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Kendall Jenner starting a tequila brand, with zero knowledge on Mexican culture and calling it “818 tequila” is GENTRIFICATION. The 818 does not claim Calabasas. What about those smaller, family owned Mexican tequila/mezcal brands? They deserve the hype & support.
It could have been any other white woman from a wealthy area profiting off of Latinx culture. My point is they claim the 818 when it benefits them, but do they claim what’s real? Do they even know that the 818 has some of the poorest cities in LA? 15 miles NE of Calabasas?
For people who don’t know much about the San Fernando Valley, so many Mexican & Central American immigrants have built their lives in the 818. The cities in the Northeast San Fernando Valley are also very UNDERinvested. Low-income households just tryna make it for their kids.
Like many places in Los Angeles, wealthy folks try to erase the real people and culture from the 818 to appeal to white folks and their version of the 818.
A few small, family-owned tequila brands: Tanteo Tequila is part of a Cooperative in Juanacatlán, a partnership of 85 families of agave growers. Unique in the tequila industry, this ownership structure allows an honest profit for all in the supply chain. https://www.tanteotequila.com
Azuñia tequila: a family-owned farm “sustained by an underground well naturally filtered by volcanic rock. Pure, pristine and virtually untouched, this water provides drinking water to residents of the surrounding landscape” https://www.azuniatequila.com
Angelisco Tequila: They give back to the Highlands and work hard to ensure the sustainability of the land, the environment, and the integrity of the industry. https://backbarproject.com/portfolio/angelisco-tequila/
Real Zepeda Tequila: Committed to addressing 3 social issues: immigration, unemployment, & minority representation. “We are committed to helping Latino communities in New England & using our platform to give a voice to the Latino community” https://www.realzepedatequila.com
Support your gente in the 818, the family-owned restaurants, the street vendors all over the San Fernando Valley! 
Support community-led organizations like Pacoima Beautiful @PB__Community, @CHIRLA @mendpoverty. Keep doing the work, learning and unlearning. Keep advocating!!
Support community-led organizations like Pacoima Beautiful @PB__Community, @CHIRLA @mendpoverty. Keep doing the work, learning and unlearning. Keep advocating!!
Our communities in the 818, like Pacoima, Arleta, Sylmar, Van Nuys & other cities in L.A. continue to be the hardest hit communities affected by COVID-19. The health inequities & other inequities these cities go through daily have become even more prevalent in this pandemic.
DROP ya small business, family-owned businesses in the SFV so people can go support!! Drop some of your favorite photos of the SFV. Drop them photos of some of the most hardworking people in the 818. Show them the real 818 
Drop some of your favorite photos of the SFV. Drop them photos of some of the most hardworking people in the 818. Show them the real 818
Low-income cities in the San Fernando Valley have historically been overlooked & underinvested. Pockets of the SFV, especially the Northeast San Fernando Valley, experience A LOT of inequities that have negatively impacted these communities before and during this pandemic.
It’s worlds apart from West San Fernando. Sun Valley has more landfills and power plants than parks and libraries. Take a look at health outcomes in this part of the 818. Asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease. Look at our school scores, graduation rates in Pacoima, Arleta
Look at the food deserts in this side of the Valley. Take a deeper look. How many Latinx here have the opportunity to open businesses? Pursue an education? Get quality health care? Are these communities being empowered & getting access to wealth accumulation?
“It’s not that deep” BUT it is. Systemic inequities are DEEPLY rooted. You’d know that if you lived in these cities in the SFV & other low-income cities. Next time you hear about the 818, think about these communities that need more investment to uplift the kids & community.
