NewsTaco

By Griselda Nevarez, Voxxi

The Dreamers’ movement is more powerful and stronger than ever before–and Time magazine thinks so too. This year, the magazine lists Dreamers as one of the 40 candidates being considered for “Person of the Year.”

The list also includes political figures such as President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. It also includes activists, Olympic gold medalists and foreign leaders. However, it doesn’t include any Latinos.

The magazine notes that Dreamers proved this year they are a force to be reckoned with. They mobilized to convince President Barack Obama to protect undocumented youth from deportation and give them work permits through deferred action.

It also notes that “an invisible population” stepped forward and came out of the shadows on June 15, the day Obama announced the deferred action program. The plight of dreamers and the president’s move to grant undocumented youth deferred action also mobilized Latino and Asian voters to cast their ballots in favor of the president.

This is not the first time that the magazine acknowledges dreamers. In June, Time magazine published an article titled “Inside the World of the ‘Illegal’ Immigrant.” The article, written by undocumented journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, spotlights the growing immigration-rights movement and features the faces of several dreamers.

Dreamers deserve to be named ‘Person of the Year’

Among those featured in the June article was Julieta Garibay, a Dreamer who has been advocating for legislation like the DREAM Act that would pave a pathway to citizenship for dreamers since 2005.

Garibay told VOXXI Dreamers deserve to be named “Person of the Year” not only because of their hard work this year but also because of the decade-long climb it’s taken to achieve something like deferred action.

“Our movement is stronger than it’s ever been but it’s taken years to get to this point,” she told VOXXI. “We have grown so much over the years and have redefined what undocumented means.”

She added that Dreamers were able to build political power this year despite their legal status and inability to vote. One of the ways they did that, she said, is through the “I am a DREAM voter” campaign in which Dreamers registered and encouraged voters to vote for candidates who favor a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and their families.

“We reshaped and redefined what it means to be politically powerful,” she told VOXXI.

The Time magazine’s editors will have the last word on who is chosen as “Person of the Year.” However, readers can also have a say on who is chosen by casting their vote for the candidate they think has been most influential.

As of Wednesday, 52 percent of the votes cast were in favor of Dreamers being named “Person of the year” while 48 percent opposed the idea.

Voting will close at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 12. The winner will be announced on Dec. 14.

To vote for Dreamers as Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ click here.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Griselda Nevárez is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington D.C.

[Photo by  paulinaclemente]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Time magazine rolled out it’s latest cover in anticipation of what many observers believe will be sure to come Monday: the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on portions of Arizona’s controversial SB1070. The cover declares “We are Americans, just not legally.” Front and center in the picture, standing in a group of 35 undocumented immigrants of many nationalities, is Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post journalist who outed himself as an undocumented immigrant.

The magazine hit the stands today and sets the stage for what is anticipated to happen on Monday: it’s expected that the justices will uphold some of the SB1070 provisions.  Already, Arizona’s governor Jan Brewer has ordered the state police force to begin training on immigration laws, so sure is she that police detentions on immigration suspicion will be upheld.

There is also anticipation on the part of non-profit groups and media outlets that are planning unprecedented coverage and targeted efforts in reaction to an all but certain Supreme Court ruling. For now, though, as NewsTaco Facebook commentor Kaye Crux put it, ” the battle lines have been drawn.” Or at least, the tension has become so think, that’s what it feels like.

[Photo courtesy TIME]

By Paloma Corredor, Voxxi 

TIME Magazine has released its annual list of the100 most influential people, and for the first time, the majority of the list is non-white. And nine of the top 100 are Latino.

The magazine calls the list members “the breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders and icons” who “inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world.”

We are living “in a transformative period in which leadership and influence emerge in unlikely places,” says Time. Maybe that´s why 54 of the chosen onesare not gringos.

Another piece of good news is that there are 38 women on the list, many more than in previous years, including sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton, Rihanna, Viola Davis or Angela Merkel.

Let´s have a look at TIME Magazine´s favorite Latinos and the reasons why they made the list.

• #7: Louis C.K. (44). The half-Mexican comedian, writer, director, executive producer and editor (on a Mac laptop) of his own sitcom for FX is an example of “what a person can do on his own with technology and sheer talent” by selling his comedy show onlinefor $5. Smart guy!
• #9: Marco Rubio (40). The Cuban-American senator is described by Time Magazine as “a shrewd and dynamic campaigner” who, if chosen to be the GOP’s vice presidential candidate, may find that his biggest challenge is that he outshines the presidential nominee. And he still finds time to write his memoirsdocumenting his political career. Wow.

• #21: José Andrés (42). The Spanish chef and activist is the owner of several restaurants in Washington (Jaleo, Minibar), Los Angeles (Bazaar) and Las Vegas, he showed the world what a real Spanish tapa is. But he´s also been recognized for his collaboration with DC Central Kitchen, which “fights hunger and poverty by teaching culinary job skills” to vulnerable people, and led him to establish World Central Kitchen, an international factory finding creative solutions to fight against world hunger.

• #23: Dulce Matuz (27). The president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition is recognized for her advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants. As actress and supporter Eva Longoria writes, she “represents the finest of her generation. An undocumented Latina confronted with legal barriers to pursuing her engineering dream, she chose to fight for the right to contribute to the country she has called home since she was young.” What a brave girl, ¡sí señor!

• #58: Eike Batista (58). This Brazilian businessman and self-made billionaire is recognized for his crucial role in theBrazilian economic boom. Time Magazine says, “He’s rare among Latin America’s notoriously uncivic-minded superrich in that he makes a point of giving back to his nation, especially his adopted city of Rio de Janeiro, which he helped to snare the 2016 Olympics.” An altruistic spirit.

• #70: Juan Manuel Santos (60). The Colombian president is “the first Latin American head of state to come out for a more open discussion on drug legalization” and “a demonstration that even conservative Latin leaders can adopt a third-way mix of socialism and capitalism.”

• #75: Maria das Graças Silva Foster (58). This Brazilian is the first female CEO of Petrobras (Brazil’s oil company) and the first woman to run a major oil company anywhere. Not bad for a woman who grew up in a working-class favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and collected recyclable cans and paper to help pay for school.

• #82: Dilma Rousseff (65). In speaking of Brazil’s woman president, another Latina president, Argentinian Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, highlights their common experiences: “The drive that comes from our immigrant heritage, youthful activism and militancy and the challenges faced by women as they try to grow in a space dominated by men. And we agree that social inequality is the greatest problem facing our countries.” Strong ladies indeed.

• #86: Lionel Messi (24). The Argentinian fútbol player is breaking all records. Barcelona’s all-time top scorer is also the first player in history to score five goals in a Champions League match. He is, for many, currently the greatest footballer and one of the greatest of all time – oh, and possibly a new papi soon.

Read the whole list in TIME magazine.

Paloma Corredor writes for Voxxi, is a Spanish writer and journalist in printed and online media. She´s the author of the novel La gestión del yo and the guide for Consejos de amor in About.com, of the New York Times. She writes about feelings, personal growth and dating. She has a passion for human emotions, behavior and relationships and is now writing her second novel. You may follow Paloma Corredor on Twitter

[Photo by Time]