Tuesday, December 19, 2006
By Jennifer
Before the US and Mexico created the borders between the two countries, Amerindians (North and South of the border) traveled back and forth whenever they wanted. Although the U.S. Native American population has gone almost extinct, the Indians South of the border meshed into what we now know as the Mexican people.
The U.S. thought it could put what was left of it's native population on reservations in areas that nobody wanted to live in (i.e. Wisconsin, etc.). Little did they know that God has a sense of humor, or that Karma bites, or that the laws of physics would prevail or whatever your spiritual belief; I believe that the original inhabitants of the Americas will make their presence known again.
Here's the fact; or at least the theory of the Amerindians in the Americas. Tainos, Caribes, North American, Mayan and Incas: they all have similar physical characteristics. It's said that at one time all the countries fit together like a puzzle and formed a single continent - that the reason Asian people have similar features with Native American Indians groups is that when the countries were all one - that the Asians just walked over.
Whether the Tainos themselves actually stepped foot on North America before Columbus, I don't know - but I do know that when the Europeans originally came to the new world, they were treated like gods by the Tainos, and history says the North American Indians treated them with respect as well (the 1st Thanksgiving; etc, etc), until the trust between the groups was threatened.
If the Tainos themselves were not specifically in North America before the Europeans, there were at least groups of indigeneous peoples that traveled freely between the islands and what is now North and South America.
The U.S. was formed and put up its borders, and said "we are now our own nation" but I believe that things will level off, and borders; just like rules, are sometimes made to be broken.
Posted by USTaino at 2:42 AM
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Emiliano Mercado del Toro: Now Oldest Person
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.
Thank you, Lizzie and Esther for the lives long-lived and shared.
And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!
Posted by USTaino
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.
Thank you, Lizzie and Esther for the lives long-lived and shared.
And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!
Posted by USTaino
1.2MM Flee New York; Good News for America's Latino Half
Saturday, December 23, 2006
1,200,000 people moved out of New York, and an equal number of people moved into Florida, since 2000. So says the federal government's latest census estimates released this week.America's massive movement from the contracting Northeast and Midwest to the booming south and the Southwest continues unabated.
Emblematic of this historic shift is that New Jersey, a state that's been in the top 10 in terms of population since the 1920, has been bumped by North Carolina. And New York was saved from losing its 3rd place ranking to Florida due only to an influx of 820,000 foreign immigrants.
The states growing the fastest are the very states with large and growing Latino populations, such as Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Texas, or states with smaller but rapidly growing Latino populations, such as North Carolina, Georgia and Idaho.
The old America, dominated by the Northeast and Midwest and by the Industrial era values of standardization and forced assimilation, is fading.It's being replaced by a sunnier America; one that values innovation, choice and diversity.
These are very positive trends for the Latino communities in growth states as well as for the country as a whole.
The irony is that the silliness of Mitt Romney with his state troopers and the statist policies and New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois and others are only adding to the demise of the region.
America’s future is being shaped by its Latino half.
Posted by USTaino at 9:30 PM
1,200,000 people moved out of New York, and an equal number of people moved into Florida, since 2000. So says the federal government's latest census estimates released this week.America's massive movement from the contracting Northeast and Midwest to the booming south and the Southwest continues unabated.
Emblematic of this historic shift is that New Jersey, a state that's been in the top 10 in terms of population since the 1920, has been bumped by North Carolina. And New York was saved from losing its 3rd place ranking to Florida due only to an influx of 820,000 foreign immigrants.
The states growing the fastest are the very states with large and growing Latino populations, such as Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Texas, or states with smaller but rapidly growing Latino populations, such as North Carolina, Georgia and Idaho.
The old America, dominated by the Northeast and Midwest and by the Industrial era values of standardization and forced assimilation, is fading.It's being replaced by a sunnier America; one that values innovation, choice and diversity.
These are very positive trends for the Latino communities in growth states as well as for the country as a whole.
The irony is that the silliness of Mitt Romney with his state troopers and the statist policies and New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois and others are only adding to the demise of the region.
America’s future is being shaped by its Latino half.
Posted by USTaino at 9:30 PM
Go, Bobby, Go!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Last time around, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco edged out Bobby Jindal for governor with a last minute race-tinged appeal to Louisiana's conservative white working class.
Having proven to be supremely incompetent, Blanco is considering foregoing a fruitless 2nd bid in next year's contest.Rhodes Scholar and Congressman, Bobby Jindal, 35, is the odds on favorite to become Louisiana's next governor. If victorious he would become America's first governor of Indian heritage.Needless to say, Blanco and the Democrat party bigwigs are trying yet again to block progressive change from occurring. They've latched onto Congressman Charlie Melancon of Baton Rouge as their best bet. A battle between Louisiana's past and its future will be played out over the course of next year's campaign between Jindal and Melancon.
It's no secret that Louisiana has suffered from a long history of corrupt and incompetent Democratic rule. From the colorful and corrupt Huey Long, to the corrupt Moon Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, and father of current U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, to Kathleen Blanco.A Jindal victory not only changes the ruling party in Baton Rouge for the first time ever, but more importantly, it will finally remove the Louisiana’s ethically challenged ruling families from power.
But most importantly, it signals the rise of Jindal and a new Louisiana as serious players in the new, sunnier, more diverse and smarter America.
Go, Bobby, Go!
Posted by USTaino at 9:38 AM
Last time around, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco edged out Bobby Jindal for governor with a last minute race-tinged appeal to Louisiana's conservative white working class.
Having proven to be supremely incompetent, Blanco is considering foregoing a fruitless 2nd bid in next year's contest.Rhodes Scholar and Congressman, Bobby Jindal, 35, is the odds on favorite to become Louisiana's next governor. If victorious he would become America's first governor of Indian heritage.Needless to say, Blanco and the Democrat party bigwigs are trying yet again to block progressive change from occurring. They've latched onto Congressman Charlie Melancon of Baton Rouge as their best bet. A battle between Louisiana's past and its future will be played out over the course of next year's campaign between Jindal and Melancon.
It's no secret that Louisiana has suffered from a long history of corrupt and incompetent Democratic rule. From the colorful and corrupt Huey Long, to the corrupt Moon Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, and father of current U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, to Kathleen Blanco.A Jindal victory not only changes the ruling party in Baton Rouge for the first time ever, but more importantly, it will finally remove the Louisiana’s ethically challenged ruling families from power.
But most importantly, it signals the rise of Jindal and a new Louisiana as serious players in the new, sunnier, more diverse and smarter America.
Go, Bobby, Go!
Posted by USTaino at 9:38 AM
Obama Rises: Is A New America Close Behind?
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Today's Concord Monitor unveiled a poll showing that Senator Obama has leaped into a tie with Senator Clinton. He was 23 point behind just prior to his brief but rousing visit to New Hampshire 2 weeks ago. The poll also shows Obama besting John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in head-to-head match-ups.
This development has to be shocking news to the Clinton camp. Her camp has delayed announcing what most believe is her inevitable run for the presidency.
Senator Clinton's success is premised on the idea that she's invincible and the inevitable heir apparent. This strategy requires that she blow-away her competition--especially in the early and critical primaries. Most critical for Hillary is New Hampshire because it’s early and it's in her backyard. However, a victory or a close 2nd by a "novice" from the Midwest will send Hillary's candidacy into a tailspin and propel Senator Obama to the nomination.
Sage Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak yesterday wrote that indeed Senator Obama is set to run. Wife Michelle Obama's concerns for her husband's safety will not deter The Dream's presidential bid.Earlier, Novak reported that a John McLaughin poll showed slacking support for Senator Clinton and skyrocketing support for Senator Obama. Novak also wrote:
Obama advisers were surprised how much the prospect of his campaign has shaken front-running Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the first time, she has asserted that she would have voted against going to war in Iraq if she knew then what she knows now.
A brilliant symbol of the New America yet to come, Senator Obama's candidacy is rising on the hopes of decent Americans everywhere for a smarter, diverse, compassionate and prosperous America.
Go, Obama, Go!
Posted by USTaino at 11:22 AM
Today's Concord Monitor unveiled a poll showing that Senator Obama has leaped into a tie with Senator Clinton. He was 23 point behind just prior to his brief but rousing visit to New Hampshire 2 weeks ago. The poll also shows Obama besting John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in head-to-head match-ups.
This development has to be shocking news to the Clinton camp. Her camp has delayed announcing what most believe is her inevitable run for the presidency.
Senator Clinton's success is premised on the idea that she's invincible and the inevitable heir apparent. This strategy requires that she blow-away her competition--especially in the early and critical primaries. Most critical for Hillary is New Hampshire because it’s early and it's in her backyard. However, a victory or a close 2nd by a "novice" from the Midwest will send Hillary's candidacy into a tailspin and propel Senator Obama to the nomination.
