Hispanic Stereotypes

Here's a video that examines Hispanic stereotypes.

Caribbean "Love Drink" Launches in Time for Valentine's Day

Caribbean "Love Drink" Launches in Time for Valentine's Day

Today, Don Ramon Mamajuana announced the launch of it's Mamajuana liqueur drink mix in the U.S starting February 27th. This will be the first time that such a product from the Dominican Republic is available for the U.S. market starting.

(I-Newswire) - Miami, Florida- ( I-Newswire ) Jan 30, 2007 -
Dominican herbal liqueur mix manufacturer; Don Ramon Mamajuana, Corp. has announced the official United States pre-launch of its Dominican love drink: Don Ramon Mamajuana(tm) , beginning February 14th, 2007. Considered a natural Aphrodisiac, this special blend of 20 roots, herbs, and spices native to the Dominican Republic has been used for centuries as a powerful vitality drink. Tourists and natives of the islands have enjoyed this secret drink for years. Typically, the only way one can get a hold of an authentic bottle of Mamajuana is by traveling to the Dominican Republic. For the first time, it will now be available in the US.This herbal aphrodisiac beverage first came into existence hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus arrived on the island of Hispaniola. It was initially discovered by Taino Indians who inhabited the island of the Caribbean region and utilized it for its vitality and health advantages. Today, Mamajuana is considered by Dominican Republic natives as a National drink. It is referred to as; "The Baby Maker" and "The Male Member Enhancer's Drink"*. Many of the natural ingredients found in Mamajuana are widely used today in western herbal supplements such as Chamomile, Star Anis, Anamú, Brazilwood, Cat's Claw (Uña de Gato) among many others. Unlike many other traditional Mamajuana found on the islands, Don Ramon Mamajuana is specially prepared to comply with USDA and FDA regulations set for safety and cleanliness of product. Each bottle is tamper-proof sealed and includes mixing and preparation directions.The official product launch will start this February 27th to commemorate Dominican Republic's Independence day. "We are thrilled that finally American consumers will now have the opportunity to benefit from the ability to enjoy this traditional and long-awaited product," said Ray Payano, 26 year old Co-founder and V.P. of the company. "Mamajuana is an exciting do-it-yourself beverage, that can be custom prepared by the consumer according to their taste preference" said Steve Zabielinsky, Co-founder and President.Arriving just in time for Valentines Day, Don Ramon Mamajuana is the first product of its kind offering consumers a perfect passion liqueur mixer that will help set the mood for intimate moments and much more.

Source: http://i-newswire. com/pr88398. html

MLK's Dream in Latin America

Martin Luther King Jr. was a famous political activist in the U.S. Civil Rights movement. He was the youngest man to win the Nobel Peace Prize (for for his work as a peacemaker, promoting nonviolence and equal treatment of different races). On April 6, 1968, he was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1986, he was celebrated as a U.S. holiday. Interestingly, he is one of the four individuals honored by a national holiday in the United States (the other three people are Jesus of Nazareth, George Washington, and Christopher Columbus).

In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr., I have listed a few Latin American civil rights leaders who brought his dream of peaceful diversity closer to reality.


Óscar Arias (Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez)
Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez (born 13 September 1940, in Heredia, Costa Rica) is the current President of Costa Rica and the first Nobel Laureate from his nation. He served as President from 1986 to 1990, and was elected for a second term in a close election in 2006. In 1987 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the civil unrest then raging in several Central American countries. He is also a recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism.

Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (born July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela; died December 17, 1830, in Santa Marta, Colombia) was a leader of several independence movements throughout South America, collectively known as Bolívar's War.
Credited with leading the fight for independence in what are now the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia, he is revered as a hero in these countries and throughout much of the rest of Hispanic America. In 1802, he married María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa. She died of yellow fever less than a year later and he never remarried.
Bolívar is known as "El Libertador", The Liberator, as well as the "George Washington of South America" due to his leading the above independence movements, just as Washington led and won independence for the United States.

