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US Latinos account for 24 percent of box office ticket sales and 24 percent of streaming subscribers.3 To put this into even sharper contrast, US Latinos see films 3.3 times a year, per capita, compared with 2.9 for Asian-Americans and 2.3 for White Americans.

Yet Latinos hold less than 5 percent of leading on-screen, off-screen, and executive leadership roles in US media. Half of large media companies’ boardrooms include no Latino representation, and overall there is limited progress toward parity. As a result, the many facets of the Latino identity, from the United States and around the world, continue to be unseen or misrepresented on screens. READ MORE AT MCKINSEY & CO

The United States is a diverse nation of consumers with different wants and needs, backgrounds, opinions, values, and expectations. However, not all voices are always clearly heard, often leading to decision-makers remaining ill-informed. With the holiday season in full swing, here are key insights about U.S. Hispanic consumers regarding holiday shopping and how they compare to the non-Hispanic U.S. population. READ MORE AT CIVIC SCIENCE

With the increasing competitiveness of the job market and growing disparities in resources for low-income students, the public education system is often strained in their efforts to meet the growing needs of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

However, many forward-thinking school districts are taking innovative steps to forge partnerships in their community that can enhance students’ educational outcomes. One such district is Miami-Dade County, which has begun working with a local nonprofit to bridge the gaps in students’ learning. READ MORE AT FORBES

Launched in 2016 by the Illinois Office of Tourism, the Illinois Made program promotes authentic travel experiences throughout the state and encourages visitors to discover hidden gems off the beaten path. Small businesses play a vital role in making Illinois a welcoming and unique destination for visitors year-round, and highlighting them is a great way to experience all Illinois has to offer.

•  Café Tola, a fusion of culinary delights, reaches its pinnacle at this Lakeview family-owned business. It exudes vibrant Mexican charm and offers an enticing menu featuring homemade empanadas and exceptionally delicious coffee. This delightful fare is served daily in a cozy, compact space located on Southport Avenue.
• Atrévete Confections offers an opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth in Montgomery, Illinois, with magnificent croissants, gateaux, cheesecakes and signature confections. 
•  Yeni’s Palarte Mexican Ice Cream in Peoria Heights, Illinois, offers an array of ice cream and smoothies, including keto-friendly, dairy-free and water-based options.

Attractions

• Come to The National Museum of Mexican Art, where you can immerse yourself in the richness of Mexican art and culture in Chicago. 
• The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is hosting a pop-up exhibit titled Resistencia y Libertá that celebrates the community expression of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba music through fashion.
• The Mexican Cultural Center DuPage encourages and promotes Mexican heritage through cultural, ethnic and civic activities designed to educate the City of West Chicago's Mexican community and the community at large.

Road Trip Itineraries for National Hispanic Heritage Month

• The first itinerary, "Immersed in Hispanic Cultural Heritage," showcases various ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Chicago and Rockford over three days, covering 89 miles of travel.
• The second itinerary, “Community Treasures with a Latino Flavor,” offers ways to celebrate Latin food, culture, and local businesses in Peoria and the Quad Cities over three days, covering 104 miles of travel.

For the complete list of experiences around Illinois to discover around National Hispanic Heritage Month, click here.

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Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States annually from the 15th of September to the 15th of October. In Hawaii, we have various events across the islands to commemorate this time, including the yearly Hispanic Heritage Festival.

Currently, around 11% of the population of Hawaii identifies as Hispanic and it is one of the fastest-growing demographics in the state, increasing more than 80% since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. READ MORE AT HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates a U.S. population of 64 million that’s diverse, growing and constantly changing. But can a single term like Hispanic or Latino describe a group with such varied ancestry and geographic origin? Mark Hugo Lopez from the Pew Research Center and Cristina Mora from UC Berkeley’s Department of Sociology join John Yang to discuss. READ AT PBS WEEKEND

National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture and the achievements of the United States. As the Hispanic population continues to grow in Florida, we take a look at how state, county and local communities are working to integrate and celebrate this growing population. VIEW VIDEO DISCUSSION AT SPECTRUM NEWS 13

