Famous Latinx Birthdays

 Feliz cumpleaños a Amelia Vega (1984-     ) A Dominican model, actress, author, and singer, Vega was catapulted to fame when she was named Miss Universe in 2003. She used her platform to advocate for HIV/AIDS education and awareness. In 2011, Vega released an album, Agua Dulce, which she explains in this interview started as a tribute to her uncle, her mother's brother who always accompanied her on the guitar growing up and was an important influence in her life, after he passed away from a heart attack when he was only 40 years old.  She has been married to Dominican NBA player Al Horford since 2011, and the two have four children together. Their fourth child, a daughter named Nova, was born in January of 2021. The family lives in Oklahoma where Al Horford plays for the Thunder. Read more about Amelia Vega and listen to her music on her official website, here.   For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Feliz cumpleaños a Arturo Sandoval (1949- ) Photo from arturosandoval.com A legendary Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer, Sandoval was born in Cuba and came to the United States in 1989 with the help of Dizzy Gillespie, his "spiritual father." Sandoval became an American citizen on December 7, 1998. Sandoval has 10 Grammys, 6 Billboard Awards, and one Emmy. In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the world of music. A movie about his life starring Andy Garcia, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story , was released in 2000. Listen to him talk about his escape from Communist Cuba (where jazz was prohibited and only state-sanctioned music was allowed), his friendship with Dizzy Gillespie, and the importance of jazz music in this 2013 interview for NPR. See him play There Will Never Be Another You in a live studio session HERE .