NewsTaco

By Elisabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino

New York State will soon become the latest place to open an agency focused on immigrants, according to El Diario La Prensa.

In the coming months, the state will open the Office for New Americans, with 27 centers planned for around New York, the website said. The centers are expected to offer such things as English classes, immigration law consultations, naturalization preparation courses and workshops for entrepreneurs, according to state documents released last year.

Click on picture to read full story.

[Photo by Grand Canyon NPS]

By Michael Howard Saul, Wall Street Journal

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo courtesy nyam.org]

By Hispanically Speaking News

Politicians, academics, writers and other representatives of Latino culture took the first step on Wednesday in promoting an initiative that seeks to save and preserve Spanish in New York.

“Who doesn’t like it if our children speak two languages? We win when our kids enrich themselves with another culture,” said Dominican activist and writer Mary Grateroux, emphasizing that there is no contradiction when kids learn the mother tongue of their parents simultaneously with English.

That was the premise that on Wednesday led New York state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, also of Dominican origin, to call upon different sectors of Hispanic society in the Big Apple.

Espaillat thus lent support to addressing a concern of cultural activist Ramon Badia that the children of Latino immigrants are not learning their parents’ language.

Badia described himself as a person “in love with the unity of our peoples” as pushed by Simon Bolivar, and he recalled that Spanish is the language that has maintained the unity of Latin American countries with Spain for more than 500 years.

“This was a good start. I think the talent and knowledge of how we can move forward on this project exists,” the senator told Efe after the two-hour meeting that was also attended by the New York branch of the Cervantes Institute, Javier Rioyo.

State Assemblyman Nelson Castro said that the initiative has to include the immigrant parents, many of whom have not mastered Spanish because they speak indigenous languages or they don’t do so correctly because they are illiterate.

“We have to share what was said at the meeting, to defend our peculiarities but also the strength that joins us culturally and idiomatically,” Rioyo said.

Ana Maria Garcia, the dean of Hostos Community College in The Bronx, emphasized that many immigrants have left their countries out of economic necessity “without attaining levels of education in their own language and they cannot teach their children Spanish although they have the desire to do so.”

This article was first published by Hispanically Speaking News.

[Photo by tnarik]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

For almost three and one half years Anthony Zeno put up with racial harassment at his rural New York High School, until he could take it no longer, left, and earned a high school equivalency certificate.

But his ordeal, and his repeated unanswered complaints to school officials, were enough for Zeno and his family to file a suit against the school system. He won an initial $1 million award, the district appealed and the award was upheld.

According to a report in the Christian Science monitor, in its final decision the US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City unanimously declared:

 “We conclude there was sufficient evidence in the record to support the jury’s finding that the District’s responses to student harassment of Anthony amounted to deliberate indifference to discrimination,” Judge Denny Chin wrote for the unanimous panel.

Zeno transferred from his school in Long Island to Stissing Mountain High School in Pine Plains, New York in his freshman year. That’s when the harassment began and became worse with each subsequent year.

The school had minority attendance of less than five percent, and many students used Zeno’s ethnic heritage as a basis to taunt, harass, menace, and physically assault him.

“His peers made frequent pejorative references to his skin tone, calling him a ‘nigger’ nearly every day,” Judge Chin said.

“They also referred to him as ‘homey’ and ‘gangster,’ while making reference to his ‘hood’ and ‘fake rapper bling bling.’ ”

Chin continued: “He received explicit threats as well as implied threats, such as references to lynching.”

Zeno’s lawyers prevailed in proving that the school’s authorities were “deliberately indifferent” to the racial harassment and that Zeno was, according to the CSM, “deprived of a supportive, scholastic environment free of racism and harassment.”

In the end, the school’s attorneys argued that the award was excessive, given the alleged suffering. But the court disagreed:

“Anthony was not an adult losing sleep due to workplace stress,” Chin said. “Rather, he was a teenager being subjected – at a vulnerable point in his life – to 3 1/2 years of racist, demeaning, threatening, and violent conduct.”

The judge added: “Given the severity, duration, and egregiousness of Anthony’s unchecked harassment, his [$1 million] award was not outside the range of permissible decisions.”

 

By Angelina, Our Tiempo

“Superheroes: Latino Immigrants Who Make New York,” is now on display at Columbia University. Photographer Dulce Pinzón has captured images of New York immigrants who daily overcome long and hard working conditions just to put food on the table.

