Pennsylvania

For local DJ Sergio Polanco, “Ritmo Latino” is more than just a two-hour radio show.

He wants his new program to be a link between the local Latino and American communities.

“It’s not just a show, I’m not just a DJ. This service is needed in the community to build a bridge,” Polanco said.”*

In 1985, Berks County Office of Aging Executive Director Barbara Coffin was asked to help meet the needs of the growing Latino community.

Consuelo Jordan, the head of the Albright College Language Department, told Coffin she wanted a senior center that would offer culturally appropriate meals and activities.

Twenty years later, that senior center, the Casa de la Amistad — or Friendship House — is the largest in Pennsylvania. Operated by the Daniel Torres Hispanic Center, the senior center serves more than 500 Latino seniors annually. The program has grown so much, a satellite office has opened at Kennedy Towers in southwest Reading.”*

casa y HOGAR announced they will begin distributing their magazine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by AL DIA. Filiberto Fernandez, Publisher of casa y HOGAR, and Hernan Guaracao, Publisher of AL DIA, made the announcement jointly. “*

A proposed rental-property ordinance that some claim is “anti-Hispanic” brought about 100 people to the York Springs Borough Council Thursday night - enough to force the meeting outside and influence council members to table a vote.

Members of the public, most of whom were landlords and tenants, and about half of whom were Hispanic, said the ordinance was everything from anti-business to anti-Hispanic and resembled actions in Hazleton, Pa., which has earned national attention in recent years for attempting to crack down on illegal immigration.”*

*From: http://www.eveningsun.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

In the 2008 democratic primaries so far, the percentage of the vote that is Latino has risen dramatically. In California, for example, Latino voter participation in the primary doubled over 2004, and in Texas it increased by 50 percent. Now, candidates are getting increasingly sophisticated in they way they’re targeting Hispanics.

As part of our occasional series, feet in two worlds, Martina Guzman traveled to Pennsylvania, which has a small – but growing – Latino population.”*

*From: http://www.wnyc.org
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If you can pop popcorn in a microwave, you can vote — it’s that easy, a state official assured Latino voters Friday.

Pedro A. Cortés, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, used the comparison as he launched the state’s “Ready, Get Set, Vote” campaign at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Lancaster city. The campaign is designed to encourage the state’s Latino citizens to vote.”*

*From: http://articles.lancasteronline.com
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The Senate yesterday approved a bill that denies public benefits to illegal immigrants.

Senate Bill 9 requires anyone requesting public benefits to provide identification that proves they are legal residents, according to the legislation. Applicants would also have to sign an affidavit that states they are a U.S. citizen or legal immigrant. “*

*From: http://www.centralpennbusiness.com
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It’s almost that time. Voters in PA are about two weeks away from having a say, maybe a decisive say, in the Democratic battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Yesterday, Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez campaigned for Clinton in Reading, targeting Hispanic community leaders. WFMZ’s Stephanie Esposito reports. California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez believes that the Hispanic vote could win the state of Pennsylvania for Clinton, and ultimately the democratic nomination, that’s why she’s campaigning for Clinton here, and around the country.”*

*From: http://wfmz.com
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They were like nomads, wandering from place to place as they searched for a suitable space to worship.

The handful of members of the Church of God Inc. first met in the York home of the Rev. Luis Rivera in September 2005. He had recently moved to the area from Philadelphia.

But as the Hispanic congregation grew, they moved: from Prospect Street to Princess Street to the Spanish American Center to King Street and back to the pastor’s home.”*

*From: http://ydr.inyork.com
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Finding and keeping the field hands who can pick 10,000 tomatoes a day during the hot months of August and September is no less a test of organizational traction than any get-out-the-vote drive.

For 35 years, Keith Eckel, 61, one of the largest tomato growers in the Northeast, had the workers and the timing down to a T: seven weeks, 120 men, 125 trailer loads of tomatoes picked, packed and shipped.

This year, however, the new politics of immigration — very much on the mind of many of Pennsylvania’s voters, even if overlooked by the presidential candidates campaigning in this state and around the nation — has put him out of business.”*

*From: http://www.nytimes.com
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A judge known for creative sentencing has ordered three Spanish-speaking men to learn English or go to jail.

The men, who faced prison for criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, can remain on parole if they learn to read and write English, earn their GEDs and get full-time jobs, Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said.

