Dolores Huerta, you spent your life reminding us that the people who pick our food, raise our children, build our communities and sustain our economy deserve more than gratitude. They deserve dignity, respect and a fair opportunity to live with security and hope. You taught the world que “Si Se Puede!

In Memory of Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta (1930–2026)

There are lives that are measured in years, and there are lives that are measured by the people they touch, the voices they awaken, and the generations they inspire to believe that a better world is possible — que “Si Se Puede”.

Dolores Huerta lived one of those lives.

Today, we mourn the passing of a woman whose name became synonymous with courage, justice, equality and the unshakable belief that people, when united by a common purpose, have the power to change history.

Dolores Huerta did not simply witness history. She helped make it.

Born in 1930, Dolores came of age in a country where farmworkers labored under brutal conditions, where many immigrant families lived without basic protections, and where women were too often expected to remain silent, accept their circumstances and allow others to speak on their behalf.

Dolores refused to accept that world as inevitable.

Her journey began with a profound sense of responsibility toward people whose suffering was too often ignored. As a young teacher in California’s San Joaquin Valley, she saw children arriving to school hungry, without adequate clothing and carrying the burdens of poverty that no child should have to bear.

She understood that educating children inside the classroom was not enough if the circumstances outside the classroom continued to deny their families dignity and opportunity.

So she made a choice that would change her life—and the lives of millions of others. She became an organizer.

Alongside César Chávez, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers. She helped organize agricultural workers, challenge exploitative labor practices, negotiate contracts and bring national attention to the conditions under which America’s food was harvested.

Her work helped transform the farm labor movement into a defining chapter of the American struggle for civil rights. Yet Dolores was never merely someone standing beside a movement. She was one of its architects.

She was a strategist, a negotiator, a relentless organizer and a woman who understood that social change requires more than righteous words. It required preparation, persistence, sacrifice and the willingness to confront powerful institutions that would rather maintain the status quo.

And she did so in a time when being a woman in leadership was itself an act of defiance.

Her life reminds us that history is often told through people who occupy visible positions. That movements are built through the labor of those who organize, negotiate, persuade, sacrifice and refuse to surrender. Dolores was one of those indispensable forces.

And through it all, she gave us three words that would travel far beyond the labor movement: “Si Se Puede!”.

For women, Dolores Huerta’s legacy carries a particularly profound meaning.

She fought for workers’ rights while navigating a society in which women were frequently denied the authority, recognition and opportunities afforded to men. She challenged not only economic injustice but also the assumptions about who could lead a movement, negotiate with powerful interests and shape the direction of a nation.

Dolores also reminded us that women should not have to choose between caring for others and fighting for themselves. Her life was a testament to the possibility—and the difficulty—of carrying personal responsibilities while pursuing a public mission.

We do not honor women by pretending their journeys are easy. We honor them by recognizing the barriers they confronted, the choices they made, the changes they achieved and the unfinished work they leave to us.

_{(A reading of Dolores’ In Her Own Words produced by David Damian Figueroa for Farmworker Justice)}

Her legacy belongs to the world

Her life long message transcends borders because the principles she championed are universal: dignity, fairness, opportunity and the right of people to participate in decisions that shape their lives.

In an increasingly interconnected world, her journey reminds us that the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the comforts we enjoy are connected to the labor of people we may never meet.

She challenged us to look beyond convenience and ask a deeper question: Who pays the price for the way we live?

Dolores understood that solidarity is not simply an expression of sympathy. It is a commitment to action. Her legacy reminds us that progress is rarely the achievement of a single individual. It is the result of people finding common ground, recognizing their shared humanity and working together even when the odds appear overwhelming.

Among the highest honors Dolores received during her lifetime was the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 given to her by President Barack Obama when he kiddingly apologized for appropriating her signature phrase of “Si Se Puede” in English “Yes We Can” — a phrase that touched many.

It is found in the workers who gained a stronger voice, the families whose struggles became visible, the women who saw themselves reflected in a powerful leader, and the young people who learned that their circumstances did not have to determine their destiny.

It is also found in the movements that continue to draw inspiration from her example. Dolores understood that people who are essential to the success of a nation should never be treated as though they are expendable.

Her life asks us to examine our own.

What are we doing with the opportunities we have been given? Whose voices are missing from the conversation? Who is being left behind? And what are we willing to risk, change or sacrifice to make the world more just for those who come after us? This questions need to be asked and answered

Dolores was and inspiration to many and her work a testament to her community, to all disenfranchised communities for whom she fought for fiercely. He voice will continue to resonate for decades to come. Each generation inherits both the victories of those who came before and the responsibility to defend, extend and renew them.

Farewell, Dolores

Dolores Huerta, you spent your life reminding us that the people who pick our food, raise our children, build our communities and sustain our economy deserve more than gratitude. They deserve dignity, respect and a fair opportunity to live with security and hope.

You reminded Latinos that our voices, our labor, our culture and our contributions are inseparable from the story of this nation.

You reminded the world that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to keep moving forward when the struggle is difficult and the outcome uncertain.

And you reminded all of us that three simple words can become a promise that outlives the person who first gave them power.

Today, we celebrate a life that refused to be confined by the limitations of its time. We celebrate the teacher who saw hungry children and chose to fight for their families. We celebrate the organizer who helped transform the lives of farmworkers. We celebrate the woman who stood in rooms where her voice was not always welcomed and made certain it was heard. We celebrate the mother, the activist, the strategist, the feminist and the relentless champion of human dignity.

And we celebrate the legacy you leave to every person who has ever been told that their dreams are too ambitious, their voice too small or their circumstances too difficult to overcome.

It lives in every person who stands up for a neighbor. It lives in every woman who claims her place at the table. It lives in every worker who demands fair treatment.

It lives in every young person who discovers that change begins when someone decides not to accept injustice as the final answer.

Rest in peace and power, Dolores Huerta. Your life is a testament to what one determined woman can set in motion. Your legacy belongs to us all and for that we thank you.

