Ashley Mercado, Author at HipLatina

Alyssa Reynoso-Morris Talks ‘Plátanos Are Love’ and BIPOC Representation in Publishing

Ashley MercadoApril 28, 2023May 2, 2023

by Ashley MercadoApril 28, 2023May 2, 202302188

Queer Afro-Latinx and Bronx-native Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is proud of her Dominican and Puerto Rican roots and it’s through her storytelling that she’s celebrating her cultura and community. She recently published Plátanos Are Love, a children’s picture book that centers on a...

Culture News and Entertainment

Haitian and Dominican Republic Relations Remain Strained Amid New Border Wall

Ashley MercadoApril 20, 2023April 24, 2023

by Ashley MercadoApril 20, 2023April 24, 202302872

Though Haiti and the Dominican Republic are on the same island, the politics dividing both nations makes it as though they are worlds apart. This came to a head on February 19, 2022 when the Dominican government began building a...

Culture News and Entertainment

Blactina Founder Nydia Simone Talks the Importance of Afro-Latinx Visibility

Ashley MercadoApril 17, 2023April 17, 2023

by Ashley MercadoApril 17, 2023April 17, 202301806

Panamanian American founder of Blactina Media Nydia Simone is dedicated to amplifying Afro-Latinx stories and also mourns the lack of visibility in the U.S. and Latin America. She was inspired to create Blactina Media in 2017 to represent Afro-Latinx and Caribbean...

Culture

Interracial Dating and Anti-Blackness in the Latinx Community

Ashley MercadoApril 7, 2023April 11, 2023

by Ashley MercadoApril 7, 2023April 11, 2023016353

Interracial dating amongst Latinx families can be a new experience for older generations to navigate within their family ties. Although I come from a long line of Dominicans who have married and had children with other Dominicans, I never questioned...

News and Entertainment

At Least 39 Dead in Fire at a Migrant Center in Ciudad Juarez

Ashley MercadoMarch 29, 2023March 30, 2023

by Ashley MercadoMarch 29, 2023March 30, 202301922

The journey migrants face trying to enter the U.S. is known to be hazardous and full of dangers and recently that was tragically apparent after a fire broke out at a migrant center. Mexican officials confirmed the deaths of at...

Culture

Honoring my Dominican Immigrant Mom for Women’s History Month

Ashley MercadoMarch 21, 2023March 23, 2023

by Ashley MercadoMarch 21, 2023March 23, 202301269

This Women’s History Month I am thinking about my mom more often than usual. Although I was raised by my eldest brother when I was around 14 years old due to my mother working intensive hours, my mom’s impact was...

News and Entertainment

Mexico Votes For Tougher Legislation Against Femicides

Ashley MercadoMarch 9, 2023

by Ashley MercadoMarch 9, 202302049

Femicides continue to rise in Mexico and progress to protect victims and stop the rise is slow but a new law is a step in the right direction. Local legislators in central Puebla state unanimously approved Monzón’s law reform, named after...

Culture News and Entertainment

Katelina “La Gata” Eccleston is Amplifying Reggaeton’s Black Voices in ‘Perreo 101’

Ashley MercadoMarch 1, 2023March 2, 2023

by Ashley MercadoMarch 1, 2023March 2, 202301965

Katelina “La Gata” Eccleston is an internationally distinguished Black Panamanian social entrepreneur, music historian, and owner of Reggaeton Con La Gata; a platform that serves as the blueprint for being the first femme bilingual platform dedicated to the intersectional analysis...

News and Entertainment

Karol G Breaks Spotify Record with New Album ‘Mañana Será Bonito’

Ashley MercadoFebruary 27, 2023March 22, 2023

by Ashley MercadoFebruary 27, 2023March 22, 202302825

March 6 Update: Karol G is now the first woman in history to score No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with an all-Spanish-language album. Colombian reggaetonera Karol G made history with the release of her fourth studio album, Mañana Será...

Culture

My Experience as a Dominicana at an Elite Private School in New York

Ashley MercadoFebruary 13, 2023March 14, 2023

by Ashley MercadoFebruary 13, 2023March 14, 202303693

In my 23 years of living, there have been many things that I have not been sure of, but my Dominican identity was surely not one of them. I grew up in Washington Heights in Manhattan, known as the Little...

Culture News and Entertainment

Bad Bunny Dominated the Grammys Despite Losing AOTY Award

Ashley MercadoFebruary 6, 2023

by Ashley MercadoFebruary 6, 202302685

On February 5th, Bad Bunny opened the 65th annual Grammys with a performance that emitted Latin pride throughout the arena. An appropriate start to the night that would lead to the artist winning his third Grammy Award for Best Música...

News and Entertainment

Cecilia Vega Becomes First Latina Correspondent For ’60 Minutes’

Ashley MercadoJanuary 23, 2023

by Ashley MercadoJanuary 23, 202304964

We’re one month into 2023 and Latinas are already making major strides. Meg Medina and Gloria Estefan made history this year as the first Latinas in their respective industries to achieve a milestone and now veteran journalist Cecilia Vega joins...