The men, Luis Reyes, Ricardo Dominguez and Rafael Guzman-Mateo, plus a fourth defendant, Kelvin Reyes-Rosario, all needed translators when they pleaded guilty Tuesday.”*

*From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com
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Some 63 students from Philadelphia’s Esperanza Academy will tour the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art March 31 as guests of Aetna (NYSE: AET), which is the exhibition’s local sponsor.

Aetna also will host a tour for 40 supporters, employees and volunteers of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a nationally recognized, community-based, non-profit organization that has been strengthening Latino communities in Philadelphia for over 30 years.

Founded in 1977 as a grassroots agency, Congreso has grown to be a leading provider of employment, education, and supportive services to Latinos in the Philadelphia region. Through these services, Congreso transforms people’s lives by providing individuals with the tools to move up the economic ladder and out of poverty.

“As a major insurer and employer in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Aetna is proud to help make the Frida Kahlo exhibition available to the people of Philadelphia,” said Patrick Young, president of Aetna’s Mid-Atlantic Region. “In particular, we’re delighted that the students of Esperanza Academy will get to see the works of a renowned Latina artist.”

While most school districts are experiencing massive cuts in funding for arts education, Esperanza Academy recently invested $2 million in a new facility specifically designed to teach the arts. The new arts wing offers students opportunities to major in dance, drama, film, instrumental music, voice and visual arts. The curriculum also offers career tracks in information technology, journalism, entrepreneurship, and teacher education.

Esperanza was founded in 1987 by Rev. Luis Cortés Jr. and the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia in direct response to the challenges and opportunities in the Hispanic community. It has since become the largest national, Hispanic faith-based development corporation in the nation.

Aetna has worked closely with Esperanza on several community programs. In 2007, the company donated $10,000 to support “Tu Eres La Respuesta” (“You Are the Answer”), an HIV/AIDS awareness program.

In both 2006 and 2007, Aetna donated $10,000 to support the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference. Rev. Cortés and Esperanza organized the first National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in 2002 as an opportunity for Hispanic clergy to gather together in prayer for the nation and its Hispanic community. Today, it has evolved into an event that annually attracts more than 750 participants to the nation’s capital for prayer, advocacy and celebration.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only East Coast venue for Frida Kahlo, the first major exhibition in 15 years to be devoted to the immensely influential Mexican artist in the United States. The exhibition includes more than 40 paintings, including some works not previously shown before in this country, and is drawn from more than 30 collections in Mexico, France, Japan and the United States.

Paintings are complemented by more than 100 photographs from Kahlo’s personal collection. They include images by pre-eminent photographers, as well as personal images of Kahlo with family and friends, including her husband Diego Rivera and cultural and political figures such as Leon Trotsky and surrealist Andre Breton.

“The museum is delighted with Aetna’s support, which has not only contributed to bringing the Frida Kahlo exhibition to Philadelphia but also helped to complement and extend the museum’s mission of serving all communities in the region,” said Marla Shoemaker, senior curator of education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Aetna provides health benefits to more than 1 million people in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com”*

*From: http://www.businesswire.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Four months after Gov. Rendell nominated her for a spot on the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, Heidi A. Ramirez yesterday was confirmed by the state Senate.

Ramirez, 33, who directs the Urban Education Collaborative in Temple University’s College of Education, is the first Latina to serve on the five-person board that oversees the district.

“I am more anxious than ever to get started,” said Ramirez, who spent the day in Harrisburg on standby, in case the senators had questions.”*

*From: http://www.philly.com
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Philadelphia will be the first stop on a U.S./Canadian speaking tour by factory workers and labor organizers from the “free trade” zone of Valle Hermoso, Mexico. Seeking to expose the brutal truth about the deteriorating state of workers rights on the Mexican border, the speakers will give a free presentation to the public on Thursday, March 6th, 7:00 PM at Studio 34 (located at 4522 Baltimore Ave in West Philadelphia/University City). The event will be preceded by an 11:00 AM protest at a Hyundai dealership on 754 Baltimore Pike, Springfield. (Hyundai orders auto equipment from Key Safety Systems.)”*

*From: http://www.infoshop.org
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Ingrid Hoffmann’s first trip here was to visit The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side on her way to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Fayette County.

“I was able to see (Warhol’s) collection of original Fiesta tableware,” she says excitedly. “That’s the only reason I stopped in Pittsburgh.”

Her second trip, scheduled for March 15, will be even more exciting. She’ll be meeting fans and sharing recipes from her new book, “Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist” (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, $32.50), with Raquel Pelzel, during two appearances at Giant Eagle Market District stores. The events are free and open to the public.”*

*From: http://www.pittsburghlive.com
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A new show featuring paintings and photography by Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Museum of Art has Philadelphia art buffs and Latin American art enthusiasts in a frenzy.

