Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) is an excellent time to take a moment and reflect on the lives of some of those who came before. Although you may not know of many of them, these are Hispanic men and women of extraordinary courage, vision and resolve who opened the doors for those who followed. To help celebrate these special days, we are paying tribute to eight such figures of U.S. Hispanic history whose lives and accomplishments should not be forgotten.
Luis W. Alvarez was a Californian who spent most of his career teaching at UC Berkeley. He cemented his worldwide reputation as a brilliant scientist and inventor by winning the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics.
He was a key figure in the Manhattan Project, which was the name of the effort to develop the first atomic bomb during World War II. He also flew as a scientific observer in the plane that carried the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
An avid inventor, he was granted more than 40 patents. Some of his most important work came in the area of radar and navigation, including development of the ground controlled approach system that enables planes to land in poor visibility.
Ellen Lauri Ochoa is not the sort to be stopped by a glass ceiling, or any kind of ceiling; in fact, for her not even the sky is the limit. Ochoa blazed her own trail in 1993 by becoming the first Hispanic woman in space.
Now 50, Ms. Ochoa has a PhD in electrical engineering and was part of a nine-day mission on the shuttle Discovery, during which the crew studied the earth's ozone layer.
Her journey into space started with selection by NASA in early 1990; 18 months later she became an astronaut. Ochoa has since completed four flights, logging almost 1,000 hours in space.
Soprano Lucrezia Bori made her operatic debut in Rome at the age of 21, sang with Caruso in Paris two years later, and over the next 25 years became a leading performer at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Over the course of 19 seasons, more than 600 performances and 29 roles with the company, she enjoyed critical acclaim, enormous public popularity and great affection from fellow performers.
After retiring from the stage, Bori, who died in 1960 at the age of 73, became director of the Metropolitan Opera Association, where her tireless fundraising earned her the nickname "the opera's Joan of Arc."
While Hispanic performers shine brightly across today's entertainment industry, one of the most famous stars ever was Ramon Novarro, known as the "Latin Lover" in the era of silent movies. He was a trailblazer for U.S. Hispanic actors.
Born in Mexico in 1899, Novarro began playing bit parts in films in 1917. He scored his first success in "Scaramouche" in 1923, but it was his performance in the title role of "Ben-Hur" two years later that made him a Hollywood sensation.
He was hugely popular playing action characters with a strong romantic streak, and at his peak he was earning more than $100,000 per movie -- a princely sum in the days when fine houses went for less than $30,000. Move over Andy Garcia, Mr. Novarro remains the hottest Hispanic leading man in Hollywood history.
Romana Acosta Banuelos, the first Latina Treasurer of the United States when she served from 1971 to 1974, is a shining example of someone overcoming all the odds to reach the top.
She is the daughter of poor Mexican immigrants who were deported by the U.S, government in 1933 -- along with thousands of other Mexican-Americans -- during the Great Depression.
Despite her hardships, Banuelos went from rags to riches. After returning to the U. S. with two children, no husband, little knowledge of English, and almost no money, she became a very successful businesswoman and was tapped by President Nixon for the Office of Treasurer.
Jose Antonio Romualdo Pacheco, though he lived and died more than a century ago, is still an important figure in California and U.S. history. He remains the only Hispanic Governor of California, and was the first governor born in that state.
During a distinguished 30-year political career, he served as governor in 1875, spent three terms in the House of Representatives, and served as state treasurer.
Pacheco, who was born in Santa Barbara, California in 1831 and educated in Hawaii, began political life as a Democrat, later switched to the National Union Party, but held most of his elected positions as a Republican. He died in Oakland, California, in 1899.
Hispanics are among this country's greatest baseball players, but the first few steps along that road were taken about 140 years ago by Esteban Bellan, the first Hispanic to play Major League Baseball.
Bellan learned the game in high school in New York between 1863 and 1868. After graduation he joined the Troy Haymakers and played in the National Association, which later became the National League. The Haymakers would become the New York Giants, now the San Francisco Giants.
