Open Letter to Latina: The Year of the Latin@ Intellectual & the Fascinating Story I Missed – La Muerte de La Comay

Fascinating Story Number Six: The Year of Latin@ Intellectualism & Latin@ Intellectuals

One thing learned from the 2012 election: Neither candidate or media, advertising and marketing experts knew how the hell to deal with the growing Latin@ population. Between polls and surveys, seems like no one got quite right what Latin@s think or how we feel about “our” needs. It seemed that media journalists/academics who discussed Latin@ politics (without a Latin@ scholar/activist/intellectual at their discussion panels) looked confused, were misinformed, and seemed misguided. But we had our champions, our Latin@ public intellectuals who took to Facebook, Twitter, blogs and even their own shows to break through all the confusion among non-Latinos. And, we were all the more grateful for it.

Our biggest national champions throughout this time were Jorge Ramos, Maria Elena Salinas,  and Maria Hinojosa. With shows like Al Punto and their own shows such as Latino USA on NPR.  In fact, Jorge Ramos was noted by the  Washington Monthly as “The broadcaster who will most determine the 2012 elections…” Getting these Latino journalist-intellectuals in the same space is a real treat. Their journalism is characterized by their advocacy and have been part of our homes for years. You can watch them on Bill Moyers here. In this episode, Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas discuss why there has not been a Latino moderator for the presidential debates. Jorge Ramos responded, “We were not invited to the party, so we had our own.” Their push for more visibility of the Latin@ community is interestingly promoted by their own recognition that as much as they expect non-Latin@s to accommodate and recognize Latin@s, Latin@s in Spanish language media must also change to accommodate the newer generations of Latin@s who do not primarily speak Spanish. It is a must-watch episode.

Other Latino journalist-activists intellectuals include and Juan Gonzalez and Roberto Lovato  who push national imagination on immigration. 2012 was the year Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now), was finally made into a movie and reached a wide audience outside of the book’s readership. Others such as Roberto Lovato, were equally as important as he reminded Latin@s of the unfulfilled promise of an Obama administration capped by the deportation of over 1 million undocumented immigrants. Despite the unpopularity of spreading this truth, Lovato reminded us that Juan Crow, a term he coined, is alive and well in this “Post-Racial” era. He forces us to explore the role Latin@s play in a White Supremacist society headed led by a Black president. In fact, they all push us to think in this direction.

Where mainstream English language media lacked, Spanish language media, political blogs like the National Institute for Latino Policy and HP Latino Voices,  cultural blogs such as Capicu Culture and Latino Rebels, and Latina health bloggers as demonstrated here all provide us with insight into Latin@ lives in a way that surveys and polls cannot – and, it takes Latin@ intellectuals to do it.  Because we do it everyday – we take more than just snapshots of our community. We are not a summary and we are not items on a menu or agenda. We are THE fascinating story that continues to be ignored. And, as Jorge Ramos points out, if we don’t get invited to the party, we will make our own.

A final example of the strength of Latin@ intellectualism is Junot Diaz.  A Pulitzer Prize winner for his book The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao he is also a recent recipient of the coveted MacArthur fellowship, an honor that many Latin@s cheered almost like it was a soccer or baseball game. The combination of the Pulitzer Prize and the MacArthur Fellowship gave us our own personal genius in our modern Latin@ times.  His writing and his quest for decolonial love provides us with a different type of road map for Latin@ intellectualism – like many of the geniuses before him, they understood that at the heart of the matter is love. Self-love, love for your partner, and love for your people – a love free from the internalized oppression that makes us sell ourselves short, a love that doesn’t sell your people out for retweet or a Facebook like, a love that is free from White Supremacist values and if that cant be achieved – a love for the fight to end White Supremacy.

So now I wonder: What is the story you want to tell, Latina magazine, about your people? We can easily ask ourselves this, too.  What is the story we want to create for ourselves as Latin@s and as a community? One thing is for sure: I love my people and the work we do. Let’s push each other to do better, be better. Let’s see what we come up with in 2013.

Here is to Latin@-race-work-race-love filled 2013 full of fascinating Latin@ stories!!!

 

The Fascinating Story I Missed: La Muerte de La Comay

This story I missed until my friend and colleague Dr. Manolo Guzman wrote his thoughts on the end to La Comay. I have included his thoughts below. You can read more on the Boycott of La Comay here and here and here. 

