Esther J. Cepeda

Living in Label Land: Are you Hispanic or Latino?

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

Among the many issues that President Barack Obama dredged up in nominating the United States’ first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Judge was the dreaded "Hispanic" vs. "Latino" label debate.

Sigh.

The minute Sonia Sotomayor was announced as the nominee there was a mad scramble by some to label her an immigrant (she isn’t, her parents came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico which – surprise! – is part of the U.S.) and a mad scramble by others to debate whether, in fact, she would be the first given that the ancestors of Justice Benjamin Cardozo, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1932-1938, may or may not have come from Portugal.

And that alone was enough to inspire the Pew Hispanic Center to dissect the issue in a report they released late last week titled "Who’s Hispanic?"

The answer:

1) any member of an ethnic group that traces its roots to 20 Spanish-speaking nations from Latin America and Spain itself (but not Portugal or Portuguese-speaking Brazil)

2) no one who says they aren’t

3) anyone who says they are. Like me.

I had no less than three emails by Wednesday morning asking me what I call myself. I’ve made many people grit their teeth by responding, "I’m an American, honey." Rarely does that go over well – curious how people tend to not accept that as an appropriate answer – so I stick to "Hispanic."

"Latina" makes me grind my teeth – it sounds so militant to me. "What – my dry cleaning isn’t ready? It’s because I’m a Lat-ee-na, isn’t it?!" Eeewww.

"Chicana" elicits revulsion – I can’t stand it (again, waaaay too militant) and it doesn’t apply to me, anyway – not only am I not from the Southwest, I’m only half-Mexican. (But maybe I can popularize "Ecuamexian?" Maybe "Mexuadorian?")

Despite the fact that the Spanish language is gender-based – spoons are female, "cuchara" and plates are male, "plato" – I of the man-brain prefer to stick to the gender-neutral descriptor "Hispanic."

Hooray! I’m not in the, ahem, minority on this one…according to the Pew report:

"The labels are not universally embraced by the community that has been labeled. A 2006 survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found that 48% of Latino adults generally describe themselves by their country of origin first; 26% generally use the terms Latino or Hispanic first; and 24% generally call themselves American on first reference.

As for a preference between ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’, a 2008 Center survey found that 36% of respondents prefer the term ‘Hispanic,’ 21% prefer the term ‘Latino’ and the rest have no preference."

An unpublished Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies study that was referenced in the Chicago Community Trust’s Latino Landscape 2008 (see my column "A statistical portrait of Chi-Town Hispanics") says that in Chicago in 2003:

"those who preferred the term ‘Hispanic’ were more likely to be college-educated, somewhat older (36-60 years old), very interested in politics, and members of nontraditional religions. Those who prefer ‘Latino’ are generally younger."

You may roll one way, or the other – it’s all good. I know it’s not a very ethnic thing to say but call me whatever you want, just don’t call me late for supper.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Look into the future: Hispanics 2.0

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

Would you like to know what this country is going to look like in about 15 years? This is as close to a crystal ball as you’re going to get.

According to "Hispanic Children: The Rise of the Second Generation" a study released today by the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanics now make up 22% of all children in the United States. Projections by the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that by 2025, nearly three-in-ten children in this country will be of Latino ancestry.
 
Today, more than half of the nation's 16 million Hispanic children are "second generation," meaning they’re the U.S.-born sons or daughters of at least one foreign-born parent, typically someone who came to this country in the immigration wave from Mexico, Central America and South America that began around 1980.  Eleven percent of Latino children are not, in fact, "Latino," they are foreign-born and hail from a Latin American country but reside here today. In 1980, far fewer Hispanic children were second generation – I was one of them – while a significant majority were the U.S.-born sons or daughters of U.S.-born parents.
 
Shifts in the generational status of Hispanic children matter because analysis of the most recent Census data indicates that many social, economic and demographic characteristics of Latino children vary sharply by their generational status.  And the results are, as usual, horrifying:

For instance…

·

43% of first-gen Latino kids, 21% in second generation, and a whopping 5% of Latino kids in the third generation (or higher) are NOT fluent in English

·

34% of first-gen latino kids live in poverty compared with 26% of those in the second generation and 24% in the third generation or higher

·

More promising is that 47% of first-gen, 40% second-gen, and only 16% of third-gen Latino kids have parents with less than a high school education.

What this means, generally, is that the expected socio-economic status for Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents is higher than for Hispanic children of immigrant parents, which is a no-brainer.

Less intuitive is that health-based and other indicators suggest Hispanic children in immigrant families fare better in some dimensions. For example, 69% of first-gen Latino kids live in married-couple families compared with 73% of second-generation children and just 52% in the third generation.