After five pro seasons in the U.S., Bellán became a successful player-manager in his native Cuba, taking Habana to three national championships. He died in 1932.
Cesar Chavez, a Mexican-American farm worker who became a pivotal figure in labor relations and civil rights, probably needs no introduction here.
Indeed, he is held in such high regard that eight states have declared his birthday, March 31, a public holiday. His name also graces parks, schools, streets, and other public places across the nation.
Among his lasting legacies is the United Farm Workers, a union which evolved from the National Farm Workers Association. Chavez co-founded the association, helped organize strikes, and led marches to secure better wages, working conditions, and civil rights.
Source: HispanicBusiness.com
Convention coverage won't be hard to find
If this year's epic presidential-primary coverage wasn't enough to put you off politics, rejoice!
The next two weeks will be a political wonk's paradise as broadcast and cable networks cover the Democratic and Republican conventions, and Barack Obama and John McCain.
In broad strokes, television will have pretty much the same offerings for the Democrats in Denver this week and for the Republicans in St. Paul, Minn., next week.
ABC, NBC and CBS will each offer one-hour reports at 10 each night of the conventions (up from three nights of coverage in 2004), tonight through Thursday and Sept. 1-4. PBS will air three hours of coverage each night, beginning
at 8.
For CBS Evening News anchorwoman Katie Couric, an hour of convention coverage in prime time will give her the opportunity to do more of what she enjoys most.
"I really miss doing as many interviews as I used to," Couric said.
Although she still does interviews occasionally on Evening News, including a recent one with the president of Georgia, she'll do more during the convention coverage, including live webcasts at CBSNews.com and CNET.com each night after network coverage ends.
"I think there's something about the Web vibe, and I know that makes me sound very out of it to use the word vibe, but I'm looking forward to being able to have more casual but hopefully hard-hitting coverage, if that's not too counterintuitive," she said. "We're booking people as we speak."
On cable, viewers will be able to watch convention coverage for up to 20 hours a day -- from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily on MSNBC.
Whether cable networks will use that time for actual coverage or just as an outlet to allow their talking heads to bloviate further remains to be seen.
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The next two weeks will be a political wonk's paradise as broadcast and cable networks cover the Democratic and Republican conventions, and Barack Obama and John McCain.
In broad strokes, television will have pretty much the same offerings for the Democrats in Denver this week and for the Republicans in St. Paul, Minn., next week.
ABC, NBC and CBS will each offer one-hour reports at 10 each night of the conventions (up from three nights of coverage in 2004), tonight through Thursday and Sept. 1-4. PBS will air three hours of coverage each night, beginning
at 8.
For CBS Evening News anchorwoman Katie Couric, an hour of convention coverage in prime time will give her the opportunity to do more of what she enjoys most.
"I really miss doing as many interviews as I used to," Couric said.
Although she still does interviews occasionally on Evening News, including a recent one with the president of Georgia, she'll do more during the convention coverage, including live webcasts at CBSNews.com and CNET.com each night after network coverage ends.
"I think there's something about the Web vibe, and I know that makes me sound very out of it to use the word vibe, but I'm looking forward to being able to have more casual but hopefully hard-hitting coverage, if that's not too counterintuitive," she said. "We're booking people as we speak."
On cable, viewers will be able to watch convention coverage for up to 20 hours a day -- from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily on MSNBC.
Whether cable networks will use that time for actual coverage or just as an outlet to allow their talking heads to bloviate further remains to be seen.
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The Big Question: What does it mean for the US if whites are no longer in the majority?
Because the United States Census Bureau has just released a projection – based on current birth, death and immigration rates – which predicts that white people of northern European descent will no longer make up a majority of the country's population by the year 2042.
The white population will begin to shrink from 2031. By contrast, the population of Hispanic Americans, who have a much higher birth rate, will double so that one in three American citizens will be of Spanish background.
