Should There Be a HuffPost Latino?

There it was. An email from Arianna Huffington herself. I opened it and read rapidly. She was inviting me to contribute to HuffPo Latino, a new section launching on the Huffington Post. You may think this akin to looking a gift horse in the mouth, but my first reaction was, "Does this mean I can't continue to write posts for The Huffington Post?" Which of course started me wondering, should there be a HuffPost Latino?

Now don't get me wrong. I'm a very proud Latina, but the reality is that I don't visit other media outlets that have stuck Latino on the end of their names. Not because I don't think they're quality experiences, I just don't think to visit them. Besides the Huffington Post, I frequent The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. Yet, truth be told, I'm often frustrated by the lack of Latino voices on these sites. There are very few Latinos working for these news outlets and even fewer writing for them.

So shouldn't a section of The Huffington Post dedicated to Latino voices and issues make me happy? It may be a step in the right direction, but I worry that a section that highlights our voices, might also corral our voices and distance us from where I believe we belong: in mainstream media.

Hispanics are 16% of the population, but if you took a look at mainstream media you'd never guess it. For years I thought I was related to Edward James Olmos because he was the only brown guy I ever saw on television and in movies. I found no solace in Univision because Spanish speaking blonde women in skimpy outfits only made me feel worse about my brown skin and gringa accent. I discovered that I am part of the most neglected group of Latinos -- born in the U.S. and English-dominant.

We are the second generation (and third and fourth) and nobody knows how to reach us. I learned this first hand when I ran a venture-backed digital media and marketing company focused on the Hispanic market. The experience taught me that while advertisers want to reach Hispanic consumers, they don't know how. (Hell, they don't even know what to call us, see my post Do You Call Them Hispanics or Latinos? and for some really interesting reading, check out the comments!).

Even though 50% of U.S. Hispanics are English-dominant, the prevailing advertising attitude was to advertise in Spanish. When I would point out the importance of connecting with English speaking U.S. Hispanics, most advertisers responded with, "Aren't they captured by our advertising on mainstream media?"

This, if you use my own story as anecdotal evidence, is true. I am captured by mainstream media. Except when I'm not. When I long for something that resonates on a more emotional level, as a brown gal I am usually out of luck.

I don't feel emotionally connected to a lot of what shows up in mainstream media, because so little of it includes me or addresses me. But, unfortunately, this lack of connection doesn't drive me to Latino-focused websites.

So will HuffPost Latino fill the void? I have hope for it. Maybe collecting our voices in one section will empower them. What do you think?

 

 

 

Follow Alicia Morga on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AliciaMorga

Comments

[Mariela Dabbah]

11:11 PM on 08/21/2011

I'm both with Alicia Morga and with Angelica Perez-Litwin on this. I'm also one of the writers for Latino Voices and I seriously hope we are not just kept in this section. We are not just Latina writers, we don't just appeal to Latinos. We are writers who happen to be Latinas which gives us a particular perspective that anyone can appreciate. It's a particular experience, point of view, etc, that adds nuance to any conversation. I hope this is only a great way to make all of these diverse points of views more visible to all audiences and that our columns run on the main sections of the Huff Post. In the end, the diversity enriches everyone's experience.

[yeahisedit]

09:36 PM on 08/18/2011

We gotta start somewhere sista. Looking forward to reading more from you.

[JR deSouza]

03:28 PM on 08/18/2011

I believe HuffPost Latino deserves its own space just like other sections do; Food, Technology, Los Angeles, or New York. It's better to have too much relevant content than too little. And having a Latino or Hispanic section does not preclude it from existing in other sections.

[cmr86]

11:41 AM on 08/18/2011

I think the benefits outweigh the potential costs. It's much easier to check up on relevant stories than to sift through numerous pages. The downside is that the section tends to attract a lot of anti-immigrant sentiments.

[ecovarrubias]

02:55 AM on 08/18/2011

Valid points and understandable reservations, but Huffpost Latino Voices is exactly what we need more of. Yes, I understand that we want to be represented seamlessly in mainstream media, but to only do that would in a way ignore our uniqueness and our depth. Quite frankly all ethnic/racial/cultural subgroups experience similar concerns with their representation in mainstream media. Sure, the universal story that appeals to all should be featured on "front pages", but to have our own sections, under the umbrella of those such as the Huffpost is welcomed, and in my opinion, just the way I want it.

[Angelica Perez-Litwin]

02:04 AM on 08/18/2011

When I recently met Arianna Huffingont at a the NCLR conference, and she invited me to write for HuffPost Latino Voices, I accepted the invitation but immediately told her that I also wanted to write for the rest of the HuffPost. I, too, different want to feel like we were going to hang out in a corner of the site. I was happy to hear her quick response, which was "But of course!..." And I will. My next article will be in the Women's section....

[RAyQ]

11:26 PM on 08/17/2011

I agree and hope is eternal. Only good can come out of it. Even though I am born and raised in the USA, I am completely bilingual and bicultural and face not the problems stated. However, I am aware of the plight of those Latinos who are English dominant and understand as well as have empathy.

[Luis Rojas]

10:09 PM on 08/17/2011

Personally I love it. Its great to find a place with topics that affect our community in English. I am fluent in Spanish, but I my mind has to translate Spanish to English when I read it (Latinos who speak Spanish at home and English everywhere else know what I mean.), So it becomes a bit of a brain drain to read articles at Univision.com or AOL Latino. Im excited too see this develop; maybe one day move it will move to the front page, or at least have its own tab. Who knows maybe someday I too can become a contributor. ;)

[Anthony De Avila]

07:41 PM on 08/17/2011

I believe the future will transform from what is now a section in the Huff to what will be common in the front page. As for now I am proud that the Huffington Post has dedicated a space for issues that capture the Latino population. And it is not just the gossip from "las telenovelas" or whose marrying who or wearing what, its a space in which or intellectuals and our future leaders can read and communicate with one another. So I have to say, I also check out the nytimes, the washington post and I feel the same way as the author, a voice I can connect with is missing. On the other hand NPR - which has a section on their site called Alt. Latino has ventured into the hearts of young Latinos. I connect with them not only because of who they are but because of the history that connects all latin american. What I feel spaces like the Huff and NPR and Remezcla.com (your latino city guide) will do is make us come closer to other latinos and the world at large.

[Cache Walker]

12:35 PM on 08/17/2011

You don't have to strive to be different but you should enjoy being unique. Write stories that impact you and represent who you are.

[MrClassy82]

11:41 AM on 08/17/2011

I agree with you. I think that having this section is great for Latinos who are like you and me (born in the U.S. and English-dominant.). It gives Latinos up to date news of what seems to be main stream media. Doing this however, means that we are not in the front page of these websites and that some of this news is actually only easily available to Latinos and not the rest of the world. We need to start somewhere and I think this is a good place to start.