President Obama’s reelection, a gift we must protect

A great campaign and a great victory for President Barack Obama only give us a breather in these tough times.   

                                              

When I woke up this morning, I thought, “I could have been waking up   to a different world of concerns and despair, but today is business as      usual.” I felt huge comfort from my own thoughts.   

                                

These months of campaigning and volunteering were filled with            moments of doubts and fear, as well as increasing faith that democracy was going to prevail. I saw it on the streets where we registered hundreds of young Black and Latino women to vote for the first time.

I saw it in the persistence of canvassers going door to door to in our state and in neighboring Pennsylvania. I saw it in the initiative of women to  go out and express their support for a President that was not only representing them but also their daughters, their  granddaughters and future generations of women taking control of their destiny.

Even when the campaign started at a low pace, it got momentum due to the reproachable behavior of the opponents. I believe Democrats got energized in indignation and in response to a campaign that was run on either buying or suppressing voters. 

This is the time of evaluating our actions, for Democrats and Republicans alike, and learn from our mistakes. The battle was fierce and the victory is sweet, not only because it feels good to be on the right side of history but because, as President Obama said, “It was the right thing to do.”

Now, after this breather of relief and celebration, we need to be more vigilant than ever of this democracy that has been so hard to maintain, and more protective and supportive than ever of our President, who will continue to find opposition and disdain. I believe the forces of evil don’t stop machination just because the People has expressed its will. 

Congratulations to all for a job well done!

Enjoy the victory but do not lower your guard!

¡Hola, amigos! A Plan for Latino Outreach

Latinos are the fastest growing population in the United States, and are creating a large bilingual market. Librarians are often eager to attract, serve and retain Latino patrons, and library services are sorely needed by the Latino community; but it takes more than adding a few Spanish-language books to the collection to meet those needs. Besides the cultural and language barriers library personnel encounter when interacting with this community, libraries generally have neither the funding to engage in multicultural advertising nor the time and specialized personnel to do it. This practical, step-by-step guide is designed to help libraries attract Spanish-speaking patrons to their collections and services, with proven strategies, effective program and event planning.

The book offers users a systematic, orderly plan that will guide outreach activity with worksheets, discussion reports and easy-to-follow schedules, and more than 100 marketing ideas, tips, and examples from libraries around the country that can easily be incorporated into day-to-day activities. (Many of the strategies can be applied to outreach of other minorities as well.)

Desert Deaths Soar, a Morgue Grows Crowded

Immigrants are major part of memorial day

"As of last year," says Saif Kahn, an immigrant from India, who joined the Virginia Army National Guard in the year 2000, "about 29,000 people serving in our military did not have U.S. citizenship."

Kahn served as a combat engineer in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005. In this article, he worries about the soldiers who are serving to obtain citizenship, and their families left behind.

Another proof of our current immigration law injustice: immigrants cannot work legally in this country but can pay taxes; immigrants can fight for this country but do not have the right to obtain citizenship until -maybe- it is too late.

Why the immigration debate has come to a stall, when at least 60% of Latinos voted Obama for office? Promises were done in the midst of the election excitement. However, once again, the immigration reform is left for last. How do you think organized immigration leaders should show their active disagreement?

Dreams Built in the Projects

This excellent article on today's online version of the Washington Post tells it like it is. We all love success stories but when they are true, it seems that we are all caught by surprise. If anything, the Obama's administration has brought up some examples -starting with himself- that with effort and perseverance anything is possible.

I also believe that the surprise factor comes from too many years of "same old, same old" nominations. Wow, there still are people in this country that are hard-working, engaged and passioned about what they do, and their only goal is NOT greed. What a concept!

Please enjoy the article and do not forget to click on our Public Service Announcements. Help me help these organizations!

Through Boom and Bust:
Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership

The Pew Hispanic Center released a report that analyzes trends in homeownership from 1995 to 2008; higher-priced lending to Hispanics and blacks in 2006 and 2007; and factors related to differences in foreclosure rates across the nation's 3,141 counties. The condition of the local economy, house prices and higher priced lending to minorities are among other key factors related with county foreclosure rates.

The report,authored by Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research, Pew Hispanic Center, Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, Research Analyst, Pew Hispanic Center, and Daniel Dockterman, Research Assistant, Pew Hispanic Center, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org. Just follow the headline's link.

Ask the Experts
Five Forums where experts in healthcare cultural competency answer questions about Race, Genetics, Healthy Communities, Myths in Health Inequities and more.

Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority

Finally the national debate about immigration will start, according to this article published today on the online version of the New York Times.

Latino immigrants supported President Obama with over 60% of their vote, which in time meant high pressure for the promises made during the campaign about discussing immigration.

Is Obama going to come forward with his promises? And if so, what are the conditions that his proposal will include to legalize 12 million undocumented immigrants? Will he follow the "Bush road" of "pay to play"?

State’s Crackdown on Immigrants Fuels Hispanic Media Growth

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news

Do you think the media should be the government agencies' watchdog? Read this article about North Carolina ethnic media. When the nation's immigrants are getting ready to march next May 1st, what is the role of media in this national debate?

