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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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
RESULTS OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY FOR 2011: a comparison of the results for the years 2010 and 2011 contrasting the total population of the United States and Mexican American professionals
By HUMBERTO (TITO) GUTIERREZ
Edited by Corrie Cripps
Mexican American women have been making slow but steady gains in business, science and art management jobs over the past few years, according to statistics from the 2011 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, Mexican American professionals continue to be underrepresented among the total U.S. professional population. This brief identifies areas of interest in the 2011 American Community Survey to Mexican American professionals.
Note: The statistics in this brief refer to the population who reported themselves as Mexican Americans on the American Community Survey.
According to the Survey, the total population of the U.S. is 311,591,919.
The Mexican American population is 33,557,922, roughly 10.8% of the total U.S. population.
College and/or Graduate School Enrollment
- 28.3% of the total population was enrolled in college or graduate school in 2010. In 2011, this number increased to 28.7%.
- 16.8% of the Mexican American population was enrolled in college or graduate school in 2010. In 2011, this number increased to 17.6%.
Charts: Total population enrolled in college and/or graduate school, Total U.S. population vs. Total Mexican American population
Educational Attainment:
- 17.7% of the total population earned bachelor degrees in 2010. In 2011, this number increased to 17.9%.
- 6.7% of the Mexican American population earned bachelor degrees in 2010. In 2011, this number increased to 6.9%.
- 10.4% of the total population earned graduate and professional degrees in 2010. In 2011, this number increased to 10.6%.
- 2.6% of the Mexican American population earned graduate and professional degrees in 2010, and this percentage remained the same in 2011.
Table: Educational attainment, bachelor degrees or higher
Note: In the following chart, each statistic stands for itself, i.e. do not add the male percentage to the female percentage to get a total.
Persons with a bachelor’s degree or higher are those who have received a bachelor’s degree from a college or university, or a master’s, professional, or doctorate degree.
| 2010 | 2011 | |||
| Total Population | Mexican American | Total Population | Mexican American | |
| Graduate or professional degree | 10.4% | 2.6% | 10.6% | 2.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 28.3% | 16.8% | 28.7% | 17.6% |
| Males with bachelor’s degree or higher | 28.5% | 8.4% | 28.7% | 8.6% |
| Females with bachelor’s degree or higher | 27.9% | 10.4% | 28.3% | 10.6% |
OCCUPATIONS
Note: this data in this section includes only persons 25 years of age and older. The percentages are obtained by dividing the counts of graduates by the total number of persons 25 years old and over.
Occupations: Female employed civilians, age 25 and older:
- 39.4% of the total population of women in 2011 were employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations. Mexican American women represent 22.1% of the Mexican Americans employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations.
- Between 2007 and 2011, there has been a 1.7% increase (20.4% to 22.1%) in the number of Mexican American women employed in management professional and related occupations. In this area, the female general population figure has increased from 37.9% in 2007 to 39.5% in 2011, a 1.6% increase.
Occupations: Male employed civilians, age 25 and older:
- Between 2007 and 2011, there has been a 1.7% increase in the number of Mexican-American males in management and professional occupations.
Table: Occupations, Civilian employed population, age 25 and older
| 2010 | 2011 | |||
| Total Population | Mexican American | Total Population | Mexican American | |
| Management, business, science, and arts occupations | 35.9% | 16.2% | 36.0% | 16.4% |
| Males in management, business, science, and arts occupations | 32.8% | 12.4% | 32.7% | 12.5% |
| Females in management, business, science and arts occupations | 39.4% | 21.7% | 39.5% | 22.1% |
Industry: Civilian employed population 16 years and older:
- 10.6% of the general population was employed in the professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services in 2010. In 2011, this number only increased by .1% to 10.7%.
- 10.1% of Mexican Americans were employed in the professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services in 2010. In 2011, this percentage remained the same.
Public Administration:
- In 2010, the total population was 5.2% in public administration and 3.5% for Mexican Americans.
