Amplify Additional Resources
As we work to Amplify the voices of the undeserved and overlooked communities this is a place for continued discussion. Resources that further the discussion and showcase the need for change. Continue the conversation here.
Books
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes-sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous-Sandra Cisneros’ masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.
Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano
Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx.
Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism by Laura E. Gómez
Latinos have long influenced everything from electoral politics to popular culture‚ yet many people instinctively regard them as recent immigrants rather than a longstanding racial group. In Inventing Latinos‚ Laura Gómez‚ a leading expert on race‚ law‚ and society‚ illuminates the fascinating race-making‚ unmaking‚ and re-making of Latino identity that has spanned centuries‚ leaving a permanent imprint on how race operates in the United States today.
Movies
The Graduates / Los Graduados explores pressing issues in education today through the eyes of six Latino and Latina students from across the United States. More than a survey of contemporary policy debates, the bilingual, two-part film offers first-hand perspectives on key challenges facing Latino high school students and their families, educators, and community leaders. It is the story of the graduates who will make up America’s future.
Roma
The black and white film became one of the pivotal films of 2018 portraying the story of Cleo, an indigenous domestic worker played by first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio. Roma details the influence that domestic workers have in families as Cleo becomes a motherly figure to the four children in the household and a support-system for Sofía, the matriarch of the family. Not only did this film break records at the Academy Awards, but it also improved visibility being one of the few movies that feature an indigenous character in a lead role.
Dear White People
Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, this Netflix-original series follows a group of students of color at Winchester University, a predominantly white Ivy League college.
Articles
What Latinx means and its importance to the LGBTQ+ community
Sept. 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, a celebration of Hispanic and Latinx culture, impact and history.
Identity and terminology is important and distinct in the Hispanic and Latinx community. Specifically, the origin of Latinx is rooted in inclusivity and support of LGBTQ+ individuals. The term Latinx, added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is said to have been coined for people of Latin American descent who do not identify as men or women. It is pronounced (luh-TEE-neks), according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Millions of Voices, One People
An estimated 60 million Americans identify as Hispanic and/or Latinx. It must be noted that no one term can perfectly describe all the people of Latin American and Spanish-speaking descent, so when we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month we honor the contributions and accomplishments of brilliant humans with lineage from a vast geography. Among the millions we recognize are people who take pride in being descendants of over 20 different nations and people who proudly identify as Tejano, Mestizo, Afro-Latino, Hispanic, Taíno, Chicano, Nuyorican, Latinx, Indigenous, Isleños and so many more empowering labels.
‘Puro cash’: Latinos are opening more small businesses than anyone else in the US
SALINAS, Calif. – On the weekends, food truck owner Orlando Osornio, 30, and his wife, Denise, sell mile-high tortas, filled with California fusion-inspired ingredients: hot Cheetos, bacon, mango-habanero sauce, or pineapple. Some come for the birria torta, or the chicken-bacon-alfredo torta.
A line of customers winds its way around the side of his tent as meat sizzles on the grills. On the other side of the mesh, Osornio and his crew pack and stack toasted buns as fast as they can.
