Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Thursday, October 01, 2020
Latino Storytellers Discuss Diversity, Representation for Afro-Latinos
Variety: “The Good Doctor” actor Nicholas Gonzalez says Latinx representation in media is often stereotyped, and even when it isn’t, the characters are only temporary.
I am glad to see this conversation happening as I know that this is a conversation that I have had with other Latinx people in my life. I really appreciate that the article talks about how “the Latinx community is not homogenous.” I often feel that we who identify as Latinx are all grouped as one group and are not given our independence or given the opportunity to show how we are different cultures. It makes me think of In the Heights because that show has a lot of Latinx representation. However, it is very specific to places like Cuba and Puerto Rico. My experience as someone who is Mexican and Salvadoran is much different than someone who is from Cuba or Puerto Rico. Our cultures are vastly different. I also appreciate that this article brings up the issue of Afro-Latinx representation which is woefully lacking in all mainstream media. They are correct to state that there is an expectation of what “Latinx” is and looks like and, unfortunately, it tends to be fairer skinned Latinx people who are represented (looking back at In the Heights).
This article shows just how far Hollywood and the entertainment industry has to go. Diversity is just the first step to making the entertainment industry an anti-racist place with equitable and inclusive practices. It is not enough to put a POC in a scene, especially in the “sidekick” roles or in roles that get killed off after short amounts of time. There need to be leading Latinx characters and their stories need to be told by Latinx people behind the scenes. A white writers’ room and a white director are not equipped to understand the life experience. Additionally, as the article points out, Latinx is not a monolith. There is a wide range of people that the term applies to, and the Latinx community has its own colorism and racism to overcome. There is a desire to put people in boxes, and Afro-Latinos are difficult for people to wrap their heads around because they are both Black and Latinx, and not in the biracial one parent is one thing and the other parent is the other. There is deep history and culture that Afro-Latinos have, and it is the result of slavery, and they deserve to have their story told jus as much as light-skinned white Latinos do.
This is such an important conversation when it comes to representation in the media. While I am not Latinx myself, I have family members who are Afro-Latinx and people don’t seem to grasp the concept that they exist. You can be black and latinx, and not be biracial, like Victor said. I can only speak about how generalized it is for African-American vs. African in media representation because it tends to be considered one in the same. Also the problem with generalizing Africans as one culture when there are hundreds. I resonate heavily with the representation behind the camera. I am usually around white creatives and administrators and it's a weird and heavy burden to carry on yourself. Like JC said, there is an expectation of what Latinx people should look like, and it is usually on a lighter-skinned side. I hope this article and their discussion brings to light the many different parts of Latinx cultures and the different skin tones people come with, and why that representation matters to a huge population of people.
I am very happy that this group of prominent Latinx actors and creators took the time to address a really serious issue regarding the lack of Latinx representation in entertainment. It is quite an important conversation to be having, especially when hearing the statistic that Latinx roles make up 3-5% of the lead parts in Hollywood despite making up around 17% of the overall United States population. I found this to be a gauge for how underrepresented Latinx artists are. As a latinx creator who is the son of proud immigrants, it is very discouraging to not see people that look like me represented in the art that I consume. I also appreciate how they bring up the Afro Latino experience since it is very unique and they do not fall into one box.
4 comments:
I am glad to see this conversation happening as I know that this is a conversation that I have had with other Latinx people in my life. I really appreciate that the article talks about how “the Latinx community is not homogenous.” I often feel that we who identify as Latinx are all grouped as one group and are not given our independence or given the opportunity to show how we are different cultures. It makes me think of In the Heights because that show has a lot of Latinx representation. However, it is very specific to places like Cuba and Puerto Rico. My experience as someone who is Mexican and Salvadoran is much different than someone who is from Cuba or Puerto Rico. Our cultures are vastly different.
I also appreciate that this article brings up the issue of Afro-Latinx representation which is woefully lacking in all mainstream media. They are correct to state that there is an expectation of what “Latinx” is and looks like and, unfortunately, it tends to be fairer skinned Latinx people who are represented (looking back at In the Heights).
This article shows just how far Hollywood and the entertainment industry has to go. Diversity is just the first step to making the entertainment industry an anti-racist place with equitable and inclusive practices. It is not enough to put a POC in a scene, especially in the “sidekick” roles or in roles that get killed off after short amounts of time. There need to be leading Latinx characters and their stories need to be told by Latinx people behind the scenes. A white writers’ room and a white director are not equipped to understand the life experience. Additionally, as the article points out, Latinx is not a monolith. There is a wide range of people that the term applies to, and the Latinx community has its own colorism and racism to overcome. There is a desire to put people in boxes, and Afro-Latinos are difficult for people to wrap their heads around because they are both Black and Latinx, and not in the biracial one parent is one thing and the other parent is the other. There is deep history and culture that Afro-Latinos have, and it is the result of slavery, and they deserve to have their story told jus as much as light-skinned white Latinos do.
This is such an important conversation when it comes to representation in the media. While I am not Latinx myself, I have family members who are Afro-Latinx and people don’t seem to grasp the concept that they exist. You can be black and latinx, and not be biracial, like Victor said. I can only speak about how generalized it is for African-American vs. African in media representation because it tends to be considered one in the same. Also the problem with generalizing Africans as one culture when there are hundreds. I resonate heavily with the representation behind the camera. I am usually around white creatives and administrators and it's a weird and heavy burden to carry on yourself. Like JC said, there is an expectation of what Latinx people should look like, and it is usually on a lighter-skinned side. I hope this article and their discussion brings to light the many different parts of Latinx cultures and the different skin tones people come with, and why that representation matters to a huge population of people.
I am very happy that this group of prominent Latinx actors and creators took the time to address a really serious issue regarding the lack of Latinx representation in entertainment. It is quite an important conversation to be having, especially when hearing the statistic that Latinx roles make up 3-5% of the lead parts in Hollywood despite making up around 17% of the overall United States population. I found this to be a gauge for how underrepresented Latinx artists are. As a latinx creator who is the son of proud immigrants, it is very discouraging to not see people that look like me represented in the art that I consume. I also appreciate how they bring up the Afro Latino experience since it is very unique and they do not fall into one box.
Post a Comment