Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Latinos Throughout The City: A Snapshot Of Socio-Demographic Differences In Omaha, Nebraska, Jasney Cogua-Lopez, Lissette Aliaga-Linares, Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Researchers from OLLAS have released a new report detailing the demographic makeup of Latinos throughout Omaha. This is the first detailed analysis of the trends of Latinos living in various parts of the entire city. It confirms and challenges generalizations that are frequently made about this population in Omaha.

The report chronicles the dispersion of Latinos throughout the city and their increasing diversity. This publication highlights that geographic location is predictably tied to socioeconomic conditions. The farther west in the city Latinos live, the more advantaged they are. This pattern also holds true for indicators such as educational attainment, income …

Is Service-Learning The Answer? Preparing Teacher Candidates To Work With Ells Through Service-Learning Experiences, Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo

Scholarship of Metropolitan Mission

In an effort to address the gaps in preparing teacher candidates (TCs) to work with English Language Learners (ELLs), service-learning experiences (SLE) were integrated into two courses within a teacher education program. This exploratory case study sought to explore the outcomes of teacher candidates (TCs) engaged in SLE with diverse students and families, particularly ELLs. Content analysis of students’ reflections provided insights of the impact of the SLE. Findings indicate that participating in service-learning with ELLs provides opportunities for TCs to engage in positive interactions that help to address misconceptions about students, families, and communities. TCs also began to confront …

Hispanic Entrepreneurship In Nebraska: Trends And Economic Profile, Lissette Aliaga-Linares

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

The growth of the Hispanic population in Nebraska was accompanied by a significant increase in Hispanic entrepreneurship at the beginning of the 2000s. From 2002 to 2007, the 3,065 Hispanic-owned businesses constituted a small but dynamic and resilient segment of business growth in the state. Did participation in self-employment decrease for Hispanics after the economic crisis of 2008? What are the characteristics of Hispanic-owned businesses and Hispanics business-owners in Nebraska? Do some of these characteristics reveal social or economic barriers that could prevent these businesses from succeeding?

A Demographic Portrait Of The Mexican-Origin Population In Nebraska, Lissette Aliaga-Linares

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

A study released from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS) chronicles the current state of Mexican-origin residents of Nebraska, finding that while the numbers of immigrants moving into Nebraska has slowed in recent years, the population continues to grow and become more a part of the state’s demographic makeup.

The study, which was also funded in part by the Sherwood Foundation, examined more than a century of census data from the United States, finding that the more than 140,000 Mexican-origin residents in Nebraska as of 2012 has rapidly increased since …

Statement Of Concern, Heartland Workers Union, Office Of Latino/Latin American Studies (Ollas)

Latino/Latin American Studies Other Publications

The Heartland Workers Center (HWC) and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) have issued a statement of concern about the humanitarian crisis confronting refugee children from Central America. We support our local partner organizations in their work to address this crisis. Please feel free to distribute widely.

El Centro Laboral y OLLAS han publicado un documento sobre la crisis humanitaria afectando a miles de niños centroamericanos. Adáptela para sus tareas educativas y de incidencia política y distribuyan ampliamente.

Quick Facts About South Omaha, Office Of Latino/Latin American Studies (Ollas)

Latino/Latin American Studies Other Publications

Quick facts about South Omaha, produced by OLLAS for the Midwest Sociological Society (MSS) Annual Meetings, which took place at the Hilton Omaha, Thursday, April 3 - Saturday, April 5. The MSS hosted a tour of South Omaha on Saturday, April 5 from 9:30-11:00am.

Quick Facts On Inequality, Office Of Latino/Latin American Studies (Ollas), Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Other Publications

Data about inequality and Latinos in Nebraska. This information was presented by Dr. Lourdes Gouveia, OLLAS Director and Professor of Sociology, at a special screening of the film Inequality for All on February 6, 2014.

Invisible & Voiceless: Latinos In Council Bluffs Iowa, María Teresa Gastón, Lourdes Gouveia, Christian Espinosa, Clare Maakestad, Christopher C. Blue

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

While Latino immigrant workers in Council Bluffs, Iowa have contributed significantly to the Iowa and Nebraska economies, they remain virtually invisible and lack a voice in the city’s key venues and institutions – this according to a new report being released by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and funded in part by the Iowa West Foundation.

