LATINE HERITAGE MONTH Toolkit
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MULTICULTURAL RESOURCE CENTER & FUERZA LATINA
1
RESOURCE TOOLKIT FOR THE UALBANY COMMUNITY
To help you celebrate Latino/a/e/x Heritage Month (LHM) in September and October, the Multicultural Resource Center in collaboration with Fuerza Latina has created a toolkit that provides a host of resources to help you explore, plan, communicate, and engage your teams on this significant month.
This toolkit contains links to videos, photos, articles, and shared folder to be used at the University at Albany to explore the heritage, culture, and experience of Latino/a/e/x heritage people both historically and in American life today, while also sharing the various ways our Fuerza Latina collaborates with the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement.
1. Getting Started
a. An Overview of Latin American & Caribbean Identity
b. Heritage Month Theme
2. Getting Involved
a. Fuerza Latina
b. Latinx movies and documentaries
c. #LatinidadisCancelled
3. Taking Action
a. Resources and further information
b. Dia de la Bandera 2/24
c. Shared Resource Folder, click here.
AN OVERVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN IDENTITY
Latin America and Caribbean has a rich and diverse history of indigenous cultures, European colonization, African slavery, and global immigration that makes it complex and difficult to describe its people with a single ethnic category or identifier
What we consider today as Latin America and Caribbean has been shaped by hundreds of years of European imperialist rule, battles for independence
2
Figure 1. The logo that will be used to unify our efforts in educating our UAlbany community about the historic and ongoing oppression that is faced by the Latino/a/e/x community
Figure 1 created by Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director of Intercultural Student Engagement
from colonial powers, civil and world wars, and both voluntary and involuntary migration. (The effects of urbanization under colonial rule and after independence are explored in detail in the exhibition The Metropolis in Latin America, 1830–1930, which focuses on the rise and development of six capital cities in Latin America.) To learn more, click here
HERITAGE MONTH THEME
Behind the Scenes: Shaping the American story. From the Chicano Movement establishing rights and reform, to Puerto Rico’s fight against it becoming a tax haven, Latine’s have strived and fought to establish a sense of identity in America. Although they make up 20% of the US population, they continue to be misplaced, underpaid, and underrepresented. This Latine heritage month, the MRC and Latine organizations aim to educate the UAlbany community on the resilience and influence Latine has had throughout history. Beyond delicious food or trendy music, you will have a newfound appreciation for Latine heritage.
WHAT IS HISPANIC/LATINX HERITAGE MONTH?
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx and Hispanic communities. The event, which spans from September 15 to October 15, commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large.
The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin regardless of race. On the 2020 Census form, people were counted as Hispanic or Latino or Spanish if they could identify as having Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” Hispanic Heritage Month began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown.
The push to recognize the contributions of the Latinx community had gained momentum throughout the 1960s when the civil rights movement was at its peak and there was a growing awareness of the United States' multicultural identities.
3
FUERZA LATINA
In 1972, Fuerza Latina was created at the University at Albany to provide a service and support network for students of Latino descent, a startling small demographic. However, our goal is not to do this independent of or separated from the rest of the community.
Today, Fuerza Latina is an all-inclusive, Latino-based group dedicated to exploring all aspects Latino. Our aim is to delve into current issues within our community as well as our rich, intricate history and our diverse global roots. Through this exploration we aim to create a truly multicultural experience; and we are dedicated to unifying our community by tapping this inherent connection.
Equally important as our connection to other organizations are the bonds within our own. Our goal is to involve, enrich, and empower our members with skills to become active agents of positive change within their specific communities and their own lives.
WHERE DID THE TERM “LATINX” COME FROM?
