On October 20, 2011 the Americas Society presented in New York The Economic Impact of Immigrant-Related Local Ordinances, a white paper that compares the economic impact of restrictive versus non-restrictive immigrant-related local ordinances. As part of the public reception—to which over 80 people attended from the academia, private and public sectors— a discussion panel took place with the participation of Roderick Royal, President, Birmingham City Council, Alabama; Ronnie Steine, Member-at-Large, Metropolitan City Council of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member, Co-Vice Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, The New York City Council.
(more…)

On Wednesday U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn did not stop several provisions of Alabama’s HB 56—signed by Governor Robert Bentley on June 9, 2011—in a court ruling following Department of Justice efforts to block the bill. Following Arizona’s SB 1070, Alabama is the fifth state to enact legislation targeting undocumented immigrants and is the first to be upheld. This year federal judges have blocked the implementation of copycat laws in Utah, Indiana, Georgia, and South Carolina.

In August, the Department of Justice filed a suit against HB 56 at the District Court of the Northern District of Alabama on the basis of its unconstitutionality. In announcing the suit, Attorney General Eric Holder highlighted that “that setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of state immigration laws.” The law was also challenged by countries like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, and civil rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
(more…)

On September 25 the co-founder and executive director of Nashville’s Conexión Americas, Renata Soto, will receive the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award from the Tennessee Titans at a game against the Denver Broncos. This award was launched by the NFL and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) this year to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15.

The work of Soto and Conexión Americas also has been highlighted as part of AS/COA’s Hispanic Integration and Immigration Initiative and in AS/COA’s working paper Economic Opportunity and Integration: Nashville’s Hispanic and Business Communities

(more…)

In 1988 the United States Congress declared September 15 through October 15 the National Hispanic Heritage Month. This is an extension of the week-long celebration proposed by President Lyndon B. Johnson back in 1968. For a month the U.S. celebrates the culture and traditions of those from Spain, Mexico and Latin America and the Caribbean.

September 15 was chosen because it is the anniversary of independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. On September 16 and 18 Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence parties respectively.

To start the celebration, the U.S. Census Bureau has compiled the most illustrative data about the Hispanic population in the country. Among the issues considered are population; businesses; families and children; income, poverty, and health; and education. Jobs, voting and participation in military are also included.
(more…)