The report, titled “Invisible & Voiceless” combines data from the 2010 Census with 26 interviews with members of Council Bluffs’ civic, government, education, religious, non-profit and business communities as well as Latino voices gathered at interviews …

An Invitation To Debate: Envisioning An Africa-Centered Perspective, Engaging Sociological Endeavor, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the 2013 James Madison University Africana Studies Conference October 18, 2013

Ukhamba: The Implications Of Amateur Domestic Genealogical Research For African Socio-Historical Analysis, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the 37^th annual conference of the National Council of Black Studies Indianapolis, Indiana March 14, 2013

The Impact Of Health Reform And The Affordable Care Act (Aca) On Latinos And Immigrants In The Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, Jim P. Stimpson, Kelly Shaw-Sutherland, Yang Wang

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

This policy brief presents evidence for major barriers to access medical care for Latinos and immigrants and the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve health insurance coverage. The brief also outlines some potential solutions.

Health Profile Of Nebraska's Latino Population, Athena Ramos, Shireen Rajaram, Lourdes Gouveia, Yuriko Doku Drissa Toure, Anthony Zhang, Sondra Manske

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS) has released a report and policy brief, in conjunction with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), describing the serious health problems facing the growing Latino and immigrant populations in Nebraska and Iowa, particularly the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

The Economic Impact Of Latin American & Other Immigrants Iowa, Nebraska And The Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, Christopher Decker, Jerry Deichert, Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Although recent research from the Pew Hispanic Center suggests that the rate of recent immigration to the United States has slowed considerably, other studies clearly show that immigrants make substantial economic contributions to the communities in which they settle.

This report focuses attention on the quantitative economic impact of first-generation, foreign-born individuals on the Omaha-Council Bluffs economy as well as the Nebraska and Iowa state economies in 2010.

The Implications Of Africa-Centered Conceptions Of Time And Space For Quantitative Theorizing: Limitations Of Paradigmatically-Bound Philosophical Meta-Assumptions, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Publications

“The Implications of Africa-centered Conceptions of Time and Space for Quantitative Theorizing,” looks at Eurocentric scientific conceptions of time and space, how they effect theorizing concerned with these matters, and how they are altered as one considers non- Eurocentric conceptions. For example, one might look at the assertion of circularity, holism, and continuity in contrast to linearity, disjunction, and discontinuity. The example focused on is a scholarly article focusing on constraints associated with time travel. The article deconstructs the piece as Eurocentric and re-conceptualizes it from an African-centered cultural and social perspective.

Demographic Characteristics Of The Latino Population In The Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area, Lourdes Gouveia, Christian Espinosa, Yuriko Doku

Latino/Latin American Studies Fact Sheets

This is the first installment of fact sheets about the Latino population in the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area. Together, these fact sheets will provide the context for a forthcoming report on the economic and fiscal impacts of this population in the metro area.

Este es el primer número de una serie de boletines informativos acerca de la población latina en el área estadística metropolitana de Omaha-Council Bluffs. Esta serie servirá de contexto al reporte venidero sobre los impactos económicos y fiscales de la población latina y migrante en el área metropolitana.

Nebraska Immigration And Latino Issues Related Legislative Bills, Office Of Latino/Latin American Studies (Ollas)

Latino/Latin American Studies Other Publications

The year 2011 saw many Latino and Immigration-related bills in the Nebraska State Unicameral. View the OLLAS-created chart to read a summary.

The Pyramidal Pillars Model Of Afrikan Communal Development, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the Black African Holocaust Conference in Atlanta, Ga November 2010

The Omaha Site: Migrant Civil Society Under Construction Series On Latino Immigrant Civic Engagement, Lourdes Gouveia, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, Yuriko Doku, Alejandra Toledo, Sergio Sosa

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Omaha was one of nine cities in the United States chosen by the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars to explore immigrant civic and political participation. Lourdes Gouveia and the OLLAS team, along with Sergio Sosa of the Heartland Workers Center, produced this bilingual report based on interviews and a round table with broad-based participation by the immigrant and Latino community.

Omaha es una de las nueve ciudades en los Estados Unidos que fué escogida por el Centro Internacional Woodrow Wilson para Académicos con el fin de examinar la participación cívica y política de los migrantes. Lourdes Gouveia con el …

The Commodification Of Victimization And Concomitant Glorification Of Mediocrity, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The Commodification of Victimization and Concomitant Glorification of Mediocrity presented at the Annual Meetings of the Southern Sociology Society Atlanta, Georgia April 2010

Project Animate: Promoting Student Civic Participation Through Latino Voter Mobilization - Ollas Report No. 6, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This project sought to expand voter outreach and mobilization of new registered and Latino voters through a series of activities in the greater Omaha metropolitan area. Following the successful development of a voter mobilization project undertaken in the 2006 election cycle, this project conducted door-to-door canvassing activities utilizing students to distribute nonpartisan voter information and engage in “get out the vote” activities with new Latino registered voters.

