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☆ The Biden administration could exclude North Africans and Middle Easterners as 'white' in the 2030 Census. New categories will prevent undercounting of MENA people, advocates say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It includes categories for Middle Eastern and North African people previously considered white. The proposed changes come after years of reviews on the way the US Census Bureau collects its data. Last year, President Joe Biden continued the review effort after former President Donald Trump's administration stalled on decisions regarding the implementation of proposed changes for the 2020 census, NPR reported. The new MENA category would also help with allocating resources to these groups, the document notes. A MENA category was supposed to be added to the 2020 census, but the bureau announced in 2018 that would no longer be the case until further research on the categories was done.

☆ ‘Phoenix’ by Lakecia Benjamin Review: A Maturing Saxophone Tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Alto saxophonistLakecia Benjamin often plays with a big, broad tone, and that’s for a good reason. The New York native grew up in the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, and her first gigs were playing merengue and other Latin dance styles. Then some of her post-collegiate bookings were in large venues performing alongside stars like Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys , Prince and Stevie Wonder . Ms. Benjamin’s two most recent recordings, “Pursuance: the Coltranes” (Ropeadope, 2020) and “Phoenix” (Whirlwind, out now), showcase a new diversity in her sound. The new recording’s title refers to the world emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with the post- George Floyd racial reckoning.

☆ Colombia must strengthen rule of law, state presence in areas hit by violence -UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Volker Turk speaks before he signs the subscription to the headquarters agreement in Bogota, Colombia January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Colombia must strengthen the rule of law and the state's presence to tackle violence in areas affected by the country's internal armed conflict, Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Wednesday. Colombia's human rights ombudsman on Monday reported that a record 215 human rights activists and social leaders - a term referring to community, land, and environmental leaders, among others - were killed in 2022. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 112 killings of human rights defenders from last year, Turk said. "It's clear that in such a difficult situation as we currently have in Peru, we call on de-escalation, we call on respect for human rights," he said.

Nash - one of the United States´ best-known contemporary jazz performers, will lead a project called Jazz X. He and several Cuban musicians will compose new works inspired by visual art in Cuba´s National Museum of Fine Arts, then present them together to the public in several sessions. Well-known Cuban musicians Alejandro Falcón, Arnulfo Guerra y Ruy López Nussa will perform alongside Nash. The project, Nash said, brings together musicians from the two countries, and art of different forms, in a fusion of creativity across cultures and mediums. The U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has for decades restricted most travel and official collaboration between the two countries.

☆ Two bodies found in undercarriage of Avianca airplane in Bogota
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The bodies of two young men, who were possibly from the Dominican Republic, were found in the undercarriage of an Avianca (AVT_p.CN) airplane during maintenance in Colombian capital Bogota, the airline and the attorney general's office of Colombia said on Saturday. "At its arrival to the El Dorado airport in Bogota, personnel from the airline discovered the bodies of two people who flew irregularly (stowaways) in the undercarriage of the airplane," Avianca said in a statement, adding the discovery was made on Friday evening. "The technical investigation body of the attorney general's office is carrying out urgent actions to identify the nationality and origin of the bodies aged between 15 and 20, Afro-descendent, which were found inside the airplane," the attorney general's office said in a statement. The plane was last given regular maintenance on Dec. 27, the attorney general's office added, and has since traveled to Bogota, Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz and Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ George Santos arrived in D.C. this week. No one is more riled than N.Y.'s other gay congressman.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Matt-Lavietes-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Matt Lavietes | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The House Republican chaos has a silver lining,” Torres tweeted Wednesday, referring to Republicans’ difficulty in electing a House speaker. Does Stefanik have George Santos in mind?” Torres tweeted Tuesday. In another tweet last week, Torres posted a screenshot of an invitation Santos sent to supporters, inviting them to celebrate his swearing into Congress. “He’s a pathological liar who cannot be trusted to serve the very public he defrauded,” Torres told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Monday. “No one has handed me anything on a silver platter,” he previously told NBC News.

☆ Priests from Cuba’s Santeria religion see hard year ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Marc Frank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Priests from Cuba’s Afro-Cuban Santeria religion on Monday warned of a difficult year ahead and called on followers to guard against calamities and mounting social ills after a tough year in 2022 in which a record number of Cubans left the Communist-run island. "Do not delay pending religious works and consecrations,” the priests, known as babalawos and grouped together in the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, advised in their Letter of the Year published Sunday. “Natural disasters are forecast due to hurricanes, sea turmoil and river flooding with economic and human losses,” their Letter said. A record number of Cubans left, with some 250,000 entering the United States according to U.S. government statistics, the majority crossing over the Mexican border. "I am very hopeful that Cuba and the United States will reach an agreement."

