A message from the lead spissue editor:

Aló, hola y bienvenidos a todos to the News’ Living Latinidad special issue. We want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate Latine voices during this month and wish that everyone had a happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

When it comes to witnessing Latinidad at Yale, there are multiple things to celebrate this year. The number of undergraduate students who identify as Latine or Hispanic has increased from 14 percent to 18 percent —  a record number. This fall, Jocelyn Naranjo ’25 founded Yale’s first Andean dance group, with the aim of fostering a space for members of Indigenous Central and South American tribes to dance and find community. Last weekend’s LATINExcellence showcase was sold out, as audience and family members danced together to salsa and merengue played by La Orquesta Tertulia.  

We want to thank all the writers within and outside of the News who submitted content for this special issue, especially our guest contributors. 

Latinidad spans across continents and intersects with multiple identities, and the idea of what it means to be Latine or Hispanic at Yale is still expanding. We hope this special issue uplifts Latine and Hispanic voices across campus. Our goal is to contribute in fostering a space for students who feel compelled to share their stories, whether that be through the News or through other forms of media. 

Thank you to News reporters, desk editors, copy editors, production and design editors, audience editors, photographers, illustrators and management members who contributed their time and efforts in producing this special issue. 

And, most importantly, we want to thank our readers. We welcome feedback and encourage you to reach out to us.

ISA DOMINGUEZ is a current co-editor for the Opinion desk and a staff columnist for the News. Originally from Doral, Florida, she is a student in Timothy Dwight College majoring in English. Contact her at isa.dominguez@yale.edu.