One of the most extensive investigations of the well-being and outcome s of the children of immigrants found that "Along a number of important dimensions, children and adolescents in immigrant families appear to experience better health and adjustment than do children and youth in native-born families (Hernandez, 1999 in "Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment and Public Assistance").

In fact, with the exception of obesity, second-generation Hispanic kids seem to have fewer physical health problems than their counterparts in the third generation or higher.

So, going back to the crystal ball: in about a decade or so a third of all of us will be Hispanic. Right now "second generation" children-of-immigrants Hispanic kids are making their way toward being healthy, better-educated, more-affluent adults than their parents through the years 2020-2050.

But they’re really going to have to step it up in order to help the first-gen kids who grew up alongside them and didn’t quite break out of poverty, and also help their older third-gen peers who, somewhere along the way, became stereotypical fat, unhealthy Americans.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor is a superstar judge who just happens to be Hispanic

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

National news today: a Puerto Rican daughter of the streets overcomes all obstacles including childhood death of her third-grade educated factory-worker father, a mother who had to work six days a week to buy her and her brother a set of encyclopedias that sat in the concrete block room of her Bronx housing project apartment, makes it big as a nominee on the U.S. Supreme Court.

God Bless America!

Oh and by the way, Sonia Sotomayor is a badass judge.

Missed that part didn’t ya? I certainly did – during President Obama’s press conference and in coverage immediately afterwards. It was all about the First Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Judge, and about the Second Woman for the Supreme Court, and about triumph over adversity and childhood Nancy Drew adventure dreams dashed because of diabetes, and not about one woman’s stunning talent and determination culminating in a seat in this country’s highest court.

Now don’t get me wrong – as many did when I wrote that the best nominee should be accomplished and wonderful despite gender or ethnicity – I’m thrilled! And humbled and inspired by this woman’s tremendous achievement and professional excellence, but gosh I wish this morning’s exciting news had focused more on that professional excellence and not just on her stunning personal story.

Sure, President Obama started off his presser by noting his nominee was chosen because of: "First and foremost… a rigorous intellect – a mastery of the law, an ability to hone in on the key issues and provide clear answers to complex legal questions.  Second is a recognition of the limits of the judicial role, an understanding that a judge's job is to interpret, not make, law; to approach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice; a respect for precedent and a determination to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand."

But then it was all about her triumph over adversity. Again, an incredibly awesome achievement – and darned heart-warming to see Sotomayor thank her mami publicly: "I am all I am because of her," Judge Sotomayor said, "and I am only half the woman she is," I got teary with pride – but where was the gushing about her professional achievements?

Sonia Sotomayor was appointed to the U.S. District Court by a Republican President, George H.W. Bush, and promoted to the Federal Court of Appeals by a Democrat, Bill Clinton.  Walking in the door she would bring more experience on the bench, and more varied experience on the bench, than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed.

Judge Sotomayor is a distinguished graduate of Princeton and Yale, would be the only justice with experience as a trial judge, has presided over roughly 450 cases and brings with her a stamp of approval from none other than George H.W. Bush who appointed her to the District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1992 – when she was still in her 30’s!

According to the White House backgrounder, "If confirmed, Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years, and more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years." Oh how I wish that was the predominant headline!

It goes without saying that some will harshly criticize her – that just goes with the territory. They’ll do so because she’s perceived as liberal, or because she’s a woman, or because she once made the following disturbing comment: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

Oh there’s more: allusions to a "Latino agenda," controversy regarding Fire Department promotion tests…it will all come out in the following weeks, it’s open season; heck at the afternoon press conference a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs if the White House was sure she’d paid her taxes. He replied, "I have not seen anything on that."

Sotomayor is President Obama’s pick, and if she should become the 111th U.S. Supreme Court Justice, let’s not let Sotomayor be labeled the "best Hispanic Supreme Court judge" around but, rather, the best choice to represent the people of United States on the Supreme Court who just so happens to be Hispanic.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Latinos demand Supreme Court nominee - almost to their own detriment

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

Oh god, I can’t wait until Obama picks already, I’m tired of the endless speculation and even more tired of the whole "Hispanics are lobbying for a Latino justice" story line.

Can we give that a rest? Do Hispanics really feel that insecure about their political clout that they want a Latino judge so badly they can taste it? Really, it’s not that big a deal.

My pal John and I were talking about it last Wednesday when he proclaimed, "Are you kidding me? It’s going to be a white person, that’ll be on the front page of your New York Times, ‘Old, White Man Appointed.’ - if Obama’s smart. He needs to pick an extremely liberal white man if he wants that person to be accepted, otherwise that Judge will spend the rest of their tenure being the person who was picked because they were black, Hispanic, or a woman."

I’d certainly hate that. Really, it wouldn’t do Latinos any favor for either California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno or U.S. Appeals Court judge Sonia Sotomayor to get the nod if there is the appearance that they got it because of their ethnicity, rather than their scholarship and level-headedness.