Sage Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak yesterday wrote that indeed Senator Obama is set to run. Wife Michelle Obama's concerns for her husband's safety will not deter The Dream's presidential bid.Earlier, Novak reported that a John McLaughin poll showed slacking support for Senator Clinton and skyrocketing support for Senator Obama. Novak also wrote:
Obama advisers were surprised how much the prospect of his campaign has shaken front-running Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the first time, she has asserted that she would have voted against going to war in Iraq if she knew then what she knows now.
A brilliant symbol of the New America yet to come, Senator Obama's candidacy is rising on the hopes of decent Americans everywhere for a smarter, diverse, compassionate and prosperous America.
Go, Obama, Go!
Posted by USTaino at 11:22 AM
A Clash between the Old and New America
Monday, December 25, 2006
A clash between the old America and the new occurred this week when Congressman Virgil Goode, an undistinguished back-bencher from Virginia, made it clear that he doesn't much like Minneapolis, Minnesota's newly elected Congressman, Keith Ellison. Why? Because Congressman Ellison, a Minneapolis defense attorney, is a convert to Islam. Last month, Mr. Ellison became America's first Congressman of Islamic faith.
In a letter to a Virginian, Virgil of Virginia mentions the new congressman and warns that current immigration policy will lead to an outbreak of more elected Muslims in this country and unfettered use of the Koran.Virginia blogger Stephen Retherford describes Virgil in his post, Congressman Goode's "macaca moment" (Sisyphus, Dec. 19, 2006) as follows:
"Virgil Goode served almost a quarter of a century in the Virginia Senate and asa member of the majority party was considered one of the least effective Senators of either party. Goode was then elected to the United States Congressin 1996 as a Democrat and switched to the Republican Party in 2002. His decadelong career in the U.S. House of Representatives was notable only when in 2005 with his association with the defense contractor MZM that was linked to the bribery scandal of Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Congressman Goode’s otherwise unremarkable career has now reached a new low. His office mistakenly sent a letter to the wrong constituent who promptly turned it over to a Charlottesville newspaper."
Congressman Ellison represents Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District in eastern Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. A diverse district by Minnesota standards, it's overwhelmingly white and nonMuslim. Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, is 80% white. Needless to say, Ellison performed well with all demographic groups, including Jewish voters.
First George Allen and now Virgil Goode: Two Republican politicians defining themselves as bigots.
No wonder Virginia's Republican Party is in trouble.
Posted by USTaino at 11:27 PM
A clash between the old America and the new occurred this week when Congressman Virgil Goode, an undistinguished back-bencher from Virginia, made it clear that he doesn't much like Minneapolis, Minnesota's newly elected Congressman, Keith Ellison. Why? Because Congressman Ellison, a Minneapolis defense attorney, is a convert to Islam. Last month, Mr. Ellison became America's first Congressman of Islamic faith.
In a letter to a Virginian, Virgil of Virginia mentions the new congressman and warns that current immigration policy will lead to an outbreak of more elected Muslims in this country and unfettered use of the Koran.Virginia blogger Stephen Retherford describes Virgil in his post, Congressman Goode's "macaca moment" (Sisyphus, Dec. 19, 2006) as follows:
"Virgil Goode served almost a quarter of a century in the Virginia Senate and asa member of the majority party was considered one of the least effective Senators of either party. Goode was then elected to the United States Congressin 1996 as a Democrat and switched to the Republican Party in 2002. His decadelong career in the U.S. House of Representatives was notable only when in 2005 with his association with the defense contractor MZM that was linked to the bribery scandal of Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Congressman Goode’s otherwise unremarkable career has now reached a new low. His office mistakenly sent a letter to the wrong constituent who promptly turned it over to a Charlottesville newspaper."
Congressman Ellison represents Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District in eastern Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. A diverse district by Minnesota standards, it's overwhelmingly white and nonMuslim. Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, is 80% white. Needless to say, Ellison performed well with all demographic groups, including Jewish voters.
First George Allen and now Virgil Goode: Two Republican politicians defining themselves as bigots.
No wonder Virginia's Republican Party is in trouble.
Posted by USTaino at 11:27 PM
WSJ on Immigration Follies I
The Wall Street Journal in Not Very Swift (12.21.06), an editorial made these important observations regarding the folly of the current anti-Latino immigrant crusades:
1) Immigration restrictionists would have us believe that harassing businesses like Swift...helps make America safer. But the Swift raids haven't uncovered any al Qaeda cells, merely a bunch of hard-working people trying to feed their families.
2) The operation involved more than 1,000 federal agents in six states. And of Swift's 15,000 or so employees, a grand total of 144 have been charged to date with misidentifying themselves to get hired.
3) Put another way, 1,000 federal agents that could have been focused on potential terrorists or other dangerous threats were instead focused on a meatpacking company that hires thousands of willing unskilled workers and pays them more than twice the minimum wage with full health benefits after six months.
4) How's that for government efficiency?
Posted by USTaino at 7:13 PM
1) Immigration restrictionists would have us believe that harassing businesses like Swift...helps make America safer. But the Swift raids haven't uncovered any al Qaeda cells, merely a bunch of hard-working people trying to feed their families.
2) The operation involved more than 1,000 federal agents in six states. And of Swift's 15,000 or so employees, a grand total of 144 have been charged to date with misidentifying themselves to get hired.
3) Put another way, 1,000 federal agents that could have been focused on potential terrorists or other dangerous threats were instead focused on a meatpacking company that hires thousands of willing unskilled workers and pays them more than twice the minimum wage with full health benefits after six months.
4) How's that for government efficiency?
Posted by USTaino at 7:13 PM
WSJ Immigration Follies II
Saturday, December 23, 2006
While part of the WSJ's Not Very Swift editorial, I think it deserves its own special space because of the sheer size of the hypocrisy involved.
1) Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney seeks and is granted permission to have 30 state police officers serve as enforcers of federal immigration laws. He does so because he's eyeing a possible Presidential run and wants to ingratiate him with social conservative voters by siccing troopers on indocumentados.
2) WSJ claims that this Romney is "smart" but that "his political opportunism is leading him in foolish directions."
3) The Boston Globe reports that the governor's own lawn service was being maintained by illegal immigrants.
4) The WSJ offer the governor this bit of advice: "Perhaps a newly empowered state trooper parked outside the governor's front gate could prevent this unspeakable travesty from ever happening again."
Posted by USTaino at 8:00 PM
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Jersey Claims Success with Bilingual Program
Bilingual education has been controversial within the general population as well as the Latino community. After a couple of decades of less than stellar results, opponents have succeeded in limiting the use the program in a number of states, including California and Arizona. While others continued to offer bilingual education programs while evolving newer models for transitioning students from their native languages to English proficiency, including two-way or dual immersion models. New Jersey and New York are in that category.
The controversy surrounding bilingual education continues unabated, and its emerged as one of the favored targets for nativists and anti-Latino activists.
So it's a bit of a surpise to see that today's EdWeek includes N.J. Bucks Tide on Reading for English-Learners: State cites studies finding advantage for bilingual approach by Mary Ann Zehr, a story citing the "success" of bilingual education in New Jersey public schools.
While I find this article interesting and I'm eager to learn more, I'm still troubled by the state of the evidence even as presented in the article. The state of the evidence for or against has always been the issue because of the quality of the research itself. For example, the study cited by the State of New Jersey in the article as evidence of the program's efficacy is itself a problem because it did not pass a peer-review. Additionally, the claim by the state that the program is succeeding because 50% of 3rd graders tested proficient in English is not that impressive.
Perhaps there really is something to the program in New Jersey. If there is, I and others concerned about the state of Latino education want to know about it. My recommendation is to have the country's pre-emminant researchers conduct a definitive comparison study of the competing approaches: bilingual, ESL and English immersion. And then let's see the results.
One final point: While controversial in the U.S. bilingual education is actually the preferred approach in other countries. It is also common in the elite international schools in the World's leading cities and are favored by elite nationals and foreign dignitaries. These fairly bright parents see tremendous value in equipping their privileged offspring to be bilingual.
The controversy surrounding bilingual education continues unabated, and its emerged as one of the favored targets for nativists and anti-Latino activists.
So it's a bit of a surpise to see that today's EdWeek includes N.J. Bucks Tide on Reading for English-Learners: State cites studies finding advantage for bilingual approach by Mary Ann Zehr, a story citing the "success" of bilingual education in New Jersey public schools.
While I find this article interesting and I'm eager to learn more, I'm still troubled by the state of the evidence even as presented in the article. The state of the evidence for or against has always been the issue because of the quality of the research itself. For example, the study cited by the State of New Jersey in the article as evidence of the program's efficacy is itself a problem because it did not pass a peer-review. Additionally, the claim by the state that the program is succeeding because 50% of 3rd graders tested proficient in English is not that impressive.
Perhaps there really is something to the program in New Jersey. If there is, I and others concerned about the state of Latino education want to know about it. My recommendation is to have the country's pre-emminant researchers conduct a definitive comparison study of the competing approaches: bilingual, ESL and English immersion. And then let's see the results.
