Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
This holiday season, we have the opportunity to extend un abrazote to some of our Latino family across the country, to share a moment of solidarity with our brothers. Each of us can contribute to a support network that is forming around a group of Latino men who are facing a counter lawsuit in Washington Read More
Last December, I was unnerved by a snag in the fabric of my local society. Antonio Martinez was arrested and charged with plotting to detonate a car bomb in Catonsville, a town in which I used to work and one that is not far from my home. A convert to Islam, Martinez had decided that Read More
I am fortunate that, on occasion, I have the opportunity to attend to canine police officers. They are remarkable creatures. Last week, a state trooper presented his companion to me for treatment. While chatting at the end of the dog’s hospitalization, the trooper mentioned that he was on his way to a high school where Read More
I was concerned about sending my son to the local public school. The area where we live does not have a great reputation for the quality of its public school system and I was worried about the type of educational path we were placing before him. A meeting with his teacher reassured me that my Read More
The day after President Obama won the presidential election was bad for me. The previous night, when I was certain he had won, I opened a bottle of champagne. Hopeful drinking followed by the reality of a nauseous head ache. In 2008, 67 percent of Latino voters cast ballots for Obama. Has our bubbly enthusiasm Read More
It was a peculiar feeling of bipolarity. During the day I had been consumed with worry about the fact that despite my best intentions, my children are not growing up to be seamlessly fluent in two languages. I figured it was going to be challenging, since their father is monolingual, but that day I was Read More
On September 1, Alabama HB 56 went into effect and is already facing legal challenges in the courts. The law is broad and draconian, containing many provisions that are problematic. On October 5, a telephone conference was convened to discuss the immediate and “chilling” effects of the law on the Latino student population. One of the Read More
Tenemos que platicar. We as a people have exhibited some sobering national trends; we need to brainstorm and organize. The manner in which we respond to these trends and the pressure we exert on elected officials for accountability will directly impact our collective socioeconomic status in the U.S. Failure to act could result in a Read More
I am proud of my sister for many reasons. Among them: this weekend, she will be participating in the “Walk for a Cure” to raise money for breast cancer research. When she told me about it, and about all the work that goes into training for such an event as well as the peculiarities of Read More
A family member accused me of endangering my children. According to this person, without a religious framework in which to raise my little desafortunados, I risk, (gasp!) damning them to eternal hell or – worse yet – subjecting the “good” people in the world to my ruthless heathens. There is no way to raise ethical, Read More