The word "Latinx" originated in the mid-2000s "in activist circles primarily in the U.S. as an expansion of earlier gender-inclusive variations such as Latino/a (with the slash) and Latin@ (with the “at” sign)," says Joseph M. Pierce, an assistant professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature at Stony Brook University. "The 'x' does not imply a specific gender as would the 'o' (masculine) or the 'a' (feminine) for nouns in Spanish and is meant to disrupt the grammatical binary that is inherent in this romance language." To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• The gender-neutral term that’s supposed to be for everyone, well, isn’t. Here is a comic to help you understand why. - https://www.vox.com/thehighlight/2019/10/15/20914347/latin-latina-latino-latinx-means
• For Some Black People, The Term ‘Latinx’ Is Another Form of Erasure -
https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyz9ak/black-diasporans-latinx-term-another-form-oferasure
4
Figure 2 Mexico, Colombia and Argentina discussing Latinx b y Terry Blas .
LATINE VS. LATINX: HOW AND WHY THEY’RE USED
The terms we use to refer to other people and ourselves can communicate a lot about identity, and sometimes even a single letter can make a big difference. Perhaps you know the words Latino and Latina. But have you encountered Latinx or Latine? Even if you have, you might still be confused about why they’re used and whether there’s a difference. To learn more, click here.
FOOD IS A CULTURAL CONNECTION
Traditionally, food represents a strong symbolic component in Latino communities. It brings connections to their roots, cultural heritage, and identity. Food brings families together in unison as eating with family is valued in the Latino culture. Therefore, food brings a sense of togetherness as it cues the importance of family. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Honoring Traditions Through Food This Hispanic Heritage Month -
https://www.modernwellnessguide.com/hispanic-heritage/honoring-traditions-throughfood-this-hispanic-heritage-month/
• Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Diversity in the Fight Against Food Waste - https://refed.org/articles/latino-and-hispanic-heritage-month-celebrating-at-theintersection-of-food-waste-and-diversity/
• Latino communities experience hunger at a much higher rate -
https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/latino-hunger-facts
5
Figure 3 Orange and white background, latinx or latine
reasoning of use of the word.
Figure 4 , Green boarder and white background with food and LHM logo
INDIGENEITY IN LATIN AMERICA
Issues of indigeneity, along with mestizaje racial and cultural mixtures of African, indigenous, and Spanish ancestries and cultures that came as a result of the European colonization of the Americas are core aspects of Chicana and Chicano and Latina and Latino identities, histories, and cultures.
~ Indigeneity by Arturo Aldama, Clint Carroll, Natasha Myhal, Luz Ruiz, and Maria RuizMartinez
Additional resources:
• Who are the Indigenous and Tribal People of Latin America and the Caribbean? -
https://www.fao.org/3/cb2953en/online/src/html/who-are-the-indigenous-and-tribalpeoples-of-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.html
• How is culture in Latin America influenced by Indigenous cultures -
https://www.sherlockcomms.com/blog/culture-latin-influenced-indigenous/
• Indigenous Latin America in the Twenty-First Century -
https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/lac/brief/indigenous-latin-america-in-the-twentyfirst-century-brief-report-page
• List of Indigenous Peoples of Latin American countries - https://mtci.bvsalud.org/en/listof-indigenous-peoples-of-latin-american-countries/
TAINOS: INDIGENOUS CARIBBEANS
The Taino were an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico. To learn more click here.
Additional resources:
• What Became of the Taino?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/whatbecame-of-the-taino-73824867/
• Anacaona by Marie-Agnès Sourieau, Ph.D. - http://islandluminous.fiu.edu/part01slide07.html
6
Figure 6 Yellow and brown background with status of Anacaona and LHM logo
Figure 5
Map of the slave trade
• Watch The Queen Who Battled Christopher Columbus | Queen Anacaona
• Anacaona: The Golden Flower Queen Killed for Refusing to Be A Concubinehttps://culturacolectiva.com/en/history/anacaona-haitian-queen/
THE LONG HISTORY OF ANTILATINO DISCRIMINATION IN AMERICA
School segregation, lynching and mass deportations of Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are just some of the injustices Latinos have faced. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Latino Civil Rights Timeline, 1903 to 2006https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroomresources/lessons/latino-civil-rights-timeline1903-to-2006
• US Law Based on Anti-Latino Racism Fuels Immigration Fighthttps://apnews.com/article/politics-unitedstates-government-nevada-legal-proceedings-crime02c75d9eebb0f972f18d305af0c7c748
BLACKNESS AND LATINIDAD ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Latinidad – a fabricated geopolitical identity that contains the complexities of immigration, colonialism, legal status, class, some nation(s), one language, and erases Black and Indigenous experiences.