César Chávez

César Estrada Chávez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was a U.S.-born farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. His work led to numerous improvements for migrant workers. He is hailed as one of the greatest Mexican American civil rights leaders. His birthday on March 31 has subsequently become a holiday in a handful of U.S. states, and a number of parks, cultural centers, libraries, schools, and streets have been named in his honor in several cities across the United States.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna

Born - June 14, 1928 Rosario, Argentina
Died - October 9, 1967 La Higuera, Bolivia

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara or el Che, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. As a young man studying medicine, Guevara traveled roughrough[›] throughout Latin America, bringing him into direct contact with the impoverished conditions in which many people lived. His experiences and observations during these trips led him to the conclusion that the region's socioeconomic inequalities could only be remedied by revolution, prompting him to intensify his study of Marxism and travel to Guatemala to learn about the reforms being implemented there by President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán.
Some time later, Guevara joined Fidel Castro's paramilitary 26th of July Movement, which seized power in Cuba in 1959. After serving in various important posts in the new government and writing a number of articles and books on the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare, Guevara left Cuba in 1965 with the intention of fomenting revolutions first in Congo-Kinshasa, and then in Bolivia, where he was captured in a CIA/U.S. Army Special Forces-organized military operation.[1] Guevara was summarily executed by the Bolivian Army in La Higuera near Vallegrande on October 9, 1967.
After his death, Guevara became an icon of socialist revolutionary movements worldwide. An Alberto Korda photo of him (shown) has received wide distribution and modification. The Maryland Institute College of Art called this picture "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century."

Resources:

Internet Latin American Studies http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/

List of Latin Americans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_Americans#Leaders_and_politicians

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Dictionary of Latino Civil Rights History
Author: F. Arturo Rosales

A Latino Christmas

Many Latinos in the United States combine both U.S. norms and Latin American conventions in the Christmas season. Many children in Latin America view Christmas as centered on the myths of the gift-giving baby Jesus and the generous Three Kings, whereas a jolly old man dressed in red offers rewards to the good and merciful in the United States. How can these disparate festivities be combined? This fusion is achieved in part with the desire of their Latin American parents or grandparents to keep la cultura alive after moving to the United States.

In Latin America, many children plant corn seeds and later place the ripe corn under their bed on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) for the baby Jesus, who, like Santa Claus, gives gifts to well-behaved children. The holiday season continues through Christmas to the annual arrival of the Magi before dawn on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany or Three Kings Day. According to the bible, three wise men followed the Star of Bethlehem from Persia (present-day Iran) to Jerusalem to bear gifts to the baby Jesus on this day.

Throughout Latin America, Three Kings Day is the climax of the holiday season—children receive the most gifts and the journey of the Three Kings is often imitated. According to the Latin American myth, these kings transform every year to three stars. Their residence in the sky allows them to receive wish lists from any child despite location. Children place a box full of grass and some water under their bed for the kings’ camels on the night before Three Kings Day. The next day, after the Magis’ nocturnal stops at each child’s bedside, the family enjoys the king’s generosity and gathers for the traditional Epiphany dinner, where everyone is served a slice of la Rosca de los Tres Reyes (the Three Kings Cake). In one of these pieces of cake, one of the guests will find a baby Jesus clay doll.

Many Latin Americans immigrate to the United States and intend to continue their traditions, including these holiday conventions. Nevertheless, there is a concern in many Hispanic communities that the jolly old man dressed in red is replacing both baby Jesus and the Three Kings. Surprisingly, this concern is found in both the United States and Latin America. Many Latin American nations follow the winter traditions of the United States. For example, a Puerto Rican firm recently transported Canadian snow to the island so that the children can enjoy “the whole American winter”—holiday carols, Santa Claus, and snow. Also, many families import pine trees from the United States and Canada to their homes in Latin America for Christmas.

