TikTok has a simple description for its new campaign: Es una cosa Latina.
That phrase, which translates to “it’s a Latina thing,” is a fitting title for the popular app’s month-long paean to Latinx identity and culture. During Latinx Heritage Month, TikTok will support its community through a series of initiatives, including a group dinner, a new batch of “Trailblazers,” and a grant program that will reward ten Latinx creators with $50,000 each.
Latinx Heritage Month begins on September 15, and TikTok is wasting no time initiating its celebration. A Visionary Voices dinner on that date is designed to bring together Latinx creators in New York City. This is the second time TikTok has hosted such an event — its first Visionary Voices gala took place in August and feted Black creators. Hosting dinners themed around specific identities is not just a TikTok thing; YouTube has hosted similar get-togethers through its Recipe for Change series.
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Most of TikTok’s Latinx Heritage Month activations, however, will take place on the app itself. Several live events will amplify Latinx artists throughout September and October, and TikTok has established a new account dedicated to Latinx stories. Casa TikTok went live at the start of Heritage Month with a promise to “celebrate community.”
@casatiktok Follow along as we celebrate community, share #CasaTikTok ♬ original sound – CasaTikTok
So who can viewers expect to see on Casa TikTok? To answer that question, the ByteDance-owned app put together a new group of “trailblazers,” as it did for LGBTQ+ creators during Pride Month. The 11 Latinx trailblazers cover a wide cross-section of categories and collectively reach millions of followers. Some of the best-known creators who were selected for the class include Dominican fashion star Denise Mercedes, Mexican home chef Alejandra Tapia, and Brazilian-born makeup artist Gabe Adams.
TikTok is also offering monetary support a group of smaller creators. For the second straight year, the app is partnering with media companies — MACRO and UnbeliEVAble Entertainment — to incubate up-and-coming Latinx talent. In this instance, TikTok is doling out $50,000 grants to ten videomakers who are looking to take on large-scale projects. The grant recipients are a varied bunch; they range from mycologists to house cleaners to tattoo artists.
Though I’ve discussed a number of initiatives here, I’ve only scratched the surface of what “es una cosa Latina” is all about. For more details about the month-long program, you can check out a blog post published by TikTok.
