Latest news with #LatinoCulture
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
San Diego cultural center asking for donations after front door smashed
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Diego cultural center is asking for donations to fix their front door and upgrade their security system after their building was vandalized earlier this month. Centro Cultural de la Raza, an arts and culture community center that 'creates, preserves, promotes and educates about Chicano, Mexicano, Native American and Latino art and culture' in the San Diego/Tijuana border region is located in Balboa Park in San Diego. According to the cultural center, sometime late night on May 18 or early May 19, the glass was shattered on one of the 10-foot front doors to the building. Two city-issued cement trash cans were also found overturned at the entrance. No one is believed to have entered the building. 'This is not the first time, not even this year, that Centro has experienced violence. We are profoundly grateful that Centro volunteers, staff, and members of the many community groups that call Centro home were not here at the time, and so everyone is safe. We are also grateful that our exhibit, collections, and tools and equipment are unharmed. But how many times will I have to repeat this?' 'The violence cannot continue: our safety and peace are paramount and, moreover, acts like these have ripple effects. Acts like these intimidate people and communities, and often result in second-guessing one's safety in public spaces, or self-censoring in order to avoid drawing attention. This is anathema to the work of Centro, which is even more critical now, to shift narratives and shape political consciousness. We don't know who is perpetrating the attacks, but we do know that collective care is a powerful safety measure – we ask our communities, friends, and allies to look out for one another. In doing so, we resist isolation, we build community,' stated Dr. Roberto D. Hernández, President of the Board of Trustees. 'This is an escalation of the violence we've experienced this year. The first two incidents involved petty theft and damage that, while harmful, invasive, and very stressful, were to a smaller scale. This time, someone intentionally threw a stone through our door and tipped over two very heavy garbage receptacles that required three of us to put upright. It is clear that the violence, the attack, was the point.' 'We want to let people know what is happening, and call on us all to keep each other, Centro, and our thriving arts and cultural work safe. Please stop in to visit, say hello, join a workshop, or shop at La Tiendita or our monthly artisan market. As a show of collective strength, we are raising funds specifically to cover the expense of replacing the glass pane in our front door.' 'Centro is a place for self-expression, political education, exploration, and sharing, within the artistic and cultural traditions across Indigenous, Chicano, and Latinx communities. We have long survived and thrived in the face of overt and structural violence, and this will be no different. But it is sobering and heartbreaking that it continues to be our reality and now we are in the position of raising funds to repair harm rather than invest in things like programming or restoring our iconic murals,' said Ana Hernández, Executive Director. The center says all funds donated from now through June 15 would be used to fix the Centro Cultural de la Raza front door, and that any excess funds would go towards upgrading their security systems this summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
John Leguizamo Returns To MSNBC To Explore Latino Culture In Trump's America
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has brought change and chaos to many parts of America, and for many, it's a time when the feeling of community, pride, and the sense of being part of a country built by immigrants is threatened. The actor John Leguizamo hopes his MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America, which launches its second season on July 6, can remind people of the power that still exists in Latino communities across the country. "Finally something for the whole community that uplifts, elevates and celebrates our Latiness in a way all people can admire and share," Leguizamo said, reflecting on his time in neighborhoods from Philadelphia to San Antonio, where vibrant Latino communities are defining America through food, culture, history and the achievements of people young and old. 'For season two, I wanted to go deeper into America and put a magnifying glass on Latino exceptionalism, Latino ingenuity, and Latino genius,' Leguizamo said. 'Our culture has made America what it is since 1492 and nobody knows it. We built and fought for this country, and suffered in America for who we are. Let's celebrate our legacy of contributions that continue to be vital to the prosperity of this great country.' In the show's first season, Leguizamo told the Los Angeles Times he was motivated to make the series because Latino culture has traditionally been erased or ignored from both popular culture and the media. 'So for us to be so invisible, so erased, so excluded all over the map in America, the media and corporate settings where decisions are being made is just abysmal.' Leguizamo, a New Yorker whose has roots in Puerto Rico and Colombia, has explored Latino culture for decades, in film, television and on Broadway. His MSNBC series, produced by NBC News Studios, brings Leguizamo's distinct high-energy style to a kind of cross-country road trip, with stops in cities and towns where Latinos--the country's fastest-growing demographic--are changing the culture, and, in cities like Phoenix, Denver, New Orleans, and Raleigh, having a growing voice in politics. 'Now more than ever, it's important that we celebrate the incredible contributions that Latinos have made and continue to make to this great nation,' said series director Ben DeJesus. 'It's been one of the highlights of my life to create and develop this series alongside the force of nature that is John Leguizamo and our passionate showrunner Carolina Saavedra. It's also important to note that this is a show made for audiences of all backgrounds, not just Latinos.' DeJesus and Leguizamo have worked together for years on projects like American Masters: Raúl Juliá, and the series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, both of which aired on PBS. 'I really give John a lot of credit for risking his own career, because he is not afraid to be vocal about [the lack of Latino representation] Leguizamo addressed the lack of Latino representation in film and television in a speech at the 2024 Emmy Awards, saying 'I'm John Leguizamo and I'm one of Hollywood's DEI hires. That's right. The D is for diligence, the E is for excellence, and the I is for imagination.' 'We need more stories from excluded groups,' Leguizamo told the audience. 'Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and disabled.' The second season of Leguizamo Does America airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC, beginning July 6.