Santa Claus seems to be another mode of assimilation as his legend crowds out the Three Kings and the baby Jesus from the holiday festivities. Nevertheless, many Latinos in the United States continue to blend U.S. culture and their Latin American heritage as they celebrate these holiday customs. For example, many Latino-populated communities, such as Spanish Harlem, hold parades on Three Kings Day with camels, donkeys, and different biblical characters.

My own holiday celebration combines the Three Kings myth my parents grew up with and the Santa Claus legend that the United States has taught me. When I was a child, my immediate family and I awaited the arrival of both Santa Claus and the Kings. On December 24th, I left cookies and milk, Santa’s favorite dessert, near our small plastic Christmas tree. Then on the night of January 5th, I lured the three kings’ camels with snippets of grass made of green construction paper—paper because New York City is barren of grass during the cold months—under my bed.

Three Kings Day is one of the biggest gift-giving occasions in Latin America, and many Latin Americans who strive to maintain their culture continue to give importance to the Magi and baby Jesus after moving to the United States. Their U.S.-born children are taught the myth of Santa Claus while their Latin American family extends the holiday season through the first week of January. For that reason, as Bill and their other American friends are discarding the Christmas tree, many Latino children are putting out the small Three Kings statue on the kitchen table.

Resources: Las Culturas, Puerto Rico Herald,

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Thanksgiving, Latino Style

Many of us in the United States are straddled between the culture of our parents and the U.S. culture. In this position as cultural middle-man (or middle-woman), we pick and choose holidays that simultaneously celebrate both sides of the cultural coin and do not insult either cultures. This is especially true of Latinos in the United States who exemplify the bi-cultural lives of many U.S.-born children of immigrants. With the increased presence of Latinos in mainstream culture — last year, Dora the Explorer was the first Latina to ever fly in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — many people have asked me: How do Latinos celebrate Thanksgiving?

While many Anglo-American families view Thanksgiving as one of the few days in the year when the family comes together and gives thanks, many Latino families deem this holiday as another reason to gather the family and enjoy good music and dancing. Latin American culture is marked by its high value on family. For example, in many South American countries, it is the norm to see one’s family at least once a week—usually on Sundays. They pass this family value onto the Latino generations living in the United States. Therefore, many of these families celebrate Thanksgiving as merely another family gathering, which will be repeated on Sunday. Some Latin Americans give thanks for the aid they have received in establishing their homes in the United States, despite the increased antagonism against newcomers in this country. In contrast, their U.S.-born children see this holiday as an extra day of the week when the cousins, aunts, and uncles visit, eat, gossip, and dance.

Most Latinos celebrate Thanksgiving with a union of U.S. and Latin American style. For example, in my family, we often cook garlic-marinated turkey with a stuffing of adobo, chorizo, and green peppers. Other times, perníl, which is a roasted pig, or even a seafood dish, such as paella, have been served as the main dish. Just as there is variety in the Thanksgiving meat, there is a manifold of starch foods offered, which included mangú, yuca, mashed potatoes with gravy, yams, rice, moro, dinner rolls, pan cubano, and biscuits. While we enjoy this bi-cultural banquet, salsa and merengue music often play in the background.

Even though some Latinos do not view Thanksgiving as the one and only day of giving thanks, most Latinos celebrate its festivities with a fusion of U.S. and Latin American elements. This union of two cultures mirrors the camaraderie between the pilgrims and the Native Americans more than three centuries ago. This brief communion between the indigenous and the European populations has produced bi-cultural feasts throughout the United States.

Adios a Colon

On October 9th, 2006, the streets of New York were crowded with the city’s children. Even though it was a Monday, many youngsters were found playing hopscotch and basketball, and attending the Columbus Day festivities. Columbus Day is a school-free, work-free (for some adults) day of parades and festivals, in which we celebrate the invasion of the Americas. Christopher Columbus has become a U.S. cultural icon, whose arrival to the U.S. signifies for many as the great discovery of the Americas, and many students in the United States are taught this cruel hoax.

