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☆ What Jason De León learned shadowing smugglers in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-04 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The nuns inside a migrant shelter in southern Mexico gave Jason De León an ominous warning: “Whatever you do, don’t go outside. They were human smugglers — or, as they put it, guías (guides) for migrants traveling through Mexico and trying to reach the US. Life has gotten increasingly dangerous for migrants passing through Mexico, according to De León. De León's book also explores issues of race and migration, delving into the lives of Black smugglers he met in southern Mexico. This image from De León's field work shows two Garifuna smugglers in a safe house in Mexico City in 2019.

Persons: Jason De León, don’t, De León, ’, “, De, — “, hadn’t, — Juan Roberto Paredes —, De León’s, who’s, …, ” De León, it’s, They’re, There’s, Jason De Léon, —, Michael Wells, Covid, Trump, Jason De León I’m, we’ve, Jason De León I’ve, who’ve, I’ve, De Léon, What’s, you’ve, You’ve, Manu Chao Organizations: CNN, Cotsen, of Archaeology, Patrol, Trump Locations: Mexico, That’s, Pakal, Ná, Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, Veracruz, United States, Chiapas, Central America, Mexico City, Phoenix

Percival Everett’s new novel, “James,” a retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Huck’s enslaved companion, won the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday. Critics have called Everett’s retelling “a slyly funny masterpiece.”The National Book Award is the latest in a string of accolades for the 67-year-old author, who has dozens of books and short stories under his belt. One of Everett’s books, “Erasure,” was adapted in 2023 into a film, “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright. The National Book Foundation awarded Jason De León’s “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” in the nonfiction category. In response, National Book Foundation executive director Ruth Dickey has said Coates was being honored for his body of work rather than any individual publication.

Persons: Percival Everett’s, “ James, ”, Huckleberry Finn ”, “ James ”, Mark Twain, Jim, Everett, ” Everett, “, Huck Finn, James ”, Booker, Jeffrey Wright, Jason De León’s, Barbara Kingsolver, Paul Coates, Critics, Coates, Ruth Dickey Organizations: BBC, Foundation, Black Classic Press, Book Foundation Locations: America

The councilman has defied demands for his resignation and attended last week’s meeting, amid vociferous protests, “to get back to work,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan before the meeting. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October, when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans. “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” de León told CNN on Tuesday, clarifying his remarks comparing White colleague Mike Bonin’s Black child to a designer handbag. De León pointed to his body of work, including his work on environmental issues and advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants.

☆ Kevin de Leon: Video shows LA city councimember involved in a physical altercation months after involvement in racist conversation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Shawna Mizelle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Los Angeles city council member Kevin de León is facing renewed scrutiny after a video surfaced online Friday night of him engaged in a physical altercation with a community activist during a holiday event. De León said in a statement Saturday that he was acting in self-defense after being headbutted by Reedy. “Video footage clearly shows him and his supporters initiating this assault while Mr. Reedy stands with his hands up. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans.

☆ Latino LA councilman said he won't resign following uproar over racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LOS ANGELES — Embattled Los Angeles Councilman Kevin de Leon said Wednesday he will not resign amid an uproar over a leaked tape that revealed him participating in a meeting in which Latino officials made crude, racist remarks and plotted to expand their political power. The scandal already has led to the resignation of former City Council President Nury Martinez and calls from President Joe Biden for those involved to step down. The councilman also told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles that he would refuse to resign. “We don’t want him here because he’s racist,” said Loera, a salesman reviewing items at a local household goods shop with a view of downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles City Council members are among the highest paid in the country with annual salaries of nearly $229,000, and de Leon’s announcement also keeps his city paychecks coming.

☆ Los Angeles’ Nury Martinez’s shocking anti-Black remarks hurt at the deepest level
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Amir Whitaker | Amir Whitaker Is Senior Policy Counsel With The Aclu Of Southern California. Before Joining The Aclu | Whitaker Represented Students | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many of us in Los Angeles are still in shock from the recently leaked audio recording of politicians spewing racist and hateful language. It laid bare the true colors of four of the most influential Latinx leaders in the country, whose collective power affects nearly 4 million Angelenos. But this is Los Angeles, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Hearing a public servant in one of the most powerful seats in our city government fantasize about committing violence against a Black child was extremely troubling. I get anxious just thinking about having to explain to my Black child what they need to know to survive in America.

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