Karen Juanita Carrillo
Karen Juanita Carrillo

Karen Juanita Carrillo

Karen Juanita Carrillo is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and photographer. She specializes in covering African American and Afro-Latino history, literature and politics. Visit her author website at amazon.com/author/karenjuanitacarrillo.

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Crowds gather for the The Harlem Cultural Festival on June 29, 1969.
1960s

Why the Watershed 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival Was Overshadowed for 50 Years

During the same summer as the legendary Woodstock music festival, the Harlem concert series featured major African American artists against a backdrop of massive social change.

How Hernán Cortés Conquered the Aztec Empire
Ancient Americas

How Hernán Cortés Conquered the Aztec Empire

Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, flourished between A.D. 1325 and 1521—but was defeated less than two years after the arrival of Spanish invaders led by Cortés.

The Mariel Boatlift: a Cold War-Era Mass Exodus of Cubans to the U.S.
1980s

The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

After Fidel Castro loosened emigration policies, some 125,000 Cubans landed on U.S. shores over a span of five months.

A 1960s-era TV set on legs is shown between a potted plant and red footstool.
Hispanic History

7 Groundbreaking Inventions by Latino Innovators

From entertainment devices to lifesaving medical technologies, Latino inventors have advanced humankind through their contributions.

History of the Chicano Movement
Hispanic History

How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican-American Identity and Fought for Change

Chicano activists took on a name that had long been a racial slur—and wore it with pride.

How Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ Confronted an Ugly Era of Lynchings
Early 20th Century U.S.

How Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ Confronted an Ugly Era of Lynchings

During a time when violence against Black Americans was common, Holiday's haunting rendition of the song often left audiences uncomfortable.