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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News on DACA: Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
“On July 16, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas held that the DACA policy “is illegal.” The Court granted summary judgment on plaintiffs’ Administrative Procedure Act (APA) claims; vacated the June 15, 2012 DACA memorandum issued by former Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano; remanded the memorandum to DHS for further consideration; and issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the government’s continued administration of DACA and the reimplementation of DACA without compliance with the APA. The Court, however, temporarily stayed its order vacating the DACA memorandum and its injunction with regard to individuals who obtained DACA on or before July 16, 2021, including those with renewal requests…”
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-daca
Latino groups push for confirmation of voting rights expert Myrna Pérez as federal judge
“National Latino leaders are pushing the Senate to quickly confirm voting rights expert Myrna Pérez as a justice for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. If confirmed, she would be the only Latina on the bench of that federal appeals court and the first since Sonia Sotomayor moved from it to the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden nominated Perez last week for the appeals court, which serves New York, Connecticut and Vermont…”
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…”
District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, first Latina to serve as district judge for Northern California
“…Rogers is currently the presiding judge in the case of Epic Games v. Apple. On August 24, 2020, Rogers issued an order granting a temporary restraining order for Epic’s Unreal Engine, finding that the termination of Epic’s developer account could result in the inability to “save all the projects by third-party developers relying on the engine that were shelved while support was unavailable.” However, Rogers refused to grant a temporary restraining order with respect to Epic’s apps, including Fortnite, citing that Epic’s current predicament “appears of its own making.” [11]…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Gonzalez_Rogers
The Politics of Patronage”: Mexican American Legal Defense Fund
“…It assisted professional associations such as the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher
Education, National Council on Higher Education, Association of Mexican American
Educators, and Intercultural Development Research Association …”
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…”
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…”
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…”
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…”
Rewriting the Chicano Movement: New Histories of Mexican American Activism in the Civil Rights Era
“The Chicano Movement, el movimiento, is known as the largest and most expansive civil
rights and empowerment movement by Mexican Americans up to that time. It made
Chicanos into major American political actors and laid the foundation for today’s Latino …”
rights and empowerment movement by Mexican Americans up to that time. It made
Chicanos into major American political actors and laid the foundation for today’s Latino …”
Evan Perez Senior Justice Correspondent
“Evan Perez is a CNN Senior Justice Correspondent based in the Washington, D.C. Bureau, reporting on legal, crime, and national security issues.Perez principally covers the Russia investigation and helps lead the team that covers the Department of Justice. Most recently, Perez, along with CNN colleagues Jake Tapper, Carl Bernstein and Jim Sciutto, was awarded the White House Correspondence Association’s Merriman Smith Award in the broadcast…”
These Philadelphia-area Latinos had significant achievements in 2020
“In 2020, we experienced the first pandemic in the last century. We saw a new social justice movement ignited. We heard loud calls for structural reform to achieve real equality.
In the Philadelphia region, Latinos, who make up 15 percent of the population, have suffered many losses: their jobs, economic stability, and their health and wellness…”
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-camden-latino-achievements-goals-2020-20201230.html
4 ways to move to Canada under CUSMA
“U.S. and Mexican citizens can work and conduct business in Canada under CUSMA, here are your options.
Eligible U.S. and Mexican citizens can skip some of the red tape to come work or conduct business in Canada.
The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) allows workers, traders, and investors to come to Canada without going through the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. Before July 1, 2020, CUSMA was known as the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA…”
https://www.cicnews.com/2020/10/4-ways-to-move-to-canada-under-cusma-1016005.html#gs.hxnj6b
Who is Jovita Idár? Google Doodle Celebrates Mexican-American Civil Rights Pioneer
“Jovita Idár, a pioneer of Mexican-American civil rights, is celebrated in today’s Google Doodle, on the anniversary of the week the First Mexican Congress was held, September 14—22, 1911.
Born in the border city of Laredo, Texas, in 1885, Jovita Idár lived at a time when Mexican-Americans faced rampant discrimination…”
Mexican ambassador to US discusses immigration, trade in Wednesday event
“Martha Bárcena Coqui, Mexican ambassador to the United States since December 2018 and the first woman to hold the position, spoke to Duke students Wednesday in a virtual event.Topics focused on United States-Mexico relations, increasing tensions due to immigration, the replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and the impact of COVID-19 on an already-complex diplomatic relationship. “Be proud of your culture and what you represent,” Bárcena urged students as she reflected on the parallel trends of increasing opportunities for Mexican Americans and increased hostility toward immigrants.In the past 30 years, she argued, the United States and Mexico have gone from being almost distant neighbors to being essential trade partners, thanks to agreements such as NAFTA. Supply chains between the two—as well as Canada—have become completely integrated in areas ranging from pharmaceutical supplies to automotive parts. The free trade area encompassing Mexico and the United States is now valued at over $1.3 trillion, which, as Bárcena points out, is greater than the gross domestic products of some nations in the Group of 20…”
South Bay family mourns Gilbert Polanco, San Quentin guard who died from COVID-19
“…A South Bay family is mourning the loss of a beloved husband, father, veteran and longtime corrections officer. 55-year-old Gilbert Polanco died at a San Jose hospital Sunday morning after a long battle with COVID-19.
“Everything I have is because of him.. all the positivity he brought, all the hard work he’s done,” said daughter Selena Polanco.
She said her dad was an Army Veteran and started working at San Quentin when he was just 21. The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a mass outbreak inside the prison, 24 inmates have died, 2,000 inmates infected. Selena was worried for her father’s safety.
“I was scared he would get sick and this would happen,” said Polanco.
Gilbert Polanco tested positive for COVID-19 in late June, he was admitted to the hospital on July 2.
Last month, Polanco was on life support in the ICU.
Selena and her mom also contracted the virus and recovered…
Changing the Beat
“…Victor Rios knows this all too well. A UC Santa Barbara associate dean of social science and a professor of sociology, he has both lived through and deeply studied the ways police treat people of color…”
Traci L. Martinez
“Traci Martinez is a member of the firm’s Global Board and is the deputy office managing partner of the Columbus, Ohio, office. She is an experienced civil litigation and labor and employment lawyer. Traci has a unique and broad practice that focuses on the business objectives of her clients, whether through counseling, litigation or transactional matters. Traci is also a demonstrated leader in the Central Ohio community.”
https://www.squirepattonboggs.com/en/professionals/m/martinez-traci-l