So, Latino groups, stop making it look that way. The usual Hispanic empowerment groups have been banging the "First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice" drum for weeks, but I see little upside in some of the quasi-damning statements I’ve heard on the subject.

Never mind the emails I get and the comments I see on Twitter and Facebook, here’s a quote from current Hispanic National Bar Association president Ramona Romero regarding the "First Hispanic Supreme Court Judge" barrier not being yet broken: "It was a lack of will, a lack of commitment. It was not because of the absence of qualified candidates."

This time, she says, "there is an enormous sense of urgency" behind making sure the opportunity is not lost during a Barack Obama presidency.

On Nov. 14, 2008, Romero wrote a letter to Obama urging him to "make history yet again" by nominating a Hispanic justice, thereby erasing the "unfortunate message" conveyed by a Supreme Court with no Hispanic members. "The presence of a Latino or Latina at the conference table could add a needed 'special voice' to the Supreme Court's deliberations and decisions -- a voice that can speak about the law as it affects U.S. Hispanics with the authority that only firsthand knowledge can provide."

A "special voice"? Eeewww! What does that even mean? Those are exactly the types of statements that make white people, frankly, scared that a Latino on the Supreme Court will bring a Hispanic agenda to bear on cases, rather than rule from a solid scholarship and ideology. I’m not saying that is true in anyway, but…I’m telling you "special voice" sounds creepy, even to me. Obama, however, has struck the right tone for me.

"You have to have not only the intellect to be able to effectively apply the law to cases before you," Obama said today in an interview carried Saturday on C-SPAN television, according to the CNN story. "But you have to be able to stand in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes and get a sense of how the law might work or not work in practical day-to-day living."

He wants empathy and the ability to see life from the position of the powerless. Thankfully, Obama has, at least publicly, said he’s interested in the best nominee regardless of what adjectives can be placed before their name. "[I don’t] feel weighted down by having to choose ... based on demographics," Obama said Saturday.

Well, thank goodness for that.

According to a recent CNN story, "Hispanic groups quietly press for supreme court pick," leading Hispanic groups have been careful not to create the perception they’re demanding a Latino be nominated, nor that they are seeking direct political payback for their election support.

Yeah…well, that’s not how I’m seeing it. From mass chain emails, to Latino authored op-eds in Southwest newspapers, to morning Spanish-language shock jocks, some people are not simply rooting for a Hispanic nominee, but rather, ready to blow their stack if they don’t get one.

For a voting bloc anxious to make real progress on immigration law reform, this is not the best battle to choose. Not this round anyway.

To these people I say: take a deep breath, trust the guy you take so much credit for getting elected in the first place, and may the best man or woman Supreme Court Justice candidate win.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Backstage with “Bruiser”- “Legally Blonde” Chihuahua hits Chi-Town

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

If you know nothing about "Legally Blonde - The Musical" here’s the skinny: it’s every bit as pink and perky as the 2001 Reese Witherspoon/Luke Wilson confection about the chipper sorority sister who gets into Harvard Law School and finds love, laughter and blah, blah, blah…there’s a Chihuahua involved.

 Ahh, yes, Bruiser. You remember Bruiser from the film, right? Stoic, spoiled, and stylish from classic, apple-shaped head to teeny-tiny-dog-toe.

Well, from the moment I heard the soaring-pop-lietmotif stage production would be coming to Chicago, I harassed the show’s PR people until they granted me an exclusive, behind-the-scenes interview with his-highness.

Imagine my surprise Wednesday when I showed up at the Oriental Theater’s stage door for our lunch date only to find…drumroll please…TWO Chihuahuas!

"There’s Frankie who works with the lead "Elle" but like with people, there is an understudy – that’s Roxie," Marjorie Fitzsimmons, the show’s Chihuahua handler explained to me in the comfort of the doggie dressing room which, incidentally, was marked with a bright yellow "Chihuahua crossing" sign.

Frankie, a one-and-a-half year old dark-muzzled boy Chihuahua who was "discovered" as a stray in Meriden, Connecticut, and Roxie, a three-year-old girl Chihuahua with lighter facial features who was a stray rescued in rural Louisiana with a nasty case of the heartworm, surprisingly never yapped at me like my own two do.

"Frankie is very friendly, very sweet, a little bit coy," Marjorie shared, "Roxie is a much braver little dog." And did I mention uncharacteristically mellow and quiet?

I was expecting rock-star grade amenities; giant brandy snifters filled with Pupperonis and Beggin’ Strips, and designer toilet-bowl-flavored water but, clearly, these Chihuahuas are Equity actors – their room was Spartan, accented only by Roxie’s gleaming pink crate and the dressing table which holds their extremely fashionable wardrobe.

