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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Jobs Report: Latino Unemployment Rate Falls in July
July surpassed expectations for job growth in the U.S., and although the national unemployment rate stayed the same, the Latino labor force saw gains in job growth.
More than 255,000 jobs were added in July, which surpassed predictions of about 180,000 for the same month. The Latino unemployment rate fell from 5.8 percent to 5.4 percent, according to the National Council of La Raza’s jobs report.
The national unemployment rate stayed constant at 4.9 percent, the U.S. Department of Labor reported.
The number of employed Latino workers increased from 25.1 million in June, to 25.3 million. In July. Meanwhile, the number of Latinos available for work or not working dropped by about 100,000.
NCLR speculated Latino workers benefited from the addition of 45,000 hospitality jobs in July…
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Hispanic millennials make less, but save more
Most millennials are trying to save for retirement, but female and Hispanic millennials make less money than their counterparts and are more focused on everyday finances, according to new survey results released Wednesday by Wells Fargo.
The survey focused on how millennials plan for retirement. A $1-million savings goal is supposed to provide enough retirement funds for decades, according to Wells Fargo. While 64 percent of respondents said they don’t think they will ever save enough to hit that mark, nearly 60 percent have started stashing away money anyway…
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Latino Lessons
It’s a joke that probably dates back to the time of the Aztecs. Attempting to prove mental superiority, a poor schlub reveals a hilarious series of intellectual failings. In the Aztec version, that was probably some guy about to be sacrificed to Quetzalcoatl.
Or did the Mayans do that?…
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As population booms, so do Hispanic businesses
It only seemed natural that the Díaz family would go into business for themselves some day.
Father Ruben worked in horticultural for years. Sons Rafael and Ruben Jr. went to school to specialize in business and horticulture management.
In 2007, the three teamed up to create the Díaz Group LLC, a Chicago-area landscape and brick paving contractor.
The company has grown since then. Rafael now serves on the board of the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance. Other Diaz family members have joined the Diaz Group. Their services have been featured on HGTV.
The Díazes are typical of many Hispanic-owned businesses. They are often family-owned, launched within the past 14 years, and concentrated in service industries such as landscaping and retail…
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Immigration Reform 2016 News – Facebook and Microsoft Say STEM, Immigrants Help U.S. Tech Companies Stay Competitive
Representatives from the country’s most affluent companies challenged the next presidential administration to revise education and immigration programs during a Democratic National Convention forum on Wednesday.
Members of the nonpartisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, which pushes for scientific and technological advancements, urged lawmakers to reform longstanding immigration laws that limit how long individuals can work or study in the United States. The panelists also said a lack of enthusiasm for STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – education programs among minorities makes it difficult to compete globally…
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Lynn Massachusetts Sees Shift In Latino Market
LYNN — The explosive increase of the Latino population and its influence is not a trend, but the future of the country.
In Greater Boston, a Top 25 Latino market, the number of Hispanics is expected to grow to more than one million by 2020, and nearly a third of Lynn’s population is Latino, a figure that will be much higher when new U.S. Census data is released.
But most of America’s Fortune 500 companies still have no marketing plan on how to attract the Latino consumer in the U.S…
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2016 Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest now open to Nebraska students
LINCOLN – The Nebraska Latino-American Commission invites Nebraska students to participate in the 10th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest.
The Nebraska Latino-American Commission, a statewide independent government agency serving as a link between the Nebraska State Government and the Latino/a community, is accepting essays in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15…
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Hispanics In The Boardroom: Glass Ceiling Or Foggy Windshield?
We all know about glass ceilings as the deceiving transparency of moving into the upper ranks of a corporation by members of under-represented groups. We don’t often think of that barrier as a detriment to an enterprise’s long-term success and value. We tend to think of it as a matter of fairness and equity towards those who have struggled to gain access and develop their careers.
However, if one stops to think a bit more deeply, glass ceilings inhibit vision and action that could augment the ability of a company to see more opportunities, understand more consumers and manage resources more effectively. By blocking would be points of view that could contribute valuable insights to corporate strategy, glass ceilings are actually obstacles to rapid evolution, which could stunt the growth of companies seeking a fresh outlook on rapidly growing consumer segments — such as women, cultural minorities and those with unconventional gender identification…
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Eva Longoria’s powerful speech: ‘My family didn’t cross the border. The border crossed us’
Eva Longoria took the podium at the Democratic National Convention with a powerful speech about her family’s immigrant past.
The actress was among the various speakers at Monday night’s opening night in Philadelphia. She spoke about her personal experience as a Mexican-American living in the U.S.
“I’m from a small town in South Texas, and if you know your history, Texas used to be part of Mexico,” Longoria, 41, said. “I’m ninth-generation American. My family never crossed the border, the border crossed us.”…
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San Diego’s Chicano Artists Grab Some Comic-Con Spotlight
While the San Diego Convention Center is the center of the pop-culture universe this week, a thriving arts and culture scene is developing just a few miles away in Barrio Logan.
San Diego’s Chicano artists grabbed a piece of the spotlight this week at Comic-Con, attention that some thought was long overdue.
“But at least we’re moving forward,” said cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz.
