YOU….assuming you have roots in Milwaukee.

There is a population of over 370,000 Latinos living in the state of Wisconsin, according to the PEW Research Center.

Take a moment to digest the implications of that figure. That is the population number higher than the city of Madison, WI. We are everywhere! Especially in this part of the state and yet we are all but invisible outside of tiny enclaves such as Milwaukee’s south side. Milwaukee’s not so secret history of segregation rears its head most egregiously when we explore the media landscape and Latino representation. We will save you the effort and give you the conclusion that you will come to, outside of Spanish language media we are nowhere to be found.

This is a problem..Representation matters. We ask you, the  reader, this the following question; how did you feel after watching Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s Superbowl performance this year? Was it a warm fuzzy feeling? Did it make you cry a little? To be completely candid, that was a shared moment for brown kids everywhere, we saw ourselves on the main stage during this country’s annual religious ceremony. There we were , being represented in the mainstream without being a caricature. In that moment we were not the sassy Puerto Rican, Venezuelan bombshells, low riding Cholos, or an invading hoard coming to steal jobs and sell drugs.

That performance was about being Latino without explanation, the viewing audience had to accept them as they were, accent and all, it was a thing of inspiration and beauty. This watershed moment in media serves as a proxy for the role that Latinos play in modern day America. We are here, we are unashamed and we are not going anywhere.

We would like to be your Shakira and JLo, your Cassian Andor, your Jane the Virgin. In a sea of Speedy Gonzalez, Gloria Delgado-Pritchetts, and Guillermos we would like to represent you, the youngish Latino/a/x who doesn’t see themselves too often in today’s modern media landscape. Whether you are first, second, third, fourth, fifth, generation Latino, speak Spanish, Portuguese, or just plain old English, or are just Latino-curious.

We would like to be a guide to Latino culture, Latino living and other rad ethnic stuff in Milwaukee.

We leave you with the following question… What makes YOU a Milwaukeño?

If you would like to start a dialogue, or have a publishable opinion that you would like to share slide into our DMs on Twitter @Milwaukeno or shoot us an email : Milwaukeno@Gmail.com we would love to hear from you, we will respond.

Gracias!

-The Milwaukeño Team