The Problem with Latinidad
Though positioned as an all-inclusive cultural identity, Latinidad has historically proven to be a term beneficial to a select few. Gauging one’s proximity to whiteness – gender, sexual preference and able-bodied privileges included –Latinidad incites the question, who is included and, ultimately, excluded from its definition? To learn more, click here.
7
Figure 7 Pink and white background with image of someone in a cage
Figure
8 Black and white image with we are also black in Spanish
Centering Black Latinidad: A Profile of the U.S. Afro-Latinx Population and Complex Inequalities
For many Afro-Latinxs, the simultaneity of phenotype, culture, parent’s birthplace, and language create a unique experience relegated to the margins of “Latinidad” and “Blackness.”1 The term Afro-Latinx most often refers to people of visible or self-proclaimed African descent from Latin America and the Caribbean, whether they currently live in the Caribbean, the Americas, or elsewhere. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Watch Breaking Down the Anti-Blackness of Latinidad 9 min 52 sec
• “Latinidad” as Erasure: Words from a Critical Discussion on the SIgnle Narrative of Latinidad - https://www.uproot.space/features/latinidad-as-erasure
• Dismantling Anti-Blackness Together - https://nacla.org/news/2020/06/09/dismantlinganti-blackness-together
• Watch Racism Is Also a Latino Issue: Puerto Rican Protesters Speak Out | NBCLX
• Afro-Latinidad Series - https://www.worldoutspoken.com/afrolatinidad-series
• Anti-Racist Resources: This is an evolving list of resources on Anti-Blackness, AfroLatinidad, and other related topics. - https://lacasa.yalecollege.yale.edu/anti-racistresources
COLORISM IN THE HISPANIC/LATINX COMMUNITY
Colorism is described as “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” It is a conversation, as well as a reality that is not mentioned as much as it should be, and when it is, the voice of those who are affected by it the most are invalidated and silenced. Although heavily intertwined, racism and colorism are not the same, instead, colorism is a branch attached to the tree of racism. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Watch Colorism and White Latinx Privilege
• Why Understanding Colorism Within the Latino Community Is So Importanthttps://imdiversity.com/villages/hispanic/why-understanding-colorism-within-the-latinocommunity-is-so-important/
8
Figure 9 Teal background with two people side by side. One is light skin and the other dark skinned. In between the people there is a paper bag with LHM logo
THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF LGBT
LATINO ACTIVISM
Queer Latinx people have been a powerful voice of change, transformation, and acceptance in both communities. But while they’ve been at the forefront of nearly every queer movement, Latinx, Afro-Latinxs, and indigenous people of color have long been marginalized even erased from our history. To learn more about Latinx queer icons, click here
Additional resources:
• Why Reinaldo Arenas Still Matters for Cuba’s LGBT Community -
https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/why-reinaldo-arenas-still-matters-for-cubaslgbt-community/
• Latino/Hispanic Heroes of the LGBT Community -
https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/LatinoHerosLGBT_0.pdf
• Hispanic LGBTQ Individuals Encounter Heightened Discrimination -
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/hispanic-lgbtq-individuals-encounterheightened-discrimination/
• Watch Virtual Summit LGBTQ+: Mi Gente, Siempre: Addressing Transphobia and Homophobia in the Latinx Community
• Preface: Rethinking Queer and Trans Latinx (or Queer and Trans Latinidad/es -
https://latinxtalk.org/2022/03/14/preface-rethinking-queer-and-trans-latinx-or-queer-andtrans-latinidad-es/
• Intersection of Latinx, LGBTQ communities discussed at Queer Latinidadhttps://dailyiowan.com/2017/10/03/intersection-of-latinx-lgbtq-communities-discussedat-queer-latinidad/
• Religion and Coming Out Issues for Latinxs - https://www.hrc.org/resources/religionand-coming-out-issues-for-latinas-and-latinos
• 12 Latinx LGBTQ TV Characters Who Made Us Feel Seen -
https://www.etonline.com/12-latinx-lgbtq-tv-characters-who-made-us-feel-seen-154398
