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

COMMENTARY: Our Latina Beyoncé is Karol G

Karol G helps people in need, especially in Latin America. In 2018, she decided to have all her concert profits in Guatemala go to the people affected by the Fuego volcano eruption. Then in 2020, she helped families affected by COVID-19 in Colombia. And thanks to her Con Cora Foundation (which is short for “con corazón,” “with heart”), women from all over South America have been given opportunities otherwise not available to them.

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 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 inEquity

THOMAS A. SAENZ, MALDEF president and general counsel on Latino leadership

Currently, the LA City Council consists of 14 council member: three Blacks, two Asian-Americans, four Whites, one Armenian-American, and four Latinos. District 6 is currently vacant after the resignation of Nury Martinez. Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund shares how common it is for Latinos to face under-representation when it comes to positions of leadership in LA.

Posted inGovernment

CALÓ EDITORIAL: We need more diversity in statewide appointments of power and leadership in California

Researchers at UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute released a report this month that analyzed appointees across California’s executive branch, including those on the state’s governing boards, commissions and departments. The report found that Latinos make up 18% of appointees from the governor and legislative leaders even though Latinos are 39% of the state population. Whites are over-represented at 36% of the state population but 48% of all appointees.

Posted inJustice

EDITORIAL: CA needs more diversity in statewide appointments of power

Researchers at UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute released a report this month that analyzed appointees across California’s executive branch, including those on the state’s governing boards, commissions and departments. The report found that Latinos make up 18% of appointees from the governor and legislative leaders even though Latinos are 39% of the state population. Whites are over-represented at 36% of the state population but 48% of all appointees.