By Juleyka Lantigua
The more I hear, read, and witness the reaction of many (mostly conservative) white people to the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the worse I feel for white people in general.

You know the feeling. That nagging sense of collective embarrassment (C.E.) some of us brown/black folks feel whenever “one of us” does something so outrageously unimaginable that we shrug our shoulders and brace for impact.

Examples:
    A Latino mayor of huge city admitting to cheating on his wife.
    A certain Black civil rights icon threatening to castrate a presidential candidate.
    A Black star athlete shooting himself in a club after strapping his gun to his sweatpants.
    A first Latino governor who can’t get confirmed for Cabinet because he’s so corrupt.

I don’t know for sure if white people ever get a serious outbreak of C.E., but I bet plenty of them are feeling a little rash-y right about now. The likes of Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Bill O'Reilly and their ilk have spent the last week chomping at Judge Sotomayor, and trying to best each other for bottom-feeder status.

Among their most ignorant claims:
    She’s an immigrant fluent in “illegal speak.”
    She’s a racist who thinks she’s better than a white man.
    Her menstrual cycles will impact court rulings.
    She does not know the real America.

I’m not accusing all white people of sharing these incendiary views, not by far. But what I am aware of is that the rest of us non-whites are watching and listening carefully, because deep down in places we don’t talk about, we live with the fear that to some extent many more white folks see us in such radically warped ways as to render some of these statements .0000000001% true in their worldviews.

And that’s why I feel bad for white people right now. I feel bad for them because an almost measurable degree of doubt has been introduced to their relationships with the rest of us, because they have all become somewhat suspect in our eyes—just a tiny bit—because the most vociferous and dangerously ignorant among them have unleashed the type of venom that clouds the air for years.

I hope I’m wrong about this, and that this is merely a fleeting manifestation of some deep-set paranoia the immigrant, Bronx-bred, educated Latina in me harbors in a forgotten crevice in her mind.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Despite all the depressing news about the evaporating worth of money, the imploding world economy and the impending doom about to befall us, right now is exactly the time to make one important financial investment: improving your personal finance knowhow.

My recommendation is a $16 investment in Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, a book that changed my life when someone recommended it to me a decade ago. Like many of you out there, I grew up in a working class household (in the South Bronx) where we got by paycheck to paycheck. Those circumstances made for very pragmatic money managing principles: if you don’t have cash in hand, you can’t afford it. If you want something extra nice, start saving today. Those solid principles form a sturdy foundation for building financial stability and wealth, but without the right tools and knowledge, you won’t reap the benefits of living in the most advanced capitalistic system in history.

Stocks, bonds, insurance, compound interest and all such financial terms, did not enter my vocabulary until I was considerably in debt and headed straight for a financial abyss. In a moronic and robotic way, I was just making monthly payments and trying to avoid the dreaded collections calls, while making decent salaries and living well beyond my means.

Then I read this exceptional primer and began a serious overhaul of my financial life. Today, I’m no millionaire, but I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I would be—in terms of managing my debt, saving for retirement, and making smarter money decisions—than I would have ever been without this guide.The author, Beth Kobliner, is a contributor to the New York Times, and a former staff writer for Money magazine and financial columnist for Glamour. Her no-nonsense, jargon-free approach will decode the otherwise intimidating worlds of real estate, investment portfolios, savings plans and much more.Maybe you’re all set when it comes to managing your money. Congratulations. Now help out your sibling or friend who’s still struggling: buy them this book.

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner, 2009 edition, paperback, $16 

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Since AmeriCorps was founded by President Clinton in 1993, 540,000 members have served with thousands of nonprofit organizations, public agencies and faith-based organizations nationwide. Among many other things, members tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, clean parks and streams, and recruit, train and manage community volunteers, and coordinate after-school programs.

In exchange, volunteers receive a very modest monetary award they can use towards college or qualified student loans. During their term of service, volunteers are also provided training, student loan deferment, health care, and in about half the cases, a modest annual living allowance.

The bill that President Obama just signed contains a few important changes: it increases volunteers to 250,000 from 75,000 annually, and bumps the education allowance to match the amount given by a Pell education grant ($5,350). The areas of service will also be expanded to include education, veterans’ affairs, health care, and renewable energy.

More needs to be done, though.

