Archive for March, 2006
Kids’ t-shirts cause a stink at school
9:37 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| children · 1 Comment
31 Mar 2006
Being a kid just isn’t as it used to be. Especially since now if you wear an innocent t-shirt you’ll be accused of inciting racial violence. All of this the age of five:
A Hispanic second grader and kindergarten student in Virginia were sent home from school Friday for wearing homemade T-shirts that read “Latinos Forever” written in Spanish…
Todd Erickson, principal of Occoquan Elementary School, told the Potomac News that he was concerned the T-shirts would disrupt classes because a protest–the fourth in a week–was taking place Friday in Woodbridge.
“Today it was obvious, straight up, totally clear what was going on,” Erickson said.
Um, what was clear? What was going on? I don’t get it. They are FIVE and EIGHT for the love of God.
“How is that going to disrupt a kindergarten class?” Carmen Soriano, Joseph’s mother, asked.
links for 2006-03-31
3:18 pm By Blogs Media · Quicklinks · Comments Off
31 Mar 2006-
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Some airlines have expressed interest in learning more about the demographics of the Hispanic population in the Hudson Valley with an eye toward possibly providing passenger service from Stewart airport to Central America and other Latino destinations.
Raíces: Elis Regina
2:45 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Brazil| Celebrities| Features| Music| Raices| history · 1 Comment
31 Mar 2006
Raíces is a VL Friday feature saluting Latino music icons of days gone by.
I am not a musician, but as a different kind of artist, music is very important to me. The idea for Raíces comes from that; and the fact that I found that many of the Latino musicians that have most impacted my life are largely unknown by the US Latino population.
One of my most cherished artists is the late Elis Regina. An icon in Brazil, she is mostly known here in the United States because of her bossa nova recordings and collaborations with Antonio Carlos Jobim. This is unfortunate, because her range went way beyond bossa nova; indeed, some of her more inspiring music is much darker, with her voice giving life to the work of some of Brazil’s most talented poets, dealing with the topics of social complacency, politics, hopelessness and of course, love.
The Language of the Immigration Issue
8:40 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration| Media · 3 Comments
31 Mar 2006
When you hear the word “Alien”, do you think little green men from mars or do you think of Mexicans and other Latinos? According to the National Association of Hispanic Journalist (NAHJ), the language being used in the mainstream media to detail the current immigration debate dehumanizes and stereotypes. NAHJ, a 2,300-member organization of reporters, editors and other journalists, is calling the mainstream media out on their use of language and the impact it has in framing the immigration. The NAHJ is giving a historical context for the words being used in the media and offering alternative word choices. Their Resource Guide for Journalists states for example :
While Webster’s first definition of the term “alien” is in accordance with the government’s interpretation, the dictionary also includes other, darker, meanings for the word, such as “a non-terrestrial being,” “strange,” “not belonging to one,” “adverse,” “hostile.” And the Encyclopedia Britannica points out that “in early times, the tendency was to look upon the alien as an enemy and to treat him as a criminal or an outlaw.” It is not surprising then that in 1798, in anticipation of a possible war with France, the U.S. Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which restricted “aliens” and curtailed press freedoms. By 1800 the laws had been repealed or had expired but they still cast a negative shadow over the word. In modern times, with science-fiction growing in popularity, “alien” has come to mean a creature from outer space, and is considered pejorative by most immigrants.
Via / NAHJ
New Pew Report: America Split over Immigration
5:14 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Immigration · Comments Off
30 Mar 2006
A new report released today by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that America is split on the topic of immigration:
…the public remains largely divided in its views of the overall effect of immigration. Roughly as many believe that newcomers to the U.S. strengthen American society as say they threaten traditional American values, and over the longer term, positive views of Latin American immigrants, in particular, have improved dramatically.Reflecting this ambivalence, the public is split over many of the policy proposals aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million-12 million unauthorized migrants in the U.S. Overall, 53% say people who are in the U.S. illegally should be required to go home, while 40% say they should be granted some kind of legal status that allows them to stay here.
If America is ambivalent, we are certainly seeing more one side than another in the media these days.
The Pew Report is comprehensive, posing real and honest questions related to the concept that Americans have of immigrants today. One of the data points show that Latinos are viewed more positively than they were over 10 years ago:
Download the full report at the Pew website
Related: Former Reagan Civil Rights Commission director Linda Chavez believes that instead of protesting, immigrants should “trade their ancestral flags for the Stars and Stripes.” (NYT, registration required)
Via / Pew Hispanic Center
Latinos and blacks more entrepreneurial
1:18 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · business| race · Comments Off
30 Mar 2006
According to a Florida International University study, Latinos and blacks are more likely to be entrepreneurs than the rest of the population. From Black Enterprise:
According to Entrepreneurship in the U.S., a report by Florida International University, blacks are more inclined than whites of the same gender or educational background to start a business. Among blacks, those with college degrees or graduate experience are most likely to be involved in a business startup.The dramatically higher entrepreneurial tendency is true only for startup businesses, those with no payroll history for more than three months. For new businesses, those running three to 42 months, degreed blacks and Hispanics have a smaller lead in probability of business participation over their white peers. For established firms, those operating more than 42 months, degreed blacks and Hispanics have similar or lower probabilities of participation than their white peers.
