Project Eñye

“If you need a safe space, if you need some healing, if there are things you want to talk about that you are afraid to talk about with other people and you have an opportunity to do something like this, to be loved, to be recognized, to be honored, then jump in. Don’t listen to […]

I have the pleasure of introducing a true fighter and all around badass to you all. Her name is Janeli Saucedo-Castrejana and she is a mother of three, a wife to her college sweetheart, and an advocate in the Greater San Antonio area.

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[avia_codeblock_placeholder uid="4"] Welcome to Episode # 010! Where we interview Enye, Danett Hernandez, and her husband, Miles Wartes – both actors who were in the controversial Coca-Cola Superbowl commercial in 2014. NOTE: You can download the podcast to your computer or listen to it here on the website. This was a fascinating piece to do, especially to discover how they were selected to represent a Mexican-American family in the commercial, in addition to their personal experiences sharing their lives with the nation. Hernandez’s father’s restaurant in Denver was featured in the commercial which played a huge role in why they were chosen, depicting four different generations of Mexican immigrants. “It was a beautiful experience,” Hernandez recalls. Wartes remembers thinking, “What am I doing here? I’m the token white guy!” He describes the scenario they featured in the commercial, of sitting down for dinner after the restaurant has closed – it’s a modern American gathering. “It never occurred to me that this is actually an authentic portrayal of what our family looks like…” Plus, we found out there is also a ‘making of’ the Coke commercial. The producer of the commercial asked to sit down and interview Wartes and Hernandez, her father and step-mother after filming and ask them what their relationships are like, and their experience as an interracial couple. A lot of the producers questions surrounded their son and how the mix of cultures will affect their son. *Unfortunately, the video has been since removed from YouTube. However, the post-commercial reactions were incredibly powerful. In fact, this was the first Super Bowl commercial to feature a gay couple. Wartes explains how proud they are to have been a part of what Coca-Cola did. They had no idea a corporation of this size could create something so bold and that they would be having this conversation with their family and others. Next, we hear from Enye (ñ) Belen De Leon of 9 News and her experience growing up in Texas with a Mexican background. She learned to speak a form of Spanish that was ‘Tex Mex,’ that was not ‘correct’. After high school Belen signed a music contract to perform with Mexican Pop group La Onda. Performances were broadcast all over the world to different Spanish speaking countries and Belen needed to learn how to speak Spanish “correctly,” a major challenge to her comfort zone! After she got out of the music business and used her meteorology degree to be on television to deliver the weather in both English and Spanish on two different networks. She gained confidence that her bilingualism was indeed a great advantage. Then we discuss the motivation behind this project and the problem of the underrepresentation of Latinos in the entertainment industry, or anywhere for that matter. Our whole project aims at engaging and telling stories that we hope people can relate to, and eventually see themselves in a position of power or on TV. The more imagery of Latinos and diverse faces on television, the smaller the gap will be for those children who lack confidence to see a bright future. The struggle continues and so does the conversation — We want to hear from you! Please visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and tell us: What makes Enye’s American? Or, what makes Enyes not American? #enyescount Thanks for listening! HOPE FOR THE PROJECT: The more steeped in the project, the more we realize, that each micro documentary opens up conversations for Enyes and their friends and family to have. Think about what parallels this story may have in your own life and share on Facebook, you could even record it and we will play it back on podcast (unless it’s too personal) Thanks for making #enyescount! Go to our interactive map and make yourself count! Items Mentioned in This Session: East Los High Belen Action Items: Are you connected with a school and want to setup a speaking engagement with us? Email us at info@projectenye.com Interested in attending upcoming Enye Dinner Socials? Join our email list on our site where we share the latest updates on our events. If you are a Fr’enye or Enye, go to our Enyes Count Map and make Enyes Count! #EnyesCount Do you know an Enye (ñ) with an amazing story? Subscribe to our email list and stay tuned for instructions for how to nominate them to be in one of our upcoming episodes. Have creative ideas? Have an idea for a win-win partnership? Contact us at info@projectenye.com Click Here To Subscribe and Make Sure You Never Miss an Episode Podcast artwork – Flickr Creative Commons – Ludovic Berton http://bit.ly/1CmLAy0 The post Project ñ Podcast 010: So, I’m Not American Enough, huh? appeared first on Project Enye.

[avia_codeblock_placeholder uid="5"] Hello! This is Podcast Episode # 009! Where we share a behind the scenes look at the making of Project Enye (ñ) NOTE: You can download the podcast to your computer or listen to it here on the website. In this weeks podcast we discuss the transition that Enyes and their families go through when they leave for college. We first discussed Irene, who struggled a great deal with her parents as they labeled her choices to move away from home to attend graduate school as “white” and a “betrayal” to her family. Next we discuss Bianca, about 20 years younger than Irene. Bianca is the first to graduate from her family and now she envisions leaving Denver for graduate school and fulfilling her dreams. At the same time, she feels a strong sense of attachment to her family. She discuses how as an Enye, she feels the two cultures pulling her both ways. Going away means finding a way to find who you are outside of her Mexican side of her identity. Next Abry Deshong, Project Enye Production Coordinator shares her experience as a 4th generation American. She chose to leave her home town in Minnesota and attend graduate school in the Netherlands. Her grandmother, a first generation Russian Jew was the family member fearful of the distance and Abry remembers feeling a cultural pull specifically coming from her grandmother. HOPE FOR THE PROJECT: The more steeped in the project, the more we realize, that each micro documentary opens up conversations for Enyes and their friends and family to have. Think about what parallels this story may have in your own life and share on Facebook, you could even record it and we will play it back on podcast (unless its too personal) Thanks for making #enyescount! Go to our interactive map and make yourself count! Items Mentioned in This Session: Irene Arguelles  Bianca Dominguez  Chiefs (2002) Action Items: Are you connected with a school and want to setup a speaking engagement with us? Email us at info@projectenye.com Interested in attending upcoming Enye Dinner Socials? Join our email list on our site where we share the latest updates on our events. If you are a Frienye or Enye, go to our Enyes Count map and make enyes count! #EnyesCount Do you know an Enye (ñ) with an amazing story? Subscribe to our email list and stay tuned for instructions for how to nominate them to be in one of our upcoming episodes. Have creative ideas? Have an idea for a win-win partnership? Contact us at info@projectenye.com Click Here To Subscribe and Make Sure You Never Miss an Episode [avia_codeblock_placeholder uid="6"] The post Project ñ Podcast 009: I Have Big Dreams, But What Will My Family Think? appeared first on Project Enye.

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