An estimated 6 million Americans identify as Afro- Latino...the term highlights the growing number of people who embrace their African Ancestry with their Latino ethnicity. It's no surprise that New York has the highest number of Afro-Latinos, followed by California, then Florida. One of the largest celebrations of Afro-Latino culture is taking place on August 1st in Los Angeles. Thousands will gather in downtown Los Angeles for a festival featuring the music, art, food and fashion that celebrates the richness of the Afro-Latino diaspora. This is more than a festival ... it's a movement and on this episode Rachel is joined by the woman leading this movement, festival founder Sharon Cruz and one of her co-hosts, Emmy Nominated actor and Afro-Panameno J. August Richards. The group chat about the history of the fest why events like this are so important and much more.

The Afro-Latino Culture Fest has grown into a nationally recognized cultural destination, creating visibility for Afro-Latino communities while fostering education, cultural preservation, and international collaboration.  The festival is presented by the Afro-Latino Education & Arts Collective (ALEAC) and produced by Curly Rican Entertainment.

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ABOUT J. AUGUST RICHARDS:  Best known for his iconic roles as Charles Gunn on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel and superhero Mike Peterson/Deathlok on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., J. August Richards is a force of nature whose career spans four decades and over 250 hours of television. A seven-time series regular, he has demonstrated world-class range across projects as varied as The Temptations, Council of Dads, and Vampire Academy. A proud Afro-Latino of Panamanian descent, Richards brings both personal and artistic investment to celebrating this community. Daytime Emmy-nominated for writing, directing, and acting on the YouTube series Giants, he is now putting all his talents together for the first time — stepping both in front of and behind the camera to make his feature film directorial debut with Convenience, from his own original screenplay.

#afrolatinoculturefest2026 #sharedrootsmanynationsonecelebration #LatinosOutLoud #Podcast #RachelLaLoca #JAugustRichards

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