CHANGING FAITHS: LATINOS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN RELIGION
To explore the complex nature of religion among Latinos, the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life collaborated on a series of public opinion surveys that totaled more than 4,600 interviews, constituting one of the largest data collection efforts conducted on this subject. The study examines religious beliefs and behaviors and their association with political thinking among Latinos of all faiths. It focuses special attention on Catholics, both those
9
Figure 10 Black and purple background with a black and white photo of Reinaldo Arenas and quote on his fight for LGBT rights
who retain their identification with the church and those who convert to evangelical churches. To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• American Latino Theme Study: Religion -
https://www.nps.gov/articles/latinothemereligion.htm
• Most Latinos in the US used to identify as Catholic. Not anymore. -
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/13/what-religion-do-us-latinosclaim-increasingly-not-catholicism/11651400002/
LATINAS ARE PUSHING A POLITICAL REVOLUTION
“Latinas are exploring the world of politics more than ever before. The field traditionally dominated by men has seen a shift over the last few years.” ~ Lourdes Duarte
The challenges that women face as political candidates can be compounded by race. In the case of Latinas, stereotypes as well as national media coverage and labeling of “Latino” issues potentially creates an electoral burden for Latina candidates at the local, state, and national level. The intersection of race and gender is complicated and often creates more questions than it answers. ~Latinas in American Politics
Additional resources:
• Column: Black women and Latinas are poised to start a political revolution without white women - https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/dahleen-glanton/ct-trump-womenvoters-20201111-rmuaw5q4gvgyfbt4fxbqpmbcpi-story.html
• Watch How Are Latinos Changing Politics and How Are Politics Changing Latinos? 1 hr. 12 mins 58 sec
• The First but Not the Last: 9 Latinas Who Made Political History -
https://sheshouldrun.org/blog/latinas-who-made-political-history/
• There are a record number of Latinas running for office, it’s still not enough -
https://aldianews.com/en/politics/women-politics/more-latinas-needed
LATINX/HISPANIC COMMUNITIES & MENTAL HEALTH
For the Latinx/Hispanic community, mental health and mental illness are often stigmatized topics resulting in prolonged suffering in silence. This silence compounds the range of experiences that may lead to mental health conditions including immigration, acculturation,
10
Figure 11 Red, white and blue background with stars stating Latinas are pushing a political revolution with quote and ISE & LHM logo
trauma, and generational conflicts. Additionally, the Latinx/Hispanic community faces unique institutional and systemic barriers that may impede access to mental health services, resulting in reduced help-seeking behaviors. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• National Alliance on Mental Illness: Hispanic/Latinx - https://www.nami.org/YourJourney/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/Hispanic-Latinx
• Why We Should Be Talking about Mental Health among Latinx Communities -
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/why-we-should-be-talking-about-mental-healthamong-latinx-communities
LATINO CLIMATE JUSTICE
"Latino communities from Texas to California to Puerto Rico are the hardest hit when these climateinduced disasters occur," says Michael Méndez, who studies climate policy and environmental justice at the University of California Irvine. "They absolutely have a real-world connection to our changing climate."
Latinos in the U.S. are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to experience heat waves, powerful hurricanes, sea level rise and floods, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And that risk will only grow as the Earth heats up. For example, the EPA estimates that Hispanic and Latino people are more than 40% more likely to live in places where it will frequently be too hot to work a full day outside.
