launched within the past 14 years, and concentrated in service industries such as landscaping and retail…
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Immigration Reform 2016 News – Facebook and Microsoft Say STEM, Immigrants Help U.S. Tech Companies Stay Competitive
Representatives from the country’s most affluent companies challenged the next presidential administration to revise education and immigration programs during a Democratic National Convention forum on Wednesday.
Members of the nonpartisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, which pushes for scientific and technological advancements, urged lawmakers to reform longstanding immigration laws that limit how long individuals can work or study in the United States. The panelists also said a lack of enthusiasm for STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – education programs among minorities makes it difficult to compete globally…
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Lynn Massachusetts Sees Shift In Latino Market
LYNN — The explosive increase of the Latino population and its influence is not a trend, but the future of the country.
In Greater Boston, a Top 25 Latino market, the number of Hispanics is expected to grow to more than one million by 2020, and nearly a third of Lynn’s population is Latino, a figure that will be much higher when new U.S. Census data is released.
But most of America’s Fortune 500 companies still have no marketing plan on how to attract the Latino consumer in the U.S…
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2016 Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest now open to Nebraska students
LINCOLN – The Nebraska Latino-American Commission invites Nebraska students to participate in the 10th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest.
The Nebraska Latino-American Commission, a statewide independent government agency serving as a link between the Nebraska State Government and the Latino/a community, is accepting essays in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15…
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Hispanics In The Boardroom: Glass Ceiling Or Foggy Windshield?
We all know about glass ceilings as the deceiving transparency of moving into the upper ranks of a corporation by members of under-represented groups. We don’t often think of that barrier as a detriment to an enterprise’s long-term success and value. We tend to think of it as a matter of fairness and equity towards those who have struggled to gain access and develop their careers.
However, if one stops to think a bit more deeply, glass ceilings inhibit vision and action that could augment the ability of a company to see more opportunities, understand more consumers and manage resources more effectively. By blocking would be points of view that could contribute valuable insights to corporate strategy, glass ceilings are actually obstacles to rapid evolution, which could stunt the growth of companies seeking a fresh outlook on rapidly growing consumer segments — such as women, cultural minorities and those with unconventional gender identification…
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Eva Longoria’s powerful speech: ‘My family didn’t cross the border. The border crossed us’
Eva Longoria took the podium at the Democratic National Convention with a powerful speech about her family’s immigrant past.
The actress was among the various speakers at Monday night’s opening night in Philadelphia. She spoke about her personal experience as a Mexican-American living in the U.S.
“I’m from a small town in South Texas, and if you know your history, Texas used to be part of Mexico,” Longoria, 41, said. “I’m ninth-generation American. My family never crossed the border, the border crossed us.”…
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