The U.S. Postal Service today kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct.15) with new festive Piñatas! stamps at the 36th Annual Piñata Festival. These Forever stamps come in four designs — two donkeys and two seven-pointed stars — celebrating the traditional Mexican fiesta favorite. This is the third consecutive year the Postal Service has issued a Hispanic-themed stamp. In September 2021, USPS issued Day of the Dead stamps, and in July 2022, USPS issued Mariachi stamps. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #PinatasStamps. READ MORE AT USPS

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 every year. It was started in 1968 and has become a national celebration that includes arts festivals and music events from New York to Los Angeles. How did Hispanic Heritage Month start? What famous Hispanic Americans are celebrated today? And what is this year’s theme? Find out the answers to these questions and more. READ MORE AT WE ARE TEACHERS

Few words have soured for me like the word “toxic.” Paired with words like “masculinity,” it might sound like it’s saying something, but I’m not actually convinced it says much beyond “this broad category of social behavior is bad, just trust me.” But when the question “Do Chicanos have a toxic gratitude problem?” was posed to me, it landed in an interesting way, perhaps because it’s something I’ve long suspected to be true but was never sure if it applied to any experiences beyond my own. I still don’t like the term “toxic gratitude.” I’d rather call it something cooler, like “Si Dios Quiere Syndrome.” Much better. Regardless, the question still stands: Do Chicanos, or, I suppose one could also ask, do Latinos in the U.S. have a gratitude problem? In other words, are we too content with scraps? READ MORE AT LA TIMES

Nike is honouring Latino Heritage Month with special edition sneakers.The sportswear giant is putting out its Air Max 1 ‘Familia’ on the heels of the release of its ‘Puerto Rico’ pair in June, which dropped in time for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

It’s Latino Heritage Month (LHM) edition is painted in vibrant colours to reflect the energy and festivity of the Latin American population. READ MORE AT THE HOMETOWN REGISTER

The Illinois Office of Tourism recognizes the rich diversity across the state, and as Pride Month approaches, it’s developed a guide highlighting  the various activities  throughout the month. Illinois has significant historical and educational opportunities for residents and visitors to engage in during the month, in addition to various celebrations across the state. 

The guide offers Illinois residents and visitors alike opportunities  to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community throughout Pride month. Whether it is a Pride parade in Elgin or Aurora, attending the House Music Festival & Conference in Chicago, a family-friendly Pride Picnic in Galena or simply an educational activity like a stroll through the historic Northalsted Legacy Walk in Chicago, the guide to celebrate Pride in Illinois  has a variety of diverse, educational and engaging opportunities to observe Pride Month.

Some of the featured activities include:

• Elgin’s First Pride Parade & Festival (June 3) is an all-ages, family-friendly event featuring a festival celebration with food, music and various vendors that will be followed by a parade in Downtown.
• Aurora Pride Parade (June 11) will host its fourth annual parade, beginning at noon Downtown and celebrating its LGBTQIA+ community and allies.
• House Music Festival & Conference (June 24)presented in conjunction with the Taste of Chicago pop-up in Humboldt Park, the House festival brings a full day of DJs to the mainstage, including DJ Roy Davis Jr., DJ Psycho-B, NoshaLuv, DJ Emmaculate, and DJ V, with more to be announced.
• Galena Pride Picnic (June 10) the third annual picnic in Grant Park, will feature a full agenda, including live music, drag queen story time, tai chi and a meet and greet with goats.
• Woodstock Pride (June 10–11) is an all-day celebration beginning with a parade and ending with a fabulous closing ceremony in Historic Woodstock Square, featuring live entertainment, vendors and food trucks. Additional events include a Rainbow Color Fun Run and Pride Pub Crawl.
• The Queer Fam Pride Jam (June 17) is an all-ages Pride event featuring a day’s worth of wellness, creativity-focused events, culminating in a family-friendly Slo ‘Mo dance party
• The Annual Quad City UNITY Pride Parade  (June 17) will be held at Schwiebert Riverfront Park, featuring live music, local vendors, drag performances and burlesque. In addition, Pride Movies will be hosted at the Frigge on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays during June.
• Chicago Pride in the Park (June 23 - 24) is a two-day music fest celebrating equity, diversity, and good times in Grant Park. Portions of proceeds support The Center on Halsted and provide free entries to LGBTQ+ youth in support of celebrating their pride openly and safely. 
• Chicago Pride Parade (June 25) is one of the most popular LGBTQ+ events in the Chicago region, the parade concludes month-long celebrations with a parade the last Sunday in June through Northalsted, Uptown, Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.

