TikTokBy Isabel Quinteros, TikTok Music & Sophie Sanders, TikTok Creator Community
The TikTok community is made up of people of all backgrounds, experiences, interests and passions. As a global platform, we are humbled that users from around the world have found some semblance of 'home' and 'family' on TikTok. This Latinx Heritage Month, we are celebrating our #FamiliaLatina to honor the cultures and contributions of the TikTok Latinx community.
Our #FamiliaLatina is made up of users, creators, and artists who trace their roots back to Latin American countries from around the world, including household names such as @jlo and @arod13, world-renowned @chefjoseandres, and digital entertainers like @lgndfrvr and @boomfamf. #Latina, #Latino, and #Hispanic combined have more than 31 billion views. Our Sounds page features 50+ Latinx artists, with the top performers being Ir Sais, Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Sech, Karol G, La Banda Gorda, and more. The histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans of past and present are not lost on our community and we are excited to honor and celebrate them.
TikTok Trailblazers
To kick off the month, we are unveiling our first Latinx TikTok Trailblazers. These creators have been nominated by the community as the next-generation of Latinx digital entertainment leaders. Their creativity, passion, and authentic spirit has gained them loyal followers and hundreds of thousands of 'likes.' Our inaugural Latinx Trailblazers are:
- @adamrayokay - Adam and his alter-ego, Rosa - a lovable, relatable, and charismatic persona - is a TikTok phenomenon who entertains and inspires the community.
- @devonrodriguezart - Devon spreads his creative vision and connects with the Latinx community through drawing, including popular portraits of subway riders from his community in New York.
- @itsnikki.g - As a queer, body-positive creator,Nikki wants to be the representation she didn't see growing up and spread positivity and acceptance across TikTok.
- @jennymartinezzz - Jenny gives her followers a taste of Mexican culture through food, sharing authentic recipes she learned from her mother with the community.
- @latinajesus - Jesus inspires people to laugh and enjoy life through his content.
- @lgndfrvr - Justice shares his authentic and raw journey as a Latino dad and embodies the spirit of family.
- @monicamamudo - Monica - also known as "your Brazilian Big Sister" - uses TikTok to talk about Brazilian culture, break down stereotypes and, of course, explain memes.
- @omayazein - Omaya showcases intersectionality and pride in being an Arab-Latina.
- @salicerose - As an original TikTok creator, Salice sparks joy and keeps followers smiling through her comedic videos.
- @siennamae - Sienna focuses on body-positive TikTok videos and promotion of self-love.
- @spencerx - Beatboxer, SpencerX, uses TikTok to share beatboxing culture in a fun and entertaining way.
- @zachv_pat - Lovable brothers, Zachary and Patrick strive to educate and entertain with their positive, comedic, and wholesome skits and dance videos.
The Trailblazers are just the start of our Latinx Heritage Month celebrations. Throughout the month, Latinx creators and music artists will be featured across our popular TikTok LIVE programs, including "Learn on TikTok," "Dinner With Me" and "Sound Off." From celebrating 'familia' traditions through food with Gaby Melian to learning and talking about Latinx culture with actress La La Anthony, to midday music musings with Latin Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Luis Fonsi, and even a special LIVE appearance by Jennifer Lopez. We'll be dialing up the Latinx heat on TikTok LIVE. Check the Discover page daily for updates on Latinx Heritage Month LIVE programming.
To further support Latinx music artists, we have curated a special Sounds page featuring artists that represent a diverse spectrum of Latinx demographics and music genres. We also created TikTok Latinx Heritage Month playlists on our official Spotify and Apple Music TikTok accounts, featuring songs from popular and emerging Latinx artists from the platform. And, of course, no TikTok experience is complete without special effects, which is why we've added fun #FamiliaLatina stickers to the Create page.
We know there are more ways to support and celebrate the community beyond programming and entertainment, which is why we also partnered with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), a non-profit established by the White House in 1987. We have added HHF to the TikTok Donation Stickers program and TikTok is providing a $750,000 grant to support HHF's COVID-19 community relief efforts. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published that COVID-19 positivity rate among Latinx populations was about three times higher than for any other racial and ethnic group. Black and Hispanic individuals have a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 infections, given that they are more likely to be essential workers and less likely to have had the choice of working from home. We want to make sure we are doing our part to support our communities where we can, putting action behind our words, and providing a way for users to support as well.
Celebrating and uplifting the diverse voices of the TikTok community is of utmost importance to us. To stay up-to-date on Latinx Heritage Month programming and the la #FamiliaLatina community on TikTok, follow @TikTokCreators and @TikTokUS on TikTok. ¡Vamos con todo, full power!
