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.
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.
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