It's that time of year where we make our New Year's resolutions, and some in the Latino community are reaching out for help sticking to their plans. The pandemic brought extreme hardships, but the economic recovery and labor shortage also present new opportunities to move up the ladder or find a better-paying job.

Margarita Flores, a pastoral associate and chaplain for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who founded Instituto Latino Life Coaching in Compton, said many in the Latino community suffer from a crisis of confidence.

"In the Hispanic community, you don't have too many people encouraging you to ask yourself, 'What is the next step in my life,' because the next step requires change," she said, "and change is the biggest fear that people carry."

Instituto Latino offers life-coaching sessions in Spanish at very low rates on a sliding scale, so even people who are struggling financially can work on personal development, organizational skills and self-esteem.

A recent study called "A Portrait of California 2021-2022" found that Latinos have made the most progress of any ethnic group in health, education and standard of living over the past 10 years. However, Latinos still remain the lowest-paid ethnic group. In particular, Latinas in the Golden State earn on average just over $25,000 per year, compared with about $62,000 for white men.

Flores said Latinos make up almost 40% of the state, so the future of California depends on the success of this community.

"I believe that helping self-esteem and empowerment for mothers, fathers, entrepreneurs, leaders in our churches and communities is very essential," she said.

With determination and a helping hand to guide and encourage them, she said, people can develop the courage to go for that next job opportunity, improve relationships with family and friends, get a handle on debt and live their best lives.

The Alliance for Historic Wyoming is putting a spotlight on the people responsible for preserving places during Preservation Month, which kicks off next week.

Diane McGinley helped transform Casper's 1964 Wyoming National Bank into what is now known as the M Building. McGinley said when she and her husband first moved to the area 14 years ago, she was immediately struck by the midcentury modern architecture surrounded by rectangular and square buildings common to the Rocky Mountain region.

"And I thought to myself 'what is this unique building doing here?' This dome feature, so unique, especially how it went underground," McGinley recounted. "And was immediately compelled to learn more about it."

The building's original designer, Denver architect Charles Deaton, is noted for his futuristic clamshell-shaped house featured in the 1973 Woody Allen film "Sleeper," and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The M Building is now home to the McGinleys' multiple businesses relating to musculoskeletal radiology and sports medicine, as well as a multiuse event center in the iconic rotunda.

McGinley explained during her design process, she intentionally made space for original furniture, pieces of art and other items from the building's history to be prominently displayed.

"The building itself had a lot of history in it," McGinley pointed out. "The Wyoming National Bank and Wells Fargo did a great job of keeping track of the history of the building, and we were able to preserve all of those images and things here in the building."

Along with tours, workshops and celebrations, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming and partners will be highlighting people like the McGinleys who make historic preservation possible in communities across the state throughout the month of May. Details are at historicwyoming.org.

McGinley added she is especially proud her contributions are part of a dynamic and growing downtown scene.

"There are so many wonderful renovations and reimaginings that are happening in downtown Casper to make it be a vibrant place to be," McGinley stressed. "And we love that the M Building is existing within that ecosystem."


get more stories like this via email

In recent years, the Minnesota state flag has come under scrutiny for its depiction of Native Americans, and now, a Legislative proposal would set up a process for a redesign.

This week, the Minnesota House advanced an omnibus bill including the creation of a State Emblems Redesign Commission, which would be tasked with leading the effort and having a new flag adopted by mid-May of next year.

Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, has long advocated for the move, and during floor debate, he cited the intent behind the current flag's imagery as having overtones of white settlers taking land away from Indigenous populations.

"Our current flag and seal can be preserved historically with adequate commentary on it, but they do not need to, and they should not remain in place on flagpoles and official documents," Freiberg contended.

The commission would include public members appointed by the governor, representatives from ethnic councils, as well as tribal leaders. Republican opponents brought concerns such as tradition, as well as lack of input from the Legislature. Freiberg suggested lawmakers could still weigh in if an issue pops up.

Beyond cultural concerns, Freiberg noted Minnesota's flag often rates poorly for having an out-of-date style which does not stand out.

"The North American Vexillological Association has five principles for good flag design: Keep it simple, use meaningful symbolism, use two or three basic colors, don't use lettering or seals, and be distinctive or related," Freiberg outlined. "The Minnesota flag fails each of these principles."

He added many other states have moved to update their flags. The larger legislative package with the redesign provision now moves to the state Senate.


get more stories like this via email

Omaha's Tri-Faith Initiative, the only faith community of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, started with a conversation and is now the worship home for members of Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.

It began when leaders from Omaha's Jewish and Muslim faiths discovered they shared the common "logistical needs" of parking and land for growth. After many "honest conversations" and a lot of planning, the nonreligious nonprofit Tri-Faith Initiative was formed.

Ultimately, a former golf course became the home of the Tri-Faith Initiative and the site of a new synagogue, mosque and church, followed by an interfaith center, jointly referred to as the "Tri-Faith Commons."

Corey Oldenhuis, communications manager for the Tri-Faith Initiative, said it shows how powerful it can be when people with differences sit down to talk. He stressed they hope to be a model for the country and the world.

"We want people to see the collaboration we have and the beauty of being neighbors and share that, and take that back to their communities and replicate it," Oldenhuis explained. "It doesn't have to be exactly like the Commons, but the lesson from the Commons is what we'd like them to replicate."

Each religious community at Tri-Faith is independent, but Oldenhuis noted a lot of their events are designed to engage all three communities. One of their monthly events, Making the Familiar Strange, involves a member sharing the meaning and significance of a particular passage from their religious text, with those attending encouraged to read and react to it as well.

Oldenhuis pointed out it is not uncommon for texts from the three faiths to share the same, or similar, stories.

"So that leads to really interesting conversation," Oldenhuis observed. "That's one where the event is certainly bolstered and enlivened by representation and more people from the different buildings."

Amal Alexander, a member of Tri-Faith's AMI Mosque, said she has never seen anything like the Tri-Faith community. She emphasized considering the conflicts between the three religions over the years, it is amazing to sit together and learn from each other.

"I would really urge people just to come and experience it," Alexander stressed. "Everybody who comes to visit, they always go away with so many things that they learned, and they leave with just feeling enlightened, so to speak."

The Tri-Faith Initiative's second annual Race, Religion and Social Justice Conference will be held June 7-8 and is open for registration.


get more stories like this via email