One final point: While controversial in the U.S. bilingual education is actually the preferred approach in other countries. It is also common in the elite international schools in the World's leading cities and are favored by elite nationals and foreign dignitaries. These fairly bright parents see tremendous value in equipping their privileged offspring to be bilingual.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Is Your Hometown Listed?
Dear American Taíno reader:
Readers of this weblog live in hometowns across the U.S. and the world. Is your hometown on the list? Please add your hometown by visiting either American Taíno or U.S. Taíno. And remember to invite your friends from other towns as well. As soon as this list reaches 1,000 hometowns from across all of the continents, I'll then create Global Taíno.
Why? Mostly because it's a fun thing to do, and I want more people to read what I write. But it's also an experiment in the capacity of the net to connect people far and wide. How many connections can be made simply by asking people to list their hometowns? I'd like to know.
BTW: The goal for Global Taíno will be 5,000 hometowns. And for Universal Taíno? We'll have to wait.
I can't wait!
Thank you,
American Taíno
List as of January 9, 2007
Adelaide, Austrailia
Albany, New York
Alexandria, Virginia
Amityville, New York
Amstelveen, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anchorage, Alaska
Andover, Massachusetts
Ankara, Turkey
Annapolis, Maryland
Appleton, Wisconsin
Araquari, Brazil
Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Virginia
Ashburn, Virginia
Asheville, North Carolina
Astoria, New York
Atlanta, Georgia
Audobon, New Jersey
Austin, Texas
Azusa, California
Baltimore, Maryland
Barrington, Vermont
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Beijing, China
Bethesda, Maryland
Birmingham, Alabama
Blacksburg, Virginia
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Bloomington, Indiana
Boca Raton, Florida
Bogotá, Colombia
Boise, Idaho
Boston, Massachusetts
Bothell, Washington
Bronx, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Brunswick, Maine
Brussels, Belgium
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buffalo, New York
Burlington, North Carolina
Cambridge, England
Canton, New York
Casas De La Prosperidad, Spain
Casey, California
Chaguanas, Trinidad
Champaign, Illinois
Chatsworth, California
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Chicago, Illinois
Chihuahua, Mexico
Clichy, France
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Collingbourne Ducis, England
Columbia, Missouri
Columbus, Ohio
Copaigue, New York
Crittenden, Kentucky
Culiacán, Mexico
Dallas, Texas
Davenport, Iowa
Daytona Beach, Florida
Deland, Florida
Delmar, New York
Denver, Colorado
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doyline, Louisiana
Duluth, Georgia
Durham, North Carolina
East Brunswick, New Jersey
Edegem, Belgium
Edinburgh, Scotland
El Rito, New Mexico
Elgin, Illinois
Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Elmhurst, New York
Elmont, New York
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Euless, Texas
Evans, Indiana
Exeter, New Hampshire
Falls Church, Virginia
Federal, Argentina
Flushing, New York
Fort Collins, Colorado
Gent, Belgium
Glendora, New Jersey
Gloucester, Virginia
Gorgonzola, Italy
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Graz, Austria
Guadalajara, Mexico Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Harriman, New York
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Hayward, California
Herndon, Virginia
Hialeah, Florida
Højbjerg, Denmark
Hollistan, Massachusetts
Hollywood, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Horsham, England
Houston, Texas
Ichikawa, Japan
Indianapolis, Indiana
Irving, Texas
Istanbul, Turkey
Izmir, Turkey
Jacksonville, Florida
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jyväskylä, Finland
Kampong Lapis Jiden, Malaysia
Kampong Pinang Baik, Malaysia
Kansas City, Missouri
Katy, Texas
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
La Jose, Pennsylvania
La Palma, Chile
La Place, Louisiana
Laguna Woods, California
Lake Forest, California
Lakemba, Australia
Las Vegas, Nevada
Laukkosi, Finland
Lawrence, Kansas
Leidschendam, Netherlands
Les Hermentaires, France
Lethbridge, Alberta
Lewisburg, Ohio
Lewisville, Pennsylvania
Lindale, Texas
Lisbon, Portugal
Livingston, New Jersey
Livonia, Michigan
London, England
Los Angeles, California
Louisville, Kentucky
Lyndell, Pennsylvania
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Marietta, Georgia
Markham, Ontario
Mason, Georgia
Mc Lean, Virginia
Melbourne, Florida
Miami, Florida
Midvale, England
Mililani, Hawaii
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Modesto, California
Monroe, New York
Monte Alto, Brazil
Montréal, Quebec
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mountain View, California
Muskego, Wisconsin
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Napa, California
Natick, Massachusetts
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Windsor, New York
New York, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Norristown, Pennsylvania
North Bend, Oregon
Oakland Gardens, New York
Oakland, California
Ocala, Florida
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Olympia, Washington
Orange Park, Florida
Orange, New Jersey
Orlando, Florida
Paterson, New Jersey
Pedra Azul, Brazil
Peoria, Arizona
Perth, Australia
Perumanallur, India
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsford, New York
Pittson, Pennsylvania
Pleasanton, California
Pompano Beach, Florida
Popular Bluffs, Missouri
Portland, Maine
Portland, Oregon
Prague, Czech Republic
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quatre Bornes, Mauritius
Rabat, Morocco
Raleigh, North Carolina
Reading, England
Redford, Michigan
Redmond, Washington
Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond, Virginia
Ridgewood, New York
Riga, Latvia
Ripon, California
Rochester, New York
Rockaway, New York
Rockville, Maryland
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Round Lake, New York
Rush, New York
Sacramento, California
Saint Albans, New York
Saint Louis, Missouri
Saint-Joseph, Martinque
Salina, Kansas
Salmon, Idaho
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio, Texas
San Gabriel, California
San Jose, California
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Leandro, California
San Mateo, California
San Sebastián De La Gomera, Canary Islands
Santa Clara, California
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Satellite Beach, Florida
Sayreville, New Jersey
Scottsdale, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Selden, New York
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
Show Low, Arizona
Singapore
South Hadley, Massachusetts
Springfield, Virginia
Staten Island, New York
Suwanee, Georgia
Syracuse, New York
Szeged, Hungary
Taiyuan, China
Tanner, Alabama
Toronto, Ontario
Trinity, North Carolina
Troy, New York
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tuskegee Institute
Valier, Illinois
Valley Stream, New York
Verona, New York
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Warwick, Rhode Island
Washington, District of Columbia
Wayne, New Jersey
Weatherly, Pennsylvania
West Henrietta, New York
West Palm Beach, Florida
Westbury, New York
Westport, Connecticut
Wheeler, Indiana
Whitestone, New York
Whittier, California
Willmannsdorf, Germany
Willowdale, Ontario
Winchester, Connecticut
Windlesham, England
Winfield, Illinois
Winter Garden, Florida
Yonkers, New York
Yorktown Heights, New York
Readers of this weblog live in hometowns across the U.S. and the world. Is your hometown on the list? Please add your hometown by visiting either American Taíno or U.S. Taíno. And remember to invite your friends from other towns as well. As soon as this list reaches 1,000 hometowns from across all of the continents, I'll then create Global Taíno.
Why? Mostly because it's a fun thing to do, and I want more people to read what I write. But it's also an experiment in the capacity of the net to connect people far and wide. How many connections can be made simply by asking people to list their hometowns? I'd like to know.
BTW: The goal for Global Taíno will be 5,000 hometowns. And for Universal Taíno? We'll have to wait.
I can't wait!
