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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Crediverso, bilingual financial platform, first to serve Hispanic community
“…Fresno, Calif. (KFSN)-Hispanic-owned personal finance company is taking action to break down barriers by launching its first bilingual platform to serve more than 62 million Hispanic consumers. ..Crediverso is a new one-stop shop for Latin Americans looking for free access to compare credit cards, loans, international money transfers and credit checks.Digital platforms set themselves apart by providing these resources in Spanish. This is the first time in this country.We also offer a live forum moderated by advisors of Spanish-speaking professionals such as personal finance professionals and celebrities.Carlos Hernandez, CEO of Creed Verso, said:Carlos Hernandez says the idea began a few years ago with a personal experience growing up in a Mexican-American family. He says the team is also passionate about the opportunities they are creating for Latino Americans….”
With Latin American Demand for Cloud Rising, Oracle Hunts for Tech Professionals
“American software firm Oracle Corp is reportedly gearing up to add as many as 500 professionals to its operations in Latin America.The news comes barely a month after the Austin, Texas-based company reshuffled its top management team in the region.Oracle has been present in Latin America for more than 30 years, with its clients including the likes of Grupo Bimbo, GNP Seguros, McDonald’s (Arcos Dorados), Dorinka (Walmart), Arcor, Televisa, TV Globo, Solistica, Consultatio and Smartfit…”
Exclusive: Wizeline’s New Majority Shareholder Will Empower an Enduring Vision
“Wizeline is “the global services technology provider founded by Mexican-American entrepreneur Bismarck Lepe, has taken a giant step towards its expansion goals after Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) purchased a majority stake in the firm…”
Tidjane Thiam’s Spac pursues $1.5bn Latin American fintech target
“…The special purpose acquisition company of former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam is in talks to acquire two companies in Latin America, as part of plans to capitalise on rapid growth in the region’s fintech sector.
Mexican fintech group Credijusto and continental corporate data provider CIAL Dun & Bradstreet would be merged and listed in New York later this year under the plans, people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times…”
Crehana Raises Largest Series B for Edtech in Latin America
“…Crehana, a leading education technology platform for companies and individuals focused on closing the reskilling and upskilling gap in Latin America, announced today that it has raised $70M in a Series B round led by General Atlantic. This round represents Latin America’s largest Series B funding for an education technology company and comes just months after Crehana raised a $13M Series A extension round. Crehana will leverage the funding to expand its enterprise solution, launch operations in Brazil, and invest in new products and technologies…”
Mexicans judge the USMCA trade deal’s first year a success
“…One thing Mexicans do agree on is that the USMCA has proved a success in its first year, albeit not always for the reasons they imagined. Business is happy that the deal’s detailed strictures on regulation and governance provide a layer of protection against López Obrador’s more radical ideas. The president and his supporters like the deal’s role as a job creator, as well as its labor provisions. These help improve wages for Mexicans and have enabled moves against a union closely tied to an opposing political party.
Above all, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of manufacturing close to home, providing a reason for U.S. businesses already in Mexico to consider expanding operations, even when the overall business climate under López Obrador is far from ideal…”
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/analysis/mexicans-judge-the-usmca-trade-deals-first-year-a-success/
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey (a comparison of employment rates by ethnicity)
Reimagining Regional Governance in Latin America
“…Latin America is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its recent history as it confronts three overlapping crises: the coronavirus pandemic, a steep economic contraction, and high levels of political polarization and democratic erosion. No region has been more impacted by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, than Latin America, both in human and economic terms.1 As of April 30, 2021, Latin America had a total of 28 million confirmed cases (out of a world total of 150 million) and just over 900,000 deaths (out of a world total of just over 3 million). With around 8 percent of the world’s population, the region has almost 19 percent of confirmed cases and 28 percent of total deaths. Also, as of April 30, Latin America had administered only 8 percent of the total vaccines.2..
https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/06/24/reimagining-regional-governance-in-latin-america-pub-84813
I left my home in Mexico to work as a farm veterinarian in America. But it was a trick.
