As a result of COVID-19 and systemic injustice, Latinos are not faring well in the job market. Worse, Latinos are experiencing the widest gap in one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields — a career in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The depth of the gap could consign Latinos to lower-paying jobs, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center. “Black and Latino workers remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce compared with their share of all workers, including in computing jobs, which have seen considerable growth in recent years,” the Pew researchers state.
What Is the Latino Gap in STEM Jobs?
Latinos make up 17% of the overall workforce in the U.S. However, they only make up 8% of those employed in STEM fields. STEM jobs are ...
Latino students were once the fastest-growing group in U.S. colleges. Due to COVID-19, that is no longer the case. Latinos and other communities of color continue to bear a heavy burden of the pandemic economic fallout, making it harder for families to send their children to college. In response, George Fox University, a private university in Newberg, Oregon, launched the Liberation Scholars Program. The program offers seminars, mentoring, and more for high school students at Woodburn High School, according to Mario Garza, a college and career counselor at Woodburn. “I think what we try to do, and I think what George Fox is doing with us through their Liberation Scholars program, is really trying to build up the toolbox for all of these kids,” Garza said, according to ...
Latinos are suffering high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with low vaccine rates. But in addition to the health impact, the pandemic is worsening underlying health inequities for this population in areas like access to housing, federal aid, and healthy food. Now, new research shows that the pandemic is even reducing the number of Latino students enrolling in college. The economic crisis brought on by the spread of the coronavirus, which hit the Latino community hard, made it hard for many Latino students to enroll. “Because our adults tend to be blue-collar workers who have lost out in this economy, having additional hands, all able-bodied folks working, has become essential,” Deborah A. Santiago, chief executive of the nonprofit advocacy group Excelencia in Education, ...
Program leaders have selected 26 aspiring Latino researchers from across the nation to join the 2021 cohort of Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training at UT Health San Antonio. Each year, Éxito! recruits U.S. master’s level students and professionals to participate in a five-day, culturally tailored Éxito! summer institute to promote pursuit of a doctoral degree and cancer research. The 26 new participants were selected from a deep pool of applicants. Each participant now will join the Éxito! summer institute on June 7-11, 2021 in San Antonio. They will interact with Latino researchers and doctoral experts to learn about Latino cancer, succeeding in a doctoral program, and the diversity of research careers.
Meet the 2021 Éxito! Ccohort Leslie Aragon, ...
Everyone deserves access to a healthy, safe school environment with the opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, many Latino and other children of color are disadvantaged through neighborhoods and schools that lack resources and funding. Latino kids are more likely to have unhealthy school food environments and are treated worse in schools. Children of color are often treated differently by school personnel; they are more likely to be harshly punished for minor infractions, and teachers may underestimate their abilities. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, to discuss inequities in school health and education that prevent Latino kids and other children of color from being healthy and successful in life. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Inequities in School Health ...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, states have struggled with what to do when it comes to schools and online learning. In the beginning of the pandemic when not as much was known about the virus, schools were shut down and students were sent home to do virtual learning. But this brought up issues of internet accessibility for rural, low-income families, along with difficulties for parents who suddenly needed to work and provide childcare during the day. As COVID-19 vaccinations have grown and cases are slowly decreasing, many administrators are figuring out what school will look like this fall. “We have to be able to pivot,” said Kaweeda Adams, a superintendent in Albany, NY, according to the Washington Post. Let’s take a look at how safe schools are, what Latino ...
A new interactive mapping tool from diversitydatakids.org allows you to see what opportunities are available to children based on different neighborhoods. “The Child Opportunity Index measures and maps the conditions children need: safe housing, good schools, access to healthy food, green spaces and clean air, among others,” according to diversitydatakids.org. The mapping tool highlights the social and health inequities for Latino children and other children of color. “These conditions are not equitably available to all children in the U.S. Black, Hispanic and Indigenous children disproportionately live in neighborhoods that do not provide all the conditions children need to be healthy and grow into their full potential,” according to diversitydatakids.org. By ...
Updated broadband coverage maps for all 254 counties in Texas highlight that many Texans lack the digital infrastructure needed for high speed, stable internet, particularly in rural areas and communities of color, according to Connected Nation Texas. “To close the Digital Divide in Texas, we need accurate data on where Texans are connected and where they lack basic infrastructure to participate in the digital world,” said Ellen Ray, Chair of Texas Rural Funders, which supported Connected Nation Texas in producing the maps, according to a press release. “The future of Texas education, healthcare, and economic development will depend on all Texans having the ability to access high-speed internet.” Lack of access to high-speed internet is especially prevalent in rural Latino ...
About 19 million Americans lack access to broadband services, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Of those 19 million, the majority are in low-income and rural communities and communities of color. This “digital divide” is problematic, especially as students and families have needed to rely on the internet for online learning and telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, businesses and the federal government are stepping up to help these areas by expanding broadband access. In his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden proposed expanding broadband services to low income, rural areas. Comcast also recently announced their decision to invest in low-income areas to close the digital divide. Together, initiatives like ...
