In an edited translation of an article published in Mexico City's El Financiero last Thursday, it was stated that a Mexican organizaton released statistics that show that on average, 32 underage boys and girls try to cross into the United States on a daily basis.

“According to data from DIF [National System for Integral Family Development] and private shelters, where the young [deportees] detained by the U.S. Border Patrol are taken, last year more than 20,000 children, 2,000 more than in 2005 and almost twice as many as in 2004, traveled on their own to the border in order to cross illegally into the United States, which represents 15 percent of the total registered migration movement.

"The American Dream."

We've been conditioned to believe that the American Dream is all about home ownership, and living in peace and prosperity.

Well, in a country that is facing rising home foreclosures , under constant fear of being the target of terrorist attacks and where the declining value of the US dollar compared to the world's largest and smallest currencies is steadily falling, one has to wonder just what is today's American Dream that makes people risk their lives to come here.


(Source: marketoracle.co.uk)

The easy answer is jobs.

Yet, critics of the undocumented workers say they drag wages down and are a burden to towns and cities. These same critics overlook the fact that undocumented immigrants are pumping money back into local communities and actually help those rural communities and towns that see their young people opt for life in the big cities rather than toil in meatpacking, agriculture, etc. hard-labor jobs.

It's no understatement to say the undocumented migrant worker is breathing life back into some communities rather than sucking those communities dry.

Even the U.S. Census recognizes this fact of life.

Without immigrants pouring into the nation's big metro areas, places such as New York, Los Angeles and Boston would be losing population, according to a study conducted by the US Census.

But as it seems, these critics may get their wish regarding some of the undocumented returning south of the border.

In the last two months, several companies have revealed that they are moving or opening manufacturing plants in Mexico.



The candy maker Hershey's, Brownstown, an Indiana company that produces spare tire carriers, winches and tool kits and a casket production company Marshfield,
and Nortel.

On the surface, this is exactly the kind of help Mexico needs for its economy.

Yet, something a Hershey executive said, should give critics of undocumented labor cause to pause:

At a Feb. 20 analyst conference in New York, Hershey’s chief executive Richard H. Lenny said the company is missing out on cheaper labor markets. Labour costs in Mexico are 90 per cent lower than the United States, while the cost is 95 per cent lower in Asia, he said.

In addition, raw materials are 10 per cent cheaper outside the United States, Lenny said.

"Hershey will have a more globally dispersed and appropriate network with Mexico and Asian production," Lenny said.

We know Mexican labor is cheap compared to the United States but rather than lose jobs to a country with cheap production and labor costs, isn't it to our advantage to keep those jobs in the United States?

Using "cheap labor" in this country can be better monitored so no workers are exploited, workers higher in the workforce chain can maintain their job security and those companies don't have to lose any time or money in relocation, rebuilding, rehiring and retraining.

There's value in "cheap labor" — for everyone.

"The American Dream."

We've been conditioned to believe that the American Dream is all about home ownership, and living in peace and prosperity.

Well, in a country that is facing rising home foreclosures , under constant fear of being the target of terrorist attacks and where the declining value of the US dollar compared to the world's largest and smallest currencies is steadily falling, one has to wonder just what is today's American Dream that makes people risk their lives to come here.

One thing mainstream America is good at doing is "commercializing" any special holiday or event — on a t-shirt!

What better recuerdo (memory) than to have the event screen printed on a t-shirt.

We know that event has reached the pinnacle of mainstream acceptance when t-shirts are dedicated to it.

Who doesn't own at least one Super Bowl t-shirt?

That's why when I saw the title to a new line of products available at Cafe Press on honor of Cinco de Mayo, I didn't quite know what to expect.

After seeing the t-shirts, it's totally commercialized and from an Anglo viewpoint.

What does that mean?

It means the shirts are meant to sell. In the process, some portray stereotypes and make fun of an event they don't have the slightest idea of what it's about.

For example:


Words: "Viva la Fiesta 2007"


Words: Cinco de mayo




Words: Be Afraid of the Worm (worm is holding a gun and a tequila shot) Cinco de Mayo 2007

Also, most of the t-shirts would be more suitable for Latinos living in Mexico to wear than in the United States, especially during these touchy times of the immigration debate.


Words: Viva Mexico

Though these t-shirts, in their own way, commemorate a significant Mexican event, a better t-shirt would be one that combines the reverance for that historical event with the reality of those who live in the United States celebrating an event that both belongs and doesn't belong to Mexican-American Latinos.

Anyone up for the challenge?

A beautiful consequence has developed as a result of the ongoing battle between PBS and documentarian Ken Burns to not forget the Latino presence in Burns' WWII documentary — the Latino community has come together in a solid alliance to Defend the Honor of the memory of Latino soldiers.


Latino soldier killed in WWII
(Source: defenselink)

Yet, Latino soldiers are still serving this country.

In a 2006 Washington Post article regarding the risk to various demographic groups serving in Iraq, the author, University of Pennsylvania demographer Samuel H. Preston said:

Identifying racial and ethnic differences in mortality is not straightforward because the Defense Department uses a different classification system for deaths than for deployments. Nevertheless, all attempts we have made to reconcile the two systems reach the same conclusion: Hispanics have a death risk about 20 percent higher than non-Hispanics, and blacks have a death risk about 30 to 40 percent lower than that of non-blacks. That low death rate appears to result from an overrepresentation of blacks in low-risk categories: For example, 19 percent of blacks in Iraq are women, compared with 9 percent of non-blacks, while 7 percent of blacks in Iraq are Marines, compared with 13 percent of non-blacks.

