Last June at the Coronado Bay Hotel in San Diego, at a breakfast plenary session for the 2014 conference of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, Cristóbal Alex, head of the liberal nonprofit Latino Victory Project, called out his conservative counterpart. He turned to Libre Intiative president, Daniel Garza, who like Alex, was raised […]
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The Media is the Mensaje: Alternatives to Hispanic Themed Mediocrity
Hispanic Heritage month is coming in just a couple of weeks, and maybe I’m being unfair, but given the major media’s track record I’m not expecting much from NBC/ Telemundo’s’ “Viva Today” programming. Undoubtedly there will be much huffing and puffing dedicated to just how unthreatening and willing to fit in Hispanics are, and how […]
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Salsa DJs, Not Fania All-Stars Slam Dancers in Central Park
To be a fan of salsa music in New York during the ‘60s and ‘70s was to witness an explosion—a growing diversity of Latinos came together to create a new kind of Latin music that was no longer dependent on Cuban exports and reflected the gritty reality of living in the city. At the center […]
Read moreRedistricting in Upper Manhattan and Rangel vs Espaillat
Originally published at City Limits’s Bronx Bureau site: By Ed Morales The Democratic Party primary held on June 24th for the 13th Congressional District was a contentious one, pitting the Dominican-born challenger Adriano Espaillat against Harlem’s native son, incumbent Charles Rangel, for the second time in two years, and the political fallout was predictably intense […]
Read moreLatino Media Gap: A Conversation With Frances Negrón Muntaner
The mass media of news and entertainment is ideally a reflecting pool where society can revel in its own image, but Latinos in the US have to look long and hard to see themselves, and when they do, it’s a distorted picture. The lack of consistent and accurate portrayals of Latinos and their lives on […]
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Taco Bell’s Mixed Message
From the Just Because We Seem To Be Obsessed With Deconstructing Ads Doesn’t Mean They Don’t Carry Potent Messages About Self and Other Department: This latest Taco Bell ad for their new unhealthy product, the “quesarito” was so intriguing I had to view it several times. (The spot is called “Imagine.” Poor John Lennon.) It […]
Read moreEric Cantor, Immigration Reform, and the Paralysis of US Politics
The defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is a clear signal that American national politics is in a self-destructive spiral of extremist fear-mongering that has brought about a dangerous creeping paralysis. While his primary defeat is characterized by several pundits as a victory of “grassroots” Tea Party organizing, it is a distorted spectacle where […]
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Charles Rangel and El Nuevo New York Politics
“Hablemos dos puertorriqueños aquí apoyando a Charlie Rangel,” said Luis Gutiérrez, standing with fellow US Representative José Serrano as they entered a press conference to announce their support for the ageless Rangel, who is facing a serious challenge to his Congressional seat in an upcoming June 24 Democratic Primary. The symbolism was palpable: two Puerto […]
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Honorary Whites and the Collective Black
If there’s one thing Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s banal discourse on race reveals is a fundamental dynamic in our “post-racial” society. Much of mainstream America virulently denies it is racist, while simultaneously having racist attitudes and beliefs. Of course the mainstream media will deny this, and call for Sterling’s head, if nothing else […]
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ED MORALES 