Immigration

This year has been a year of learning, of reflection, of putting things in perspective for many of us. Most of us learned about the importance of slowing down and to be grateful for what we have. We also learned to recognize other people’s important work and sacrifice so we can stay safe and fed.…

A year ago, as the pandemic started, we all watched how another story began to unfold; the former president kept referring to the coronavirus as the “kung flu” and the “China virus.” Ever since then, the racist acts and harassment against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community surged, and the xenophobic rhetoric used by…

The months of February and March this year mark a grim reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic began to change our lives forever one year ago. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet the scars of loss, depression, anxiety and pain remain. A comment that resonated with me…

It is going to be 25 years since I married my Iowan husband. We had a beautiful ceremony on an island off the coast of Mexico. Unfortunately, my husband’s family was not able to attend our wedding, but I always pictured that if they joined mine, it would resemble a scene from the movie My…

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” Those were the words of Carter G. Woodson, a prominent African American historian, author and journalist. Black History Month or African American History Month is…

Immigration has been at the center of many presidential campaigns, with each cycle bringing about proposals to fix our broken immigration system. President Biden’s pro-immigration agenda has brought hope to millions, from undocumented people, DACA recipients, asylum and refugee seekers in Iowa and the entire country. Undoing what Trump has done will take a tremendous…

Iowa’s governor is relentless in her disregard for science and the lives of Iowans. Once again, she puts profit before the health and life of the very people she is supposed to care for and represent. She insists that encouraging folks to do the right thing will do the trick. Well, here are some news…

What a year 2020 was for Iowa and the nation. The November elections brought hope, yet certifying the electoral votes would not take place until after a mob of domestic terrorist, incited by Donald Trump, desecrated the nation’s Capitol. But the end of 2020 was also marked by hope with the emergency approval of two…

When people first meet Lorena, they are impressed by her physical beauty. She is one astonishing woman, but when you get to know her well, you just know that her inside is even more beautiful than her outside, and that is a rare find. She is a fortress, standing tall — well, tall for me…

It was election night and I refused to watch the news. I was afraid that like four years ago, the results were going to be devastating for me, but most of all for my community and for all communities of color. A few days later I received a text message from my niece from Monterrey,…