In March, Fraijo Jr. launched his own firm, The Somos Group, an entirely BIPOC-led multidisciplinary group committed to broadening “equity goals and advancing the value and expertise of people and communities that have been historically underserved and undervalued.” Fraijo Jr. exudes confidence and control, with healthy dashes of humility and curiosity as he sits and readies himself for questioning. There is a stark difference between the accomplished man today and the 18-year-old senior whose high grades and acceptance to an Ivy League were featured in a 1995 LA Times article.
Category: Representation
Posted inLatinos
Community leader, local icon and proud Chicana, Gloria Molina passes away
The news is almost too much to take in. Gloria Molina has finished her journey on this earth and the outpouring of love and prayers being sent her away is a mere testament to the impacts she had on her people, her community and life in Los Angeles. Her passing Sunday was announced by family members of Molina on her Facebook page. The post began with these words: “It is with heavy hearts that our family announces Gloria’s passing this evening. She passed away at her home in Mt. Washington, surrounded by our family.”
Posted inRepresentation
CLAIRE RISOLI, owner of Pocha LA, merges Mexican and American cuisine and culture
On the corner of Branch Street and York Boulevard, snuggled nicely into the brightly colored homes surrounding it, lies one of Highland Park’s top restaurants, Pocha Los Angeles. A modern Mexicana restaurant rooted in tradition and Angelina Pride, Pocha LA merges Mexican and American cultures while maintaining respect for both in a healthy and vegan-friendly way. Although the restaurant was launched three years ago, the idea sprouted incidentally in January 2019 when Risoli, founder and owner of Pocha LA, added a printed-out “Pocha,” a derogatory term used by native-born Mexicans against US-born Mexican Americans who don’t speak Spanish well, to her vision board.
Posted inHealth
The nation’s Health Secretary has this Latina doctor on call
Reyes, a Harvard-trained physician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, got into medicine to help women obtain health care, especially underserved or marginalized people who face systemic racism. She’s seen progress, albeit slow, over three decades, yet the number of maternal deaths each year continues to rise. She is s married to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is championing the administration’s initiative to require all states to provide Medicaid coverage to mothers for a year after giving birth.
Posted inRepresentation
CALÓ ON THE STREET: What does Cinco de Mayo mean to you?
Cinco de Mayo, a yearly celebration, is often celebrated by going out with friends and family to eat and enjoy Mexican food, drink alcoholic beverages and enjoy some live entertainment. However, many people tend to commemorate this day by partying and drinking and are unaware of the actual event behind this holiday. A historical event that took place in a city in Mexico known as Puebla.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Why the term Latinx misses the mark
Latinx emerged as a response to the gender binary inherent in the Spanish language, which requires gender-specific nouns and pronouns. This practice is deeply ingrained in the language and has long been a source of frustration for non-binary and gender non-conforming people of Hispanic origin. Some argue that Latinx solves this linguistic problem. However, many Latin Americans find the term to be an imposition of non-Hispanic cultural values and a term that fails to respect and celebrate the linguistic and cultural nuances of Hispanic communities.
Posted inRepresentation
Spanish sin pena, erasing the stigma of non-fluency
Latinos who do not speak Spanish feel left out and looked down upon by other Latinos from their background. Some cannot speak to other relatives or feel like a fraud when they are around them since they can’t speak the language despite looking like them. It is important now more than ever for Latinos to speak Spanish, as the language is on track in the United States to have the most Spanish speakers by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Posted inUncategorized
YOLANDA GONZÁLEZ, Chicana artist showcases exhibition at MOLAA
Ending July 30, the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will be presenting the first in-depth exhibition, “Metamorphosis: the Evolution of the Visions and Dreams,” by Chicana artist, Yolanda González. A culmination of her earlier works in 1980 to those most recently created by González, “Metamorphosis: the Evolution of the Visions and Dreams,” is housed within two rooms.
Posted inRepresentation
Brookings Institution report on Black and Latino-majority cities in the U.S.
In a Brookings Institution report released on in January, titled “Recognizing Black and Latino-majority cities is the first step to finding a real world Wakanda,” authors Andre M. Perry and Manann Donoghoe of Brookings Metro made a connection between the film and ways Black and Brown people socialize and build community. Perry and Donoghoe wanted the report to reveal how there are cities where the majority of the population are Black and Latinos, it can signify cooperation between the marginalized groups. However, the report stated how it has not always been easy for racial coalitions to occur, and refers to the Los Angeles City Council scandal.
Posted inOpinion
COLUMN: CALÓ NEWS elevates Latino/a/x voices
Latino voices are rarely seen in the opinion pages of mainstream media. For example, only 4% of opeds published by the Los Angeles Times featured Latino writers, according to a 2020-2021 study by the UCLA Latino Politics & Policy Initiative.
Here at CALÓ NEWS we have elevated the voices of Latino/a/x journalists but also of Latino/a/x professors, doctors, activists, community leaders and students.
Posted inRepresentation
The Costa Chica’s Afro-Mexican culture is coming to San Bernardino
A special museum exhibit coming to San Bernardino this year will highlight a little-known aspect of Mexican culture: the Afro-Mexican community. The exhibit at the San Bernardino’s Garcia Center for the Arts will be titled “Afróntalo,” used here as a play on words. In English, the term means “face it.”
Posted inSports
Mother and daughter duo empower young Latina athletes to succeed
At a young age, Lilly Travieso became fascinated with the world of sports, specifically softball. As she began playing the sport throughout her early years in grade school, she soon realized she wanted to continue pursuing softball at higher and more competitive levels. She was eager to play the sport in college.