More severe heat waves are a major problem because millions of Latinos have jobs that require them to be outside. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Latino Climate Justice Framework - https://www.lcjf.greenlatinos.org/
• Latino Communities and the Climate Crisis -
https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/documents/LatinosandtheClimateCrisis_Factsheet_ Oct2020_Final3.pdf
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus discusses environmental justice -
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/04/27/congressional-hispanic-caucusadvocates-for-environmental-justice-for-latino-communities
• The Effects of Climate Change on Hispanic and Latinx Communitieshttps://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-effects-of-climate-change-on-hispanic-andlatinx-communities
11
Figure 12 Black background with stars and earth stating there is no plan b for the planet climate justice now
HOW LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN COULD INSPIRE AND INFORM THE U.S. FIGHT FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, six countries still ban abortion in all cases, even when the life or health of the pregnant person is in danger or when the pregnancy is unviable or caused by rape or incest: the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Suriname.
In the majority of the LAC countries where abortion is legal, states usually have one of two types of regulations:
1. The grounds model: in this model, abortion is criminalized except in some specific circumstances, such as when the pregnancy is the result of rape, is inviable, or exposes a risk for the life or health of the pregnant person. However, data from local and international organizations have shown that it is an inefficient and insufficient model because women and girls whose situations fell within the legal exceptions faced obstacles as the lack of public information about the scope of legal grounds for abortion; health facilities imposing arbitrary hurdles or waiting periods; health officials reporting patients who need access to post-abortion care to law enforcement; not having health facilities nearby to access adequate and safe abortion care services; criminal prosecution; stigma; mistreatment by health professionals; and a narrow interpretation of the exception that permits abortion to protect the person´s health and life; among others.
2. The mix model: under this model, access to legal abortion services is not conditioned on compliance with specific requirements, at least during that period in which unrestricted abortion is allowed. This is the latest model used in Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, and some states in Mexico. After this period of time a grounds model continue to exist.
Worldwide there is a third model that we truly believe should be the path for legal abortion: the decriminalization model. This model, incidentally, has just been recommended by the World Health Organization. Countries such as Canada and New Zealand, some cities in Australia, and the state of New York eliminated the crime of abortion from the penal code, recognizing that abortion is an essential health care service and needs to be regulated only through health regulations. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• Latin American feminists vow to continue fight for abortion rights in 2023https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/latin-america-caribbean-abortion-rightsfeminists/
12
Figure 13 Two women at a rally holding green and black
signs for reproductive rights.
• Lecturer Discusses Role of Social Movements tin Fight for Reproductive Rights in Latin America - https://cornellsun.com/2021/11/09/lecturer-discusses-role-of-socialmovements-in-fight-for-reproductive-rights-in-latin-america/
• How Latin American Women Can Keep Fighting for Abortion Rights and Winhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/01/how-latin-american-women-can-keep-fightingabortion-rights-and-win
• Abortion Rights in Latin American and Caribbean: An Unsettled Battlehttps://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/publications/giga-focus/abortion-rights-in-latinamerica-an-unsettled-battle
• The long history of forced sterilization of Latinashttps://unidosus.org/blog/2021/12/16/the-long-history-of-forced-sterilization-of-latinas/
MUSIC, ACTIVISM, AND SOLIDARITY IN THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN DIASPORA
Music is a universal language, and it is used to describe all sorts of human emotions and experiences. Including resistance and protest. Powerful lyrics have inspired change, encouraged those going through the struggle, and revolutionized the world. When major events have taken place in history, it was always accompanied by a soundtrack. Additional resources:
• How the Black and Latino Queer Community made Voguing a Form of Resistance - https://www.insider.com/voguingballroom-lgbtq-activism-anti-drag-legislation-2023-2
• Meet the Voices of Latin Protest Music - https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/latinprotest-music-voices-songs-of-change-9465634/
• Estoy Aquí: Music of the Chicano Movement - https://folkways.si.edu/learningpathway/estoy-aqui/music-of-the-chicano-movement
• 20 Protest Songs Written About the Latinx Struggle - https://hiplatina.com/protest-songsabout-the-latinx-struggle/
• From Nueva Canción to Tropicália: 5 Music Genres Born Out of Latin American Political Resistance - https://remezcla.com/lists/music/5-music-genres-resistance/
13
Figure 14 Black background with brown fist stating in spanish Black Lives Matter
RESOURCES
Take a Latin American, Caribbean, & U.S. Latino Studies course at UAlbany!
