Latino USA Folgen

For the closing of our series Genias in Music, celebrating the contributions of women in their fields, we go to Colombia, where Petrona Martínez became one of the most important Black singers in the country’s modern history. She’s known as “the queen of bullerengue”, an ancestral music tradition that goes back to times of slavery in the Colombian Caribbean Coast. But it took many years for Petrona Martínez to get recognized as an artist. She dealt with isolation, poverty and invisibility as a Black woman from rural Colombia. Latino USA Producers Patricia Sulbarán and Jeanne Montalvo tell the story of this music legend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luna Luna is a rising four-member band from different walks of life. They’re known for mixing nostalgic sounds of the past and fusing them with elements of funk and dream-like pop. In this episode of Latino USA, we learn more about the people behind Luna Luna and hear how they say the universe and destiny have brought them together to live out their wildest dreams.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last November, Robert Santos became the first Latino to be confirmed as the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. Santos is no stranger to the federal agency. Before his nomination and confirmation, Santos had warned that former President Donald Trump’s interference of the census count would result in one of the most flawed census counts in U.S. history. Census counts are important because they help determine congressional representation and how billions of federal dollars are distributed. In this conversation with Maria Hinojosa, Santos shares the census’ complicated history, his efforts to rebuild trust among communities, his love for his hometown of San Antonio and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.