¡Sí, se puede!

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According to Nielsen’s 2025 Diverse Intelligence Series report, U.S. Hispanics represent more than $4.1 trillion in purchasing power, while streaming accounts for 55.8% of their total television viewing time, compared with 46% for the overall U.S. population.

The vertical-drama boom is not simply another media trend for Manny Ruiz (Minivela/Co-Founder/Brilla Media); it is the latest chapter in a career that has revolved around storytelling and the Latino audience.

“I’ve been a storyteller in one shape, or form since the late ‘80s,” Ruiz told me in a recent interview. His career began as a journalist and crime reporter for The Miami Herald, followed by years in Hispanic public relations and media. He later founded Hispanic PR Wire and went on to build Hispanicize, a platform that became an important part of the U.S. Latino influencer and social-media industry. Today, he sees Minivela as the next evolution of that work.

Ruiz describes Minivela as the first bilingual vertical-shorts platform built specifically for the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. The company was launched in 2025 by Brilla Media, the Latino media company Ruiz co-founded with his wife, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz, in partnership with actor and producer Carlos Ponce and adtech company Numatec.

The choice of partners is telling. Ponce brings decades of experience in television, film and, particularly, the world of Latin entertainment, while Ruiz brings a career spent building connections between Latino audiences, media and brands. Together, they are approaching the vertical format not simply as a new way to watch content, but as an opportunity to create a new space for Latino stories and creators. “Our approach is different,” Ruiz told me. “We are really [about] community and for the Hispanic market and even broadly Latin America.”

His goal, he explained, is to go “upward”: to retain the structures of the stories people want to watch without following what he sees as the industry’s increasing move toward more adult-oriented material.

For Ruiz, that also means creating an industry in which Latino writers, directors, producers, and actors have more opportunities to participate. When Minivela launched, the company described its mission as opening additional production opportunities for Latino creative talent, from directors and writers to actors and influencers.

That mission is already beginning to extend beyond Minivela’s own productions. In 2026, Great American Media’s Pure Flix partnered with Minivela on a multi-project agreement to develop and distribute a slate of microdramas for U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audiences, including original stories and adaptations from Pure Flix’s existing library. The projects are being developed for vertical viewing and for bilingual, Spanish-language and culturally specific audiences.

“Great American Pure Flix is the leading faith-and-family streaming service, and Pure Flix Familia will build on that foundation with programming and experiences created specifically for Latino families,” said Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media.

During Hispanic Heritage Month this past October 2026, Great American Media announced the expansion of their investment into Latino entertainment by launching Pure Flix Famila, a new streaming destination created for families seeking culturally relevant entertainment rooted in faith, family and shared values. 

Pure Flix Familia launched with the distribution of an original microdrama Alquilé Un Novio Para Navidad and a national call for Latino-produced family and faith films. The plan is to start with Spanish-language entertainment with the goal of expanding to include English-language, and bilingual storytelling created and curated for Latino audiences.

However, perhaps the clearest example of what Minivela is doing in the Latino vertical-drama content creation space is Rico’s Tacos.

Rico’s Tacos: From Telenovela to the Supermarket Aisle

Rico’s Tacos is a 22-episode vertical microdrama set in a Southern California neighborhood near Venice Beach. Produced by Minivela, the story follows a widowed father, his teenage daughter, and their abuela as they build a family taco business while navigating identity, resilience and family legacy. Each episode is less than three minutes, making the series deliberately suited for mobile viewing (Digiday, 2026).

Rico’s Tacos is also an experiment in something much bigger: What happens when a brand stops simply advertising around entertainment and starts helping create the entertainment itself. The project was developed through a collaboration between Procter & Gamble and Albertsons Media Collective, with shopper and cultural insights from Albertsons and P&G informing the story from the beginning. Rather than adding an advertisement to a finished production, the partners used information about how consumers shop to help shape the narrative (Albertsons Media Collective, 2026).

In one episode, for example, the family’s abuela goes to Albertsons to buy avocados and realizes that she also needs Head & Shoulders shampoo. It is a small moment, but it illustrates the premise—an ordinary shopping trip becomes part of the story rather than an interruption to it (The Wall Street Journal, 2026).

The series is distributed across Albertsons’ YouTube, social and in-store platforms, with short teasers and QR codes directing shoppers to the full episodes. The retailer has also been using its stores as part of the production and distribution environment (Albertsons Media Collective, 2026).

Albertsons executives have even referred internally to the concept as “soap opera 2.0”—a contemporary version of serialized entertainment that can live on social media, mobile devices and, in this case, inside the supermarket itself (Digiday, 2026).

For Minivela, however, Rico’s Tacos represents more than an innovative advertising experiment. It is a demonstration of what Latino storytelling can look like when the audience is considered from the beginning; not as a niche to be targeted later, but as the community for whom the story is being created.

When I spoke with Ruiz in Los Angeles this past summer, during the run of the Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, he was already looking beyond Rico’s Tacos. He was in L.A. not only to celebrate the project but also to continue building Minivela’s relationship with Pure Flix Familia and to meet with filmmakers and other creators. And perhaps that is the most promising part of this new format. Vertical drama is still young enough that its future has not been decided. The technology may have created the format, and the algorithms may have accelerated it, but there is still room for creators to decide what stories belong inside that little rectangle we carry everywhere.

For Latino storytellers, that could mean something bigger than simply finding a new place to watch a telenovela. It could mean helping shape what the next generation of television and marketing looks like and making sure our stories are there from the beginning.

A Billion-Dollar Industry

While artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to create some of this content, much of the vertical-drama industry still relies on real actors, writers, directors, and production teams. The content is hosted on independent streaming platforms and apps that are growing at an astonishing pace. 

There are now hundreds of dedicated short and vertical-drama apps worldwide, with platforms such as ReelShort, DramaBox, and GoodShort among the most recognizable names in the international market.

