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…

Education

Historical, Socio-Cultural, and Conceptual Issues to Consider When Researching Mexican American Children and Families, and other Latino Subgroups*

R Buriel – Psychosocial Intervention, 2012
… Spanish undergoes further linguistic modification as it adapts to the regional styles and
experiences of differ- ent Mexican American sub-groups. … the support and guid- ance of clergy
instead of mainstream sources such as psychologists, counselors and other lay professionals. …
Link to article

Associations Between Adolescents’ Perceived Discrimination and Prosocial Tendencies: The Mediating Role of Mexican American Values

AS Brittian, M O’Donnell, GP Knight, G Carlo… – Journal of Youth and …, 2012
… at least 40 h of training, which included information on the project’s goals, characteristics of the
target population, professional conduct, and … Sample items included, ”How often have kids at school
called you names because you are Mexican American?” and ”How often have you …
Link to abstract

Value of Education as Perceived by Mexican Immigrants and Caucasian American Citizens Employed in Agriculture in Louisiana

R Johnson, J Kotrlik
… A panel of extension aquaculture professionals examined the instrument for face and construct
validity. Two pilot tests were conducted. … doi:10.1111/j.1365- 2206.2010.00682.x Batalova, J.,
& Lowell, B. (2007). Immigrant professionals in the United States. …
Link to article

Mother-Child Dyadic Synchrony and its Association with Children’s Socio-Emotional Competence in Mexican American Families

P Velez-Gomez – 2012
… Page 11. Texas Tech University, Paulina Velez-Gomez, August 2012 4 with only a small
percentage that has achieved a college level education and professional occupations (Martinez,
2001) Taking into account the growing rates of Mexican American families in the …
Link to thesis

A Content Analysis of the Career Paths and Cultural Capital of Mexican-American Male Principals: A Critical Race Discourse on the Journey Toward the Principalship

JL Horak – 2012
… subordination (Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, & Thomas, 1996). For decades, the racial
conversations and experiences of Mexican-American males have been framed to promote the
cultural stereotypes. To debunk this mindset, the professional journey toward the …
Link to dissertation

Mexican-American Experiences of Vocational Training and Adult Learning after a Layoff Event in San Antonio, Texas

DP Mena, GN McLean
… Given the dearth of literature on Mexican-American displaced workers, it is essential to find
successful interventions that assist this group of … HRD professionals will directly benefit from this
study for this knowledge will minimize emotional impact and prepare employees by …
Link to article-slow in loading

The Role of Ethnicity in Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White Students’ Experience of Sexual Harassment

LK Kearney, LA Gilbert – Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2012
… The Role of Ethnicity in Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White … Lisa K. Kearney1,2 and Lucia
Albino Gilbert3 Abstract This study explored dimensions of a social phenomenon not often investi-
gated among Mexican American college students, namely sexual harassment. …
Link to abstract

Protective Cultural Factors Fostering Academic Resilience in “At-Risk” Mexican American Teenage Girls

V Lopez-Estrada – … SOCIAL SCIENCE PROCEEDINGS Volume 49# 1 …
… In this study, the girls’ primary parents’ everyday demonstrations of resilient behavior were related
to traditional Mexican American family life (roles … The study suggests a need for more research
and professional development for educators on the subject of academic resiliency. …
Link to study

Narrative Pedagogy: Informing a Telenovela-Guided Dialogue Intervention to Increase Mexican American Elders’ Use of Home Health Care Services

JD Crist, F FNGNA
… move toward increased levels of well-being (ie, the elder is better able to age in place; the
caregiver can maintain a balance in his/her professional and personal life). … Crist, JD (2008). Theory
derivation and the telenovela: Facilitating Mexican-American family use of home …
Link to article

Mexican American Girl’s Educational Achievement and Aspirations

LY Flores, PO Garriott – The Oxford Handbook of Prevention in Counseling …, 2012
… their educational and career goals can prevent the underachievement and underutilization ofgirls’
talents and help girls to achieve personal and professional success. In the remainder of this chap-
ter, we focus on educational prevention programs with Mexican American girls. …
Link to section

The Mexican American Health Paradox: The Collective Influence of Sociocultural Factors on Hispanic Health Outcomes

MP George – Student Pulse, 2012
… professional behavior for lack of interest or when a physician, unfamiliar with Hispanic patients,
perceives Hispanics to be superstitious, present-oriented, or uninterested in preventive exams”
(p. 487). As a result of this disconnect between doctors and their Mexican American …
Link to article

Mexican American First-Generation/Low-Income Students: A Rural Community College, TRiO Student Support Services Experience

DJ O’Meara – 2012
Page 1. Mexican American First-Generation/Low-Income Students: A Rural Community College,
TRiO Student Support Services Experience … Mexican American First-Generation/Low-Income
Students: A Rural Community College, TRiO Student Support Services Experience …
Link to dissertation

ENGAGING MEXICAN AND MEXICANAMERICAN MOTHERS IN SCHOOLS: USING CULTURE, ACCULTURATION, AND THE SITUATIONAL THEORY OF PUBLICS TO MOTIVATE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

LC Perez – 2012
… Page 5. ENGAGING MEXICAN AND MEXICAN-‐AMERICAN MOTHERS IN SCHOOLS: USING
CULTURE, ACCULTURA-‐ … She helped me find a project that would combine my passions and
interests and would help me grow as a professional and as a person. …
Link to theses

Use of Alternative Medicine for Weight Loss Among Mexican-American Women

NM Lindberg, VJ Stevens, C Elder, K Funk… – Journal of Immigrant and …, 2012
… Mexican-American women report using a wide range of CAM therapies for weight
loss. Under- standing their patterns of use will enhance cultural com- petence of health
care professionals and help address their medical needs. …
Link to abstract

New Spanish immersion program in Mexico, offers to take advantage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

San Francisco Chronicle
It’s obvious the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States is stronger than ever, but this will have impacts in both economies and cultures and a mexican Spanish school offers a competitive advantage for American professionals. Aiming …
See all stories on this topic »
Link to article

Effects of acculturation and ethnic identity level on ego identity development in second-generation Mexican American adolescents

AT Seminary,by Marisol Solarte Erlacher
… 27 State of Colorado, adolescents 15 years or older “may consent to receive mental health service
to be rendered by a facility or a professional person” (CRS 27-10-103). … All participants fit the
previously given criteria for second generation Mexican American. …
Link to thesis

Experience of Mexican-American Elders with Diabetes: A Phenomenological Study

EP Haltiwanger – Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 2012
… Complicating matters is the fact that health professionals may not feel comfortable
dealing with the psychosocial issues. … (2007) found that levels of distress were higher
than clinical depression in Mexican-American adults age 18–65.
Link to abstract

Empowering Young People to Be Critical Thinkers: The Mexican American Studies Program in Tucson

C Acosta… – Education for Liberation, 2012
… The Mexican American Student Services Team offers professional development meetings
throughout the school year; the Mexican American Student Services Summer Institute is a
four-day conference that provides Chicana/o studies-based lessons and units to implement at …
Link to article

Mexican American Female Adolescents’ Perceptions of Relationships and Dating Violence

K Haglund, RA Belknap… – Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2012
… Clinical Scholarship. Mexican American Female Adolescents’ Perceptions of Relationships and
Dating Violence. … How to Cite. Haglund, K., Belknap, RA and Garcia, JT (2012), Mexican American
Female Adolescents’ Perceptions of Relationships and Dating Violence. …
Link to abstract


  

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…