Latinos and Race – ED MORALES

Ted Cruz says no Latino uses the term ‘Latinx.’ Some do, and the reasons are not simple

A quiet story in the entertainment site Deadline that television star Eva Longoria and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris would be developing a new sitcom revolving around a “modern Latinx family” seemed to set off Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Wednesday. “No actual Latino uses the woke made-up term Latinx,” he tweeted, reiterating a now familiar conservative talking point. Since it […]

America and Race, Latinos and Race, Latinos in Media, New York City Politics, Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, US Intervention in Latin America

The Young Lords’ Revolution

The legacy of the Young Lords is something that has followed me throughout my adult life as a New York–born-and-bred child of Puerto Rican immigrants. The Young Lords’ unrelenting calls for Puerto Rican independence, their various interventions in local politics, their unyielding solidarity with colonized and working-class people everywhere, their stunning presence (often augmented by […]

Latinos and Race, Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, Urban/Global Politics, US Intervention in Latin America

Caught between two governments, Puerto Ricans show their resilience

The island recently withstood several earthquakes, hundreds of aftershocks, and governmental turmoil. It needs progressive change in policy from the U.S. [Originally published in The Hill February 18, 2020] It’s been such a rocky start to the year 2020 in Puerto Rico that hundreds of locals decided to tear it all up and start from […]

America and Race, Latinos and Race

After Julián Castro’s departure, Latinx voters wonder: when will it be ‘our time’?

It is difficult not to see the mostly white presidential field as partly a product of the media’s lack of interest in Hispanics and candidates of color [Originally published in The Guardian January 6, 2020] About a year ago, Julián Castro announced he was running for president in front of an adoring hometown West San […]

America and Race, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Latinos in Media, New York City Politics, Resistance in the Trump Era, Urban/Global Politics

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the intersectional remix of Latino roots and socialist politics

“Women like me aren’t supposed to run for office,” began the now-legendary campaign ad for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, released just four weeks ago. What followed was a powerful, viral video, called “The Courage to Change,” that addressed racial and gender identity and meshed seamlessly with one about her social class position. “I wasn’t born to a […]

America and Race, Globalization, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, Resistance in the Trump Era, Urban/Global Politics, US Intervention in Latin America

Hurricane Maria swept away the illusion of Puerto Ricans’ citizenship

Protesters in San Juan left more than 100 pairs of shoes outside the Capitolio, home to Puerto Rico’s legislature, as a silent rebuke to the government for undercounting the number of residents who died last year from the effects of Hurricane Maria. A Harvard University study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine […]

America and Race, Globalization, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, Resistance in the Trump Era, Urban/Global Politics, US Intervention in Latin America

A Cartoon History of Colonialism in Puerto Rico

This originally appeared in The Village Voice. Illustrations: Omar Banuchi Words: Ed Morales Written by Ed Morales, Illustrated by Omar Banuchi Originally published in The Village Voice, March 19, 2018

America and Race, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Latinos in Media, Resistance in the Trump Era, Urban/Global Politics

Emma González: La nueva cara of Florida Latinx

In the aftermath of the horrific Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, a new movement has emerged that constitutes the strongest voice for changing laws about automatic assault weapons since the Columbine massacre of 1999. Emma González, the face of this movement, took a leadership role with a passionate […]

America and Race, Globalization, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Latinos in Media, Resistance in the Trump Era, The Western Subject, Urban/Global Politics, US Intervention in Latin America

A new report says Hispanic identity is fading. Is that really good for America?

Last semester, a student of mine named Fernando came to speak with me after the last meeting of my class on Latino identity. He thanked me for getting him to think about not only his roots but his connections with other Latinos, and our contributions to history and culture. He was an engineering student of […]

America and Race, Globalization, Hemispheric Identity, Latinos and Race, Latinos in Media, Resistance in the Trump Era, The Western Subject, Urban/Global Politics, US Intervention in Latin America

Why I Embrace the Term Latinx

When I first saw the word Latinx – best described as a gender-neutral term to describe US residents of Latin American descent – in print it seemed strange, alien, and unfit for proper pronunciation. But rather than perceiving it as my enemy, I came to embrace its enticing, futurist charms. The term Latinx arises from […]