Sensor Tower estimates that short-drama apps generated approximately $700 million in global in-app revenue in the first quarter of 2025 alone, nearly four times the revenue generated in the same quarter a year earlier. The apps also surpassed 370 million downloads globally during those three months. By March 2025, cumulative global in-app revenue had reached approximately $2.3 billion (Sensor Tower, 2025). And the audience is no longer small enough to dismiss as a social-media curiosity.

According to Omdia, approximately 66 million people in the United States were monthly microdrama viewers in 2025, up dramatically from 26 million the previous year (Reuters, 2026). The numbers suggest that vertical drama is becoming less of a social-media phenomenon and more of a new form of television.

And this may only be the beginning.

The post Manny Ruiz: At The Helm of the Minivela Evolution first appeared on .

There are few operas as instantly recognizable as Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Its seductive melodies, defiant heroine and tragic ending have traveled far beyond the opera house, becoming part of the world’s collective musical imagination. But at LA Opera, the familiar story takes on a darker dimension, examining the dangerous intersection of freedom, obsession, tradition and control.

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, new production, which opened October 17, 2026, marks LA Opera’s first new staging of Bizet’s masterpiece since 1998. It also inaugurates the music directorship of Domingo Hindoyan, whose arrival signals a new chapter for the Los Angeles company.

Directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, the production trades the picturesque imagery often associated with Spain for a haunting visual world inspired by Spanish photographer Cristina García Rodero’s España Oculta (Hidden Spain). Towering Gothic architecture, religious imagery, candlelit processions and the tension between public devotion and private desire shape a production that places the opera’s central conflict within a society governed by tradition.

The result is a Carmen that asks audiences to look beyond the familiar melodies and consider the human cost of a woman’s refusal to surrender her freedom.

The Story: A Woman Who Refuses to Be Possessed

First performed in Paris in 1875, Carmen tells the story of a fiercely independent woman whose attraction to a soldier sets off a chain of increasingly destructive events.

Carmen, a cigarette-factory worker in Seville, captivates Don José, a soldier who abandons his obligations and eventually his former life to pursue her. What begins as desire becomes an all-consuming attachment. When Carmen turns her attention to Escamillo, a celebrated bullfighter, Don José’s jealousy intensifies, exposing the difference between loving someone and believing you have a right to possess them.

Beneath the drama lies a story that remains painfully contemporary: a woman insists on making her own choices, while a man unable to accept her independence turns rejection into violence.

LA Opera’s own introduction to the production emphasizes the central tension: Carmen belongs to herself, even as the people around her seek to define, desire or possess her.

Rihab Chaieb Brings Carmen to Life

At the center of the production is Tunisian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, whose portrayal has emerged as one of its most celebrated elements.

Chaieb brings both vocal richness and physical authority to the title role, portraying Carmen as a woman whose sensuality is inseparable from her intelligence and determination. Rather than reducing her to the traditional femme fatale, the performance gives her agency and emotional complexity. Critics have praised her stage presence and musicality. 

Opposite Chaieb, tenor Joshua Guerrero plays Don José, the soldier whose attraction becomes destructive obsession. Guerrero, a Grammy-winning Mexican-American tenor and former member of LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, brings emotional vulnerability and vocal power to the role.

Together, the principal cast grounds the production’s grand visual world in the emotional triangle that drives the tragedy.

This production is not simply a revival of a familiar favorite. It is an ambitious reinterpretation, and its artistic choices have prompted debate about how much visual spectacle a classic opera needs.

Choreographer Antonio Najarro, a leading figure in Spanish dance and flamenco, contributes movement that connects the production’s physical energy to its cultural setting.

The staging draws on the visual language of Holy Week processions, religious devotion and Spain’s darker folkloric traditions. In Act III, the smugglers’ camp becomes a cemetery, a place where the living and the dead seem to occupy the same territory. In the final act, the crowds gather for the bullfight as religious processions move through the city.

According to LA Opera, strong ticket demand led the company to add a seventh performance to the original six-performance run. That range of responses is part of what makes the production worth discussing. The response to LA Opera’s Carmen has extended beyond the critical conversation.

Why ‘Carmen’ Still Matters

The enduring power of Carmen lies in its refusal to offer a comfortable resolution. Carmen is neither rewarded for her independence nor transformed into a figure who regrets it. She remains committed to her freedom until the end.

That makes the opera more than a showcase for Bizet’s celebrated score. It is a tragedy about control, gender, jealousy and the violence that can follow when a person refuses to accept another’s autonomy.

LA Opera’s new production brings those questions into sharp relief through its Spanish Gothic setting, its religious imagery and its emphasis on the collision between individual desire and social convention.

The post L.A Opera’s Carmen: A Woman Who Refuses to Be Possessed first appeared on .

In Los Angeles, a Spanish-language book festival is about much more than books. It is about memory, identity and the right to hear yourself—and your history—reflected in the language you speak.

There are cities where Spanish is spoken.

And then there is Los Angeles.

After Guadalajara, Los Angeles is home to one of the largest concentrations of people from the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is a city where Spanish is not simply a language carried across a border; it is woven into neighborhoods, family histories, music, food, faith, art and the everyday rhythm of life.

That reality gives the annual LéaLA Spanish-Language Book Fair & Literary Festival a significance that extends far beyond the pages of the books gathered inside LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

For four days, September 24–27, the 11th annual LéaLA transformed the historic downtown Los Angeles cultural campus into a gathering place for Spanish-language literature, poetry, music, visual arts, film, entertainment and, perhaps most importantly, memory.

This year’s theme—“The Stories That Unite Us Speak Spanish”—felt particularly resonant at a moment when the Spanish language itself can become a target of political and cultural anxiety.

LéaLA offered a different message: Spanish is not something to apologize for.

It is something to preserve.

It is something to celebrate.

And for thousands of children growing up in Los Angeles, it is something that belongs to them.

A Language Is More Than Words

“After Guadalajara, the biggest majority of ‘jaliscienses’ live in Los Angeles. We want to keep the culture and language alive,” said Marisol Schulz Manaut, director of LéaLA.

