Latino USA

What would the future look like for low-income communities of color if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade?

Latino USA tells the story of resistance within this Mexican-American community—how it stood up against segregation and oppression in the past and how after such a devastating tragedy is trying to heal today.

When Roberto Carlos Lange chose his stage name, he didn’t want to limit himself. Helado Negro represented something unknown and unexpected—and for over a decade, that’s what he set off to explore in his music.

“Limbo” follows the story of Miguel Macias’ immigration journey after moving to the United States from Spain in 2001 when he was 25 years old. As we learn about the struggles that come with remaining connected to the homeland and the life-long dilemma of whether to return one day, “Limbo” dives into the ways in which migration and depression interlock. 

In this episode of Latino USA, tattoo and multimedia artist, writer, and oral historian Tamara Santibañez discusses their journey from printmaker to tattoo artist, and dives into the histories behind the art form, their own relationship with tattooing, and the possibilities that lie when taking ink and needle to skin. 

In the latest episode of our Genias in Music series —about the lives and work of notable women musicians— we dive into the complexities of Violeta Parra, a pioneer of political folk music in Latin America.

On this episode of Latino USA, sister-trio The Tiarras, best known for writing and performing catchy tunes that dive into themes of Latina empowerment and self-love, tells us more about the role sisterhood plays in their creative process and why they hope their art and journey inspire future generations of Latinos and Latinas.

Maria is joined by Julio Ricardo Varela, Voto Latino CEO Maria Teresa Kumar, and Jaime Longoria, manager of research and training for the Disinfo Defense League at Media Democracy Fund, to discuss who is behind disinformation campaigns, their impact on communities, and the organizing that is being done to counter these issues.

Grammy-nominated audio engineer and radio producer Jeanne Montalvo writes about her research on Mexican composer and lyricist Maria Grever and other unsung Latinas who changed the music industry forever.

In this episode of Latino USA, Maria Hinojosa sits down with Dominican-American poet Elizabeth Acevedo, the award-winning author of ‘The Poet X,’ to discuss how storytelling became an important part of her life, her identity, and the impact of her success.

In this special episode, Latino USA provides an update to a story we recently did about Melissa Lucio, the first Latina on death row in Texas. Melissa Lucio received life-saving news on April 25, 2022. “Have you heard the news?” Texas Republican State Rep. Jeff Leach asked Melissa on a phone call to prison. “No, […]

In this episode of Latino USA, singer Doris Anahi Muñoz walks us through the pivotal moments that took her from behind the stage to the very front and delves into how finding her voice was a way to choose herself. Doris Anahi Muñoz was growing up in a Christian household in San Bernardino, California when, […]

Latino USA fellows Elisa Baena and Monica Morales-García travel deep into a chismosa’s universe. In this episode, they ask: Why is chisme so addicting? What’s chisme’s relationship to power? And does it do more to build or destabilize communities?

In this episode of Latino USA, author Dahlma Llanos-Figueroapaints us a picture of her childhood in Puerto Rico, finding her own writing voice, and her spiritual mission to tell the stories of the Black Puerto Rican experience.

This episode of Latino USA is part of our series Genias in Music, remembering notable women and their contributions to their fields throughout history.

Veracruz native Silvana Estrada talks about connecting with audiences across the United States and beyond, finding inspiration in the world around her, and the making of her debut album, ‘Marchita.’ She also reflects on forging her own path in music and the formative experiences that made her the artist she is today.

In this episode of Latino USA, Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera —the first married couple to each receive a MacArthur Genius Grant at the same time— reflect on each other’s work as filmmakers, and share a glimpse of their life as collaborators, partners, and parents.

For this special episode, Latino USA goes to the rodeo—to “La Fiesta de los Vaqueros” in Tucson, Arizona, to be exact. Rodeo is a big deal in Tucson, so much so that schools shut down the last Thursday and Friday of February for Rodeo Weekend.

Janet Martinez from CIELO and Mariah Tso, a Diné cartographer from UCLA, tell us how they built the “We Are Here” map, and why visual representation of Indigenous migrant languages matters. You will also hear samples of those Indigenous languages, which are spoken in L.A. today.

In 2008, Melissa Lucio was convicted of capital murder after the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah Elizabeth Alvarez. She is the first Latina to be put on death row in Texas. Her family members and supporters believe she is innocent and did not receive a fair trial. Melissa has maintained her innocence.

Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel delves into heavy themes like colonialism in Puerto Rico, the gentrification of Brooklyn, and family abandonment—all through the tumultuous lives of a Nuyorican brother and sister with successful careers and their conflicted relationship with their revolutionary mother.