EthnicMajority

(Examiner.com) Guilt is something that all of us have felt before. Some more than others. It is important to realize, that at many times, guilt does not necessarily depend on the act, but rather on the individual. In other words, it is a sentiment that is felt either for a reasonable cause or unreasonable. The conflictive thing here is: what can be held reasonable and unreasonable?

As a Hispanic woman in the US, there is always the struggle to set a line between acceptable and unacceptable. Something being highly complicated when facing two very different mind sets, that of the American and the Hispanic. For example: What time should one come back home after a night of going out? Is it ok to invite a boyfriend to the room, no matter the intentions? What age is appropriate to have a boyfriend or husband? Is it ok to choose having a full time job instead of being a full time mom? And the list goes on. It seems to be that our views on what's acceptable and unacceptable changes as times goes along. There are obviously a different set of guidelines for a 14 year old girl than a 24 year old woman, but in the end, what guidelines for each should be followed?

Full story…

(Hispanic Business) Hispanic women's median earnings are little more than half of white men's earnings at 54.5 percent, according to a study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). Overall, the wage gap between men and women workers has remained essentially unchanged for two years.

"The sluggish progress on the gender wage gap demonstrates that women are not yet obtaining jobs that pay enough, despite increases in education and training," said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of IWPR. "As the economy begins to improve, I hope we will see women's lagging job growth improve, as well as their wages."

Full story…

(Huffington Post) Latino children are 60% more at risk for asthma than white non-Latino kids. Because I am Latina, I've become even more interested in the topic and what I can do to create awareness.

Even though my 5-year-old daughter was diagnosed with asthma two years ago and I've done my share of research on the topic, I don't consider myself an expert. Thanks to my involvement with the Moms Clean Air Force – a group of moms fighting for clean air, I've learned a lot about how this disease affects Latino children in particular.

We've been lucky that my daughter has never had a full-blown asthma attack and the majority of her problems now stem from colds that usually have to be treated a bit more aggressively so they don't become a more serious ailment.

Full story…

(Home Media) Kmart has created the first brand-produced U.S. Latino video series distributed through YouTube.

“Madres y Comadres” is an eight-part original Spanish-language miniseries about two Latina moms and the challenges they face raising a family in America while maintaining their cultural identity. The series is written and directed by Alberto Ferreras, best known for his long-running “Habla” documentary series on HBO Latino. The lighthearted webisodes are styled like a telenovela and are accompanied by 12 video interviews with real moms from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Colombia managing the nuances of raising American children in a traditional Latino household.

Kmart launched a customized host channel at YouTube for the series at YouTube.com/MadresyComadres. The channel includes data capture, Facebook and Twitter social plug-ins and sharing features, and shopable video. The show also will have its own Twitter account @MadresyComadres and Facebook media, consistent with the multiple platforms where Latino usage is outpacing other audience segments.

Full story…

(Ad Week) In addition to its 60-second anthem spot, Summer's Eve released three other videos this week featuring talking hand-puppet vaginas, as part of its new "Hail to the V" campaign. The campaign is meant to be about empowering women and rejuvenating the brand following last year's disastrous print ad telling women to douche before asking for a raise. But these three ads have created a new controversy, with some saying the voice work in the African American and Latina versions promotes racial stereotypes. The black woman is "Pam Grier and Lil' Kim all wrapped in to one," writes MoxieBird, while the Latina woman opens with the cry, "Ay-yi-yi." Everyone from Consumerist to the Daily News has weighed in on the withering critiques.

     Watch for yourself below and decide. The larger problem for Summer's Eve is that many women see douching products themselves, and any marketing of them, as anti-woman—i.e., creating a feeling of shame around the issue of cleanliness, then selling the antidote to the shame. Casting the process as female empowerment, it seems, is particularly galling. Given the hangover from last year's ad, the racial element of the new spots is just one more thing to get upset about, if you're already opposed to the brand.

Full story…

(ClickZ) Will Google and MySpace consider the critical role that Latina moms could play in their future success? Will they be able to convince Hispanic moms to abandon Facebook?

This has been a very intense week for social media marketing. First, Google announces its second attempt in social media by launching Google+ in a direct effort to take on Facebook. Then, MySpace is sold and will be relaunched with Justin Timberlake as creative consultant. It's clear that everyone wants a piece of the pie of this fast-growing social networking market.

With a Little Help From My Friends

In their attempts to compete versus Facebook, both Google+ and MySpace could also use some help. And Latina moms can be very helpful.

Consider the following facts:

• Hispanic moms are one of the fastest growing demographics online.
• Eighty-two percent of mid- and high-acculturated Latino moms are online.
• Virtually 100 percent of Hispanic moms online are engaged in social networking.
• Eighty-four percent of Hispanic moms are on Facebook.
• Their presence in MySpace is 40 percent higher than white moms (29 percent reach).

Full story…

(Los Angeles Times) Early this year, Brian Sandoval and Susana Martinez made history. He became Nevada’s first Latino governor. In New Mexico, she became the country’s first Latina governor.

Just as striking as their breakthrough is their party affiliation: Both are Republicans.

For many in the GOP, the twin victories last November, along with the election of Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, marked an important step in efforts to mend the party’s frayed ties with Latino voters, which have suffered over the last several years of hard-line talk on immigration.

For Democrats, the election of the three was something else: a warning sign at a time when Latino support has grown increasingly vital to the party’s success, especially in the battleground states of the Rocky Mountains and desert Southwest.

Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Michael Bennet of Colorado each withstood the 2010 Republican wave thanks in good part to Latino support. President Obama is counting on strong Latino turnout to hold on to Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico — states he won in the last White House race — and to expand the 2012 competition to Arizona and, maybe, Texas and Georgia.

Full story…

Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court is imminently qualified and her credentials and experience are indisputable. And she is a Latino woman. This is the ultimate “two-fer” for Obama and the Democrats.

The right-wing Republicans were going to protest against any nominee further left than Antonin Scalia anyway, just to show their ever-shrinking base that the party is still alive. In the process, their opposition has irritated scores of women and Latinos. Not a good idea for a party struggling to convince the public that their tent is getting bigger, not smaller.

That’s bad enough, but how do you make the situation even worse? Start by claiming that Sotomayor is racist for her comments a few years ago that her background and experiences made her a better judge. This is basically the same thing every judge says during their confirmation hearing because it is reasonable and logical – except if your experiences include being a Latina and a woman.

It appears that the Republicans are still using the Karl Rove playbook – attack your opponent for your own weaknesses. I await step two from the playbook. Accuse Sotomayor of being: a) a terrorist, b) an illegal immigrant, c) unpatriotic, or d) all of the above.

EthnicMajority Politics page.