That statement captures the larger purpose behind the festival.

Preserving Spanish in Los Angeles is not simply about ensuring that another generation can read a book in Spanish. It is about maintaining a connection between generations—between the grandmother who tells stories in Spanish, the parent who understands the language but may not speak it confidently, and the child who is negotiating what it means to be Mexican American, Latino, bilingual or bicultural in a city where cultures constantly intersect.

At LéaLA, those connections were made tangible.

The festival welcomed 13,780 attendees, while its collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District extended the program into classrooms and brought approximately 2,000 elementary and middle school students from 36 schools into contact with Spanish-language literature and cultural programming.

On opening day alone, more than 700 LAUSD students arrived at LA Plaza.

For many of them, the festival became something of a cultural playground—an environment where Spanish was not merely a language spoken at home or studied in school, but the language of imagination.

Children painted, played, listened to stories and encountered authors whose books and experiences reflected pieces of their own worlds.

And their parents played, too.

Because LéaLA understands something important about cultural preservation: it cannot be imposed. It has to be experienced.

Where Memory Becomes Literature

Memory was at the heart of this year’s festival.

“Our lives are shaped by memories,” Schulz Manaut said. “In the various sessions that make up our literary program, we will explore the role of remembrance and memory in literature.”

That philosophy extended beyond the festival’s conversations.

For the first time, LéaLA introduced “The Voice of Memory,” a writing contest created to preserve the anecdotes, lessons, traditions and memories passed from one generation to another. The winning entries were recognized during the festival’s final day.

It was a fitting addition.

Because oral history is often where cultural memory begins.

Long before a family story becomes a book, it is told around a kitchen table. It is repeated at birthdays and holidays. It is remembered differently by each generation. Details disappear. Others become embellished. But somehow the story survives.

That survival is cultural continuity.

And in a city as large and culturally complex as Los Angeles, preserving those stories becomes an act of belonging.

From Books to Mariachi: A Story About Survival

Perhaps nothing illustrated that idea more powerfully on opening day than the pairing of the documentary Ugly Little Monkeys with a live performance by Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson.

The documentary is based on a book by one of the youth who participated in the youth mariachi group Los Changuitos Feos.  Directors  Enrique Castillo and David Valdez based their documentary on this group, chronicling the extraordinary history of the first youth mariachi group in the United States.

Their story is complicated.

It is a story about young people breaking cultural ground in 1960s America. It is also a story marked by betrayal and trauma after the priest who helped bring the young musicians together was later exposed as a sexual predator.

Yet the story does not end there.

The young musicians survived.

The music survived.

And the cultural legacy survived.

The film’s screening followed by a performance from today’s young musicians of the same group created an extraordinary bridge between past and present: the children who once had to fight for space in American cultural life and a new generation standing on the same stage decades later.

The symbolism was difficult to miss.

The “ugly little monkeys” had grown up.

And their music had traveled.

For LéaLA, it was an especially appropriate story to tell—a reminder that cultural memory is not simply about remembering what happened. It is about deciding what deserves to be carried forward.

A Literary Community Takes Root

The festival’s literary program brought together approximately 30 writers, poets and creators, including Carmen Boullosa, Mónica Lavín, Sara Poot-Herrera, Verónica Gerber, Mónica Nepote, Cecilia Eudave, Benito Taibo, Antonio Ortuño, Julia Santibáñez, Alejandro Rosas, Bernardo Fernández “Bef,” Rodrigo Morlesin and Joselo Rangel, among others.

More than 348 publishing catalogs were represented across 33 exhibition and sales spaces, reinforcing LéaLA’s identity not only as a literary festival but as a true Spanish-language book fair.

That distinction matters.

Los Angeles is often described as a city of entertainment. Hollywood dominates the global imagination of the city. But LéaLA offers another narrative: Los Angeles as a center of Spanish-language intellectual and literary life.

Its programming also reached beyond the festival grounds. Students and teachers engaged with authors including Benito Taibo and Flor Aguilera, while the Cabaret Capricho troupe brought performance into the educational experience.

Ten workshops led by the University of Guadalajara’s Letras para Volar team explored family history, emotions, legends, nature and cultural roots. Educators participated in a workshop focused on identity and vernacular literacies.

The goal was not simply to teach Spanish.

It was to demonstrate what Spanish makes possible.

Building Something Permanent

Perhaps the most consequential developments of LéaLA 2026 were not confined to the four-day festival.

The University of Guadalajara announced a permanent space for its Carlos Fuentes Bookstore, while the establishment of the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Institute, to be directed by scholar Sara Poot-Herrera, signals a deeper commitment to creating a permanent intellectual and cultural presence in Los Angeles.

That may ultimately be LéaLA’s most important contribution.

Festivals end.

Books remain.

Institutions remain.

And memories—when they are intentionally preserved—can become part of the foundation for what comes next.

Luis Gustavo Padilla Montes, president of the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, described LéaLA’s original mission as bringing Spanish-language books and literature closer to Los Angeles and creating a gathering place centered around the language.

By that measure, the mission has evolved from aspiration into reality.

The Importance of Belonging

There is something quietly powerful about watching hundreds of children walk into a cultural institution and discover that their language is not peripheral.

It is central.

That their stories are worth telling.

That the books on the shelves are written in the language their grandparents may have spoken.

That poetry can sound like the conversations they hear at home.

That mariachi can belong on a stage alongside literature.

That Spanish is not merely a language of the past—but a language of the future.

At a time when speaking Spanish can sometimes be treated as evidence that someone does not belong in America, LéaLA offers an entirely different proposition.

You belong. And your language belongs, too.

That is why LéaLA matters.

It is a book fair, yes.

It is a literary festival.

It is a cultural gathering.

But at its deepest level, it is an act of remembrance—and an act of resistance against forgetting.

The stories that unite Los Angeles do, indeed, speak Spanish.

And LéaLA is making sure the next generation continues to hear them.

