The Congressional Hispanic Caucus nominated Latino musicians to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. “Latinos are nearly 20% of the US and widely bilingual —, but of the 600 titles in the Recording Registry, less than 4% are from Latino artists,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, wrote on Twitter.
As reported by NBC News, 33 songs in English and Spanish across different genres were nominated, prioritizing those artists who are not part of the registry.
Among the entertainers and songs on the list are Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno,” Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente”; José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad”; Jennifer Lopez’s album “J. Lo,” and Los Tigres Del Norte’s album “Corridos,” and more.
“I want for the contributions of our musicians to be recognized and celebrated in the way that they deserve because they have made a mark in America,” Castro told Axios. The politician also asked his followers to help curate the list and suggest other songs.
Each year, 25 songs are chosen by The National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress to diversify American recorded sound and preserve Latino rhythms for future generations.
The deadline for public nominations for the 2023 registry has passed, but people can begin to submit recommendations for the 2024 nominations. To be eligible, recordings must be at least ten years old and “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States,“ according to the Library of Congress, as per NBC.