• Get to know the faculty in LACS!
6 ways to honor Latine Heritage Month
1. Try out Latin American flavors in the kitchen.
2. Try your hand at a new game like the card game Lotería.
3. Explore Hispanic and Latino traditions around celebrations.
4. Read books by Hispanic and Latino authors.
5. Make it a movie night >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
6. Hit the dance floor and learn the basic steps of salsa/merengue/bachata dancing.
Latino Authors to Readhttps://arapahoelibraries.bibliocommons.com/list/share/6 82768697/1270989629
Celebrate with these 30 must-stream shows featuring Latinx characters and storylineshttps://parade.com/1062072/lolamendez/best-latinx-tvshows/
100 Latinas – These women continue to influence through their leadership and inspire those around them. https://www.latinoleadersmagazine.com/mayjune2021/2021/7/14/100-latinas
5 Hispanic Leaders Who Changed Labor Historyhttps://blog.dol.gov/2021/09/15/5-hispanic-leaders-whochanged-labor-history
From Hollywood to Capitol Hill, here are 12 trailblazing queer Latinoshttps://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-popculture/hollywood-capitol-hill-are-12-trailblazing-queerlatinos-rcna2007
Nine Famous Latinx Immigrantshttps://www.ilctr.org/nine-famous-latinximmigrants/?gclid=CjwKCAjwhJukBhBPEiwAniIcNQu aWMUmcXLQKUcjb0UOe17eIvd8JAHRFYAzGsddho5qXinXEro6RoCIoQAvD_BwE
LATINE FILMS
Vivo 2021 1h 35m
First-ever musical adventure featuring all-new original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, will take audiences on an epic adventure to gorgeous and vibrant locations never before seen in animation.
Guava Island 2019 55m
A young musician seeks to hold a festival to liberate the oppressed people of Guava Island, even if only fora day.
Pelo Malo (Bad Hair) 2013 1h 33m
A nine-year-old boy’s preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother.
In the Time of the Butterflies 2001 1h 35m
Inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government.
LATINE DOCUMENTARIES
“Documentaries can open windows to our past. They allow us to re-live iconic moments in history. Below is a list of powerful documentaries exploring Latine history andcultureinAmerica.”PBS.org
Visions of Us: LGBTQ+ Latine Representation in TV & Film 2021 TV Miniseries
Visions of Us is a four-part digital documentary series that celebrates, uplifts and highlights some of the most groundbreaking queer Latinx characters and scenes in TV and Film, and the talent who brought them to life both onscreen and off.
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado 2020 1h 36m
Every day for decades, Walter Mercado – the iconic, gender non-conforming astrologer – mesmerized 120 million Latino viewers with his extravagance and positivity.
Paper
Children
2020
Far from the horrors at the US border, one family seeks safety and heals from the past, while bearing the weight ofanuncertainfuture.PAPER CHILDRENgoesbeyond the headlines to the subtle, intimate reality of four siblings who fled gang violence in Honduras to face the terrifying, labyrinth-like US asylum process. The film begins where most immigrant stories hope to end-with a family who has been reunited-but for how long remains to be seen.
14
HISTORICAL MOMENTS
CHICANO MOVEMENT
The Chicano movement emerged during the civil rights era with three goals: restoration of land, rights for farmworkers, and education reforms. But before the 1960s, Latinos largely lacked influence in national politics. That changed when the Mexican American Political Association worked to elect John F. Kennedy as president in 1960, establishing Latinos as a significant voting bloc.