The exhibition, which draws on collections from places such as Mexico and Japan, contains 45 paintings and more than 100 of Kahlo’s personal photographs. It opens today and runs through May 18.

Many of the paintings have never been displayed in the United States, and the exhibit is the first major presentation of Kahlo’s work in the country in 15 years.”*

*From: http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com
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Fidel Castro’s release of the reins yesterday sent a post-climactic ripple through the ranks of Cuban Americans. Those who oppose the regime — and that’s most of them — celebrated two summers ago at the temporary handing of power to his brother, Raul.

Now, Cuban Americans in Pittsburgh say they are optimistic that reform is coming, with some semblance of economic freedom, but probably not soon.”*

*From: http://www.post-gazette.com
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This semester Club Despertar has had the opportunity to take their program of tutoring Spanish speaking students from Kennett Square, PA in English to a new level. For the first time, these students are being brought on campus, meeting roughly every other Saturday in Parrish and having lunch at Sharples with Swarthmore students.

The students from Kennett Square are bubbly and vivacious, filling the parlors with activity and interest. Ask any given student what they think of coming to Swarthmore and you are likely to get an enthusiastic response. This past Saturday, February 16, was Nestor Mireles’ first time at Swarthmore. He was excited to be on the campus: “It’s cool… so you don’t get bored at your house.””*

*From: http://daily.swarthmore.edu
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Penn prides itself on hosting the “largest community of color in the Ivy League,” according to interim Admissions Dean Eric Kaplan.

But that figure can be deceiving as Penn simultaneously ranks low when it comes to Latino students.

College junior Angel Jacome, chairman of admissions and recruitment for the Latino Coalition - the umbrella organization for Latino student groups - hopes to reconcile Penn’s small Latino population with its reputation for diversity with a series of recruitment initiatives targeted at Latino students.”*

*From: http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com
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Devi Cholet can pinpoint the moment she realized that Frida Kahlo, painter of iconic self-portraits, had herself attained icon status.

Five years ago at Indigo, Cholet’s folk-arts gallery in Philadelphia’s Old City, a customer squinted at a religious amulet from India.

“Shiva or Frida?” the shopper asked, unsure whether it represented the Hindu deity of transformation or the Mexican artist, transformer of pain.”*

*From: http://www.philly.com
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Dr. F. Javier Cevallos, president of Kutztown University, a publicly funded college located in Pennsylvania, is facing new pressure to step down from his post amid criticism from the university’s faculty union.

The union’s leadership — which is comprised of a 10-member executive board — is planning to call for a vote of no-confidence in Cevallos later this week, claiming that he has mismanaged the day-to-day operations of the university, leading to an increase in class size, cramped office space and poor building conditions across campus. In addition, they charge that the morale among faculty is at an all-time low.”*

*From: http://diverseeducation.com
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A bill aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from getting state benefits was approved Tuesday by a Senate committee along a party-line vote.

The measure sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, tackles the immigration issue by requiring individuals applying for benefits such as Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and college tuition assistance to provide identification of U.S. citizenship and sign an affidavit stating they are in the country legally.

“I think this is something most Pennsylvanians greatly desire,” said Scarnati after the bill was approved 6-4 by the State Government Committee. “It makes sure all people receiving public benefits are U.S. citizens.” “*

*From: http://www.zwire.com
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Two years ago, when Salvador Villicana discovered he had Type II diabetes, he wasn’t sure what he should do about it.

Villicana, a 44-year old Kaolin Mushroom Farms employee from Mexico, understood that treating Type II diabetes required dietary and lifestyle adjustments. He just couldn’t understand what they were.

“When I found out, I was referred to a doctor who only spoke English,” said Villicana, in Spanish. “And, since I’m not exactly an expert in English, it was a pretty big problem.”*

*From: http://www.philly.com
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Federal courts are now split on the question of whether cities and towns may take steps to curb illegal immigration.

A federal judge in Missouri says local governments may do so. That contradicts a federal judge in Pennsylvania, who forbade the city of Hazleton from cracking down on illegal immigrants. “*

*From: http://www.whptv.com
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THE FIRED Alycia Lane is firing back at CBS 3. On Tuesday she filed a praecipe to issue writ of summons, typically a precursor to a lawsuit, against the station.

Lane and attorneys Paul Rosen and Andrew DeFalco have asked to depose CBS 3 President Michael Colleran and News Director Susan Schiller.”*

*From: http://www.philly.com
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