The latest news relating to the political world as it impacts the US Latino community.
An Arizona court ruled last week that a state law banning the Mexican-American Studies (MAS) curriculum is constitutional. The ruling was perceived as a partial defeat for groups advocating in favor of the curriculum and those who had hoped the court would overturn the 2010 law. “I was really surprised at the decision,” said Jose Gonzalez, [...]
While Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is no stranger to controversy, her latest immigration-related decision is causing more backlash than praise. Brewer is known as having one of the toughest stances on immigration in the nation, making her a popular target of lawsuits from civil rights groups and the federal government. As recently as last week, [...]
President Obama will travel to Keene, California on October 8th to announce the establishment of the César Chávez National Monument on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. The location chosen is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights leader César Chávez and the farm worker movement, and it is [...]
In an effort to ensure the wide dissemination of information to protect and promote Latino and immigrant communities’ and individuals’ fundamental rights to nondiscrimination in health care and social service programs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is hosting a webinar series throughout the month of August. [...]
President Barack Obama’s recent announcement supporting gay marriage has unveiled a growing alliance between young Latinos and gay activists. Since President Obama’s announcement supporting gay marriage last week, Latinos across the country have come forward attempting to dispel the idea that Latinos are less tolerant of homosexuality than the general public, while hoping to take [...]
A coalition of union and civil rights groups have filed a complaint with the United Nations International Labor Organization alleging that Alabama’s harsh anti-immigrant law violates international norms. “By signing this bill into law, Brewer has just authorized violating the rights of millions of people living and working here,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director [...]
Alabama’s show-me-your-papers law, HB56, threatens to turn the clock back to a time when hardworking men and women were persecuted because of the color of their skin. The law legitimizes racial profiling, terrorizes people of color throughout the state, frightens children, and harms the state’s economy. Sound familiar? Alabama’s past — post emancipation years characterized [...]
Four East Haven, Connecticut police officers accused of systematically targeting Latinos with unlawful search and seizures, traffic stops, and physical abuse were arrested on Tuesday. The FBI has accused Police Sergeant John Miller, Officers David Cari, Jason Zullo, and Dennis Spaulding, known within the East Haven Police Department as “The Miller Boys,” of intimidating both [...]
President Barack Obama will hold an event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month in Washington, D.C. today. The White House American Latino Heritage Forum will be a series of meetings bringing together prominent members of the Hispanic community, including civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and Medal of Honor Recipient Leroy A. Petry, to focus on [...]
Movement on the anti-immigrant front has pretty much stalled. The fervor that was ignited by Arizona’s controversial SB1070 has, in the words of the Associated Press, fizzled. This doesn’t mean that we can put the whole ugly anti-immigrant mess behind us and move on, but it does look like the momentum has slowed and the final lines have been drawn. What [...]
