Defining what it means to be Latino or Hispanic has always been a curious process. Neither term refers to a particular race, but rather an ethnic group made up of various races. 

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. 

Glynis Johns is a native Scrantonian, historian, sociologist, artist, documentarian, advocate, and founder of The Black Scranton Project. A modern day Renaissance woman, she spends a lot of time researching Scranton in attempt to pieces together narratives of the black community. Currently, she is building the foundation of a non-profit organization dedicated to doing just that. She curates a Black History Month exhibition in Scranton – the first of its kind. She is proud to shift... 

New Orleans Mardi Gras

The first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a small celebration and dubbed their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.

In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners. When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.