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Despite making up nearly 19 percent of the population, Latinos continue to be underrepresented or misrepresented in Hollywood, news and book publishing, according to a new report released by the Government Accountability Office.  "Latinos are effectively excluded or sidelined from much of American media," says Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which requested the report. READ MORE AT NPR

Even though Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in the U.S., they’re underrepresented across many industries, including finance, which can have long-term effects on the ability to grow wealth. A group of Latino-led and focused venture capital firms is looking to change that.

Lack of access to capital markets makes it harder for Latinos to build meaningful wealth. It also means they’re underrepresented as shareholders of companies if they aren’t holding stocks and that they’re not lending a proportional voice to investing decisions. READ MORE AT CNBC

Even before Claire Risoli decided to open up her own restaurant, she knew she would call it Pocha. “Pocha was something that I was called growing up that I hated,” she said. “It means Americanized Mexican girl, and for me, it always made me feel like I wasn’t enough.”

Latinos like Risoli account for 52% of all new employer businesses, according to the 2022 Latino Donor Collaborative U.S. Latino GDP report. The study also measured U.S. Latinos’ contributions to the economy known as the gross domestic product and found that it was worth $2.8 trillion in 2020. READ MORE AT SPECTRUM NEWS 1

The total economic output of Latinos across the U.S. was nearly $2.8 trillion in 2020, or more than 13% of the country’s GDP. Latino GDP was highest in the finance and real estate sector, which represented $460 billion of the total.As a group, however, the most significant data point in the report is what Latinos spend annually. In 2020, personal consumption accounted for nearly $14.1 trillion of the nation’s GDP and U.S. Latinos represented $1.84 trillion of that total.

Latino spending is greater than the economies of Canada or South Korea. Or in national terms, Latinos’ consumption rivals the entire economies of New York or Texas. READ MORE AT KEARNEY HUB

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

Comcast RISE to Award $1 Million in Grants to Small Businesses Owned by Women and People of Color in Cook County

Eligible businesses can apply October 3-16 for a $10,000 grant; 100 recipients will be selected

CHICAGO (September 14, 2022) – Comcast today announced it will award $10,000 grants to 100 small businesses owned by women and people of color in Cook County through its Comcast RISE Investment Fund. Cook County is one of five locations selected for this new round of the grants program. Other locations include Miami, Oakland, Seattle and Washington D.C. Comcast will award a total of $1 million in grants in Cook County alone – $5 million across the five locations – in this round. This brings the total amount of Comcast RISE Investment Fund grants awarded to $21 million nationwide to date. This is the second time Comcast has opened the fund to Cook County businesses.

“The pandemic has affected businesses owned by women and people of color in Cook County and elsewhere exceptionally hard,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “I encourage eligible businesses to apply for a grant. This money can help strengthen their position, especially as we emerge from the pandemic. “

“Women-owned businesses face a variety of challenges, including accessing funding,” said Women’s Business Development Center President and Chief Executive Officer, Emilia DiMenco. “These dollars will allow them to invest in their businesses and strengthen their financial position moving forward.”

“Hispanic-owned businesses face enormous barriers to success,” said Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer, Jaime di Paulo. “These dollars will allow them to invest in their people, their equipment and their technology, and help prepare them for the future.”

To help drive awareness of the program and provide additional support, training and mentorship, Comcast is awarding a total of $50,000 in grants to four Cook County community-based organizations, including the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, South East Chicago Commission, South Shore Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Business Development Center.

Comcast RISE also provides marketing and technology services

In addition to the Investment Fund, Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment,” provides the opportunity for small businesses owned by women and people of color in Comcast’s nationwide footprint to apply to receive one or more of the following services:

Marketing services: Comcast’s advertising sales division, Effectv, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, help recipients with marketing and media campaigns, including:
Media: Linear TV media campaigns that run over a 90-day period.
Creative production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign.
Consultations: Digital audits by Ureeka, a go-to platform for small businesses looking to use their website and online marketing to acquire customers, in the form of Website Repair Reports and Search Engine Optimization Keyword reports to target website mechanics and effective organic marketing; and
Technology Makeovers: Technology upgrades from Comcast Business include computer equipment, as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to 12 months (taxes and other fees may apply).
Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color the support and resources they need to not just survive but thrive. In November 2021, Comcast RISE announced a major expansion to all women-owned businesses. To date, more than 9,500 Comcast RISE awardees have been announced from 704 cities across 37 states and the program is on track to provide support to 13,000 small businesses by the end of 2022. Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive 10-year, $1 billion initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ComcastRISE.com. The Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant application is open from Oct 3-16 to Cook County businesses owned by women and people of color that have been in business three or more years with 1-25 employees. Check the site for more information about eligibility. Site visitors can also apply for the opportunity to receive marketing and technology services through Comcast RISE.

