Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Daniel Cubias is a writer based in Los Angeles. In addition to Being Latino, his work can be found in such publications as the Huffington Post, Change.org, Aqui magazine, and his website, the Hispanic Fanatic. In addition, he has been published in many literary journals and won the occasional writing contest.
He is a Wisconsin native who still roots for his hometown Milwaukee Brewers. He is way too much into horror movies, and he is inexplicably still unable to tune his guitar properly.
My cousin came to America from El Salvador when he was a toddler. But he didn’t become a citizen until his second tour of duty in Iraq. At one point in his naturalization process, he was told to report to our county courthouse for the exam. “But I’m in Iraq,” he said to the civil servant Read More
As we all know, the quickest way to convince people to do something is to tell them they are forbidden from doing it. Currently, legislators in everybody’s favorite state — Arizona — are learning this most basic principle of reverse psychology. You see, in 2010, Arizona lawmakers passed a law to dismantle ethnic studies in Read More
So there I was, blasting away at the bull’s-eye with a .22 rifle. When I was done, I handed the gun back to its owner and wondered if I should feel exhilarated or manly or something. But I just felt indifferent. I was 14, and that’s the only time I’ve ever fired a gun. In Read More
If you’ve ever driven around my current hometown of Los Angeles, you know that Latinas pushing strollers of white, blue-eyed children is a common sight. These women are usually nannies, and they get paid to raise the kids of movie stars, TV executives, and Beverly Hills trust fund millionaires. Well, ok, not everyone who hires Read More
One of my fondest memories of childhood is attending Christmas midnight mass at my family’s Catholic church. My cousins and I would bask in the glittering pageantry, well aware that as soon as we got home, all the presents beneath the tree would be vanquished under our attacking hands. I’m about to become a father. Read More
I’m still waiting for my free stuff. As we all know, President Obama won re-election only because he promised Latinos unspecified “gifts,” and we responded by casting more than 70 percent of our votes for him. Yet I have not received even a thank-you note. Hmm… Of course, some commentators say Latinos should avoid appearing Read More
As we careen, cartwheel and plummet into the finale of this interminable election season, one refrain we hear many times is that Republicans and Democrats are one and the same. Indeed, there is ample evidence that both parties are indebted to big business and the status quo. And as Latinos know, Obama’s original immigration policies Read More
My wife is pregnant. Yes, it’s pretty great news. Our daughter is due in January. We’ve never been parents, so by next summer, I’ll be one of those annoying first-time fathers who believes the most important thing in the world is his baby’s capacity for drool. Just wait, I’ll be blogging about it day and Read More
We all know the grim statistics. Hispanics are less likely to graduate high school than other ethnic groups, and Latinas, in particular, still have higher rates of teen pregnancy and fewer college degrees than other young girls do. So what can be done about this appalling situation? Well, perhaps something as simple as giving Hispanic Read More
My mother never hit me. In Latino culture, of course, mi madre was a bizarre anomaly. We can all conjure up the image of a furious Hispanic mother, beating her kids with chancletas for some minor infraction. In fact, say the word chancleta or chancla to a Latino, and he or she will probably think Read More