WEST SIDE STORY, DINÉ DEFENDS IMMIGRANTS, DISNEY GETS KICKED IN THE PANTS AND MORE!

What up ‘opians! Your Tia Tenopia here with another great week of Latinopia. This week we have two exciting videos. In Latinopia Cinema we visit with pioneer Hollywood actress, dancer, choreographer and stage manager María Jiménez Henley as she tells us about how she landed the role of “Teresita” in the classic Robert Wise motion picture “West Side Story.”

In Latinopia Music we welcome our Navajo brothers and sisters in the form of Sihasin, an exciting music group who performed at the 2013 Border Book Festival in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Check out this awesome rocking performance! By the way, just as a reminder. Latinopia believes that our Native Americans brothers and sisters are part of the larger familia de la raza. Most Latinos carry some Native American blood in our veins–be it Aztec, Taino, Zapotec, Yaqui or any number of other nations. Latinopia is a home for all of us.

This week we have two returning monthly blogs. Don Felipe de Ortego y Gasca reviews a number of current literary happenings in New Mexico and Texas this month’s BRAVO ROAD WITH DON FELIPE. And from Arizona, we have Sal Baldenegro weighing in on how small mining towns in Arizona somehow have managed to produce some pretty astounding movers and shakers. Moral: don’t judge a town by its smelter! Check out POLITICAL SALSA Y MÁS WITH SAL BALDENEGRO. Lazaro De La Tierra returns with ZOMBIE MEX DIARIES. This week he manages to get through Mother’s Day in spite of his recent loss.

And I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Disney Dias De Los Muertos controversy last week. Seems the Disney company wants to copyright the term “Dia De Los Muertos” so they can promote the motion picture they are producing with the same theme. Can you believe this? We’d have to pay Disney for the right to have our annual Dia de los Muertos celebrations! They’re ready to rob an entire nation of people of their heritage just to make a buck! Well, the good news is that activist Latinos were able to raise such a ruckas that they stopped Disney dead in its tracks. Sergio Hernández brings us his unique Arnie and Porfi take on this recent Disney controversy. Don’t miss it!

Enjoy this week’s posting!

Tia Tenopia