El Rotundo Exito del Boicot a La Comay

by Manolo Guzmán on Monday, December 31, 2012 at 9:40am ·

La Comay ha sido castrada, Kobbo Santarrosa se quedó sin auspiciadores, y muchos de los que apoyan y aplauden el boicot nos hemos quedado boquiabiertos.

No sé por qué otros quedan con la boca abierta. A mi me cuesta aceptar que una respuesta en contra de la homofobia en PR, parte central de la protesta en contra de La Comay, haya tenido el éxito que en este boicot ha encontrado. Quizás 20 años son nada, pero, a lo mejor, los 35 años de exilio a cuesta de el odio homofóbico, sin salida y asfixiante, de los primeros 17 que viví en PR son algo y el boicot contra La Comay un éxito inesperado en el que ese algo se recoge.

Sobre este éxito debí haber escrito un artículo pero odio escribir las quince páginas que los escritos académicos, los que conozco, requieren para exponer una idea que no necesita más de una oración. Además soy vago para escribir. Así que al grano, el éxito de el boicot y los esfuerzos astutos de Carlos A. Rivera-Jones y los otros 75,000 entusiastas del boicot no sólo se manifiestan en la castración de una muñeca de trapo o en haberle hecho perder millones de dólares en auspicios a esta basura. No, eso es sólo parte de este rotundo éxito.

El verdadero éxito se vislumbra en el final de la producción del programa en vivo. Y lo que esto vislumbra es que los procesos de vigilancia han sido en alguna medida democratizados. WAPA TV, toda las estaciones de TV en PR, todas las estaciones de radio y todos los periódicos han perdido en esta batalla. Y todas estas instituciones [y el resto de el aparato que incluye una iglesia asquerosa y un departamento de la policía que es una vergüenza] saben que están bajo la vigilancia de un pueblo que completamente dentro de la ley le viró la tortilla del panopticón a medios de comunicación que se imaginaban altaneramente invulnerables e impunes además.

En un momento histórico en que está claro que los procesos de vigilancia no menguarán, quien se sienta detrás de las persianas desde donde se vigila es una de las luchas más importantes. Hoy todos los medios de comunicación e instituciones aledañas [curas, puercos, alcaldes y el resto de esa saorria ideológica] en PR saben que en un PR que se extiende mas allá de las islas municipios de Culebra y Vieques hay miles de puertorriqueños que los están velando y evaluando. Y lo que importa es precisamente eso, que se sienten velados, que se regulan internamente en relación a otra lógica mas complicada que la del mercado. Esa nueva distribución y práctica de la vigilancia ha sido el gran éxito de este boicot. Por que vendrán otras muñecas y otros auspiciadores, y, peor aún, quizá la muñeca castrada nunca se vaya; pero los procesos de vigilancia y la manera en que esos procesos se entienden, materializan, y experimentan cambiaron para siempre y por eso debemos estar de júbilo, sin tiros al aire por favor.

A lo mejor en algún lugar encontaré un jaca baya y en mi Collores un bohío arropa’o de los famosos cundeamores, por que tu sabes Puerto Rico que yo te I love you y que nunca bote el baby con la placenta.

La falta de matices me la disculpan. Para eso hubiese tenido que escribir las malditas quince páginas que mencione arriba y que tanto detesto.

¡Féliz 2013!

Open Letter to Latina: The Racialization of Latin@s, Healthcare, & the Latina Warrior

Fascinating Story Number Four: The Continued Racialization of Latin@s

Although Hispanic/Latino is an ethnic classification, Latin@s are a racialized people in the US.  Racialization is a process that occurs over time. Latin Americans have their own process of racialization and thus have their own brand of racism. Thus, it should not be a surprise that in the 2010 Census, Latin@s picked White as their racial classification of choice which helped increase the White population by six percent. However, if given the opportunity, Latin@s would choose “Hispanic” or “Other” as a race.  This has inspired the US Census to consider “Hispanic” as a racial category, removing the option to choose one of the traditional racial categories.  The racialization of the Latin@ population is not a new phenomenon; it is an ongoing process, one that still has many stories that have yet to be told and one that we should not expect to end.

