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Get
Appointed to Serve on State Boards and Commissions
Although they account for roughly 12 percent of the Connecticut
population, Latinos continue to be underrepresented on boards
and commissions, accounting for just 3.2 percent of all
appointments. If you'd like to get involved...
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Find
Your Legislator
Contact your legislator today and express your concerns, your
support for legislation or help save a local organization. Your
voice is power. Make your self heard!
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CT
Latinos by County
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What
Connecticut county has the larges Latino population?
What county has seen the largest influx of Latinos since
the 2001? Click on "more" below and find out courtesy of
the Latino Policy Institute .
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more info... |
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Free
Cancer Screening
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death among
Latina women and the second deadliest cancer among Latino men.
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LPRAC
Monthly Meeting
The LPRAC Commission meeting for the month of May will be held
in Bridgeport, CT. Time and location to be determined. If you're
interested in attending, please call 860.240.8330. |
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E-Noticiero
The Official Newsletter of the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs
Commission |
LPRAC
Fights for Latino Representation in Stimulus Process
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The State of Connecticut
Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, has
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written a formal letter to
Governor M. Jodi Rell, asking that she
include proper Latino representation in the Connecticut
Recovery Working Group she established and empowered to make
decisions regarding the delivery of stimulus funds.
Of the 21 members appointed
by the governor to allocate millions of federal dollars,
much of which is designated for programs in vulnerable
communities, none are Latino.
"We have no doubt Governor Rell chose a
strong team to handle this very difficult task," said Lina
Lorenzi, acting director of the LPRAC, "but the state's
fastest growing population and the key to its economic
recovery, should be included in the decision-making process
and not have important decisions force-fed to them."
Letter to Gov. Rell
CT Recovery Working Group
Recovery.gov
CT Funding Notifications by Program |
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Are
CT Public Schools Failing Latino Students?
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A report issued by
Connecticut Voices for Children last month titled The
Hispanic Student Experience in Connecticut’s Schools,
concludes that at every point throughout the K-12 system,
Hispanic students are being left behind.
The report sites statistics
that show Hispanic students are more often struggling with
standardized tests, not attending school, dropping out, or
not going on to college and, as a result, inequitable
outcomes for Hispanic students in Connecticut schools
continue unchanged. |
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LPRAC
Supports Raising Dropout Age
A bill introduced by representative
Jason Bartlett (D - __ District) would have closed a loophole that
currently allows 16-year-old students to drop out of school with
parental consent, held schools accountable and implemented uniform
reporting practices for state school systems.
Though the bill didn't make it out
of the education committee, it would have made it illegal for anyone
under the age of 18 to drop out of school with or without parental
consent. It would've also required schools to standardize the
formula for reporting dropout rates and to return funds to the state
for each student that leaves school before completion.
Supporters are still hoping to
revive the bill and a public press conference is scheduled to take
place May 30, 2009, at 10:30 a.m., in the Legislative Office
Building, in Hartford.
“Lower rates of graduation by
minority students and
Latinos in particular are well documented in Connecticut,” said
Lina Lorenzi, acting executive director of the State of
Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission. “The
LPRAC strongly supports passing legislation that removes
pathways and shortcuts to student failure. We believe raising
the dropout age and giving schools the incentive to keep
students in school is a positive step toward reducing the
dropout rate and affecting educational outcomes that will
continue to impact the entire state for generations.”
LPRAC Testimony on Dropout Bill
NY Times Op-Ed on Education |
Latinos is South Targeted for Abuse
Low-income Latino immigrants in the South are routinely the
targets of wage theft, racial profiling and other abuses driven by
an anti-immigrant climate that harms all Latinos regardless of their
immigration status, according to a report released today by the
Southern Poverty Law Center.
The report — Under Siege: Life for Low-Income Latinos in the
South — documents the experiences of Latino immigrants who face
increasing hostility as they fill low-wage jobs in Southern states
that had few Latino residents until recent years.
more...
click here to download
full report... |
Latino
Facts
Latinos account for 15% of the United States
population with an estimated 45.5 million people identifying
themselves as being of Latino origin.
Latinos nationwide are more likely than any of
their neighbors to go without health insurance. Only 43% of Latinos
nationwide have employer-based health insurance, compared with 68%
of whites.
In Connecticut, almost one in four Latino
adults lives in poverty -- a rate higher than the national average.
21.5 % of Latinos nationwide live in poverty.
Connecticut Latinos are likely to be less
educated than their neighbors. 32 % of Connecticut Latinos have less
than a high school diploma compared with:
19 % of blacks
11 % of Asians
9 % of whites
Sources: U.S. Census 2005,
2006,2007; CT Voices for Children |
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