In fact, Frankie and Roxie share their room with the two stunning English Bulldogs Nellie and Lewis (star and understudy – both also rescued strays) who play Rufus. "

The crew has travelled over 17,000 miles with this show and Lewis hasn’t been in a live show because Nellie has not missed a single performance," said Rob Cox the Bulldog handler. "Of over 700 shows! No one else in the cast and crew can say that!"

Here’s the real dirt on the dogs of Legally Blonde:

·

all the dogs rehearse with the full cast and crew – who, themselves, are trained by the handlers on how to interact with the canine talent – they perform 8 full shows a week.

·

small cues earn the doggies small bits of beef jerky, big cues and curtain calls earn them pieces of hamburger or chicken

·

all four of the pups are lovin’ Chicago – "Nellie and Rufus are very much city dogs, they prefer pavement, they think doing their business in the grass is weird," Rob said. "The buses and trains don’t bother Frankie and Roxie one bit," Marjorie added.

·

yes, people do wait at the Stage Door after performances to catch a glimpse, or a picture, with them after performances but Pupperazzi are strictly prohibited. "They’re great with people and they love it when moms and their children interact with them on a leisurely walk," Marjorie said, "but after a performance the energy is just too high for them to handle full crowds."

I was going to try to get a good quote from Frankie or Roxie about how it feels that first moment Bruiser comes on stage and crowd goes wild with the collective "awwww!!!!!" but by the time I finished taking my notes, they’d curled up in Frankie’s crate for the afternoon siesta.

So does all the glory and adoration go to their heads? In stark contrast to my own two Chihuahuas, Frankie and Roxie are purported to be "not really that spoiled." These are working professionals after all.

"They get a lot of love and attention, but it’s not a show to them," Marjorie said, "it’s real life."

Legally Blonde – The Musical at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theater began May 12 and runs through June 7

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Another midnight run - Foreclosure crisis hits close to (my) home

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

I felt like I got hit in the chest with a two-by-four when my neighbor Greg broke the news. The reason why the lawn of the family who lives across the street from me looks like such crap these days is because they’re gone.

Gone.

Marc and Marcy – high school sweethearts clocking in at year 15 of wedded bliss – young Jacob who at the tender age of eight could pluck out "Smoke on the Water" on his tiny electric guitar, and Zoe the baby girl who was born less than a year after we all moved into our brand-spanking-new homes in our suburban subdivision are gone. Grandma and Frank the big black lab, too – all gone.

No "For Sale" sign in front of the house, no moving trucks, no teary goodbyes to us neighbors who’d had the extra cup of sugar for these last eight years, just a silent midnight run.

I’d heard they’d hit a rough patch – Marc losing hours at work and Marcy pulling double-shifts at the hospital to make all the ends meet – but I never once imagined that the intermittent vanloads of stuff leaving the house these last few weeks signified any more than just your standard spring cleaning.

Greg filled in the details: in November Marcy had confided that things had gotten desperate with the money situation and they were looking for a new school for the kids. Then last Thursday night when he was mowing his own grass, passing close to their house’s windows, he noticed everything was just…gone.

He called me over and we peeked through windows where just two weeks ago a happy, vibrant, upper-middle class white family had dwelled – apparently suffering in silence and so scared to lose it all that they pulled a preemptive strike and took off.

This is what foreclosure feels like from the outside…all of a sudden, trusted neighbors whose children I was watching grow up were gone and all that’s left is a littered, empty home. Not that it’s the only one in my upper middle class neighborhood.

There are at least 18 empty townhomes in my little slice of subdivision. Of the single-family homes, there are four abandoned and empty homes literally rotting away from mold and disrepair. Like my other neighbors do, I will now have to mow Marc and Marcy’s front yard so the house doesn’t look abandoned.

According to a Chicago Tribune story last week, 13,647 Illinois homes received a foreclosure filing in April, 54 percent higher than they were a year ago, according to data released May 13 by RealtyTrac. Mary Ellen Podmolik’s story further reported that nationally, foreclosure filings were flat for the month but up 32 percent from a year ago.

Marc and Marcy’s house will be in that pile in the coming months, the orange flyer pasted to their front door like the others on my block.

"Why, why," I lamented, "the worst thing you can do is dump your house!" I called the good folks over at The Resurrection Project, a Chicago community development organization that frequently hosts workshops on avoiding home foreclosure, to get their take on the midnight run.

"That’s the worst thing you can do," Kristen Komara, Director of Financial Services told me last Friday. "You’re still the owner – at least attempt to keep your home. The foreclosure process in Illinois is lengthy and can take as long as a year…"

"Nobody’s going to come into your house in the middle of the night and tell you to leave your home," Komara explained, pinpointing everybody’s worst nightmare, "you still have rights as a homeowner. If you know your back is to the wall and you’re not going to be able to do anything because you have no income then at least you can put a plan into place with a sensible time frame to how you’re going to make a soft landing into a new home, or start saving money for a security deposit for a rental."