On top of these sad statistics, is the fact that some of the Latino soldiers are undocumented and are serving because they feel a part of this country and want to defend it and they will be rewarded for their sacrifice with U.S. citizenship.

Unfortunately, some of these non-citizen soldiers die in combat without ever realizing the dream of officially "belonging" to the United States. There's a group that wants to change that.



The Hispanic War Veterans of America is lobbying the government to grant citizenship to these non-citizen soldiers before they are deployed to an uncertain fate.

The association feels that if this was done, it would ensure that the soldier's family wouldn't have to juggle their grief over losing a son, daughter, husband or wife with losing their home and lifestyle in the United States.



After all, these Latino soldiers are fighting just as much for the security of their own families as the security of the country.

According to El Tiempo Latino, the Pentagon has registered 332 deaths among Latino soldiers compared to 299 African-American and 56 Asian-American deaths. Latinos represent less than 9% of those enlisted in the Army but make up 11% of deaths in the Iraq War.

A recent article in the New York Times titled For Some Hispanics, Coming to America Also Means Abandoning Religion sparked a lot of interest.

In the days after the article was published, newspapers across the country syndicated it and it was the 5th most e-mailed story from the Times' web site.


Mexican church service
(Source: downtheroad.org)

But what does it mean?

It used to be if someone was Latina/o, it went without saying they were Catholic as well. Nowadays, it's not a given anymore.

In fact, though the NY Times dwelled on how Hispanics are quitting religion, the article admits that it's still a very small group who actually don't participate.

The bigger story for the Latino community, who is still seen as one homogenous group, is that "almost one quarter of all Latinos in the United States are Protestants."

Of the 41.3 million Latinos in the United States 2004, about 23 percent (9.5 million) identify themselves as Protestants or other Christians (including Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons). Moreover, 37 percent (14.2 million) of all Latino Protestants and Catholics say they have been born again or are evangelical, according to statistics compiled in the volume, Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States (2005, Oxford University Press).

To put these numbers in national perspective, there are more Latino Protestants in the United States than American Jews, Muslims, Episcopalians or Presbyterians, said Gastón Espinosa, assistant professor of Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College and a co-editor of Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States.

It just stands to reason that as the Latino community matures, some will discard traditional reverance for organized religion, a.k.a, Catholicism.

It doesn't take coming to the United States to trigger this kind of revolt. We see it already happening in Mexico and other South American countries where gay marriages and abortion rights are challenging the Catholic Church's long-standing influence.

What is disturbing about the trend among Latinos not going to Church is that church, in addition to being made to feel it was one's duty to attend every Sunday, hung-over or not, it was an extension of family.

Relatives, comadres, friends and neighbors could always be counted on being seen at Church. In many ways, it was a second family.

Which leads to the question: If some Latinos are foregoing those Sunday interactions and relationships, how does this reflect on the overall "traditional" Latino view of family?

If what some say is true that:Part of the reason why the Hispanic heritage continues to be strengthened and maintained is the result of a strong sense of family, culture, religion and most of all because of the Latino identification with their heritage, then by not having a strong sense of religion, which has always been part of the culture, how likely is the assumption that the traditional strength of family is slowly dissolving among Latinos?

That would be a bigger story and serve as a crisis for a culture that built its foundation on the strength of family.

Some disheartening news appeared in The Dallas Morning News last week.

On the frontpage of the Metro section was an article titled "Foes of FB ban clash on tactics."

The article was about how a group of Latinos, concerned for their community and the treatment of the undocumented, who had been fighting the Farmers Branch, Texas city council over an ordinance targeting undocumented immigrants, had a new fight on their hands — among themselves.


Clashing sides on Farmers Branch ordinance targeting undocumented immigrants.
(Source: dallasnews.com)

With so many players and egos in the mix, suffice it to say that the group, which at one time was awesome in its united front to be noticed and heard by the anglo majority in this Dallas suburb, is in real danger of falling apart and losing all the ground they've gained in popular opinion among the town's residents.

Of course, the real losers in all this would be the undocumented immigrants.

Hispanic infighting seems to be growing more common these days.

There were reports of it happening among different groups who wanted to stage anniversary immigration marches and rallies last month, and it's even going as far as our nation's capitol.

The most currently prominent case of Hispanic infighting is among the delegates of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus.

Two sisters who are Congressional Representatives, Linda and Loretta Sanchez, from California, have suspended their membership in the Caucus. The infighting began when Congresswoman Loretta accused Rep. Joe Baca, leader of the Caucus, of calling her a whore.

Since then, things haven't gotten any better. Two weeks ago, Loretta's sister, Linda turned in her membership. She said, "I have decided to suspend my membership in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) . . . because I believe that the current leadership has not made needed structural reforms to ensure that the caucus is more equitable and inclusive of all its members."


Rep. Linda Sanchez
(Source: hispanicbusiness.com)

It doesn't sound like things are going to be resolved soon enough.

As a community, Latinos have become widely known for not fully supporting one another or letting our massive egos get in the way when there is power and recognition to be made.

And that is this community's downfall and a pretty good predictor that no matter how strong we are in numbers, if the community is not strong in supporting one another then no amount of championing a cause will succeed.

