Daily Blog

For the DREAMers I know that our community at Spanglishbaby is a diverse bunch, and that we come from a variety of personal and political perspectives, so I’m a little nervous about writing a post about politics, but I’d like to share with you some of my reflections on the recent passage of AB 130, the California DREAM Act: The California DREAM Act allows undocumented students to receive financial aid, if financially eligible, from private and public sources. Under AB540,Read More ...

Editor’s note: We continue our coverage of NPR’s special series “Two Languages, Many Voices” with a preview of today’s story, which will air on Morning Edition, related to bilingual families and technology.  Access to the internet and being able to afford a computer doesn’t necessarily mean one can make use of either. This is the case for many Latino immigrants in the United States. The Bilingual Families and Technology report in the NPR series, “Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos inRead More ...

In just three days Mexico will receive approximately 6,000 athletes from 42 nations in Guadalajara, Jalisco for the largest multi-sport event of 2011: XVI Pan American Games or Juegos Panamericanos. This massive sporting event that unites North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean is an excellent opportunity to talk to your children about the different cultures, languages, and diverse people that make up this part of the globe.  Especially about the rich traditions and folklore to which theRead More ...

As I mentioned last week, NPR is dedicating the next few days to a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. about bicultural Latinos and their impact on education, technology, religion and entertainment. The first part in the series about the town of West Liberty in Iowa and how the majority of its population is Latino aired earlier today in Morning Edition. The story, along with an interactive map of how Latinos are reshaping communities are both available onRead More ...

I’ve been a fan of NPR for a very long time for a lot of reasons, but mainly because, as a journalist, I feel there’s little quality news programming left out there. If you listen to NPR, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then this would be a great time for you to check it out. Starting next week, NPR will begin a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. on Morning Edition. TheRead More ...

Back in August, a question in the Ask an Expert column really hit home with me. The mother who felt that her vocabulary was weak and her proficiency in Spanish was lacking particularly moved me. She was seeking ideas on how to build her own Spanish proficiency to best help her child become bilingual. As a non-native Spanish speaker, I could relate to her fears and insecurities about being a non-native speaker. I was also impressed by her determination to giveRead More ...

Trying to define what it means to me to be Hispanic or Latina is a question I have asked myself all my life and in a few paragraphs I will try to come to a satisfying answer. It’s important to understand that, although I was born in the United States, the fact that I was raised in Mexico makes me a Mexican. However, the fact that I went to college in the U.S., that I have voted in the lastRead More ...

Yesterday, I cried. And then, I got really angry. It happened when I read this story about what’s happening in Alabama after the most ludicrous immigration laws were passed there last week. Latino parents are withdrawing their children from schools there fearing a new law that requires schools to check students’ immigration status. How can this be happening? And, more importantly, what does it say about who we are as a people and the kind of society we’re becoming? SchoolRead More ...