As my Heroine sat among friends last night during the Latin Grammy Awards, she could not believe how fortunate she was
to be part of such an amazing culture.The Latin Grammy Awards turned out to be a treat like no other. Where else could a Latina Heroine view all her favorite musical stars united on one stage,
representing one cause, epitomizing one clearly unique culture?
As my Heroine put it, “There were also a lot of ‘hotties’ on the show!” You can tell where her priorities were — Jimmy Smits, Oscar De La
Hoya and Alexandro Fernandez.
There were artists from Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Spain, to mention a few. There were tangoes, mambos, merengues and salsa beats resonating through the
coliseum like a unison of sound.
The colors were as distinct as the personalities themselves. Celia Cruz curdled our toes in her blue ensemble, giving her trademark outrageousness a new meaning — but, you
gotta love her.
She has transcended the barriers of time and proven that her allure is ageless. Where would our music be without Celia? She is national, international, and some might even say cosmic.
On
a more novel level, we have Shakira, with her dyed blatantly blonde streaks and green/red ensembles. Shakira symbolizes our musical future with her Arabian-Colombian beats and rock flare. Shakira reminds us
of the fact that whether we are in our twenties or in our sixties (Celia? — Eighties?) — we can still rock.
I recently read a commentary on why a student felt is was so great to be Latin and another
on what makes Latinas so original — one writer wrote that, “Latinas are the only ones who could make four-inch heels work with a pinstriped business suit.”
Latinas can make anything work — period.
The success of the Grammy Awards is only one example.
What makes Hispanics unique is their culture itself. It is a culture of “life.” We are alive!
We deal with our travails/struggles
through the outlets only our culture affords. From the poorest immigrant to the richest aristocrat, there is one uniting element — our music.
Our music calms our fears during most of our homelands’
political struggles. Through fluctuating inflation rates (like in Argentina) to power shortages and strikes (like in the Dominican Republic), we persevere.
When our relatives in South American
countries cry from hunger pains, we lull them to sleep through familiar tunes. Music will not solve all of our problems, but, our Celias and Shakiras and Tigeres Del Norte ameliorate our miseries and
struggles.
Alas, there will always be the cynics who will never be happy.
They have criticized the Estefans for creating a separation between the American Grammys and Hispanic music. The truth is, the
Latin Grammys needed to exist because we exist. We have our own style, our own beat, our own timelines and most importantly, our own identities. It is crucial that we try to preserve the very uniqueness that
we are sometimes criticized.
The Mexican community has denounced the Latin Grammys because of the Estefan’s failure to include more Tex-Mex stuff.
Listen, this is the first and, hopefully not the last
awards ceremony. They will try do better the next time around. Let us appreciate the fact that the Latin Grammys exist at all.
Join me in cheering “Bravo!” for a job well done and thanking God
that there are Estefans out there recognizing that there are essential differences in our music and awarding them.
Think about it: The last time you watched the American Grammys did you see people
like Juan Luis Guerra or Alexandro Fernandez receive the honors they so deserve? Or, better yet, did you ever see a tribute to Hispanic music on such an elaborate level televised on an American broadcasting
station?
We are only going to constitute about 24 percent of the American population and we only have about $400 billion in purchasing power, do we not account enough for recognition? I think so…!
Thought: It’s time to stand up and be counted the Grammys are just a start!