After Kennedy took office, he showed his gratitude by not only appointing Hispanics to posts in his administration but also by considering the concerns of the Hispanic community. As a viable political entity, Latinos, particularly Mexican Americans, began demanding reforms in labor, education, and other sectors to meet their needs. To learn more, click here.
Additional resources:
• The Chicano Rights Movement PBS - https://www.pbs.org/video/chicano-rightsmovement-y13qkx/
• How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican American Identity and Fought for Change - https://www.history.com/news/chicano-movement
1968: THE YOUNG LORD’S ORGANIZATION/PARTY
In 1968, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez established the Young Lords Organization (YLO) at Lincoln Park, one of the most impoverished barrios of Chicago, Illinois. Modeled and inspired after the Black Panther Party (BPP), the YLO emerged from a Puerto Rican street gang to a community-based organization involved in advocating for minority access to healthcare, education, housing, and employment. The YLO was multiethnic and inclusive to African American, Latino/x, women, and LGBTQ membership, self-identified as “revolutionist nationalists” who rallied for Puerto Rico’s independence and power to the people and adopted a 13 Point Program and Platform a set of policies, responsibilities, and principles the organization lived by. The YLO expanded to other
15
Figure 16
Light yellow and purple background with image of Denise OliverVelez of the Young Lords
Figure 15 Yellow and black background with an image of a car and two people at a rally.
cities, including New York City, where a group of college students established a YLO chapter and renamed it the Young Lords Party (YLP). To learn more, click here
Additional resources:
• Denise Oliver-Velez
o http://www.shesbeautifulwhenshesangry.com/denise-oliver-velez
o https://www.blackwomenradicals.com/blog-feed/machismo-will-never-befucking-revolutionary-on-the-radical-rebelliousness-of-denise-oliver-velez
PUERTO RICO’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES
Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean Sea, has been a territory of the United States since 1898, after the U.S. defeated Spain in the Spanish-American war. It’s classified as an “unincorporated territory,” meaning the island is controlled by the U.S. government but is separate from the mainland. Puerto Ricans by birth have American citizenship and can move freely between the island and the U.S. mainland. But unlike Hawaii, Puerto Rico is not a state. That means it does not have voting power in Congress and its citizens can’t vote for the U.S. president but they can vote in party primaries.
~TIME MAGAZINE
As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is neither a state nor an independent country and politics over its status remain complicated.
LEY DE LA MORDAZA: THE LAW THAT MADE THE PUERTO RICAN FLAG ILLEGAL
Law 53 of 1948 better known as the Gag Law, (Ley de La Mordaza) made it a crime to own or display a Puerto Rican flag, to sing a patriotic tune, to speak or write of independence, or to meet with anyone or hold any assembly in favor of Puerto Rican independence. Anyone accused and found guilty of disobeying the law could be sentenced to ten years imprisonment, a fine of $10,000 dollars (US), or both.
Additional resources:
• Watch NowThis: La Borinqueña Sheds Light on the History of the Puerto Rican Flag
• The Puerto Rican Flag’s Evolving Colors Say a Lot About the Isalnd’s Relationship With Its Colonial Rulers - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/01/puerto-rico-flag-gaglaw-resistance-flag-colonialism/
• What independence for Puerto Rico could look like following natural disastershttps://www.npr.org/2022/10/05/1127047867/what-independence-for-puerto-rico-couldlook-like-following-natural-disasters
16
Figure 17 United States and Puerto Rico flag side by side
CALENDAR
To access our calendar, click here
Please note: Calendar will be completed closer to September 2023
17
CREDITS
Written by: Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director
Office
of
Intercultural Student Engagement
Contributors:
Dr. Alejandra Bronfman, Professor and Chair
Dept. of Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies
Design & Illustrations:
Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director
Office of Intercultural Student Engagement
Special thanks to Fuerza Latina for their support and input.
For more information about the Multicultural Resource Center or Fuerza Latina contact Arleny Alvarez-Peña, Associate Director for Multicultural, Interfaith, and Intersectional Affairs Email: aalvarez-pena@albany.edu
Phone: 518-442-5565
18
