escalona

Alejandro Escalona biography 

Alejandro Escalona is the former editor of Hoy Chicago, the Tribune Company's Spanish- language daily, as well as ¡Exito!, a weekly publication of the Chicago …Read More

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Honor the heroes of Newtown

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a horrific act of the utmost cowardice. God must have a hellish punishment for those who slaughter students and teachers. As a father, I am grateful to the heroes of Sandy Hook Elementary School who prevented more …

Take on high school dropout crisis

Imagine for a moment the economic and social devastation of having 47 percent unemployment. No, I’m not talking here about an impoverished country in Africa or Central America. That is the percent of high school dropouts ages 18 to 64 in Chicago that didn’t work …

Mexican president can’t ignore drugs

Last Sunday, the day after Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was sworn into office, drug violence took the lives of at least 19 people across our neighbor to the south. Among the victims, the mutilated bodies of six were dumped in a town in the …

Let undocumented immigrants get licenses

Ramiro has driven without a license for nearly 20 years in the Chicago area. So have his wife and adult children. They drive every day fearing they could be involved in an accident or stopped by police for a routine traffic violation that could result …

Thankful for my caring daughter

We should’ve realized back then that there was a serious problem. But we were just having fun on a hot summer day in the backyard. You were almost 3, Isabela, and you kept beating your older brother Daniel to race back and forth. When Daniel …

Will GOP answer wake-up call?

The Republican Party is scrambling to understand just what hit it on Election Day. Republicans don’t yet seem to grasp the extent our country is changing, not only demographically but also politically. They alienated plenty of voters by embracing extreme views on the role of …

Time for Obama to deliver for Latinos

Latino voters played a key role in electing President Barack Obama for a second term in office. As expected, nearly 70 percent of Latino voters voted for Obama in spite of his inability to deliver on his promise of comprehensive immigration reform during his first …

As a citizen by choice, I cherish my vote

I vividly remember the day I became a citizen of the United States 12 years ago. About a hundred people from all over the world attended the ceremony at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. We all took the Oath of Allegiance to our …

Mexico is missing from presidential debate

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney wrestled for 90 minutes Monday night over key foreign policy issues — from China to Iran to Afghanistan to Israel. But they left out Mexico. I understand that the serious situations in Iran, Libya and Syria demand considerable attention …

Why Latinas are backing Obama

I call my wife “motorcito” or “little engine.” Margaret has earned this term of endearment because she makes sure everybody and everything keeps humming in our household. Of course, my wife can enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning of reading and sipping tea, but once she …

‘Sesame Street’ is U.S. ambassador to the world

I grew up in Mexico, so I’m here to tell Mitt Romney: If he is sincere in wanting to strengthen America’s influence abroad, he really should lay off Big Bird. I was 13 when “Sesame Street” was introduced in Mexico as Plaza Sesamo. It was …

A Latina journalist returns to teach at DePaul

Renowned journalist Maria Hinojosa is coming home to Chicago. You are probably familiar with her reporting if you have listened to public radio or watched CNN in the last 10 years. Hinojosa has won a couple of Emmys, and several times she made the list …

A heartbreaking loss of an angel in Highland Park

As a father, my heart goes out to the family of 5-year-old Jaclyn Santos Sacramento, who died on a beautiful Labor Day while on an afternoon stroll with her mother and siblings near their home in Highland Park. I feel terribly sorry as well for …

Invitation from Beyonce and the Obamas has an asterisk

Dear Beyonce, I must admit I got a jolt seeing your email drop in my inbox. I usually receive emails from local politicos and community organizers as well as a couple of readers who call me nasty things. Once in a while I get an …

CTU should return to classrooms during negotiations

Marcela Martinez, a teacher at Seward Academy in the Back of the Yards neighborhood for 15 years, was at Monday’s rally in front of City Hall in support of the teachers strike. Martinez wore the red Chicago Teachers Union T-shirt and held a sign in …

The war on drugs isn’t working

When family members of the victims of the drug violence in Mexico marched Monday in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, the human cost of drug trafficking became painfully evident. Alfonso Moreno held up a sign with a photo of his son Alejandro, a computer engineer, who …

Alienating Latinos could cost Romney the election

Mitt Romney and the Republican Party have done everything in their power to alienate Latinos, blacks and women. The Republicans run the risk of losing the presidential election because they have become a party of extremists with no tolerance for a more diverse mainstream America. …

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