Dulce says-

“After September 11, the notion of the “hero” began to rear its head in the public consciousness more and more frequently. The notion served a necessity in a time of national and global crisis to acknowledge those who showed extraordinary courage or determination in the face of danger, sometimes even sacrificing their lives in an attempt to save others. However, in the whirlwind of journalism surrounding these deservedly front-page disasters and emergencies, it is easy to take for granted the heroes who sacrifice immeasurable life and labor in their day to day lives for the good of others, but do so in a somewhat less spectacular setting.

The Mexican immigrant worker in New York is a perfect example of the hero who has gone unnoticed. It is common for a Mexican worker in New York to work extraordinary hours in extreme conditions for very low wages which are saved at great cost and sacrifice and sent to families and communities in Mexico who rely on them to survive.”

If you can’t make it to NYC check out her website for some more amazing images.

This article was first published in Our Tiempo.

Angelina is a multifaceted Chicago-based Graphic Artist. Specializing in visual communications and brand identity, she is known for using rich, bold colors in her work and exhibition design spaces. She created the brand identity of nationally recognized exhibitions and organizations. Angelina has also participated as an artist in the international exhibition, Cool Globes.

[Photo by Dulce Puinzón]

The Pew Hispanic Center has released a new set of data that allows readers to get a more spatial understanding of Hispanic populations in America. This interactive map spans 1980 to the present, and shows the important things about Hispanic migration and population expansion. Not only does it allow us to get a visual perspective of the growth, it also allows the readers to look at the shifts in the Hispanic cultural hubs of America, and see where the Hispanic population really isn’t growing.

Firstly, the population has grown immensely from 1980.

In 1980 the U.S. population was 226.5 million, 14.6 million of whom were counted as Hispanic, congregated in three cores areas: New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. By 2010, America has grown to 309 million, the Hispanic population to 50 million. Over 30 years the Hispanic population has managed to surge ahead of most groups in population, and spans a much broader area of America than it did in the 1980s — even Alasaka has a Hispanic population.

The other interesting thing note to the map is the replacement of dispersed Hispanic population hearths. New York City’s metropolitan area (Bronx, Kings, and New York County on this data) during the 1980s has more than 1.1 million Hispanics, according to this data. It surpasses Miami-Dade by double, but fails to reach Los Angeles’ population. By 2000, New York State is off the list. The east coast’s Hispanic population is indeed growing — don’t think otherwise — but, likely due to immigration, the U.S.-Mexico border has become the center of America’s Hispanic population.

As a result, it’s safe to assume that the heart of Hispanic culture in our country is no longer as spread apart as it used to be between Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. The twenty-first century Hispanic culture in the U.S. will likely center around Southern California, the border, and Gulf coast populations

As stated before, Hispanics have grown in noticeable numbers across the country, aside from very minimal growth in the Dakotas and Montana. It also shows that the largest concentrations away from the border and the Gulf are in Cook County, Illinois, and the Boston-Washington D.C. megalopolis. It’s an interesting map to look at, with some valuable data on major counties for Hispanic populations, but more importantly, one that tells us a great deal about who we will be as a nation in years to come.

[Screenshot By Pew]

Austin, Texas — The second night of music at SXSW started off with a promising showcase with Andrea Balency Trio and Torreblanca at Buffalo Billiards.  Andrea Balency, born in Paris but now living in Mexico, had already begun her set when I arrived and I could already hear her lovely bird-like voice as I entered the upstairs room where the stage was located.  Performing solo, she still managed to make a big impact on the audience with her soft, yet powerful singing, and melodies that are worthy of some serious hip swaying.

In contrast to Balency’s one-woman show, five members of Torreblanca went on stage after what seemed like an extra long sound check, with the lead singer Juan Manuel Torreblanca asking the slowly growing crowd, “¿Cómo les están pasando?” (Are you having a good time?)  The quintet’s first song was somewhat subdued for an opening number, but mostly everything played thereafter was upbeat and dynamic.  Constantly switching instruments with the lone female musician in the group, Torreblanca played both accordion and keyboards with as much intensity as his singing. The tall, curly-haired, bespectacled front man may have been the focal point for others watching the show, but I was transfixed by Alex “Tío,” who alternated between the saxophone and flute and looked like he was having such a good time playing that I couldn’t help but smile while watching him.