This year brought a fascinating and eclectic number of books by Latino authors to store shelves and online selections, spanning different genres and earning high praise from readers and reviewers alike. Below is our list of 10 very distinctive works by U.S. Latino authors. The compelling novel has been recognized as one of the top 10 books of 2022 by The New York Times and The Washington Post and as one of the best books of 2022 by Time, NPR, Vogue, Oprah Daily and others. Although Villanueva's life took a different turn, many of his followers and their children, known as "Inca Jews," are still in Israel. She writes about how an abortion saved her life and candidly details her experiences dealing with suicidal thoughts and depression.

☆ Netherlands PM Rutte apologises for role of Dutch state in slavery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tosterling Ank Kuipers | Ank Kuipers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte responds to recommendations from a panel of experts to accept the role of the Netherlands in the history of slavery and its current consequences in The Hague, Netherlands December 19, 2022. "Today I apologise," Rutte said in a nationally televised speech at the Dutch National Archives. "For centuries the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it," he added. "It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery...(however) the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants." The panel said that Dutch participation in slavery had amounted to crimes against humanity and in 2021 recommended an apology and reparations.

As the new network comedy "Lopez vs. Lopez" airs its midseason episode Friday, Afro Latina actor Selenis Leyva said she's excited about a TV series that wants to change the way Americans see Latinos. “Specifically during these times, we’re always talking about Latino representation.”“Lopez vs. Lopez,” which airs on NBC (NBC News and NBC are part of NBCUniversal), focuses on the generational tension between Mayan Lopez and her estranged father George Lopez — who's also her father in real life. “That connects with a lot of people.”Matt Shively, Selenis Leyva, Brice Gonzalez and Mayan Lopez in "Lopez vs. She believes that “Lopez vs. Lopez” will do the same for other Latinos in TV and film. It feels like I’m representing a group of people that you don’t necessarily see in roles like this.”The midseason episode will feature cameos from the original cast of the "George Lopez" show.

☆ 8 best flat irons to shop in 2022, according to experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

We also gathered their recommendations for the best flat irons to shop. Ceramic vs. tourmaline vs. titanium flat ironsThe three most common flat iron plates are ceramic, tourmaline and titanium. When the metal beneath — usually aluminum — is exposed, it can cause damage to your hair, according to Bertin. Best flat irons to shop in 2022We consulted experts about what to look for when shopping for a good flat iron and highlighted their recommendations below with varying plate types and sizes for different hair types and textures. Our experts agreed that flat irons should equip a button or knob that easily displays the temperature you’re using, rather than limited settings.

The city's homelessness crisis, both an incubator for street crime and a corollary to skyrocketing housing costs, touches almost every facet of life in L.A., even when it's just a backdrop. Bass vowed Sunday to attack it head-on by declaring a citywide state of emergency, an idea that had been circulating through City Hall since at least 2015. Bass is promising a new day and inspiring L.A.'s guardians to forget about the bickering, at least for a moment. "Where there’s will, there’s women," she said. "And where there’s women, there’s forever a way."

Rep. Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat, is taking on the highest-level job ever held by a Latino in the House, the party's No. 3 position in House leadership, from No. His colleagues shouted, "We want Petey Pie," a nickname from his grandmother, during elections, according to a source who was in the room during the closed-doors leadership elections. “I think it’s important to have a Latino to be in the top three in House leadership. Some have seen him as potentially becoming the first Latino House speaker.

Explore Brazil’s African rootsFifty-six percent of Brazilians identified as Black or mixed race in 2021, and race relations here are as complex as they are in the United States, making the Museu Afro Brasil in the city’s glorious Ibirapuera Park a must-see. The museum is at once an exuberant celebration of the contributions that the majority and their ancestors have made to the artistic, intellectual and economic life of the country, and a searing reminder — with the restored remains of a slave ship, instruments of torture and photography of enslaved people — that Brazil was the last country in the Americas to fully abolish slavery, in 1888. Entry is 15 reais, or about $3.

☆ Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The culture in Cuba is in mourning for the death of Pablo Milanes,” Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz tweeted Monday night. Milanés and Rodríguez in particular became close, touring the world’s stages as cultural ambassadors for the Cuban Revolution, and bonding during boozy sessions. “If Silvio Rodríguez and I got together, the rum was always there,” Milanés told El Pais in 2003. Cuba’s aging leaders “are stuck in time,” Milanés told Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “These freedoms have been seen in small doses, and we hope that with time they will grow,” Milanés told The Associated Press.

Abortion, gun control and crime were some of the top issues that drove young Latino voters to the polls this year. Out of all young voters, Latinos were the most likely to name crime as the top issue that decided their vote. CIRCLE estimated that 27% of people ages 18 to 29 voted in the midterm election, making it the second-highest youth voter turnout, behind the 2018 midterm election, in almost three decades. The 2022 Midterm Election Voter Poll found inflation was the top issue motivating Latino voters in 11 battleground states. Rayes said young Latino candidates "are engaging the Latino community to come out and vote," pointing out Florida and California as examples.