There are so many ways to celebrate Pride Month across Illinois! Find out more at EnjoyIllinois.com.

Data shows Afro Latinos have higher educational attainment rates but fewer markers of financial success when compared to other Latinos. Nearly 80% of Afro Latinos are U.S. born, compared to less than of 65% of other Latinos, and they skew younger too.

An analysis of the data in a report by UCLA's Latino Policy and Politics Institute is among the first to delve into the differences and disparities between Afro Latinos and Latinos who are not Black. Researchers say highlighting the differences is key to illuminating the strengths of Afro Latinos as well as to addressing the unique challenges they face. READ MORE AT AXIOS

Though the lack of Spanish fluency is common among second- and third-generation Latinos, it can often result in teasing by family and friends. The name-calling — labeling someone pocho, gringo or “too American to be Mexican,” for example — can often be passed off as cariño, or joking with endearment.

But it can manifest into shame, and sometimes that shame can stop a person from wanting to practice the language or pass it down to future generations. READ MORE AT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

For decades, Latinos living in the United States have sought ways to identify themselves that encompassed their pan-ethnic community. Although culturally diverse, Hispanics rallied in the 1960s for a unifying term that would grant them census representation and governmental support in education and health care, said Catherine S. Ramírez, chair of the Latin American and Latino Studies program at the University of California at Santa Cruz. However, that effort has also led to discrimination, as Hispanics and Latinos were othered and lumped together with negative stereotypes. READ MORE AT THE WASHINGTON POST

Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long United States holiday to celebrate the contributions, cultures, and history of people living in the U.S. with ancestors from Mexico, Spain, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands. Beginning in 1968, President Lyndon Johnson instituted a weeklong celebration for the Hispanic and Latin Americans in the U.S., but the holiday was later changed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to a month-long event. Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) runs from September 15th to October 15th. This month is full of significant historic events for much of Latin America, such as: READ MORE AT ALLTOGETHER

More than two-thirds of young adults in the United States live close to the homes they grew up in, a new Census Bureau and Harvard University study found, with Latinos, Black people and those from low-income families who left home only moving a short distance away. Economic opportunities for Hispanic and Black young adults, as well as those from low-income families, are closer to home, because those groups are less likely to move farther away. READ MORE AT NBC NEWS

Latinos are more likely to subscribe to multiple streaming services than the average American, according to a recent report but Latinos are rarely depicted on screen despite being avid TV consumers and outspending other racial and ethnic groups in movie ticket purchases. Two recent cancellations illustrate how the television and film industry fails Latino-led productions, advocates say. READ MORE AT AXIOS

It wasn’t a great week for Latinos in Hollywood, but I’m sure many of you knew that already. Between Warner Bros. axing the release of “Batgirl” starring Leslie Grace, HBO Max canceling the coming-of-age comedy TV series “The Gordita Chronicles” and James Franco being cast as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in an upcoming feature, Latinos are being mercilessly discarded and overlooked in the entertainment business. Worse yet, not many seem to care. READ MORE AT VARIETY

Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated in the U.S. for over 30 years. Formally known as National Hispanic Heritage Month, the annual event honors Hispanic cultures and traditions originating from 20 countries and one territory. Both the Hispanic and Latinx communities observe Hispanic Heritage Month because of their shared Spanish language.

If you’re ready to dive deep into fun Hispanic Heritage Month facts, keep on reading. READ MORE AT GOOD HOUSE KEEPING