John Leguizamo Tweets about Latino Representation; Accidentally Starts a Convo about Anti-Blackness
Emmy 2020: Black nominees gain ground, Latino representation still abysmal https://t.co/0auz8GPUA1
- Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 29, 2020
Why can’t we Latinx have a piece of the pie? We are the largest ethnic group in America and missing as if we didn’t exist! https://t.co/8xV6dJnvSM pic.twitter.com/ilDZqRLAEB
- John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) July 29, 2020
- After the Emmy nominations were announced, the Los Angeles Times ran an article about the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of the nominations, or lack thereof.
- John Leguizamo tweeted a screenshot of the article to voice his frustration at Latinos' continued lack of representation.
- He received support from some Latinos in the industry, such as OITNB's Dascha Polanco. Others, including Pose's Indya Moore, were more critical.
- Leguizamo's tweet lead to general backlash from black non-Latinos who are tired of other ethnic groups acting as though black people's hypervisibility is the cause of their lack of representation and from Afro-Latinos who are tired of being excluded from conversations about Latinos.
- Many people pointed out that Jharrel Jerome won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for "When They See Us," making history by becoming the first Afro-Latino and Dominican to win an acting Emmy.
Well we should start with supporting each other and celebrating ALL our latinx community. Many of us DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT SUPPORT each other. Let’s unite make noise demand change ! Latinos in Hollywood stop the BS and unite. Yeah I said it .
- Selenis Leyva (@selenis_leyva) July 29, 2020
[Dascha Polanco (Actress, Orange Is the New Black)]
If Its only us speaking up on it, no one cares. It’s the silence from those that fight for equality but only their equality. Diversity but Diverse enough to include thyself That mentality of “As long as I’m good; 🤷🏽♀️ I don’t see a damn thing.”
- Dascha Polanco (@SheIsDash) July 29, 2020
Guys when I speak of THOSE , thy I speak of the ppl in the positions of Power, decision maker I am such a huge supporter of inclusion YES Finally we are seeing change. That’s the silver lining and I celebrate it. TALK about it all the time... bts is where it need to start. ❤️
- Dascha Polanco (@SheIsDash) July 29, 2020
[Indya Moore (Actress, Pose)]
But really.. Unintentional anti blackness in latinidad is culturally intentional bc latinidad is inherently anti black. (eg: Haitians are completely left out of latininadad, dominicans also seldom are included.)
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
Also the cross solidarity is the cause for "we are the largest ethnic group". If all the lightskin Mexicans dominicans Puerto Ricans Cubans etc self identify as latino then that's what makes it the largest ethnic group... But https://t.co/YKVyaEOsfK
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
Also latinidad literally does not recognize Haitians as Latinos so as far I know latinidad is just an anti black project.
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
Black people:
"yay"
Light skin Dominicans, puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans, etc temporarily unite:
"WHAT ABOUT US HOLD ON WAIT"
afro Latinxs (Haitians, darkskin): " i-"
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
BECAUSE LATINIDAD IS {INHERENTLY} ANTI BLACK https://t.co/9Bx49ZsKYM
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
Mind you all this tension over an award show white people literally built for themselves https://t.co/hMKvAg4Erw
- 🌄 (@IndyaMoore) July 30, 2020
[Immortal Technique (Rapper and Activist)]
Oh... the “Latinx” Entertainment community wants to be recognized more. Maybe YOU should start recognizing that you’ve subverted Indigenous people and written us out. We are not Europeans from Spain. AND Stop whitewashing Afro-Latino culture at every step of the way. LOCURA...
- Immortal Technique (@ImmortalTech) July 29, 2020
[Aida Rodriguez (Comedian)]
Why are black and brown people beefing over Emmy noms and not holding the actual industry accountable. Divide and conquer is real! #latinx pic.twitter.com/6lanbHpJQp
- 🇵🇷Aida 🇩🇴Rodriguez 🏁 (@FunnyAida) July 30, 2020
[Gabe González (Host, MTV News)]
Really wish this headline wasn't the image going around as an emblem of frustration over a lack of Latinx nominees at the Emmys.
It falls into the trap of treating Black & Latinx identities as mutually exclusive and feels like it frames Black success at the expense of Latinx ppl pic.twitter.com/wpGNKN7Kw6
- Gabe González (@gaybonez) July 29, 2020
[Kara Brown (Writer, Jezebel)]
I understand why, but it's still bizarre to frame this in the context of the Emmys when the problem is that shows with strong Latinx representation aren't green lit period. You gotta name the problem accurately. https://t.co/LezwCYpBZs
- KB (@KaraRBrown) July 29, 2020
SOURCES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
I agree that Latino representation is lacking, but there's been an ongoing trend of people deciding it's time to ask where's theirs whenever black entertainers receive accolades or a black project is successful instead of pointing the finger where it belongs (e.g., Gina "Where Are the Latino Superheroes" Rodriguez after Black Panther).
Giving John Leguizamo the benefit of the doubt, maybe he wasn't doing that, but it's not a stretch and it's still part of a problem of not acknowledging Afro-Latinos.