Two Latina Therapists on the Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health
Two Latina Therapists on the Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health
Since 1949, the month of May has been designated to Mental Health Awareness. In the midst of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the ever-present pandemic, it has become increasingly important to check in on our mental health. As the month comes to an [...]
Raul Lopez Chose to Defy The Odds
Raul Lopez Chose to Defy The Odds
For Raul Lopez, the designer and founder behind LUAR's namesake fashion brand (Raul spelled backward), success boils down to community — the chosen family beyond parents and siblings. Community isn't just buying merch or showing up to rallies with signs. For people like Lopez — born, raised and currently [...]
How Michelle Badillo Defied Her Own Barriers
How Michelle Badillo Defied Her Own Barriers
When Michelle Badillo reluctantly agreed to attend college, she told her mother that she would become a screenwriter. Badillo had the intention of alarming her mother; she did not anticipate that her mother would fully support her decision and pay for it, too. “I was an idiot,” Badillo laughs from [...]
Fred ‘Focus’ Lavergne Creates For His Community
Fred ‘Focus’ Lavergne Creates For His Community
Though we were originally supposed to meet at his office in Mott Haven, director Fred 'Focus' Lavergne and I ended up talking at his Bronx apartment, a modest, minimalist duplex. Lavergne, who is Dominican and Black, is the CEO of Spacedog, a production company most well-known for directing Nike’s Air [...]
Brazilian Fashion Model Juliana Nalú on the Meaning of Home and Global Representation
Brazilian Fashion Model Juliana Nalú on the Meaning of Home and Global Representation
Rio de Janeiro’s born-and-bred, 24-year old model Juliana Nalú has always been a dreamer. At the early age of 6, Nalú announced to her mom that she wanted to be a globally known model. At the time, she lived with her mom and brother, Douglas, in the favela Complexo do [...]
Five Black and Latinx Artists Who Expand Definitions of Love, Healing, and Community
Five Black and Latinx Artists Who Expand Definitions of Love, Healing, and Community
Latina is highlighting the work of Latinx creatives and visual artists through NYC art guides and thematic stories in our new column, Curated by KCV. Each month, Art Curator and Processa founder, Kiara Cristina Ventura, will speak on exhibitions and inspirational artists that everyone should keep on their radar from [...]
Ask a Love Doctor: Modern Love, Dating Apps, and Scams
Ask a Love Doctor: Modern Love, Dating Apps, and Scams
In 2022, love doesn’t look quite like the fairy tales and romcoms many grew up watching. In the age of the pandemic and dating apps like Tinder and Hinge, it can feel like love is near impossible to find. Zoom and FaceTime dates have made it awkward and difficult for many [...]