Later I trekked over to the Flamingo Cantina, walking in halfway through New York band !Outernational!, which according to their lead singer, came to SXSW to pick a fight. Though not with any people in the audience, as the lead singer’s ire seemed directed at the powers that be and with society in general. With a punk rock persona, Irish influences, and a songs that surprisingly traveled seamlessly through English and Spanish, their infusion of cultures was definitely unique.  Sometimes the songs sounded like music to drink a Guinness to, other songs were made to incite protests and anger.

By this time of the night, after two full days of watching back-to-back bands, trying to survive on little food and even less sleep, combined with plenty of uphill walking, I was feeling a little low on energy — until Los Rakas came on that is.

Their amazing set, definitely a SXSW highlight, was like a shot of auditory adrenaline.  Hip-hop in Spanish and English, representing Panama and California’s Bay Area, DunDun and Rico took to the stage with a thunderous presence that made everyone get to their feet and get closer to the stage. Decked out in baggy pants, oversized black and grey tees, and matching gold and silver sparkling chains around their neck, Los Rakas let it be known that they were about to light up the house and get everyone jumping with their catchy hooks and thumping beats that I felt buzzing through my body even after the show ended. With a DJ and one gorgeously glamorous backup singer in a short, black, one-shouldered dress behind them, they ran around the stage, got the crowd to  participate, and had everyone chanting during their anthem “Soy Raka” that they, too, were Rakas.

From there I headed to Easy Tiger Patio where British band Django Django was set to play, and I had high expectations for the group considering that the place was packed and my friend and I had to fight our way from the bathroom line to the entrance where they were playing.  Perhaps it was the dim-lighting or maybe the low-key stage presence, I was definitely underwhelmed by their performance and Joy Division-meets-Devo sound.

From there we moved on to the Red Eyed Fly to catch the end of Neon Indian’s DJ set and Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s (UMO) performance. According to their SXSW page, UMO describes themselves as “break-beats together with 70′s pop harmonies and a minimal Krautrock rhythm section,” and while I had a difficult time giving them all of my attention between the loud banter and people watching, their music served as the perfect sound to wind-down a rewarding night at SXSW.

[Photos of Torreblanca and Los Rakas by the author]

By the U.S. Census Bureau

Super Bowl XLVI will be played Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which will be the first time the Super Bowl has been played in Indiana.

Indianapolis is the northernmost city in the United States to host the Super Bowl since Detroit hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006. To commemorate this occasion, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts examining the demographics of the host city, as well as the cities represented by the contenders, in this year’s edition of our nation’s most celebrated sporting event.

New York (Giants)

1st

Where New York ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous cities. The population of New York in 2010 was 8,175,133.  (Source: 2010 Demographic Profile)

33.4%

Percentage of New York residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2010; 79.6 percent had at least graduated from high school. The respective national figures were 28.2 percent and 85.6 percent. The percentage in New York who have graduated from high school did not differ significantly from the percentage for Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

38.7 minutes

Average amount of time it took New York residents to get to work — 22.7 percent of the city’s workers drove to work alone, 5.0 percent carpooled and 55.7 percent took public transportation. Nationally, it took workers an average of 25.3 minutes to get to work. The percentage of New York workers who drove to work alone and the percentage taking public transportation were significantly different from the national average and Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

49.2%

Percentage of New York residents 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home. The national average was 20.6 percent. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$48,743

Median household income for New York. The national median was $50,046. The figure for New York was not statistically different from the national average. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$504,500

Median home value of owner-occupied homes in New York. The national median was $179,900. The figure for New York differed significantly from that for Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

Boston (New England Patriots)

22nd

Where Boston ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous cities. The population of Boston in 2010 was 617,594. The Patriots actually play in suburban Foxborough, Mass., which had a 2010 Census population of 16,865. (Source: 2010 Demographic Profile)

44.3%

Percentage of Boston residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2010; 85.8 percent had at least graduated from high school. The respective national figures were 28.2 percent and 85.6 percent. The percentage in Boston who had at least a bachelor’s degree was significantly higher from the percentage for Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

