THE FOURTH & LATINOS.
Hola Latinopians! Well, this is July 4th week on Latinopia ( duh, and yes the rest of the USA) and we are celebrating by taking a look at what being Americans means to all of us. For me the Fourth has always been about bar-b-ques and fireworks and day long marathons of The Twilight Zone on TV. But I do understand that this holiday in particular has great resonance to Americans across the nation in many different ways. We’re taking a look at how this applies to Latinos on Latinopia this week.
Our Thinking Latina Sara Inés Calederon gives us insight on the issue of immigration and how that impacts on what we think of when we think American. From Arizona, poet Alberto Rios informs us that the Fourth of July celebration along the border is done in a slightly different way as it coincides with a popular Saint’s Day. Don’t miss this video and its insight on our national holiday.
While Arizona is home to many talented and gifted Latinos like Alberto Rios, it is also the hotbed of controversy with SB1070, the banning of Chicano Studies in the Tucson school district and the banning of books written by Latino/a writers (See Latinopia’s Librotraficantes videos under History). Sergio Hernández plants his revived Arnie and Porrfi cartoon strip right in the middle of this struggle. Check it out this week’s Arnie and Porfi and kudos to Serg for being a gifted pioneering artist whose work is as relevant today as it has ever been.
And in Art, we are showcasing enormously talented artist José Ramírez, and his arc from graduate school to the professional world. And, back to the Fourth of July theme, how does a Zombie Mexican deal with the 4th and what does it mean to be American for a zombie? Check out Zombie Mex Diaries and all the other great features on Latinopa this week!
OOXX Your effervescent and bodacious Tia Tenopia.