Heads and tales: Latin lowdown
By Wade KwonFor all you amigos and gringos out there, lots of news on the Hispanic front …
The enema of my enema: Worried about undocumented immigrants taking over? You’re not alone. Friday’s rally at the state Capitol brought out 100 protestors, from reformers to xenophobes. Not to be outdone, the Ku Klux Klan came out 300 strong in Russellville Saturday to march for deportation of illegal aliens. After the march and rally, Klan members burned a 22-foot cross for giggles. A Klan imperial wizard from Indiana said the group received 20 applications. Guess they’re recruiting for a Hispanic church bombing next …
• Capital protest targets illegal immigration [Birmingham News]
Big hombre on campus: State colleges expect to see a rise in enrollment among first-generation immigrants, despite obstacles for these would-be scholars. Proof of citizenship, rising tuition and lack of information can make it challenging for Hispanic students to enroll. Plus, you know, that whole Alabama-49th-in-education stigma.
• Local colleges expecting to see more Hispanic students enroll [(Florence) TimesDaily]
Safe at work: Associated General Contractors is providing free safety training in Spanish for construction workers, at a cost of $10,000. The classes, held in Irondale, are aimed at curbing the tragic (and costly) 50 percent jump in deaths among Hispanic construction workers from 1997 to 2002. The program goal is 100 workers trained, but only six attended the first class on Monday. Part of the problem: immigration raids disguised as … safety training. Meanwhile, construction firms felt the pinch from the May 1 protest in which Hispanics skipped work, including a wasted work day on Bryant-Denny Stadium expansion. See, hit 'em where it hurts: football.
• Free safety courses offered in Spanish [Birmingham News]
Buenos noticias: Jairo Vargas started his Spanish-language newspaper, El Latino News, in 1997 with nothing more than 10 pages and a church copier. The weekly paper currently boasts 15,000 copies in Jefferson County. Vargas, a native of Colombia, voices a common complaint: “I like Birmingham because it is like my old city, Bogotá. But there is so much to do here and so many opportunities. What I don’t like is the traffic! Too, too much.” Great, now they’re taking our newspaper jobs, too.
• El Latino News [Birmingham Weekly]
Also:
- We had Mexican last night, thankyouverymuch
- Immigration reform leads to angry words between non-Indian residents
- These jokes are funnier in Spanish, anyway
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