BY MICHELLE MYERS ON NOVEMBER 2, 2020

As Pennsylvania turns into an election battleground, the Latinx community must teach themselves how to vote. In Philadelphia alone, 12.3% of Latinos are eligible to vote, but the lack of information in Spanish could tip the balance. Philatinos Radio, ALA PHL, and Philly Boricuas are leading initiatives to inform the community.

BY EMILY NEIL ON OCTOBER 29, 2020

Nationwide, Latinx voters hold an unprecedented power in the 2020 election cycle, now making up the second-largest electorate in the country. In battleground states like Pennsylvania, Latinx voters have the numbers to sway results in favor of one candidate or another. More specifically, Puerto Rican voters could hold the key to this election.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON OCTOBER 27, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the United States in early March of this year, Philadelphia was no exception. The city is known as a “sanctuary city,” or more officially as a “welcoming city,” which the Office of Immigrant Affairs says means that City employees, including police officers, cannot ask individuals about their documentation status.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON OCTOBER 15, 2020

Treecup Tea founder Mark Sotomayor sets out to address the need for environmentally sustainable business practices. The tea company plants a tree in Haiti for each bottle sold to address the issue of deforestation, hence their motto “buy a tea, plant a tree.”

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON OCTOBER 13, 2020

This Hispanic Heritage Month, a selection of ten films from the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) are available on Xfinity On Demand Latino destination on X1 until October 15.

BY ANA LAURA PEREZ FLORES ON OCTOBER 6, 2020

Every single step we take, every single place we visit, every single person with whom we interact, has turned into a potential threat to our lives. Well, this is nothing new for Mexican women: for many decades now, our daily lives have been a permanent struggle for survival.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR AND NADINE PATTERSON ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

In Regina King’s directorial debut of One Night in Miami, she re-imagines a fictional friendship between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. Set in a Miami hotel room in February 1964, the four protagonists meet up to celebrate Clay’s “Heavyweight Championship of the World” win.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 | PUBLISHER: cinéSPEAK

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world, and one of the most internationally recognized festivals. With the spread of the pandemic, film festivals globally have shifted to virtual screenings and socially-distanced, in-person screenings. The 45th edition of TIFF combines both online and in-person events to keep the spirit of the festival alive.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ & FARRAH RAHAMAN ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

The Shut Down Berks Coalition held an action in response to Judge Gee’s ruling that children be released from immigrant detention centers by July 17th, 2020.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

A Suitable Boy directed by Mira Nair is set in 1950s India after the country’s independence, transition to democracy, and the partition of India and Pakistan. The miniseries follows university student Lata Mehra, portrayed by Tanya Maniktala.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

J Balvin is one of best-selling Latin music artists in the globe. He was the most streamed artist worldwide on Spotify in 2018. He was the first reggaetonero to perform on Saturday Night Live. Singing primarily in Spanish, J Balvin has been able to cross over to non-Spanish speaking markets which is a huge feat for Latin American artists, gaining him the title "Prince of Reggaeton."

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Sonia Kennebeck is a Malaysian independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with over 15 years of experience. Enemies of the State, combines Kennebeck's investigative reporting background with a cinematic visual style reminiscent of that of executive producer Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line).

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

My name is Kristal Sotomayor and I am co-founder of ¡Presente! Media. I am a filmmaker, festival programmer, and film critic. This year, I will be covering the online edition of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) running from September 10 to 19, 2020. As part of my coverage, I aim to be a representative of Philadelphia during the online film festival.

BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT AND MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JULY 27, 2020

On June 13, Philadelphia-based immigrant justice groups, Juntos and New Sanctuary Movement, formed 'Marcha en Solidaridad con las Vidas Negras,' to join the protests against systemic racism. They marched in solidarity with other grassroots groups that organized 'Defund the Police: The Whole System is Guilty!,' a protest to demand that the City revise its proposed budget by investing in community-based services and defunding the police department.

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON JUNE 20, 2020

En las últimas semanas, los residentes de Filadelfia han estado protestando contra la brutalidad policial y el final de importantes programas culturales y artísticos. Entre los temas principales se encuentran los recortes en el presupuesto propuestos para 2021 por el alcalde Jim Kenney. Estos cortes eliminan el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia (PCF) y la Oficina de Artes, Cultura y Economía Creativa (OACCE).

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

El 16 de junio, la Coalición de Artistas para una Filadelfia Justa, organizó la Acción de Arte de Emergencia para financiar los Futuros de Afro Descendientes en los escalones del Museo de Arte de Filadelfia. El objetivo de la acción era para "utilizar el poder de la expresión artística en forma de música, danza y artes visuales para exigir un presupuesto de la ciudad que financie los futuros Afro Descendientes, desfinancie la policía, y salvar el Fondo Cultural de Filadelfia.”

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON JUNE 20, 2020

On June 16, the Artist Coalition for a Just Philadelphia hosted the Emergency Art Action to Fund Black Futures! on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The action’s goal was to “use the power of artistic expression in the form of music, dance and visual art to demand a city budget that funds black futures by Defunding the Police and Saving the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.”

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON JUNE 19, 2020

Over the past few weeks, Philadelphians have been protesting police brutality and the end of dire cultural and arts programs. Among the main issues are Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed 2021 budget cuts that eliminate the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE). This same budget allocates an additional $19 million for the Philadelphia Police Department.

BY MELISSA BEATRIZ ON MARCH 23, 2020 | PUBLISHER: WHYY

I’m a Uruguayan-American documentary filmmaker whose current production has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a freelancer, this health crisis has jeopardized my ability to work on creative projects. And the same is true for my husband, a musician and teaching artist whose work has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

SEGMENT PRODUCED, SHOT AND EDITED BY GABRIELA WATSON-BURKETT

PRODUCED FOR PHILLYCAM/ATRÉVETE

Production Assistants: Claudia Ceballos, Kat Garcia

This segment was part of PhillyCAM's show Atrévete.