Thank you,
American Taíno
List as of January 9, 2007
Adelaide, Austrailia
Albany, New York
Alexandria, Virginia
Amityville, New York
Amstelveen, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anchorage, Alaska
Andover, Massachusetts
Ankara, Turkey
Annapolis, Maryland
Appleton, Wisconsin
Araquari, Brazil
Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Virginia
Ashburn, Virginia
Asheville, North Carolina
Astoria, New York
Atlanta, Georgia
Audobon, New Jersey
Austin, Texas
Azusa, California
Baltimore, Maryland
Barrington, Vermont
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Beijing, China
Bethesda, Maryland
Birmingham, Alabama
Blacksburg, Virginia
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Bloomington, Indiana
Boca Raton, Florida
Bogotá, Colombia
Boise, Idaho
Boston, Massachusetts
Bothell, Washington
Bronx, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Brunswick, Maine
Brussels, Belgium
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buffalo, New York
Burlington, North Carolina
Cambridge, England
Canton, New York
Casas De La Prosperidad, Spain
Casey, California
Chaguanas, Trinidad
Champaign, Illinois
Chatsworth, California
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Chicago, Illinois
Chihuahua, Mexico
Clichy, France
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Collingbourne Ducis, England
Columbia, Missouri
Columbus, Ohio
Copaigue, New York
Crittenden, Kentucky
Culiacán, Mexico
Dallas, Texas
Davenport, Iowa
Daytona Beach, Florida
Deland, Florida
Delmar, New York
Denver, Colorado
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doyline, Louisiana
Duluth, Georgia
Durham, North Carolina
East Brunswick, New Jersey
Edegem, Belgium
Edinburgh, Scotland
El Rito, New Mexico
Elgin, Illinois
Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Elmhurst, New York
Elmont, New York
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Euless, Texas
Evans, Indiana
Exeter, New Hampshire
Falls Church, Virginia
Federal, Argentina
Flushing, New York
Fort Collins, Colorado
Gent, Belgium
Glendora, New Jersey
Gloucester, Virginia
Gorgonzola, Italy
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Graz, Austria
Guadalajara, Mexico Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Harriman, New York
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Hayward, California
Herndon, Virginia
Hialeah, Florida
Højbjerg, Denmark
Hollistan, Massachusetts
Hollywood, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Horsham, England
Houston, Texas
Ichikawa, Japan
Indianapolis, Indiana
Irving, Texas
Istanbul, Turkey
Izmir, Turkey
Jacksonville, Florida
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jyväskylä, Finland
Kampong Lapis Jiden, Malaysia
Kampong Pinang Baik, Malaysia
Kansas City, Missouri
Katy, Texas
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
La Jose, Pennsylvania
La Palma, Chile
La Place, Louisiana
Laguna Woods, California
Lake Forest, California
Lakemba, Australia
Las Vegas, Nevada
Laukkosi, Finland
Lawrence, Kansas
Leidschendam, Netherlands
Les Hermentaires, France
Lethbridge, Alberta
Lewisburg, Ohio
Lewisville, Pennsylvania
Lindale, Texas
Lisbon, Portugal
Livingston, New Jersey
Livonia, Michigan
London, England
Los Angeles, California
Louisville, Kentucky
Lyndell, Pennsylvania
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Marietta, Georgia
Markham, Ontario
Mason, Georgia
Mc Lean, Virginia
Melbourne, Florida
Miami, Florida
Midvale, England
Mililani, Hawaii
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Modesto, California
Monroe, New York
Monte Alto, Brazil
Montréal, Quebec
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mountain View, California
Muskego, Wisconsin
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Napa, California
Natick, Massachusetts
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Windsor, New York
New York, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Norristown, Pennsylvania
North Bend, Oregon
Oakland Gardens, New York
Oakland, California
Ocala, Florida
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Olympia, Washington
Orange Park, Florida
Orange, New Jersey
Orlando, Florida
Paterson, New Jersey
Pedra Azul, Brazil
Peoria, Arizona
Perth, Australia
Perumanallur, India
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsford, New York
Pittson, Pennsylvania
Pleasanton, California
Pompano Beach, Florida
Popular Bluffs, Missouri
Portland, Maine
Portland, Oregon
Prague, Czech Republic
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quatre Bornes, Mauritius
Rabat, Morocco
Raleigh, North Carolina
Reading, England
Redford, Michigan
Redmond, Washington
Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond, Virginia
Ridgewood, New York
Riga, Latvia
Ripon, California
Rochester, New York
Rockaway, New York
Rockville, Maryland
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Round Lake, New York
Rush, New York
Sacramento, California
Saint Albans, New York
Saint Louis, Missouri
Saint-Joseph, Martinque
Salina, Kansas
Salmon, Idaho
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio, Texas
San Gabriel, California
San Jose, California
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Leandro, California
San Mateo, California
San Sebastián De La Gomera, Canary Islands
Santa Clara, California
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Satellite Beach, Florida
Sayreville, New Jersey
Scottsdale, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Selden, New York
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
Show Low, Arizona
Singapore
South Hadley, Massachusetts
Springfield, Virginia
Staten Island, New York
Suwanee, Georgia
Syracuse, New York
Szeged, Hungary
Taiyuan, China
Tanner, Alabama
Toronto, Ontario
Trinity, North Carolina
Troy, New York
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tuskegee Institute
Valier, Illinois
Valley Stream, New York
Verona, New York
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Warwick, Rhode Island
Washington, District of Columbia
Wayne, New Jersey
Weatherly, Pennsylvania
West Henrietta, New York
West Palm Beach, Florida
Westbury, New York
Westport, Connecticut
Wheeler, Indiana
Whitestone, New York
Whittier, California
Willmannsdorf, Germany
Willowdale, Ontario
Winchester, Connecticut
Windlesham, England
Winfield, Illinois
Winter Garden, Florida
Yonkers, New York
Yorktown Heights, New York
Saturday, January 6, 2007
72% of NY Charter Schools Exclude ELL Students; 15% Show Minimal Commitment
December 18, 2006
When done the right way, charter schools help communities deliver improved academic results while expanding access to quality educational options for all students.
But what happens when exclusionary practices seep into the picture and authorizers look the other way?
In an unprecedented departure from a key public education principle (as well as federal law), many of New York's charter schools are failing to enroll ELL/immigrant children. Of the 61 charter schools with 2004/05 school report cards, 44, or 72% enrolled ZERO ELL students.
New York has 200,000 ELL students--70% of which are Latino.
ELL (English Language Learners) is a designation for public school students evaluated as needing of intensive English language instruction by virtual of their immigrant/migrant status and lack of basic English skills.
I've graded the schools on their demonstrated commitment to equal opportunity for ELL students. Schools with high rates of ELL student participation received As and Bs, while those with little to no ELL participation received Ds and Fs.
A (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling a larger share than the district.)
• Global Concepts 12.2% (Lackawanna 4.3%)
• Ark 12.7% (Troy 1.7%)
• Eugenio Maria de Hostos 11.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
B (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling students on par with the district.)
• Family Life 21% (Bronx 22%)
C (Schools demonstrating a commitment to ELLs but falling short on enrollment.)
• KIPP Academy 6.8% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Beginning With Children 6.5% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Bronx CS for the Arts 5.4% (Bronx 12%)
• Our World 5.0% (Queens 22%)
• Science & Tech 4.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Riverhead 3.3% (Riverhead 6.3%)
• New Covenant 1.4% (Albany 2.7%)
D (Schools demonstrating minimal commitment to ELLs.)
• Renaissance 3.2% (Queens 22%)
• Readnet 2.7% (Bronx 22%)
• Harriet Tubman 0.9% (Bronx 22%)
• Grand Concourse 0.6% (Bronx 22%)
• Pinnacle 0.4% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Applied Tech 0.3% (Buffalo 6.8%)
F (Schools that exclude ELLs.)
• Brighter Choice/Boys 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Brighter Choice/Girls 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Bronx CS Better Learning 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx CS For Children 0% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Bronx CS For Excellence 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Lighthouse 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Preparatory 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Brooklyn 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Brooklyn Excelsior 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Buffalo United 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Carl C. Icahn 0% (Bronx 22%)
• CS Math & Science 0% (Syracuse 3.7%)
• Child Development Center 0% (East Hampton 11.9%)
• Community 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Community Partnership 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Enterprise 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Excellence CS Of Bedford Stuyvesant 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Explore 0% (Brooklyn 7%)
• Genesee 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Harbor 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Children's Zone 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Harlem Day 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Village 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• International 0% (Schenectady 3.7%)
• John A. Reisenbach 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Wildcat 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• King 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP Sankofa 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP STAR 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Merrick 0% (Queens 11%)
• Opportunity 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Peninsula 0% (Queens 11%)
• Rochester Leadership 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Roosevelt 0% (Roosevelt 11.7%)
• Sisulu-Walker 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• South Buffalo 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Southside 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Stepping Stone 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Tapestry 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• New York Maritime 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Westminster 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Williamsburg 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
(Note: NYC charter schools compared to host Region.)
Posted by USTaino at 4:38 PM
When done the right way, charter schools help communities deliver improved academic results while expanding access to quality educational options for all students.
But what happens when exclusionary practices seep into the picture and authorizers look the other way?
In an unprecedented departure from a key public education principle (as well as federal law), many of New York's charter schools are failing to enroll ELL/immigrant children. Of the 61 charter schools with 2004/05 school report cards, 44, or 72% enrolled ZERO ELL students.
New York has 200,000 ELL students--70% of which are Latino.
ELL (English Language Learners) is a designation for public school students evaluated as needing of intensive English language instruction by virtual of their immigrant/migrant status and lack of basic English skills.
I've graded the schools on their demonstrated commitment to equal opportunity for ELL students. Schools with high rates of ELL student participation received As and Bs, while those with little to no ELL participation received Ds and Fs.
A (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling a larger share than the district.)
• Global Concepts 12.2% (Lackawanna 4.3%)
• Ark 12.7% (Troy 1.7%)
• Eugenio Maria de Hostos 11.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
B (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling students on par with the district.)
• Family Life 21% (Bronx 22%)
C (Schools demonstrating a commitment to ELLs but falling short on enrollment.)
• KIPP Academy 6.8% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Beginning With Children 6.5% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Bronx CS for the Arts 5.4% (Bronx 12%)
• Our World 5.0% (Queens 22%)
• Science & Tech 4.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Riverhead 3.3% (Riverhead 6.3%)
• New Covenant 1.4% (Albany 2.7%)
D (Schools demonstrating minimal commitment to ELLs.)