28.4 minutes

Average amount of time it took Boston residents to get to work — 38.3 percent of the city’s workers drove to work alone, 7.3 percent carpooled and 32.8 percent took public transportation. Nationally, it took workers an average of 25.3 minutes to get to work. The percentage of Boston workers who drove to work alone and the percentage taking public transportation were significantly different from the national average and Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

35.5%

Percentage of Boston residents 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home. The national average was 20.6 percent. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$49,893

Median household income for Boston. The national median was $50,046. The figure for Boston was not statistically different from the national average. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$369,600

Median home value of owner-occupied homes in Boston. The national median was $179,900. The figure for Boston is significantly different from that for Indianapolis. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

Indianapolis (host city)

12th

Where Indianapolis ranked on the list of the nation’s most populous cities. The population of Indianapolis in 2010 was 820,445. (Source: 2010 Demographic Profile)

26.7%

Percentage of Indianapolis residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2010; 83.8 percent had at least graduated from high school. The respective national figures were 28.2 percent and 85.6 percent. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

22.2 minutes

Average amount of time it took Indianapolis residents to get to work — 82.6 percent of the city’s workers drove to work alone, 9.2 percent carpooled and 1.8 percent took public transportation. Nationally, it took workers an average of 25.3 minutes to get to work. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

12.7%

Percentage of Indianapolis residents 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home. The national average was 20 percent. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$38,502

Median household income for Indianapolis. The national median was $50,046. The figure for Indianapolis is statistically different than the national average. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

$118,100

Median home value of owner-occupied homes in Indianapolis. The national median was $179,900. (Source: 2010 American Community Survey)

[Image By jpeepz]

The prevalence of obesity in United States children has reached epidemic proportions. The most recent national estimates suggest that the prevalence of at-risk-for-overweight continues to remain alarmingly high, with no signs of decreasing. Currently, 31.0% of children 6 to 11 years of age are estimated to be at-risk-for-overweight or obesity, and 16.0% are estimated to be overweight. From a public health perspective, childhood obesity is also particularly concerning because it has been documented that obesity in childhood tracks into adulthood and leads to premature death.

The current obesity epidemic is even more pronounced in minority children and children with low socioeconomic status, likely the result of poor food choices and decreased opportunity for physical activity.

One of the challenges when combating obesity in low-income neighborhoods is that the urban environment can discourage children from being active. According to the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, which has long been concerned with the character of New York’s streets, high crime rates and heavy truck traffic often make such streets unsuitable for play. Local parks too often lack simple amenities like spray showers.

More generally, the habits born of living in these environments can create a vicious cycle in which children become more and more accustomed to staying inside and watching TV or playing video games. New York City is now doing something to promote physical activity in some of its most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

During a two-month period last year, seven civic coalitions in New York neighborhoods like East Harlem and the South Bronx got permits from the city to close certain local streets to traffic for designated periods of time. Working with the police and other city agencies, they re-designated the areas as temporary “play streets,” encouraging neighborhood children to use them for exercise and offering a range of free games, athletic activities and coaching.

They call them “pop-up” playgrounds.

Data collected from the sites indicates that families visited local play streets for one to two and a half hours on average — time that many would have otherwise spent inside, according to a majority of the parents surveyed. This was a resounding success!

Encouraged by last year’s results this summer the city is running 12 pop-up playgrounds, which offer instruction in activities as varied as yoga, running, tennis, rugby and jump-rope. All the sites are in low-income neighborhoods with high rates of childhood obesity.

Hopefully this idea will be implemented in urban communities across the country. Julia De Martini Day, who works on health issues for Transportation Alternatives, says that a new survey this year aims to link the success of the play streets to campaigns to pressure lawmakers to make land-use changes in these neighborhoods, be they better street lighting, more park benches, designated bike lanes — or even permanent play streets.

Get involved in your community to encourage physical activity. Contact Transportation Alternatives for more information. Healthy habits can become a vicious cycle that will lead to healthy lifestyles.

[Photo By stevendepolo]

The Foundation Center in conjunction with Hispanics in Philanthropy published a report recently titled, “Foundation Funding for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and for Latin America.”  The report looked at giving mostly from 2007 to 2009, finding that funding has remained steady during the past decade at about 1% of total foundation funding. This figure comes out to about $206 million.

We had previously reported that this 1% figure was “woefully low” for a population that makes up 60% of the country.