Instead of finding real solutions there are too many Latinos who would prefer to stall progress, whatever the issue, while defending their position.

Maybe the time has come to set a moratorium on infighting in those groups that rely on either swaying public opinion or serving as a role model for the next generation of Latinos.

Maybe a new bylaw should be, If groups can't reconcile differences after one month, dissolve, bring in a mediator, appoint new leadership and get back to the work that is going to make a difference in people's lives.

The aftershocks of the statements made by Don Imus that got him banished from radio and television airwaves are dying down — and that's a shame.

Not that I want the repentent Imus to have to relive his tragic downfall every waking moment but comments he made after the incident need to be remembered and addressed by everyone.


Don Imus
(Source: NYDailynews.com)

Imus said that rappers routinely "defame and demean black women" and call them "worse names than I ever did."

He's right.

However, it wasn't long before the worst offenders of women, in the name of artistic freedom, sounded off about how their use of the word "ho" differed and wasn't offensive compared to how Imus intended.


According to MTV, Snoop Dogg said that rappers "are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things."

And this explanation makes it all right?

In a study Latina Lista cited in February, black girls don't think it's okay to demean them in rap music.

I wish young Latinas had the brains to see this lack of respect as well.

One quote in the study, revealed that among the three groups: Blacks, Whites and Hispanic girls, only 53% of Latinas believed the statement “Rap music videos portray Black women in bad and offensive ways,” compared to 66% of Black girls and 60% of White girls who believe the statement.

This week, a coalition of New Jersey ministers is taking what Imus started and creating a campaign to put a stop to the offensive lyrics directed at women in rap music.

According to the group, they will try to get radio stations to play more positive hip hop and less or none of the negative type.

Yet, there is only so much this group can do.

The real power lies in the hands of women and girls. If we don't get enraged and demand changes then the message won't be that powerful to radio stations and cable music channels.

The same will continue.

It's bad enough that there are guys out there who think women and girls want to be treated and talked to as they see and hear in this music,, but it's worse when there are girls who like to be treated as nothing more important than a piece of furniture — necessary but disposable.

The immigration debate is still in full force and Latino leaders are finally getting the hang of how to get the message out to the masses — Internet infomercials.


Juan Hernandez

Juan Hernandez, who used to work for Vicente Fox, is spreading the word about calling Congressional representatives with a YouTube-like video and web page that supplies would-be callers with necessary phone numbers to lobby for comprehensive immigration reform.

The title of the video is THE CALL and Hernandez makes a good presentation on getting people to take action and make their voices heard.

Now, if they'll only listen.

In the shadow of the worst shooting in this country's history, college campuses everywhere are feeling the repercussions.

Yet, there are good things being accomplished on college campuses which deserve just as much attention as a monumental tragedy.

Take for instance what is happening on the campus of the University of North Texas.



There students, faculty and staff have joined together as the first college campus in the nation to participate in a special program called Recycle to Eradicate Poverty.

Now, instead of tossing old ink cartridges and cell phones, boxes placed around the campus act as handy collection points for these recyclable items.

But the good part is that there is a very special recipient for the money earned from these recycled items — The Chiapas Project.

The Chiapas Project works to eradicate poverty in places like Chiapas, Mexico, by providing small loans to poor women seeking to start their own small businesses. Many of the women produce goods such as handicrafts to take to market to sell, strengthening the economic base in these areas.

As a result of The Chiapas Project, these women are learning how to grow a business, save for the future, move out of poverty and contribute to their community.


The Chiapas Project

The Chiapas Project has been so successful that it has been expanded to other countries like Haiti, El Salvador and other Latin American countries.

That's a lot of loans to make. So, the Chiapas Project is extending the invitation to whomever would like to help eradicate poverty and help these hard-working women who only want to improve the lives of their families and themselves.

For every item recycled through this program a donation is made to The Chiapas Project. The Chiapas project will receive $1 for every used inkjet cartridge and up to $300 for every used cell phone we collect. A collection box is put into your place of business and employees bring in their used cell phones and ink jet cartridges. 100% of the proceeds will benefit The Chiapas Project.

Making a positive contribution has never been so easy.

With only 24 hours since the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech, people are looking for answers — and milagros (miracles).

So, it was rather ironic that a young Latino author named Jeff Rivera sent Latina Lista an e-mail last week sharing a new site he has.

In his e-mail, Jeff says:

I've been prepping for my book tour and I launched a new site, a way to give back because I've felt so blessed this year. I'd love to know what you think Marisa and if you like it spread the word to your friends. It's a spiritual site not religious at all. Jeff



The site is PrayerCircleOnline and people are asked to join in spreading the gift of prayer for those who are in need of a miracle.

According to Jeff, the computer will randomly select a prayer request and display it on the screen so that visitors to the site can pray for that request, and for that miracle.

Today's senseless tragedy on the campus of Virginia Tech which left 33 dead, more than 25 injured and scores traumatized leaves most of us speechless that someone could even think of doing such a thing.


Virginia Tech campus
(Source: NPR.org)

The whole event had a video game surrealness to it. That someone would get their kicks killing defenseless people, like in so many violent video games, underscores the point that role playing in the real world isn't a game.

Whether or not video gaming will ever be attributed to this tragedy, only time will tell, but this event underscores a much deeper problem in this country - the easy availability of guns.