LéaLA Returns in 2027

The 12th annual LéaLA Spanish-Language Book Fair & Literary Festival will take place September 23–26, 2027, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles.

For more information, visit LéaLA.

The post LéaLA 2026: “The Stories That Unite Us Speak Spanish” first appeared on .

A Study in “Creative Disobedience”

In the marvelous Marx Brothers movie, Horse Feathers, Groucho sings a song titled: Whatever It Is, I’m Against It. That satirical tune of rebellion and anarchy could have been the anthem and modus operandi for the unique, groundbreaking Chicano Art Movement that became known as ASCO.

ASCO: Without Permission, a documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Travis Gutierrez Singer fashions together a fast-paced narrative blending interviews, photos, newsreel footage, and artwork in a style that embraces the non-linear, guerrilla, underground, anti-establishment sensibility that mirrors the ethos of the ASCO movement.

“My hope is the film is a manifesto, the ASCO manifesto, for the next generation of the Chicano and Latinx community”, says Singer, “as well as any marginalized group that wants to take from ASCO’s playbook”

That ASCO “playbook” had its genesis with Harry Gamboa Jr., Gulia “Gronk” Nicandro, Willie Herrón, and Patssi Valdez, when they met in high school and began making art as teenagers in 1970.

Singer deftly chronicles the creative arc of the founding radicals in “then” and “now” interviews in which they discuss the origins, struggles, triumphs, and enduring influential impact ASCO has had on Chicano art, and art in general.

ASCO (which is Spanish for “disgust) is an art movement that deserves more scholarly attention, and certainly merits more attention from Hollywood. There have been many Hollywood movies about famous European artists: The Agony and the Ecstasy (Michelangelo), and Lust for Life (Vincen Van Gogh), come to mind. Salma Hayek’s brilliant biopic of famed Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo (Frida), is noteworthy, but there still is no significant cinematic exploration of Chicano art that came to life in East LA back in the ‘70s, and ‘80’s and is still alive and kicking today.

By comparison, Andy Warhol’s Pop Art came and went in the glorious Sixties. Warhols’ underground films featured non-actors like socialite Edie Sedgwick, German singer, Nice, and counter-culture star, Viva.

Warhol’s Pop Art is best remembered for his iconic prints of Campbell Soup Cans, and multiple images of Marilyn Monroe.

It was, by and large, a New York City centered phenomena populated with East Coast elitist, but well-meaning amateurs.

ASCO, on the other hand, emerged from the urban barrios of East LA fueled by radical, working-class Latino kids with an artistic chip on their shoulders eager to break rules to create their own distinctive art in a search for a unique identity and recognition.

Singer’s documentary examines ASCO’s influence on today’s artists, creating modern-day “No Movies” that reimagine what is possible in cinema and art in the collaborative spirit of creative disobedience.

For his part, filmmaker Singer has created a “No Documentary” that is a definite “Yes, Must See.”

ASCO: Without Permission premiered on the PBS series VOCES on Friday, October 2, 2026, 10 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.  

The post ASCO: A Chicano Art Revolution first appeared on .

World premiere explores faith, family, immigration and Chicano life in California’s San Joaquin Valley

Los Angeles – The Latino Theater Company will present the world premiere of Speaking in Tongues, a new play by MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Luis Alfaro that turns its focus to the people, faith and tensions of a small Mexican-American agricultural community in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Commissioned by Latino Theater Company and developed through its Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group, Speaking in Tongues will run October 17 through November 15 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in Downtown Los Angeles, with previews October 15 and 16. José Luis Valenzuela directs.

Alfaro draws heavily on the geography and culture of the San Joaquin Valley, incorporating references to real communities, local businesses and regional traditions—from nearby McFarland and Tipton to Taqueria El Sol De Jalisco, La Barca Bakery and the Visalia Mall. Even the region’s distinctive “Tule fog” becomes part of the play’s sense of place.

The setting is particularly personal for Alfaro, a Chicano playwright born and raised in Los Angeles and the son of farmworkers from California’s San Joaquin Valley. His work has frequently explored the intersections of identity, labor, immigration, family and the relationship between people and the land.

Alfaro received a fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, commonly known as the “genius grant,” recognizing exceptional creativity in his field. His extensive body of work includes Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, Mojada, Delano, The Travelers, Body of Faith, Aztlan, Bruja and Straight as a Line. His plays have been produced by theaters throughout the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe.

He previously served as associate artistic director of Center Theatre Group at the Music Center of Los Angeles County and is currently an associate professor at the University of Southern California.

Speaking in Tongues continues Alfaro’s ongoing exploration of communities often underrepresented on the American stage, placing a distinctly Chicano experience at the center of a story about faith, power, family and resilience.

Set inside a Pentecostal church on the edge of a cornfield in Earlimart, California, the play follows a congregation navigating faith, family, gender, immigration and a rapidly changing community.

At the center is Hermana Romie, played by Evelina Fernández, whose husband—the church’s pastor—has mysteriously disappeared. For years, Romie has secretly written his sermons while suppressing her own voice and talents to preserve the church’s patriarchal traditions.

As immigration raids threaten the community and Romie’s daughter, played by Esperanza América, prepares to leave for a secular life in Los Angeles, Romie begins to claim her own authority. Alongside Lucy Rodríguez as Hermana Cubby, Sal López as Hermano Mando and Geoffrey Rivas as Hermano Tico, the congregation confronts questions of faith, belonging and collective survival.

The production features scenic design by Prairie T. Trivuth, lighting design by “Lee” Xinyuan Li, sound design by Robert J. Revell, projections by Yee Eun Nam, costumes by Samantha Jo Joffray and choreography by Urbanie Lucero.

Speaking in Tongues opens Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m. and runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through November 15. Preview performances are October 15 and 16 at 8 p.m.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013.

The Latino Theater Company, which operates the City of Los Angeles-owned Los Angeles Theatre Center, has produced hundreds of plays and created thousands of jobs since taking over operations of the Downtown venue in 2006. The City recently extended the company’s lease for an additional 30 years, through 2056.

