Ailina Carona (she/her) is a queer Latina millennial who is a makeup artist in the greater Nashville area. As the mother of a special needs daughter, she has been an advocate for more inclusive education policies and has raised money for school lunches. Ailina has also raised money for women’s shelters and advocates for reproductive freedom for women and stricter gun laws. Ailina lives with her husband and three daughters outside of Nashville.
Read MoreSade Elhawary (she/her) is a millennial activist and high school history teacher. A graduate of UCLA and Harvard, Sade served as a prominent member of Karen Bass’s successful election campaign to be mayor of Los Angeles. At age 28, she traveled the world, visiting 28 countries - one for each year of her age. As a Black and Latina community activist, Sade is most passionate about unifying Black and Brown people to combat white supremacy, and fight for racial equity and economic justice. As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, she promotes the queer community's resilience and political struggle for liberation. Sade is promoting healthcare for all (including reproductive and mental health), providing educational and employment opportunities for young people, and criminal justice reform in her campaign.
Read MoreThis week we are profiling our second party leader this season, Luz Escamilla (she/her), the current minority leader of the Democratic Party in the Utah State Senate. Luz was born in Mexico to two college professors, and immigrated when she was 18 years old. Only one of six Democrats in the Utah State Senate, Luz leads her small caucus in promoting issues such as healthcare access and cost, food security, air quality, transportation access, high quality childcare, and home visiting services.
Read MoreAt the beginning of this election cycle we featured an Illinois State Senator running for reelection. Today we are featuring an Illinois State Representative, Barbara Hernandez (she/her), a millennial who has spent most of her adult life in politics. As the daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants, Barbara was the first in her family to go to college, and was inspired to go into politics to reform our country’s broken immigration system. At age 24 she was elected to serve on the Kane County Board, and in 2019 she was appointed to finish the term of her former boss in the Illinois State House (she has been reelected twice since then). Barbara is passionate about period poverty, higher education accessibility, immigration, and fighting for restorative justice.
Read MoreAnalise Ortiz (she/her/hers) is the current state representative for her district, but after one term in the Arizona House of Representatives, she has decided to run for the Arizona State Senate. Analise is a Latina millennial civil rights activist who worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on issues like criminal justice reform and federal immigration reform, before running for the Arizona House in 2022, where she is the first openly pansexual member of the Arizona legislature. In the House, she is a leader in the Democratic caucus on criminal justice reform, protecting and expanding reproductive rights, and advocating for affordable housing for Arizonans. Analise is passionate about combatting exclusionary zoning practices through meaningful and equitable zoning reforms.
Read MoreToday we are continuing our profiles of candidates across the country who want to bring progressive change to America at all levels of government! Ysabel Jurado (she/hers) is an eviction defense attorney and affordable housing activist running for LA City Council. A daughter of undocumented Filipino immigrants, she became a mother as a teenager and later she put herself through UCLA for both undergraduate and law school. Her work as a tenants rights attorney focused on building pathways to home ownership for communities of color, the preservation of open space, and reparative justice. This millennial single mom identifies as Queer and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Her platform focuses on expanding affordable housing, ending homelessness, supporting small businesses, tackling the climate crisis, and building a more just economy for all.
Read MoreThis week we are profiling Jessica González-Rojas (she/her/hers). Jessica is a queer Latina and Democratic Socialist member of the New York State Assembly, running on the Working Families Party ticket. She is the former executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, an organization that advocates for access to affordable health and reproductive care for Latino and immigrant communities. Of Paraguayan and Puerto Rican descent, she is also a former professor of Latino and Latin American Studies at City College of the City University of New York. González-Rojas cares passionately about healthcare, racial justice, and immigration reform. She lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, with her partner and their son.
Read MoreThis week we are profiling Kristen Gonzalez (she/her/hers). Kristen is a tech worker, community organizer, and democratic socialist representing parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens next year in the New York State Senate. On August 23, she won the Democratic primary for one of two new state Senate districts, capturing 58% of the vote against a well-funded opponent. Prior to running for office, she was involved as a leader in the Democratic Socialists of America and as a local community organizer, working on campaigns for community land trusts, climate action, and public internet. She was raised by a single mother from Puerto Rico in Elmhurst, Queens, where she first got involved in activism, eventually working her way to the Obama White House before returning to community organizing in Queens.
Read MoreAriel Rose is a Miami-based singer/songwriter who is an upcoming artist you don't want to miss. She has performed at various events across the country and has a growing fan base. She has gone from being an award-winning artist at the age of 15 to being the featured vocalist on a Suncoast Emmy-winning project called River of the Last Valley. Ariel Rose is a fan of Latin multi-cultural sounds, and it shows on her debut album Rythems of Life, produced by Grammy-nominated Colombian producer Juan Vicente Zambrano, which was recorded in both English and Spanish. Ariel also partnered with United Way to raise funds for the Miami Pandemic Response through her single "Somebody Loves You." If she wasn't already impressive, she also recently released "In Paraso", a new EP with four songs in both Spanish and English. Continue reading to learn more about her Latin influences and musical style, as well as her new EP "In Paraso", and the various charities she supports.