- In 2011, the total population was 5.1% in public administration and 3.4% for Mexican Americans. As with the Industry statistics, there was virtually no change from 2010 to 2011 in this area.
SUMMARY
Comparison of the 2010 and 2011 ratios of professionals in the general population and in the Mexican American population shows little change. In general, graduate and professional degrees among the total population are more than triple when compared with Mexican Americans who have earned graduate or professional degrees. On the bright side, there is at least one area where the ratio is almost equal; women have, again, gained ground in business, science and art management.
Reference Documents from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
- Census Bureau, Selected Population Profile in the United States: 2011 (a PDF file)
- United States S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States (search page)
Population Group: Mexican
Data Set: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (for years 2007, 2010, and 2011) - United States S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States (search page)
Population Group: Total Population
Data Set: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (for years 2007, 2010, and 2011)
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
Second Home Language Learners’ Attitudes and Motivations
SHL Learners’Attitudes – Spanish As a Heritage Language in the United States: …, 2012
… JOSE WAS A SECOND-GENERATION MEXICAN AMERICAN, studying Spanish to 161 … heritage
languages found that SHLs ”along with Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese HLLs [heritage
Link to chapter
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 Americans and Environmental Justice Change and Continuity in American Politics
B Marquez – Latino Urbanism: The Politics of Planning, Policy, and …, 2012
… Some Mexican American environmental justice organizations are now a mainstay in local politics …
As Rhodes (2003) observed, the EPA is still “dominated, regardless of the par- ty in power in
the White House, by professionals who come from a culture that is wanting in sensitivity
As Rhodes (2003) observed, the EPA is still “dominated, regardless of the par- ty in power in
the White House, by professionals who come from a culture that is wanting in sensitivity
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
Social Support, Stressors, and Frailty Among Older Mexican American Adults
MK Peek, BT Howrey, RS Ternent, LA Ray… – The Journals of Gerontology …, 2012
… Social Support, Stressors, and Frailty Among Older Mexican American Adults. … Given that the
Mexican American population is rapidly growing in the United States, it is important to determine
whether there are modifiable social factors related to frailty in this older group. Method. …
Link to abstract
Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican American Middle Class
JA Vallejo
… likely of all groups to be employed in middle(service and skilled blue collar jobs) to high status
occupations (professional, technical, white collar … The Mexican American poverty rate is slightly
lower than that of African Americans, and Mexican Americans barely surpass African …
Link to book
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
MEXICAN AMERICAN FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SIBLINGS AND ADDITIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS
D Elias McAllister – 2012
… Title of Document: MEXICAN AMERICAN FIRST- GENERATION STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS
OF SIBLINGS AND ADDITIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS …
choice process of Mexican American first-generation students who had an older …
Link to dissertation
The workers’ camp versus Main Street: then and now in the Mexican-American neighborhoods of the non-metro Midwest
S Dieterlen – Journal of Urbanism: International Research on …, 2012
… characteristics that support this idea include the very high percentages of Mexican-American/
Spanish-language businesses and institutions, their adherence to local non-Hispanic white
appearance standards, the specialized businesses and professional services, the low …
Link to article
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
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
Legally White, Socially “Mexican”: The Politics of De Jure and De Facto School Segregation in the American Southwest
R Donato… – Harvard Educational Review, 2012
… It carefully circumvented the issue of race and allowed the school district to segregate Mexican
American children based on their purported educational needs. The Salvatierra decision found
a way to dismiss race and defer to local educational professionals and their …
Link to abstract
Cultural Adaptation of a Cognitive Behavior Therapy Guided Self-Help Program for Mexican American Women With Binge Eating Disorders
M Shea, F Cachelin, L Uribe, RH Striegel… – Journal of Counseling & …, 2012
… Mexican American women who suffer from binge-eating-related disorders often report wanting
help for their eating problems, yet they rarely seek professional treatment because of personal
and institutional barriers (Cachelin & Striegel-Moore, 2006). …
Link to abstract
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