While their Latin American parents and grandparents know of the true robbery and violence that occurred in their native lands, many Latino students are instead taught that Christopher Columbus is a U.S. cultural icon. The commendatory Columbus myths and celebrations in the U.S. mask the enslavement, exploitation, and genocide of the Native Americans brought about by Columbus and his successors, who the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez described as “worse than Hitler.”[i] The Spanish historian Consuelo Varela has described Columbus’ Caribbean government as “a frontier society, with terrible misery and injustice.”[ii] Columbus implemented extreme forms of punishments to the indigenous peoples, such as the dismembering their ears and noses. I myself was not conscious of Columbus’ ancient crimes until a few years ago, when I conversed with a Dominican schoolteacher. She explained to me that in Latin America children learn as early as grade school of Columbus’ rape of the Americas. My U.S. education has failed me and many other Latino students; the heroic grandfather, who proved that the Earth was round and whom schoolchildren celebrate with portraits of crayon and cotton-ball-wigs, songs, plays, and parades, is a poseur.

The misuse of education is partly predicated on the Euro-centric assumption that brown savages, who did not accomplish nor contribute anything and who desperately needed the virtues of the European intellect and religion, inhabited the Americas. One such scholar who elaborates on such a racist assumption is Dr. Michael S. Berliner, who argues: "Whatever the problems it brought, the vilified Western culture also brought enormous, undreamed-of benefits, without which most of today's Indians would be infinitely poorer or not even alive."[i]

However, research has shown that Native Americans have made countless contributions. For example, in the realm of the humanities, they have produced oral literary traditions, art, music, and literature. Furthermore, the American indigenous populations have cultivated the majority of foods eaten today, such as rootbeer, beef jerky, chocolate, and potatoes.

A Euro-centric notion does not do justice to multicultural landscape of the Americas. African Americans, Europeans, indigenous tribes, and other populations comprise its lands. Therefore, it is crucial that more people understand the guileless social evolution in the Americas. Come, and lend a helping hand in a candid depiction of the Americas preceding Columbus’ arrival and of European exploration and colonization. Extend beyond these simple words a greater respect for those who marginalized. E-mail your family and friends a line or two saying your goodbye to Christopher.

[1] Columbus 'sparked a genocide'. BBC News (October 12, 2003). Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
[11] Abend, Lisa, Geoff Pingree. "Who really sailed the ocean blue in 1492?", The Christian Science Monitor, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
[1] Berliner, Michael S. “On Columbus Day, Celebrate Western Civilization, Not Multiculturalism” The Ayn Rand Institute (October 9, 2002 ) Retrieved on 2006-10-20.

This post has been expanded into an internet-published article titled "Can You Say Goodbye to Colon." Check it out here http://literatenubian.org/editor.aspx?Id=9&ArticleId=55

Hispanic Heritage Month

Wow! Where has time flown? It seems like yesterday that I was trading in my school books for flip-flops. Now I'm buying books for this Fall semester. It's September! And besides a chill in the air and a prediction of falling leaves, there's plenty to celebrate. Among the many holidays, we Latinos have a whole month of celebrating our Caribbean-style dinners, our invention of the modern novel, and our fantastic sensuality in the Argentine tango. Amidst the festivities, here's a few reasons to love being Latina/o.

#1: "It's just our nature and our culture to embrace everybody around us and to incorporate everybody else's lifestyles into ours. And I think those are some vlaues that I was raised on as a Mexican American." ~~Eva Longoria

#2: "I see the new Latin artist as a pioneer opening up doors for others to follow. And when they don't open, we crowbar our way in." ~~John Lequizamo

#3: "How do I maintain my Mexican roots? How do you cut it out? Being Mexican---it's part of who you are. It's not something I question or work at. It just is." ~~Salma Hayek.

#4: "I'm Latin! I have a built-in advantage." ~~Erik Estrada, on dancing.