Read MoreEli Zavala is a Latinx actress, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur based in New York City. Eli is a woman of many talents and passions. Her journey into film began after she graduated from law school where she decided to change her career path and discovered her passion for the film industry. Eli is an accomplished actress who has taken on many roles, including her star role in the feature film Still the Earth Moves directed by Pablo Chavarría Gutierrez. Most recently, Eli shines bright in the lead role of her short film El Carrito. Beyond her dedication as an actress and producer, she is devoted to the importance of great storytelling that challenge creative boundaries while emphasizing the importance of diversity and fair representation of minorities on screens across the globe. She founded La Filmadora, a home for storytellers of underrepresented backgrounds and works as a creative executive at Splinter Pictures, a NYC based film production company focused on creating highly artistic and character-driven stories. Furthermore, Eli has embraced the position of chairwoman of Cinematográfica y Escénica de México a LatAm, non for profit with the mission of bringing better representation and fighting misrepresentations of minorities on the screen. Continue reading below to learn more about Eli and her remarkable strides as multitalented media entrepreneur.
Read MoreConstance Marie is a Los Angeles-based Latinx force. While she has had a prolific career from the beginning, she has always prioritized working on projects that highlight the Latinx community and social causes. You may recognize her from her powerful performance of Regina Vasquez in the revolutionary show “Switched At Birth”. But this month, she will be seen as 'Beatriz Diaz' on "With Love" — the new Latinx romantic comedy series for Amazon Prime Video, created and written by Gloria Calderon Kellett. Constance will be playing a character that many women in America will be able to relate to, answering questions like: "What happens after the happily ever after?" Constance Marie is more than a powerful actress. She is a mother, a humanitarian, and a fighter for a better world and planet for future generations. Please continue reading below to learn more!
Read MoreWe might be a little late for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates cultures, achievements, and contributions made by Latin Americans, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate them! In this feature, we are excited to share ten incredible Hispanic brands to add to your list of brands to know about. Each one is in a different location, sharing different stories, but what do they all have in common? Sustainability! Check out more below!
Read MoreSay hello to Henri Esteve! Based in Los Angeles, this Cuban-American talent is making big waves in the acting industry. You can spot him in Revenge playing the black sheep bad-boy hacker “Javier”. He can also be seen playing “Abel” in the Amazon award-winning series Homecoming, and the questionable but lovable “Javi” in Grown-ish, streamable on Freeform. This actor is always at work, whether he's pushing his limits on a motorcycle or using his platform to advocate against Cuba's brutality against its citizens. Henri is a brilliant actor, as well as being an avid supporter of mental health in teens and young adults. He implements this passion through the JED Foundation: a non-profit organization that prioritizes mental health for all! Learning from his past experiences, Henri is a true believer in community and support. Jejune is excited to talk to this compassionate human being about his experiences with acting, his thoughts on the crisis in Cuba, and how he deals with stress and anxiety in such a demanding industry. Please continue reading below for the full interview with Henri Esteve!
Read More“Levantar” can mean to “rise up” in Spanish, and that is what Daniela Carpacio Fischer —alias Di Wav— is doing as one of the most unique Latin American artists on the scene. The Guatemalan-Swiss alternative singer finds inspiration in her identity, her love for dark, atmospheric aesthetics, and most recently, the British electronic band Depeche Mode. Her latest EP, Despierta, is an homage to "Depeche Mode. But make no mistake, Despierta is authentic Di Wav. The singer is true to roots, stretching beyond her music. Di Wav talked with Jejune about how she found her style, making music, and her ambassadorship for Save the Children Guatemala. To learn more about Di Wav, continue reading!
Read MoreThere has been a rise in virtual therapy since March 2020, but did you know that you can do breathwork classes virtually, too? Enter Ana Lilia. Ana is a certified breathwork teacher and healer leading thousands of people to intimately connect with their breath as a pathway for transformation. Ana channels her intuition and seamlessly blends active breathwork, intuitive guidance, and curated music to create personalized and healing journeys. She creates safe, supportive, and loving spaces for participants to connect with deep parts of themselves, access their intuition, and unleash creativity. Want to learn more and sign up for a free class? Then you’re in the right place! Please continue reading for our exclusive interview with Ana Lilia.
Read MoreKaitlyn Velez isn’t your typical Gen-Z songbird – she embodies the style of a New York City “It Girl.” Her aesthetic as an artist is a blend of pastel and vaporwave visuals, and her music is bubblegum pop with some R&B influences. The young singer and songwriter tells Jejune about what inspires her to create, her single “FOMO”, her Hispanic background - raices - as artistic fuel and how she gives back through the intersection of music and activism.
Read MoreChrissie Fit is a star on the horizon of change. Chrissie is known for her work in the Pitch Perfect franchise as “Flo” and she has returned to the big screen in All My Life with Harry Shum Jr. and Jessica Rothe which premiered in theatres on December 4th, When we asked if she was involved in any humanitarian work, Chrissie responded: “I feel like I have my hands in everything!”. After speaking with the Cuban actress, it was easy to see that Chrissie brings a critical and inspirational lens to her work behind the camera and in her everyday life to promote a better and more diverse future. In our interview with Chrissie, she dives deep into what it means to have representation for Latinx communities in Hollywood and beyond. Chrissie talks about the intersectional nature of representation in film and television as well as representation at the polls for Latinx voters in the 2020 election. For more on Chrissie Fit, please read our interview below.
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