ED MORALES

“Mi negro” Embracing Blackness

Several years ago, at the height of New York’s stop-and-frisk policing policy, two officers stopped me at West 125th Street and Broadway and insisted that I was carrying a knife. I was walking from Columbia University’s campus, where I’ve taught seminars on Latinx identity since 2010, after picking up a couple books at the library. Because I […]

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

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 […]