1	In the News Panorama The headlines of Hispanidad. read more...
2	UPFRONT Ruben Navarrette, Jr. Will immigration reform fall by the wayside? read more...
3	UPFRONT Dr. Eduardo Padrón The makings of a magic city. read more...
4	Ask Julie Understanding the difference in IRAs. read more...

Culture
Bittersweet Harvest
All but invisible for almost two decades, the Mexican braceros who faced untold hardship to keep the American economy moving are finally getting recognition. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has unveiled an exhibit examining the experiences of the millions of Mexican men, known as braceros, who came to the United States on short-term work contracts to fill the labor shortages caused by World War II. Officially called the Emergency Farm Labor Program, it was the largest guest-worker program in U.S. history, forever altering the business of farming, immigration and organized labor.
The exhibit, titled Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964, includes audio excerpts from interviews in which braceros, family members, growers and others tell their stories. Additional material can be found online at the Bracero History Project website, which provides transcripts and audio files of more than 700 oral histories, images, essays and more. Visit www.braceroarchive.org
Bittersweet Harvest will remain on display at the museum through Jan. 3, 2010. Two versions of the exhibition will then travel across the country for more than two years. “This exhibition allows us to explore complex issues of race, class, community and national origin while highlighting the irrefutable contributions by Mexican Americans to American society,” Brent D. Glass, director of the museum, said in a statement. “Bittersweet Harvest is a unique opportunity to showcase an important but overlooked chapter in American history.”

"What surprised me is when I saw the world as one. There were no borders. You couldn’t distinguish between the United States and Mexico."

NASA astronaut José Hernandez, who caused a sensation when he called for immigration reform in the U.S. after his return from a two-week mission in space.
—Associated Press

40
Percentage of people who say they get most of their news about national and international issues from the Internet, surpassing newspapers by 5 percent.
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

11
Percentage of the nation’s 16 million Hispanic children who are “first generation,” meaning they are foreign-born.
Source: Pew Hispanic Research Center

ART
In the ’hood
El Museo del Barrio, which is celebrating 40 years in New York’s Spanish-speaking East Harlem, is reopening following a $35 million renovation and expansion. The facility, dedicated to Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latin American art, is launching with a landmark exhibition entitled Nexus New York: Latin/American Artists in the Modern Metropolis. El Museo was founded in 1969 by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz at the urging of local activists who noted mainstream museums largely ignored Latino artists. It initially focused on Puerto Rican art, but has expanded to represent the diversity of art and culture in all of the Caribbean and Latin America.

EDUCATION
The Payoff for Excellence
Four outstanding Hispanic students started college this fall with the help of $100,000 scholarships from the Ronald McDonald House Charities/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources. The students, selected for their academic achievement and community service, include:
Stephanie Gomez, a graduate of Monsignor Scanlan High School in Bronx, New York. She was headed to the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York, where she hopes to major in biology.
Sara Rodriguez of Los Angeles, the third youngest of 10 children born to Mexican immigrant parents. Sara, a graduate of David Starr Jordan High School in Watts, is headed to Brown University to major in mathematics and Italian studies.
Luis Duran of Phoenix, Arizona, the son of Salvadoran immigrants and a student athlete. He set his sights on Arizona State University, where he plans to major in architecture.
Edmar Ordoñez, a native of Honduras who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 15. A resident of Spring, Texas, he began classes at the University of Houston and hopes to major in civil engineering.
Since 1985, RMHC/HACER has awarded more than $19.1 million in scholarships to nearly 13,000 Hispanic students.

If Things Get Worse,
Where Would You Save?
A revealing look at how families would trim their expenses.

Hispanic Non-Hispanic
Childcare 17% 8%
Education 24% 14%
Housing 37% 23%
Healthcare 37% 25%
Vacation 71% 74%
Transportation 73% 71%
Groceries 77% 72%
Entertainment 81% 82%

52
Percentage of the nation’s 16 million Hispanic children who are “second generation,” meaning they are the U.S.-born sons or daughters of at least one foreign-born parent. Pew Hispanic Research Center

37
Percentage of the nation’s 16 million Hispanic kids who are “third generation or higher,” meaning they’re the U.S.-born children of U.S.-born parents. Pew Hispanic Research Center

"Music becomes an excuse to send a message, that we’re all here together building peace, that we are here as citizens and this is what we want, and we have to be heard."

Colombian singer Juanes, on his participation in the concert series Paz Sin Frontera, which made a controversial stop in Havana on September 20th to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.
—The Latin Americanist

ECONOMY
Smart Shoppers
The corner bodega is an unexpected beneficiary of the Great Recession. A nationwide consumer analysis revealed that while Hispanics have cut visits to stores by 9 percent, most of their sacrifices have been in non-edible categories. Grocery purchase are fairing much better, according to the report, Hispanics and the New Economic Reality. The shift in buying behavior has largely favored bodegas, neighborhood grocery markets, where the number of trips has increased 4 percent and the spending-per-trip rose 17 percent. These small convenience stores have benefited from an upsurge in purchases perceived as bargains. Overall, Hispanics have increased purchasing “deals” by 16 percent, outpacing non-Hispanics shoppers.