Latines in Illinois and the USA: Music as a Cultural History

Music can be viewed and “read” as a tool that shares the cultural values, roots, and history of peoples. Over the years, numerous Latino musical genres share the concerns of Latinos throughout the years. This program focuses on a broad overview of milestones the last 75 years of music in the Latino U.S. as a way of understanding the history, roots, and concerns of Latinos in this land, with a special emphasis on Mexican and Puerto Rican musicians in Illinois as Latino populations that have profoundly marked the state’s culture and music.

About the Presenter:

Catalina Maria Johnson, Ph.D. is a Chicago-based journalist. She hosts and produces her own radio show, Beat Latino, which airs in Chicago on Vocalo (Chicago Public Media). Catalina also contributes a weekly segment called Global Notes, on (Chicago Public Media’s Worldview). She is also a regular contributor to NPR Music, Bandcamp, Downbeat and other outlets.

To request a link to the Zoom presentation, email amy.brockman@swic.edu.