☆ Vegan canapes and fat donations: How Sam Bankman-Fried won Washington before he lost everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

Everybody was trying to get in,” said one source close to the Bankman-Frieds’ political operation who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Attempts to contact Sam Bankman-Fried for this article were unsuccessful. Sam Bankman-Fried’s mentor and the spiritual leader of Effective Altruism has disowned him. Sam Bankman-Fried is a Democrat, and he spent at least $40 million supporting the party. Some of the biggest recipients of Bankman-Fried’s money did not respond to NBC News when asked about donations they received.

☆ The Republican 'red wave' didn't happen, and that's a good thing for corporate-diversity efforts. Yet here's why some advocates are still wary.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

America didn't experience a Republican "red wave," and that's good for corporate-diversity efforts. That's according to some diversity consultants and execs who champion abortion and LGBTQ rights. Yet the political landscape and rising hate in America will make diversity efforts difficult. This is a welcome development for workers and business leaders who prioritize diversity and inclusion efforts, according to consultants and executives. This could result in a form of more discreet challenges to efforts around DEI, Marshall said.

☆ Here's what critics are saying about Marvel's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright star as Okoye and Shuri in Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." DisneyIt's impossible to replace the irreplaceable, but that was Ryan Coogler's task as the director and co-writer of Disney's latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Here's what some critics thought of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" ahead of its Friday debut:Kristy Puchko, MashablePuchko says the film, while action-packed, is at its core about how people handle loss differently. Still from Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Winston Duke stars as M'Baku in Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

Several Republican and Democratic Latinos made history in the midterm elections, even as votes were still being tallied Wednesday in many parts of the country. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Latinos ran for top offices in 44 of the nation's 50 states. Antonio Delgado became the first person who identifies as Latino to be elected to the office, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Matos, a former Providence City Council president, was appointed lieutenant governor in April 2021 when Dan McKee became the state's governor. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

☆ 'Life is wild!': First Generation Z member elected to U.S. Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Maxwell Frost had just been elected to represent Florida in the U.S. Congress when the 25-year-old received a call that embodied the historical moment. It was U.S. President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat calling with congratulations on being the first person of Generation Z elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives. Identifying as Afro-Latino, Frost's background reflects a generation of Americans that is more racially and ethnically diverse than older age groups. Another Gen Z candidate, Republican Karoline Leavitt, lost her congressional race in New Hampshire. Gen Z voters have come of age in a world reshaped by the global pandemic that disrupted work and school culture, all while stirring economic uncertainty.

☆ Meet Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the 25-year-old gun-violence-prevention advocate backed by Bernie Sanders who will be the first Gen Z member of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At 25, Frost is set to become the first Gen Z member of Congress. Frost, who would also be Congress' only Afro-Cuban member, beat Republican candidate Calvin Wimbish by nearly 20 points, per Decision Desk HQ. "It still hasn't fully sunken in," Frost told Insider at the time. At 25 — the minimum age to serve in the US House — Frost will be the youngest member of Congress. "You get in for one reason, and then you find out there's a lot of things that are messed up," he told Insider in May.

☆ Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker says it ‘looks bad’ that the 2022 World Series will have zero African American players
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said it “looks bad” that there will be no US-born Black players in the 2022 World Series. Meanwhile, the Phillies had no Black players on their Opening Day roster this year for the first time since 1959. In the 2022 MLB Draft, for the first time in draft history, four of the top five selections were Black players, according to the MLB. While no players will be US born African Americans, there will be Black players in the Fall Classic, including Afro-Cuban slugger Yordan Alvarez of the Astros. Players from eight different countries will be represented in the World Series this year.

☆ No U.S.-born Black players expected on World Series rosters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The Houston Astros celebrate winning the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 23. In 1979 alone, Willie Stargell and Dave Parker were among 10 Black players on the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates champions. “It’s been a story that’s been ongoing since the late 1980s, the decline of Black baseball players,” he said. Hall wasn’t on the Phillies’ roster for any of the first three rounds this postseason and isn’t expected to be on the World Series roster. Many Afro Latino players embrace Black identity, yet perhaps not for the same reasons that Black U.S. players do.

☆ LoveShackFancy built a pretty, skinny, rich-girl dreamworld. The fantasy was impossible to live up to.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Suddenly, in the midst of discussing what Cohen should wear to the next LoveShackFancy store opening, there was the sound of glass clanging. (Another person confirmed hearing this exchange, though the person close to the company said multiple Zoom attendees did not recall it.) The person close to the company said, "It is not uncommon for trips to have dual purposes — they always generate content." Another time, during a visit to the Palm Beach store, Cohen freaked out after seeing staffers in sweatshirts and sneakers. "As with most contemporary fashion brands, we currently do not operate in the plus-size business," the person close to LoveShackFancy said.

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