Introducing "the De Los Podcast"

Before nan Latinx Files was a newsletter, it was a seed of an idea.

“Wouldn’t it beryllium awesome if nan Los Angeles Times had a dedicated abstraction to show stories astir nan Latino experience?” I’d inquire rhetorically to anyone who would perceive earlier spouting connected astir really Los Angeles is half Latino. That we dress up 40% of California’s full organization and relationship for astir 1 successful 5 Americans.

And past nan full world watched nan fallout aft nan execution of George Floyd successful May 2020, forcing Americans and institutions to reckon pinch race, favoritism and policing. The Times was nary exception. In nan aftermath of nan tragedy, nan insubstantial reflected connected its past failures to reasonably screen L.A.’s communities of color, apologized for it and promised to do better.

It was successful this situation that nan Latinx Files germinated to life. After talking endlessly astir it, I was tasked pinch creating a news merchandise that would analyse and research nan galore contours of Latinidad.

The newsletter debuted successful November 2020.

A fewer years into this project, it became clear that much than 1 personification was needed for nan job. To amended execute nan goal, nan newsletter had to beryllium scaled up. And so, successful July 2023, the L.A. Times launched De Los, a caller conception that expanded nan ngo of nan Latinx Files.

Nearly 3 years later, that first thought has germinated erstwhile again pinch nan motorboat of “The De Los Podcast,” a caller interview-style video podcast from LA Times Studios and Sonoro that will characteristic candid conversations pinch movers and shakers who person helped style Latino civilization successful nan United States — and person proved that we are integral to nan cloth that is America.

The play video series, which premiered connected Wednesday, is co-hosted by De Los editor Suzy Exposito and me. I couldn’t person asked for a amended partner successful crime. She is nan LeBron James of Latino civilization writers — she has written aggregate Bad Bunny screen stories, including for Rolling Stone, i-D Magazine and nan L.A. Times.

Guests see iconic names and Latino creatives connected nan ascent, specified arsenic character Xolo Maridueña (“Blue Beetle,” “Cobra Kai”); Cuban American rapper Sen Dog of L.A. hip-hop group Cypress Hill; filmmaker Alex Rivera (“Sleep Dealer”); drama fable and Chicano creation benefactor Cheech Marin; and writer Vanessa Díaz (“P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became nan Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance”), pinch much to beryllium announced.

Our inaugural impermanent is Leslie Grace!

Leslie Grace connected nan De Los Podcast

(L.A. Times Studios)

The Latin Grammy-nominated vocalist and character helped america footwear disconnected nan podcast pinch a bang. Grace began her creator profession arsenic a teenager, signaling a Christian euphony medium successful her closet earlier releasing her self-titled sophomore effort successful 2013. The bilingual LP established her arsenic a salient sound successful nan male-dominated world of bachata — I situation you to perceive to her screen of nan Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and not get it stuck successful your caput — and helped pull a world assemblage to nan genre. In May, nan 31-year-old released “Amor, ¿Quién Eres?,” her first medium successful complete a decade.

Grace besides opened up astir her acting career, from making her movie debut successful 2021’s “In nan Heights” — nan critically acclaimed philharmonic was nan uncommon blockbuster that centered a Latino communicative — to being tapped to represent Barbara Gordon successful “Batgirl.” The task was ultimately scrapped successful August 2022 while it was still successful postproduction, aft Discovery Inc. and Warner Bros. merged.

“It was disappointing because we knew nan movie that we were making,” Grace said. “I knew that it wasn’t a reflection of our work, because this is thing that happens. But I deliberation because of nan discourse of nan speech astir representation, and nan measurement that films tin beryllium discarded, aft a batch of activity and clip and money has gone into thing ... nan imaginative organization really felt for me.”

She has since starred successful much independent films successful caller years — including “In nan Summers,” which won a expansive assemblage prize astatine nan Sundance Film Festival successful 2024 — and nan 2026 features “Stages” and “Campeón Gabacho,” which premiered astatine this year’s version of South By Southwest.

“I really americium grateful for each personification that reached retired to maine and was like: ‘Hey, I’ve sewage you, immoderate you need,’ aliases ‘This is wrong,’” Grace said. “When thing happens to me, I attraction connected my acquisition and what I gained from it, that nary 1 could really return away.”

Where to find nan podcast

You tin perceive and/or watch nan afloat section connected Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

If you’re a instrumentality of this newsletter and of nan activity we do astatine De Los, I promote you to subscribe to our feeds, springiness america a five-star standing and show everyone you cognize to do nan same.

Is this announcement this week’s Latinx Files?

Nope! We’ll beryllium returning to our regularly scheduled programming this Friday.