Monday, December 23, 2024

First Openly Gay Latina Confirmed to the Federal Judiciary

              Nitza Quiñones Alejandro became the first openly gay, Latina woman confirmed to the federal judiciary after a voice vote by the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Puerto Rican judge was nominated by President Obama to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Her appointment makes […]

Obama Nominates First Latina as OPM Director

            President Barack Obama declared his nomination for Katherine Archuleta, a former top campaign aide, as the next director of the Office of Personnel Management making her the first Latino to lead the federal personnel agency. “Katherine brings to the [OPM] broad experience and a deep commitment to recruiting and […]

Obama Prepares for Mexico

In light of his scheduled trip to Mexico, President Barack Obama met with leaders of Latino groups on Monday. Obama met with leaders from the National Council of La Raza, theNational Hispanic Council on Aging, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the NDN in addition to several other groups. In the meeting, the […]

Hilda Solis Resigns as Secretary of Labor

The 25th Labor Secretary of the United States, Hilda Solis, announced her resignation on Wednesday in a letter to her Labor Department colleagues, stating that she reflected on all of her accomplishments over the holidays and has decided that it is time to begin a new future. Hilda Solis was appointed Secretary of Labor in […]

First Gay Latino Poet Selected as Inaugural Poet by President Obama

President Obama has selected Richard Blanco to serve as the Inaugural Poet for his swearing-in ceremony, making him the youngest poet, as well as the first Latino and gay poet to have the honor. Blanco, 44 years old and Cuban-American, was chosen to write an original poem for the January 21st Inauguration, which will be […]

Congress Votes and Passes Bill to Prevent Fiscal Cliff

The House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to approve the Senate’s bill to avoid the fiscal cliff, and just in time before the new Congress is set to be sworn in on Thursday. Once Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnel of Kentucky met early Tuesday on a deal to prevent the […]

Guest Blogger: Cecilia Muñoz “Hispanic-American Families Just Can’t Afford Tax Increases”

As the debate over the so-called “fiscal cliff” in Washington continues, much of the conversation centers on deficit reduction, revenues, and tax rates. But what is easily lost in that conversation is the very real meaning this has for families all across America. The fact is Hispanic-American families just can’t afford tax increases right now, […]

Latino Leaders Unite To Pressure President Obama on Immigration Reform

Several representatives from major national Latino organizations have united to announce the start of a civic engagement campaign to pressure President Obama and Congress to pass immigration reform early next year. The Latino leaders, from organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and the National […]

Gay Rights and Immigration Advocacy Groups Challenge Defense of Marriage Act

A letter signed by more than 50 gay rights and immigration advocacy groups was sent to the White House on Monday asking President Obama to hold immigration cases involving Americans seeking legal residency visas for their same-sex partners until the Supreme Court issues a decision on gay marriage next year. These gay rights and immigrant […]

Fiscal Cliff Debates Affect Latino Families

Debates of the upcoming fiscal cliff are causing many politicians to question what the right path would be for Latino families, acknowledging that no decision is likely to come easy. The fiscal cliff is described by NBC Latino as the time at the end of this month where a series of tax cuts, part of […]