Rodolfo Francisco Acuña has been called the “father of Chicano Studies.” It’s a topic he knows well. Acuña is a historian, professor emeritus, and the author of Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, which tells the history of the Southwestern United States that includes Mexican Americans. The book has been reprinted five times since its [...]
Viernes Video: Negro – Latino Identity
During a week that saw the Pew Hispanic Research Center release a survey about how Latinos identify themselves — more prefer the term “Hispanic” versus “Latino,” this first installment in a planned series of documentaries about Latino identity is all the more relevant. Negro: Latino Identity is about how Latinos personally identify with both American [...]
Music in Video: Latino violinist “strings” his audience along — to great applause!
Who says Latinos don’t play the violin or the harp? Obviously, they’ve never heard of Carlos Reyes. Born in Paraguay and considered a child music prodigy, Reyes has traveled the world performing and producing. These days, he lives in the San Francisco Baby area and, as this video shows, enjoys “jamming” with fellow musicians, especially [...]
Video: Building a strong nation means creating strong readers
LatinaLista — Just what would it mean for the nation if our educational system continues to fail to deliver even basic education to students, especially it’s most vulnerable? The predictions border on the apocalyptic. A film by Literate Nation outlines the importance of not only an educated population but a literate one. Presenting facts about [...]
Viernes Video: Latina grad student launches Kickstarter campaign for thesis film on children recruited by cartels
LatinaLista — A thesis film by University of Southern California graduate film student Paloma Martinez begins with a disturbing statistic: “It is estimated that 30,000 minors have been recruited by (Mexican) drug gangs…” These children are recruited to complete a variety of dangerous and deadly tasks — smuggle drugs, act as assassins, extort money, etc. [...]
Video: Chicano painter remembers the height of Los Angeles’ Chicano art movement
Painter and muralist John Valadez shares his experiences as an artist participating in the Chicano art movement outside of East Los Angeles. Valadez, who takes as his subject the urban landscape and people of Los Angeles, was born, raised, and continues to live in L.A. His style might be compared to that of photorealists, however, [...]
