Celebrating Latin Heritage Month!

Here at Blue Élan Records we celebrate Latin Heritage Month to highlight and celebrate voices that most often go unheard, but it's important that companies, industry leaders, and just people in general can carry on this excitement and passion for Latin culture past this one designated month. The Latin culture and community continues to succeed and break barriers all year long.

Representation is important. Visibility is important. It’s what inspires the younger generation and creatives to be leaders within local communities. Follow us all month long as we celebrate Latin Heritage Month, and keep reading for 3 things you can listen to, read, and watch:

3 Things to Listen To

• The Brega with Alana Casanova-Burgess
• WNUC Studios and Futuro Studios present “La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience”: a seven-part podcast series that uses narrative storytelling and investigative journalism to reflect and reveal how la brega has defined so many aspects of life in Puerto Rico. Available in English and Spanish. Creado por un colectivo de periodistas, productores, músicos y artistas boricuas; presentado por Alana Casanova-Burgess.
• In The Thick with Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela
• Journalists tell you what you’re missing from the mainstream news. Co-hosted by award-winning journalists Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela, IN THE THICK has the conversations about race, identity and politics few people are discussing or want to discuss.
• Bitter Brown Femmes with Cassandra Alicia and Rubén Angel
• Touching on social and political matters impacting marginalized communities today, with an emphasis on: LGBT, Latinx/Chicanx, and women's issues. Living by the motto: "Dismantling Sh!t While Talking Sh!t!”

3 Things to Read

• Article: Hispanic Heritage Month gets justifiable criticism, but it’s still worth celebrating
• Article: 8 Afro Latinos Who Made Important Contributions to US History
• Book: Bird of Paradise by Raquel Cepeda
• In 2009, when Raquel Cepeda almost lost her estranged father to heart disease, she was terrified she’d never know the truth about her ancestry. Every time she looked in the mirror, Cepeda saw a mystery—a tapestry of races and ethnicities that came together in an ambiguous mix. With time running out, she decided to embark on an archaeological dig of sorts by using the science of ancestral DNA testing to excavate everything she could about her genetic history. Digging through memories long buried, she embarks upon a journey not only into her ancestry but also into her own history.

3 Things to Watch

• Black Latinas Answer Frequently Googled Questions about Afro Latinidad
• The fabulous women of Black Latinas Know Collective answer frequently Googled questions about Afro Latinidad.
• What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States
• Fernanda provides a first person account of identity--addressing stereotypes and assumptions, and inviting the audience to dig deeper into the Latinx experience in the United States. Fernanda addresses the role of Latinx people in shaping the culture, politics, and economy of the USA.
• Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba
• What does “Está Rico” by Marc Anthony, Will Smith & Bad Bunny have in common with “Made For Now” by Janet Jackson x Daddy Yankee? They both high-jacked AfroBeats and did not give the genre’s origin props. Bakosó is a film that does the opposite, following DJ Jigüe to his hometown of Santiago de Cuba to find inspiration from the new sounds.