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Through portraits and interviews with activists and artists, Koral Carballo sought out an answer to the question of what it means to be an Afro-Mexican woman today.

MacArthur Genius Natalia Molina unveils the hidden history of the Nayarit, a restaurant in Los Angeles that nourished its community of Mexican immigrants with a sense of belonging. In 1951, Doña Natalia Barraza opened the Nayarit, a Mexican restaurant in Echo Park, Los Angeles. With A Place at the Nayarit, historian Natalia Molina traces the life’s work of her grandmother, remembered by all who knew her as Doña Natalia––a generous, reserved, and extraordinarily capable woman. Doña Natalia immigrated alone from Mexico to L.A., adopted two children, and ran a successful business. She also sponsored, housed, and employed dozens of other immigrants, encouraging them to lay claim to a city long characterized by anti-Latinx racism. Together, the employees and customers of the Nayarit maintained ties to their old homes while providing one another safety and support. The Nayarit was much more than a popular eating spot: it was an urban anchor for a robust community, a gathering space where ethnic Mexican workers and customers connected with their patria chica (their “small country”). That meant connecting with distinctive tastes, with one another, and with the city they now called home. Through deep research and vivid storytelling, Molina follows restaurant workers from the kitchen and the front of the house across borders and through the decades. These people's stories illuminate the many facets of the immigrant experience: immigrants' complex networks of family and community and the small but essential pleasures of daily life, as well as cross-currents of gender and sexuality and pressures of racism and segregation. The Nayarit was a local landmark, popular with both Hollywood stars and restaurant workers from across the city and beloved for its fresh, traditionally prepared Mexican food. But as Molina argues, it was also, and most importantly, a place where ethnic Mexicans and other Latinx L.A. residents could step into the fullness of their lives, nourishing themselves and one another. A Place at the Nayarit is a stirring exploration of how racialized minorities create a sense of belonging. It will resonate with anyone who has felt like an outsider and had a special place where they felt like an insider.

Cinema Junkie continues its three-part series talking with the Get Shooked panelists coming for Black Comix Day. In this episode, John Jennings talks about cosmic superheroes, a crowd-funded horror anthology, and getting hooked on comics.

Republicans spent the nearly six-hour-long hearing interrogating Attorney General Merrick Garland over the agency's investigations into Hunter Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Azerbaijan has renewed efforts to regain control of Nagorno-Karabkh, a disputed enclave with a majority ethnic Armenian population and a decades-long source of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

About 300,000 Californians have lost Medi-Cal coverage since the state resumed eligibility checks. You have options if you get a notice about your coverage.

*Note: this event date has been corrected. The event will take place Thursday, April 27* In honor of National Poetry Month, San Diego Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez comes home to Oceanside on Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m. to share his work in the city where he grew up. He will be joined by local poets Karla Cordero, Angela Narciso Torres, Shadab Zeest Hashmi and Angelica Yanez, and end the program with a question and answer session moderated by OTC Board Member and local activist Jimmy Figueroa. A graduate of El Camino High School and proud alumnus of Oceanside public schools, Magabo Perez draws from his three hybrid collections of poetry and prose: I ask about what falls away, Phenomenology of Superhero and This is for the mostless. Much of his work stems from his experience growing up in Oceanside as a Filipino-American and child of immigrants. He is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic Studies at CSU San Marcos.

California has the most Hispanic Serving Institutions among its colleges of any state — 174, including 21 of 23 California State University campuses and five of the nine University of California campuses. But how well are HSIs — where almost 90% of the state’s Latino undergraduates are enrolled — actually serving Latino students? It’s a mixed bag, students and advocates say.

The annual celebration, which spans Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, recognizes contributions made by Hispanic Americans, the fastest-growing racial or ethnic minority, according to the Census.

Celebrate National Poetry Month at this very special event featuring distinguished poet and San Diego’s new Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez. He is thrilled to read from his books "This is for the mostless" and "I ask about what falls away" and share his love for poetry with the community. Dr. Perez is Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic Studies at California State University San Marcos. His work blends poetry, prose, performance, film/video, ethnography, and oral history to explore Filipino American histories, colonialism, state violence, migration, memory, and intimacy.