As a young homeowner who lost her job 16 months ago (but luckily landed on her feet, avoiding this tragedy) I know the fear that can grip even the most level head, and asked Komara for her best advice to others thinking of running from their house problems.

"When people are facing missed mortgage payments there is so much hurt, pain, frustration and vulnerability," Komara said. "The first step is to not panic and understand that you have rights. Don’t make irrational decisions, stop and learn where to go for solid information and talk to someone knowledgeable in these issues – there may be several options available to you."

How I wish Marc, Marcy, and the brood I’ll miss on warm summer nights, had found Komara and her optimistic advice.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Trippin’ the light Hispanic: Introducing “Chicago Latino List 2009”

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

On May 4, Crain’s Chicago Business – a publication I pay for and happily read cover-to-cover every week – published "2009 Women to Watch," their annual roundup of female Chicago movers and shakers. I leafed through it and proceeded to hit the roof.

Here’s the full text of my Letter to the Editor which Crain’s was kind enough to print in the Opinion section of the May 11 edition:

"It strikes me as absolutely unbelievable that a world-class city like Chicago – a town with no less than 1.7 million residents of Latino heritage – could possibly have zero women of Hispanic background worth watching ("Women to Watch," Focus, May 4)

The dynamic, accomplished, and beautiful women featured represent an impressive array of talent, but Crain’s couldn’t find a single Latina "bright star" this year?

I consider myself to be imminently watchable. Yet, I certainly pale in comparison to the fine selection of Hispanic VPs, college presidents, legislators, and entrepreneurs around Chicago."

They cut it down and took some of the sting out of it – and made it sound like it was about me rather than about the many, many incredible Hispanic women who toil away in the blind spots of those who decide "Who’s who" in this town – but you get the point.

That all came on the heels of me hitting the roof about BusinessWeek magazine’s story from the May 11 issue called "CEO’s of Tomorrow." Here’s an excerpt of the stinging Letter to the Editor I sent them back on May 4 when my copy arrived in the mail:

"I wasn’t disappointed by the high caliber of the 19 individuals BusinessWeek chose to focus on; they were dynamic, diverse, and already shouldering tremendous responsibility in major corporations. But there wasn’t a single Latino professional who might be a CEO of Tomorrow?

Not a single Hispanic CEO, President, VP, CFO, or COO who might be an innovative leader "tomorrow" when Latinos will make up a third or more of the population in the United States? I don’t think so."

I’m happy to report that Diane Brady, BusinessWeek’s Senior Editor/Content Chief immediately called me and we had a smart, in-depth conversation about the difficulty of achieving a perfectly diverse mixture of gender, race, ethnicity, industry, etc. in a spread like "CEO’s of Tomorrow –" and the difficulty of finding qualified Latino candidates.

I won’t quote her because I didn’t know I was going to write about this until I heard from so many of my own readers, but she truly was responsive to my explanation that I’m not interested in a "Hispanic leaders" story in BusinessWeek but rather to have Latinos be included in their regular stories.

Let me repeat it loudly and clearly: whether you’re talking about "Women to Watch" or "CEOs of Tomorrow," great Latino leaders are not "really great…for a Latino" but, instead, "great leaders who just happen to be Hispanic."

In order to help blunt this perceived shortage of Latino superstars I’m taking action.

Despite there being, in my mind, a ton of awesome Hispanic people doing truly amazing things here in Chicago, there seems to be no "official" list that mainstream publications can refer to when trying to find great Hispanic candidates to be profiled as Who’s Who/Mover-Shaker/Rising Star/One-to-Watch in "mainstream" publications.

So, I’m starting one.

On June 24, I will publish the first annual compilation of totally awesome Hispanic Chicagoans making this world a better place through personal or professional excellence, and I’m calling it "Chicago Latino List 2009" – or something better, if any of you have a pithier title.

You will nominate Chicago-area residents of any age, from any walk of life, who are doing something to make this world a better place, and I will pick and profile 10 of the best.

Rules: Your nominations must be emailed to me by May 29 and include:

·

the name of this wonderful human being

·

a short blurb about how they’re making the world a better place

·

contact information so I can talk to them myself

·

nominees can be Hispanic in any way, immigrant or U.S.-born, of any age, and working in any occupation

There WILL be prizes…not that my story-telling abilities aren’t prize enough…which I’ll announce along with the winners. Click on the "CHICAGO LATINO LIST 2009" page in the left-hand column for more info., and to read about other opportunities to participate.

Send your nominations to eejaycee@600words.com by 5/29/09. We’ll show ‘em all!