"Most Spanish-language publications in the area have a specific section dedicated to immigration coverage. Radio stations such as La Tremenda La Raza in Charlotte broadcast daily talk shows that cover the latest developments on the immigration debate."

Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System

This new report by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, and Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, Pew Hispanic Center is based on two different studies the Center conducted nationwide.

Not surprinsingly, Hispanics show less confidence in police effectiveness than whites and close to what Blacks believe. I say it does not come as a surprise when the "correctional" system is mainly crowded with Blacks and Hispanics.

Also read the interesting study about prisons in the US on the same page:
Pew Center on the States, "One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections," March 2, 2009.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT TO COMMEMORATE CESAR CHAVEZ'S BIRTHDAY

President Barack Obama today made the following statement to commemorate Cesar Chavez's birthday:

"Today, on what would have been his 82nd birthday, Cesar Chavez's legacy as an educator, environmentalist, and as a civil rights leader who struggled for fair treatment and fair wages for America's workers is important for every American to remember.

Having begun as a farmworker, Cesar Chavez eventually co- founded the United Farm Workers and struggled to provide hundreds of thousands of people with better working conditions and the chance to live a better life. The cause of fair treatment and fair wages for America?s workers lives on today through the work of countless others.

Chavez's rallying cry, "Si Se Puede" -- "Yes We Can," was more than a slogan, it was an expression of hope and a rejection of those who said farmworkers could not organize, and could not take on the growers. Through his courage, Cesar Chavez taught us that a single voice could change our country, and that together, we could make America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation."

Obama Flinches on Immigration

This editorial published on the New York Times on March 24th reports the withdrawal of the Obama's administration offer to Thomas Saenz, "a highly regarded civil-rights lawyer and counsel to the mayor of Los Angeles, to run the Justice Department’s civil rights division."

Although it might have been a missed opportunity to set some record about the Obama's administration intentions regarding immigration, it seems that a more moderate route was preferred by nominating Thomas Perez, Labor Secretary from Maryland. The decision, according to the article, was caused by pressure from the right-wing anti-immigrant groups. However, I wonder how much the decision was influenced by the Mexican border situation and Thomas relationship with controversial Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. And the main question: Does Obama need to start yet another fire?

A Slippery Place in the U.S. Work Force

This article by Julia Preston published by the New York Times on March 21st describes the unsettling situation of undocumented immigrants due to the economic crisis and the continuing immigration raids in different parts of the country. Read how they are coping with the difficulties and how people react to the situation.

About NAHJ's Scholarship Fund

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) offers several scholarships through our Rubén Salazar Scholarship Fund program. These scholarships are designed to encourage and assist Latino students pursue careers in journalism.

U.S. Hispanic Population Surpasses 45 Million
Now 15 Percent of Total

RELEASED: THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2008
The nation’s Hispanic population increased 1.4 million to reach 45.5 million on July 1, 2007, or 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million.

Hispanics remained the largest minority group, with blacks (single race or multiracial) second at 40.7 million in 2007. The black population exceeded 500,000 in 20 states. Blacks were the largest minority group in 24 states, compared with 20 states in which Hispanics were the largest minority group.

US immigrant groups to march a day after Obama takes over

On January 21 immigrants plan a march in Washington to ask for reforms and for an end to the raids at workplaces that have seen illegal immigrants arrested and deported. Read how immigrants will remind Obama of one of the policy planks he plugged on the campaign stump as he wooed the Hispanic vote.

Spanish-Language Media Decries Long Island Hate Crime

New America Media Editor introduced this article: "The stabbing death of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant in Long Island, has triggered intense nation wide coverage from Spanish-language media. NAM Contributing editor Marcelo Ballvé is based in New York." Read how government policies against immigrants have contributed to foster anti-immigrant sentiments.

Cancer Disparities Research Partnership (CDRP) Program: Limited Competition (U54)

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is designed to extend the Cancer Disparities Research Partnership (CDRP) program into its second (and final) implementation stage. This limited competition FOA solicits applications for NIH U54 cooperative agreement awards from the five current recipients of the CDRP Cooperative Agreement Planning Grants (U56). The CDRP U56 awardees represent community-based institutions serving a larger fraction of generally medically underserved, low-income, ethnic and minority populations than most other healthcare institutions. Please follow link.

Latinos Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth Since 2000

Since 2000 many Latinos have settled in counties that once had few Latinos, continuing a pattern that began in the previous decade. But there are subtle differences in Hispanic settlement patterns in the current decade compared with those of the 1990s. The dispersion of Latinos in the new century has tilted more to counties in the West and the Northeast. Despite the new tilt, however, the South accounted for a greater share of overall Latino population growth than any other region in the new century. Read how projections for this century put Latinos in the "hot" list.

More Alzheimer’s Risk for Hispanics, Studies Find

Studies suggest that many Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and a significant number appear to be getting Alzheimer’s earlier. And surveys indicate that Latinos, less likely to see doctors because of financial and language barriers, more often mistake dementia symptoms for normal aging, delaying diagnosis. Read about the alarming increase of this disease among Latinos and what the bleak forecast is for 2050.