The Terminological Problem In Africana Studies, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Delivered lecture “The Terminological Problem in Africana Studies” at the Africana Studies Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium, 2009 "AFRICA AT THE CROSSROADS: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?" James Madison University, October 9th.

A Guide For Evaluating Indian Education Services, Products, And Materials, Denise Juneau

Tribal Nations Documents

The following qualifications and criteria are designed to assist school districts in their decision-making process for professional development, curriculum, and other needs (see lists below) that are related to Indian Education for All and student achievement issues. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) offers this guidance to help schools sort through the variety of available educational services and materials so that the most effective and culturally relevant services and materials will be highlighted for use in Montana schools. It is up to each local district to make choices that meet its needs. We hope this process will help tailor professional …

The Health-Care Debate And Nebraska's Latino And Immigrant Populations - Ollas Policy Brief No. 2, Lourdes Gouveia, Yuriko Doku

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

Indian Education For All: Your Guide To Understanding And Enjoying Pow Wows, Murton Mccluskey

Tribal Nations Documents

The following pages include a collection of information which is intended to help the reader better understand and enjoy the events and activities which occur at many of the plains area pow wows and celebrations. Because the customs, rules and regulations may vary from one celebration to another, the booklet should serve only as a basic guide and not as an authoritative directory. It is merely designed as a resource to help the reader to be more knowledgeable and better able to understand and enjoy the history, events, activities and planning of a pow wow. Comments and suggestions are welcomed …

Nebraska’S Immigrant Population: Economic And Fiscal Impacts - Ollas Report No. 5, Christopher Decker, Jerry Deichert, Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Immigration issues have once again assumed center stage in policy circles at every level of government in the United States, as the number of new immigrants, many undocumented and many from Latin American nations, has risen markedly in recent years. This is certainly true in Nebraska. According to US Census figures for 2000, the total immigrant population in Nebraska was estimated to be 74,638. By 2006, this figure had risen to 99,500, a 33.3 percent increase. By comparison, the total native-born population in the state grew less than 2.0 percent over the same six-year period.

This study attempts to quantitatively …

In The Balance: Immigrant Economic Contributions And The Advancement Of Human Rights In Nebraska - Ollas Policy Brief No. 1, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, Lourdes Gouveia

Latino/Latin American Studies Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

Critical Impairments To Globalizing The Western Human Rights Discourse, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Publications

This article focuses on the philosophical implications of Euro-centrism and Eurocentric discourse for the Western human rights narrative. It is argued that there is insufficient theoretical and practical consideration of those implications, particular for advocacy and activity in the so-called “Third World” where such arguments frequently become mere vehicles for the advance of economic and political neocolonialism. In many ways, colonialism with a humanistic, liberal democratic “face”. Finally, a proposition is advanced that if the Western human rights discourse is to be effectively corrected and evolve into a global one, critiques of Euro-centrism from outside the Western discursive world must …

Religion And Community: Mexican Americans In South Omaha (1900-1980) - Ollas Report No. 4, Maria S. Arbelaez

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

Mexicans, like all other ethnic groups that created the United States as a nation of immigrants, were adamant in establishing churches of their own. Ethnic religious affiliations were essentially of Judeo-Christian origin and benefited effectively from the tolerance of worship mandated by the Constitution. Freedom of belief was known, demanded, and exercised by all immigrants. For Mexican and other ethnic communities, religious belief and centers of worship were the very heart of their community and identity bonds, their source of strength and reason to persevere in a new society where multiple nationalities, cultures, languages, and ethnicities converged.

This report provides …

Latino Political Participation In Nebraska: The Challenge Of Enhancing Voter Mobilization And Representation - Ollas Report No. 3, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This OLLAS policy brief seeks to enhance basic information regarding the role Latinos will play in shaping the future of politics in Nebraska in the short and medium term. Because issues such as immigration policy, fair housing, labor practices, and public education have risen to the top of the political agenda nationally and statewide, and because these issues most directly impact the lives of Nebraska’s growing Latino constituencies legitimately, we must consider to what extent Latino stakeholders can shape the debate and articulate acceptable policy responses to these matters.

How effectively these issues are dealt with will have major implications …

Examining The Impact Of Parental Involvement In A Dual Language Program: Implications For Children And Schools - Ollas Report No. 2, J. F. Casas

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This study focuses on a dual language (Spanish-English) program in the Omaha Public Schools. Dual language programs are programs in which children develop proficiency in two languages simultaneously. These programs are currently seen as the gold standard second language education because of the large amount of empirical support they have received with respect to children’s academic gains. All of the dual language classrooms are comprised of half native English speakers and half Spanish speakers.

Parental involvement has received much empirical attention with respect to traditional school programs; however, little is known about the role of parental involvement in dual language …