Before the mid-century, whites will be outnumbered by a combination of Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. Even Alaskan natives are projected to increase. Only the whites will fall in number. The latest figures suggest that these trends are accelerating and will bring about the change eight years sooner than was previously estimated.
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The white population will begin to shrink from 2031. By contrast, the population of Hispanic Americans, who have a much higher birth rate, will double so that one in three American citizens will be of Spanish background.
Before the mid-century, whites will be outnumbered by a combination of Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. Even Alaskan natives are projected to increase. Only the whites will fall in number. The latest figures suggest that these trends are accelerating and will bring about the change eight years sooner than was previously estimated.
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Latinas Underrepresented on Olympic Team
Apparently it's a problem that Latin@s are not as represented on the Olympic team as they are in the general populations. Our lack of Olympic involvement probably has something to do with our evidently overwhelmingly sedentary ways.
I'm really not sure what is going on with the constant influx of news stories about fat, lazy, unhealthy Latin@s recently, but I'm getting kind of sick of them. Especially since nobody really seems to know what a Latin@ even is.
John McCain Not Doing as Well With Hispanic Voters, Abortion Views Will Help
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- New polling data shows John McCain is not faring as well with Hispanic voters as President Bush did in each of the last two elections. While Bush solidified his support with Hispanics with his evangelical outreach and focus on Hispanic concerns, McCain is trailing with the important voting group.
A new Pew Hispanic Center poll released on Thursday shows McCain getting the support of just 23 percent of Latinos.
That's less than half of the 56 percent President Bush received in 2004 and much smaller than the 44 percent Bush got in 2000.
The Pew poll shows just one-third of Protestant or evangelical Hispanics plan to vote for McCain while 59 percent are behind pro-abortion rival Barack Obama. McCain also trails Obama by 50 percentage points among Catholic Hispanics.
Cortes, who leads the Christian group Nueva Esperanza tells Politico the reason McCain is doing worse is because the Republican Party has alienated Hispanics over the immigration issue.
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A new Pew Hispanic Center poll released on Thursday shows McCain getting the support of just 23 percent of Latinos.
That's less than half of the 56 percent President Bush received in 2004 and much smaller than the 44 percent Bush got in 2000.
The Pew poll shows just one-third of Protestant or evangelical Hispanics plan to vote for McCain while 59 percent are behind pro-abortion rival Barack Obama. McCain also trails Obama by 50 percentage points among Catholic Hispanics.
Cortes, who leads the Christian group Nueva Esperanza tells Politico the reason McCain is doing worse is because the Republican Party has alienated Hispanics over the immigration issue.
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Latino groups unite to launch $5-million voter registration drive
Citing increased interest in national politics and the important issues facing immigrants and Latinos, nine organizations announce a nonpartisan effort to register up to 2 million new voters.
Buoyed by a surge of political interest among immigrants and youth, nine national Latino organizations Friday announced a joint effort to register as many as 2 million new voters as presidential candidates from both parties vie for their community's increasingly influential support. The $5-million nonpartisan voter registration effort, announced at a national Latino forum in downtown Los Angeles, comes amid an unprecedented campaign by community organizations and Spanish-language media to boost Latino civic participation -- and two new reports showing signs of success.The U.S. government last week reported that the number of Mexican immigrants who became citizens last year swelled by 50%, with hundreds of thousands more in line to process their naturalization applications
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Buoyed by a surge of political interest among immigrants and youth, nine national Latino organizations Friday announced a joint effort to register as many as 2 million new voters as presidential candidates from both parties vie for their community's increasingly influential support. The $5-million nonpartisan voter registration effort, announced at a national Latino forum in downtown Los Angeles, comes amid an unprecedented campaign by community organizations and Spanish-language media to boost Latino civic participation -- and two new reports showing signs of success.The U.S. government last week reported that the number of Mexican immigrants who became citizens last year swelled by 50%, with hundreds of thousands more in line to process their naturalization applications
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Latino groups are seeking to mobilize, register voters
LOS ANGELES — For years now, the metaphor that political strategists and commentators fall back on to describe the millions of Latino voters in the United States has been "the sleeping giant."