The grants tended to be for health and human services.  The largest share of the funding went to organizations  based in California, specifically in Los Angeles with 17% of grant dollars and 13% of the number of grants.  Washington, D.C. followed, with New York  third and San Francisco fourth;  more than half of all the grant dollars went to these fourth cities.

During the same period, 2007 to 2009, about $1 billion was donated to Latin America, with environmental programs making up the largest share. Of these monies, Mexico and Brazil each received about 25%.

The report also noted that Latinos received the second-largest portion of grant monies for minority communities, after African-Americans. The top five foundations giving to Latino communities during the sample period were: the California Wellness Foundation, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation, Paso Del Norte Health Foundation and Marguerite Casey Foundation.

In terms of areas of donations, 27% was geared towards human services, 26% towards health and 20% towards public affairs.  For more information or specific data, read the report here.

[Photo By  Foundationcenter.org]

Comedienne Jesenia Bailey and fellow Latino comedian Carlos A. Gonzalez recently produced a spoof of “La Cucaracha” as performed by Lady Gaga and Pitbull. In the video, below, the two singers are parodied for their grandiose and stylized performances, as the two “singers” sing the classic Mexican folklore song.

Bailey told us that she and Gonzalez collaborated on this project because, as Latino comedians, they frequently have to make their own projects. “We are two comedians with a passion to promote Latino Sketch Comedy in a bold new way so, because of this, given the lack of comedy opportunities that are available to the Latino community, we decided to create and produce our own comedy projects — including: sketch comedy shows, online videos and films,” Bailey said.

The YouTube video is below, and the song may be downloaded on iTunes or Amazon. What do you think?

[Video And Screenshot By LaCucarachaSong]

The New York Times reported this week about the fastest growing immigrant group in New York City — Mexicans — and the terrible statistics associated with this group’s educational attainment. The report noted:

About 41 percent of all Mexicans between ages 16 and 19 in the city have dropped out of school, according to census data.

No other major immigrant group has a dropout rate higher than 20 percent, and the overall rate for the city is less than 9 percent, the statistics show.

This crisis endures at the college level. Among Mexican immigrants 19 to 23 who do not have a college degree, only 6 percent are enrolled. That is a fraction of the rates among other major immigrant groups and the native-born population.

Reasons given for the low educational attainment rates include: poverty and low educational attainment in Mexico, teenage pregnancy, legal status, language barriers, lack of an established social safety net, finances and more.

[Photo By sidewalk flying]

New York City councilman Ydanis Rodriguez  was arrested yesterday with hundeds of others as police there emptied the Occupy Wall Street camp at Zuccotti Park.

After almost 18 hours in which Rodriguez claimed he was roughed up by police, he was released from police custody.

Rodriguez was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing government administration, both misdemeanors, and a complaint claimed that he “tried to push past a metal police barricade and tried to keep from being handcuffed.” He was eventually released without bail, according to NBCNY.

Other elected officials appeared in court to support Rodriguez, some even called for an investigation.

Here’s NBC NY’s video:

[Video By NBCNY; Photo By NY City Council]

Born New York City 1930 to Puerto Rican parents, Alice Cardona spent the rest of her life advocating women’s and Latino’s rights. She began her career providing psychological support to Blacks and Latinos, later moving on to become a youth counselor helping those in need achieve their goals through education.

From there Cardona kept going and in her lifetime she also co-founded HACER/Hispanic Women’s Center and was the assistant director of the New York State Division for Women, utilizing her position to advocate for bilingual education and women.

After retiring in 1995 she participated in several organizations including the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs (PRACA); Atrévete, a group dedicated to voter registration and political participation, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the National Association for Bilingual Education, and the Puerto Rican Educators Association.

According to her obituary from the National Institute for Latino Policy:

Cardona is the author of the book Puerto Rican Women Achievers in New York City and was the first Latina to receive the Susan B. Anthony Prize, awarded to her in 1983 by the National Organization for Women, the largest feminist organization in the country. She was also recognized with many other awards for her community service, particularly for her work with women, children, and bilingual education.

Cardona’s passing away from cancer on November 1 marks a loss for Puerto Ricans and any Latino who strives for equality, but her life and dedication serve as an inspiration to all.

[Photo By New York State Archives]