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Kanye has always had a love affair with sneakers, an obsession that dates back as far as his passion for music. In 2007, he created a shoe for the Japanese apparel company A Bathing Ape, complete with a teddy bear logo that appeared on some of his early covers. In 2009, Kanye released his first collaboration with Nike, the Air Yeezy I and in 2012 he released the Air Yeazy II, which was the first shoe to have the same level of sales and cultural impact as Air Jordans. Hip-hop has been connected to footwear almost since the genre was born, from Run-D.M.C’s Adidas shoes in the mid-1980’s to Jay-Z and 50 Cent’s Reeboks two decades later, underscoring the longevity of raps influence on the sneaker industry... and Kanye, he’s runnin’ in the right direction!

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Self-described “Taco Scout” Javier Cabral has partnered with Netflix to produce Las Crónicas del Taco, a six-part Spanish docu-series focusing on “tacos and the hardworking taqueros who make them.”  Each episode highlights a different type of taco, using the emblematic Mexican dish as a lens into the country’s culinary culture and history. And what’s more -- foodies will enjoy beautiful close-ups of juicy meat wrapped perfectly in golden tortillas.  You probably don’t want to watch this one hungry!

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Financially Wise, Inc., a boutique financial planning firm founded by Mexican-American Brittney Castro, offers holistic and comprehensive financial and investment planning for individuals, couples and businesses, with a focus on women like her. Castro wasn’t raised by entrepreneurial parents, so she understands firsthand how intimidating finances can be. In fact, she entered the industry because she wanted to help communities like her own, everyday people with financial fears that need this type of education most. Bravo, Brittney!

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Tinder is launching a new safety feature to protect its LGBQ+ users when visiting any of the nearly 70 countries around the world with criminal penalties for sexual orientation. Upon entering regions with discriminatory laws, the new Travel Alert feature appears, “You're in a place where the LGBTQ community may be penalized. We want you to have fun, but your safety is our #1 priority. Please proceed with caution and take extra care when making new matches and meeting with people you do not know." Despite growing acceptance in some parts of the world, members of the LGBTQ community are still at risk in many regions, and companies like Tinder are doing all they can to be inclusive and think from the perspective of their diverse users.

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CurlFest, the world’s largest natural beauty festival, made its annual return to New York City -- this time relocating from its old home in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and bringing the party uptown to Randall’s Island on Saturday, July 27. CurlFest was conceived by the black female minds that comprise the Curly Girl Collective and this year’s partners included some of the biggest brand names in textured haircare and black beauty, like DevaCurl, Mielle Organics, Girl + Hair, Eden Bodyworks and The Lip Bar. The festival has grown tremendously since its inception in 2010 to over 35,000 strong at last year’s celebration – kinks, curls, coils, fros, locks, twists, braids, assemble!

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According to a new report from Ad Age, Snapchat added about 13 million new daily users and had an estimated 50% revenue growth in the second business quarter of 2019. This is likely because of that gender swap filter that let you see what you looked like “as a boy” or “as a girl,” which at the height of its popularity, managed to bring in more than 200 million users to the app in just two weeks.  Adding to the appeal is the fact that Snapchat’s gender-swap filter feels safe — it sidesteps the risk of trying on a dress and avoids the “scary” social connection of having to acknowledge, own, and express any cross-gender desires to another person.

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For decades, Lajitas,TX and Paso Lajitas, MX operated as a single community with families spanning both sides of the border, sharing a high school and retail shopping. However in 2002, the US closed the border passage between the two towns, splitting what had been a “neighborhood with a river in the middle of it.”  Since 2013, the annual Voices From Both Sides festival, also known as “Fiesta Protesta,” commemorates the closure with a giant river party, with people leisurely—and illegally—crossing between the two banks.  It serves both as a “binational family reunion” and as an act of protest against the closure, which has caused economic problems in the community. Not many people knew about this event until Samantha Bee’s show Full Frontal covered it this year, showing America that the interdependent communities along the border are a far cry from the “war zone” portrayed on cable news. 

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P&G followed up “The Talk,” a content piece on cultural bias,  with “The Look;” another provocative piece of content on cultural bias towards Black men. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year on the Inkwell Beach. “The Look” is unlike the consistent dialogue in “The Talk,” and uses restraint and quiet pacing to make its point about the scourge of bias in America towards Black men. Throughout the ad, a Black man goes through his daily life only to be confronted with car windows being rolled up, closing elevator doors, people moving to the other side of a restaurant, stares while in a pool with his child, a hovering security guard and more. The payoff at the end of the spot shows that all along, this is a man who demands respect for his vocation yet is faced with constant bias. This is another example of how P&G is using their voice to accurately represent diverse people and work towards acceptance and equality .

