Cada año, cuando llega el Mes de la Herencia Latina, veo como salen a la superficie los mismos estereotipos cansinos sobre los latinos y lo poco que se dice sobre aquellos de nosotros –y somos muchos– que crecimos en un entorno perfectamente ordinario. Y es especialmente cierto en el caso de Puerto Rico, donde crecí. […]
Author Archives: Patricia Guadalupe
Raised in Puerto Rico, Patricia Guadalupe is a bilingual multimedia journalist based in Washington, D.C., covering the capital for both English and Spanish-language media outlets. She is also an adjunct professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C., and with the Washington bureau of the South Florida Media Network at Florida International University. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and has a Master’s from the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Raíces, Growing up in Puerto Rico
So many people in the U.S., including Latinos, are uninformed about Puerto Rico. I’m not an immigrant, and by the way, neither is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor even though several elected officials called her that during her nomination hearings. Countless times I have been asked by people who should know better what kind of money is used on the island (yeah, the U.S. dollar), do they need a passport to travel there (um, no), and how is that I speak English so well.
Posted inEspañol
Escritores latinos exploran el tema de su identidad
¿Qué significa ser latino en Estados Unidos? Ese fue el foco de una animada discusión durante el Festival Nacional del Libro de la Biblioteca del Congreso celebrado este mes en Washington, D.C. Héctor Tobar, profesor asociado de periodismo literario y estudios chicanos/latinos en la Universidad de California en Irvine, dijo ante un auditorio lleno que el término “latino” es […]
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Latino authors explore identity
What does it mean to be Latino in the U.S.? That was the focus of a lively discussion at the Library of Congress National Book Festival held this month in Washington, D.C., where UC Irvine professor Héctor Tobar told a packed house that the term “Latino” is “an expression of an alliance, we have this commonality, we have this story of a journey in the background.”
The Los Angeles native was speaking about his new book, “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of Latino” which starts with what he says is a message to his UC Irvine students who have told him stories of their lives.
Also at the festival was Afro Latino Puerto Rican David Betancourt, a comic book culture reporter with the Washington Post and author of an upcoming book with Marvel, “The Avengers Assembled: The Origin Story of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” The volume, which hits the shelves August 29, takes a deep dive into “the greatest superhero team of all time,” including looking at fan favorites such as Vision and Black Widow.
Posted inEspañol
El poder del voto latino en California
Los votantes latinos en California serán quienes determinen quién será el próximo senador federal que represente al estado más poblado de la nación. Así lo afirma Chuck Rocha, un destacado consultor político nacional, al referirse a la vacante que quedará cuando la veterana senadora Dianne Feinstein, de 90 años, se jubile al final de su mandato el […]
Posted inPolitics
COMMENTARY: The power of the Latino vote in California
There are 10 congressional districts with significant Latino populations and are considered the 10 biggest elections in the country – three of them are in California and happen to be in districts not only with a large Latino presence, but in districts won by Republicans on the congressional side and by Joe Biden on the presidential side. All three are part of 18 congressional districts nationwide that voted for Biden in 2020 while being won or held by a Republican in Congress.
Posted inEspañol
¡Paguen a nuestros pasantes!
Nadie debería trabajar gratis, especialmente quienes no pueden pagar sus gastos mínimos. Pero eso es precisamente lo que Carlos Mark Vera vio en Washington D.C. cuando llegó de California para estudiar en la American University. El 61% de los estudiantes universitarios del país ha trabajado en una pasantía. De esos estudiantes, el 46,5% no fueron […]
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Pay Our Interns
A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that students of color are less likely to have paid internships. Researchers surveyed more than 22,000 students from 470 colleges and universities in their Student Survey Report and found that just 10% of all graduating Latino seniors have had internships, compared to 71% of non-Hispanic white students. The study also found that less than Latinos account for less than 8% of students in paid internships. While more than 90% of internships in the U.S. House and Senate are paid, just 10% of Assembly offices in Sacramento pay their interns, and none do in the state Senate.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Tony Tijerino, advocating for Latinos in the arts and beyond
Tony Tijerino is President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. He is a native of Nicaragua and a graduate of the University of Maryland. Tijerino’s experience includes stints at the public relations giant Burson Marsteller, and at Nike and the Fannie Mae Foundation. He’s been showered with numerous honors and awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National PTA, and recognition from Hispanics in Philanthropy and the MALDEF Award for Human Rights. Tijerino is also a recipient of the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Mexican government to an individual. He’s also worked on immigration issues and was recognized by FWD.US for his work with migrant families on the border.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: U.S. Supreme Court Affirmative Action ban will hurt students of color
The high court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina wipes away decades of SCOTUS precedence upheld even by justices named by Republican presidents. According to a recent report in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, ending affirmative action in admissions to the flagship University of California system “caused underrepresented minority (URM) freshman applicants to cascade to lower-quality colleges” and that a greater number ending up leaving higher education without completing their degree. According to the most recent data, while 53% of high school graduates in California are Latino, just 22% were enrolled in the UC system in 2020.
Posted inEspañol
COMENTARIO: El presidente mexicano, LULAC y NAACP critican los planes de DeSantis de cerrar la frontera y su agenda antimigrante
El presidente de México exhortó a los votantes latinos de EE.UU. a que no apoyaran al gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, quien inició su campaña presidencial en su intento de reemplazar al presidente Joe Biden con la promesa de “cerrar” la frontera. La controversia de Florida llegó hasta el palacio presidencial en la Ciudad de […]
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Mexican president, LULAC and NAACP slam DeSantis’ plans to shut down border and his anti-migrant agenda
DeSantis recently signed legislation that among other things places criminal penalties on anyone who transports an undocumented person across state lines, requires employers with 25 or more workers to verify their immigration status, and demands hospitals who accept Medicaid ask immigration status to patients and report the data. It also repeals a law that allows some undocumented immigrants to obtain a license to practice law in the state. Barring any potential court action, the DeSantis legislation goes into effect on July 1.
Some undocumented workers in South Florida are not showing up for work or leaving job sites because of the law.