#5: "Being Latin parents makes us extremely expressive with our affections." ~~Gloria Estefan

Futbol (Soccer) Fever

Sorry the post delay. I've been so busy w/school, work, and watching the World Cup. It's been an 3 weeks watching all the different countries play so hard to be awarded the World Cup. Even though the referrees can often be prejudice (as seen in the Spain vs. Australia game), their decisions are deemed as law on the game. Even though my countries (U.S. and Dominican Republic) are not playing in this international competition, I love seeing countries I've never heard of striving for recognition. It's truly international.

This morning I was curious on the history of the FIFA World Cup. Here's the 411 on what the World Cup actually is:

FIFA= Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) (soccer's global governing body)
World Cup= an international soccer competition contested by the men's national soccer teams of member nations of the FIFA.

The tournament's final phase (often called the "World Cup Finals") involves 32 national teams competing at several venues (within the host nation or nations) over a period of about a month. It is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with 1.1 billion people watching the 2002 tournament final. The World Cup and soccer in general have not caught on or gained popularity in the US as it has around the world. The 2002 World Cup ranked 7th in viewers ratings during the week of its broadcast in the US.

In seventeen tournaments held, only seven nations have ever won the World Cup. Brazil is the current holder, as well as the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times, while Germany and Italy follow with three titles each. The other former champions are Uruguay, Argentina, England and France. Of the nine World Cups staged in Europe before the current tournament, only one saw victory by a non-European team, that being Brazil in 1958. When held outside Europe, the competition has only ever been won by South American teams. Only two teams from outside these two continents have ever reached the semi-finals of the competition: the USA (in 1930) and South Korea (in 2002).

The current World Cup Finals are being held in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006.

6 Latino nations are participating in this year's World Cup:

• Costa Rica
• Paraguay
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Brazil
• Spain

The "it" players:
Jose Cardozo- #20, Forward position, Uruguay

Hernan Crespo (not to be confused with the very musical Elvis Crespo)-#9, Forward position, UK

Francisco Fonseca-#26, Forward position, Mexico

Ronaldo-#9, Forward position, Spain

And all of this history has led to this one point: Different nationalities housed in one German soccer stadium. Fans cheering. Unheard of countries make their mark in soccer history. And the announcer yelling to screaming crowds: "GOOOOAAAALLLL!"

Racism in U.S.

Here's a little history question for all Americans and scholars of American history: What is the foundation of the U.S.?
ANSWER: Immigration.

The U.S. was created because of immigrants and exiles. We are the only nation in the whole wide world that is comprised of mulitudes of races. Our population is made up of all the colors God deemd fit for humans. We are a quilt of colors, customs, and cultures.

Another question: Why is there racism in a country founded on immigration?
ANSWER: none.

This inquiry may naive. I am coscious of the natural human tendency to classify, stereotype, and deem themselves superior to others.

My professor recently informed me that there's more rascists in the U.S. than blacks. Memory seemed expand my mind. I suddenly remembered how in Michigan, the other writers (who were white) kept their distance from the only woman with curves on the camp grounds. I recalled how in Argentina how a man darker than me called my friend and I "Caballos negros" (black horses). And I certainly cannot forget the security guards stalking me everytime I shop at Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, or Prada.

Alma awards

Did you catch the Alma awards last night? I've never actually heard of it before, but this is it's 7th year running. I'm so happy that I rushed through my homework to see it.

The opening dance number with Eva Longoria, Roselyn Sanchez, Constance Marie, Carmen Electra and Paulina Rubio—Destiny's Chicas, if you will—was steaming, wasn't it? Eva Longoria was the host and the executive producer of this year's show. Her role in the show explains for the non-Latino celebs like Carmen Electra, Jessica Simpson and Michael Douglas on the stage, which portrays the various races which knits the quilt of U.S. society. Eva did a wonderful job in taking the ALMAs to a whole new level and in raising the bar for Latinos.