According to AmeriCorps, 46 percent of members embark on careers in education, social work, public safety, government and military service. A way to modernize the volunteer organization is to create strong mentorship opportunities for volunteers to interact with high-level managers, executives and elected officials who can help them envision and shape careers in those fields.

But to fully mature AmeriCorps we need to create tangible career tracks that lead to lasting professions in service, civic entrepreneurship, and elected office. President Obama is a perfect example of how community-level experience can form a solid foundation for a life in service and leadership.

We should provide the same opportunity to others.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Every year, the third Saturday in April is officially “Husband Appreciation Day.” This year, it falls on the 18th.

Wives, you have a few days to plan something nice for your “adorado tormento” (beloved torment), as a veteran wife I know calls her one and only.

Husbands, here’s your chance to show off to you single friends. Below are a couple of lists that detail just how good being married is for you. Feel free to hit forward and add “Told you so!” to the message.

“The 7 Benefits of Marriage for Men”

1. Healthy children
2. Healthy marriages lead to strong relationships with children
3. Better family finances
4. Fuller, happier lives
5. A Long, healthy life
6. More, better, and safer sex
7. Increased faithfulness

From the National Fatherhood Initiative. For the full article, visit: www.centraltexasfatherhood.org

“The Benefits of Marriage for African American Men” by Claudia Sitgraves

Some excerpts:

“Married black men have higher incomes and are less likely to experience poverty. They enjoy better physical and mental health than their unmarried counterparts, and are less likely to engage in unhealthy or antisocial behavior. Moreover, the benefits of marriage are transmitted from married parents to their sons, and these boys do better in life from childhood into adulthood.”

“Evidence suggests that African American men benefit economically from marriage to a greater extent than other men, because married black women are more likely to be employed than other married women.”

“Married African American men are more likely to be employed than never-married or divorced men, and they work longer hours and earn higher wages than unmarried men with similar characteristics…Studies focusing on black men estimate that married men work two-and a-half weeks more each year on average and earn wages between 14 percent and 18 percent higher than never-married black men…”

“Married African American men have higher household incomes than never-married African American men, hold higher levels of assets, and are less likely to live in poverty. Households headed by a married black couple earned almost two-thirds more than the average black household, and black men are 30 percent less likely to live in poverty once they marry.”

“Evidence suggests that African American men benefit from resource sharing within marriage to a greater extent than other men…married black households earn 31 percent more than their never-married counterparts, while married white households earn only 23 percent more.”

“African American men also change their behavior after marriage in ways that are beneficial to their health. The social and emotional support that married black men receive from their wives is instrumental in encouraging healthy activities and protecting men’s emotional health.”

“Married African American men receive more support from their extended families and religious communities, and in return contribute to the social functioning of their neighborhoods and communities. In this way, married black men are more socially integrated into their communities than their unmarried peers.”

Check out the article at: www.center.americanvalues.org

“Benefits of a Healthy Marriage for Men”

1. Live longer
2. Physically healthier
3. Wealthier
4. Increase in the stability of employment
5. Higher wages
6. Emotionally healthier
7. Decrease risk of drug and alcohol abuse
8. Have better relationships with their children
8. More satisfying sexual relationship
10. Less likely to commit violent crimes
11. Less likely to contract STD's
12. Less likely to attempt or commit suicide

From the Family Dynamics Institute. Check out the complete list: www.familydynamics.net

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Inspired by the current Facebook craze that compels people to tell everyone stuff no one really needs (or wants) to know, I decided to put together 25 random things you may want to know.

