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Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: Latino authors explore identity

by Patricia Guadalupe

What does it mean to be Latino in the U.S.? That was the focus of a lively discussion at the Library of Congress National Book Festival held this month in Washington, D.C., where UC Irvine professor Héctor Tobar told a packed house that the term “Latino” is “an expression of an alliance, we have this commonality, we have this story of a journey in the background.”
The Los Angeles native was speaking about his new book, “Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of Latino” which starts with what he says is a message to his UC Irvine students who have told him stories of their lives.
Also at the festival was Afro Latino Puerto Rican David Betancourt, a comic book culture reporter with the Washington Post and author of an upcoming book with Marvel, “The Avengers Assembled: The Origin Story of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” The volume, which hits the shelves August 29, takes a deep dive into “the greatest superhero team of all time,” including looking at fan favorites such as Vision and Black Widow.

Posted inOpinion

COMMENTARY: I’m Latina, but what’s my race?

by Catherine Lima

The truth is that I am indigenous to this continent, but in the United States I cannot claim my indigeneity. My ancestors were the Lenca people and lived in what is now known as El Salvador and Honduras. Even though I am proud to be Latina, the term still begs the question of what race really means. So, what is my race? When I come across that question, I answer in one of two ways; decline to state or other: human.

Posted inCulture

COMMENTARY: From Bracero to ‘Braincero’

by Álvaro Huerta

As a “guest” of the American government, my father—Salomón Huerta, Sr.—worked as a farmworker during the early 1960s under the Bracero Program. Officially known as the Mexican Farm Labor Program (1942-1964), this guest worker program recruited 4.6 million Mexican laborers to toil in America’s agricultural fields, along with the railroad and mining sectors.

Posted inIdentity

This Chicana from Chicago calls California home

by Teresa Puente

After years of being asked a version of this “Where are you from?” question, I don’t always answer it the same way. Sometimes I say I’m Latina. I’m involved in a campus group comprised of Latina women of different origins such as Mexico, Peru and El Salvador, and it makes sense that I say I’m Latina in that context. How I answer, how I identify, depends on the day and who is asking.

Posted inIdentity

Latinx, Hispanic, or Latino? What are we?

Calo news logo by CALÓ NEWS Editorial Board

As of late there has been increased debate over the term Latinx. Some have argued that the term Latinx represents a whitewashing of the community as it is an artificial label imposed on us. Others have argued that it actually diminishes the community by adding a pejorative “x.” A best practice would be to ask a person their preference, when relevant, and for us not to label or mislabel each other.

Posted inCulture

COLUMN: This Chicana from Chicago calls California home

by Teresa Puente

After years of being asked a version of this “Where are you from?” question, I don’t always answer it the same way. Sometimes I say I’m Latina. I’m involved in a campus group comprised of Latina women of different origins such as Mexico, Peru and El Salvador, and it makes sense that I say I’m Latina in that context. How I answer, how I identify, depends on the day and who is asking.