Media provides a strong documentation of this process of Latin@ racialization. Interestingly, magazines like Latina and reality shows like Love &Hip Hop (LHH), Basketball Wives (BBW), The Real Housewives of Miami (RHOM) sitcoms such as Modern Family and the upcoming  biopic of Nina Simone have introduced different types of insights and conversations  about how Latinas are and continue to be racialized.  

Reality TV stars such as Evelyn Lozada (BBW) and Joseline Hernandez (LHH) raise questions about colorism:  while depicted as Black Women, neither has openly identified as AfroLatinas, despite passing as African American women on these shows.  The discussion of AfroLatin@s took a more overt and serious conversation when Zoe Saldana, (self-identified as AfroLatina), decided to take the role of Nina Simone, an African American woman. Saldana’s portrayal of Nina Simone is questioned not just because of her lighter skinned complexion (relative to that of Simone) but also in the varying differences and life chances that AfroLatinas may face as opposed to African American women, specifically dark skinned women,  in the US.

Joseline Hernandez (LHH) and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) demonstrate how language aids into the racialization process of Latinas, as they hyper exaggerate their inability to articulate in English (to the point of damn near ignorance) exacerbating this (perhaps purposefully) with heavy accents. In fact, making fun of the ways in which Latinas speak English has become so openly acceptable and public that even Ellen Degeneres jumped on the bandwagon by openly making fun of Sofia Vergara (talk about White Privilege) in commercials and on her popular show “Ellen”.

Finally, many of the women of RHOM identify as Latinas but their heavy use of surgery and their exaggerated Whiteness with the exception of “subdued” accents (as opposed to Vergara and Hernandez) that hint at their being bilingual has some questioning how White are they, really? Sandra Bernhard makes that question clear here. Unfortunately, even George Zimmerman entered into our racial imaginations when he conveniently disclosed that he is of Latin American descent via his mother in order to prove that racism was not a motive for murdering Trayvon Martin. This mis-use of “brown-ness” and choosing “Latina by convenience” is just another story that needs further exploration.

These examples not only provide an insight into how Latin@s are racialized in the US (and how we are all complicit in this racialization) but these stories also uncover another story: Black-Latin@ relations in the US. More needs to be said about we come together as communities and build to produce more excellent coalitions – and increase love between our people.

In summary, the racialization of Latin@s is happening not just at the government level but also in our homes as we are introduced to these Latinas via various forms of media.  Resources like the AfroLatin@ Reader, AfroLatina documentarians like Dash Harris, tumblrs and blogs like AfroLatin@ Project  and many other Latin@ Warriors, are important to help us make sense of all the projections of how we are, and will continue to be, racialized.

Fascinating Story Number Five:  Latina Warriors and Healthcare

Latin@s are the least likely to have heath care insurance and three times more likely than Whites to be uninsured. Sadly, they are also often on the frontlines of recovery efforts when natural and man made disasters such as Hurricane Sandy occur.  The combination of the two is a cause for  policy concern. The impact of Hurricane Sandy, much like Katrina, proved to be more devastating than the actual storm: many questions are left unanswered as to how undocumented immigrants and other uninsured Latin@s will be able to access adequate health care while also aiding into recovery efforts.

At a more personal level, I want to turn our attention to author Sofia Quintero, also known as Black Artemis and self-identified Cancer Warrioress. Her story is an amazing one: as an author known for her insightful and amusing portrayals of Latin@ teenagers and young adults, her writing took a turn when she embarked on the quest toward health from breast cancer.  She began with announcing her news via videos to friends and family, and took her daily journey to Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.  There, we witnessed her grappling with Audre Lorde, who also took a public stance against breast cancer, her feelings about shaving her head after realizing she would lose her hair, and her tension with treatments and mastectomy. Her journey caught the attention of Cosmopolitan Latina, who published a four-part series of her story. 

Given the context described above regarding Latin@s and healthcare, it is not a surprise that illnesses such as cancer is not openly discussed in Latin@ communities. Not many of us know what to say, how to act, what to do, when a loved one becomes ill. Thus, by sharing her story, Sofia Quintero used her journey, her life, to serve her community. A once private illness, Sofia’s personal journey and road to physical and emotional recovery and taking this to a Latin@ public – merits a mention for fascinating Latin@ stories.

