Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Eric Jude Cortes describes his ethnic background as simply “New Yorker.” The son of an Italian mother and a Puerto Rican father, Eric Jude grew up in a Russian/Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn and attended extremely diverse public schools. Eric Jude credits his diverse upbringing with his success professionally, as since 2004 he has been teaching in a public high school with one of the largest percentage of foreign born students in the city. It is this diversity which has shaped his work for Being Latino, which have ranged from a lighthearted musing on the drink Malta, to a passionate diatribe against drug addicts. At the university level, Eric Jude has an MA in History, with a thesis on Contraband in Spanish Puerto Rico, from Brooklyn College. An avid traveler, Eric Jude’s bucket list includes a pledge to visit every Latin American country, something he has complete halfway so far. His secrets to success in life include faith, a type-A personality, and the ability to be silly and break into a dance at moment’s notice. Daily, he can be found running on your local street, lifting weights at your local gym, or praying at your local Catholic church.
The internet sure has connected us and made us more in touch with each other. We can keep in contact with loved ones, plan events, and make friends with people who share common interests. But sometimes the internet changes us, and turns us to attention seeking zombies, who lose basic social skills, while at Read More
It’s 11 a.m. on Sunday, and you just opened your eyes. You have a headache, nausea, and feel pretty gross. The first thought that pops into your mind is, “Ugh…” and the second thought is probably, “This is the last time.” Yes, you and I know who this person is. It’s you, I, or your Read More
Most of us like to consider ourselves modern. We have the latest phones, we have progressive values, and we cook with some pretty cool gadgets that our abuelos never had. Yes, the modern world is great. At no other point could you relax on a massaging chair while you enjoy fresh fruits grown thousands of Read More
A shock came over me when I found out what students in the school I teach at were reading. I saw in opened book bags copies of Piri Thomas’s Down These Mean Streets. My horror was confirmed when I saw stacks of the books on the side of a classroom that I happen to share Read More
I was sitting at a family friend’s house one day, when I heard the cry, “they’re taking our jobs!” Annoyed that once again I was the last person to hear family gossip, I immediately set out to find out who “they” were and whose jobs “they” were taking, and most importantly, if “they” were taking Read More
Let’s face it. Children don’t have it easy. As a high school teacher, I sometimes joke with my teenaged students that ,unlike the adults that often give them the “when I was your age” speeches, if I had the choice, there is no way I’d be a teenager again — with family issues out of Read More
We all have an image of that person we know who is way too obsessed with pets. It could be that guy on Facebook who posts more photos of his dog than his girlfriend, or that old widower whose conversations all start with “My cat Mittens did the funniest thing today,” or that Being Latino Read More
Most of us have probably imagined ourselves being President one day. As a kid I wondered how things would change if I became the Leader of the Free World. For one thing, all mozzarella would have to be the fresh round stuff, but I digress. Childlike fantasies aside, one of the biggest factors that prevents Read More
Summer is the time when many of us pack up our bags and move. Whether we do it for better schools, a change of scenery, or because the rent is too damn high, moving can be a time of both great hope and slight nervous anxiety. When we move, ultimately, we leave something behind. For Read More
We love our coffee. Let’s be honest about it. Whether the “we” means “Americans” or “Latinos,” it’s a safe bet that the peppy Ethiopian bean is a well liked staple in your home. As a recent convert to Pan-American coffee adoration, I set out to find out the reasons why exactly we love our brown Read More