The ALMAs was such a great portrayal of Latino culture and achievements in the U.S. It wasn't cheap, tacky or ghetto at all. And they didn't use the batteries of the smoke detectors for the mics, as George Lopez once did. lol. That man is just too funny. After seeing this award show all I gotta is: It's about damn time. :)

Here's the complete list of winners:

Person of the year: Eva Longoria (Eva looked so glamorous and graceful, which is sometimes a rare combination. She exudes greatness for the Latinas in the U.S.)

Anthony Quinn Award for excellence in motion pictures: Andy Garcia (Like Ms. Longoria, Andy has raised the Latino bar. He's a soul ful actor and his new movie The Lost City has portrayed a humanity to the mythful Cuba in our history books)

Celia Cruz Award for excellence in music: Marc Anthony

Special achievement for children's programming: Maya & Miguel

Special achievement in diversity programming: ABC

Actor in a motion picture: Michael Pena, Crash

Actress in a motion picture: Q'Orianka Kilcher, The New World (She's too cute and down to earth. I'd love to have un cafesito @ Starbucks with her)

Supporting actress in a motion picture: Elpidia Carrillo, Nine Lives

Director of a motion picture: Fernando Meirelles, The Constant Gardener

Television series: NBC, The West Wing

Actor in a television series: Jimmy Smits, The West Wing

Actress in a television series: Judy Reyes, Scrubs

Supporting actor in a television series: Jorge Garcia, Lost

Supporting actress in a television series: Michelle Rodriguez, Lost (Esa chika can kick some ass anywhere. I'd never mess w/that woman)

Director of a television drama or comedy: Jesus Trevino, Prison Break

Script for a television drama or comedy: Alien by Jose Molina for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Performance in a daytime drama: Eva LaRue, All My Children

Spanish album of the year: Fijacion Oral, Volumen 1, Shakira (She's making everyone, white, black, Asian, Latina to shake their hips)

Male musical performer: Daddy Yankee (el rompe the charts--he deserves it)

Female musical performer: Shakira

Has the Latina Spectrum gone wangsta?

Has our beauty complex returned to the King Kong days? I was just thinking how there are no black (as in dark skinned) women in Latina magazines. The last and only black actor I've seen in a Spanish soap opera was in "Andres" and I was in junior high then (I'm a junior in college now). Do we value light, blond, and skinny over our natural round, brown, brunnettes? Do we reject the various shades and shapes in the Latino spectrum? Do we try to emulate a culture we're not?

Latinas as Yes Woman after the Wedding Day??

So I wonder if women function only for agreement after they get married? Does Latino culture enforce this machismo?

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not doing an Octavio Paz on Latinos and they're so called "inherent machismo." No! I love my origin. I love the mangos, plantains, smiling Caribbeans, and magical realism. I love the history and culture. Amo mi America, America Latina.

However, after seeing today's episode on Oprah (the ex-wife of Lance Armstrong explained her loss of independence and her own identity after sporting the big rock) I wonder if Latino culture reinforces the traditional and unfeministic notions of the ideal wife and mother (barefoot and pregnant, in the kitchen).

Many minority cultures subjugate its females. They fill them with shame when their mind, body, or soul steps outside of the threshold. Fortunately, with the expansion of education, this traditional way of thinking has declined. But it hasn't diminished. It was just recently that my aunt (who I love to death) told my cousin to serve dinner to her husband. Are we our husband's mothers too?

Maybe we should step out from the norms a bit. Observe, and see what we want and need (besides food, water and shelter). Rather than fantasizing that el principe azul will climb up and save us from evil witches and dragons, we Latinas must cut off our long (blond, brown, red, whatever color it may be) mane and climb down the tower ourselves.

Happy Mother's Day

Who said…?
“You're going to put your eye out with that thing!”
“Am I talking to a brick wall?”
“Please act like a lady.”
“I love you, unconditionally.”

Have you guessed it?
It's MOM!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Reminder for fellow Dominicans & Dominican Americans: only two more weeks for the Dominican Mother's Day :o)