When it came to gratitude, my siblings and I learned from an early age that there was nothing worse than being ungrateful. We might not have understood exactly why, but my parents always told us that being malagradecidos was shameful. And even when it would have made perfect sense for them to be bitter and […]
Growing up we knew exactly what we were supposed to be. We were Mexicans, just like our parents, only unlike them, we were born here in the United States. Or so we thought. Then we got to the actual rancho in Mexico where both my parents grew up and it was immediately apparent that we […]
I know what you’re thinking. What is this, some type of joke? Why wouldn’t it be great to be Latino all of the time! ¿Verdad? Well, hold on to your sombreros and rebozos there for a second. It is. But this year in particular promises to be especially kind to us Latinos. Although you do […]
Wondering what Latino New Year´s Traditions are like? Twelve grapes at midnight. That’s what everyone hurriedly ate. They didn’t eat them like that any other time of the year. Nor was there ever as much fuss during the rest of the year about the color of the grapes or how sweet they were. But on […]
Juan Alanis shares 5 Latino Sayings that will help you transition to the New Year! You made it! We made it! Despite all of the chisme, predictions and Mayan-related craziness, it looks like we’re all going to make it to the Año Nuevo—New Year that is. And now, rather than obsessing about when our next […]
I remember one Christmas when we kids were completely resigned to the idea that we weren’t going to be getting any gifts at all that year. My mother had pulled my two brothers and me aside and given us the grave news as compassionately as she knew how. Papá hadn’t worked as much because of […]
When it comes to marketing to U.S. Latinos, there’s doing it, and then there’s doing it right. Everyone wants a piece of that reported $1.3 trillion pie—the annual buying power that Latinos in this country represent. Who can blame them, right? I mean there’s a whole bunch of us and we do like to buy […]
There’s never a dull moment in a telenovela! From the long and often theatrical pauses, the vicious tongue lashings, and the inevitable cachetadas, one after another, we can’t help but keep our eyes glued to the screen when we’re watching a good soap opera in Spanish. The best of them usually stay with us forever, […]
Latinos in higher education; we’re finally making it happen. The image that comes to mind is of Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver, grinning from ear to ear, fist-pumping with one arm in the air. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos are now, for the first time, the largest minority group among the […]