At De Los, we’re working hard to bring you the best stories daily. Whether it’s trending news moments, features and commentary — we are proud of every piece of journalism we produce.
But sometimes it’s hard to keep up. We get it, it happens to us too. So we put together a weekly review of some of our best work for you to stay on top of all our coverage.
The food and people of Yakima, home of Yahritza y Su Esencia
One of the goals of De Los is to create unique and compelling storytelling. A couple of weeks ago a video began circulating on social media of the band Yahritza y Su Esencia talking about how they preferred the Mexican food in their hometown of Yakima, Wash., compared with that of Mexico City. The backlash was swift and unrelenting with some questioning the band’s Latinidad for their preferences in how they like their Mexican food.
De Los covered the story from all angles, including talking exclusively to the band about the comments being made about them in the Mexican media. But one story that we knew we needed was to go to Yakima and try the food that caused all this controversy.
Freelance writer Albert Perez traveled to Yakima to meet the people and try the different dishes that make the Mexican food of the Pacific Northwest so interesting. After reading this story you will come away with a new appreciation for that region of the country and the people who have, over generations, carved out a life away from Mexico.
‘None of us are as strong as all of us.’ Xolo Maridueña’s family, friends rally behind ‘Blue Beetle’
The release of “Blue Beetle” should be a time when Xolo Maridueña is basking in the glow of being a lead in a major motion picture. Unfortunately that moment has been taken away from him because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which is limiting the promotion by those on the picket lines of new movie releases.
That has not stopped his family and friends from rallying around the actor. This past Saturday, De Los reporter Alejandra Molina was invited to a special screening of the film for Maridueña’s friends and family in Burbank. The screening was hosted by the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, an organization that secured funding to host free “Blue Beetle” showings in Alhambra, Montebello and Hollywood.
The response to the film, also written and directed by Latinos, has been impressive as “Blue Beetle” has positioned itself atop of the box office returns, nudging out “Barbie” as the top grossing movie of the last week.
What former first-gen students wish they knew about college
Community engagement is one of the pillars of De Los. We really want and need your feedback when it comes to building our brand. With the school year starting, we decided to solicit responses from first-generation college graduates on advice they wish they had when they started college.
And the responses did not disappoint. It was like a blueprint on how to lay the foundation for a successful college career — how to prepare for all the paperwork, what to do with your financial aid, how to ask for help and where to get support.
De Los reporter Andrea Flores combed through all the responses and compiled the list of best advice. If you are starting college or have a child getting near college age, it might be worthwhile to bookmark this page and refer to it later.
‘Stand and Deliver’ avoids tropes and proves it’s still relevant decades after release
Rewatching old movie classics is always a fraught exercise. While the rewatches may bring back pleasant memories, there can be themes or phrases that are no longer acceptable.
De Los contributor JP Brammer decided to rewatch “Stand and Deliver” with fresh eyes to see how it held up. To his surprise, the movie avoids many of the tropes and stereotypes that were prevalent in a lot of the movies of the 1980s and ’90s. The characters were well-developed, nuanced and relatable.
With its position firmly placed among the best Latino movies of all time, the question Brammer asks is a good one — why haven’t there been more films since that have captured the authenticity of growing up Latino in the U.S.? It’s been 30 years since the release of “Stand and Deliver” and only a handful of movies (“Selena,” “Blood In Blood Out”) have even come close to capturing the imagination like the story of Jaime Escalante and his Garfield High students.
DannyLux, el romántico for the TikTok generation
DannyLux seems to be everywhere — from free concerts in downtown Los Angeles to the top of streaming charts. After a set in his backyard during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where his dad picked up trash several years back, DannyLux has spearheaded a new romantic subgenre to the corridos tumbados movement.
De Los columnist Suzy Exposito spent some time with the local kid made good as he talked about his rise to fame and his hopes for the future.