1.    While Latinos make up 13.5% of the U.S. population, they account for only 7% of the bachelor’s degrees. Only one in four college-age Latinos is actually in college.
2.    The estimated circulation of newspapers targeting Latinos is 16M.
3.    Latinos have a combined buying power of over $452B.
4.    JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, SunTrust, HSBC and Citizens Bank all have indicated they will stop issuing student loans to students who attend community colleges.
5.    About 6.2M students attend community colleges, adding up to 40% of all undergraduates.
6.    Latinos make up 13.5% of the U.S. population but 19% of new HIV infections each year.
7.    An estimated 28% of Latino students drop out of high school, compared to 7% of white students and 13% of Black students.
8.    Nearly 50M adults (ages 20-74)—or 27% of the adult population—are obese.
9.    Overall, more than 108M adults, or 61% of the adult population are either obese or overweight.
10.  Ethnic minorities are 50% more likely than whites to live in communities with hazardous waste facilities.
11.  Close to 90 municipalities in 27 states have drafted—and a handful have enacted into law—ordinances that prohibit landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants.
12.  Among them are: Farmers Branch, Texas, Palm Bay, Fla., Valley Park, Mo., Riverside, N.J., and Hazleton, Pa.
13.  13.9M people (including 4.7M children) belong to families in which the head of the household is an undocumented immigrant.
14.   There are more than 1.5M adopted children in the United States, accounting for 2% of all U.S. children.
15.   An adoption law in Florida requires that, before putting a child up for adoption, a pregnant woman publish in a newspaper the names of partners, their physical descriptions, and locations where conception may have taken place if she does not know the father’s identity.
16.   Florida, which ranks fourth nationwide in adoptions, is the only state with such a law.
17.   In Florida, a woman does not need to consult the biological father to get an abortion.
18.   By law, more than 100 New York City agencies must offer assistance, documentation, interpretation and publications in six foreign languages: Spanish, Russian, Italian, French Creole, Korean and Chinese.
19.   170 languages are spoken in New York City.
20.   In L.A. County, at least 224 languages have been identified, with publications being produced in about 180 of them.
21.   Miami is probably the most truly bilingual city in the entire U.S., with 58.5% of the county’s 2.4M residents speaking Spanish.
22.   31 percent of American adults—63M people—know someone who has used a dating website.
23.   About 15% of—30M—know someone who has been in a long-term relationship or married someone he or she met online.
24.   58 percent of Latino consumers own a desktop computer.
25.   More than 16M Latinos are online.

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

--

Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the República Update.

By Juleyka Lantigua
Recently I was online filling out an application for a foreign affairs fellowship sponsored by a top government entity. After the usual who/what/where/when questionnaire, I was taken to a page with four essay-style questions.

In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I have not written essay-like answers to anything, beyond winding personal emails from my closest friends, since I applied for graduate school ten years ago. But being a professional writer, I was unfazed by the prospect of some thought-provoking and intellect-tickling inquiry.

That is, until I came upon a question that, to summarize, went something like this: What conditions in the U.S. and Mexico have caused the immigration problem between the two countries, and how would you fix it.

REALLY? You’re asking lil’ old me? Gosh, I’m flattered. Here goes nothing….

“This is a large and complex issue that will require many large and small actions on the part of both governments over a long period of time. But some of the larger and immediate contributing factors that must be addressed include:
--the lack of viable employment for poor people in Mexico; the lapses in compulsory education—standard, higher and vocational—that leave millions without the proper training to pursue meaningful and lasting work in Mexico;
--the poorly regulated underground economy in the U.S., which makes it possible for millions of workers to be absorbed into exploitive work in the service and farming industries;
--and the unwillingness of the U.S. to establish a real and organized guest-worker program which allows seasonal workers to anchor their lives in Mexico while working in the U.S.

My first recommendation would be for both countries to establish a comprehensive guest-worker program, which encourages Mexicans to live, invest and thrive in their home country while earning a living in the U.S.

I would recommend that the Mexican government do more to create opportunities for training in forward-looking industrial sectors like alternative fuels, technology and health fields.

I do not believe that there is only one answer to this issue, but that a joint multi-prong approach is the best place to start.”

Ufff! That was a long breath. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other massive-scale issues you’d like me to tackle in 300 words or less.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the Republica Update.

By Juleyka Lantigua
An environmental spark has been ignited in the South Bronx, a place usually associated with crime, poverty and all types of social ills. The point source for the flame is a statuesque and brilliant Black woman named Majora Carter, who is gaining national and international acclaim for her work in a forgotten corner of the world's most celebrated city.Majora Carter, 41, grew up watching buildings burn because of what she calls "the financial disinvestment" in her Hunts Point neighborhood in The Bronx. After graduating from Wesleyan, she returned home and became involved with local youth and arts groups, which led to community development and public arts projects.