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Why “English-only” laws look so good

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

People, bear with me here, I’m only a few days removed from having completed a frustrating and maddening master’s level class in effective teaching strategies to help English language learners pick up our baffling but beloved language, and a report that was just released has me climbing the walls.

But more about that in a moment, let me vent some more:

It was the kind of class where the teacher framed everything in terms of "cultural respect" and where all the students felt it was imperative to teach kids in their native language and that to insist otherwise was to buy into the evil construct of the "white man" trying to keep poor Latinos "down."

Much like my experience being an actual teacher in a classroom of non-native English-language speakers, where I was castigated as the lone weirdo who insisted on talking to and teaching her students in English, I was the freakish anomaly in this class.

I was the nutcase in the back of the room advocating for the hundreds of thousands of non-Spanish speaking students in school districts across the country, insisting that segregating students into Spanish-speaking sheltered classes was a recipe for a permanent underclass.

Every week we discussed interesting language acquisition stories in the media and I almost wish I could have one more Saturday to beg the others to understand the perils of "bilingual classes" taught exclusively in Spanish and how damaging it can be to those who need to learn flawless English in order to thrive in this country (this was my idea of "fun" if you can conceive it!).

My pleas surely would have fallen on deaf ears – after all, who is more committed to the status quo than "bilingual teachers" whose main claim to fame and employment is the ability to teach solely in Spanish? – but check this out: a report from the National Center for Education Statistics on Basic Reading Skills and the Literacy of America’s Least Literate Adults.

You can go directly to the PDF here, but let me just give you a taste of the horrifying statistics, gleaned from the 2003 National Adult Literacy Survey which was designed to measure functional literacy and administered to more than 19,000 adults (ages 16 and older) in households and prisons:

· Basic reading scores were highest for White adults and lowest for Hispanic adults

· Among adults with Below Basic prose literacy scores, 39 percent of those who spoke only English before starting school read fewer than 60 words correctly per minute (i.e., at the lowest Basic Reading Score level), compared with 72 percent of adults with a Spanish language background

· 30 million adults have Below Basic prose literacy; of those, 7 million are Hispanic

· Among adults who spoke a language other than English before starting school, BRS scores were lowest for adults who learned English at a later age. The average score was lowest for adults who learned to speak English after they turned 21 and highest for adults who learned English at age 10 or younger

· The BRS score of adults who learned to speak English after age 20 was 35 points lower than the BRS score of adults who learned to speak English at age 10 or younger.

I’ll cut the numbers off right there, though you should plow into this report if you’re interested in knowing at just how much of a disadvantage some people in this country are.

But the point I’m trying to make is illustrated by those last two bulleted items – and you didn’t need a fancy report to tell you this – it is absolutely crystal clear beyond any doubt that the key to Hispanic and Latino success in the United States is fluency in the English language.

It doesn’t require giving up culture, giving up a native language, or giving up speaking a native language in the home – it very simply requires a country single-mindedly dedicated to making learning English the number one objective for public school students. By hook or by crook.

Some people reflexively rail at the very thought of "English-only" legislation; there is currently a bill called the "English Language Empowerment Act" being bandied about in New York state. Pro-Spanish-language education advocates are already complaining that such a move would make it mandatory to teach children in – gasp!!!! – English.

But the unacceptable alternative is hoards of students who get dumped into public school "bilingual ed" classes and, after years of sheltered Spanish immersion classes, walk out of high school still not fluent in English (read more about my experiences as a bilingual ed teacher here).

And that alternative is a denial of the American Dream. It is, in fact, an American tragedy – and not just for them, but for us all.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Incubating the Scientists and Engineers of Tomorrow – Today!

"Way more than 600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

What do a sixteen year old immigrant from Bosnia and a sixteen year old Nigerian immigrant of extremely modest means have in common with the greatest scientists and inventors of all time?

They wake up every morning with the single-minded belief that anything – yes, anything – is possible.

What Raliat Abiola and Suad Causevic have in common with little old me is that we’re all proud standard bearers of the Myrtle and the Gold – Lane Tech HS Indians through and through – and all of us are proud to call ourselves "Alphas," as part of the elite club that Lane Tech, lo all these many years later, still calls the Alpha Science and Engineering Program. And that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Unlike I, who nearly failed my accelerated Biology class freshman year due to an unfortunate incident in which I killed my science experiment, these two are going to change this world dramatically within our lifetimes.

I met them when I had the privilege of judging Lane Tech’s Science Fair a few months ago. Amidst the projects on the sound wave patterns of electric guitars, the effects of food dye on mice, analyses of carbon particulate in our air, and way-too-complex molecular-level experiments I could barely understand, these two really stuck with me.

Raliat, whose father – well-known for helping others in their village – died when she was just ten, gave me a stunningly passionate presentation on the effects of Eastern medicine on microbes, a science experiment very much out of the ordinary.