• Renaissance 3.2% (Queens 22%)
• Readnet 2.7% (Bronx 22%)
• Harriet Tubman 0.9% (Bronx 22%)
• Grand Concourse 0.6% (Bronx 22%)
• Pinnacle 0.4% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Applied Tech 0.3% (Buffalo 6.8%)
F (Schools that exclude ELLs.)
• Brighter Choice/Boys 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Brighter Choice/Girls 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Bronx CS Better Learning 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx CS For Children 0% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Bronx CS For Excellence 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Lighthouse 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Preparatory 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Brooklyn 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Brooklyn Excelsior 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Buffalo United 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Carl C. Icahn 0% (Bronx 22%)
• CS Math & Science 0% (Syracuse 3.7%)
• Child Development Center 0% (East Hampton 11.9%)
• Community 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Community Partnership 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Enterprise 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Excellence CS Of Bedford Stuyvesant 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Explore 0% (Brooklyn 7%)
• Genesee 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Harbor 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Children's Zone 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Harlem Day 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Village 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• International 0% (Schenectady 3.7%)
• John A. Reisenbach 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Wildcat 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• King 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP Sankofa 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP STAR 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Merrick 0% (Queens 11%)
• Opportunity 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Peninsula 0% (Queens 11%)
• Rochester Leadership 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Roosevelt 0% (Roosevelt 11.7%)
• Sisulu-Walker 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• South Buffalo 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Southside 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Stepping Stone 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Tapestry 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• New York Maritime 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Westminster 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Williamsburg 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
(Note: NYC charter schools compared to host Region.)
Posted by USTaino at 4:38 PM
Breaking Borders/Amerindians' Reclamation
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
By Jennifer
Before the US and Mexico created the borders between the two countries, Amerindians (North and South of the border) traveled back and forth whenever they wanted. Although the U.S. Native American population has gone almost extinct, the Indians South of the border meshed into what we now know as the Mexican people.
The U.S. thought it could put what was left of its native population on reservations in areas that nobody wanted to live in (i.e. Wisconsin, etc.). Little did they know that God has a sense of humor, or that Karma bites, or that the laws of physics would prevail or whatever your spiritual belief; I believe that the original inhabitants of the Americas will make their presence known again.
Here's the fact; or at least the theory of the Amerindians in the Americas. Tainos, Caribes, North American, Mayan and Incas: they all have similar physical characteristics. It's said that at one time all the countries fit together like a puzzle and formed a single continent - that the reason Asian people have similar features with Native American Indians groups is that when the countries were all one - which the Asians just walked over.
Whether the Tainos themselves actually stepped foot on North America before Columbus, I don't know - but I do know that when the Europeans originally came to the new world, they were treated like gods by the Tainos, and history says the North American Indians treated them with respect as well (the 1st Thanksgiving; etc, etc), until the trust between the groups was threatened.
If the Tainos themselves were not specifically in North America before the Europeans, there were at least groups of indigenous peoples that traveled freely between the islands and what is now North and South America.
The U.S. was formed and put up its borders, and said "we are now our own nation" but I believe that things will level off, and borders; just like rules, are sometimes made to be broken.
Posted by USTaino at 2:42 AM
By Jennifer
Before the US and Mexico created the borders between the two countries, Amerindians (North and South of the border) traveled back and forth whenever they wanted. Although the U.S. Native American population has gone almost extinct, the Indians South of the border meshed into what we now know as the Mexican people.
The U.S. thought it could put what was left of its native population on reservations in areas that nobody wanted to live in (i.e. Wisconsin, etc.). Little did they know that God has a sense of humor, or that Karma bites, or that the laws of physics would prevail or whatever your spiritual belief; I believe that the original inhabitants of the Americas will make their presence known again.
Here's the fact; or at least the theory of the Amerindians in the Americas. Tainos, Caribes, North American, Mayan and Incas: they all have similar physical characteristics. It's said that at one time all the countries fit together like a puzzle and formed a single continent - that the reason Asian people have similar features with Native American Indians groups is that when the countries were all one - which the Asians just walked over.
Whether the Tainos themselves actually stepped foot on North America before Columbus, I don't know - but I do know that when the Europeans originally came to the new world, they were treated like gods by the Tainos, and history says the North American Indians treated them with respect as well (the 1st Thanksgiving; etc, etc), until the trust between the groups was threatened.
If the Tainos themselves were not specifically in North America before the Europeans, there were at least groups of indigenous peoples that traveled freely between the islands and what is now North and South America.
The U.S. was formed and put up its borders, and said "we are now our own nation" but I believe that things will level off, and borders; just like rules, are sometimes made to be broken.
Posted by USTaino at 2:42 AM
Indocumentado: U.S. Medal of Honor Recipient
December 19, 2006
"Alfred was once asked why he volunteered to join and to go to Vietnam when he was not even a citizen. And he said, 'I was always an American in my heart.' Alfred Rascon, today we honor you as you have honored us by your choice to become an American and your courage in reflecting the best of America."
President Bill Clinton
Medal of Honor Ceremony
February 2000
From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, immigrants--documented as well as undocumented--have served valiantly as members of United States military forces.
Today, immigrants serve in all branches of the U.S. military and are a vital resource in the Global War on Terrorism. In recognition of their contribution, undocumented soldiers serving honorably in the military are granted significant advantages in the naturalization process. Undocumented soldiers killed in the line-of-duty have been given their citizenship posthumously.
Undocumented immigrants who have served in the U.S. military and by doing so earned their citizenship include Alfred Rascon, an indocumentado from Mexico who won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War and later became a U.S. citizen and eventually the Director of the Selective Service System.
Rascon was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he immigrated with his family to Oxnard, California, where he attended school and grew up thinking he was an American. After graduating from high school in 1963, Rascon joined the Army.
For more on immigrants in the U.S. Military read:
Essential to the Fight: Immigrants in the Military, Five Years After 9/11 by Margaret D. Stock The American Immigration Law Foundation
Posted by USTaino at 11:27 AM
"Alfred was once asked why he volunteered to join and to go to Vietnam when he was not even a citizen. And he said, 'I was always an American in my heart.' Alfred Rascon, today we honor you as you have honored us by your choice to become an American and your courage in reflecting the best of America."
President Bill Clinton
Medal of Honor Ceremony
February 2000
From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, immigrants--documented as well as undocumented--have served valiantly as members of United States military forces.
Today, immigrants serve in all branches of the U.S. military and are a vital resource in the Global War on Terrorism. In recognition of their contribution, undocumented soldiers serving honorably in the military are granted significant advantages in the naturalization process. Undocumented soldiers killed in the line-of-duty have been given their citizenship posthumously.
Undocumented immigrants who have served in the U.S. military and by doing so earned their citizenship include Alfred Rascon, an indocumentado from Mexico who won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War and later became a U.S. citizen and eventually the Director of the Selective Service System.
Rascon was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he immigrated with his family to Oxnard, California, where he attended school and grew up thinking he was an American. After graduating from high school in 1963, Rascon joined the Army.
For more on immigrants in the U.S. Military read:
Essential to the Fight: Immigrants in the Military, Five Years After 9/11 by Margaret D. Stock The American Immigration Law Foundation
Posted by USTaino at 11:27 AM
Emiliano Mercado del Toro: Now Oldest Person
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!
The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.
Thank you Lizzie and Esther for lives long-lived.
And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!
Posted by USTaino at 12:44 PM
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!
The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.
Thank you Lizzie and Esther for lives long-lived.
And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!
Posted by USTaino at 12:44 PM
Badillo Goes Cosby on Latinos
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
U.S. Taino Elder Herman Badillo has unleashed a scathing rebuke of the parenting practices of Latinos in his new book One Nation, One Standard.
The book will generate a great deal of discussion (and heated rhetoric) on both the left and the right. I suspect that that's just what Badillo intended.
I am for setting an enforceable standards in certain areas of American life, such as in criminal justice arena, voting, mortgage lending, auto licensing, etc. --which, by the way, we don't seem to have in practice. I'm also for high performance standards for public school principals, superintendents, teachers and board members--again, which we don't have. But I'm vehemently opposed to standardization. An industrial age relic, standardization is antithetical to the human spirit and progress. And it's an especially poor fit for a just, diverse and prosperous 21st Century America.
As Bill Cosby did 2 years ago when he scolded African-American parents for their perceived failings, Badillo does the same to Latinos. In both instances, these elders have taken the platforms provided by their career successes, Badillo as a politician and Cosby as an entertainer, to do the previously unthinkable: publicly criticize the counter-productive behaviors of their own people.
Unfortunately, the essence of his message, as happened with Cosby, may be lost as politicians rush to defense of the "victims".
As if on cue, Bronx Democratic Party boss José Rivera blasted Badillo's comments as a "total insult" to Latino parent-advocates who fought for decades to get the city to better educate their kids. "This is unfair. You cannot write a book blaming the victim," said Rivera.