Whether it's a campus shooter or a cruising gang member, the fact is that too many young people have too easy access to guns.

According to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, The recent upsurge in criminal gun violence places renewed importance on the question: Where do criminals get their guns? Licensed gun dealers continue to be the prime source for illegal guns through sales to gun traffickers and straw purchasers. Shady Dealings documents more than two-dozen cases of illegal gun trafficking from dealers across the country, revealing how licensed gun dealers who are complicit in aiding gun traffickers remain untouched by the law.



The most popular argument used by people in favor of having guns is that it is our Constitutional Right to "bear arms."

At one time in our history, it made sense to carry a gun. But haven't those times passed?

Guns haven't made this country any safer. Even with the United States imprisoning more than 2.3 million people, crime and death by gunfire happen on a daily basis.

As it stands now, inner-city neighborhoods are overrun with guns and young shooters.

People in these neighborhoods are torn between having a gun for self-defense or not. Yet, statistics show that most people who do have a weapon find it turned on themselves whenever confronted by an attacker.

Also, in these same neighborhoods where families keep a gun for safety, stories of toddlers and young children finding the guns, playing with them and fatally wounding themselves are becoming too common.

What more will it take for us to realize the right to bear arms is small consolation compared to losing a loved one because someone was able to get a gun too easily and acted without a conscience?

By now, pretty much everyone agrees that Global Warming is a fact and not some left-wing, liberal propaganda story.


Global Warming temperature changes
(Source: nasa.gov)

Winters are getting colder, spring weather brings more violent showers and we know, global warming or not, summer is a killer with its high temperatures.

In fact, summer is the time of year when most undocumented immigrants crossing by foot through the Arizona desert are most likely to die of the heat.

That's a no-brainer but we now know that when temperatures reach 104 degrees in the desert, there's a 50% chance of death for undocumented immigrants.

Dr. Samuel Keim, an emergency-room physician in Arizona, has created a scientific index to predict the likelihood of death from walking through the Arizona desert during extreme heat conditions.


Dr. Samuel Keim
(Source: media.bonner.net)

Keim matched heatstroke victims with dates of death and desert temperatures using data collected between 2002 and 2006 by the medical examiner's office in Pima County.

Keim, an associate professor at the University of Arizona and an emergency room physician in Tucson, said in recent years more than 100 adult male immigrants have died of heatstroke annually in Pima County.

Dr. Keim wants to start issuing daily forecasts starting in May but he hasn't figured yet how to release the information or to whom so that it gets to the people it's supposed to help.

Unbelievably, not even the prospect of preventing needless deaths is enough to attract the kind of help Dr. Keim needs from various organizations. It seems too many organizations are skittish to get involved, no matter in what capacity, for fear of getting caught in the middle of the immigration debate.

Obviously, Dr, Keim needs to release the information in Mexico and in those border towns where the migrants congregate as they gather up their courage and their resources to cross into the United States.

Yet, as we already know, desperate people pay little attention to the risks they take with their lives as they search for something better.

Which means that a strong campaign to get people to take the Dr.'s forecasts seriously must be undertaken before the triple digit heat begins — which most probably will be sooner than later.

The most popular television show of the past year in Mexico was a show called La Fea Mas Bella.


Mexican actors Angelica Vale and Jaime Camil star in La Fea Mas Bella.
(Source: esmas.com)

Though it's already ended in Mexico, it's still going strong here in the United States courtesy of Univision.

By now, most know the story of how this homely-girl-turned-beauty-and-lands-the-love-of-her-life has been a hit in any one of its incarnations in countries throughout South and Latin America.

A feel-good formula like this show is a no-brainer for anyone who wants a ratings success. So, it was probably just a matter of time that someone recognized the potential of such a show for the U.S. market.

Thanks to Salma Hayek and her business partners, they reincarnated the homely girl (known in most countries as Betty) and created the ABC hit Ugly Betty.


America Ferrera as Ugly Betty
(Source: ABC)

Now comes word that the Ugly one from south of the border is going to come face-to-face with Ugly Betty.

According to the storyline, Ugly Betty travels to Mexico to visit her relatives where she comes face to face with her Mexican counterpart.

It's the first time, in the history of the Ugly Betty phenomena, that two Bettys have shared the small screen together.

It's safe to say that Ugly Betty will probably score one of its highest ratings yet with that episode.

The audience of that episode should truly transcend ethnicities, nationalities and countries as fans of both shows come together to enjoy their favorite ugly girls.

If only real life were that beautiful!

What do the firing of Don Imus and PBS' decision to make Ken Burns rework his World War II epic have in common?


Fired shock-jock Don Imus
(Source: newsok.com)

Well aside from the fact that both instances had to do with not respecting people of color — they both are examples that maybe this country has reached a slight turning point in recognizing that it's no longer okay to ignore and insult Latinos and African Americans, and expect to get away with it.

Aside from the early years in this country's history where a cheap laugh was made at poking fun at people of color for their skin, their accent or even their hair, the time has come when people are not afraid to not laugh at that kind of unfunny humor or be satisfied with afterthoughts of inclusion.

It was right that the Latino community and the African American community stood up for their own and fought back against such complacent racial discrimination.

And for all those who don't think it was a big deal for Latinos to be left out of the World War II documentary or that Imus said the things he did about the Rutgers girls' basketball team — well… it is a big deal anytime any group is made to feel less than equal citizens.

