Latino USA

Latino USA explores the rich and complicated relationship between Latinos and their grandparents. We look at the science behind the existence of abuelitos and hear from people who were raised by them.

Take a trip around the country with host Maria Hinojosa to learn about Latino history. Hear about the patriotic celebrations of Laredo, Texas and the first colony in the US—it's not where you think it is. Also: could Zorro be the first American superhero? A high school class in East LA learns about the Chicano movement. And just where did the term "Hispanic" come from?

A dangerous fungus lurks in the dirt of California's Central Valley. But there's little funding for research to combat it. We'll learn what some people are doing to educate local people, and about the ways Latinos get medical care.

What's in a word? Find out with Latino USA as we talk about Spanglish and its implications, how to interpret the made up language of some popular movie characters, and living as a deaf Latino.

From poverty to gangs, this episode of Latino USA takes a deep dive into the root causes of why people leave Honduras to travel through Mexico and to the U.S.

This episode of Latino USA is all about going back. Whether it's returning to a home country or revisting an inspiration, we look at the various ways people return. We hear from two adoptees reconnecting to their roots, what immigrant workers are doing with remmitance money and talk to Jose James about his new album of Billie Holiday covers.

Latino USA focuses this week on the idea of the reprise: a repeated but changed passage of music. Maria Hinojosa talks to Lin-Manuel Miranda about his upcoming Broadway musical Hamilton, composer Tania León, and an up and coming band called Ibeyi.

This week we hear stories of surviving tough times, whether it's street vendors in Chicago trying stay afloat, college students working through financial hardship and sexual assault, or the Fast & the Furious franchise somehow surviving fourteen years later.

What does it look like when a Latino runs for the highest office in Chicago? Latino USA finds out as we go inside the mayoral campaign of Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. Editor's note: NPR has determined that this episode did not meet all its editorial standards. Latino USA has acknowledged those concerns.

Seventy-two percent of Latinos over eighteen own smartphones – almost ten percent more than the national average. We try to answer why Latinos use phones at higher rates and what mobile technology could mean for health, finances, and democracy.

For the first part of a two-part series on how Latinos have influenced hip-hop Latino USA producers Daisy Rosario and Marlon Bishop learn about the early years by talking to legends like Devastating Tito, Lee Quiñones, and Charlie Chase. They break down the four elements of hip-hop: MCing, DJing, graffitti, and break dancing and explore how New York City made it all possible.

We take a bus to New York's prisons and look at how young people can wind up there. We hear how a cabbie made a big difference in one cancer patient's life. And: it's the biggest transportation story you probably hadn't heard of: a canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic in Nicaragua.

Freedom of speech is crucial to a healthy democracy—so what does that mean for democracies in Latin America? And why do Latino leadership organizations remain silent on the deaths of Latinos at the hands of police? We explore censorship and self-censorship in this episode.

Why are Latino kids perceived as shy in the classroom? And how can Latinas grow older with confidence? Latino USA examines issues of self-esteem at all ages, and asks what the "U.S. mambo" on immigration affects those counting on immigration reforms.

On this week's Latino USA, producers spend a day in a bodega in Washington Heights, NYC — home to one of the biggest Dominican populations in the U.S. They uncover stories about nutrition, migration, community, and the slow threat of gentrification.