New York state university officials support financial aid for undocumented students
By Stephanie Siek, CNN
(CNN) - The trustees of the State University of New York system are the latest to register their support for laws that would allow undocumented immigrant students to apply for financial aid.
The board of trustees’ resolution, passed Wednesday, joins similar gestures of support voiced by the City University of New York, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York State Department of Education and a number of state and federal legislators.
“The current demographic realities of New York State indicate that many of the brightest and hardest working students eligible to enroll at SUNY are of undocumented status, and it is imperative that SUNY remain accessible to these students,” Board Chairman H. Carl McCall said in a press release. “SUNY will work with stakeholders to develop sensible legislation that provides this deserved access and financial support.”
Opinion: Carole Simpson on the truth about being old and female
Editor's note: Carole Simpson is the leader-in-residence at Emerson College’s School of Communication in Boston, where she teaches journalism and communications classes. She is the first woman or minority to be the sole moderator of a presidential debate, and chronicled her 40 years as a broadcast journalist in her memoir, "Newslady."
By Carole Simpson, Special to CNN
(CNN) - It was suggested to me that older women are finally coming into their own.
Who would have thought that almost 14 million viewers would tune in to NBC’s broadcast special celebrating actress Betty White’s 90th birthday?
The endearing “Golden Girl” was feted by some of the most popular stars of the day, and even the president of the United States.
Actress Cloris Leachman was 82 when she danced the light fantastic on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Barbara Walters, also in her 80s, continues to land the big interviews for her ABC specials and act as a co-host on “The View," a show she co-owns.
Diane Sawyer, ABC’s “World News “ anchor, is in her late 60s, and Lesley Stahl, long time “60 Minutes” correspondent, is 70.
This all sounds pretty good considering women in television were once warned - by men of course - that our careers would be over at 40.
Does that mean elder females are gaining acceptance in our society?
Absolutely not.
Opinion: How will babies named Jesus save the economy?
By Charles Garcia, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Charles Garcia is the CEO of Garcia Trujillo, a business focused on the Hispanic market, and the author of "Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows." A native of the Republic of Panama, he now lives in Florida. Watch Garcia on Friday in the 9 a.m. hour on CNN Newsroom.
(CNN) - For the last 20 years, what name is always in the top 100 most popular baby names given to boys in the United States? Jesus (pronounced hey-seus). And among 4,500 boys names in England in 2009, what was the No. 1 most popular baby name? Mohammed. In Brussels? Mohammed. Oslo? Mohammed. Amsterdam? Mohammed. And what do babies and their names have to do with the global economy? Everything.
Did Gingrich refer to Spanish as 'ghetto' language?
By the CNN Wire Staff
Editor's note: This is part of the CNN political fact-checking series.
(CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney of taking out of context comments he made about bilingual education. The speaker's comments are referenced in a Spanish-language political ad. During Thursday night's CNN Republican candidates debate, moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Romney about it, "You've had an ad running saying that Speaker Gingrich called Spanish - quote - 'The language of the ghetto.' What do you mean by that?"
VP Marco Rubio? The man in demand
By Juan Carlos Lopez, CNN en Español Senior Correspondent
Miami (CNN) - Will he or won't he? And would it matter?
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, considered a powerful Hispanic political player and rising star in his party, has consistently said no to having vice presidential aspirations. But still, the question keeps coming up.
Rubio, the popular Miami-born son of Cuban immigrants, has been seen by some inside Republican circles as a great "get" as a possible No. 2 on a hypothetical presidential ticket, and is already showing his power to influence the process.
Just this week he pushed back on former House Speaker Newt Gingrich after the Republican presidential candidate ran a Spanish language radio ad labeling former Gov. Mitt Romney as "the most anti-immigration candidate." Rubio called the commercial "inaccurate" and "inflammatory" and the Gingrich campaign pulled the ad.
Muslim groups: 'Third Jihad' should cost NYC commissioner his job
New York (CNN) - Two prominent Muslim civil liberties groups called for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to resign on Thursday because of his participation in a film that they say paints all Muslims as terrorists.
"Involvement with 'Third Jihad' sends a clear message that the NYPD's dealings with New York's diverse Muslim communities are based on bigotry and blanket suspicion," the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) stated in a press release.
Muslim activists say "The Third Jihad," a documentary about radical Islam, vilifies the American Muslim community and teaches police officers to suspect Muslims as terrorists.
Muslim activists are also calling for Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne to resign, saying that he first denied and only later admitted that Kelly was interviewed for the film.
"They were not telling the truth about their involvement in the propaganda film against Muslims," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), adding that New York "deserves people they trust who do not discriminate against people."
Engage: Presidential debate highlights immigration stances
Engage with news and opinions from around the web about under-reported stories from undercovered communities.
CNN Debate hones in on approaches, thoughts on immigration - The Florida Times-Union
Pew Report: Majority of Latinos believe they are hit harder by economy, remain optimistic about future - The Wall Street Journal
Muslims calls for resignation of New York Police commissioner for training video depicting Muslims as extremists - Voice of America
African American Museum of History and Culture features exhibit on Thomas Jefferson and slavery - The New York Times
Families with adopted children from China add their traditions to Chinese new year celebrations - National Public Radio
'Soccer mamis' could sway Florida race
Editor's note: Rose Arce is a senior producer working for CNN's "Starting Point" during the Florida Republican presidential primary and a contributor to Mamiverse, a website for Latinas and their families.
By Rose Arce, CNN
Jacksonville, Florida (CNN) - When it comes to courting the Latino demographic, there's a demo within that demo that might be worth listening to.
Let's call it the Soccer mamis - the Latina mothers who represent 55% of the overall U.S. population growth, according to 2010 Census figures. Their babies account for nearly a quarter of the children being born in the U.S.
Rene Alegria started a blog called Mamiverse targeting this group after doing marketing research that showed Latina moms have enormous influence over how their community makes decisions on things like buying and core beliefs.
"We're taught from a very early age to respect and honor our parents, our moms in particular," he said. "As more and more Latina moms attend college and enter the workforce, her opinions hold a tremendous amount of sway in areas way beyond the home. Politics is one of those areas."
About In America
What defines you? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in your words, the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? As the American identity changes we will be there to report it. In America is a venue for creative and timely sharing of news that explores who we are. Reach us at inamerica@cnn.com.
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