Posts

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Not What, But Who I Am: One Latina's Evolution

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In the mid-1990s I was covering a political rally in California with a Latina colleague when a Brown Beret asked a version of the question we’d both heard for years: “We hear you guys in Texas call yourselves Hispanics. What’s up with…

No Shame in Using Food Stamps

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I was at the supermarket checkout line when the cashier asked me if I wanted to make a donation for the needy. I would have liked to, but instead, I flashed my food stamps card and shook my head, saying: “I can’t. This time, I’m the…
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Mothers Weep in Alabama...Once Again

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How many mothers are weeping in Alabama? That’s what I keep asking myself as I scan the headlines and news stories coming out of the state now known as home to the harshest immigration law in the country. That’s what I keep wondering…
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My Two Worlds: Growing Up A Biracial Latina

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It started when I was in the second grade. It was recess at the end of the day and my mom was picking me up from school. I was on the playground when she drove up. I happily waved goodbye to my friends and jumped in the car. The next morning,…
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Stealing the Show: Latina Mom Portrayals on TV

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Ah fall, the best season of all. The air is turning crisp, the leaves are about to change, pumpkin lattes are back, and TV is good again. This week, three of the season’s biggest shows have made their return—Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy,…
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Former NYPD Cop & Cancer Survivor Educates Latinas

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After more than 20 years with the New York Police Department, Patti Murrillo-Casa couldn’t wait to retire in 2008. She was finally going to join her husband, Freddie Casa, who had retired from the NYPD in 2007. The plan was to take an…
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The Latina Behind The Latino List

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How do you change the world if you’re still struggling to love yourself? How do you love yourself when you’re a young gay woman raised in a conservative Catholic family that believes homosexuality is wrong? For decades, Catherine Pino,…
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No Kids Allowed: Is the ''The Brat Ban'' Good For Business?

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On July 16, McDain’s Restaurant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, made headlines when the management banned children under 6 from dining at the establishment. Owner of the casual bistro, Mike Vuick, sent an email to his customers, which read:…
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Latina Optimism Can Save America

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My family and I were recently driving past a row of stately homes on the Connecticut shore. Now and then, my husband and I would comment on the architectural details we liked, like eaves, fish scale shingles, and fairy-tale turrets. In the…