In recent years, Latinos have made great strides in improving their overall “state” of education. The dropout rate for Latino high school students is at an all-time low (12% in 2014) and even more (35%) are finding their way into a two- or four-year college. Despite all of this headway into education, Latinos often face unique barriers that prevent many from attaining a quality education. To help overcome these barriers, groups and organizations around the country have often sought out unique innovations to encourage more Latino engagement in education. In Goshen, Indiana (29.12% Latino population), representatives for Goshen College developed a unique approach to encouraging Latino students to enroll and succeed at their university. Richard Aguirre, the director of corporate ...
Pedestrians have a 90% survival rate if they are hit by a vehicle going 20 miles per hour, compared to only a 50% survival rate if hit by a vehicle going 30 mph. In 2016, Seattle, WA (6.6% Latino); Alexandria, VA (16.9% Latino); Boston, MA (17.5%Latino); and New York City, NY (28.6% Latino), among other cities lowered the default speed limit in some urban and residential areas by 5-10 mph. Speed is the most important factor to regulate to improve pedestrian safety for Latinos and all pedestrians, and can help boost daily physical activity, which is important for mental and physical health. The founder and director of the Vision Zero Network to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries, Leah Shahum, says state permission is a key obstacle to traffic safety that cities have ...
In Oklahoma City, students at two local public schools are enjoying free salad bars donated by Dole Food Company and Homeland Stores as part of an initiative by the United Fresh Start Foundation to increase healthy options for students in school. “Healthy eating options are key for a healthy lifestyle, and that’s a high priority for us when it comes to feeding our kids,” said Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora told Business Wire. “I am very appreciative of our community partners for bringing these salad bars into our schools, supporting all the great work that our School Nutrition Services Department is doing to provide fresh, and great tasting food choices for our students.” The schools including Hawthorne Elementary school and Classen School of ...
For many college students, in addition to strict study schedules, adjusting to new surroundings and responsibilities, and new life experiences, one harsh reality that many have to deal with his hunger. Food insecurity – the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food – is common at colleges and universities across the country, and it has the potential to derail the educational success of thousands of students. According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness, 48% of students polled for a recent survey reported food insecurity in the previous 30 days, including 22% with very low levels of food security that qualify them as hungry. In an effort to curb some of this concern on their campus, one university as ...
Heather Baril of North Attleboro's school district in Massachusetts (4.3% Latino) is working to take school nutrition a step further with her new tagline for the school's cafeterias: Feeding Healthy Futures. Baril is further extending the healthy changes made by school service teams across the district that helped introduce meatless Mondays and homemade pizza days by introducing more cooking-from-scratch and community-wide efforts to push healthy eating into schools. Baril hopes to implement school community gardens that will generate produce for school cafeterias and also work with local produce and chefs from local restaurants to create healthy and desirable dishes for students. How is she planning to make so many healthy food changes in the district? Reaching out to parents ...
On Thursday, March 9, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to address “persistent problems of poverty, violence, and poor health” in the borough of Brooklyn (28.92% Latino population). The eight-pronged plan hopes to incorporate holistic approaches to address these concerning issues. The initiative, entitled Vital Brooklyn, looked to poor resources several economically struggling neighborhoods in Brooklyn. While much of Brooklyn has prospered in recent years, crime and unemployment are still rampant in certain areas. “For too long investment in underserved communities has lacked the strategy necessary to end systemic social and economic disparity,” Cuomo said in an interview with The New York Times. “But in Central Brooklyn those failed approaches stop today. We ...
Many supporters and opposers of the newly proposed 2-cents-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages stood in lines for hours to voice their opinions about whether the governing body should put the question before voters during May's special election. Supporters of the tax, like Paul Gibson wanted the special election, explaining that it is a worthy investment to spend the estimated $85,000 for the special election as voters will be distracted by other issues in May. However, employees of the soda industry urged to delay the vote or find another funding source for pre-K, as the tax is proposed to support funding of pre-kindergarten for low-income families. One employee, Joseph Sanchez explained to Santa Fe New Mexican news, that they aren't bad people and they support help for ...
Latinos face many barriers to healthcare, and thus suffer high rates of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. That’s why community health workers are so vital. These workers, often called promotores de salud or educadoras in Latino communities, provide culturally tailored health education, social support, and connections to resources to help Latinos overcome cultural, language, and other barriers to mental and physical healthcare. We are happy to spotlight a few of these amazing Latino community health workers.
Mayola Cruz: Latino Bridge-Builder
Mayola Cruz says she loves to talk. So much so that the Craig, Colo., resident learned English to amplify her voice. Cruz now uses her conversational personality to help give voice to Latinos’ healthcare needs as a member of ...
Soda's, sweet teas, energy drinks, and sugary beverages of all types have been the uproar of news lately as many cities across the nation are considering sugary beverage taxes to reduce high rates of type 2 diabetes, obesity and other related diseases. Now lawmakers in various states including Tennesse, Florida, and Michigan are considering a ban on soda for all purchasers who want to use food stamps or state-issued Bridge Electronic Bank Transfer (EBT) cards. Even Arkansas introduced a similar bill last year, where EBT users would not be allowed to purchase foods that have "sufficient nutritional value". The bill was passed but is now waiting for the votes from the Senate, according to local 5 News online. These bans would not allow any EBT card user from being able to purchase ...