For tickets and additional information, call (213) 489-0994 or visit Latino Theater Company.

The post Luis Alfaro’s ‘Speaking in Tongues’ Sets World Premiere at LATC in DTLA first appeared on .

Free Opening Night screening brings film, literature, music and Mexican-American history together at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and the performance of Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson Youth Mariachi

LéaLA Spanish Language Book Fair & Literary Festival will open its 11th edition with a free screening of the award-winning documentary Ugly Little Monkeys – A True American Story on Sept. 24 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles.

Organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, LéaLA has built its reputation as a leading celebration of Spanish-language books, authors, arts and culture in Los Angeles. This year’s opening-night program expands that mission by demonstrating how stories can move across artistic disciplines — from the page to the screen and ultimately to the stage.

Admission to the three day festival is absolutely free with an added benefit to school children who are bused to participate in the book festival workshops, author readings and performances. Speaking with Marisol Schulz — Director, LéaLA, she expressed, “The greatest joy for me is to see the faces of the children and to know that they can say ‘I saw great authors speaking in my language’.

Directed by David E. Valdez and veteran actor and filmmaker Enrique Castillo, Ugly Little Monkeys chronicles the remarkable rise of Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson, the youth mariachi group that emerged from Tucson’s Mexican-American community in the 1960s and went on to international acclaim.

But the documentary is about far more than mariachi.

It explores identity, cultural pride, community, ambition and the Mexican-American experience through the story of young musicians who challenged stereotypes and opened doors for generations that followed.

The film features Edward James Olmos, Linda Ronstadt and Rubén Fuentes, as well as Ernesto Portillo Sr. and 19 original Changuitos. Wilfred Arvizu, author of Bless Me Father for You Have Sinned, which is the source material for the documentary, will also be in attendance at the opening-night event.

LéaLA’s decision to open its 2026 festival with the documentary gives that history a new platform — connecting the written word, filmmaking and live music in a single evening.

Following the screening, members of Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson will perform live, bringing the music that helped define their extraordinary journey to a new generation.

Opening Night LéaLA Schedule

4:00 PM — Welcome and opening remarks by LéaLA representatives
4:30 PM — Ugly Little Monkeys directors introduce the film
4:40 PM — Screening of Ugly Little Monkeys – A True American Story
6:30 PM — Live performance by Los Changuitos Feos de Tucson
7:00 PM — Cocktail reception

“I’m proud of this film and very grateful that this documentary was made,” said Olmos who also served as Executive Producer of the documentary.

The opening-night program brings together film, literature, music and Mexican-American history, reflecting LéaLA’s mission to amplify Spanish-language storytelling and Latino cultural voices.

The screening is free and open to the public. INFO HERE: https://lea-la.com/programa/

LéaLA 2026 runs Sept. 24–27 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

The post LéaLA 2026 Opens with Free Screening of Award-Winning Documentary ‘Ugly Little Monkeys’ Sept. 24th first appeared on .

By Bel Hernandez Castillo & Andrea Nuñez

To understand what Chicano Hollywood “wants”, you first need to understand what a “Chicano” is.  

In 1970 award-winning journalist Ruben Salazar wrote the definitive article defining the word Chicano in his Los Angeles Times article titled:  “Who is a Chicano and What is it that Chicanos Want?

In his article Salazar wrote, “A Chicano is a Mexican-American with a non-Anglo image of himself. He resents being told Columbus “discovered” America when the Chicano’s ancestors, the Mayans and the Aztecs, founded highly sophisticated civilizations centuries before Spain financed the Italian explorer’s trip to the “New World.”

The passage captures why the term became associated by many Mexican-Americans  with cultural pride and self-determination.

However over the past five decades, the meaning of “Chicano” has evolved. Once embraced as a political identity rooted in the Chicano Movement, it later fell out of favor among some Mexican Americans, while others continued to wear it as a badge of cultural pride. Today, a new generation, and not just Mexican- Americans, are reclaiming the term in ways that emphasize identity, history, and empowerment.  

So what is Chicano Hollywood?

Johnny Murillo, founder of Chicano Hollywood, defines it as a platform “a community built to elevate, empower, and showcase Chicanos and Latino storytellers”. But the vision extends far beyond that simple definition.

That vision might be rooted in past efforts by several Latino organization, who throughout the years were founded for the same purpose.  Chicano Hollywood is part of a broader Latino entertainment ecosystem that has been nurtured over past decades by these organization.  Most notably Nosotros (Founded in 1970 by Ricardo Montalban), Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) (Founded in 1975);  LatinHeat LEMI Conference (Founded 1995); and NALIP (Founded in 1999) – among them.

What distinguishes Chicano Hollywood is its early focus on Mexican-American independent filmmakers—many who existed outside the Hollywood’s traditional power structure. However, Murillo’s vision went beyond its core base, growing to include all Latinos and making alliances with non-Latino entities and filmmakers. Chicano Hollywood created an infostructure from production to distribution.

“For too long, our stories have been underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media,” Murillo explains. adding, “Chicano Hollywood was created to change that — to build our own lane, our own economy, and our own global stage.”  

Murillo, who has been working in Hollywood for more than 15 years as an actor/line producer and screenwriter, began building Chicano Hollywood in 2021.  According to Murillo, the impetus for the Chicano Hollywood brand came from his lived experiences, as well of those of his peers in the Mexican-American community, attempting to pitch stories to the studios.

It is no secret that Chicanos/Latinos represent one of the largest minority groups in the United States. Their economic influence, is noted in the Latino Donor Collaborative studies — increasingly their economic, cultural and creative impact—is undeniable.

For decades, Chicano culture has been portrayed stereotypically in major Hollywood films (Walk Proud (1979), Spanglish (2004), without a balance of characters. It took Latino filmmakers like the following to make independent films that portrayed another side of the Latino experience.