Of particular concern to both Badillo and Cosby is what they view as a lack of commitment of Latinos and African Americans, respectively, to education. Both argue for a return to personal responsibility, education and self-help as the way to prosper in America. And they both are stern critics of the tendency by many to blame racism and others for their personal failures.
Whether one agrees with them or not, these concerned elders deserve respect.
Nevertheless, I believe there's a truth in what these two men are saying. Some folks may resent the messengers for their public outspokenness or because they're both successful, and in the minds of many, privileged, unlike those they criticize. And their criticism may feel especially harsh to the many disarmed by the daily brutality commercial culture trash, rotten schools and government policies that undermine families and parents.
But there is still an essential truth in what these elders say which must be heard and heeded. We parents, rich/poor, educated/uneducated, black/white/brown, baby-boomers/generation Xers etc., are not doing the job of parenting that our children, our communities, our nation and our god requires. Period!
However flawed the messengers, listen for the truth, and let's stop blaming and excuse-finding, and let's get on with the critical duty of responsible parenting.
And yes, we do need to do a much better job of valuing education. Our children deserve no less.
Posted by USTaino at 2:30 PM
U.S. Taino Elder Herman Badillo has unleashed a scathing rebuke of the parenting practices of Latinos in his new book One Nation, One Standard.
The book will generate a great deal of discussion (and heated rhetoric) on both the left and the right. I suspect that that's just what Badillo intended.
I am for setting an enforceable standards in certain areas of American life, such as in criminal justice arena, voting, mortgage lending, auto licensing, etc. --which, by the way, we don't seem to have in practice. I'm also for high performance standards for public school principals, superintendents, teachers and board members--again, which we don't have. But I'm vehemently opposed to standardization. An industrial age relic, standardization is antithetical to the human spirit and progress. And it's an especially poor fit for a just, diverse and prosperous 21st Century America.
As Bill Cosby did 2 years ago when he scolded African-American parents for their perceived failings, Badillo does the same to Latinos. In both instances, these elders have taken the platforms provided by their career successes, Badillo as a politician and Cosby as an entertainer, to do the previously unthinkable: publicly criticize the counter-productive behaviors of their own people.
Unfortunately, the essence of his message, as happened with Cosby, may be lost as politicians rush to defense of the "victims".
As if on cue, Bronx Democratic Party boss José Rivera blasted Badillo's comments as a "total insult" to Latino parent-advocates who fought for decades to get the city to better educate their kids. "This is unfair. You cannot write a book blaming the victim," said Rivera.
Of particular concern to both Badillo and Cosby is what they view as a lack of commitment of Latinos and African Americans, respectively, to education. Both argue for a return to personal responsibility, education and self-help as the way to prosper in America. And they both are stern critics of the tendency by many to blame racism and others for their personal failures.
Whether one agrees with them or not, these concerned elders deserve respect.
Nevertheless, I believe there's a truth in what these two men are saying. Some folks may resent the messengers for their public outspokenness or because they're both successful, and in the minds of many, privileged, unlike those they criticize. And their criticism may feel especially harsh to the many disarmed by the daily brutality commercial culture trash, rotten schools and government policies that undermine families and parents.
But there is still an essential truth in what these elders say which must be heard and heeded. We parents, rich/poor, educated/uneducated, black/white/brown, baby-boomers/generation Xers etc., are not doing the job of parenting that our children, our communities, our nation and our god requires. Period!
However flawed the messengers, listen for the truth, and let's stop blaming and excuse-finding, and let's get on with the critical duty of responsible parenting.
And yes, we do need to do a much better job of valuing education. Our children deserve no less.
Posted by USTaino at 2:30 PM
Joy & Prosperity to the Obama Family
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
I received this holiday card today, so I thought I'd share it with U.S.Taino readers.
U.S. Senator Obama does have a beautiful family.
It's been a terrific year for the Senator and Familia Obama. Audacity of Hope is #1 having sold over 400,000 copies, and Oprah, and apparently a great number of ordinary Americans, white, black and brown, want Obama as U.S. President.
Today, there's word from the Obama compound in Hawaii that the Senator may decide within the next few days on whether he'll go for it. My guess is that he'll demure. He has money, a great family, a pretty nice job, a growing fan base and a huge upside.
Why ruin it with the muck and grind of a nasty Democratic Party primary process?
Regardless, here's wishing you and your family a lovely holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Posted by USTaino at 12:24 PM
I received this holiday card today, so I thought I'd share it with U.S.Taino readers.
U.S. Senator Obama does have a beautiful family.
It's been a terrific year for the Senator and Familia Obama. Audacity of Hope is #1 having sold over 400,000 copies, and Oprah, and apparently a great number of ordinary Americans, white, black and brown, want Obama as U.S. President.
Today, there's word from the Obama compound in Hawaii that the Senator may decide within the next few days on whether he'll go for it. My guess is that he'll demure. He has money, a great family, a pretty nice job, a growing fan base and a huge upside.
Why ruin it with the muck and grind of a nasty Democratic Party primary process?
Regardless, here's wishing you and your family a lovely holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Posted by USTaino at 12:24 PM
Top 10 Migration Issues of '06
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Multiculturalism is losing ground to an upsurge in support for immigrants to learn the language, values and history as well as play by the rules of their host countries, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in it 2nd annual ranking of the year’s top global migration issues.
Released to coincide with International Migrants’ Day on December 18, the Top 10 list is part of a year-in-review issue of The Source, MPI's online resource for data and analysis on migration.
Here are MPI's Top 10 Migration Issues for 2006:
1. Good-bye Multiculturalism — Hello Assimilation? Multiculturalism was supposed to be the ideal middle ground where immigrants could adapt to a country's norms and values while maintaining their culture and traditions. Today, different countries are trying to find the right "mode" of conversation with immigrants and where within the society to have that conversation.
2. UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development For the first time in its history, the United Nations this year hosted a major multilateral discussion devoted exclusively to global migration — a subject that, for years, was considered taboo in international diplomacy.
3. US Immigration Reform: Better Luck Next Year The United States has not come much closer to President Bush's vision of immigration reform although events in 2006 may have changed the political climate in which immigration will be debated next year.
4. Darfur Situation Worsens, Violence Spreads to Chad Since 2003, at least 200,000 people by UN estimates have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region, and more than two million have been displaced. Unfortunately, 2006 brought the crisis to new depths.
5. All About the Border The border between the US and Mexico and the water dividing Europe and North Africa continue to be the world's main fronts in the fight against illegal immigration.
6. Growing Competition for the "Right" Skilled Workers It seems the most palatable migrant to the world's developed nations is still the one in the medical, scientific, IT, or business and finance fields. The question some countries grappled with this year, though, was how to attract the highly skilled who will actually do well in the labor market.
7. Crisis in Lebanon Displaces Lebanese, Foreign Workers, and Refugees Although this summer's fighting between Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and Israel lasted just over a month, the conflict displaced an estimated one million Lebanese.
8. US State and Local Governments Respond to Federal Inaction on Immigration The mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania became a hero to frustrated citizens nationwide this summer as his city took the lead in a new trend: local governments passing ordinances intended to discourage the employment and settlement of unauthorized immigrants.
9. Regional Migration in the Limelight Not every migrant crosses a vast ocean or flies halfway around the world to reach safety or a land of opportunity. In fact, regional migration has been the major form of migration for centuries, and was noteworthy in North America, Europe, and Asia in 2006.
10. How to Fight Homegrown Terrorism: Surveillance, Outreach, or Both? In the five years since the September 11 attacks, a number of Western governments have become convinced that some legal immigrants and children of Muslim immigrants, although the number may be small, can become radicalized and turn on their home country.
Posted by USTaino
Multiculturalism is losing ground to an upsurge in support for immigrants to learn the language, values and history as well as play by the rules of their host countries, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in it 2nd annual ranking of the year’s top global migration issues.
Released to coincide with International Migrants’ Day on December 18, the Top 10 list is part of a year-in-review issue of The Source, MPI's online resource for data and analysis on migration.
Here are MPI's Top 10 Migration Issues for 2006:
1. Good-bye Multiculturalism — Hello Assimilation? Multiculturalism was supposed to be the ideal middle ground where immigrants could adapt to a country's norms and values while maintaining their culture and traditions. Today, different countries are trying to find the right "mode" of conversation with immigrants and where within the society to have that conversation.
2. UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development For the first time in its history, the United Nations this year hosted a major multilateral discussion devoted exclusively to global migration — a subject that, for years, was considered taboo in international diplomacy.
3. US Immigration Reform: Better Luck Next Year The United States has not come much closer to President Bush's vision of immigration reform although events in 2006 may have changed the political climate in which immigration will be debated next year.
4. Darfur Situation Worsens, Violence Spreads to Chad Since 2003, at least 200,000 people by UN estimates have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region, and more than two million have been displaced. Unfortunately, 2006 brought the crisis to new depths.
5. All About the Border The border between the US and Mexico and the water dividing Europe and North Africa continue to be the world's main fronts in the fight against illegal immigration.
