Bella Vida Letty

The negative and derogatory comments made by actress Michelle Rodríguez in a viral TMZ video and a viral non-apology on Facebook are the perfect opportunity to address the lack of understanding about the current state of the entertainment industry in a world shaped by colonialism. Today’s society is infused with racism throughout all of its […]

Benefit Cosmetics has hired Mexican American comedic actress Anjelah Johnson as part of the brand’s “Wing Women” campaign. The 90’s themed music video touted as being funny is far from it—it’s offensive. In the video Johnson is dressed as her made up character, Bon Qui Qui, in tight fitting gaudy mismatched clothes, painted in exaggerated layers […]

While everyone is focusing on how Sofía Vergara is complicit during Monday’s Emmy sexist and racist fiasco, it’s about time we shift to address the real problem, a manipulative non-inclusive wealthy industry doling out abuse at the expense of a minority who cannot afford to compete on an equal platform. When so called “other” voices are […]

In response to a Latino Rebels open letter to the new Fusion network, CEO Isaac Lee invited us for a visit to the Newsport. True to their word, the Fusion team graciously welcomed me (an original member of the LR collective since 2011) to its Miami-based headquarters last week. The brand-new Fusion network is a […]

A Latina President is really not as far-fetched an idea as sellout mainstream media would have you believe. Media conglomerates have never made even the tiniest effort to portray Latinas honestly, equally nor anywhere near accurately. They’ve also failed to give Latinas equal employment in positions of influence and power. They complain there’s no audience […]

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video interview of Charles Ramsey, a man being declared hero for rescuing three kidnapped Cleveland women missing for over a decade who were presumed dead.  It’s not surprising such incredible news would go viral.  It’s also not surprising one of the first few things to happen was the […]

Today’s society is incessantly bombarded with negative stereotypical and sexist media. Exposure to such widespread and profuse toxic messages have far-reaching repercussions: some are blatantly obvious, while others are not so easy to spot. Such is the case when dealing with disparaging humor which intends to belittle while reducing in esteem and rank. Latinos are […]

While Latinos do share culture, language and history, Latinos as a whole don’t fit any traditional category you try to place them in—from the variety of physical appearance, level of education or income and cultural traditions to the distant and diverse countries called home. This is the root cause of all failed attempts at reaching […]

Latinos are still waiting to have their stories told and be able to see themselves authentically portrayed. The verifiable truth is this: there is NO diversity from ownership to lack of appearances and positive images in mass media. The idea that MTV’s “Washington Heights” does anything to level the playing field is an illusion. The […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates interstate and international communications via radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. Their job is to promote competition, innovation and investment by identifying and eliminating market entry barriers for entrepreneurs including minority- and women-owned businesses, but the FCC is about to be even more lax with its media ownership rules. […]

Another Puerto Rican man was murdered over the holiday. You've heard his name before, it was Hector. (In fact, Hector was one of more than 20 who were murdered in Puerto Rico.) When the news broke, the stories coming out were tearful and full of prayers, until Monday rolled around. I guess everyone was done mourning. By then […]

Objectification of Women and the Distortion of Truths I'm sure by now the latest viral meme which refers to a quote taken from Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his mention of 'women in binders' has crossed your dashboard several times today. The phrase came from part of his answer to this audience question at the second Presidential […]

Any law restricting the right of a woman to have full control of her own body and make her own choices is a violation of basic human rights. Relegating women to a series of body parts is demeaning, subjugating and creates blatant inequality.  This Saturday, April 28, 2012 beginning at 11:00am nationwide marches and rallies […]

Esquire magazine is not a publication I read but it was brought to my attention because everyone was making a fuss over how beautiful Sofia Vergara looked on its new cover. Yes, she is a gorgeous Colombian actress who would look amazing on the cover of any magazine. Then as I began reading an excerpt […]

Equality for all people is long overdue.