News being released across the blogosphere from the Defend the Honor Campaign reports that PBS has decided to include the Latino and Native American experience in documentarian Ken Burns' World War II documentary due to be released this September, during Hispanic Heritage Month.



According to the press release:


The additional narratives about experiences of the Latino and Native American veterans of World War II will be integrated into the documentary, the DVD, the Website and PBS’ educational outreach materials.
A Latino producer will be hired by Burns production company, Florentine Films, in consultation with PBS, to be part of the production teams that will create the additional content.
The War will premiere on September 23, 2007 (during Hispanic Heritage Month) as scheduled with the inclusion of the new content.
Additional national programming will be aired on WWII that will include and focus on the Latino contributions to the war.


If ever there was an example of the community standing up for not what is just the right thing to do but what is necessary, this is a prime example.

Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, who initially spearheaded the awareness campaign that Latinos were not included in this definitive piece of film, deserves much thanks and is an inspiration for all who fight for greater recognition and appreciation of the Latino presence throughout this country's history.

Dr. Rivas-Rodriguez is one Latina Lista!

In only three years, by 2010, more than 40% of the US workforce will reach retirement age.

What does that mean for Latinas?

Well, according to a HispanicBusiness article, that potential mass exodus, or at the least, moderate exodus is going to leave doors open and offices unfilled - just waiting for Latinas in the workforce to fill them.



Latinas will have a headstart in that department.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The percentage of Hispanic females in the workforce will increase from 55.3% in 2005 to 60.5 in 2020.

Meanwhile, the bureau says the percentage for Hispanic men will decline from 80.1% to 76.9.

The participation rates for white men will drop from 72.9 to 69.4, and decline slightly for white women from 59.5 to 58.8.

Hispanic women who work full time earn 89 percent of what men earn each week, compared to 81 percent for women overall.

And the news just isn't good in the labor department but in education as well.

Between 2000 and 2004, the number of Hispanic women entering college increased 22 percent, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac. Other increases were 16 percent for Hispanic men, 9.5 percent for white women and 16 percent for Hispanic men.

Latina entrepreneurs have grabbed headlines over the past several years as being the single biggest group that are owners/founders of their own businesses. Yet, when it comes to management positions in corporate America, where are Latinas?

About 27 percent of Hispanic women work in management, professional, and related occupations compared with 30 percent of African-American women, 39 percent of white women and 45 percent of Asian women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The good news is Latinas are making inroads in other areas. Latinas who own their own businesses and have leadership positions in academia and community development organizations are increasingly being considered for corporate boards - but Latinas still have a long way to go.

Hispanic men account for most of the 70 Hispanics who hold the 100 board seats among Fortune 500 companies, according to the HispanTelligence® January 2007 Boardroom Elite report. There were 67 Hispanics on 96 seats in 2006, and 69 on 95 seats in 2005.

However, with such a future on the horizon that is "for-the-taking" by Latinas, there needs to be a campaign to make young Latinas not only realize the importance of an education, but how much harder their future is without one.

And a separate campaign to make older Latinas, of every age, realize it's never too late to accomplish your sueños.

It's a rather ironic situation:

When it comes to family and friends, the majority of Latino teens don't think twice about lending a hand.

Yet, according to a new federal study by the Corporation for National & Community Service, if it involves doing volunteer work for a stranger, there doesn't seem to be much interest among Latino or African American teens who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.


Student volunteers
(Source: nationalservice.org)

At first glance, this study which documents how volunteer work actually benefits students by improving their self-confidence, trust in other people, belief that they can make a difference in their communities and enables them to see a future that entails going to college, would seem that Latino teens are lazily ignoring volunteer opportunities to just hang out with their friends — and there are probably cases of that happening.

Yet, when the other characteristics of those who don't volunteer are looked at, a disturbing picture emerges of disadvantaged Latino teens in (public) school, especially when you take into account how this study defines "disadvantaged."

Disadvantaged is being defined as: Black or African-American, Hispanic or Latino, Born outside of the U.S.; Speaks a Language other than English at Home; Has a grade point average of B- or lower and has only one parent (if any) that attended college.

The study also breaks down the volunteer rates and shows how disadvantaged Latino teens are 39% more likely to volunteer through a church organization; 21% through school or school club; 7% through a youth civic/leadership organization and 11% through social or community service group.

These two groups of information are enlightening - not so much in explaining why Latino teens don't volunteer but how they are excluded from it.

If a teen has a C average, speaks Spanish in the home, isn't made to feel he's "worthy"or "invited" to belong to a school club or leadership organization, and his parents didn't receive anything more than their GEDs, the chances of that teen participating in a volunteer activity is practically non-existent.

And no wonder especially if that student is made to think that he/she has to be better educated, in a better economic situation and a part of an inner club circle before he/she can be an effective volunteer.

The study says there is a "class gap" when it comes to volunteering.

This gap may be indicative of how Latino kids fall through the cracks in the educational system.

The study found that when Latino and other "disadvantaged" kids were personally asked by a teacher to participate in a service project - they did. And these kids showed the same level of commitment as the other students who volunteer on a regular basis.

Also, that disadvantaged kids are 39% more likely to volunteer through their church groups says a whole lot as to where they feel connected and feel unconditionally accepted.