6. Growing Competition for the "Right" Skilled Workers It seems the most palatable migrant to the world's developed nations is still the one in the medical, scientific, IT, or business and finance fields. The question some countries grappled with this year, though, was how to attract the highly skilled who will actually do well in the labor market.
7. Crisis in Lebanon Displaces Lebanese, Foreign Workers, and Refugees Although this summer's fighting between Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and Israel lasted just over a month, the conflict displaced an estimated one million Lebanese.
8. US State and Local Governments Respond to Federal Inaction on Immigration The mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania became a hero to frustrated citizens nationwide this summer as his city took the lead in a new trend: local governments passing ordinances intended to discourage the employment and settlement of unauthorized immigrants.
9. Regional Migration in the Limelight Not every migrant crosses a vast ocean or flies halfway around the world to reach safety or a land of opportunity. In fact, regional migration has been the major form of migration for centuries, and was noteworthy in North America, Europe, and Asia in 2006.
10. How to Fight Homegrown Terrorism: Surveillance, Outreach, or Both? In the five years since the September 11 attacks, a number of Western governments have become convinced that some legal immigrants and children of Muslim immigrants, although the number may be small, can become radicalized and turn on their home country.
Posted by USTaino
The Six Tribes of the Lokono: Oralido, Cariafudo, Onishido, Gimragi, Way'u & Taíno
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Caribbean Native Nations Join U.N. Permanent Forum
Indian Country Today, News Report, Jose Barreiro, Posted: Jul 26, 2005
A group of Caribbean indigenous nations gathered for special ceremonies and events in late May during the 4th United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in New York City. The indigenous movement in the Caribbean represents one of the lesser-known currents of Native cultural and political resurgence. This spring at the United Nations, the various delegations of Caribbean indigenous peoples coalesced in interesting and welcome ways.
For the first time in many years, Caribbean indigenous representatives were able to meet, share food and culture, and get down to the hard work of U.N. resolutions, interventions and document reaffirmation that marks much of international work. The Taino Nation of the Antilles, with primary bases in Puerto Rico and New York City, organized events for Caribbean delegates. It fund-raised the costs of one delegate from Dominica and coordinated presentations. Roberto Borrero, a Taino who serves on the NGO committee of the Indigenous Permanent Forum, also helped fund delegates to the event and has been active in hemispheric organizing. An Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean has been formed.
Carib cultural activist Prosper Paris, among others, joined the U.N. events. Prosper is from the Carib Territory in the north coast of the small Caribbean island of Dominica. He was one of several presenters on a panel on Indigenous Education and Cultural Survival organized by the Taino Nation. This writer chaired the panel, held at the customary indigenous gathering place in New York City: the United Nations Church Center at 777 United Nations Plaza, where several dozen Taino, Carib, Arawak, Guajiro and other indigenous peoples gathered.
The notable event, ably organized by Vanessa Pastrana, Inarunikia, among other volunteers from the Taino Nation, featured a dance presentation from young Taino people and recitations in the Taino language that are the product of a vigorous reconstruction and relearning of the insular Arawak language by members of that nation since the 1980s.
''From Cuba, in the mountains of the Sierra, from Dominican Republic, from our own Boriken [Puerto Rico], we have met relatives, holding on to our identity and retaking our indigenous roots,'' said Cacique Cibanakan, of the Taino Nation. ''Our hearts pound with excitement that our people are coming together.'' Indigenous delegates from all over the world arrive in New York City every spring for the now-permanent U.N. forum on Indigenous peoples' issues. There are always dozens if not hundreds of important and fascinating stories - both positive and negative - on the conditions of tribal peoples and on the always tortuous and troubled trajectory in the world of highly exploitative industries, with their rapacious hunger for indigenous lands and natural resources.
In too many cases, the political contentions of land and resources are accompanied by attacks on Native leaders and political and social structures. Quechua and Aymara from Bolivia and Ecuador, Kuna from Panama, Maya from Guatemala, northern Canadian Cree leaders, Lakota treaty chiefs and Haudenosaunee traditionalists from the United States and Saami from Norway, among many others, sustained a necessary dialogue on human rights and development through the work of U.N. gatherings.
In New York representing the Arawak community at Joboshirima in Venezuela, Chief Reginaldo Fredericks found a not-so-distant relative in Daniel Rivera, Wakonax, one of the active leaders in the Taino movement in Puerto Rico and the diaspora. The Arawak chief, who is Onishido Clan and lives mostly in the rain forest, was very happy to meet Taino relatives.
Among the messages carried by Fredericks from his people is the need to preserve and restore indigenous language. He commended the Taino language recovery program, developed by the nation's elder language advocate, Jose Laboy, Boriquex, and offered to help bring together the Arawak (Lokono) peoples wherever possible. ''It is wonderful we are more and more recognizing each other; we have a lot to offer each other,'' Rivera, who made an intervention at the United Nations on behalf of Caribbean Indian peoples, responded. Of the many currents of indigenous movement across the Western Hemisphere, the Caribbean is the most hidden and marginalized.
As communities, clans and nations coalesce; however, encounters such as the one at the United Nations in New York provide common ground for exchange and mutual education. The shared cultural history is fascinating. Fredericks narrated stories of his people to the Taino Nation elder, which tell of six original Lokono (later Arawak) nations, which the chief called ''clans.'' Of the six ''clans,'' three are unaccounted for while Taino is in the process of vigorous cultural and social recovery.
According to Fredericks, the ancient Lokono tribes or clans were called Oralido, Cariafudo, Onishido ''rain people,'' Gimragi, Way'u, and the ''good people'' from the great islands (Taino). Today, ''as far as we know,'' the chief reported, only Onishido and Way'u survive on the mainland. The chief was most intrigued that hundreds and perhaps thousands of Taino descendants from the islands of the Greater Antilles are reaffirming themselves. The chief pointed to his headdress, which shows six feathers, symbolizing the six tribes or clans of the Lokono. ''The good island people, the Taino, are one of the six feathers,'' Fredericks reminded the other Caribbean delegates.
From La Guajira, Colombia, Karmen Ramirez represented the Way'u Morerat RJUWAT organization. She pointed out not only her Native Way'u nation, but also four tribes from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta as Arawaks who originate with the Way'u of the Guajira Peninsula. It was another instance of people from common ancestors and linked contemporary identities meeting and recognizing each other as a result of an indigenous international movement. The Way'u, who also reside in neighboring Venezuela, are one of those peoples hurtfully divided by an international border.
Caribbean indigenous delegates, in the shadows for decades if not centuries, put their statements into the record at the annual U.N. event. The Caribbean indigenous caucus signaled the following major goal: ''That the collective rights of the indigenous peoples of the Greater Caribbean to lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge be enshrined in the Constitution of all Greater Caribbean countries and in other states where indigenous peoples exist.
Posted by USTaino at 8:42 PM
Caribbean Native Nations Join U.N. Permanent Forum
Indian Country Today, News Report, Jose Barreiro, Posted: Jul 26, 2005
A group of Caribbean indigenous nations gathered for special ceremonies and events in late May during the 4th United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in New York City. The indigenous movement in the Caribbean represents one of the lesser-known currents of Native cultural and political resurgence. This spring at the United Nations, the various delegations of Caribbean indigenous peoples coalesced in interesting and welcome ways.
For the first time in many years, Caribbean indigenous representatives were able to meet, share food and culture, and get down to the hard work of U.N. resolutions, interventions and document reaffirmation that marks much of international work. The Taino Nation of the Antilles, with primary bases in Puerto Rico and New York City, organized events for Caribbean delegates. It fund-raised the costs of one delegate from Dominica and coordinated presentations. Roberto Borrero, a Taino who serves on the NGO committee of the Indigenous Permanent Forum, also helped fund delegates to the event and has been active in hemispheric organizing. An Indigenous Peoples Caucus of the Greater Caribbean has been formed.
Carib cultural activist Prosper Paris, among others, joined the U.N. events. Prosper is from the Carib Territory in the north coast of the small Caribbean island of Dominica. He was one of several presenters on a panel on Indigenous Education and Cultural Survival organized by the Taino Nation. This writer chaired the panel, held at the customary indigenous gathering place in New York City: the United Nations Church Center at 777 United Nations Plaza, where several dozen Taino, Carib, Arawak, Guajiro and other indigenous peoples gathered.
The notable event, ably organized by Vanessa Pastrana, Inarunikia, among other volunteers from the Taino Nation, featured a dance presentation from young Taino people and recitations in the Taino language that are the product of a vigorous reconstruction and relearning of the insular Arawak language by members of that nation since the 1980s.
''From Cuba, in the mountains of the Sierra, from Dominican Republic, from our own Boriken [Puerto Rico], we have met relatives, holding on to our identity and retaking our indigenous roots,'' said Cacique Cibanakan, of the Taino Nation. ''Our hearts pound with excitement that our people are coming together.'' Indigenous delegates from all over the world arrive in New York City every spring for the now-permanent U.N. forum on Indigenous peoples' issues. There are always dozens if not hundreds of important and fascinating stories - both positive and negative - on the conditions of tribal peoples and on the always tortuous and troubled trajectory in the world of highly exploitative industries, with their rapacious hunger for indigenous lands and natural resources.