She soon learned that New York City and New York State were planning to build a large waste facility on the area's waterfront to process 40 percent of the City's garbage. She started to make connections between the actions of the city and state governments and the ailing state of her community. "They were absolutely complicit in bringing on not just the economic disinvestment but also what it brought in: the environmental degradation of our community. They put it on poor communities of color, thinking they're not going complain too much."

Sustainable South Bronx (SSBX.org), the organization she helmed for seven years, started with the idea of building a South Bronx Greenway to include bicycle and pedestrian paths, open spaces, and waterfront access. When the restoration process began, the contractors would bring people in the work, even though the community had a 25 percent unemployment rate. So Carter started asking why they were not training locals to do the work.

Soon they were training people to work on reclaiming and rehabilitating the waterfront, wetland restoration, cleaning up contaminated land, and green-roof installation. "We effectively coupled poverty alleviation with environmental remediation so that we could work to make sure that people felt that they had the capacity to change the world and change their own lives at the same time," she explains proudly.

A tenet of the work SSBX does is the idea that environmental rights are civil rights. "It is the core of everything we do. Environmental justice means [certain] communities shouldn't have to have lots of environmental burdens and not enjoy environmental benefits," Carter says. She is unequivocal on this point. "Race and class are the ultimate indicators of where you're going to find the good stuff—like parks and trees—and where you're going to find the bad stuff—like waste facilities and power plants. And of course [there are] health effects associated with it."

In 2005, Carter was honored with a MacArthur "genius award" Fellowship in recognition of her work as "a relentless and charismatic urban strategist" as the foundation described her. But Carter, who has served on the Clinton Global Initiative Poverty Alleviation Panel, has always been very clear that the advocacy she practices is not about receiving charity.

"For us, it's about resource generation; it's about recognizing that there are assets here to produce even more resources. And that people are your ultimate resource…We're not expecting people to do this out of the kindness of their hearts…There will be many opportunities for people to participate in this," Carter says.

After years of focusing on improving the environment in her own backyard, Carter re-aligned the work of SSBX to parallel the growing economic needs of the area as well as the expanding demands of the burgeoning green economy. The aim is to develop an eco-industrial sector, a collection of businesses that use recycled materials as raw materials and has the potential to generate hundreds of local jobs. "I want to help make the South Bronx the center for green manufacturing in New York City," she asserts.

The Bronx is just the beginning. Carter is now transitioning out of her role as the head of SSBX to start her own organization, the Majora Carter Group. "My job will be to go around the country, and internationally, to help support other municipalities, business leaders, universities and community members so they can work together to unlock their green-collar potential." So far, she has received interest from Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri, Miami, Milwaukee, and Detroit.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the Republica Update.

By Juleyka Lantigua

About half way through this month, it hit me that I had not ever considered whether Black Latinos, some of whom prefer to be called Afro-Latinos, are or should be part of the celebration of Black History Month. (Might be because I, myself, am what Dominicans affectionately call jaba [“high-yellow” might be the vernacular translation]. I am, therefore, uniquely unqualified to discuss the nuanced particularities of being Afro anything.)

No matter. Despite not having any cultural connoisseurs or hip historians to consult, I decided to add my own small, but meaningful celebration to this auspicious month. Let’s hear it for my Afro-Latina sisters doing their damn thing!

Gina Torres—Cuban; actress, power wife, sci-fi goddess. She owns any screen her beautiful face graces.

Zoë Saldaña—Dominican/African-American, and yes, that is the correct spelling of her name; actress and Hollywood mover and shaker; saw her losing her mind front row at the Juan Luis Guerra concert in NYC and have loved her even more since. She reps being Dominican with style and gusto.

Rosario Dawson—Puerto Rican/African-American; actress, infuses two-dimensional characters with soul and lust.

Nelly Rosario—Dominican; gifted author, teacher, fierce spirit.

Rita Marley—Cuban; singer, Bob Marley’s widow; as a backup singer in his band, she contributed to the legacy of one of the greatest musical revolutionaries ever.

Gwendolyn Ifill—Panamanian; PBS anchor, author, political commentator; emerged as a media force after owning two major presidential debates.

Mitzi Miller—Panamanian/African American; author, journalist, natural superstar. One of my GLFs (Girls For Life) and the hardest working woman in the media business. Oprah and Tyra better enjoy it while it lasts.

