#mitúVOICE

If You’re Puerto Rican, You’ll Totally Get These

By April 7, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Twitter / Alayna Curry

When you know life is simply more interesting because you’re Puerto Rican:

Credit: Twitter / ana_sobrino13

When some consonants just weren’t invited to the party:

Credit: Twitter / chicago_gabe

When you’ve got to give it up for Nuyoricans and their style:

Credit: Twitter / HistoryInPics

Check out that belt!

When, let’s be real, any time is a good time for coconut and rum, but especially at Christmas:

Credit: Twitter / MissDebbie_77

When you wonder how one small island produced one bazillion primos:

Credit: Twitter / valera_ciara

When some words just sound more “correct” than others:

Credit: Twitter / chandraquel

…and it’s pronounced “wa wa,” OBVIOUSLY.

When people assume all Latinos are about the hot sauce, but you’re all about that sofrito life:

https://twitter.com/keilagalarza/status/689594196244721664

Credit: Twitter / keilagalarza

When “awela” needs to watch her stories and there’s nothing you can do about it:

Credit: Twitter / zaynfeatkehlani

When the tostones and papas rellenas start singing your name:

Credit: Twitter / sheilasw0rld_xo

When you’re proud at how Boricuas like Rita Moreno, Rosie MFing Perez and Benicio are killin’ it in Hollywood:

Credit: Twitter / ohxnelli

And when you can’t help but feel inspired by Lin-Manuel’s success:

Credit: Twitter / martinez_garcel

…Even Queen Gina is impressed (and impressive):

Credit: Twitter / HereIsGina

When nothing feels as good as mofongo tastes:

Credit: Twitter / alaynajolie

And when you know that, at the end of the day, Puerto Rican moms basically run this:

Credit: Twitter / PuertoRicoSwagg

No, seriously. Puerto Rican moms run the world…and your life:

Credit: Twitter / moeabu10306 via LaJuan James

READ: 7 of the Most Beautiful Sites Puerto Rico is Conserving

Are you Puerto Rican and proud? (And did you bring enough mofongo to share with us? Please?) Tell us below!

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

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Who Is Mari Pepin? Everything You Need to Know About the Puerto Rican Beauty Queen and ‘The Bachelor’ Frontrunner

Entertainment

Who Is Mari Pepin? Everything You Need to Know About the Puerto Rican Beauty Queen and ‘The Bachelor’ Frontrunner

By January 11, 2021 at 9:47 pm
BY  | January 11, 2021 AT 9:47 pm

As you probably know by now, a new season of the never-ending reality series “The Bachelor” has just started.

And this season is destined to be especially exciting–not just because of the promise of non-stop drama, but because the franchise has finally hired its first Black male lead, Matt James, after 18 years on the air.

And with the first Black “Bachelor” comes the most diverse group of contestants competing for the lead’s heart that they’ve ever had.

And one of the contestants that is capturing the hearts of both fans and Matt James alike is 24-year-old Puerto Rican-born pageant queen Mariela “Mari” Pepin.

On this season’s premiere episode of “The Bachelor”, Mari was immediately clocked by viewers as one of the front runners by the way that Matt reacted to meeting her. The former Wake Forest wide receiver was struck speechless by her beauty and couldn’t keep his eyes off her when she parted ways with him. It was obvious that Mari had made quite the first impression on him.

And because we love to see #representation on screen (and especially on reality TV), we decided to do our due diligence and find out as much as we could about this gorgeous and accomplished Latina. Here’s everything you need to know about Mari Pepin.

She’s Boricua–and proud of it!

Something that immediately endeared Mari to fans was the fact that she is so vocally proud of being Puerto Rican. In her first sit-down conversation with Matt, she opened up about how hard its been for her family to live through the relentless natural disasters that the island is going through.

She’s a military brat.

According to Mari’s personal blog, she spent the first few years of her life in PR before relocating to Germany because of her father’s military career. According to Mari, her unique childhood contributed to her love of traveling as an adult.

She was 2019’s Miss Maryland USA.

According to Mari’s official “Bachelor” bio, she began competing in pageants when she moved to Maryland as a teenager. She won Miss Teen Maryland and then went on to win the title of Miss Maryland. After that, she placed in the Top 10 of the Miss USA competition.

She’s wicked smart.

According to Mari’s LinkedIn page, she has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Towson University and she’s currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Marketing Intelligence from the same institution. It’s safe to say she values education.

She’s multilingual.

Not only does Mari speak both Spanish and English flawlessly, but she’s also fluent in French and American Sign Language.

Based on all this info alone, we can’t wait to see Mari Pepin crush this season of “The Bachelor”. Hopefully, this Boricua beauty will be popping up a lot on our screens for years to come!

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Tags:
Beauty PageantsMari PepinPuerto Ricoreality tvthe Bachelor

A Human Rights Attorney Is Being Accused Of Falsely Posing As A Latina During Her Career

Culture

A Human Rights Attorney Is Being Accused Of Falsely Posing As A Latina During Her Career

By January 8, 2021 at 1:03 pm
BY  | January 8, 2021 AT 1:03 pm
¡Voice Latina! / YouTube

Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan is the outgoing president of the National Lawyers Guild and her departure has taken a sudden turn. After years as an attorney, many are now accusing the attorney of posing as a Latina.

Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan is facing mounting scrutiny and backlash for her claims that she is Latina.

According to a post on Prism, Bannan has a history of claiming her Latinidad. The post points out several interviews the attorney has given over the years with different publications where she explicitly claims that she is part of the Latino community. In one YouTube video with ¡Voice Latina!, Bannan explicitly says that “as a woman, as an individual, as a Latina” she is inspired to do the work she does because of her hero Oscar López Rivera.

People are calling on others to do better about who they choose to represent various communities.

Representation matters, especially when it comes to the issues that are facing our various communities. It is important to make sure that the representation reflects those being represented. According to Prism, Bannan has been pushing a narrative that she is of Puerto Rican and Colombian heritage for over a decade. She has even spoken out as a Puerto Rican woman that is fighting for the island’s statehood.

There are multiple media moments when Bannan claimed Latino heritage, according to reports.

Prism points to an interview conducted in 2007 where she allegedly told “El Diario” that her heritage was “a little bit Spanish, a little bit Colombian, and a Sephardic Jew.”

“I am racially white, and have always said that. However my cultural identity was formed as a result of my family, both chosen and chosen for me, and that has always been Latinx,” Bannan wrote on Facebook Monday following the story. “My identity is my most authentic expression of who I am and how I pay honor to the people who have formed me since I was a child.”

The story is garnering so much attention because of Hilaria Baldwin and her claims of being Spanish.

Baldwin misled people into believing that she was of Spanish descent when she was a white woman born in Boston. Prism was able to decipher that Bannan is a white woman born in Georgia whose family immigrated from Ireland, Italy, and Russia.

READ: Why Do People Care If Hilaria Baldwin’s Spanish Accent Is Fake Or Not, Anyway?

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Tags:
AttorneyIdentityNatasha Lycia Ora BannanPuerto Rican