Museums are keys to analyzing our past and understanding our present. Museums document and provide an enriching and educational look into culture. Few museums in the United States are dedicated to Latino culture and studies, yet those that do exist are rich with Latino cultural artifacts, art and are dedicated to educating their communities about their raízes. [...]

When looking around, people may not notice the wonderful talents and histories of other Latinitas with a simple glance. People may only notice the outside appearance of these girls, but not know their true talents. Latinitas sat down with talented Latinas to share their story with our readers. These talented Latinas represent some of the different [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí All the young Latinas in the room were mesmerized by the message these women represented. “Good Mexican daughters don’t ignite revolutions…This princess Chicana can scale walls with ease…I am a woman with no apologies,” were part of the spoken word performance presented by Griselda Munoz at the Latinitas Teen [...]

New Art in Austin: 22 to Watch is an exhibition presented by the Austin Museum of Art, that introduces 22 rising local artists and their artwork, made from an array of media, including sculpture, photography, video, painting, drawing, full installation pieces and yes….Post-Its!!! This exhibition was an adventure in sight, not only because it gave [...]

There are many times in a person’s life when being alone isn’t enough and a comforting ear is needed. Las Comadres is an organization that grew with women in need of a good listener. It is a national network of women who meet within their own community once a month to talk about friendship, tell [...]

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann follows the life of Daniel and his father, Marcelo, and their struggle to find the father-son relationship they left behind in Chile. Daniel Aguilar was born into a difficult time in Chile. Unfortunately, Chile was under the rule of Antonio Pinochet and the country was in a state of despair. Daniel’s [...]

Latinitas met with New Jersey/Dominican Republic native writer Junot Díaz on his most recent book tour through Austin, TX.  Díaz’s first novella Drown was received with national critical acclaim. He followed it with a Pulitzer-prize winning novel: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a story that flips back and forth between the awkward life [...]

In schools across the U.S, books by Latina authors are often overlooked. The reading list of assigned classics rarely include books from Latina authors even though their writing has gained significant momentum. These 10 Latina authors you should look out for.  These are authors whose writing we can identify with. Their books allow us to [...]

Author Kami Garcia was raised outside of Washington D.C, but always held a connection to the South. At the age of thirteen, Garcia and her family moved in with her grandmother and great-grandmother, both who grew up in small towns of North Carolina. Garcia grew up living the southern way, but couldn’t be more different [...]

The movie Earthlings sends the message to not ignore animal rights.  The documentary released in 2010 shines light on animal rights and the horrid ways of the meat industry. The movie is directed by Shaun Monson and Maggie Q. who are practicing vegans and narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. There have been videos exposing the meat [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí It may sound incredibly cliché, but there is only one word to describe the novel “Soul Surfer” – inspirational. Bethany Hamilton’s tragic but incredibly rousing story will without a doubt lift your spirits. Since the novel is written by Bethany, reading it feels as if you are simply having [...]

Award winning journalist Soledad O’Brien talks about her memoir, The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities, in an exclusive teleconference organized by Las Comadres, a Latina organization to empower women to become engaged in their community. O’Brien, a Harvard University graduate, is a CNN anchor and special correspondent. She has provided [...]

Where the Wild Things Are, a classic book by Maurice Sendak, has been made into a motion picture from director Spike Jonez and hits theaters on Friday, October 16. The story is filled with elaborate images of one boy’s imagination. The main character, Max, was sent to bed without supper after behaving wildly (his mom [...]

The festival concert circuit can produce some of the most fun, inspiring experiences. Or, others – weather not-permitting – shows in hot, humid and soaking rainfall conditions.  For some bands, Hurricane Sandy could be tearing the world down around you – and you still stay, watch, listen and love them.  So was my experience at Latinitas [...]

Spanish pop sensation, Belanova, is a group of  three friends (Denisse, Richie, and Edgar) that met in school in Guadalajara, Mexico and decided to fuse their musical talents and creativity together.  Five albums later they are one of the biggest names in Spanish pop with several awards including a Latin Grammy for “Best Pop album by [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí Rhythmic beats, Spanish lyrics, and rock and roll with a Latin touch define the independent music movement in Mexico and Latin America. For decades, bands such as Café Tacuba and Jaguares have been able to crossover in the United States and Europe, bringing attention to Latin America’s indie scene. [...]

If you don’t know who Pee Wee is, or even Irvin Salinas, don’t worry. Despite the fact that he was a singer since 2003, he is barely starting to come into his own. He first gained musical fame when he joined the Kumbia Kings, a Cumbia musical group headed by A.B. Quintanilla, and later the [...]

