9:12 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|arizona|Immigration|Music · Comments Off
10 Feb 2009If you’re in the Tempe, Arizona area tonite, you can put you can move to musica por el movimiento. In direct response to the continued racist and anti-immigrant antics of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, renowned musical artists from Chicago, Detroit, New York, and from the Arizona area are unleashing their lenguas for “Stop the Circus! (Fight for Tolerance, Stop Arpaio)”.
On Wednesday, February 4, 2009 in a shocking display of anti-immigrant racism, the man who calls himself the “Toughest Sheriff in America” publicly chained and paraded 220 immigrant detainees through a gauntlet of media cameras from the Maricopa county jail to outdoor tents. The immigrants housed in the “tent city” will be surrounded by electrified fencing and subject to different disciplinary standards than other prisoners. Disobedience of Sheriff Joe’s “tent city” rules is punishable by chain-gang labor; eerily reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.
Donde :
Stray Cat
2433 E. University Drive
Tempe, AZ
8pm
Scheduled to perform: One Be Lo, Wordsworth, Verbal Kent, G-Owens, Fiyah Station, Nobuddie, Bliss-Writers Bench: Hosted by Wild Life Refuge.
Check out Wordsworth aqui:
Let us not forget the roots of hip hop, as a way of speaking truth to power and reflecting realities ignored in the mainstream media and in portraits of the “American dream”. Protest comes in many forms so let us build movimiento con musica.
For mas informacion contact: Jill Garvey(jill@newcomm.org) at the Center for New Community
312-266-0319 or 773-787-6353 (mobile)
7:11 am By Maegan La Mala · Brazil|Culture|Latin America|race|society · Comments Off
10 Feb 2009In honor of Black History Month, are a couple more videos focusing on an element of Afro-Latino culture. This time we focus on the plight of blacks in Brazil, and the reality of a nation that on the surface appears to be colorblind, but where the legacy of slavery remains.
The first video, from Al Jazeera, focuses on the hardships still faced by black Brazilians in Bahía. The second, from PBS, follows university students attempting to “qualify as black” in order to gain access to university in Brasilia.
Enjoy!
Via / Al Jazeera
I always thought that I made a pretty hot pregnant mujer, pero damn, M.I.A put me and other mamis to shame last night at the Grammy Awards, and on her due day no less.
I didn’t see her actual performance. How was that?


Via / The Huffington Post
There’s some controversy as to which groundhog we should trust. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of winter and the Staten Island, NYC groundhog didn’t see his shadow, meaning an early spring. One way to heat things up is with some musica from Brazil.
Gracias a Viva Brazil you can get that cuerpo moving with some funky musica for you culito. A weekly radio show from Viva Radio, it features tropicalia, samba soul, funk, bossa, and popular music from our Portuguese speaking hermanos.
Via / The Republica Update
9:30 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Immigration|italy|Justice|society|World · Comments Off
9 Feb 2009
Ah, Silvio Berlusconi. We’ve reported on the Italian Prime Minister a couple of times here on VL and none of it has been good news. In sharp contrast to the majority of the leaders of the countries within the European Union, Berlusconi has it out for immigrants and apparently will stop at nothing to advance his fascist ways in Italy, the country with the largest number of immigrants in Europe — some 7 million. In what may be his most disgusting move yet, Berlusconi’s government has crossed the line of common decency to make it obligatory for medical doctors to report undocumented patients. Reports The Telegraph:
The Italian parliament passed a bill on Thursday which will compel medical staff to contact the police if they believe that the patient they are treating does not have a valid visa or work permit.Opposition MPs condemned the measure as “racist” while doctors groups said it would turn them into informers of the kind last seen in Italy during Mussolini’s fascist regime.
I didn’t watch the Grammy Awards last night. I must be getting old because I don’t know who half the people nominated were. Pero even before M.I.A shook her pregnant pansa up on the stage (mas on that later), Latinos got their awards in the untelevised portion of the show, porque really who cares about Latin music anyway? In fact, most Latin musicians didn’t even go to get their awards, not even Juanes, who is pictured getting an award last year. This yeah Gustavo Santaolalla accepted the award for Mejor Latin Pop Album. Juanes was kind enough to send a message though saying he dedicated the honor to those held hostage in the Colombian jungle.
Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album went to Jaguares, whom I’ve never liked. I wanted Locos Por Juana to win.
7:30 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration|Movies · Comments Off
9 Feb 2009El Norte, a film by Gregory Nava, originally released in 1983, made me weep when I first saw it a few years ago. It was just released by The Criterion Collection in DVD and Blu-ray format.
Even though the film is over 20 years old, the story of two Guatemalan siblings emigrating to the United States is still relevant, especially since conditions for immigrants haven’t gotten better over the years.
Via / The Latin Americanist
7:11 am By Maegan La Mala · Latin America|mexico|science|World · 1 Comment
9 Feb 2009To kick off International Astronomy Day — which marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s invention of the telescope – thousands of Mexico City residents gathered this weekend in the city’s main plaza, El Zócalo, to turn their telescopes to the sky and do a little stargazing:
But it wasn’t just Mexico City residents who got in the stargazing spirit. Events took place all over the republic, in city squares in all major Mexican cities. In addition, astronomy buffs also gathered at archeological sites all over the country in an event called “Night of Stars 2009: Our Ancestors’ Skies”, which took place a Boca de Potrerillos, in Nuevo León; Xochicalco in Morelos; Calixtlahuaca in Mexico State; Cholula in Puebla; Dzibichaltún in Yucatán; and Edzná in Campeche.
Via / Reforma on YouTube
8:37 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Cuba|Immigration|Linking Latinos|Quicklinks · Comments Off
8 Feb 2009I’ve been way off my game this week and am trying to come back. Mientras tanto, peep what I’m reading/watching this lovely domingo morning:
Shock! Fidel Castro criticizes Obama. Guess he’s not dead yet.
Miley Cyrus may have been nominated for a Kid’s Choice Award, pero she’s still racist.
Feliz Sunday. It’s beautiful out, at least here in NYC it is, so get outside into the sun. She’s missed you.
8:04 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|GLBT|Justice|society · Comments Off
8 Feb 2009
“Fidelity”: Don’t Divorce… from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.
The video says it all. If you are in California, join the cause and fight the division of families.
Via / Courage Campaign
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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