On Friday at the National Latino Congreso conference in downtown Los Angeles, no one uttered that phrase, except in attempts to debunk it.
"This is our moment," Angel Luevano, regional vice president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said at the outset of the three-day conference. "We are no longer a sleeping giant."
That's the hope, anyway, among the hundreds of conference delegates.
Most represent Latino political and civic groups such as LULAC, the Mexican American Political Association and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund.
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On Friday at the National Latino Congreso conference in downtown Los Angeles, no one uttered that phrase, except in attempts to debunk it.
"This is our moment," Angel Luevano, regional vice president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said at the outset of the three-day conference. "We are no longer a sleeping giant."
That's the hope, anyway, among the hundreds of conference delegates.
Most represent Latino political and civic groups such as LULAC, the Mexican American Political Association and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund.
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Latino Point Man
Villaraigosa now in Obama's corner
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a former co-chairman of the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign, energetically stumped for the New York senator until she was shown the door.Now, as one of the nation's most prominent Latino politicians, he has become the go-to guy for Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee, on Latino issues.Villaraigosa is scheduled to introduce Obama when he speaks to Latino community and political leaders this afternoon in Washington, D.C. Obama invited the mayor to introduce him at the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens, better known as LULAC, where he will be a featured speaker.It's the second time this week that the Obama campaign has called on Villaraigosa to help in its aggressive outreach to Latino voters who favored Clinton in the primaries.When McCain went on the air with a Spanish-language radio ad that criticizes Obama for just discovering the importance of Latino voters, Villaraigosa fired back, praising Obama as a champion of Latinos.
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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a former co-chairman of the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign, energetically stumped for the New York senator until she was shown the door.Now, as one of the nation's most prominent Latino politicians, he has become the go-to guy for Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee, on Latino issues.Villaraigosa is scheduled to introduce Obama when he speaks to Latino community and political leaders this afternoon in Washington, D.C. Obama invited the mayor to introduce him at the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens, better known as LULAC, where he will be a featured speaker.It's the second time this week that the Obama campaign has called on Villaraigosa to help in its aggressive outreach to Latino voters who favored Clinton in the primaries.When McCain went on the air with a Spanish-language radio ad that criticizes Obama for just discovering the importance of Latino voters, Villaraigosa fired back, praising Obama as a champion of Latinos.
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Latino stars come out for Obama
MIAMI, June 29 (UPI) -- A handful of Latino musicians, actors and celebrities are urging their fans to support Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Latino celebrities are becoming involved in the 2008 White House race to an unprecedented degree this year, The Miami Herald reported Sunday.
The Pew Hispanic Center reports 18.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote.
The celebrities are able to reach easily the 7.3 million Hispanics under 35, the newspaper said.
Latino superstars such as Juanes, the Colombian rocker, and Los Tigres del Norte from Mexico are urging fans at their concerts to register to vote, while Dominican merengue legend Juan Luis Guerra and Mexican rockers Mana played a benefit concert in Miami in March to benefit a national campaign to increase citizenship and voter registration among Hispanics.
There has been no reported groundswell of support among Latino stars for Republican nominee John McCain.
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Latino celebrities are becoming involved in the 2008 White House race to an unprecedented degree this year, The Miami Herald reported Sunday.
The Pew Hispanic Center reports 18.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote.
The celebrities are able to reach easily the 7.3 million Hispanics under 35, the newspaper said.
Latino superstars such as Juanes, the Colombian rocker, and Los Tigres del Norte from Mexico are urging fans at their concerts to register to vote, while Dominican merengue legend Juan Luis Guerra and Mexican rockers Mana played a benefit concert in Miami in March to benefit a national campaign to increase citizenship and voter registration among Hispanics.
There has been no reported groundswell of support among Latino stars for Republican nominee John McCain.
