THIS WEEK'S THREE:

A story about family, healing and belonging: In 2014, NPR’s Latino USA producer Sayre Quevedo’s mom, Maria, picked him up from work. She had some news about their family. Up until this point, Sayre had only ever met two members of his blood family: his mom and brother. His mom ran away from home as a teenager and never returned. Soon, Sayre finds himself on a journey to understand what happened to his grandmother, the secrets that his mother kept from him, and the family that he never knew. This is an episode from NPR podcast Latino USA.

Afro-Panamanian actor Sarunas J. Jackson thinks it's right time for the world to understand that Latinos come in all colors and he hopes this comprehension will help create more opportunities in Hollywood. Turns out that Issa's love interest on the show Daniel (played by actor Y’lan Noel) is also Panamanian.

Great piece by Ximena Larkin calling out that voice assistants Siri, Google Home, and Alexa require butchered Spanish in order for their systems to work. "At best, it feels like an erasure of language. At worst, it’s exclusion of people who speak more than one language. This tech is supposed to simplify lives but it isn’t accessible to everyone, which seems backward considering 43 percent of the world’s population speaks at least two languages — 3 percent more than those who only speak one." Come on tech giants, figure it out already! 💁🏾

SPOTLIGHT SERIES:

Here's a good cause you can back for free, by voting online:

Every year, Coors Light Líderes honors 12 outstanding Latinx individuals for their vision, commitment to service and ability to inspire their communities. These individuals represent different sectors & have a positive impact on the communities they serve, achieve personal and professional success, and serve as role-models for the next generation of Latinx leaders. Yai Vargas (my fellow Dominicana & CEO/Founder of The Latinista) is currently one of 12 Líderes competing to become the 2018 Coors Light Líder of the Year, and if she wins, a $25,000 grant will go to a nonprofit to improve and empower the local Latinx community. Her nonprofit of choice is the Latino Commission on AIDS. Go to www.CoorsLightLideres.com and you can submit 10 votes per day to the leader of your choosing. See Yai's video below! There are 7 days left to vote!

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💖Many thanks to subscriber Adriana Rios for the recent feedback:

I enjoy every issue of the Latinx Collective that I receive in my inbox. It's so refreshing to read about (and then celebrate!) the wins in our community. I appreciate the work and curation you put into each newsletter. Thank you!