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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The United States and Mexico: Forging a Special Relationship

Should the United States and Mexico establish a “special relationship,” similar to those the US maintains with Great Britain and Israel? For Samir Tata, an increasingly self-confident and politically active Mexican – American population means that the historical, geographical, demographic and economic case has never been more compelling…
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The Population With a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2006–2010

This report examines people aged 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher among racial and Hispanic-
origin groups. As the U.S. population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, it is important to exam-
ine educational attainment among population groups,which is a strong predictor of economic well-being.
Also, government agencies require data on educational attainment for funding allocations and program plan-
ning and implementation, while local government use information on educational attainment to attract
potential employers to their areas…
Link to report

NAVARRETTE: Boundaries of identity

SAN DIEGO – Who’s afraid of a little ‘ol hyphen?
Apparently, some of my readers. What sets off many of them is when I refer to myself as a “Mexican-American.” What sets me off is when they have the audacity to confront me over it.
The latest skirmish started with a column urging Americans not to emulate Mexico’s strict immigration policies lest we wind up a Third World country with a second-rate economy. At one point, I casually identified myself as “Mexican-American.”…
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American-Mexican Company Builds Bridge to Help US Small Businesses Exhibit at Trade Shows in Mexico City

Expo Solutions Mexico is a logistics coordination service offering American small businesses a budget friendly solution to exhibiting at trade shows in Mexico City.
Minneapolis, MN, August 13, 2014 –(PR.com)– New Company creates a bridge for small U.S. businesses on a budget wishing to do trade shows in Mexico.
The new logistics coordination service company offers financially smart solutions for small businesses who want to expand into the Mexican market by exhibiting at trade shows. The service offers logistics coordination and a concierge service for the visiting business executives. The objective of the services is to save time, money, worry and risk, allowing the visiting business…
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Dr. Joseph Castro named new Fresno State president

By Linda Mumma and Corin Hoggard
FRESNO, Calif. —
The California State University Board of Trustees has just selected UC San Francisco Vice Chancellor Dr. Joseph Castro as the new President of Fresno State.
Fresno State has a new president. The announcement came just after 9 a.m. Wednesday at the California State University Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. The man picked is Doctor Joseph Castro.
Castro is from the Valley, but currently works as a Vice Chancellor at U.C. San Francisco. The Hanford native is the first member of his family to attend college, and he and his wife Mary — who is also from the Valley — have three children including one daughter who currently attends Humbolt State…
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Mexican-American To Coordinate Care Immigrants, Undocumented Children In Chicago

Mexican-American Tonantzin Carmona, 24, has assumed the management of the Office of New Americans at Chicago City Hall, which provides needed aid to immigrants and will coordinate shelter in this city for 1,000 undocumented Central American children.
The young woman replaces another Mexican, Adolfo Hernandez, who was the first director of this office, founded by Mayor Rahm Emanuel soon after he was elected, with the mission of making Chicago the best city in the world…
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Mexican and American: The challenges of belonging to two cultures

Fourteen years ago, Maria del Rosario Jasso from Coahuila, Mexico, realized her dream of moving to the United States with her husband and son. The couple had three more children after moving to the states and had to face an unexpected challenge: teaching their children Spanish and Mexican culture while residing in the United States.
Mexicans are the largest group of immigrants in the United States. Mexican immigrants to the U.S. added up to 11.4 million in 2008 (30.1 percent of the immigrants in the country), which meant about 10 percent of the Mexicans in the world, according to migrationpolicy.org…

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RISE program at NMSU aims to expand minority participation in STEM fields

LAS CRUCES >> Women don’t belong in science. That’s what Lydia Villa-Komaroff was told growing up. She didn’t listen. Villa-Komaroff, who grew up in Santa Fe, was among the first Mexican-American women to complete a doctorate in cell biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a scientist who made critical breakthroughs in diabetes research. This month, she joined other well-known researchers to encourage hundreds of students at New Mexico State University to pursue careers in STEM fields…
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Former Marine and Self-Described ‘Proud Mexican American’ Finally Finds His Way to Career of His Dreams

CLAREMONT, Calif., July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Pharmacy is not Antonio Silva’s first career, but he is certain it will be his last. In the past, the 34-year-old Riverside, California, resident has served in the U.S. Marine Corps and owned and operated his own small business. However, he could never forget what he was really passionate about―science, medicine and, most importantly, helping sick people feel better…

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Decoding ethnic labels

If you are of Latin American descent, do you call yourself Chicano? Latino? Hispanic?
As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Carlos Hipolito-Delgado, PhD, knew instinctively that the ethnic labels his fellow students chose said something about their perception of themselves and their values.
“There was a very clear understanding that if you identified as a member of one group, you were not a member of the other groups,” Hipolito-Delgado said. “If you called yourself Hispanic or Latino, then…
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Chuck Ramirez: Outsider Objects