If ever there was proof that institutionalized discrimination exists in our school systems, this study proves it by accident.

If anything, this study shows that when any kid is asked to join in, is made to feel a part of the group and is recognized by the authority figure in charge, they will respond.

This study serves as a wake-up call to reassess how "disadvantaged" students are treated in our school systems — and in how the term is defined.

This years marks the 30th anniversary of probably the most popular and impactful television mini-series that ever aired — Roots.


Then-unknown Levar Burton played the lead character
Kunta Kinte
http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
For the first time, the sad history of African-Americans was told in a 12-part format that truly brought home the horrors of slavery to thousands of viewers.

According to The Musuem of Broadcast Communication:

On average, 80 million people watched each of the last seven episodes. 100 million viewers, almost half the country, saw the final episode, which still claims one of the highest Nielsen ratings ever recorded, a 51.1 with a 71 share. A stunning 85% of all television homes saw all or part of the mini-series.

This Easter weekend, TV-One brings back the miniseries for a new generation of viewers.

What was probably the most historic implication of the mini-series, in addition to telling the story of African Americans for really the first time on a mainstream network, was how all ethnicities embraced the show.

It was educational in that it cleared up any doubts as to how slaves were treated, but more importantly, the roles they and their descendants had in shaping the history of this country.

It's rather ironic that this year should be the 30th anniversary of this show when the Latino community right now is just trying to fight for inclusion in the Ken Burns' documentary about WWII.

BACKGROUND: THE WAR, a 14-hour documentary on WWII, is scheduled to air in September on PBS. Director Ken Burns and associates took six years to interview more than 40 individuals in four communities (Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and Luverne, Minnesota). The documentary features individuals in those communities, with two ethnic/racial groups given special consideration: Japanese Americans and African Americans. The film has no reference to the Latino contribution. The documentary also has an accompanying book and educational materials. PBS officials say, in a news release: Serving our mission to educate and inform, PBSs goal for THE WAR is to reach into every home and classroom -- so together we can better understand what we as a nation experienced in those difficult years and what we as a nation accomplished. Hundreds of concerned individuals across the country, have contacted PBS officials, Burns production company (Florentine Films), and sponsors, and told them that THE WAR is incomplete without the Latino experience.

The latest update from the core group of Latinos who are fighting for the memories and honor of all Latino WWII soldiers:

PBS is listening and is making an effort to come up with a plan by April 10. Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, reached out to the Defend the Honor Campaign core group (Gus Chavez, Angelo Falcon, Marta Garcia, Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez and Ivan Roman). Friday morning, at a little after 10 a.m., Kerger and Mickey Ibarra, a Washington-based Latino public relations consultant who has retained by PBS, and the five members of the core group met in a conference call. Kerger told the group: "We certainly have heard you .. Our commitment is to serve the American people and it's something I very much take to heart. I am hopeful that we will come back with a plan that will tell you that we have very much heard you."

Time will tell.

Nobody thinks Ken Burns' purposely omitted Hispanics from his documentary, but now that it has been brought to his attention his continued omission can be construed as nothing less.

It's been said that Burns' omission of the Latino experience was simply because he "forgot" to include the Latino community, but whatever his motives, it's clear that no one outside the culture really knows the history of Latinos.

Too, too many equate the Hispanic presence in the United States with the recent immigrants who have only just arrived.

Well, there is a whole bunch of Latinos who arrived a long time ago who have a very rich history in this country, even while maintaining cultural traditions.

As we celebrate Roots, I propose it's time for the next installment. This time tracing Latino roots to this country.

For those who think they know these stories, don't be so sure.

The only problem is that we would probably need more than 12 nights to tell the story since the U.S. Hispanic population represents several different countries of origin.

If there was such a movie, then maybe we could break through some of the ignorance regarding Hispanics and get across messages like Latinos don't speak "Mexican."

There are over 3 million children who are caught squarely in the middle of this immigration debate.

These children are U.S. citizens but at least one of their parents is not.

Saul Arrellano is one of these children.

Saulito's mother is Elvira who is fighting with every ounce of her petite physique to stay here in the United States with her son.


Elvira Arrellano and son Saul
(Source: nationalfastforimmigranjustice)

For the past seven months, she has claimed sanctuary in a Chicago-area Methodist Church. So far, government officials have not dared enter the Church lest they be blamed for instigating violence and extreme force against an unarmed single mom.

Though Congress has finally started the wheels turning on consideration of an immigration reform bill, the ICE raids are turning their wheels faster.

It doesn't matter if state governors
condemn the raids and label them as causing "humanitarian crisis."

There is an agenda being carried out by Homeland Security but someone has the authority to stop it until Congress passes a bill that once and for all spells out exactly what can and can't be done when it comes to undocumented parents with US-born children.

But some of the undocumented parents' patience is stretched thin with Congress refusing to halt the raids as they continue to take their time with the issue.

Elvira is one such parent that is tired of waiting for Congress to recognize that separating families as the ICE raids do is a preventable inhumane act.

So, she's decided to do something that she probably should not do — she's going on a hunger strike starting tomorrow, Good Friday.

Recent pictures of Elvira show a woman who doesn't look any more rested than when her ordeal began. The bags under her eyes and her already thin frame underlie the point that any amount of time going without food could lead to serious medical problems for her.

But who can blame her for doing this. It was never her intention to live her life behind the closed doors of a church, never leaving - never enjoying life with her son.