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Orlando area is fertile ground for Hispanic-owned businesses
Central Florida has some of the top Hispanic-owned companies in the nation, according to the latest national ranking by California-based Hispanic Business magazine.Florida also has the most top-ranked Hispanic businesses in the nation, with 124 companies generating $12.8 billion in revenue last year.The findings are part of the magazine's directory of the "500 Largest U.S. Hispanic-owned Companies," a yearly listing of top performers published this month.Eleven Central Florida companies made the list, despite a difficult economic climate that led to a 0.6 percent decline in revenues from the previous year among the top companies.
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The National Latino AIDS Action Agenda Network (NLAAN) Releases Federal Policy Recommendations - Addressing the Latino AIDS Crisis
NEW YORK, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Latino Commission on AIDS and its community partners join eight cities acrossthe United States (Los Angeles, New York,Washington, DC,Philadelphia,Puerto Rico,Miami,San Antonio and Chicago) in releasing Latino/Hispanic HIV/AIDS Federal Policy recommendations - addressing the Latino AIDS Crisis to address the HIV/AIDS emergency in Latino/Hispanic communities across the nation, includingPuerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With 120 organizations represented by over 350 individuals already signed on in support of the document, the release comes in response to the health emergency caused by the accelerated growth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Hispanic/Latino communities across the nation.
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John McCain and Barack Obama to Address Nation's Latino Political Leadership
WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) announced today that Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, will address the nation's Latino leadership at the organization's 25th Annual Conference next Saturday, June 28, in Washington, D.C.
'We're delighted that Senators McCain and Obama will meet directly with Latino officials who represent millions of Americans across the country,' said Adolfo Carrion, Jr., NALEO President and Bronx Borough President. 'Latino voters are going to play a decisive role in the general election and the community is ready to hear both candidates make their case. This is the first step in a necessary process of getting to know each other better.'
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'We're delighted that Senators McCain and Obama will meet directly with Latino officials who represent millions of Americans across the country,' said Adolfo Carrion, Jr., NALEO President and Bronx Borough President. 'Latino voters are going to play a decisive role in the general election and the community is ready to hear both candidates make their case. This is the first step in a necessary process of getting to know each other better.'
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Latino leanings
Many Latinos backing Obama now that Clinton's bowed out
Even though they strongly backed Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, many Latinos appear to have quickly warmed to Barack Obama's historic quest to capture the White House.
Latinos voted for Clinton over Obama by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, according to an analysis of exit polls throughout the primary season by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Now that the Illinois senator has clinched the nomination, many Clinton loyalists have shifted their allegiance to Obama.
Obama enjoys a 33 percentage point advantage over McCain among Latino registered voters nationwide, according to a Gallup Poll summary of surveys taken in May.
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McCain, Obama vie for Hispanic votes
Two eager presidential hopefuls are about to start courting Hispanic voters, the majority of them jilted by their beloved Hillary Clinton.But no amount of sweets and flowers can alter two tough realities: John McCain is not a Democrat, and Barack Obama is a black man in a country where Hispanics and African-Americans have differing views on social and racial issues.Exactly how the presumptive presidential nominees will make their appeals in New Jersey — which has the country's seventh-largest Latino population — is not certain.Experts note McCain and Obama have a big job ahead: On Super Tuesday in February, 68 percent of New Jersey's Democratic Latino voters chose Clinton; 30 percent chose Obama.
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Illegal immigrants are good risks, lenders find
National and state estimates show that Latinos have a far lower rate of foreclosure than subprime borrowers
When Miguel left Mexico for the Carolinas, he planned on staying for a year.
That was five years ago. Now, he has a wife, a 1-year-old son and a mortgage that he got in February without a Social Security number.
“It wasn't difficult at all,” Miguel says.
Though illegal immigrants can't get a driver's license in North Carolina anymore, they can still be approved for a home loan.
With an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), good credit and proof of tax filing, those who aren't legal permanent residents can qualify for a fixed-rate “ITIN mortgage.”