On April 16th, we celebrate the birthday of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) commonly known as the Queen of Tejano music. She released her first album at the age of twelve, won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, gained popularity in the early 1990s for her [...]

Are you gossip obsessed? Can you be trusted with important or embarrassing information? What do you do when others turn their backs? Take this quiz to find out! Jot down your answers and quiz yourself. 1. Your crush finally asks you out, you… A. Send out a bulletin on MySpace. B. Call your BFF immediately. [...]

If you were one of the millions of people who tuned into the 2012 Summer Olympics, you may have noticed that female athletes ruled the games. Women from all over the world were stealing both hearts and gold medals. A total of 58 medals were won just by the women of Team USA! If you [...]

I’m looking forward to football season because I cannot wait to cheer. All I can think about is those “Friday Night Lights.” I attend Clint High school, a school in West Texas in the middle of nowhere. The people there are so friendly and supportive. The reason I love football Fridays is because of the [...]

C-H-E-E-R! Cheer! My name is Lyseldi Ortiz, and I’m a proud cheerleader. There are lots of stereotypes out there about cheerleaders, but I love this sport. I’m a junior in high school and I’m 16 years old. I’ve been in cheering for about 14 years. I wouldn’t consider myself a pro-cheerleader, but I have experience. [...]

Kumary Giron, 16, and Lucky Rios, 15, are not your average wrestlers. They are fit, focused and female.  Playing for the varsity squad at their Central Texas high school, these two athletic Latinitas are breaking gender boundaries in sports while enjoying positive discipline and competition. <strong>Kumary:</strong> I’m in the 148 weight class. It’s tough to [...]

Ignoring the stereotypes that rough sports are only for boys, more and more girls today are taking up sports that have them in rough situations. One sport in particular, Roller Derby, is quickly rising again to popularity amongst the ladies. The Sun City Roller Girls are a group of your average, everyday women: students, professionals, [...]

Riding horses seems easy enough right? Well if you’re just riding them for fun yes. But riding them for competitions in a sport called Escaramuza is a whole other world. Liliana Galvan started riding competitively when she was 16 years old, now at the age of 20 she’s gained a little more experience and a [...]

At first glance, Washington Heights is just another canned MTV docu-reality show starring whiny young adults complaining about “drama,” and saying ‘like’ too much.  However, after a few episodes it becomes clear that this is no Jersey Shore substitute. Set in the Heights, a mostly Dominican, low-income neighborhood in Manhattan, the show follows seven 20-something-year-olds in [...]

The Latino population is growing every year in the United States and as a result schools are welcoming a new wave of Latinos students. They come with their own background, culture, language and they bring diversity into the classrooms.  As a Latinita, I feel that the inclusion of my culture in the curriculum could make [...]

The documentary film, Miss Representation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, will change your life.  Have you ever thought about how much media you take in on a daily basis?  There’s online social media such as Facebook and Twitter, sitcom and reality TV, listening to music, watching movies, and we can’t forget the glossy magazine covers that stare [...]

Joseph Nieves is a working actor in Hollywood, a harder feat than one can imagine. He has popped up in film, television shows and commercials from Volkswagen to Verizon, Law and Order to Southland.  He is of Puerto Rican descent and a native New Yorker. He talked to Latinitas about getting and staying in one of [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí Former best friends turned rivals in a common life passion, Josh Ayers and Omar Davila (along with Romeo Navarro) star in filmmaker’s Marcy Garriott’s 2007 Audience Award South by Southwest Film Festival winner, Inside The Circle. The breakthrough documentary captures B-boy and girl culture, a blend of music, hip- [...]

There are 65,000 undocumented students who graduate every year from high school without “papers.” Can you imagine growing up in the United States and graduating from high school just to learn that your options for higher education and a career in this country are extremely limited because of your immigration status? Many of these students [...]

The outcome was predictable. I, the girl who passes out in the doctor’s office because she has to have blood drawn, went to see the movie “300,” It’s rated R for violence, and as you may have guessed, I wasn’t crazy about it. You may think I shouldn’t have even bothered seeing it. But, like [...]

Club Latinitas watched Real Women Have Curves, a movie rated PG-13. These are their takes on the film. See if they think it kept them interested watching the second act. It is both romance and drama. It is about this girl, her name was Anna. She had a mom who thinks she is fat and [...]

Pirates of the Caribbean Review by Vianey Parra How would you rate the movie? (1-5 stars) 5 stars. What is the movie rating? PG-13 What is the movie category? Comedy, action/adventure, and drama. What is the movie about? The Black Pearl is an old pirate ship. You’d never guess it but the pirates on the [...]