LATINX PERSPECTIVES + STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

I Love Lucy will live on forever as one of the most endearing and hilarious shows ever created, but the show's influence far outweighs its on-screen success thanks to Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball's co-star and real life husband. In this episode of Planet Money, NPR takes a deep look into how Desi's revolutionary thinking paved the way for the television industry to become a financial powerhouse. 📺. It's said that the television was invented by Philo Farnsworth in 1927, but TV was invented by Desi Arnaz in 1951. He took a funny, beloved show and turned it into an entrepreneurial empire.⭐

Impetus, innovation, and success aren’t limited to only the young, proven by these three Latina entrepreneurs. Rea Ann Silva, founder of Beauty Blender, took her skills as a makeup artist and created the famous beauty blender sponge (I love this sponge!) and turned it into a $215 million per year biz. Valdé Beauty founder Margarita Arriagada solved a dilemma known by all makeup lovers: how to never run out of our favorite lipsticks.💄 She did this by creating a reusable lipstick tube that can be refilled with your favorite lip color once it runs out, thus enabling the user to keep their adored tube while limiting their carbon footprint. Beyond being a mother and running a household, Aisha Ceballos-Crump runs two beauty brands (Honey Baby Naturals and Botanika - both available at Target and Amazon), as well as a beauty brand incubator.

SPORTS:

If you enjoyed our blog post about Latinx trailblazers in the sports industry, check out this article be AL DÍA News. Kassandra Garcia is making headlines as the highest-ranking Latina in the NFL. The 27-year-old pushed through racial and gender barriers, where only 7% of professional management positions in the NFL are women of color, in her role as a football management analyst.🏈 She thanks her mom and second-generation Mexican-American grandparents, who fought language barriers and societal struggles to build thriving Mexican restaurants in Arizona, for the inspiration to create her own successful career.💪🏽

Many don't know how lucrative it is to work as a skilled tradesperson. Roger Cuadra is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician at Nexgen Air and Heat, who was born in Nicaragua and raised in Whittier, CA. In 2021 he aims to cross the $100,000 salary mark. The skilled trades aren't just stable, they also experience significant growth in unpredictable job markets (like the last year with COVID). They also allow opportunities for those who don't want to, or can't afford, a traditional four-year college degree. We should make more young adults aware that they can pursue high-paying, stable careers in the trades - without racking up tens of thousands in student debt.

HISTORY:

They say history is always written by the winners. Here's a great article touching on the long-standing debates we have in the U.S. and around the world about what we've read in history textbooks . In this case, it's whether the 1521 surrender of the great Indigenous empire to the Spanish crown 500 years ago was a triumphant conquest, an existential tragedy or a genocide.

The usual textbook portrayal of a band of brave Europeans toppling the most powerful Indigenous empire in the Americas may have some cinematic qualities but has always been suspect, particularly to professional historians like myself.

On this anniversary in Mexico, men and women spend the day dancing, performing limpias, and keeping Mesoamerican—and particularly Aztec—traditions alive. Some of them study Nahuatl, read history, and try to make sense of those long-ago events.

POLITICS

Every vote matters,✔ proven by Julia Mejia’s election to the Boston City Council two years ago when one vote literally made the difference and won her the fourth at-large seat. Her win made her the first Afro-Latina on the Boston City Council, one that has seen very little Latinx presence throughout the years. Mejia's victory helped pave the way for more Latinx members to join Boston's political sphere. And although the Latinx representation is still very minor in Boston politics, members like Mejia and fellow City Councilman Ricardo Arroyo are bringing about meaningful effects to the community. Representation matters because it begets more representation.

SPOTLIGHT SERIES

I love to highlight Latinx trailblazers and entrepreneurs so I'm bringing back the Spotlight series! Today we celebrate Dr. Oriel Maria Siu, who was born in Honduras to a Chinese-Nicaraguan father and a Salvadoran-Guatemalan-Pipil mother. Dr Siu is an ethnic studies professor who earned her PhD from UCLA and views each word in her children's books as border-smashing, anti-racist, decolonial acts of love. Here's a great article in the Los Angeles Times featuring her line of books and mission. Visit her website to learn more about her "Rebeldita" book series. Filled with empowering rhymes, captivating Illustrations, and lessons to live by, the character Rebeldita educates, inspires and empowers.  📖

I really appreciate you checking out this issue. Please forward this to friends or family. Some other actions you can take:

• Post this tweet and please tag us if you share any of the the articles in the newsletter.We’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

• Browse The Latinx Collective’s first-of-its-kind directory of 150+ Latinx business owners around the country. Follow the instructions to submit your info if you’d like to be added. It’s free!

• Reply to this email if you want to write for us or partner.