The aisles of Santee Alley—commonly known as Los Callejones—are no longer as crowded as they once were. Once filled with culture, vendors, and music, they served as a hub for Hispanic culture. With the current political climate in the U.S. surrounding immigration enforcement and the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Hispanic community has been left terrified.

Long before he was shooting his dream cars and cinematic portraits throughout Southern California, Miguel Gamino was just a 10-year-old who picked up his mother’s point-and-shoot camera and snapped a photo of a dragonfly at his uncle’s ranch.

California State University, Long Beach professor Clariza Ruiz De Castilla ran the Long Beach Marathon in early October, competing in her 48th marathon overall.

The Cal State Long Beach Salsa Club and the Cal State Fullerton Bachata Club faced off in a dance event on Friday, April 18, at the Cal State Fullerton quad. While the event was titled “salsa vs. bachata,” the true goal was to create a fun, social space where the community could dance together.

Long Beach State promotes Latino studies with the Latinx Faculty and Staff Association. Alicia Del Campo, faculty co-chair of the association and a professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures, is a leader in fostering a safe environment for the faculty.

Mariachi Reyna was founded in 1994 in Los Angeles as the first all-female mariachi group based in the United States. Last year, in celebration of their 30th anniversary, the group released their eighth studio album, “Alma de Reyna.”

A majority of students at Long Beach State identify as Latinx. Despite there being a large population of Latinx students, very few become student-athletes and continue to play their sport at the collegiate level.

When it comes to representation of Latinx athletes, hockey is among the sports that have a lack of Latinx players. This is in part due to the sport being dominated by Canadian and European players.

For 30 years, Operation Jump Start has been helping first-generation students from high school to university graduate. 

He has achieved what few people in his country have achieved. O’Ward is only one of seven Mexican drivers in history who have raced in the Indianapolis 500. He is currently the only Mexican driver on the grid and is one of four Latin American drivers, alongside Brazilians Pietro Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, and Argentinian Augustíne Canapino.

Read one of our stories for a personal insight on how the pandemic affected local businesses amongst the hispanic community, here.