Patricia Guadalupe

Supporters of a museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that focuses on one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States are hoping to use the momentum of a congressional vote and commemorations around Hispanic Heritage Month to bring it to the finish line.
A national museum that would be part of the Smithsonian and centering on the country's 60.6 million Hispanics — and the 3.2 million Hispanic residents of U.S. territory Puerto Rico — has been in the works for several ...

Kassandra Aleman, 26, just got the news she was waiting for — and now has the green light to apply to law school.
"I'm over the moon right now!" said Aleman, a deputy training director for the Texas Democratic Party and a DACA recipient. “Just knowing that I can move forward with my life for the time being gave me the hope I haven’t felt in a very long time.”
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, could remain, stating that the Tr...

College student Olivia Martínez calls it "a stunning and complete radio silence," referring to the internships she applied for that disappeared after COVID-19 upended jobs and the economy.
It's not just paid internships that are scarce, said Martínez, a rising junior at Temple University in Philadelphia.
"Plenty of us would have worked in restaurants and other places for extra money, but those have closed or have cut their hours, and those usual summer opportunities aren't there right now," s...

Dr. Thomas Ardiles likes to joke that when he arrived in Arizona from his native Peru on July 4, 2000, he was greeted with fireworks and celebrations everywhere.
But what Ardiles, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix, is dealing with these days is no laughing matter. With more than 20 years of experience, Ardiles is one of the leading physicians helping to treat COVID-19 patients, particularly those who are hospitalized because of the severity...

Oscar Sánchez never imagined when he first arrived in Boston from his native Dominican Republic in 2004 as an international student to learn English that he would end up years later in one of the country's largest and most prestigious hospitals — on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sánchez, 37, has been a critical care nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston since last year, having come to the facility with several years of experience under his belt. As with so many othe...

Former NASA astronaut José Hernández knows something about living in tight quarters and being pretty isolated — something he learned long before the coronavirus pandemic forced so many around the globe to do just that.
Hernández, 57, did in 2009 what many dream of doing: He went to space as a mission specialist on the STS-128 Discovery shuttle that flew to the International Space Station.
He says his training for that mission keeps him sane and focused these days, and it can help others, as w...

WASHINGTON — The nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization is focusing on its youngest members — Latino youth.
Every 30 seconds, a young Latino in the United States becomes eligible to vote, according to U.S. census figures, and it’s that potential power at the voting booth that the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is looking to harness this election year.
LULAC is using its 600 councils nationwide to ramp up voter efforts, using social media as part of its voter educat...

Can the Three Kings compete with Santa Claus?
They definitely do in Ishel Vidal's household in Houston. The photographer and her husband have opted to give their children, ages 14 and 7, most of their holiday presents on Three Kings Day, celebrated Jan. 6., instead of on Christmas Day.
"I reinforce the message that we celebrate the Three Wise Men because they had a direct link to Jesus — not Santa," Vidal, 36, said.
Vidal is not in the majority, but hers is among the U.S. Latino families tryi...

Pareciendo como si estuvieran de paseo en un lago, la familia Borrego con sus dos perritos salió el Lunes en bote de su vecindario inundado en Houston, buscando un lugar más seguro, y comentando sobre los daños que vieron mientras hacían su recorrido.
Medio asombrados pasaron por la casa de un vecino, un señor mayor que dijeron seguramente ya no está ahí porque el alrededor estaba lleno de agua.
Manteniendo un poco el sentido de humor y aventura para los niños, la familia navega hasta llegar ...

WASHINGTON — Chanting “Ricky renuncia (resign)” and “Ricky corrupto (corrupt),” several hundred demonstrators —some banging pots and pans— gathered outside the offices of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) in downtown Washington, D.C. on Tuesday evening to demand that embattled Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló immediately resign. PRFAA is the island government’s agency in the United States.
“I have many family members in Puerto Rico that feel abandoned by the island g...

WASHINGTON — Nine institutions of higher learning across the country on Thursday received the first “Seal of Excelencia” for what the group handing out the award says is a commitment to Latino students and a demonstrated ability to serve them.
Deborah Santiago, CEO and co-founder of the group, Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit based in Washington that analyzes and measures institutions' Latino enrollment and graduation rates, said the award was intended to establish "high standards of expe...

WASHINGTON — A female Puerto Rican comic book superhero has landed at the Smithsonian alongside legendary caped crusaders such as Superman, Captain America and Wonder Woman.
"It’s overwhelming. It’s really surreal. When I walked up to the display, I was brought to tears of joy,” said Edgardo Miranda-Rodríguez of his 2016 comic book creation, La Borinqueña.
The costume of the young female superhero, who gets her powers from the Taíno gods of her Puerto Rican ancestors, was added this month to ...

WASHINGTON — To cheers of "Sí, Se Puede," ("Yes, we can") three organizations that work closely with immigrant families at the nation's southern border were honored Thursday with the Robert F. Kennedy 2019 Human Rights Award.
The three recipients are South Texas groups: the Angry Tías and Abuelas of the Río Grande Valley; the Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee in El Paso; and La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), established by United Farm Workers union co-founders César Chávez and Dolores Hu...

Members of a commission tasked to examine the 2020 Census and its impact on the Latino community sounded an alarm on Wednesday, saying next year’s decennial count of the nation’s population runs a grave risk of undercounting Latinos in greater numbers than previous years due to the Trump administration’s proposal to add a citizenship question and the apprehension that would provoke.
“The 2020 Census will take place at a time of heightened fear given the political climate that we find ourselve...

My grandfather was in law enforcement and served as a bodyguard for a governor in Puerto Rico. But it was his sense of humor and unassuming nature that made him a true example to follow.
Luciano Guadalupe Díaz — Papi Chano to his grandkids — grew up in the countryside outside of Caguas, Puerto Rico, leaving school to help support his family after his father died. He spent his days going into town to sell eggs, vegetables, chickens, and other produce from the family farm.
It was on one of thos...