All Elvira ever did was pick up other people's trash and clean dirty bathrooms at Chicago's O'Hare airport. A job that we're supposed to believe there would be waiting lists for even if the pay was top-dollar.

The hunger strike will probably only get Elvira attention if she does fall ill, but unfortunately, it's unlikely anyone in Washington will pay much attention.

And that's the whole problem.

Ever since Congressional representatives returned to Washington from their summer "fact-finding" missions they've been more interested in paying attention to other parts of the world rather than their own backyard.

It's obviously going to take something more dramatic than half a million people marching in the streets to get their attention.

Hopefully, it won't have to be the sight of a woman weak with hunger fighting to give her son the birthright that his is — with her at his side.

The press release announcing Elvira's hunger strike reads as follows:

Elvira Arellano and her pastor Rev. Coleman will begin their first day on Hunger Strike and will send off supporters who will demonstrate in front of I.C.E. Offices this Good Friday Morning. The Procession includes "mock Immigration Officers" instead of Romans and The Cross Carried by Jesus will signify the struggle of the undocumented. The demands remain clear "Moratorium to End the Raids and Deportations", "Legalization for All", "Stop Family Separation".


Update: The following statement was sent to Latina Lista on behalf of Elvira Arrellano:


"As I have stayed here in Sanctuary with my U.S. citizen son Saulito for seven months, the Congress and the President have taken no action to fix the broken law. Meanwhile, millions of people live in the shadows and millions of children live in fear of being abandoned. While nothing is done to fix the broken law, the raids and deportations continue to escalate every week..

"I am starting this hunger strike, on the eve of Good Friday, as a prayer that our people will mobilize, that the hearts of the people of this nation will open and that the elected officials will act to preserve our families and the Holy Bond between the children and their mothers and fathers. I pray that not one more family will be separated, not one more child left behind."

Elvira Arellano

Newt Gingrich's comment in a speech about bilingual education equating Spanish as the language of the "ghetto" isn't just offensive and insensitive — it's problematic.


Newt Gingrich
(Source: CNN)

Because obviously in his mind, and we can assume the same of other Anglos who don't know Latinos, speaking Spanish is symbolic of someone who is illiterate with no class or dignity.

In essence, in a roundabout way, Gingrich expressed what all these city ordinances making English the "official" language are saying: English is the superior language.

Critics will be quick to point out that of course English is superior in this country because this is the United States, but the sad fact is this attitude exists by every American citizen who doesn't want to know another language and feels he/she doesn't need to learn.

It is an attitude that has historically done great psychological damage to other cultures who have settled in this country. From Native Americans who were all sent to government schools to "Americanize" them and make them forget their language and their Indian customs and traditions to Hispanic children who were punished for speaking Spanish on school playgrounds.

It is this kind of attitude that has contributed to the caricature of Americans overseas as loud-mouthed, ignorant buffoons who expect English everywhere.

Somewhat ironic given that that is the same argument made about Spanish-speaking immigrants here in that they expect Spanish everywhere.

Yet, the non-English speakers I know either try to communicate in very broken English or with inventive sign language. They don't have the expectation that they will be spoken to in English, unless they are somewhere where they know there is someone available who understands them in Spanish.

Gingrich has recorded two YouTube messages - one in English and one in Spanish. Though he admits that his choice of words was poor, he doesn't apologize and he stands by his initial assertion that English must be learned in order to advance and progress in US society.


Gingrich's English message

For some reason though, he's felt the need to take Spanish lessons himself.


Gingrich's Spanish message

But he is right about English is the language in this country for advancement. What Gingrich doesn't know is that there is not one Latino family in this country who doesn't know that fact — life is just easier knowing English.

However, even after the YouTube messages and all the damage control his campaign is doing, Gingrich still conveys the pervasive attitude that Spanish is a second-class language.

And if Spanish is given such little respect, it's no wonder why brown-skinned or accent-tinged Latinos are treated the same, undocumented or not.

Since members of the Minuteman group took their stations over the weekend along the U.S. Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona on the lookout for anyone trying to slip into the United States illegally, a funny thing has been happening.

In less than 24 hours since they arrived, the Minuteman group have already reported encountering over 300 undocumented immigrants.


Minuteman on patrol at US/Mexico border.
(Source: suitablyflip.blog)

What's so funny?

Well, their report comes just days after the Border Patrol reported that apprehensions were down sharply compared to previous years.

A third party, a human rights organization known as Humane Borders, agrees with the Minuteman figures that illegal immigration traffic is as high as ever.

Of course, the Border Patrol disputes that finding.

If they had the same numbers as the Minuteman and the human rights groups, then it would reflect badly on all the investment Congress and the White House have made for the border.

Nobody is saying that the money allotted is not needed. With the recent news of the Border Patrol's seizure of a half-ton load of marijuana, it is more than obvious that the border region needs to be patrolled.

Yet, it would seem, because of the discrepancy in numbers between the Border Patrol and the Minuteman, that the Border Patrol doesn't have a full handle on the undocumented immigrants at the border.

And that's bad because without the true numbers, there can't be real accountability because the truth is distorted.

Without accurate figures, there's no way to know if Congressional measures at the border with increased funding, increased manpower and proposed high-tech surveillance are really effective.

Without accurate figures, there's no accurate way to hold the Border Patrol accountable for their actions.

