Hey you,

I hope that you can use this newsletter as an escape as well as additional motivation, if that’s what you need, this year. I will always aim to leave you with positive and inspirational stories and news about the impact of the Latinx community.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but….. Mercury is in Retrograde (in Aquarius) starting today!! Mercury in Retrograde tends to scare people so I am personally leaning into the positive side of this —> here’s our checklist of how to take advantage of retrograde in our latest Instagram post!

P.S. As always, feel free to reply with feedback, thoughts, article submissions or anything at all. Appreciate your support!

Con cariño,

Elisabeth Rosario

LATINX PERSPECTIVES + STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Culture (food + entertainment + more):

Wine Enthusiast: Mexican Winemaker Challenges Stereotypes in the Wine Industry

When washing away a long day of stress with a glass of wine, do you ever think of the story behind that bottle? Hidden behind each bottle of wine is a story of its origin. For Edgar Torres, Mexican winemaker & owner of Bodega de Edgar (which he started in 2009) in Paso Robles, CA - his bottles represent the adversity he’s overcome in the wine industry. In this beautiful article, he shares his life story and how he broke into the wine industry in 2009. Now, he’s focused on educating and mentoring other Mexicans in the industry, and if you work in the industry too, wants you to join him.

We should educate more people in the Salinas Valley about opportunities. We should go to the Napa Valley and tell people to strive for more. There are many multimillion dollar brands up there with a majority of Mexican workers. Why aren’t those workers riding shotgun with the famous winemaker, learning the ropes?There’s a hierarchy approach to it, and unfortunately those on the lower rungs are usually darker and perceived to not be destined for more. Until we can remove that, we’re not going to be able to help each other dance on the same floor.

Please go support Edgar, or other Latino winemakers, whenever possible by buying their wine. (Thank you to Wine Enthusiast editor Emily Saladino for submitting this story!).

VICE: Is Netflix’s Selena series part of the never-ending exploitation of Selena Quintanilla?

In December, Netflix released a new biopic ‘Selena: The Series’, and with it there’s been heavy debate on the Latinx stories that get to be told in Hollywood. Granted, Selena Quintanilla is undoubtedly a treasure to the Latinx community. Whether it be her iconic fashion style, her music, or her nuanced bicultural, bilingual identity: Selena’s impact has continuously proven to be timeless. However, is it time we let the icon’s image rest and allow new stories to be in the spotlight? I thought this was a fascinating and unique perspective on the series and I know many people with opinions on both sides of this one. I certainly would LOVE to see more Latinx stories being told beyond Selena’s. I’d love to hear your thoughts too!

Chicago Tribune: Restaurant owners team up in Chicago to support Tamales street vendors’ & donate food to homeless

Robert Magiet, owner of TaKorea Cocina (a small cafe offering creative takes on Mexican-Korean fare) and members of his staff have been buying tamale street vendors' entire supply so they can go home from the cold. Then, Magiet and his staff distribute the tamales to the homeless. He and other restaurant owners have watched the pandemic slowly destroy the restaurant industry, including the street vendors, and have teamed up to provide meals for those in need.

Robert Magiet was driving through Humboldt Park, the temperature outside barely breaking into the double digits, when he noticed a woman selling tamales. “She looked like she had five layers of clothing on,” Magiet said. “I said, ‘Can I buy all your tamales and you can go home?’ She had maybe 10 dozen on her.” “You have to remember some of these vendors are used to selling 30 dozen tamales a day,” he said. “But not many people are leaving their house right now. For months they’re standing out there not selling that many tamales.”

Beautiful story to read if you need a pick-me-up! And a gentle reminder that many small businesses are struggling due to the pandemic and any help you can provide is appreciated.

Politics:

BUSINESS INSIDER: Meet Isabel Guzman, the U.S. Small Business Administrator Biden picked to navigate 'a crossroads moment for small businesses

This is a CRUCIAL time for Latinx small businesses that have been hard-hit by the pandemic to receive support. In terms of her new role, Guzman will need to raise the SBA's public profile in order to effectively reach businesses across the country and support the ongoing economic recovery.

Although the Administrator is a cabinet-level position, the 68-year-old SBA has historically been one of the lower-profile government agencies in Washington. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic and public health response devastated small businesses across the US. Today, the SBA is responsible for handling nearly a trillion dollars in emergency relief money, having issued more loans in the past nine months than it has in its entire existence before that.

NBC NEWS: 'Ready to take power': Progressives mobilized Latino voters in Georgia, and here are the lessons.

Earlier this month, many celebrated the wins in the Georgia runoff — which led to Democrats taking back the house. Black voters were key to the wins as their turnout was higher than any other demographic group. White voter turnout dropped. And Latinos far outperformed their own turnout for other statewide runoffs and were part of a critical multicultural coalition and infrastructure.

We learned that the years-long struggle to turn out Latino voters for Democratic candidates yielded results. Moreover, ahead of upcoming congressional elections, it showed what's possible.

We have minority organizations to thank for doing what it takes to mobilize multicultural communities.

Business:

AL DÍA: 2020 Report Says Latinos are a tremendous engine of economic growth within the United States

According to this LDC GDP report released in late 2020: “U.S. Latinos had a gross domestic product of $2.6 trillion in 2018 -the eight largest in the world if Latinos were an independent country”. Latinos are one of the biggest and growing contributors to the U.S. 's GDP. Latinos are also spending more, earning better wages and salaries and more of us are obtaining college degrees.

“The hard work and persistence of U.S. Latinos is not only an engine of economic growth, it is an antidote to long term demographic challenges confronting the nation.”

On that note, let’s take action together and put money directly into our communities. The Latinx Collective has a growing business directory you can submit your company to, or use it to find other Latinx entrepreneurs to support.

Bonus:

In December, Disney released the first-look trailer for its new film Encanto, which is set to release in fall 2021. The animated film will take us to Colombia, where an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the film’s music. Can’t wait to see this one!

P.S. Special thanks to Arelybel Iniguez for helping me curate this one! 😘

Hey, I really appreciate you checking out this issue. Please forward this to friends or family so they can join you in celebrating the everyday contributions and stories by the Latinx community. Some other actions you can take:

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The Latinx Collective

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