"Where I come from medicine is vastly different from the way Western medicine is administered here," she’d told me in her regal accent, referring to the panoply of holistic principles, herbs, and other treatments that are the hallmarks of Eastern medicine. "I want to be a pioneer in this field, I’m setting out to prove that this is actually a form of science and it can help millions of people in the world."

Raliat stands a great chance – she’s already been singled out for scholarships, which she needs because her single mom is working toward her own degree and they need all the help they can get. And I’ve no doubt the future Dr. R. Abiola, who’ll be spending the rest of the summer sharpening up her project for next year, will someday make major additions to the practically-non-existent literature out there comparing Eastern and Western medicine techniques.

Now Suad, he’s waaay out there. Like, so brilliant that this weekend he’ll be presenting his project "Keep it Cool" at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science Exposition in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.  His breakthrough research – the design for a cooling system for microprocessors – has already drawn in university money and attention from big tech companies worldwide. The totally unassuming kid who does Tae Kwon Do when he’s not toying with molecular biology, is one of 62 students who won at the city science fair (10 are from Lane), and an alternate for the International Science and Engineering, Fair in Reno, Nevada later this month.

"Basically, I designed a system that uses magnets and thermo-electricity to disperse the heat of the microprocessors in a computer with no fan, and therefore, no noise," Kausevic said.

Why?!

"Because a while ago my dad and I fried a computer because we overheated it and I was thinking, ‘liquid metals, nuclear reactions, no more fried boards,’ and I thought it’d make a pretty fun science project." This is the kid’s idea of "fun."

Now let me put it all into context for you: Lane Technical High School is one of the best schools in the city and has provided high quality educational opportunities for over 100 years. Lane is administering approximately 1,800 Advanced Placement exams this school year in 29 content areas. In fact, Lane submits more than 50% of all the AP Studio Art Portfolios in the City of Chicago.

It’s truly a school of champions, and is one of the most diverse – in race/ethnicity and family income – high schools in Chicago. According to Assistant Principal Chris Dignam, the driving force behind the Alpha program which he revived three years ago and has grown to approximately 300 kids, "Lane Tech has the highest number of students at or below poverty level in any of the College Prep high schools in Chicago – 60% – and the highest percentage of Hispanic students in any of the College Prep High Schools in CPS, they make up 41-42% of the school population."

Dignam stresses the importance of his program passionately, "There is an alarming deficit with regard to the number of students exiting high school and going on to major in engineering, science, and mathematics in the United States," Dignam said. "There are many talented, interested students of diverse backgrounds that are in need …and Alpha provides students a unique program that focuses on developing research skills, as well as reading and technical writing skills – skills all students need to achieve and succeed in college and upon entering the workforce."

He’s right, the number of kids going into science and math-based fields of study in college is low and the number of black and Hispanic kids doing so are painfully low, despite their representation in the U.S. population. But workplace equity is not what gets the kids up early – and keeps them up late – honing their research to perfection, these kids are having fun and are inspired, which is a nuclear reaction in and of itself.

"Sure it's hard," said Suad, "but it’s just fun and when you work hard for the science fair, you can know that when the future comes, you’ll be prepared."

"I want to make something of myself and then go on to be a doctor and be successful so I can tell others that anything is possible," Raliat said, "If they can send a monkey and a man to the moon you can do anything. And though you might want others to reach out and give you a hand, that would be nice, but you can do it yourself."

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

To boldy go where few Hispanics have gone before – to watch a Star Trek movie!

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

There I was, sitting inside my favorite Mexifood joint, Tacos El Norte, last Saturday enjoying my steak torta, watching the Phillies/Mets game on Fox en Espanol when I heard the play-by-play guy say something surprising, in Spanish:

"Don’t forget, opening this Friday – Star Trek like you’ve never seen it before!" My immediate reaction was: but I’ve never seen it before – at all.

Thinking it was some freakish anomaly, I went back to my torta when I heard it again – this time with a logo, indicating to me that it was a planned thing. The announcer said, in Spanish, "This isn’t your father’s Star Trek!" Uh, yeah, I know, because my dad never watched it!

My lunch companion, a gentleman as pasty-white and as "Trekkie" as a man who could actually score lunch with a woman could be was perplexed by my reaction. "Why’s that so weird?" he asked innocently.

"Latinos don’t watch Star Trek!" I gasped. Then I did two things:

1) I ranted, for a full three minutes (he timed me – this happens quite often and he’s keeping track as a sort of science experiment) about marketers who decide to spend money on advertising to Spanish-speaking audiences but don’t bother to create culturally-relevant messages to maximize their ad buy.