Robert Rodriguez

• El Mariachi (1992)
• Desperado (1995)
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
• Spy Kids (2001)

Gregory Nava

• El Norte (1983)
• Selena (1997)
• My Family (1995)

Luis Valdez

• Cisco Kid (1994)
• La Bamba (1987)

Eva Longoria

• La Guerra Civil (2022)
• Flamin’ Hot (2023)

Despite the box office success of these films, Latino-led films have generally received fewer large-scale studio investments than comparable projects centered on Black film projects, as the 2026 UCLA’s latest Hollywood Diversity Report notes.

So what does Chicano Hollywood want?

Murillo quickly understood that success in entertainment requires more than talent alone. It demands infrastructure, education, access, and ownership. In other words, it requires an ecosystem.

At its core, Chicano Hollywood focuses on three major pillars.

1. Building a Creative Ecosystem for Chicano and Latino Talent

One of the organization’s primary goals is to provide career development and professional education for emerging storytellers, filmmakers, and creatives. Access to industry knowledge has historically been inequitable, and many talented voices simply never receive the tools or mentorship needed to navigate the entertainment industry.

Through the Chicano Hollywood Academy, aspiring creators can access courses such as How to Produce a Micro-Budget Film, How to Write a Contained Script, and the academy’s latest offering, How to Write a Vertical Series.

The company’s vision is ambitious—to establish creative hubs in 15 to 20 major cities and build a pipeline of in-house talent capable of becoming the next generation of writers, producers, directors, and entertainment professionals. The goal is not simply participation in the industry but ownership within it.

2. Creating Independent Media and Distribution Platforms

Another key aspect of Chicano Hollywood’s mission is the creation of multimedia platforms that allow creators to independently produce, distribute, and promote their work.

For many filmmakers and storytellers, gaining access to traditional media channels, distribution deals, or large promotional platforms remains a significant challenge. Chicano Hollywood understands that representation is not only about creating content; it is also about controlling where, how, and by whom those stories are shared.

In response, the organization launched ChicanoHollywood.tv, a streaming and media platform featuring original in-house productions ranging from drama to documentary. Some of its titles include The Calipso Show (2024), Dirt City (2021), and Ruben Gutierrez: My Story (2025), among others.

In publishing, Chicano Hollywood Magazine serves as an additional platform dedicated to showcasing original productions while highlighting influential Chicano and Latino voices across entertainment, business, and technology. The magazine has featured notable figures, such as Eva Longoria, Edward James Olmos, Emilio Rivera, and Oscar-nominated makeup artist Ken Diaz.

The organization’s long-term vision includes developing original content, building subscriber-based revenue, securing advertising partnerships, expanding merchandising opportunities, and increasing distribution channels. In many ways, Chicano Hollywood is working toward creating a self-sustaining entertainment network rooted in cultural ownership, creative independence, and community visibility.

3. Developing an Economic Engine for Latino Creatives and Entrepreneurs

Chicano Hollywood also recognizes that the entertainment industry is deeply driven by relationships, networking, and economic collaboration. For that reason, the organization seeks to create opportunities not only for artists but also for entrepreneurs, vendors, producers, and creative professionals working across the entertainment landscape.

Its first public initiatives was their Elevate Conference, where Chicano Hollywood brought together keynote speakers, industry panels, and entertainment-focused businesses to foster spaces for inspiration, collaboration, and professional growth. Over the past three years, the conference has featured notable voices such as Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle, Cobra Kai), producer and actress Lisa Vidal (The Division, Being Mary Jane), actress Maria Canals-Barrera (Wizards of Waverly Place, Camp Rock), actors Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner, Miami Vice, Zoot Suit), Luis Guzmán (Wednesday, Narcos), Enrique Castillo (Deja Vu, Blood In Blood Out, The Waltons) and others, helping establish the Chicano Hollywood as an important space for dialogue, visibility, and industry exchange. 

Last year, the organization also launched its first Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, showcasing films, documentaries, short films, and series that were created by Chicano and Latino filmmakers from across the country.

The momentum continues to grow. The next edition, the 2026 Chicano Hollywood Film Festival, is scheduled to take place from July 29 through August 2, 2026 at the The Union On Garey, further expanding the organization’s vision of creating a national platform for Chicano and Latino storytelling, collaboration, and cultural ownership.

This year over 100 features and short film will screened, workshops that include How To Self-Distribute Your Indie Film with Selina Ringal; Stuntman Fighting with Geo Perez and Joe Chacon and even a marketing activations — a Chess Match: Keanu Reeves vs Bianca Mitchell followed by a panel with Reeves and the filmmaking team, followed by a screening of their Mad Woman’s Game feature documentary. The five day festival will culminate on Augut 2nd with the awards ceremony. Tickets can be purchased HERE

This is only the beginning 

Organizations willing to articulate a long-term vision often inspire broader participation. By defining its ambitions publicly, Chicano Hollywood invites filmmakers, entrepreneurs, educators, and audiences to imagine themselves as part of a larger movement.

Ambition invites collaboration, and movements grow when communities see themselves reflected in them. Chicano Hollywood possesses many of the elements necessary to become one of the leading independent Chicano and Latino entertainment networks in the United States, namely education, infrastructure, distribution, community, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to telling stories authentically.

Earlier generations relied almost exclusively on access to Hollywood’s gatekeepers, today’s creators are increasingly building their own educational institutions, media platforms, festivals, distribution channels, and business networks.

Representation is not just about being seen. It is about people having the power to tell their own stories, in their own voice, with their own faces.

Andrea Nuñez-Gamboa Co-wrote this article

The post What is Chicano Hollywood and What Does Chicano Hollywood want? first appeared on .

The Imagen Award for Championing the Arts and Latino Communities Goes to L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood icon Andy Garcia will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 41st Annual Imagen Awards, recognizing a career that transpired Latino representation in entertainment for more than four decades.

