All posts tagged: Latino

Young Latinos – and their commitment to social justice – are shaping the future of the Catholic Church

Young Latinos – and their commitment to social justice – are shaping the future of the Catholic Church

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — On Ash Wednesday, 2026, two Roman Catholic priests and a religious sister entered an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, to celebrate Mass with detainees inside. It might seem like a simple, routine event: a religious service to mark the start of Lent. But the Mass represented a legal win for the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, based in Chicago. Among its founders are Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz and Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez, a young married couple dedicated to advocacy for migrant rights. The coalition and other Catholic leaders sued the Trump administration after attempts to bring spiritual care to detainees in 2025 were blocked. On Feb. 18, 2026, a federal judge ordered authorities to allow clergy inside for Ash Wednesday. That same day, Catholics in Communion, a new coalition of ministry organizations, religious orders, academic leaders and parish partners, launched its Season of Faithful Witness campaign. Spearheaded by faith-based community organizers such as Joseph Tomás McKellar and Sergio Lopez, the initiative invites Catholics to practice solidarity by praying and advocating on …

Latino Oscars nominees don’t make up for industry shortcomings

Latino Oscars nominees don’t make up for industry shortcomings

Published by Sam Flores

On Sunday, Hollywood’s biggest stars will gather to honor some of 2025’s best films during the 98th Academy Awards ceremony. When the nominees were announced in late January, one thing that jumped out about the list was how many Latinos were included. “In terms of volume, there are more Latino nominees than we have seen historically,” Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz, a cinema studies professor at University of Colorado Boulder, told The Times. According to USC Annenberg’s Inclusion List, 7% of all nominees at this year’s Oscars are Latino. While that number feels paltry, that’s above the historical 2% average that the demographic has made up in nominations across the ceremony’s history. Featured among the show’s nominees are several prominent Latino faces, including Oscars darling Guillermo del Toro, Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro and first-time nominee Wagner Moura. Moura’s nomination has been one of the more attention-grabbing items of this awards season as he became the first Brazilian performer to be nominated in the leading actor category for his work in “The Secret Agent.” He is also …

Over 100 Latino Christian leaders say Trump adviser Samuel Rodriguez’s reach is misrepresented

Over 100 Latino Christian leaders say Trump adviser Samuel Rodriguez’s reach is misrepresented

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — More than 100 Latino Christians leaders signed a statement saying the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, an evangelical adviser to President Donald Trump and a go-to voice for Hispanic evangelical perspectives, and news media have exaggerated the size of Rodriguez’s reach as president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.  In the statement released Tuesday (March 10), the signers said they were prompted to speak out because of the damage the Trump administration’s immigration policies have done to Latino communities. Rodriguez and the Rev. Tony Suarez, vice president of the NHCLC, are among a handful of Hispanic evangelical pastors advising the president. In recent months, they have lamented that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has not focused on deporting criminals, and they have continued to advocate for immigration reform through the Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration bill. Several signers of the letter, titled “We are not a monolith, we are a multitude,” said that while Rodriguez represents some Latino evangelicals, he should not be the sole public representative. “It’s not just a misrepresentation but how …

Latino vote boosted James Talarico in Texas Democratic Senate primary

Latino vote boosted James Talarico in Texas Democratic Senate primary

Published by Sam Flores

The Texas primary elections took place on Tuesday, kicking off the 2026 midterm election season and giving us an early look at how national policies will influence local and statewide races. At the center of it all in the Lone Star State were the always-enigmatic Latinx voters — whose voting patterns have long flummoxed pollsters. The general consensus was that the ever-growing electorate was shifting to the right. The 2024 general election was viewed as a turning point: former Vice President Kamala Harris barely won the Latinx vote. Donald Trump, meanwhile made historic gains, nabbing 48% of the Latinx vote, the highest share by any Republican presidential candidate. Additionally, Trump made double-digit gains with Latinx men under the age of 50. Tuesday night’s elections further showed the swaying power that Latinx voters can have. In the most scrutinized race of the night, state representative James Talarico and U.S. congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) squared off for the Democratic nomination in Texas’ U.S. Senate race. Talarico, who has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2018, …

Texas primaries could test whether Latino support for GOP holds after Trump gains : NPR

Texas primaries could test whether Latino support for GOP holds after Trump gains : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A person holds a sign saying “Raise your voice: Vote” at a creator event for BOLD Democrats, a Hispanic PAC, in Houston on Feb. 17. Democrats think they may have a chance to sway Latino voters who supported President Trump two years ago. Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Ongoing primary elections in Texas could be a first look at whether Latino swing voters, who are increasingly influential in state elections, are sticking with the Republican Party. These voters were key in President Trump’s reelection in 2024 and helped Republicans win in parts of the state where they have historically struggled, mostly along the southern border. Those gains also played a key role in how Republicans reshaped the state’s congressional lines at Trump’s urging last year. Three out of the five seats that the Republicans drew to favor their party rely on continued support from Latino voters. Yet there have been some recent signs that Latinos in the state, as well as nationwide, are beginning …

