The Taino Survival

Articles - Culture & Identity

History books and encyclopedias still refer to the Taino/Arawak people as the first tribe to be decimated by colonialism.  It would be more appropriate to say that this was the first tribe to be "told" they were extinct.  Similar myths surround the Mayan, Aztec and other tribal nations.  Because the government does not recognize them or because they haven't maintained a very public presence, we assume that their stories ended in our grade school textbooks saying they were conquered.  While their governments and temples fell, the people remained and continued to influence our culture - and ancestry.
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Día de la Raza

Articles - Culture & Identity

Hispanics have a particular concern when it comes to the celebration of Columbus.  It used to be that Hispanics would argue with Italians over who had more of a claim to the Columbus expedition.  While Columbus was Italian, his expeditions were funded and powered by the Iberian nations of Spain and Portugal.  These two nations would dominate the European exploration the Western hemisphere in cooperation with the talents of other Latin nations.  Today, it seems as if it's everyone versus the American Indians on whether to celebrate the life of Columbus.

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Soraida Martinez - An Interview About Her Verdadism Art

Articles - Culture & Identity

An interview with Soraida Martinez, creator of Verdadism. Also a look at her book, 'Soraida's Verdadism: The Intellectual Voice of a Puerto Rican Woman on Canvas; Unique, Controversial Images and Style'. Add a comment

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Is The Phrase "La Raza" Racist?

Articles - Culture & Identity

Colonial governments in the New World needed ethnic and racial identities so they could manage the citizens, indentured servants, slaves, and indigenous people. Statistics, politics, and advertisements are still determined by labels. It has only been forty years since the U.S. stopped using the idea of race to forcibly segregate people, but the checkboxes on forms persist.

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Making Latino Babies in the US

Articles - Culture & Identity

With the birth of a daughter this past year I made a couple of small decisions that will affect her for the rest of her life. With any luck it will affect Latinos as well. First we gave her a fully Spanish name with two middle names, opposing the US American tradition of one. Second we made the decision to raise her bilingual. Behind the scenes I've been preparing myself to pass down the traditions frequently left behind by others in my family.

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