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Happy Birthday César Chávez. Also, check out and support this documentary on his last fast.

Check out the new “The Futuro” initiative by Univision (video below). A great 3 year strategy aimed at improving academic achievement among Latino K-12 students. Press release via Hispanic PR Blog.

The multi-platform, multi-million dollar three-year national education initiative aims to improve academic achievement among K-12 Hispanic students with a specific focus on increasing rates of high school graduation, college readiness, college completion and engaging Hispanic parents and the broader community in these efforts.

Craving Latino rock music this morning, I came across AltLatino via NPR. The website is an incredible resource for Latino music – but it’s also much more.

I spent a couple hours this morning listening to a few podcasts and listening to a different wave of Latino music. I was fascinated by the cross-cultural aspects of the music. Many musical themes (immigration for example) touch across national borders. In fact, a good majority of fans of these groups span from Japan to Africa – some would suggest that many of their U.S. concerts have a mixture of audiences not just Latinos.

It was an eye-opening morning. Music as a cultural bridge builder exploring common experiences. Explore their site when you have a couple hours to listen to some alternative and thought provoking music. Below is a video by Manu Chao called Clandestino  - the song’s about immigration but resonates across many national borders and people. Enjoy.

If you’re interested in building relationships with Latinos online, I suggest you pick a copy of Latino Link: Building Brands Online with Hispanic Communities and Content by Joe Kutchera. I’ve put together a video book review below.

Joe’s book should be part of your “reaching Latinos online” reference library since it covers many of the important topics necessary to do so. The book is relevant to a variety of audiences including organizations that are looking for practical and effective strategies to reach Latino college students online. It’s filled with an assortment of excellent case studies from research and professional experts in a number of industries. I think you’ll find it an excellent resource.

Visit Joe Kutchera’s website as well – he’s a good guy!

Enjoy!

A fantastic piece on State University of New York at Stony Brook and their Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). It’s a three part program that leads to 65% graduation rate for Latino students. An impressive number given colleges in general graduate about 40% of Latino college students.

Take a look – you’ll be impressed with the support and commitment given to these at-risk students. Stony Brook provides a model for other schools to follow. While there are many strategies “on the shelf,” here we have an approach that demonstrates solid results. It’s interesting to note funding is still an issue given the success of the program.   

Once again PBS provides a quality and insightful perspective regarding Latinos and other minorities in higher education. Enjoy!

Luxottica Retail North America sponsored a professional networking event yesterday focused on multiculturalism and diversity. The company provided us with an overview of its business, the One Sight Foundation, and diversity efforts. An impressive global organization that incorporates inclusion and diversity into its organizational culture. Very impressive. The event was organized by Luxottica’s Multicultural Team – made up of employees of incredibly diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

Interestingly, employees can participate in ANY cultural group they choose. I sat next to a woman of Latino descent that participated in the Chinese-American group!

Below is a short clip with Alicia Tidwell, Culture Team Manager, explaining the importance of diversity and cultural teams at Luxottica. Enjoy!

Mary Gentile, director of business curriculum at Babson College, discusses the topic of values in the workplace. An interesting video (via McKinsey) regarding ethics and today’s business environment. The video provides excellent advice to new college graduates as well as senior executives. The question becomes essentially, when is it a good time to be ethical? Professor Gentile provides some marvelous insights about ethical dilemmas and how to act on them. Enjoy!

Do you work to earn a living?

Or do you love what you do so much that you’d do it for free?

If you work to earn a living, how would your life change if you loved your work instead?

We’ve all participated in those retreats or workshops on how to be more successful. I remember being part of a workshop that asked the participants to draw a picture of what their job would look like if they were passionate about it.

I felt bad for everyone that drew a picture. I didn’t draw one. I pulled out a picture from my backpack and shared a picture of my family. I already had what I wanted from my job.

My passion is being able to do something that I love from home and spend time with my kids.

I realized then as I realize now - how fortunate that is.

Untitled from Miguel A. Corona on Vimeo.

Some organizations that are doing their part this Summer to help develop Hispanic the Hispanic leaders and talent of the future. Watch the video, the list will make a bit more sense. : )

Colleges and Universities
Here is a short list of colleges and universities that are making an effort to attract more Hispanics to their campuses as well as developing Hispanic talent. While there are many more colleges that are increasing their outreach efforts, I think what make these schools unique is their location. Please note where most of these schools are located and what it says about Hispanics and higher education.

• University of Kansas
• Boston College
• Washington University in St. Louis
• University of Iowa
• Smith College
• Weslyan University
• Bryn Mawr University
• Notre Dame

Center for Hispanic Leadership (CHL)
If you’re not familiar with CHL, you will be soon. CHL’s mission is to teach Hispanic professionals and corporations how to propel innovation through diversity. I’m honored to be part of their upcoming Summit in Los Angeles.

The Lumina Foundation
One of my favorite websites for information. They have one overriding mission: enrolling and graduating more students from college. They’re tremendous advocates of increasing the number of Hispanics in higher education and consistently provide valuable information in this regard.

Excelencia in Education
A powerhouse for information on Hispanics in education, Excelencia in Education provides research, webinars, and conferences all related to the development of the Hispanic workforce and talent.

 The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
Always a great source for up-to-date articles impacting Hispanics in higher education, they’re celebrating their 25^th year. Their existence literally chronicles the advancement of Hispanics in higher education over the last two decades.

The Hispanic Leadership Initiative at Harvard
An excellent program geared at developing the next generation of Latino Leaders. Their program is impressive and students can apply for the 2011 session starting now. Please watch some of the videos on their site – inspiring!

Hat tip to @Eliana_Murillo , a Harvard grad, for reminding me to add this great program to the list!

Hispanic Talent Memo marks its One Year Anniversary on July 11th. It’s hard to beleive I’ve been at it for a year! I’m so humbled by many of you that have reached out to me over the last 12 months, especially during my medical issues earlier this Spring. Your kindness and support were very much appreciated. So Happy Birthday HTM – you’ve certainly changed my life over the last year.

By the way, please try overlooking the funky Vimeo screen shot below – it looks like I had too much tequila!    

Untitled from Miguel A. Corona on Vimeo.