Alcaraz was one of several Chicano artists and supporters who talked about the growing Latin art scene in San Diego…
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Mobvious Expands to U.S. with Focus on Bicultural Hispanic Market
Mobvious, a European firm specializing in mobile marketing solutions is entering the U.S. with the support of HiMedia Group and Latam Digital Ventures, Located in Miami, Mobvious’ new office will be co-founded and led by Isabel Rafferty (picture). Rafferty previously worked at Adsmovil. Rafferty tells Portada that Mobvious will also have offices in Los Angeles. The firm already has offices in Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland, and Italy.
isabelraffertyMoviousMobvious will provide innovative and interactive formats (including video, audio and social), including programmatic, as well as an exclusive network of high-quality publishers, to develop and implement mobile campaigns for the bicultural millennial Hispanic market. “The experience, vision and relationships Isabel has built during her career are fundamental to lead Mobvious and make it a competitive player in the United States market,” stated Cyril Zimmermann, CEO of HiMedia…
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Eloy Ortiz Oakley tapped as California community colleges chancellor
Long Beach Community College District head Eloy Ortiz Oakley will take over as chancellor for California’s 2.1 million-student community college system in December, its governing board announced Monday.
Serving as superintendent-president of the district since 2007, Oakley is best known as one of the architects of the Long Beach College Promise, a partnership with the city and local schools to provide early outreach, a free year at Long Beach City College and guaranteed admission to Long Beach State for students. It has been credited with raising college attendance in the area and was a model for a similar national program proposed by President Barack Obama…
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A Latino Angel Wants To Help You Invest In Tech Startups
For the past two decades, I have been an advisor to many technology startups, and I can tell you this: raising the first million is the hardest.
Even harder: raising the first million if you are Latino/Latina founder.
Last week, DreamFunded – a San Francisco-based company that I’ve written about before — became the first SF-headquartered firm to get approval from FINRA to launch a portal that will enable many people — not just the rich — to invest in technology through crowdfunding. According to DreamFunded, it’s also the first Latino-led equity crowdfunding portal anywhere to get FINRA approval…
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CantoMundo – celebration of Latino poetry is moving to New York
For the past five years, audiences in Austin have been able to enjoy public readings of CantoMundo, a national organization of Latino poets and poetry.
But this may be the last year CantoMundo is held in Austin, where they will hold two public readings July 22 and 23. Next year, it is moving to New York, where one of the founders, Deborah Paredez, recently accepted a professorship. The retreat may be held again in Austin in the future, but that’s uncertain…
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How Hispanic culture is changing America
This article is part of an ongoing Media Life series entitled “Catching the next big wave: Hispanic media.” You can read previous stories by clicking here.
Last month, Univision Deportes Network beat every other cable sports network in primetime among the key demos of adults 18-49 and 18-34.
It finished ahead of Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network, which is an accomplishment of itself.
But it also beat cable sports’ big dogs, ESPN and ESPN2.
UDN carried the Copa America Centenario in June, which explains the big ratings, while the other networks were in a rare summertime lull between major events like NASCAR and the Tour de France.
But still, a Spanish-language network beating a bunch of English-language ones in the major sports demos?
A few years ago, that would have been unthinkable. In fact, five years ago, UDN didn’t even exist…
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2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent
To judge from our media coverage, you’d think that Mexico isn’t so much a country as a problem. But if you look beyond the endless talk of drug wars and The Wall, you discover that Mexico has a booming culture.
In recent years, there’s been an explosion of literary talent — from the sly provocateur Mario Bellatin to the brainy and funny Valeria Luiselli. This writing makes most American literary fiction feel pale and cannily packaged…
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UC admits 15 percent more California freshmen for fall 2016, increases diversity
The University of California today (July 6) released data that show significant gains in the number of California freshman and transfer students admitted to UC campuses for fall 2016, including those from historically underrepresented groups. The admissions data in part reflects UC’s initiative to enroll 5,000 more in-state students in 2016-17.
The university offered admission to 105,671 students out of a freshman applicant pool of 166,565, and 23,879 California community college transfer students from 33,199 applicants. The numbers represent a 15.1 percent jump in the number of California resident freshmen offered a spot at one of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses compared to fall 2015, a gain of 9,344 students.
Admission of students transferring from community colleges increased by 14.1 percent. The one-year increase in 2016-17 California resident transfers will be the largest in UC history…
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Critical Content Analysis of Children’s and Young Adult Literature
CM Martínez-Roldán – Critical Content Analysis of Children’s and Young Adult …, 2016
… Nevertheless, whether pochismos are seen as positive or negative, the language used by the
Chihuahuas in the series misrepresents pocho language and Mexican Americans’ linguistic
practices and does not correspond to the literary bilingualism used by Chicano authors to …
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Mexic-Arte’s Young Latino Artists exhibit is distinctly 21st century
The ten artists in “Amexican@” are millennials or younger, fluent in internet culture.
The at sign in the title of this year’s Mexic-Arte Museum “Young Latino Artists” exhibit is not just a typographical affectation.
The ten artists and one collective in “Amexican@” are millennials or younger, born in the 1980s and 1990s.
Fluent in internet culture, millennials have come of age with ain/nrr5L/the “@” sign no less readable to them than any letter of the alphabet…
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Traditionally black colleges seeing rise in Hispanic and Asian applicants, report says
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) – After years of declining enrollment, many of Louisiana’s historically black colleges and universities are seeing a modest rise.
Tougher admission standardsingent requirements for student loans caused the losses. Higher education experts tell The Times that there may be a couple of reasons for the increase. One is that more Hispanic and Asian students are entering the historically black schools. Another is that recent racial conflicts at predominantly white institutions may have minority students seeing the historically black schools as safer…
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