There are a number of dynamic and informative sites on the web that focus on Latino issues. But a brand new site, PRESENTE.org, aims to become the preeminent powerhouse of Latino online organization and political action. From Presente.org’s announcement:
Latinos have long been a driving force behind the economy of the United States, but we have yet to speak with a unified political voice that forces our government to do right by all of us. We can?and starting today, with your help, we will.
That’s why we’re launching Presente.org. Our goal is …

Is Barack Obama the needed bridge between blacks and Latinos? Maybe.
One of the most “YES!” inducing moments of last Tuesday’s election dissection, was learning that my Latino hermanas y hermanos had come out in a large majority (2 to 1) to support Barack Obama. In 2004, President George Bush garnered 44% of the Latino vote and pundits everywhere declared that “Hispanics” were conservative, and might provide a growing base of support for the Republican party going forward. It was a reasonable hypothesis, I guess. But what no one saw coming …

I find THE cover appalling.

But, frankly, I can’t get around the pitch. Did it go like this?:
Barry Blitt, cover artist: “I have this great idea for a cover promoting that 18 page intricately detailed piece chronicling Obama’s extraordinary political skill and savvy.”
David Remnick, ‘New Yorker’ Editor: “Great! Shoot.”
Blitt: “Okay, picture the Oval Office, but instead of George Washington’s portrait above the mantel, we’ve got Osama Bin Laden’s.”
Remnick: “UmmHmmm. I’m with you, keep going.”
Blitt: “Well, next, we’ve got a fire going in the fireplace and guess what’s cookin’? The American …

I am tired already. Tired of politics of division descending droplet by droplet from the murky cloud also known as the mainstream media (MSM.) A former Democrat and Republican, I am now registered Independent or ‘refuse to state’ in my neck of the woods. I am skeptical about all of the candidates. But, my joy overcame my cynicism the night Barack Obama won Iowa. It just felt good. Watching the caucus coverage was exciting and I believed we, as a nation, were about to embark on something fresh.
Instead, less than …

“Mestizo” was one of the first words I learned when I started studying Spanish in 7th grade at Argyle Junior High School. In this case, it was used to describe Mexicans who were the descendants of African slaves. I don’t remember how it came up, but I know that this was during the time of “Roots” and I bet my progressive, blonde, blue eyed teacher from Spain, Mrs. Malitz, wanted to inject some relevance into the inane dialogues we were required to commit to memory and recite.
Esta Susanna en casa?
Si, …

On Tuesday, June 19th, David Rivas Morales was beaten to death in a parking lot by an unknown number of men. You can read the details here. The alleged assailants are black and the victim is Latino. The local authorities and community groups are bending over backwards and twisting sideways to reinforce the idea that race had nothing to do with this assault. Unfortunately, I think this murder has much to do with race, anger and bigotry. It is time for black and Latino people to have candid dialogue …

Contributor Carole McDonnell’s short stories and essays appear online and in print, in speculative fiction, ethnic, and Christian publications. She lives in New York with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Wind Follower, published this month by Juno Books, is Carole’s first novel. This is her post which first appeared in Blog Critics Magazine.

I found myself getting the world’s most awful panic attack a few days ago. I could hardly breathe. It happened as I was walking down the streets of my hometown. I call Peekskill, New York my hometown …

On Wednesday’s O’Reilly Factor, racism emerged from its gauzy hiding place at the edge of the immigration reform debate. Have a look at this excerpt from Bill O’ Reilly’s interview with Senator John McCain.
O’REILLY: Do you think there’s a racism thing involved in this? Linda Chaves, one of our contributors who you know very well…
MCCAIN: Yes.
O’REILLY: …wrote a column on townhall.com and said, you know, there’s a number of Americans who just don’t like Latinos. And that’s what the opposition is all about there. Do you believe that?
MCCAIN: I do know this, that there’s …

I was not aware of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility until nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez, creator of The Unapologetic Mexican site, posted this in early March. The entire post is stimulating and I encourage you to read it. But, here is the line that grabbed my attention:
HUTTO PRISON recycles devious yet tired tactics. Smile with the goodface. Put a satin tie around the crooked neck. Dress up for the Press, hiding away that which cannot withstand judgment.
theunapologeticmexican.org
This statement now seems prescient because today’s New York Times claims that Jorge …

In March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court ruled that people of African ancestry were not, and could never become, citizens of the United States of America. The Dred Scott decision asserted that blacks were property. And because no state or federal government could take a citizen’s property away from him, this decision meant that any slave who managed to escape to a “free state” would be hunted down and returned to bondage and his or her “owner.” This decision enraged many of the most vocal abolitionists and politicians …

Is being opposed to full amnesty for illegal immigrants racist? My head says, “No.” My heart wonders, “Maybe… a little?” I am against blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants. Many of the problems associated with illegal immigration and lack of border enforcement are undisputed: terrorists, criminals and drugs can move through our porous borders like water. But my bigger concern is that the constantly expanding pool of cheap, unskilled labor, makes it next to impossible for an unskilled, uneducated American, demanding minimum wage, to grab onto the bottom rung of the …

Contributor Merlin Gaspers is an actor and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Today he’s sharing his keen insight with us. This is his post.
I was driving home from work one day when I noticed a group of Hispanic men playing baseball on a field near my house.  Being a couple years out of college, where I played baseball year around, I had the urge to play ball again.  I asked if I could join in.   A couple of months later I was in uniform starting at catcher position for their …