Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Raíces, Growing up in Puerto Rico

So many people in the U.S., including Latinos, are uninformed about Puerto Rico. I’m not an immigrant, and by the way, neither is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor even though several elected officials called her that during her nomination hearings. Countless times I have been asked by people who should know better what kind of money is used on the island (yeah, the U.S. dollar), do they need a passport to travel there (um, no), and how is that I speak English so well.

Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Latino strides made in 2023

September is for salsa (both music and food), Spanish, sabor (taste), salud (health), and símbolo (symbol).
Well, September 15 (specifically the second half of the month) kicks off Latino Heritage Month. It runs from September 15 to October 15. The logic for starting in the middle of this month is that certain countries (like Mexico, Chile, and other Latin American nations) celebrate their independence in mid-September through mid-October.
As we begin to prepare our Latino heritage celebrations, it’s worth noting that 2023 is uniquely different. Why? Because our culture has had a remarkable year thus far.

Posted inOpinion

COLUMN: Raíces, Finding family in Mexico

I went to Mexico to look for relatives of my great grandfather, who left there in 1890. My grandfather was a cowboy who rode cattle from Texas to the Midwest. I told a woman, who could have been a cousin, how my mom was born in Carrizo Springs, Texas and grew up in a migrant worker family. They picked cotton in Texas and beets in the Midwest and then wound up on a tomato farm outside Chicago. My mom’s sisters convinced the family to move to the city where they could make more money working in factories. My mom was the youngest, so she was allowed to go to high school if she got an after-school job. She found a job in a department store. My mom and dad, also a migrant from Texas, met in the high school cafeteria. They married and had five children, all who went on to graduate from college.

Posted inEducation

Andrés y María Cárdenas Family Foundation, LA Tequila Festival supports Latinx college students

The Andrés y María Cárdenas Family Foundation (AMCFF) will host its fifth annual fundraising event, LA Tequila Festival, on Sept. 9 at the Los Angeles Center Studios, where attendees will be able to taste and enjoy more than 75 tequila brands. But more than enjoying libations, the annual tequila event is organized to continue its efforts in supporting Latino and first-generation students to pursue their dreams.

Posted inCulture

Bryan Alfaro, winner of CALÓ NEWS LAFC game ticket giveaway

ryan Alfaro was scrolling through social media, he noticed that one of his college grad school friends shared an article she wrote for CALÓ NEWS. Intrigued by the story, Alfaro visited the website and soon realized he had an interest in CALÓ NEWS. As a follower of CALÓ NEWS’s Instagram, Alfaro noticed that CALÓ NEWS was giving away two tickets to a Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) game. To be eligible for the drawing, website visitors and readers had to sign up and subscribe to the news site’s newsletter. Alfaro decided to give it a shot.

Posted inCulture

ANTONIA SEVILLA, a passionate Mexican folkloric dancer pushing young adults to embrace their roots

Antonia Sevilla and the Mexican folkloric ballet Grupo La Rosa performed for over 400 people in Santa Monica, California, this past June 17, to celebrate their 25 years career in music and dance. 

Although Sevilla founded and named Grupo La Rosa in 1997 after the passing of her mother, Rosa Sevilla, she has been practicing Mexican folkloric ballet in Los Angeles for over 50 years.