by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
When it came to college, Latino students tended to attend one near home to stay close to family. Now, more young Latinos are opting for schools outside their communal comfort zones.
Between 1975 to 2009, Latinos enrolling in four-year colleges located more than 50 miles from home rose [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
U.S. Latinos are being hit hard by the recession. Hit harder: U.S. Latinas. For one, they’re making less in comparison to all U.S. men: In 2007, Latinas earned just 62 cents for every dollar men earned (TrinityTripod.com 2.16.10). And in Latino households, they’re responsible for more than [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Childhood obesity is a big problem with Latino kids: 22.1% of Mexican American boys, for example, are obese, compared to 18.5% of black boys and 17.3% of white boys (CDC.gov 10.20.09). Enter popular PBS KIDS GO animated characters Maya & Miguel, encouraging children to eat [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
How would Consumer Reports rate this? For the first time, Consumers Union, publisher of the venerable magazine and companion newsletters, is rolling out Guia de Compras 2010 de Consumer Reports, a Spanish-language version of their annual buyer’s guide.
Priced at $11, the guide will help Spanish-speaking Latinos compare retailers and get advice [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Looking to include as many people from hard-to-count communities, the U.S. Census is partnering with Voto Latino and civil rights org MALDEF to use mobile technology and social media to reach Latino youth.
The goal: to improve Latino youth’s awareness of and access to accurate, bilingual information about participating in the census [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Another recession situation: Latinos are pulling out the credit cards more often for everyday necessities, but also worrying about not being able to pay down the debt, according to a National Council of La Raza report (ChicanoNews.net 1.19.10).
The report, based on findings from focus groups conducted in Chicago, Atlanta, [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Latino immigrants living in California’s San Joaquin Valley are more likely to seek and get healthcare services if someone helps them overcome language and systematic barriers. Promotoras — bilingual community health educators — are fitting the bill.
A study by the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State University, [...]
Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Before 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ Latino population hovered around 3%; it’s now around 4.5%, according to a 2008 census survey (CNN.com 8.19.09). The nonprofit Puentes (Bridges) New Orleans, founded in 2007, helps established and newly arrived Latino residents in the rebuilding city, bringing visibility to their struggles and success.
The [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Tool manufacturer Stanley Works is hammering home their commitment to Latino construction workers through the “Hazla en Grande” (Make It Big) campaign. The campaign’s foundation: a series of educational bilingual resources tailored to build the skills and knowledge of Latino builders, who represent about 20-25% of the total construction workforce (IndDist.com [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Homeboy Industries, an L.A.-based non-profit dedicated to helping reformed gang members turn their lives around, is training its clients for employment in green technology.
Pairing up with the East Los Angeles Skills Center, Homeboy is funding the instruction in design, construction and installation of solar panels. Homeboy pays the $131 tuition for [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
MarketMakeovers.org, a Los Angeles-based website, is transforming food deserts by motivating teens (Epicurious.com 12.4.09).
The site focuses on South Los Angeles, a neighborhood where fast food restaurants and convenience stores are king. Supermarkets, farmers’ markets and fresh produce are almost impossible to find.
The folks behind Market Makeovers got a group [...]
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Gift exchanging gets a thrifty twist at a Mexican American family’s annual Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) get together. A high-spirited game of Lotería, where gift cards are the prizes and participation is voluntary, keeps spirits soaring amidst the eating and gossiping (Iconoculture observation 12.24.08).
As the family of eight began [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
When it comes to clinical studies, Latinos typically stay away. Seeking participants for an Alzheimer’s study, Phoenix’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center found a ready-made group: El Grupo, composed of male Latino alumni from Phoenix Union High School.
The group of seniors meets monthly at a local restaurant, inviting speakers to [...]
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Mexicans leave their home country to seek work in the U.S. The money they send home sustains families left behind. What happens when the jobs, and the salaries, dry up? Money starts flowing north.
According to government officials, money-transfer operators, immigration experts and relatives of out-of-work migrants, families are scraping together pesos to support their [...]
by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Latinos are experiencing higher levels of stress compared to other ethnicities, with money — or the lack thereof — being the number one cause of their anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2009 “Stress in America” survey (HispanicBusiness.com 11.3.09).
50% of Latino adults reported that stress has increased in their lives in [...]