Open Letter to Latina Magazine -The Fascinating Stories Missed: Librotraficantes, La Casa Azul Book Store, & La Diva

Fascinating Story Number 2: Latin@s, Librotraficantes, and [Literally] the Ongoing Struggle to Make Fascinating Latin@ Stories

Arizona keeps hitting us with their racist heart.  On January 2012, the Tucson Unified School District were ordered to end their Mexican American Studies program (MAS) and if they didn’t, state funding would be withheld. The MAS program, which improved the retention and college going rates among their students, was deemed to “promote ethnic resentment” against Whites. Subsequently, Sean Arce, MAS’s director, was fired despite having won awards for being an outstanding educator. As any movement demonstrates, Sean Arce was just one of the fascinating Latin@ stories to emerge from this oppressive climate.

Meet Tony Diaz, self-proclaimed “book trafficker” otherwise known as El Librotraficante. Book trafficking is one response to banning books in TUSD, inciting new grammar for Civil Rights and a new revolutionary movement. According to the UK Guardian: “the group has been caravanning throughout the south-west holding readings, setting up book clubs, establishing ‘underground libraries’ and dispensing donated copies of the books that have been removed from Arizona’s public school curriculum.” Luckily, book trafficking spread outside of the Southwest, venturing out to the Northeast via several venues such as CBO’s, colleges and universities, and a little Latin@ Book Store in East Harlem, NY called La Casa Azul Bookstore.

While Arizona was in the business of banning books, a bookstore opened – dedicated to providing a space for Latin@ authors to flourish and inspire future Latin@ to see themselves as authors of “fascinating Latin@ stories”. Founded by Aurora Anaya-Cerda, La Casa Azul is not just a bookstore – it is also becoming a hub for Latin@ literati and a site of protest.  On September 21, 2012, La Casa Azul Book Store was one of the sites that held a “50 for Freedom of Speech”  event hosted by Charlie Vázquez  and Rich Villar.  Indeed, while this itself is a fascinating story, people like Sean Arce, Tony Diaz and places like La Casa Azul Bookstore protect the right to create truly fascinating Latin@ stories.  Salute.

Fascinating Story Number 3: Living in Two Worlds -  What Jenni Rivera’s Death Revealed About the Fascinating Story of Latin@ Reality in the US.

Jenni Rivera, Latina Banda super star, star of Bilingual Reality TV show “I Love Jenni”, actress and business woman and Long Beach, California native died on Sunday, December 9, 2012 in a plane crash that left her fans stunned and wondering why did another Latina role model have to die such a horrible death?  Her death was also the first time many Americans learned about La Diva, a story that highlights the cultural segregation that exists in the US as it pertains to Latin@s. Among those who observed this cultural divide in the media, fiercely pronounced by Rivera’s death,  included Gustavo Arellano who called the LA Times “the biggest sinner”  for completely ignoring any story on La Diva until her untimely death. This was not missed by many a Latin@ media pundit: Jorge Ramos tweeted the following: “La cobertura de TV en español x la muerte del Macho Camacho y Jenni Rivera no la entienden los medios en ingles…por eso caen sus ratings”.

The story of the two “parallel worlds” that Latin@s seem to live in, the cultural segregation that resides within the US, is just ONE REASON why magazines like Latina are so important: while it may not be in Latina magazine’s mission to provide accurate depictions of Latin@ life, they only seemed to cover entertainers like Jenni Rivera when there is gossip, both good and bad. Among the important pieces of gossip on which only Latina magazine seemed to pick up was the upcoming sitcom that Jenni Rivera was scheduled to star in – one reflecting her realities as a single mom working and fighting for her children’s socio-economic success.

The significance of her death, when understood in this way, merited an important reflection for media pundits, but most specifically magazines like Latina. Instead, this fascinating story, that provides an insight into how Latin@s are represented, was trumped by murderers like George Zimmerman who only recently found out he was Latin@ when accused of racism in the death of Trayvon Martin. Perhaps Gustavo Arellano should have included Latina magazine among the sinners for not just ignoring the lives of Latin@s completely (as he has acused the LA Times of doing) – but for also promoting the wrong kind of attention for the sake of a sale, a retweet, and  a Facebook like.