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5 De Los stories you should be reading: Latinas on equal pay and cannibas

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At De Los, we’re working hard to bring you the best stories daily. Whether it’s trending news moments, features or commentary — we are proud of every piece of journalism we produce.

But sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it all. Every Friday, we’ll put together a short recap of some of our best work to help you stay on top of our coverage.

Latinx Files: This Latina Equal Pay Day, we should all be acting up

It is no secret that Latinas are one of the most underpaid groups in the United States. On average Latinas make about 52 cents to the dollar that white men make. De Los columnist Suzy Exposito took over this week’s Latinx Files newsletter and talked to a number of Latinas who have first-hand experience with having their work devalued.

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While the topic can seem like a downer, Suzy does a great job of showing how Latinas are rallying to make positive changes in their respective industries and how things can improve in the future.

Images of different Latino shows
(Elana Marie / For De Los )

I watched seven different streamers’ Hispanic Heritage Month content

If you’ve taken a step outside in the last couple of weeks you probably have been struck by the amount of brands trying to reach the Latino community during Hispanic Heritage Month. In that vein, regular contributor Alex Zaragoza went through the myriad of streaming services that have launched Latino content this month and ranked them all.

It’s a humorous look at companies doing their best to attract Latino eyeballs to their services but in some cases coming off like they rushed to get a school project done the night before.

If not Spanish, what defines Latinidad?

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Spanish has been used as the barometer on how Latino you are for decades. Most first-generation Latinos have stories of being shamed for a mispronounced word or poor conjugation. It’s almost like a right of passage.

Columnist JP Brammer dives into the latest Pew report highlighting the use of Spanish and what it says about the future of how we see ourselves in the Latino community. Spanish is less the measuring stick for Latindad and will continue to fade as more first generations have children of their own. It’s a fascinating look at the future of our community.

A man and women stand together
L.A.’s Latino Theater Company founder-directors, the wife-husband duo of Evelina Fernandez and Jose Luis Valenzuela.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Latino Theater Company gives out millions in grants to boost Latino theaters nationwide

Representation in all areas of the artsis a noble goal. One organization — the National Latinx Theater Initiative — is putting its money where its mouth is by funding Latino theater projects around the country.

This week, the Latino Theater Company announced $9 million in grants to 52 Latino theaters in cities such as New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Denver; Santa Fe, N.M.; Providence, R.I.; and St. Paul, Minn. Six organizations in Puerto Rico will also be receiving funding.

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This initiative was made possible after the Latino Theater Company in downtown L.A. received a three-year, $5-million award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to strategize and work with others to create the grant program.

A woman blowing smoke
Sue Carlton, founder and CEO of Ranchera Familia, smokes a joint at Latinas in Cannabis Summit 2023 last month in Los Angeles.
(Ringo Chiu/For De Los)

‘CannaJefas’ and ‘MotaMamis’ find community at the Latinas in Cannabis Summit

The cannabis industry is a male-dominated field, but some Los Angeles Latinas are trying to change that, while creating a space for community.

This past week the Latinas in Cannabis group hosted the inaugural Latinas in Cannabis Summit, gathering cannabis enthusiasts in the back lot of a soon-to-be Echo Park dispensary.

The event is meant to empower Latina-owned small businesses and connect them with other entrepreneurs in the field.

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