LatinaLista — Jesus Salvador Treviño (no relation to Latina Lista btw) is well known in Hollywood for being a trailblazing Latino filmmaker — he was one of the first to document the Chicano movement in Los Angeles in the 1960s; he directed the first cable TV show targeting the Latino market, Showtime’s “Resurrection Blvd.”; and he continues to be a force in filmmaking. Now, he can add Internet entrepreneur as well.
In 2008, I met Treviño at the 21st Centurty Chicano Activist Convention in Dallas, Texas. At the time, Treviño talked to me about creating a site where the average person could go to learn about Latino culture, food, history, music, etc. It would be a site that empowered Latinos and educated non-Latinos.
He called his site Latinopia.
Three years after that conversation, and a visit to the newly launched Latinopia site, it’s no wonder it took Treviño a while to unveil it. Given his film and social justice background, the site is video-centric covering a wide range of topics celebrating Latino talent, art and history.
Whether it’s featuring a trailer from a yet-to-be-released documentary or interviews with film and television pros or showcasing social justice songwriters or defining Chicano art, Latinopia is a site that is recording the Latino culture for posterity via video.
Treviño has also included an upcoming section on the site for teachers to download curriculum guides to help them share the history, accomplishments and pride that are found in the Latino culture — and need to be passed on to a new generation.