The Suazo Business Center has jump-started about 5,000 Utah small businesses over the past two decades, about 93% of which are minority-owned. Two women have driven that success: the center's founder, Gladys Gonzalez, and its current president and CEO, Silvia Castro.

The women, both immigrants from South America, know firsthand the challenges first-generation immigrants face when it comes to "making it" in the U.S. They've used those experiences to provide culturally relevant, multilingual business advice and mentoring to entrepreneurs across the state. READ MORE AT KSL.COM

Only about 25% of Latinos say they feel fully included at their workplaces, according to a new report from Bain & Company, a management consulting firm. Why does it matter? Latinos accounted for around 80% of workforce growth from 2010 to 2017, the fastest growing demographic. Seventy percent of Latino workers say inclusion is a critical factor when evaluating prospective employers, the study found. READ MORE AT AXIOS

Seven out of 10 Americans attribute the country’s economic growth to Latino population growth, reflecting that U.S. Hispanics have the highest workforce contribution rate (65.6 percent) and have started the most small businesses out of any other population group over the last decade.

There are significant areas where misconceptions about the Latino workforce can be corrected:

• More than 75 percent of Americans believe Latino immigrants have a lot to offer this country and are an economic boost (Asian, 87 percent; Black, 85 percent; White, 76 percent).
• Many non-Latinos also believe undocumented immigrants are taking jobs Americans depend on (Asian, 55 percent; White, 53 percent; Black, 49 percent), though undocumented immigrants make up only 13 percent of all Latinos in the United States.
• The view that Latinos are farmworkers is prevalent, even among Latinos, who believe half of Latinos fit that description. A commonly held misperception is that “farmworker” describes more Latinos than “entrepreneurial or business-minded,” despite U.S. Latinos creating the most small businesses in the country over the last 10 years. READ MORE AT LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL

Latino-owned companies are growing at record rates and have a plethora of support to tap into. However, securing funding remains a challenge. There are an estimated 4.65 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the US, making them the fastest-growing segment of small businesses in the nation. According to the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI), a research and education collaboration between Stanford University and the Latino Business Action Network, over the last 10 years, the number of Latino-owned businesses in the US has grown 44% compared to just 4% for all others. READ MORE AT THE NEW JERSEY BUSINESS MAGAZINE

When it comes to Latino representation in the media, Hollywood has a long way to go. That’s according to a recent survey that polled 1,000 Latinos and 1,000 non-Latinos. Although 77% feel “some” progress has been made in television than in films (67%), three in five still think there aren’t enough Latino actors and actresses on screen. In fact, three in four Latinos believe their culture is often stereotyped in the media. READ MORE AT NYDAILYNEWS

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 make solid and consistent contributions to Illinois’ population and labor force.

Were it not for Latinos, the state’s population and workforce would have contracted. The group contributed more than $97 billion to Chicago’s economy from 2010-2018, according to the recently released 2022 Chicago Metro Latino GDP Report. READ MORE AT CHICAGO REPORTER

Data presented in Telemundo's "Latinas Powering Forward" report indicate that the population of Latinas under the age of 40 has grown 55% in the last 20 years.

Of the 29 million Latina women in the USA, 65% are under 40 years old. These new generations have chosen to prioritize their education and professional development. READ MORE AT NEWSWIRES

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

Diverse Companies Earn 2.5 Times Higher Cash Flow Per Employee and Inclusive Teams Are More Productive by Over 35%. The global market for Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) estimated at US$9.3 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$15.4 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 12.6% over the analysis period. READ MORE AT GLOBAL NEWSWIRE

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

The diverse and growing Hispanic and Latino community in the United States accounts for about 18 percent of the overall population and is projected to comprise the majority of net new workers this decade. Most analysis of this community does not account for its rich diversity—largely due to data limitations or a lack of cultural understanding. READ MORE AT CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

Women of all races who worked full time, year-round in 2020 were paid on average just 83 cents for every dollar paid to men, according to a National Women's Law Center report released ahead of Equal Pay Day on Tuesday. The symbolic day marks how far into the year most women must work to earn what men were paid in the previous year.

“It seems like it’s just a few pennies on the dollar, but it adds up,” Jasmine Tucker, the report’s author, told NBC News. “But Latinas in particular face some of the largest wage gaps.” Latinas only earn 57 cents for every dollar paid to a non-Hispanic man — meaning they have to work at least 21 months, nearly two years, to match a white man’s yearly income. READ MORE AT NBCNEWS