LWC Studios Launches 100 Latina Birthdays

LWC Studios has launched a new original documentary podcast about Latina health and lifetime outcomes, 100 Latina Birthdays.

The first season of the narrative investigative series chronicles some of the key issues faced by U.S. Latinas starting in utero to age 20, with subsequent seasons slated to report through age 100. “By 2050, Latinas will make up a quarter of the country’s population, but they continue to face health impediments that lessen their quality of life, social mobility, and lifespans,” said the series creator and LWC Studios founder Juleyka Lantigua.

• Latinos are three times more likely than white non-Latinos to be uninsured.
• In 2021, data from the Chicago Department of Public Health showed that Latina pregnant women in Chicago were hospitalized for COVID at a higher rate.
• Heart disease is the second major cause of death among women who are Hispanic.
• Hispanic women have a 50% higher death rate from cervical cancer than non-Hispanic women.
• Latinas have far higher rates of high blood pressure and obesity.

“This podcast updates the narrative about Latinas in the U.S., and establishes our role in the health and future of the country,” the show’s editor, Paulina Velasco, said.

“The podcast delves into the lived experiences of Chicago-area Latinas and their families and sheds light on the challenges and opportunities to achieve health equity. These powerful stories illuminate the social and structural determinants of health for US Latinas and can catalyze action toward systems change,” Maria Pesqueira, the president of Healthy Communities Foundation, the series’ lead sponsor, said.

The series is made possible by grants from the Healthy Communities Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, the Field Foundation of Illinois, and the Chicago Foundation for Women. Mujeres Latinas en Acción is the series’ fiscal sponsor.