Chuck Ramirez, a graphic designer for H-E-B, a Texas-based grocery store chain, spent his workdays communicating ideas through the products he promoted in glossy advertisements and posters. His professional career undoubtedly influenced his artistic endeavors, which revolved around producing images of everyday objects. He often photographed his subjects out of context, isolated against a stark white background, thereby provoking the viewer to reexamine them. What was it about coconuts, grocery bags, pillboxes, piñatas, raw meat, wilted flowers, and worn brooms that enthralled Ramirez?…
Link to abstract and thesis

The Fluffy Movie

By Kurt Jensen
Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS) — Like Bill Cosby, Gabriel Iglesias tells stories, not jokes. In “The Fluffy Movie” (Open Road), the rotund Mexican-American comic, whose tales are as soft around the edges as the man himself, shares engaging accounts of weight loss and the difficulties of being the stepfather of a teenage boy…
Link to review

Upscale and Affluent Latinos Are Tech Savvy, Bilingual and Big Spenders

Upscale and Affluent Latinos Are Tech Savvy, Bilingual and Big Spenders
By Nicole Akoukou Thompson (n.thompson@latinpost.com)
First Posted: Jul 25, 2014 01:17 PM EDT
Guests attend a launch event for Kiva City D.C. hosted by Capital One, Kiva, and the Latino Economic Development Center on January 8, 2013 in Washington, DC
Savvy, affluent and upscale Latinos have soaring purchasing power, and ad campaigns have been working to connect with high-earning Latinos by attempting to understand the preferred media and voice of this segment.
The upsurge in U.S. Hispanic affluence has become more visible within the last two decades. The number of wealthy Latinos (incomes greater than $75,000) doubled from 2000 to 2010, growing at three times the rate of non-Hispanic upscale households. In 2010, there were 2.9 million upscale Latino households, and that number has continued to…
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Mexican American Vintners Association Enters Retail Scene with Whole Foods Market Partnership

Napa, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2014
In an effort to educate California wine lovers about the variety and quality of wines made by Mexican-American winemakers in the region, the Mexican American Vintners Association (MAVA) is breaking into retail. During the months of August and September, Whole Foods Market’s Northern California and Reno stores will highlight wines crafted by select MAVA members. Never before has a retailer of any size focused specifically on wines produced by Mexican-American vintners…
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Wells Fargo Foundation donates $50,000 to improve El Soldado Mexican American Veterans Memorial

SACRAMENTO – Among tall trees and nestled on a pillar stands El Soldado or as it has more recently been called, the Mexican American Veterans Memorial.
This monument to the gallant and patriotic military service of Latino/Hispanic veterans is well on its way to receiving a much needed facelift thanks to the commitment from individuals and organizations alike.
The Wells Fargo Foundation is the latest such organization to demonstrate its commitment, not just to veterans and their families, but also to the monuments that showcase their patriotic service.
“On behalf of all veterans, but especially Latino/Hispanic veterans, we are proud to accept this $50,000 donation from the Wells Fargo Foundation,” said Peter J. Gravett, CalVet secretary. “This donation allows us to take a giant step forward in our quest to beautify and enhance El Soldado.”
California is home to approximately 1.8 million veterans of which nearly 272,000 are Hispanic/Latino. El Soldado/the Mexican American Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the service and contributions of these Hispanic/Latino veterans…
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Hispanic college enrollment up, but not by enough

Recent data show that nationwide Hispanic or Latino and Chicano college admissions are on the rise, with Hispanic figures now outpacing white enrollment at some schools. But Hispanic education experts say the numbers are not high enough.
Patricia Gandara, research professor and co-director of The Civil Rights Project at UCLA, and and commissioner with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics calls the numbers have improved, but they are still “disastrous.”…
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Manhattan College History Professor Julie Leininger Pycior Publishes Book on Mexican-American Activism

Historian Julie Leininger Pycior, Ph.D., professor of history at Manhattan College, recently published her newest book, “Democratic Renewal and the Mutual Aid Legacy of US Mexicans.” Pycior’s latest book traces the historic mutual aid organizing of Mexican-Americans, from its early origins after the Mexican-American War to its present day impact on important policy issues such as immigration…
Link to press release

Salma Hayek surprises fans with singing and dancing in Sofia

. Mexican-American film actress, director and producer
. Breakthrough role was in 2002 film “Frida” as Frida Kahlo
. Starred in “Grown Ups” and “Grown Ups 2”
Mexican-American actress/film producer Salma Hayek has a huge fan following in North America and Mexico because of her beauty, acting and outgoing personality and these traits have once again come to the forefront and brought her more fans in Bulgaria…
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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.

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