The estimated $3 billion ITIN mortgage market makes up only a tiny fraction of the overall U.S. mortgage market, which originated $2.4 trillion in loans last year.
Yet the borrowers who have ITIN mortgages have proven to be some of the sturdiest as foreclosures climb to record highs.
Banks aren't required to keep track of how many ITIN home loans they give, so it's difficult to find accurate data on them.
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When Miguel left Mexico for the Carolinas, he planned on staying for a year.
That was five years ago. Now, he has a wife, a 1-year-old son and a mortgage that he got in February without a Social Security number.
“It wasn't difficult at all,” Miguel says.
Though illegal immigrants can't get a driver's license in North Carolina anymore, they can still be approved for a home loan.
With an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), good credit and proof of tax filing, those who aren't legal permanent residents can qualify for a fixed-rate “ITIN mortgage.”
The estimated $3 billion ITIN mortgage market makes up only a tiny fraction of the overall U.S. mortgage market, which originated $2.4 trillion in loans last year.
Yet the borrowers who have ITIN mortgages have proven to be some of the sturdiest as foreclosures climb to record highs.
Banks aren't required to keep track of how many ITIN home loans they give, so it's difficult to find accurate data on them.
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Casa trains Hispanics how to interact with police
If the police ask where you are from, even if they seem friendly, do not tell them.
Tell them your name, but nothing else.
Sign nothing without an attorney.
Demand to see warrants before opening doors.
Above all, do not give police false documents, and never lie to them.
That’s the message Hispanics received from senior officials of Casa de Maryland in Frederick on Saturday.
The Silver Spring-based organization, whose ‘‘primary mission is to work with the community to improve the quality of life and fight for equal treatment and full access to resources and opportunities for low-income Latinos and their families,” according to its Web site, came to Frederick to continue its campaign against a four-month-old deportation program.
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Tell them your name, but nothing else.
Sign nothing without an attorney.
Demand to see warrants before opening doors.
Above all, do not give police false documents, and never lie to them.
That’s the message Hispanics received from senior officials of Casa de Maryland in Frederick on Saturday.
The Silver Spring-based organization, whose ‘‘primary mission is to work with the community to improve the quality of life and fight for equal treatment and full access to resources and opportunities for low-income Latinos and their families,” according to its Web site, came to Frederick to continue its campaign against a four-month-old deportation program.
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J-Lo Backing Obama?
Superstar actress and singer Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) was seen "slipping" into Barack Obama's Senate office for what the Hill called a "mysterious meeting". Asked by reporters about the purpose of her visit to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Lopez answered "I'm not ready to do any press yet".
Should she decide to back Obama, Lopez would be the latest -- and most famous -- among the throng of Latino celebrities that have already come out in support of the Illinois Senator. Among the other Latino artists already backing Obama are the more than 20 Latin music and film stars who recently released a Spanish-language video in support of the Democratic presidential candidate.
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Should she decide to back Obama, Lopez would be the latest -- and most famous -- among the throng of Latino celebrities that have already come out in support of the Illinois Senator. Among the other Latino artists already backing Obama are the more than 20 Latin music and film stars who recently released a Spanish-language video in support of the Democratic presidential candidate.
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Spanish-language media key to victory with Latinos
While the dust was still settling last week in the Democratic presidential race between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain was kicking up his general election advertising war — on Spanish-language radio.
Smart move.
Obama, the Democratic survivor, is still figuring out how to win over the huge Hispanic voting bloc that strongly favored Clinton in the primaries. But McCain already has begun his Hispanic media campaign — in Spanish and English — in the hopes of copying the successes that President Bush had with those voters.
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Smart move.
Obama, the Democratic survivor, is still figuring out how to win over the huge Hispanic voting bloc that strongly favored Clinton in the primaries. But McCain already has begun his Hispanic media campaign — in Spanish and English — in the hopes of copying the successes that President Bush had with those voters.