Latino Americans conflicted about American 250th birthday : NPR

Latino Americans conflicted about American 250th birthday : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Clockwise from top left: Las Comadres Para Las Americas founder Nora de Hoyos Comstock; military veterans Benny Aleman; Frank Maldonado and Chris Sanchez. Ilana Panich-Linsman for NPR hide caption toggle caption Ilana Panich-Linsman for NPR AUSTIN – At a recent potluck in Austin, Texas, pots of chicken and creamy potato soup simmer on the stove. It’s the monthly meeting of Las Comadres Para Las Americas, or Godmothers for the Americas, where Latinas gather to connect. About two dozen show up carrying salads, cheese and fruit platters. The group was founded by Nora de Hoyos Comstock 25 years ago. Back then, she says, she was searching for her Mexican roots. “I didn’t feel included in the Latino community. I always felt left out,” she says. Las Comadres has since become a national nonprofit organization. De Hoyos Comstock, petite with a warm smile, describes Las Comadres as a “Latina culture club.” The current political rhetoric, characterized by the most aggressive immigration enforcement in modern history, is forcing many U.S. citizen Latinos to question whether they belong. De …

Eva Longoria, Latino Artists Sign Letter Amid Deep Cuts Casting Backlash

Eva Longoria, Latino Artists Sign Letter Amid Deep Cuts Casting Backlash

Published by Daniella Wilson

Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo and Xochitl Gomez are among a group of over 100 Latino actors, artists and storytellers who have signed an open letter urging Hollywood to increase Latino voices across all avenues of the entertainment industry. In the letter, the group of creatives acknowledged backlash that ensued after Odessa A’zion was cast in Sean Durkin’s A24 film Deep Cuts as character Zoe Gutierrez, who is described in the book that the film is based on as half Mexican and half Jewish. Amid the controversy, the Marty Supreme star announced Wednesday that she had dropped out of the project. “Recent casting decisions around the character Zoe Gutierrez in A24’s Deep Cuts have exposed a troubling pattern. We acknowledge and commend Odessa A’zion for listening, reflecting and deciding to exit the project and become an ally. Yet how did this happen?” the letter reads in part. “The absence of Latina audition opportunities, and the choice to replace a clearly Latina character with a non-Latina actress, signals a broader, ongoing erasure of our community from the stories that …

‘God is using Trump’: Latino evangelicals celebrate Maduro’s capture as divine victory

‘God is using Trump’: Latino evangelicals celebrate Maduro’s capture as divine victory

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Since the U.S. government’s Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, many Latino evangelical Christian communities in the United States have been celebrating what they call a spiritual victory as well as a political one. “God is using Donald Trump to liberate Venezuela from the 27-year-old chains of oppression,” said the Rev. José Durán, a Venezuelan immigrant in Michigan, voicing a view held by some, though not all, Latino evangelicals and referring to the time that Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, have led the country. Durán, who was interviewed in Spanish, serves as pastor of a senior team of advisers of María Corina Machado, the Venezuela opposition leader who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. He’s also the executive director of Movimiento de Ciudad, an organization that supports urban ministry throughout Latin America. Though Machado is a Catholic, her inner circle in the Vente Venezuela Party includes several evangelicals, who have taken up her charge that opposing Maduro is a “battle between good and evil.” …

Sober for the holidays? Get to know these Latino nonalcoholic brands

Sober for the holidays? Get to know these Latino nonalcoholic brands

Published by Sam Flores

The holiday season is a time when you’re expected to indulge in a second serving of Christmas dinner — with little concern for how many cookies you’ve eaten, or champurrados you’ve sipped. But the festivities can get overwhelming, especially for those who are sober or trying to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol. In the last several years, nonalcoholic beverages have become more commonplace in the United States. Many bars have increased their alcohol-free menus. There are pop-up events around the city, like Bar Nuda, or brick-and-mortar bars like Free Spirited in Alhambra, which only serve nonalcoholic drinks. Even celebrities have ventured into the world of nonalcoholic drinks with their own personalized brands — like Tom Holland (who co-founded Bero Beer), Bella Hadid (Kin) and Lewis Hamilton (Almave). Most nonalcoholic brands, shops and pop-ups are in the midst of their busiest season, with their winter business peaking in January. After the chaos of the holidays, many people decide to partake in Dry January, a month without any alcohol, and test out the waters with a …

De Los ranks 10 best albums by Latino artists in 2025

De Los ranks 10 best albums by Latino artists in 2025

Published by Sam Flores

Throughout 2025, De Los has championed the rise of the Latino artists from their respective musical silos and into the broader global pop stratosphere. The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show headliner Bad Bunny and Inland Empire corrido kings Fuerza Regida scaled new commercial and cultural heights this year, as emerging acts like Silvana Estrada, Ela Minus and Netón Vega took exciting new detours in their sounds. De Los recently did a team huddle to determine our personal best releases of 2025 — this is no garden variety Latin genre list, but a highlight reel of our favorite works by artists from Latin America and the diaspora. 10. Cazzu, “Latinaje”Reeling from a romantic disappointment of mythological proportions and the lackluster reception of her previous album, Argentine trap queen Cazzu fired back with a maximalist travelogue that draws from salsa and cumbia, Argentine folk and electro-pop. Cazzu hails from the province of Jujuy, miles away from the musical snobbery that plagues much of Buenos Aires, and her genuine investment in a pan-Latino idiom is contagious. A sumptuous …