The article also suggests that the corporate “glass ceiling” may be a source of frustration for black and Latino business people, compelling them to start their own business endeavors.
Via / Black Enterprise
FBI Continues Its Attacks on Rican Independence Leaders
8:11 am By Maegan La Mala · Puerto Rico · Comments Off
30 Mar 2006
This past Tuesday, Puerto Rican independence leader and former political prisoner, Antonio Camacho Negron, was arrested by the FBI. Camacho Negron, who was convicted on charges in connection with a 1983 robbery from a Wells Fargo depot in Hartford, Connecticut, spent 15 years inside and was released in August 2004. Camacho was arrested during a meeting of the Comite Nacional para la Descolonizacion, an umbrella organization whose goal is to unite all Puerto Ricans who genuinely believe in the decolonization of Puerto Rico, regardless of their current political affiliation. The Feds say Camacho Negron violated the conditions of his parole. Camacho Negron has never acknowledged parole conditions. Supporters of Camacho Negron are organizing rallies for tommorow, Friday, is support of the independence activist.
Via / ProLibertad
Immigration: More hate from the media
4:54 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Immigration| Media| TV| radio · 1 Comment
29 Mar 2006
Mainstream media’s obsession with immigration just seems to grow and grow. It’s not just Lou Dobbs anymore. One can’t watch cable news in primetime without being bombarded with ignorant punditry and hate-filled diatribes. Media Matters has a couple of particularly disturbing examples today, not from cable TV but from the internet and radio:
Michelle Malkin, the Filipino-American right wing pundit says:
Apologists are quick to argue that Latino supremacists are just a small fringe faction of the pro-illegal immigration movement (never mind that their ranks include former and current Hispanic politicians from L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to former California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cruz Bustamante).
Um, what? I’d come up with a stronger response to this statement if I thought it deserved more than just a quick “Are you smoking something?”
An Atlanta-area radio host thinks that all Latino immigrants need to be “stored” somewhere before ultimately deporting them all:
The United Nations and the Euro-weenies, who have their own immigration problem with their own “M” word; It’s Muslims for them. They will start screaming about human rights violations like you’ve never heard them screaming before. They are not going to be shipped back. I mean, Royal, think about — Mexico doesn’t want ‘em back, first of all. Think what happens if we round — first of all, where do we store 11 million Hispanics just waiting to ship ‘em back to Nicaragua, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico. Where do we store ‘em?
Media Matters is urging the public to contact both of these commentators to voice their opposition to the views expressed.
Media Matters: Malkin quote
Media Matters: Boortz quote
Via / Media Matters
Mexico loved Dúrcal as if she were its own
3:18 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities| Music| Spain| mexico · 8 Comments
29 Mar 2006
Friends in Spain tell me that the news of legendary singer Rocío Dúrcal’s death shook their country, and it’s no wonder why. Rocío Dúrcal came of age and into fame at a time when Spain was living “de espaldas al mundo” because of a dictatorship. Dúrcal made her career in Spain, but her fame soon spread to Mexico with her working collaborations with Juan Gabriel.
Mexico’s love affair with Rocío Dúrcal has been going strong ever since. Among my friends in Mexico, old and young, Rocío was regarded as “una mexicana de corazón” and was so beloved for the passion that she felt for Mexican music genres such as rancheras, mariachi and bolero.
To speak of Rocío is to speak of Juan Gabriel. In México, it is hard for people to separate the two. Juan Gabriel, as controversial as he has been through the years, is truly a Mexican icon, and by extension Rocío became that as well. Like any good “pareja”, they fought a lot, but always seemed to come back together (although it seems that Rocío was once again annoyed with him before she died…apparently he hadn’t checked up on her the last time she was hospitalized).
Eva and JLo are Hermanas
1:41 pm By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities| Chismes| Movies · Comments Off
29 Mar 2006
It’s being reported that Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez will be playing sisters in an as yet untitled film set to begin shooting in September. The movie, a comedy, is about two Hollywood star hermanas who try to cut each other down during a feud. No word if they will be cursing each other in Spanish the way I often do in fights with my sister.
Via / Latina
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