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Wooing Hispanic voters, McCain starts Spanish-language website
On Cinco de Mayo, John McCain reached out yesterday to Hispanic voters, launching a Spanish-language campaign website and acknowledging that the harsh anti-immigration tone during the Republican primaries harmed his party's image among Latinos.
The Arizona senator championed an overhaul of immigration laws, including a path to citizenship, but the package failed to get through Congress. Under attack from GOP rivals who called him too lenient on illegal immigration, McCain declared that Americans would not back reform until the borders are secure.
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The Arizona senator championed an overhaul of immigration laws, including a path to citizenship, but the package failed to get through Congress. Under attack from GOP rivals who called him too lenient on illegal immigration, McCain declared that Americans would not back reform until the borders are secure.
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US Latino voters come of age
In 2006, as a debate over immigration reform was raging in the US, the country's Latino voters played a major role in helping the Democratic Party regain control of the US Congress.
And, in recent months, Latinos have also played a pivotal role in helping the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton stay in the race against her rival Barack Obama, contributing to her impressive victory in California on Super Tuesday and playing a major role in her victory a month later in Texas.
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And, in recent months, Latinos have also played a pivotal role in helping the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton stay in the race against her rival Barack Obama, contributing to her impressive victory in California on Super Tuesday and playing a major role in her victory a month later in Texas.
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IU Latino Studies graduates its first cohort of students
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The first cohort of undergraduate students enrolled in the Latino Studies minor at Indiana University Bloomington are set to graduate on May 3.
Four students in the program are scheduled to graduate next month with three additional students planning to graduate later in the year. The program's 15-credit hour minor was launched in fall 2006, and it now has 22 students with a declared minor.
Students and faculty in the IU Latino Studies Program recognized graduating seniors at a banquet last week. The program has four seniors graduating in May 2008.
Arlene Diaz, interim director of the Latino Studies Program, associate professor in history and director of undergraduate studies for the history department, said the program helps students have a better understanding of the Latino culture.
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Four students in the program are scheduled to graduate next month with three additional students planning to graduate later in the year. The program's 15-credit hour minor was launched in fall 2006, and it now has 22 students with a declared minor.
Students and faculty in the IU Latino Studies Program recognized graduating seniors at a banquet last week. The program has four seniors graduating in May 2008.
Arlene Diaz, interim director of the Latino Studies Program, associate professor in history and director of undergraduate studies for the history department, said the program helps students have a better understanding of the Latino culture.
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Hot spot for illegal immigration
Ethnic tension in Arizona is high. Hispanics are ducking in fear of racial profiling as public officials fire at each other over how to control illegal immigration. Headline-grabbing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio recently staged “crime sweeps” in Hispanic neighborhoods in Phoenix and Guadalupe in search of illegal immigrants. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon warned Arpaio’s “made-for-TV stunts” could lead to “shouting matches, confrontations or worse” and asked for a federal civil rights investigation.
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Honor Roberto Clemente by retiring his jersey
Clemente died on a relief mission to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua on Dec. 31, 1972, while personally supervising the delivery of supplies to his suffering Hispanic brothers and sisters after the first plane load of supplies had been looted. His untimely death occurred during the Christmas holiday season, a time of the year that Puerto Ricans refrain from business and travel and focus on important things like faith and family. Clemente could not stand to watch the people of Nicaragua suffer, so he capitalized on his celebrity, as he had just won the 1971 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by practically single-handedly defeating the Baltimore Orioles.
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Ricky Martin in Cambodia to raise awareness about human trafficking
SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Ricky Martin met with victims of sexual exploitation Saturday during a visit to Cambodia to promote the fight against human trafficking.
Martin held infants and listened to a 14-year-old rape victim's song during his visit to a shelter in the northwestern city of Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor temples.
"She sings like an angel," Martin said after the girl finished a song she composed about the plight of trafficking victims.
Martin held infants and listened to a 14-year-old rape victim's song during his visit to a shelter in the northwestern city of Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor temples.
"She sings like an angel," Martin said after the girl finished a song she composed about the plight of trafficking victims.
