TIME Magazine Spotlights 8 Latinx Changemakers for Latinx Heritage Month
Uplifting and supporting the Latinx community is an year-round endeavor but it’s even more special during Latinx Heritage Month to see mainstream media shining a spotlight on la comunidad
Photo: Photo: JC Olivera/Getty Images for Prime Video// Denzel Golatt
Uplifting and supporting the Latinx community is an year-round endeavor but it’s even more special during Latinx Heritage Month to see mainstream media shining a spotlight on la comunidad. This week, TIME announced that it would spend the next few months featuring Latinx leaders across the U.S. in various industries including politics, fashion, sports, business, media and entertainment. Kicking off this month to honor LHM, TIME will feature eight Latinx leaders and changemakers including Elizabeth Acevedo, Willy Chavarria, Robin Arzón, Miguel Cardona, Gloria Calderón Kellett, Julio Rodríguez, Erik Ramirez, and Dolores Huerta. Over time, the list “naturally, will continue to grow,” according to the online feature.
“Honored to be featured in the 2023 TIME Latino Leaders List alongside incredible trailblazers like Elizabeth Acevedo, Miguel Cardona, Gloria Calderón Kellett, MLB All-Star Julio Rodriguez, and Dolores Huerta,” said Robin Arzón, honoree and head instructor of Peloton, in an Instagram post. “Being recognized for the impact I’ve made is a testament to the power of our community’s resilience and determination. @time Remember to always dream so big it makes small minds uncomfortable. 💪🏽✨ 🇨🇺🇵🇷”
This first set of honorees is just the beginning but is also an extraordinary example of what allyship and representation look like. There is a diverse range of backgrounds, races, and professions represented in the feature such as media and entertainment (Acevedo, Calderón Kellett), fashion (Chavarria), sports (Arzón, Rodríguez), politics (Cardona, Huerta), and food (Ramirez). In this way, the honorees are not just named but also given detailed, extensive profiles of their careers, accomplishments, and what exactly made them prominent and profile Latinx leaders today.
It’s also clear that they are more than the success they’ve gained in their professions. They are each, in their own way, advocates and activists for positive change in the community through the work that they do, whether it’s Cardona supporting bilingual Spanish-English speakers in education or Chavarria prioritizing diversity when hiring fashion models from casting calls. Or, for writers like Acevedo, to use storytelling as a way of exploring Latinidad, fostering understanding and connection across the diaspora, and giving voice to what would otherwise go unnoticed. “If a book was a gala, I’m honoring and giving flowers to hood morenitas from all over the world,” she told the publication.
The timely release of this list on a major publication is a win for representation and indicative of the power of Latinxs, a population that is projected to increase to 111.2 million by 2060, according to a UCLA report.
“Latinos—who are by no means a monolith but, as a collective, represent one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the country—are reshaping every aspect of American society,” TIME wrote in the introduction to the list.
More of this, please.
