Blog

The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities – Thoughtful and honest account of a journalist who uses the media to give voice to people who are often unheard.
News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres (Verso)

As Dr. Thelma Reyna pointed out in her post yesterday, the engagement of Latinos at the polls needs to change. Although our voting numbers are increasing, we can continue to do better. It is important to recognize where we’re doing well, and where we’re doing not so well. Get this: Over one third of the …

The face of America is undergoing vast changes, and most of these pertain to “Hispanics,” as the 2010 United States Census referred to the Latino population. Because the growth of the White population in our nation is very small (one percent) and is decreasing, Whites are predicted to be a minority in about 40 years. …

Although a voting district is, “the wide variety of small polling areas, such as election districts, precincts, or wards, that State and local governments create for the purpose of administering elections”, when discussing redistricting, people are referring to congressional districts. Every ten years, we have the census count, which gives us information on where people …

As Latinos, we know our numbers are growing, our educational attainment is increasing, we’re breaking barriers, and finding a voice in ways not previously seen in the U.S. mainstream. And yet… there is still a lot of ground to be gained, and one of the arenas in which we have a lot of work to …

Havana Real:One Woman Fights to Tell the Truth About Cuba Today by Yoani Sanchez (Melville House)
Luz Sees the Light by Claudia Davila (Kids Can Press) A topical graphic novel about a spunky girl who organizes her community to transform a run-down lot into a self-sustaining park and garden, ideal for progressive kids and their parents.

My friend Jose Luis Vilson (Mr. Vilson to his students, and TheJLV to his online fans) agreed to share some of his ideas with me surrounding the theme of education for Latinos. As a middle school math teacher, in addition to being a writer, activist, edublogger, and poet (among his other skills), Jose has some …

This past week I went to a very interesting presentation by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, Russlyn Ali. The title of Ms. Ali’s talk was Achieving Equity in Education: The Resurgence of Civil Rights & Education in the Obama Administration. The presentation was offered by a local law …

If we are serious about helping all kids, including Latino children, get the best education, it makes sense for us to consider what gets in the way. Getting a quality education is much more than using the best methods, having the best teachers, and making the best educational tools accessible, although each of these pieces …

In addition to teaching our kids, it’s up to up to keep learning ourselves! Learning is such a foundational part for me, it’s one of the core modules in my Power Program. One of the issues I feel strongly about learning is who we as Latinos are and how we’re positioned. This means learning what …