The Latinx Collective: the "100 Latina founders" edition

THIS WEEK'S SIX:

This is the story of an everyday superhero we normally don't hear about. Worth the read! I also love that he works with the barter system - it is easy to forget this is how our communities operated before colonization and capitalism.

As a boy, Dr. J. Luis Bautista picked fruit alongside his parents and nine siblings in Ventura County. That's why he pledged in medical school to help farmers. Most of the 30,000 annual office visits to his small staff of doctors and nurses in downtown Fresno and the nearby rural town of Sanger are by these farmworkers. Many of them are undocumented and lack the transportation, money or time off from work to treat injuries, let alone seek preventive medical care. Plus, there's the heightened fear that by seeking medical treatment they might be exposed to federal immigration authorities. Bautista’s two clinics provide a haven for immigrants burdened by these concerns. Patients are never asked about their immigration status, and the staffs have set up protocols in case the offices are raided by immigration authorities. Patients are never asked about their immigration status, and the staffs have set up protocols in case the offices are raided by immigration authorities. Bautista also accepts as payment whatever his patients can offer: onions, handmade keychains, eggs, even live chickens.

For all the talk of increasing inclusivity on television, few shows walk the walk quite like Vida, the Starz series created by Tanya Saracho, whose cast is Latinx and writing team mostly female and of color. In the six episodes of its first season, the engrossing drama about two estranged Mexican American sisters—Emma (played by Mishel Prada) and Lyn (played by Melissa Barrera)—received immediate acclaim for showing characters who don’t often appear on mainstream shows. It’s a heady role for Prada, 29, a relative newcomer to Hollywood who had only a few commercials and a Web series on her resume. She grew up in Hialeah, one of Miami’s most culturally rich neighborhoods (this is where I was born!!), with family roots in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.  I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS SHOW. Anyone in NY want to watch Season 2 together? Here's the season trailer. The second season of Vida premiered May 23 on the Starz app and on-demand, and May 26 on TV.

Cecilia Corral, a Latina founder herself, put together a list of 100 Latina founders. If you are looking to fund Latina-owned companies, place Latinas on panels, or highlight them on founder lists, here you go! No excuses. 😉

Maria Herron, founder and co-owner of Mil Mundos, is a Cuban-American New York City native, who wanted to create an accessible space for locals. Her bookstore, Mil Mundos, is a small, independent bookstore and community space carrying literature both in Spanish and English. Its primary mission is to to stay dedicated to larger-scale anti-gentrification work in eastern Bushwick and beyond, and to maintain a curation and space that celebrates Black and Latinx heritage and supports the narratives of these cultures. If you are in New York City, visit the store or check out the website linked above.

*Thanks to friend and subscriber Leslie Campisi for the submission*

This is a restaurant review for a new Latinx-owned restaurant in Queens, NY. I'm down for a Queens food tour if anyone is interested ;-)

Derick López, who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South Bronx, is the Freakin Rican’s chef and, with his husband, Victor Vargas, its owner. About four years ago, armed with picnic coolers and a couple of folding tables, the two men began selling a short menu of Puerto Rican staples at the street fairs that seem to infiltrate a different New York thoroughfare each weekend. As they promoted the Freakin Rican catering operation, the Freakin Rican product line, the Freakin Rican Facebook page and the Freakin Rican YouTube channel, they saved their earnings so they could found the Freakin Rican restaurant.. The Freakin Rican just opened last month and is located in Astoria, Queens - check it out here.

Sharing something fun: Yandel, Sebastián Yatra and Manuel Turizo’s song “En Cero” is a contender to be the Latinx song of the summer. What do you think?

Appreciate you checking out this week’s issue. Forward this to friends or family so they can join you in celebrating the every day contributions the Latinx community is making. You can also:

• Don’t forget we built this directory of Latinx business owners. Email your info if you’d like to be added. If you’re looking to hire or purchase products or services of any kind, browse the directory and buy directly from the businesses.

• Here’s a tweet you can post about us. If you share any of the articles from the newsletter on social media, please tag us on Twitter at @latinxcollectiv or Facebook at @thelatinxcollective.