“…But not all uncertainty is exciting or acceptable. While working at a dairy farm in Texas in 2019, I got a glimpse of how employers are profiting from the hopes and aspirations of Mexican veterinarians like me. U.S. farmers are luring Mexican animal scientists into exploitative jobs with the promise of professional development…”
Over 150 Omaha business leaders vow to address inequities stemming from systemic racism
‘…Specific programs aim to address that. Those include management training and mentoring for minority employees; professional networks for Black, Latino and other people of color; tools to help companies buy more products and services from minority-owned enterprises; assessments of workplace culture and training to improve it; even help for corporate leaders to look beyond their social and business networks to find and connect with people of color for their boards..”
Alumna-owned Stunner Jewelry brings together style and ethical manufacturing
“…Collaborating with small silversmiths, Chloe Moreno designs stunning jewelry.
In 2018, the UCLA alumna began designing jewelry pieces for her mom and has since developed her line into a small business, Stunner Jewelry. Along with building a website to launch later this year, Moreno said she is trying to get her jewelry into boutique stores and pop-up shops across the United States. Working with her mom who owns a small silver jewelry store based in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Moreno said she hopes to continue expanding Stunner Jewelry by making her products more accessible to her consumers…”
Latinos Left Out of California Boardroom Diversity Progress; Most Underrepresented With 39.4% of Population and Only 2.3% of CA Board Seats
“WASHINGTON, April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Latino Corporate Directors Association and Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity, today released the Q1 2021 California Boardroom Equity Scorecard revealing no progress for Latinos from the previous quarter. Latinos remain the most underrepresented in California boardrooms with only 2.3% of directorships despite making up 39% of the state’s population. The Q1 2021 Scorecard further reports a decrease of board seats for White directors from 82.7% to 81.2%, an increase for Asian directors 10% to 10.9% and Black directors 3.5% to 4%. The Scorecard cumulatively monitors California public company board composition, starting July 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 and calculates the percentage of directorships and new board appointments held by gender, race, and ethnicity…”
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.,,”
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
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…”
Stories of family, culture inspire alumna’s floral bookmark business
“Rosalva Isidoro’s bookmarks hold pages and tell stories of their own.
The UCLA alumna began selling artistic bookmarks through her Instagram-based business @rosalva_floralmarks after meeting her maternal grandmother for the first time two years ago. On that trip to Mexico, Isidoro said she learned how to weave flowers – a cultural tradition of intricately twisting the stems of flowers into compact bundles of blossoms. Cherishing the moment of her grandma’s teaching, she turned this skill into a floral bookmark business that she said currently aims to support her education and community…”
https://dailybruin.com/2021/02/10/stories-of-family-culture-inspire-alumnas-floral-bookmark-business
Student combines art with business to create, sell personalized stickers
“…In September, the fourth-year Spanish student began selling personalized stickers on her Instagram account, @amoreymagia. Inspired by the stories and experiences of others, Alcazar said she turns personal photographs into artistic stickers for her customers as she hopes to touch the hearts of others during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic…”
Cordoba Corporation Welcomes Jacqueline L. Reynoso as Director of Programs and Policy
“I’m delighted to have Jacqueline join our team,” stated Cordoba Corporation Founder & CEO George L. Pla. “She brings tremendous public policy experience and an in depth understanding of diverse community needs and binational dynamics, which will assist our sectors in developing well planned, innovative, and equitable project solutions.”..”
Latino Corporate Directors Association Launches First of Its Kind California Boardroom Equity Scorecard and Tracker to Gauge Impact of AB 979
“WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Latino Corporate Directors Association will launch via Facebook Live the first of its kind California Boardroom Equity Scorecard and Tracker, a valuable resource for stakeholders and shareholders and the only publicly available tool that tracks the number of Latino/as on public company boards in California…”