Sure, Star Trek went viral before "going viral" meant "global internet sensation" but the vast majority of Latin American immigrants to this country are from Mexico and, based on my own life experiences, Mexicans weren’t exactly saying "lo estoy dando todo lo que tengo capitan" – "I’m givin’ ‘er all she’s got captain" – in times of duress.

And here in the U.S., well, let’s just say William Shatner is no Don Francisco!

Star Trek was never on in my house and when it was I never got interested. I’ve written before about how in my honors science class our final project was based on the "prime directive" and I was clueless, and ultimately got a bad grade. (Read more on William Shatner as Jesus here)

2) I sent out a Tweet calling for Latino Star Trek Fans and I got a few interesting remarks:

Luis said: "Beam me up - esse!" Alexander said: "Esther Live long and prosper. There is no bigger fan than me. " Gerardo chimed in with: ""To boldly go where no man has gone before. That was my motto in high school too. HA!" And Gabriel added: "I'm a Mexican Star Trek fan!"

I did speak to two people, though who had something more to add. Victor Soto, a 29-year-old freelance TV producer whose parents emigrated here from Mexico before he was born told me, "Yeah, I obviously didn’t watch it with my dad – he probably didn’t even really know it existed so he’s definitely not a fan."

Victor, however, is a different story, "I’m a guy, y’know, I think it’s a cool show, I like the gadgets. I grew up watching ‘Next Generation’ with Patrick Stewart and all them. I’m definitely going to go see the new one."

I also had an interesting back-and-forth with labor-rights activist Jorge Mujica, the mastermind of the March 15 Movement and immigration reform rallies in Chicago. He said he’s definitely going if he can score some tickets and shared this about his deep love for Star Trek:

"Lemme put it this way: they had a black woman, an Asian, a Russian and an [assload] of "aliens" – now, that's diversity! The miniskirts played a role, also," Mujica said. He then brought up a great question: "Let's see if they have Latinos now."

You’re in luck Jorge! The miniskirted hottie this time around is indeed a Latina – Zoe Saldana, a Jersey girl from the Dominican Republic. The stars aligned!

Then Jorge said one more thing that made me really re-think the impact Star Trek has had on past and will on future generations:

"No, I don’t think my dad saw "Viaje a las Estrelas" ever in his life. I watched it at my cousin's because we didn’t have a TV and I always loved it," Mujica said.

"After being Tarzan and Robin Hood, I became Spock, I guess it always helped me imagine there had to be a better future than our present."

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

White women like wine, Hispanic women prefer sex

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

"It’s a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart." Ulysses Everett McGill said that in the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" – one of my favorites.

He was surely talking about those patient people who do focus-group research for big-name marketers looking for the consumer insights that will tell them who they should spend their money marketing to.

In the last few years, much ado has been made about marketing to Latinos, who in 2003 were estimated to have a purchasing power of $650 Billion. Nationally, the amount of dollars spent on Hispanic advertising reached $3.43 billion in 2003, up 15 percent from the previous year, according to the Hispanic advertising group, thats a lot of dough spent on reaching Hispanic consumers in two languages across a variety of media to sell everything from toothpaste to alcohol to cars.

Usually marketers translate their ads into Spanish, throw in an abuelita or soccer and call it done but at the end of April, a survey like one I’ve never seen before caught my eye and boy, am I glad I read to the end.

Adage.com posted Laurel Wentz’ piece (available only by subscription) called "Latinas are Technically Savvy Brand Loyal Chief Household Officers" which detailed how Telemundo, Inc., and Meredith Hispanic Ventures spent money on actually talking to Hispanic women to find out what they’re really all about since they’re typically portrayed in the media as illegal victims, or in the movies as hottie housekeepers.

Here are my favorite insights, gleaned from a national sample of women 18-64 who self-identified as Hispanic and a control group of 500 non-Hispanic 18-64 year old women. I’ll leave out the obvious ones (as I always say, some stereotypes are true: Latinas place a greater importance on their relationship with their family and parents. Duh.).

· 80% said higher education was a top personal goal and 72% said their career was a top priority. Only 50% said getting married was more important.

· Nearly three quarters considered themselves "significantly health-conscious"

· Latina respondents were slightly more likely than the non-Hispanic respondents to take pictures with a digital camera (45% compared to 42%)

· Latina respondents were slightly more likely than the non-Hispanic respondents to download music to an iPod (28% compared to 22%)

and drumroll please…

· A key difference between Latinas and non-Hispanic women: Latinas are more likely (75%) than non-Latinas (63%) to say they’d rather have sex with their husbands than a glass of good wine.

Now, gentlemen in the audience, I want you to know that everything I write is intended to help and serve my readers. So with this information in hand, I hope it is abundantly clear what to get as the next birthday/Mother’s Day/I’m sorry gift on the horizon: an iPhone. And perhaps something lacy…but don’t go overboard on the wine.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com