Christina Norman—Puerto Rican/African-American; MTV President but still anchored to her Latina roots; had the brilliance to launch MTV3 and allow a fellow Latina to run “Cribs,” their monster brand.

Kelis—Puerto Rican/Chinese/African American; on the musical vanguard with her sexy/eclectic sound, and standing on the cusp of true stardom. I’m ready and waiting for her to ascend to greatness.

Josefina Baez—Dominican; an enigma of an artist, whose creative journey has enlightened many around her, including me. (Dominican)

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

By Juleyka Lantigua

This Valentine's Day, millions will celebrate romance with a loved one they met online. My husband and I are among them. We met three years ago on Match.com, one of the largest dating sites. We'd both been single for a while. I did it as a dare from my younger and hipper sister, who said I was not cool enough to give it a try. My husband joined after friends convinced him that the dating prospects in his small town were limited. By the time we met, we'd both gone on a couple of blind dates. After connecting via the site and emailing for a couple of weeks, we spoke on the phone and arranged to meet for dinner.

After dinner effortlessly turned into a late-night movie, followed by a moonlit walk around Times Square, we got together the next day for brunch.

For us, there were many advantages to going online. We both work in very demanding fields, which left little time for the traditional social scene. He lived in a small town in Connecticut while I lived in New York City. Under normal circumstances, our paths would have never crossed. But even before we met each other, our ability to get to know different people, whether just online or by going on dates, allowed us to confirm exactly what type of person we were looking for. Luckily, we also clicked in a nuanced romantic way, and decided within a few weeks to date exclusively.

Though we met in a very modern way, all the beauty of traditional courtship followed our first date — flowers, chocolates, kind gestures, dinners with the family, trips together and more. This year, we will celebrate our third Valentine together and we could not be happier. We're no longer a novelty. Our story is repeated daily, as more and more singles go online to find that special someone.

Another prominent site, eHarmony, estimates that an average of 236 couples get married everyday after meeting on their site. They surveyed over 10,000 people who married between 2006-2007 and found that 19 percent had met their spouse online (not just on eHarmony). That's almost one in five.

These days, my husband and I regularly socialize with people who met their loved one online. The very first wedding we attended together was for a friend of his who had met his wife that way. Early on, we were shy about telling the story of how we met, but today online dating is so common that people often share their own stories with us.

So look around at the couples at nearby tables if you're out for dinner on Valentine's Day. Chances are some of them met online. There's no shame in that. Just love.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the country.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Onscreen she may play tough, independent and feisty women—like Shauna Roberts, the no-nonsense publicist on HBO’s Entourage—but Debi Mazar can easily be unhinged by a bite of delicious homemade pasta prepared by her adoring husband, Gabriele Corcos. “I consider myself a good cook but he was just so good and quick and simple and Tuscan,” she explains. Gabriele’s home-style cooking and Italian culture have taken center stage at home and online. In 2007, the couple created Under the Tuscan Gun, an online cooking show filmed in their home kitchen.

The no-frills, barebones production quality is offset by the charming and often hilarious chemistry between them. Best of all, Gabriele’s easy, rustic, and delicious recipes have found a loyal following among foodies and home chefs around the world. “Once we were out there with the first episode, we started getting an overwhelming response from people. They felt we were very natural, that they could relate to us in the kitchen because we’re not chefs, we’re feeders,” Debi recalls.

The seed for the show was planted a few years ago during one of Debi’s pregnancies. (They have two beautiful young daughters.) She was away on location shooting a Jackie Chang movie and Gabriele, who was new in town and did not have many friends, was stuck at home by himself for a couple of days. He started out writing “a long love letter,” with recipes from his grandmother and family stories. That morphed into a 70-page document he called “The Tuscan Cookbook for the Pregnant Male.” Debi came home and he presented it to her, saying, “Look what I did over the weekend.”

“I read this incredible book and I was like, ‘My god, we should try and turn this into a cookbook!’” Debi took the manuscript to an agent who was more interested in having her dish about all the cool and influential people (like Madonna) she’d hung out with in the 1980s. “I’m like, that’s not what this is all about. This is my new life! Whatareyoutalkinabout?” So they shelved the idea, until one night about a year later when they decided to take out the video camera and film a recipe from Gabriele’s book.