Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
“Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” — First Amendment We’ve seen some ugly incidents aimed at Latinos in the past year, such as the racist girls from Arizona and the marching band that chanted slurs. Incidents such as these provoke outrage from people who point out, rightly, that such behavior is Read More
Earlier this month, some polls implied that President Obama’s support among Latinos was so high that he was “close to maxing out” his lead over Mitt Romney. Think about that — Obama statistically could not get any more popular with Hispanics. The president might explode or something. But then Obama went ahead and said that Read More
So I was thinking it would be hilarious to put on blackface and…what’s that? It’s racist? No, you don’t understand! I was being ironic. Fine, I guess next you’ll tell me that my white friends can’t put on sombreros and call each other “wetback” to be, you know, funny and stuff. Clearly, you don’t understand Read More
We all know about Martin Luther King Jr.’s resistance to the unjust laws of the Jim Crow South. King believed that achieving justice sometimes necessitated breaking the arbitrary rules that flawed humans devise. Similarly, in Latin America, where many of our families originated, priests often took a stand against the repressive authority of the oligarchies. Read More
Certain ideas, like getting good grades or believing in God, are portrayed as intrinsically admirable. We tend to not even question their value. On that short list belongs the concept of a colorblind society, a culture where racial differences are irrelevant. Many people will loudly proclaim that this is the ultimate goal of America. However, Read More
My mother came to America from El Salvador. My paternal grandparents came from Europe. Each one immigrated legally, which is the essence of the American experience – huddled masses yearning to be free and all that. However, in the eyes of many Americans, my mother and grandparents were selfish and immoral. After all, whenever a Read More
I used to write for a website whose target audience was upscale Hispanic men. My job was to find the hippest, most happenin’, muy caliente places and products. Of course, I soon grew weary of writing for guys who think $5,000 stereo speakers are their god-given right. But I also got tired of explaining the Read More
There is no room for second place.…If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score? —Vince Lombardi Recently, I wrote that American education pales in comparison to other countries’ school systems. But America is still the place for those hardworking, ambitious people who want a better life, right? After all, one reason so many Latinos Read More
The Democratic president who insisted, “Si, Se Puede” hasn’t kept his promise to make immigration reform a top priority. He has also deported more Latinos than anybody in history, despite the fact that there are fewer undocumented people to arrest. So getting the Hispanic vote should be easy for the GOP, which continues to insist Read More
Illegal immigration is down. Climate change is real. There were no WMDs in Iraq. These are well-supported facts with the strength of data and/or obvious proof behind them. Yet millions of Americans don’t believe them. We’re not talking about conspiracy nuts or argumentative jerks. Your friends, co-workers, and family members disagree with fact-based arguments. There Read More