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Pose, an FX series about LGBTQ people of color in New York City’s ballroom scene, is nominated for six Emmy awards, marking a significant breakthrough for transgender visibility and representation on TV. The FX series has been lauded for not only putting the stories of nonconforming, marginalized people on screen, but also assembling the largest transgender cast on scripted television. Pose is up for top prizes, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Billy Porter, as well as several nominations in technical categories. 

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When Disney announced that Halle Bailey, a teen actress and one-half of the singing group Chloe x Halle, had landed the role of Ariel in the forthcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, some people took to social media to express their displeasure. Certain circles are upset that the ingenue cast by Disney is black. For days the company remained silent regarding the controversy, until Freeform, a cable network owned by Disney and on which Bailey appears as a cast member on Grown-ish, issued a statement titled, “An open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls,” on Instagram and stood by their decision. For a major studio to be more inclusive in how they reimagine their classic animated characters sends a positive signal to their diverse audiences.

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Cerveza Dos Equis and Mexican retailer Mercadorama -creators of the Mexico Is the Shit (MITS) iconic bomber jackets - teamed up to celebrate Mexican-American culture and creativity. As part of Dos Equis’ Keep it Interesante campaign, MITS is curating a series of pop-up shops and events featuring emerging Mexican-American talent, streetwear designers, visual artists and musicians whose innovative creative work is, well, keeping it interesante. These creatives are part of a new generation who are unapologetically representing their roots, while reinventing the way the world looks at their culture. The partnership will also included a special edition Dos Equis & MITS beer can that will be available at Coachella. Cheers to Mexican beers!

Source: https://remezcla.com/features/culture/mits-dos-equis-partnership/

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A news outlet in Atlanta published a story raising alarm at the increase of Santa Muerte and Malverde (Mexican folk saints) statues and candles in Georgia, calling the pieces “narco-saints” that are making the streets more dangerous. While it is true that many narco-traffickers pray to these saints, the article failed to mention Santa Muerte’s broader role as protector of marginalized people, and Malverde’s role as “angel of the poor.” The social media backlash drove the station to delete the story, serving as another example of how media risks getting it wrong when they don’t consider the voice or perspective of the communities they write about. 

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Perhaps inspired by the success of Coco as a vehicle to showcase Latinx culture and art, Universal Studios is placing a bet on Latinx-inspired animation. This time, they’ve hired Mexican director and animator Paloma Baeza to make an animated movie about Frida Kahlo.  As of now, there aren’t many details about the specific plot, only that it will aim to serve as a way to educate children about the beloved artist’s life and work. You can catch us counting down the days until its release!

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Recent research shows that about 1 in 4 people in the U.S. have fatty liver disease. But among Latinos, especially those of Mexican and Central American descent, the rate is significantly higher. “Fatty liver disease is ripping through the Latino community like a silent tsunami and especially affecting children,” said Dr. Rohit Kohli, chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. In low-income, predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods, it can be difficult for children to avoid unhealthy foods, especially when fast food joints permeate the streets. Diets high in sugar and carbs should be avoided to help decrease fatty liver diseases and the resulting possible long-term health effects.

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Latin music has taken over and the numbers are in to prove it. According to the VP of Industry Insights & Analytics for Nielsen Music, who kicked off the Billboard’s Latin Music Week, there has been a 41% increase in the streaming of Latin music from 2017 to 2018. Though this might not be a huge surprise since Latin music is everywhere, the numbers reinforce the genre’s mainstream presence. 

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Following in the footsteps of New York, California recently passed a bill banning hair discrimination of any form based on race. The Crown Act is a huge victory for Afro-Latinos and Blacks in California, whose naturally curly hair can subject them to unjust treatment, especially in school and in the workplace. Though the ban is long overdue, the policy represents a step forward in protecting the Afro-Latino and Black communities so they can continue to wear their natural hair loud and proud!

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Getty Images recently launched the Nosotros Collection, an expansion of content that features 15,000 images that represent the Latinx community in the US, challenging stereotypical visualizations of Latinx in media. To ensure they produced content that accurately reflects the lives of Latinxs, Getty interviewed Hispanics all across the country. Getty’s Manager of Creative Insights stated, “Getty Images has always understood the power of imagery to incite change, and we are passionate about breaking down the stereotypes of communities who have either been erased or misrepresented for decades.” We are LIVING for it.