The local Latino literary world once again burst into life as Léa LA, the Los Angeles Spanish-Language Book Fair and Literary Festival, hosted its annual event at the La Plaza de Cultura y Artes. From September 14 to 17, LA became a dynamic epicenter celebrating the wealth of Spanish literature and culture. The event was founded by Marisol Schulz Manaut, an editor, cultural journalist and expert in the literary and editorial worlds. She has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the most influential women in Mexico and a visionary in the world of literature. Léa LA offered attendees a unique opportunity to embark on a literary journey that spans genres, styles and perspectives.
Category: Representation
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Latino organizations and culinary experts demand representation in industry leadership roles
Last month, The Latino Restaurant Association (LRA) along with the support of culinary experts and Latino organizations, signed and sent a letter to the non-profit culinary organization, the James Beard Foundation (JBF), asking for a change in their leadership roles.
In JBF’s leadership roles, Latino organizations, and culinary professionals have noticed that there is no equal and proportional representation of Latinos on their Board of Trustees.
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A Place Called Home community center kicked off Latinx Heritage Month with commemorative theater festival
A Place Called Home is a South Central youth development center in South LA. The center organized a four-day theater festival, “El Centro Del Sur: Tu Hogar,” which runs Sept. 14-17 in honor of Latinx Heritage Month.
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Jenny Juárez, aka Bratty, is a Mexican-born surfer pop singer about to release her third album
Jenny Juarez also known as Bratty went from performing at restaurants, bars and gardens in 2017 to being the only Mexico-born artist taking the stage at the 2023 Coachella festival.
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The Fight Continues: Community Activists Remember the Chicano Moratorium 53 Years Later
The Chicano Moratorium movement of Aug. 29, 1970, was built up from years of frustration among community members who united against educational and social inequalities, with emphasis on the disproportionate percentage of Chicanos killed daily in the war. Today, Chicanos and Latinos continue to celebrate and remember the moratorium.
Posted inOpinion
Dolores Huerta urges Latinos to box office to see ‘Blue Beetle’
This weekend, the Warner Bros film is expected to be the first film to bump “Barbie,” another Warner Bros film, from the No. 1 spot at the box office. Hailed as a possible crowning moment for Latinos as “Black Panther” was to the Black community, DC’s first Latino-led superhero movie. Latinos make up almost a third of all box office tickets and represent 27% of online streaming audiences, according to the 2022 Latino Donor Collaborative Latinos in Media Report. They also are incredibly loyal. Follow Huerta’s advice, show up for “Blue Beetle.”
Posted inEntertainment
Peso Pluma fans flocked to Inglewood to see the regional Mexican musical phenom
Peso Pluma, the musical artist from Jalisco, Mexico, has made significant waves in the genre of music known as Corridos Tumbados. The genre is an updated sound of traditional Mexican corridos and rancheras that sprinkles in references to contemporary youth culture. The singer’s rise in popularity in the U.S. has been meteoric, connecting with a new generation of crossover listeners. His new album, Génesis, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
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Rafael Fernandez is creating a revolution for Latinos in the digital media space
Driven by a passion for creating opportunities and diversity in the digital media landscape, Rafael Fernandez, Jr. has been committed to bringing positive change to the media industry. Fernandez decided to create Todo Wafi to help bring more change to the industry.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: As a Latina, why I never saw myself in Barbie
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Barbie. She was blonde, thin, tall, the Americanized standard of beauty. As a young woman growing up in the early 1970s, Barbie made me feel ugly. I was nothing like her idealized beauty as a Brown, curvy, petite woman. I kinda hated Barbie because I knew I would never look like her. It took me into my 20s to see in myself that Brown is beautiful too.
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Andrea Navedo, known for her role on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, releases her first book this summer
Seeing limited Latina representation in entertainment growing up kept the Puerto Rican actress from voicing her true passion until later in life. Fast forward to her Jane the Virgin role, where she made space for more authentic characters in the community.
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PBS’s America ReFramed to release documentary film, “FROM HERE,” which focuses on identity and migration in the U.S. and Germany
The documentary film, which is brought to us by WORLD and American Documentary, follows the lives of four artists and activists who are not only fighting to belong in the height of growing nationalism but in societies, New York and Berlin, that are exceedingly hostile toward their existence. The inspiration behind this film came from Antonakos-Wallace’s experience growing up as a Greek-American in Seattle, Washington. Raised as part of the Greek Orthodox, which tends to be sexist and homophobic, and exploring her own identity, the filmmaker wondered how culture changes and what people do with their traditions as they’re fighting for progressive change.
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MARIA TWENA, author of animated series about Latino families navigating two worlds, two cultures
Growing up as the daughter of a Spanish father and a Cuban mother, (Lopez) Twena soon realized how different her life was compared to others who surrounded her. Living in a non-Hispanic neighborhood in New Orleans but born in Miami, Florida, Twena noticed the differences growing up in a Hispanic household compared to her life outside of her home, specifically when she first started primary school. Eventually, she landed on the idea of MariVi: The Master Navigator, a book series created and written by Twena.