Multiple Meixner-Pollaczek polynomials and the six-vertex model

We study multiple orthogonal polynomials of Meixner-Pollaczek type with respect to a symmetric system of two orthogonality measures. Our main result is that the limiting distribution of the zeros of these polynomials is one component of the solution to a constrained vector equilibrium problem. We also provide a Rodrigues formula and closed expressions for the recurrence coefficients. The proof of the main result follows from a connection with the eigenvalues of block Toeplitz matrices, for which we provide some general results of independent interest. The motivation for this paper is the study of a model in statistical mechanics, the so-called six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions, in a particular regime known as the free fermion line. We show how the multiple Meixner-Pollaczek polynomials arise in an inhomogeneous version of this model.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures. References adde

Compassionate Immigration Reform

Ideals of comprehensive immigration reform have been co-opted by advocates of border and internal security and enforcement, leaving behind our aspirations as a compassionate nation of immigrants. Mindful of the tension between blind adherence to the rule of law and the goal of empathetic immigration policy, I suggest a reframing of comprehensive immigration reform as compassionate reform and sketch the details of this transformative policymaking approach. Focusing on the life-threatening journey of undocumented immigrants and the perils they and their families face once inside the United States, I argue for a time-out on deaths at the border and on workplace immigration raids that split families apart. While supporting the expanded pathways to citizenship fostered by the federal DREAM and AgJOB Act proposals, ultimately I urge a return to the good neighbor Western Hemisphere exemption to immigration limits that existed until 1965. Realizing that the mood of the country has turned against immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, I conclude with suggestions as to how U.S. residents and policymakers might acquire empathy and thus the will to embrace compassionate immigration reform

Latinos and American Law: Landmark Supreme Court Cases

In this review, the author advocates for a work which provides much needed attention to Latinos in the context of American Law. Specifically, the review outlines key elements of Soltero’s work, which highlights Latino Supreme Court cases

Will the Wolf Survive?: Latino/a Pop Music in the Cultural Mainstream

For years, White artists have dominated American pop music. With the notable exception of Black vocalists, non-White artists have rarely experienced sustained and substantial success in this market. Although Latino/a artists have made modest inroads into the pop music mainstream in the past, the current success of Latino/a singers is unprecedented for its sales figures, its domination of pop radio, the diversity of backgrounds of the Latino/a artists riding the same wave, and the degree of American media attention focused on this phenomenon. In addition to the financial rewards enjoyed by artists (and their record companies) who succeed in the pop music market, the music industry, with its linkages to mass media and its public visibility, launches these artists into the mainstream of American culture and consciousness. For most Americans today, unlike just a few years ago, the dominant image of Latino/as is delivered and shaped by the pop music industry. For this reason, it is important to examine the current re/presentation of the Latino/ a pop music (what I call LatPop) ambassadors. In what language do they speak to the American public? What images of Latino/a culture do they convey? What stereotypes do they further? Which do they dispel? In what ways are Latino/as, as a people, the beneficiaries of this unprecedented mainstream exposure? In what ways has Latino/a culture paid a price for this commercial success

Knocked Down Again: An East L.A. Story on the Geography of Color and Colors

The article discusses the history of struggle of Latin Americans and the legacy of gang violence in East Los Angeles, California. The author states that the positive thing about the place is the closeness of the community and families. However, the 2000 Census states that ninety-seven percent of the city\u27s population is Latin American with about a quarter living below poverty line. Moreover, sociologists consider gang warfare as a defense of turf marked by defined geographic boundaries

Silencing Culture and Culturing Silence: A Comparative Experience of Centrifugal Forces in the Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Using the metaphor of silencing, Professor Margaret Montoya documents the irrelevance of race, gender, and socio-historical perspectives both in legal education and, more broadly, in legal discourse. Although others have invoked this metaphor, Professor Montoya\u27s charting of the physical, rather than merely metaphorical, space of silence moves beyond this legal literature in several respects. Viewing silence not just as dead space, Professor Montoya enlivens and colors silence and other nonverbal aspects of communication as positive cultural traits. She demonstrates how silence can be used as a pedagogical tool (a centrifugal force) in the classroom and in client interviews to bring out the voices of women and of men of color. Moreover, Professor Montoya documents how silence and nonverbal communication, rich with cultural meaning, are misread to the legal detriment of the (non)speaker and others dependent on cross-cultural understanding. My own experiences in the classroom, an Ethnic Studies classroom filled with students intent on the study and progressive practice of law, validate many of Professor Montoya\u27s experiences and observations. In Part I, I discuss my own experiences with respect to silence and race in an Ethnic Studies classroom. In Part II, I address the challenges my undergraduate students face in their journey to become progressive lawyers. In Part III, I examine some of the doctrinal pitfalls encountered by new lawyers aspiring to use the law as a mechanism for achieving social justice. Finally, I conclude by discussing the apparent irrelevance of Latino/a perspectives in legal education