Migrant and Immigrant conference looks at health care, economics
It was a chance to hear different ideas about a very complex issue.
That's what some attendees of the 2008 Migrant and Immigrant Health in Rural Pennsylvania Conference had to say Tuesday.
About 50 people are attending the two-day conference, which continues today at the Gettysburg Hotel on Lincoln Square. It was the sixth annual conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, the state departments of Health and Agriculture and the Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension.
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That's what some attendees of the 2008 Migrant and Immigrant Health in Rural Pennsylvania Conference had to say Tuesday.
About 50 people are attending the two-day conference, which continues today at the Gettysburg Hotel on Lincoln Square. It was the sixth annual conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, the state departments of Health and Agriculture and the Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension.
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October predictions faded long ago
WASHINGTON -- At a breakfast with national political reporters five months ago, Sen. Hillary Clinton's senior strategist, Mark Penn, felt confident enough to predict she could win 24% of female Republican voters in the fall general election.
Rivals ridiculed the exactness of the claim, or doubted its accuracy. Critics saw it as a sign of overconfidence. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama -- still a long shot with a memorably eloquent speech to his name -- said Clinton was like President George W. Bush because both had prematurely declared, "Mission accomplished."
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Rivals ridiculed the exactness of the claim, or doubted its accuracy. Critics saw it as a sign of overconfidence. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama -- still a long shot with a memorably eloquent speech to his name -- said Clinton was like President George W. Bush because both had prematurely declared, "Mission accomplished."
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McCain touts economic credentials
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain Tuesday laid out his credentials for managing the economy, an area Democrats hope to expose as a weakness in November's general election.
McCain said he would examine every potential solution to the mortgage crisis which is threatening to spill over into a recession -- but would stop short of calling for immediate government intervention.
"I will not play election year politics with the housing crisis," McCain was to say according to an advance copy of his remarks to Hispanic business leaders in California.
McCain said he would examine every potential solution to the mortgage crisis which is threatening to spill over into a recession -- but would stop short of calling for immediate government intervention.
"I will not play election year politics with the housing crisis," McCain was to say according to an advance copy of his remarks to Hispanic business leaders in California.
Richardson: 'I am very loyal to the Clintons'
(CNN) -- Facing fire from some fellow Democrats for his decision to endorse Sen. Barack Obama, Gov. Bill Richardson said Sunday he still considers himself loyal to the family that helped make his political career.
"I am very loyal to the Clintons. I served under President Clinton. But I served well. And I served the country well. And he gave me that opportunity," Richardson told "Fox News Sunday."
"But you know ... it shouldn't just be Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton," he said.
Richardson was secretary of energy under the Clinton administration, a post that helped bring him to national prominence and win the governorship of New Mexico in 2002.
Richardson, who abandoned his presidential bid January 10, endorsed Obama on Friday as the Democratic nominee. He called Sen. Hillary Clinton Thursday to tell her of his decision, Clinton's campaign said.
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"I am very loyal to the Clintons. I served under President Clinton. But I served well. And I served the country well. And he gave me that opportunity," Richardson told "Fox News Sunday."
"But you know ... it shouldn't just be Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton," he said.
Richardson was secretary of energy under the Clinton administration, a post that helped bring him to national prominence and win the governorship of New Mexico in 2002.
Richardson, who abandoned his presidential bid January 10, endorsed Obama on Friday as the Democratic nominee. He called Sen. Hillary Clinton Thursday to tell her of his decision, Clinton's campaign said.
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It's time to get involved!!!
It's time for the latinos to get educated on politics. Pay attention to the political race. This affects all of us; this should be our time to voice our opinions while the politicians are listening. If we do not speak up, they will never know what affects us in our communities. We need to make our presence felt; let them know that we care about our country's future. That's right - OUR COUNTRY!
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We are not criminals!
While perhaps not the defining issue this primary season, the often acrimonious immigration debate could lead to higher than average Hispanic voter turnout. more info
