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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Museums Turn Their Focus to U.S. Artists of Latin Descent
When Scott Rothkopf, chief curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art, attended the U.S. Latinx Arts Futures Symposium at the Ford Foundation two years ago, the experience had a profound impact.
The organizers “wanted to draw people’s attention to the fact that Latinx artists were falling into neither category — they were not part of the growing interest in Latin American artists but also not seen as American artists,” Mr. Rothkopf said. “I left thinking that it was extremely important that the Whitney expand its thinking in this area and, by virtue of being a museum of the U.S., could do something unique by drawing attention to these artists as U.S. Americans — they could be part of the story.”..
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Gary Soto: Storyteller from the Barrio
Gary Soto came from a hard background by anyone’s reckoning. His young father died in an industrial accident when Gary was only five years old. His Mexican-American family was struggling and lived in a tough neighborhood–next to a junkyard and across from a pickle factory. All through school, he and his family worked at whatever jobs they could get, including picking fruits as migrant laborers.
His grades were never very good, and his family never encouraged reading. That just wasn’t part of their culture, what Gary referred to as the culture of poverty. In high school, he had a D average and was better known for being popular with the girls. Other kids in his place might have gone to prison, but he went to college. He had finally developed a love for books after reading To Sir, with Love, a story about an inner-city teacher…
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The New York Latino Film Festival, Presented by HBO, Celebrates its 15th Edition After Record Breaking Return
NEW YORK, April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), fresh off its highly anticipated return, is excited to announce that it’s gearing up to kick off its 15th edition this summer and presented by its founding partner, HBO. The festival will once again ignite screens with the best the Latino community has to offer. With the addition of industry partners including AMC Theatres and the Motion Picture Association of America, the move into the summer is a welcome addition to the season’s Latino offerings that will further make New York the place to be for all things Latino. Final dates will be announced soon.
“As we (Latinos) continue to dominate the box office, and the conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion is at the forefront of all things, we are truly proud to be here. NYLFF’s return to celebrate its 15th edition is a testament to how much we’ve heard from the community including the entertainment industry that the festival is vital at this time.”
-Calixto Chinchilla, NYLFF Founder…
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Engagement, Content Sharing High Among Hispanic Millennials
A recent study released by marketing trade organization the Culture Marketing Council details many of the unique online engagement trends salient among U.S. Hispanic audiences today.
Social media was cited as the number-one digital activity among Hispanic Millennials ages 18-34, and these audiences also seem to view and share more online and social media content than their non-Hispanic white counterparts: according to the study, Hispanics ages 18-34 shared an average of 33 percent more content than non-Hispanic white respondents in the same age group…
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A Legacy of Community, Pride
Few buildings at UC Santa Barbara are as deeply enmeshed in the fabric of student life as El Centro Arnulfo Casillas. The center of the Chicana and Chicano experience on the campus for 40 years, it has served as a refuge for generations of students as the university grew into one of the nation’s top Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
“El Centro has been a nurturing place for students, especially those of Chicano/a and Latino/a ancestry,” said Maria Herrera Sobek, professor of Chicano and Chicana Studies, and associate vice chancellor for diversity equity and academic policy. “It is a welcoming, warm place where you can meet students, talk to them and feel ‘at home.’ ”…
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Mexican Startup Raised US$6M to Democratize Social-TV Advertisement
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Initially raising US$5 million to build a social network, Flyr shifted course a year ago to continue with the longtime dream from visionary VFX genius Hassan Uriostegui that one day the iPhone would be the new platform where everybody would access the power of creative software…
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People of Higher Ed: Marymount California University CFO Kathleen Ruiz
After reporting a $1.6 million loss for the 2016 academic year, Marymount California University, a small, private Catholic college in Rancho Palos Verdes, needed a big change to stay afloat.
Enter Kathleen Ruiz, who was named Marymount’s chief financial officer in July 2016. In one year, Ruiz, who had a long history in business management in the private sector – including stints with Boeing and Disney – turned the institution’s fortunes around, and Marymount closed its 2017 fiscal year with a $4.7 million profit…
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Brands Utilizing Hispanic Baseball Stars In New Ad Campaigns
What: Hispanic players, which make up nearly a third of opening day rosters, are starting to be used in national campaigns, even for non-sports brands.
Why it matters: Brands may be catching up to the crossover appeal of the sport’s top Latino stars.
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Coco and Frozen Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Win Their Second Oscar at 2018 Academy Awards
The 90th annual Academy Awards delivered Oscars to a handful of stage favorites, including composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (currently represented on Broadway with the Disney musical Frozen).
The husband-and-wife songwriting team picked up their second Oscar March 4 for Coco’s “Remember Me.” The two won in 2014 for the Frozen anthem “Let It Go”; in their acceptance speech this year, Lopez gave a shout-out to the cast and creative team of the Frozen stage adaptation, now in previews at the St. James Theatre. On hand to present the trophy were Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his Mary Poppins Returns co-star Emily Blunt…
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Mexico’s Indigenous teachers fight to preserve ancient cultures in math class
When Totonacú children in Mexico learn to count, they learn the numbers to count animals – one-two-three pigs, one-two-three chickens. Then they learn the numbers for counting wool. And earthen furrows. Those are different. And the numbers for grapes, and other things that grow in clusters? Different. And for round things? And long, straight things? Yep, different.
