Industry News

So Much to Embrace and Celebrate

- posted by: Jessica Mayorga - February 20, 2012

As our Dominicanos like Zoë Saldana, Judy Reyes, and Tristan Wilds prepare to celebrate their heritage and their island's independence day later this month, we thought it a great opportunity to pay tribute to the diversity of our Latino entertainers. The spectrum of Hispanic artists is amazing and reflects the beauty of our diverse roots.

Our combination of Native, European, African, and Asian roots (whether you trace your tree back to one or, in my case, all four of these groups), makes it impossible to describe what a Latino or Latina looks like. Just look at our Dominican artists to see the rich variety of influences and heritages that came together on the island of Hispaniola. All throughout the Americas we experience this great potpourri, sancocho or salsa.

Our friends at Latina magazine recently identified dozens of artists who most people don't typically recognize as Latino, but they are! Don't fall into the trap of letting someone's surname, hair color, or accent lead you to make assumptions about them. And when you scroll through lists of past ALMA nominees and awardees, there might be a name or two that jumps out at you—people who you didn't realize were Latino.

We're from all over, we come in every hue, and we bring together a great array of cultures that we should be proud of.

So, as we celebrate the achievements of our Dominican American Latinos, we also celebrate what makes us such a dynamic group in this country.