Without accurate figures, we won't know the full extent of the crisis and the risks undocumented immigrants are undertaking just to get here.

Without accurate figures, we'll never know the full story.

With each and every abuse of power that has come to light under this Administration, it's no stretch of the imagination to think that ICE, otherwise known as Immigration Customs and Enforcement, may not be enforcing their duties as they should.

In fact, from reports coming from within immigrant detention facilities, we have to wonder who is supplying the necessary oversight on ICE that it obviously needs.

Take for instance the story of the Hazahza family. The Palestinian family has been held since November 2, 2006 in the Rolling Plains Regional Jail and Detention Facility.


Sisters Suzi (left) and Mirvat Hazahza, with their father, Radi, are among five members of a family detained since November. Authorities allege they ignored deportation orders.
(Source: dallasnews.com)

As ICE likes to do, they rounded up the family in pre-dawn hours and shuffled off the mother and 11-year-old son to the (now infamous) T. Don Hutto facility. The two older girls, 24-year-old Mirvat, 19-year-old Suzi, and their brothers, 23-year-old Hisham and 18-year-old Ahmad, along with, their father, are in Haskell at the detention facility.

ICE claims they arrested the family because they ignored deportation correspondence.

Radi Hazahza, a former banker, brought his family to Irving (Texas) in 2001 on valid visas. He got a job as an auto license inspector and applied for political asylum. The 56-year-old family patriarch argued that he would be killed if he returned to the Palestinian territories because he was branded an Israeli collaborator.

But the political asylum request was denied in 2002. The U.S. government holds that Mr. Hazahza received deportation correspondence two years ago and that he failed to appear for his appointment. The family contends it never received the correspondence, which typically comes by certified mail.

They were subsequently arrested as part of Operation Return to Sender as fugitive aliens, foreigners who ignored orders of deportation.

The mother and youngest son were released from Hutto in February but the rest of the family remains, for lack of a better word, jailed. It doesn't seem to matter to ICE that one of the children is married to an American citizen and 19-year-old Suzi was to have been married two weeks ago to an American citizen.

ICE has declared the remaining family members to be flight risks - though they obviously thought the mother and 11-year-old weren't.

What sends up a red flag that ICE needs some oversight when it comes to detaining immigrants are several facts: 1. A federal judge hearing the case for the family as filed by their attorney said he was inclined to release the family but couldn't because of jurisdiction issues.

2. Last month, the watchdog agency for the Department of Homeland Security concluded that ICE "is not well positioned to oversee the growing detention caseload."

3. There is mounting evidence that these detention facilites are using immigrants to fill facilities that local communities and Texas state politicians are profiting from.

In an email from Suzi Hazahza's fiance, he reports ""Suzi has been experiencing extreme pain in her heart, chest area, and left hand accompanied by numbness on the right side of her body."

Yet, medical care for immigrant detainees is minimal, if any, report friends.

Perhaps the two most eye-catching signs at today's Dallas Mega March were:

"America is for Americans" and "Will Speak English for Citizenship."




Those signs pretty much sum up how the immigration debate has formed over the last year since Hispanics took to the streets in cities from Los Angeles to Chicago to Dallas and towns in between.

Last year's Mega March in support of undocumented immigrants in Dallas drew almost half a million people.


Indira Lagunas (left), 11, and her sister Esperanza Lagunas, 9, display an American flag during Sunday's rally.
(Source: Dallas Morning News)

With another hour to go until this North Texas rally winds down, the exact turnout number won't be known until tomorrow.

What is known is that nowhere near last year's amount showed up today. The local police spokesman is calling the crowd a "modest size," less than the 5,000 organizers are claiming are there.


Dallas' Mega March 07
(Source: Dallas Morning News blog)

But what is happening in Dallas is not unusual.

Worries were expressed a year ago within Latino communities across the country of how to sustain community momentum when it looked like criminalizing the undocumented was imminent.

Recent marches in other towns have failed to replicate what happened a year ago as well.

Why? Is it because people have lost interest or the drive to make a point to government officials about undocumented immigrants?

No. What has happened since last year are several things that are greatly impacting this year's participation at rallies:

First, a lot of the people who skipped work and marched last year are bound not to repeat that mistake. Reports surfaced after last year's rallies of workers who were either docked pay, suspended, and in some cases, even fired from their jobs for joining the marches.

Secondly, surprise ICE raids have many of the undocumented nervous and on edge. Knowing that ICE agents could be nearby the marches, fewer people are willing to risk the chance of being such easy prey for them.

Thirdly, in addition to providing a public forum about the status of undocumented immigrants, in hindsight, we are able to attribute these same marches to providing an impetus for backlash directed towards undocumented immigrants.

It wasn't until the very public marches that some of the most notorious of the city ordinances outlawing undocumented immigrants from being hired or renting housing came into effect.

And fourthly, what we have all seen is that, short of declaring war on a country, Congress lives within its own time zone — taking its time to deal on issues that tear the country apart.

Many people are feeling that another march, rally or boycott isn't going to make a difference and that it's now up to Congress.

And it is — to a point.

The only thing that could draw out people in the same numbers as last year is if Congress passes a bill that would require the self-deportation of over 12 million to comply with the new rules.

Should that happen, no one will feel intimidated or feel the need to take a wait-and-see attitude — because then time will be in short supply and hope will have turned into desperation.