The Totonacú language has 71 different systems of counting, each for counting different things. Totonacú children have no trouble learning all 71, says Fanny Cruz Garcia, a Mixteco professor of culture and language at the Intercultural University of Puebla who is working with Indigenous teachers in Veracruz. But when those kids get to school, and they encounter the numbers in Spanish – uno, dos, tres, no matter what you’re counting – well, that seems alien. Then they start to learn math, with…
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Chico State activist wins Student Advocate of the Year
Chico State student Karla Camacho recently won the California State Student Association (CSSA) award for Student Advocate of the Year for her lobbying efforts in support of students who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, student mental health, student food and housing insecurity and funding for the CSU system…
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Why don’t you look or act ‘Latino’?
Imagine having to wear a shirt for the rest of your life that labels you as someone you’re not
Now, imagine always having to check a box and identify yourself with people who are completely different from you. You never say your name or your origin, yet others readily assume who you are and where you are from.
This is what nearly 57 million Latinos in the United States have to live with, and if trends continue, by 2050, 106 million of them will have to live while wearing this shirt wherever they go.
I have never identified as a “Latino” until I came to the United States. Growing up in Venezuela and moving directly to Princeton, I have never in my life used, or even considered using, the term “Latino.” I was technically Latino whenever I filled out a box describing my race for a college application, because that is how the United States functions. We all knew we were technically Latino and brothers and sisters in the same continent, but it was more of a term that had been placed in our heads due to globalization, not because we decided to use it. We were all brothers and sisters in the South American continent, but we were not the same. At the end of the day, I was Venezuelan first, and then I was Latino…
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Hispanic dropout rate hits new low, college enrollment at new high
The high school dropout rate among U.S. Hispanics has fallen to a new low, extending a decades-long decline, according to recently released data from the Census Bureau. The reduction has come alongside a long-term increase in Hispanic college enrollment, which is at a record high.
The Hispanic dropout rate was 10% in 2016, with about 648,000 Hispanics..
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Latino community mourning loss of an “exceptional” couple known for helping others
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Juan Muniz was always helping people in the city’s Latino community, said their friends at El Concilio. Whether it was addressing the needs of the people on the radio or helping a senior citizen find employment, he was doing something to serve others.
“He definitely was someone who was constantly on the move, trying to find ways of helping people,” said Lissette Mira-Amaya with a smile. “And so ways Maria. We cannot forget Maria.”
Muniz’s wife — who also went by Mary — was always by his side, said Mira-Amaya who’s known them for decades. According to police they were both tragically killed Tuesday night in a car crash…
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Anthony Acevedo, U.S. Army medic who endured prison-camp horrors during WWII, dies at 93
During the winter of 1944-45, Anthony Acevedo was a 20-year-old Army medic assisting wounded soldiers fighting against Nazi forces in World War II. The war in Europe was coming to an end, but for Mr. Acevedo the horror was just beginning.
His ordeal in German prison and labor camps, which he kept hidden for decades, led to his recognition as the first Mexican American soldier to be designated a Holocaust survivor…
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HSBC Highlights Corporate Optimism’s Resilience Over Global Trade Uncertainty
Protectionism has cast a shadow of uncertainty over global traders, and North America’s trade relationships are in flux.
Early in President Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. One year later, the nation’s participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is also changing as the U.S., Canada and Mexico engage in negotiations that are expected to continue through April, according to Bloomberg reports this week.
Despite ongoing change and uncertainty, however, new analysis from HSBC finds corporates across North America remain confident in their future global trading operations…
…Eighty-seven percent of Mexican professionals, 77 percent of U.S. professionals and 70 percent of Canadian professionals say they are optimistic about increasing cross-border trade volume over the next year…
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Seeking better data on Hispanics, Census Bureau may change how it asks about race
Federal officials are considering major changes in how they ask Americans about their race and ethnicity, with the goal of producing more accurate and reliable data in the 2020 census and beyond. Recently released Census Bureau research underscores an important reason why: Many Hispanics, who are the nation’s largest minority group, do not identify with the current racial categories…
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Indigenous Poetry in Contemporary Mexico: Voices, Translations, Cultures
Event Date:
Thursday, April 5, 2018 – 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Event Contact:
Lety Garcia, Programs and PR Manager
805-893-2951 or lgarcia@museum.ucsb.edu
As part of the Conference “Verbal Kaleidoscope” hosted by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, several contemporary poets from Mexico, including the renowned Mazatec poet and Director of the Mexican Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), Juan Gregorio Regino, and prominent Zapotec poet Irma Pineda Santiago will read from their work written in indigenous languages (including their own translations into Spanish and English). This is a great opportunity to listen to these new voices that are re-defining the literary landscape of Latin America today…
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Growing minority student population contrasts largely white faculty
More than 60% of faculty, administrators and board members in California’s public two-year and four-year institutions are white, but more than 60% of students are racial minorities, according to a new report from The Campaign for College Opportunity…
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Question of race not simple for Mexican Americans, author says
Those are assumptions drawn from the experience of European Americans, but they don’t match with the experience of Latinos, particularly those of Mexican origin in Texas, according to Dowling, the author of the new book “Mexican Americans and the Question of Race” (University of Texas Press).
For most European Americans, marking “white” likely means they experience little discrimination based on their racial background, Dowling said. For a Mexican American, it’s often a response to discrimination. “It’s for them a way of saying, ‘I belong, I’m an American citizen, and I want to be recognized as such,’ ” she said.
Her case in point: the border counties of southern Texas. Most are more than 80 percent Latino, and more than 80 percent of those Latinos marked “white” on the 2010 census…
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