In too many cases, the political contentions of land and resources are accompanied by attacks on Native leaders and political and social structures. Quechua and Aymara from Bolivia and Ecuador, Kuna from Panama, Maya from Guatemala, northern Canadian Cree leaders, Lakota treaty chiefs and Haudenosaunee traditionalists from the United States and Saami from Norway, among many others, sustained a necessary dialogue on human rights and development through the work of U.N. gatherings.
In New York representing the Arawak community at Joboshirima in Venezuela, Chief Reginaldo Fredericks found a not-so-distant relative in Daniel Rivera, Wakonax, one of the active leaders in the Taino movement in Puerto Rico and the diaspora. The Arawak chief, who is Onishido Clan and lives mostly in the rain forest, was very happy to meet Taino relatives.
Among the messages carried by Fredericks from his people is the need to preserve and restore indigenous language. He commended the Taino language recovery program, developed by the nation's elder language advocate, Jose Laboy, Boriquex, and offered to help bring together the Arawak (Lokono) peoples wherever possible. ''It is wonderful we are more and more recognizing each other; we have a lot to offer each other,'' Rivera, who made an intervention at the United Nations on behalf of Caribbean Indian peoples, responded. Of the many currents of indigenous movement across the Western Hemisphere, the Caribbean is the most hidden and marginalized.
As communities, clans and nations coalesce; however, encounters such as the one at the United Nations in New York provide common ground for exchange and mutual education. The shared cultural history is fascinating. Fredericks narrated stories of his people to the Taino Nation elder, which tell of six original Lokono (later Arawak) nations, which the chief called ''clans.'' Of the six ''clans,'' three are unaccounted for while Taino is in the process of vigorous cultural and social recovery.
According to Fredericks, the ancient Lokono tribes or clans were called Oralido, Cariafudo, Onishido ''rain people,'' Gimragi, Way'u, and the ''good people'' from the great islands (Taino). Today, ''as far as we know,'' the chief reported, only Onishido and Way'u survive on the mainland. The chief was most intrigued that hundreds and perhaps thousands of Taino descendants from the islands of the Greater Antilles are reaffirming themselves. The chief pointed to his headdress, which shows six feathers, symbolizing the six tribes or clans of the Lokono. ''The good island people, the Taino, are one of the six feathers,'' Fredericks reminded the other Caribbean delegates.
From La Guajira, Colombia, Karmen Ramirez represented the Way'u Morerat RJUWAT organization. She pointed out not only her Native Way'u nation, but also four tribes from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta as Arawaks who originate with the Way'u of the Guajira Peninsula. It was another instance of people from common ancestors and linked contemporary identities meeting and recognizing each other as a result of an indigenous international movement. The Way'u, who also reside in neighboring Venezuela, are one of those peoples hurtfully divided by an international border.
Caribbean indigenous delegates, in the shadows for decades if not centuries, put their statements into the record at the annual U.N. event. The Caribbean indigenous caucus signaled the following major goal: ''That the collective rights of the indigenous peoples of the Greater Caribbean to lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge be enshrined in the Constitution of all Greater Caribbean countries and in other states where indigenous peoples exist.
Posted by USTaino at 8:42 PM
The Porto Rican Indians of the Carlisle School
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
It was common for the federal government and religious institutions to remove young Native Americans from their families and placed them in Indian boarding schools far from home.
Hundreds of these schools operated in the United States from the late 1800s through the 1950s.
Indian schools proliferated after Army officer Richard H. Pratt, who worked with Apache prisoners in St. Augustine, Florida, convinced the U.S. Congress to give him funding and use of deserted army barracks to operate boarding schools for Indian children. Pratt believed that removing Indian children from their culture and subjecting them to strict discipline and hard work would force their assimilation into mainstream society.
Congress' support was based on cost. It was also thought that the U.S. Army could save the thousands of dollars it took to kill an Indian by forcibly changing young Indians into ‘Americans’, which would cost only a few hundred dollars.
Pratt’s famous dictum was straightforward: “Kill the Indian and save the man.”
Needless to say, many Indian students did die, and many more were physically and mentally maimed for life. At the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania alone, there 186 graves of Indian children.
Surprisingly, many students from Puerto Rico and Cuba were also enrolled at the Carlisle and other U.S. boarding schools. It was part of a U.S. program following the Spanish American War of 1898 to "Americanize" the populations of Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Educator and author Sonia M. Rosa discovered this forgotten part of American-Puerto Rican history and has written about it a paper titled, The Puerto Ricans at Carlisle Indian School. It's a short but fascinating study of the Puerto Ricans at the Carlisle Indian School, a group of young Boricuas which came to be known as the Porto Rican Indians.
Posted by USTaino at 9:41 PM 0 comments
It was common for the federal government and religious institutions to remove young Native Americans from their families and placed them in Indian boarding schools far from home.
Hundreds of these schools operated in the United States from the late 1800s through the 1950s.
Indian schools proliferated after Army officer Richard H. Pratt, who worked with Apache prisoners in St. Augustine, Florida, convinced the U.S. Congress to give him funding and use of deserted army barracks to operate boarding schools for Indian children. Pratt believed that removing Indian children from their culture and subjecting them to strict discipline and hard work would force their assimilation into mainstream society.
Congress' support was based on cost. It was also thought that the U.S. Army could save the thousands of dollars it took to kill an Indian by forcibly changing young Indians into ‘Americans’, which would cost only a few hundred dollars.
Pratt’s famous dictum was straightforward: “Kill the Indian and save the man.”
Needless to say, many Indian students did die, and many more were physically and mentally maimed for life. At the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania alone, there 186 graves of Indian children.
Surprisingly, many students from Puerto Rico and Cuba were also enrolled at the Carlisle and other U.S. boarding schools. It was part of a U.S. program following the Spanish American War of 1898 to "Americanize" the populations of Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Educator and author Sonia M. Rosa discovered this forgotten part of American-Puerto Rican history and has written about it a paper titled, The Puerto Ricans at Carlisle Indian School. It's a short but fascinating study of the Puerto Ricans at the Carlisle Indian School, a group of young Boricuas which came to be known as the Porto Rican Indians.
Posted by USTaino at 9:41 PM 0 comments
Macaca: Top Politically Incorrect Word in '06
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Global Language Monitor of San Diego, California has just listed 'Macaca' as the year's most politically incorrect word in 2006.
Readers here know that the defeat of U.S. Senator George Allen was in no some measure due to his racist and anti-immigrant comments. Allen's use of 'Macaca' in calling out an American of East Indian heritage exposed a bigotry which most Virginians found unacceptable.
I viewed the voters’ judgment in that race as critical towards furthering Virginia's acceptance of its own diversity.
In choosing this year's top word, Global Language Monitor had this to say:
Macaca [m]ight have changed the political balance of the US Senate, since George Allen’s (R-VA) utterance (which is an offensive slang term for Indians of the Sub-continent in the West Indies) surely has impacted his election bid.
I agree. If not for bigotry, the GOP may have held onto the U.S. Senate, and Allen may now be the front-runner for the '08 GOP presidential nomination.
The lesson here is simple: True 21st Century leaders are not bigots. While low-brow politicians still practice "bigotry-driven" politics in too many precincts, a majority of Americans, whom are good and decent people, have no love for fear-mongers and racists, including those with national ambitions.
Other words and phrases making the list include Global Warming Denier, Herstory and Flip Chart.
Global Language Monitor analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.
Posted by USTaino at 9:35 AM
Global Language Monitor of San Diego, California has just listed 'Macaca' as the year's most politically incorrect word in 2006.
Readers here know that the defeat of U.S. Senator George Allen was in no some measure due to his racist and anti-immigrant comments. Allen's use of 'Macaca' in calling out an American of East Indian heritage exposed a bigotry which most Virginians found unacceptable.
I viewed the voters’ judgment in that race as critical towards furthering Virginia's acceptance of its own diversity.
In choosing this year's top word, Global Language Monitor had this to say:
Macaca [m]ight have changed the political balance of the US Senate, since George Allen’s (R-VA) utterance (which is an offensive slang term for Indians of the Sub-continent in the West Indies) surely has impacted his election bid.
I agree. If not for bigotry, the GOP may have held onto the U.S. Senate, and Allen may now be the front-runner for the '08 GOP presidential nomination.
The lesson here is simple: True 21st Century leaders are not bigots. While low-brow politicians still practice "bigotry-driven" politics in too many precincts, a majority of Americans, whom are good and decent people, have no love for fear-mongers and racists, including those with national ambitions.
Other words and phrases making the list include Global Warming Denier, Herstory and Flip Chart.
Global Language Monitor analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.
Posted by USTaino at 9:35 AM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)