Seventy-six immigrant women graduated from the first course on child care organized by East Los Angeles College and the Mexican consulate, La Opinión reports. The five-week course, totaling 100 hours, was taken by immigrant women of 11 nationalities, some of them U.S. citizens. “They not only taught us to take care of children, but also to prepare them to receive an education,” said graduate María Ornelas, from the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, who was slated to start working as a teaching assistant Monday. Link to original story →

Latinos turned out in unprecedented numbers to vote in the most recent elections in North Carolina, Qué Pasa Raleigh/Durham reports. On Nov. 6 Hispanic residents numbering 12,153 (37 percent of registered Latinos) voted in Mecklenburg County, the state’s most populous, compared to 1,229 (4 percent) who participated in the May primaries that ousted former County Sheriff Irwin Carmichael, whose deportation program expelled thousands of Latinos. Only 4,253 Latinos voted in the 2014 midterm elections; 2,370 in 2010, and 894 in 2006. “If we repeat those numbers in 2019, we will have power in Charlotte and Mecklenburg,” said German DeCastro, co-founder of the Hispanic Voter Coalition, referring to the next local elections. Link to original story →

The City of El Paso, Texas, and El Paso County signed a joint resolution establishing a Census 2020 task force to convince the community to participate in the count, El Diario de El Paso reports. One of the special committee’s challenges is easing immigrant fears of taking part after the Trump administration announced the addition of a question on citizenship status. Mayor Dee Margo said El Paso is currently the United States’ 19th largest city, closely following Denver, Colorado. “We could bigger than Denver. (…) That is why we need to be aware of the great significance of being counted,” he said. Link to original story →

Donations for victims of the Yemeni humanitarian crisis have been pouring into Arab and Muslim organizations in the Detroit area, reports The Arab American News. The Islamic Center of America gathered 1,000 blankets, 7,000 pairs of shoes and 3,000 pieces of winter clothing. The Rahma Relief Foundation will ship six 40-foot containers of clothing and other items. “The Yemeni people, like the Syrians, the Iraqis and the rest of the Arab people, are our people,” Ahmad Al Halabi of the foundation said. “And we as a humanitarian institution are concerned with helping the needy, regardless of their national origins and religious affiliations.” Link to original story →