The Imagen Foundation announced this year’s nominees on July 16, with Apple TV+’s Acapulco leading the field with 13 nominations. The annual awards ceremony will take place on Friday, August 21, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where 25 competitive awards and three special achievement honors will be presented.

For the Imagen Foundation, Garcia’s recognition represents more than a celebration of an accomplished actor—it honors an artist whose career has consistently elevated authentic Latino storytelling both in front of and behind the camera.

“Andy Garcia represents the very best of what the Imagen Foundation has sought to celebrate for more than four decades,” said Imagen Foundation Founder and President Helen Hernandez. “From hosting the fourth annual Imagen Awards in 1989 to building a remarkable body of work as an actor, filmmaker and producer, Andy has remained committed to his craft, his community and creating opportunities for Latino talent.”

Hernandez also pointed to Garcia’s recent international acclaim, noting the nine-minute standing ovation his latest film, Diamond, received at the Cannes Film Festival as evidence of the worldwide respect he continues to command.

Hilda L. Solis Recognized for Decades of Public Service

Also receiving one of the evening’s highest honors is Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, who will be presented with the President’s Award for her distinguished public service and unwavering commitment to expanding access to the arts while advocating for Latino communities throughout Los Angeles County.

For many in Hollywood and the broader Latino community, Solis has long been recognized as a steadfast ally. Throughout her career—from the California Legislature and the U.S. Congress to serving as U.S. Secretary of Labor and now as Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors—Solis has consistently supported arts organizations, cultural institutions and initiatives that create greater opportunities for Latino artists, filmmakers and underserved communities.

A lifelong resident of the San Gabriel Valley and the daughter of immigrants from Nicaragua and Mexico, Solis has built a career centered on expanding opportunity, equity and access. Today she represents Los Angeles County’s First District, stretching from East Hollywood to Pomona, while continuing to champion cultural programming and investment in the creative economy.

Acapulco Leads the Nominees

Apple TV+’s beloved bilingual comedy Acapulco emerged as the leading nominee with 13 nominations, including Best Comedy Series, while earning recognition across directing, acting and supporting performance categories.

The series will also receive the Creative Achievement Award, honoring Apple TV+, creators Austin Winsberg and Eugenio Derbez, and showrunner Sam Laybourne for creating one of television’s most successful Latino-led productions featuring a predominantly Latino cast and crew.

“They are a shining example of how a network and creative team can create a bilingual series centered on Latino-led stories and characters that can drive crossover audience appeal,” Hernandez said.

Other productions receiving multiple nominations include Hazbin Hotel, Belén, Hacks, Stick, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Morning Show, The Night Manager, Twisted Metal and Will Trent.

Among this year’s acting nominees are America Ferrera, Zoe Saldaña, Melissa Barrera, Selena Gomez, Stephanie Beatriz, Eugenio Derbez, Ramón Rodríguez, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Wilmer Valderrama.

A Continued Call for Greater Representation

While celebrating this year’s nominees, Hernandez also issued a challenge to the entertainment industry regarding the continued underrepresentation of Latinos on screen and behind the camera.

“This year’s nominees reflect the extraordinary diversity of Latino talent across television, documentaries, independent productions, digital media and music,” Hernandez said. “However, we cannot ignore the continued lack of Latino representation in media and the fact that we are unable to present awards in the film categories Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting due to a lack of submissions.”

She added that overlooking Latino audiences carries economic consequences for the industry.

“As a business, Latinos are a $3 trillion audience, and by overlooking the value of our community, it directly affects the economic health and longevity of the entertainment industry.”

Now in its 41st year, the Imagen Awards continue to recognize excellence in film, television, documentaries, music, podcasts and digital media while advocating for authentic Latino representation across the entertainment landscape.

The complete list of nominees is available through the Imagen Foundation. The 41st Annual Imagen Awards will be presented on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. PURCHASE TICKETS

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In a city where Spanish is woven into everyday life, LéaLA (loosely translated into “read it”) has become more than a literary festival—it is a celebration of the language, stories, and cultural heritage that aims to bridge generations of U.S. Latinos and their ancestors south of the border.

LéaLA – The Spanish Language Book Fair & Literary Festival, organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, LéaLA will once again transform LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes into a vibrant gathering place for readers, authors, educators, filmmakers, poets, and families who share a love of literature and the Spanish language.

Now recognized as one of the country’s premier literary and cultural events, LéaLA continues its mission of fostering dialogue through books, critical thought, film, poetry, educational programming, and the exchange of ideas that connect communities across generations and borders.

This year’s theme, “The Stories That Unite Us Speak Spanish,” reflects the festival’s belief that language is more than a means of communication—it is a powerful connection to identity, family, and cultural heritage.

Held in the historic Olvera Street district, the festival brings together voices from the United States, Mexico, and Latin America, offering attendees the opportunity to discover new authors, participate in literary conversations, attend cultural presentations, and enjoy family-friendly programming—all free of charge.

Honoring the Stories We Inherit

One of the most meaningful additions to this year’s festival is “The Voice of Memory,” a community writing contest that invites participants to celebrate the people whose stories helped shape their lives.

Rather than focusing solely on published works, the initiative encourages writers of all ages to share the anecdotes, traditions, life lessons, and cherished memories passed down by grandparents, parents, mentors, and other influential figures.

The contest underscores one of LéaLA’s central messages: some of our most powerful stories are first told at home.

A Cultural Bridge Through Literature

Organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, with support from the philanthropic legacy of Phyrrha Gladys Grodman, LéaLA has become an important cultural bridge connecting Spanish-speaking communities throughout the Americas.

“Spanish is the language that carries our memories, traditions, and stories,” organizers note. “Through literature and storytelling, we preserve our past while inspiring future generations.”

The festival is also supported by the University of Guadalajara Alumni Association in Los Angeles and numerous public and private institutions committed to promoting literacy, education, and cross-cultural understanding.

Event Information

LéaLA – The Spanish Language Book Fair & Literary Festival

Dates: September 24–27, 2026

Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
501 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Admission: Free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.lea-la.com.

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