With the support of New Economics for Women and decades of experience in the kitchen, Chef Juan Jose Sanjuan Ⅲ plans to bring his small-town recipes to Downtown L.A.
Marcos Franco
CEO and founder of the Parent Engagement Academy, María Elena Meraz, noticed a pattern in some of the Latino parents she served when it came to internet connectivity.
When Cecilio Acevedo decided to pack up the few possessions he had to his name in 1964 and migrate from Mexico City to Los Angeles, he brought an invaluable asset with him. Three years of experience working across different furniture shops in Mexico would allow him to open his own business, which he’s now run for 52 years. In 1971, he founded Mission Furniture Manufacturing, a 7500-square-foot family-run shop that sits on Whittier Boulevard in the heart of East LA, which has sold hand-made furniture since its doors opened. His best sellers are traditional three-cushion sofas which have remained popular over the years.
Growing up as a first-generation Latino in historically impoverished Boyle Heights, Juan De La Cruz remembers the times he and his siblings did their best not to get sick. Like many other Latinos in under-resourced neighborhoods, the lack of health insurance meant panic, a memory that fuels his work today.
The Latino advocacy and outreach group, Alliance for a Better Community (ABC), partnered with the performing arts nonprofit, Grand Performances, to curate song and dance presentations that pay tribute to the county’s more than 4.8 million Latinos, which account for 48% of the total population. The event took place in October 13 at the California Plaza amphitheater in Downtown, Los Angeles, commencing a nonprofit’s debut Zócalo series. The event drew inspiration from the Zócalo in Mexico City, the main ceremonial center in the former Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
Felix Muñoz was still a teenager when Fernando Valenzuela parted the sea of fans lined up to shake his hand on Olvera Street in the 80s as the world champion beelined it towards the taquitos. He is one of the many merchants on Olvera Street, who for decades, have continued to preserve the essence of Olvera Street.
The Chicano Moratorium movement of Aug. 29, 1970, was built up from years of frustration among community members who united against educational and social inequalities, with emphasis on the disproportionate percentage of Chicanos killed daily in the war. Today, Chicanos and Latinos continue to celebrate and remember the moratorium.
The Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) opened Mi SELA, an LGBTQ community center at 4265 Florenve Ave. which offers leadership development, academic support, parental guidance, substance abuse education, counseling and other drop-in opportunities.