Hard work and dreams: two things Sandra Tovar always kept in mind when she arrived in the United States at 18 years old. Like any other immigrant family, Tovar came to the U.S. looking for a better life and explained that when she was with her family, she felt like she had everything she needed in life.
Category: Culture
CALÓ ON THE STREET: Should we be called Latinos or something else?
Most of our readers will know that Latinos/as/x comprise 37 percent of the 39 million people in California. But did you know that we also account for 18.9% of the world’s total population?
ANTHONY OCAMPO, proud to be Brown, gay and out with a second novel
Feeling like you have to choose between your identity of race or sexuality, not knowing who you are, and the immense pressure of being a first-generation immigrant child? These are just some of the topics tackled by Anthony Ocampo in his second book, “Brown and Gay in L.A.: The Lives of Immigrant Sons.”
CALÓ on The Street: What does Mother’s Day mean for Latinos?
Dia de las Madres is celebrated on May 10th for those of Mexican, Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent. It is a day when family members celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, spouses and other influential women in our lives who have made a difference in who we are today. But this Sunday, May 14th, is an international holiday for all mothers in the United States. CALÓ NEWS spoke to mothers about what it means to them to be celebrated on this special day.
Carson’s Cinco de Mayo celebration proves lots of Latinos care about the holiday
On May 6, the City of Carson held its 46th annual Cinco de Mayo celebration at Carson Park. The City Council and Parks and Recreation staff welcomed the public to enjoy the variety of festivities that were offered at the event, which included live performances by the Columbian music group La Sonora Dinamita, food booths, craft vendors and more.
Latino artists, well-known and up-and-coming, owned the stage at Coachella 2023
History was made this Coachella 2023 season as “Tití Me Preguntó” singer, Bad Bunny, became the first-ever Latin artist to headline the festival, which took place in Indio, CA during back-to-back weekends, April 14-16 and 21-23.
COLUMN: Brown pride is not racist
Expressing Brown pride is not racist. What these youth demonstrated is pride in their culture and in themselves. It’s no different than a student who wears green, or an Irish flag, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Halloween year-round for these Latinx sellers of spookiness
Halloween is the holiday of ghosts, trick-or-treating, and pumpkin patches but it’s also the time for the spirit of the Latinx Halloween community to shine through with passion and culture. Even if the holiday has passed and will not see it come to life till next year, these Latinx vendors will keep the spooky spirit thriving for all 365 days a year.
COLUMN: Ode to first Chicanos
When I was born in the mid-1960s, I inherited six siblings. Two of them self-identified as Chicanos. They were the first to do so in my family. I was young, but I remember the clothes. The signs touting “Chicano Power” and “Brown Power.” The emblems of fists and fists raised in the air. The rallies for justice. The marches, walk-outs and sit-ins. I remember the feeling of being protected by the Brown Berets when I attended a rally or march.
COLUMN: When you are the first Latino/a/x
Only around 5 percent of college professors nationwide are Latino/a/x and at CSULB it’s higher around 9 percent. But this is still low when almost half of the student body is Latino/a/x.
EDITORIAL: Honoring Latino/a/x firsts
In honor of our heritage we would like to pay homage to Latino firsts, the first Latino/a/x people to break barriers in their fields.
COMMENTARY: Lessons on Mexican Independence Day from a professor
As a history professor, my dreams of wealth and rock n’ roll fame in young adulthood evaporated long ago. But just before this Mexican Independence Day on September 16, my professional moments sparkle, to use an un-academic term. Being a former Mexican American GED student in cholo garb, these moments of enlightenment – for me and my students – are about as priceless as any such moments of a respective jale. It’s my time to teach about Mexican Independence (which is not Cinco de Mayo).