Adriana Villavicencio is a staff writer for the Being Latino Blog. “I got involved after Lance sent what was probably a mass message to everyone he knew on FB asking if they were interested.” Twenty random things you didn’t know about… What did you want to be when you grow up? A writer. And a Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio There are some songs that take you back. Some songs that transport you to a magical place, a place where you loved or a time when you loved and lost. Just a few bars fill you with memories of su patria, su gente, el amor de su vida. Thebest of these get Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio In the first decade of the new millennium, Latinos continued to redefine the United States and shape the human condition around the world in the areas of government, law, popular culture, and international affairs. Here, just a few of the headlines we might not remember, and some we will never forget.

by Adriana Villavicencio I moved to New York City—and 3,000 miles away from my family—when I was 18. Having lived here for more than 10 years, I’m completely adult-like. I know how to take care of stuff (like paying bills and getting internet service), am great at getting around (G train to random bus in Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio In NYC, everyone seems to know I’m not from here. I get things like, “You’re so LA.” Fair enough…I grew up there. On the other hand, when I’m actually in LA, people think I’m from New York…“Why do you wear so much black?” So either I’m an oddball who doesn’t fit in Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio One step closer to my dream begins at 6am every morning when I prepare food for my family. First for my father who leaves for a 12-hour day before there is even very much light outside. Then for my mother and sister. My mother used to cook for us – juevos fritos Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio I sit in a cubicle. For seven hours a day. Five days a week. Every week for the entire year. Minus vacation days and personal days, the difference between I haven’t managed to figure out yet. It is a lonely quiet place, the cubicle…isolated from the rest of the world, even from Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio At my first traditional American Thanksgiving, I experienced things I had never seen before and was exposed to exotic foods that had never before crossed my lips. Like stuffing. What was this mountainous heap of unidentifiable colorless mush sitting in a bowl and vigorously passed around? Why did it exist? And why Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio Latinos make up 27.6 percent of New York City’s population and are the largest share of the population under age 25, according to a policy brief released last month. That means that Latino youth, from a sheer numbers standpoint, will potentially have an enormous impact on the future of New York City Read More

by Adriana Villavicencio “Sexy Latina.” The term is as ubiquitous as a Starbucks on a New York City corner. Searching for the term on Google will yield more than 2 million search results. Compare that to the 26k you find when you type in “smart Latina.” Latinas are sexualized in language and often, through terms Read More