Where should I begin? Well, to start, Latinos make up a considerable part of the population of the United States. (Nearly 1 in every 5 people.) The nation is slated to be minority majority in 2025: “During that year, whites will comprise 49.7 percent of the population in contrast to 24.6 percent for Hispanics, 13.1 percent for blacks, 7.9 percent for Asians, and 3.8 percent for multiracial populations,” according to the Brookings Institute. Yes, the majority minority group will be people of Latino descent. Yet, there is an underlying question that boggles my mind to this very day. And that is, why are Latinos not represented in our media landscape? We are rarely seen on television or movies. (FYI, Hollywood: We’ve noticed.)
What’s most perplexing is that Hollywood is in California. And the last time I visited, I noticed California is very, very brown. So, how exactly does Hollywood manage to keep Latinos out of their movies, when the state is majority Latino. You probably can’t tell because there are almost no Latinos is Hollywood’s movies and shows, but Latinos became the majority in California in 2015, according to the Los Angeles Times. If Hollywood wanted to find Latino talent, all they had to do is open the door and look outside.
On the few occasions when Hollywood finds Latinos for their productions, they are normally portrayed as house maids, immigrant workers, cholos (gang members), military members (but usually privates, rarely officers or generals), border patrol agents or exotic entities. Even Forbes Magazine noted that Latinos only get 4.5% of speaking parts, calling their presence in Hollywood “dismal.” I believe that there is a huge correlation between what is going on with Latinos now and what happened in the 20th century to African Americans. African Americans were portrayed as certain stereotypes as noted in Donald Bogle’s Analysis of African American Stereotypes: “black house servants, the black bafoon or the ‘buck’ a violent stereotype.” This would carry on through most of the 20th century up until “Blaxploitation” films came to dominate the 1970s of the Century. But I digress. The point that I am trying to make is that just as African Americans were portrayed in a negative light, similarly, Latinos are receiving the same type of depictions, if any at all. There have only been a handful of Latino actors. Films and television programs throughout the decades have all but vanished for us. Almost no Latinos. We are as invisible as air. In the few instances that Hollywood casts Latinos, they are devolved into stereotypical, type cast roles, which include a heavy accent, and are seen as inferior to their peers in the film or television program. It may be easier to defend if this were the 1930s or 50s, but it is now 2020, past structuralist views and way past postmodernism. Why is it that we cannot have a seat at the table as well?
What does this tell our Latino youth? Especially with all of the news coverage of immigrant detention centers, laws in Texas such as SB4, and still very few positive role models for them to follow? As stated earlier, people of color, probably led by Latinos as the largest minority group, will be the majority between 2040-2050. Latinos also consume a hefty amount of media. If you look at the number of people who view Latino music artists on YouTube (via Mána, Luis Fonsi, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Nicky Jam, J-Balvin, Bad Bunny, Selena Gomez, Becky G, etc.) you will find that some or most of their music videos range from 250 million views up to (or exceeding) 1 billion views. Yes! That’s BILLION, with a “B.” What does this tell us? There is definitely a market for all-things-Latino. Latinos also make up “the largest portion” of movie goers in the U.S., 32%, according to Hollywood data. Yet, we are hardly seen on the big or small screen. Latinos consume massive amounts of media. Why are we not portrayed with the same amount of proportion as viewers? Many poststructuralist proponents also argue that that there is an underrepresentation of Afro-Latinos in film. And, that’s wrong, too.
Latinos come from a multitude of countries, but the vast majority are Mexican American. When you delve deeper into the statistics, you find that each area of the United States has different concentrations of Latino populations. For instance, Mexican Americans constitute the South Western and West portions of the U.S.; Puerto Ricans are primarily in the northeast of the U.S., and more recently, in Florida, where they are fleeing to following Hurricane Maria. Florida used to be predominantly Cuban, but they may soon be outnumbered by Americans of Puerto Rican descent. Florida also has a strong representation from South America.
Through my experience, (being a Mexican American), most Mexican Americans differ by state: Californians are different from Tejanos; Nuevo Mexicanos are different from Mexican Americans in Arizona, etc. Heck, even Mexican Americans differ by city in the state of Texas, where Latinos are expected to become the majority in the next year of two. As a Texan, I know firsthand that El Paso Mexican Americans differ from the ones in San Antonio, Austin or Dallas. And Corpus Christi Mexican Americans differ from the ones in Laredo, and even those differ from the Mexican Americans in Del Rio, Texas. The point I am trying to make is that Latinos, and even Mexican Americans, differ so uniquely that Hollywood should consider a wide range of issues and personalities when portraying them. The majority of films made from the late 1980s throughout the 1990s where based on Los Angeles Mexican Americans, which (again) differ from a Texas Mexican American’s perspective. This brings up another issue: the simple fact that young, aspiring Latino filmmakers lack the foundation of directors, actors, films or a blueprint to base their films off of. With hardly any basis to work off of, where are they to turn for inspiration? As I conclude, I say, “It is up to Latino filmmakers to lead the path moving forward.” We are a diverse, unique, caring, innovative and resourceful people. Let that be reflected in our work. We have historical greatness and amazing stories to tell. I urge our people to create content that represents us as a people. Let us put our best foot forward, and show Hollywood through independent means that we do have a voice and demand our rightful place in cinema. Together, or nothing. Juntos o Nada. Let’s get to work.
Below are some videos that shed light on this issue: